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Ashraf Mahrous, known also as Kabonga, pulled a 279-ton train using only his teeth, while also observing the Ramadan fast.
An Egyptian wrestler has received recognition in three categories by Guinness World Records , including for breaking the world record for heaviest rail pull using only his teeth.
Ashraf Mahrous, known by his nickname Kabonga, also received certificates for the heaviest locomotive pull and fastest 100-metre road vehicle pull.
The successful world record attempts took place at Cairo’s Ramses train station on Wednesday and Thursday, where Kabonga pulled a 279-ton train using a rope held by his teeth. The wrestler pulled the train for a distance of close to 11 metres.
“On the first day, I was able to pull a two-ton cart, while fasting, for a distance of 107 meters in 37 seconds, breaking another record by pulling a one-ton cart for 100 meters and surpassing the 60-second barrier,” Kabonga told Anadolu, highlighting that he had been abstaining from eating and drinking due to the Ramadan fast, which lasts from pre-dawn to sunset.
“The next day, on Thursday afternoon, I pulled a train weighing 279 tons with my shoulders, while fasting, for a distance of 10 metres and 66 centimeters,” he added.
Kabonga, who is the president of the Egyptian Federation for Professional Wrestlers, previously pulled a 15,730-kilogram truck with his teeth in 2021. In February 2024, he cracked and ate 30 raw eggs in 30 seconds in a feat that was also recognised by Guinness World Records.
Dawlet Elnakeb, an organiser of Thursday’s event in Cairo, said Kabonga had trained for just 20 days prior to the record breaking event.
source/content: newarab.com (headline edited)
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Ashraf Mahrous, known as Kabonga, is president of the Egyptian Federation for Professional Wrestlers [Getty]
Imagine owning a camera so powerful it can take freeze-frame photographs of a moving electron – an object traveling so fast it could circle the Earth many times in a matter of a second. Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed the world’s fastest electron microscope that can do just that.
They believe their work will lead to groundbreaking advancements in physics, chemistry, bioengineering, materials sciences and more.
“When you get the latest version of a smartphone, it comes with a better camera,” said Mohammed Hassan, associate professor of physics and optical sciences. “This transmission electron microscope is like a very powerful camera in the latest version of smart phones; it allows us to take pictures of things we were not able to see before – like electrons. With this microscope, we hope the scientific community can understand the quantum physics behind how an electron behaves and how an electron moves.”
Hassan led a team of researchers in the departments of physics and optical sciences that published the research article “Attosecond electron microscopy and diffraction” in the Science Advances journal. Hassan worked alongside Nikolay Golubev, assistant professor of physics; Dandan Hui, co-lead author and former research associate in optics and physics who now works at the Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Husain Alqattan, co-lead author, U of A alumnus and assistant professor of physics at Kuwait University; and Mohamed Sennary, a graduate student studying optics and physics.
A transmission electron microscope is a tool used by scientists and researchers to magnify objects up to millions of times their actual size in order to see details too small for a traditional light microscope to detect. Instead of using visible light, a transmission electron microscope directs beams of electrons through whatever sample is being studied. The interaction between the electrons and the sample is captured by lenses and detected by a camera sensor in order to generate detailed images of the sample.
Ultrafast electron microscopes using these principles were first developed in the 2000’s and use a laser to generate pulsed beams of electrons. This technique greatly increases a microscope’s temporal resolution – its ability to measure and observe changes in a sample over time. In these ultrafast microscopes, instead of relying on the speed of a camera’s shutter to dictate image quality, the resolution of a transmission electron microscope is determined by the duration of electron pulses.
The faster the pulse, the better the image.
Ultrafast electron microscopes previously operated by emitting a train of electron pulses at speeds of a few attoseconds. An attosecond is one quintillionth of a second. Pulses at these speeds create a series of images, like frames in a movie – but scientists were still missing the reactions and changes in an electron that takes place in between those frames as it evolves in real time. In order to see an electron frozen in place, U of A researchers, for the first time, generated a single attosecond electron pulse, which is as fast as electrons moves, thereby enhancing the microscope’s temporal resolution, like a high-speed camera capturing movements that would otherwise be invisible.
