US-Iraqi TV Star Alia Shawkat Pushes for New Narratives

If you never realized that Alia Shawkat has Arab heritage, there’s a reason for that: The Iraqi-American actress — who has been stealing pretty much every scene she has appeared in since 1999, when she was 10 years old — rose to fame at a time when Hollywood was much less receptive to non-white identities.

Now, though, the 33-year-old star is entering the next phase of her career, one in which her heritage will be front and center.

“It’s interesting, because when I started acting, I always had to say I was half-whatever the role was. I would say I was half-Spanish, or half-French, just trying to blend in. I was always seen as ‘too ethnic’ when I was young,” Shawkat tells Arab News. “Now my ethnicity is a strength, because the conversation is shifting. It’s funny to watch actors actually talk about where they’re coming from, or playing roles that they’re actually connected to, when I grew up having to basically hide it.”

Not that it ever slowed Shawkat down. While she is perhaps still best-known for playing Maeby Fünke on the acclaimed cult comedy “Arrested Development,” which also reinvigorated or launched the careers of Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera and Tony Hale, she has been an inimitable presence across dozens of acclaimed independent films, before becoming the star and a key creative voice in the series “Search Party” (2016-2022), a pitch-black comedy and noir crime drama hybrid that defines Shawkat’s unique spirit better than anything has thus far.

She didn’t have to search too hard to find inspiration for the show. “My father is Middle Eastern, and he owns a club in Palm Springs. So that’s the show,” she deadpanned to the New Yorker last fall.

While “Desert People” will tackle that by putting Arab characters at its center, Shawkat took “The Old Man” in part because of the way that it, too, dives into righting some of the wrongs that were committed in the post-9/11 landscape.

source / content: arabnews.com (edited)

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Alia Shawkat in ‘The Old Man.’ (FX)

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AMERICAN / IRAQI

Qatar 2022 becomes First FIFA World Cup to Achieve International Sustainability Certification

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22) – the operational arm of FIFA and the Host Country for the delivery of the tournament – has achieved ISO 20121 certification, the international standard that sets requirements for developing and implementing an effective management system to deliver a sustainable event.

The certification was granted after an extensive audit process that was initiated during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 – which was held exactly a year before the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.

Nasser Al Khater, CEO, Q22, said: “Sustainability has been at the heart of Qatar 2022 from the start, and the independent recognition of the delivery of best practices reflects our enduring commitment to it.

José Retana, Sustainability Senior Manager, Q22, said: “We are proud to become the first FIFA World Cup in history to obtain the ISO 20121 certification. This demonstrates that according to the evaluation by a third-party accredited entity, world-class management practices are being implemented to deliver an inclusive, green and legacy-oriented event.”

SGS carried out the extensive audit process. It is a world-leading testing, inspection and certification company that has a wealth of experience in certifying mega-sport event organisers against ISO 20121 requirements, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the French Open tennis tournament.

Sustainability management mechanisms assessed during the FIFA Arab Cup™ audit included:

Accessibility infrastructure and services for disabled fans, including seating, mobility assistance and innovative features such as audio descriptive commentary

Waste minimisation and recycling, including staff training, segregation and awareness-raising activities carried out with the support of sustainability volunteers

Sustainable procurement of items required for the delivery of the tournament, including uniforms made from recycled plastics and the use of compostable food packaging

Social and environmental audits to ensure supplier compliance with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Sustainable Sourcing Code

Incident reporting and resolution during tournament time, including governance arrangements and gathering of lessons learned

Chris Meakin, General Manager of SGS Qatar, said: “The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has effectively applied and demonstrated best practices under the framework of the Event Sustainability Management System (ISO 20121) to manage the event successfully. They have met the set benchmarks for global sustainability development and to control the event’s social, economic and environmental impact.”

source/content: thepeninsulaqatar.com (edited)

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QATAR

Winners of the ’10th King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Awards for Translation’ Announced

The translators of books about culture, physics and data mining are among the latest recipients of the prestigious King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Awards for Translation.

