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India's Priyanka Gandhi officially entered politics Wednesday ahead of a looming national election, joining the opposition campaign in a crucial state where the party her family founded hopes to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Priyanka - whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather were all prime ministers - was appointed Congress party chief in the east of Uttar Pradesh, considered India's most politically important state. She will report to her brother Rahul, a fellow scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, who heads the main opposition party that ruled India for much of its post-independence history. Priyanka, 47, is popular within Congress but the reigns were passed to her older brother

The International Monetary Fund released Monday its updated economic outlook with a dire warning: The world's economy is slowing and it could get much worse if countries keep fighting over trade. The agency lowered estimates for growth in 2019 by 0.2 percentage points to 3.5% - its second downward revision. The biggest risks are the unresolved trade war between the US and China, and the possibility of Britain exiting the European Union without a deal. "After two years of solid expansion, the world economy is growing more slowly than expected, and risks are rising," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Monday, adding the "risk of a sharper decline in global growth has certainly increased."

Cristiano Ronaldo avoided jail on Tuesday but was ordered to pay 3.57 million euros ($4.1 million) for committing tax fraud when he was at Real Madrid, a Madrid court ruled. The court sentenced Ronaldo to a two-year jail sentence that it immediately reduced to a fine of 365,000 euros, which adds on to another penalty of 3.2 million euros, the sentence read. A court spokesman said it was not immediately clear if this fine would be added onto the 18.8 million euros that Ronaldo had agreed to pay Spain's taxman under a deal reached in June last year. Photos: AFP

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered government entities to speed up the execution of projects related to Hatta's comprehensive development plan. The plan seeks to turn Hatta into a key tourism and investment hub, with Meraas Holding behind projects to position the mountainous area as a global destination for eco-tourism. During his visit to Hatta, Sheikh Mohammed stressed the importance of giving priority to service, environmental and heritage-related projects, given its significance in preserving the national identity and heritage. A 10-year Hatta Development plan is already starting to take shape, with Airstream-style trailer accommodation and lodges opening recently in the Hajar Mountains, 115km from Dubai.

Flying a domestic Iranian route, a 38-year-old Boeing 727-200 owned by Iran Aseman Airlines entered the history books in mid-January after a journey documented by journalist Babak Taghvaee on Twitter. "Its three, rear-mounted engines made it versatile for operators able to take off and land on short runways but still have the range for transoceanic routes," Murdo Morrison, head of strategic content at aviation intelligence specialist FlightGlobal, told CNN via email. Boeing had initially planned to build 250 of the aircraft, according to the company website. Before long the 727 became the first commercial jet design to sell over a thousand airplanes, and 1,832 were eventually built and sold, according to Boeing.

This is how Kurdish activist and media personality, Hassan Karimi, explained his experience in Iranian prisons. Karimi was unfortunate enough to be imprisoned three times by the Iranian regime for the mere fact that he had a sectarian identity, as he put it. “The preservation of national, religious, and sectarian identity in Iran is considered an unforgivable charge. As both a Kurd and a Sunni, I already had good reason to be imprisoned since birth,” Karimi told Al Arabiya.

Varun Dhawan Shashank Khaitan with wife and Jhanvi Kapoor Katrina Kaif Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi Saif and Taimur Ali Khan Shakeel Ladak, Amrita Arora, Malaika Arora and Karisma Kapoor Inaaya Naumi Khemu and mother Soha Ali Khan Taimur Ali Khan Susanne Khan Sania Mirza Karisma Kapoor, Malaika and Amrita Arora Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal Ranveer Singh Janhvi Kapoor Mira Kapoor Taimur Ali Khan Katrina Kaif and sister Isabelle Kaif Malaika's son Arhaan Deepika Padukone at a book launch in Mumbai. Taimur Ali Khan visits Inaaya Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna and Bobby Deol spotted at Soho house. Varun Dhawan, Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal Rohit Shetty and Katrina Kaif Jahnvi Kapoor Karan Johar Kareena