Slideshoww

Serena Williams announced on August 9 the countdown to her retirement had begun from tennis after a career which brought her 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Let’s take a look at six of her most memorable finals at the majors:

COVID Variant | All you need to know about the XE variant

India’s first case of Omicron mutant variant XE has been confirmed. Here’s what we know about this variant so far.

The world of entertainment saw rebirth in 2021

After a year of shutdowns and cancellations, 2021 brought rebirth and revival to the entertainment industry. Glamour made a big comeback on runways and red carpets in Europe and the US, which saw the return of the Met Gala and major film festivals and award shows.

Nepal's cliff honey hunters risk their lives for much-sought after harvest

Groups of Nepali men navigate the steep and narrow openings on mountains to collect much sought-after honey from hives on cliffs. A slip can mean falling hundreds of feet and sure death for them

Santas ski Maine slopes to raise funds for charity

A sea of red Santa suits descended the mountain, carving wide turns as their beards fluttered in the icy wind. More than 230 skiing and snowboarding Kris Kringles took to a western Maine resort on December 5 to raise money for charity.

Drama festival puts spotlight on Romanian inmates

Performing on the main stage of the Nottara Theatre in downtown Bucharest is a dream of every aspiring artist in Romania, where hundreds of prison inmates have gotten that lucky break.

Thai monkey festival returns as tourists come back

Watched by tourists and locals, thousands of monkeys in Lopburi in central Thailand feasted on two tonnes fruits and vegetables after the town's Monkey Festival resumed following a two year hiatus caused by the pandemic.

The passengers on the bus go ZZZ on Hong Kong nowhere route

Most of us will have experienced drifting off to sleep during a lengthy bus journey. But would you pay to do just that? That's the idea behind a novel tour bus business in Hong Kong billing itself as a possible cure for insomnia.

Vietnam tourist island reopens with big dreams as COVID curbs ease

On November 20, around 200 South Koreans touched down on the island, which lies a few kilometres off Cambodia in the azure waters of the Gulf of Thailand, after a vaccine passport scheme kicked off this month in Vietnam. Ahead of the reopening, staff at Vinpearl resort -- where the arrivals are staying -- swept beaches, arranged cutlery on tables and laid out sunbeds. Others busied themselves painting delicate flowers on conical hats.

COVID-19 | In Qom, where Iran outbreak began, virus rages on

In Iran's holy city of Qom, where Shiite scholars study and pilgrims travel to a shrine believed to be a gate to heaven, the Islamic Republic's coronavirus outbreak began and still rages to this day.

Spain's 'Fallas' festival returns after pandemic pause

The five-day festival is traditionally held in March but was cancelled last year as the COVID-19 pandemic swept Spain. This year, officials postponed the start of the UNESCO-recognised event until September 1.

Havana Syndrome | Everything we know so far about the mysterious illness

Since 2016, American and Canadian diplomats, spies and embassy staff all over the world have been afflicted with a mysterious illness that some believe has sinister links to experimental Russian technology. Recently, US Vice President Kamala Harris delayed her trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, after reports of possible “acoustic incidents” there.