RECORDS IN MIDDLE EAST – Page 35 – Arabian Records (1st post : Eid Al Fitr – 01st Shawwal 1439 (AH) / 15th June 2018 ) / (BETA testing – Research

SAUDI ARABIA: With $1.1tn Investment, Saudi Arabia to become the World’s Biggest Construction Site: Knight Frank

Following the launch of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 in 2016, the Kingdom is on its way to becoming the world’s biggest construction site with a total investment of SR4.13 trillion ($1.1 trillion) in infrastructure and real estate projects, according to global real estate consultancy Knight Frank.

The real estate firm projected that Riyadh’s population will reach 17 million by 2030, up from about 7.5 million today. The city has unveiled real estate projects worth $104 billion since the Kingdom’s National Transformation Plan launch in 2016.

“Vision 2030 has lit the embers of excitement across the Kingdom, and with NEOM positioned as a crown jewel in the transformative plans, people are eager to be part of history,” Faisal Durrani, partner and head of Middle East research, Knight Frank told Arab News.

Saudi Arabia will easily become the largest construction site in history, with planned construction projects in the Kingdom being over 555,000 residential units, over 275,000 hotel keys, over 4.3 million square meters of retail space, and over 6.1 million square meters of office space, Durrani said.

The consultancy firm is currently monitoring 15 giga-projects in the Kingdom, many of them new standalone supercities, said Harmen de Jong, partner and head of real estate, Strategy& Consulting in the Kingdom.

NEOM is expected to house 9 million residents across 300,000 new homes once completed, making it the largest giga-project announced to date, Jong added.

Among 1,000 Saudi households surveyed, Diriyah Gate came third in popularity as a place to own a home, behind NEOM and The Red Sea Project.

NEOM is radically redefining urban living in resource-poor regions, Durrani said. At the same time, sub-cities like the Octagon, Trojena and the Line will set new benchmarks for luxury living in the area.

Around 30 percent of Saudi homeowners are prepared to spend more than $800,000 on a second home at NEOM. “Developers have their work cut out to satisfy this pent-up demand,” Durrani added.

De Jong said that the construction progress of part of the projects stands at 29 percent, with only $7.5 billion of subprojects being commissioned.

Riyadh’s rebirth

Another head-turning giga-project is the $20 billion Diriyah Gate which will give Riyadh 20,000 homes when it is completed in 2027, creating a city-sized historic district.

Knight Frank estimated that about $2.3 billion had been spent on Diriyah Gate’s construction.

“Not to be outdone, Riyadh’s repositioning as a commercial nerve center of the Kingdom is well underway. And businesses from the world over are already clamoring to be at the center of the Middle East’s second and much-needed global hub,” Durrani said.

Durrani added that the planned development of 2.8 million square meters of world-class office space could not come at a better time with Grade A office occupancy levels hovering around 97 percent across the city.

According to Knight Frank, an international airport worth $147 billion is also set to open shortly. Nearly 74 percent of the $200 billion national infrastructure investment goes toward the new airport.

“The city is also attracting a huge number of internal migrants, and with readily available support to get on the housing ladder, house prices are rising rapidly and currently stand some 26 percent higher than this time last year,” he said.

Well-being hub

The Kingdom is also improving and providing world-class urban environments for its residents with the $500 million Riyadh Sports Boulevard and the $23 billion Green Riyadh, planting 7.5 million trees in the Saudi capital to transform it into a green, vibrant metropolis.

It also extends to the 19,000 hospital beds planned for $13.8 billion, of which $8.6 billion will be spent in Riyadh Province alone.

According to de Jong, over 80 new educational institutions are being constructed for $82 billion.

“What’s more, healthcare, education and well-being sit at the core of the transformative plans, which will contribute to an extraordinary evolution in the Kingdom’s physical realm, making it unrecognizable from what we see today by the end of the decade,” Durrani said.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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SAUDI ARABIA

EGYPT: Marwa El-Selehdar Egypt’s First and Youngest 24-year Female Shipmaster

Navigating AIDA IV through new Suez Canal on opening day: Meet Egypt’s 1st female shipmaster.

Marwa El-Selehdar reveals how she became Egypt’s first female shipmaster and her journey to be part of the new Suez Canal celebrations.

As the government promoted the new Suez Canal as “Egypt’s gift to the world,” Marwa El-Selehdar, the country’s first and youngest female shipmaster, received the good news.

The 24-year-old would assist in navigating a naval vessel through the new waterway during the opening celebrations on 6 August, she was recently informed.

