NEW DELHI – Police have arrested five suspects in the hanging to death of two Muslims herding cattle in India, in an incident that led to violent protests sparked an outbreak of violence in the eastern state of Jharkhand amid reports the attackers were Hindu vigilantes.

India is the world’s largest exporter of beef and its fifth biggest consumer, but the killing of cows is forbidden in some regions, including in the state of Jharkhand, as many Hindus regard the animal as sacred.

The bodies of the two cattle traders were found hanging from a tree in Jharkhand’s Latehar district on Friday, stoking violence that injured six policemen, the Hindustan Times reported on Saturday.

Mazlum Ansari, 32, and Imteyaz Khan, the 13-year-old son of another cattle trader, were residents of Balumath, 110 km (70 miles) from Ranchi, it said.

The area saw clashes between Hindus and Muslims over the eating of beef three months ago.

“Police have arrested five persons and are looking for others involved in the incident,” Latehar police chief Anoop Birtharay said by telephone.

“So far we have not found any affiliation of these persons with any Hindu radical group. We are still examining,” he said.

Opponents have accused Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of seeking to stoke religious tensions in order to polarise voters ahead of crucial state assembly elections in five states in next two months.

“This horrible incident is a result of the sustained communal campaign conducted by the Hindutva outfits,” a statement issued by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said.

Despite protests by the local people, the police and the BJP state government in Jharkhand have failed to protect minorities engaged in this trade, the CPI(M) statement said.

A BJP state leader in Jharkhand condemned the killings.

“This is an unfortunate incident. Our government will take strong action against the culprits,” said Ashok Kumar, secretary of the BJP’s Jharkhand unit.

Attacks on cattle traders, who are typically from the Muslim minority that makes up 14 percent of India’s population, have been reported from several parts of India recently.

Last September a man in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri village was lynched for allegedly eating beef.

HANOI – Various Japanese bands and artists will perform in the Cherry Blossom Festival this weekend to celebrate the mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.

The festival will kick off on Saturday evening at Lý Thái Tổ Park, near Sword Lake, the downtown of Hà Nội.

During the festival, visitors can join a wide range of cultural activities such as exhibitions of Việt Nam and Japan’s heritage and flowers, ikebana (art of flower arrangement) presentations and opportunities to try on Japanese kiminos.

Traditional music of Việt Nam will be performed, including xẩm (blind wanderers’ music), ca trù (ceremonial singing) and instrumental music.

On the occasion, 200 cherry trees from Japan will be offered and planted as a gift to Hà Nội. Some of them will be displayed at the Lý Thái Tổ Park during the two-day festival.

Visitors will have a chance to enjoy the hues and shades of blooming cherry blossoms, said Trương Minh Tiến, vice director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports.

He added that growers and horticulturalists will be dispatched by the Japanese government to take care of the planting as well as ensuring that the flowers will continue to bloom each year.

Japanese experts said the cherry trees from northeastern Japan are suitable with the weather conditions and soil in Hà Nội. They will be planted at Hoà Bình Park on Hoàng Quốc Việt Street in Bắc Từ Liêm District.

This year marks the tenth cherry blossom festival held in Hà Nội. It is considered the most outstanding event of the year to introduce Japanese culture to local residents and visitors.

A seminar to boost tourism investment will be held on Sunday in Hà Nội with the participation of many enterprises from both countries.

Famous anime films (Japanese cartoons) will be presented for free at Kim Đồng Cultural Centre, 19 Hàng Bài Street, Hà Nội, with two films screened per day.

The cherry blossom festival also took place yesterday in Hạ Long City in the northern province of Quảng Ninh.

The golden apricot flowers on Yên Tử Mountain are on display for the first time at the cherry blossom festival, which will run until Monday.

This is the fourth annual festival organised by the People’s Committee of Quảng Ninh Province and the Wanokai International Culture Association (WICA) from Japan.

Festival activities include the opening ceremony, performance and art programmes by Vietnamese and Japanese artists, cultural activities and an exhibition of cherry blossoms and apricot flowers.

The golden apricot is a valuable, rare flower on Yên Tử Mountain. This year, the flowers have bloomed beautifully and 80 trees are on display, along with 60 cherry blossom trees from Japan, in some northern mountainous provinces of Việt Nam.

There are also stalls introducing tourism, culture and foods from Việt Nam and Japan.

Cherry blossoms bloom in Gardens by the Bay

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Gardens by the Bay

Cherry tree from space

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AFP