World’s Largest Composite Production Superyacht ‘Majesty 175’ Launched at World Premiere, Dubai Harbour , UAE : May 2021

H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, today unveiled the Majesty 175, the world’s largest composite production superyacht, at its world premiere at Dubai Harbour.

Pushing the boundaries in superyacht production through its lightweight material that enables effortless cruising in low-draft waters, the Majesty 175, fully manufactured in the UAE, is the flagship superyacht by Gulf Craft, one of the world’s premier shipbuilders

Manufactured at Gulf Craft’s integrated in-house production facility in the UAE, the Majesty 175 successfully completed a series of sea trials before its global premiere. The yacht will soon venture on voyages across the world, taking the UAE flag to global yacht events, marinas and exotic destinations, placing the country prominently on the world yachting map.

Built to the specifications outlined by the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for yachts over 500 gross tonnage (GT), the 55-metre long superyacht with a beam of 9.6 metres has a gross tonnage of 780. It has the ability to effortlessly cruise low-draft areas, drawing just 2.05 metres of water, as it was built using advanced composite materials such as carbon fibre and vinyl ester. This enables close beach access, a key consideration for many marine lifestyle enthusiasts.

content/source: wam.ae

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pix: wam.ae

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

Saudi Girl Ritaj Al-Hazmi, 12, World’s Youngest Novel Series Author by Guinness : May 2021

A young girl from Saudi Arabia has broken the Guinness World Record to become the globe’s youngest writer of a novel series.

Ritaj Alhazmi, 12, has published a series of three English-language novels, two of which came out before her last birthday.

She has been awarded for her Treasure of the Lost Sea series, which includes the novels Treasure of the Lost SeaPortal of the Hidden World and Beyond the Future World.

In the third book, she explored the genre of science-fiction. “I introduce new creatures and robots. I also include travelling through worlds,’ she explains.

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Ritaj Alhazmi has become the world’s youngest book series author after she published three books before her teen years. Courtesy Ritaj Alhazmi / pix: thenationalnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Asil Attar – First Female CEO of MENA Fashion Industry Leaders

Asil Attar. Global Fashion and Retail Industry Leader.

First Female CEO of Damas Jewellery (estb. 1907). Damas has a portfolio of over 40 international luxury brands and in-house brands. With 230 stores spread across GCC, it has secured a global trademark.

Asil Attar has worked with some of the world’s leading Department stores and most coveted Brands and Retail groups such as Harrods, Giorgio Armani Group, Coach, Karen Millen, Jigsaw and Majid Al Futtaim etc..

Asil was the CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Fashion, the licensee for Juicy Couture in the Middle East.

This has won her a number of accolades and recognition for her outstanding achievements.

Honours:

  • Forbes ME has placed her as one of the top 100 most Influential Arab Women, 2018 and Top 200 most powerful Arab Women, 2014.
  • Arabian Business awarded her Top Female CEO Kuwait, 2018 and top 100 powerful women, 2012.

www.asilattar.com

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pix: asilattar.com

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UNITED KINGDOM / IRAQI-BRITISH / EUROPEAN ARAB

Waleed Al-Ibrahim, Awarded King Abdulaziz Order of Merit Medal : May 2021

Waleed Al-Ibrahim. Businessman. Media.

Founder and Chairman of MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center).

He received the King Abdulaziz Order of Merit for his success in the media and broadcasting world.

The King Abdulaziz Order of Merit is a medal awarded to citizens of Saudi Arabia and foreigners for meritorious service to Saudi Arabia. It is considered the highest civilian honor in the Kingdom.

MBC is one of the biggest media broadcasting stations in the Arab world. It includes several movie, TV show, and children channels such as MBC 2, MBC 3, MBC 4 and MBC Action. Al Ibrahim launched Al Arabiya in 2003, a free-to-air television news channel based in Dubai.

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pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Dr. Farouk El Baz – Egyptian American Space Scientist and Geologist

Farouk El Baz Ph.D., Space Scientist. Geologist

  • Formerly – President Sadat’s Scientific Advisor (1978-1981)
  • Founder – Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Museum of Atmospheric and Space, at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
  • Dr. El Baz played a pivotal role for the Apollo mission where he served as the secretary for the Apollo landing board on the moon, and was responsible for leading the astronaut training team in general science, particularly in moon imaging

So pivotal was he to Apollo that in Tom Hanks’ HBO TV-series, From the Earth to the Moon , El-Baz’s role as an Apollo scientist and astronaut trainer was featured in a segment entitled, “The Brain of Farouk El-Baz,” and a shuttle craft named El-Baz soared through the popular TV-series Star Trek : The Next Generation

Awards:

  •  He has won over 31 awards, including achievements in science, in NASA, incl:
  •  Golden Door Award of the International Institute of Boston
  • Nevada Medal of the Desert Research Institute
  • The Pioneer Award of the Arab Thought Foundation.
  • The Apollo Achievement Award

Honour:

  • Asteroid 7371 El-Baz, discovered by American astronomers Eleanor Helin and Schelte Bus at Palomar Observatory in 1978, was named in his honor.   The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 August 2019 ( M.P.C. 115893).

