Morocco Wins 16 Medals, Ranks 5th in Mediterranean Karate Championship

Morocco competed in both the event’s Kumite and Kata categories with 25 athletes.

The competition took place in the Cypriot city of Limassol and finished on Sunday 24 October, with Morocco winning 16 medals.

Morocco also won 8 medals on the second day of competition, including four bronze, three silver, and one gold medal won by Abdelali Jina in the under 60 kg category.

The North African kingdom also won an additional 8 medals on Saturday, five bronze, four silver, and two gold.

The two gold medals went to Douae El Machouat in the female category under 54kg, and Wadie Sassioui in the male Junior Kumite category under 76kg.

The four silver medals went to  Othmane Chetoui in kumite under +70 kg, Sanae Agalmam in kata, Bilal Benkacem, and Oussama Edari. As for the bronze medals, they were notably obtained by Samir Sadini (-52 kg) and Wail Soultani (-57 kg) in the cadets category as well as Aya Ouahra (+59 kg) in the junior category.

Egypt was this year’s runner-up in the competition; the country won 60 medals this year, placing it ahead of Italy with 15 medals, then Greece with 25 medals.

Morocco previously won the 2020 title of African champion in Karate , repeating its 2019 achievement. The Moroccan Karate team had dominated in all categories, winning 37 medals, including 15 gold, 13 silver, and 9 bronze.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO

Egypt :Nearly 100 Women Sworn in as Judges in Egypt Judicial Body : October 2021

Nearly 100 women Tuesday became the first female judges to join Egypt’s State Council, one of the country’s main judicial bodies.

The 98 women were sworn in before the council’s chief judge, Mohammed Hossam el-Din, in a celebratory event in Cairo.

The swearing-in came months after President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi asked for women to join the State Council and the Public Prosecution, the two judicial bodies that until recently were exclusively male.

Established in 1946, the State Council is an independent judicial body that mainly handles administrative disputes, disciplinary cases and appeals. It also reviews draft laws, decisions and contracts to which the government or a government-run body is a party.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg

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Judges attend a swearing-in ceremony before Egypt s State Council s chief judge Mohammed Hossam el-Din in a celebratory event in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. AP / pix: english.ahram.org.eg

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EGYPT

Winners of Egypt’s 1st Female Entrepreneurs Hackathon by ITIDA, Intel : October 28th, 2021

The Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), an affiliate of Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), announced Thursday the winning teams of the first hackathon for women in Egypt “She Hackathon”, organized in collaboration with Intel, and Digital Egypt Innovation Hubs (Creativa).

“She Hackathon” is the first hackathon for women entrepreneurs in Egypt that aims to empower women by addressing the challenges they face in establishing their companies and businesses.

The first prize was awarded to a team of three young women from Aswan governorate, for a mobile application developed to aid in combating harassment and violence against women, through features of voice distress calls and messages, sharing location, classification of places, according to the degree of safety, in addition to providing psychological support.

The second prize was awarded to “Trisomy” from Ismailia governorate, for a free mobile application to achieve effective communication between parents of children with Down syndrome and help them connect with doctors, nurses, and psychologists in their vicinity.

The third prize was awarded to “Fem Scan” from Mansoura governorate, for presenting an idea and a prototype of an application and a system that helps reduce misdiagnosis and the time it takes to perform X-rays, especially in women’s breast cancer screening cases.

source/content: egypttoday.com

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Winners of the First Prize / pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

UAE Cake Shop Creates Guinness World Record at Expo 2020 Dubai : October 08th, 2021

A tasty Guinness World Record was broken at Expo 2020 Dubai , four days after the initial attempt was postponed due to a tropical storm in the region.

A warm, sweet scent filled the air inside the Swedish Pavilion at the world’s fair, as an attempt to create the world’s “longest cinnamon bun train” got under way.

Fifteen hundred sticky and delicious buns, made from about 6kg of butter, 11kg of sugar and 36kg of flour, were placed in a spiral pattern on a large circular table.

