Event
Volunteers from 10 countries add to diversity factor at SCRF
Published
1 year agoon
The volunteers who selflessly dedicated their time and energy to help make the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) a success have thanked organisers and the young attendees for making their job “one-of-a-kind”.
The annual event that brings together thousands of children from all over the UAE for a range of activities including workshops, storytelling, comic shows, and book readings, has come to a grand close today (Sunday) after 12 straight days of successful implementation.
With the presence of animation workshops throughout the festival, first-time volunteer, Iraqi Anwaar Yaqoub, 29, said, “It was absolute fun! All the animation content was the best part for me as an artist myself. I will treasure all the memories I made this year.” Omani Hamda Hisham, another first-timer at SCRF, found the surge of excitement infectious and loved being part of children’s activities. The 24-year-old said, “The joy these kids show when they see their favourite characters was palpable and it really brought a smile to my face.”
For Rawan Najar, the chance to volunteer at SCRF for the third straight time was a “no-brainer” as the 21-year-old Lebanese student of graphic design put it, and said she loved being involved in helping to prepare the letters of appreciation for her colleagues this year. Emirati Hind Haif said the festival exceeded their expectations, stating, “I came purely for the love of reading, books, activities and to help the children and this year was amazing.”
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A volunteer greets a young visitor at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival at Expo Centre. Supplied
Commenting on the opportunity to work with young children at the Sharjah Child Safety booth, Emirati, Omnia Haider said, “I truly enjoyed interacting with kids, some as young as five, I felt a sense of responsibility like never before.”
Bader Mohamad Saab, Director of Sharjah’s Government Communication Department, expressed gratitude towards the volunteers, saying, “We are incredibly grateful to the volunteers who gave more than their time and energy to make this festival a success.”
Zain Mohiyaldin, the leader of the festival’s dedicated team of 150 volunteers, commended their commitment and enthusiasm, which were vital in ensuring that the festival ran smoothly and efficiently. Mohiyaldin received an excess of 500 volunteer applications from over 10 nations around the world before the start of the festival and chose those with sheer passion for the job.
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More SCRF coverage:
Sudha Murty enthralls audience with Grandma tales
Announcements
Global Village announces opening date for Season 29
Published
5 days agoon
September 3, 2024By
SudhashreeSeason 29 of Global Village will kick off on October 16, 2024, the outdoor destination announced. The season will run until May 11, 2025. The popular destination remains closed during the summer months. This year, Global Village is expanding its offerings, featuring more cultural representations, never-before-seen entertainment, and exciting infrastructure upgrades.
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Visitors to the family-friendly destination can experience a diverse range of performances, shopping, and dining experiences from cultures around the world.
Opening more than 25 years ago, the destination set a new record of over 10 million visitors in its 28th season, the longest season to date, hosting 27 pavilions representing over 90 cultures from around the globe, as well as 3,500 shopping outlets and 250 dining options.
The destination is expecting millions of visitors from around the globe to gather for the park’s attractions during the upcoming season.
Event
Top Women Chess Players Take Centre Stage in 2024 Global Chess League Draft
Published
3 weeks agoon
August 15, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, is all set for the second season as 30 of the world’s best chess players were handpicked by six franchises during the Player Draft held on Sunday in New Delhi.
Following the huge success of the inaugural edition in Dubai last year, the second season is scheduled to take place from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London. All six teams – Alpine SG Pipers, Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters, PBG Alaskan Knights, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, and the debutants American Gambits– engaged in a thrilling bidding process to assemble strong squads for the second season of the league.
With 1000 points allocated to use during the bidding process, each franchise filled their quota of two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy player, in addition to the Icons announced last month.
The stellar line-up of Icon players include Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Mumba Masters) Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings), and debutants Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits) and Anish Giri (PBG Alaskan Knights).
The proceedings began with Richard Rapport getting drafted into Alpine SG Pipers, who completed their quota of Superstar Men after retaining the services of Praggnanandhaa R. American Gambits then completed their Superstar Men slots by picking Vladislav Artemiev and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo were drafted to Ganges Grandmasters, while PBG Alaskan Knights acquired Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and retained Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Triveni Continental Kings picked up Wei Yi and Teimour Radjabov.
Arjun Erigaisi, who recently broke into top five in World Rankings, expressed, “The player draft was absolutely thrilling and I am happy to turn up for the Ganges Grandmasters. They have picked versatile players and I look forward to a fantastic event in London.”
The Superstar Women dominated the Player Draft as franchises used significant amount of points from their purse to acquire their services. Apart from retaining Yan Zhongyi, PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Alina Kashlinskaya. Vaishali R and Nurgyul Salimova were drafted by Ganges Grandmasters, while Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina were acquired by Triveni Continental Kings. American Gambits filled in their quota of Superstar Women with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Elisabeth Paehtz, while Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli were retained by Mumba Masters.
Four-time Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan said, “Firstly, I am happy to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. The opening season in Dubai created a lot of buzz in the chess world and this time, I am happy to be part of the Alpine SG in this edition.”
PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Nihal Sarin, while Mumba Masters used their remaining purse to acquire Raunak Sadhwani. Daniel Dardha went to Alpine SG Pipers, Volodar Murzin to Ganges Grandmasters, Javokhir Sindarov to defending champions Triveni Continental Kings and Jonas Buhl Bjerre to American Gambits.
Expressing excitement on joining PBG Alaskan Knights, star prodigy Nihal Sarin, said, “For someone my age, coming up the ranks in this sport, I am super thrilled to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. I am looking forward to learn from the stalwarts playing in this season and I am happy to be part of PBG Alaskan Knights this season.”
Upon the successful completion of the player draft for this second season, Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “We had an action-packed day at the players draft. All six franchises have put together strong and equal teams, and with the second season taking place in London, it is poised to be bigger and more exciting. Best wishes to all the players and franchises, we are eagerly anticipating a cracking extravaganza in October.
In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Announcements
Now Dubai residents can get four black points scrapped: Here’s when and how
Published
4 weeks agoon
August 13, 2024By
SudhashreeMotorists in the UAE have the chance to get four black points removed from their traffic records if they avoid committing any violations on the first day of the school year. The initiative is part of the Ministry of Interior’s ‘Accident-Free Day’ on August 26, aligning with the re-opening of schools after the summer break.
"الداخلية" تطلق حملة "يوم بلا حوادث" تزامناً مع بدء العام الدراسي، وتكافئ الملتزمين بخصم (4) نقاط مرورية
— وزارة الداخلية (@moiuae) August 13, 2024
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The Ministry of Interior launches the 'Accident-Free Day'… pic.twitter.com/fhS7rhYFHZ
To qualify for the traffic points deduction, drivers must sign an online pledge and avoid having an accident or committing a traffic offence on the designated day.
The deduction will be applied two weeks later as part of an effort to encourage year-round adherence to traffic safety.
Brigadier Engineer Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Chairman of the Federal Traffic Council, said that the campaign is a key element of the Ministry’s strategy to boost road safety and aligns with the UAE government’s vision.
The initiative also promotes responsible driving by educating motorists on crucial safety practices, such as vehicle maintenance, adhering to speed limits near schools, avoiding distractions, following traffic lanes, maintaining safe distances, prioritising pedestrians, and giving way to emergency vehicles.