Madhya Pradesh Church battles property control

BHOPAL – Catholics in Madhya Pradesh have launched a campaign to garner public support against a proposed legislation that aims to bring Church property under government control.

The Madhya Pradesh Minorities Commission has recommended that a law be enacted to set up a board to manage Church property, including cemeteries, similar to the Wakf Board that …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

President, PM greet nation on Mahavir Jayanti

NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil Saturday greeted the nation on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, saying his teachings inspire people to live in peace and harmony.

Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrated in the country Sunday.
On the auspicious occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, I convey … Read more »».

PM greets nation on Mahavir Jayanti

NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday greeted the nation on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, saying his teachings help us live a “life of happiness and contentment”.

Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrated in the country Sunday.
Lord Mahavir’s life and teachings inspire us to be compassionate and simple. …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Alliance led by ex-Iraqi PM wins parliamentary elections; al-Maliki vows to challenge results

Alliance led by ex-Iraqi PM wins election narrowly

BAGHDAD – Former U.S.-backed prime minister Ayad Allawi and his secular, anti-Iranian coalition narrowly won Iraq’s parliamentary elections in final returns Friday, edging out the bloc of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who angrily vowed to challenge the results.
If Allawi’s coalition remains on top, it will get the first … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Alliance led by ex-Iraqi PM wins parliamentary elections; al-Maliki vows to challenge results.

Secular challenger claims victory in Iraq election; Allawi to try to form new government

Secular challenger claims victory in Iraq election

BAGHDAD – A jubilant Ayad Allawi claimed victory for his secular, anti-Iranian coalition as final parliamentary returns Friday showed him edging out the bloc of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who angrily vowed to fight the results.
The results, if they stand, will give Allawi the first opportunity to form a … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Secular challenger claims victory in Iraq election; Allawi to try to form new government.

Secular challenger’s bloc wins most seats in Iraqi elections

Secular challenger’s bloc wins most seats in Iraq

BAGHDAD – A secular challenger’s bloc edged out the prime minister’s in parliamentary elections, according to full vote returns Friday – a significant setback for Nouri al-Maliki, who has been the U.S. partner in Iraq for the past four years.
Al-Maliki vowed to challenge the results, which gave his …. Read the original article  : Secular challenger’s bloc wins most seats in Iraqi elections.

Lawsuit seeks reforms in Puri temple practices

BHUBANESWAR – Cuttack based NGO Utkal Vidyarthi Abhijan Friday filed a public interest lawsuit (PIL) in the Orissa High Court seeking reforms in the functioning of the Puri temple.

“We have demanded that the misbehaviour of the priests with visiting pilgrims be stopped. It earns a bad name for the state,” the NGO’s general secretary … Read more : Lawsuit seeks reforms in Puri temple practices.

Islam, Christianity alien, so cannot get quota: BJP

NEW DELHI – “Islam and Christianity are alien” to India and, therefore, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) feels people from the minority groups, even if their socio-economic condition is low, should not be given the privilege of quota in jobs, legislative bodies and education, a party official said Friday.

At a press conference here, BJP’s newly-appointed … Read more : Islam, Christianity alien, so cannot get quota: BJP.

Taslima finds her voice again – on twitter

NEW DELHI – Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has found a new outlet for her opinions – on the social networking web tool, Twitter.

She had opened her account in January, but had so far made only three tweets in the last three months. But, after the National Commission for Minorities chairman Mohd Shafi Qureshi had … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Taslima finds her voice again – on twitter.

Bihar welcomes Muslim reservation in Andhra Pradesh

PATNA – Muslims in Bihar welcomed the Supreme Court decision to uphold the validity of four percent reservation for backward members of the Muslim community in Andhra Pradesh.

“It is a historical decision,” chief of a Patna based influential Muslim body Imarat Shariah Maulana Syed Nizamuddin said.
The Supreme Court’s order will have …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Supreme Court order on Muslim quota a relief for students

HYDERABAD – The Supreme Court order restoring four percent quota for backward Muslims in government jobs and education in Andhra Pradesh has come as a big relief for students aspiring for admission into professional courses in the next academic year.

The students, who were afraid of losing a year due to last months Andhra Pradesh High … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Supreme Court order on Muslim quota a relief for students.

