The masquerade parade on the Grand Canal in Venice is part of the Venice Carnival, an annual festival which began in 1162.

Though Beijing asserts the Dalai Lama's successor needs its approval, observers say it remains concerned as the present Panchen Lama, the number two spiritual leader who was appointed by it after unseating the boy nominated by the Dalai Lama, has not gained much traction in Tibet.

Sukanya Verma gives us a lowdown on all those wonderful movies she saw and movies you need to see as and when they arrive to a screen or streaming space near you.

Vampires, nuns, haunted homes...

'When one was with Mother, one realised you were with somebody who was the nearest person to God.' 'She must have been God incarnate.'

The wedding was attended by several of the couple's friends including Chris Hemsworth (who plays Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and his wife Elsa Pataky, Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man in the MCU) and Susan Downey, Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye in the MCU), John Krasinski and his wife Emily Blunt.

'Even if they try to silence us, even if they kill so many of us, we won't give up.' 'We won't give up doing the good work we are doing for society.' 'Because we love this country.'

Over 300 priests of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church on Friday said they cannot accept the warning issued by the papal representative to celebrate Holy Mass in a uniform manner as prescribed by the synod or face consequences -- as it goes against their conscience.

The Delhi high court has directed Organiser magazine to remove from its website an "offending" and prima facie "defamatory" article with allegations of sexual intimacy and exploitation of nuns and Hindu women associated with a church by the principal of a Christian minority school in New Delhi.

Sinead O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter, became a superstar in her mid-20s and was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music.

'Why is a powerful person called Amit Shah who camped in Manipur for three days not able to maintain law and order in the state?'

A day after the resignation of bishop Franco Mulakkal as Jalandhar bishop, 'Save Our Sisters' campaigners on Friday said the survivor nun who had levelled rape charges against him would continue her fight for justice through the legal system.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by Pope Francis in 2018 following allegations of rape by a nun, has resigned from the Jalandhar Bishop's post, a church source said on Thursday.

'There is no one who will be able to have a dignified life, when your brother and sister of another community are not being treated as human.'

A day after the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) sought a ban on staging of the Malayalam play Kakkukali, its director Job Madathil on Tuesday accused the critics of having an agenda behind their charges and urged them to watch the drama first.

There are communal organisations among all religious groups, but the ultimate goal of religions and such outfits is different, Geevarghese Mar Yulios, the metropolitan of the Kunnamkulam Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, told reporters in Thrissur.

Sources said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has expressed displeasure at the way the alleged molestation case was handled.

The school, situated in Junwani, some 60 kilometres from the district headquarters, is run by Jabalpur Diocesan Education Society of the Roman Catholic community, he said.

Former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was acquitted by a local court in Kerala last year over rape charges by a nun, met Pope Francis in Vatican last week, a church source said in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

Glimpses from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's funeral at the Vatican City, January 5, 2023.

Catholics pay homage to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

Pope Benedict passed away two days after Pontiff Francis asked to pray for the "very sick" former Pope

After two years of muted festivities due to COVID-19, crowds thronged churches across the country this Christmas on Sunday for special prayers as people celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ.

The negotiations between the priests protesting against the the Synod's decision to introduce a uniform mass and a sub-committee comprising three bishops constituted by the Synod to find a way to solve the matter.

Phone Bhoot's fizzy fuel isn't enough for feature length fun, observes Sukanya Verma. Phone Bhoot Review

He recalled PM Modi's message at the United Nations and hailed India's mission "to save the planet from conflict and violence" through the principles of Buddhism.

She alleged that she has been isolated and humiliated by fellow inmates of the convent.

'I worked closely with Mother for decades, not once did she say become a Christian.'

The Ashokan Pillar in Kolhua, Bihar, is one of India's best maintained historical sites.

'If Ranil Wickremesinghe starts repressing and suppressing the protesters who represent the people, that will pose a danger for him to continue in office.'

Former United States president Donald J Trump and family attended the funeral of Ivana Trump, Trump's first wife, at the St Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City, July 20, 2022.

Sri Lankans celebrated Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation as president, but they will understandably be concerned about the outcome of Wednesday's presidential election.

Promising new seasons of beloved shows, provocative stories and action packed dramas, Sukanya Verma says it's all there on OTT this week.

Detailing the charges of rape against the Bishop, the SOS claimed the rape case remains proved absolutely and the "abduction and attempt to murder case" of the accused Bishop stands dismissed being totally false."

Meanwhile, Sister Margaret of the Mercy Convent said in a press release that the nun's allegations were "totally false and malicious".

The anti-government protests near the presidential secretariat in Colombo resumed on Sunday after the authorities lifted the nation-wide curfew to celebrate the Vesak -- what we call Buddha Purnima in India -- festival.

A recent interfaith marriage of a Muslim activist of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist's youth wing DYFI, has stirred up a political storm after the relatives of the Christian bride alleged "love jihad", with a senior left party leader supporting the charge, only to retract his statement later.

Even as the victim-nun moved the high court to set aside the acquittal, the state government on Wednesday granted sanction for filing an appeal against the trial court's January 14, 2022 decision.

Sister Rosela Nuthangi, 65, from Sihphir village, about 15 km north of Aizawl, and Sister Ann Frida, 48, from Aizawl's Electric Veng locality along with three sisters from other nations are currently looking after 37 homeless Ukrainians and a student from Kerala in a storehouse (godown) in Kyiv and remain determined to continue with their work in Ukraine, their relatives in Aizawl said.

Superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, sister Mary Joseph, on Saturday said nuns of her order were serving the war-affected people in Kyiv, Ukraine.