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
Torch Tower set the Guinness World Record for being the largest external 360 degree screen in the world.
Aspire Zone Foundation announced that it will officially launch the screen on June 6, 2022 between 7pm to 9pm.
Situated at 300m high and with 360° panoramic views across the city, the Torch Doha is the result of comprehensive architectural, engineering and technical design, formerly shaped to represent a colossal torch for the duration of the 15th Asian Games in 2006 held its symbolic flame.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris held a ceremony for the 18th edition of the Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture (SPAC), organised by the Sharjah Department of Culture in cooperation with UNESCO.
The Prize has been awarded to Dunya Mikhail, an American-Iraqi poet, and Helen Al Janabi, a Swedish actress of Syrian-Iraqi origin.
Sheikh Salem Khalid Abdullah Al Qasimi, Deputy Secretary of State for Heritage and Arts Sector, UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UNESCO, along with Professor Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qaseer, Director of Cultural Affairs at the Department, in addition to dignitaries, writers, intellectuals and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the United Nations.
Ernesto Otuni Ramirez, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, gave a speech in which he expressed his gratitude and appreciation to H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and for his cultural and humanitarian renaissance role at the local, regional and global levels.
Afterwards, Abdullah bin Muhammad Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Culture, gave a speech in which he expressed his happiness at the continuation of the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture editions, appreciating the role of UNESCO in managing the prize and sponsoring many cultural programmes.
Al Owais and Ernesto Ramirez awarded the 18th Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to Dunya Mikhail and Helen Al Janabi, in addition to honouring the winners of the 17th session.
The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has gained international recognition by winning the Public Water Agency of the Year Award, announced during the Global Water Summit in Madrid.
Deputy Minister for Water Abdul Aziz Al-Shaibani and Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs and Privatization Abdulrahman Alzughaibi accepted the award
Al-Shaibani told Arab News that the award was given in recognition of the Kingdom’s efforts in implementing a national water strategy, reforming the sector, enacting a new water law, integrating management of water resources, and engaging the private sector.
The Global Water Summit in Spain allows leaders and decision-makers to exchange ideas, and share information on progress and trends in the industry.
Industry leaders and investors from around the world, as well as government representatives, took part in the forum, considered among the most prominent events for the water industry worldwide.
Since 2006, the UK-based consultancy Global Water Intelligence has presented awards at the summit, recognizing achievements by water companies, high-tech firms, public agencies and project developers.
During the conference, leaders of the Kingdom’s water sector highlighted its initiatives and solutions in support of innovation and development in the industry.
They also discussed the summit themes aimed at achieving zero carbon emissions, ensuring the sustainability and reliability of freshwater resources worldwide, mitigating the impact of climate change, and increasing job opportunities and growth in the industry.
Conference sessions included extensive discussions on global best practices for ensuring efficient water use, the latest technologies for desalinating and reusing water, and the role of artificial intelligence in the sustainability of the water sector.
source/content: arabnews.com (edited)
__________
DM for Economic Affairs and Privatization Abdulrahman Alzughaibi, right, DM for Water Abdul Aziz Al-Shaibani, center, and Global Water Intelligence’s Christopher Gasson. (Supplied/MEWA)
Dubai Airport is on the right track, having retained its position as the world’s busiest international airport with 29.1 million passengers, and just last week, announcing its busiest quarter since 2020, said Jamal al Hai, Deputy CEO of Dubai Airports.
Jamal al Hai made this statement while delivering the welcome address at the Airport Innovation and Development Conference at the Gulf Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF) held alongside the 21st edition of the Airport Show in Dubai.
Welcoming the delegates, he said the GALF is organised in person after two years of the pandemic, marking a new healed era of aviation.
“This is, in fact, the outcome of a successful handling of the crisis and what you see in Dubai today is the outcome of a flawless response to the pandemic achieved through a balance between protecting the health and well-being of the people while minimising the impact on business and economy.”
