Sixteen-year-old Aniruddha Saralatthaya to head Shiroor mutt
Coronation will be held on May 14
Udupi, Apr 22: Three years after the death of Shiroor mutt chief Swami Lakshmivara Teertha, a 16-year old boy has been named as his successor by Sode mutt seer Sri Vishwavallabha Teertha.
Shiroor mutt is one of the 'Ashta' (eight) mutts of Udupi.
Lakshmivara Teertha died on July 19, 2018, without naming a successor.
Vishwavallabha Teertha, seer of Sode mutt, the 'Dwandva' Mutt of Shiroor, has been handling the mutt's activities.
As per custom, the 'dwandva' mutt seer is authorised to name the successor.
At a press meet in Udupi on Wednesday, the Sode seer introduced Aniruddha Saralatthaya, a class X student, who will be the next head of the Shiroor mutt.
Vishwavallabha Teertha said the parents of Aniruddha have themselves taught him the Vedas.
Aniruddha, who has been interested in religious activities right from his childhood, is also familiar with the rituals and traditional celebrations of the mutt, he said.
Aniruddha expressed his wish to become a seer at the Shiroor mutt to his parents.
His father Uday Kumar Saralatthaya and mother Srividya took their son's intentions seriously and went through his horoscope.
After spiritual contemplation, they came to know that their son is destined to become a seer.
The Saratthalya family belongs to Nidle village in Dharmashala of Dakshina Kannada district.
Vishwavallabha Teertha said when he verified the background, character, knowledge, enthusiasm in spirituality and horoscope of Aniruddha, he could know that Aniruddha is suitable in all senses for the position of pontiff of Shiroor mutt.
The 'Sanyasa Deekshe' and coronation ceremony of the new seer will be held for four days from May 11 to 14.
The 'Deekshe' ritual will be held on May 13 and the coronation will be held between 12.35 PM and 12.50 PM on May 14, he said.
On the opposition from some quarters against appointing a minor as the mutt chief, Viswavallabha Teertha said 'Bala Sanyas' is the legacy of 'Ashta mutts' of Udupi.
"I have discussed the matter with the seers of other mutts and no one raised any objection," he said.
"This is what Lord Sri Vittala of Shiroor mutt wants and I have asked Aniruddha to completely devote himself to the daily pooja of Lord Sri Krishna," Viswavallabha Teertha said.
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US warns shipping firms they could face sanctions over paying Iranian tolls in Strait of Hormuz
Dubai (AP): The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The alert posted Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
About a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in peacetime.
Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service.
That "tollbooth” effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning.
The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including chartibale donations and payments at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said.
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The US responded to Iran's closure of the strait with a naval blockade of its own on April 13, preventing any Iranian tankers from leaving and depriving Iran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
The US Central Command said 45 commercial ships have been told to turn around since the blockade began.
Trump rejects Iranian proposal
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The warning came as US President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war between the countries.
“They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens,” Trump said Friday at the White House. He didn't elaborate on what he saw as its shortcomings but expressed frustration with the Iranian leadership.
“It's a very disjointed leadership,” Trump said. “They all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up.”
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Iran handed over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.
The shaky three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be holding, though both countries have traded accusations of violations. The standoff is increasingly putting pressure on the global economy, driving up prices and leading to shortages of fuel and other products tied to the oil industry.
Negotiations continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys' trip to Pakistan last week, the president said. Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America's Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed many of his regional counterparts on the country's initiatives to end the ear, according to his social media. He also held talks Friday with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is in contact with the EU's Gulf partners.
China's UN envoy urges Iran to lift restrictions
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Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassdor to the United Nations, said Friday that maintaining the ceasefire is “the most urgent issue" as well as bringing together the sides to resume good faith negotiations “to make sure that the ground is laid for reopening of Hormuz.”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi “has been on the phone almost constantly” with representatives from all sides, Fu said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to mediate between the parties.
Fu stressed the root cause of the tremendous suffering in Iran and neighboring countries and the growing turmoil in the global economy, especially in developing countries, “is the illegitimate war by the US and Israel.
