First UAE Developed Product by SAAB – the RCAM -IR Camera : February 2021

The inaugural UAE developed product is a Rugged Camera Module – Infrared, (RCAM-IR) which features an extremely rugged design for harsh and demanding environments to be launched at IDEX-2021.

RCAM-IR is available with a variety of different field of views making it optimal for both Driver Vision Enhancer System (DVE) as well as for Local Situational Awareness Systems (LSAS). The increased situational awareness due to RCAM-IR will be part of a self-protection suite designed to mitigate threats to crews and armoured vehicles.

To support the expansion, production and rollout of products in the UAE, Saab has developed a production line and testing facility, a support hub as well as a sales and marketing functions.

The launch of RCAM-IR is a result of Saab’s partnership with its local partners. In 2018, Saab set up its development and production centre in Abu Dhabi’s Tawazun Industrial Park.

source: wam.ae

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

Robert Purvis, Moroccan-American Who Helped 9,000 Slaves Gain Freedom

Robert Purvis.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1810, Robert Purvis was the grandchild of a woman known as Dido Badaracka. She was captured in Morocco at the age of 12 and transported to the US to serve as a slave.

According to American historian Margaret Hope Bacon, Purvis described his Moroccan grandmother as a “full-blooded Moor of magnificent features and great beauty. She had crisp hair and a stately manner.”

Purvis received his early education in Philadelphia at the Clarkson Hall, a school for black children, run by the Pennsylvania Abolition Society — one of the first organizations ever to advocate for ending slavery in the US. He also studied at Amherst Academy in Massachusetts.

Robert Purvis became a prominent officer of the American Anti-Slavery Society. He also served as president of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society between 1845 and 1850.

Robert Purvis, as the main organizer of the network, earned the nickname “The President of the Underground Railroad.”

The US Embassy in Morocco has paid tribute to Robert Purvis, an American man of Moroccan descent who dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery.

source: www.moroccoworldnews.com/yahya hatim

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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U.S.A / MOROCCAN-AMERICAN

Egyptian Ballet Dancer Luca Abdel Nour Wins 2nd Rank at International Ballet Competition Prix de Lausanne, Switzerland : February 2021

Luca Abdel Nour – Ballet Dancer claimed the second rank for classical ballet at the international ballet competition Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland which was held from January 31 to February 6.

Abdel Nour also won the “Best Swiss Candidate” award and the “Audience Favorite” Award.

78 dancers participated in this year’s competition. They were selected based on audition videos. 

source: egypttoday.com

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pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Etihad Airways – First Airline in World with 100% of Flight Crew Vaccinated : February 2021

 Etihad Airways, the UAE national airline, has become the first airline in the world with all its operating pilots and cabin crew vaccinated to help curb the spread of COVID-19.


In January 2021, Etihad was awarded Diamond status for ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitisation in the inaugural ‘APEX Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying’ audit.

This achievement was made possible through Etihad’s ‘Protected Together’ employee vaccination initiative which was formally launched in January this year.

Building on the UAE’s “Choose to Vaccinate” campaign, Protected Together is about helping staff take proactive, personal steps towards protecting themselves against COVID-19.

source: www.wam.ae

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pix: wam.ae

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Sony World Photography Awards 2021 – Regional Winners.

The National Awards program is an initiative set up by the World Photography Organisation and Sony to support local photographic communities around the world, with 53 countries taking part this year.

A National Winners – of the 2021 Sony World Photography Award of the Region are:

  • Photographer Abdelhamid Tahoun (Egypt)
  • Photographer Naser Alomari (Kuwait)
  • Photographer Abdulla Al-Mushaifri (Qatar)
  • Photographer Naif Al-Bugami (Saudi Arabia) – winning picture below
  • Photographer – Mireia Vilaplana (based in Dubai, UAE)

Over 330,000 images from 220 territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 and over 165,000 were entered to the Open competition (from which the National Awards winner was selected).

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Photograph of Naif Al-Bugami, Saudi Arabia / pix: eyeofriyadh.com

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EGYPT /KUWAIT / QATAR / SAUDI ARABIA / U.A.E

UAE Makes History, Becomes 5th Nation in the World to Reach Mars. First Arab Nation : February 09th, 2021

“If you ventured in pursuit of glory, don’t be satisfied with less than the stars.”

The Iraqi poet – Al Mutanabbi’s writings were chosen by Nasa to congratulate the Hope probe project team.

Those words were chosen by US space agency Nasa in a congratulatory tweet to the UAE Mars Mission team after its Hope probe successfully entered the Red Planet’s orbit on Tuesday, February 09th, 2021.

Nasa told the UAE: “Congratulations on arriving at Mars!” before using the words quoted above.

Who is the Arab poet Al Mutanabbi ?

The man behind the words is the 10th century Iraqi poet Al Mutanabbi, considered to be the greatest in the Arabic language.

Born into a distinguished family in Kufa in 915 AD, Abu Al Tayyib Ahmad ibn Al Husayn Al Mutanabbi received an education because of his poetic talents. He is remembered in the country of his birth. A street is named after him, which is a historic bookselling centre of Baghdad. A statue of him still stands in the Iraqi capital today

source: thenationalnews.com

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Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid personally thank staff from mission control in Dubai. / The National / pix: thenationalnews.com

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

Abeer Balubaid. First Saudi Female Pianist

Abeer Balubaid. Pianist. Composer.

