Opal Suchata Chuangsri from Thailand Crowned Miss World 2025
Chuangsri topped a field of 108 contestants in the contest held in India's southern Hyderabad city. Hasset Dereje Admassu of Ethiopia was the first runner-up in the competition.
Chuangsri received her crown from last year's winner Krystyna Pyszková.
The 72nd Miss World beauty pageant was hosted by Miss World 2016 Stephanie del Valle and Indian presenter Sachiin Kumbhar. India hosted the beauty competition last year as well.
India's Nandini Gupta exited after making it to the final 20.
Six Indian women have won the title, including Reita Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yukta Mookhey (1999), Priyanka Chopra (2000) and Manushi Chillar (2017).
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Arab News
5 days ago
- Arab News
Jumbo journey as Indian elephant set to return home
NEW DELHI: An Indian elephant taken on an epic journey to a tycoon's giant zoo is expected to return home after protests by the religious community she came from, officials said Wednesday, following a court battle over the animal's welfare at the temple. The story of the 36-year-old elephant called Madhuri reflects both the passion that some communities have for elephants in India — and the mind-boggling scale of the self-declared 'world's biggest wild animal rescue center.' The elephant spent her adult life at a Jain monastery in Kolhapur in Maharashtra state — where campaigners from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India said she experienced 'cruel and bleak living conditions.' The often chained animal killed a monk in the temple in 2017 when she lashed out in frustration, and a court in 2024 ordered she be rehabilitated after a complex legal battle. Madhuri was taken more than 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) to the Vantara Animal Rescue Center, run by Anant Ambani, son of the billionaire head of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani, arriving in July. Vantara is a vast operation that includes more than 200 elephants, as well as more than 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards and 900 crocodiles. It was also among the many venues for Anant Ambani's lavish multi-day wedding celebrations in 2024, parties that set a new benchmark in matrimonial extravagance — including private performances by R&B star Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Elephants taken to the zoo are usually transported by road in 'elephant ambulances' — specially adapted trucks — accompanied by a large team including vets. Vantara said Madhuri was given veterinary care, and space to roam alongside other elephants. Activists offered a rubberised 'anti-cruelty' mechanical elephant model to the monastery as a replacement. But thousands marched on Sunday in Kolhapur demanding the real elephant be returned. Vantara on Wednesday offered a solution, acknowledging the 'deep religious and cultural significance' that the elephant holds. It proposed to house the elephant at a special rehabilitation center near the temple — which would include pools to ease the elephant's arthritis and open spaces. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said in a statement that he had 'good news' that Vantara would join a court petition 'for the smooth passage of the elephant Madhuri back.' Vantara said that, subject to court approval, it 'will provide complete technical and veterinary assistance for her safe and dignified return.' PETA says the more than 2,700 captive elephants in India often face 'severe physical and psychological stress.' When the herd animals are not chained up, they are used in temple ceremonies, paraded through packed crowds with flashing lights and ear-splitting music.
