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The researchers received the prize in recognition for their contributions in various fields of science.
Two Moroccan scientists, Said Yaktin and Khalil Ben Haj Amin, were recently honored at the 41st Kuwait Prize ceremony, a celebration of global scientific brilliance.
This prestigious award, presented by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS), aims to recognize and reward Arab scientists for their excellence across a range of scientific disciplines.
Said Yatkin, Professor of Higher Education at the Faculty of Letters and Humanities at Mohammed V University in Rabat, was awarded the prize in the Humanities, Arts, and Literature category.
His work on “Literature and Art in the Arab World – Specialization in Narrative Sciences” was selected from a pool of 43 applications for the prize in the literary category.
This recognition is the result of his extensive research on narrative, literary theory, critical literature, Arab-Islamic narrative heritage, and popular culture.
Yaktin’s dedication to advancing knowledge in these domains continues to serve as an inspiration to other scholars and students.
Meanwhile, Khalil Ben Haj Amin, who heads the battery technology group at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, was honored in the Applied Sciences category, under the theme of “Clean and Sustainable Energy Technologies.”
Ben Haj’s groundbreaking work in battery technology and his contribution to the applied sciences of clean and sustainable energy technology stood out from the work of 30 finalists.
His achievements have been hailed for paving the way for significant advances in the energy sector and promoting environmentally-friendly solutions.
Established in 1979 by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science, the Kuwait Prize embodies the Foundation’s commitment to supporting scientific research in all its facets. It also inspires Arab scholars and scientists to strive for excellence in their fields.
Mohamed Ghassen Nouira, a history-obsessed Tunisian, revives in his garden an antiquated craft that was once considered a sign of riches in the ancient world: making purple dye from sea snail shells.
A while back, while taking a leisurely walk along the beach in Carthage, a suburb of Tunis in northern Tunisia, Nouira stumbled upon a murex shell. This discovery evoked memories of his history classes and sparked a desire to recreate the ancient dye.
The historical importance of Tyrian purple cannot be overstated. This color, also known as Tyrian purple, was highly coveted in ancient times and reserved exclusively for the aristocracy. The Phoenicians, who originated in what is now Lebanon, had a thriving trade in Tyrian purple, which was essential to the development of their trading empire. They did this by establishing colonies all across the Mediterranean, notably Carthage, which later became an autonomous empire and ruled the western Mediterranean for centuries.
Today, Carthage exists as a suburb of Tunis, where the ancient Punic civilization’s remains may still be seen along the city’s hillsides, and the ancient Punic harbor still has its original shape after a thousand years.
Murex shells from that time, when Carthage and its trade routes changed the Mediterranean region, are scattered over its shores. The method for obtaining Tyrian purple from murex shells was lost throughout the years, but Nouira set out on a mission to revive the lost art.
Nouira dedicated 14 years of his life to unraveling the production process of Tyrian purple. At first faced with doubt and criticism for his unconventional hobby, he remained steadfast in his pursuit. His detractors eventually turned into admirers when observable results started to surface, giving him encouragement that strengthened his resolve.
He buys murex fillets from a nearby fisherman, removes the glands, grinds the shells, then ferments and cooks them. He follows meticulous procedures and succeeds in creating a little amount of purple powder. The magnitude of the operation is enormous—54 kilograms of murex shells are needed to produce only one gram of Tyrian purple. Production of dye is economically feasible given the volume needed. But the purple powder he painstakingly creates now sells for a hefty price of around $2,500 per gram. Its allure stems from both its rarity and authenticity, which connects the present with a time of wealth and grandeur.
Saudi Arabia was elected vice president of the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport through 2025 during a meeting at the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization headquarters in Paris on Friday.
The meeting was attended by representatives from 191 countries.
Abdulaziz Al-Massaad, undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, who will fill the UNESCO post, praised the unlimited support of sports offered by the Saudi leadership, and highlighted the directives of Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal.
Al-Massaad emphasized that the Saudi leadership is keen to ensure the Kingdom’s participation in various international sporting forums and events.