Book:

  • Deserts and Arid Lands , Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, ISBN 90-247-2850-9

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pix: scoopempire.com /egypttoday.com

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AMERICAN / EGYPTIAN-AMERICAN / ARAB AMERICAN

Global Village Dubai Breaks its 25th Guinness World Record – ‘Highest Altitude Fireworks’ : May 2021

Global Village teamed up with Skydive Dubai to break a new Guinness World Record title, with 20 skydivers jumping from an altitude of more than 4,570 metres, lighting the skies with 78 fireworks, representative of the 78 cultures that were present at Global Village during its 25th season.

 Visitors were treated to a rare and spectacular showcase, as the venue celebrated its silver jubilee season finale.

The initiative was in line with Global Village’s aim to break 25 Guinness World Records over the course of its 25th season, which ran from October 25 to May 2.

The stunt broke the Guinness World Record title for “highest altitude fireworks display”.

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pix: uaenews4u.com

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

Lebanon’s Ray Bassil – World Class Medal Winning, Trap Shooter

Ray Bassil (aka) Ray Jacques Bassil.

Won her first title at age 15, Female Arab Championship, Algiers.

  •  First and only woman ever to represent the Arab countries in Trap Shooting at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016
  • First Arab Woman to compete in 2 Olympics games and win 3 consecutive world cup medals
  • Twice represented Lebanon at Olympic games (2012, 2016)

Other Honours:

  • UNDP – Youth and Gender Goodwill Ambassador

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pix: fondationsaradar.org

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LEBANON

Sarah Gamal: First Arab Woman Basketball Referee at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Hijab-wearing referee to become first Arab and African woman to officiate 3×3 games at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Both the 32-year-old and 3×3 will make their debuts at the Olympic Games with Gamal becoming the first Arab and African woman to officiate a 3×3 basketball game at the Olympics.

The Egyptian proudly wears a black hijab and is the first hijab-wearing basketball referee for FIBA at an international level.

The headscarf worn by many Muslim women is allowed to be worn by players under certain conditions since FIBA changed its rules in 2017.

Gamal will follow in the footsteps of Moroccan referee Chahinaz Boussetta as a fellow Arab, who refereed five-on-five basketball at Rio 2016.

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Egyptian Basketball referee Sarah Gamal gestures while holding a ball during a match in the country’s northern city of Alexandria, on April 17, 2021. (AFP) / pix: thearabweekly.com

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EGYPT

Dr Malik Badri, Founder and President – ‘International Association of Islamic Psychology (IAIP)

Professor Dr Malik Badri (aka) Malik Babikr Badri Mohammed Ph.D.

Founder and President – ‘International Association of Islamic Psychology  (IAIP) (www.islamicpsychology.org)

First/s :

  • The first one who reminded many of modern Muslim psychologists not to be trapped in Western psychology ‘lizard hole’.
  • Founding father of Islamic Psychology
  • The First President of International Association of Muslim Psychologists (IAMP)

Education:

  • Ph.D – University of Leicester, England (1961)
  • Postgraduate Certificate of Clinical Psychology, Academic Department of Psychiatry Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London University (1966)
  •  Fellow of the British Psychological Society (1977)
  • Holds the title of Chartered Psychologist, C.Psychol
  • Master’s degree, University of Leicester (1958)
  • Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, American University of Beirut (1956)
  • Honorary D.Sc. , Ahfad University

Honours:

  • Decorated by President of Sudan with Medal of Shahid Zubair
  • Chair of Ibn Khaldun, Faculty of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences,e International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

Books :

  • Contemplation: An Islamic Psychospiritual Study
  • Abu Zayd al-Balkhi’s Sustenance of the Soul: The Cognitive Behavior Therapy of a Ninth Century Physician
  • Cultural Adaptation and Islamization of Psychology: A book of collected papers
  • Cyber-counseling for Muslim Clients
  • Islam and AIDS: Between scorn, pity and justice
  • Islamizing and Indigenizing Psychology
  • The AIDS crisis: A Natural Product of Modernity’s Sexual Revolution
  • The AIDS Dilemma: A Progeny of Modernity
  • The AIDS Crisis: an Islamic socio-cultural perspective
  • The Wisdom of Islam in Prohibiting Alcohol
  • Use and abuse of human sciences in Muslim Countries
  • Tafakkur from perception to insight
  • Psychology from an Islamic perspective
  • Islam and Alcoholism
  • General Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • The Psychology of Arab Children’s Drawings

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pix: iamphome.org

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SUDAN

GB’s – Top 5 Most Powerful Arabs in Kuwait : April 2021

The highest ranked Arabs originating from Kuwait in Gulf Business’ annual Arab power list.

Kuwaiti nationals ranked as the fourth largest group in the Gulf Business’ annual Arab Power list for 2021, with six entries.

1Mohammed Alshaya
Executive chairman, Alshaya Group

Sector: Retail / Overall rank: 36 / 2020 rank: 30

2. Kutayba Yusuf Alghanim
Executive chairman, Alghanim Industries

Sector: Diversified / Overall rank: 41

3. Mohammad Saud Al-Osaimi
CEO, Boursa Kuwait

Sector: Finance / Overall rank: 42 / 2020 rank: 42

4. Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi
Vice chairman and CEO, Zain Group

Sector: Telecoms / Overall rank: 43 / 2020 rank: 41

5. Tarek Sultan
CEO and vice chairman, Agility

Sector: Logistics / Overall rank: 71 / 2020 rank: 71

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pix: gulfbusiness.com

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KUWAIT