Hassan and his colleagues based their work on the Nobel Prize-winning accomplishments of Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huilliere, who won the Novel Prize in Physics in 2023 after generating the first extreme ultraviolet radiation pulse so short it could be measured in attoseconds.
Using that work as a steppingstone, U of A researchers developed a microscope in which a powerful laser is split and converted into two parts – a very fast electron pulse and two ultra-short light pulses. The first light pulse, known as the pump pulse, feeds energy into a sample and causes electrons to move or undergo other rapid changes. The second light pulse, also called the “optical gating pulse” acts like a gate by creating a brief window of time in which the gated, single attosecond electron pulse is generated. The speed of the gating pulse therefore dictates the resolution of the image. By carefully synchronizing the two pulses, researchers control when the electron pulses probe the sample to observe ultrafast processes at the atomic level.
“The improvement of the temporal resolution inside of electron microscopes has been long anticipated and the focus of many research groups – because we all want to see the electron motion,” Hassan said. “These movements happen in attoseconds. But now, for the first time, we are able to attain attosecond temporal resolution with our electron transmission microscope – and we coined it ‘attomicroscopy.’ For the first time, we can see pieces of the electron in motion.”
source/content: eurekaalert.org / University of Arizona / (headline edited)
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Mohammed Hassan, associate professor of physics and optical sciences, let a group of researchers in developing the first transmission electron microscope powerful enough to capture images of electrons in motion.
My book Arab Agreements and Disagreements depicts the important role of Abdel Khalek Hassouna, the late secretary general of the Arab League (AL), in reaching agreements and settling significant disagreements between the organization’s members throughout its history.
The book alsoexplores the background of Abdel Khalek Hassouna’s role as the AL secretary general and the organization’s challenges during his mandate.
Writing this book, I relied on various sources, including the archives of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Arab League, which provided me with valuable published and unpublished documents on the events related to that period.
Since my father had not published his own biography, a series of dialogues I had conducted with him over the years provided valuable material on his role and achievements in his various positions.
The book, published in Arabic by Dar El-Shorouk, describes the interesting and diverse positions my late father held during his life.
He was one of the first Egyptian diplomats to join the Foreign Ministry, which was established in 1922. After that, he served as the governor of Alexandria during the Second World War.
Later, he occupied several positions as the minister of social affairs, minister of education, and minister of foreign affairs before being unanimously elected by all the Arab States as the secretary general of the Arab League for twenty years, from 1952 to 1972.
The book addresses his role in all those positions.
Moreover, it highlights his AL role, which contributed to the independence of the Maghreb and Gulf countries. It also supported the Palestinian right to self-determination and the creation of an independent sovereign state.
A whole chapter in the book describes in detail the crises that broke out between the AL members during that period.
Therefore, it refers to the border crisis between Egypt and Sudan over the Halayeb and Shalatine regions in 1958, the Lebanese crisis’ regional and international implications in 1958, and the crisis between Egypt and Syria over the breaking up of their union in 1961.
It also discusses the 1961 Kuwait crisis, which resulted from Iraq’s threat to its independence, the 1963 border crisis between Morocco and Algeria, the 1972 crisis between northern and southern Yemen, and the 1965 crisis between the Arab states and West Germany over the latter’s substantial assistance to Israel.
In all those instances, my father deployed all efforts toward settling the crises under the league’s umbrella rather than allowing outside means of settlements to escalate them.
I sincerely hope the book will contribute to a better understanding of Egyptian diplomacy’s role and achievements as one of the Third World’s first active diplomacies after World War I and as a co-founder of various international and regional organizations.
In addition, the book highlights the history of the Arab League as the first regional organization established in the post-World War II international order.
