Veneer cracked: Child sacrifices rumoured

Child sacrifices rumoured

EVERY now an then something happens to remind us of how very thin the restraining veneer of civilisation can be; of how close the modern world still is to the oldest, darkest superstitions and fears of the not so long ago long ago.

Bangladesh, population 165m, is building a bridge on the River Padma, a major tributary of the Ganges. It is thoroughly modern project and an admirable feat of engineering and social development that will contribute greatly to that country’s future.