Mayar Othman Al Shourbagy secured the top prize after outperforming millions of participants at the Arab Reading Challenge finals in Dubai. Her path to the championship required reading and summarizing 60 diverse literary works, ranging from poetry to full volumes. She credited her academic environment and family support for helping her navigate the intense multi-stage contest. Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum honored her achievement by pinning his personal badge onto her.
Key points
The 10th edition of the challenge featured 40,286,428 students, 138,426 schools, and 161,…: The 10th edition of the challenge featured 40,286,428 students, 138,426 schools, and 161,507 supervisors spanning 60 nations.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum personally pinned his own badge onto the winner dur…: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum personally pinned his own badge onto the winner during the award ceremony.
Launched in 2015, the annual initiative actively promotes youth literacy and aims to stre…: Launched in 2015, the annual initiative actively promotes youth literacy and aims to strengthen Arabic language proficiency worldwide.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
An emotional victory, a Dh500,000 prize and an unexpected gesture from one of the world's most powerful leaders made 11-year-old Mayar Othman Al Shourbagy's moment in Dubai unforgettable. After she was crowned the winner of the 10th Arab Reading Challenge, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum removed the badge he was wearing and pinned it onto the young Egyptian student.
Mayar had just achieved something remarkable. She emerged as the champion of the 10th edition of the Arab Reading Challenge, beating more than 40 million students from 60 countries. And as she stood before Sheikh Mohammed, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, he did something that went beyond presenting her with a trophy.
According to a report by Gulf News, Sheikh Mohammed kissed Mayar on the head, held her close affectionately and then removed his own badge to pin it onto her.
Photo courtesy: Gulf News
Why did Sheikh Mohammed give Mayar his own badge?
While Sheikh Mohammed did not publicly explain the specific reason behind the gesture, it appeared to be a personal…
The Ofer Prison military court dismissed all charges against West Bank correspondent Farah Abu Ayyash, ordering her release on Thursday night. Her 450-day confinement drew scrutiny after state media reported her original arrest was tied to her reporting on local developments. The case underscores mounting concerns over administrative detention orders and procedural delays used against media personnel in the region.
Federal regulators are escalating efforts to purge foreign entities linked to Beijing from domestic infrastructure due to ongoing espionage fears. HKT, a subsidiary of PCCW, will systematically wind down its American presence following scrutiny over its ownership ties to state-linked China Unicom. This regulatory resolution marks the latest expulsion of telecommunications providers perceived as threats to critical domestic networks.
The government aims to curb the volume of legal migrants qualifying for permanent residency following historic peaks in net migration under the previous administration. In response to pushback from internal cabinet members and 200,000 public consultation responses, ministers plan to temper initial proposals that drew heavy criticism for penalizing existing workers. These final determinations will set standard qualification timelines while granting exemptions to vital labor sectors.