Ain Shams University- Egypt, Wins Unesco Literacy Prize : September 2021

Ain Shams University in Egypt is awarded the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy 2021 for its project ‘Ain Shams University experience in organizing online literacy classes for rural areas in Egypt’.

The Cairo university is one of six international recipients recognised for outstanding inclusive distance and digital learning projects in Covid times.

Egypt’s Ain Shams University has won the Unesco Confucius Prize for Literacy for its project that uses digital technology to teach literacy in rural areas of the country.

The annual Unesco international literacy prizes were awarded to six programmes from Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Mexico and South Africa, on International Literacy Day.

Ain Shams University president Prof Mahmoud El Meteini spoke in an online event held to recognise the award recipients on Thursday.

The Unesco Confucius Prize for Literacy was established in 2005 with the support of the Chinese government. Each of the three prizewinners will receive a medal, a diploma and a cash prize of $30,000.

The Unesco King Sejong Literacy Prize, sponsored by the Korean government and established in 1989, gives special consideration to language-based literacy development. The three winners will receive a medal, a diploma and a cash prize of $20,000.

www.asu.edu.eg/

source/content: thenationalnews.com

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pix: asu.edu.eg/

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EGYPT

Al-Sharjah Honors 4 Egyptian Writers at Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture : September 2021

The honored writers are the poet Darwish El-Asyouty and the writers Said Noah, Samir El-Manzalawi, and Mustafa Nasr.

 The Department of Culture in the Emirate of Al-Sharjah honored four Egyptians, in the presence of Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Culture Hisham Azmy and Abdullah Mohammad Al Owais, head of the Department of Culture in Al-Sharjah, on September 2 at the headquarters of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture.

Abdel Dayem praised the decision of the Al-Sharjah Forum for Cultural Honors in Egypt, which is sponsored by Sultan bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi, to honor the aforementioned Egyptian writers.

source/content: egypttoday.com

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pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

UAE Pavilion Wins Prestigious Golden Lion Award at Venice Architecture Biennale: August 2021

Wetland, the UAE’s innovative pavilion at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, has been awarded the prestigious Golden Lion for Best National Participation.

More than 60 nations developed national pavilions, including the UAE’s Wetland exhibition, which was curated by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto.

Wetland examines the potential for creating sustainable building materials from the UAE’s salt flats or sabkhas and features an environmentally friendly cement produced with recycled desalinated water.

source/content: thenationalnews.com

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Roberto Cicutto, president of the Venice Biennale, applauds as Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini, left, awards the Golden Lion for the Best National Participation to Wael Al Awar, right, curator of the Wetland project presented by the United Arab Emirates at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition. EPA / Andrea Merola / pix: thenationalnews.com

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

Works of Respected Omani Scholar Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Ka’abi Documented by NRAA

Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saif bin Mohammed Al Ka’abi (1870 – 1950).

The National Records & Archives Authority (NRAA) has indexed, renovated and documented electronically in twenty volumes hundreds of manuscripts and records of the works of a noted scholar Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saif bin Mohammed Al Ka’abi.

Hailing from Masah Village in the Wilayat of Mahdah, Governorate of Al Buraimi, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saif bin Mohammed Al Ka’abi lived from 1870 to 1950.

heikh Abdulrahman Al Ka’abi excelled in various sciences, and arts and used to teach his students at the Mosque of Masah Village, located 11 kilometres from the centre of the wilayat.

A majority of these manuscripts were hand-written by Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Ka’abi and others under his guidance.

The manuscripts cover a number of topics, including the Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) and writings in the fields of Ifta (legal opinion), poetry, art and interpretation of the Holy Quran among other fields.  

Khalid bin Said bin Abdulrahman Al Ka’abi one of the grandsons of scholar Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Ka’abi expressed thanks to the NRAA for documenting such manuscripts as they are of historic value  and evidence for the  intellectual products  of scholars, artists and poets.

source/content: timesofoman.com

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A majority of these manuscripts were hand-written by Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Ka’abi and others under his guidance. / pix: timesofoman.com

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OMAN

UNESCO Elects Saudi Arabia as Vice-Chair of World Heritage Committee for 2021-2023 : August 2021

The member states of the World Heritage Committee of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) elected Saudi Arabia as vice chair of the Arab group for the period between 2021 and 2023 at the organization’s 44th session held in Fuzhou in China.