All ingredients used to make and connect the buns – which were comically referred to as the “original gangsters of Swedish bakery” by the chefs – had to be edible, so no glue, tape or sticks were used.

“To bake our way into the record books is a testament to the hard work, agility and dedication that you see every day in our 22 cake shops,” said Tushar Fotedar, a director at Mister Baker.

The world record commemorates Fika, which is a Swedish social phenomenon that brings together colleagues, family members and friends over coffee and pastries.

source/content: thenationalnews.com

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A tasty Guinness World Record was broken at Expo 2020 Dubai on Friday, four days after the initial attempt was postponed due to a tropical storm in the region. All photos by Khushnum Bhandari / The National / thenationalnews.com

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) / SWEDISH PAVILION @ Expo2020Dubai

Nadifa Mohamed , First Somali to be short-listed for Booker Prize : October 2021

Nadifa Mohamed , FRSL. (aka) Nadifa Maxamed .Somali British Novelist.

Nadifa Mohamed became the first Somali person to be short-listed for the Booker Prize with new novel, The Fortune Men.

Almost two decades ago, Somali-British author Nadifa Mohamed was interning for a film company in London when she came across the story of a Somali seaman named Mahmood Mattan from Cardiff’s port community of Tiger Bay.

She didn’t know at the time, the discovery would lead her to write what’s now become the first novel written by a Somali person to be short-listed for the Booker Prize.

source/content: abc.net.au

Other Books/Novels:

  • Black Mamba Boy (2010)
  • The Orchard of Lost Souls (2014)
  • The Fortune Men

Awards:

  • Betty Trask Award (2010)
  • Somerset Maugham Award (2014)
  • Prix Albert Bernard (2016) etc..

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Nadifa Mohamed is the first Somali author to be short-listed for the Booker Prize for her novel The Fortune Men.(Supplied: Nadifa Mohamed) / abc.net.au

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BRITISH / SOMALI

Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah Wins Morocco Desert Rally and Leads Cross Country World Cup : October 2021

Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah.

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah won the 21st edition of the Moroccan Desert Rally, the fourth round of the 2021 World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, which lasted for seven days amid the participation of the most prominent rally drivers, and topped the general ranking of the world championship.

The coronation of Al Attiyah and his navigator French Mathieu Baumel in a Toyota Hilux, came after taking first place in the general standings at the end of the five stages with a total time of 15.52.10 hours, 15.58 minutes behind of his nearest competitor, the Saudi driver Yazid Al Rajhi, accompanied by his British navigator Michael Oro in a Toyota Hilux, who came second with a total time of 16.08.08 hours, while Argentine driver Lucio Alvarez, accompanied by his Spanish navigator Armand Monleon in a Toyota Hilux, came third with a total time of 17.03.02 hours.

The title is the sixth for the Qatari rider in the Morocco Rally after 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, topping the general standings of the World Cup for Cross Country Rally Championship, before competing in the last two rounds, the Emirates Challenge Rally and the Hail Rally in Saudi Arabia during the coming months of November and December respectively.

source/content: iloveqatar.net

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pix: QNA / iloveqatar.net

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QATAR

Moroccan-Spanish Sarah Loinaz Crowned Miss Universe Spain 2021 : October 16th, 2021

Sarah Loinaz. Model. Beauty Queen.

Moroccan-Spanish model Sarah Loinaz was crowned Miss Universe Spain 2021 at the Los Olivos Beach Resort in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Canary Islands, on October 16.

The gala was hosted by Sofia del Prado, the former crowned Miss Universe Spain in 2017, and finalist of Miss Universe 2017.

Sarah Loinaz will compete at the Miss Universe 2021 pageant, which will be held in Israel, in December 2021.

The Moroccan-Spanish model made her runway debut for a fashion show for VIDDA in April 2019 in Las Palmas, Spain.

