An Italian animal rights group is asking Pope Benedict XVI to give up his fur, including an ermine-trimmed red velvet cape and papal hat, in “a choice of high religious and ethical value.” “It would be a praiseworthy example of Christian charity,” the deputy chairman of the Anti-Vivisection League, said late Friday. Benedict sometimes wears a fur-trimmed hat called a “camauro,” headgear popular with pontiffs in the 17th century. He has also donned a red velvet cape trimmed in ermine.
A rocket placed a navigation satellite in orbit Saturday as part of an effort to build a global positioning system, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The Long March 3-A rocket blasted off from the Xichang launching center and a short time later the satellite was maneuvered into orbit, 13,300 miles above the earth, Xinhua said. The satellite was the fourth China has launched as part of its Compass navigation system, which will provide the country with navigation and positioning services beginning in 2008, Xinhua said.
Flash floods swept over two waterfalls Saturday on mountain popular with picknickers and swimmers, killing at least 21 people as the country celebrated its traditional New Year, officials said. Recovery crews estimated dozens were missing at the jungled Sairung and Praisawan waterfalls, which were crowded this weekend with people celebrating the holiday. About 200 people were thought to have been at the cascades during the flood. The falls are in a forested area in the Yantakao district of Trang province.
A state has closed down a museum exhibition on ghosts, ghouls and supernatural beings after Islamic clerics claimed it was detrimental to Muslims’ faith, newspapers reported Saturday. The exhibition at the state museum in Negeri Sembilan has drawn some 25,000 visitors since it opened March 10. But it has also attracted criticism from religious scholars who charged the show was un-Islamic and based in fantasy, the New Straits Times reported. Reports said artifacts on display included alleged vampire carcasses and a mythical phoenix bird.
From Herald news services
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