Tag Archives: horoscope
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
Belgium: King Albert makes way for son Philippe
Belgium: King Albert makes way for son Philippe (AP) / 21 July 2013 Belgium will get a new king Sunday when the current monarch, Albert, abdicates following a 20-year reign and hands over the throne to his son Philippe. At 79, Albert will first sign away his rights as the largely ceremonial ruler of the kingdom in the presence of Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who holds the political power in this 183-year-old parliamentary democracy. After the morning ceremony at the royal palace, Philippe, 53, will take the king’s oath before the nation’s legislators at the parliament building a short walk across the Royal Park in the heart of the city. Afterward, King Philippe and new Queen Mathilde are expected to greet the crowds below in a balcony scene at the palace before fireworks end a slew of ceremonies marking the day. Albert announced his abdication plans less than three weeks ago, so there was little time to turn the occasion into a huge international event and no foreign royals were expected at the crowning. Since the royal transition coincides with Belgium’s national day celebrations, a military parade had already been planned. Philippe will face a tough task in the coming months. The fractious nation, ever-more divided by language, holds parliamentary elections in June 2014 amid calls for even more autonomy for the 6 million Dutch-speaking Flemings and 4.5 million French-speakers. The monarchy could find its role even more diminished. After the last elections in 2010, it took a record 541 days before a government could be formed amid much bickering about how much more power should be sapped from the central state to profit the separate language groups. Unlike his five predecessors, Albert tried to avoid politics as much as possible and Philippe is expected to do likewise. Philippe has been groomed for the job as a leader of foreign trade delegations over the past two decades. He and Mathilde have four children. Continue reading
S.Williams reaches final of Swedish Open
S.Williams reaches final of Swedish Open (AP) / 21 July 2013 Serena Williams defeated Klara Zakopalova 6-0, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Swedish Open on Saturday to get her 50th win of the season faster than any other year in her career. After losing the first eight games, the third-seeded Zakopalova managed to break Williams’ serve twice in the second set to level score at 4-all, but the top-ranked Williams broke back to take the set and the match. “I was hardly making mistakes in the first set. I have to figure out a way to continue that tennis for more than one set, and I’m definitely going to go back and watch the film,” Williams said. According to the WTA, the most wins Williams previously had going into the summer hardcourt season was 38 in 2003. In the day’s other semifinal, Sweden’s Johanna Larsson came from behind to overpower Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Williams will meet the home favorite Larsson in Sunday’s final. Williams will be going for her seventh title of the year and 53 rd of her career, while Larsson will be chasing her first-ever title. Continue reading
