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UAE’s 50th National Day celebrations to focus on ties between people, their homeland

Set against the scenic landscape of Hatta’s dams, lakes, and valleys, the 50th National Day celebrations planned tomorrow (December 2) will include stories of distinguished UAE figures, including women, who shaped the history of the country.

Audiences across the UAE will be able to watch the official celebration live starting 5:30pm on the official website of the UAE National Day and on all local TV channels.

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From the statistics, one can gauge the amount of work went into the preparations of this much-anticipated event with more than 1,400 individuals from 100 nationalities working over 142 days in the run-up to December 2.

Some members of the UAE Golden Jubilee Celebrations Committee revealed new details to the media on Sunday.

Eisa Alsubousi, Head of Communications of the UAE 50th National Day Executive team, began the briefing by introducing the different facets covered in the briefing video. From the celebration’s brand identity and the role of distinguished UAE figures in shaping the history of the UAE to the celebratory music and dance and the captivating features of the official celebration ceremony.
Saeed Al Suwaidi, Head of Research from Bani & Al Culture of the UAE 50th National Day team, said the celebrations will focus on the relationship between the people and their homeland by emphasizing aspects related to the UAE’s agricultural, desert, mountain, and marine environments. He also noted that the show will include stories heard for the first time about some of the distinguished figures, including women, who played a role in shaping the history of the UAE.
On operations, Butti Al Muhairi, Head of Operations of the UAE 50th National Day Executive team, said that preparations for the celebrations in Hatta started more than 142 days ago. More than 1,400 individuals from over 100 nationalities worked for a total of more than one million and 500,000 man hours on site.
By fusing Emirati traditional song with international music, Music Composer, Mohammed Al Ahmed, of the UAE 50th National Day team, said that this year’s celebrations will include orchestral performances and the tribal vocal art of ‘Al-Nadba’ and ‘Al-Ruwah,’ traditionally performed on national and celebratory occasions. He added that the celebrations will also include music from traditional dance performances such as ‘Al-Ayala,’ ‘Al-Harbiya’ and others. The show will also include poetry which will be featured prominently during the festivities signifying its prominent role in UAE culture.

Floating stage

On the artistic direction front, the official celebration is managed by Rawdha Al Qubaisi, Creative Executive Producer and Artistic Directors, Shaikha Al Ketbi and Es Devlin. One of the extraordinary features of the theatrical show is that it will be set on a floating stage in the middle of the Hatta dam amidst the breathtaking landscape using state-of-the-art technology.
The Artistic Directors of the show noted in the briefing that the show will include state-of-the-art techniques that have never been seen before.
One particular technique used this year in the firework display is the use of drones to lift the fireworks higher in the air, thus reducing the use of pyro material and creating a new breathtaking illusion and mesmerizing experience.
The show also uses mid-air projections by utilizing water screens and a large sculpture to bring to the audience a floating theatrical experience, staged in Hatta Dam and surrounded by the Hajar mountains.
Kholoud Sharafi, Brand Designer from Tinkah of the UAE 50th National Day team, spoke about the design journey of creating the brand identity of the UAE National Day.
Sharafi mentioned how she was inspired by archival materials such as postage stamps, television footage, celebratory letters published in newspapers and even street signage and decorations from around the country.
Audiences across the UAE will be able to watch the official celebration live starting 5:30pm on the official website of the UAE National Day and on all local TV channels. The spectacular show is open to the public, starting from December 4ttill December 12, tickets are available on www.UAENationalDay.ae

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France concerned over Armenia ‘territorial integrity’: Macron


France is keeping a close eye on the territorial integrity of Armenia after Azerbaijan’s offensive to take full control of the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday, accusing Baku of “threatening” Armenian borders.

“France is right now very vigilant concerning the territorial integrity of Armenia. Because that’s what’s at stake,” Macron said in a televised interview, adding that Russia was now “complicit” with Baku and Azerbaijan is now “threatening the border of Armenia.”

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France to end military presence, withdraw ambassador from Niger after coup: Macron


French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup.

France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup and refused a request by the new junta for its ambassador to leave. With tensions mounting, Macron said that he told the ousted President Bazoum on Sunday that “France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France. And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities.”

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He noted that France’s military presence in Niger was in response to a request from Niger’s government at the time.

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Deadly armed standoff at Kosovo monastery comes to an ends


At least 30 gunmen killed a Kosovar Albanian police officer then stormed an Orthodox monastery in Kosovo near its border with Serbia, setting off ongoing gunbattles that have left three assailants dead and raised tensions between the two former wartime foes as they seek to normalize ties.

Police have surrounded Banjska, a village located 55 kilometers (35 miles) north of the Kosovo's capital where the monastery is located, and the gunfire is continuing, according to Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who said the attack had support from neighboring Serbia.

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The Kosovo Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church said a temple of the monastery in Banjska was locked down after the gunmen stormed it. A group of pilgrims from Serbia was inside the temple along with an abbot.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was expected to speak later Sunday to “expose Kurti’s lies,” according to pro-government media, apparently referring to Kurti's statement that Serbia backed the attack. It was unclear if the gunmen were Serbs.

Serbia and its former province, Kosovo, have been at odds for decades.

Their 1998-99 war left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly Kosovo Albanians. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 but Belgrade has refused to recognize the move.

Earlier this month, an EU-facilitated meeting in Brussels between Kurti and Vucic to normalize ties ended in acrimony. The United States has supported the negotiations and the EU’s position in trying to resolve the ongoing source of tension in the Balkans.

On Sunday, the Kosovo diocese said a group of masked men in an armored vehicle stormed the monastery, breaking down the locked gate and shooting guns.

“Armed, masked men move around the courtyard and occasional gunshots are heard,” it said.

Earlier on Sunday Prime Minister Kurti said “masked professionals armed with heavy weapons” launched the attack opened fire on a police patrol at about 3 a.m. (01:00 GMT) in Banjska near the monastery.

Three of the assailants were killed and one was arrested. Four ethnic Serbs were arrested in a nearby village with communication equipment. Other weapons and ammunition was found at a location apparently used by the assailants, according to Kosovar police.

One police officer has been killed and two others injured, the last during the armed confrontation, apparently near the monastery at the village, authorities said.

At a news conference Kurti displayed a set of photos which showed a number of four-wheel drive vehicles without license plates and an armored personnel carrier “which does not belong to the Kosovo police” near the monastery.

He described the armed assailants as "an organized professional unit who have come to fight in Kosovo,” calling on them to hand themselves over to Kosovar authorities.

Police said the situation remained tense while “gunfire attacks against police units continue with the same intensity from the moving criminal groupings.”

Kosovo police said the attack began when three police units were dispatched to a bridge at the entrance to the village that had been blocked by trucks. The police officers came under fire from weapons that included hand grenades and bombs and one was killed. The armed men then stormed the monastery.

Kurti called it a “sad day” for Kosovo, identifying the dead police officer as Afrim Bunjaku.

Local roads and two borders crossings into Serbia were closed. Most of Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority lives in four municipalities around Mitrovica, in the north.

“It was a real little war: first some gunfire, then silence, shootings, detonations,” Serbian news agency Kossev quoted an unidentified resident as saying.

Kurti wrote on his Facebook page that “Organized crime, which is politically, financially and logistically supported from Belgrade, is attacking our state.”

The speaker of Serbia’s parliament, Vladimir Orlic, responded that Kurti “was quick to blame the Serbs" but actually was the one who wanted an “escalation.”

“He (Kurti) said it was some kind of organized action by professionals,” Orlic told Serbian TV station Prva. “They must have been identified and he knows who they are and what they are, and everything is clear.”

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned “the hideous attack by an armed gang against Kosovo police officers” and said “all facts about the attack need to be established. The responsible perpetrators must face justice.”

He added that the EU's rule of law mission, or EULEX, had representatives on the ground and in close contact with authorities and the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo.

Borrell talked on phone both with Kurti and Vucic reiterating “his call for the assailants to surrender immediately and the release of the pilgrims at Banjska Monastery, for them to leave safely.”

International police officers from the EU mission and a limited number of Kosovo police have been responsible for enforcing the rule of law in northern Kosovo. Serbia has vehemently protested the presence of the Kosovo Police.

In February, the EU put forward a 10-point plan to end the latest round of heightened tensions between Serbia and Kosovo. Kurti and Vucic gave their approval at the time, but with some reservations that have still not been resolved.

The EU warned both countries that the commitments the leaders made in February “are binding on them and play a role in the European path of the parties” – in other words, Serbia and Kosovo's chances of joining the 27-nation bloc.

The Kosovo-Serbia border is guarded by peacekeepers from the 4,000-strong NATO-led KFOR force, which has been in Kosovo since 1999. In May, tensions in northern Kosovo left 93 peacekeepers hurt in riots.

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