www.panda.org SWITZERLAND, February 19, 2006: The World Wide Fund for Nature has released a new book, “Beyond Belief – Linking faiths and protected areas for biodiversity conservation.” The entire book is available in PDF form for download, here. The website at “source” describes the book: Most people in the world follow some kind of spiritual faith, and faiths have enormous…
www.nzz.ch SWITZERLAND, February 18, 2006: Tamils first came to Switzerland in the 1980s as refugees fleeing civil war in Sri Lanka and now make up a sizeable community in the country. Although they encountered prejudices at first, Tamils are now regarded as having adapted well to their new home. But they are still not fully integrated. In 1983 the Tamil…
www.pib.nic.in NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 18, 2006: The Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Shri Vayalar Ravi has said that his Ministry fully recognizes the urgent need to build safeguards to protect unsuspecting brides, and their parents seeking marriage alliances with Overseas Indians. Presiding over the inaugural session of the day-long National Consultation on Marriages to Overseas Indians, here today,…
pib.nic.in NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 17, 2006: The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is organizing a day-long National Consultation tomorrow at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, with a view to working out strategies to address the problems arising out of marriages of Indian woman to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and to build necessary safeguards. The Indian Society of International Law, Department of…
www.dailyexpress.com.my LABUAN, EAST MALAYSIA, February 18, 2006 The 31-year-old “Thirumurugan” Hindu Temple will hold its “Maha Kumbabhishagam” (consecration) ceremony tomorrow (Sunday). It is the third time that the temple is holding such a ceremony and five priests from Kuala Lumpur would be present for the auspicious occasion. Chairman of the event’s organizing committee, R. Ramasamy, said musicians from Kuala Lumpur…
news.webindia123.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 17, 2006: Yoga and physical activities will be made mandatory in schools to prevent the onset of lifestyle-related illnesses among the younger generation, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said here Friday. “Non-communicable diseases like heart attacks, diabetes and cancer are slowly affecting the young age group and lack of physical activity is definitely one of the…
www.thepost.co.za LENASIA, SOUTH AFRICA, February 15, 2006: The annual Sivaratri Yatra undertaken by the Hindu communities of Lenasia and Laudium takes place on Sunday. In Laudium, the procession organized by the Pretoria Hindu Organization will begin at 8am from the Sivan Alayam on a seven-kilometer route that will also pass the Vishnu Mandir before ending at the Seva Samaj Mandir.…
www.hindustantimes.com LONDON, ENGLAND, February 16, 2006: Greek authorities have ordered an Athen discotheque to remove one advertisement of a whiskey brand, which used the image of goddess Durga, after it irked Hindus around the world, a community leader said on Thursday. The offending poster was removed from the discotheque as a result of direct communication from the Greek Embassy in…
www.hindustantimes.com LONDON, ENGLAND, February 17, 2006: The controversy over the offending posters at a Disco Bar in Athens showing Durga promoting whisky has finally ended with an apology from the makers of the particular brand, the US-based Southern Comfort Whisky makers. After a quick intervention by the Greek Embassy in Delhi, officials in Athens had got the poster removed. Now…
www.ibnlive.com KENDRAPARA, ORISSA, INDIA, February 12, 2006: Some traditions become so unique to a place that — despite many generations passing between them — they die hard. In Orissa’s Kendrapara’s Rajkanika village, there is an age-old and a unique tradition where Hindus are not cremated but buried after death. In this remote village, nearly 200,000 Hindus do not cremate their…