Worshippers in India have gathered in the small town of Dumri-Isri to celebrate the arrival of the baby
Worshipped: An Indian child born with eight limbs is believed to be a reincarnation of the God Ganesha
Thousands of religious devotees have flocked to see a baby born with eight limbs to worship him as a Hindu God.
The baby boy, who has not yet been named, was born with four legs and
four arms - thought to be the result of a birth defect from an
underdeveloped conjoined twin.
But worshippers in India have gathered in the small town of
Dumri-Isri to celebrate the arrival of the baby, who they believe to be a
reincarnation of Hindu God Ganesha.
Visitors: Thousands have flocked to the small town where the baby was born
Ganesha is one of the most iconic and widely-worshipped deities in
the Hindu religion and is represented as an elephant with four arms.
Kuntalesh Pandey told local media he had travelled 72 miles to catch a glimpse of the boy.
He said: "When a friend first sent me a picture I wrote it off as
photoshopped but when he confirmed that it is real I came to see the
baby straight away."
Defect: It is believed the baby may have gained the extra limbs for an underdeveloped conjoined twin
The condition of the baby's mother, Ureda Khatun, is unknown.
The baby is not the first to win adulation from Hindus after being born with a physical abnormality.
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Deity: Ganesha is one of the most worshipped Gods in the Hindu religion
Last year, a boy with a seven-inch 'tail' announced he was considering having it removed - despite being worshipped as a God.
Arshid Ali Khan, 13, was hailed an incarnation of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman.
Gayla Neufeld, 52, said: "I realised I was desirable, I was sexy, I was beautiful and I became confident in who I was"
Meet the 30st woman who earns a living showing off her 8ft-wide belly to male fat admirers on webcam.
Gayla Neufeld, 52, spent years fighting the flab but now uses it to entice men from around the world, including latest hubby, Lance.
The happy couple have even used Gayla's 96-inch asset to launch her new career - as an international webcam model.
Showing off: Gayla Neufeld, 52, in a high vis vest
She said: "Growing up I used to be ashamed of my belly but now I have a great following of men who really like it.
"There have been men from all over the world.
"I have had doctors, lawyers and even bodybuilders, lots of bodybuilders, approach me, which really amazed me.
"They tell me it's the perfect belly.
Gorge: Men pay to watch Gayla on webcam
"They say it's not marred or scarred and that they love the shape of it because it is a single belly.
"Some
larger women they have a double-layer or a two-tier belly but mine is a
single. That is really attractive to a lot of men."
Thirty-stone Gayla wasn't always so body-confident and for years she struggled to deal with her family's unusual genetic legacy.
"Women
in my family have always gained weight around the belly, especially
after having children," said Gayla, whose favourite foods are homemade
cookies and ice-cream.
"My mum was fat and my favourite sister was fat, as were my grandparents, my grandmother and my great-grandmother.
Bullied: Kids used to give her an awful time as a youngster
"Growing up, kids at school would point and laugh at me and say 'boom, boom, boom' with every step I took.
"I was really ashamed to be fat."
Aged eight Gayla already weighed a whopping 13st and continued to pile on even more weight in her teens.
One doctor even prescribed her amphetamines to curb her sweet-tooth but it failed and made her even more depressed.
Her
burgeoning curves made her popular with boys at high-school and Gayla
had many admirers - but she was too embarrassed at the thought of being
naked.
Change: But now she is proud of her curves
Despite her body issues she eventually married at 19 and embarked on a mission to battle the bulge.
But instead of maintaining any weight loss she found herself hovering between 300 and 400lb.
Her wavering confidence was further diminished when her husband said he was embarrassed by her weight and they divorced in 1999.
It
was at rock-bottom that Gayla discovered an online community of obese
women calling themselves SSBBWs - meaning super-sized big beautiful
women.
Sizeable: Gayla's stomach measures 8ft wide
These curvaceous women - some in excess of 600lb - were worshipped by legions of men calling themselves fat admirers.
Curious to know more, Gayla joined a forum called Bulge Chat and soon found herself overwhelmed with lusty fans.
She said: "I realised I was desirable, I was sexy, I was beautiful and I became confident in who I was.
"I had always thought the men who liked BBWs would be geeks in their mom's basement but I was totally wrong."
Happy: Gayla is pictured with first husband, maternal grandfather and maternal grandmother in 1981
Despite having her pick it was rugged truck driver Lance Neufield, 54, who really caught her attention.
After meeting on Bulge Chat they enjoyed two 15-minute conversations and struck up an instant rapport.
Lance told her he was driving to Texas with work the following week and they agreed to meet at a truck stop and have dinner.
Gayla agreed despite vowing never to fall for anyone again - and found swept off her feet by the Canadian.
She said: "When he pulled up and I saw him I was like 'oh my god, he is so cute, so cute'.
"He
got in the car and he said to me, 'your pictures online do you no
justice'. I was like 'aww, that's so sweet' and I just blushed.
"Years
later I found out that his computer didn't produce very good pictures,
but it's okay, it still made me feel good at the time.
"We had our first dinner and got a bottle of Champagne afterwards and rented the General's Daughter and The Thomas Crown Affair.
"We
didn't get through any of those movies because we stayed up all night
talking and smooching on the couch like a couple of kids.
"I was sad when he had to go."
Barcroft
Wed: Gayla Neufeld on wedding day in 2006 with husband Lance Neufeld
They embarked on a long-distance relationship before Gayla
agreed to move to Manitoba, Canada, to be with Lance - and they married
six years later.
Despite her size, they claim to enjoy an 'active
and satisfying sex-life' though Gayla's weight causes other day-to-day
obstacles.
She struggles to shop for clothes that fit around her
96-inch belly and must use a motorised cart if required to walk long
distances.
Getting into a car is also an ordeal and she must book two seats on an aeroplane when flying.
She has a range of health issues including arthritis and thyroid problems, but remains upbeat about the future.
She said: "As far as the health aspects go, I don't really worry about them. My mother is still alive and she is 82.
"I
have had doctors tell me more then once that I needed to lose weight
for health reasons but I truly believe that when it is your time to go,
it is your time to go."
Proud: Gayla and her devoted hubby, Lance
Lance, who has three children from a previous relationship,
has always been attracted to Gayla's supersize paunch but wouldn't stand
in her way if she attempted to lose weight.
He said: "This woman is the love of my life. I would 100 per cent support her if she decided to lose weight.
"The first thing that attracted me to her was she had the most beautiful face I had ever seen.
"The belly was just the bonus on top of all her other beauty.
"It doesn't matter to me whether it is bigger or smaller because it's not really her belly I love - I love her."
With Lance's continuing support Gayla is planning to continue her modelling career and win over even more fans.
She
said: "I allowed the world to dictate to me what I was supposed to look
like and who I was supposed to be. By taking a body-positive image I
have empowered myself to be who I am and to enjoy my life.
"I'm
not going to tell you that I never have bad days and I am not going to
tell you that I don't wish I was thin from time to time, but mostly I
just enjoy being me.
"You've got to love who you are."
A Vatican insider said that while Pope Francis I is more tolerant than his predecessors, he still strongly opposes gay marriage
Rejected: Pope Francis and Laurent Stefanini
The Pope has rejected a gay ambassador to the Vatican in revenge for
France legalising same-sex marriages in 2012, it was claimed.
A Vatican insider said the snub of top French diplomat Laurent Stefanini, 55, was “by the Pope himself”.
Pope Francis is sympathetic to homosexuals but has criticised gay marriage.
Satirical paper Canard Enchaine called the snub “payment” for legalisation.
Stefanini’s backing for it, not his being gay, was the difficulty, said Italy’s La Stampa.
Senior diplomat Stefanini, a close ally of French President Francois Hollande, was nominated for the post on January 5.
Pope Francis
Protocol dictates that a new ambassador’s credentials are accepted within 45 days.
Bu silence from the Vatican for more than three months is being seen as a rejection by the French government.
Cabinet
spokesman Stephane Le Foll said: “France has chosen its ambassador to
the Vatican. This choice was Stefanini and that remains the French
proposal.”
A presidential aide also said that the choice of the
55-year-old to represent France at the Vatican resulted from “ a cabinet
decision” and the president regards him as “one of our best diplomats.”
Former
Pope Benedict also never responded to the nomination of gay diplomat
Jean-Loup Kuhn-Delforgea as French ambassador in 2007.
Paris never received a reply, and it eventually put forward another nominee.
Pope Francis has been widely seen as being far less judgemental on homosexuality than his predecessor.
The Pontiff said two years ago: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”
He also said that gay people should not be marginalised but integrated into society.
But
Francis has also criticised gay marriage and is opposed to adoption
rights for gay couples, both of which became legal in France in 2013
amid widespread protests from the country’s Catholic community.
