RECORDS IN ME & AFRICA* – Page 63 – Arabian Records (1st post : Eid Al Fitr – 01st Shawwal 1439 (AH) / 15th June 2018 ) / (BETA testing – Research

ADFD-funded Solar Project Lights Up and Powers Berbera City in Somaliland

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) funded solar energy project at Berbera City in Somaliland has been connected to the local electricity grid. It will meet the increasing demand of the entire city of approximately 50,000 people.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the sidelines of the event, which was witnessed by ADFD that had transferred the plant’s ownership to the Ministry of Energy and Minerals on behalf of the Government of Somaliland and appointed a consulting company, Coretec, to provide necessary support to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in developing an overall operational structure for the project.

The deal agreed in principle on a public-private partnership (PPP) to operate and maintain the solar plant, the first of its kind in the country. “This could well serve as a reference model for the rest of the country,” said Jama Mohamoud Egal, Minister of Energy and Minerals, Republic of Somaliland.

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) / SOMALILAND

Asrar Damdam and Lama Al-Abdi honored by L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Program

Two Saudi Women Asrar Damdam and Lama Al-Abdi recently won awards from the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Program for their work.

Dr. Asrar Damdam, was honored in the Ph.D. students’ category for her role in the development of a pump meant to revolutionize the way a healthy heartbeat is regulated — combining medicine, electrical engineering and electro-physics.

Dr. Lama Al-Abdi in recognition of her research on chromatin — a substance within chromosomes consisting of DNA and protein — and the regulation of genes in relation to vision loss.

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pix: twitter ( L t R) Dr. Lama AlAbdi and Dr. Asrar Damdam

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SAUDI ARABIA

Ouahib Timoulali, First Moroccan to Win NY Academy of Sciences Cybersecurity Challenge : June 2020

Ouahib Timoulali claimed a win in the Global STEM Alliance competition.

Timoulali is an industrial engineer from the National School of Applied Sciences (ENSA) in Kenitra.

He worked within a team of different nationalities. Their idea labeled the “Cybercastle,” won the “Cybersecurity in the Age of IoT” challenge.

First Moroccan national to win the competition in the history of the New York Academy of Sciences.

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MOROCCO

Record of Fastest 300 km by Speed Boat Record held by Qatari – Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor al-Thani and Abdullah al-Sulaiti

The fastest 300 km by speed boat is 1 hour 55 minutes and 14 seconds and was achieved by Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor al-Thani and Abdullah al-Sulaiti .

The event was organised by Qatar Marine Sports Federation in Doha on 10 February 2010.

The route, pre-approved by Guinness World Records, was from Abu Dhabi to Doha, Qatar.

The boat used was a twin gas turbine engine Nor-Tech speed boat named Qatar Challenger. The engines on the boat are also used on Cobra helicopters.

source: guinnessworldrecords.com

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QATAR

Oman’s Jokha Alharthi – First Arab Woman to Win Man Booker International Prize

Omani Author Jokha Alharthi became the first Arab Woman Arabic language novelist to win Man Booker International Prize 2019 for the novel ‘Celestial Bodies’.

The award also carries a cash prize of GBP 50,000 (USD 64,000).

The novel ‘ Sayyidat el-Qamar ‘ published in Arabic was translated into English by US academic, now UK based translator Marilyn Booth who teaches Arabic literature at Oxford University. Celestial Bodies was published by Sandstone Press, Scotland.

Dr. Jokha Alharthi studied Arabic poetry and did her Ph.D in Classical Arabic literature in Edinburgh and is now a Professor teaching at the Sultan Al Qaboos University, Muscat.

Alharthi has published three collections of short stories, three children’s books, and three novels (Manamat, Sayyidat el-Qamar and Narinjah)

Winner of the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature, for her novel Narinjah (Bitter Orange) in 2016.

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OMAN

Morocco’s Mehdi Bennani wins TCR Europe 2020

Moroccan racing driving driver Mehdi Bennani won the TCR Europe series after a strong performance in the 2020 season.

Bennani finished second in the race which took place this weekend at Circuito del Jarama, in San Sebastián de los Reyes, north of Madrid.

The Moroccan driver (Audi RS 3 LMS TCR – Comtoyou Racing) secured the title with 285 points, ahead of French John Filippi, who finished second with 257.

Bennani debuted his career in 2009 in Shanghai WTCC 2014. He became the first Moroccan driver to win a world championship race organized by the International Automobile Federation (FIA).’

November 2020

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MOROCCO

Sheikh Zayed Festival sets two Guinness World records : Abu Dhabi, UAE : 2021

The Sheikh Zayed Festival has set two Guinness World records with a dazzling fireworks display that lasted for 35 minutes to welcome 2021.

The second was for the longest Girandola fireworks show in the world.

The Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival is a cultural festival that is held annually in Abu Dhabi.

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source : wam.ae

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Leila Ben Youssef – Record Holding Athlete – Pole Vault

Leila Ben Youssef (aka) Leila Maryam Ben Youssef. Track Athlete. Pole Vault.

Currently: Dr. Leila M. Ben-Youssef, MD – Emergency Medicine

Awards / Honours:

Gold Medal – All African Games, Algiers, Algeria (2007)
Gold Medal – Pan African Games, Egypt (2007)
Gold Medal – African Championship, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2008)
Represented Tunisian National Track & Field Team, Summer Olympics Beijing

Education :

Masters Degree – Medical Anthropology, Stanford University

Grand daughter of Tunisian Politician Salah Ben Youssef

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AMERICAN / TUNISIAN / AMERICAN-TUNISIAN

World Record-breaking UAE Flag made with Mosaic Cards. Goal to Feed 49,000 families : December 24th, 2020

The UAE flag, measured an 490 square metres, was constructed outside Dubai Police, Al Wasl, behind City Walk.

The occasion organized by nefsy has raised funds to buy food boxes to feed 49,000 families in need, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

49,000 food boxes made up of essential items including rice, wheat, oil, sugar, salt, water and also sanitiser, are now being distributed by Emirates Red Crescent – and will feed more than 250,000 individuals for more than 10 days.

The challenge was launched in celebration of the UAE’s 49th National Day to celebrate the spirit of the UAE, but to also help combat world hunger, nefsy’s primary aim. .

The Guinness World Records title awarded to nefsy – of the Largest greetings card mosaic (flag) made from folded, greetings cards is a representation of the UAE flag and a celebration of this significant achievement – as well as the first and biggest flag of a good cause.

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Image Credit: Antonin Kelian Kallouche, Gulf News Photographer / www.gulfnews.com

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Asim Gorashi – Singer, Musician

Asim Gorashi . Singer, Classical Violinist, Musician, Multi-Instrumentalist, Whistler and Music Teacher.

First Sudanese musician to play the violin and sing at the same time.

World Whistling Champion – 36th International Whistlers Convention, North Carolina (2009) – after whistling the second movement for Mozart’s famous Eine klein Nachtmusik.

Education:

Bachelors Degree (Music) – The High Institute of Music and Drama, University of Sudan (2004)
PG Diploma (Music Technology) – Queensland Conservatory (2008)
Masters Degree (Music Performance)- Queensland Conservatory (2011)

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AUSTRALIA / SUDAN