Category: RECORDS IN ME & AFRICA*

Sudan Has Twice As Many Pyramids than Egypt

Sudan has more pyramids that Egypt. But steeper and smaller than those of ancient Egypt.

Nubian pyramids differ from Egyptian. They are built of stepped courses of horizontally positioned stone blocks and range from approximately 6 to 30 meters (20-98 ft) in height and result in tall narrow structures.

pix: africanexponent.com

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Sudan

Zeinab Badawi – International TV Personality of the Year – 2009

Zeinab Badawi , Journalist , Presenter, News Reader – TV and Radio

Currently with : BBC

Programs

  • World News Today / HARD Talk / GMT / BBC News at Five

Awards :

  • International TV Personality of the Year (2019) by Association of International Broadcasters
  • President’s Medal of the British Academy (2018)

Other Positions :

  • Adviser to the ‘Foreign Policy Centre’
  • Council Member ‘Overseas Development Institute’
  • Chair – Royal African Society – 2014
  • Trustee – National Portrait Gallery – 2004
  • Trustee – British Council
  • Advisory Board Member – ‘New College of the Humanities’

Founder & Chair :

  • Africa Medical Partnership Fund (AfriMed)

Education:

  • Bachelors – Philosophy, Politics and Economy – St. Hilda’s College, Oxford – SOAS, University of London
  • M.A – Politics, Anthropology – School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London -1989
  • Honorary Doctorate of Letters – SOAS – 2011
facebook.com

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British / Sudanese-British

First & Only Player from Oman to Win a FA Cup Medal. Ali Al Habsi

Ali Al Habsi . Professional Footballer. Omani International Goal Keeper. Captain of Oman International Football Team.

First and only Player from Oman to Win a FA Cup Medal. Only player from the Gulf to have a successful career in Europe.

Played for Oman. Clubs overseas in Norway, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.

Awards/ Recognitions: A few

-Norway’s Best Goal Keeper (2003-2004) / – Best Goal Keeper Award at Gulf Cup, 5 consecutive years – 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011 / -Oman won their 1st ever Gulf Cup (2009) with his leadership as Captain / Winners – Saudi Professional League (2017) / Winners – Saudi Super Cup (2018)

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pix : twitter @AliAlhabsi

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OMAN

Nassef Sawiris – Egypt’s Billionaire Businessman

Nassef Onsi Sawiris – Businessman in Construction and Chemicals. Youngest of the 3 brothers Naguib Onsi Sawiris and Samih Onsi Sawiris. Children of businessman baron Onsi Sawiris

Business Interest/s

  • CEO – Orascom Construction Industries (OCI), one of the world’s largest nitrogen fertilisers producer with plants in Texas and Iowa. Trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Exchange
  • Orascom Construction – Trades on the Cairo Exchange and Nasdaq Dubai
  • Holdings include stakes in the cement giant Lafarge Holcim
  • Holdings include stakes in Adidas AG . Supervisory Board Member of Adidas AG, Germany

Sports :

  • Joint Owner : Aston Villa FC , British Football Club

Other/s :

  • Board of Directors – Cairo Stock Exchange ( 2004-2007)
  • Board of Directors – Alexandria Stock Exchange ( 2004 – 2007)
  • Board of Directors – Dubai International Finance Exchange (DIFX) (2008-2010)
  • Member – Cleveland Clinic’s International Leadership Board
  • Member – University of Chicago’s Board of Trustees

Education:

B.A. – Economics , University of Chicago

Philanthropy :

  • Donated USD 6 million to Chicago Booth School of Business
  • Donated USD 24 million to aid Egyptian studends and fund an executive education program (2019)

Scholarship Fund:

  • Onsi Sawiris Scholar Program (in honour of his father Onsi Sawiris) – 2015

General :

  • Listed in Forbes List of Billionaires 2020
  • Listed in Africa’s Billionaires of 2020
  • Fourth Richest African – Forbes 2019

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Egypt

Ahdeya Ahmed First Female President of Bahrain Journalist Association (BJA) : November 2019

Ahdeya Ahmed Al-Sayed , Bahrain – TV personality and Journalist, has many firsts to her credit.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief , for the english language ‘Daily Tribune’

First/s :

  • First female President of Bahrain Journalist Association (BJA)
  • First Arabian Gulf Woman to be elected member of ‘The International Federation of Journalist (IFJ) Gender Council’.

Other/s :

  • Winner – Arab Woman of the Year Award for the category ‘Achievement in Journalism’ 5th edition – by The London Arabia organisation
  • Member – Bahrain’s International Federation of Journalists Gender Council

Assignments :

  • Spokesperson of the Government of Bahrain
  • Spokesperson- Bahrain Human Rights Watch
  • Official Spokesperson for the ‘ Bahrain Parliamentary Election’ (2006)

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Bahrain

The Dubai Mall , the second Largest Shopping Centre in the World : November 2018

The second largest shopping centre in the world by total land area and is situated in Downtown Dubai, UAE

Dubai Mall has 4 levels, an internal floor area 548,127 square metres. 1,200 retail outlets and over 160 food and beverage outlets.

The Mall includes an acquariam, Olympic size ice rink, 22 screen cineplex.

