Donning their tactical vests, large airguns and magazine holders, the UAE's Airsoft hobbyists head to Sharjah Paintball Park each weekend, preparing for battle.
Airsoft is a team-based shooting game where players eliminate their opposition by tagging them with plastic projectiles shot from low-power weapons.
It first became popular in Japan, where it is also known as survival games, and is similar to paintball, but doesn't leave players splattered with blobs of paint (although small bruises are not uncommon).
The hits are less obvious, and so much of the gameplay relies on an honour system in which participants are honest about being caught out. Players also live by the rule of avoiding shooting at people's heads.
Sharjah Paintball Park is one of the biggest Airsoft sites in the Middle East, with four dedicated outdoor fields able to accommodate up to 200 players in a session (maximum of 20 in a team).
The areas feature various hideaways, such as bridges, cars, underground tunnels, towers, trenches and even the skeleton of a helicopter, all of which give players ample cover and adds to the realistic nature of the games.
One of the activities played during the Weekend Warrior Airsoft Games, which The National's photographer Victor Besa attended last month, was Capture the Flag. Here, players are divided into two groups. One group attacks, while the other defends the flag. The attacking side has to capture the flag, which is placed in an open area, while the defending team has to protect it at all costs. If the flag is taken by the attacking side, it has to be taken back to their base safely for the win.
Scroll through the photo gallery above to see more of the Weekend Warrior Airsoft Games
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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