Tag: Saudi Aramco

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

SAUDI Aramco completes Acquisition of 100% Equity Stake in Chile’s Esmax

Transaction, first announced in September 2023, represents Aramco’s first downstream retail investment in South America.

Saudi Aramco successfully completed the acquisition of a 100 percent equity stake in Chile’s Esmax Distribucion, a leading diversified downstream fuels and lubricants retailer, it was announced on Friday.

Esmax has a national presence that includes retail fuel stations, airport operations, fuel distribution terminals and a lubricant blending plant. 

The transaction, which was first announced in September 2023, represented Aramco’s first downstream retail investment in South America, illustrating the attractiveness of this market, and supports the Saudi company’s strategic goal to strengthen its downstream value chain.  

“We are delighted to conclude the acquisition of Esmax and look forward to working with the outstanding team on the ground in Chile to achieve our shared ambitions,” Yasser Mufti, Aramco executive vice president of products & customers, said.

“Aramco aims to be a primary global retail player and this deal combines our high quality products and services, including Valvoline lubricants, with the experience and quality of an established operator in Chile.” 

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Pictured at the transaction closing are Southern Cross Group Partner Raul Sotomayor, front left, and Aramco Europe President & CEO Mazin Dabbagh, front right. Back row, from left, are Southern Cross Group Partner Jaime Besa, Aramco Vice-President of Retail and Esmax Chairman Ziyad Juraifani, and Aramco International Retail Director Nader Al Douhan. (Aramco)

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SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Aramco becomes First-Ever Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Firm in the American Analytics Company ‘Clarivate’s Top 100 Global Innovators List’

Saudi Aramco has been named one of the top 100 global innovators by American analytics company Clarivate. 

In its report titled “Top 100 Global Innovators 2022,” Clarivate revealed that Saudi Aramco is the first-ever company from the Middle East and North Africa region to be placed in the list. 

“The regional diversity continues to increase, with the first-ever Middle Eastern list entry via energy firm Saudi Aramco,” wrote Clarivate in the report. 

Apart from Saudi Aramco, other new entrants to the list are China’s Alibaba, Germany’s Continental, US’ General Motors, South Korea’s Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors, US’s Philip Morris International, and UK’s Rolls-Royce. 

Clarivate added that companies have been included in the list based on factors like influence, success, globalization, and technical distinctiveness. 

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited0

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Apart from Saudi Aramco, other new entrants to the list are China’s Alibaba, Germany’s Continental, US’ General Motors, South Korea’s Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors, US’s Philip Morris International, and UK’s Rolls-Royce. 

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SAUDI ARABIA