i don't know but this could be the end of communism but there can be. hard choices and. the defines our march today. 191700 big bang. church december 23rd w. this is due to be your news asia coming up a ritual sacrifice thousands of animals and i call killed in the name of religion or hindu divo tease the guests to the gods for animal rights activists talk to school cost plus is a crackdown underway in sri lanka as gaza by rajapaksa takes the helm of the country we take a closer look at what his leadership means for opponents and minorities.

i'm serious almost down to welcome to date of your news asia it is good to have you with us it's been called the world's bloodiest festival every 5 years in nepal hindu deportees gather for the god the my festival in they paul a religious event where thousands of animals are sacrificed to a hindu goddess but it is a controversial practice and it's pretty devote against animal rights activists who have been fighting to get the mass sacrifice stopped it's a gruesome scene thousands of buffaloes slaughtered in a field but the hindu pilgrims this is a gift to a goddess a sacrifice meant to bring luck and prosperity. devoted from all over the country bring their animals for slaughter families journey here carrying along their hearts deepest desires. my heart failed in his exams we promised to offer go to number 4 of his grades improved. his grades are

good now and i hope my son will finish 1st in his class. the centuries old tradition takes place every 5 years in the remote nepali village of the. animal rights activists have long argued that it's inhumane and in 2016 nepal supreme court agreed calling on the government to bring an end to the practice. the supreme court of neighbor has already taken certain steps and the government really needs to come into play here and make sure that these steps are implemented i'm fortunately i don't really see much of effort put on the ground sacrifices taking place unbigoted a concern the doesn't register with worshippers here who believe their sacrifice serves a higher purpose. but that's not what i do animal rights groups interfere i don't understand what they want they came here 5 years ago but our beliefs are stronger

than those of the animal rights activists or that well of all officials have begun encouraging to vote he's too often money instead of livestock but with scenes like this it's hard to see that any alternative would have broad appeal with the faithful. and for more on the story we can speak to say has stressed that she's the president of the federation of animal welfare and their policy joins us from kathmandu high so they have in 2016 the supreme court there nepal directed authorities to stop the sacrifice why is it still happening. it's a near like you know like it's so humid out there still is a van marked these no like it's not the body not that it does he start a slaughter but instead that other discovers that he was 65 davies a man from the indian government in very anyone. but because of lack even senses

and open water it has not come people mean does it be parted of the work is gone from india to sort of this 1st image that mean is not was happening. ok and so have we look at the perspective of the devote who come to us festival they would say you know the animals here are not being tortured this is part of their tradition a very deep and rich tradition into a tradition isn't it important to respect that as well it is important the rest of the guard is nervous around 37 mice it being he is but guard authorities but i guess that it was a fight that. god is is the mother of the universe and all that gives us and he was a hologram a mother to us the life it's once easy i don't think so ok you know some difficulties because of the opposition have said they will stop sacrificing animals so do you hope that you can change people's minds or do you think that authorities

are going to have to step in and force this yes we need to stand the people's mind because of our long being needed to do this time did not simply fight the number of 65 this then has been trucking companies in the previous post will have to work on the ground and as well as parties and government events and one we can stop this kind of this thing was widely known all over the one i think ok so they have a president of the federation of animal welfare and a pall think you very much for joining us. thank you so much. sri lanka is heading for new elections early next year after president got the buyer rajapaksa announced he is suspending parliament since one think a victory in elections last month rajapaksa is looking to ride the wave of popularity he has promised to make sri lanka safe again after the easter sunday

bomb attacks that killed 269 people and he has the support of the buddhists and majority but his critics and the country's minorities are worried about their own safety rajapaksa is accused of being responsible for human rights abuses against opponents and minorities during sri lanka's long running civil war in a country where ethnic tensions have divided communities for decades there are growing fears that the new president will rule with an iron fist. in symbolism president rajapaksa swearing in ceremony at a revered buddhist shrine was a clear signal of his political agenda. rajapaksa is a member of sri lanka's majority. community. he's a former military man and his defense secretary oversaw the defeat of protests that ended. 10 years ago. but he has been accused of human rights

violations during the crackdown and of eva seeing forced disappearances of opponents and dissidents. his reputation as a strong man gave him a boost in the polls with security a huge issue in the country especially after the easter sunday attacks in april this year in which militants linked his leg state killed more than 250 people. i consider the foremost responsibility of my government to ensure the national security of my country. we will rebuild the state security machinery east secure the country from terrorism underworld activities robbers extortionists good and i get a lot of credit to put his nationalists from this and how a community will be choice and his victory for them it's and thence the majority status of the sinhalese of the other ethnic groups in the country. and.

