Imphal, April 28: People in militant-prone Manipur had a pleasant change attending the recently held Tourism Festival 2009 here, which highlighted the rich culture of the state while giving a fillip to its tourism sector.

The ten-day Tourism Festival attracted a large number of people from within the State and neighbouring areas of the region.

Foreign counties like Thailand, Myanmar, Pakistan and Vietnam also participated in the festival showcasing their unique indigenous products.

Moscow  - The letter "f" looks like an upright line with two ears, "h" stands for "n" and "p" for a rolled "r". Visitors to Moscow have to get to grips with the basics of the Cyrillic alphabet, if they want to make the most of their stay.

It may sound daunting, but it is a modest hurdle to take and most visitors should encounter few difficulties in the Russian capital, a city which has a very familiar feel to it, especially to western Europeans.

Forte dei Marmi  - At the turn of the century, the Tuscan coastal town of Forte dei Marmi became hugely popular with artists, aristocrats and intellectuals from all over Europe.

Meknes, Morocco  - Surrounded by peacefully undulating green hills, the northern Moroccan city of Meknes offers travellers a trip back in time in the framework of imperial grandeur.

Located on the edge of the Atlas mountains, the city of nearly 1 million residents is lesser known as a tourist destination than Marrakech, Agadir or Fez.

It is, however, becoming increasingly popular among visitors to the north African kingdom where their numbers have doubled to about 8 million annually since 2001.

Stockholm - The SAS Group, operator of the joint carrier Scandinavian Airlines, has launched a trial service allowing passengers to check-in and obtain a boarding pass using only their mobile phone.

Passengers flying between airports in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, London Heathrow, Oslo, Stavanger and Stockholm can use the trial service from April to July 1, the group said.

"Currently, approximately 10 per cent of SAS passengers check in via (text message) SMS," Lars Sandahl Sorensen of SAS said.

Malayatoor (Kerala), Apr 25: The St. Thomas International hill shrine in Kerala''s Malayatoor is a symbol of communal harmony as it attracts millions of devotees from all religions during the festival season.

During April and May, people from all age groups and religions carry a wooden cross to share the pain and hardships that Jesus went through the way to crusification at Mount Calvary.