“I never thought that my dream would finally come true. I am going to be part of the inauguration as a second naval officer on the deck of the training ship AIDA IV,” El Selhdar told Al-Ahram newspaper.

El-Selehdar believes that her participation as the youngest and first Egyptian and Arab female shipmaster would bolster the image of the “civilised Egyptian women.”

“I was filled with joyous fear when I first learned about my participation.”

A 2012 graduate of the Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) in the coastal city of Alexandria, El-Selehdar said that becoming a shipmaster was a childhood dream.

“In my first time ever training on board a ship, [My] Captain Abdel Hamid El-Qady and the rest of the crew made me feel at home,” El-Selehdar recalled.

Initially enrolled as a student in the maritime transport department at AASTMT, El-Selehdar was later encouraged to move to the marine navigation department at the school when she found out that there were no rules that prohibit females from studying to become shipmasters, she said in a television interview back in 2010.

Her determination to join the marine navigation department was further fuelled when she heard that a female student from the African Island of Djibouti won a scholarship to study at the department.

“I challenged myself and asked for a transfer from the maritime transport department to the marine navigation department. Amid a wave of refusals, this was the battle I had to fight in order to achieve my dream,” El-Selehdar said.

As she joined a male-dominated profession, El-Selehdar says that her mother encouraged her [as a woman] to continue on the path she chose.

Egypt has been preparing for grand celebrations for the opening ceremony of the new Suez Canal waterway on Thursday.

On Tuesday, nine swimmers who belong to the Egyptian Paralympics team – set to compete in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics — crossed the new waterway holding a huge Egyptian flag.

Incoming visitors to the country had their passports stamped with “Egypt’s gift to the world” by Customs authorities.

After fulfilling her first dream of becoming a shipmaster, El-Selehdar is ready to achieve her second dream of living through the opening of the new canal.

“I always thought this project was a major one, but I never realised we would actually witness this remarkable and extraordinary event,” El-Selehdar said.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited) text / pix: marineinsight.com

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EGYPT

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES(U.A.E) :ADNOC Sends First-ever Low-Carbon Ammonia Shipment from the UAE to Germany

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced, today (September 01) that its first shipment of low-carbon ammonia has left the United Arab Emirates (UAE) bound for Hamburg, Germany. This is the first ever cargo of low-carbon ammonia to be shipped to Germany.

The demonstration cargo will be delivered to Aurubis, a leading global provider of non-ferrous metals and one of the largest copper recyclers worldwide, that has its headquarters in Hamburg. On arrival in Germany, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), one of Europe’s leading logistics companies will handle the cargo.

Produced by Fertiglobe, a partnership between ADNOC and OCI, at its Fertil plant in Abu Dhabi’s Ruwais industrial complex, the demonstration cargo is the first of several test cargoes sold to customers in Germany as ADNOC expands its strategic energy partnership across the hydrogen value chain. The cargo follows a number of similar low-carbon ammonia sales that have been made to customers in Asia. Aurubis plans to utilize the low-carbon ammonia as a feedstock in its wire rod plant, testing its application as an additional, lower-carbon energy source for industial ulilization. The hydrogen it contains has the potential to be a low-carbon energy alternative for the energy-intensive processes in multi-metal production.

This is another important milestone in the planned scale-up of hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia production capabilities in Abu Dhabi, where ADNOC is developing a new world-scale 1 million tons per annum low-carbon ammonia plant at TA’ZIZ, the chemicals, industrial services and logistics hub in the Ruwais Industrial Complex.

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said: “This demonstration cargo of low-carbon ammonia builds upon the longstanding bilateral relationship between the UAE and Germany and our growing partnership in clean energy. It highlights ADNOC’s expanding role as a trusted exporter of low-carbon fuels, as the UAE focuses on the industrial growth opportunities within the energy transition.

“Our collaboration with customers in Germany also underlines ADNOC’s ambitious growth plans for the production of clean hydrogen, and its carrier fuels such as ammonia, which will play a critical role in decarbonizing hard-to-abate industrial sectors. We are committed to accelerating and deepening private and public sector collaboration in clean hydrogen projects that will reduce carbon emissions and the carbon intensity of the energy that supports our everyday lives.”

Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis, said: “As the most efficient and sustainable smelter network in the world, Aurubis provides metals that are key for megatrends such as renewable energies, electric mobility and digitalization and hence for decarbonization. To guarantee stable processes at our sites, we are expanding our portfolio of reliable energy sources and thus investing in the decarbonization of our production at the same time. This first trial shipment of low-carbon ammonia from ADNOC represents an important milestone in our long-term vision for hydrogen solutions that will help meet our decarbonization goals.”