In 2017, she represented Spain at the Miss Universe Spain 2017 competition where she placed second behind model Sofia del Prado.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com

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pix: elespanol.com / El Espanol

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SPAIN / MOROCCO

Egypt’s 5th edition ‘CineGouna Platform announces 20 Winners : October 2021

The CineGouna projects awarded cash and other prizes this year were 13 projects in development, 6 films in post-production, in addition to one guest film in post-production.

The CineGouna SpringBoard jury included Mohamed Soueid, the Lebanese producer and film critic; Nina Lath Gupta, former CEO of the NFDC; and Ismaël Ferroukhi, the Moroccan director and screenwriter.

The jury gave a special mention to Abo Zabaal 1989 (Egypt) by Bassam Mortada for its ability to create a home for memories and surpassing the filmmaker’s own understanding of his life’s events, which were portrayed from the perspectives of his parents. 

A Quarter to Thursday in Algiers (France) by Sofia Djama won the Best Project in Development award with a cash prize of $15,000; a CineGouna Platform certificate; and US $2,000 worth of in-kind services from Clackett.

They Planted Strange Trees (Palestine) by Hind Shoufani won the Best Film in Post-Production award with a CineGouna Platform certificate; a cash prize of $15,000; and The Indie Deer’s cash grant of $10,000.

Fifty Meters (Egypt) by Yomna Khattab won multiple cash prizes: a $10,000 full film promotion package from The Cell Post Production; a $10,000 cash grant from Trend VFX; a $10,000 from Synergy Films; a US $15,000 cash grant for script development from Mariam Naoum and Sard Writing Room; a $5,000 worth of post-production services from BEE Media Productions; a $10,000 from Cult; a $1,000 for locations services from Clackett; and a $7,000 Master’s Degree US scholarship from Gemini Africa.

This project also won a chance from Arab Cinema Center to participate in Rotterdam Film Lab.

Haysh Maysh: False Drama (Morocco) by Hicham Lasri won $30,000 as a minimum guarantee on film distribution from MAD Solutions and Ergo Media Ventures as well as a $5,000 cash grant from Malmö Arab Film Festival.

Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore (Egypt) by Morad Mostafa won a $5,000 cash grant from Gemini Africa as well as EGP 50,000 from The Cell Post Production, and was selected for IEFTA’s Global Film Expression initiative. 

Women of My Life (Iraq, Switzerland) by Zahraa Ghandour won a $10,000 cash grant from Maqam Production Films and was also selected for IEFTA’s Global Film Expression initiative. 

Searching for Woody (Egypt) by Sara Shazli won a $5,000 cash grant from BEE Media Productions in addition to $2000 worth of services from Clackett. 

The $50,000 cash grant per sale from OSN prize went to A Song for Summer and Winter (Syria, Denmark, Germany, United States) by Talal Derki and Ali Wajeeh. The film also won $10,000 worth of a full DCP package from The Cell Post Production.

Hanging Gardens (Iraq, United Kingdom, Palestine) by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji won a $30,000 worth of services and color-grading package from Mercury Visual Solutions, while Hyphen (Lebanon) by Reine Razzouk won a $10,000 cash grant from Clackett. 

Happy Lovers (France, Morocco) by Hicham Lasri won a $10,000 cash grant from Rotana, while Arab Radio and Television Network (ART) gave its $10,000 cash grant to SINK (Jordan, Sweden, Canada, France) by Zain Duraie. 

My Father’s Scent (Egypt) by Mohamed Siam won a $10,000 cash grant from New Black, while The Blind Ferryman – Al Baseer (Iraq, Switzerland) by Ali Al-Fatlawi won a $5,000 worth of post-production services by Hecat Studio.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg

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pix: english.ahram.org.eg

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EGYPT/ IRAQ / LEBANON/ MOROCCO / PALESTINE/ SYRIA

Winners of 1st edition of ‘ Hub71’s ‘The Outliers’ Programme : Abu Dhabi, UAE : October 20th, 2021

Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, today announced the outliers that rose to the challenges set by Hub71 corporate and government partners.