Hare Krishna soliciting at airport barred; court upholds ban

WASHINGTON – The California Supreme Court has upheld a Los Angeles International Airport ordinance barring Hare Krishnas from soliciting donations inside airport terminals.

“Soliciting the immediate receipt of funds at a busy international airport like Los Angeles is particularly problematic,” the court said Thursday in a ruling written by Justice Carlos Moreno.
“The problems posed by … Read more : Hare Krishna soliciting at airport barred; court upholds ban.

NYC’s St. Vincent’s Hospital fights for life _ like other ‘charity’ hospitals across America

NYC’s St. Vincent’s Hospital fights for life

NEW YORK – St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village has fought to save lives for more than 160 years, treating everyone from survivors of the Titanic in 1912 to New Yorkers fleeing the terror attack on the World Trade Center.
The hospital founded by four Roman Catholic nuns in a … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : NYC’s St. Vincent’s Hospital fights for life _ like other ‘charity’ hospitals across America.

Qatar forces out moderates from IslamOnline, plans more conservative approach

Moderates forced out of top Islam Web site

CAIRO – The Qatari government has forced out the moderate leadership of a popular Islamic Web site and plans to reshape it into a more religiously conservative outlet, former employees of the site said Thursday.
Sheik Youssef al-Qaradawi, the widely respected cleric who co-founded IslamOnline and is known as …. Original article  : Qatar forces out moderates from IslamOnline, plans more conservative approach.

End of an Irish Catholic era: Limerick pubs to open Good Friday, defy nation’s ‘dry’ holy day

Irish pubs to open on Good Friday for first time

DUBLIN – As long as Ireland has had pubs, Good Friday has been off-limits as a “dry” holy day – until now.
A Limerick judge ruled Thursday that the city’s 110 pubs can open April 2 because the city is hosting a major Irish rugby match attracting …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : End of an Irish Catholic era: Limerick pubs to open Good Friday, defy nation’s ‘dry’ holy day.

Gujarat’s Parsi woman seeks court help to worship

GANDHINAGAR – A Parsi woman married to a non-Parsi has sought the Gujarat High Court’s intervention to avail the fundamental right to worship and to access the religious places of Parsis she was denied by her community after her marriage.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL), perhaps the first of its kind, was admitted in Ahmedabad Thursday. …. Read the original article  : Gujarat’s Parsi woman seeks court help to worship.

Wis. man says abuse by priest, cover-up caused nightmares, ruined his faith in Catholic church

Wis. man: Abuse by priest ruined faith in church

MILWAUKEE – A Wisconsin man says he lost all faith in the Catholic church after being abused by a priest who’s at the center of a scandal about the way the Vatican has handled reports of abuse by clergy.
Donald Marshall says he was 13 or 14 when …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Wis. man says abuse by priest, cover-up caused nightmares, ruined his faith in Catholic church.

Iraqi minister walks out of meeting in Libya to protest Gadhafi’s support for Saddam loyalists

Iraqi foreign minister walks out of Libya meeting

SIRITE, Libya – Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari briefly walked out Thursday of an Arab League ministerial meeting held in Libya to protest against Moammar Gadhafi’s declared support for Saddam Hussein loyalists, delegates said.
They said Zebari stormed out after he told his Arab peers that his government was …. Original article  : Iraqi minister walks out of meeting in Libya to protest Gadhafi’s support for Saddam loyalists.

Andhra Pradesh Muslim quota gets apex court nod

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court Thursday temporarily allowed job quota for backward Muslims in Andhra Pradesh, but left a final decision on the matter to a constitution bench.

With this, the Andhra Pradesh government is likely to go ahead with its proposal of reserving four percent of government jobs for Muslims.
A bench of Chief …. Source article  : Andhra Pradesh Muslim quota gets apex court nod.

RAW officer to depose in Babri case Friday

LUCKNOW – Anju Gupta, a police officer who had told investigators that senior BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani, were euphoric after the 1992 Babri Masjid razing, will depose Friday before a special court hearing the 18-year-old demolition case.

Gupta, a deputy inspector general of police (DIG), is currently attached to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) … Read more >>.