Tunisia’s Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi – First Arab to Win Tokyo Olympics Medal in Taekwondo : July 2021

Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi. Athlete. Taekwondo.

Tunisian taekwondo player Mohamed Khalil Al-Jandubi won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after losing the 58kg final to Italy’s Vito Delaquila on Saturday.

The 19-year-old Gindobi in the semi-finals defeated 2019 world champion Jang Joon of Korea and world number one earlier in the day.

This is the first Arab medal at the Tokyo Games to date.

Jendoubi’s medal was Tunisia’s second taekwondo Olympic medal after Oussama Oueslati won bronze in the 80kg category in 2016.

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pix: twitter.com/DZfoot_EN/

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TUNISIA

History Made. Ons Jabeur became First Arab Woman to Win a WTA Title : June 20th, 2021

Ons Jabeur makes history. Professional Tennis Player.

Ons Jabeur, the Tunisian 26-year-old became the first Arab woman to win a WTA title defeating Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 6-4 to win the 2021 Viking Classic Birmingham. 

Jabeur has crossed Selima Sfar’s career high of No.75 to become the highest-ranked Arab Woman ever.

Few other Records :

  • First Arab Girl to win a Junior Slam title, Roland Garros, 2011
  • First Arab to win any Junior Grand title since 1964
  • First Arab Woman to make a WTA final, Moscow, 2016
  • etc…

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pix: https://commons.wikimedia.org/ – si.robi

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TUNISIA

June 17th – Birth Anniversary of Legendary Egyptian Yusuf el-Sebai

Yusuf el-Sebai was an Army Officer, Novelist, Journalist and Minister of Culture, Editor in chief of Al-Ahram National newspaper and the Head of the Journalist’s Syndicate.

Sebai had an effective role in establishing the Supreme Council of Arts and Literature. 

Sebai was born on June 17, 1917, and outside the borders of his homeland was killed in 1978.

He wrote many works that turned into successful cinematic works, including 10 works of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema. 

Through his writings, the prominent writer was able to chronicle the 1952 revolution, the aftermath of the war of attrition and the positive vibes of the October war. 

Rod Qalbi :This is one of the most powerful accounts of the pre-July 1952 revolution period. It portrays the previous feudal domination of the land, classism and injustice that took hold of the Egyptian society during that era. The novel was turned into one of the most successful films depicting the 1952 revolution in 1957. 

Hata Akher el-Omr (Until the last breath) : The film illustrates the impact of war on the lives of individuals, and the negative consequences that prevail. The film stars include Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Omar Khorshid and Najwa Ibrahim. It is the production of 1975, and is the story, script and dialogue of Youssef Sibai. The film’s music was composed by Nina Rahbani. 

Gafat al-Domoo (No more tears) : The novel was political, with a romantic love story happening on the sidelines. The novel focused on the unity between Egypt and Syria and the events that preceded it through the character of Sami, the famous journalist and politician. Sami falls in love with an infamous singer struck by numerous rumors. 

El-Omr Lahza (Life is short) : This novel speaks of the situation that preceded the victory of October 6, 1973 in the war of attrition. It describes the political situation, exploiting power, and corrupt citizens making use of the sacrifices of the soldiers fighting in the battlefield. 

Aqwa Min el-Zaman (Stronger than time)  : This novel depicts Egypt in the era of building the High Dam and the ambitions and dreams that accompanied this period in the history of Egypt, shedding light on the challenges the country faced. 

source/content: egypttoday.com

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FILE – Yusuf el-Sebai / pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

‘Emirati Day on December 02nd’ Declared by New York State, USA : 2021

New York state has named December 2, 2021, Emirati Day in recognition of the country’s golden jubilee.

Adopted on June 2, Senate Resolution No 980 stated that “this legislative body declares December 2, 2021, as Emirati Day in New York state.”

Dubai-born New York state senator Kevin Thomas put forward the resolution.

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Abdalla Shaheen, consul general of the UAE in New York, with New York state senator Kevin Thomas. Kevin Thomas’s Instagram / pix: thenationalnews.com

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Morocco Wins Gold : 28th Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad : May 24th, 2021

For the second year in a row Morocco wins at the Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad held in Tunisia.

28th Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) hosted virtually in Tunisia on May 23-24. 

The PAMO the annual competition consists of two 4.5 hour rounds and participants must answer three questions per round. The event challenged students to answer advanced calculus and trigonometry questions.

Students from 14 countries including Angola, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe competed in the event.

Over 60 high school students representing their home countries attended the virtual event with Morocco’s El Ibbaoui Mohamed and Achak Abderrahmane coaching the team to victory.

The organization crowned Beni Mellal’s Aya Akargout the “Queen of African Mathematics 2021” after her gold medal win alongside Marrakech’s Youssef Bouhtouch. 

In addition, Morocco’s Mohammed Ayoub, Adam Kharraz, Hiba Benabou, and Asmae Hibat Allah won silver medals. 

All of the students are members of Morocco’s national mathematics team operating under the Ministry of Education.

source/content : www.moroccoworldnews.com

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Morocco’s winning team at the 28th Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad Photo credit: Tradition Marocaine Facebook

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MOROCCO

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

‘Erg Chech 002’ – 4.6 Billion Years Old Meteorite Found in Algeria (older than Earth) : 2020

The rare meteorite, estimated to be 4.6 billion years old, was found by a team led by Jean-Alix Barrat of Université de Bretagne Occidentale. Results of the study have been published in PNAS.

