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Lebanon-based Oweidat Publishing and Printing House held a book signing ceremony yesterday for journalist and writer Hanan Badie in its pavilion at the 33rd session of the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), held at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) from May 9-18 under the theme *Knowledge Builds Civilisations.“Today we are devoting a signing ceremony for two of my new books, *A Woman’s Claws and *Love in the Time of Corona,” Badie told *Gulf Times.“*A Woman's Claws is a collection of stories from reality,” she said. “The idea of the book is that we may seem to be one person, if we exchange roles and circumstances.”“They are stories from reality, in which I breathed my soul into them and dressed them with my suffering,” Badie continued. “I whispered to them my doubts and thoughts. They are characters whom I met, and sometimes did not meet, and sometimes I lived with them.”“Another character, I betrayed her one day in some situation, and I left my pen to guide me with the rest of the world of imagination, but I was no longer innocent,” she added. “I and they were one when I was on paper, they were all like me, and they were me. Then it was as if I had written their stories and had not yet written mine in this collection.”On *Love in the Time of Corona, she said: “The (coronavirus pandemic) period will remain throughout history. It will remain a milestone, like the novel, which documents a period of time during which people suffered from an epidemic.”“*Love in the Time of Corona is a collection of diverse articles ... more than one article are about the country's atmosphere (during the pandemic), which I wrote directly following the epidemic,” Badie said. “I dealt with the idea that this coronavirus has awakened us to the fact that we are threatened at every moment of our lives, and that death may not ask for permission.”“If we are in a hurry to leave life with a tranquil conscience, what about our loved ones? Are we prepared to lose them at any moment?” she posed. “This is the idea of the article, and the book includes a collection of social articles of a philosophical nature.”Badie introduced herself as a comprehensive writer who writes articles, poetry, and short stories, and has always been passionate about writing.*A Woman’s Claws is published by Oweidat Publishing and Printing House.Badie said that she has a fruitful professional relationship with Oweidat Publishing and Printing House, and expressed thanks for the endless support from director Ahmed Oweidat.

The Qatar National Library (QNL) commemorated the Palestinian Nakba (Disaster) yesterday, by hosting a seminar titled “Commemorating the Palestinian Nakba: Ongoing Displacement from 1948 to the Systematic Genocide in Gaza,” the seminar also aimed to reexamine the aftermath of the Nakba and its role in understanding the Palestinian experience, spotlighting the colonial lens through which it is often viewed.The discussions brought together Dr Amal Ghazal, Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Dr Abaher El-Sakka, Associate Professor at Birzeit University in Occupied Palestine, and Dr Ismail Nashif, Associate Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.Dr Ghazal touched on the global significance of the Nakba rather than the local and regional dimensions through which the Palestinian cause has been viewed historically.“It is important to touch on the Nakba from a socio-historical perspective to understand the successive catastrophes that have befallen the Palestinian people,” Dr. Ghazal said. “Reacting to today’s events is a human and moral duty. This seminar is not only part of today’s global reaction to the attack on Gaza, but also serves as a platform to examine and understand all dimensions of the Palestinian cause and the people’s ongoing quest for freedom.”Dr El-Sakka explained how the ongoing genocide in Gaza represents an extension of the Nakba and the colonial practices against the Palestinian people since 1948. “The difference today is that the displacement, expulsion, and massacres being committed against Palestinians are being observed and documented by people worldwide,” he said.Dr El-Sakka added that the seminar aims to highlight the suffering of Palestinians since 1948 and counter the dominant colonial narrative that distorts historical facts and conceals the nature of the colonial state and its practices against Palestinians.Dr Ismail Nashif, touched on the Palestinians' narration of their history, starting with the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and progressing through pivotal events to the ongoing Gaza genocide. Dr Nashif explained how these events established the historical Palestinian narrative and led to profound transformations in their daily lives.Since the launch of the assault on Gaza, QNL has organised numerous events to express solidarity with the Palestinian cause and raise awareness about Palestine and its deep-rooted Arab identity, which Israel is attempting to undermine. They ranged from a poetry evening titled “If they ask you about Gaza...”, and a book exhibition from the Library’s collection on Palestine. In addition to events for children and families, including “Palestine’s Story,” and two webinars titled “Raising for Palestine” and “Palestine: Memory of Place and Meaning” held in cooperation with Teach for Qatar.