Balubaid has also composed and performed two original pieces ‘Tempo’ and ‘Mystery’ with Saudi Jazz Band, Alfarbai at the King Abdulaziz Center For World Culture (Ithra) on September 23 on the occasion of 90th Saudi National Day.

She is also a Member of the Music Committee of Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and the Arts (SASCA).

Education:

  • B.E. : Bachelors degree in Architecture, Effat University, Saudi Arabia

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pix: abouther.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Lbachir BenMohamed – Scientist, Immunologist. Cutting Edge Work on New Covid-19 Vaccine in the US

Moroccan scientist Lbachir BenMohamed is making headlines in the US for working on a universal COVID-19 vaccine — a vaccine that would work on all variants of the coronavirus, even those that have not appeared yet.

At the Institute for Immunology affiliated to the University of California, Irvine, BenMohamed is leading a nine-member research team tasked with developing a universal COVID -19 vaccine .

Vaccine on a patch

Another original concept that BenMohamed and his team are working on is the injection method of the vaccine.

While all currently-available COVID-19 vaccines are injected through a syringe, the in-development universal vaccine would be administered through a patch, similarly to the widely-available nicotine patches.

Currently:

  • Professor, of Immunology,University of California, Irvine (2014). Founder and Head of Cellular and and Molecular Immunolgy
  • Assistant Researcher, University of California, Irvine (2002)

Education:

  • Diploma – Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Alghadir, Morocco
  • Licence (Bachelor’s equivalent) – Biochemistry
  • Diploma of Advanced Studies in Immunology – University of Paris VII (aka) Paris Diderot University
  • M.S. in Immunolgy and Parasitolgy – Pasteur Institute, Paris
  • Ph.D. in Immunology – Pasteur Institute, Paris (1997)

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The immunologist and his team are developing a universal vaccine against COVID-19.The immunologist and his team are developing a universal vaccine against COVID-19. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG) / pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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U.S.A. / MOROCCAN AMERICAN

A New Museum Dedicated to the Life of the Prophet (pbuh) inaugrated : February 02nd, 2021

The opening ceremony of the International Exhibition and Museum of the Life of the Prophet and Islamic Civilization took place in Madinah on February 02nd.

The International Exhibition and Museum of the Life of the Prophet and Islamic Civilization was launched under the supervision of the Muslim World League (MWL) and is the first in a series of Islamic museums scheduled to be constructed around the world under the organization’s umbrella.

Located next to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, the museum is open 24 hours a day, and is dedicated to the history of the Islamic world and the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The exhibition features dozens of paintings and interactive displays. At the moment, there are seven languages available to visitors — Arabic, English, Spanish, Urdu, French, Turkish and Indonesian. It also includes a 4DX theater, which screens a series of films about the Prophet’s life.

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FASTFACTS

The International Exhibition and Museum of the Life of the Prophet and Islamic Civilization

• Size: 5,000 square meters

• Location: Next to the Prophet’s Mosque, Madinah

• Number of floors: Two

• Exhibit and pavilion displays: 25 main pavilions

• 500 antique items from the Prophet’s era

• A main screen to feature the masterpieces found in the Qur’an and the Sunnah

• A movie theater showing a film about the Prophet’s life

• Virtual reality shows

• A special presentation of the Constitution of Madinah and the Makkah Document

• A presentation of the efforts of Saudi Arabia in serving the Qur’an and the Sunnah

• Languages: French, English, Urdu, Spanish, Turkish, Indonesian, Arabic

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source: arabnews.com

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pix: arabnews.com

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Madinah , SAUDI ARABIA

Essam Heggy – Space and Planetary Scientist at NASA

Dr Essam Heggy . Space and Planetary Scientist.

His main science interests in space and planetary geophysics covers Mars, the Moon, icy satellites and Near Earth Objects.

A member of the several NASA and ESA missions science teams including the MARSIS instrument aboard the Mars Express orbiter (2003-present), the Mini-SAR experiment aboard Chandrayaan-1, the Mini-RF experiment on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (2008-present), the CONSERT radar experiment on board the Rosetta mission (2004-2015) and the RIME experiment Onboard JUICE mission for Jupiter Icy Satellites .

Heggy is the Principal Investigator of the NASA Earth Venture Mission Concept OASIS that aims to characterize groundwater in Hyper-Arid Environments .

Heggy served as a panel member for several NASA programs including the Planetary Instrument Definition and Development program, Planetary Geology and Geophysics program, Mars Data Analysis program, Astrobiology program and the Educational and Public Outreach program.

He also edited a special JGR-planets volume on terrestrial and planetary radars. He is on the editing board of Geosciences and National Geography and co-chaired several sessions in American Geophysical Union and other international meetings on planetary radars.

Education:

  • Ph.D – Astronomy and Planetary Science – Paris-Sorbonne University, Paris (2002)

Award/ Honours :

  • JPL/NASA Mariner Award
  • Served as Egyptian President Advisor for Scientific Affairs (2013-2014)

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pix: en.wikipedia.org

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U.S.A / FRANCE / EGYPT / EGYPTIAN AMERICAN / ARAB AMERICAN