Showing 1 - 10 of 66
Pilgrims in Italy flock to tomb of first millennial saint
AFP, Published on 10/04/2025
» ASSISI, Italy - Assisi has long been a place of pilgrimage, but these days the faithful come not for Saint Francis but for a tech-savvy teen soon to become the first millennial saint.
Mums’ club nights a hit in Europe
AFP, Published on 25/03/2025
» PARIS - In a chic Paris nightclub not far from the Champs-Elysees, dozens of mostly middle-aged women hit the dancefloor with barely a man in sight.
Unfazed devotees shrug off stampede at India mega-festival
AFP, Published on 30/01/2025
» PRAYAGRAJ (INDIA) - Swarming throngs of devotees bathed in rivers at the world's biggest religious gathering in India on Thursday, undeterred by a stampede a day earlier that killed at least 30 people.
Record 36.8 million tourists visited Japan in 2024
AFP, Published on 15/01/2025
» TOKYO - Record numbers of tourists flocked to Japan last year, figures showed Wednesday, as the weak yen bolstered the appeal of the "bucket list" destination despite overcrowding complaints in hotspots like Kyoto.
Sea of humanity at Kumbh Mela pilgrimage
AFP, Published on 14/01/2025
» PRAYAGRAJ, India - Millions of Hindu pilgrims are gathering in India to bathe in sacred waters for the six-week-long Kumbh Mela festival — from the very old to babies, cave-dwelling monks to science teachers.
India opens giant Hindu festival for 400 million pilgrims
AFP, Published on 13/01/2025
» PRAYAGRAJ (INDIA) - Vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims in India began bathing in sacred waters on Monday as the Kumbh Mela festival opened, with organisers expecting 400 million people -- the largest gathering of humanity.
Chinese mourners use AI to digitally resurrect the dead
AFP, Published on 14/12/2023
» TAIZHOU (CHINA) - At a quiet cemetery in eastern China, bereaved father Seakoo Wu pulls out his phone, places it on a gravestone and plays a recording of his son.
World's oldest beauty adviser sitting pretty
AFP, Published on 21/11/2023
» FUKUSHIMA (JAPAN) - Tomoko Horino's neighbours gossiped when she first went out to work in patriarchal 1960s Japan, but now, at age 100, the world's oldest beauty adviser is having the last laugh.
TikTok mums nurture 'detox for kids' misinformation
AFP, Published on 18/10/2023
» WASHINGTON - A TikTok army of American mothers claiming to be "detox" specialists is pushing unproven treatments for childhood behavioural disorders -– while hiding that their misinformation is actually a marketing campaign aimed at making money.
Families endure grief's 'open wound' a year after nursery massacre
AFP, Published on 03/10/2023
» NA KLANG, Nong Bua Lamphu - Clutching a well-worn teddy named "Little Bear", Paweenuch Supolwong fiddles with Buddhist amulets hanging heavy on her neck as her grandmother tells of the trauma still afflicting the four-year-old.