Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
A record-setting night sees the Egyptian striker secure his place in history.
Mohamed Salah secured his place in Liverpool (and Premier League) history with a remarkable performance on a very special night as his side beat rivals Manchester United 7-0.
With two second half goals the talismanic Egyptian striker became Liverpool’s all-time top goalscorer English Premier League, with his 129th and 130th goals putting him on top of the list above club legends Robbie Fowler (128), Steven Gerrard (120) and Michael Owen (118).
“This record was in my mind since I came here, I think after my first year I was always chasing that record, so to break it today, against United, with that result, was unbelievable,” Mo Salah told Sky Sports after the game. “I’m going home to celebrate with the family, have a chamomile tea and sleep!”
However, the record was not the only one that Salah secured in the game, as his double also made him Liverpool’s leading scorer against United in the Premier League era, with 10 goals.
Manchester United is one of Liverpool’s biggest rivals – if not the biggest – and the scoreline was its largest ever victory against United in any competition.
“I have some good records at Liverpool. To be fair, as long as we achieve something with the team that’s the most important thing for me,” Mo Salah said to the Liverpool Echo.
“I’m so happy and proud to break records and win trophies in a team like Liverpool. I don’t want to be in a smaller team and I’m the only one breaking records and that’s it.”
source/content: esquireme.com / Matthew Priest (headline edited)
Marking a significant contribution to the preservation of Arab and Islamic cultural heritage, H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has directed the restoration of eight rare Arabic books housed at El Escorial Library in Spain.
The restoration project is part of His Highness’s efforts to preserve the global heritage and manuscripts of El Escorial, particularly those related to Arab and Islamic cultures. The initiative continues Sharjah’s endeavors in preserving the cultural legacy of the region and underscores His Highness’s commitment to cultural and intellectual exchange on a global scale.
The books slated for restoration include Ibn Arjomand’s Al-Ajrumiyyah, three copies of the Holy Quran from 1257, 1402, and 1397, Abu Al-Fida’s book on human history summaries, Tarikh Al Mukhtasar Fi Akhbar Al Bashar; Al-Asfahani’s book of songs, Al Aghani; Al-Milal Wa Al-Nihal; and Kharidat Al-Ajaib Wa Faridat Al-Ghraib.
Through this initiative, Sharjah is making the first global contribution to the preservation of the rare and invaluable books and manuscripts at El Escorial Library that document Arab and Islamic history. His Highness visited the library in 2019, resulting in collaborations between the emirate and the library in various fields, including restoring and showcasing rare Arabic books to interested parties.
The restoration project coincides with the opening of “The Arabic Manuscript Collection of El Escorial” Exhibition at the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).
The event, held in collaboration with El Escorial library, showcases 14 rare manuscripts from the 13th to 16th centuries and runs from 2-9 April. Sharjah is also the first city to host an exhibition of the largest collection of rare Arabic artifacts from the El Escorial Library outside of Spain.
In our continuing series of inspiring life stories across continents, we hear about the Egyptian-American economist’s battle to overcome institutional prejudice.
It was speech day in the last week of secondary school when Mohamed El-Erian might have been forgiven for thinking that all lessons had come to an end, but there was one more in store for the unsuspecting student.
Seated in the audience, flush with the thrill of winning a scholarship to read economics at Queens’ College, Cambridge, Mohamed was listening as the roll call of the cohort’s achievements was read out.
The teenager, an Egyptian-American, was the only foreign pupil at St John’s, Leatherhead, then a private boys’ boarding school in a leafy town just south of London, and one of two in the year to have gained entry to Oxbridge, the duopoly of grand ancient seats of learning in the cities of Oxford and Cambridge.
The feeling of being about to go up to Cambridge was “incredible, absolutely incredible”, yet when the headmaster wrapped up the announcements there had been no mention made of any El-Erian. Nor was his honour logged, like that of the other successful applicant, on the school record.
