Shiva’s mace procession in Himachal begins Wednesday

SHIMLA – The procession of the holy mace of Lord Shiva during the Manimahesh pilgrimage in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh would start Wednesday, an official said Monday.

“All arrangements have been made for the ‘Charri Yatra’ (holy mace procession) that would begin from 1,000-year-old Lakshmi Narayan temple in Chamba town,” Chamba Deputy Commissioner Devesh Kumar … Read more >>.

Malaysia TV station scraps Muslim holiday ad following Christmas, Santa comparison complaints

Malaysia Muslim TV ad scrapped amid Christmas link

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A Malaysian television station scrapped a commercial tied to the biggest Muslim holiday after viewers complained it appeared influenced by Christmas and Santa Claus.
The commercial began airing earlier this month to wish Muslim viewers a happy celebration of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Malaysia TV station scraps Muslim holiday ad following Christmas, Santa comparison complaints.

Fla.-based Internet evangelist begins services near ground zero to preach against Islam

Evangelist preaches against Islam near 9/11 site

NEW YORK – An Internet evangelist from Florida has begun holding services near ground zero to preach against Islam as debate continues over plans for a nearby Muslim community center.
Bill Keller has gained a following through his Liveprayer.com website, and has promised to establish a “9/11 Christian Center” to … Read more >>>.

US honours Mother Teresa with a stamp

WASHINGTON – The United States has issued a postal stamp honouring Mother Teresa “the diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary US citizen who served the sick and destitute of India for nearly 50 years.”

Designed by award-winning artist Thomas Blackshear II, the 44-cent stamp was released Sunday, the 13th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death, at a …. Original article  : US honours Mother Teresa with a stamp.

Bahrain steps up crackdown on restive Shiite opposition, threatening democratic reform push

Bahrain steps up pressure on Shiite ‘plotters’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – What began last month with the arrest of an opposition leader in Bahrain has mushroomed into a full-blown political offensive in the tiny Gulf nation with big fault lines: U.S.-allied Sunni rulers against members of a Shiite majority being cast as coup plotters who …. Original source  : Bahrain steps up crackdown on restive Shiite opposition, threatening democratic reform push.

UAE charity to pay for deportation of 200 inmates

Abu Dhabi, Sep 5 (IANS/WAM) On the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr that marks the end of Ramadan, the UAE president’s charity will bear the travel costs of 200 prisoners who have completed their terms and are to be deported but don’t have the money to return home.

The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation (KBZF) … Read : UAE charity to pay for deportation of 200 inmates.

Special prayers mark Mother Teresa’s 13th death anniversary

KOLKATA – Special prayers and masses Sunday marked the 13th death anniversary of Mother Teresa.

Nuns of Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic Order founded by Mother Teresa to minister to the poorest of the poor and the infirm and the dying, held special prayers at their global headquarters Mother House.
Mother Tersa’s three-foot-high cement grave …. Original source  : Special prayers mark Mother Teresa’s 13th death anniversary.

Who will define ground zero? 9 years after 9/11, tug of war over ’sacred ground’ grows heated

9 years gone, everyone’s a ground zero stakeholder

NEW YORK – It is a place of sacrifice. A place of mourning. A place people pass by on their way to grab lunch. It’s a place where tourists crane their necks to snatch a glimpse around barriers walling off an enormous construction site – which is also …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

BJP again takes Ayodhya issue to high pitch

LUCKNOW – The Ayodhya temple issue that helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) come to power in the past appears to be taking a dominant position once again with a meeting of the party’s Uttar Pradesh executive concluding Sunday by taking it to a high pitch.

Spelling out the BJP’s priority vis-a-vis the Ayodhya issue, party’s …. Read the original article  : BJP again takes Ayodhya issue to high pitch.

RSS seeks consensus on Ramjanmabhoomi issue

KOLKATA – The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sunday pitched for a national consensus on the controversial Ram Janmabhomi issue and said parliament should discuss the matter after a court delivers its judgment later this month.

“We want that a national consensus be created on the issue,” RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said in an interaction with the … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : RSS seeks consensus on Ramjanmabhoomi issue.

Vatican decries stoning as brutal punishment, hints at help in adultery case of Iranian woman

Vatican: stoning in Iran adultery case ‘brutal’

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican raised the possibility Sunday of using behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try to save the life of an Iranian widow sentenced to be stoned for adultery.
In its first public statement on the case, which has attracted worldwide attention, the Vatican decried stoning as a particularly brutal …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Vatican decries stoning as brutal punishment, hints at help in adultery case of Iranian woman.

Reports: relics of Russian saint, ancient icons stolen in Moscow suburb

Relics of Russian saint, icons stolen
MOSCOW – A Russian news agency is reporting that three ancient icons, one of which contained relics of Russia’s most venerated saint, have been stolen.

RIA Novosti said Sunday that clerics at the St. Trinity church in a Moscow suburb discovered the theft after a service Saturday.
It said one of the …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Reports: relics of Russian saint, ancient icons stolen in Moscow suburb.

Kerala idol draws crowds in Singapore

SINGAPORE – An idol from a 5,000-year-old temple in Kerala is drawing huge crowds in Singapore.

Hundreds of Hindus are flocking to the Sri Vairavimada Kaliamman temple in Toa Payoh area to pray to Sree Bhagavathy Amman, popular among women seeking comfort from family-related problems such as abuse and alcoholism, The Straits Times newspaper reported Sunday. …. Source article  : Kerala idol draws crowds in Singapore.

Sarkozy adviser: 2 French hostages in Afghanistan ‘in good health’; talks to resume

2 French hostages in Afghanistan ‘in good health’

PARIS – President Nicolas Sarkozy’s chief of staff says two French journalists held hostage in Afghanistan are “in good health” and that negotiations toward their release will resume.
Elysee Palace secretary-general Claude Gueant says French officials received proof in the last 10 days that France-3 television reporters Stephane Taponier … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Sarkozy adviser: 2 French hostages in Afghanistan ‘in good health’; talks to resume.

Tharoor violated no rules at Guruvayoor

GURUVAYOOR – Authorities at the famed Guruvayoor temple said Sunday that Shashi Tharoor and his wife Sunanda Pushkar had not violated any rule when they visited it after their wedding.

Temple secretary K.M. Reghuraman told IANS that there was a complaint that former central minister Tharoor and his wife had broken temple rules by entering an …. Original article  : Tharoor violated no rules at Guruvayoor.