Page 149 - Hospitality Recreation

Lifters Purnima, Lalchhanhimi disappoint at CWG

Indian women weightlifters performed disappointingly at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Monday with Purnima Pandey and Lalchhanhimi faring poorly in their respective events.

Women bikers successfully complete nearly 17,000 km long journey

Telangana Tourism Department welcomed four women bikers who successfully completed 'Road to Mekong', a 16,992-km long road trip covering six Southeast Asian countries starting from Hyderabad.The women, who embarked on their journey on February 11, 2018, from here with an objective to promote Telangana tourism, covered Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.The women were supported by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) and Government of India in this initiative.TSTDC Managing Director D. Manohar, while talking to ANI, congratulated the rider on their success and said during their journey the riders met people from various sections of society and explained them about Telangana tourism and incredible India."The rider's team was also accompanied by four member's production crew to document the entire expedition, Telangana tourism provided a mini couch with two drivers and ample Telangana tourism publicity material and 2 more members as ...

Rahul rides in metro, browses for books in Bengaluru

ACongress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took time off his busy schedule to ride in a crowded metro and went shopping for books at a bookstore here.

Punam continues India's gold rush, Vikas adds bronze

Indian weightlifters remained a cut above the rest with Punam Yadav (69kg) adding a fifth gold medal and Vikas Thakur (94kg) picking up a bronze today in what has been a truly remarkable campaign so far at the Commonwealth Games here. Yadav, who hails from Dandupur village in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, was a 63kg category bronze-medallist in the 2014 Glasgow Games. Today, she pulled off a personal best of 222kg (110kg+122kg) to claim the top spot ahead of England's Sarah Davies, who finished with 217kg (95kg+122kg). Davies went for a 128kg lift in her final clean and jerk attempt in pursuit of gold but could not complete her attempt. The bronze medal was won by Fiji's Apolonia Vaivai with an effort of 216kg (100kg+116kg). "I was expecting a good fight but from Fiji not England. I was a little nervous when Sarah went for 128kg in her final lift. She was capable of pulling it off," Punam Yadav said after the medal ceremony. "But then it's all about fate, I got what was my destiny and she

Railways to run 5 metre-gauge lines as heritage stretches

The railways has decided to preserve five of its metre-gauge lines across the country and run them as heritage lines, in a shift from its plans to convert all of them in to broad-gauge ones, sources in the ministry said. The lines to be preserved include sections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Sources said these lines are linked to tourist destinations and were earlier identified for gauge conversion, but now will be retained as heritage lines. Among them is the around 30-km-long Mhow-Kalakund rail line in Madhya Pradesh, which, the sources said, will be used solely for tourism purposes. This rail route passes through the picturesque hills and the valleys of the Vindhyachal mountain range and will draw tourists to the Patalpani waterfall, officials said. "The Patalpani waterfalls has the potential to draw tourists. But very few people, save Indore and neighbouring districts, come here. Promoting this line will help tourism and also generate jobs among .

Biryani: A perfect gourmet with nail-biting finish!

There can be nothing better than a plateful of the quintessential 'biryani', made with succulent pieces of meat or vegetables, feel food lovers. And why not! Because biryani is not just a wholesome meal, but a taste explosion in every mouthful, invoking nostalgia of relishing the most royal and iconic dish of all times. Originally from Persia and introduced in India by Mughal rulers, this burst of flavours is as much a delight to eat as for the chefs to dish out a perfect pot of biryani, where every grain of rice is separate, yet infused with aromas of various spices and the meat or vegetables paired with it. So, with this daunting task in hand, celebrity chef Ajay Chopra is not wrong in saying that cooking a perfect biryani is always a "nail-biting finish". "Every time I make biryani, it's a new challenge because this is one dish that can toss you out every single time, right from the quality of rice, the quality of meat to its cooking time. It is always a wait-and ...

Chennai Port Trust upgrades cruise terminal, ready to receive

The Chennai Port Trust here has taken up dredging activities in order to attract large number of cruise vessels and has received Rs 70.24 crore as grant from the Tourism Ministry for the purpose, a top official said. "We have been taking up dredging activities for receiving large cruise vessels. In fact, a maiden cruise vessel 'Viking Sun' was handled (by us) on April 1," he said. Elaborating, he said, the existing cruise terminal has been upgraded and modernised to international standards following the grant received from Ministry of Tourism. The Port Trust is ready to receive the Cruise Vessels with all facilities required, he said. The 'Viking Sun' cruise vessel with 845 tourists on board was handled at the Chennai Port Trust en route to Cochin. He said the Port Trust was also awarded the 'Best Tourist Friendly Harbour Award' during the Tamil Nadu Tourism Award ceremony held last month based on the State-of-the-Art cruise facilities available at the Port. It was in ...

Commonwealth Games 2018: Weightlifter Punam Yadav claims 5th gold for India

A bronze-medallist from the 2014 Glasgow edition, Yadav lifted 222kg (110kg+122kg) to claim gold ahead of England's Sarah Davies, who finshed with 217kg (95kg+122kg)

Reasons to serve pizza at your wedding

Confused about your wedding menu? Opt for pizza for its muti purpose offerings.

Designer tips for the ideal kitchen

The kitchen is undeniably one of the most important rooms in a home as it is the area where the family congregates, meals are prepared, and guests are hosted so make sure you are making this space beautiful and lively.

