Sharjah’s year as Unesco World Book Capital 2019 has a number of exciting literary events to look forward to.
Desert Theatre Festival
When: Thursday, December 12 to Monday, December 16
Where: Al Kaheef
Using the desert as backdrop and inspiration, this festival celebrates the many forms of theatre in the Arab world and features seminars, art exhibitions and plenty of performances. Events will be held in the evening under the stars.
Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival
When: Sunday, January 5, 2020, to Friday, January 10
Where: Cultural Palace
Poets from the region will perform and take part in seminars at this annual event. Old and new will collide, as local poetic traditions are celebrated in a variety and the next generation of literary wizards are given a platform to express themselves.
The Used Book Fair
When: Wednesday, February 26, 2020, to Sunday, March 1
Where: Al Nakheel Park, Khalid Lagoon Corniche
There are few things better than finding a gem of a second-hand book at a pinch of the original price. With books ranging from Dh2 to Dh200, this fair is the perfect place to fill your arms with paperbacks, which you may not read but will look good on your bookshelf.
Exhibition: Hans Christian Andersen
When: February 26, 2020, to Saturday, April 25
Where: Sharjah Art Museum
The Danish writer responsible for some of the world’s best-known fairy tales is being celebrated in this exhibition, which will feature paintings and original texts.
Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial
When: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, to Friday, May 1
Where: Calligraphy Arena
Artists showcase their talents and inspire young hopefuls to pick up a pen via a series of workshops and exhibitions. There will also be seminars on the history of Arabic calligraphy.
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Read more:
[ How Sharjah became the go-to destination for publishers and readers ]
[ What to expect from Hay Festival Abu Dhabi: 'We put up tents in Wales, here we get palaces' ]
[ Is it any good? A round up of the early reviews of Margaret Atwood's 'The Testaments' ]
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Company profile
Company name: Ogram
Started: 2017
Founders: Karim Kouatly and Shafiq Khartabil
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: On-demand staffing
Number of employees: 50
Funding: More than $4 million
Funding round: Series A
Investors: Global Ventures, Aditum and Oraseya Capital
UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
The Killer
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell
Rating: 4/5
FULL FIGHT CARD
Featherweight Bout:
Abdullah Al Qahtani v Taha Bendaoud
Bantamweight Bout:
Ali Taleb v Nawras Abzakh
Bantamweight Bout:
Xavier Alaoui v Rachid El Hazoume
Featherweight Bout:
Islam Reda v Adam Meskini
Bantamweight Bout:
Tariq Ismail v Jalal Al Daaja
Bantamweight Bout:
Elias Boudegzdame v Hassan Mandour
Amateur Female Atomweight Bout:
Hattan Al Saif v Nada Faheem
Featherweight Bout:
Maraoune Bellagouit v Motaz Askar
Featherweight Bout:
Ahmed Tarek v Abdelrahman Alhyasat
Showcase Featherweight Bout:
Mido Mohamed v Yazeed Hasanain
Showcase Flyweight Bout:
Malik Basahel v Harsh Pandya
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zodi & Tehu: Princes Of The Desert
Director: Eric Barbier
Starring: Youssef Hajdi, Nadia Benzakour, Yasser Drief
Rating: 4/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