Cairo-based Dar Kitab Publishing and Distribution Pavilion organised a signing ceremony for three books on Tuesday at the 33rd Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), being held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre until May 18, under the slogan, 'With knowledge, civilisations are built'.Manager Tarek Ramadan, manager of Dar Kitab said that “our publications range from literature, to law, business and Human development skills, to children’s books.”The authors, Hassan Ali al-Anwari together with playwright Talib al-Dous, and journalist writer Nancy Osama gave an exclusive interview to Gulf Times on this occasion.Hassan Ali al-Anwari, marketing and advertisement director of Arrayah newspaper, said: “Naria” is an Arab political and symbolic novel. It is originally based on eastern mythology. It addresses the issue of exploiting religious beliefs to control people, draw their destiny, forge bloody wars in the name of supporting God. How superstitious beliefs control regimes in those religious countries, ruled by clergymen.”He added: “The name Naria is a symbolic name that does not represent any city or civilization, but it is rather a symbolic projections of the present time, in which we criticize many parties. I was keen to have the novel translated into English to increase its popularity, and it will also be translated into French, Spanish, and Persian in the future. There are more than 10 critical studies and literary readings on the Arabic version of the novel, which received much praise from a number of Arab critics and reviewers.”About his future projects, Al-Anwari said: “I wrote a second novel, which is currently in its second edition titled “I Loved the Weeping Woman,” and I am preparing a historical novel for publication in the future.” Al-Anwari added.Qatari playwright Talib al-Dous who signed his collection of plays titled “Tears in the joy of a brush” said: “I wrote my first play “Souls and money” in 1985 and continued with my contributions in drama, for the theatre and TV, radio and cinema, and through my work with MBC channel with a 240 episode drama.” Some of his works won in many local festivals as the best theatrical script.Al-Dous commented: “This is a collection of plays that I have presented throughout the years, most of them represented Qatar in numerous official festivals. “Tears in the joy of a brush” is one of the plays which was presented during Qatar Theatre Festival, also in Bejaia Festival in Algeria. And the new play titled “Between two hearts” is going to be presented in the forthcoming Qatar Theatre Festival. All of these plays are made of one act which are usually presented at festivals only. I put them in one collection so that the Arab reader gets introduced to this genre which is rare in our region. Our goal is not only the audience who attend the play but we want the one act play to get to a wider number of play readers also.” Al-Dous said.Writer and journalist Nancy Osama signed her first novel titled “Norissa Noon (Arabic for the letter N) Stories” said: “It is an eight short story collection, Norissa is the title of a story which events take place in Greece, about an enamoured girl with Greek literature. She has a personal crisis, which is the borderline personality. Another story about migration from Syria to Germany and I reported in journalistic style and it is based on a true story. Another story about an Egyptian young man who migrated to the US and his experience is completely different from the Syrian man. There is another story about migration between Zanzibar and the Gulf countries. Most of the heroes names begin with the letter “N” and all the stories are based on duo-drama between a man and a woman. I hope that it will be appreciated by the readers.” Nancy concluded.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MCSY) of the Sultanate of Oman is participating within the framework of Oman as the guest of honour in the 33rd session of the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), which opened at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) from May 9 and will continue until May 18, 2024, under the slogan, 'With knowledge, civilisations are built'.Salwa bint Seif al-Rashidia director of the Child Museum at the General Directorate of Knowledge and Cultural Development, spoke to Gulf Times and said: “The MCSY is exhibiting six Omani manuscripts, and a series of official publications, the Youth Encyclopedia, recently published. We are exhibiting virtual reality technology and its integration into the Omani identity. Together with the publications of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) which is showing a number of projects to preserve and document Oman’s craft heritage as part of the national treasures. There is a large screen display on the handicraft heritage, which is considered as a part of the national treasure and one of the most important pillars of preserving the Omani identity. Oman has registered 13 intangible handcrafts heritage on the UNESCO list, such as the Omani dagger, bud art and folk music. They represent the heritage of nations not only of Oman, which sheds light on the history of our ancestors who lived on our land thousands of years ago.”Harith al-Rashidi from the Ministry of Information told Gulf Times that: “We are exhibiting an Omani information platform that includes more than 50 releases, films, and audio programs, which vary from programs addressed to children and cultural, economic, or religious aspects. All audiovisual materials are added to this platform directly and are made available to the audience following this platform. It serves all segments of society with what is produced by Omani Radio and Television, as well as audio books for people with special needs. You can also follow the Omani TV and the Cultural TV Channels through this platform. The number of its followers has reached around 80,000. It was founded in 2020 and continues to include media, film, and audio programs. We are pleased that the Omani Pavilion is witnessing a large turnout of visitors to the exhibition and admirers of Omani heritage and culture.” Al-Rashidi said.

