Latest news with #GuinnessBookofWorldRecords
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
With new airport terminal, Maldives eyes more visitors
'A pillar of economic independence' — that is what Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu called the new terminal at the Velana International Airport near Male, while inaugurating it on June 26, 2025, the country's 60th Independence day. The launch ceremony was spectacular, with synchronised fireworks lighting up the sky — a fete that put the Maldives in the Guinness Book of World Records. Addressing a large crowd, President Muizzu spelled out the aspiration of the country of 4 lakh people, currently grappling with high external debt — it exceeded $8 billion 2024 — and its inevitable fiscal consequences. His administration is trying to tighten its fiscal policy, alongside a full-throttle push to tourism, the country's biggest foreign exchange earner that contributes 21 % to the GDP. The airport's new terminal will drive growth, particularly in tourism, as well as the broader economy, Mr. Muizzu noted optimistically as the Indian Ocean archipelago grapples with twin deficits and a daunting debt repayment schedule this year and next. The scenic country's policy makers have put all eggs in the tourism basket, and are fervently hoping that the new terminal will make a difference. Not just Maldivian policy makers, even international financial institutions see the new terminal as a likely game-changer. In its Maldives update in April 2025, the World Bank noted that the new terminal's completion would enable higher tourist arrivals, and lead to a projected economic growth of '5.2 % on average over the medium term. 'Thanks to the Maldives' strong tourism base, growth has held up well…the opening of airport terminal expansion would ease supply-side bottleneck for tourism and help sustain growth momentum,' an IMF said at the end of its February 2025 mission. For Maldivians, the airport terminal symbolises a long-held dream that has finally come true, after a decade marked by key political shifts and considerable economic strain stemming from high foreign debt, including to China and India. 'For over 20 years now, there has been talk in the Maldives about not having the right gateway. As a sought-after destination drawing affluent tourists, it is important to make a good first impression, and we finally have that now,' said Abdulla Ghiyas, Chairperson of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) or 'Visit Maldives' as the state-owned tourism promotion authority brands itself. The swanky, new terminal includes 47 check-in counters, six self-service kiosks, 20 departure immigration counters, six boarding gates, and 12 aerobridges, and aims to serve 7.5 million passengers annually, or over thrice its current capacity. The largest structure to be built in the Maldives, the new terminal's design showcases the Maldives's identity through traditional motifs and wave patterns. According to officials of the Maldives Airport Company Limited (MACL) and Tourism department, the facility has come up at a cost of $ 585 million, that the Muizzu administration raised through loans from the Saudi Fund for Development, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, in addition to allocations in the national budget. Detractors contend that the airport terminal has come up after nearly a decade after it was envisaged, with three successive leaders attempting to take the project forward, while incurring higher costs. The terminal came into focus initially in the context of former President Abdulla Yameen abruptly terminating Indian infrastructure conglomerate GMR's contract to run the main airport of Maldives. The idea of a new terminal also fit into President Yameen's plans to expand the country's main airport with a $800-million Chinese loan, an initiative he launched in 2016. Despite sharp tensions among various political camps that make up the Maldives's ruling establishment, everyone agrees that the country desperately needed the new terminal, and see its recent launch is important for its economy. However, while admitting that it is 'crucial' for the Maldivian economy that the new airport terminal is fully operational soon, chairperson of the Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party Fayyaz Ismail described it a 'debt-laden, cost-overrun project' with years of delay. 'If the initial airport project awarded in 2010 had not been terminated on spurious grounds, it would have been opened in 2014, and our economy would have tripled by now without any debt to the nation. The debt related to the airport is nearly a third of our foreign debt,' he told The Hindu, referring to the contract awarded to GMR in 2010, during former President Mohamed Nasheed's time in office. The termination of the project, Mr. Ismail said, was the 'most stupid thing' a government did in recent times, blaming the country's current debt burden squarely on the move. President Yameen's 2012 decision reflected his hostility towards India, that would only grow in the following years, especially when he sought to challenge his successor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration that pursued an 'India first' foreign policy. As Mr. Yameen stepped up his 'India Out' campaign, it eventually became a useful poll plank for incumbent President Muizzu, who rose to office in 2023. President Muizzu's first year in office saw a persisting strain in Maldives-India ties. But a year later, the relationship was reset, and evident in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the island nation last month, on the occasion of its 60th anniversary of Independence. India's $ 400 million currency swap in 2024, and subsequent economic assistance was 'pivotal' for the country's economic