Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
Saudia Airlines celebrated the 76th anniversary of King Abdul Aziz bin Abdulrahman’s first flight on Thursday as a special Boeing B777-300 — decorated with an airline logo from the 1970s and 1980s era — flew from the capital in Riyadh to Taif.
The flight was a commemoration of the first flight the founding king took on Sunday, Sept. 30, 1945, from Afif to Hawiyah in a Douglas DC-3 aircraft. That aircraft was a gift received by King Abdul Aziz during a meeting with then US president President Franklin Roosevel
audia marked the occasion on the ground and in the air. A statue of King Abdul Aziz was installed in the departure hall at King Khalid International Airport, while airline staff handed out souvenirs and printed boarding passes in the old traditional style.
source / content: arabnews.com
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Saudia Airlines operated a special Boeing B777-300 flight from Riyadh to Taif, which was decorated with the logo from the 70s and 80s era. (SPA) / pix: arabnews.com
Expo 2020 is officially inaugurated, announcing that Dubai is open, the UAE is open.
It was a celebration of hope. It was also a sneak peek at the future; a showcase of innovation, cultural diversity and a reflection of how people coming together can change the world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, led in welcoming cultures from East to West, from North to South – of 192 countries that gathered not only to participate in the world’s greatest show but also to forge unity and convey the story of Expo’s overarching theme – ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, officially opened the Expo which will run until March 31 next year. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, set the tone of the global event.
Ahead of the official Opening Ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed said: “The nation is proud of the 10-year preparations for the largest global event that will last for six months, with the participation of 192 countries, underscoring the international trust in our country.”
Welcome everyone
Sheikh Mohammed underlined: “Once again, the UAE people have demonstrated their unique ability to excel in every task when serving humanity. We have proven to the world the UAE is a fruitful tree that can welcome everyone who dreams of a better future for this planet.”
“With the launch of the Expo, I remember the late founding fathers Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and I would say to them, this is your legacy, and this international trust is the outcome of your far-sighted vision and determination to overcome challenges. Today, the world is being inspired by this vision. Civilisations are established and developed by challenges. That was the first and key lesson we learnt from you, which we convey to future generations and present to the world today,” he added.
“You are home, and our development experience is at your service,” Sheikh Mohammed continued. “We have one shared destiny and our peoples are anticipating the strengthening of international cooperation to change their reality into a brighter and more sustainable one, as well as to establish a roadmap for the key economic, developmental and cultural trends for the post-COVID era. We hope that the start of the event will be the breakthrough in terms of cooperation, tolerance and peace.”
Sheikh Nahyan echoed the same ideals during his welcome speech. He noted: “Today, in the year of our Golden Jubilee, we share with the world the lessons we have learnt, most importantly that by connecting minds, we are able to achieve milestones others thought were impossible.
“Today, 192 nations come together, each represented by its own pavilion – a first in the 170-year history of World Expos. Our mere presence here, amid all the challenges the world is facing, is proof of our keen commitment and desire to make the world a better place for all.
“By hosting Expo2020 Dubai, we aim to convey a message of tolerance and that we are willing to collaborate with all of the world. Today, we say to the whole world: Welcome to the UAE and welcome to Expo 2020 Dubai.”
“We will convey – from the UAE to the world – on our 50th anniversary a message of tolerance, coexistence and peace; a message of progress, prosperity and growth; a message of brotherhood, happiness and an unwavering will to create a brighter future for everyone.
Egyptian EPC contractor Petrojet has been awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest floating roof tank for its 175,000 m3 (1.1 million bbl) crude oil storage tank in Ras Badran, Sinai, Egypt.
The double deck floating roof is 110 m in diameter and weights 1,000 tonnes. Raising the roof from assembly level to maintenance level required 240 synchronised hydraulic jacks. Petrojet built the tank for the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum.
The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum announced that one of its companies had received a Guinness World Records certificate in the field of manufacturing and constructing crude oil storage depots by adopting a new and unprecedented method in the implementation and construction of the warehouse with a double and movable floating roof system through the use of more than 240 hydraulic lifts connected to a single control system.
According to Egyptian Petroleum, this is the first and largest method of its kind with regard to the construction of storage warehouses in the world, with a warehouse capacity of 175,000 cubic meters, equivalent to more than one million barrels of crude oil, and a warehouse with a diameter of 115 meters and a weight of more than 3000 tons.
The project, which is implemented by the Egyptian petroleum sector within the national project for the establishment of crude oil storage warehouses, consists of 29 warehouses that were established in the same manner.
source/contents: egypttoday.com
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Petrojet has Guinness World Record for Ras Badran tank / pix: tankstoragemag.com
Veteran El Amin Chentouf of Morocco defended his title in the T12 marathon for visually impaired athletes, smashing his own Paralympic record by over three minutes to finish in 2:21:43.
The 40-year-old retains his title after finishing more than more than four minutes ahead of silver medallist Clifford.
Further back in the field, Tunisian’s Wajdi Boukhili had been well placed to take the bronze until the 40km mark, where both he and compatriot Hatem Nasrallah slowed up to finish sixth and fourth, respectively. The bronze medal went to Tadashi Horikoshi of Japan.
Chentouf’s gold was the fourth for Morocco during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, all of which have been won in athletics. Abdeslam Hili and Ayoub Sadni won gold in the men’s 400m in the T12 and T47 classes, respectively, and Zakariae Derhem topped the podium in the men’s shot put F33 class.
Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar (UAE). Dr Mohamed Wagih Azzam (Egypt).
Osama Al Shafar, President of the Asian Cycling Confederation, Member of the Executive Office of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCE), has been elected Vice-President of UCI in Leuven, Belgium.
In line with a modification to the UCI Constitution approved earlier in the day by its Congress, the UCI now counts at least one Vice-President of each gender, for a total of four Vice-Presidents-compared with three previously. The Vice-Presidents elected are: -Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar (UAE), President of the Asian Cycling Confederation.
Dr Mohamed Wagih Azzam / pix: cac-africa.com
–Dr Mohamed Wagih AZZAM (EGY), President of the Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme.
-Katerina NASH (CZE), President of the UCI Athletes’ Commission.
-Enrico DELLA CASA (ITA), President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC).
Their term begins immediately and will finish after the 2025 UCI Congress.
Al Shafar -now the first president of the Asian Confederation to hold the position- after a successful sporting career spanning over 20 years.
Lebanese film starring Nadine Labaki wins Netpac award at Toronto Film Festival.
‘Costa Brava, Lebanon’ is director Mounia Akl’s debut feature.
Lebanese director Mounia Akl has won the Netpac award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival for her debut feature Costa Brava, Lebanon.
The film, which stars Lebanese actress and director Nadine Labaki and Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.
Costa Brava, Lebanon follows the story of the Badri family, led by Soraya (played by Labaki) and Walid (played by Bakri), who have escaped the toxic pollution of Beirut to set up a new home in the mountains, only to find the government has turned the land next to their new home into a dump site.
The Netpac award is an annual award presented by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema to the best film from Asia that has premiered at Tiff.
Last year, the award was won by Palestinian twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser for Gaza Mon
Morocco is leading the way in Africa since the creation of a major trade hub Tangier Med, according to Lloyd’s List’s ranking of the world’s best 100 ports in 2021.
Tangier Med
The Tangier Med Port is currently ranked 25th worldwide, surpassing other massive ports of the Mediterranean such as the Piraeus Port in Greece, the Port of Valencia and the Port of Algeciras in Spain.
According to Lloyd’s list, the year 2021 is the 4th consecutive year that the Tangier Med Special Agency (TMSA) is on top of the list of ports in Africa. Due to its geographical position, the Moroccan port is widely considered to be the most important link between Africa and Europe.
The international hub went from 4,80 million Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2019 to a total of 5,77 million TEU in 2020, recording an exceptional growth of 20,2%. In the first quarter of 2021, it recorded an even greater growth of 35%
Mitt Queen Ann Najjar, the boxing coach athletes and celebrities want to work with. Najjar trains boxers, mixed martial arts fighters, professionals, amateurs, and any athlete that does mitt work.
The first generation American of Iraqi parents shot to worldwide fame thanks to viral Instagram videos during the pandemic. Born and raised in San Diego to parents from Baghdad. Her Instagram account proudly bears the Iraqi flag.
Ann Najjar has fast hands. So fast she can keep up with boxers twice her size. Boxers who, over the last few years, have lined up to work with her.
Najjar is the Mitt Queen, a coach at Bomber Squad Boxing Academy in her native San Diego. Thanks to an Instagram account (@mittqueen) that has almost 610,000 followers, she has become an online sensation.
source/content: arabnews.com
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Najjar, aka the Mitt Queen, has become a boxing coach for athletes and celebrities in her native San Diego. (RBO) / pix: arabnews.com
Team Qatar star Amal Mohammed claimed the gold medal of women’s 10m running target event at the 2021 Asian Airgun Championship in Shymkent City, Kazakhstan on Monday, 13 September 2021.
More than 150 shooters from Qatar, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Malaysia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, Iran, and Turkmenistan are competing in this tournament for top honors.
The Qatari squad includes Ashya Al Suwaidi, Shahd Al Darwish and Amal Mohamed.
Mohammad Salem Bin Abdul Basit Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Junaid Bajnaid (aka) Mohammad Bajnaid – Artist. Calligrapher.
Saudi artist and calligrapher Mohammad Salem Bajnaid contributed to the design and embroidery of the Kiswah — the cloth that is draped over the Kaaba in Makkah on the day that pilgrims leave for Mount Arafat during the Hajj.
Sharbatly House Museum in Historic Jeddah is currently hosting an exhibition celebrating the work of the renowned Saudi artist and calligrapher Mohammad Salem Bajnaid.
The show is part of Saudi Arabia’s Year of Arabic Calligraphy, launched by the Ministry of Culture with the support of the Quality of Life Program
The new exhibition in Jeddah runs until December and features 21 works from throughout Bajnaid’s career, some of which are Quranic verses and prophetic hadiths.
The show is split into four main areas: The Ancient House, Family bonds, Knowledge, and Patience.
It has been curated by the artist’s grandson, Salem Fouzi Bajnaid, who told Arab News: “The credit behind all the efforts in setting up this event goes to (the artist’s) family and friends, in cooperation with the ministry of culture. We’ve witnessed such an amazing response on the first few days, with art admirers from everywhere coming to appreciate the work being displayed here.”
Bajnaid, who died in October 2019, was widely recognized as one of the most talented calligraphers in the Arab and Islamic world. He contributed to the design and embroidery of the Kiswah — the cloth that is draped over the Kaaba in Makkah on the day that pilgrims leave for Mount Arafat during the Hajj — and was also the creator of the Kingdom’s gift to the United Nations for its headquarters in New York in 1982.
