VATICAN CITY, Jan 2: Pope Francis apologized on Wednesday for having angrily slapped a woman’s arm when she had grabbed hold of his hand and yanked him towards her, saying he had lost his patience and set a “bad example”.

'Our approach is like a Swiss army knife, where one pill has tools for addressing each of the obstacles that are encountered'

It will be a national disgrace if laws are framed to allow cow slaughter. It could invite huge uproar, conflict and even bloodshed

Assorted colors, sweets and water-fights are what make Holi festival lively and exuberant. Also known as the festival of colors, Holi signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring and a festive day to witness unity. Although every festival is observed to commemorate some traditional, cultural and historical happenings, the underlying essence is to strengthen humanity and celebrate togetherness.

JERUSALEM, July 27: Israel removed railings and an overhead metal bridge it had recently installed near a contested Jerusalem holy site, meeting a demand by Muslim protesters and causing thousands of Palestinians to celebrate in the streets early Thursday.

JERUSALEM, July 25: Israel began removing metal detectors from entrances to a major Jerusalem shrine early Tuesday morning to defuse a crisis over the site that angered the Muslim world and triggered some of the worst Israeli-Palestinian clashes in years.

JERUSALEM, July 23: Israel installed new security cameras Sunday at the entrance to a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, as officials began indicating it was considering “alternatives” to the metal detectors at the contested shrine that set off a weekend of violence and raised tensions in the region.

The leaders of the three biggest parties in the country right now have firmly consolidated their powers and are virtually unopposed.

JERUSALEM, July 16: Israel will gradually reopen a Jerusalem holy site Sunday after taking the rare step of shutting it down following a deadly assault there that sparked concerns of a fresh round of violence.

Relations between Janakpur and Ayodhya date back to Treta Yuga, some 10,000 years ago. At that time, Janakpur, the capital of ancient Mithila state, was ruled by Siradhwaj Janak, father of Sita; while Ayodhya, the capital of Awadh state, was ruled by King Dasarath, the father of Ram.

BARDIA, Sept 24: The Sraddha (ancestral ceremony) is being performed in the Babai River Gulariya in Bardia district for the first time since the River is declared a holy site a week ago.

The number of vehicles on the streets of Nepal continues to steadily increase, growing by an astonishing 43 percent in the fiscal 2015/16 as compared to 2014/15. This despite the fact that during the four months of the border blockade Nepal didn’t import a single vehicle. The rapid rise in vehicle imports in Nepal has been attributed primarily to three factors: lower interest on vehicle loans, rise in remittance after the blockade and improved state of motor roads all over Nepal.

JERUSALEM, June 28: Israeli police on Tuesday banned non-Muslims from a contentious Jerusalem holy site until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan following repeated clashes with Palestinians rioters.