Al-Massaad thanked the Kingdom’s ambassador to France, Fahd bin Mayouf Al-Ruwaili; the secretary-general of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Bulahid; and the staff of the Kingdom’s permanent delegation to UNESCO for their efforts.
Emirati doctor Mona Tahlak, Executive Director of Medical Affairs at Dubai Academic Health Corporation (DHC), Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and Executive Director of Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) for Medical Affairs and Executive Director of Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, was elected President of the International Hospital Federation (IHF) during the World Hospital Congress held in Lisbon, to be the first Arab woman to hold this high international position in the International Hospital Federation since its inception, in a new achievement added to the record of achievements of Emirati women thanks to The support provided by the wise leadership in all sectors.
Dr. Mona Tahlak expressed her gratitude for the support of the wise leadership and her happiness at being chosen as the President of the International Hospital Federation and extended her sincere thanks and appreciation to the wise leadership for its firm commitment to empowering Emirati women, who have excelled in high-level roles in various fields, thanks to the great confidence and opportunities given to them to enhance their progress and excellence in various sectors, especially in the medical sector.
She said that her election in this position not only highlights the progress achieved by Emirati women, but also reflects the distinguished position of the health sector in the UAE, and I am honored to represent the UAE in this great international forum, and to continue the development of the International Hospital Federation with our global expertise.”
During her tenure with the International Hospital Federation (IHF) over the past seven years, Tahlak has highlighted the excellence and success of the UAE’s hospital sector, showcasing the experience and contributions of Emirati women in this field on a global scale.
Dr. Amer Sharif, CEO of Dubai Academic Health Corporation, congratulated Mona Tahlak on her well-deserved selection as President of the International Hospital Federation, noting her exceptional leadership, experience and valuable contributions to the healthcare system in Dubai and beyond.
He expressed his pride in her achievements in particular, and his appreciation for the exceptional talents of Emirati women on the global stage, in general. Sharif added that this selection is a great success for all workers within the health sector at the level of the UAE, and a new evidence of the distinguished position reached by Emirati women, and their ability to excel in all fields, especially the medical field, and their responsibility side by side with men in building the renaissance of the UAE.
The IHF’s Board of Directors elects Dr. Mona Tahlak as the new President of the Federation, ending her term as President-designate and starting her two-year term as President-elect of the Federation, succeeding Deborah J. Bowen, CEO of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
source/content: wam.ae (headline edited)
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دبي في 27 أكتوبر/وام/ تم انتخاب الطبيبة الإماراتية منى تهلك، المدير التنفيذي للشؤون الطبية في مؤسسة دبي الصحية الأكاديمية نائب مدير جامعة محمد بن راشد للطب والعلوم الصحية للشؤون الطبية المدير التنفيذي لمستشفى لطيفة للنساء والأطفال، رئيساً للاتحاد الدولي للمستشفيات خلال المؤتمر العالمي للمستشفيات الذي عقد في لشبونة، لتكون أول إمرأة عربية تتولى هذا المنصب الدولي الرفيع في الاتحاد الدولي للمستشفيات منذ تأسيسه وذلك في إنجاز جديد يضاف إلى سجل إنجازات المرأة الإماراتية بفضل الدعم الذي توفره لها القيادة الرشيدة في القطاعات كافة.
وعبرت الدكتورة منى تهلك عن امتنانها لدعم القيادة الرشيدة وسعادتها باختيارها لرئاسة للاتحاد الدولي للمستشفيات وتقدمت بجزيل الشكر والتقدير للقيادة الرشيدة على التزامها الراسخ بتمكين المرأة الإماراتية التي تفوقت في أدوار رفيعة المستوى في مختلف المجالات وذلك بفضل الثقة الكبيرة والفرص التي منحتها إياها لتعزيز تقدمها وتفوقها ضمن مختلف القطاعات، لا سيما في القطاع الطبي”.
وقالت إن انتخابها بهذا المنصب لا يسلط الضوء على التقدم الذي حققته المرأة الإماراتية فحسب، بل يعكس أيضاً المكانة المتميزة للقطاع الصحي في دولة الإمارات، ويشرفني أنا وزميلاتي الإماراتيات أن نمثل دولة الإمارات في هذا المحفل الدولي الكبير، والعمل على مواصلة مسيرة تطوير الاتحاد الدولي للمستشفيات بما نتمتع به من خبرات عالمية “.