This year’s event, covering works published in 2021, marks the 10th anniversary of the awards. There were six categories and the winners, chosen by the event’s board of trustees, were announced on Monday.

Izz ddeen Khattabi Riffi’s translation from the original French of “Beyond Nature and Culture” by Philippe Descola took the award for works in the humanities category translated into Arabic. It was shared by Abdelnour Kharraki for his translation of “Data Mining for the Social Sciences: An Introduction” by Paul Attewell, David Monaghan and Darren Kwong, originally published in English.

The award for institutions went to the publishing and translation department of Obeikan Company, and to Al-Arabi Publishing & Distribution.

There were also two winners in category for works in the natural sciences translated into Arabic, both for books originally published in English: Dr. Sausan Hassan Al-Sawwaf and Dr. Laila Saleh Babsil for their translation of “Physics in Biology and Medicine” by Paul Davidovits; and Yahya Khlaif and Abdullatif Al-Shuhail for their translation of “Introduction to Carbon Capture and Sequestration” by Berend Smit, Jeffrey A Reimer and Curtis M. Oldenburg.

Three awards were presented in the category of Individual Efforts in Translation, to Hamza Qablan Al-Mozainy from Saudi Arabia, Murtazo Saydumarov from Uzbekistan, and Samir Mina Masoud Greeis, who is of Egyptian-German nationality.

The judges decided to withhold the awards in the two remaining categories, for books about the humanities and natural sciences translated from Arabic into other languages.

source/contents: arabnews.com (edited)

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EGYPTIAN / GERMAN / SAUDI ARABIA

United Nations Elects Oman’s Dr.Mohammed bin Awadh Al Hassan as Chairman of ‘ The Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee)’

The United Nations General Assembly has elected Oman’s Permanent Representative to the world body as chairman of its Special Political and Decolonisation Committee.

In his speech to the 77th session of the General Assembly, H E Dr Mohammed bin Awadh al Hassan, the sultanate’s Permanent Representative, stated that Oman is keen to chair the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee, owing to its belief in the freedom of peoples and their independence, as well as the importance of ending colonisation in line with the UN’s related decisions.

The Special Political and Decolonization Committee also known as Fourth Committee considers a broad range of issues covering a cluster of five decolonization-related agenda items, the effects of atomic radiation, questions relating to information, a comprehensive review of the question of peacekeeping operations as well as a review of special political missions, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Israeli Practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories, and International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.

source/content: muscatdaily.com (headline edited)

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OMAN

Ibrahim Abdel-Meguied, Dawood Abdel-Sayed and Iraqi Qais Azzawi win Egypt’s Top Cultural Awards and Honour

Egypt’s highest state awards in art, literature, and social sciences for 2022 were announced on 7 June, with writer Ibrahim Abdel-Meguied, director Dawood Abdel-Sayed, and late Iraq thinker Qais Azzawi winning the top honour, the Nile Award.

In a meeting chaired by Egypt’s Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem, members of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Culture (SCC) voted on the top awards.

The members voted on 53 prizes worth a total of EGP 7.5 million (around $374,632) divided into four sections:

Here is the full list of winners:

The Nile Award

The Nile Award is granted to three people in the fields of literature, arts, and social sciences. Each winner receives EGP 500,000 and a gold medal. A new award for the most creative Arab personality was added for the first time in 2018.

The Nile Award in Literature was given to writer Ibrahim Abdel-Meguied.

The Nile Award in Arts was handed to director Dawood Abdel-Sayed.

The Nile Award in Social Sciences went to the late lawyer and head of the lawyers syndicate Ragi Attia.

The Nile Award for the Most Creative Arab personality was awarded to late Iraqi thinker Qais Al-Azzawi, who died in 2022.

