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India.com
a day ago
- India.com
No Visa Required: THESE 7 Foreign Destinations Are Inviting Indians, Full Trip In Less Than Rs 1 Lakh
photoDetails english 2912925 Updated:Jun 08, 2025, 03:27 PM IST THESE 7 Foreign Destinations Are Inviting Indians 1 / 9 In this gallery, we've rounded up 7 visa-free countries where you can travel on a budget. From pristine beaches to vibrant cities, these affordable destinations offer a wealth of experiences without the hassle of visa applications. Ready to pack your bags? Let's take a quick look at the most cost-effective and visa-free countries to add to your travel list, offering full trips for under Rs 1 Lakh. Samoa 2 / 9 Samoa is a small island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. It is part of Polynesia and consists of two main islands, Upolu and Savai'i, along with several smaller islands. The capital, Apia, is situated on Upolu. Samoa is known for its vibrant culture, lush tropical landscapes, and pristine beaches. Barbados 3 / 9 Barbados is an island nation located in the eastern Caribbean, known for its stunning beaches, rich cultural heritage, and tropical climate. As the easternmost island in the Caribbean, it sits in the Atlantic Ocean, with its capital and largest city being Bridgetown. Barbados is famous for its white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters, and coral reefs, making it a popular destination for tourists seeking sun, sea, and outdoor activities such as snorkeling and scuba diving. Nepal 4 / 9 Nepal is renowned for its dramatic landscapes, including the Himalayas, which contain some of the world's highest peaks, such as Mount Everest. The capital and largest city is Kathmandu, which serves as the cultural, economic, and political center of the country. Bhutan 5 / 9 Bhutan is a small, landlocked kingdom nestled in the eastern Himalayas, bordered by India and China. Known for its stunning mountainous landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and strong commitment to environmental conservation, Bhutan is often referred to as the "Last Shangri-La." The capital, Thimphu, is a blend of traditional Bhutanese architecture and modern development, while the country's overall population remains small and predominantly rural. Maldives 6 / 9 The Maldives is a tropical paradise located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sri Lanka and India. It is an archipelago of 26 atolls, made up of over 1,000 coral islands, known for their stunning white-sand beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and vibrant marine life. The country's capital, Malé, is one of the world's smallest capitals but serves as the hub for its political, economic, and cultural activities. Mauritius 7 / 9 Mauritius is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and the African continent. Known for its pristine beaches, turquoise lagoons, and lush tropical forests, Mauritius is a popular tourist destination offering a mix of natural beauty and cultural diversity. The island's capital and largest city, Port Louis, serves as the country's economic and political hub. Serbia 8 / 9 Serbia is a landlocked country located in Southeast Europe, in the central and western Balkans. Culturally, Serbia is known for its traditions in art, music, literature, and sports. Serbian music includes a mix of traditional folk styles and modern genres, and the country is home to the world-famous Exit Festival, an annual music event held in the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad. Senegal 9 / 9 Senegal is a country located on the west coast of Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and neighboring countries like Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. The capital city, Dakar, is a bustling metropolis known for its vibrant culture, historic significance, and role as a key political and economic center in West Africa. Economically, Senegal relies on agriculture, fishing, and mining, but its economy is increasingly diversified with growing sectors like telecommunications and tourism. (Image Credit: Wikipedia)
The South African
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Rayno Nel wins World's Strongest Man title: The dawn of the athletic era is HERE
History was made this weekend at the 2025 World's Strongest Man competition as South Africa's Rayno Nel, a former rugby player turned strongman, claimed the coveted title in his debut appearance. Nel became the first-ever winner from South Africa, the African continent, and the entire southern hemisphere – but more significantly, his victory could mark the dawn of a new athletic era in strongman competition. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 148kg, the 30-year-old Nel powered through a stacked field featuring legends such as 3-time winner Tom Stoltman and pre-competition favourite, Mitchell Hooper. But it was Nel's speed, grip, and endurance that separated him from the pack. With fellow finalist Paddy Haynes, another debutant, also turning heads with his athleticism, 2025 may be remembered as the moment the sport pivoted toward function over brute strength. Nel's path to the title was anything but conventional. With only two years of strongman experience, he secured wildcard entry to the finals following dominant performances across the 2024 Strongman Champions League, including wins in Holland, Africa, and the World Finals. But even with his growing reputation, few expected him to dethrone the world's best at his first attempt. In the opening Carry and Hoist event – a combination of zercher carries and a heavy rope hoist – Nel completed the gruelling test in just 30 seconds. The top five finishers in the event included not only previous champions like Stoltman and Hooper, but also relative lightweights Haynes and Pavlo Kordiyaka, highlighting a clear edge for those with superior movement and speed. The second event, the 18-inch deadlift, provided a reminder that brute force still matters. American strongman Trey Mitchell set a new personal best with a monstrous 500kg pull – the heaviest lift of the competition. Nel followed closely with 490kg, and five more athletes topped 465kg. While mass remains a decisive factor in these static tests, Nel's ability to stay competitive despite a more mobile frame proved his versatility. Grip strength and grit: Williams stuns, Nel maintains In the third event – the Hercules Hold – Australia's Eddie Williams stunned the crowd by holding on for an eye-watering 82 seconds, a new world record. Studies have linked grip strength to the longevity of life, and if that's true, Williams may live forever! Nel again placed in the top tier, proving his resilience and consistency across contrasting disciplines. The only sign of vulnerability in Nel's campaign came in the Flintstone barbell overhead press, where Trey Mitchell and Tom Stoltman launched 241kg overhead with relative ease. Nel managed 188kg – well short of the leaders – but still enough to keep him in the running. It was a critical moment in the standings, and one that tested Nel's mental resilience as much as his physical strength. Heading into the final event, the iconic Atlas Stones, the standings were tight. Three-time champion Tom Stoltman, known globally as the 'King of the Stones', delivered a blistering performance, completing all five stones in just 31 seconds. Nel, under pressure, managed four stones in 30 seconds – not enough to win the event, but just enough to retain his lead and take the overall title by half a point. While Nel's win is a personal triumph, it also represents something larger: A shift in what it takes to win in modern strongman competition. With faster, more dynamic events making up the majority of the finals, athletes like Nel, Haynes, and Kordiyaka – who blend agility with power – are thriving. Paddy Haynes, a former runner from the UK, placed high across multiple events and was notably effective in disciplines requiring speed and conditioning. Despite lacking some of the top-end pressing power, he remained in contention throughout and now looks set to become a mainstay on the global circuit. With event design increasingly favouring mobility, athletic backgrounds like rugby, CrossFit, and track and field could become more common among future competitors. Nel, with his engineering mindset and rugby roots, exemplifies the evolving athlete profile. That said, traditional strength is far from obsolete. The likes of Mitchell Hooper, Tom Stoltman, and Trey Mitchell continue to dominate heavy lifts – and will remain title threats in years to come. But to win, future champions may need more than size. They'll need strategy, agility, and endurance too. Rayno Nel (South Africa) Tom Stoltman (Scotland) Michell Hooper (Canada) Trey Michell (USA) Paddy Haynes (England) For the first time in World's Strongest Man history, the 2025 competition introduced a controversial new scoring system where points from the heats carried over into the finals. Traditionally, all finalists start from zero, but this year, the top two from each group entered the final with a head start based on their heat performance – meaning Mitchell Hooper began with a commanding 10 points, while Eddie Williams started with just one. Rayno Nel, who would ultimately win, began with eight points, already two behind Hooper. While the final outcome remained the same – Nel took the title – the adjusted scoring significantly shifted the rest of the leaderboard. Under the old format, Paddy Haynes would have finished second overall and Tom Stoltman fourth. Though the system rewards consistency, critics argue it undermines the purity of the final showdown, where the best athlete over the final five events should emerge on top. While rolling points may encourage full effort in the heats, it also introduces an uneven playing field – one that second-placed Stoltman may support, and fifth-placed Haynes would surely challenge. Rayno Nel's win marks not just a historic moment for South Africa, but a potential turning point for the entire sport of World's Strongest Man. In a final packed with legends and newcomers, it was the blend of brains, brawn and balance that won out. Whether this signals a true changing of the guard remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the age of the athletic strongman is well and truly here. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Gulf Today
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Art Dubai opens 2025 edition with garland of curated initiatives