وخلال فترة عملها مع الاتحاد الدولي للمستشفيات على مدى السنوات السبع الماضية سلّطت تهلك الضوء على تميز ونجاح قطاع المستشفيات في دولة الإمارات، وعرض تجربة ومساهمات المرأة الإماراتية في هذا المجال على نطاق عالمي.
وهنأ الدكتورعامر شريف، المدير التنفيذي لمؤسسة دبي الصحية الأكاديمية منى تهلك باختيارها المستحق رئيساً للاتحاد الدولي للمستشفيات، منوهاً بقيادتها الاستثنائية وخبرتها ومساهماتها القيمة في منظومة الرعاية الصحية في دبي وخارجها.
وعبر عن فخره واعتزازه بما قدمته من إنجازات بشكل خاص، وتقديره للمواهب الاستثنائية للمرأة الإماراتية على الساحة العالمية، بشكل عام.
وأضاف شريف أن هذا الاختيار يُعد نجاحاً كبيراً لجميع العاملين ضمن القطاع الصحي على مستوى دولة الإمارات، ودليلاً جديداً على المكانة المتميزة التي وصلت إليها المرأة الإماراتية، وقدرتها على التميز في جميع المجالات، لاسيما المجال الطبي، وتحملها المسؤولية جنباً إلى جنب مع الرجل في بناء نهضة الإمارات.
وبانتخاب مجلس إدارة الاتحاد الدولي للمستشفيات للدكتورة منى تهلك رئيساً جديداً للاتحاد، تنهي بذلك فترة رئاستها كرئيسة معيّنة للاتحاد وتبدأ فترة ولايتها لمدة عامين رئيسة منتخبة للاتحاد خلفًا لديبورا ج بوين، الرئيس التنفيذي للكلية الأمريكية للمديرين التنفيذيين في الرعاية الصحية.
The 87-year-old was recently appointed honorary chancellor of the British University in Egypt and his foundation will soon open heart centres in Cairo and Kigali, Rwanda.
Renowned Egyptian-British heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, 87, made his mark a long time ago.
In 1980, he established what was to become one of the world’s largest and most successful heart transplant units, at Harefield Hospital in west London; in 1983, he performed the UK’s first combined heart and lung transplant; in 1992, he was knighted; and in 2014, he was awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II.
But that is just the shortlist and most recently he became honorary chancellor of the British University in Egypt (BUE).
As a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College London for 20 years, Prof Yacoub was also lecturing, researching, publishing and mentoring.
He has founded several charities, starting with Chain of Hope in 1995, which treats children in developing countries who have life-threatening heart conditions. The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation’s Aswan centre has earned him an affectionate nickname, Egypt’s King of Hearts.
“Now … I’m like a butterfly, who flies in between all of these things”, Prof Yacoub tells The National.
“I almost work harder, although obviously, my energy is not the same. I used to not sleep for two or three nights and read all the journals and come back in the morning. But I still sleep four hours or so and wake up in the night,” he says.
He says he still wants to address healthcare inequality, chase a cure for heart failure and pass on the baton to the next generation in every way he can.
The BUE is a private institution that was formally inaugurated in 2006 by King Charles, who was Prince of Wales at the time, and Egypt’s former first lady, Suzanne Mubarak.
“I was there at its birth,” says Prof Yacoub, who is also a member of the university’s board of trustees. “I accepted [the role] because I identify with what they’re doing for young people, for the country, for the world … but also university life and its values are very important to me.”
The enthusiasm with which Prof Yacoub mentors young people stems from an appreciation of the influence of his own mentors, starting with his surgeon father, Habib Yacoub.
Prof Yacoub was born in 1935 in Bilbeis, a town in the Nile Delta about 60km north-east of Cairo, to a Coptic Christian family. He spent his childhood moving around Egypt due to his father’s profession.
Both his father and the death of his aunt from uncorrected mitral stenosis (a narrowing of the heart valve) inspired him to study medicine and cardiology.