Mr El-Erian, now 62, known to millions as a globe-trotting economist who has shaped thinking about historic twists in the world’s fortunes, was recently elected as president at his alma mater at the University of Cambridge, the place that equipped him so well for his stellar future.
But back in the 1970s, the struggle for recognition with his old school was to last almost the entirety of his undergraduate degree and would inadvertently serve “as an indication of the institutional racism that was still ripe at that time” in England.
To this day, Mr El-Erian, credits one of his masters at St John’s School, Bill Chubb, for not only inspiring him to succeed but for taking up the three-year fight to have the school and its headteacher recognise that triumph.
Fast forward more than four decades and the circle has completed in proper order. “Our congratulations to Dr Mohamed El-Erian (West 1973-1976) on his election as the 42nd president of Queens’ College, Cambridge,” announced a recent issue of the school’s The Old Johnian publication. “He will take up office from October 2020. Mr El-Erian won a scholarship from St John’s to read economics at Queens’ College.”
The new president of the college founded in 1448 arrived in post six months after the pandemic hit. His social media feeds are filled with scenes from across the picturesque city, whether of the Mathematical Bridge, the 270-year-old wooden structure he wanders over to reach the half-timbered lodge where he now lives, or the surrounding countryside he walks in with his beloved dog Bosa.
Unsurprisingly, one of the key objectives he aims to deliver on is expanding access to the college to more people from diverse and less advantaged backgrounds.
He also wants to encourage students “to do even better what they already do well”, which he himself learnt after arriving at Cambridge full of worries about being able to keep up academically, making friends or fitting in.
“It took me some time to get over this ‘imposter syndrome’ and, returning for my second year, I had a noticeable bounce in my step,” Mr El-Erian tells The National.
However, when he went to the customary beginning of term meeting with his director of studies in economics, Andy Cosh, he was asked how he thought it had gone so far.
“When I responded ‘great’ to his question about my first year, he immediately said: ‘You could and should do so much better.’ That remark had a notable impact on me. And I took it to heart.
‘With a mix of renewed determination and nervous excitement, I tried to do both more and better. I was fortunate enough to end up getting a first class honours degree, captain of the football team, on the squash team, and making amazing friendships that have lasted to this day. Moreover, every year was more fun than the previous one.”
Mr El-Erian, though, credits the entire experience of studying at the revered institution for broadening his horizon, exposing him to robust academic discussions, providing key analytical tools, and introducing him to interdisciplinary approaches.
Knowledge gains such as these propelled him on to the world stage. His career began at the International Monetary Fund in 1983, straight after a doctorate in economics at the University of Oxford.
Joining the Washington-based lender had never been part of his initial plan, though. “I had intended to be an academic,” he says.
When his father died suddenly, Mr El-Erian felt an imperative to find a higher-paying job than one in academia to help his “amazing mother” support his seven-year-old sister.
“The IMF ended up being an outstanding experience, exposing me to remarkable economic and financial policy issues at a relatively young age,” he says.
After 15 years, he moved into the private sector with Salomon Smith Barney/Citibank in London, where he wanted to understand how finance and “the plumbing of the international economy” worked.
It was not long before the axiom “when El-Erian speaks, Wall Street listens” was coined.
From there, he joined the global investment management company Pimco in 1999 as head of emerging markets portfolio management, latterly becoming chief executive and co-chief investment officer of the then $2 trillion investment fund.
Until, that is, the father of two got an unexpected memo, received after telling his 10-year-old daughter to brush her teeth. “She asked me to wait a minute, went to her room and came back with a piece of paper. It was a list that she had compiled of her important events and activities that I had missed due to work commitments,” he said in a 2014 interview. Jotted down were 22 milestones for which he had been absent: her first day of school, first football game, Halloween parades, several recitals.
“Talk about a wake-up call … my work-life balance had gotten way out of whack, and the imbalance was hurting my very special relationship with my daughter.”