The Nile Award for a creative Arab personality was launched in 2018 in a bid to strengthen ties between Egypt and Arab creative minds.

Appreciation Awards

The award carries a prize of EGP 200,000 and a gold medal.

The Appreciation Award in Arts went to actor Rashwan Tawfik, architect Suhair Hawass and Ahmed Nabil Suleiman.

The Appreciation Award in Literature was awarded to writers Mohamed Abulfadl Badran, Youssef Hassan Nofal and Kamal Ruhayem.

The Appreciation Awards in Social Sciences were awarded to Said Ismail, Abdel-Salam Abu-Qahf and Moataz Sayed Abdallah.

Excellency Awards

The Excellency Award in Literature was granted to writer Reem Bassiouny and Amr Fouad Dawara.

The Excellency Award in Arts was handed to Gamal Yaqoot and Ahmed Abdel-Kareem.

The Excellency Award in Social Sciences was handed to late judge Tahany El-Gebaly, Iman Amer, and Ahmed Hassanien.

In addition to the previous awards, the SCC granted 32 encouragement awards, each one of them worth EGP 50,000.

Factbox

There are 52 prizes worth a total of EGP 7.5 million (around $374,632) divided into four sections.

Of the seven Excellency Awards, two are for the arts, two for literature, and three for social sciences. Political analyst Ammar Ali Hassan and economic expert Ahmed El-Naggar were among the winners of the prize last year.

Novelists Khairy Shalaby and Gamal El-Ghitani, poet Mohammed Afifi Mattar, and critic Gaber Asfour are among the past winners.

The Nile Award was originally named the Mubarak Award, but was changed in the aftermath of the 25 January 2011 Revolution that ousted president Hosni Mubarak from power.

Poet Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudi, writers Bahaa Taher, Ibrahim Aslan, and Waheed Hamed, and cinema director Youssef Chahine are the most prominent figures to date who have won the Nile Award.

The State Awards were launched in 1958 and have only been cancelled once, in 1967, during the Six-Day War between Egypt and Israel.

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

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Dawood Abdel-Sayed, Ibrahim Abdel-Meguied, and Iraqi Qais Azzawi

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EGYPT / IRAQ

Saudi Student Itizaz Alnefaie breaks World Record. She is honoured by Tabuk Governor Prince Fahad bin Sultan for Top Two Finish in Worldwide Mental Arithmetic Competition, Egypt

Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan honored Itizaz Alnefaie, the primary school pupil from Tabuk International Schools who won second place in this year’s Worldwide Mental Arithmetic Competition, recently held in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh.

Alnefaie broke the world record by solving 100 maths problems, testing herself against the clock.


He congratulated Alnefaie for this achievement, wishing her more success, noting the Saudi leadership’s support for outstanding students in all scientific fields.


“I’m pleased to meet you and everyone is proud of your achievement,” Prince Fahd said, praising the efforts made by Alnefaie’s parents and teachers, who created the environment for her to reach excellence, and who supported her talent. He also wished her and all of Tabuk’s students future success.

The prince then offered Alnefaie his personal pen as a gift. The head of Tabuk International Schools, Maram Al-Atwi, praised Prince Fahd for the achievement, which comes as a result of his great support for the education sector in Tabuk, noting that this success is an extension of the local and international achievements made by public school students from all Saudi regions.


Hundreds of talented pupils representing more than 25 countries, including Saudi Arabia, participated in this year’s competition.


Solving a math problem might take most people a few minutes. However, Alnefaie takes just a second or two.

source/content: arabnews.com (edited)

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Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan honors Itizaz Alnefaie, the primary school pupil from Tabuk International Schools. (SPA)

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SAUDI ARABIA

Omani Diver Omar Al Ghailani Sets Record for the 3rd Time ‘Deepest Asian Record in Dual Fins ‘, AIDA Freediving World Cup, Egypt

Omani diver Omar Al Ghailani achieved the deepest Asian record for the third time in the dual fins specialty with a depth of 92m CWTB in the diving championship held in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt – AIDA Freediving world cup – May.

