Event
Bahrain Crown Prince meets BAPS delegation, receives message from Indian PM
Published
2 years agoon
By
Sudhashree![](https://headline.ae/wp-content/uploads/baps.jpeg)
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa today met Swami Brahmaviharidas and delegation of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a global spiritual Hindu movement.
At the meeting, HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister discussed the construction of a BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Temple in Bahrain on a land gifted by the leadership of Bahrain as announced by him on February 1, 2022 and as welcomed by the Hon’ble Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The meeting, at which Indian Ambassador Piyush Srivastava was present, was led by the international coordinator and head of BAPS Middle East, Swami Brahmaviharidas and included Swami Aksharatitdas, BAPS Bahrain President Dr. Praful Vaidya and community leaders Mr. Ramesh Patidar and Mr. Mahesh Devji.
During the meeting, Swami Brahmaviharidas delivered to HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister a message from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, welcoming this historic moment. He also conveyed the blessings and good wishes of the spiritual leader of the global BAPS movement His Divine Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj.
The fruition of a long-cherished dream, the Swaminarayan Temple in Bahrain will represent the timeless values of Hinduism and the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for an inclusive world that will nurture peace and interfaith harmony.
The Bahrain temple will also welcome people of all faiths who may wish to know and understand Indian traditions and have the space for various cultural and spiritual activities.
Speaking on the occasion of receiving the grant of land formally from HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Swami Brahmaviharidas said, “We are profoundly grateful to the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain and to the Prime Minister of India for this historic gift of land which represents the enriching of warm relations and an exchange of ideas between Bahrain and India which spans millennia. For BAPS, it is the culmination of a precious moment in 1997 when the late Emir Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa received His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj at the Royal Palace in Bahrain. In their conversation, Sheikh Isa lovingly and instantaneously told Pramukh Swami Maharaj, ‘Make Bahrain your home.’
He added, “It was a sentiment that was echoed by HRH the Crown Prince & Prime Minister in 2017 when he visited our Diwali gathering. Upon seeing the picture of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj and late Emir Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, he told me, ‘Our love extends to three generations. We will honour the words and sentiments of our grandfather.’ The building of this BAPS Swaminarayan Temple marks a seminal and historic moment for Hinduism, for relations between India and Bahrain, and for international harmony as a whole.”
In conclusion, Swami Brahmaviharidas thanked the leadership for their generosity, Shri Narendra Modi for his integrity and assured that the temple and the surrounding cultural and spiritual complex shall strengthen universal understanding and interfaith harmony, and will also nurture the children of today and coming generations towards a brighter future.
Out of friendship and respect, HRH The Crown Prince insisted on walking Swami Brahmviharidas and the delegation all the way to the car outside the palace doors.
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Announcements
Global Village announces opening date for Season 29
Published
5 days agoon
September 3, 2024By
SudhashreeSeason 29 of Global Village will kick off on October 16, 2024, the outdoor destination announced. The season will run until May 11, 2025. The popular destination remains closed during the summer months. This year, Global Village is expanding its offerings, featuring more cultural representations, never-before-seen entertainment, and exciting infrastructure upgrades.
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Visitors to the family-friendly destination can experience a diverse range of performances, shopping, and dining experiences from cultures around the world.
Opening more than 25 years ago, the destination set a new record of over 10 million visitors in its 28th season, the longest season to date, hosting 27 pavilions representing over 90 cultures from around the globe, as well as 3,500 shopping outlets and 250 dining options.
The destination is expecting millions of visitors from around the globe to gather for the park’s attractions during the upcoming season.
Event
Top Women Chess Players Take Centre Stage in 2024 Global Chess League Draft
Published
3 weeks agoon
August 15, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, is all set for the second season as 30 of the world’s best chess players were handpicked by six franchises during the Player Draft held on Sunday in New Delhi.
