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Apr 18, 2025 - World

Scores of penitents whipped themselves bloody under a scorching Philippine sun while others were nailed to crosses in a polarising Good Friday tradition drawing the most extreme of Catholic devotees.The macabre spectacle, officially frowned on by the Church, attracts thousands of Filipinos -- and a smattering of tourists -- each Easter weekend to sites across Asia's only majority Catholic nation.In Pampanga province, two hours north of Manila, 64-year-old Ruben Enaje was nailed to a cross for the 36th time on Friday.Minutes after the nails were gingerly removed from his palms, he told reporters it would be for the last time."I really can't do it anymore. They had to aim portable fans at me earlier just for me to breathe normally," Enaje said, after temperatures reached 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit).In an unscripted moment, Enaje had tumbled down an embankment while navigating the narrow path to the cross after being "pushed a bit harder than usual" by a man playing a Roman soldier.He told reporters he had felt "dizzy" while walking to the venue, needing to rest for 30 minutes before reaching the site.He has hinted at retirement in the past, and this year local officials finally introduced his successor: Arnold Maniago, a veteran of 24 crucifixions. Maniaco conceded he was "a little nervous" about taking on the role of Jesus.- More than penance -Among the procession, men with their faces covered by bandanas rhythmically whipped themselves as they walked towards the cross.But the flails, tipped with bamboo shards, rarely produce the desired blood.An older man showed AFP a small wooden paddle embedded with sharp glass he used on the backs of penitents to make it flow.Children trailed many of the processions.A boy no more than eight years old lightly flailed the back of a shirtless man lying in the road.Mark Palma, whose back was raw and smeared with blood, said flagellation was more than an act of penance.The 30-year-old told AFP he had spent half his life taking part in the flagellation ritual as a way of praying for his sister born with a heart defect."She'll be going through an operation this year, she has a hole in her heart," he said."I'm praying for her to be healed. I want the operation to be successful."Raymond Ducusin, 31, said he began taking part in 2022 when his parents developed health issues.Though his father passed away, he had no plans to stop."I want to commemorate his legacy through this. I still believe in miracles," Ducusin said.Officials said about 10,000 people attended Good Friday events in Pampanga.More than 50 foreign tourists who had purchased special passes viewed the proceedings from under a tent.David, a 45-year-old from New York City, said he and his partner had planned their holiday to attend the crucifixions."To see something born at the community level that's still vibrant... most religious affiliation and sentiment in the West is pretty much fading away and here, it's still incredibly visceral," he said.cwl/dhw© Agence France-Presse

Apr 18, 2025 - World

Report finds over a quarter of Canadians exposed to ‘more sophisticated and more politically polarizing’ fake contentMore than a quarter of Canadians have been exposed to fake political content on social media that is “more sophisticated and more politically polarizing” as the country prepares to vote in a federal election, researchers have found, warning that platforms must increase protections amid a “dramatic acceleration” of online disinformation in the final weeks of the campaign.In a new report released on Friday, Canada’s Media Ecosystem Observatory found a growing number of Facebook ads impersonating legitimate news sources were instead promoting fraudulent investment schemes, often involving cryptocurrency. Continue reading...

Apr 18, 2025 - World

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. may “move on” from efforts for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days

Apr 18, 2025 - World

New rules part of effort to revive US shipbuilding, but penalties scaled back after warnings about impact on consumersThe Trump administration is forging ahead with plans to charge steep fees on Chinese-built ships for stopping at US ports in an effort to revive its shipbuilding industry, but scaled back the penalties after warnings about the impact on consumers.The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) significantly watered down original plans from February, under which vessels built in China would be charged $3.5m (£2.6m) each time they docked at a US port. The US and China are locked in a trade war. Continue reading...

Apr 18, 2025 - World

Dozens of people including journalists have appeared before a court in Istanbul, accused of attending banned demonstrations and disobeying police orders to disperse during anti-government protests