The Sultanate of Oman is participating as the guest of honour in the 33rd session of the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), which is open at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) from May 9 to 18, 2024, under the slogan, 'With knowledge, civilisations are built'.A number of Omani officials and publishers spoke to Gulf Times, Dr Sulaiman Dawood al-Sabei, assistant dean of research at Sultan Qaboos University said: “We are participating with our scientific publications on heritage, as well as doctorate and master theses, and books in most fields of knowledge. In addition we publish seven refereed and specialised periodicals in education, literature, agriculture, culture, and public health. Contributing researchers are from Oman and abroad who are interested in the Omani cultural development. We participate as a guest of honour, and this, if anything, indicates the depth of bilateral relations between the Sultanate of Oman and Qatar, as well as the in-depth cultural exchange between the two countries.Professor Dr Ahmed bin Hamad al-Rabani Director of the Center for Omani Studies at Sultan Qaboos University said: “the centre specialises in publishing research in the fields of politics, economics, education, social and cultural studies. It is a national hub for consultancies to the public and private sectors. Any researchers who is interested in publishing his or her research on Omani or Gulf studies from anywhere in the world, the centre will cover all the publishing costs and all our publications are refereed. We are pleased to participate in the excellent DIBF as the guest of honour. This exhibition is exceptional with the great turnout from local, Arab and foreign visitors in the activities of the 33rd session, which confirms its prestigious cultural and intellectual status on the regional and international arenas. As well as the Qataris excellent good organisation and hospitality.”Moza al-Badi and Nasra al-Mamari the co-founders of Al-Fikr Publishing Company said: “The turnout is great in the Doha of love and beauty. The Qatari citizen is a passionate and educated reader. We embarked on this pioneering project for a sustainable education in Al Brimi Governorate as a book club, then launched their publications to cover most subjects. They are officials at the Ministry of education but they wanted to stand out of the ordinary and leave their footprint by promoting the book and reading. “We have a children’s book club to promote reading among youth, as well as special programmes for women focused on Omani ladies’ success stories. We love the book and we want to build bridges with publishers and promote the Omani heritage, civilisation and women to the rest of the world.”The exhibition will be open to visitors from 9am to 10pm, except on Fridays from 3pm to 10pm.

The Qatar Press Center (QPC) is participating in the activities of the 33rd session of the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), which opened on Thursday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, until May 18 under the theme: “With knowledge, civilisations are built.”QPC is displaying its publications in the Dar Al Sharq pavilion H1-70, as part of an agreement with the latter. QPC's publications include: sports, cultural and social journalism. QPC director general Sadiq Mohamed al-Amari, said: “We are pleased to participate for the first time in the DIBF, in its 33rd session, which is scheduled to witness the largest international participation in the history of the fair. We highlight the sporting and cultural heritage from a journalistic perspective."The DIBF constitutes an international platform through which we communicate with those interested in journalism, whether authors or journalistic writers, as well as the public,” he said.Among QPC’s publications, 'The World Cup Feather,' features caricatures published in newspapers during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The other works are: 'Sunday Morning - Part Three' by writer and journalist, Mubarak bin Jaham al-Kuwari; and 'On the Saif of the East' by Prof Sultan al-Jassem, which includes an album of rare old photos of local and sporting events in the 1950s and 60s.