Delivering the welcome address, Ibrahim Ahli, Deputy CEO of Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) said Dubai is galloping in all economic and social sectors, attracting businesses, talents, investors and tourists in hordes. Dubai is fast becoming the Future City of the world, driven by the maximum embrace of technology, relaxed regulations and reforms. All this will result in increased traffic, and it underscores the need for enhancing the safety, capacity and efficiency of the airspace of Dubai, where dans plays a crucial role.
Khalid Aljabir, Senior Vice President, Operations, dans, read out Ahli’s speech in his absence.
“We had proved our mettle when dans efficiently managed more than 1,338 aircraft movements daily through Dubai airports, before the COVID-19 pandemic. dans manages the air traffic through Dubai International, which has ranked first in the world for international passengers since 2014, and it had handled about 1.115 billion passengers on more than 7.47 million flights since the airport started operating in 1960,” he said.
“We take pride in implementing the region’s first procedures for Enhanced Wake Turbulence Separation (eWTS) Minima within the controlled zone. The Dubai RECAT-Enhanced Wake Turbulence Separation is part of the vision to make Dubai the airport for the world, enhance its airspace and the efficiency of airports along with the profitability of carriers.”
In his keynote address titled “Standardising Regulations Regionally and Globally”, Mohammed Faisal al Dossari, Senior Director, Air Navigation and Aerodromes Department, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said that post-COVID the industry must work across all aspects of aviation to standardize regulations and spur growth.
The UAE is expected to develop draft regulations on Vertiport in the first quarter of 2023 and publish them in the fourth quarter of 2023 to be implemented in the first quarter of 2024.
Al Dossari said the number of GCAA registered commercial drone organisations is increasing. “Up to 2022, we have registered 20,000 private drone users, 870 commercial drones, and 181 commercial drone organisations to operate drones.”
Future developments include Unmanned Traffic Management, Scheduled UA operations, Night Operations, Multiple Unmanned Aircraft Operations, Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Operations, Urban Air Mobility, Unmanned Aircraft Delivery, High-Speed Unmanned Aircraft and High Altitude Unmanned Aircraft.
Yahya Abdalla Al Hammadi, CEO, Global Air Navigation Services (GANS), in his keynote address “Disrupting ATM to support the recovery of the industry,” said Air Traffic Control could play a huge role in reducing carbon emissions by adopting new technologies that can help airlines plan more efficient routes and work with other stakeholders to help reduce the overall carbon footprint.
The Airport Show, the world’s largest annual airport event, was opened by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, under whose patronage the event is held.
Organised by RX Global, the world’s largest airport industry B2B platform has a sharp focus on sustainability to help the aviation industry achieve a more sustainable airport industry that aims to reduce the carbon footprint year on year.
The Airport Show is supported by Dubai Airports, Dubai Police, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), dnata (part of Emirates Airline and Group), Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), Global Air Navigation Services (GANS), and dans.
“While people are proud of their achievements, we are proud of being the children of Sheikh Zayed, and while people talk of their history, we speak of the history of giving that began with the formation of the UAE,” said the late His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, epitomising the nations’s approach from the first day it was established to its phase of empowerment, ushering in the birth of a powerful and successful nation.
On 4th November, 2004, Sheikh Khalifa assumed power and, up until his passing, helped the country, whose track record of achievements spans nearly 35 years, progress from the foundation phase to the empowerment stage.
Over this short period, the UAE has topped international competitiveness indexes and has become the second-largest economy in the Arab region, despite its small area and population.
Moreover, the UAE is the first Arab and Islamic nation to reach the planet Mars and one among few countries with significant achievements in the space sector.
The UAE’s achievements during the empowerment phase are reflected on the lives of its people and business community, making it the dream destination of anyone seeking success, stability, and wellbeing.
After assuming power, the late Sheikh Khalifa launched the first strategic plan of the UAE Government to achieve balanced and sustainable development and ensure the wellbeing of UAE residents.