Famously, he quit. Afterwards, he invested more time in his family and became economic adviser to the management board at financial services company Allianz, a role he still holds part-time today.
He also wrote The Only Game in Town, his second New York Times best-seller, on the protracted policy over-reliance on central banks. His first book, the award-winning When Markets Collide, which highlighted the growing fragilities and the likelihood of major meltdown, was published just before the 2008 global financial crisis.
Writing – books and economic analysis articles for media organisations – helps expose gaps in his knowledge and discipline his thinking process.
It is a personal philosophy inspired by his father, who gained a doctorate on scholarship to Columbia University, was a professor at Cairo University and later joined the diplomatic service with postings to the United Nations mission in New York and the embassies in France and Switzerland. He was then elected judge of the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
As a consequence, Mr El-Erian’s upbringing was very international. He was born in New York and schooled there as well as in Cairo, Paris and St John’s, where his Egyptian parents hoped to give him the stability of learning one academic curriculum in one language – he speaks four: English, French, Arabic and Spanish – and the chance to make friends.
There was a particular interaction with his father that stands out in Mr El-Erian’s memory. Every morning, El-Erian Snr read the five newspapers delivered to the ambassadorial residence in France. Occasionally, he would check if his teenage son had read them, too.
“I asked him what was the point of having so many newspapers as, after all, ‘the news is the news’.
“‘Wrong’, he responded and explained that through the range of newspapers we were receiving, I had access to a range of political perspectives.”
The message was clear that unless the young El-Erian was regularly exposed to different opinions, he would not have sufficient awareness to make sound decisions.
“This emphasis on what we call today ‘cognitive diversity’ has been a major driver of my life since,” he says. “I often feel that I operate at intersections – or, as my daughter says, ‘in the in-between’. And it is why I feel so strongly about promoting diversity and inclusion.”
The issues surrounding diversity and inclusion crop up at many points during the conversation, as they have in Mr El-Erian’s life, something he largely attributes to his Arab roots, which have had a great influence on him.
He believes that the West does not fully understand the Middle East and North Africa, primarily because the conditions in Arab countries vary so widely.
“The result is either excessive generalisation and over-dramatisation or, worse, a sense that the region has lost its way and is too unpredictable to deal with,” he says.
“Looking forward, and this is not just highly desirable but also very feasible, the critical requirement is to unleash the incredible potential of the youth. The region is full of talented young people with massive upside, and with some who have already done amazing things when placed in an enabling environment.”
Mr El-Erian, of course, knows about this first hand. He has encountered prejudice many times and still does even all these years after that speech day snub.
“I have learnt to deal with this and, more generally, am committed to ensure that biases, conscious and unconscious, do not get in the way of people with amazing potential,” he says.
It is the kind of input he wants to have at Queens’ College – despite residing in the Tudor-style President’s Lodge among the older buildings known affectionately but somewhat ominously by the students as the “dark” side. As opposed to the “light” side represented by the newer buildings on the opposite bank of the River Cam.
“I love being back, and for many reasons,” Mr El-Erian says. “One of them includes the ability to walk in a beautiful town with inspiring scenery and surrounded by smart people, many of whom are trying to solve complex problems and make the world better.
“I am not thinking beyond Cambridge,” he says. “I am delighted to be here and have a lot to do working with colleagues to continue to enable current and future generations to contribute to society in multi-faceted ways.”
The professional aspirations are ever-present, as much as Mr El-Erian is enjoying the simple pleasures of the university city once again. He and Bosa can regularly be spotted tramping across fields early on a foggy morning. It is, he says, an invaluable time spent listening to podcasts and radio shows, envisaging forthcoming articles, gathering his thoughts.
He is living a new phase of his life back at the heart of Queens’, no longer the awkward undergraduate with imposter syndrome but a global powerhouse returned to right the wrongs of the past.
