Showing 1 - 10 of 87
China's Buddha artisans carve out a living from dying trade
AFP, Published on 19/01/2026
» SUZHOU, China - In a dimly lit workshop in eastern China, craftsman Zhang measured and shaped a block of wood into a foot as dozens of half-completed life-sized Buddha statues looked on silently.
Cambodia-Thailand border clashes send half a million into shelters
AFP, Published on 10/12/2025
» SAMRAONG, Cambodia - Half a million evacuees in Cambodia and Thailand were sheltering in pagodas, schools and other safe havens on Wednesday after fleeing renewed fighting in a century-old border dispute in which US President Donald Trump has vowed to again intercede.
After delays, Egypt set for lavish opening of grand museum
AFP, Published on 31/10/2025
» CAIRO — With much pomp and circumstance, Cairo is due to inaugurate on Saturday the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, widely presented as the crowning jewel on authorities' efforts to overhaul the country's vital tourism industry.
Virtual Jesus? Virtual Buddha? People of faith divided as AI enters religion
AFP, Published on 03/10/2025
» NEW YORK — Artificial intelligence (AI), the technology upending nearly every corner of society, is creeping into religion, serving up virtual Jesus and automated sermons -- a change drawing mixed reviews from the faithful.
Tourism boom sparks backlash in historic heart of Athens
AFP, Published on 04/08/2025
» ATHENS - Surrounded by a hubbub of blaring music, restaurant terraces and rumbling suitcase wheels slaloming between overflowing litter bins, Giorgos Zafeiriou believes surging tourism has made his historic Athens neighbourhood unrecognisable.
Taliban change tune towards Afghan heritage sites
AFP, Published on 22/04/2025
» GOWARJAN, Afghanistan - In March 2001, the Taliban shocked the world by dynamiting the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan. Two decades later, they are back in power and claim to be making strides to preserve Afghanistan's millennia-old heritage, including pre-Islamic relics.
Bangladesh monastery a haven of harmony after unrest
AFP, Published on 26/03/2025
» DHAKA - A Buddhist monastery in Bangladesh has found renown for opening its doors to the needy during Ramadan — a beacon of interfaith harmony in a time of religious tension.
Scam centre kidnap fears keep Chinese tourists on edge in Thailand
AFP, Published on 29/01/2025
» BANGKOK - Chinese tourists visiting Thailand for Lunar New Year are worried about being kidnapped by gangsters to work in hellish scam centres, despite efforts to reassure them.
Chinese artist cashes in on Buddha-like Trump statues
AFP, Published on 13/01/2025
» XIAMEN, China - Donald Trump is not typically known for his calm or reserve, but in a craftsman's workshop in rural China the US president-elect sits in divine contemplation.
Indian Ocean nations to mark 20 years since devastating tsunami
AFP, Published on 18/12/2024
» BANDA ACEH — Tsunami-hit nations will next week commemorate the more than 220,000 people who died in the Boxing Day disaster two decades ago, when huge waves tore into coastal communities around the Indian Ocean.