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AlUla Skies Festival Returns Next Month

The festival has established AlUla as a global destination. SPA
The festival has established AlUla as a global destination. SPA
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AlUla Skies Festival Returns Next Month

The festival has established AlUla as a global destination. SPA
The festival has established AlUla as a global destination. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s AlUla Skies Festival will return in its third edition from September 26 to October 6, organizers announced on Friday.

The event, which is part of the broader AlUla Moments calendar, is known for its innovative programming.

The festival has established AlUla as a global destination where ancient heritage and modern experiences converge.

This year’s event, organized by AlUla Moments and presented by Saudia Airlines, will feature a diverse range of activities, from hot air balloon rides to stargazing workshops.
In addition to traditional festival offerings such as drone shows and light displays, visitors can participate in night walks, workshops for photographing the night sky, dining under the stars or relaxing with wellness treatments.
The AlUla Skies Festival will also offer visitors a unique opportunity to explore AlUla’s promising potential as a leading destination in the field of astronomical tourism, by highlighting the upcoming AlUla Manara Observatory.

The project will provide an immersive experience that showcases the splendor of the night sky and the allure of astronomy through the planetarium, which will be held for a limited period.

AlUla Manara Observatory seeks to transform AlUla into a global center for astronomical observation in cooperation with local and international partners.

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Berlin’s Newest Pygmy Hippo Makes Her Debut, with Name Inspired by Football Star

Female pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) Toni strolls through its enclosure at the Zoological Garden in Berlin on August 15, 2024, during its first presentation to the public. (AFP)
Female pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) Toni strolls through its enclosure at the Zoological Garden in Berlin on August 15, 2024, during its first presentation to the public. (AFP)
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Berlin’s Newest Pygmy Hippo Makes Her Debut, with Name Inspired by Football Star

Female pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) Toni strolls through its enclosure at the Zoological Garden in Berlin on August 15, 2024, during its first presentation to the public. (AFP)
Female pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) Toni strolls through its enclosure at the Zoological Garden in Berlin on August 15, 2024, during its first presentation to the public. (AFP)

The Berlin Zoo's newest baby pygmy hippo made her public debut on Thursday, a day after her name — Toni, inspired by German soccer star Antonio Rüdiger — was chosen from more than 20,000 suggestions.

Toni was born on June 3. She's still not much bigger than a small dog but delighted zoo visitors as she explored her enclosure alongside her mother, Debbie.

The zoo sought suggestions for the baby's name and sifted through the thousands of names over recent weeks. Zoo director Andreas Knieriem said he initially leaned toward traditional Berlin names like Boulettchen — which translates to “little meatball” — but the little hippo's popularity on social media and the many name proposals suggested that she would become “a real world star.”

“We wanted to take account of this development with a short, concise name that also works well outside Berlin,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

Rüdiger, a Berlin native who plays for Real Madrid and Germany, agreed to become the animal's honorary patron — or, as the zoo put it, “coach” — sealing the deal for “Toni.”

Debbie reared previous offspring in 2004, 2007 and 2008. The zoo has succeeded in breeding the species since 1921, which it says was the first time it occurred in Europe.

Pygmy hippopotamuses are an endangered species and fewer than 2,500 adults remain in Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the zoo said. They are already extinct in Nigeria and face a major loss of habitat as West African forests are cleared for mining and agricultural use, it added.