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The three-hour-long drive to Liwa from Abu Dhabi airport feels unhurried. As the skyline slips away, the road opens into long stretches of sand. The second edition of Liwa Festival, the annual festival that blends motorsports, heritage and entertainment in a desert setting, is about to kick off.. Here are five highlights of Liwa where the annual festival will be in full flow till January 3.Festive fervourLaunched on December 12, 2025, the festival organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, unfolds as a winter fixture shaped by movement, sound and shared attention. Set against the golden…

Mohammed Bin Salman might keep the illusion of participation open—all the better to play into the wishful thinking of the West that does not want to acknowledge the loss of Saudi Arabia—but India should be under no illusionWhen Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the India-Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) at the September 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi, there was broad excitement for the new scheme’s potential. India is the world’s most populous state and fourth-largest economy and will likely overtake Germany to move up a notch before the end of the decade. The corridor would bypass Pakistan and facilitate…

Watch: Omar Abdullah congratulates Jammu & Kashmir cricket team for reaching Ranji Trophy final Source link

“To understand wine, you must understand ‘terroir’ — the sense of place. What came before and what happens after, to truly grasp the now,” says Craig Wedge, the Australian estate manager of the newly opened vineyard hotel, Hotel Irada. It’s 4 pm on a pleasant Tuesday afternoon. Under a beaming sun, we’re standing amid the freshly trellised vines that form the mise-en-scène of this contemporary boutique retreat. Custom wall installation by Jaipur Rugs. Even after Mallya’s exit, the estate remained a working vineyard, producing Four Seasons wine. It is, fittingly, terroir — that intrinsic sense of place — that defines…

On February 12, 2026, a nation of 177 million people held its thirteenth Parliamentary Election to elect 300 members to its unicameral House of the Nation, the Jatiya Sangsad. As per the revised electoral roll published by the Election Commission, 127.71 million people (64.8 million men, 62.9 million women, and 1,234 third gender voters), i.e., 72 per cent of the total population, were eligible to vote.A total of 1,981 candidates from 59 registered parties (including 249 independents) contested the election. Polling in one constituency was countermanded due to a candidate’s death. According to official data released by the Bangladesh Election…

Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan during a practice session amid the ongoing T20 World Cup campaign in India. File picture | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR When Afghanistan and Canada first met in a T20, back in 2010, they were two teams on the same boat — Associate nations scrapping it out in the backwaters of international cricket.Over the next 16 years, Afghanistan has zoomed far ahead of Canada in the global circuit, culminating in a landmark semifinal appearance at the 2024 T20 World Cup.But, on Thursday (February 19, 2026), as Afghanistan and Canada clash in a T20 World Cup 2026…

As Malayalis who have spent over a decade in China, my wife and I recently undertook a journey that felt like a rediscovery of history, culture, and unexpected kinship — deep in the heart of Xinjiang, a province far west in China. The National Day holiday in early October is when millions of people travel across the country. For us, it was the perfect moment to explore this part of China, and it surprised us and felt strangely familiar at the same time.Our adventure begins with a 6-hour, 45-minute flight from Shanghai to Kashgar — longer than flying from Kochi…

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded a high-stakes, three-hour private meeting at the White House on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. The discussions primarily focused on the escalating tensions with Iran and the ongoing situation in Gaza.This was Netanyahu’s sixth visit to the US since Trump’s second term began in January 2025. In a notable departure from past high-profile visits, there was no joint press conference or public camera appearance. Netanyahu reportedly entered and exited the White House through a side entrance, away from reporters.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADTrump stated that reaching a diplomatic deal with…

Ecstatic: Jammu & Kashmir players lift coach Ajay on their shoulders after their semifinal victory over Bengal. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR When cricketers in their 20s carried Jammu & Kashmir’s 61-year-old coach Ajay Sharma on their shoulders and cheered for him, it spoke a lot about their bonding.Having led J & K’s transformation from an underdog to a champion side in red-ball cricket, Ajay, a domestic giant and an ex-India player, was thrilled as his wards upset Bengal in the Ranji Trophy semifinal at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground here on Wednesday, ensuring their team’s maiden final.Coming from…

At the start of the year, there is often a collective urge to slow down — to eat with a little more intention, choose flavours that comfort rather than overwhelm, and return to dishes that feel familiar without being heavy. If that is the mood you are in, here are a few options worth trying.Pizza check Si Nonna, the world’s largest AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana)-certified pizzeria network, has opened two outlets in Hyderabad, at Film Nagar and Khajaguda. The brand uses a 24-hour fermented heritage sourdough and traditional Italian techniques.In keeping with Neapolitan tradition, the pizzas are numbered rather…