Tag Archives: weather
Syria’s Assad makes rare visit to tense area
Syria’s Assad makes rare visit to tense area (AP) / 12 March 2014 The visit comes nearly four months before Assad’s seven-year term officially expires. In a rare public appearance, President Bashar Assad on Wednesday visited displaced Syrians in a frontline suburb of the country’s capital, where he vowed to keep up the fight against gunmen whom he blamed for driving people from their homes, state TV said. In this photo released on the official Facebook page of Syrian Presidency, Syrian president Bashar Assad, centre right, visits a shelter of internally displaced people in the Damascus suburb of Adra, Syria on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. – AP The visit to a shelter for displaced people in the Damascus suburb of Adra, just northeast of the capital, coincides with advances by his troops battling rebels who captured parts of the suburb in December, displacing thousands from the area. The visit comes nearly four months before Assad’s seven-year term officially expires. Syrian officials have said the presidential elections would be held on time, according to the constitution. Assad has suggested he would run again but has not confirmed it. The election must be held between 60 and 90 days before Assad’s term ends on July 17. The visit to Adra was Assad’s first public appearance outside Damascus since August, when he toured the suburb of Daraya, once a rebel stronghold, and in the same week, took part in a public iftar, the meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. “The state will continue to fight terrorism and terrorists who displace people from their homes and commit ugly crimes against them,” Assad said. His government refers to opposition fighters as terrorists. Photos released by the president’s office showed Assad speaking to women, several of whom were carrying children in their arms. One photo showed Assad putting his hand on the shoulder of a child who was lying on a mattress. “The government will continue to provide for the main needs of the displaced until they all return to their homes, whether in Adra or other areas,” the TV quoted Assad as saying. Syria’s civil war, now entering its fourth year, has killed more than 140,000 people. According to U.N. figures, the conflict has also forced about 2.3 million Syrians to seek shelter in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq. Also, a UN estimate from July said 6.5 million Syrians have been uprooted from their homes and displaced within the country. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
155 million-year-old dinosaur at Dubai Mall
155 million-year-old dinosaur at Dubai Mall Kelly Clarke / 12 March 2014 Emaar asks public to give a unique name to the world’s rarest fossil A plant-eating dinosaur that met its demise at the bottom of a waterhole 155 million years ago has taken up residence at The Dubai Mall, and now it’s up to the public to name the rare find. The 24.4-metre-long and 7.6-metre-high Diplodocus longus was unveiled to an eager crowd on Monday evening, and as the curtain was drawn, a ricochet of gasps could be heard across the mall. “I was expecting to see a luxury car or yacht, not a dinosaur,” Italian tourist Vicardo Lorenzo told Khaleej Times. During the lead-up to the big reveal, many in the crowd speculated as to what was lurking behind the big, black curtain, and the wagging tongues were not disappointed. Expecting something “a little more mainstream”, Lorenzo said the 30-minute delay was well worth the wait. “I’ve been in Dubai for about five days and this will definitely be a memorable part of the trip for me. I mean a dinosaur fossil in a mall…it’s crazy, but a good crazy.” Mall becomes museum The latest, jaw-dropping attraction from Emaar is the first fossil of its size to go on display in such a public venue, and Houston Museum of Natural Sciences’ president and CEO Joel Bartsch, said it could make The Dubai Mall one of the most “important museum’s in the world”. The skeleton of the 24.4-metre-long and 7.6-metre-high dinosaur unveiled at The Dubai Mall on Monday. — KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd “This is the most important and complete fossil we have ever found. With a footfall of six million people per month, the mall is the perfect venue to show off this authentic discovery,” he said. Moments before the big reveal, Emaar’s Chairman Mohammed bin Ali Alabbar brought founder of Etihad Modern Art Gallery Khalid Seddiq on stage, before narrating how the story came to be. “My dear friend Khalid made this happen. Years ago we talked about bringing something like this to Dubai and he told me, ‘Mohammed, if you want a dinosaur, you’ll get a dinosaur’, and here we are today.” And when Khaleej Times asked why he wanted a dinosaur of all things, Alabbar joked: “Well for one, it’s a great directional sign within the mall. If you get lost, you can always meet at the dinosaur.” “Human beings are mesmerised by dinosaurs and fossils, so this is their chance to get up close and personal with a real one.” Final resting place Excavated by German Paleontologist Raimund Albersdoerfer in 2008 from the Dana Quarry in Wyoming, USA, experts took five years to excavate and prepare the bones. Found in the sleeping position, Albersdoerfer said the feeling upon discovery was intense. “My hammer hit something hard, then I saw a beautiful bone. I kept digging then found the next bone, and the next. It was an incredible feeling.” Towering above the floors of The Dubai Mall, the dinosaur’s new stance looks set for battle. Perched on its hind legs, with a long sweeping tail and slender neck, at first glance the dinosaur appears headless, but Albersdoerfer laid Khaleej Times’ speculation to rest. “It’s just a very, very small head.” World’s rarest fossil The most complete of any gigantic dinosaur ever found, the Diplodocus longus’ skeleton is more than 90 per cent intact, making it one of the rarest discoveries in paleontology history. “If you go to London, its largest exhibit is completely casted. Go to New York and they have a similar one but it is only about 30 per cent complete. Dubai is the first city to house such a thing.” So why choose a mall? Albersdoerfer said no museum in the world would get the same amount of visitors as The Dubai Mall, so what better place to showcase it. “Seddiq called me and said ‘Raimund, we’re going to buy this’, so I said okay. I’m absolutely happy. Here everyone can see it, people can get inspired by it, which is all I want.” The name game Referring to the colossal exhibit as “the lady”, Alabbar said the next step is to give the anonymous dinosaur an identity and he has tasked us, the public, with the job. “This is your chance to become more than just a spectator, so think of something unique,” he told an excited crowd. So, after 155 million years underground let’s do “the lady” justice and give her a name to be proud of. Tweet you suggestion at: #NameTDMDino kelly@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
NCMS warns of dusty, cloudy weather in UAE over the weekend
NCMS warns of dusty, cloudy weather in UAE over the weekend (Wam) / 12 March 2014 Drivers are advised to take precautionary measures while driving on roads in case of poor visibility due to the dust-in-suspension. Unstable weather conditions have been predicted by the NCMS from March 12 to 16, 2014. The National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) has advised drivers to take precautionary measures while driving on roads in case of poor visibility due to the dust-in-suspension. It is also advised the people stay away from the sea during unstable weather. In a statement today, the NCMS said that it expected weather conditions for Wednesday to be dusty and partly cloudy in general. “The amount of clouds increased over some regions, especially over the northern, eastern regions and the islands, with a probability of convective cloud accumulation over the eastern mountainous region by afternoon. The temperatures tend to increase over the western region in specific,” it said. “Moderate southerly winds will prevail over most areas, raising the dust and sand and decreasing the horizontal visibility over the inland regions in specific. The sea will be moderate to rough in the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. The country will be affected by surface trough (Red Sea Trough) on this coming Thursday associated with cold air mass in the upper air leading to unstable weather, with partly cloudy to cloudy at times; with increasing of the cloud cover over scattered regions especially over the western, northeastern and over a few islands, with rainfall throughout the evening and night. The air temperature will decrease gradually over the western region in specific. The winds will be moderate to fresh and strong at times; raising the dust and sand with poor visibility. The sea will be rough in the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. The unstable weather conditions will continue to affect the country with fluctuation; keeping the weather cloudy to partly cloudy from one time to another, and the chance of rain will remain over the country on different time intervals. This will continue till Sunday night March 16, 2014. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
