Connect with us

World

Comprehensive plan for development of Arab culture to be discussed at UAE conference

The UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth announced on Saturday that it will host the 22nd session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers in collaboration with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) on December 19-20, 2021.
The conference, taking place during Expo 2020 Dubai, will host 21 ministers in-charge of cultural affairs in various Arab countries, the Director General of ALECSO, and other key figures from the Arab world.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

The conference will discuss a comprehensive plan for Arab culture and its modernization and discuss ways to keep it relevant today while promoting cultural cooperation among Arab nations. It will also seek to foster exchanges with other cultures around the world.
The main discussions of the conference will centre on unifying Arab efforts in various cultural fields, including cooperation in the registration of intangible heritage with UNESCO, and the development of cultural and creative industries in the region.
The event is also set to propose the ambassador programme to promote Arab culture.
It will focus on a number of topics, most notably the Status Report and the Future of the Arabic Language, published by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth, in partnership with the Arabic Language Advisory Council.
Furthermore, the conference will discuss ways to develop and launch joint projects in the fields of culture, heritage, and the Arabic language.
The participating ministers will also join the opening ceremony of the Arabic Language Summit, and Al Burda Festival and Award, which will be held in conjunction with this session.
Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, applauded the session, set to be held at Expo 2020 Dubai – the world’s largest cultural platform, dedicated to celebrating the diversity of human cultures and providing an opportunity to learn about the cultures of 192 countries.
“The Conference of Arab Culture Ministers is a very significant platform to promote Arab cultural cooperation and devise new ways to ensure its enrichment and advancement,” Al Kaabi asserted. “The UAE is committed to fostering greater cooperation with ALECSO and strengthening its role in supporting the organisation’s efforts.”
“The UAE is an active partner in leading Arab cultural cooperation,” Al Kaabi added. “Hosting the conference in the UAE reflects our wise leadership’s vision to support Arab culture as the link between the peoples of this region and reaffirms the pivotal role culture plays in forging stronger ties.”
Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, ALECSO’s Director General, revealed that the Organisation had prepared extensively for this critical conference. “The conference is very promising for our organization and gives us great hope for the future of Arab culture,” he said.

“The conference was planned after a lot of thought and deliberation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and by bringing together high-ranking ministers, it seeks to promote collaborative Arab activities in the fields of culture and heritage.”

“The UAE will remain a key partner to ALECSO in various activities and programmes – particularly in the cultural field,” he said.

The 22nd session of Conference of Arab Culture Ministers, while bringing together government officials, policymakers, and members of international organizations, will discuss the outcomes of the World Conference on Creative Economy, and draw up a five-year roadmap of joint Arab efforts to record intangible heritage with UNESCO. It’s a definitive platform for those interested in Arab culture and the Arabic language and forge conversations with Arab youth, to exchange ideas, tackle challenges and discuss new opportunities.
The Chair of the conference is set to be handed over from the Arab Republic of Egypt, Chair of the 21st Session, to the United Arab Emirates to lead the current session. The agenda includes the ratification of the theme and venue of the next session of the conference, which is expected to be hosted in Saudi Arabia.
Attendees will also participate in Al Burda Award and Festival, which feature intellectuals and innovators in Islamic culture from around the world, in an effort to enhance the UAE’s position as a cultural hub and an incubator for creative arts through various dialogue sessions, art exhibitions, and performances.

Read more:

Inaugural Diriyah Biennale art exhibition opens in Riyadh

Jenadriyah festival showcases best of Arab heritage, culture

Saudi Arabia’s al-Ula city: An open museum of history, culture, artifacts

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

World

Goldman cuts Israeli shekel forecasts on politics, intervention


Strategists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. have revised their forecasts to reflect a weaker shekel on renewed concerns that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial plan will increase pressure on the currency and the central bank won’t intervene to support it.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Comments by central bank Deputy Governor Andrew Abir last week that interest rates need to be the main tightening tool have downplayed the “potential for FX interventions, the strategists said in a report on Friday. The shekel slumped 2.3 percent last week after parliament passed a new national budget, which granted more funding to the nation’s ultra-Orthodox in order to secure the bloc’s loyalty to his right-wing coalition.

Goldman revised its forecasts of the shekel to 3.70 and 3.60 against the dollar in the next three and 12 months, respectively, compared with 3.50 and 3.40 previously. While that’s still stronger than the current level, the strategists said they expect volatility around their estimates to “remain elevated. The shekel rose 0.3 percent to 3.7178 as of 2:50 p.m. in Jerusalem on Monday.

