Tag: Record of Morocco

SAUDI ARABIA: Winners of 09th Iqra competition from Iraq, Morocco and Saudi were crowned in Dhahran

Boasting an attendance of 16,000 people, including Nobel laureates in literature, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture concluded its ninth annual Iqra competition on Saturday.

Amin Nasser, Saudi Aramco’s president and CEO, and other senior officials attended the two-day event in Dhahran.

Nobel literature laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah and Olga Tokarczuk were also present and offered insights during speaking sessions.

Visitors experienced a series of activities, culminating in the announcement of the competition’s winners.

Moroccan Meryem Bououd was awarded Reader of the Year, while 10-year-old Moroccan Fatima Kettani won the Promising Reader prize.

Iraqi Hira Karkhi secured the Text of the Year prize, while the Reading School award went to Tarbiyat Al-Ajial of the Private International School, Hafr Al-Batin, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Safia Al-Ghubari claimed the People’s Reader award, while teacher Najla Ghazi Al-Suhaimi took home the Reading Ambassador prize.

Noura Al-Zamil, Ithra’s program director, spoke of the competition’s significant milestones since its inception in 2013.

Over nine editions Iqra has attracted more than 225,000 applicants and offered 48,000 hours of educational programming.

It has also engaged more than 600 speakers from 30 countries, bringing three Nobel Prize-winning authors to its stage.

Al-Zamil stressed Ithra’s continued efforts to innovate, introducing new elements like the Iqra Travels, Iqra Marathon, and Kitabiya Exhibit, to foster a reading culture among Arab youngsters.

The closing event featured cultural sessions, including a talk by Tokarczuk, who discussed literature as a tool for bridging languages and cultures.

Discussing the future, Tokarczuk expressed both optimism and caution, adding: “I embrace modern tools like ChatGPT but remain concerned about their potential misuse.”

Gurnah, reflecting on his roots, said: “Zanzibar will always be my true homeland, despite my long absence.”

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Boasting an attendance of 16,000 people, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture concluded its ninth annual Iqra competition on Saturday. (Supplied)

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IRAQ / MOROCCO / SAUDI ARABIA

MOROCCAN Ilyas Hajri Wins World Quran Recitation Prize (Hafiz Category), BAHRAIN’s Mohamed Sameer Mohamed Mujahid (Tajweed Category) & YEMEN’s Ahmed Mohamed Saleh Ahmed ( Junior Reciter) , in 4th edition of ‘Bahrain Online Quran Recitation 2014

Moroccan reciters performed well at the competition and demonstrated exceptional talent and proficiency in Quranic recitation.

Moroccan Ilyas Hajri has clinched the title of World Quran Reader in the Hafiz category at the fourth edition of the Bahrain Online Quran Recitation Competition. 

The Moroccan Quran reciter won the prize for his exceptional proficiency in reciting the Holy Quran.

This win adds to a string of previous successes, as Hajri has consistently shown excellence in Quranic recitation competitions. Last year, he won first place in the International Quran memorization competition in Astana, Kazakhstan.

In addition to Hajri, Moroccan Yassine El Kazzini secured the second position in the same category. 

Meanwhile, Moroccans Abdelbasset Ourach and Mustapha Zahid claimed third places in the categories of memorized recitation (Tajweed) and melodious recitation (Murattal) respectively.

The finals of the competition were conducted in-person in Bahrain’s capital city Manama, where the top performers competed to secure their positions in various categories of Quranic recitation.

The competition brought together over 5,000 participants from 74 countries. 

Meanwhile, Mohamed Sameer Mohamed Mujahid from Bahrain was crowned the World Quran Reciter in the Tajweed category, while Ahmed Mohamed Saleh Ahmed from Yemen secured the same title in the category of junior reciters.

Organizers of the competition highlighted its mission to promote and celebrate the recitation and memorization of the Holy Quran.

It also aims to serve the Quranic tradition by providing a platform for individuals of all ages and nationalities to showcase their skills and proficiency in reciting the Quran.

Moroccans have built a strong reputation for their excellence in Quran recitation competitions, consistently shining on the global stage.

Last month, Moroccan Elias Al-Mahiawi won first place at the 20th International Quran Competition in Tanzania.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com (headline edited)

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BAHRAIN / MOROCCO / YEMEN

Morocco Produces Half of All Canned Sardines Worldwide

Morocco exports 90% of its sardines to 100 countries.

With a 3,500-kilometer-long coastline, Morocco produces half of all canned sardines available in supermarkets worldwide. 

