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The ‘Rig 1938’ tower made two entries in the Guinness Book of Records, as the world tallest water slide tower with a height of 76.309 meters; and the first tower of its kind to have 12 water slides.
General Manager and Chairman of Qetaifan Projects Company, Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said in a press conference that the tower provides an exceptional experience that enhances Qatar’s position as a world class global tourist destination.
He added that the tower is not just an entertainment landmark, but a symbol that expresses Qatari culture and promotes creativity.
The tower, which is 85 meters high and includes 12 water slides, is an architectural masterpiece inspired by the history of oil and gas discovery in Qatar. It was designed according to the highest safety standards to be suitable for all age groups to enhance the visitor experience.
The tower is located in the heart of Meryal City, which extends over an area of 281 thousand square meters, and is one of the largest water parks in the region, with 36 innovative water games.
Meryal is part of Qetaifan Island North, which is an integrated tourism project extending over an area of 1.3 million square meters, and includes multiple facilities as well as residential, educational and health projects, making it a destination that combines authenticity and innovation.
The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) announced that Omani researcher Dr. Huda Mubarak Al Dai’ree won the “ALECSO Innovation Award for Young Researchers” due to her active role in promoting green economy.
The research that won the award was titled “Role of government school principals and teachers in endorsing green economy in education and activating it as one of the objectives of Oman Vision 2024.”
The award reflects ALECSO’s keenness on inspiring and supporting innovative Arab researchers who excel in the fields of technology and scientific applications. The award is an initiative undertaken by ALECSO to spread the culture of research and innovation among Arab youth.
The Ministry of Culture unveiled the largest painting on canvas in the world by the artist Emad Al Salehi, at Qatar University yesterday.
The 9,652 sq metre artwork, equivalent to the size of a football field, is titled The Story of a Ball and was adjudged as the largest art canvas by the Guinness Book of Records officials.
The 9,652 sq metre artwork, equivalent to the size of a football field, is titled The Story of a Ball and was adjudged as the largest art canvas by the Guinness Book of Records officials.
The painting tells the history of the World Cup from its inception in 1930 until the World Cup 2022, which combines culture, history and sports and embodies the landmarks and icons of all the World Cup tournaments in Qatar.
The unveiling of the artwork comes at a time when the country is in the midst of the FIFA World Cup Qatar and as it readies to celebrate its National Day on December 18, 2022.
At the inaugural ceremony, a video was shown about the stages of completion of the huge artwork, after which the Guinness Book of Records certificate was handed over, marking its entry into the record book, in the presence of the Ministry of Culture officials and media.
Artist Emad Salehi receives Guinness World Record Award from the Minister of Culture, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad al Thani during the inauguration Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed
Artist Emad Salehi receives Guinness World Record Award from the Minister of Culture, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad al Thani during the inauguration Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed
The 18th edition of the World Branding Awards honoured the success and achievements of some of the World’s Best Brands as National, Regional, and Global Winners. The 2024-2025 World Branding Awards saw over 927 brands from 66 countries nominated as “Brand of the Year”. Of these, less than 100 were declared Winners.
The prestigious Award Ceremony was held at the Tower of London, United Kingdom. It welcomed over 80 guests worldwide and was hosted by acclaimed British television broadcaster, David Croft.
Global winners who proved excellence and impeccable branding in their industry include Yakult (Japan), Lurpak (Denmark), Sennheiser (Germany),Spotify (Sweden), BYD (China), and Heinz (United Kingdom).
Winners from Kuwait include GIG, KEMS, RIVA, Mabanee, The Avenues, and Boursa Kuwait. Other National tier winners include Absolut (Sweden), Airland (Hong Kong), Aurora (Thailand), Bank of Taiwan (Taiwan), Boots (United Kingdom), Evolene (Indonesia), Fern-D (Philippines), Frank & Co. (Indonesia), Munchy’s (Malaysia), Natural Aqua Gel Cure (Japan), Spritzer (Malaysia), and VISTRA (Thailand), to name a few.
Just 20 brands were selected to receive the Regional tier award this year, including M-150 (Thailand), Tsui Wah (Hong Kong), Nippon Rent-A-Car (Japan), and MR DIY (Malaysia). These brands were voted as consumers’ favourites in 4 or more countries across 3 or more areas in a specific geographic region.