Developed by Emaar Properties

Additional World Records:

Within the Mall there are several world records to be listed individually

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Halima Aden, First fully covered American Muslim Teen Contestant in Miss. Minnesota US : 2016

Halima Aden is the first american muslim teen to wear a hijab in the Miss. Minnesota USA pageant.

Supermodel, activist and humanitarian

First’s:

  • First woman to wear a hijab in the Miss. Minnesota USA pageant.
  • First contestant to wear a burkini and a hijab
  • First hijab wearing model featured on the covers of Vogue Arabia, Allure and British Vogue
  • First Somali-American to participate in student government in college
  • Crowned first Muslim Homecoming Teen, St.Cloud’s Apollo High School, Minnesota

Honours :

  • UNICEF Ambassador, to support UNICEF’s mission to put children first ( July 2018).

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American / Somali-American

Moncef Slaoui appointed by US President Trump to Lead Covid-19 Vaccine Team : May 2020

Moncef Slaoui (aka) Moncef Mohamed Slaoui, immunology expert, has been appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to head up the U.S. Government’s development of vaccine to treat coronavirus disease in ‘ Operation Warp Speed ‘.

Last Post Held:

  • Head of GlaxoSmithKline’s Vaccine Department

Education :

  • Ph.D – Molecular biology and Immunology – Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
  • MBA – International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne,
  • M.S. – Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
  • B.S. – Biology – Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

Awards / Honours:

  • Honorary Doctorate of Science – Gettysburg College (2017)
  • ’25 of the Most Influential People in Biopharma Today’ – by FierceBiotech (2012)
  • ‘The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders’ – by Fortune (2010)
  • ‘World’s Top 100 Medicine Makers’ – by The Medicine Makers (2018)

Books/ Papers Published:

Several

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American / Belgian-American / Moroccan

Sultan Qaboos of Oman , Arab World’s Longest Serving Ruler – January 2020

Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said of the Sultanate of Oman, the longest-serving ruler in the Middle East and Arab World at the time of his demise, January 10th, 2020.

A 15th generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said. Aceded the throne on July 23rd, 1970.

More details can be googled about his 50 years as the absolute Monarch of the Sultanate of Oman.

Awards/ Honours:

  • Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria  (Austria, 31 March 2001)
  •  Member 1st Class of the Order of Al Khalifa (Bahrain)
  •  Member of the Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei (Brunei, 15 December 1984)
  •  Grand Collar of the Order of the Nile (Egypt, 1976)
  •  Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (France, 31 May 1989)
  •  Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany)
  • Jawarhlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (India, 2004 – award yet to be presented)
  •  Recipient of the Star of the Republic of Indonesia , 1st Class or Adipurna (Indonesia)
  •  Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlavi (3 March 1974) (Iran)
  •  Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire (Iran, 14 October 1971)
  •  Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Italy, 22 April 1974)
  •  Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan)
  •  Collar of the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali (Jordan)
  •  Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great (Kuwait, 28 December 2009)
  •  Collar of the Order of Merit (Lebanon)
  •  Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm  (DMN) (Malaysia, 1991)
  •  Collar of the Order of the Throne (Morocco)
  •  Grand Cross of the Orde of Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco)
  •  Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, 2012)
  •  Recipient of the Nishan-e-Pakistan, 1st Class (Pakistan)
  •  Collar of the Order of the Independence (Qatar)
  •  Recipient of the Badr Chain (Saudi Arabia)
  •  Decoration 1st class (December 1971) and Collar (23 December 2006) of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud (Saudi Arabia)
  •  Member 1st Class of the Order of Temasek (Singapore , 12 March 2009)
  •  Grand Cross of the Order of Good Hope (South Africa), 1999)
  •  Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain, 13 December 1985)
  •  Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit (Spain)
  •  Collar of the Order of Umayyad (Syria)
  •  Collar of the Order of Independence (Tunisia)
  •  Grand Cordon of the Order of the Republic (Tunisia)
  •  Collar of the Order of Etihad (Order of the Federation) (UAE)
  •  Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) (United Kingdom, 8 July 1976)
  •  Knight of Justice (KStJ, 8 November 1976) and Bailiff Grand Cross (GCStJ, 19 March 1984) of the Venerable Order of Saint John (United Kingdom)
  •  Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) (United Kingdom, 28 February 1979)
  •  Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) (United Kingdom, 18 March 1982)
  •  Recipient of the Royal Victorian Chain (United Kingdom, 27 November 2010)

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The Sultanate of Oman

Miriam Merad elected to U.S’s ‘National Academy of Sciences’ : May 2020

Immunologist Dr. Miriam Merad elected to the prestigious American National Academy of Sciences.

Presently:

  • Professor – Cancer Immunology
  • Director – Precision Immunology Institute , ICahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York City, New York
  • Vice President – International Union of Immunological Sciences

Awards:

  • William B Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic & Tumour Immunology (2018)
  • Leukemia Research Foundation Award (2006)
  • Member – U.S. National Academy of Sciences
  • Member – American Society for Clinical Investigation

Education:

  • M.D. – Algiers 1 University / – Paris Diderot University
  • PhD – Stanford University

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American / French-Arab / Algeria