AFP

AFP Video - Religion & Belief

World's 'biggest animal sacrifice' held in NepalPlay

World's 'biggest animal sacrifice' held in Nepal

AFP - 1 hour, 24 minutes ago

Hundreds of thousands of animals have been slaughtered in Nepal. The two-day Gadhimai festival honours the Hindu goddess of power and takes place once every five years. Duration: 00:48.

  • Kouchner praises Sudan woman who fought trouser law Play
    Kouchner praises Sudan woman who fought trouser law AFP - Tue Nov 24, 2:36 PM ET

    French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Tuesday praised Sudanese activist-journalist Lubna Ahmed Hussein for her courage in fighting a Khartoum law punishing women who wear trousers.

  • Hajj pilgrimage from your armchair Play
    Hajj pilgrimage from your armchair AFP - Tue Nov 24, 6:03 AM ET

    The annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is underway. It's a must for Muslims around the world and more than two million people are expected at the holy site in Saudi Arabia. But for those who don't have the time or money to make it this year, how about a virtual trip to hajj? An Egypt-based website is becoming increasingly popular. Duration: 01:41.

  • Swine flu: Few Jordanian hajj pilgrims vaccinated Play
    Swine flu: Few Jordanian hajj pilgrims vaccinated AFP - Tue Nov 24, 4:57 AM ET

    The Islamic hajj pilgrimage this year peaks from November 25 to 29, coinciding with the height of a global alert over swine flu. Of the 6,000 Muslim faithful in Jordan preparing their journey, few have been vaccinated against the strain. Duration: 1:40

  • Russian youth learn ancient craft of painting icons Play
    Russian youth learn ancient craft of painting icons AFP - Sat Nov 21, 5:34 AM ET

    Sergiev Posad is one of the most beautiful Orthodox monasteries in the Moscow region, and also the site of a special kind of school. Every year, nearly 60 students meticulously learn to paint religious icons, retracing the same brushstrokes of masters from centuries ago. Duration: 01:50.

  • Scientologists convicted of fraud in France Play
    Scientologists convicted of fraud in France AFP - Tue Oct 27, 12:18 PM ET

    French judges fined the Church of Scientology almost a million dollars on Tuesday for defrauding vulnerable followers but stopped short of banning the group from operating in France. Scientology's Celebrity Centre and its bookshop in Paris, the two branches of its French operations, were ordered to pay 600,000 euros (900,000 dollars) in fines for preying financially on its followers in the 1990s. Alain Rosenberg, the movement's director, was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence and fined 30,000 euros o