DUBAI // Readers were buzzing with enthusiasm for The National's sixth anniversary edition - with people praising the paper as "a hard-copy website", minus the annoying pop up ads of course.
Each page of yesterday's newspaper was filled with photographs or graphics, with words replaced by stunning images that captured the mood of the day's news. The stories themselves were all available online or on readers smartphones via a QR Code.
“This is a really good job,” said Sherwin Igana Talaguit, a data analyst. “The pictures really get your attention, too many words can be boring visually. It feels like a power point presentation, very unique.”
He added the QR Codes were nice touch, but not useful for people without smartphones.
“You should have more editions like this, maybe a weekend paper. It is really nice to ease up on the tension from the rest of the week,” said Mr Talaguit.
“This feels like a hard copy of a website, like I’m on the internet,” said Romulo Kintanar, a government studies officer. “But it’s better, there are no annoying pop-up ads.”
“It really captures the attention, this should be done more often.
“I really like the illustrations, people browse the paper more anyway, so it makes sense to make it more visual,” said Mr Kintanar.
First time reader Zainab Saif Mirza was also impressed, hailing the edition as “smartpaper for a smart city”.
"This is my first time reading The National… wow," said the government employee. "I love the vibrant colour and yet at the same time it's very relaxing on the eye. This is like a smartpaper for a smart city the QR Codes are great.
“It is faster to get through the paper, no one reads every word these days,” said Ms Mirza. “And these info graphics are great, they get the point across better.”
“I give it 10 out of 10, the paper should stay this way,” she added.
Twitter was also buzzing about the concept.
@NAlRashdi tweeted: “@TheNationalUAE by far the coolest newspaper I have ever read, great job and please keep up the creativity. Seriously amazing,love the QRcodes. Amazing work, so well thought out, I was blown away!”
“Great experiment from @TheNationalUAE today! Enjoying the paper and all the great visuals,” Zoya Pasha tweeted. “I stood up in front of my office this morning to make sure everyone saw it.”
David O’Mahony tweeted: “ @AlOtaiba_M @TheNationalUAE It looks fantastic, well done to all involved.”
@ZeeshanUAE tweeted: “Congratulations to @TheNationalUAE on its sixth birthday. The visual depiction of news looks brilliant!”
Hind Mezaina said, “Happy 6th anniversary @TheNationalUAE. You’ve changed a lot over the past 6 years, but you do a good job with your photography.”
However, not everyone was happy with the special edition, with some readers unhappy with the lack of traditional news stories on each page.
“I buy a newspaper to read, not look at pictures,” said Khulood Mohammed, 27, a banker. “It looks great, love the pictures and illustrations are great. But in the end all it does is forward me to the webpage.”
“There are no headlines,” said Laverne Sunga, 23. “I don’t like it, it doesn’t feel like a newspaper, it feels more like a magazine.”
Dion Mavath tweeted: “wow @TheNationalUAE today was a waste of time! Good way to dumb down society by literally making it a comic book! Happy birthday or not.”
An exhibition featuring 40 of the best images taken by The National’s photographers over the past six years will be on display from April 18 to 30 at the Anantara Art Space in the Eastern Mangroves Hotel, Abu Dhabi.
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
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Scoreline
Switzerland 5
RESULTS
Dubai Kahayla Classic – Group 1 (PA) $750,000 (Dirt) 2,000m Winner: Deryan, Ioritz Mendizabal (jockey), Didier Guillemin (trainer).
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Dubai Sheema Classic – Group 1 (TB) $5million (T) 2,410m Winner: Mishriff, John Egan, John Gosden
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