“With limited policy support, we think domestic political developments will remain in the driver’s seat for the shekel, Goldman’s strategists, including Kamakshya Trivedi, said in the report.

The shekel’s correlation with the performance of global technology stocks began to break down in January amid massive protests against Netanyahu’s plans to give politicians more control over the judiciary and its appointments. His decision in late March to delay the plan had provided some reprieve for the currency, until last week.

The shekel trades at a more than 10 percent discount to Goldman’s estimated fair value of around 3.3 per dollar, the strategists said.

In April, Moody’s Investors Service lowered the outlook on the nation’s A1 rating to stable from positive, citing a “deterioration of Israel’s governance.

“If market participants and tech investors continue to grow more concerned about domestic political developments and their impact on institutional quality, then risk premium may build further in the currency, the strategists at Goldman said.

Read more:

Iraq boosts gold reserves by two percent in single day in gradual buildup

For Visa Waiver Program, Israel must not discriminate against Palestinian-Americans

Iran arrests ‘terrorist team’ linked to Israel: Tasnim

Continue Reading

World

Elon Musk to visit China this week: Sources


Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is expected to visit China this week, three people with knowledge of the matter said, in what would be his first trip to the country in three years.
Musk is expected to meet senior Chinese officials and to visit Tesla’s Shanghai plant, two of the sources said.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It was not immediately clear who Musk would meet and what they would discuss. The people with knowledge of the trip declined to be named as the matter is private.
Tesla and China’s State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters reported in March that Musk was planning a trip to China and seeking a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang as early as April, with the exact timing subject to Li’s availability.
China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States, and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker’s largest production hub.
Musk also owns social media platform Twitter, which is banned in China, although some people access it via virtual private networks (VPNs).
The trip would mark Musk’s first in China since he set the internet abuzz by dancing on stage during an event at Tesla’s Shanghai factory in early 2020.
It would also come at a time when Tesla is grappling with multiple issues, including intensifying competition with Chinese automakers that are exporting their China-made electric vehicles as demand in the world’s largest auto market weakens.
Tesla has not yet given any update on its plans to increase output by 450,000 vehicles a year at its Shanghai plant, although it said in April it would build a factory in Shanghai to produce Megapack energy storage products.
The company has submitted plans to local authorities to expand capacity for producing powertrains at the Shanghai plant to 1.75 million units annually.
China’s state planner has been struggling with a capacity glut in its auto industry with more than 100 players and has been cautious about approving new production capacity.
Musk told CNBC earlier this month that “there are some constraints on our ability to expand in China.” He added: “It’s not a demand issue.”
In the same interview, Musk said tensions between the United States and China “should be a concern for everyone.”
Tesla is building a plant in Mexico expected to produce a lower-cost electric car built on its next-generation platform.
Read more:
Elon Musk’s Neuralink gets FDA approval for study of brain implants in humans
Car-maker Tesla offers China-made electric vehicles for sale in Canada
Elon Musk says Tesla will try advertising

Continue Reading

World

Iran set to unveil hypersonic missile ‘soon’: IRGC commander


Iran is preparing to unveil a hypersonic missile in the near future, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander said on Monday.

This comes after Iran last week unveiled a new ballistic missile capable of reaching a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) and carrying warheads weighing over a ton.

“The hypersonic missile has passed its tests and will be unveiled soon,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC’s aerospace unit, as saying.

“This new missile is capable of passing through all missile defense systems. It targets the enemy’s anti-missile systems and is a big leap in the field of missiles,” he added.

“The hypersonic missile has a high speed and can maneuver in and out of the atmosphere.”

In November, Hajizadeh made the initial claim that Iran had developed a hypersonic missile. The claim was met with doubts from Washington, with a Pentagon spokesperson saying that the US was “skeptical” of the assertion.

Hypersonic missiles can fly at speeds at least five times faster than the speed of sound, following intricate trajectories that make interception challenging. Unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles travel at low altitudes in the atmosphere, potentially enabling them to reach targets more swiftly.

On Thursday, Iran unveiled the Kheibar missile, which is an updated version of the Khorramshahr, the country’s longest-range missile to date.

State news agency IRNA described the Kheibar as “a liquid fuel missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers and a 1,500 kilogram warhead.”

The US described Iran’s missile program as a “serious threat” following the unveiling.

“Iran’s development, and proliferation of, ballistic missiles poses a serious threat to regional and international security and remains a significant non-proliferation challenge,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Read more:

Iran says Ukraine president drone criticism aims to attract more arms, aid from West

Continue Reading

Trending