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
‘Al-Ghadha Park in Unaizah (Makkah), which covers an area of more than 172 million square meters, has earned a Guinness World Record for the largest saxaul tree botanical garden.
“The saxaul trees give the area a unique beauty and magic that draws hikers from the Qassim region and beyond.”
Saleh Al-Waneen, a spokesperson for the Saxaul Association, told Arab News how the trees evolved to withstand the harsh desert climate.
“The tree grows and reproduces without any human intervention, and can go without water for many months,” he said. “In fact, this type of tree flowers, grows and thrives in the hottest temperatures in the summer without any irrigation or rain. It loves the heat and direct sun. Temperatures sometimes reach 58 C.
source/content : arabnews.com
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The people of Unaizah, a governorate in Al-Qassim Province, have cared for the indigenous trees for more than five decades, and there are strict laws against cutting them down. (Supplied) / arabnews.com
The 13-year-old Egyptian-Hungarian violinist Mariam Abuzahra won the silver award at the Nutcracker International Television Contest for Young Musicians in Moscow, Russia, on 6 December.
Abuzahra, representing Germany and Austria, participated in the third and final round of the Nutcracker, a renowned contest organised by the state cultural TV channel ‘Russia-K’, whose most recent edition took place in Moscow at the Tchaikovsky Hall.
In the string instruments category, Abuzahra competed with two other young finalists: Franz Ludwig Serafin Kraggerud (8) from Norway and violinist Sofia Demetriades (14), representing Great Britain and Russia.
Mariam Abuzahra started playing violin at the age of three, following the example of her elder sister Amira. Both sisters have been performing extensively and winning in international contests, such as the German youth national competition, the Virtuózok Talent show in Hungary and many others.
Just recently in 2020, the sisters received the highest awards at one of the most prestigious competitions for young violinists, the International Arthur Grumiaux Competition in Belgium.
Born to a Hungarian mother, Nóra Emödy, and an Egyptian father, Ahmed Abuzahra, both pianists, the young musician is also the granddaughter of famous Egyptian actor Abdelrahman Abuzahra.
On 18 December 1878, Sheikh Jassem bin Mohamed bin Thani succeeded his father as the ruler of Qatar.
With that, Qatar became a country with a vision… a country that would find unity, grow rapidly, and reach toward ever-higher heights.
National Day, also known as Founder’s Day, celebrates the rise of Sheikh Jassem as the father and founder of the State of Qatar.
It was founded in 2007 to give people an occasion to honour the history and identity of their country, and to commemorate those who have worked and continue to work to make Qatar a great nation.
The 18th of December is a special day – a day of unity for the people of Qatar.
source/content: qatarnationalday.qa
December 18th, 2021
H.H. the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani participated in Qatar’s Arda (traditional sword dance) held at Amiri Diwan Yard to celebrate Qatar National Day.
In a new achievement for the UAE, the United Nations (UN) honoured the UAE government with a special award in recognition of its role in government modernisation.
This recognition came during the United Nations Public Service Awards ceremony, the most prestigious global award in the field of public service.
The ceremony was attended by Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, and Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance at the UN.
Catherine Pollard: The UAE has developed an exceptional government work model
Catherine Pollard commended the experiences of the UAE government, and the advanced models it has developed in the field of public service.
She further noted that the special award presented by the UN reflects its appreciation of the efforts and initiatives of the UAE government, its unique model of government work, and its effective partnership with countries and international organisations for exchanging knowledge and sharing experiences.
Top Rankings on Global Competitiveness Indicators
Over the past years, the UAE government has launched strategic partnerships in the field of government modernisation under the umbrella of the government knowledge exchange program, with 9 countries worldwide. The partnerships yielded 241 successful initiatives in more than 55 work fields, and upskilled 290,000 employees and trainees through 3 millions training hours and 565 workshops.
The UAE ranked first regionally and 21st globally in the E-Government Survey 2020 conducted by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. According to the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), it ranked third globally on the Government’s Responsiveness to Change indicator and fourth on the Government Long-term Vision indicator.
The UAE also ranked third globally as the most trusted government according to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.
In addition, the UAE Government Accelerators, the first of its kind worldwide adopting acceleration and innovation to develop proactive solutions for addressing challenges, has become a hub for knowledge partnerships worldwide.
Moreover, the UAE government has also launched the World Government Summit, which serves as the largest global platform that brings together government officials and experts from around the world to shape the future. Since its launch, the Summit has held up to 1,000 sessions and hosted more than 25,000 participants and 40 international organisations. It also has signed more than 80 agreements and published more than 100 reports.
source/content: wam.ae
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Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, and Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance at the UN.