In 2009, he was re-elected as the President of the country, and thanks to his wise leadership, the UAE overcame the financial crises and political issues facing the region due to his active foreign policy, which also enhanced the regional and international stature of the country.
How did the UAE manage to accomplish significant achievements during the empowerment phase? The Emirates News Agency (WAM) monitors these milestones and challenges in the following report:
1. The Health Sector.
The UAE’s leadership has prioritised the health sector and increased public spending on the sector, amounting at times to seven percent of the federal budget.
This fact is highlighted by the spending on the sector in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, which amounted to AED3.83 billion, AED4.2 billion, AED4.5 billion, AED4.4 billion and AED4.84 billion, respectively.
This policy also proved successful when the sector faced the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, demonstrating a high level of efficiency supported by the many well-equipped public and private hospitals.
The sector’s efficiency was further supported by the country’s efforts to establish media cities, including Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Medical City and Sharjah City.
Coinciding with these achievements, most Emirati hospitals are internationally accredited, and the country has become a leading medical destination, underpinned by the rising number of hospitals, which increased from 16 in 1975 to 169 in 2020.
These hospitals are managed by highly qualified medical staff, numbering 8,995 in 2020 in the government sector and 17,136 in the private sector, compared to 792 doctors in 1975.
The number of nurses also reached 56,045 working in the government sector in 2020, increasing 252 percent compared to 1975.
The country has prioritised health insurance and provided it to citizens for free, in addition to comprehensive medical coverage for all segments of society, especially the elderly and people of determination.
In 2017, the UAE established the first cancer treatment centre utilising proton technology in the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
The Emirates was also one of the first countries to use robotics in the pharmaceutical sector.
Smart rooms were established to provide entertainment services to patients and link their medical files with hospitals to provide comprehensive and effective care.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention has been keen to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) in medical services, used in over 100 facilities nationwide.
The UAE ranks first in the world in the number of accredited facilities, and more than 85 percent of Emirati hospitals have international accreditation.
2. Education Sector.
The UAE’s spending on the health and education sectors underscores the leadership’s belief in the importance of these two sectors to achieving sustainable development, with spending from 2016 to 2020 accounting for between 20 percent and 22 percent respectively of the federal budget.
With the budget allocated to the national education sector standing at AED10.41 billion, AED10.46 billion, AED10.40 billion, AED10.2 billion and AED6.536 billion for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, the average share of the federal budget is 15 percent.
The UAE believes that the education system is the driver of development and ensures the right to free education for all citizens. From 2012, education became mandatory for everyone over the age of six until secondary education, which was reinforced by issuing the Children’s Rights Law (Wadeema).
The UAE’s education strategy confirms the establishment of an educational system based on the skills of the 21st century. It aims to provide higher education that can compete with the world’s best universities.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Initiative, launched in 2012, is an ideal model covering all schools in the country and creates a new educational environment in schools that includes smart classes.
In 1973, the country had 110 schools with 40,000 students, while in 2007, the percentage of educated citizens reached 88.7 percent of the population.
The UAE Vision 2021 highlighted the need to advance education in the country to the highest in the world and adopt a smart system as a primary goal.
The vision also confirmed that the upcoming years would witness comprehensive transformations in learning and education, led by smart education.
The national education strategy aims to ensure equal education, maintain the quality and efficiency of institutional education, promote scientific research, encourage students to enrol in higher education, achieve innovation, and support smart education.
Subsequently, the National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 affirms the importance of improving the scientific and technical skills of students, to support the growth of the economy.
At the same time, the UAE has kept pace with the latest innovations in the health sector. The government has launched many initiatives that encourage innovation in general and innovation in the medical field in particular.
The UAE is one of the few countries that utilises medical robotics technology when conducting major surgeries.
