Puri sees bath festival

PURI – The annual bath festival of the three deities at the temple town of Puri took place Saturday with thousands witnessing the event.

The deities of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra were taken out of the temple in a ceremonial procession to the snana mandap – a bathing platform in the …. Original source  : Puri sees bath festival.

Unesco unhappy with Mahabodhi temple

PATNA – Eight years after the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar was declared a World Heritage Site, Unesco is unhappy with its management for flouting safety and maintenance guidelines.

“Unesco is unhappy over the continued practice of lighting fire lamps, candles and incense sticks near the Bodhi tree by devotees and conservation work at the site,” a … Original article on : Unesco unhappy with Mahabodhi temple.

All set for Amarnath yatra, pilgrims apprehensive

JAMMU – With shutdowns in Jammu and Kashmir becoming routine and separatists demanding a curtailed Amarnath yatra, an air of uncertainty and apprehension has gripped thousands of Hindu pilgrims assembling here.

While pilgrims pouring into Jammu are happy about the arrangements made for the annual pilgrimage starting July 1, they feel that the situation in …. Read the original article  : All set for Amarnath yatra, pilgrims apprehensive.

Panel set up by Austria’s Catholic Church recommends up to ???25,000 ($30,700) for abuse victims

Austrian church readies abuse compensation

VIENNA – A special panel set up by Austria’s Roman Catholic Church says it is recommending payments of up to euro25,000 ($30,700) to those abused by clergy or church officials.
Panel officials say they recommend euro5,000 in compensation for minor cases, euro15,000 for more serious ones and euro25,000 for extremely grave instances …. Original source  : Panel set up by Austria’s Catholic Church recommends up to ???25,000 ($30,700) for abuse victims.

Pakistan monitor Google, 6 other sites for un-Islamic content

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has put seven major websites, including the Google search engine, under observation for hosting alleged un-Islamic material, officials said Friday.

The decision to monitor the leading sites was taken by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), after a court in eastern province of Punjab ordered Thursday to ban websites showing blasphemous matter.
PTA also … Read more >>>.

Vatican says it is ‘astonished’ at the Belgian police raid

Vatican ‘astonished’ at Belgian police raid

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has expressed “astonishment” and “dismay” that Belgian police raided the home and former office of the recently retired archbishop of Belgium as part of an investigation into priestly child abuse.
The Vatican said any sinful and criminal abuse of minors from members of the church must …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Pakistan to monitor Google, other major sites for blasphemy; 17 smaller sites to be blocked

Pakistan watches Google, other sites for blasphemy

ISLAMABAD – An official says Pakistan will start monitoring seven major websites, including Google, for anti-Islamic content. It also is blocking at least 17 other, lesser-known sites it deems offensive to Muslims.
The decision comes in response to a recent order from a judge in Punjab province.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority spokesman … Read more »»».

Vat Pournima Celebrated Today

NEW DELHI, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- There are many religious festivals that take place in India all round the year and some of them are celebrated in specific regions of the country. One such ceremony is vat pournima that is celebrated in the months May or June each year in states like Karnataka and Maharashtra in India …. Original source  : Vat Pournima Celebrated Today.