SHARJAH // When the falcon swooped towards the group of children most of them ducked. For 6-year-old Maryam Mohammed, it was one of her most exciting moments.
“It flew near Shaima’s face and she bowed down afraid and all of us laughed,” Maryam told her mother and younger siblings.
Maryam is one of many children to have visited Sharjah’s Birds of Prey centre in Kalba, which was opened last month by the emirate’s Ruler, Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.
“Birds of prey are popular in Arabian traditions and this centre, that collects several local species, is like an education centre for the local people, their young generations and tourists,” said Gerald Tedd, the unit’s operation manager.
The centre, which employs a dozen staff, is now home to 46 species, from the barn owl and long-legged buzzard to the short-toed snake eagle and lappet-faced vulture.
So far, the birds have proved enticing to the community.
“The turnout has been good recently. The local communities and other Arab people can come again and again for different shows,” Mr Tedd said. “This is a very good addition to their entertainment.”
The Birds of Prey Centre is open six days a week, with live shows most evenings. The shows, around an hour long, focus on the hunting characteristics and habitats of the birds.
Each Tuesday, the birds are given a rest from entertaining and educating the public.
Children under 12 can visit the centre free of charge. Adult tickets are Dh50, while school groups are charged Dh5 per person.
“Kalba is located on one of the major avian flyways,” said Fatima Al Shamsi, director of communications and media at the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (Epaa), which manages the centre. “These are aerial corridors that are used by many birds species to move to the south when it becomes too cold or when their food is getting scarce with the onset of the winter.”
The authority also oversees the Mangrove Al Hafeya Protected Area. It is among the 2,169 Ramsar sites worldwide. The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands.
Al Hafeya is considered to have the oldest mangrove trees in the UAE and has now been cordoned off from the public in an effort to rehabilitate it, said Ahmed Al Ali, director of protected areas.
“It has not been easy to convince people to leave the area alone,” said Mr Al Ali. “We have asked the coastguard to monitor for us all encroachers from the sea while the police help to keep off people on the land, and last year the security council also passed a resolution on a Dh10,000 fine for anyone who harvests anything on the protected area.”
He said so far, 13 people have been fined.
John Pereira, a researcher at the site, said the ecological functions of the area need to be allowed to make a significant recovery before the area could accommodate visitors. Improvements so far have resulted in increased fish species, and with them more fishing birds are coming to the area.
Currently the area has 321 bird species.
Mr Pereira said Sheikh Sultan has released five gazelles into the area and researchers were observing how well they were coping with life in the wild.
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Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
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Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
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.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Long Shot
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan
Four stars
SPECS
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if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
MATCH INFO
Tottenham 4 (Alli 51', Kane 50', 77'. Aurier 73')
Olympiakos 2 (El-Arabi 06', Semedo')
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
The%20Specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company%20Profile
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5