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Sharjah Xposure Festival Concludes with Participation of 400 Photographers

The fifth edition of the International Festival of Photography (Xposure) concludes on Saturday. (Xposure)
The fifth edition of the International Festival of Photography (Xposure) concludes on Saturday. (Xposure)
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Sharjah Xposure Festival Concludes with Participation of 400 Photographers

The fifth edition of the International Festival of Photography (Xposure) concludes on Saturday. (Xposure)
The fifth edition of the International Festival of Photography (Xposure) concludes on Saturday. (Xposure)

The fifth edition of the International Festival of Photography (Xposure) concludes on Saturday. On display were more than 1,558 photos submitted by 400 photographers from Arab countries and beyond who captured diverse moments, experiences and aesthetics of people and landscapes alike worldwide.

This year’s edition saw a visual presentation by three international photographers. One is South African Brent Stirton, who captured with his lens scenes from 100 countries around the world and conveyed details about African cultures, endangered animal species and the dangers surrounding wildlife.

American Elia Locardi is another one of the stellar names in the field of photography to take part. Throughout his travels to 65 countries, he has captured countless distinct moments in his lens. His work has won him many awards and nominations.

The third, British photographer Giles Duley, is known for documenting conflicts and wars around the world. During the event, he spoke about his photography journey, starting from his work as a fashion photographer to working on battlefields, which led to him losing both legs and an arm after stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan.

Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, said: “The organization of the International Festival of Photography honors every photographer who carries his camera to document an event, so that his image becomes the event itself. Every picture has a noble end.”

He added: “We wanted to say, through the images that were on display from everywhere, that we are bound by hope, and are confident of humankind's ability to overcome unprecedented challenges. When I saw the pictures, I felt as if they were saying that there's still beauty, splendor and life in the world.”

The festival included 54 exhibitions, 21 discussion sessions, 14 workshops presented by seven renowned international photographers, ten panel discussions and 14 technical evaluation sessions. The festival was held this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic with safety and prevention measures in place.

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Soviet-era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth after 53 Years Stuck in Orbit

FILE - This photo provided by researcher Jane Greaves shows the planet Venus, seen from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akatsuki probe in May 2016. (J. Greaves/Cardiff University/JAXA via AP)
FILE - This photo provided by researcher Jane Greaves shows the planet Venus, seen from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akatsuki probe in May 2016. (J. Greaves/Cardiff University/JAXA via AP)
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Soviet-era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth after 53 Years Stuck in Orbit

FILE - This photo provided by researcher Jane Greaves shows the planet Venus, seen from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akatsuki probe in May 2016. (J. Greaves/Cardiff University/JAXA via AP)
FILE - This photo provided by researcher Jane Greaves shows the planet Venus, seen from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akatsuki probe in May 2016. (J. Greaves/Cardiff University/JAXA via AP)

A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus.
The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking confirmed its uncontrolled reentry, based on analysis and no-shows of the spacecraft on subsequent orbits. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also indicated that the spacecraft had reentered after it failed to appear over a German radar station.
It was not immediately known where the spacecraft came in or how much, if any, of the half-ton spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said ahead of time that some if not all of it might come crashing down, given it was built to withstand a landing on Venus, the solar system’s hottest planet.
The chances of anyone getting clobbered by spacecraft debris were exceedingly low, scientists said.
Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a rocket malfunction.
Much of the spacecraft came tumbling back to Earth within a decade of the failed launch. No longer able to resist gravity’s tug as its orbit dwindled, the spherical lander — an estimated 3 feet (1 meter) across — was the last part of the spacecraft to come down. The lander was encased in titanium, according to experts, and weighed more than 1,000 pounds (495 kilograms).
After following the spacecraft’s downward spiral, scientists, military experts and others could not pinpoint in advance precisely when or where the spacecraft might come down. Solar activity added to the uncertainty as well as the spacecraft’s deteriorating condition after so long in space.
As of Saturday morning, the US Space Command had yet to confirm the spacecraft's demise as it collected and analyzed data from orbit.
The US Space Command routinely monitors dozens of reentries each month. What set Kosmos 482 apart — and earned it extra attention from government and private space trackers — was that it was more likely to survive reentry, according to officials.
It was also coming in uncontrolled, without any intervention by flight controllers who normally target the Pacific and other vast expanses of water for old satellites and other space debris.