- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
Indian songbird fights return after cruelty ban overturned
Squawking and screeching, tiny songbirds flutter around a fighting ring in a centuries-old Indian tradition decried by some as cruel but returning after an eight-year ban was overturned.
The red-vented bulbuls are cheered on by a packed crowd, with chanting spectators encouraging them to peck each other with their hooked beaks to win their freedom.
Bird fights at the Haigriva Madhav temple in Hajo in northeast India's Assam state returned on Monday, after a ban was scrapped because Hindu priests argued it was part of their tradition.
"We have seen the birds fight since our childhood... the ritual of bird fight is very close to the people," said Kichin Das, one of three judges who decides the winner based on the moves of the birds.
Supporters say the battles began after an 18th-century king saw two birds fighting, and it became a popular pastime to mark the harvest festival in January.
"This is a game from the era of kings," said bird fighter Biswajit Biswasi, 49. "Since childhood, I have learned how to catch these birds and how to train them."
- 'Faith and tradition' -
Traditionally, captured wild birds were goaded to fight through hunger before being fed an intoxicating spice mix -- reportedly including cannabis, pepper, cinnamon and cloves.
"It's a short game," said Babul Mazumdar, who has captured birds to fight for 30 years.
"Whichever bird overpowers the other in, say three to four moves, is declared the winner."
In the past, losing birds had their fine head crest clipped to stop them from being entered into another fight. New rules mean the birds are now just inked on their tail feathers.
"This game is related to our faith and tradition," said Satya Nath Bharali, 85, one of the thousands of spectators who came to watch around 100 birds fight on Monday. "This has been happening for hundreds of years."
The fights have a loyal local following, but activists condemn the practice -- which is like cockfighting but with songbirds netted from the wild -- as cruel.
After a 2014 Supreme Court order banned popular bull-taming festivals long blighted by allegations of animal cruelty, activists sought to also restrict bird fights.
A year later, Assam's High Court ordered the bulbul fights to stop, sparking protests.
- 'Inhumane and barbaric' -
In India's Tamil Nadu state, the ban on bull-wrestling was lifted in 2017 after massive protests.
Last year, the Assam state government said the songbird fights could resume -- as long as organisers observe strict guidelines.
Fights must be "conducted in a disciplined manner", with the birds well fed and watered.
Once the fight is over, organisers must ensure the birds are "released in the open air in perfect condition", the government ordered.
"We are happy that the government allowed the bird fight to take place this year," said Pradyumna Bhagawati, one of the thousands of spectators who came to watch.
But Tushar Kol, from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), condemned the return of the fights.
"Inciting an animal to fight another animal is outdated, inhumane and barbaric and such events have no place in a modern civilized society," Kol wrote in a letter to the Assam authorities, pleading for the fights to be stopped.
"Confining them and forcing them to fight denies them their natural behaviour, causing immense stress and suffering," Kol added.
India has about two dozen bulbul species, some with eye-catching yellow and red colours.
While many species are common, some are listed as "vulnerable" and "near threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Th.Berger--AMWN