Colombo — Sri Lankan military and police have cracked down on celebrations of the Hindu festival of Karthikai Deepam in the northern parts of the island nation, claiming that it could be related to the commemoration of former rebels. The festival includes lighting lamps and ringing bells in temples and public places. This year it was celebrated on Nov. 29. The authorities earlier on had warned against any commemoration of former cadres of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which waged a war against the national government from 1983 to 2009. The LTTE, led by V. Prabhakaran, demanded…
Author: zenger.news
Kolkata, India. — India has renewed its diplomatic overtures to Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, in a bid to counter China’s growing influence in the country and the region. India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in the capital of Victoria on Nov. 27 for a two-day official visit to establish contact with the government of Wavel Ramkalawan, the Indian-origin president who was elected in October. Seychelles is mostly known as an attractive destination for tourists, but it is increasingly emerging as a key player in the region as India and China vie for control in…
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador shouts the names of Mexico’s independence heroes from the balcony of the National Palace as if he were giving a roll call. Hidalgo! Guerrero! Vicario! A half-million spectators gather in the public square below and respond with three shouts of ¡Viva México! after his speech. López Obrador rings a bell, waves his country’s flag and sings the national anthem with spectators. It’s September 15, the day before the anniversary of the event Mexican Independence Day commemorates. The reason for this can be traced back to a former president who wanted his birthday party to be a national blowout. Mexicans commemorate their independence…
Animals can reflect the temperament of a person or community. They are respected and revered. Often, people tattoo their images as symbols of strength, ferocity, freedom, prowess, bravery, and cleverness. Canada’s official animal is the American beaver, while the United States’ is the bald eagle. In some religions, particular animals are considered sacred and off limits. For example, in India, where cows are holy creatures representing food and life, and people are prohibited from killing them. From the smallest hummingbird to the blue whale, Latin American countries have emblematic animals as well. North America: Mexico and the Xoloitzcuintle When the…
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, England — A police officer and a paramedic rescued a woman who fell into the freezing Nottingham Canal, lost consciousness and slipped under the water. The dramatic incident took place in Nottinghamshire, England, shortly after 8 a.m. on Nov. 21. Nottinghamshire police officer and East Midlands ambulance service paramedic save a woman from drowning in the Nottingham Canal. (Nottinghamshire Police/Newsflash)Body-camera footage shows Nottinghamshire Police officer Lee Lane and an unnamed East Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic rushing to save the woman, who was struggling to keep her head above the murky water. The two jump into the canal, pull her out…
DALI, China — A Chinese artist has created such incredibly realistic 3D paintings of fish that his cat constantly licks them and or tries to catch them, thinking they are real. Ling Xun, who lives in the city of Dali in China’s Yunnan Province, has been perfecting his resin-painting skills for eight years. It takes up to a full year for Ling Xun to complete a painting. (Douyin: Yueranzs/Newsflash) His technique involves painting one part of the object on a layer of resin, or solid transparent glue, then pouring another layer of resin and waiting for it to solidify before painting…
One hundred thirty miles from Mexico City, Querétaro is a small paradise and the right place for cold weather lovers. With a wide variety of landscapes—scrubland in the central zone’s highlands, coniferous and oak forests to the north, and dry forests in the center lower lands—Querétaro is an ideal place to rest, disconnect from busy life, and enjoy nature. Travelers can also find in it a flavorful tour of cheese and wine. An Art, Wine, and Cheese tour “There are only two kinds of wine: the good wine and the best wine,” the saying goes. The wisdom behind it comes…
SOHAM, England – Two tombs dating back to the end of prehistory and the beginning of the Bronze Age recently unearthed at a housing construction site in the eastern English town of Soham illustrate how difficult old age was in such times.A team from Albion Archeology discovered two human graves along with signs that timber structures to store grain had been erected in the area, said David Ingham, Albion’s project manager for the site. An initial review of the skeletons by the team’s osteological expert shows a man, probably in his 40s or 50s when he died. “The lower part of…
Para los mexicanos, ser “guadalupano” va más allá del catolicismo. Millones de mexicanos emprenden peregrinaciones importantes desde cualquier parte del país, sin importar la distancia, con tal de ver en la “Basílica” a la Virgen de Guadalupe. Se reúnen de forma masiva más de 20 millones de personas cada 12 de diciembre para recordar la aparición de la Virgen, agradecer y dedicar rezos en su honor. Uno de los principales recintos católicos más visitados a nivel mundial después de la Basílica de San Pedro en Roma, Italia, es el de la Basílica de Guadalupe en México. Importancia de la Virgen…
Mumbai — Although India accounted for 88 percent of malaria cases in the Southeast Asia region in 2019, the country contributed to the largest drop in cases region-wide since 2000, a new report by the World Health Organization states. “India contributed to the largest drop in cases region-wide — from approximately 20 million cases in 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019,” the World Malaria Report 2020 states. Since 2018, the number of cases in India has reduced by 1.2 million, the report states. India accounted for 86 percent of the malaria deaths in the region in 2019. The report…