Like other organizations, the league has suffered from various problems, including a lack of political will among its members and the diversity of their interests. However, the book reaffirms its importance in light of the Middle East’s current challenges.
Thus, the AL should continue to actively coordinate its members’ political positions, promote their economic integration, preserve their Arab identity, protect their national security, and broadly achieve their common interests.
Certainly, I am grateful that this book on my father’s long career has been well-received and praised by the media, academia, and all those interested in the history of our region.
After weeks of speculation, Marmoush agrees to a deal with the Premier League champions that runs until 2029.
Manchester City have announced the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush for a reported initial fee of about $72.6m.
“The 25-year-old Egyptian striker has completed a move to the Etihad Stadium on a four-and-a-half-year deal, meaning he will remain at the Club until the summer of 2029,” City said in a statement on Thursday.
“This is a day I will never forget,” Marmoush said after signing up with the English Premier League champions.
“To sign for Manchester City – one of the best teams in the world – is an amazing feeling. I am delighted, my family are so proud, and we are all very happy to be here in Manchester.
“With Pep, his technical staff and the world-class facilities here, players have everything they need to improve. That was really enticing for me when I had the chance to come here.”
Marmoush is City’s third signing of the January transfer window following the arrivals of defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
The former Bundesliga star’s contract is understood to include a potential further $5m in add-ons.
Born in Cairo in 1999, Marmoush stood out early in the academy of club Wadi Degla in the Egyptian Premier League. At just 17, he was promoted to the first team and joined Wolfsburg’s reserves a year later.
At Wolfsburg, Marmoush initially struggled for consistency and game time, resulting in loans to St Pauli and Stuttgart.
The striker moved to Frankfurt on a free transfer before the 2023-2024 season and scored 12 goals in 29 league games.
Marmoush’s development has drawn inevitable comparisons to his compatriot Mohamed Salah, but the Liverpool superstar warned against such correlations.
“Omar has great potential and is an important player for his team and the national team currently, but I hope we stay away from the idea of comparisons because it will put him under pressure,” Salah said in November.
“Do not compare him to me. Do not say the ‘new Mohamed Salah’. Let him live his career. Comparing a player at the beginning of his career with another who has achieved a lot over many years does not help him.”
City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain said Marmoush was an “accomplished and exciting forward”.
“He’s had an outstanding season, and every time we have watched him, he has influenced matches,” he said.
“He has all the attributes a top-class attacker requires. He has outstanding pace and awareness, and he is exceptional in front of goal. He can also play a number of different positions, which is a really valuable asset.”
His arrival at the Etihad Stadium comes during a frustrating season for City.
City, champions for the past four seasons, are currently fifth in the Premier League, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more.
Defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday has also left Pep Guardiola’s side in danger of missing out on the Champions League knockout stages.
source/content: aljazeera.com/sports (Al Jazeera and News Agencies) / (headline edited)
Egypt’s fresh produce exports to Europe reach 917,000 tonnes, growing 7% in the last season, second only to the Netherlands.
Egypt has ranked as Europe’s second-largest exporter of fresh vegetables and fruits for the latest export season from September 2023 to August 2024, shipping 917,000 tonnes with a 7% year-on-year growth, according to EU data.
Citrus led the way, with 500,000 tonnes exported, an 8% increase from the previous season. Sweet potatoes followed with 117,000 tonnes, onions at 94,600 tonnes and grapes at 58,000 tonnes.
Potatoes saw a strong performance, exceeding 400,000 tonnes last season, capitalising on production issues in key European nations.
Meanwhile, Egyptian onion exports dropped to 92,000 tonnes in 2024, down from 135,000 tonnes in 2023, due to a six-month export ban from October 2023 to April 2024.
Other notable exports include carrots, lemons, garlic, beans, mangoes, peppers, strawberries and watermelons.
The British magazine The Telegraph published its annual list titled “Travel’s 50 Biggest Winners and Losers in 2024.” Topping the list of winners was the Grand Egyptian Museum.
