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How long will this go on?

April 9, 2013 08:04
Through the courtesy of your column I would like to draw the attention of everyone to the revival of ‘Basant’ in Punjab once again. This was prohibited a few years back due to several deaths caused by the dangerous string used to fly the kites. Punjab government had failed to control the production of this string. Though it is a colorful and lively occasion, where people flew in from several countries to celebrate it, the vicious deaths put a halt to it.

37 water festival pandals to be erected in Myanmar's Yangon

April 9, 2013 02:15
A total 37 pandals are being set up in the biggest Myanmar city of Yangon to celebrate Thingyan water festival due to begin on April 13, official media reported Saturday.A newly designed magnificent Yangon Mayor's water-throwing pandal, which will be the central and the biggest one in the city, is being set up to stage traditional dances, songs, and comedy show.The costs for building pavilions this year is more expensive than last year, and security measures will also be stepped up, installing CCTV cameras to monitor the movement of people during the festival.This year

120 million wash away sins as India's Kumbh festival ends

March 10, 2013 08:00
The world's biggest religious festival concluded on Sunday with nearly two million pilgrims taking a dip in an Indian holy river that washed away the sins of 120 million people in the last 60 days. The Kumbh Mela, celebrated every 12 years at the conjunction of two sacred rivers on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Allahabad, drew massive crowds of devotees, ascetics and foreign tourists. The two-month-long Kumbh Mela ended on the occasion of Mahashivratri, a major Hindu festival celebrated across India and Nepal.

Tent fire kills priest at India's Kumbh festival

February 15, 2013 02:16
A fire at India's massive Kumbh Mela festival killed a Hindu priest in the second deadly tragedy to mar the gathering in a week, officials said on Friday. "Fire broke out in one of the tents when some priests were cooking. The tent caught fire and spread swiftly," said R. S. Rathore, an administrator at the festival in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. "Twenty tents were gutted and one priest has died," he told AFP.

India's Kumbh Mela chief quits over stampede tragedy

February 11, 2013 07:15
The chief organiser of India's massive Kumbh Mela festival quit Monday after a stampede killed 36 people as the emergency services came under fire for their handling of the tragedy. Dozens more were injured in the crush at a train station on Sunday evening at Allahabad, marking a tragic end to the most auspicious day of the 55-day Hindu festival in the state of Uttar Pradesh which had drawn some 30 million people.

February 11, 2013 05:45
Kumbh Mela chief organiser announces resignation after deadly stampede co/ia

URGENT ¥¥¥ Kumbh Mela chief organiser quits after deadly stampede

February 11, 2013 05:45
The head of the organising committee for India's massive Kumbh Mela religious festival announced his resignation on Monday, the day after a stampede killed at least 36 people at a train station. "I have resigned as the chairman of the festival committee," said Mohammed Azam Khan, who is also a cabinet minister in the state of Uttar Pradesh. "Although the stampede happened beyond the scope of my jurisdiction, I am deeply disturbed and step down on moral grounds." str-rn/co/ia

36 dead in India Kumbh Mela stampede: official

February 10, 2013 23:45
At least 36 people, mostly women, have died in a deadly stampede at a railway station near India's giant Kumbh Mela festival, an official told AFP on Monday. Amit Malviya, a spokesman for the northern and central railway, confirmed that 20 bodies had been identified with authorities waiting for relatives to come forward to claim another 16 corpses. Of the identified dead, 14 are female and six are men, with the youngest victim an eight-year-old girl and the oldest a 75-year-old man, he said.

10 dead in India Kumbh Mela stampede: report

February 10, 2013 13:30
At least 10 people have died in a stampede at the main railway station serving India's giant Kumbh Mela festival, a report said on Sunday. The NDTV news channel screened footage from the scene at Allahabad station, showing numerous bodies on the platform following the incident which happened as pilgrims headed home. Thirty million people had gathered at the festival on Sunday for its most auspicious day.

URGENT ¥¥¥ Four dead in India Kumbh Mela stampede: official

February 10, 2013 13:00
At least four people have died after a stampede at a railway station near India's huge Kumbh Mela festival, a local official told AFP, while some reports put the death toll as high as 15. "The district administration have confirmed four deaths," Prabhat Mittal, director of information for the state of Uttar Pradesh, told AFP. str-adp/lm
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