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RIYADH – The omission for want of space of about 50 percent of the publishing houses which applied to participate in the Riyadh Book Fair has come in for severe criticism. “The excuse of lack of space for depriving these publishing houses of an opportunity to display their titles at the fair does not hold water,” Dr. Muhammad Al-Herfi, a noted columnist, has said.

Dr. Al-Herfi and Dr. Abdullah Faifi, head of the Media and Culture Committee at the Shoura Council, also said that the cultural program of the Riyadh Book Fair needs more diversity in order to increase the chances of its success.

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RIYADH – Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja has won the Media Innovation Prize for the Spirit of positive initiative in supporting prospects for media dialogue, awarded by the Arab Media Forum.

The Media Innovation Prize is an annual prize awarded to the most innovative leaders contributing directly and effectively to serving Arab media, whether by direct efforts or effective decisions that contribute to overcoming obstacles to media development.

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DAMMAM – The role of the Saudi media in supporting the Kingdoms development process and economic growth, and media practitioners responsibility in enhancing progress in the private business sector will be the key topics to be discussed in a dialogue between officials of the Ministry of Culture and Information, leading businessmen, and representatives of the media sector.

The dialogue on March 14 at the Asharqia Chambers of Commerce and Industry will be sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Information and hosted by the Asharqia Chambers.

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RIYADH – The Riyadh International Book Fair was opened here Tuesday by Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja.

The event, which lasts for 10 days, brings together more than 650 publishing houses from more than 30 Arab and foreign countries, displaying more than 250,000 titles in Arabic, English and French.

In a speech, Sharifa Al-Shamlan, lauded the reform process in the country, led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. She underscored the importance of translation, hoping that it would be encouraged from other languages into Arabic.

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RIYADH – Over 650 publishing houses from 30 countries are participating in the 10-day Riyadh International Book Fair starting here Tuesday.
On behalf of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, will inaugurate the fair in which over 250,000 books in Arabic, English and French will be on display. The event will also host a wide range of cultural activities with Senegal as the guest of honor.
This year the book fair will witness the participation of publishing houses from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, other Arab countries, the USA, Britain, France, Sweden, Cyprus, Germany, India, Japan, Turkey and Iran. Several criteria were taken into consideration in accepting the participation of publishing houses. These include the number of publications, date of publication, subjects, specialization and the status of the publishing house in cultural circles.
Starting from Wednesday, the book fair will be open to all visitors from 10 A.M. until 10 P.M. with morning and evening sessions, except for Friday, Sunday and Tuesday when the evening sessions are reserved for men only.
Abdullah Al-Jassir, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture and Information, said that all preparations were in place for the launch of the fair. “We’ve been working as part of a team from government and non-government bodies to make this an impressive event reflecting the Kingdom’s cultural progress, and not just a place to buy and sell books. It should be a cultural forum that reflects the cultural growth of the Kingdom,” said Al-Jassir, who is also the Supervisor General of the fair.
Al-Jassir said the cultural program for this year will take into consideration maintaining balance and diversity. It will include an evening on national dialogue in the Kingdom and its role in boosting the concepts of moderation and tolerance. – Okaz/SG

RIYADH – Rotana, the Arabic Music Gateway, bagged the third FM radio license in the Kingdom Saturday at the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh, marking the launch of a new generation of FM radio stations in the Saudi market.
Rotana’s bid for the new radio channel amounted to SR76,350 million, shooting down the competition for the third license from nine media companies.
The license was awarded in the presence of Abdul Aziz Khoja, the Minister of Culture and Information.
Two more FM radio licenses are expected to be awarded next month after the offers are submitted, said Riyadh Najem, assistant deputy minister for engineering affairs and supervisor of audiovisual media.
The first-ever FM radio license worth SR75 million went to the media alliance of Alf Alf, which would allow it to broadcast from 30 locations in the Kingdom.
The second license worth SR66 million went to Ghayat Al-Ibdah company.
The Ministry of Culture and Information had earlier announced that 11 qualified media alliances and companies would submit their financial bids for the five new FM radio licenses in the Kingdom.
Over 73 percent of people in Saudi Arabia listen to radio programs, with over half of them tuning into radio on a daily basis, mostly while driving, according to a new study by the Arab Advisers Group. – Okaz/SG

JEDDAH – A large number of Saudis gave an enthusiastic reception to the Indian film “Om Shanti Om” screened as part of the 3rd Asian Film Festival at the Japanese consulate here on Friday.

“The first Indian film I ever saw was “Slumdog Millionaire”, and since then my sister and I have grown very fond of Indian films. They are full of color, music and dance, and are very entertaining,” said Saudi businesswoman Amana Ismail. “I travel to India for business, as I import textile items, and I am very fond of the hospitality and way of doing business there,” she explained.

Saudi filmmaker Mamdouh Salem, executive manager of Rawad Media, is also very impressed with Indian films and said that he wished that the Ministry of Culture and Information would give his company permission to cooperate with an Indian film production company to make a film on Saudi culture and traditions.

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JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia will become one of the leading countries in the world because of its investment in science and technology.

This is the view of Prof. Choon Fong Shih, President of King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (Kaust). He was speaking during the second session of the final day of the Jeddah Economic Forum Tuesday.

Shih said Kaust has brought in a number of experts from various fields such as science, engineering, and economics to exchange their experience and knowledge with Saudis.

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JEDDAH: The recently detained assistant mayor of Jeddah is very much alive despite reports suggesting otherwise, his family said on Thursday.

Jamal Abu Omarah, who is also the former president of Al-Ittihad football club, has been in custody for his alleged neglect that contributed to so many people dying in November’s flooding crisis in the city.

The online media had reported he had died while being detained.

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JEDDAH: The Ministry of Culture and Information is expected to shortly issue a verdict on a complaint from a Saudi sex braggart against television channel LBC. Mazen Abdul Jawad appeared on LBC’s “Bold Red Lines” program to boast about his sexual exploits.

“The dispute committee of the ministry will indict the channel. It is only a matter of time. I have submitted all documents to prove the violations committed by the LBC channel, such as altering the original clip in which my client and his colleagues appeared,” Jawad’s lawyer Suleiman Al-Jimaie said on Tuesday.

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