“Winning the Brand of the Year, with 70% of the voting power in the hands of consumers, is a testament to a brand’s ability to resonate with its audience. It’s recognition that a brand has not only met but exceeded its customers’ expectations. It’s a badge of honour that signifies a brand’s commitment to providing exceptional value, building trust, and creating lasting relationships,” said Mr Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum.
More than 100,000 consumers participated in the nomination process globally this year. On average, there are only 5 winning brands in each country, proving that winning a World Branding Award is a remarkable accomplishment.
For more information and the full list of winners, visit awards.brandingforum.org.
After just twenty years in aviation manufacturing, Morocco has outpaced all African nations to become the continent’s primary supplier of aircraft parts.
Morocco’s aviation manufacturing sector is concluding 2024 with unprecedented growth, as exports surged 17.3% to reach MAD 21.86 billion ($2.1 billion) in the first ten months, surpassing the entire previous year’s record of MAD 21.85 billion.
The North African country has solidified its position as Africa’s primary aviation equipment and spare parts manufacturer, ranking fifth globally among the most dynamic countries in the aviation sector, according to Afaf Saïdi, Director of Aviation, Railway, Naval Industries and Renewable Energies at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
“Morocco has become the main source of equipment and spare parts at the African level after just twenty years of launching its first initiative in this sector,” Saïdi told the Moroccan News Agency. “This exceptional performance not only demonstrates the resilience of our national aviation industry but also reflects its ability to adapt to global market momentum.”
The sector currently employs 21,000 skilled workers across 142 companies, with a local integration rate exceeding 40%. Industry Minister Riyad Mzour announced in July that Morocco aims to double the sector’s employment by 2030.
This year marked several significant developments for Morocco’s aviation industry. The country hosted the Morocco Air Show 2024 in Marrakech, which facilitated new strategic partnerships with industry giants Boeing and Airbus.
A major milestone was the inauguration of Safran’s $300 million aircraft engine manufacturing facility in Casablanca, expected to create hundreds of jobs and facilitate advanced technology transfer.
‘Adopting a proactive approach’
Other major manufacturers including Bombardier, Stelia, and Aerospace have expanded their investments in the country through new facilities and expansions of existing sites. These initiatives aim to meet growing demand from major aviation companies for high-quality components while contributing to local economic growth.
The government has developed specialized industrial zones for aviation manufacturing, including the Midparc zone, which offers modern infrastructure, ready-to-use land, and tax incentives. The Tanger Med Port plays a pivotal role in supporting the sector’s growth through export operations.
“We are adopting a proactive approach to ensure our aviation industry aligns with rapid global developments,” Saïdi explained. “Innovation is at the core of our priorities, with special focus on environmentally friendly technologies and reducing carbon footprint, strengthening the kingdom’s position as a competitive and sustainable industrial platform.”
The sector’s growth in 2024 represents a significant improvement from 2023’s modest 2.4% increase in exports. This expansion is attributed to strong global demand and product diversification, encompassing spare parts and complete equipment for major aviation manufacturers.
Looking ahead, Morocco’s aviation sector is positioning itself for further expansion through new ecosystem development, implementation of more complex projects, and addressing challenges in digital transformation, decarbonization, and technological innovation, while leveraging the talents of young Moroccan professionals.
This recognition sheds light on a journey of empowering mothers and reshaping the narrative around motherhood in Egypt.
Onset of an idea
MotherBeing is an organization founded by Nour Emam to provide support, resources, and a sense of community for mothers across Egypt.
In a previous interview with Ahram Online , Emam recounted that during the birth of her daughter, she underwent a medically unnecessary C-section and was separated from her daughter for a while.
It was a challenging experience that left her feeling helpless. Following the birth, Emam suffered from postpartum depression and mild PTSD, which went undiagnosed for eight months.
In an attempt to help herself overcome that painful experience, she created MotherBeing, an educational platform focused on providing women with information on their bodies, sexual health, and the many misconceptions surrounding it.
However, before creating her platform in January 2020, Emam joined a five-month online doula training program from Canada, one of the hardest and longest in the field, followed by another training program in managing postpartum depression.
Emam decided to make it her mission to educate women about their cycles and reproductive health. Emam’s most crucial part was making this knowledge accessible in Arabic to every Arabic-speaking woman.
