UAE Culture Ministry Holds 1st Meeting of 'Creative Careers Program'

UAE Culture Ministry Holds 1st Meeting of 'Creative Careers Program'
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UAE Culture Ministry Holds 1st Meeting of 'Creative Careers Program'

UAE Culture Ministry Holds 1st Meeting of 'Creative Careers Program'

The UAE Ministry of Culture has held the first meeting of the Creative Careers Program, in collaboration with the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council "Nafis" at the Ajman Cultural Center – Al Jurf.

Tuesday’s meeting is considered a first step towards achieving the objectives of the Creative Careers Program, which aims to upskill Emiratis in the creative, cultural, and artistic fields, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The program aims to contribute to developing a highly skilled workforce that meets the needs of the private sector, it said.

This event, attended by Major General Shaikh Sultan bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Commander-in-Chief of Ajman Police, and Mubarak Al Nakhi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, who were briefed on the event that brings together approximately 66 federal and local entities, including 20 private companies, five free zones, recruitment firms, and 22 universities and colleges.

“The Ministry is committed to translating the leadership’s vision of investing in young talents of both genders, empowering them, and harnessing their skills within the cultural and creative industries,” said Al Nakhi.

“This sector is a vital contributor to the national economy, offering diverse opportunities that align with the aspirations of youth and their desire to work in the private sector, particularly in culture and the arts. By fostering this talent, the Ministry not only supports the dreams of the nation's youth but also strengthens the cultural and economic landscape of the nation.”

"The Creative Careers Program offers a platform for young national talents to play a key role in the rapidly growing cultural and creative sector, both locally and regionally and globally,” he added.

The Creative Careers Program offers participation opportunities for many local and federal entities, private companies, free zones, universities, and recruitment companies. These include 20 private companies, five free zones, recruitment firms, and 22 universities and colleges.

The program will provide job seekers of both genders with diverse options to engage in the labor market within the cultural and creative industries sector.



'Moon Spotter': AlUla's Enduring Tradition of Crescent Sighting

The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)
The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)
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'Moon Spotter': AlUla's Enduring Tradition of Crescent Sighting

The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)
The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)

The people of Saudi Arabia’s AlUla have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons and the determination of lunar months, particularly Ramadan and Shawwal (Eid). This tradition was carried out through a role locally known as the “Moon Spotter,” reflecting inherited astronomical knowledge passed down through generations.

Known for sharp eyesight and precise knowledge of celestial timings, the Moon Spotter relied on traditional methods, including placing a copper vessel filled with water at an elevated position to observe the reflections of the sun and moon, which helped determine the crescent's position with accuracy.

Upon sighting the crescent, he would mark the reflected point with a palm frond before notifying the relevant court to contribute to the official announcement, the Saudi Press Agency said.

This heritage is closely tied to AlUla's historically clear skies, which enabled residents to observe celestial bodies with clarity and fostered a lasting connection to astronomy as part of their cultural legacy.


Dutch Museum Makes ‘Needle in a Haystack’ Confirmation of Rembrandt Painting

Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
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Dutch Museum Makes ‘Needle in a Haystack’ Confirmation of Rembrandt Painting

Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

A painting that was once rejected as a work by Rembrandt van Rijn has now been acknowledged as a work by the Dutch master, thanks to two years of scrutiny in the city where the then-27-year-old artist painted it in 1633, a museum announced Monday. 

The Netherlands' national art and history museum, the Rijksmuseum, unveiled the work, “Vision of Zacharias in the Temple,” and said painstaking analysis including high-tech scans has confirmed it was painted by Rembrandt after he moved to the capital, Amsterdam. 

The painting hasn't been on public display in decades after being bought by a private collector in 1961, a year after it was deemed not to be a Rembrandt, the museum said in a statement. From Wednesday, will go on show among other masterpieces at the Rijksmusuem, where it is on long-term loan. 

Director Taco Dibbits said the museum often gets emails from people asking if the painting they own might just be by the Golden Age master. 

“We always hope to find a new Rembrandt, but this happens rarely," he told The Associated Press. He said making such a discovery “is just like (finding) a needle in a haystack.” 

The owner, who has remained anonymous, initially asked the museum only if the painting was Dutch. 

“He really didn’t know what he had. And then to discover that it’s a Rembrandt is something that’s amazing to experience,” Dibbits said. 

An in-depth study of the work, including macro X-ray fluorescence scans and comparisons with other works by the artist, confirmed Rembrandt painted it, said the museum’s curator of 17th century Dutch paintings, Jonathan Bikker. 

“So the wood that was used for the panel on which it’s painted, that is definitely from a tree that was cut down before 1633, the date on the painting,” he said. 

"All the pigments, the paint in the painting were used by Rembrandt in other paintings. And the layers of paint and how he painted it, that is also precisely the same as in other works by Rembrandt,” he added. 

The work joins about 350 known Rembrandt paintings and raised the hope that there may be more. 

“We’re not actively looking for new paintings by Rembrandt, but I think this gives us hope — not just us, but everyone who’s interested in Rembrandt,” Bikker said. 


UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran Damaged in Strikes

Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
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UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran Damaged in Strikes

Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)

Iran's UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran has been damaged in US and Israeli strikes, local media reported Monday.

"Following the joint US-Israeli attack on Arag square in southern Tehran on Sunday evening, parts of the Golestan Palace... were damaged," the ISNA news agency reported, adding that windows, doors, and mirrors were hit by reverberations from blasts.

Iran's Mehr news agency carried a similar report.