Category: Entertainment

From Krishnan Nayar NEW DELHI, The UAE Ambassador to India, Dr. Ahmed Al Banna, today expressed confidence that “there will be a strong number of visitors from India to Expo 2020 Dubai.”

Speaking at a media briefing to launch a major public awareness campaign about the world exposition opening in Dubai in a fortnight, Dr. Al Banna said there has been a strong commitment from the leadership in India to the success of Expo 2020 Dubai.

He attributed this to the “geographical proximity between the UAE and India, their closeness and the special relationship” enjoyed by the two countries. EXPO 2020 Dubai has been one of the key points in recent conversations between Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and other prominent Indians with leaders and officials in the UAE.

The Ambassador said visits from India to the six-month-long mega event are expected to be very high “especially now that we have eased the procedures for entering the UAE and there is a different protocol that we apply for COVID-19.”

Dr. Al Banna stressed the importance of collaboration between the UAE and India in emerging sectors such as information technology, education and healthcare in terms of shaping the future of the young generation in both countries. Such cooperation will be critical in creating the right workforce after the pandemic abates.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ASHGABAT, The UAE Embassy in Ashagabat, Turkmenistan held a virtual discussion session entitled, “The UAE welcomes everyone to Expo 2020 Dubai,” which was attended by local business leaders.

The event highlighted the UAE’s readiness to host the global event and the opportunities it will create for international businesses.

The session was chaired by Ahmed Alhay Alhameli, UAE Ambassador to Turkmenistan, who explained the country’s efforts to complete preparations for the Expo, which will be held for the first time in the Middle East, North Africa and South-Asia.

He also showed recent photos of the Expo venue and the pavilions of participating countries, including the pavilion of Turkmenistan, whose design highlights the country’s heritage, history and development.

Participants at the event then watched a video showcasing the Expo’s infrastructure.

Alhameli thanked the government of Turkmenistan for participating and supporting the event and invited everyone to visit the UAE and Dubai to take part in the Expo.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE (C4IR UAE), managed by Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has named LuxAI winner of its Smart Toys Competition, which aims to solve learning and societal integration challenges faced by children of determination.

The Luxemburg-based company captured the jury’s attention with its QTrobot, an expressive humanoid social robot for children with special needs and autism.

The winner is to receive support from DFF and Abu Dhabi’s Early Childhood Authority (ECA) in developing their toy concepts and prototypes, and piloting them with relevant UAE-based entities.

Launched earlier in 2021 in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), ECA and the National Programme for Artificial Intelligence, the competition invites local and global SMEs that design smart toys powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to compete across four categories; namely Health and Nutrition, Family Support, Child Protection, and Early Care and Education.

The top three winners, which include SmartLife Robotics and Amaisys Technologies S.L.U., were chosen out of 30 applicants globally by an international panel of expert judges, comprising representatives of WEF, the National Programme for Artificial Intelligence, ECA, Dubai Future Accelerators and C4IR UAE.

On this occasion, Professor Klaus Schwab, WEF Founder and Executive Chairman, said, “AI-powered toys have tremendous potential benefits for children’s learning, play, and growth; the World Economic Forum, launched the Generation AI project that focuses on responsible and innovative AI for children and youth. We believe that smart toys should be designed ethically and responsibly to protect, educate, and empower children.

“With the rapid pace of technological change around the world, even toys are quickly changing. Artificial intelligence is transforming the world and also transforming children’s toys and childhood itself.”

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, emphasised the role of the Smart Toy Competition to encourage innovation in AI, which will enhance efforts to design solutions that empower, engage children of determination and help them reach their developmental goals.

Belhoul said, “The competition provides an ideal platform for building synergies with innovators and creators, especially AI solution developers, with the aim of designing the future, promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, facilitating knowledge transfer and leveraging future tools to develop effective solutions to the challenges facing vital sectors, such as education, health and community inclusion.”

For her part, ECA Director-General Sana Mohamed Suhail praised the noteworthy efforts of DFF and the UAE Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution to identify and empower companies working on enhancing children’s wellbeing, specifically children of determination.

She also touched on the importance of promoting collaborations with unique interventions working at the intersection of early childhood development and safe technology, noting that these efforts can enhance access to innovative tools and practices, enriching the developmental journeys for the children of Abu Dhabi and transforming people’s way of thinking to the needs of young children and address them.

The Polish start-up; SmartLife Robotics, specialises in building AI-powered robots and toys that boost children’s cognitive development, presented KODI 2.0, a robotic teacher’s assistant that could perform various tasks autonomously and teach children in a home environment.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Through its participation at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021, the leading global event for the travel and tourism industry, via the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) pavilion, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) is continuing its role in enhancing Dubai’s position as a global hub for culture and creativity, and supporting the culture and arts sector in the emirate, by shedding light on the emirate’s key cultural and artistic attractions.

As part of its participation in ATM 2021, which will take place physically from 16th – 19th May, Dubai Culture is highlighting Etihad Museum, a national edifice and distinctive tourist landmark that carries the history of a nation and inspires visitors through the story of the founding of the UAE. The Authority will also highlight Al Shindagha Museum and its details that navigate the depth of the Emirati heritage, enhance the national identity, and provide its visitors with a journey into a beautiful past that bears the fingerprints of our forefathers.

In line with COVID-19 precautionary and preventive measures, Dubai Culture bringing attention to this pioneering cultural site via a QR code that would enable the public to navigate its details digitally.

Dubai Culture will also celebrate the success stories of local artists, whether citizens or residents, to support them and attract international artists and art leaders to benefit from the opportunities for growth and prosperity offered by the city.

Muna Faisal Algurg, Director of the Museums Department and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Culture & Heritage Sector, said, “Our museums and heritage sites are beacons of knowledge that play a pivotal role in providing cultural experiences and places for dialogue for the public. These sites are witnesses of the past and echo Dubai Culture’s mandate of safeguarding our cultural heritage for generations to come. We seek to promote cultural tourism to Dubai through our varied offerings within the museum sector and increasing accessibility to the distinctive heritage site across the emirate.”

The Authority is also contributing to the VIP Majlis corner at ATM, in which selected artworks by Emirati and residing artists will be curated and exhibited, including a series of the best photographs that participated in the Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA), in addition to a sculpture by Jamal Bin Habroosh Alsuwaidi, and art pieces by Ahmed Alenzi, and Abdul Qader Al Rais, in support of artists and to promote their work to visitors from around the world. This contributes to strengthening Dubai’s position as a global city that embraces the arts and preserves its precious heritage.

In addition, Dubai Culture is participating in a series of seminars and meetings in the virtual version of the exhibition held from 23rd – 25th May, which will offer a constructive dialogue under the theme ‘A new dawn for travel.’

Source: Emirates News Agency