A1SaudiArabia.com

JEDDAH &ndash; Genuinely innovative books will not be banned, Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, said here Friday.<br/> The merger of the literary clubs and the branches of the Saudi Society for Culture and Arts will soon take place, he added. <br/> He said there are ongoing meetings to reactivate his organization&rsquo;s cultural strategy and stressed that its annual report for the year 2008-09 emphasized that the Kingdom has taken steps to improve culture and &ldquo;stretched the hand of responsible freedom&rdquo; to writers and those in the media.<br/> Saudi intellectuals have become active and effective through the positive effects of their interaction with people, which has helped make the Kingdom a model for improving culture and interaction among people of different cultures, Dr. Khoja said. <br/> He also stressed the reformative and cultural visions adopted by King Abdullah to improve cultural discourse in the Kingdom and interaction with the outside world, on the basis of genuine Islamic principles that find their roots in the Holy Qur&rsquo;an and Prophet&rsquo;s Traditions. &ndash; Okaz/SG

JEDDAH – The Cabinet praised on Monday progress in the General Authority of Civil Aviations development projects, notably the expansion of King Abdul Aziz International Airport, and also lauded the “Roads of Arabia – Archeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” exhibition which opened last week at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The exhibition, the Cabinet said, “embodies the cultural dimension of the two countries cooperation and highlights the portrayal of humanity across the extensive history of the Arabian Peninsula”.

Read More

JEDDAH – The Agency for Cultural Affairs in the Ministry of Culture and Information has started forming working committees for the next Riyadh International Book Fair, set for March 2011, and approved Indias request to be the guest of honor, said Dr. Abdullah Al-Jasser, Undersecretary at the ministry.

India will contribute to the cultural program accompanying the book fair with activities, lectures and seminars that boost cultural ties between Saudi Arabia and India, he said.

Read More

JEDDAH &ndash; Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, Saturday visited the Aramco exhibition at the Mall of Arabia displaying 70 historical pictures representing the history of oil industry and history of Jeddah.<br/> Khoja stressed the historical importance of these pictures especially for the new generations which have no idea about the beginning of oil exploration in Saudi Arabia.<br/> Khoja also admired the creative paintings at an exhibition organized on the sidelines of the main event. He also appreciated the leading role of Aramco in supporting the society and the national economy.<br/> Adel Magrabi, senior Aramco official in the Western Region, said Aramco would continue to organize these types of social activities. &ndash; SG

MADINA – The Chairwoman of Jeddah Literary Clubs Womens Committee has said she is not happy with recently introduced regulations permitting female membership, and instead wants a quota system to “make up for years of marginalization”.

Fatima Elyas said that although the new rules, announced ten days ago by the Ministry of Culture and Information, allow women to be elected to the board of directors, the real challenge was to overcome a mentality that has seen “women left on the sidelines for years”.

Read More

JEDDAH – The Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, has endorsed changes to the bylaws and regulations governing literary clubs, which now allows women and non-Saudis to join.

The new regulations classify members of literary clubs into three categories. The first are working members, who are male and female Saudi intellectuals; the second type of membership falls under “participant” which refers to non-Saudi female and male intellectuals; and the third type is an honorary membership which the club bestows on whoever it chooses.

Khoja said this now creates the opportunity for non-Saudi female and male intellectuals to join the literary clubs in the capacity of participant members.

Read More

JEDDAH – Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, Wednesday highlighted the progress and development achieved by the Kingdom under the reign of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

The minister said the fifth anniversary of King Abdullahs ascension to the throne, observed on Wednesday across the Kingdom, provided a good opportunity to remember the bounties bestowed by Allah Almighty on this country.

Read More

JEDDAH – The Ministry of Culture and Information has launched a new website with all the Kingdom’s satellite channels and radio stations, including the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), to allow students abroad to keep in touch with their homeland.
The website is one of King Abdullah’s initiatives. The website is at www.sm.gov.sa.
Marking the launch of the website Tuesday in Jeddah, Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, told journalists at a press conference that the aim is also to keep all Muslims and the rest of the international community informed of progress taking place in the country.
He said the website coincides with the 5th anniversary of King Abdullah becoming the monarch. – SPA/SG

JEDDAH – The Cabinet has instructed the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) to continue monitoring the Marat cement factory to the north of Riyadh and ensure its compliance with environmental standards.

Ministers asked the PME to measure emissions from the plant every six months and analyze samples at PME-approved laboratories to ensure they do not exceed permitted levels. The Cabinet also ordered that the regional municipality be provided with the emission measurements.

Read More

Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, with children from Makkahs Disabled Childrens Society on Sunday. The minister received his guests at his office in Jeddah along with the Societys Public Relations head Eyad Al-Muallim, assistant manager Sulaaf Hijazi, and deputy head of Public Relations Noha Al-Huraishi. The children presented Minister Khoja with gifts made by the Society and an invitation for him to hold a fund-raising poetry evening. – SPA