Showing 1 - 10 of 123
Upstart gangsters shake Japan's yakuza
AFP, Published on 19/12/2025
» TOKYO - When Takanori Kuzuoka began climbing the criminal career ladder, he didn't fancy joining Japan's old-school yakuza, with their tattoos, rigid hierarchy and codes of honour.
Six killed, dozens injured in India temple stampede
Reuters, Published on 03/05/2025
» NEW DELHI — At least six people were killed and 55 were injured in a stampede at an Indian temple in the western coastal state of Goa where hundreds of devout Hindus had assembled, police official said on Saturday.
Philippine devotees nailed to crosses in Good Friday ritual
Reuters, Published on 18/04/2025
» CUTID, Philippines - Christian devotees from the Philippines were nailed to a cross on Friday in an annual re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.
All-women marching band livens up Taiwanese funerals
AFP, Published on 13/03/2025
» CHANGHUA — At a funeral in rural Taiwan, musicians wearing pleated mini-skirts and go-go boots march around a coffin to the beat of the 1980s hit "I Hate Myself for Loving You".
India’s vast Hindu festival draws to an end
AFP, Published on 26/02/2025
» PRAYAGRAJ, India — The Kumbh Mela festival wraps up on Wednesday, with final ritual river bathing ceremonies ending six weeks of celebration that organisers say have been attended by hundreds of millions of devotees.
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.
India readies for mammoth Hindu festival of 400 million pilgrims
AFP, Published on 10/01/2025
» NEW DELHI — The world's largest gathering of humanity begins in India on Monday with the opening of the Kumbh Mela, a six-week Hindu festival organisers expect to attract up to 400 million pilgrims.
China's Tibetan Buddhists urged to obey reincarnation rules
South China Morning Post, Published on 06/09/2024
» Senior Buddhist figures in China have emphasised the importance of government approval in the recognition of reincarnated Tibetan religious leaders, at a meeting this week less than a year before the Dalai Lama is expected to announce his succession plan.
Mormon Church broadens restrictions for transgender members
New York Times, Published on 28/08/2024
» NEW YORK - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expanded its restrictions on transgender members, issuing new guidance that includes prohibiting people who pursue transition from working with children.
Extreme heat kills hundreds of hajj pilgrims
Reuters, Published on 19/06/2024
» RIYADH - Hundreds of visitors have died during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca amid scorching heat, according to press reports and foreign ministries.