UK High Commission in Sri Lanka To Stop Issuing Visas

www.nation.lk COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, February 3, 2008: The Visa Section of the British High Commission in Sri Lanka will be closed, and the High Commission will stop issuing visas from April 1. Instead, any Sri Lankans wishing to travel to the United Kingdom will have to obtain visas from the Mission in Chennai, India. “The Colombo office will continue to…

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Ellora Caves Reveal a Treasure of Sacred Art

www.frontlineonnet.com ELLORA, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA, February 3, 2008: The site of Ellora, on the outskirts of the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, witnessed the grand culmination of more than a thousand years of the rock-cutting tradition. From the 6th century A.D. up to the 10th century A.D., the last man-mad caves for the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths were created. One…

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Stretching Across Cultures, a Surya Namaskar Marathon

www.denverpost.com DENVER, CO, USA, January 31, 2008: I spent Sunday morning watching 90 yoga devotees bending themselves into shapes so feline that I pulled three muscles and jammed a knee just watching. On this morning, members of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, a social and cultural organization, were there to observe an ancient ritual called the Surya Namaskar — Sanskrit for…

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Hinduism Today Seeks Art of Sri Madhvacharya

www.hinduismtoday.com KAUAI, HAWAII, USA, February 3, 2008: Hinduism Today is looking for art of the great Vaishnava Saint, Sri Madhvacharya, for a feature story. The images need to be medium- or high-resolution (300+ dpi), depicting events in his spiritual journey. If you have any art or information please email letters@hindu.org

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Prime Minister’s Daughter Rises in New Nepal Dynasty

newsinfo.inquirer.net KATHMANDU, NEPAL, January 31, 2008: Nepal is set to sweep away its discredited monarchy, but a new political dynasty is emerging. Ailing Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has appointed his controversial daughter as a minister without portfolio, and she has moved quickly to strengthen her role as the power behind the throne. Sujata Koirala says she fully deserved the…

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Media Watch Says Sri Lankan Journalists Threatened

newsinfo.inquirer.net COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, January 30, 2008: Violence, threats, intimidation and anti-media remarks by senior politicians are threatening the safety of journalists working in war-torn Sri Lanka, a media rights group said Wednesday. “The safety of journalists in Sri Lanka is in serious jeopardy as serious attacks and anti-media statements demonstrate a lack of respect for media freedom,” the International…

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Sydney, Australia, Rejects New Religious Temples

www.news.com.au SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, February 2, 2008: First Sydney communities opposed an Islamic School, then people wouldn’t stand for a Hillsong stadium and now a sleepy rural suburb is campaigning against a Hindu temple. All denominations have felt the wrath of local groups opposing religious development in Sydney, with the Hindu temple being the third pious building delayed on resident objections.…

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Leader Wants Precedence for Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago

www.newsday.co.tt TRINIDAD, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, January 29, 2008: Satnarayan Maharaj, secretary general of the Santan Dharma Maha Sabha of Trinidad and Tobago, wants to change the hierarquical order of the government’s offices. The Table of Precedence, a protocol list used to determine who holds what position in terms of governmental high offices, was not initially an official list but was…

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Over Ten Thousand Villagers Throng Palani Pemple

www.hindu.com PALANI, INDIA, January 28, 2008: Even as the 10-day Thai Pusam festival was officially over, it would actually come to an end only after the visit of thousands of pilgrims from Edapadi and nearby villages to Palani hill. Over ten thousand pilgrims reached the Dhandayuthapaniswamy temple on Sunday afternoon to stay on the hill overnight, a rare and special…

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