The British magazine wrote that the Grand Egyptian Museum has finally opened on a trial basis for visitors. It spans an area of 490,000 square meters and, once fully operational, will house over 100,000 artifacts, with the most notable being the complete collection of items discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb.
The list also included other places, such as the UAE and Notre Dame Cathedral following its reopening.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) project continues to achieve international milestones, winning the 2024 Project of the Year Award for users of FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting Engineers).
The award was presented during the 6th Annual FIDIC Contract Users Awards ceremony held in London.
GEM is the first Egyptian project that win this prestigious award.
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, highlighted President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s unwavering support for the Grand Egyptian Museum, recognizing its importance as one of the most significant cultural and heritage projects in Egypt and globally.
President Sisi has consistently followed every stage of its implementation, ensuring the removal of obstacles to deliver a museum that reflects the grandeur and legacy of ancient Egyptian civilization.
The minister emphasized that this remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the President’s ongoing support and interest.
The President’s chairmanship of the museum’s Board of Trustees further demonstrates his commitment to developing the museum as a global hub for heritage and culture.
The Minister also praised this award, which is the second international recognition for GEM this month.
Last week, the museum won the Prix Versailles, ranking among the seven most beautiful museums in the world for 2024.
He expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to the completion of this monumental project over the years, and to the extensive efforts of all state agencies and entities that helped elevate the museum to its prestigious global status.
The 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s first and largest event dedicated to shaping the content creator economy, organised by the UAE Government Media Office, will convene over 125 prominent CEOs from major global firms, as it returns for its third edition, organised by the UAE Government Media Office and hosted in the UAE from 11 to 13 January 2025 at Dubai’s Emirates Towers, DIFC and the Museum of the Future, under the theme “Content for Good.”
These CEOs will join a prestigious lineup of content creators and influencers from around the world, sharing their expertise during panels, interactive discussions, workshops and roundtables. These sessions will explore the latest trends in business, economy, investment, and content creation, empowering aspiring talents and fostering innovation within the industry.
The list of speakers at the third edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit include Maye Musk, mother of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. A 76-year-old millionaire and model, Musk’s career began in 1969 as a Miss South Africa finalist. She became a prominent model, representing numerous major brands, and continues to work today. Despite her busy schedule, she earned two degrees in dietetics and nutritional science and founded her own nutrition company.
Musk, who enjoys an active social media presence with over 3.35 million followers, will share her parenting journey at the 1 Billion Followers Summit, discussing how she raised three children, including Elon, and the parenting style that contributed to his success.
Leading Egyptian businessman and global entrepreneur Naguib Sawiris, who has over 10.6 million social media followers, will share his insights at the Summit. He leads global companies in various sectors, including mining, real estate, financial services, telecom, investment, and media. Naguib Sawiris is the owner of Orascom Telecom, launched the first mobile network in North Korea in 2008 and founded ONTV network. He also owns 88% of EuroNews shares, and is the founder of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival.
Andre Le Masurier, Senior Director and Global Head of brand and Creative at Skyscanner, will share his experience of over 20 years in brand vision, marketing and product design, as he held leadership roles in leading companies and contributed award-winning work that spanned major brands.
Andrew Graham, Head of Digital Corporate Advisory & Partnerships at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), will share his experience in cultivating and monetizing digital-native talent, and his work in developing digital strategies for A-list celebrities.
Ben Relles, who leads Content Strategy at the Office of entrepreneur and LinkedIn Co-founder Reid Hoffman, will address the topic of AI and its utilization in social media content creation.
Cayman Rojas, Community Manager at LinkedIn, will discuss how he works with, and supports prominent voices on the platform. He works closely with influencers with an outsized impact on the community, from CEOs and content creators to musicians, actors, and celebrities.
Joining the speakers lineup is Chris Williams, who founded and leads Pocket Watch, a studio specializing in kids and family entertainment through digital-first content and lifestyle products. Williams will share his experience of 20 years in developing online video content.
Emma Harman, President, EMEA at Whalar Group, will share her experience of over 25 years blending entertainment, music, and social marketing, and applying this experience in brand-talent collaborations. Harman will also highlight the importance of impactful content and supporting the Creator growth Economy.
Grigory Lavrov, VP Marketing, Local Brands & Franchise Management in CEE & MENAT at Warner Bros. Discovery, is also speaking at the Summit. In addition to his publishing experience, Lavrov oversees brands like TLC, DMAX, and Fatafeat.
Kate Ward & Zach Honarvar will share their experience as Founders of Creator Now, a platform that aims to build a film school reimagined for creators to help the next generation turn their creative passions into a full-time career.
The list includes Lewis Crosbie, Co-founder and CEO of Komi, which is a software platform and “one-stop-shop” for creators, bringing features found on Shopify, Patreon, and Linktree into one place to help creators engage with their fans around the world.
Paul Bakaus, Executive Vice President of Product and Creator Tools at Spotter, will showcase the platform’s efforts in empowering content creators everywhere to accelerate their workflow and unlock their creative potential.
Also joining the lineup of prominent speakers at the Summit are Brittany Brown, Director of Digital Communications & Strategy at NASA, sharing insights into impactful visual storytelling; Aliana Miller, Director of Influencer Marketing at Roblox, discussing strategies for building authentic creator relationships and achieving record-breaking results; Elise Swopes, Sr. Adobe Express Evangelist & Community, offering her perspective on mobile creativity and the intersection of art and technology; Sherry Wong, CEO at Roster, focusing on building strong support teams for creators; Ahad Khan, CEO at Kajabi, sharing insights into scaling online businesses using creator-focused platforms; and Jonathan Chanti, President of Talent at Viral Nation & CGO of Viral Nation Group, who will share insights into leveraging data-driven strategies and emerging technologies for influencer collaborations and brand growth.
This recognition sheds light on a journey of empowering mothers and reshaping the narrative around motherhood in Egypt.
Onset of an idea
MotherBeing is an organization founded by Nour Emam to provide support, resources, and a sense of community for mothers across Egypt.
In a previous interview with Ahram Online , Emam recounted that during the birth of her daughter, she underwent a medically unnecessary C-section and was separated from her daughter for a while.
It was a challenging experience that left her feeling helpless. Following the birth, Emam suffered from postpartum depression and mild PTSD, which went undiagnosed for eight months.
In an attempt to help herself overcome that painful experience, she created MotherBeing, an educational platform focused on providing women with information on their bodies, sexual health, and the many misconceptions surrounding it.
However, before creating her platform in January 2020, Emam joined a five-month online doula training program from Canada, one of the hardest and longest in the field, followed by another training program in managing postpartum depression.
Emam decided to make it her mission to educate women about their cycles and reproductive health. Emam’s most crucial part was making this knowledge accessible in Arabic to every Arabic-speaking woman.
She is now a certified maternal support practitioner (doula) and certified relationship and sex educator.
Over the years, in addition to easily accessible online content, MotherBeing provided courses of female-only open discussions about women’s reproductive and sexual health issues.
Based on requests, course participants choose a topic related to womanhood each month. The courses provide scientific discussions of the issues.
Through MotherBeing, Nour has created a safe space where mothers can share their stories, seek advice, and form connections with one another.
Brave initiative
One of Nour Emam’s standout initiatives is donating hundreds of thousands of sanitary pads to women in Gaza in November 2023.
This initiative highlighted the medical challenges women face there.
Emam also provided free online consultations to all Palestinian women in need of medical advice regarding their reproductive health.
She remains committed to expanding the reach of MotherBeing and creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for mothers in Egypt.
Her vision for the future includes launching new initiatives, collaborating with like-minded organizations, and advocating for policies prioritizing maternal well-being.