After graduating in medicine from Cairo University in 1957, in the early 1960s he moved to the UK for further training.
He worked under the late British chest and heart surgeon Lord Russell Brock, one of the pioneers of modern open-heart surgery.
“I knew of him before I ever came to the UK and I targeted him as a young boy,” Prof Yacoub says. “I learnt so much from him on how to think, how to be a better cardiologist than anybody, how to make decisions for yourself.”
Prof Yacoub’s early work includes repairing heart valves with the late South African-born British cardiothoracic surgeon Donald Ross. He adapted the Ross Procedure, where the diseased aortic valve is replaced with the person’s own pulmonary valve.
A job rejection from the Royal Brompton Hospital prompted him to move to the US in 1968, where he became an assistant professor at the University of Chicago for a year. He was “extremely disappointed and upset” at the time, but “in the long run, it was the best thing that happened to me”, Prof Yacoub says.
“Although I was bent on having the job at the Royal Brompton, which was a huge hospital, it was actually so much better for me to come back to a peripheral hospital because I was allowed to do what I wanted and I was more creative,” he says.
He became a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Harefield Hospital in Uxbridge in 1969 and immediately shook up the place.
“When I was appointed as the only heart surgeon there and they were doing one case every week, sometimes one open-heart every two weeks, I said, ‘no, no, we’re going to do nine to 13 every week’,” Prof Yacoub says. “They said, ‘you’re not serious.’ I said ‘I am serious’.”
He went on to become the founder and director at Harefield’s Heart Science Centre, and was also a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Royal Brompton from 1986 until his retirement from National Health Services practice in 2001 at the age of 65.
Over the course of his career, Prof Yacoub has performed more than 40,000 open heart surgeries and conducted more than 2,000 heart transplants.
From 1986 to 2006, he held the position of British Heart Foundation professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College, where he supervised more than 20 higher-degree students.
He credits other mentors along his journey as well, such as the late Sir Peter Medawar, the half-British, half-Lebanese, Brazilian-born immunologist who won the Nobel Prize in 1960.
“He is regarded as the father of transplantation and he has saved so many people around the world,” Prof Yacoub says. “I was very lucky to meet him in Chicago first when I was there and then when he came back to the UK at Oxford.”
The next two centres on the horizon are the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo, which is scheduled to be completed in 2024, and the Rwanda Heart Care and Research Foundation in Kigali.
Funded by Dubai-based charity foundation Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives, the 22,000-square-metre, 300-bed Cairo centre will be the largest specialised facility for cardiovascular treatment and research in the Mena region.
Once completed, it will conduct 12,000 heart surgeries a year, of which 60 per cent will target children.
All of Prof Yacoub’s centres focus on three pillars of medical care, research and training: to serve, learn and teach.
“I’m very proud to see that [the new generation is] surging ahead and carrying the message, which I care about most, which is serving humanity, serving science, in the best way and advancing medicine,” he says.
There is one thing, however, that has so far eluded Prof Yacoub: finding a cure for heart failure.
“There are now tools, which are just becoming available to reverse heart failure at the genetic level, biochemical level and metabolic level,” he says. “So we do have tools, but are we going to achieve it within my lifetime? I don’t think so. But we have to keep trying.”
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – NOVEMBER 24: King Charles III talks with Professor Magdi Yacoub during a luncheon for Members of the Order of Merit at Buckingham Palace on November 24, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
Saudi Arabia imports about 80 percent of its fruit. But a sustainable farm in Wadi bin Hashbal, in the southwest Asir region, is setting out to reduce that figure by producing up to 60 tons of fruit, field crops and fodder each year.
The sustainable farm, recently recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest in the world, uses treated water to irrigate crops planted across a 3.2 million square meter area.
Irrigation operations are overseen by specialists and carried out in several stages, minimizing the impact on freshwater resources, and promoting responsible water management practices.
This approach aligns with the Kingdom’s efforts to address water scarcity and ensure the long-term viability of agricultural activities.
The model farm has more than 14,000 trees and houses five air-conditioned greenhouses along with several other structures. It also includes 50 fields designated for growing fruit trees, in addition to plans to reclaim and cultivate 20 additional fields in the future.