President Khalifa bin Zayed passed away on Friday, May 13th, 2022
Local favourite Azaan Al Ruhmy became the champion of the 48th Muscat Open Golf Championship 2022.
Azaan set a new course record of 69 (-2 under par) on day 1, and then repeated this score on day 2, giving him a total score of 138 (-4 under par) and a victory by 10 shots from 2nd place Nasser Yaqoob (Awali Golf Club).
Another local favourite Badr Alaamri sealed third place with a score of 150. The leading junior in the gross category was Darsh Pawani with a score of 157.
It was a very proud moment as Azaan was presented with the trophy by. Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy, the Minister of Energy and Minerals and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Petroleum Development Oman.
This was for the 6th time Azaan has won this tournament and he commented afterwards, “this tournament is the most prestigious golf event in Oman, if I can pick one tournament to win in Oman then it would be the Muscat Open. It was my first two back to back rounds in the 60s. I wish to thank the sponsors, the organizing committee and my family for all of their support”.
The net prize this year went to Tore Solberg (134) who was closely followed by junior Ras Al Hamra golfer Juan Moreno (136) and Salim Al Harthy (138).
Ras Al Hamra Golf Club Captain, Simon Walker commented, “Congratulations to Azaan on winning this coveted championship for the 6th time. The course is in superb condition due to the tireless work from our team. We were delighted to welcome such a high caliber of golfers to the club; golf is thriving in Oman and visitors are always welcome to our club which is the only floodlit course in the country”.
The 2022 Muscat Open Golf Championship was organized at Ras Al Hamra Golf Club on the 11th and 12th of March.
There was a full field of 92 golfers from Oman and the GCC who competed for the longest-running amateur golf competition in Oman and the GCC.
Prize Winners :
1st Gross & Muscat Open Champion Azaan Al Rumhy -4 (138)
2nd Gross Nasser Yacoob +6
3rd Gross Badr Al Amri +8
Junior Best Gross DarshPawani +1
1st Nett Tore Solberg -8
2nd Nett Juan Moreno -6
3rd Nett Salim Al Harthy -4
Plate H.E. Rr Al Rumhy 70
Daily Prizes
Best Gross Day 1 Kieran Tumilty 76
Best Gross Day 2 Fahad Al Kitani 76
Best Nett Day 1 Simon Walker 68
Best Nett Day 2 Hussain Dad 70
source/content: timesofoman.com (edited)
__________
This was the 6th time Azaan has won this tournament
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has won the prestigious Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year award for a second time, it was announced on Friday.
The 29-year-old enjoyed a vote share of 48% ahead of Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne and West Ham United’s Declan Rice to scoop the prize.
Elsewhere, Chelsea striker Sam Kerr also won the women’s Footballer of the Year award after another stellar campaign. The 28-year-old claimed the prize with 40% of the vote, beating Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema and Manchester City’s Lauren Hemp.
FWA chair Carrie Brown said: “Both Mo and Sam have been outstanding this season, breaking records for both club and country. As well as their performances on the pitch, they are leaders and standard bearers of excellence at their clubs and respective leagues.
“The fact they have won by such convincing margins underlines just how impressive they have been this season which has been recognised by our members.”
The UAE racked up five more medals on the final day to take their final tally to 17 at the Dubai 2022 World Para Athletics Grand Prix – 13th Fazza International Para Athletics Championships.
Noura Al Ketbi, winner of the host nation’s only gold in the women’s wheelchair F34 shot put, wrapped up with silver in an Asian record throw of 19.46m in the women’s club F32 final.
Algeria’s Mounia Gasmi (21.74m) won the gold and Al Ketbi’s teammate Thekra Al Kaabi (18.67m) took bronze at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.
“For us to win 17 medals and for me to be able to chip in with a gold and silver in that tally was a real good performance that we can be proud as a team,” Al Ketbi, silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, said.
“As the host of this championship, we were able to field as many as 50 entries, obviously with the objective of providing them the opportunity to compete at this level.