Following the huge success of the inaugural edition in Dubai last year, the second season is scheduled to take place from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London. All six teams – Alpine SG Pipers, Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters, PBG Alaskan Knights, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, and the debutants American Gambits– engaged in a thrilling bidding process to assemble strong squads for the second season of the league.
With 1000 points allocated to use during the bidding process, each franchise filled their quota of two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy player, in addition to the Icons announced last month.
The stellar line-up of Icon players include Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Mumba Masters) Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings), and debutants Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits) and Anish Giri (PBG Alaskan Knights).
The proceedings began with Richard Rapport getting drafted into Alpine SG Pipers, who completed their quota of Superstar Men after retaining the services of Praggnanandhaa R. American Gambits then completed their Superstar Men slots by picking Vladislav Artemiev and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo were drafted to Ganges Grandmasters, while PBG Alaskan Knights acquired Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and retained Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Triveni Continental Kings picked up Wei Yi and Teimour Radjabov.
Arjun Erigaisi, who recently broke into top five in World Rankings, expressed, “The player draft was absolutely thrilling and I am happy to turn up for the Ganges Grandmasters. They have picked versatile players and I look forward to a fantastic event in London.”
The Superstar Women dominated the Player Draft as franchises used significant amount of points from their purse to acquire their services. Apart from retaining Yan Zhongyi, PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Alina Kashlinskaya. Vaishali R and Nurgyul Salimova were drafted by Ganges Grandmasters, while Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina were acquired by Triveni Continental Kings. American Gambits filled in their quota of Superstar Women with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Elisabeth Paehtz, while Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli were retained by Mumba Masters.
Four-time Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan said, “Firstly, I am happy to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. The opening season in Dubai created a lot of buzz in the chess world and this time, I am happy to be part of the Alpine SG in this edition.”
PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Nihal Sarin, while Mumba Masters used their remaining purse to acquire Raunak Sadhwani. Daniel Dardha went to Alpine SG Pipers, Volodar Murzin to Ganges Grandmasters, Javokhir Sindarov to defending champions Triveni Continental Kings and Jonas Buhl Bjerre to American Gambits.
Expressing excitement on joining PBG Alaskan Knights, star prodigy Nihal Sarin, said, “For someone my age, coming up the ranks in this sport, I am super thrilled to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. I am looking forward to learn from the stalwarts playing in this season and I am happy to be part of PBG Alaskan Knights this season.”
Upon the successful completion of the player draft for this second season, Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “We had an action-packed day at the players draft. All six franchises have put together strong and equal teams, and with the second season taking place in London, it is poised to be bigger and more exciting. Best wishes to all the players and franchises, we are eagerly anticipating a cracking extravaganza in October.
In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Announcements
Now Dubai residents can get four black points scrapped: Here’s when and how
Published
4 weeks agoon
August 13, 2024By
SudhashreeMotorists in the UAE have the chance to get four black points removed from their traffic records if they avoid committing any violations on the first day of the school year. The initiative is part of the Ministry of Interior’s ‘Accident-Free Day’ on August 26, aligning with the re-opening of schools after the summer break.
"الداخلية" تطلق حملة "يوم بلا حوادث" تزامناً مع بدء العام الدراسي، وتكافئ الملتزمين بخصم (4) نقاط مرورية
— وزارة الداخلية (@moiuae) August 13, 2024
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The Ministry of Interior launches the 'Accident-Free Day'… pic.twitter.com/fhS7rhYFHZ
To qualify for the traffic points deduction, drivers must sign an online pledge and avoid having an accident or committing a traffic offence on the designated day.
The deduction will be applied two weeks later as part of an effort to encourage year-round adherence to traffic safety.
Brigadier Engineer Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Chairman of the Federal Traffic Council, said that the campaign is a key element of the Ministry’s strategy to boost road safety and aligns with the UAE government’s vision.
The initiative also promotes responsible driving by educating motorists on crucial safety practices, such as vehicle maintenance, adhering to speed limits near schools, avoiding distractions, following traffic lanes, maintaining safe distances, prioritising pedestrians, and giving way to emergency vehicles.