A wide range of crops and fruit trees, including lemons, oranges, tangerines, pomegranates, grapes and figs, highlight the Kingdom’s agricultural diversity.
Speaking to Arab News, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Mujthal, director-general of the Ministry of Environment and Water’s Asir branch, described the research farm as “a new achievement in the name of the nation.”
“It marks a significant milestone in Saudi Arabia toward sustainable farming. This remarkable achievement also showcases the Kingdom’s commitment to agriculture and environmental conservation,” he said.
The farm also shows that “with the right combination of innovation and commitment, a sustainable future is within our reach.”
Al-Mujthal added: “When you’re talking about something this large, the economics work out well. So, it turns out to be a very profitable farm.”
Model farms display modern irrigation systems, as well as the latest cultivation and animal-rearing techniques, acquainting farmers in the region with the best agricultural practices, he said.
The approach is important to provide food for local communities and reduce reliance on imported products.
“Food security is a matter of national security,” he said.
Al-Mujthal said that the sustainable farm expects to produce 10,700 kg of lemons, 3,500 kg of tangerines, 4,200 kg of oranges and 16,000 kg of pomegranate, among other crops.
According to World Wide Fund for Nature, agriculture is the world’s largest industry, employing more than 1 billion people and generating over $1.3 trillion of food annually. Pasture and cropland occupy about half of the planet’s habitable land, and provide habitat and food for a host of species.
Food security is a priority in Saudi Arabia and sustainable agriculture is gaining widespread attention.
Agricultural operations that are sustainably managed can preserve and restore critical habitats, help protect watersheds, and improve soil health and water quality, while unsustainable practices can have serious impacts on people and the environment.
Sustainable development that aims to capitalize on renewable natural resources is one of Saudi Arabia’s main objectives. The Kingdom also seeks to maintain a stable balance of natural resources through safe and effective management methods.
Resource management is becoming more important as the Saudi population grows, driving up demand for agricultural commodities.
As part of Vision 2030, the Kingdom has formulated plans to increase the use of technology, promote organic farming and increase the use of water-saving methods.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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The sustainable farm was recently recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest in the world. (Supplied)
The ITU-Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre (ITU-ARCC), headquartered in Oman, created five Guinness World Records with events of the 11th Regional Cybersecurity Week from October 9 to 12 in Abu Dhabi.
These records are for the most expansive cybersecurity attack simulation model, featuring over 50 experts; the largest cybersecurity attack simulation contest, drawing participation from 11 global organisations; a cybersecurity competition with representation from over 30 countries, setting a record for participant diversity; the largest city-based threat simulation in cybersecurity; and the largest number of nationalities participating in a lecture to spread awareness on cybersecurity, with attendance of over 500 people.
Coinciding with Regional Cybersecurity Week, the 11th Regional Cybersecurity Conference was inaugurated on Wednesday. Themed ‘Innovation in Cybersecurity’, this flagship event is an ITU-ARCC brainchild, hosted by the UAE and backed by its Cybersecurity Council. The conference boasted an impressive line-up of international speakers and participants, representing both regional and global organisations.
The conference will spotlight pioneering strategies and innovations in cybersecurity, both in the Arab world and globally.
According to Badr bin Ali al Salhi, Chairman of ARCC and Director General of National Centre for Information Safety, the cybersecurity market could grow to a staggering US$657bn by 2030 from its valuation of US$247bn in 2023.
He projected robust growth of cybersecurity within sectoral markets, anticipating an 18% surge in health and a 29% uptick in industry by 2026. Further, with Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies gaining momentum, the field of cybersecurity is poised for exponential expansion, especially in artificial intelligence – from a valuation of US$8.6bn in 2019 to a projected US$102bn by 2030.
Africa’s Business Heroes Competition saw strong participation by Egyptian entrepreneurs this year, reports Doaa A. Moneim from Rwanda.
Five Egyptian entrepreneurs made it to the top 20 finalists in the fifth edition of the Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition held over two days in the Rwandan capital of Kigali this week.