Angela Titzrath, CEO of HHLA, said: “With its experience in port handling and logistic of containerized dangerous goods, its vast network of seaport terminals, hinterland connections and intermodal hubs across Europe, HHLA is pleased to facilitate the import of hydrogen and its derivates to Germany and Europe as part of the strategic energy partnership.”

H.E. Michael Westhagemann, Hamburg Senator for Economy and Innovation, said: “I very much welcome the fact that our international and national partners in business and the port are leading the way with these real-world trials for decarbonizing industry. We need these real-world findings and commitment to support the ramp-up of a Green Hydrogen Economy. Hamburg as an industrial location and as a European distribution port is a blueprint for this transformation and is therefore also in the German focus.”

During the visit of H.E. Dr. Robert Habeck, Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to the UAE in March 2021, ADNOC signed agreements with a number of German companies to explore opportunities for collaboration in low-carbon and renewable hydrogen derivatives.

Building on its position as an early mover in the production of hydrogen, ADNOC plans to significantly grow its hydrogen production in support of the UAE’s ambition to supply up to 25% of imported hydrogen in key global markets. Germany’s national hydrogen strategy expects an import demand for clean hydrogen of approximately 3 million tons per annum (mtpa) by 2030 and up to 15 mtpa by 2050 when, according to research from the Hydrogen Council, hydrogen could meet up to 18% of the world’s energy demand.

Low-carbon ammonia is the most promising at-scale hydrogen carrier and potential clean fuel for a wide range of applications, including transportation, power generation and industrial, including steel, cement, and fertilizer production. It is made from nitrogen and clean hydrogen derived from natural gas feedstocks, with the carbon dioxide by-product from hydrogen production captured and stored.

Collaboration with end-user Aurubis and logistics company HHLA underscores expanding role of ADNOC as a trusted exporter of low-carbon fuels as the UAE focuses on industrial growth opportunities within the energy transition

ADNOC plans to significantly grow its hydrogen production in support of the UAE’s ambition to supply up to 25 per cent of hydrogen demand in key global markets.

source/contents: adnoc.ae (headline edited)

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

QATAR: Microsoft Opens First Global Datacenter Region in Qatar, bringing New Opportunities for a Cloud-First Economy

The new cloud datacenter region launches with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, giving organizations access to hundreds of scalable, highly available and resilient cloud services.

Today, Microsoft announced the launch of its new datacenter region in Qatar, marking a major milestone for Microsoft as the first hyperscale cloud provider to deliver enterprise-grade services in the country. The new world-class datacenters are open for business with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 available today.

The continued investment is in response to Qatar’s growing demand for high performance computing, and fast and reliable access to Microsoft services. The new datacenter region will play a pivotal role in providing access to scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud services to accelerate the digital transformation and advance intelligent cloud adoption of businesses, customers, and partners across Qatar.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said: The launch of the Data Centre today is considered an important milestone in the process of transforming the State of Qatar into an advanced and pioneering digital center in the Middle East and the world. This journey was inspired by the Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to establish a diversified and competitive national economy.”

His Excellency continued: “These pioneering projects in the field of digital transformation, communications and information technology would not have been achieved without the ambitions of the country’s wise leadership and its vision to this vital sector, believing in its crucial role in the development of other economic sectors. Legislative and legal regulation of the sector and enhance its attractiveness.

“Microsoft has more datacenter regions than any other cloud provider and today we are proud to deliver the first hyperscale cloud datacenter region to Qatar. This development will increase opportunities for organizations of all sizes and across all sectors to leverage our trusted cloud to innovate, better serve their customers and achieve their business goals – ultimately supporting continued economic growth that benefits all residents.” said Ralph Haupter, President of Microsoft EMEA.

Providing new opportunities for customers and partners

The Qatar cloud data center region will drive growth and scale for Microsoft customers and partners in the country. Microsoft customers across multiple industries, including the Ministry of Communication and Information technology, TASMU PLATFORM, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, and many others, have already embraced the Microsoft Cloud to develop digital capabilities and innovate in their industries. Microsoft partners such as EY, Ooredoo, Vodafone, QDS, PWC, ICT, Malomatia, Intel, Mannai, Meeza, Starlink, and Veeam are delivering transformative solutions across the Microsoft Cloud to drive customer success.