She is now a certified maternal support practitioner (doula) and certified relationship and sex educator.
Over the years, in addition to easily accessible online content, MotherBeing provided courses of female-only open discussions about women’s reproductive and sexual health issues.
Based on requests, course participants choose a topic related to womanhood each month. The courses provide scientific discussions of the issues.
Through MotherBeing, Nour has created a safe space where mothers can share their stories, seek advice, and form connections with one another.
Brave initiative
One of Nour Emam’s standout initiatives is donating hundreds of thousands of sanitary pads to women in Gaza in November 2023.
This initiative highlighted the medical challenges women face there.
Emam also provided free online consultations to all Palestinian women in need of medical advice regarding their reproductive health.
She remains committed to expanding the reach of MotherBeing and creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for mothers in Egypt.
Her vision for the future includes launching new initiatives, collaborating with like-minded organizations, and advocating for policies prioritizing maternal well-being.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has congratulated Professor Yacine Aït-Sahalia, Professor of Finance and Economics at Princeton University, for winning the Great Arab Minds Award in Economics for 2024.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed praised Professor Yacine Aït-Sahalia for his pioneering contributions to financial econometrics, data measurement, and financial analysis. His work advanced the modelling of high-frequency financial data and continuous-time processes, enabling deeper understanding of variables.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said, “We congratulate the winner of the Great Arab Minds Award in Economics for 2024, Professor Yacine Aït-Sahalia from Algeria, Professor of Finance and Economics at Princeton University, who has made exceptional contributions by developing an advanced economic and financial metric to determine volatility levels and understand future patterns of market fluctuations. His work has enhanced financial market analysis, improved economic risk assessments, and increased the efficiency of financial and economic planning.
“We celebrate his achievement and take pride in all Arab minds who have inspired us with their creativity. We look forward to meeting them soon at the Great Arab Minds ceremony.”
Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Great Arab Minds Higher Committee, informed Professor Yacine Aït-Sahalia of his win via video call. Al Gergawi highlighted that the award reflects Sheikh Mohammed’s vision to celebrate and support exceptional Arab talent, highlight their achievements, and expand their effective cognitive and developmental impact in their specialisations to foster innovation and excellence across the Arab world.
“Your theories on econometrics and financial analysis have become a reference for numerous institutions, markets, economies, and governments. Your studies inspire a new generation of skilled economists, both in the Arab world and globally, and you are a source of pride for everyone in the Arab world,” Al Gergawi added.
Professor Aït-Sahalia developed high-frequency econometric methods to analyse financial data, estimate volatility, forecast market trends, and evaluate risk. His techniques for addressing microstructure noise and capturing market dynamics have provided essential tools for asset pricing and financial decision-making.
With over 80 academic studies and two books, Professor Aït-Sahalia’s research introduced innovative methods for analysing financial data, and enhancing economic planning.
The 10,000-square-meter facility features the latest marine technology.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz, the governor of Hail, inaugurated the Excellence Center for Salmon Production on Saturday, the largest facility of its kind in the Middle East.
A collaboration between the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and King Abdulaziz University, the center aims to produce 100,000 tons of salmon annually, bolstering Saudi Arabia’s food security and aquaculture sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The 10,000-square-meter facility features the latest marine technology, including recirculating aquaculture systems and aquaponics units, which integrate fish and vegetable production.
It is designed to reduce the Kingdom’s reliance on salmon imports, currently at 23,000 tons per year.
Prince Abdulaziz hailed the project as a cornerstone of Vision 2030, promoting sustainable development and economic diversification, while attending officials highlighted its potential to enhance innovation, create jobs, and serve as a model for sustainable aquaculture in the region, SPA added.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz, the governor of Hail, inaugurated the Excellence Center for Salmon Production on Saturday, the largest facility of its kind in the Middle East. (SPA)
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe was expected to make history on Tuesday by flying into the sun’s outer atmosphere, with Tunisian astrophysicist Nour E. Rawafi playing a pivotal role in the mission. The goal of the mission is to help scientists learn more about Earth’s closest star.
With the spacecraft out of contact, it will be Friday before mission operators confirm its health following the close flyby.
