Tag Archives: lifestyle
Solar energy to power ACs in bus shelters
Solar energy to power ACs in bus shelters Staff Reporter / 24 March 2014 The Green Bus experiment that uses solar energy instead of conventional energy sources is also still on, says Dr Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Authority. Solar energy might soon power bus screens and air conditioned bus shelters, according to a Roads and Transport official. Dr Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Authority (PTA) said: “The agency has recently carried out a series of experiments on the use of solar energy instead of conventional energy sources.” “A number of projects based on solar power as a main source of power supply are currently being studied by the Energy Conservation Team of the agency,” he said. “The team is examining a host of initiatives including the use of solar cells to generate the power needed for the operation of bus screens and air-conditioned shelters, besides heating water using solar energy panels fitted to the buildings and premises of the agency,” he said. “The use of solar energy is currently being experimented to power monitors displaying real-time information fitted to bus passenger stations. The experiment was rolled out from bus passenger station at Al Ghubaiba. Approvals were issued at the start of this year to transform and redesign Al Khawaneej Station to be a Model Green Station, and for this purpose specific programmes are being developed for the station covering power consumption, the use of solar energy instead of the ordinary power supply, and the endorsement as well as the introduction of other environmental systems which are environment-friendly and fulfill the stipulations of sustainable development,” explained Al Ali. The Green Bus experiment that uses solar energy instead of conventional energy sources is also still on, said Al Ali adding that Al Khawaneej Station is also being turned into a Model Green Station that will operate on solar power. “The Green Bus model, which is fully illuminated by solar energy cells, is probably the best illustration of the ongoing researches aimed at protecting the environment and embracing the green economy as well as sustainable development concepts,” said Al Ali. “The agency embarked on the Green Bus experiment towards the end of 2012 and the experiment is still in motion and is subject expansion to include larger numbers of the agency’s bus fleet,” he said. news@khaleejtimes.com 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
Ruthless India whip West Indies in World Twenty20
Ruthless India whip West Indies in World Twenty20 (AFP) / 24 March 2014 India now need one more win from their remaining two matches against Australia and hosts Bangladesh to advance to the semi-finals. India’s spinners wreaked havoc on the West Indies batting to rout the defending champions by seven wickets in the World Twenty20 Super-10 group two match in Dhaka on Sunday. The West Indies, sent in to bat, managed only 129-7 as leg-spinner Amit Mishra claimed two for 18 in four overs, Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets and Ravichandran Ashwin picked up one. India strolled past the modest target with two deliveries to spare as Virat Kohli made 54 off 41 balls and Rohit Sharma remained unbeaten on a fluent 62. The pair put on 106 for the second wicket after left-hander Shikhar Dhawan was trapped leg-before by spinner Samuel Badree off the fifth ball of the innings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men, who beat arch-rivals Pakistan on Friday, now need one more win from their remaining two matches against Australia and hosts Bangladesh to advance to the semi-finals. The bowlers kept the normally free-stroking West Indies batsmen in check, allowing them just 74 runs by the 15th over for the loss of four wickets. The hard-hitting Chris Gayle, dropped before he had scored and then again on 19, made a 33-ball 34 with two sixes and a four before he was run out in the 13th over. Mishra had Marlon Samuels stumped by Dhoni and claimed Dwayne Bravo leg-before off successive balls in the 15th over to open up the lower order. Lendl Simmons, who was caught off a Jadeja no-ball in the 18th over, celebrated the let-off by smashing the next ball for a six. Simmons made 27 off 22 balls as Jadeja conceded three sixes in the final over. Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan bounced back from their loss to India to defeat Australia by 16 runs. Two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals. The other group comprises Sri Lanka, South Africa, England, New Zealand and the Netherlands. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
