Sacrifice

Hundreds of thousands of Hindus gathered at a temple in southern Nepal on Tuesday for a ceremony involving the slaughter of more than 200,000 animals, a festival that has drawn the ire of animal-welfare protesters.

A Nepalese minister said it was the largest sacrificial slaughter of animals in the world.

Animal rights groups and activists including the actress Brigitte Bardot have condemned the event, which takes place every five years in the Nepalese village of Bariyarpur, Sky News reported.

But Nepal's government says it will continue with the "centuries-old tradition" and will deploy armed police to keep the peace, Sky News reported.