Parker was on course to fly 3.8 million miles (6.1 million km) from the sun’s surface at 6:53 a.m. EST (1153 GMT). Moving at up to 430,000 mph (692,000 kph), the spacecraft will endure temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (982 degrees Celsius), NASA said on its website.
At the heart of this mission is Rawafi, a Tunisian astrophysicist and project scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Rawafi leads efforts to uncover the mysteries of the Sun, demonstrating how talent from Tunisia is shaping the frontiers of space exploration.
“Nour and his team are unlocking the mysteries of our star, from understanding solar storms that impact Earth to collecting revolutionary data that will fuel discoveries for decades,” the US Embassy in Tunis said in a Facebook post, celebrating the scientist. “This awe-inspiring mission reflects both the brilliance of human ingenuity and the vital role Tunisian talent plays in advancing scientific exploration on a global scale.”
Rawafi graduated from University of Tunis El Manar with a Master’s Degree in fundamental physics then received his Ph.D. from the University of Paris XI in Orsay, France.
The Tunisian scientist’s research spreads over a wide range of solar and heliospheric areas with an emphasis on the dynamic solar corona – the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere, visible during a solar eclipse as a glowing halo.
His primary contributions have been on the sun’s magnetic fields, which control many solar activities and influence space weather. He has also worked on coronal spectropolarimetry, a technique that helps understand the magnetic fields and physical properties of the sun’s outer atmosphere.
Before joining the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 2008, he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany and the National Solar Observatory in the US.
Rawafi is also a member of the American Geophysical Union and the American Astronomical Society/Solar Physics Division (SPD).
First probe pass in 2021
When the Parker Solar Probe first passed into the solar atmosphere in 2021 it found new details about the boundaries of the sun’s atmosphere and collected close-up images of coronal streamers, cusp-like structures seen during solar eclipses.
Since the spacecraft launched in 2018, the probe has been gradually circling closer towards the sun, using flybys of Venus to gravitationally pull it into a tighter orbit with the sun.
One instrument aboard the spacecraft captured visible light from Venus, giving scientists a new way to see through the planet’s thick clouds to the surface below, NASA said.
Ankara aims to help the new Syrian administration rebuild its infrastructure after its 13-year civil war.
Turkey will restore parts of the historic Hejaz Railway in Syria, reconnecting Turkish rail lines to Damascus, Turkish Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Tuesday during a meeting with journalists.
The comments by the Turkish official come as Ankara works on helping rebuild its southern neighbour after 13 years of civil war.
“We will quickly assess the situation and take steps to restore the railway connection to Damascus as a first stage,” Uraloglu said during a meeting with the Anatolian Broadcasters Association in Ankara, according to a transcript.
“There are sections of the railway stretching from Turkey to the Hejaz region. We know that these lines have not been operational for a long time as part of a larger network,” Uraloglu added.
“From 2009 to 2010, we sent passenger trains there and even took a journey ourselves.
“There’s existing infrastructure in place… However, in some areas, such as Iraq, we’ve seen railway tracks stolen and sold as raw iron. We may face similar issues in Syria.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a cabinet meeting on Monday that every minister with a specific portfolio will study the shortcomings and problems in Syrian infrastructure and offer help to the new Syrian administration.
A caretaker government has been established in Damascus to maintain state services following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who fled the country earlier this month in the face of a rebel offensive.
‘Ambitious dream’
The legendary Hejaz Railway was the ambitious dream of Sultan Abdulhamid II of the Ottoman Empire, who, in 1990, envisioned a train line connecting Istanbul to Mecca.
Named after the Hejaz region in the western Arabian Peninsula, home to Islam’s two holiest cities – Mecca and Medina – the railway was constructed with remarkable speed, funded entirely by Muslim donations. While some donations were voluntary, others were coerced.
The line, which was already connected to Istanbul, extended from Damascus to Medina, with a branch line to Haifa in Palestine.
It was primarily intended to facilitate the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and to strengthen Ottoman control over its distant provinces. The railway also served as a military transport route for Ottoman forces.
However, the railway faced frequent sabotage, particularly during the British-backed Arab Revolt, led by the intelligence officer TE Lawrence, famously known as “Lawrence of Arabia”.
The project came to an abrupt halt with the outbreak of World War One.
The Hejaz Railway never reached its ultimate destination of Mecca, ending in Medina – approximately 400km short of the holy city.
