عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Jeddah Season 2024: A Month of Entertainment and Diverse Experiences

Jeddah Season 2024 concluded its first month during which shows, events and a variety of experiences were held for the first time. (SPA)
Jeddah Season 2024 concluded its first month during which shows, events and a variety of experiences were held for the first time. (SPA)
TT
TT

Jeddah Season 2024: A Month of Entertainment and Diverse Experiences

Jeddah Season 2024 concluded its first month during which shows, events and a variety of experiences were held for the first time. (SPA)
Jeddah Season 2024 concluded its first month during which shows, events and a variety of experiences were held for the first time. (SPA)

Jeddah Season 2024 concluded its first month under the slogan "Once Again", during which shows, events and a variety of experiences were held for the first time, the Saudi Press Agency said Sunday.
Large areas had been equipped to host different events and shows; international acrobatic teams presented daily live shows that attracted record numbers of visitors of all ages and nationalities.
Entertainment, tourism, cultural and sports activities and events filled the season. The City Walk area involved a mix of interactive experiences and movement and skill games. Arabic plays were presented and there were restaurants, cafés and shopping stores.
The Warner Bros. Discovery area, which opened for the first time in Saudi Arabia, offered visitors and tourists games and entertainment shows; other areas were opened to visitors, and events were held in partnership with the private sector.
The Imagine Monet exhibition featured Monet's paintings with modern techniques and innovative design; visitors could enjoy the artistic experience, but also sports.
Prince Majed Park offered wonderful and original shows that met the tastes of all.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Severe Drought Has Returned to The Amazon

In several rivers in the southwestern Amazon, water levels are the lowest on record for this time of year - The AP
In several rivers in the southwestern Amazon, water levels are the lowest on record for this time of year - The AP
TT
TT

Severe Drought Has Returned to The Amazon

In several rivers in the southwestern Amazon, water levels are the lowest on record for this time of year - The AP
In several rivers in the southwestern Amazon, water levels are the lowest on record for this time of year - The AP

Holder of one-fifth of the world's fresh water, the Amazon is beginning the dry season with many of its rivers already at critically low levels, prompting governments to anticipate contingency measures to address issues ranging from disrupted navigation to increasing forest fires.

“The Amazon Basin is facing one of the most severe droughts in recent years in 2024, with significant impacts on several member countries,” stated a technical note issued Wednesday by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, which includes Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, The AP reported.

In several rivers in the southwestern Amazon, water levels are the lowest on record for this time of year. Historically, the driest months are August and September, when fire and deforestation peak. So far, the most affected countries are Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, according to ACTO.

On Monday, Brazil’s federal water agency decreed a water shortage in two major basins, Madeira and Purus, which cover an area nearly the size of Mexico. The next day, Acre state declared an emergency amid an impending water shortage in its main city. In June, neighboring Amazonas state adopted the same measure in 20 of its 62 municipalities that are mostly only accessed by water or air, even in normal times.

These steps were taken more than two months earlier than in 2023, when most of the Amazon basin suffered its worst drought on record, killing dozens of river dolphins, choking cities with smoke for months and isolating thousands of people who depended on water transportation. The measures are used to increase monitoring, mobilize resources and personnel and request federal aid.

The depth of Madeira River, one of the largest Amazon tributaries and an important waterway for soybeans and fuel, went below 3 meters (10 feet) near Porto Velho on July 20. In 2023, that occurred on Aug. 15. Navigation has been limited during nighttime, and two of Brazil's largest hydroelectric plants may halt production, as happened last year.

In the Amazonas town of Envira, nearby rivers have become too shallow to navigate. Local officials have asked elders and pregnant women to move from riverine communities to the city center because otherwise medical help may not be able to reach them. Farmers who produce cassava flour can’t get it to market. As a result, this Amazon food staple has more than doubled in price, according to the local administration.

Another concern is fire. There were around 25,000 fires from January until late July — the highest number for this period in almost two decades. In the Amazon, fires are mostly human-made and used to manage pastures and clear deforested areas.

In Acre, the drought has already caused water supply shortages in several areas of its capital, Rio Branco. These communities now depend on trucked-in water, a problem experienced the previous year. Between the two droughts, severe flooding hit 19 of the state's 22 municipalities.

“It's been two years in a row of extreme events,” Julie Messias, Acre's secretary of environment, told The Associated Press. “The result is that we are facing a threat of food shortage. First the crops were flooded, and now the planting period is very dry.”