Building future-ready skills for employability

Earlier this year, Microsoft, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), launched the National Skilling Program, with the goal to upskill over 50,000 people in Qatar through providing digital skills acquisition programs over the next four years. To date, the program had benefited over 14,000 people.

Microsoft has also established a first-of-its kind Digital Center of Excellence to help bridge the skills gap amongst the IT community and help accelerate digital transformation, in collaboration with leading universities such as MIT xPro, the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) and HEC Paris.

Delivering reliable, trusted, and resilient cloud, securely

Businesses of all sizes and industries can now host their cloud workloads in Microsoft’s Qatar datacenter, taking advantage of enterprise-grade reliability and performance. Customers can begin leveraging Microsoft Azure to develop advanced applications using AI, data and analytics, IoT and hybrid capabilities with advanced digital security and more, as well as Microsoft 365, the world’s productivity cloud that delivers best-of-breed productivity apps delivered seamlessly through cloud services.

With over 100 compliance offerings – the broadest set of compliance offerings and programs of any public cloud provider – the Microsoft cloud significantly empowers customers to meet local compliance and policy requirements. This includes the National Information Assurance Certification issued by the National Cyber Security Agency, which Microsoft received earlier this year.

“With its longstanding history as an early adopter of technology, Qatar has completely embraced cloud solutions and revolutionized entire industries to develop a new, advanced digital economy. Today’s announcement will enable the country to take these groundbreaking innovations to the world, showcase its standing as a leader in digital transformation and cement Qatar’s place as a global hub for innovation,” said Lana Khalaf, Microsoft Country Manager.

To learn more about the Microsoft cloud datacenter region in Qatar, please visit the website.

source/content: news.microsoft.com

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MICROSOFT / QATAR

QATAR to Build World’s Largest ‘Blue’ Ammonia Plant

QatarEnergy will build the world’s largest “blue” ammonia plant, which is expected to come online in the first quarter of 2026 and to produce 1.2 million tons per year, Saad Al-Kaabi, chief executive and state minister for energy, said .

While conventional ammonia production emits CO2 if it is made with fossil fuel, during the production of blue ammonia any carbon dioxide generated is captured and stored.

The facility, the Ammonia-7 project, will cost $1.156 billion to build and capture and sequester 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide a year through the manufacturing process, he added.

“We see an increasing interest in using ammonia as fuel, driven by the need to reduce CO2 emissions in the energy ecosystem,” Al-Kaabi said.

Ammonia is mainly made from hydrogen produced from natural gas and nitrogen from the air. It does not emit CO2 when burned.

It is principally used as a raw material for fertilizer and chemicals, but it can also be used as a low-carbon fuel in power stations.

Thyssenkrupp and Consolidated Contractors Co. are the contractors of the project.

source/content: arabnews.com

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While conventional ammonia production emits CO2 if it is made with fossil fuel, during the production of blue ammonia any carbon dioxide generated is captured and stored.

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QATAR

EGYPT : Veteran Egyptian Diplomat Mohamed Idris Appointed Member of UN Peacebuilding Fund Advisory Group

Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres has appointed Egypt’s former permanent representative to the UN Mohamed Idris as a member of the Advisory Group of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, the Egyptian foreign ministry announced .

The appointment is in appreciation of the Egyptian diplomat’s efforts during Egypt’s 2021 presidency of the UN Peacebuilding Commission and as an affirmation of Egypt’s leadership in enhancing the effectiveness of the UN peacebuilding structure since its establishment in 2005, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

This is the fourth time an Egyptian has been appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, representing African countries, it added

The members of the Advisory group have an important role in advising the UN Secretary-General on the programmes and activities of the Peacebuilding Fund in accordance with requests from Member States and overseeing the implementation of the programmes of the Fund, a large part of which is located on the African continent, the ministry said.

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

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EGYPT

SAUDI ARABIA: Team Saudi returns Home with 24 Medals from the ‘5th Islamic Solidarity Games 2022’, Konya,Turkey

Team Saudi returned home to the Kingdom after collecting a record 24 medals at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games held in Konya, Turkey, from Aug. 9-18.

They won two gold, 12 silver, and 10 bronze medals. The previous record was 11 medals at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.

The competition saw the participation of 54 countries and 4,000 athletes.

The Saudi team placed 15th in the overall country standings, and its weightlifting athletes scooped 11 medals between them (one gold, six silver, and four bronze).