stability, President Muizzu acknowledged during Mr. Modi's visit. Meanwhile, Maldives tourism officials said they hope Indian tourists will return to the island in large numbers, putting behind past tensions that sparked a loud 'Boycott Maldives' campaign in India. The call that went viral on Indian social media early in 2024, led to a sharp decline in numbers last year, but things are looking up now, according to Tourism sector representatives in the Maldives. Authorities have set an ambitious $ 5 billion target for tourism revenue this year. A 9 % uptick in arrivals has been recorded from January to June 2025, compared to the same period last year. The Maldives Monetary Authority, too, pointed 'robust arrivals' from China, the country's top source market, and the other markets in Europe. Those in India's tourism industry see PM Modi''s recent visit 'generating optimism' about increasing Indian tourist arrivals, as the Maldives aims to attract 300,000 Indian visitors in 2025. 'The Maldives government has been working to attract Indian tourists through various initiatives, including improving air connectivity, targeted marketing, and appointing actor Katrina Kaif as its brand ambassador,' said Jyoti Mayal, Chairperson, Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council and the former president of the Travel Agents Association of India. India currently ranks six among the Maldives's source markets. From January to June this year, a total of 66,501 Indian tourists visited the country. Through roadshows and other promotional efforts, including through young Maldivians' interest in Bollywood, authorities in Male are keen to build bridges. 'I believe numbers will come back, though it may take a bit longer, as the sentiments of the traveller have been hurt,' Ms. Mayal added. (The writer was invited by Visit Maldives for the inauguration of the new terminal at Velana International Airport)
Metro
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Paul McCartney's ex Heather Mills has awkward train confrontation over fake leg
Heather Mills has shared details of an uncomfortable encounter on a train involving her prosthetic leg. The former model and wife of The Beatles star Paul McCartney was 25 years old in 1993 when she was run over by a police motorcycle in London and resulted in crushed rips, a punctured lung and the amputation of her left leg below the knee. Following the accident Mills continued to model and set up a charity – the Heather Mills Health Trust – which delivered prosthetic limbs to people, particularly children, who had lost limbs after stepping on landmines. Over the years Mills, 57, has used her platform to become a prominent campaigner for amputee rights and prosthetic technology innovation, but this week faced an awkward exchange when a man didn't notice her prosthetic and complained about the room she was taking up. Sharing a video online that was filmed from her seat on a South Western Railway service, Heather said the confrontation began when a man complained about her stretching out her leg. Unaware that one of her legs was prosthetic, the passenger then accused her of taking up too much space. 'I just literally had a moany man who was asking me to move my leg. I tried to explain, and he wouldn't listen. So, I took my leg off – and he shut up,' she explained. She went on: 'This is for everyone who travels on a train and is getting annoyed because of a tall leggy blonde who's having to stretch her leg out. 'The reason for this is because you can't pull your leg right in because the underneath of the prosthetic cuts into the back of the leg. 'So just think twice before you turn your nose up.' Mills has previously spoken about the daily discomforts and social misunderstandings faced by prosthetic users. 'Comfort and mobility often require adjustments that the public may not immediately understand,' she said. In 2010 she began skiing competitively at the age of 42, going on to win four gold medals at the 2012 Skiing World Championships in Aspen. In 2015, she was recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest disabled female skier in the world, clocking a speed of 102.5mph in Vars, south-east France. In 2002 Heather became a household name when she married Paul, four years after his first wife Linda had died of breast cancer. More Trending The couple went on to welcome daughter Beatrice Milly McCartney in 2003. They eventually split three years later, with Mills claiming the breakdown of the marriage was due to McCartney's daughter Stella and her disapproval of the relationship. During their well-publicised divorce proceedings Mills asked for £125million but was eventually awarded a lump sum of £16.5million, plus assets of £7.8 million, which included the properties she owned at the time. She has been in a relationship with film producer Mike Dickman, who is nearly 20 years her junior, since 2019. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Sir Paul McCartney's ex-wife tells of confrontation on train over her false leg ‘taking up too much room'