Celebrate World Health Day with these five personal health companion apps

The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on April 7, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as other related institutions.Here is a list of five Yoga apps that can help one promote a better lifestyle and encourage positive change:1. nexGTv's Yoga AppIf you have ever thought of learning yoga from the experts and doing it like a pro, then look no further. nexGTv, India's largest subscription-led app, has announced the launch of the nexGTv Yoga app.The app will allow nexGTv users around the world to learn yoga techniques and practices on-the-go through videos by expert practitioners such as Baba Ramdev and Mukul Dev, as well as celeb coaches such as Shilpa Shetty and Bipasha Basu.2. Daily YogaDaily Yoga offers a big library of more than 50 yoga classes and 400 plus workouts. The app comes with seven yoga plans geared towards beginners, and various other exercises, based on duration and intensity.Daily Yoga further provides

Assam's Spring Festival begins in Manas National Park

The two-day Assam Spring Festival began at the Manas National Park on Saturday where visitors will get to experience the state's local food, music, handloom and handicrafts.

Joy rides in 150 year steam loco to be a reality by next year

Joy rides in 150-year-old heritage steam locos could be a reality for tourists here by next year as the National Rail Museum is restoring three such locos, the oldest dating back to 1865. The Phoenix is a 1920 loco, RamGoti dates back to 1865 and Fireless Locomotive to 1951. All three are being restored by a group of experts and would be made available for tourist use after a feasibility test. "We are restoring them for tourism purposes. The first one to be ready by this year end is the Fireless loco and is likely to be in the NRM for tourist use," NRM Director, Amit Saurastri told PTI. The other two locos would be ready by next year, the director said. The Ministry of Railways is actively working to boost tourism in its network and to showcase its more than 160 years of history. Each loco, an official said, has a unique history. While the Phoenix loco was last used at Jamalpur in Bihar for shunting purposes, RamGoti was used by the municipality in Kolkata for garbage disposal, they ..

Six women vendors arrested in Goa

Six women vendors of clothes and trinkets have been arrested at Candolim beach in Goa, for obstructing and causing nuisance to foreign tourists relaxing on the beach, an official said.

Two girls drown in Aji river

Two girls drowned in the river Aji, police said here today. Ruksana Sayeed (18) and Shahin Sayeed (14) had gone to the river for bathing when they drowned, police said. "The girls' family is from Nashik and they had come here for a job a week ago. The family was staying in a shack near the river...bodies have been fished out from the river by the fire brigade personnel," said inspector P N Vaghela.

Goa's Colva beach selected for Centre's iconic tourism project

Colva beach in South Goa has been selected by the Union Tourism ministry to be developed under the ambitious Indias Iconic Tourist Sites Project, a senior official said today. Union Tourism Secretary Rashmi Verma made the announcement here today and added that it was the only beach along the 12 sites selected. "It will boost tourism and build the profile of the area and bring about community development," state tourism officials said. The project envisages employment generation, development of local culture, beautification, infrastructure and other public amenities, they added. Verma said that a detailed master plan would be put in place to develop Colva beach as an iconic tourist site.

Sugar tax on soft drinks comes into force in UK

Britons may have to shell out more for their soft drinks, as a so-called "sin tax" or "sugar tax" came into force in the UK today as part of the government's plan to combat obesity and sugar related disease. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy was announced by former UK Chancellor George Osborne in 2016 and is based on the levels of sugar in the drinks, with the most sugary drinks paying the highest tax. Drinks containing five grams of sugar per 100ml taxed at 18 pence per litre, and those with more than eight grams per 100ml taxed at 24 pence per litre. The levy will be applied to manufacturers in Britain and whether they pass it on to consumers or not will be up to them. "The Soft Drinks Levy is one part of our plan to tackle childhood obesity. From today, soft drinks which contain too much added sugar will need to pay a fee," said Robert Jenrick, Exchequer Secretary to the UK Treasury. "All revenues raised through the levy will directly fund new sports facilities in schools as well as ...

Analysis: Southeast Asia's idyllic islands buckle under tourism strain

SINGAPORE/BANGKOK (Reuters) - The six-month closure of the Philippine tourism island of Boracay for a revamp after the country's president branded it a "cesspool" reflects the growing pressures on beach resorts across Southeast Asia as visitor numbers surge.

Jammu gets its first tulip garden at Sanasar

Situated amid lush green woods with trekking trails, Jammu's first tulip garden at Sanasar is attracting nature enthusiasts from all over the country. Sanasar is located in Ramban district of Jammu region with the snow-clad Nathatop peak in the backdrop. "This is the first tulip garden of Jammu region and second after the tulip garden of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The first tulip garden of Jammu has come up at Sanasar health resort", Minister of State for Tourism, Priya Sethi told PTI. Sethi declared the tulip garden open for the public on March 29. The garden has been developed by the Floriculture Department. She said efforts are being made to promote diverse tourism opportunities in the region and the tulip garden is one such effort. There are no time restrictions and no fee is being charged from tourists visiting the garden. Joint Director of Floriculture department Pran Dulloo said that around 18,000 flowers have been grown in a terrace bed and 4,000 in another lower bed at ..

Heritage hill railways to have air-conditioned coaches soon

Trains running on the three heritage railway lines in the hills will soon have air-conditioned coaches, Chairman Railway Board Ashwani Lohani said today. While the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or "the Toy Train" has successfully conceived, developed and run two air-conditioned narrow gauge coaches from April 1, the other two, Lohani said, would have air-conditioned coaches in the next three-four months. "Hill railways are very important. We are revamping the stations, we have given powers at the divisional level to fix rates for tourist charter and have also decided to appoint five directors for the five hill railways. This will greatly promote tourism in the area," Lohani said, adding that these trains will have one AC coach each. Three of the hill railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka-Shimla Railway are collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name 'Mountain Railways of India'. The fourth railway, the ...