Named Erg Chech 002 (EC 002), after the Algerian site where it was discovered, the rock is a rare artefact from a protoplanet — a large body of matter in orbit around the Sun or another star, and believed to be developing into a planet — that was likely forming when the solar system was a young 2 million years old.

The meteorite was part of a group that was recovered in May 2020 near Bir Ben Takoul, southern Algeria, within the Erg Chech sand sea. The stones are described as having a “coarse grained, tan and beige appearance” interspersed with crystals that are green, yellow-green, and yellow-brown.

The oldest volcanic rock we have ever discovered may help us understand the building blocks of planets. The meteorite, which was discovered in the Sahara desert in 2020, dates from just 2 million years after the formation of the solar system – making it more than a million years older than the previous record-holder.

Since no known asteroid resembles EC 002, the researchers suspect that no other remnants are left from these early times. 

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The oldest chunk of volcanic rock ever unearthed
©2021 Darryl Pitt / Christie’s / pix: newscientist.com

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ALGERIA

Dr. Tawhida Abdel-Rahman – First Female Doctor Working in the Government, Egyptian Health Ministry : 1933

Dr. Tawhida Abdel-Rahman was one of the first six girls, sent to England from Egypt to study medicine in 1922 based on King Fouad’s decision.

On her return she was appointed in ‘Kitchener Charitable Hospital – The General Hospital in Shubra, Government Health Ministry – making her the First Female Doctor working for the Egyptian Government Health Ministry.

She passed away in 1974.

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Tawhida Abdel-Rahman – Photo courtesy by Facebook page /pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Naima Lamcharki Wins Best Actress at Malmo International Arab Film Fest : April 2021

Moroccan actress Naima Lamcharki won the best actress award at Sweden’s 11th annual Malmo International Arab Film Festival (MAFF). 

In the film “L’Automne des Pommiers” (Autumn of the Apple Trees), directed by Moroccan director Mohamed Mouftakir, Lamcharki plays the role of a wisdom-filled grandmother, filling a crucial role in the film’s unique dynamic. 

Along with the Malmo International Arab Film Festival, the film won awards at the Moroccan Film Festival of Tangier. Namely, the prize for the Best Picture 2020, the Critics Prize 2020, and the Prize for the Federation of Cineclubs 2020.

Naima Lamcharki has accomplished many other great feats throughout her career as an actress. Starring in films like The Garden of Eden (1998) and Bad Faith (2006), her career in the international film industry dates back to 1958. 

Two years ago, Moroccan actress Fatima Atif won the best actress award at the ninth edition of the Malmo Arab Film Festival for her role in the film “The Healer”, where the director was Moroccan.

source/content: www.moroccoworldnews.com

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO

11th Century Manuscript of Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi Restored . 16th Century Omani Navigator & Cartographer.

Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi (aka) Ibn Majid (aka) Shihab ad-Din “Star of the Faith” and “The Lion of the Sea”. Poet and Writer of 44 books. Inventor of the Magnetic needle.

The manuscript is loaned from the Al Assad National Library in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The manuscript was loaned to the National Museum-Oman, for two years under the purpose of preservation and conservation and coordination was maintained with the National Records and Archives Authority, Oman – to restore this document to its original state, through the implementation of an integrated program for preservation, conservation, indexing and revision.

This manuscript was written in the 11th century AH / 16th century CE, under the ruling of Al Nabhani dynasty. It is compiled (175) sheets, (350) pages and (23) lines per page. Texts were written by “Naskh” script using black ink and headlines in red. The body of the manuscript is surrounded by two red frames.

This manuscript is one of few preserved copies of the manuscripts of Ahmed bin Majid Al Sa’adi around the world, the oldest among them is the one which is preserved in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts in St. Petersburg Russia”.

This compiled collection includes the most important and best known of the works by Ahmad bin Majid`s. It is divided into three parts: al-Fawāid fī ilm al-bahr wa-alqawāid or (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship), completed on 17 Rabi al-Thani 984 AH/ 13 July 1576. This part is dedicated to 18 benefits related to marine sciences and some proverbs.
The second collections: Hāwīyat al-ikhtisār fī usūl ilm al-bihār, it is the longest section and includes 11 chapters.


The third collection consists of 14 proses, in addition to eight chapters in marine sciences.


Ahmad bin Majid Al Sa’adi was an Omani navigator and cartographer. Born in Julfar, he was educated in his early years by his father Majid bin Mohammed al-Sa’adi, who was a renowned marine captain and navigator.


Ibn Majid is one of the best-known navigators in the Indian Ocean and among the finest scholars of the art of navigation and its history among the Arabs.

He was the inventor of the magnetic needle (magnetic compass), which is used for navigation and orientation at sea.

He was also the author of nearly forty works of poetry and prose. Among his many books on oceanography, Fawā’id fī-Usūl Ilm al-Bahr wa-al-Qawāid or (The Book of the Benefits of the Principles and Foundations of Seamanship), which was compiled in the year (880-895 AH / 1475-1490 CE) at the end of his life, which is considered as one of his best.

He is remembered as Shihab ad-Din “Star of the Faith” and “The Lion of the Sea”.

source: contents – www.timesofoman.com

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pix: timesofoman.com

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SYRIA / OMAN