
-
Sciver-Brunt named as England women's cricket captain
-
GM profits top estimates, but automaker reviewing outlook due to tariffs
-
Stock markets edge up as Trump softens tariff pain for auto firms
-
Pricier trainers? Adidas warns on US tariff impact
-
Spain, Portugal rule out cyberattack for massive blackout
-
Suryavanshi, 14, dubbed India's next superstar after shattering records
-
Power back in Spain, Portugal after massive blackout
-
Pakistan says it shot down Indian drone along Kashmir border
-
Cardinals run the media gauntlet ahead of conclave
-
BP profit drops 70% amid pivot back to oil and gas
-
Iran says fire contained after deadly blast at key port
-
Irish rappers Kneecap deny support for Hamas, Hezbollah
-
Blackout plunges Spain into chaotic night of darkness
-
Convicted cardinal confirms he will sit out conclave
-
Kashmiris fortify bunkers anticipating India-Pakistan crossfire
-
Adidas warns US tariffs to push up prices
-
Markets boosted as Trump softens tariff pain for auto firms
-
Suryavanshi, 14, dubbed 'next superstar' after batting records tumble
-
Australian doubles player Purcell accepts 18-month doping ban
-
Kashmir attack unites political foes in India, Pakistan
-
Croatia hotel toasts dizzying century of stars, sovereigns and champagne
-
Kenya's desperate need for more snake antivenom
-
Les Kiss in frame with Wallabies set to name new coach
-
Cavaliers scorch Heat, Warriors down Rockets in thriller
-
Opposition wins Trinidad and Tobago election, returning Persad-Bissessar as PM
-
Study sheds light on origin of Australia's odd echidna
-
France tries Syrian Islamist rebel ex-spokesman on war crime charges
-
Trump boasts of 'fun' 100 days, but Americans disenchanted
-
Elitist no more, caviar is turning casual
-
Amnesty accuses Israel of 'live-streamed genocide' against Gaza Palestinians
-
Inter slump puts season at risk ahead of daunting Barca trip
-
Power returns to most of Spain, Portugal after massive blackout
-
'I have hope': Vietnam Babylift survivor's search for birth mother
-
US climate assessment thrown into doubt as Trump dismisses authors
-
Venezuelan president slams US over little girl's 'abduction'
-
Hard-right upstarts eye big gains in local UK polls
-
Skulls, smoke and spirits: Thai ceremony for the unclaimed dead
-
Canada's Carney: political newcomer who says he's best in a crisis
-
Cavaliers scorch Heat to seal series sweep
-
Dead salmon create election stink on Australian island
-
Mic check: Singapore's podcast boom amplifies opposition voices
-
Markets rise as traders gear up for earnings, key jobs data
-
Congress passes 'revenge porn' ban, sending it to Trump
-
Spain and Portugal work to restore power after massive blackout
-
Less-thirsty rice offers hope in drought-stricken Chile
-
Yamal stardust could give Barca edge on Inter Milan
-
The Fresh Factory Partners with Planet FWD to Advance Carbon Management and Sustainability Initiatives
-
Granite Creek Sells Hydrogen Projects
-
SMC Entertainment Launches Plato's Web3 Browser, Enabling Secure Access to Multiple Decentralized Applications
-
Orogen Royalties Announces Record Year End Financial Performance

In ancient rite, Spanish horses brave fire to fight virus
At full gallop, the horse emerges from the darkness and races through a string of bonfires in an ancient ritual to ward off sickness performed every January in a tiny Spanish village.
Known as Luminarias, the festival takes place every January 16 in San Bartolome de Pinares, a village perched high in the hills about 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Madrid.
By the light of an almost full moon, several local officials are sweating copiously, despite freezing temperatures, as they pile branches onto the bonfires blazing along the main street of this village of just 600 residents
As the bells ring out, there's a sudden clatter of hooves as the first horse and rider come charging out.
After the first horse passes another follows, then a group of them, sparks flying from their hooves as they gallop down the street, cheered on by hundreds of onlookers here to witness this mystical, medieval-like spectacle.
The tradition takes place every year on the eve of the feast of San Anton, Spain's patron saint of animals, and dates back to the 18th century when an epidemic devastated the horse population.
"Before when animal died because of infection, they had to be burned," said Leticia Martin, a 29-year-old physiotherapist riding a horse called Fiel.
"So when the epidemic disappeared, people began to believe that the smoke protected the animals."
- Purifying fire -
"These fires, which purify animals from all diseases, are lit on the eve of San Anton's day, which is celebrated on January 17," said Anton Erkoreka of the Museum of the History of Medicine in Spain's Basque Country region.
During the feast, masses are held across Spain to bless animals.
"Fire is always a purifying element and this festival asks the saint for his protection on animals."
In other Spanish villages, bonfires are lit at different times of the year to remember earlier plagues and epidemics, although the global pandemic has given the Luminarias festival a slightly new dimension.
But locals such as Emmanuel Martín insist the tradition has nothing to do with Covid. It is only about blessing the animals and keeping them "healthy all year round as the smoke from the green branches purifies them", he says.
"It's not a show to entertain people," insists this 26-year-old who first witnessed the event when he was two years old.
Urged on by the crowd, one rider crosses the bonfires with his arms spread wide in a cross, his horse's mane plaited, its tail rolled up in a type of topknot, to avoid catching fire.
- Adrenaline -
Although the tradition is widely criticised by animal rights groups, Martín insists it doesn't harm the horse nor the rider.
"You don't even notice it," says his cousin Andrea Lenela, who compares it to brushing a finger quickly through the flame of a cigarette lighter.
Every year, the event is attended by vets and firefighters brought in by the local authorities.
"If I thought there was any risk to the horses, I wouldn't do it," says local resident Mario Candil.
"Nothing has ever happened to anyone, ever," insists Monce García, 49, who has come along to enjoy the "atmosphere, the smoke and the typical village tradition".
Dismounting from her horse, a 46-year-old pharmacist Noelia Guerra speaks animatedly about "the emotions and the adrenaline" which flood through both horse and rider.
"You don't have to force them, they just go on their own," she says of the festival, which was celebrated this year for the first time since the pandemic began.
"We laughed about that, saying it was because we didn't celebrate the Luminarias in January 2021."
P.Costa--AMWN