Category: Top Stories

Spread over a 55 sq. km area of forests on the Western Ghats, the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary is among the finest of its kind in Kerala. It plays host to an exotic array of flora and fauna and is among the most picturesque locations in the Kannur district. The entire area is covered in tropical and semi-evergreen forests and is a truly riveting sight. One can catch sight of herds of elephants, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, Nilgiri Langur, Hanuman Langur, and the Malabar Giant Squirrel. It is also famous for the vast amount of butterfly species found here. ... Read more

With medics and helpers covered in masks, medical glasses, and protective suits, it is sometimes hard to convey festive cheer to the patients on Moscow’s COVID-19 wards. But Leonid Krasner, who has been volunteering at a hospital since the first wave, has found a way with the colorful pictures he draws on the back of his overalls to help patients recognize him and bring a smile to those being treated. Krasner, 59, decorates his single-use suits before entering the wards every time he is in the hospital. He once drew a cartoonish plane for a sick pilot and a congratulations ... Read more

Siem Reap province will reorganize the National Cycling Championship and the 25th Angkor International Half Marathon this month after the postponement due to the COVID-19 crisis. The update was shared yesterday by Mr. Nou Chamroeun, Secretary-General of Cambodian Cycling Federation, adding that the 2020 National Cycling Championship will take place on Jan. 23, and the Angkor International Half Marathon 2020 on Jan. 24. The events aim to engage people with sports for their health, friendship, and solidarity, and to mobilize funds for humanitarian activities. In 2019, Angkor International Half Marathon attracted over 10,000 national and international runners from many countries, ... Read more

The surge in the inflow of domestic tourists to Kerala during the Christmas-New Year festive season brought some cheer to Kerala tourism stakeholders, even as quarantine norms are keeping away guests who generally stay put in the State for 2 weeks. The pandemic has not just hit the hospitality stakeholders but also the Ayurveda and wellness sectors, which combined together contribute a major chunk of income from tourism. Most guests hence prefer short vacations lasting less than a week. The Ayurveda Promotion Society (APMS) has recently submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Kerala, explaining the present situation of ... Read more

The Three Wise Men flew over Seville in a hot air balloon on Tuesday morning, after traditional street parades on the eve of the Epiphany were canceled throughout Spain to avoid drawing big crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic. Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar are widely celebrated in Spain on Epiphany (Jan. 6), when they are said to have visited the infant Christ with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. On that day children get presents their parents tell them have been brought by the Three Wise Men, and not Santa Claus – even if the latter has also become increasingly popular in Spain. ... Read more

Passengers will soon be able to fly non-stop to San Francisco in the US from Bengaluru. India’s national carrier Air India announced on Wednesday that it will operate flights twice-weekly to the United States from January 11, 2021, from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. The flight, for which the bookings have commenced from Wednesday, will be operated twice-a-week with a Boeing B777-200 LR aircraft, it said. The new non-stop service – which would be Air India’s longest route at 14,000 Km and longest flight to and from India – is expected to meet the demand of corporate customers for travel to ... Read more

Saudi Arabia’s northwestern AlUla Governorate which hosted the 41st summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council on Tuesday, including top leaders from the GCC’s six member-nations: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. AlUla is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, and it tells the story of human civilization. It was a meeting point for the civilizations of the Nile and Mesopotamian valleys and the eastern coast of the Mediterranean on the one hand, and the civilizations of the Arabian Peninsula, Northeast Africa, and East Asia on the other. AlUla is home to ... Read more

Dressed in South Korea’s traditional costume ‘Hanbok’, two divers at a Seoul aquarium make New Year bows to visitors from underwater. Under mysterious yellow and blue lights in the country’s largest 2,200-ton water tank called ‘The Ocean’, the divers swam alongside stingrays, sharks, and other fish. “It was a new and fun experience since I’ve never seen divers wearing hanbok in my life, and I haven’t seen hanbok in a while because our family doesn’t wear those on traditional holidays,” told Yoo Hwan-girl, a 27-year-old who came with his girlfriend. It is the fifth year the Lotte World Aquarium, which ... Read more

With two billion books translated into over 100 languages, Agatha Christie is the undisputed queen of crime; the world’s best-selling novelist, and arguably its most successful female playwright. If you’re one of her legion of fans around the globe, you’ll know this year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and the introduction of the legendary Hercule Poirot. Kenneth Branagh is set to reprise his starring role as the renowned detective when Death on the Nile hits cinemas later this year too. So, to celebrate this landmark anniversary, why not get ... Read more

Hungarian gastronomy relies quite heavily on the practices of old peasant-style cooking and the versions incorporated into turn-of-the-century bourgeois cuisine. Typically, onions, paprika, and sour cream are the dominant flavors. FOR MEAT LOVERS Pork is the most common meat since, during the Turkish occupation, almost all domestic animals had to be turned in except for pork, because Muslims are not allowed to eat it. It follows that red paprika (Turkish pepper), bacon, and sausages are frequently used ingredients in Hungarian foods. In addition to processing the meat of the animal, Hungarians are also keen users of offal in many dishes. ... Read more

Pakistan’s famous truck art will move from its highways to the skies, as a flying academy is painting a two-seater Cessna aircraft with the colorful technique. Such art has become one of Pakistan’s best-known cultural exports in recent years. UNESCO, for example, has been using truck art, blended with indigenous themes, to promote girls’ education in a northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. With elaborate and flamboyant motifs, Pakistani truck art has inspired gallery exhibitions abroad and prompted stores in Western cities to sell miniatures. “We want to show the world that Pakistan is not all about Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ... Read more

Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced the reopening of borders and the resumption of international flights after a two-week suspension aimed to stem the spread of a new Covid-19 strain. The government ordered the lifting of “precautionary measures related to the spread of a new variant of coronavirus”, the Ministry of the Interior said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. Riyadh suspended international flights and access through land crossings and ports on December 21. Other Gulf countries, Oman and Kuwait, who had taken similar measures, have also lifted them in recent days. But travelers returning from Britain, South Africa, or ... Read more

Approximately 73,000 repatriated Indians completed their institutional quarantine at OYOs across India. Amongst these, most bookings were made by guests traveling from the Middle East, primarily UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar ·       OYO Care tied up with 24+ state ministries and 50+ government and private hospitals ·       The hotel chain housed 250,000+ hospital staff and asymptomatic patients since April 2020 ·       200+ sailors were safely quarantined at OYOs across India ·       OYO served 2500 pin codes in 2020 ·       India’s favorite holiday: Around India, the gradual unlocks led to a rise in consumer confidence to travel again safely. With majority bookings – the 02nd October ... Read more

The Dubai Opera hosted legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and a troupe of renowned Israeli singers including Idan Raichel as part of a historic concert held at the Dubai Opera. The event, titled ‘A Celebration of Peace’, was held in celebration of the growing momentum for peace in the region. The concert, which featured the participation of musicians from the UAE, highlights Dubai and the UAE’s global reputation as a beacon of tolerance and peaceful coexistence and a model for intercultural harmony and diversity. It also reinforces Dubai Opera’s rising profile as a unique international hub for performing arts and world-class entertainment. ... Read more

Chicamocha Canyon, which was one of the locations selected for the 2009 campaign to select the seven natural wonders of the world, is about an hour from the city of Bucaramanga, in the department of Santander. This tourist destination is one of the most beautiful in the country and is home to Chicamocha National Park, where you can connect with nature and enjoy a wide range of sports and cultural activities. If you’re a fan of adventure or extreme sports, you can paraglide over 3280 feet high through the heart of this magnificent canyon. As you skim through the air ... Read more