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Saudi Arabia’s GEA to Host 1st Entertainment Forum in Mideast

General Entertainment Authority logo
General Entertainment Authority logo
    Asharq A-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia’s GEA to Host 1st Entertainment Forum in Mideast

General Entertainment Authority logo
General Entertainment Authority logo

The General Entertainment Authority (GEA), in partnership with the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), will organize the International Entertainment Forum on March 5-8, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Considered the first of its kind in the Middle East, the forum will have a number of panel sessions that will bring together international experts in the entertainment industry and will introduce its visitors to the Kingdom’s largest entertainment cities, facilities, and projects, SPA said.

An exhibition will be organized on the sidelines of the forum for local and global companies specialized in show business. The exhibition will provide unique networking opportunities and exchange of expertise for participating international investors.

The forum, where IAAPA will be participating for the first time in the Middle East since its establishment in 2018, also aims at exploring the latest innovations in the entertainment industry and enhancing the performance of relevant initiatives, as well as introducing participants to the business and event success measurement tools and challenge solving mechanisms, SPA said.

A specialized vocational development program, presented by IAAPA’s Institute for Attractions Managers, will be organized during the forum with the aim of exchanging expertise and best practices in the entertainment industry applied by top global companies in the field.

A number of panel sessions have been organized on the Kingdom’s major projects being developed, and there will be an exhibition with accompanying pavilions where companies can display their products and services.

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Varieties

Northern Lights Dazzle Much Farther South than Normal. Here’s What’s behind the Show

The northern lights appear over Anchorage, Alaska, early the morning of Friday, Oct.. 11, 2024. (AP)
The northern lights appear over Anchorage, Alaska, early the morning of Friday, Oct.. 11, 2024. (AP)
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Northern Lights Dazzle Much Farther South than Normal. Here’s What’s behind the Show

The northern lights appear over Anchorage, Alaska, early the morning of Friday, Oct.. 11, 2024. (AP)
The northern lights appear over Anchorage, Alaska, early the morning of Friday, Oct.. 11, 2024. (AP)

Another in a series of unusually strong solar storms hitting Earth produced stunning skies full of pinks, purples, greens and blues farther south than normal, including into parts of Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City.

There were no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communications.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a severe geomagnetic storm alert on Wednesday after an outburst from the sun was detected earlier in the week. Such a storm increases the chance of auroras — also known as northern lights — and can temporarily disrupt power and radio signals.

NOAA's Friday forecast shows continued higher-than-normal activity, but the chances for another overnight show are slim farther south of Canada and the northern Plains states.

What causes northern lights? The sun sends more than heat and light to Earth — it sends energy and charged particles known as the solar wind. But sometimes that solar wind becomes a storm. The sun's outer atmosphere occasionally “burps” out huge bursts of energy called corona mass ejections. They produce solar storms, also known as geomagnetic storms, according to NOAA.

The Earth's magnetic field shields us from much of it, but particles can travel down the magnetic field lines along the north and south poles and into Earth’s atmosphere.

When the particles interact with the gases in our atmosphere, they can produce light — blue and purple from nitrogen, green and red from oxygen.

Why have there been so many solar storms lately? Solar activity increases and decreases in a cycle that last about 11 years, astronomers say. The sun appears to be near the peak of that cycle, known as a solar maximum. It's not clear exactly when the cycle will begin to slow.

In May, the sun shot out its biggest flare in almost two decades. That came days after severe solar storms pummeled Earth and triggered auroras in unaccustomed places across the Northern Hemisphere.

How can you best see the northern lights? NOAA advises those who hope to see the northern lights to get away from city lights.

The best viewing time is usually within an hour or two before or after midnight, and the agency says the best occasions are around the spring and fall equinoxes due to the way the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field.