Tag Archives: technology
India draw first blood against Pakistan in World T20
India draw first blood against Pakistan in World T20 (Reuters) / 22 March 2014 Dhoni’s men outclass Pakistan by seven wickets to start World T20 campaign in style India maintained their impeccable World Cup record against Pakistan after Virat Kohli’s fluent 36 not out powered them to a seven-wicket victory against the arch-rivals in a group two super 10 stage match of the World Twenty20 on Friday. Put into bat, Pakistan did not get the flying start they were looking for and could not mount a late assault either against India’s disciplined bowlers who restricted them to 130-7 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. India made a strong, if not spectacular, start to their chase with their openers adding 54 runs in eight overs before Shikhar Dhawan (30) fell to Umar Gul to trigger a mini-collapse. Rohit Sharma (24) dragged a Saeed Ajmal delivery on to his stumps while Bilawal Bhatti rearranged Yuvraj Singh’s stumps as India slumped to 65-3 in the 11th over. Kohli displayed the kind of form that has made him the mainstay of Indian batting, playing with characteristic ease and grace to add 66 runs with Suresh Raina (35 not out) to win the match with nine balls to spare and prolong India’s unbeaten record against Pakistan in 20-over and 50-over World Cups. Wary of the dew factor and confident of his team’s ability to chase under floodlights, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni earlier asked Pakistan to bat first and opened with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Kamran Akmal warmed up with a couple of boundaries before running himself out in the second over following a comical mix-up with Ahmed Shehzad. Shehzad featured in another confusion in the very next delivery but was fortunate as Dhoni’s direct throw missed stumps as the batsman hurried back abandoning his pursuit for a non-existent single. Hafeez also had his share of luck as Yuvraj, usually a safe catcher, dropped him at deep midwicket off Mohammad Shami when the Pakistan captain was on five. Hafeez (15) could not make the most of the reprieve and fell to Ravindra Jadeja’s third delivery after Bhuvaneshwar Kumar ran from deep cover to take a low, diving catch. Shehzad (22) joined him in the pavilion in the next over, having charged out only to be completely foxed by leg-spinner Amit Mishra’s prodigious turn. Umar Akmal (33) added 50 runs with Shoaib Malik (18) but fell to Mishra just when he looked set for a late assault to push the score. Much depended on Shahid Afridi when he walked in but the all-rounder fell for eight as Raina took a diving catch in the deep to snuff out Pakistan’s hopes of a late surge. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Clusters of Light show in Sharjah for 4 days
Clusters of Light show in Sharjah for 4 days Afkar Abdullah / 20 March 2014 Operetta on Islamic history to be held for public on March 27, 28 and April 3, 4. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Executive Committee Chairman for the Sharjah Islamic Culture Capital 2014 (SICC 2014) celebrations, on Tuesday shared some details and insights regarding Sharjah’s forthcoming musical spectacular “The Clusters of Light”. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed announcing the details of The Clusters of Light show in Sharjah on Tuesday. — KT photo by M. Sajjad The show will be performed for the public on March 27 and 28, and April 3 and 4. The revelations came during a Press conference held in Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in the presence of Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Head of the Projects Committee for the SICC 2014 celebrations. The conference was also attended by members of the Executive Committee for Sharjah’s celebrations for being declared the capital of Islamic culture, as well as prominent members of the crew and representatives of the media. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed said: “The Clusters of Light is the culmination of the vision of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who ordained a work to be “recorded by history and engraved in memories of next generations”. “In presenting the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the early story of Islam, it promotes humanitarian values of justice, brotherhood, love and peace. The Clusters of Light contains such dazzling elements that words fail to describe them. The efforts of the administrative, technical and artistic staff will leave an indelible imprint in the history of this epic,” he said. He added that the show will bring values of love, justice, tolerance and peace to the entire world. More than 750 people came together from various countries to produce an artwork that, as the Sharjah Ruler said, reminds us of the most important moments in the formation of the Islamic civilisation. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed said that this first-ever performance at the new Al Majaz Open Theatre is Sharjah’s gift to the entire world: “By telling the story of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and clarifying the true nature of Islam, we hope we will enrich the world of ideas, highlight the civilising aspects of Islamic culture and irrigate the intellects of present and future generations,” he said. Khalid Al Shaikh, Bahraini artist who composed The Clusters of Light, commended the “spring of culture” currently being enjoyed by Sharjah. Christian Steinhauser, German musician and conductor of the Global German Orchestra that completed recordings of the momentous operetta, said the last six months of his life were the most important in his career. He co-operated with 50 musicians and 20 sound engineers from around the world to offer a spiritual and emotional soundtrack inspired by Islamic history. Steinhauser said that admiration for the biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) helped the team produce a monumental artwork about Islam in a short period of time. The audience watched a short film about Al Majaz Theatre, which will host the first performance of the world’s greatest oratorio of Islam, The Clusters of Light, on March 26. The theatre will be the official headquarters of the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 Celebrations. Tickets are available at http://www.ticketmaster.ae/ and at selected outlets across the UAE. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Minimum speed on highways may be increased to 80kmph
Minimum speed on highways may be increased to 80kmph Amira Agarib / 19 March 2014 It’s part of recommendations made by the Traffic Federal Council for amendments to be made to the Traffic Law. The minimum speed on highways could be increased to 80km per hour from 60km to reduce the number of accidents, according to Major-General Mohammed Saif Al Zafin, Chairman of the Federal Traffic Council and Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police for Operations. He said these changes were part of recommendations made by the Traffic Federal Council for amendments to be made to the Traffic Law. He said changes were required and awaited and there was a possibility that new texts would be added commensurate with the evolution of traffic and security needs. He explained that the council issued a package of recommendations to be submitted to the Supreme Committee of the Policies and Strategies which is headed by Lt-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, to take the final decision. “The Minister of Interior has issued clear directives for unifying and standardising traffic procedures in all emirates to avoid differences in regulations or the applications,” said Al Zafin. The council has also recommended to stop issuing licence for vans or light buses used for transportation purposes. Companies will be provided a one-year grace period to address the matter. There is a possibility of allowing vans to transport goods only. Non-availability of security and safety requirements in vans caused many fatal accidents, he said. He explained that there are vehicles that can carry nine people, such as the Toyota Land Cruiser or other similar vehicles that have sufficient safety and security measures instead of the vans that resemble sardine cans and often result in deaths or injuries. The council’s recommendations in its meeting held on Thursday also included unification of traffic files for all drivers in the UAE to link it with Emirates Identity Card that will take the same number as the card so as to make it easier for dealers in any emirate. Al Zafin pointed out that there was no justification for existence of a separate file for each person as long as there is a uniform traffic system applied in the state. He said the most important recommendations included reconsidering the minimum speed for roads, which is normally fixed at 60 kmph on the highways whereas people drove cars at a speed of 140 kmph. “This big difference in speed usually leads to accidents.” The council proposed certain routes for minimum speed and also suggested writing the speed on the road surface until drivers were aware of the speed limit on that track. He stated that it is also necessary to reconsider the rate of minimum speed because there is a difference between heavy vehicles and light vehicles. “Speed can be increased to 80 kilometres per hour on the highways to be on a par with the maximum speed of the trucks to avoid problems caused by differences in speed,” he said. He added that members of the Board of Directors of the traffic departments in UAE agreed to these recommendations which will be coordinated with the relevant authorities in each emirate before implementation. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