Mohamed El-Erian, economist: ‘It is my hope that, through visionary leadership and better coordination, 2022 will be remembered proudly as the year we both won the war against Covid and secured the foundation for a fulfilling, prosperous, and durable peace for all.’ Bloomberg via Getty Images
Paying tribute to Her Highness the Honourable Lady Assayida Ahd Abdullah Hamed Al Busaidi, Spouse of the Sultan of Oman, the Infrastructure, Technology, Industrial and Consumer Solutions cluster of Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC (MHD-ITICS), sponsored an event to set a new Guinness World Record for ‘A Word Written with the Largest Number of Flowers’.
The event was hosted by Lujaina Mohsin Darwish, Chairperson, MHD-ITICS. The mammoth task of assembling 12,000 roses, which spelt out the First Lady’s name, ‘Ahad’, began with fabrication work on 25 October and was successfully completed on 26 October.
It was then displayed at a grand event organised near the Snow Zone area, located on level two of the Mall of Oman. Official adjudicators from Guinness World Records were present to supervise, analyse and follow every step of the process. Adhering to all the stringent criteria, the masterpiece, once finished, stood 8.2 metres wide and 3 metres tall and proved to be a true work of art.
Ideated and conceptualised by Ms Naseem Abdullah Al Fadhli, MD, Integrated Benefits Projects and supported by Ms Haifa Balfaqih, Investment Programme Director – Nazdaher and GM, Strategic Planning and Technology, be’ah, the historic event witnessed the presence of some of the highly-esteemed guests including her excellencies, leading businesswomen and attendees from all over the country.
Receiving an overwhelming response from the audience, the new Guinness World Record further cements Oman’s position on the map as a country filled with unique initiatives and also as a nation raising an empowered generation of women.
Lujaina Mohsin Darwish said, “With the key message behind this initiative being especially close to our hearts, we are indeed delighted to set this new world record. It not only celebrates Omani women but is a tribute to Her Highness the Honourable Lady Assayida Ahad Abdullah Hamed Al Busaidi.
Her unwavering faith in the capabilities of the Omani women of today and continuous appreciation of their achievements have served as a constant motivation for all. It has ignited a zeal in every woman to break the glass ceiling and push the frontiers of women leadership.”
“Drawing inspiration from our leaders, MHD-ITICS will continue to act as a catalyst of change, encouraging women’s contribution to the Omani economy as well as participating and leading in their respective areas of influence and expertise. The strong Omani women have displayed courage, creativity, vision and accomplishment and will continue to play an instrumental role in driving transformation,” she added.
A keynote speech was delivered by Lujaina Mohsin Darwish, which was then followed by the much-awaited showcasing of the largest flower word. Another key highlight of the event was the large LED display wall with snippets and pictures of the First Lady of Oman. All attendees were gifted a branded scarf and were entertained with live music, a food and beverage counter and photo opportunities.
MHD-ITICS, under the guidance of Honourable Lujaina Mohsin Darwish, has achieved commendable growth in recent years. Moreover, the Company has been at the forefront of setting new benchmarks in the industry and supporting its women employees to assume various critical roles in the organisation.
Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula left many influences, later taken to the continent by colonists
Some researchers believe 700-1,000 Portuguese words and about 4,000 in Spanish come from Arabic
In recent years, a new generation of researchers has been examining the ancient Islamic roots of Latin American societies.
In the age of social media, such content is being disseminated among larger audiences, and many people in Latin America seem to be avidly interested.
“I began to read about the Moors when I was studying Arabic in Egypt,” said Mansour Peixoto, a Muslim convert from the Brazilian city of Recife who in 2014 founded the website Historia Islamica (Islamic History).
“I’d already learnt at that time about the Islamic influence on Portugal, but then I became interested in its direct and indirect impacts on Brazilian culture,” he told Arab News.
Between 711 and 1492, Arab-Berber rulers dominated parts of present-day Portugal, Spain and France, naming the region Al-Andalus.
An almost-800-year presence in the Iberian Peninsula left many influences that were brought to colonial Latin America.