One Egyptian entrepreneur, Ayman Bazaraa, CEO and co-founder of Egypt-based education and training services provider Sprints, has been selected in the top 10. He will compete in the grand finale to be held in Kigali next November.
The top 10 list also includes businesses from different African countries covering a wide range of sectors including healthcare, industry, retail, education and training, fintech, e-commerce, and sustainable energy.
The finalists are selected after demonstrating that they are visionary entrepreneurs who embody innovation, resilience, growth potential, and impact on Africa. ABH aims at honouring entrepreneurs who are not only building successful businesses, but are also running mission-driven organisations that generate growth for local communities.
Egyptian entrepreneurs have managed to keep their position among the top 10 winners since the launch of the first edition of the competition in 2019.
In the 2023 edition, five Egyptian entrepreneurs were praised for the innovative solutions they provide not just to the Egyptian market but also to the African and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets as well.
Speaking to Al-AhramWeekly, Bazaraa said that a significant share of Africa’s population is made up of young people, representing around 50 per cent of the population, and this represents great potential that Egyptian entrepreneurs must take into consideration for growth and for the benefit of the whole continent.
Sprints is an end-to-end platform dedicated to bridging the tech talent gap, starting from assessing talent, delivering a customised learning journey, and pairing talent with top-paying jobs, with the aim of supporting its alumnis’ career growth.
The African market can act as a key stimulator for global growth if its capabilities are seized, Bazaraa said. “Mastering tech-related skills is a must, and the huge African population of young people should get access to them to be able to find jobs at a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is threatening traditional jobs,” he added.
Sprints has focused on the Egyptian market with operations enabling it to conduct pilot studies for expansion plans in other African markets including Nigeria and Kenya. Its programmes are available online, which allows young people in other markets to access them.
Another Egyptian contestant, Mohamed Ali, CEO and founder of I Lock, works mainly in electrical safety with a range of products including electrical accessories, multi sockets and cables.
I Lock, known previously as Power Lock, protects individuals and machines from electrical hazards and creates innovative solutions. Through licensing its patented electrical safety technology, the company is also expanding its global presence and seeking to revolutionise electrical safety.
“The impacts of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine are the harshest entrepreneurs have had to face over recent years. Yet, we have managed to control the Covid-19 pandemic by adopting a working-from-home model,” Ali told the Weekly.
Ali said that soaring inflation, the weakness of the local currency against the US dollar, and the shortage of dollars in the Egyptian market had been hard for his business.
However, he expects the shortage of dollar liquidity to reflect positively on the Egyptian market as it could push Egyptian entrepreneurs to tap into local products that would contribute to mitigating the pressure.
“It could take a long time until the know-how mechanisms are comprehended and learned, but it will be a significant opportunity for entrepreneurs in various sectors to establish partnerships with big manufacturers to provide them with the components or products they need,” Ali said.
Mohamed Alaa, CEO and co-founder of healthcare services provider Shezlong, also inspired the ABH jury by his innovative business skills.
Shezlong is an online mental-wellness platform providing comprehensive and affordable healthcare services. The company’s systems and secure data encryption safeguard the quality and reliability of its services.
“We believe that through innovation mental wellness can be a daily routine for everyone in the region. It means changing people’s lives and saving their lives,” Alaa told the Weekly.
He added that the Shezlong team is working hard on geographical expansion as well as on leveraging advanced technologies, chiefly AI and machine learning, to provide a self-help app for clients.
Another contestant was Omar Hagrass, CEO and co-founder of Trella, a platform that connects shippers to carriers via a digital interface.
Trella matches specific carriers’ capabilities with shippers’ requirements to provide market-leading reliability and availability at a fraction of the market price. It also allows shippers to track shipments in real time and report key insights on transportation trends and performance.
“Our business is focusing mainly on transferring commodities 10 per cent more cheaply, and we plan to raise this percentage going forward,” Hagrass said.
He said there were significant challenges facing the entrepreneurship landscape, mainly the lack of financing, the devaluation of the Egyptian pound, and high interest rates.
