Two students from Saudi Arabia are among the global winners in Apple’s developer programme, highlighting the region's potential in the growing technology segment.
Jawaher Shaman, the creator of the My Child app that assists people with speech conditions, is among the top three “distinguished winners” of the Swift Student Challenge, joining Elena Galluzzo from Canada and US-based Dezmond Blair.
A total of 50 distinguished winners were chosen, from a pool of 350 winning submissions, and they have been invited to attend Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference, which runs from June 10 to 14 at its headquarters in California.
Ms Shaman's app was inspired by her struggle with stuttering, which she developed at age five and became debilitating.
“Coding for me opened up a world of possibilities … I hope to use technology to help children who are neurodivergent because I know what it’s like to feel different,” said Ms Shaman, who plans to work as a programmer in Saudi Arabia.
The other Saudi winner, Afrah bin Jubayr, developed Fin's Adventure, an app focused on saving the environment.
Her “coding skills in hand” led to create “a meaningful game to raise awareness”, she told The National.
Ms Shaman and Ms Bin Jubayr, both 27 and from Riyadh, are enrolled at the Apple Developer Academy in the Saudi capital, which was opened in 2022 – the first in the Middle East and North Africa, and which focuses on female developers.
They also follow in the footsteps of Sabrina Sales, a Filipino based in Abu Dhabi who has twice won Apple's programme.
The 2024 winners “once again demonstrate the breadth and depth of what is possible when talented young people use coding to make their mark on the world”, Susan Prescott, vice president of worldwide developer relations at Apple, said.
The global app market continues to grow, and app marketplaces have rolled out several initiatives to attract coders to help expand their digital offerings.
Apple opened its first developer academy in Brazil in 2013, and the company now has 18 around the world, the latest of which opened in Bali, Indonesia, last month.
The iPhone-maker is confident that its student developer programme will continue to hone more talent in the Middle East and contribute to the growth of start-ups and entrepreneurship, Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for environment, policy and social initiatives, said during her visit to Dubai in 2023.
Apple does not provide region-specific figures for its academies, but globally, these institutions have helped students to create more than 1,500 apps and establish more than 160 companies, according to the company's latest data.
Governments in the region, led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are also recognising its importance.
Dubai, for instance, launched the One Million Arab Coders initiative in 2017 and a challenge programme in 2021, seeking the best talent among the youth’s ranks and equipping them with the skills needed for the future.
“The vitality of the region in general and everything going on [within the developer community] is impressive,” Ms Jackson had told The National.
The Apple App Store is part of its strong services segment. The company on Thursday reported that total revenue from its services division in its fiscal first quarter grew about 14 per cent annually to almost $23.9 billion, which was a record.
Apple also announced its largest share buyback programme, worth $110 billion, after reporting an annual drop in its March quarter net profit and revenue.
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
more from Janine di Giovanni
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
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- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
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Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