After the Christian re-conquest, Islam was forbidden in Spain and Portugal. From then on, especially at the beginning of the 17th century, many Muslims — including people of European ancestry — were forced to move to North Africa, but many accepted to convert to Catholicism, some of whom remained secretly Muslim.
“Those people, especially the poor, were numerous among the Portuguese who came to colonize Brazil since the 16th century,” said Peixoto.
FAST FACTS
Between 711-1492, Arab-Berber rulers dominated parts of Portugal, Spain and France, naming the region Al-Andalus.
After the Christian re-conquest of Al-Andalus, Islam was forbidden in Spain and Portugal.
Some researchers believe that 700-1,000 Portuguese words come from Arabic.
Although his website deals with several Islamic themes, the history of Muslim Portuguese settlers — known as Mouriscos, or Moors — and their influence on Brazil is a frequent topic. “Many people don’t realize that we have customs in Brazil that come from the Islamic world,” said Peixoto.
Historia Islamica’s publications about the influence of Arabic on the Portuguese language are among the most shared by the website’s followers.
Some researchers believe that 700-1,000 Portuguese words come from Arabic, but recent studies suggest that the number of Arabisms could be much higher.
Several everyday words in Brazil have Arabic origins, such as alface (lettuce), almofada (cushion), acougue (butcher shop) and garrafa (bottle).
“Not to mention architectural terms that we still use today, like alicerce (foundation) and andaime (scaffolding),” said Peixoto.
“Iberian building methods were mostly Arab in the 16th century, and they were brought to the Americas.”
Islamic architectural influence in Latin America is one of the most noticeable cultural traits of Al-Andalus in the region, according to Hernan Taboada, an expert on the subject and a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
“That can be seen in the architectural style in New Spain, the viceroyalty that extended from the south of the present-day US to Central America,” he told Arab News.
Along with the Viceroyalty of Peru, in South America, that region probably concentrated most of the Moorish settlers in colonial Latin America, Taboada said.
Colonial-era churches in Mexico, from Veracruz on the Atlantic coast to Oaxaca in the south, exhibit evident Moorish artistic traits.
“They’re especially visible in the elements of decoration in those churches,” Taboada said. “Many temples in Mexico undoubtedly have Moorish style, which doesn’t mean they were necessarily built by Moors. In general, such elements were assimilated in Spain and transposed to Latin America.”
The presence of Muslims in New Spain and elsewhere in the region is not easy to verify, given that it was a clandestine presence.
This may be why the subject was ignored in academia for so long, although classical works of Latin American history mentioned it in the 19th and 20th centuries.
“The study of the Moorish presence was mostly resumed by Muslims and people of Arab origin. Those works showed that they weren’t as few in Latin America as was once supposed,” Taboada said.
Although Islam was forbidden, the Moors — like the Jews — largely enjoyed tolerance in the New World, though the Inquisition did act against them at times, he added.
Historian Ricardo Elia, cultural director of the Islamic Center of the Republic of Argentina, has since the 1980s been one of the pioneers in the study of the Moorish presence in the region of La Plata River.
“I discovered that the gauchos (the term used in Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil for legendary horsemen) are nothing less than Moors,” he told Arab News.
There is an ancient controversy regarding the etymological origin of that term in Argentina. Some scholars say it comes from a Quechuan word, but Elia and other researchers say it comes from chauch, a term with Arabic origins that means something like indomitable.
“In Valencia, Spain, the word chaucho was used to designate horsemen and pastors,” Elia said, adding that most of the crews of the Spanish ships that explored the Americas since the 15th century were composed of Moors, and that the first person to catch sight of the Americas was Rodrigo de Triana, a Moor.
“They needed to leave Spain so they came to the Americas. And they were good sailors.”
Over the centuries, Moors intermarried with other ethnic groups such as the Guarani indigenous people, but their cultural impact in the region is felt to this day.
Elia said empanadas, Argentina’s most typical pastry, have Andalusian origins, as does dulce de leche (caramelized milk).