Athletics came second with five medals (four silver and one bronze), Karate with three medals (gold and two bronze), table tennis with two medals (one silver and one bronze), Paralympic swimming with one bronze medal, and finally a silver medal in the U23 football competition.

The Saudi weightlifting team won their first medals when Abdullah Al-Biladi delivered three bronzes on the opening day.

Siraj Al-Saleem delivered three silver medals in the 61kg event. On Thursday, Mansour Al-Saleem won gold in the 55kg event. Additional weightlifting medals came from Ali Al-Othman, who delivered a silver and a bronze.

Saudi track and field athlete Yousef Masrahi came second in the 400m race. His teammate Mazin Al-Yasin came third to secure the bronze in the same event.

Karate silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Tarek Hamdi, secured first place on the podium after defeating his Azerbaijani opponent Ismayilov Gurban to win gold.

Hamdi said: “I’m thankful for all the support we get from SOPC (Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee) president Prince Abdulaziz and his VP Prince Fahad and all the Saudi karate fans and people who believed in me. I dedicate this success to them, and hopefully, our next goal is (the) Riyadh Asian Games 2034, where we hope to meet you all.”

Saud Al-Bashir and Sultan Al-Zahrani brought the other two bronze medals in Karate.

At the closing ceremony, SOPC vice president Prince Fahd bin Jalawi and the head of the Saudi delegation congratulated all the medal winners.

He also extended his appreciation and thanks to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Muhammad Muharram Kasaboglu for successfully hosting the games.

source/contents: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Saudi’s delegation claimed a total of 24 medals at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games in Turkey. (SOPC)

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SAUDI ARABIA

EGYPT: American University in Cairo (AUC) Wins ” UNESCO Jikji MEMORY OF THE WORLD’ Prize for its ‘Rare and Special Books Library’

The award recognises AUC’s Rare and Special Books Library as a leading institution in the preservation and restoration of Arabic historical documents.

The American University in Cairo’s Rare and Special Books Library was awarded UNESCO Jikji Memory of The World Prize. This prestigious award places the American University in Cairo next to some of the world’s leading history conservation entities. The award ceremony is set to take place this coming September in Cheongju-si, South Korea.

Founded in 1992, the AUC Rare and Special Books Library plays a fundamental role in restoring and preserving Egyptian history. Starting with just a few collector’s items, the RBSCL then developed to contain historic maps of Egypt, archives of oral recordings, historical magazines and periodicals, and historical AUC archives.

The UNESCO Jikji Memory of the World Prize is a USD 30,000 grant, given every two years, that honours institutions that have made notable contributions to the preservation and accessibility of documented history. The prize also pays close attention to the degree of expertise in treating said documents and the presence of special circumstances in procuring them.

Funded by the Republic of Korea, the prize was created to commemorate the inscription of the ‘Buljo jikji simche yojeol’, the oldest movable metal print in the world.

source/content: cairoscene.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT

WORLD RECORDS: UAE: Emirates Flight Catering unit opens ‘Bustanica” the World’s Biggest Vertical Farm in Dubai

The $40m Bustanica hydroponic farm near DWC will produce more than a million kilos of greens annually with 95% less water than conventional farming.

Emirates has opened the world’s largest vertical farming plant in Dubai, a $40 million (Dh147m) joint venture with US-based Crop One, as the UAE continues to bolster its food and water security.

Bustanica, the 330,000 square-foot hydroponic farm located near Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), is set to grow more than a million kilograms of leafy greens annually, or about 3,000kg per day, Emirates said in a statement on Monday.

Using 95 per cent less water than traditional farming and saving 250 million litres of water, Bustanica will grow fresh produce without pesticides, herbicides or chemicals.

“Long-term food security and self-sufficiency are vital to the economic growth of any country, and the UAE is no exception,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Group.

“Bustanica ushers in a new era of innovation and investments, which are important steps for sustainable growth and align with our country’s well-defined food and water security strategies.”

Bustanica is the first facility for Emirates Crop One, a joint venture between Emirates’ flight catering unit and indoor vertical farming firm Crop One.

Emirates Flight Catering, a subsidiary of Emirates group, supplies in-flight food for Emirates and other airlines at Dubai International Airport.

Vertical farming is a technique with a significantly smaller carbon footprint than traditional agriculture. This method grows plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water and without soil. They are grown in a fully controlled environment — everything from temperature, humidity, lighting, water and nutrients is precisely monitored, maximising growth and yield.

The new farm is in line with the UAE’s National Food Strategy 2051 agenda for reliable year-round crop production and stable supply chain that is independent of weather and attacks by pests or fungus.

