Saudi Arabia Celebrates Eid Al-Fitr with Theater Shows

 A picture taken on March 21, 2016 shows employees working at the main hall of the Saudi Cultural Center in Dammam, some 400 km eastern of the capital Riyadh. 
 (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on March 21, 2016 shows employees working at the main hall of the Saudi Cultural Center in Dammam, some 400 km eastern of the capital Riyadh. (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
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Saudi Arabia Celebrates Eid Al-Fitr with Theater Shows

 A picture taken on March 21, 2016 shows employees working at the main hall of the Saudi Cultural Center in Dammam, some 400 km eastern of the capital Riyadh. 
 (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on March 21, 2016 shows employees working at the main hall of the Saudi Cultural Center in Dammam, some 400 km eastern of the capital Riyadh. (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

The special theater shows enlisted in the Eid Al-Fitr Celebrations Program 2022 organized by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) in Riyadh kicked off on Wednesday. The program, launched in Jeddah, Dammam, and Abha, includes comedy and dramatic performances.

The three-day program started on Wednesday with the ‘Big Night’ play at Riyadh’s Baker Al Shidi Stage, in Boulevard Riyadh City, starred by Mohammed Abdul Rahman Touta, Nicole Saba, Mahmoud Abdul Ghani, Mohamoud al-Laithi, and Mirhan Hassan.

The play revolves around a couple who got married after 19 years of engagement. On their wedding night, the media and TV channels invade their house after they discover that an archaeological route passes by their bedroom. Then, the ministry of antiquities hires security guards to protect the bedroom and the route.

Jeddah hosted the play ‘Ellembi in Age of Ignorance’ at the Cultural Club Theater. Starred by Mohammed Saad, Sami Maghawri, and Dina Mohsen, the play tells the story of Ellembi, who struggles to marry Princess Karawana. After she rejects him, he resorts to magic, which turns his life upside down in a comic performance full of funny scenes.

In Damam, the Theater of Al-Asala Colleges hosted the ‘Halalhom, Dalalhom’ play starred by Ahmed al-Onan, Zahra Arafat, Ahmed Iraj, Fahad al-Binai, Mohammad Ramadan, Iman al-Husseini, Abdullah al-Badr, Wahid Abdullah, and Amer al-Kaabi. The play revolves around a family of four siblings, 3 boys and a girl, living in the house of their grandfather who raised them. The characters face neglect and carelessness, which deteriorates their social and mental state.

The King Khalid University Theater, Abha, hosted the ‘Tar Bileija’ play starred by Rashed al-Shamrani, Abdullah Asiri, Aziz Bahis, Nadia Ghazi, Motaab al-Maliki, and Abdullah Nayef. It discusses the life of celebrities in a sarcastic style and sheds light on a number of causes and personal practices among those who gained fame by coincidence.

The four plays ran from 9:00 pm until after midnight, over three days and ended on Friday.

As part of the Eid Al-Fitr Celebrations Program 2022, the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) organized diverse activities including virtual platforms aimed at promoting social interaction among all categories to enhance happiness, bring more joy, and celebrate Eid Al Fitr.



Shrouded in Smog, Delhi Pollution Reading Is the Highest This Year

Thick smog engulfs the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi on November 18, 2024. (AFP)
Thick smog engulfs the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi on November 18, 2024. (AFP)
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Shrouded in Smog, Delhi Pollution Reading Is the Highest This Year

Thick smog engulfs the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi on November 18, 2024. (AFP)
Thick smog engulfs the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi on November 18, 2024. (AFP)

A thick blanket of toxic smog engulfed most parts of northern India on Monday and readings of air quality in the capital New Delhi hit their highest this year after dense fog overnight.

The smog, a toxic blend of smoke and fog, happens each year in winter as cold air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from illegal farm fires in some surrounding states.

Visibility dropped to 100 m (109 yards) in Delhi and Chandigarh, a city northwest of the capital, but authorities said flights and trains continued to operate with some delays.

India's pollution control authority said the national capital territory's 24-hour air quality index (AQI) reading was at 484, classified as "severe plus", the highest this year.

According to Swiss group IQAir's live rankings, New Delhi was the most polluted city in the world with the air quality at a "hazardous" 1,081 and the concentration of PM2.5 - particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can be carried into lungs, causing deadly diseases and cardiac issues - was 130.9 times the World Health Organisation's recommended levels.

Experts say the scores vary because of a difference in the scale countries adopt to convert pollutant concentrations into AQI, and so the same quantity of a specific pollutant may be translated as different AQI scores in different countries.

Delhi authorities directed all schools to move classes online and tightened restrictions on construction activities and vehicle movements, citing unfavourable meteorological conditions and low wind speed.

Farm fires - where stubble left after harvesting rice is burnt to clear fields - have contributed as much as 40% of the pollution in Delhi, SAFAR, a weather forecasting agency under the ministry of earth sciences has said.

Satellites detected 1,334 such events in six states on Sunday, the most in the last four days, according to India's Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space.

Despite the polluted air, many residents continued their daily routines. Many buildings were barely visible, including Delhi's iconic India Gate.

"Morning walk usually feels good, but now the air is polluted and we're forced to wear a mask... There is a burning sensation in the eyes and slight difficulty in breathing," Akshay Pathak, a resident of the city told the ANI news agency, in which Reuters has a minority stake.

India's weather department has forecast "dense to very dense fog" for the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan for Monday.