Tag Archives: entertainment
Dubai hotel to celebrate the power of books
Dubai hotel to celebrate the power of books Staff Reporter / 25 March 2014 Some of the world’s top authors will be present at The Lost Chambers Aquarium at Atlantis, The Palm, during International Children’s Book Day on April 2. Some of the world’s top authors will be present when Atlantis, The Palm celebrates International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) on April 2 at The Lost Chambers Aquarium. Special guests include Kathryn Cave, award-winning English children’s author of Somewhere Else ; Maitha Al Khayyat, Emirati Children’s author; Rashid Al Kous, General Director of Knowledge Without Border; and Salha Ghabish, author of Dana’s trip . Other activities include face painting, arts and craft, music, storytelling, educational talks and Aquatheatre shows designed to instill the love of reading and ocean conservation. There is an entry ticket for adults priced at Dh100 but free admission for one child (under 11) with each paying adult. Established in 1967, ICBD is celebrated to increase the literacy rate among children. It is managed by the UAE Board of Books for Young People (UAEBBY) and was officially established by Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, UAEBBY Patron. Shaikha Bodour said: “The power of books to open doorways to understanding can never be overstated, which is why every child must have the right to become a reader. International Children’s Book Day is a wonderful opportunity to not only raise awareness within the broader community of the importance of fostering a culture of reading, but also to engage with children in a fun and interactive way that encourages their love for books and reading.” The team at The Lost Chambers Aquarium seeks to make the world a better place, by stimulating the minds of children and educating them about the world and its oceans. In the aquarium, children can explore, touch tanks filled with starfish and pencil urchins, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. They can touch, feel and interact with sea life. Special exhibits are dedicated to different sea creatures, such as the delicate Moon Jellyfish, busy lobster and glittery anchovies — each fascinating to watch and with a story to tell. They can explore The Lost Chambers Aquarium on their own or choose to interact with a ‘Marine Educator’, who shares educational facts. “Childhood is the ideal time to educate children about environmental issues and to broaden their understanding of the world. Being able to read is imperative in helping broaden these horizons,” says Natasha Christie, Director of The Lost Chambers Aquarium. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Catch this high-speed train from a skyscraper!
Catch this high-speed train from a skyscraper! (IANS) / 24 March 2014 The vertical train hub aims to resolve the inevitable challenges that cities will face by 2075, and offers a deliverable and sustainable solution for the future of the transport generation. Imagine taking your seat on a high-speed train through an elevator that is parked on the side of a skyscraper. It may sound wild but two British designers have the concept ready to roll on the track. Called as the Hyper-Speed Vertical Train Hub, this unusual transportation concept is the brainchild of designers Christopher Christophi and Lucas Mazarrasa. “The vertical train hub aims to resolve the inevitable challenges that cities will face by 2075, and offers a deliverable and sustainable solution for the future of the transport generation,” Christophi was quoted as saying. Here, the station for high-speed rail is built on the side of a skyscraper. As the train travels and transitions from its horizontal formation and ascends up the facade vertically, the carriages will pivot similar to that on a ‘Ferris wheel’. It would allow the passengers within the carriage to remain in an upright position and facing towards the cityscape, said a report on eVolo website. The carriages would be supported by a magnetic structure located at either side — eliminating the need for rails beneath and allowing the carriages and its passengers to connect to the tower. Trains, once ready to move, would shoot down the sides of the building into underground tunnels to their destinations. Each coach would have 10 people in two rows facing each other. Take an elevator to a specific floor to catch your train. Each terminal would have its own set of elevators to increase efficiency, the report added. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Arab ministers avoid rifts at meeting before summit
Arab ministers avoid rifts at meeting before summit (AFP) / 24 March 2014 Rifts between Qatar and the three other Gulf states as well as Egypt were expected to be tackled during the ministerial meeting and also at the two-day summit starting on Tuesday Arab League foreign ministers said they agreed on the draft resolutions on Sunday for a summit in Kuwait this week, despite deep rifts among member states. Tunisian Foreign Affairs Minister Mongi Hamdi speaks with his Qatari counterpart Shaikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa during the opening session of the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in preparation for the Arab Summit in Kuwait City on Sunday. UAE Minister of State Dr Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber also seen in the picture. — AFP “There was no tension whatsoever in the meeting. Host country Kuwait in fact has smoothed relations,” Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said at the end of the one-day meeting. “The subject of the … withdrawal of ambassadors was never mentioned at all,” he said. “There were no controversial issues or problems, and the atmosphere was very positive,” he said, declining to answer if efforts will be made to heal the rifts. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have recalled their ambassadors from fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Qatar in protest at Doha’s perceived support for the Muslim Brotherhood, branded a terrorist organisation by Cairo and Riyadh. Rifts between Qatar and the three other Gulf states as well as Egypt were expected to be tackled during the ministerial meeting and also at the two-day summit starting on Tuesday. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, however, said: “Not all issues are discussed in the meeting hall. Some issues are debated on the sidelines behind the scenes.” Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs Fadhel Jawad has said the Arab leaders will hold a special session during the summit in a bid to sort out their differences. Morocco’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Salahuddin Mezwar, said the ministers discussed efforts to combat international terrorism and ways to limit its impact on Arab countries. But he said Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood or whether to approve a new inter-Arab counter-terrorism pact were not discussed at the meeting. Zebari said all draft resolutions were unanimously approved by Arab foreign ministers. A draft resolution on the Syrian conflict, which entered its fourth year last week, urges the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibility after the failure of Geneva peace talks between the regime and the opposition. The leader of Syria’s opposition National Coalition, Ahmad Al Jarba, has been invited to address the Arab summit. But Syria’s seat in the Arab League remains vacant although the last annual summit, held in Doha, granted the seat to the opposition. The Arab League said the opposition still needs to meet some legal procedures to take up the seat. On the Palestinian issue, the ministers called on Arab states to provide $100 million in financial aid to the Palestinian Authority every month and rejected recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. The ministers approved the basic charter of a Bahrain-based Arab human rights tribunal and recommended that the next summit be held in Egypt. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