“The soaring inflation, the higher interest rates, and the weakness of the local currency, and the highly active hard currency parallel market, represent serious challenges to entrepreneurs that could erode their businesses growth and expansion plans,” Hagrass said.
A fifth contestant, Mustafa Hashisha, CEO and co-founder of education and training solutions provider iSpark, said that the Egyptian market was full of potential that entrepreneurs could tap into to start their businesses.
iSpark provides mainly young people and women with career guidance and developmental opportunities with a focus on career coaching, employment skills, and entrepreneurship education.
“With reports revealing that an increased number of young people are either unable to make a career decision or want to change career paths, iSpark aims to solve this problem through its human-centred approach to design innovative learning solutions,” Hashisha explained.
He added that his business engages with more than 50 schools, over 30 universities, and over 10 development organisations.
The ABH Prize Competition is a philanthropic initiative launched in 2019 by the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation.
Arab American filmmaker Ruby Malek is shining a spotlight on Saudi talent in the 10-episode docuseries “Herstory” which follows the journeys of Saudi’s modern-day female music stars.
“We were just fascinated by the amount of talent because a lot of these artists are self-taught. And, you know, there were no music schools that they went to. There wasn’t like a piano teacher that would teach these women,” said Malek to Arab News.
“A lot of these artists actually didn’t show their identity, didn’t show their faces, and weren’t really out there… We’re still talking about 2020 now, so it wasn’t like now in 2023.”
Chronicling these artists’ struggles, triumphs and their place in the cultural history of the Kingdom, the series blends the passion for music-infused storytelling Ruby honed making music videos and her skills as a documentarian.
“I’m the generation that grew up watching MTV, VH1, so I was very into the various reality shows, and that’s what I kind of fell into. I fell into creating reality shows and formats, and so went from music videos to reality shows, documentaries. And then one thing led to another,” said Malek.
Motivated by the positive changes of Saudi Vision 2030, Malek sought to showcase a side of Saudi Arabia that she had not seen in the West. With the series having opened doors for the creator, she’s excited to continue working in the Kingdom.
“I actually have been back to Saudi. I shot a show for Vice, and yes, I would definitely (work there again). I mean, as a producer, there’s so much potential and there’s so many stories to be told that I think I will be going there more often and very soon,” she said.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Arab American filmmaker Ruby Malek is shining a spotlight on Saudi talent in the 10-episode docuseries “Herstory” which follows the journeys of Saudi’s modern-day female music stars.
An Omani innovator has won the Grand Prize in an international competition in South Korea among 353 innovations from more than 18 countries around the world, Oman News Agency (ONA) announced.
Omani innovator Razan bint Hamad Al Kalbani won the Grand Prize in the Korea International Women’s Innovations Exhibition and Competition (KIWIE) for her innovation “X-ray absorbing coating from a natural ingredient”, among 353 innovations from more than 18 countries around the world.
Razan Al-Kalbani told Oman News Agency that her scientific innovation is a coating that absorbs X-rays from a natural ingredient (lycopene), which is the red pigment found in tomatoes, watermelons, red fruits and vegetables in general.
She added “After extracting the lycopene, I carried out laboratory tests and mixed it with a coating with unique properties and techniques to ensure that the properties of the lycopene were not affected.”
She pointed out that the scientific innovation is the first of its kind in the world using a natural compound to shield rays, indicating that the paint absorbs rays by 97%, and is characterized by being 100% water and moisture resistant, and 95% heat resistant, and prevents the formation of mold and bacteria, and is non-flammable.
She pointed out that one of the most prominent features of this scientific innovation is the possibility of using tomato mold to extract lycopene, and in terms of mechanical advantage, it is less expensive than the lead currently used.
She stated that her participation in the Korea International Women’s Innovations Competition and Exhibition (KIWIE) came with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
She stated that her scientific innovation achieved many achievements at all levels, whether global, regional and local, most notably her winning the first place in the Falling Walls Lab competition in November 2020, the silver medal at the Challenge and Innovation Forum in the State of Qatar, the gold medal at the Second Beirut International Innovation Exhibition.
She also won the silver medal at the level of the Middle East in the Mabaret Fayda Al-Saad competition in the State of Kuwait.