Omar Al-Ghilani said that he is determined to achieve more national numbers in the coming days, noting that the feeling is different every day in the atmosphere of the tournament.

Al-Ghilani said: Every day I develop a plan and scenario for the next day, but changes occur that can change everything, explaining: Sometimes there are unexpected waves or the water temperature changes, and these are some conditions that can affect concentration and readiness to dive.

Al-Ghilani confirmed that his diving experience made him ready to perform better and enjoyable despite all circumstances, adding: I am still learning and developing myself in this field.

Omani diver Omar Al Ghailani achieved a national record on the second day of the championship, as he managed to dive to 92 meters in free diving.

It is worth noting that the Omani champion Omar Al Ghailani is the world record holder in free diving and has strengthened the position of the Sultanate of Oman in regional and international forums.

source/content: arabiandaily.com (headline edited)

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OMAN

Remembering Hoda Sultan: The ‘Bella Donna’ of Egyptian Cinema / 05 June

Sunday marks 16th death anniversary of Egyptian film star Hoda Sultan (15 August 1925 – 5 June 2006).

One of the brightest stars of the 20th century, Sultan made a mark in Egyptian cinema history as an actress and singer in many musical films. 

Born Gamalat Bahiga Abdel-Aal Al-Haww in Kafr Abu-Gendy in Gharbiya governorate on 15 August 1925 to a mother of Turkish descent and a father who married several times and had many children.

Sultan married at a young age and divorced after the birth of her first daughter.

She embarked on the cinematic career inspired by her brother, renowned singer Mohamed Fawzi, taking steps into Egyptian radio with her first song in 1949.

As Ashraf Gharib writes for Ahram Online: “She auditioned for a role that was announced by Nahas Studio, who was searching for a new face capable of singing to participate in Bella Donna (1950), directed by Niazi Mostafa, and landed it. Despite the fact that it was a small part, she emerged closer to the world of fame.”

She then began receiving numerous roles starting with El-Usta Hassan (Foreman Hassan, 1952), directed by Salah Abu-Seif, and Hokm El-‘Awy (The Rule of the Powerful, 1951) and Tager El-Fadayeh (The Scandalmonger, 1953), both directed by Hassan El-Imam.

She landed starring roles in many musical films such as Habib Albi (The Love of My Heart, 1952) by Helmy Rafla and Taxi El-Gharam (Love Taxi, 1954) by Niazi Mostafa.

In addition, Sultan also appeared in Hamido (1953) by Niazi Mostafa, Ga’alouni Mograman (They Made Me a Criminal, 1954) by Atef Salem, El-Mouhtal (The Swindler, 1954) by Helmy Rafla, Sawaq Nos El-Leil (Midnight Driver, 1958) by Niazi Mostafa, Abeed El-Gasad (Slaves of the Flesh, 1962) by Kamal Attiya, and two of her more important films with Hassan El-Imam: Zawga Min El-Sharea (A Wife From the Street) and Sai’dat El-Regal (Men’s Huntress) both in 1960.

“However, Hoda Sultan’s artistic and feminine climax represented itself best in Ezzeddine Zulfikar’s masterpiece Emra’ah Fi El-Tariq (A Woman on the Road, 1958) where she played the she-devil crossing your path and stinging you with her carnal desires,” writes Gharib.

“When Egyptian cinema turned towards duos, Hoda Sultan formed one with Farid Shawqi, her husband at the time. Between the pair, the remarkable duo made 19 films together, starting with Bella Donna and The Rule of the Powerful.”

Her artistic maturity became obvious in El-Sirk (The Circus, 1968) by Atef Salem, DalalEl-Masriya (Dalal the Egyptian, 1970) by Hassan El-Imam, El-Ikhtiyar (The Choice, 1971) by Youssef Chahine, and Shai’ Fi Qalbi (Something In My Heart, 1971) by Kamal El-Sheikh.

