SHARJAH // An aqua circus, petting zoo and ice rink will be among the attractions enticing visitors to this month’s Sharjah Water Festival.
Thousands of people are expected to visit Al Majaz Park for the event, which is one of the highlights on the emirate’s tourism calendar.
The festival, from December 11 to 21, coincides with the F1 World Powerboat Championships on December 12 and 13.
Organisers say this is particularly special for the emirate because it has been chosen as capital of Islamic culture for 2014.
“As the Water Festival returns to Sharjah, the emirate – already known for its colourful festivals and events – is getting set for the year-long celebrations of it being chosen as the capital of Islamic culture for 2014,” said Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, director general of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority.
“More than 100 special events and 24 projects have been lined up highlighting Sharjah’s tourism, heritage, culture, infrastructure.”
Entertainment at the festival will include a petting zoo and an aqua circus featuring high diving and acrobatics over water.
There will also be a 360-square-metre outdoor ice rink, roaming carnival with street performers and other entertainment.
A public skate park is set to be another big attraction, the first one in Sharjah, organisers say.
Mr Al Midfa said the festival – the largest recreational event in the emirate – was a tribute to the position Sharjah has earned itself on the regional and global tourism map.
He said the authority had been running campaigns in cities across the Arabian Gulf and Europe.
“We have also been making efforts to showcase Sharjah’s festivals in local and international media besides inviting international media to come and witness the events and attractions for themselves,” Mr Al Midfa said.
“We have organised visits to schools across the emirate to promote the festival and various events and activities are on offer for younger visitors.”
He said safety was paramount and all appropriate measures had been taken.
Sharjah was named capital of Islamic culture for 2014 by the Organisation of Islamic Countries conference in 2009.
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Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
Business Insights
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