The linguistic influence on the Spanish language is unquestionable. Elia estimates that there are about 4,000 Arabisms, most of them adopted in Spain.
“But in Argentina and Uruguay, the Moors also impacted our way of pronouncing the words,” he said.
Over the years, Elia has taught classes in universities in Argentina and Chile about the Moorish presence in South America.
“Unfortunately, the community of Lebanese and Syrian descent in Argentina has never shown much interest in such themes. Non-Arab Argentinians have always been the most curious about that,” said Elia, who comes from a Lebanese family.
He added that more and more people now want to learn about the first Muslim settlers in Latin America.
“In Morocco, an academic conference dealing especially with that topic was organized in 2021,” he said.
Peixoto said many people are “willing to discover more about their ancestry and the many questions not answered about it,” which is why a new generation of scholars has been researching the Moors of Latin America.
He plans to conduct an academic study about the Moors in Brazil, publish books on that topic and offer online classes.
“Our elite (in Brazil) likes to see itself as European, but we’re a combination of indigenous peoples, Africans, Europeans, and also Moors,” he said.
Peixoto thinks Muslims and Arabs made a decisive contribution to the formation of the Brazilian people, not only with the settlers from Al-Andalus, but also with the Africans brought as slaves, and the huge wave of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants who came to Brazil since the end of the 19th century.
“They transformed our way of being on many levels,” he said.
Taboada agreed, saying: “Eurocentric views are dominant among the Latin American elite. We have to emphasize that we have a multicultural origin.”
Moroccan boxer Khadija El Mardi won the gold medal on Sunday in New Delhi, India, during the Women’s World Amateur Boxing Championships.
The national champion El Mardi, who competed in the heavyweight division (Over 81kgs), won the women’s world boxing championship by defeating the Kazakh Kungeibayeva Lazzat.
El Mardi has achieved a number of victories over the years, including the title of African champion in 2022, a victory at the African Games in Rabat in 2019, a silver medal at the World Championships in 2022, and this year’s Mohammed VI Trophy gold medal.
Born in Casablanca in 1991, El Mardi’s everlasting commitment and heroic efforts to achieve success have made her name stand out.
The UAE’s Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza was honored on Tuesday with the Arab Woman Award at a ceremony in London in recognition of her contributions to female empowerment in the region and her philanthropic efforts in various countries, Vogue Arabia reported.
Sheikha Fatima has been a strong supporter of cultural initiatives, particularly those involving the arts and sports.
She has endorsed several programs aimed at boosting the cultural scene in the UAE and the region through her role as chairwoman of the board of directors of the Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy and the Fatima bint Hazza Cultural Foundation.
Her other accomplishments include increasing access to education in Bangladesh, building schools in Kenya, and forming the Fatima bint Hazza Fund for Emirati women to pursue higher education abroad, Vogue Arabia reported.
She is “committed to enhancing the role of women in various ways, as she is a supporter of sports and arts, and we are honored to bestow her with the Achievement Award in Cultural Development,” the Arab London Foundation said.
The philanthropist has also helped broaden young people’s interest in fields such as art, literature, sustainability and community interaction, Vogue Arabia reported.
The Fatima bint Hazza Cultural Foundation recently launched a series of short stories for young people focusing on culture, local identity and sustainability
Upon accepting her award, Sheikha Fatima praised Emirati leaders and their efforts to encourage women to pursue their dreams.
“Effective participation and making progress and positive change are the core values that we have been raised on,” she said.
“I am proud to represent my country, the UAE, where women have not had to struggle to obtain their rights but have always been at the forefront since the establishment of the state.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
______________
Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza was honored at the eighth edition of the Arab Women Awards in London. (WAM)
The fonts, celebrating the Kingdom’s culture, will be available free of charge.
The Ministry of Culture on Monday launched an initiative creating three new Saudi fonts.
