Tag Archives: georgia
Palace: Prince William’s wife Kate in labor
Palace: Prince William’s wife Kate in labor (AP) / 22 July 2013 Prince William’s wife, Kate, was admitted to the hospital in the early stages of labour on Monday, palace officials said. Kate — also known as the Duchess of Cambridge — is expected to give birth in the private Lindo Wing of the hospital, where Princess Diana gave birth to William and his younger brother, Prince Harry. She will be looked after by a top-notch medical team led by royal gynecologist Dr. Marcus Setchell. Britain’s Prince William stand next to his wife Kate.- AP Kate and William, who spent the weekend at Kensington Palace, travelled to the hospital without a police escort just before 6 a.m., their spokesman said. “Things are progressing as normal,” he added. The baby will be third in line for the British throne, and should eventually succeed grandfather Charles and father William as king or queen of Britain and 15 other countries including Canada and Australia. But little else is known about the eagerly awaited royal baby, from how it will arrive to its gender or its name. Kate — formally known as the Duchess of Cambridge — is expected to deliver in the Lindo Wing, where Princess Diana gave birth to William and his younger brother, Prince Harry. It is not clear if she will have a natural birth or deliver by a planned caesarean section. Royal watchers must wait to be told of the baby’s arrival from the palace, which is planning to reveal the news through a mixture of tradition and social media. Palace officials have said that the first hint will come when a royal aide emerges from the hospital with a signed bulletin carrying the Buckingham Palace letterhead. The bulletin will be given to an official who will be driven to Buckingham Palace, where it will be posted on an easel in public view in front of the building. At the same time the bulletin is posted, there will be an official announcement on Twitter and the media will be formally notified. The document will give the baby’s gender, weight and time of birth. It could be some time before the baby’s name is made public. When William was born, a week passed before his name was announced. Charles’s name remained a mystery for an entire month. But it is the baby’s gender that is of particular interest because the prospect of Kate’s pregnancy prompted a change to laws of succession to ensure a daughter would not be passed over for the crown by a younger brother. Boy or girl, the child will be third in line to the throne and the prospective future monarch. The birth of a new heir to the throne has been breathlessly anticipated since William and Kate wed on April 29, 2011, in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey. When news of a royal pregnancy was announced, there was rejoicing in many households in Britain and throughout the world. Despite a rough start to the pregnancy, when she was hospitalized for acute morning sickness, the 31-year-old Kate made a number of public appearances that were halted only near the end of her term. Since the duchess has cut back on her royal duties, media outlets have been clamoring for position outside of the hospital in anticipation of the birth, jockeying to secure the best vantage point for filming William and Kate emerging, babe in arms. Officials have said that William plans to take two weeks’ paternity leave and then return to his military duties as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot in Wales. His tour of duty is scheduled to wrap up around September, and he and Kate are expected to move from their isolated cottage on the island of Anglesey off the coast of Wales to Kensington Palace in central London. But major refurbishment works at the palace likely won’t be finished until at least a month or two after the infant is born — meaning that William and Kate will most likely have to make do with their current temporary home in London, a two-bedroom property at the palace. Come autumn, however, the family will be able to move into their permanent London home, Apartment 1a at Kensington Palace — a four-story house with a nursery, 20 rooms and a private garden. Continue reading
Lost weight to turn to gold
Lost weight to turn to gold Staff Reporter / 21 July 2013 The population of Dubai will be tens of thousands of kilograms lighter, but more sparkly if residents plans go their way. The Dubai Municipality’s “Your Weight in Gold” initiative got a thumping response from residents of Dubai when it began on Friday evening at Safa Park, with thousands registering on the first day. The initiative is to promote a healthy lifestyle and to encourage people to shed the fat. The event was kicked off at Gate 2 of Al Safa Park in the presence of Director General of Dubai Municipality Hussain Nasser Lootah, as well as senior officials and partners. Lootah said: “The overwhelming response from the public in this hot season indicates that the people in Dubai are highly concerned about their health and fitness”. People registered at five main parks around Dubai. DM’s Head of the Media Section Yusuf Murad said people have the motivation to lose the excess flab. “The top three winners will get the gold equivalent of Dh20,000 each and participants who (lose) a minimum two kilograms and above will get one gram of gold for each kg reduced from their weight.” Murad said registration sites were at Al Safa Park Gate 2, Zabeel Park Gate 3, Main Gates of Al Barsha and Al Khawaneej and the starting point of Al Mamzar Track. “Because of the long queues in all parks people tried different parks to get entry in the first day and many of them postponed the registration to coming days. The registration is open throughout the period of the campaign from 8pm to midnight.” All participants will receive a call or SMS for the confirmation and they have to report to any of above five parks on 19 August to record the final weight, Murad said. — news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
96kg date branch is Liwa’s winner
96kg date branch is Liwa’s winner Silvia Radan / 21 July 2013 A palm branch of dates weighing 96 kilograms has taken one of the top prizes at the Liwa Dates Festival — landing its owner with a lucrative prize. The branch won the “Biggest Adj” (branch) competition at the festival on Friday night. “They were ‘shahal’ dates from Liwa, which are usually very heavy,” festival director Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei told Khaleej Times. The winner was Rashed Faraj Salem Al Mansouri, who was awarded Dh50,000 for his fruitful production. Second place in the “Biggest Adj” competition and Dh40,000 were taken by Moza Mohammed Afsan Al Mazrouei, while the third place went to Mansour Ali Salman Mohammed Al Mansouri, along with Dh30,000. As with all other competition categories, the top 15 contestants are awarded here, too. The remaining top 12 prizes ranged from Dh25,000 to Dh2,000. On Friday, the second day of the festival, the winners of the Dabbas dates category were also announced. Musbeh Saeed Al Murar from the village of Latair (Liwa) had the best quality Dabbas, winning Dh125,000, followed by Fatima Mohammed Saeed Salem Al Murar from Liwa’s Al Nabtiya village who was awarded Dh100,000 and Hameed Jaber Sultan Battal Al Murar from Al Dhowaiher in Liwa, who won Dh75,000. The fourth to 15th place winners received prizes from Dh40,000 to Dh5,000, respectively. For the first time this year, the festival’s organisers have put together a supportive Dabbas dates competition for first time participants. The first Dh70,000 winner in this category was Saleh Abdullah Hatha Al Murar from Al Nabtiya (Liwa), the second prize of Dh40,000 was taken by Ateeq Khalfan Mohammed Jarash Al Murar also from Al Nabtiya and the third Dh30,000 award went to Fakhira Thamer Khalfan Al Murar from Al Sheya in Liwa. “Altogether, we had over 400 people taking part in these three competitions, not just from Liwa, but elsewhere in the UAE,” said Al Mazrouei. The winners of Hounaizi and Abu Maan dates competitions will be announced today. Although the festival is closed to the public during the daytime, since it falls during Ramadan this year, on Saturday morning Shaikh Tahnoon bin Saeed bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan visited the festival and he was most impressed with the heritage area of the festival grounds. “We have allocated ample space to heritage displays and shows, having life-size replicas of ancient Emirati houses showcased and traditional household objects usually found in such houses,” explained al Mazrouei. From 8pm to 1am, the opening hours of the festival, there are performances of traditional Emirati folk groups, as well as storytelling. The festival will continue until July 25. — silvia@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading