Latest news with #AbuSalim
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
NBO wins gold at MMA Smarties MENA Awards for AI-driven creative excellence with Abu Salim family
Muscat: The National Bank of Oman (NBO) has been awarded the prestigious Gold Award in the AI-Driven Creative Excellence category at the MMA Smarties Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Awards 2025. This accolade recognises the bank's innovative marketing campaign featuring the recently launched Abu Salim's AI-Driven Family, the first of its kind in Oman. Commenting on the achievement, Sherifa Ibrahim Al Maskrai, Head of Brand at NBO, said: 'This recognition is a testament to our ongoing commitment to enhancing customer experiences by embracing innovation in communication and marketing. The 'Abu Salim' family campaign demonstrates the powerful synergy between creative storytelling and advanced technology, while proudly reflecting Oman's rich heritage and national identity. We are honoured to represent the Sultanate on this regional stage and to showcase how AI can be harnessed to connect with customers in meaningful and relevant ways.' Competing against leading brands and organisations from across the region, NBO's campaign emerged as a top performer in its category, reinforcing the bank's forward-thinking approach and dedication to creativity and innovation in marketing. The MMA Smarties Awards are among the most prestigious global accolades in marketing and digital innovation, celebrating campaigns that drive significant impact and engagement. NBO continues to lead Oman's financial innovation journey, consistently advancing its products and services while staying closely aligned with the evolving needs and aspirations of its customers. For more information about NBO's services and digital banking initiatives, please visit or contact the NBO Call Centre at 24770000.
Mid East Info
6 days ago
- Business
- Mid East Info
NBO Wins Gold at MMA Smarties MENA Awards for AI-Driven Creative Excellence with Abu Salim Family - Middle East Business News and Information
14 July 2025, Muscat: The National Bank of Oman (NBO) has been awarded the prestigious Gold Award in the AI-Driven Creative Excellence category at the MMA Smarties Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Awards 2025. This accolade recognises the bank's innovative marketing campaign featuring the recently launched Abu Salim's AI-Driven Family, the first of its kind in Oman. Commenting on the achievement, Sherifa Ibrahim Al Maskrai, Head of Brand at NBO, said: 'This recognition is a testament to our ongoing commitment to enhancing customer experiences by embracing innovation in communication and marketing. The 'Abu Salim' family campaign demonstrates the powerful synergy between creative storytelling and advanced technology, while proudly reflecting Oman's rich heritage and national identity. We are honoured to represent the Sultanate on this regional stage and to showcase how AI can be harnessed to connect with customers in meaningful and relevant ways.' Competing against leading brands and organisations from across the region, NBO's campaign emerged as a top performer in its category, reinforcing the bank's forward-thinking approach and dedication to creativity and innovation in marketing. The MMA Smarties Awards are among the most prestigious global accolades in marketing and digital innovation, celebrating campaigns that drive significant impact and engagement.
Times of Oman
6 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
NBO wins gold at MMA Smarties MENA Awards for AI-Driven Creative Excellence category
Muscat: The National Bank of Oman (NBO) has been awarded the prestigious gold award in the AI-Driven Creative Excellence category at the MMA Smarties Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Awards 2025. This accolade recognises the bank's innovative marketing campaign featuring the recently launched Abu Salim's AI-Driven Family, the first of its kind in Oman. Commenting on the achievement, Sherifa Ibrahim Al Maskrai, Head of Brand at NBO, said: 'This recognition is a testament to our ongoing commitment to enhancing customer experiences by embracing innovation in communication and marketing. The 'Abu Salim' family campaign demonstrates the powerful synergy between creative storytelling and advanced technology, while proudly reflecting Oman's rich heritage and national identity. We are honoured to represent the Sultanate on this regional stage and to showcase how AI can be harnessed to connect with customers in meaningful and relevant ways.' Competing against leading brands and organisations from across the region, NBO's campaign emerged as a top performer in its category, reinforcing the bank's forward-thinking approach and dedication to creativity and innovation in marketing. The MMA Smarties Awards are among the most prestigious global accolades in marketing and digital innovation, celebrating campaigns that drive significant impact and engagement. NBO continues to lead Oman's financial innovation journey, consistently advancing its products and services while staying closely aligned with the evolving needs and aspirations of its customers. For more information about NBO's services and digital banking initiatives, please visit or contact the NBO Call Centre at 24770000.
