Iran: Man has gone 60 years without bathing
“Amou” is an endearing word in Farsi used especially by kids for kind men to show their affection, and in this story our man is called just by that, Amou Haji.
Amou Haji, aged 80, who lives in Dejgah village in the southern Iranian province of Fars has not bathed for 60 years.
The last record of longest time going without showers belonged to a 66-year-old Indian man, Kailash Singh, who had not taken a bath over 38 years.
Not to our surprise, when we searched the reason behind Amou Haji’s way of life, we found out that he had gone through some emotional setbacks in his youth and from then on decided to live an isolated life.
Tehran Times
Siberia: Can anyone help the woman who time forgot?
Born in the Siberian taiga, recluse Agafya Lykova is the sole survivor of the Lykov family who cut themselves off from civilisation in 1936.
All alone, she makes fire from flint but in a heartfelt letter to a Siberian newspaper, she begs for a fellow Christian to join her and care for her in her hermit home, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest towns and villages.
‘I don’t know how God will help me survive the winter,’ wrote Agafya, who has repeatedly refused offers from officials to move to a house in a village, at least for winters. There aren’t any logs. I need to get them into the house, and I need to keep reading my prayers. I’m suffocating, and I am getting too cold while doing it when the weather is freezing. ...
Siberian Times
Switzerland: Sri Lankan keeps Swiss sledge tradition alive
When Tamil Kavithas Jeyabalan arrived in Chur in the canton of Graubünden from his native Sri Lanka in 1984, he had never seen snow and didn’t speak a word of German. Now, the talented expat carpenter is using his skills to keep the Swiss sledge tradition alive. ...
The Local
New Zealand: Meet New Zealand’s celebrity impersonators
They make a living pretending to be someone they’re not.
But they entertain thousands of people a year bringing to life some of the most memorable characters from stage and screen. ...
New Zealand Herald
Trinidad and Tobago: Whither calypso?
It is because the Carnival, the arts which give life and meaning to the festival, and its economic, political and cultural connections reach so deeply into people’s lives that they are so capable of sparking controversy and conflict. In his time, Albert Gomes, supporter and patron of Carnival arts, said the calypso tells us how we have “lived, loved and sinned.” ...
In a calypso twist, GB and Bodyguard denounce the claim made a few years ago by General Secretary of the Maha Sabha Satnarayan Maharaj to the effect that the reason for the success of Indo-Trini students at school is because they are studying while their counterparts in the Afro-Trini population are occupying their time “beating pan.” ...
Trinidad Guardian
Malaysia: Grave relocations to be done after Chinese New Year
The relocation of 3,400 graves to make way for the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex will only take place after Chinese New Year, said Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
He gave the assurance following concerns expressed by the Chinese community in Pengerang about taboos in “disturbing” the graves during Chinese New Year. ...
The Star
Germany: Farmers defend themselves at Berlin’s Green Week
As the world’s largest fair for agricultural products and horticulture gets underway in Berlin, German farmers are putting on a show of confidence - despite the many recent food scandals. ...
Deutsche Welle
*Image of costumed parade dancer via Shutterstock
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