The first edition of Hub71’s The Outliers programme, an annual initiative that bridges entrepreneurs with corporate and government entities to promote innovation and address industry challenges, has gathered exceptional talent from more than 40 countries.

Each startup will benefit from up to AED 100,000 in cash grants to fund the development of their proof of concepts (POCs) that will solve challenges of leading major corporate and government partners in Abu Dhabi.

Hub71 launched The Outliers to facilitate better market access for entrepreneurs worldwide to address challenges set by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), Etihad Airways, Mashreq Bank, Mastercard and Thales. Each challenge is aimed at startups that have proven products with strong potential to commercialise and go-to-market.

Six challenges were set, and seven startups were selected to build and scale their POCs. Each startup will now work alongside their respective partners to develop their corresponding tech products at Hub71 and take them to market.

At GITEX Future Stars, Hub71 and its partners showcased the winning startups and their innovative solutions that will be developed to solve each challenge.

Jida Itani, Chief Operating Officer at Hub71, said, “We are actively seeking ways to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and the marketplace through our corporate partners and public sector alliances.”

Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), ADCB set a challenge to develop an AI predictive engine that enhances recommendations for customers, based on their individual preferences. In response to the challenge, UAE-based, Genify, an AI-specialist for banks, developed a state-of-the-art transformer-based recommendation engine and wrote a detailed roll-out plan, which was selected by the bank.

DoH searched for human ingenuity and advanced technologies to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The Department selected UAE-based, Alliance Care Technologies, which provides analytical and productivity tools to hospitals, physicians, and patients to improve quality, efficiency, and patient outcomes across the spectrum of care. The startup will deploy its S3 ACT solution comprising early warning pathogen detection, encrypted de-identified patient data extraction, pattern recognition and predicative analytics AI.

In aviation, the UAE’s national airline selected BridgerPay, a SaaS payments intelligence platform from Cyprus, focused on bridging merchants and payment providers with AI technology.

Meanwhile, Mashreq Bank selected two winners of its challenge to become a Value Added Services partner. The bank selected Zoko from India, which makes it easy for online merchants to conduct sales, marketing and customer support using WhatsApp. The startup has since joined Hub71 to benefit from its new flexible incentives. Mashreq Bank also selected Letswork, a startup dedicated to the future of co-working spaces.

Finally, Thales targeted the services of startups to develop a hands-free voice-activated chatbot to guide experts during radar maintenance procedures. The company selected AR Engineering, a UAE-based company that deploys interactive augmented reality (AR) virtual reality (VR), mixed reality and extended reality (XR) to improve the user experience and bring the physical world closer to a remote setting.

source/content: wam.ae

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pic: entrepreneur.com / @EntMagazineME

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

Gender Equality ‘Champion’ Jordanian Sima Bahous appointed as Executive Director to Head ‘UN Women’ : September 13th, 2021

Dr. Sima Sami Bahous (aka) Sima Bahous. Diplomat. Leader.

Sima Bahous is one of the highest highest ranking officials from the Arab world in the UN system.

Secretary-General António Guterres described Sima Sami Bahous of Jordan, as “a champion for women and girls”, announcing on Monday her appointment to lead the UN’s gender equality and empowerment entity, UN Women.

Ms. Bahous brings to the job more than 35 years of leadership experience at the grassroots, national, regional and international level. 

Most recently, Ms. Bahous served as Jordan’s UN ambassador in New York.   

Prior to that, she was the Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) from 2012 to 2016 and Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Development Sector at the League of Arab States, from 2008 to 2012. 

The new UN Women chief has also served in two ministerial posts in Jordan as President of the Higher Media Council from 2005 to 2008 and as Adviser to King Abdullah II from 2003 to 2005.   

She has also worked for UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, and with a number of UN and civil society organizations, as well as teaching development and communication studies at different universities in her native Jordan.  

She is fluent in Arabic and English, and proficient in French. 

source/content : www.news.un.org

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UN Photo/Manuel Elías
UN Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Sima Sami Bahous of Jordan as Executive Director of UN-Women. / news.un.org

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JORDAN