A historical novel about Egypt, a research study on Spain's Islamic past and an Arabic translation of a 17th century Italian philosopher are some of the winners of this year's Sheikh Zayed Book Awards.
"The award embodies the extent of the commitment of the UAE capital and wise leadership and the great values we grew up with," Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre chairman Ali Bin Tamim said during the ceremony. "These include an appreciation and application of creativity, innovation, science and culture.
"The breadth of this year’s submissions not only increases our responsibility as custodians but also reflects the breadth of influence, reputation and reliability of this competition.”
Emerging from the shortlist was Reem Bassiouney for her 2022 novel Al Halwani...Thulathiyat al-Fatimiyeen’ (Al Halwani: The Fatimid Trilogy). The winning work is part of the Egyptian author's wider series of historical novels about Egypt set in the middle ages. With its meditations of Egyptian mythology and architecture, the prize-winning novel was praised for its innovative construction and accessibility.
Tunisian researcher Houssem Eddine Chachia won the Young Author prize for his study on the Moriscos of Spain, a 16th century community who forcibly converted from Islam to Christianity (or face exile) after the reconquest of Andalusia.
German scholar Frank Griffel won the Arab Culture in Other Languages award for his 2021 book The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam, which highlights key figures in Islamic history – like ninth century philosopher Al Farabi – who spoke in depth about philosophy, metaphysics and ethics.
"It is a great honour personally and it sheds a light into our research community," Griffel told The National. "An award like this helps us create further connections with Arab countries and researchers in our field and ultimately make our work visible in the region."
Tunisia's Ahmed Somai was awarded for his translation of Al Ilm Al Jadeed (The New Science), by Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico. The Arabic translation was hailed for its "skilful rendering of terminology, structure, formulation and context," in addition to clarifying some of Vico's ideas about the history of philosophy.
This year, the prestigious Cultural Personality of the Year award went to Casa Arabe, a Spanish cultural organisation based in Madrid and Cordoba. For nearly 20 years Casa Arabe has become an intellectual and cultural hub with forums and exhibitions surrounding Spain’s relationship with the Muslim world.
The winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year award receives Dh1 million, while winners of other categories each receive a gold medal, a certificate of merit and Dh750,000.
“For 18 years, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has played a pivotal role in supporting our efforts to enrich cultural and intellectual creativity worldwide while providing a platform for writers, translators, academics and organisations to reach global audiences,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi as part of the winner’s announcement.
“Through this platform, we are celebrating Arabic-speaking writers and authors who write about Arab culture and civilisation, collectively advancing our intellectual and cultural heritage.”
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Brief scores:
Arsenal 4
Xhaka 25', Lacazette 55', Ramsey 79', Aubameyang 83'
Fulham 1
Kamara 69'
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