Art Dubai, one of the Middle East's leading international art fairs, has opened its 2025 edition (Apr.18 - 20, previews on Apr. 16,17) at Madinat Jumeirah, its traditional home. The fair is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This year's programme features over 120 gallery presentations drawn from 65 cities and five continents, alongside a programme of commissions and installations, talks, conferences and special events. The leading commercial platform for art and artists from lesser-represented geographies since its foundation in 2007, Art Dubai strives to be a model that is a catalyst and engine for the growth of Dubai's cultural scene and creative economy. At the presser announcing the opening, Pablo del Val, Art Dubai's Artistic Director, said that 'this year's line-up reflects the rapid maturing of the cultural scene in the Gulf region. Dubai is a unique, global city - one which is home to communities and peoples from all over the world, with different languages and traditions and, as we approach our twentieth year, the fair has become the main platform and commercial marketplace for galleries and artists from these scenes and geographies. We are proud to champion these voices, supporting a more diverse and global art world.' Artwork at Sevil Dolmaci Gallery. Exhibitors include those taking part in Art Dubai's Contemporary, Bawwaba, Modern and Digital sections. 30 first-time participants and the geographic breadth of the exhibitor line-up can be said to be a reflection of Art Dubai's role as a gateway for discovery, learning and exchange, as well as a projection of its commitment to showcasing art and artists from less-represented geographies. Continued strong representation from artists and art centres across the Middle East, the African continent, and West and South Asia, is being witnessed at the fair. The evolving expansion and development of Dubai's cultural scene and the city's status as the Gulf region's financial and commercial hub, is also mirrored in the number of Dubai-based exhibitors (over 20) and a growing number of Emirati, UAE and GCC-based artists at the fair. MUST: Baaraan Ijlal's artwork at Shrine Empire Gallery. It is part of Art Dubai's mandate to place untold and understated regional art histories and initiate dialogue between global art movements. Each year invites international academics, art historians, well-known international and regional curators to curate and oversee specific sections of the fair. Bawwaba features gallery presentations of artworks made in the past year or specifically for Art Dubai, showcasing artists who hail from across the Global South. The 2025 edition is curated by writer and curator-at-large at Kunsthaus Zürich, Mirjam Varadinis. Many of her projects address developing formats of contemporary curating, asking the question: 'How can we imagine new forms of coexistence, both amongst people and with our planet?' The section shows artists who reflect on their own displacement in the current climate, imagining new models of living together. Art Dubai Modern features presentations by the region's Modern masters, exploring art historical research and under-investigated art histories. It is curated by Magalí Arriola and Nada Shabout, and features nine presentations that look into common concerns and empathies between West Asia and North Africa. Highlights include presentations by New Vision Group; Bertina Lopes; and Mehdi Moutashar. For the first time, Art Dubai Modern expands its remit to include Latin America, with the inclusion of Venezuelan artist, Darío Pérez Flores. Installation by Ouchhh. Art Dubai Digital is dedicated to the pioneering artists, collectives, galleries and platforms who are shaping the contemporary digital art world. The fourth edition this year is curated by Gonzalo Herrero Delicado. It is titled 'After the Technological Sublime', and features presentations that examine how artists and creative practitioners are working with advanced technologies – including artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality – to interrogate the key environmental, social and political challenges of the time. Art Dubai Digital is complemented by an annual Digital Summit, presented in strategic partnership with Dubai Culture that convenes international and local industry leaders to discuss and debate the expanding digital art ecosystem and Dubai's place in it. The fair is also providing significant commissioning opportunities for local and international artists; convening the world's brightest creative minds through innovative talks and conference programming; and supporting scholarship and professional development programmes to develop the region's future cultural leaders. Highlights also include a new series of performances and sculptural installations with Mexico-based artist Hector Zamora, inaugurating a new co-commissioning partnership between Art Dubai and Alserkal Avenue; a major new digital commission by Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem, presented by Julius Baer; and experiential installations by leading international artists including Breakfast, Ouchhh Studio and Ania Soliman. Talks and conference programmes take place across five days of the fair. They include the two-day Global Art Forum, commissioned by Shumon Basar and curated by Y7 under the title The New New Normal. It features many of the world's foremost thinkers, technologists, artists and forecasters, who examine how 'change keeps changing'. Further highlights include a series of Collector, Artist and Art Dubai Modern Talks, as well as the second edition of Art Dubai's Digital Summit. Art Dubai is held in partnership with A.R.M. Holding and is sponsored by Swiss Wealth Manager, Julius Baer. The Watch and Jewellery partner is Piaget while culturally driven lifestyle developer HUNA, is a partner of Art Dubai. Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) is the strategic partner of Art Dubai and Art Dubai Digital.