She then became the first-choice actress for the film and television roles which needed a maternal character. This landed her the role of Amina in Naguib Mahfouz’s famous trilogy adapted to TV and that of Tafida in Something in my Heart, adapted from Ihsan Abdel-Quddous’ novel.

Her important TV appearances included Layali El-Helmiya (El-Helmiya Nights, 1987), Arabesque (1994), El-Wattad (The Tent Pole, 1996), and Zizinia (1997).

Sultan passed away on 5 June 2006 in Cairo.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg

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EGYPT

Winners of 3rd edition ‘ICCROM – Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in Arab Region 2021-22 Award’

H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended on Thursday an honouring ceremony of the third cycle’s winners of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region (2022-2021), and the second cycle of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award The Arab cultural heritage for young people, in the House of Wisdom.

The ceremony began with a speech delivered by Dr. Zaki Aslan, Regional Director of International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Sharjah.

Dr. Aslan mentioned the award’s goal to spread the notion of cultural and heritage preservation in the region within international standards through initiatives and events that help exchange knowledge and experience.

Then John Robbins, Chairman of the Executive Board of ICCROM, thanked the Ruler of Sharjah, for sponsoring this event and all other activities in the region.

H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah and the audience watched several visual films about the ICCROM-Sharjah Award and the winning projects.

H.H. honored the winners of the 3rd cycle of the ICCROM-Sharjah Award for Good Practices in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management in the Arab Region; and the 2nd cycle of the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young.

The grand prize for the 3rd cycle went to Beirut Assist Cultural Heritage (BACH), a project to recover the affected area following the 2020 blast in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon; and the rehabilitation and restoration of residential courtyards and historical buildings in the vicinity of Al Aqsa Mosque, Palestine.

In the Special Excellence category, four projects won: sheltering and protecting Hicham’s Palace’s mosaic floor, Palestine; Collart-Palmyre: a comprehensive project on the Baalsahamîn temple in Palmyra; the revitalization and conservation of the cultural heritage of Al Qarara Village in Gaza, Palestine; and the digital documentation of historical documents in Jerusalem, Palestine.

As for the 2nd cycle of the Award for the Young, the student Sarah Hassan Al Hosani, from the Al Amal School for the Deaf – United Arab Emirates, and the student Al Yasar Al Masry, from the Omar Bin Al Khattab College – Al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Association – Lebanon, won first place.

The student, Ghala Abdel Rahim Mahmoud Al Raheel, from Bayouda Al-Sharqiya Mixed Secondary School – Jordan, won first place in the photography category, while the first place in the folk dance category, Al Takadum School for Basic Education – Libya, won the old street dance, and Qasr Al-Hallabat Al-Gharbi Mixed Secondary School – Jordan won first place in the awareness film category for the movie “A Story of Joy from the Heart of the Badia”.

The honouring ceremony was attended by Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler’s Office, Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Department Of Statistics and Community Development, Sheikha Alyazia bint Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, and several senior officials, ambassadors and representatives cultural organisations.

source/content: wam.ae (edited)

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SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES(U.A.E) / JORDAN / LIBYA /LEBANON / PALESTINE / SYRIA

Qatar World Record: Doha’s Iconic Tower ‘The Torch Doha’ launches the ‘World’s Largest External 360 Degree Screen’ and sets a Guinness World Record

Torch Tower set the Guinness World Record for being the largest external 360 degree screen in the world.

Aspire Zone Foundation announced that it will officially launch the screen on June 6, 2022 between 7pm to 9pm. 

Situated at 300m high and with 360° panoramic views across the city, the Torch Doha is the result of comprehensive architectural, engineering and technical design, formerly shaped to represent a colossal torch for the duration of the 15th Asian Games in 2006 held its symbolic flame.

source/content: thepeninsulaqatar.com (edited)

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QATAR