As part of the requirements for graduation, the eighth cohort master students of the two schools under the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) completed the discussions of their master’s theses and dissertation projects with topics on issues related to the reality of the Arab Region.Dr Amal Ghazal, dean, School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SOSH), stated that 145 theses and graduation projects were defended. They highlighted the originality and quality of the presented work that showcased the students’ abilities to tackle research problems creatively and seriously.Students from the eighth cohort in the School of Economics, Administration, and Public Policy (SEAPP) at the DI completed the defence of their graduation projects between April 16 and May 5, 2024.Dr Ayhab Saad, dean, SEAPP, mentioned that 65 graduation projects and theses were defended this year, covering vital local, regional, and international issues, focusing on economics, policy-making, and research in the fields of institution and scientific organization management.They covered master's programmes in Public Administration, Public Policy, and Development Economics, and the executive programs such as Executive Master in Public Administration and Dual Degree Executive Master in Business Administration and Public Administration.The DI will hold the graduation ceremony for the eighth cohort of Master's students on May 18. The total number of graduates this year is 206, with 139 from the SOSH and 67 from the SEAPP.

Oman announced the details of its participation as a guest of honour in the 33rd Doha International Book Fair (DIBF), which begins on Thursday, under the slogan 'With knowledge, civilisations are built' at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre until May 18.Saeed bin Sultan al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, confirmed that the participation of Oman as a guest of honour in the exhibition comes as an affirmation of the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, the depth of the ties and common cultures between them.He described the fair as a good opportunity to introduce visitors to the diverse cultural movement in Oman. The design of the Omani pavilion is inspired by the Palace of Science, with its architectural elements and dazzling artistic decorations.On display will be a number of rare Omani manuscripts, scientific papers. DIBF will also witness joint discussion sessions, poetry evenings, and workshops in various fields of arts, confirms the rich cultural diversity in Oman, in addition to a photography exhibition.The cultural programme includes an evening of Omani folk poetry, in addition to a symposium titled 'Oman and the Sea: The Duality of Civilisation and Creativity', and a joint discussion session titled 'The Shared Gulf Identity, Reality and Challenges'.The Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra will present many diverse national and international musical pieces.

Qatar Youth Hostels (QYH) has announced the winners of Tourist Lens Competition and on this occasion Abdullah Saeed, head of Public Relations and Communications said, "The participants in the 2nd edition of the Tourist Lens Competition achieved its desired goals by promoting domestic tourism and highlighting the tourist attractions in the country. The participation took place on three social media platforms, namely Instagram, X, and Tik Tok, through the collection of the most beautiful pictures of tourist attractions in Qatar. The competition included around a hundred participants on the three platforms. The most beautiful picture was chosen from each platform that received the most likes from the public. A prize of QR3,000 was allocated to each winner, and the winners were announced in the celebration of the International Day of Creativity and Innovation.In conclusion, Abdullah Saeed said: "QYH aspires to advance young people in the field of tourism and in various ways of life, as tourism helps the individual in cultural, civilisational and intellectual exchange."

The Ministry of Culture’s (MoC) participation in Unesco’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Convention for the Preservation and Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, through a cultural heritage exhibition held from April 15 to 19 in Paris, provided an opportunity for visitors to learn about Qatari heritage.In this context, Simona Mirella Micolese, president of the Unesco General Conference, said: "In our celebration of the cultural heritage of Qatar, we also pay tribute to the richness of the cultural heritage of other member states from the Arabian Peninsula and beyond, which participate in these multinational nominations, as evidence of their common roots and human value."She thanked the Qatari MoC and the Permanent Delegation of Qatar to Unesco for the opportunity to share these touching moments.Vera al-Khoury, president of the Executive Board of Unesco, said: "Qatar displays its cultural assets and thriving arts to visitors who come from all over the world, through museums, monuments, markets and mosques. They experience this wonderful mixture of heritage, tradition and modernity."Lazar Assoumou, director of World Heritage at Unesco, said: "Unesco welcomes this opportunity to shed light on the richness and diversity of Qatar’s cultural heritage, which some of us have previously had the pleasure of knowing and visiting. Qatar, with its history spanning thousands of years, and its living culture, offers a rich and vibrant heritage that emerges from ancestral traditions, through art and knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation."The exhibition expressed the distinguished position that Qatar attaches to intangible cultural heritage, and its tireless work in preserving its heritage, as Qatar has hastened to register “The Majlis,” and “Arabic Coffee,” in the Representative List of the World Human Heritage by Unesco, and the MoC has been working with a group of countries for months to prepare the “Bisht” file to register it on the list as well.

The Qatar National Library (QNL) has announced on its website that it is hosting the 'Third Forum on Heritage Management: Digital Access and Artificial Intelligence Applications', on September 15-16, 2024. The forum aims to explore this important aspect of the digital transformation of archival materials and exchange experiences and ideas about it.Traditional archives around the world cover huge and increasing amounts of historical data and information, which poses great challenges in preserving them and making them available for sustainable use. Digital technology offers important opportunities to improve the management and accessibility of archives.The forum seeks to achieve the following objectives: To introduce the reality of digital documentary heritage within the broader international context and in Arab countries; Familiarise participants with models of digital repositories for documentary heritage in governmental and private institutions within the cultural sector in Arab countries; Explore future projects aimed at enhancing the reality of digital heritage in Arab countries as well as to build a collaborative community to support the digitisation of documentary heritage and facilitate its accessibility for researchers.The topics will revolve around exploring the paths of digital transformation and their potential implications for the future of traditional archives, examining models of digital repositories housing heritage resources within libraries, cultural institutions and heritage organisations. In addition, it will address the challenges posed by the digital era to heritage: identifying risks, devising overcoming mechanisms, and proposing solutions.It will also discuss the requirements to enhance the digitisation of heritage in Arab countries and outlining future perspectives and in enhancing digital information management for improved usability and accessibility of archives. It will also delve into the concept and reality of digital heritage, considering both theoretical and practical aspects in the context of the artificial intelligence (AI).Qatar National Library has invited those wishing to participate to submit the abstract of their contribution not exceeding one page by May 12, 2024.Participants will be notified of the acceptance of their abstracts no later than June 23, 2024. Research proposals are accepted in both Arabic and English. For more details visit the following website: https://events.qnl.qa/event/WLk2X/ENThe forum targets heritage and historical sources officials, directors of the archives, documents and rare sources sectors in various ministries, government and private institutions, officials of digitising documentary heritage in libraries and cultural institutions, and experts in archiving heritage materials and rare documents.