Sir Paul McCartney's ex-wife had a confrontation with a man who told her she was taking up too much room with her false leg. Heather Mills, 57, shared the incident in a video posted to social media, filmed from her seat on a South Western Railway service. The former model and activist, who was married to Sir Paul for six years, said the confrontation began when a man complained about her stretching out her leg. Unaware that one of her legs was prosthetic, the passenger accused her of taking up too much space. Heather lost her left leg below the knee in 1993 after being hit by a police motorcycle in London. Since then, she has become a prominent campaigner for amputee rights and prosthetic technology innovation. Her video, in which she appears in a red tracksuit and yellow-rimmed glasses, shows her calmly explaining the challenges of travelling with a prosthetic leg. She said: 'I just literally had a moany man who was asking me to move my leg. I tried to explain and he wouldn't listen. So I took my leg off – and he shut up.' Heather added: 'This is for everyone who travels on a train and is getting annoyed because of a tall leggy blonde who's having to stretch her leg out. 'The reason for this is because you can't pull your leg right in because the underneath of the prosthetic cuts into the back of the leg. So just think twice before you turn your nose up.' Heather became internationally known in 2002 when she married Paul McCartney. Their high-profile divorce was finalised in 2008, resulting in a £24.3 million settlement. Since then, she has focused on business ventures and activism, including founding a vegan food company and campaigning for animal rights and advances in prosthetic technology. She has spoken previously about the daily discomforts and social misunderstandings faced by prosthetic users. 'Comfort and mobility often require adjustments that the public may not immediately understand,' she said in an earlier interview. Heather has been in a relationship with film producer Mike Dickman, who is nearly 20 years her junior, since 2019. Beyond activism, Heather has also excelled in sport. In 2015, she was recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest disabled female skier in the world, clocking a speed of 102.5mph (164.95 km/h) in Vars, south-east France. She began skiing competitively in 2010 at the age of 42, and went on to win four gold medals at the 2012 Skiing World Championships in Aspen.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
Wexford village explores link to Guinness Book of Records
A county Wexford village is undertaking a number of initiatives to highlight its connection to the Guinness Book of World Records as the publication celebrates its 70th year. Castlebridge, north of Wexford town is the birthplace of the book which has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide and inspired record attempts across the globe. Locals say most are unaware of the major impact the the small village has had in creating this powerhouse of the publishing industry and inspiring millions worldwide to engage in record attempts. John Ryan who runs the group, Castlebridge Inspire, said the idea was born after the head of Guinness travelled to Castlebridge to purchase hops for the brewery. "It all started here. This is the birthplace of the Guinness book records," he said. "In 1951, the MD of Guinness, Sir Hugh Beaver was here and there was an argument started after a game shoot, where they were trying to work out the fastest game bird in Europe. The resolution to that argument was to create a book of facts, to resolve all future arguments of fact," Mr Ryan added. The Guinness Book of Records is now in its 70th year, so to mark that the people of Castlebridge are trying to get their hands on at least one copy of every edition that's been published. They are still missing a few but the aim is that they will put them on display to promote the connection. After a recent appeal on RTÉ's Liveline, which prompted multiple listeners to search their attics and scour their bookshelves for old editions, the group was sent ten copies that they had been unable to procure. They are still searching for the 1957, 1963 and 1974 editions but with more than 150 million copies sold to date they are confident they will eventually track them down. Mairead Stafford, a local artist and businesswoman who is involved with the project said the aim is to ultimately display the full collection of the books in Castlebridge House or the local reading rooms which the group are working towards getting restored in the coming years. "The story of Castlebridge and the House and the Guinness World Records is such an amazing story and it's been the hidden secret for so many years," she said. "There's a group of us now that are just trying to get it highlighted and get the story back out there again. It's a global story. It's got so much inspiration in it for everybody." Craig Glenday, Editor in Chief of Guinness Word Records said the appeal of an idea that began in a small village in Wexford continues to endure across the globe today with almost two million books sold last year and an average of 1000 record attempts submitted every month. "They had a big, expensive library at Castlebridge House and yet no books had the answer because books weren't formulated that way. "The encyclopaedias were very different. So Hugh Beaver realised that there'd be people arguing all over the country, about all sorts of things and that some kind of book is needed," Mr Glenday said. He added that Mr Beaver was also thinking of interesting marketing plans for Guinness, "so he had this genius idea putting these two things together". "He said, we'll have a book behind the bar in all the pubs in Britain and Ireland so if you ever have a debate or an argument, you just stop the argument, you have a pint of Guinness, and you reach for the Book of Records. And that's how it got started," Mr Glenday said. "He got Norris and Ross McWhirter, who were twins, identical twins, with this amazing, almost photographic memory and they produced the first edition. It was given free to about 50,000 pubs in the UK and Ireland but it kept getting stolen, so they decided to sell, and it became a best seller." Mr Glenday said the publication has grown into a "global phenomena" and despite a decline in book sales, its place on the bestseller list endures. "It was a best seller that Christmas in the UK. It went on the US the next year. Recently we've done a Mongolian edition, a Korean edition, so people are