Mehdi Dhaloomal, Executive Manager of Moroccan canned sardine producer MIDAV, recently reported that the North African country annually produces 1.4 million tonnes of seafood, with sardines making up 850,000 of the collected seafood. 

The Moroccan businessman stressed that Morocco has “exclusive” access to the sardina pilchardus walbaum which is a type of sardine that is only available in Bretagne, France, and southern Morocco. 

Morocco notably fishes 60% of the sardina pilchardus walbaum that is primarily directed to exports – 90% of local sardines are exported. 

Earlier this year, the Moroccan Ministry of Fisheries stated that canned sardines represented 53% of total seafood exports in 2021. 

Besides sardines, frozen octopus and squid, as well as fishmeal, represent most of the 778,000 tonnes of Moroccan exported seafood, valued at MAD 24.2 billion ($2.46 billion). 

Yet canned sardines remain a major food export of Morocco and Dhaloomal considers the country to be a “leader in the valorization” of sardines. 

He further noted that the canned food sector in Morocco consists of roughly 50 Moroccan and international companies that are based along the country’s coastline.

Currently, the industrial zone of Sali delivers 30% of Moroccan production of sardines that is primarily exported to 100 countries. Export destinations include European countries such as the United Kingdom market, where 60% of consumed canned sardines come from Morocco. 

Dhaloomal shared the prior statements at the first edition of the Safi Investor Day. The May 25 event gathered Moroccan and foreign investors operating or interested in the Marrakech-Safi region with the objective of celebrating the region and its assets, as well as attracting additional Moroccan and foreign capital. 

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com

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Morocco Produces Half of All Canned Sardines Worldwide

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MOROCCO

Faouzi Annajah: Moroccan-French Businessman Behind Hydrogen SUV NamX

NamX’s prototype was unveiled earlier this week. Yet the car will not be available in the market until 2025.

Morocco-French businessman Faouzi Annajah, founder of NamX, has co-created the world’s first car partially powered by a patented removable hydrogen tank system.

NamX’s patented technology consists of a fixed hydrogen tank and six removable capsules. 

Set to be released in 2025, NamX responds to the rising demand for hydrogen and hybrid cars amid an increasingly prevailing shift towards clean energy sources and decarbonization worldwide. 

“Our double ambition is to become a new reference in the world of zero-emission cars, and to constantly explore new territories to facilitate mobility of our consumers,” Faouzi ANNAJAH, Founder and President of NAMX said in a press release. “ NAMX is a collective project built with the best industrial and technical partners in Europe and Africa.”

The European-African project gathered the support of renowned stakeholders on both continents including Ibrahima Sissoko, founder of over 30 companies, Pierre-Yves Geels, former VP strategy of Matra automotive, Alain Diboine, former Director of the R&D Division at Renault, Mustapha Mokass, clean energy and carbon finance expert, and Raphaël Schoetgen, former Chairman of Hydrogen Europe and international hydrogen expert. 

NamX was co-designed by Thomas de Lussac, co-founder of NamX, and Kevin Rice, Chief Creative Officer of Italian car design firm Pininfarina. Inspired by science fiction and American designs of the 50s and 60s, Lussac “chose to give the vehicle’s shape the cutting edge of the coming era.”

NamX is the first car designed by Pininfarina that was created from the back to the front with an eye-catching feature, an X-shaped chassis. 

Commenting on the hydrogen SUV, Paolo Pininfarina, President of the Italian design firm, said that “the NAMX HUV [hybrid utility vehicle] is simply at the heart of our DNA: inventing the best driving experience to infinite mobility, with style.” 

Upon its release in the final quarter of 2025, NamX will be marketed in two different versions including an entry-level rear-wheel drive with a regulated top speed of 200 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds. The second option provides a four-wheel drive with a regulated top speed of 250 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. 

The two versions will have a price tag ranging between €65,000 and €95,000. 

The NamX prototype was first unveiled on May 11 in the Pininfarina headquarters in Cambiano. The public will have a glimpse of NamX at the upcoming Paris Motor Show scheduled between October  17 and 23, 2022. 

As Annajah’s home country, Morocco might host the production operations of NamX, the founder told a Moroccan news outlet, promising future announcements on the matter. 

As a leading African automotive hub, Morocco has attracted renowned international automotive manufacturers including ones interested in developing hybrid and electric cars. 

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com

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Faouzi Annajah: Moroccan-French Businessman Behind Hydrogen SUV NamX

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FRENCH / MOROCCAN