Prominent pathologist Doctor Sherif Zaki, founder and chief of the Infectious Disease Pathology Branch in the Coordinating Centre for Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia, passed away on 21 November, 2021.
Dr. Zaki was renowned for cracking medical mysteries by finding signatures of pathogens in diseased cells.
Through the application of classic and new technologies, Dr. Zaki and his team have made significant contributions to advancing the understanding of the pathogenesis and epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases.
Moreover, for his leadership, scientific contributions and commitment to Centre for Disease Control’s (CDC) public health mission, Dr. Zaki has been widely recognised and awarded, including receiving the US Health and Human Services Secretary’s Awards for Distinguished Service – the department’s highest honour – nine times.
Dr. Zaki and his staff were the first to identify the Hanta virus, later called the Sin Nombre virus, that caused the deaths of several people in the Navajo nation in the Southwest in 1993.
He also helped discover the Zika virus in the brain tissue of babies stricken with the mosquito-borne virus in Brazil, proving that it could be transmitted during pregnancy.
Dr. Zaki also helped identify the mechanisms that made Ebola and SARS so contagious and lethal.
Sherif Ramzy Zaki was born 24 November 1955, in Alexandria, Egypt.
He spent the first six years of his life in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where his father was attending graduate school.
Dr. Zaki received his medical degree from Alexandria University in 1978, before earning a master’s degree at his alma mater in pathology.
He earned a doctorate in experimental pathology from Emory University in Atlanta in 1989.
Dr. Zaki’s data on Scopus database showed that Zaki had published in the neighborhood of 400 scientific papers and had an advanced “H score” of 102 thus placing his impact on the field way above the 35-70 range for Noble Prize hopefuls.
Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the Muslim Scholars Association, has received the Norwegian Bridge Builder Award at a ceremony in Oslo.
He was one of three recipients of the award in 2021, which is given to people who have helped to build bridges between individuals, nations and societies.
The other two were Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches, and Michael Melchior, Chief Rabbi and leader of the Religious Peace Initiative in Israel.
source/content: arabnews.com
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Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the Muslim Scholars Association, has received the Norwegian Bridge Builder Award. (Supplied) / pix: arabnews.com
Egypt assumed the rotating presidency of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) at its 21st summit.
In his speech, El-Sisi said Egypt will work with COMESA member states to achieve their aspirations and encourage trade, including by seeking to complete a project linking the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Victoria.
During a meeting with COMESA Secretary-General Chileshe Kapwepwe, El-Sisi said Egypt’s presidency of the bloc will strive toward economic and regional integration.
About COMESA
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a free trade area with 21 member states stretching from Tunisia to Eswatini.
source/content: arabnews.com
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Egypt takes over Tuesday the chair of the COMESA – TV Screenshot / pix: egypttoday.com
Latif Al Ani: ‘father of Iraqi photography’ dies aged 89.
The renowned cameraman was the first to chronicle life and society during the country’s ‘golden age’.
Known by many as the “father of Iraqi photography “, Al Ani was famed for documenting daily life in Iraq during the country’s “golden age”.
At a time when Iraqwas forming into a new republic, Al Ani captured daily life as a site of modernity’s contrasts: old meets new, East meets West.
The photographer from Baghdad cemented his art in the fabric of the nation when he founded the photography department at the Ministry of Education in 1960 and later became director of photography at the Iraqi News Agency.
In 2017, at the Les Rencontres d’Arles, he was selected as the winner of the Historical Book Award from a shortlist of 15.’
Latif Al-Ani passed away in Baghdad on November 19th, 2021
He is the subject of two books:
Tamara Chalabi and Morad Montazami, Latif Al Ani, Hajte Cantz, 2017,
Hoor Al Qasimi, Kathleen Butti and Muʼassasaẗ al-Šāriqaẗ li-l-funūn, Latif Al Ani: Through the Lens, 1953-1979, Sharjah Art Foundation, 2018
source/content : thenationalnews.com
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Latif Al-Ani, Photographer Latif Al-Ani in the North of Iraq.
Gelatin silver negative on
film, 6 x 6 cm. Latif Al-Ani Collection
Amal Amjahid. Athlete. Martial Arts. Jiu Jitsu Sports. Represents Belgium.
Belgian-Moroccan Jiu-Jitsu fighter Amal Amjahid , won on November 13 her 9th world champion title after defeating the French fighter Laurence Cousin Fouillat in the 2021 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship finale.
The 26-year-old secured the title in the “below 57 kilos” category with a victory by advantage following a score of 2-2.
Amal Amjahid began Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 7 in Brussels. From 2013 to 2019, she won many world titles and medals in various competitions such as the World Games, the Grand Slam Tokyo, and the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship
