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AquaFun, anchored in the Gulf waters alongside the JBR beach, has received a Guinness World Record certificate for being the world’s largest inflatable water park.
Launched for the first time in 2016, AquaFun has now expanded to three times its original size to reach 42,400 square metres. It currently forms the words ‘I love (heart symbol) Expo 2020 Dubai’, which can be seen from aircraft flying into Dubai.
It features over 72 obstacles and operates all year round. Prices start from Dh155 for an all-day pass ticket.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said: “To secure another world record for Dubai during such an important event in our calendar, the Dubai Shopping Festival, is a moment of real pride for the city.
Ahmed Ben Chaibah, CEO & Founder of AquaFun, said the aim with the project five years ago was to enrich the Dubai Marina and JBR areas’ offerings.
Emirate bagged yet another world record in the final week of its shopping festival.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi (aka) Yazeed Mohamed Al-Rajhi. Rally Driver. Saudi Businessman.
Saudi rally champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi has been honored for winning the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas title for the first time in his career.
The 40-year-old racer received his award during a prize-giving ceremony at the Carrousel du Louvre, in Paris, after becoming the first driver from the Kingdom to achieve the title in the highest rallying class, along with co-driver Michael Orr of Ireland.
The ceremony in France was attended by 800 driving champions, rising stars, and guests from around the world who saw Jean Todt, ex-president of the International Automobile Federation, hand Al-Rajhi the trophy.
Having claimed the title with Toyota Hilux, Al-Rajhi also thanked official sponsor Abdul Latif Jameel Motors for its unlimited support throughout the season.
His achievement was not only a personal one but also a landmark for Saudi motorsport, as he became the first driver from the country to be honored at the level by the FIA.
The 40-minute New Year display broke the records for volume, duration and form, and featured a drone show.
Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Festival officially broke three Guinness World Records during its New Year celebrations.
Taking place in Al Wathba, the impressive fireworks show lasted for 40 minutes, and broke the records for volume, duration and form.
As well as the fireworks, there was a dazzling drone show made up of 2,022 unmanned aircraft. The drones formed the faces of UAE leaders, including Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father, President Sheikh Khalifa , and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed , Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
The drones also formed the shapes of UAE skyscrapers, planet Earth, the festival’s logo and the words, “Happy New Year 2022.”
Ras Al Khaimah ushers in New Year with record-breaking firework drones flying at 1,055.8 meters high (over 1KM) and 452 firework drones simultaneously launching a breathtakingly choreographed ‘Happy New Year’ message in the sky
Spectacular #RAKNYE 2022 fireworks show sets two GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ titles, mesmerising thousands of visitors
12-minute show with over 15,000 firework effects pays glorious tribute to the nation as it marks its 50th anniversary
The dazzling show marked a moment for people to reunite, with visitors arriving to Ras Al Khaimah from across the world to celebrate the New Year
Two GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ titles set for the ‘Most Remote Operated Multirotors/Drones Launching Fireworks Simultaneously’ and ‘Highest Altitude Multirotor/Drone Firework Display’
Welcoming hundreds of thousands of spectators from around the world, the Ras Al Khaimah New Year’s Eve Celebrations (#RAKNYE 2022) dazzled all with a never-before-seen fireworks display that smashed two GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ titles.
Rising majestically from the Arabian Gulf, the fireworks display featured innovative pyrotechnic drone performances, over 15,000 effects, spanning an area of over 4.7 kilometres. The 12-minute spectacle was specially choreographed to reflect the joy of reunion with six themes set to epic orchestral music.
A Six-Act Show of Wonders
#RAKNYE 2020 fireworks display was conducted in a six-act sequence starting with the countdown just before midnight setting the stage for an ephemeral theatre of wonder. Ushering in the New Year with a spectacular tower of lights at a height of 1,055.8 metres (over 1 km) taller than any building in the world. This was followed by the ‘Happy New Year’ message written in the sky with firework drones, the sequence lit up the arena in multiple hues. These two sequences broke two new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ for Ras Al Khaimah.
Record-breaking feats
Setting the first GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the ‘Highest Altitude Multirotor/Drone Fireworks Display’ was the tower of fireworks 1,055.8 metres high, taller than any skyscraper in the world.
The second GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title was for the ‘Most Remote Operated Multirotors/Drones Launching Fireworks Simultaneously’, when 452 drones launched fireworks simultaneously to create the ‘Happy New Year’ visual in the sky.
More than 5,000 hours of work went into preparing for the show that also deployed over 130 sea pontoons and a fleet of hundreds of pyrotechnic drones.
A community event like no other
Many others followed the celebration live on raknye.com.
Ras Al Khaimah had welcomed 2021 with a dazzling 10-minute fireworks show that underlined the UAE’s message of hope, peace and achievements. Ras Al Khaimah also made history with the New Year’s Eve Gala of 2020, which broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ titles for the ‘Most remote operated Multirotors/drones launching fireworks simultaneously’ and the ‘Longest Firework Waterfall.’ The Emirate secured two GUINNESS ORLD RECORDS™ titles for the ‘Longest chain of fireworks’ and the ‘Longest straight-line fireworks display’ with the 2019 New Year’s Eve Fireworks.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been elected President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) following the FIA Annual General Assembly gathered in Paris , on December 17th, 2021
Mohammed Ben Sulayem of the UAE will be the first non-European president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), motorsport’s world governing body.
The 60-year-old Dubai-born former rally driver was standing against British lawyer Graham Stoker, who has been Todt’s deputy president for sport since 2009.
The FIA is the governing body for Formula One, the World Rally Championship, World Endurance, and Formula E among other series. “The votes are in and we’ve won. We are thrilled that 62% of all clubs have given us their vote,” said Ben Sulayem’s ‘FIA for Members’ campaign on Twitter. An FIA spokesman confirmed the result.
Egypt produces 7.8 million tons of nitrogen fertilizers, according to the Egyptian Minister of Public Enterprise Sector Hisham Tawfik, explaining that this country is the sixth in the world in urea production with 6.7 million tons.
There are 9 factories involved in the production of nitrogen fertilizers.
The Ministry of Culture and Youth announced the 30 winners of the 16th edition of the Al Burda Award at a gala evening held on 19th December, 2021, at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020 Dubai.
The awards were in six categories: Classical Poetry, Nabati Poetry, Classical Calligraphy, Modern Calligraphy, Ornamentation and Typography.
Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State, attended the awards ceremony and honoured the 30 winners and took memorial photos with them. Alongside was Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth.
The current edition awarded Egyptian poet, Heba Alfeky, the first prize in Classical Poetry, with the second position in the same category secured by her compatriot Diyaa Alkilany. Lamis Al Rahabi and Bahija Masri Idlbi from Syria won the third and fourth prize, respectively, in the Classical Poetry category.
Abdulaziz bin Hamed Mohammed Al-Omairi from Oman won first place in Nabati Poetry, followed by Mohammad Hamdan Alanezah from Jordan in second place. Ali Alqarni from Saudi Arabia and Muzna Rabia Albrieki from Oman took the third and fourth places,respective.
Egypt’s Mohamed Gaber Abouelella was placed first in Classical Calligraphy, followed by Meryem Nuruzi Halilani of Turkey, who secured the second place. Noman Tayseer Rajab from Syria, Ahmad Ali Namazi Reihanloo from Iran and Mahfod Thunnun from Iraq won third, fourth and fifth positions respectively in the Classical Calligraphy category.
The Modern Calligraphy category had four awards, with Mahsa Javad Davachi, from Iran, winning first prize and Dhia Al-Jazaeri from Canada coming second. Third and fourth prizes were taken by Iran’s Babak Mohammad Ali Hejazi and Masoud Asghar Mohebbifar, respectively.
Mihriban Beyza Kaya, from Turkey, won first prize in Ornamentation, while the second, third, fourth and fifth positions went to Iranian compatriots Masoumeh Ahmad Moradi, Afsaneh Khademreza Mahdavi, Asgar Ahmad Moradi, and Zaynab Ibrahim Shahi.
Eight winners were announced in the Typography category, namely Syrian national Duaa Abzeed, Jamal Eldin Elsamani Mohammed from Sudan, Tarek Samir Alsawwa, from Syria, Reza Babajani, from Iran, Bita Amel, from Iran, Lama Kadri, from Lebanon, Asia Alsheshani, from Jordan and Fatima Abdulla Alketbi, from the UAE.
The awards evening hosted several standout performances from a cross-section of genres, with artists including Watar Orchestra from Iraq, Dubai Chamber Choir and Sheikh Mahmoud Eltohamy from Egypt, the latter with a piece titled “Anin”. Noumoucounda Cissoko from Senegal delivered a musical recital titled “Mandi Strings”, while Lebanese singer Jahida Wahba presented several songs from her catalogue.
The closing performance was an Emirati Malid delivered by Rashid Al Nuaimi and Saif Fathel.
The Al Burda Award is a global platform that reflects the diversity of creative expression throughout the Islamic world and seeks to revitalise the Islamic cultural and artistic movement. The award was launched by the Ministry of Culture and Youth in AH 1425/2004 under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
The 2021 King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam has been awarded to Mohamed Al-Sharikh from Kuwait, chairman of Sakhr Software Company.
He is one of five winners chosen by a selection committee led by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Prize Board.
The others are Moroccan Professor Mohamed Mechbal of Abdul-Malik Al-Saadi University in Tétouan, Morrocco (Arabic language and literature); Stephen Mark Strittmatter, an American neurologist at Yale School of Medicine, and British Professor Robin Franklin of the Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (co-winners in medicine), and Professor Stuart Parkin from the UK, an experimental physicist at Stanford University in California (science).
Mechbel was recognized for work that lays the foundations for the creation of modern Arab rhetoric within a vision inspired by the call for renewal.
Previous winners in this category of the King Faisal Prize have included rulers, heads of state, thought leaders and social scientists, as well as many distinguished institutions
The 13-year-old Egyptian-Hungarian violinist Mariam Abuzahra won the silver award at the Nutcracker International Television Contest for Young Musicians in Moscow, Russia, on 6 December.
Abuzahra, representing Germany and Austria, participated in the third and final round of the Nutcracker, a renowned contest organised by the state cultural TV channel ‘Russia-K’, whose most recent edition took place in Moscow at the Tchaikovsky Hall.
In the string instruments category, Abuzahra competed with two other young finalists: Franz Ludwig Serafin Kraggerud (8) from Norway and violinist Sofia Demetriades (14), representing Great Britain and Russia.
Mariam Abuzahra started playing violin at the age of three, following the example of her elder sister Amira. Both sisters have been performing extensively and winning in international contests, such as the German youth national competition, the Virtuózok Talent show in Hungary and many others.
Just recently in 2020, the sisters received the highest awards at one of the most prestigious competitions for young violinists, the International Arthur Grumiaux Competition in Belgium.
Born to a Hungarian mother, Nóra Emödy, and an Egyptian father, Ahmed Abuzahra, both pianists, the young musician is also the granddaughter of famous Egyptian actor Abdelrahman Abuzahra.
Tunisian world No 10 defeated Belinda Bencic in the one-off women’s match.
Ons Jabeur said it was a dream to compete at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship after the Tunisian world No 10 became the first Arab player to win at the pre-season tournament in Abu Dhabi.
Jabeur defeated Switzerland’s Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in a third set championship tie-break 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 in an entertaining match .
“It’s amazing to be here in Abu Dhabi; to be here in an Arab country, representing Tunisia, representing the Arab world. I’m so glad I had this opportunity, so I’m really grateful for that.”
Jabeur is accustomed to creating new milestones for Arab tennis. After becoming the first Arab female player to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final at the 2020 Australian Open, Jabeur emulated her feat at Wimbledon in July – two weeks after becoming the first Arab player to win a WTA Tour title.
The world No 10, who reached a career-high No 7 last month, is the highest-ranked Arab player, female or male, in tennis history.