Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Abu Dhabi Hindu temple site: 35 Gujarat officials visit

Abu Dhabi Hindu temple site: 35 Gujarat officials visit

THIRTY-FIVE officials of the government of the western Indian state of Gujarat, including some Indian Administrative Service officers, on Tuesday (5) visited the under-construction BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, Ahmedabad Mirror reported. They are in the UAE to attend the Expo 2020 Dubai which kicked off recently.

The visit, which was organised by SJ Haider and led by Mamta Verma, Hareet Shukla, Neelam Rani, Rahul Gupta and some other officials from Gujarat went to the construction site to see the installation of the marble pillars that are central to the temple’s design.


The delegates took part in the Rivers of Harmony exhibit at the centre where they highlighted the purpose, history and construction of the temple.

“Stepping on this land makes me feel at home. I come from a humble background and feel connected to the earth. The place evokes energy and I hope I can serve as part of the project. The trip to Dubai would have been incomplete without a visit to the temple site,” Verma was quoted as saying by the Mirror.

One of the visitors Satyarth Srivastava said the temple is a historical landmark in the making and called it a true example of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the entire world is my family).

“To witness the journey of ideation and the execution on the ground is an extraordinary part of the visit,” advocate Khusbu Agrawal said.

India’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal recently made a digital analysis of the 3D translucent crystalline model of the upcoming BAPS temple, which is being showcased at the India pavilion of the Expo 2020 Dubai in the UAE. He said the temple will be amazing once completed.

Indian prime minister Narendra Mori laid the foundation stone for the temple in February 2018.

More For You

UK Prepares for Scorching 27°C Heatwave Across 45 Counties

Southeastern areas, including London, Kent, and Surrey, are expected to record the highest temperatures of 27°C

iStock

UK braces for 27°C heat as 45 counties set for mini-heatwave

Temperatures across the UK are forecast to surge in the coming days, with a mini-heatwave expected to bring highs of up to 27°C. Weather maps have turned red as forecasters predict at least 23°C across 45 counties in England and Wales, with the southeast expected to feel the peak of the heat.

The rise in temperatures comes as the Environment Agency reports the driest start to spring in nearly 70 years. The lack of rainfall has led to challenges for wildlife and farmers alike, with parched fields and water shortages in country parks becoming more evident.

Keep ReadingShow less
Muhammad Yunus 'needs to remain', says Bangladesh minister

Muhammad Yunus. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Muhammad Yunus 'needs to remain', says Bangladesh minister

BANGLADESH's Muhammad Yunus "needs to remain" in office as interim leader to ensure a peaceful transition of power, a cabinet member and special adviser to Yunus said Friday (23).

Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who took over after a mass uprising last year, had threatened to quit the job if parties did not give him their backing, a political ally and sources in his office said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harvard-University-Getty

Currently, Harvard hosts around 10,158 students and scholars from across the world at its various schools. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Harvard South Asian student group condemns move to bar international students

THE SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION (SAA), a major student group at Harvard University, has strongly condemned the Trump administration’s decision to revoke Harvard’s eligibility to enrol foreign students. The group described the move as an “unwarranted and flagrant attack” and urged the university’s administration to continue supporting its international student community.

On Thursday, the Trump administration directed the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification. “This means Harvard can no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the federal agency stated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Investigating the Connection Between UK Drug Arrests Abroad

The arrests come amid heightened international scrutiny of cannabis trafficking involving young travellers

Metro

Sri Lanka drug arrest of British woman sparks investigation into links with the Culley case

A 21-year-old British woman has been arrested in Sri Lanka for allegedly attempting to smuggle synthetic cannabis worth £1.2 million into the country, amid growing concerns of young travellers being targeted by organised drug trafficking networks.

Charlotte May Lee, from south London, was detained last Monday after arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. Sri Lankan customs officials allege she was found carrying large vacuum-packed bags of a synthetic cannabis strain known as kush in her luggage. Lee had flown to Sri Lanka from Bangkok, Thailand, echoing the travel route of another British national, 18-year-old Bella May Culley, who was arrested just one day earlier in Georgia on similar charges.

Keep ReadingShow less
India-Pakistan-border-Reuters

Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security Force soldiers lower their national flags at the India-Pakistan joint check post at Wagah border. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

India to raise concerns over Pakistan funding at FATF, World Bank: Report

INDIA will urge the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to put Pakistan back on its “grey list” and will oppose upcoming World Bank funding to Islamabad, a senior government official in New Delhi told Reuters on Friday.

The move is part of India’s response to what it alleges are Pakistan-backed terrorist attacks, including one last month in Kashmir that killed 26 Hindu pilgrims. India has also decided to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.

Keep ReadingShow less