Princess Haifa bint Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin, the Kingdom’s permanent representative at UNESCO, said that the election of the Kingdom had occurred due to its prominent role in supporting world heritage alongside the committee’s member states, in addition to achieving UNESCO’s objectives in general, and the committee’s objectives in particular.

source/content: arabnews.com

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Princess Haifa bint Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin. (Photo/Twitter) / pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

‘Noon by Noor’ Womenswear Fashion Label, Caters Locally and Internationally

Noon by Noor – Womenswear Designer Label, based in Bahrain serving the domestic, Regional and International markets.

Founded in 2008 by cousins Shaikha Noor Al Khalifa and Shaikha Haya Al Khalifa, Noon by Noor has built a loyal customer base over the years, with its self-assured pieces that focus on details.

First GCC brand to be invited by IMG to showcase at NYFW in 2013

“Noon By Noor Mini”

In 2018, Noon By Noor introduced Noon By Noor Mini, an indulgent spin off, which captures innocence, and undeniable charm in luxuriously playful silhouettes.

www.noonbynoor.com

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pix: nyfw.events

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BAHRAIN

Arabic, 5th Most Spoken Language in The World

The Arabic language ranks in the top five of the most spoken languages in the world.

Today, there are 7,117 languages spoken in the world, spread over 220 countries.

Among these languages, about 40% are unfortunately threatened with extinction. This is due to the decreasing number of speakers, resulting in the language’s gradual disappearance. 

According to UNESCO, one language disappears every two weeks.

In fact, out of a total of more than 7,000 languages spoken in more than 220 countries, only 200 languages are both spoken and written, and only 23 languages are spoken by more than half the world’s population. 

These numbers are constantly changing, and research on world languages is constantly being released. 

If 7,117 languages are currently listed around the world, not all of them radiate in the same direction or undergo the same evolution.

According to the scientific publication, Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi, and Arabic are among the top five native languages in the world.

Arabic is the sixth most spoken language in the world, behind English (1268 billion speakers), Mandarin Chinese (1.012 billion), Hindi (637 million), Spanish (538 million) and French, which is closely tied to Arabic for this ranking.

Arabic is spoken by 274 million people in the world, while french speakers make up 277 million. In France, Arabic is the second most spoken language with more than 4 million speakers.

To complete this Top 10 of the most spoken languages in the world, we find behind Arabic, Bengali (265 million speakers), Russian (258 million), Portuguese (252 million) and finally Indonesian (200 million).

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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ARABIC SPEAKING WORLD / MOROCCO

Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, MWL Secretary-General, Awarded ‘Hijra of the Prophet Award’ by Malaysia: August 2021

Malaysia has granted Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General and Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars Dr. Mohammed Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the ‘Hijra of the Prophet award’ — the most prestigious award granted to Muslim scholars in the world.

Al-Issa was honored for his efforts during a ceremony held by the Malaysian government to celebrate the new Islamic year.

The ceremony was held in the presence of Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, government members and representatives of Islamic and non-Islamic states in the country.

source/content: arabnews.com

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pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

French-Algerian Filmmaker Farida Khelfa Releases Documentary on Arab Women : July 2021

Algerian-French former model and documentary filmmaker Farida Khelfa is set to release a new film that aims to dismantle misconceptions and stereotypes that often surround Arab women.

Titled “From The Other Side of the Veil,” the new film, which is debuting on Khelfa’s YouTube channel July 2, is also a celebration of Middle Eastern women.

source/content: arabnews.com

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Khelfa is one of the first women of Arab descent to have a successful modeling career. Instagram

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FRENCH / ALGERIAN

World’s Largest Hampton by Hilton, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE : July 2021

Ras Al Khaimah’s Al Ali Construction & Development (AACD)has marked the handing over of the $81.6m (AED300m), 39,625m2 Hampton by Hilton Hotel at the Al Marjan Island.

With the handover milestone, the project has become the largest Hampton by Hilton in the world to date.

The 515-keys beach hotel has been engineered by JT+Partners, with International Engineering Center as the supervision consultant, and developed by Mohamed Ruqait Properties (MR Properties). 

The tower level comprises 515 rooms and suites, while the wide rooftop consists three chiller zones and two fire exits. The hotel will also feature 450m of a private white sand beach, a 1,000m2 pool, other recreational facilities and an observation deck. 

source/content : constructionweekonline.com

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AACD marks handover of world’s largest Hampton by Hilton / pix: constructionweekonline.com

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RAS AL KHAIMAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)