Billboard Arabia granted famed Egyptian singer Sherine Abdelwahab Global Force Award.
“I hope that my work reaches the entire world. That’s always been a dream of mine” AbdelWahab said.
The Egyptian star added that she is thrilled and proud that there is a music award specifically for women.
Billboard Arabia in partnership with Billboard Women In Music 2024, granted AbdelWahab this prestigious award to be the first Arab Artist to receive it.
Abdelwahab released her latest song titled “Dahab” on February, 2024.
The song is written by Tamer Hussein and composed by Madin.
Abdelwahab makes her debut performance in Dubai in 2023. Abdel Wahab has captivated thousands of audiences around the Arab world with her melodious voice, charismatic stage presence and managed to establish herself as one of the most popular and beloved singers in the Middle East. She is a popular Egyptian singer who was born in 1980. She started her career in 2000.
Two years later, the music producer Nasr Mahrous who strongly believed in Abdelwahab paired her with Tamer Hosny on the same music album.
The album achieved booming success; Abdelwahab and Hosny became mega stars. She released a lot of successful songs such as “Masha’aer’’ (Emotions), “Albi Leek” (My heart is for you), “Garh Tany” (Another wound), “Lazem Ayesh” (I have to survive), “Batmenak” (I am Reassuring you) among others. She acted in one movie along with the Egyptian mega star Ahmed Helmy entitled “Mido Mashakel” (Mido always makes problems).
Her soap opera “Tare’y” (My path), released in 2015, achieved great success. Abdelwahab is famous for her emotional, melodious voice that has a significant touch of intimacy. She is consistently hailed as one of the most talented and successful singers of her era, being dubbed as “The Queen of Emotions” for her popular romantic ballads.
The study of light has led to promising alternative energy sources and lifesaving medical advances in diagnostics technology and treatments.
These transformative technologies were developed through centuries of fundamental research on the properties of light, including pioneering work such as Ibn Al-Haytham’s seminal Kitab al-Manazir (Book of Optics), published in 1015.
As the world celebrates the International Day of Light on 16 May, various Arab physicists have left an indelible mark on the Arab world’s understanding and utilization of this fundamental phenomenon.
Ibn Al-Haytham (965-1040 CE)
Considered the father of modern optics, Ibn Al-Haytham’s groundbreaking work, Kitab al-Manazir, laid the foundation for our understanding of the behavior of light, including the principles of reflection, refraction, and the workings of the human eye. His experimental approach and rejection of the prevailing theories of his time were revolutionary, and his work influenced generations of scientists who followed in his footsteps.
Photo Source: VH Magazine
Maha Ashour-Abdalla
A pioneering Egyptian-American plasma physicist, Ashour-Abdalla’s research has advanced our understanding of the complex dynamics of the Earth’s magnetosphere, with applications in space weather forecasting and protection of satellites from cosmic radiation. Her work has been instrumental in developing models to predict and mitigate the impacts of solar storms on technological infrastructure.
Photo Source: UCLA
Ali Moustafa Mosharafa (1898-1950)
This Egyptian physicist made significant contributions to the development of quantum mechanics, building on the work of pioneers like Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. His research helped bridge the gap between classical and quantum physics, laying the groundwork for our modern understanding of the subatomic world. Mosharafa’s work has had lasting implications in fields such as materials science, cryptography, and quantum computing.
Photo Source: Academic Dictionaries
Shaaban Khalil
An Egyptian theoretical physicist, Khalil is a renowned expert in particle physics and cosmology. His work on the unification of fundamental forces has had a lasting impact on our understanding of the cosmos. Khalil’s research, which combined elements of quantum mechanics, general relativity, and high-energy physics, has helped shape the nature of the fundamental forces that govern it.
Photo Source: Zewail City
These Arab scientists, among others, have not only expanded the Arab world’s knowledge of light and its applications but have also paved the way for future generations to harness the power of this fundamental phenomenon to address global challenges and push the boundaries of scientific discovery.