really hungry for it, and I'm really pleased to see that they're still hungry for it. "Last year we were Christmas number one, we were the number one book on Amazon and its just really satisfying to know that people are still reading actual books, physical books," he said. Mr Glenday said when the internet evolved, people were saying that it was going to kill books and that there will not be any need for books. "But in fact, we've seen that there's so much information now that's the problem. You have this huge, big tsunami of information, not all of it's true," he said. However, he stressed that it is getting worse with fake news and AI. "What we do, is we provide the filter to that. I can tell you the largest tin whistle ensemble happened in Wexford because I was there and I counted everyone. "I can tell you the world's tallest man is eight foot three because I measured him. And that's the real value. When you have so much information you have this filter," he said. The book is no longer associated with the drinks brand that gave it its name and the company behind it has changed hands numerous times over the past three decades. Mr Glenday said: "Diageo who owned Guinness, sold us off at the beginning of the 2000s. They got rid of all the non alcohol assets and we were actually sold to Thomas the Tank Engine. "So Thomas the Tank Engine bought the Guinness Book of Records. Thomas got bought by Bob the Builder, and we got dragged along with that. Bob's now owned by Mattel. "So Barbie owns Bob, I suppose you could say. And at some point we were separated off and sold to the Jim Patterson group, which is a Canadian individual who just lets us get on with it, which is great. "We have this huge reach but such a little company with little humble beginnings, we've got very long tentacles that go all around the world." He said the most popular section is always the human body "because we all have a human body, and we can relate it to some of the records". Mr Glenday also noted enduring categories such as tallest man, shortest man and shortest woman. "We love the fingernails record, everyone remembers the fingernails, it's such a visceral, amazing image. That's someone who's choosing to to grow long fingernails, they're not born that way, they just decide they want to do this and that's fascinating. There's also huge interest in pets," he said. He said the record that changes hands most consistently is oldest person, "for obvious reasons, because they don't necessarily last a long time in that category". He said several different categories depend on what is fashionable at the time. "We have a huge surge in street hockey for some reason, we've had loads of claims for that. And you see trends like fidget spinning, twerking, loom bands, the Harlem Shake, it comes and goes in waves. What's interesting is the book provides that snapshot over time," he said. "This amazing idea that started in Wexford and is still going strong, because it was such a powerful idea and that really caught everyone's imagination. I love the randomness of all this, something that happened during the buying of hops or malt, suddenly turns into a global phenomenon."
India.com
6 days ago
- General
- India.com
Meet Worlds Largest Banyan Tree: 500+ Years Old, Canopy Size Of 3 Soccer Fields? It Is In Indias...
photoDetails english 2941013 The banyan tree holds deep symbolic and spiritual significance in Hindu mythology, where it is revered not just as a sacred tree but as a representation of eternal life, divine wisdom, and cosmic truth. Its presence in scriptures, legends, and rituals makes it one of the most venerated trees in Hindu tradition. Meanwhile, Thimmamma Marrimanu from India, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989 for having the world's largest tree canopy. It is a stunning example of the banyan tree's incredible ability to grow and spread over vast areas. Updated:Aug 03, 2025, 08:30 PM IST Record 1 / 8 According to the official Guinness World Records website, six banyan trees in India cover many hectares of land. However, the largest banyan tree is 'Thimmamma Marrimanu', and it is located in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur. Size Of Canopy 2 / 8 The canopy or the crown of Thimmamma Marrimanu covers nearly five acres, and the area is reportedly equivalent to three soccer fields. Elliptical Canopy And Prop Roots 3 / 8 Notably, the elliptical canopy of Thimmamma Marrimanu spans approximately 190 m long by 145 m wide, and the large tree is supported by around 4,000 prop roots. Legend 4 / 8 The legend behind the tree is believed to be related to a woman named Thimmamma. It is said that she threw herself on the funeral pyre of her husband in 1434, and a pyre pole of the same sprouted into a tree. Other Large Banyan Trees 5 / 8 Other famous and large banyan trees from India include 'The Great Banyan', located in Kolkata's Indian Botanical Garden. The tree is reportedly smaller than Thimmamma Marrimanu and has thousands of supporting trunks. It is believed to be nearly 250 years old and has had its original stem until a hundred years ago. Mystery behind Banyan Trees 6 / 8 Banyan trees have long evoked a sense of mystery and awe, their vast canopies stretching wide while aerial roots dangle like ancient veils from the heavens. Often found standing alone in fields or village squares, they appear timeless. In Indian folklore, the banyan tree is believed to be a gateway to the spiritual, a dwelling place for spirits, sages, and secrets untold. Religious Aspect 7 / 8 The banyan tree holds profound religious and symbolic importance in Hinduism, often regarded as sacred and eternal. Its presence in myths, rituals, and spiritual practices gives it a deeply revered status. Credits 8 / 8 Photo Credits- All Representational Image/ Freepik