we don't have to remote an ideology that the country needs is in the hollow a leader does not bend down in front of minorities now that ideology has won. islamic banks and courts sharia universities those all destroyed the social integrity that we have. in the. many fear that drudge apax as presidency votes the flames of that hatred against minorities and especially muslims. but at the end of what are honest some of the sin all of people have misunderstood us and think that muslims are cruel and must be eliminated. so we have a fear that muslims could be attacked again using the easter sunday bombings as an excuse. to go into the buy a meeting in that article over there since winning the election president rajapaksa

has surrounded himself with a host of nationalist politicians not least his own brother who was in south president for 10 years and was sworn in as prime minister in november. the fact that political power now lies so firmly in the hands of sri lanka sinhalese majority will exacerbate fears that such a person's presidency might happen up old rifts among religious and ethnic communities. and we can speak to human rights activist ricky fernando he joins us for more on the story rocky good to see you thank you for joining us here on d w we have seen news already of authority seeking information on sri lankans who have fled who have left the country we've also seen an opposition media outlet that had their offices raided tell us more about how the environment in sri lanka has changed since the election. there for minorities particularly at religious minorities and also human rights activists saying abandonment of journalists is becoming more and more. and uncertain and there's also fear and

uncertainty about institutions whether they would be able to continue to function as they have been functioning before and there's also uncertainty of it is some of the progress made in a few cases of humorous violations like disappearance this is the nation's progress as they have been progressing in the last few years so there's a great deal of fear and. there's a lot of uncertainty as you're saying we've seen reports of activists actually leaving the country are you planning to stay and sri lanka and why. i certainly am planning to stay here and i think there are many more activist who are planning to stay here many of us have stayed in sri lanka in very difficult and dangerous times but there is a great deal of days actually on the country there's a couple of activists we wondered fran from when was a thinking that there might even buy been prices if you travel overseas for human rights related meetings so all those days

a great deal of uncertainty and fear there are many activists who are determined to stay and continue their activism now president of pax and winning the election he said right away all minorities have the right to practice religion and culture that will be assured he has also been focusing on a reviving sri lanka struggling economy so are the fears that you're describing based on his reputation perhaps and not on reality is similarly based on reputation and partly it's that repudiation of the history of reprisals minorities and dissent does that was true but also because of what's been happening in the last few weeks since his election book there's been independent journalist been summoned into it that there has been this it's by intelligence agents the offices of sousa's idea organizations has been serious and the activists have been someone finder a geisha and there's been a variety of intimidations that have been going on in the last few weeks so fears and uncertainty is also based on days and in terms of the fears an uncertainty is

about progress being made for accountability particularly in terms of court cases pending before sri lankan courts there's also for by the transfer of a. very important lead investigator shani of basic or and also the fleeing the country of another investigator understand sube so these are all grounded on what's been happening the last few years last 2 weeks but also the historical record of the right boxes of human rights activists everything for nando speaking to us thank you very much thank you. we'll leave you now with pictures from hong kong that this weekend marks 6 months since pro-democracy demonstrators started taking to the streets to fight what they see as china's growing influence of the territory here's a look back now at 6 months of hong kong's protests we'll see you next time.

literature invites us to see people in particular. to see as the kids find strange grown up. on youtube. that 77 percent of poppy are younger than thanks. to me and me and you. and you know what time all voice is.

the 77 percent he told. you this is where. the 77 percent this weekend on d. w. . economies around the world are cooling does that mean for the globe's biggest cities those economic engines built on trade manufacturing and finance we'll take a look. also on the show china's carbon balance is a hot topic at the ongoing u.n. climate change conference. and more worries about the safety of ride healing services as reveals thousands of sexual assaults on both passengers and drivers. this is your business report i'm stephen beers in berlin thanks for watching the

trade wars starting to affect economic growth in the world's largest cities that's according to a new oxford economics report researchers say g.d.p. growth in 9 of the top 10 biggest global cities will slow in 2020 they said the trade war in a general global slowdown is having effect american high tech regions like silicon valley will be especially hard hit over the next few years a growth in china's 4 largest metropolitan areas beijing shanghai and pictured here has been around 10 percent per year for the last decade but that's expected to slow to 6 percent over the next 2 years and the fastest growing cities in the world are in india but despite booming growth rates in places like surat and bangalore overall those cities are economic lightweights when compared to the likes of new york london and tokyo now let's bring in our financial correspondent in singapore andrea hang. so many of the fastest growing cities here as i just said are in india .