“Personally, it was a very good competition for me. I can take a lot of positives forward and continue with my preparation for the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou later this year.”
Colombia topped the list with 25 medals, made up of 12 golds, eight silvers and five bronze. Algeria, with 11 golds, four silvers, and one bronze, finished second. The UAE was placed 19th with one gold, 10 silvers and six bronze.
Sara Al Jneibi grabbed her second silver medal of the championships in the women’s javelin wheelchair F33/34/54 with a throw of 8.51m.
Algeria’s Asmahane Boudjadar (11.99m) took gold and Emirati Aishah Salem Al Khaaldi (8.49m) clinched the bronze.
Abbad Ali added another silver to UAE’s medals tally in the men’s discus F11/37 with an effort of 37.04m. Kuwait’s Hamed Ali (41.54) took the gold.
Marcel Hug broke the world record when winning the men’s T54 wheelchair 5,000m final.
The Swiss Paralympic star clocked 9 minutes 32.32 seconds to set his second world record in as many weeks after his effort at the Sharjah International Meeting.
“It’s amazing and I’m really happy with my form right now,” Hug said. “It was my goal to come here and break the world record.
“The conditions are always perfect here. Besides it’s a very fast track so I had a great chance to get a good time here. First, I did it in Sharjah and then here.
“The Fazza Championships has always been an important competition for me and I have been coming here for many years. It’s a good opportunity to see where I stand and where I have to improve in my training besides trying different tactics.”
source/content: thenationalnews.com
_________________
Noura Alketbi (left) and Thekra Al Kaabi with Theban Salem Al Muhairi, general secretary of UAE Paralympic Committee, after the presentation ceremony. Gaber Abdeen
A Saudi team won three medals at an international physics Olympiad on Sunday.
Sadiq Al-Abbad from Riyadh won a silver medal, Jawad Al-Saif from the Eastern Province won a bronze medal, and Lama Al-Ahdal from Jeddah earned a bronze at the Nordic-Baltic Physics Olympiad held at Estonia’s Tallinn University of Technology.
The Olympiad was launched in 1992 with the participation of Estonia and Finland and was called the Estonia and Finland Physics Olympiad.
With Latvia joining in 2014 and Sweden joining in 2016, the name of the competition changed to the Nordic-Baltic Physics Olympiad.
Each main country participates with 20 competitors, while each guest country participates with a specified number.
This year’s Nordic-Baltic Physics Olympiad had four main and four guest countries participating.
The head of the Saudi delegation to the Nordic-Baltic Physics Olympiad, Talal Al-Rashidi, said the physics team had won three gold and silver medals in the GCC Olympiad that was held in March.
The team was participating in the European Physics Olympiad in May with five students and the Asian Physics Olympiad immediately afterward.
“Since 2010, we have achieved 472 medals in many international competitions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, informatics, and sciences. Saudi Arabia is the first in the Arab world and the first third globally in various scientific disciplines.
source/content: arabnews.com (edited)
___________
This success is ‘an extension of the series of achievements in international competitions in which KSA participates.’ (Supplied)
The Saudi Ministry of Education joined the international community in celebrating World Creativity and Innovation Day, which takes place on April 21 every year and was established by the United Nations “to raise awareness of the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development.”
According to a report by the SPA, Saudi Arabia registered 1,871 patents between 2015 and 2021 — more than any other country in the Arab world. Eighty-one percent of those patents were registered in the US.
This, according to the SPA, “highlights the creativity and innovation of students, faculty members and researchers in Saudi universities.”
There are 47 centers for innovation and entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia, and more than 135 centers of excellence and research, all of which have contributed to the country’s drive for innovation.
The Ministry of Education has announced that it is working on a set of initiatives to transform these patents into “investable projects to enhance society and bring about tangible developments for the benefit of the Kingdom,” the SPA reported.
