Lahore, Pakistan
At least 11 people were killed this week at an annual kite-flying festival in eastern Pakistan. National authorities banned kite flying in 2005, after metal or glass-coated strings used by competitors to cut rival kites’ strings also cut the throats of at least nine people. Punjab state authorities this year defied Islamabad to allow the two-day festival to proceed, amid heightened security. Two of the deaths, both of children, were attributed to reinforced kite strings. The other victims were hit by celebratory gunfire or electrocuted while untangling kites from overhead power lines. Muslim religious parties oppose the festival, saying it springs from an ancient Hindu rite.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The UK’s ‘wallaby boom’Under the Radar The Australian marsupial has ‘colonised’ the Isle of Man and is now making regular appearances on the UK mainland
-
Fast food is no longer affordable to low-income AmericansThe explainer Cheap meals are getting farther out of reach
-
‘The money to fix this problem already exists’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
