Cyclone Amphan: Kolkata devastated as cyclone kills scores in India and Bangladesh
The eastern Indian city of Kolkata has been devastated by a powerful cyclone which has killed at least 84 people across India and Bangladesh. Amphan made landfall on Wednesday, lashing coastal areas with ferocious wind and rain. The storm is weakening as it moves north into Bhutan. Thousands of trees were uprooted in the gales, […]
Statement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the attacks in Sri Lanka
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expresses his horror at the terrorist attacks that took place on the day of Western Easter celebrations in churches and hotels in the greater area of the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, causing death to dozens of our fellow human beings and injuring hundreds. His All-Holiness unambiguously condemns all acts of terror, […]
Pakistan rain and storms kill dozens
At least 32 people have been killed and dozens more injured after three days of heavy rain and storms in Pakistan, officials say. Most of the deaths were in the north of the country, where roofs caved in and houses collapsed, killing several children. Six members of one family are reported to have been swept […]
Deaths of pygmy elephants sparks concern in Malaysia
A forlorn and frightened pygmy elephant calf, reaching out its trunk to touch its dead mother. That’s the heartbreaking scene local authorities came across recently as they patrolled the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in northeastern Borneo. The mother was one of 14 elephants, the latest one discovered Thursday, found dead over the past few weeks […]
Cemetery as battleground for ‘soul of Singapore’
Millie Phuah arrived at Singapore’s Bukit Brown cemetery on a humid morning, armed with a rake and gloves to clear fallen branches and decaying leaves from her ancestors’ graves. “I’ve got my great-grandparents on this side … and my grand-uncle will be on this side,” she said, pointing in opposite directions. An eight-lane highway, set […]
India files murder charges against suspects in brutal gang rape
Indian authorities added murder charges Saturday for suspects in the brutal gang rape that led to the death of a 23-year-old woman and sent outraged protesters to the streets. The suspects already faced rape charges. Six people, including a minor and a bus driver, have been arrested in connection with the rape, which occurred in […]
10million Hindu Pilgrims Bathe Naked in the Ganges for Kumbh Mela Festival
Millions of Hindus followed naked holy men into the cold waters of the Ganges today as part of the world’s largest gathering of people.
The ceremony in the Indian city of Allahabad came on the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh Mela, a 55-day religious festival which is expected to attract well over 100million bathing pilgrims.
A top festival official said nearly 3million people had bathed by late morning and 11million were expected to enter the frigid water by the end of Monday.
Rare tragopan pheasants sent from Highland Wildlife Park to India
A group of rare and endangered birds is being taken from the Highlands to India in an attempt to kick-start a recovery programme for the species. The nine tragopans are members of the pheasant family which normally inhabit the foothills of the Himalayas. They have been bred in captivity by experts in the UK and […]
UN scales back Pakistan polio campaign after killings
The UN has scaled back an anti-polio campaign in Pakistan after two more health workers died in the latest of a spate of gun attacks. Attacks in the Peshawar region killed a vaccination supervisor and her driver, and injured a student volunteer. No group has claimed responsibility, but the Taliban have issued threats against the […]
Delhi shivers on coldest day for 44 years
The Indian capital, Delhi, has shivered through its coldest day for 44 years, with dense fog causing travel chaos. Temperatures fell to a minimum for the day of 4.8C while the maximum temperature in the city was down 11 degrees at 9.8C. The Meteorological Office said it was the first time since records began in […]