The fonts, celebrating the Kingdom’s culture, will be available free of charge to individuals and organizations wishing to use them in design, artistic, and creative works, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Masmak font has been named after the historic Masmak Fortress, characterized by its durability and strong structure. The font has been described as clear and easy to read and was developed without reference to traditional calligraphy methods, the SPA said.
The second new font, Al-Naseeb, resembles handwritten notes, and has been recommended for use in headlines, texts, literary works, poetry, and children’s stories.
Watad, the third font, was inspired by the tent peg with its letters having curved corners. Its suggested use was for text relating to festivals and sporting events.
The Ministry of Culture launched the initiative in celebration of the Arabic language. In a statement, it said: “It is introducing a unique touch that gives a Saudi identity to Arabic fonts and celebrates Saudi heritage and cultural symbols.”
In line with the airline’s strategy to match capacity with demand, optimize performance with the best in on board experiences for its customers, Kuwait Airways launched its first inaugural flight to New York John F Kennedy Airport utilizing the Airbus A330neo and in setting the record for the longest flight flown by the A330-800 neo in 13 hours.
The award winning Airspace cabin is equipped with a two-class configuration comprising of 32 full flat business class seats and 203 economy class cabin seats on a 2-4-2 configuration. Thus offering passengers state of the art flying experience with more personal space, quietest cabin in its market and the latest generation of in-flight entertainment system and connectivity.
Sustainability From a sustainability and efficiency standpoint, the A330neo offers benefits to both the airline and the traveling public. With double-digit fuel savings and CO2 emissions compared to other aircraft in its category, the A330- 800 allows significantly lower operational cost and therefore competitive ticket pricing. Captain Ali Al Dukhan, Chairman Kuwait Airways said.
“This flight marks a new era in our strategy to right-fit the best of customer experiences while balancing cost efficiencies and sustainability in our operational decisions. The utilization of this aircraft’s long-range capability will also bring double-digit savings, which coincidentally means less harm to the environment, matching closely to our ESG goals. We are proud to take the next step forward in reaching the corporate strategy goals in reducing costs and enhancing marginal performance”.
Mikail Houari, President, Airbus Africa Middle East said: “We are proud that Kuwait Airways has chosen to deploy the A330-800 on John F Kennedy Airport, a key route for the airline. We are confident that the aircraft will provide passengers with exceptional flying experience while providing the airline with unbeatable economics, efficiency and environmental performance.
Morocco’s berry production is one of the country’s key contributors to the agricultural sector.
Morocco has outperformed the US becoming the fourth largest blueberry exporter in the world.
Data from East Fruit said that Morocco exported 53,000 tonnes of blueberries in 2022. Peru was the largest exporter of fresh blueberries last year, with 277,000 tonnes, followed by Chile (105,000 tonnes) and Spain (87,000).
Despite Morocco’s leading position in blueberry exports, the Netherlands exported more blueberries than the North African country in 11 months of last year, the same source said.
“It should be noted that the exports from the Netherlands in 11 months of last year were higher than that of Morocco, having amounted to 104 000 tonnes,” East Fruit reported.
Elaborating on the data, the news outlet said: “However, if we take into account the volume of re-exports, the real result of the Netherlands will be much lower since it imported 130 000 tonnes of fresh blueberries during this period.”
East Fruit also recalled that Morocco ranked seventh place among the largest exporters of cultivated blueberries in 2017.
Berry production in Morocco has contributed to the country’s agricultural sector significantly.
Morocco’s revenues from strawberry exports to the international market are estimated between $40 and $70 million annually.
According to previous data from East Fruit strawberry products are one of the top 10 most exported goods from Morocco.
According to estimates, Morocco exported 22,400 tonnes of fresh strawberries globally in 2022, representing an increase of 17% compared to a year earlier.
Countries like the UAE, Qatar were key buyers of Moroccan goods. In Europe, the US is one of Morocco’s strawberry importers. In 2022, the US imported almost half of Morocco’s strawberry export supply.
