Month: March 2023

EGYPT: Anwar Ibrahim First Arab to Receive Dostoyevsky Medal

Russian ambassador to Egypt Georgiy Borisenko has awarded the Dostoyevsky Medal to Anwar Ibrahim – the under-secretary of the Ministry of Culture and former head of the ministry’s Foreign Cultural Relations Department – for his work in translating Russian literature into Arabic.

The honouring ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Russian Embassy in Cairo on 6 March. It was attended by a delegation from the Egyptian Association of Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities headed by Sherif Gad.

Ambassador Borisenko expressed appreciation for Ibrahim’s efforts in translating classic and contemporary Russian literature into Arabic, thereby promoting Russian culture.

“The Arab reader is lucky when he reads translated Russian literature through creative translators like Anwar Ibrahim,” Borisenko said.

Borisenko wished Ibrahim continued success in his literary career, which he described as part of the soft power between Russia and the Arab peoples.

The Dostoyevsky Medal was established by the Russian Writers Union to be awarded to translators on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who is one of the most iconic writers of the Russian literary canon.

For his part, Ibrahim said that “this honour is a new birth for me, and I am extremely proud of receiving the Dostoyevsky Medal.”

Toghan, Secretary-General of the Association of Graduates, affirmed that the award for Ibrahim is a tribute to all graduates of the association, especially since Anwar is the first Arab to receive the prestigious medal.

Dostoyevsky, who was born in 1821 in Moscow and died in 1881 in St. Petersburg, gave up an engineering career early in order to write.

In 1849, he was arrested for belonging to a radical discussion group and was sentenced to be shot. He was reprieved at the last moment and sentenced to four years of hard labour in Siberia, where he developed epilepsy and experienced a deepening of his religious faith.

Dostoyevsky’s novels are especially concerned with faith, suffering, and the meaning of life; they are famous for their psychological depth and insight and their near-prophetic treatment of issues in philosophy and politics.

By the end of his life, he was acclaimed as one of his country’s greatest writers, and his works had a profound influence on 20th-century literature.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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Marat Gatin, Sherif Gad, Professor Anwar Ibrahim receives his medal from Russian ambassador Georgiy Borisenko, Fathy Toghan

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EGYPT

SAUDI ARABIA: South Korea President joins Aramco CEO for $7bn Petrochemical Plant’s groundbreaking ceremony in Ulsa, South Korea, March 2023

Building work on Saudi Aramco’s new $7 billion Shaheen petrochemical project in Ulsa, South Korea has officially begun after a groundbreaking ceremony involving the energy giant’s CEO.

Amin Nasser attended the inauguration event alongside South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol and senior officials from both countries.

The Shaheen project, announced in November 2022, is being built by South Korean refiner S-OIL Corp., of which Aramco owns a more than 63 percent stake.

“We are deeply honored by the presence of His Excellency President Yoon at this historic groundbreaking ceremony,” said Nasser – also the Aramco President.

“Shaheen is among Aramco’s biggest international downstream investments, representing a significant and sizeable step forward in our liquids-to-chemicals expansion and another major milestone in further strengthening our presence in Korea,” he continued. 

Shaheen is Saudi Aramco’s largest investment in South Korea and is expected to be among the biggest integrated steam crackers – a petrochemical process – in the world. 

It is also the first large-scale commercial use of Aramco’s thermal crude-to-chemicals technology, which was developed in partnership with Lummus Technology, a leading licensor of proprietary petrochemicals. 

The construction of the new plant will be completed by 2026 and will have a production capacity of up to 3.2 million tons per year, in addition to a facility for producing high-value polymers. 

Aramco has established a solid relationship with South Korea, and has recently agreed to a $6 billion framework deal with the country’s export-import bank.

According to the deal, Eximbank can lend Saudi Aramco up to $6 billion, which can be used to fund South Korean enterprises involved in projects with the global energy firm, whereas the bank indicated that $1 billion is set aside for hydrogen and renewable energy projects. 

Moreover, Aramco also inked a memorandum of understanding with South Korea’s Hoban Group last month to collaborate in building and manufacturing.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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South Korea’s President Yoon (centre) with Aramco president Amin Nasser (Supplied)

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SAUDI ARABIA

IRAQ’S Wadi-al-Salam Cemetery Echoes 14 Centuries of Life and Death – in pictures

Islamic cemetery in Najaf is often described as the world’s biggest.


The graveyard covers an area of 917 hectares, the equivalent of more than 1,700 football fields

There are no maps to guide visitors through the labyrinth, which is also listed as the world’s largest burial ground in the Guinness Book of World Records
An expanse of graves
The shrine of Imam Ali at the cemetery

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Wadi Al Salam cemetery in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf is considered one of the world’s largest cemeteries, according to Unesco. Photos: AFP

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IRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA to Chair ‘WTO Trade Policy Review Body’ for 2023-2024

Almoqbel is the first Arab ambassador to the WTO to preside over the TPRB.

The World Trade Organization General Council has selected Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to WTO Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel to chair its Trade Policy Review Body for 2023-2024. 

Almoqbel is the first Arab ambassador to the WTO to preside over the TPRB. 

The TPRB aims to facilitate the efficient operation of the multilateral trading system by increasing the transparency of WTO members’ trade policies. All members are subject to review every two to six years under the mechanism. 

Periodically, the agency releases reports on the global economy, including detailed chapters examining the trade policies and practices of each member, as well as descriptions of the trade policymaking institutions and the macroeconomic environment. 

Saudi Arabia’s new position at TPRB reinforces its leadership position within the WTO. In addition to being the organization coordinator for the Arab group, the Kingdom has chaired the Council for Trade in Services, the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, the Working Group on Transfer of Technology, and the Committee for Balance of Payments Restrictions in previous years.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to WTO Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel presents his credentials to Deputy Director-General Yi Xiaozhun in 2020. (WTO)

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SAUDI ARABIA

WORLD ARAB RECORD: U.A.E : Longest Arab Space Mission in History Launched

Florida, March 02nd, 2023

The longest Arab space mission in history was launched today at 9:34 am (UAE time).

The 6-month mission is carried out by astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi aboard the International Space Station as part of Crew-6.

source/content: wam.ae (headline edited)

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)