Over 400 arts & culture enthusiasts including Emiratis, Arabs, Europeans, Africans, South East Asians and Indians witnessed a magical summer recital of Indian classical dance by Dubai-based performing arts & music academy NANDA by ISWARYA during 4th edition NANDA GOKULA on June 22, 2024, at the Horizon International School in Dubai, UAE. The recital was held under the theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family), with over 50 UAE-based dancers representing 10+ Indian states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal & New Delhi performing much-celebrated dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam and semi-classical.
Choreographed by Founder of NANDAGuru Smt Iswarya Bharadwaj, a young pregnant mother and a celebrated Indian classical dancer who gave up her corporate life to fully focus on performing arts, and preceded by Chief Guests Prof Peter Barlow, Executive Director of Sharjah Performing Arts Academy and Shri Jitendra Vaidya, President of Indian People’s Forum (IPF UAE), the recital was supported by IPF UAE, Karnataka Sangha Dubai, Trescon, Precision Metals, SR Group of Companies, Lucky Star Computers, Minds Ahead Academy, AutoSure and SAR Events.
Speaking on the occasion, Smt Iswarya who performed in over 500 stages in countries like UAE, India, UK and USA, and a recipient of over 50 national and international awards including prestigious titles like Kalathilakam & Nritya Chaithanya, said “I’m truly blessed to be raised in an inclusive, tolerant & cooperative country like UAE which has allowed me to spread Indian classical dance forms across various Emirates. Since 2017, I have hosted several mesmerizing recitals & NANDA GOKULA2024 is my most favourite as we showcased concepts never seen before and celebrated several cultures, all through the lens of Indian classical dance. My dream is to perform for my the Prime Ministers of UAE HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum & India Shri Narendra Modi one day.”
Several cultural and community heads were felicitated during the recital including social service champion Smt Uma Shankri, cultural stalwart Smt Shilpa Nair, Karnataka Sangha Dubai President Shri Shashidhar Nagarajappa, Founder of Indian Women Dubai Smt Reema Mahajan, Trescon’s Chairman Shri Mohammed Saleem and CEO Shri Naveen Bharadwaj.
Dubai-based NANDA by ISWARYA is a dream project of Guru Smt Iswarya Bharadwaj to celebrate Indian classical performing arts & music all across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Launched in 2017, NANDA has trained over 250 students of varied races and ages.
NANDA primarily focuses on creating awareness, teaching, performing, collaborating and choreographing Indian classical dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam and Kerala Nadanam, and is introducing Indian classical Carnatic music too.
In addition to cultural & community events, NANDA has performed in various business events like Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) and in the audience of dignitaries like UAE’s Former Minister of State for Tolerance Her Highness Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi and Indian musical maestro A R Rahman.
Guru Smt Iswarya Bharadwaj
Founder & Director
NANDA by Iswarya Performing Arts & Music Festivals
Through their shared efforts in advancing innovative educational practices and reading materials, Kalimat Group and Reggio Children – Italy have solidified their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This collaboration marks a milestone after six years of successful cooperation, setting the stage for enhanced educational initiatives and mutual growth to the betterment of children in their respective regions and beyond.
Reggio Children promotes, gives value and defends the wealth of knowledge developed, in more than 65 years, by the infant toddler centres and preschools of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy. This experience is known as the Reggio Emilia Approach®
A commitment to excellence in education and publications
The MoU outlines a commitment from Kalimat Group to organise seminars, exhibitions as well as ateliers (workshops) in collaboration with the educational centre based in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Furthermore, the agreement includes the translation, publication, or distribution of at least five Reggio Children publications, all under the supportive guidance of the Italian institution.
The collaboration between the entities from Sharjah and Italy represents another momentous step forward in their shared mission to revolutionise education through cross-cultural partnerships and innovation. By publishing quality material and creating highly effective learning experiences, Kalimat Group and Reggio Children aim to empower children and educators to reach their full potential.
A long-standing and successful partnership
This agreement is another benchmark in their long-standing and successful partnership, and aligns with the vision of Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of the Kalimat Group, who has been instrumental in fostering numerous joint projects, research initiatives, and educational programs aimed at enriching the learning experiences of children and educators.
The ‘Horouf Reggio Conference’ held in Sharjah in 2018 serves as a prime example of their fruitful collaboration. Organised by Horouf, a subsidiary of Kalimat Group, in collaboration with Reggio Children, the conference brought together teachers and education experts highlighting the ‘Reggio Emilia Approach’ to education which emphasises children’s mental development through language and self-expression.
The MoU reinforces a continual dedication of the two entities to enhancing learning experiences for children and educators, and furthering their mutual goals of promoting quality publications, innovative educational practices and research.
DUBAI, 24th June, 2024 (WAM) — flydubai on Monday announced the launch of flights to Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan starting from 1st July 2024.
Flights to Islamabad International Airport (ISB) and Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE) will operate daily from Terminal 2 at Dubai International (DXB).
Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said, “Pakistan has long been an important market for flydubai. Since 2010 when we first started operations to the market, we have seen sustained demand for travel and with the start of our daily services to Islamabad and Lahore, we look forward to offering passengers more opportunities to explore Dubai, the GCC region and beyond on the flydubai network.”
flydubai first started operating flights to Pakistan in 2010 with the launch of flights to Karachi. In addition to Islamabad and Lahore, the carrier also serves flights to Faisalabad, Karachi, Multan, Quetta and Sialkot.
As Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad is well-known for its delightful combination of modernity and natural beauty and features plenty of museums and beautiful parks that visitors can explore.
Commenting on the launch of flights, Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent) at flydubai, said, “flydubai’s new daily services to Islamabad and Lahore will offer our customers from the UAE and Pakistan with more convenient and reliable options for travel. As our flights will be operated by our fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, we are confident that passengers will enjoy an enhanced travel experience with our onboard product.”
MANAMA, 20th June, 2024 (WAM) — The UAE contributed 10 percent of Bahrain’s foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks, taking the third place, according to the latest figures.
A statement issued by Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB), said Bahrain has secured a record US$6.8 billion FDI inflows in 2023, according to the latest World Investment Report (WIR 2024) by the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Marking one of the highest ratios in the world, Bahrain’s FDI stocks relative to GDP stood at 99.7 percent as of the end of 2023, a figure significantly higher than the global average of 46.9 percent.
According to Bahrain’s Information & eGovernment Authority, the top countries contributing to Bahrain’s FDI stocks as part of a diverse portfolio include Kuwait (36 percent), Saudi Arabia (23 percent) and the UAE (10 percent).
The figure tops the previous record set in 2022, marking a huge increase of 148 percent from US$2.8 billion. This contributed to the growth of cumulative inward FDI stocks, which climbed from US$36.2 billion in 2022 to US$43.1 billion in 2023.
Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development and Chief Executive of Bahrain EDB, said, “The milestone FDI inflows attracted in 2023 reflects the strength of Bahrain’s value proposition and continued standing as a trusted destination of choice for regional and global investors seeking best value operating costs in a strategic location that serves as an ideal gateway to the region and beyond.”
GENEVA, 20th June, 2024 (WAM) – The UAE took the second place after the United States in greenfield FDI project announcements in 2023 at 1,323, an increase of 33 percent compared with 2022, according to the World Investment Report 2024, published today by the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
In terms of FDI inflows in 2023, the UAE attracted US$ 30.688 billion compared to US$ 22.737 billion in 2022, a y-o-y growth of 35 percent.
The UNCTAD report showed that FDI outflows stood at US$ 22.328 billion compared to US$ 24.833 billion in 2022.
FDI outflow stock grew to US$ 262.208 billion in 2023 from US$ 239.880 billion in 2022.
The United Arab Emirates gained two places in the ranking of top destinations for greenfield projects, after entering the top five in 2022.
ABU DHABI, 19th June, 2024 (WAM) – President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received several phone calls today exchanging congratulations on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.
The calls were received from His Excellency Bashar Al-Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic; His Excellency Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; and His Eminence Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.
His Highness exchanged greetings and best wishes with Their Excellencies and His Eminence, praying that God grants prosperity and wellbeing to their countries and peoples, and peace, security, and prosperity to all Arab and Muslim nations and the world.
ABU DHABI, 17th June, 2024 (WAM) — President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Guðni Jóhannesson of Iceland on the occasion of his country’s National Day.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, sent similar messages to President Jóhannesson, and to the Icelandic Prime Minister, Bjarni Benediktsson.
Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi met HE. Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation
Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Pakistan’s Envoy to United Arab Emirates held a meeting with HE. Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) in Dubai.
Ambassador Tirmizi conveyed regards and gratitude on behalf of Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Chaudhry Salik Hussain to HE. Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar.
The meeting focussed on issues of mutual interests especially those pertaining to Pakistani diaspora working in multiple sectors in UAE. Ambassador Tirmizi lauded and thanked the leadership of UAE for reposing great trust in Pakistan as a brotherly and friendly country. He appreciated the government and people of UAE for hosting about 1.7 million Pakistanis who are supporting their families and country by sending remittances back home.
Both sides underlined the significant role played by Pakistanis in the development of UAE and the tremendous potential and opportunities for further enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields. In view to facilitate Pakistanis seeking jobs in UAE, the meeting focussed on enhancing mutual collaboration aiming efficiency in visas processing, screening, documents attestation, etc.
Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation offered all possible assistance in streamlining the visas aligned services, especially sharing the best technological practices minimizing human interactions and ensuring transparency. He said that Pakistanis will continue to play their role in the progress of UAE and both sides will work together to mitigate the challenges, if any.
Ambassador Tirmizi also discussed health insurance for Pakistani workers, and it was agreed that both sides will work closely to address related issues and encourage workers to opt for health insurance schemes.
The meeting was also attended by senior officials from both sides.
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today introduced Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant. Apple Intelligence is deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. It harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. With Private Cloud Compute, Apple sets a new standard for privacy in AI, with the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing and larger, server-based models that run on dedicated Apple silicon servers.
“We’re thrilled to introduce a new chapter in Apple innovation. Apple Intelligence will transform what users can do with our products — and what our products can do for our users,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Our unique approach combines generative AI with a user’s personal context to deliver truly helpful intelligence. And it can access that information in a completely private and secure way to help users do the things that matter most to them. This is AI as only Apple can deliver it, and we can’t wait for users to experience what it can do.”
New Capabilities for Understanding and Creating Language
Apple Intelligence unlocks new ways for users to enhance their writing and communicate more effectively. With brand-new systemwide Writing Tools built into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarize text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.
Whether tidying up class notes, ensuring a blog post reads just right, or making sure an email is perfectly crafted, Writing Tools help users feel more confident in their writing. With Rewrite, Apple Intelligence allows users to choose from different versions of what they have written, adjusting the tone to suit the audience and task at hand. From finessing a cover letter, to adding humor and creativity to a party invitation, Rewrite helps deliver the right words to meet the occasion. Proofread checks grammar, word choice, and sentence structure while also suggesting edits — along with explanations of the edits — that users can review or quickly accept. With Summarize, users can select text and have it recapped in the form of a digestible paragraph, bulleted key points, a table, or a list.
In Mail, staying on top of emails has never been easier. With Priority Messages, a new section at the top of the inbox shows the most urgent emails, like a same-day dinner invitation or boarding pass. Across a user’s inbox, instead of previewing the first few lines of each email, they can see summaries without needing to open a message. For long threads, users can view pertinent details with just a tap. Smart Reply provides suggestions for a quick response, and will identify questions in an email to ensure everything is answered.
Deep understanding of language also extends to Notifications. Priority Notifications appear at the top of the stack to surface what’s most important, and summaries help users scan long or stacked notifications to show key details right on the Lock Screen, such as when a group chat is particularly active. And to help users stay present in what they’re doing, Reduce Interruptions is a new Focus that surfaces only the notifications that might need immediate attention, like a text about an early pickup from daycare.
In the Notes and Phone apps, users can now record, transcribe, and summarize audio. When a recording is initiated while on a call, participants are automatically notified, and once the call ends, Apple Intelligence generates a summary to help recall key points.
Image Playground Makes Communication and Self‑Expression Even More Fun
Apple Intelligence powers exciting image creation capabilities to help users communicate and express themselves in new ways. With Image Playground, users can create fun images in seconds, choosing from three styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Image Playground is easy to use and built right into apps including Messages. It’s also available in a dedicated app, perfect for experimenting with different concepts and styles. All images are created on device, giving users the freedom to experiment with as many images as they want.
With Image Playground, users can choose from a range of concepts from categories like themes, costumes, accessories, and places; type a description to define an image; choose someone from their personal photo library to include in their image; and pick their favorite style.
Pause playback of video: Image Playground Creation
With Image Playground, users can choose from a range of concepts from categories like themes, costumes, accessories, and places.
With the Image Playground experience in Messages, users can quickly create fun images for their friends, and even see personalized suggested concepts related to their conversations. For example, if a user is messaging a group about going hiking, they’ll see suggested concepts related to their friends, their destination, and their activity, making image creation even faster and more relevant.
In Notes, users can access Image Playground through the new Image Wand in the Apple Pencil tool palette, making notes more visually engaging. Rough sketches can be turned into delightful images, and users can even select empty space to create an image using context from the surrounding area. Image Playground is also available in apps like Keynote, Freeform, and Pages, as well as in third-party apps that adopt the new Image Playground API.
Pause playback of video: Image Wand in the Notes App
With Image Wand in the Apple Pencil tool palette, users can select empty space to create an image using context from the surrounding area.
Genmoji Creation to Fit Any Moment
Taking emoji to an entirely new level, users can create an original Genmoji to express themselves. By simply typing a description, their Genmoji appears, along with additional options. Users can even create Genmoji of friends and family based on their photos. Just like emoji, Genmoji can be added inline to messages, or shared as a sticker or reaction in a Tapback.
Searching for photos and videos becomes even more convenient with Apple Intelligence. Natural language can be used to search for specific photos, such as “Maya skateboarding in a tie-dye shirt,” or “Katie with stickers on her face.” Search in videos also becomes more powerful with the ability to find specific moments in clips so users can go right to the relevant segment. Additionally, the new Clean Up tool can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo — without accidentally altering the subject.
Pause playback of video: Photos Clean Up Tool
The new Clean Up tool in Photos can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo — without accidentally altering the subject.
With Memories, users can create the story they want to see by simply typing a description. Using language and image understanding, Apple Intelligence will pick out the best photos and videos based on the description, craft a storyline with chapters based on themes identified from the photos, and arrange them into a movie with its own narrative arc. Users will even get song suggestions to match their memory from Apple Music. As with all Apple Intelligence features, user photos and videos are kept private on device and are not shared with Apple or anyone else.
Siri Enters a New Era
Powered by Apple Intelligence, Siri becomes more deeply integrated into the system experience. With richer language-understanding capabilities, Siri is more natural, more contextually relevant, and more personal, with the ability to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. It can follow along if users stumble over words and maintain context from one request to the next. Additionally, users can type to Siri, and switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way feels right for the moment. Siri also has a brand-new design with an elegant glowing light that wraps around the edge of the screen when Siri is active.
Siri can now give users device support everywhere they go, and answer thousands of questions about how to do something on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Users can learn everything from how to schedule an email in the Mail app, to how to switch from Light to Dark Mode.
With onscreen awareness, Siri will be able to understand and take action with users’ content in more apps over time. For example, if a friend texts a user their new address in Messages, the receiver can say, “Add this address to his contact card.”
Pause playback of video: Siri Adding an Address to Contact Card
With onscreen awareness, Siri makes it easy to perform an action related to information on the screen, such as adding an address received in Messages to a friend’s contact card.
With Apple Intelligence, Siri will be able to take hundreds of new actions in and across Apple and third-party apps. For example, a user could say, “Bring up that article about cicadas from my Reading List,” or “Send the photos from the barbecue on Saturday to Malia,” and Siri will take care of it.
Siri will be able to deliver intelligence that’s tailored to the user and their on-device information. For example, a user can say, “Play that podcast that Jamie recommended,” and Siri will locate and play the episode, without the user having to remember whether it was mentioned in a text or an email. Or they could ask, “When is Mom’s flight landing?” and Siri will find the flight details and cross-reference them with real-time flight tracking to give an arrival time.
Pause playback of video: Siri Intelligence Based on On-Device Information
Siri is able to deliver intelligence that’s tailored to the user and their on-device information, like locating details on an upcoming flight or keeping track of a dinner reservation.
A New Standard for Privacy in AI
To be truly helpful, Apple Intelligence relies on understanding deep personal context while also protecting user privacy. A cornerstone of Apple Intelligence is on-device processing, and many of the models that power it run entirely on device. To run more complex requests that require more processing power, Private Cloud Compute extends the privacy and security of Apple devices into the cloud to unlock even more intelligence.
With Private Cloud Compute, Apple Intelligence can flex and scale its computational capacity and draw on larger, server-based models for more complex requests. These models run on servers powered by Apple silicon, providing a foundation that allows Apple to ensure that data is never retained or exposed.
Independent experts can inspect the code that runs on Apple silicon servers to verify privacy, and Private Cloud Compute cryptographically ensures that iPhone, iPad, and Mac do not talk to a server unless its software has been publicly logged for inspection. Apple Intelligence with Private Cloud Compute sets a new standard for privacy in AI, unlocking intelligence users can trust.
ChatGPT Gets Integrated Across Apple Platforms
Apple is integrating ChatGPT access into experiences within iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, allowing users to access its expertise — as well as its image- and document-understanding capabilities — without needing to jump between tools.
Siri can tap into ChatGPT’s expertise when helpful. Users are asked before any questions are sent to ChatGPT, along with any documents or photos, and Siri then presents the answer directly.
Additionally, ChatGPT will be available in Apple’s systemwide Writing Tools, which help users generate content for anything they are writing about. With Compose, users can also access ChatGPT image tools to generate images in a wide variety of styles to complement what they are writing.
Privacy protections are built in for users who access ChatGPT — their IP addresses are obscured, and OpenAI won’t store requests. ChatGPT’s data-use policies apply for users who choose to connect their account.
ChatGPT will come to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia later this year, powered by GPT-4o. Users can access it for free without creating an account, and ChatGPT subscribers can connect their accounts and access paid features right from these experiences.
Availability
Apple Intelligence is free for users, and will be available in beta as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia this fall in U.S. English. Some features, software platforms, and additional languages will come over the course of the next year. Apple Intelligence will be available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English. For more information, visit apple.com/apple-intelligence.