Arab News
04-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
UN calls for probe into Libya mass graves
GENEVA: The UN human rights office called on Wednesday for an independent investigation into the discovery of mass graves at detention centers in Libya's capital Tripoli. It expressed concerns about the discovery of dozens of bodies, some charred and buried and others in hospital refrigerators, in an area of Libya's capital controlled by an armed militia whose leader was killed last month. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was shocked by revelations that gross rights violations were uncovered at detention facilities in Tripoli run by the Stabilization Support Authority, or SSA, an armed group whose commander, Abdel-Ghani Al-Kikli, was killed in militia fighting in mid-May. It was established to uphold the rule of law and falls under the Presidential Council that came to power in 2021 with the Government of National Unity of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah through a UN-backed process. The rights office said it later received information on the excavation of 10 charred bodies at the SSA headquarters in the Abu Salim neighborhood and another 67 bodies discovered in refrigerators in the Abu Salim and Al-Khadra Hospitals. It also cited reports of a burial site at the Tripoli Zoo that was run by the SSA. The office said the identities of the bodies were not immediately clear. 'Our worst-held fears are being confirmed: Dozens of bodies have been discovered at these sites, along with the discovery of suspected instruments of torture and abuse, and potential evidence of extrajudicial killings,' Türk said in a statement. Türk called on authorities to seal the area to preserve evidence and said there needed to be accountability for the killings. He said the UN should be granted access to the sites to document rights violations. Libya, a major oil producer in the Mediterranean, has known little law and order since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi and eventually divided the country between warring eastern and western factions. The rights body said the discovery of dozens of bodies and suspected instruments of torture and abuse confirmed longstanding findings by the UN that human rights violations were committed at such sites. 'We call on the Libyan authorities to conduct independent, impartial and transparent investigations into these discoveries,' it said in a statement. It urged the authorities to preserve evidence and grant Libya's forensic teams, as well as the United Nations, full access to the sites. Outright war fighting in Libya abated with a ceasefire in 2020. However, efforts to end the political crisis have failed, with major factions occasionally joining forces in armed clashes and competing for control over Libya's substantial energy resources. Armed clashes erupted on Monday evening and gunfire echoed in the center and other parts of Tripoli following reports that the commander of one of its most powerful armed groups had been killed, three residents said by phone.
CNN
04-06-2025
- General
- CNN
UN demands probe after dozens of bodies found at Libya detention sites
The United Nations is calling for an independent investigation after the discovery of dozens of bodies and evidence of human rights violations at militia-run detention facilities in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Wednesday he was 'shocked' by revelations of gross human rights violations uncovered at sites run by the Libyan militia SSA. He called for the sites to be immediately 'sealed off' and for Libyan authorities to conduct 'prompt, independent, impartial and transparent investigations.' Formed in 2021, the SSA (Stabilization Support Apparatus) is an umbrella group of militias that is prominent in western Libya and has faced previous allegations of committing atrocities and human rights abuses in the violence that has wracked Libya since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime more than a decade ago. 'The discoveries confirm the longstanding findings by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the former UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission… regarding the existence of such sites and the extent of violations committed in connection with them, including torture and enforced disappearances,' Türk said. Reports received by his office between May 18 and May 21 detail the excavation of 10 'charred bodies' at the SSA headquarters in the Abu Salim neighborhood in Tripoli. A further 67 bodies were discovered in refrigerators at Abu Salim and Al Khadra hospitals in the capital, with some of the remains said to be in an advanced state of decomposition due to power outages. A burial site was also reportedly discovered at the Tripoli Zoo, which is under SSA control. The identities of the victims remain unclear. Alongside the bodies, 'suspected instruments of torture and abuse, and potential evidence of extrajudicial killings' were uncovered. 'Our worst held fears are being confirmed,' Türk said. Türk stressed the critical need to preserve evidence. 'These sites must be sealed and all potential evidence preserved in support of immediate accountability efforts. Those responsible for these atrocious acts must be brought to justice without delay, in accordance with international standards.' He expressed concern that Libyan forensic authorities tasked with exhumation and identification have yet to be granted access to the sites, urging full and unimpeded access. Türk also called on Libya to grant the UN access to document the violations as part of its mandate. The High Commissioner condemned the circulation of 'horrifying images and video footage' of the sites on social media, insisting that the 'dignity and privacy of the victims and the rights of their families must be respected.' The grim discoveries follow the killing of SSA leader Abdulghani Kikli in May and subsequent clashes between state security forces and armed groups. These clashes sparked protests demanding an end to violence in Tripoli, which Türk noted were reportedly met with 'unnecessary force,' resulting in civilian and police officer deaths and damage to property, including hospitals. This raises 'serious concerns with respect to the guarantee of the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and assembly, as well as the need to protect civic space,' Türk said. Libya has been entangled in a political crisis since the overthrow of longtime dictator Gaddafi in 2011, which led to the proliferation of armed groups across the country. Although a ceasefire agreement in October 2020 brought temporary relief, Libya remains divided with various rival armed groups attempting to control the capital.