Bustanica will rely on machine learning, artificial intelligence and advanced methods — and a specialised in-house team of agronomy experts, engineers, horticulturists and plant scientists — to grow fresh produce.

Passengers on Emirates and other airlines can start consuming these leafy greens, including lettuces, arugula, mixed salad greens and spinach, onboard flights from this month.

UAE consumers will also soon be able to add these greens to their shopping carts at the nearest supermarkets, according to the statement.

Bustanica also plans to expand into the production and sale of fruits and other vegetables.

Bustanica will secure Emirates Flight Catering’s supply chain and reduce its carbon footprint by bringing production closer to consumption and “reducing the food journey from farm to fork”, Sheikh Ahmed said.

The plant opened after “significant planning and construction” and navigating the unforeseen challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Craig Ratajczyk, chief executive of Crop One, said.

“It’s our mission to cultivate a sustainable future to meet global demand for fresh, local food, and this first large format farm is the manifestation of that commitment. This new facility serves as a model for what’s possible around the globe.”

The UAE has been accelerating its support of AgriTech companies to reduce reliance on food imports, which is thought to make up nearly 90 per cent of food consumed in the country. Abu Dhabi has launched a number of initiatives, including $41m in grants and incentives worth $545m to support expansion.

UAE residents are already seeing evidence of recent efforts to localise agriculture: locally harvested produce at the market or on dining menus is now a common sight. Much of this has surfaced over the past few years as vertical and hydroponic farming ventures, research and cloud-seeding bear fruit.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Bustanica Exterior, Emirates Flight Catering Opens World’s Largest Vertical Farm in Dubai. Emirates

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

JORDAN : Irbid Revels in Limelight, Selected by ALESCO as ‘Arab Capital of Culture for 2022″

Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Sunday attended the ceremony of Irbid: the Arab Capital of Culture for 2022.

During the event, held at Al Yarmouk University, Khasawneh conveyed His Majesty’s greetings and thanks to those who put efforts towards making this national event — the launching of Irbid as the Arab Capital of Culture for 2022 — successful, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The premier, who is also head of the higher national committee for celebrating Irbid: The Arab Capital of Culture for 2022, highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts to “embrace the culture and intellectual elite”, as well as “supporting innovators towards instilling a serious national culture”.

The selection of Irbid as the Arab Capital of Culture is a national event that is being celebrated by the whole Kingdom, he added.

He noted that nominating Irbid as the Arab Capital of Culture for 2022 and Madaba as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2022 coincides with the bicentennial to celebrate the Kingdom, as well as is accompanied by Jordan’s efforts towards a new start titled as “moving towards future” through three paths: Political modernisation, economic modernisation vision and upgrading the public sector.

The selection of Irbid is in line with the Kingdom’s modernisation and reform trends, which consider the cultural scene among its key pillars, he said, noting that the selection of Irbid is a source of pride for Jordanians and is aligned with the northern city’s nature as well as its historical and cultural status.

He also expressed hope that the event would contribute to uncovering the innovative capabilities in Irbid and across the Kingdom, as well as offer an opportunity to feature the qualitative value of the local and Arab cultural and intellectual scene.

The event was attended by a number of ministers, Arab culture ministers, guest delegations, and senators and deputies, among other officials.

Culture Minister Haifa Najjar said that proclaiming Irbid as the Arab Capital of Culture for 2022 by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) illustrates confidence in Jordan and the country’s intellectuals, noting that the selection requires scaling up efforts to bring further innovation through joint action.

Mohamed Ould Amar, director general of ALECSO, said that Jordan’s comprehensive cultural renaissance under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah has contributed to Irbid’s well-deserved status, noting that the organisation is following up the activities of Irbid: The capital of Arab Culture for 2022, Petra added.

He also commended the participation of figures from Jerusalem, describing the holy city as the eternal capital of Arab culture at the 2022 Irbid event, highlighting that their participation is of special character, as Jordan has shown historical stances in defending Jerusalem and its cultural components.

At the end of the ceremony, Palestinian Culture Minister Atef Abu Saif handed over the banner of the Arab Capital of Culture to Najjar, marking the selection of Irbid as the Capital of Arab Culture for 2022 following Bethlehem, the Capital of Arab Culture for 2021.

source/content: jordantimes.com (headline edited)

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Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh attends the ceremony of Irbid: The Arab Capital of Culture for 2022 at Yarmouk University on Sunday (Petra photo)

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JORDAN