Arab News
03-08-2025
- Arab News
Filmmakers try to cash in on India-Pakistan battle
MUMBAI: Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. The fighting came to an end when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire. Now, some Bollywood filmmakers see an opportunity to cash in on the battle. India tagged its military action against Pakistan 'Operation Sindoor,' the Hindi word for vermilion, which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads. The name was seen as a symbol of Delhi's determination to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which sparked the hostilities. Film studios have registered a slew of titles evoking the operation, including: 'Mission Sindoor,' 'Sindoor: The Revenge,' 'The Pahalgam Terror,' and 'Sindoor Operation.' 'It's a story which needs to be told,' said director Vivek Agnihotri. 'If it was Hollywood, they would have made 10 films on this subject. People want to know what happened behind the scenes,' he told AFP. Agnihotri struck box office success with his 2022 release, 'The Kashmir Files,' based on the mass flight of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s. The ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party gave that film a glowing endorsement, despite accusations that it aimed to stir up hatred against India's minority Muslims. Since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, some critics say Bollywood is increasingly promoting his government's ideology. Raja Sen, a film critic and screenwriter, said filmmakers felt emboldened by an amenable government. 'We tried to wage a war and then we quietened down when asked us to. So what is the valor here?' Sen told AFP of the Pakistan clashes. Anil Sharma, known for directing rabble-rousing movies, criticized the apparent rush to make films related to the Pahalgam attack. 'This is herd mentality... these are seasonal filmmakers, they have their constraints,' he said. 'I don't wait for an incident to happen and then make a film based on that. A subject should evoke feelings and only then cinema happens,' said Sharma. Sharma's historical action flick 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' (2001) and its sequel 'Gadar 2' (2023), both featuring Sunny Deol in lead roles, were big hits. In Bollywood, filmmakers often seek to time releases for national holidays like Independence Day, which are associated with heightened patriotic fervor. 'Fighter,' featuring big stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, was released on the eve of India's Republic Day on January 25 last year. Though not a factual retelling, it drew heavily from India's 2019 airstrike on Pakistan's Balakot. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews but raked in $28 million in India, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of that year. This year, 'Chhaava,' a drama based on the life of SambHajji Maharaj, a ruler of the Maratha Empire, became the highest-grossing film so far this year. It also generated significant criticism for fueling anti-Muslim bias. 'This is at a time when cinema is aggressively painting Muslim kings and leaders in violent light,' said Sen. 'This is where those who are telling the stories need to be responsible about which stories they choose to tell.' Sen said filmmakers were reluctant to choose topics that are 'against the establishment.' 'If the public is flooded with dozens of films that are all trying to serve an agenda, without the other side allowed to make itself heard, then that propaganda and misinformation enters the public psyche,' he said. Acclaimed director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra said true patriotism is promoting peace and harmony through the medium of cinema. Mehra's socio-political drama 'Rang De Basanti' (2006) won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and was chosen as India's official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. 'How we can arrive at peace and build a better society? How we can learn to love our neighbors?' he asked. 'For me that is patriotism.'
Al Arabiya
28-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Thailand sets up safe spaces for pets whose owners fled border violence
As residents along Thailand's border with Cambodia fled the ongoing fighting, many tried to take their animals with them. For those who were unable to do so, livestock officials stepped in to help. Thailand's Livestock Department asked its local offices to provide safe space for animals whose owners had to evacuate, and the offices in several border provinces announced they were ready to do so. In Surin province, several cages were placed under cover at the front of the local Livestock Breeding and Research Center as temporary kennels. Five dogs and two cats were staying at the center as of Sunday. The capacity is around 20 animals. Sornchai Kongsook, director of the livestock center, said owners can leave their pets for free, but they have to be able to visit every day to take care of the animals. 'We have opened our space for cats and dogs that the residents or farmers can't take into an evacuation center,' he said. There are also some owners who have chosen to stay at a hotel which doesn't allow pets. He said livestock are welcome at the center, although none has been left there so far. Officials have prepared food to be distributed to cows and buffaloes left behind in danger zones. Many northeastern Thais are farmers and usually own livestock. Several of them roam the fields in areas that are now largely deserted. The armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia since last week have killed dozens of people and displaced thousands. Wilawan Duangvao, an elementary school teacher, left her dogs Khawtom and Khaitun at the shelter Saturday after she received an order to evacuate her home in Prasat district. She was able to return to check on them the following day. As she approached the cage they were being kept in, they stood up barking, wagging their tails, and jumping around excitedly. A tearful Wilawan picked up Khawtom, a 2-year-old mix of shih tzu and poodle. Khaitun, a younger mix of American bully and Thai street dog, stood on his hind legs inside the cage as Wilawan and her husband played with both dogs and comforted them. Wilawan said it was a difficult decision to leave her pets, but she couldn't stay at home and needed to find a safe place for them. 'At our home now, water and electricity have been cut. I don't feel comfortable leaving them at home. I'm afraid they'll go into shock,' she said. Wilawan said she is now taking care of evacuees staying at her school, which has been converted to a temporary shelter which does not allow animals. She said she can't thank officials enough for offering a safe space for her pets. 'I'm so grateful. Everyone here is very welcoming. They took them in, and I'm relieved. They didn't ask for anything in return,' she said.
