The 23rd Commonwealth Games opened in Glasgow with a vibrant ceremony blending Scottish heritage and a strong message of sustainability. King Charles III declared the Games open, highlighting efforts to combat plastic pollution. The event featured a unique indoor setting, an early athletes' parade including the Indian contingent, and diverse musical and cultural performances, setting a new precedent for the multi-sport event.
The 23rd Commonwealth Games opened in Glasgow with a vibrant ceremony at the OVO Hydro, blending Scottish heritage with modern performances. King Charles III declared the Games open, emphasising a message of sustainability, particularly regarding plastic pollution in oceans. The event showcased a new, more compact model for the Games, focusing on existing venues and integrated Para sports, following Glasgow's role as a step-in host.
Glimpses from Donald Trump and Xi Jinping's ceremonial Beijing engagement capture diplomacy, symbolism and statecraft at historic Chinese landmarks.
Femina Miss India World 2026 Sadhvi Sail, first runner-up Rajnandini Pawar and second runner-up Sree Advaita open up about breaking stereotypes and why pageantry is more than just the crown.
'Don't let the world put you in a box. If the world tries to put you in a box, don't stay in it. Step out of it. And if you have to, burn that box completely,' says Siddhata Patil.
'Coming from a small city, you often feel that your dreams are impossible but there is no word as impossible.' 'If you know that you can do it, just believe so.'
The sesquicentenary of 'Vande Mataram' was the overriding theme of the ceremonial event held at the Vijay Chowk and presided over by President Droupadi Murmu, who arrived at the venue in a traditional buggy to the sound of bugles, adding a ceremonial grace to the occasion.
Born in Mumbai, Meher rose to national prominence when she was crowned the first Femina Miss India in 1964. Castelino's crowning came at a time when beauty contests and fashion culture were still evolving in India.
'Pageantry is a world that makes you a character; aap ek kirdaar bante hai.' 'For your entire life, you get an opportunity to inspire others and I have stepped into it.'
The glittering event saw Smriti take home the coveted crown, while Vaishnavi Lohni and Aanchal Pharswan were declared first and second runners-up respectively.
A Delhi-based girl and a Mumbai-based boy hope to bring glory to India.
'A story has to do something within me for me to say yes to it.'
As pipes played and ceremonial commands echoed across the parade ground, a subtle but sharp undertone ran beneath the pride -- the knowledge that these young men may soon be called to act in a world where real-time threats blur the lines between battlefield and cyberspace.
Let's revisit the landmark women and moments from India's Miss World history.
Rajbaris are a link to Bengal's rich past, of grand mansions, classical fine dining, and allow guests to be pretend zamindars for those few hours or days that they stay.
'The determination to represent our country is strong when you've seen your dad serve the country.'
Is this what the stars will be wearing in summer?
After being pronounced man and wife at Westminster Abbey, Prince William and Kate Middleton left for Buckingham Palace. Thousands of well-wishers lined the procession route as they cheered for the newlywed. Here are some stunning pictures from the royal procession.
Meet Sini Shetty who will represent India at the 71st Miss World beauty pageant on March 9.
Charles will be crowned the King of the United Kingdom amid spectacular pomp and pageantry at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday in a solemn religious ceremony that dates back almost a thousand years.
Iconic public buildings, parks and railway stations dazzled with lights on the night of January 26, 1950 turning the capital city into a "fairyland".
The 42-year-old British Hindu leader read from the Epistle to the Colossians from the New Testament reflecting the theme of service to others, in keeping with the recent tradition of UK Prime Ministers giving readings at State occasions.
What makes this edition of the contest important were a few more events that happened for the first time at Miss Universe.
Britain's Prince Harry will attend the coronation of his father King Charles III next month, but his wife Meghan will remain in the United States with the couple's children, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.
With the human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton expressed unease over travelling to the country for the upcoming Jeddah Grand Prix.
'Life had its own plans and now I have learnt to go with the flow.'
The king and his wife, Camilla, the queen consort, travelled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey -- a distance of 2.2-km -- at a stately pace in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach bearing a gilded crown, which was commissioned for Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.
The Agniveer passing out parade was as much about family celebration as it was a military event. Alongside the pomp, pageantry and discipline of the parade were the personal stories of families, their struggles and how far they had come.
At 28, R'Bonney Nola Gabriel is the oldest contestant from the USA to win the title, an age limit she says she would like to change.
The controversial colonial-era Kohinoor diamond claimed by India is to be cast as a symbol of conquest as part of a new display of Britain's Crown Jewels at the Tower of London set to open to the public in May.
Miss Universe 2000 Lara Dutta on what it takes to be a beauty queen.
Everybody knows he's a master of sublime, but Mani Ratnam's brilliance in escalating drama delivers a goosebumps-inducing impact when bolstered by A R Rahman's musical gravitas,
Ajmer-born model and entrepreneur Rushali Yadav talks about her fashion journey.
I thought Saudi Vellakka a glancing, loving depiction of the judicial system as a pageantry filled with performers trying to do right by everyone, do everything by the book, and failing despite their best attempts, observes Sreehari Nair.
When was the last time we heard this government speaking of the disaster in primary education, rather than Ganga cruises and cheetahs? Less money -- Rs 88,000 crore -- was spent by the Union government on education in its last Budget than has been allocated to the Bullet train, notes Aakar Patel.
"It is heartening to see us, common people, being acknowledged. 'Achha lag raha hai'," Ram Chand Kumar, a mason who hails from Bihar and has been working on the site for the last 5-6 months, hailed the prime minister's gesture.
China today celebrated 60 years of Communist rule by staging its biggest-ever military parade of latest defence hardware and lavish pageantry with its top leader saying "only socialism can save" the country.
At sunrise the following day, a hunt was organised for the queen to shoot a female tiger. But she decided a monarch should not make the kill and handed her gun to one of her staff to deliver the fatal shot.
Rio de Janeiro's famed Carnival got underway as hundreds of thousands roared into the streets for the most colourful festival ever. Reuters photographers Pilar Olivares, Sergio Moraes, Paulo Whitaker gives us a glimpse of the pomp and the pageantry.
From his early years to the duties and pleasures of royal life, we take a look at the life of the Duke of Edinburgh.