The Qatar National Library (QNL) has announced on its website that it is hosting the “Third Forum on Heritage Management: Digital Access and Artificial Intelligence Applications,” on September 15-16, 2024.The forum aims to explore this important aspect of the digital transformation of archival materials and exchange experiences and ideas about it. Traditional archives around the world cover huge and increasing amounts of historical data and information, which poses great challenges in preserving them and making them available for sustainable use. Digital technology offers important opportunities to improve the management and accessibility of archives.The forum seeks to achieve the following objectives: To introduce the reality of digital documentary heritage within the broader international context and in Arab countries; familiarise participants with models of digital repositories for documentary heritage in governmental and private institutions within the cultural sector in Arab countries; explore future projects aimed at enhancing the reality of digital heritage in Arab countries as well as to build a collaborative community to support the digitisation of documentary heritage and facilitate its accessibility for researchers.The topics will revolve around exploring the paths of digital transformation and their potential implications for the future of traditional archives, examining models of digital repositories housing heritage resources within libraries, cultural institutions and heritage organisations. In addition, it will address the challenges posed by the digital era to heritage: identifying risks, devising overcoming mechanisms, and proposing solutions. It will also discuss the requirements to enhance the digitisation of heritage in Arab countries and outlining future perspectives and in enhancing digital information management for improved usability and accessibility of archives. It will also delve into the concept and reality of digital heritage, considering both theoretical and practical aspects in the context of the artificial intelligence (AI).Qatar National Library has invited those wishing to participate to submit the abstract of their contribution not exceeding one page by May 12, 2024. Participants will be notified of the acceptance of their abstracts no later than June 23, 2024. Research proposals are accepted in both Arabic and English. For more details visit the following website: https://events.qnl.qa/event/WLk2X/ENThe forum targets heritage and historical sources officials, directors of the archives, documents and rare sources sectors in various ministries, government and private institutions, officials of digitising documentary heritage in libraries and cultural institutions, and experts in archiving heritage materials and rare documents.

Qatar is not only attractive for GCC visitors for family tourism but is also attracting more and more Europeans for the same brand and more.Gulf Times met Hungarian Janos Litvak, a mechanical engineer and a car enthusiast in trendy Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD), who is visiting Qatar with his family this time following his daughter Hanga Litvak’s visit last year to Doha and other touristic attractions.Janos Litvak said: “After seeing the photos and videos brought back by my daughter in addition to what I saw on TV, the level of security and cultural events during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, I decided with my wife Melinda Litvak-Balla that we should treat ourselves to a nice holiday in Qatar this year. We flew on Qatar Airways in a direct flight from Budapest to Doha and we were very pleased with the quality of the timely service, the excellent food and the entertainment on board as well as the games and presents given to my young son Janos (Junior) for whom it is a dream come true. Upon arrival at the airport (Hamad International Airport, HIA) we were immediately met by our hotel limousine service and we were nicely surprised by the warm welcome and that what is in the catalog matches the truth."Some hours later we are in MDD talking to Gulf Times. I can’t wait to see the sports cars exhibitions. I found Souq Waqif amazing, it is like in the movies about Arab traditional towns but it is well preserved, clean, and people and visitors are so relaxed and I love it. After a traditional dinner in Souq Waqif, we strolled to MDD.”His wife Melinda Litvak-Balla, a professional photographer said: “We like the eating options in Souq Waqif, the popular souvenir stalls and its arcades as it is nearby our hotel we will come back to enjoy the sight of the gleaming white mosques, and we are also going to visit the history museums housed in Arabic-style mansions. To learn about Qatari family life in Radwani House, I am looking forward to taking some beautiful photos. It is for this reason that we brought along my mother Katalin Balla, and father Sandor Balla, because they like history and Arabic traditional buildings. They are already thrilled with Souq Waqif and its wonderful souvenir and gold shops. We are also looking forward to our visit to the desert to get a camel ride, experience the dune bashing and hopefully see the sunset there.”Their daughter Hanga said: “I am very pleased to be back in Qatar, I love the atmosphere in Souq Waqif and MDD and the easy going lifestyle, people look very happy and relaxed, it is a unique experience for me. I am also looking forward to visit some of the malls for shopping, MIA, Qatar Museums but most importantly the beach and the desert for camel riding. I also love the falcon tradition here, these birds are amazing and I want to show them to my younger brother Janos and take him to the Sports Museum.”

During the blessed month of Ramadan after breaking their fast Muslims rush to mosques for Isha and Taraweeh prayers. They seek to perform the Salah in congregation led by an imam who knows the Holy Qur’an by heart and who masters the right tones of reciting the Qur’an.Gulf Times spoke to imam Abdulrahman al-Akbari who is leading Isha and Taraweeh prayers at Hussein bin Ali Kamal Mosque in Doha’s Al-Hilal area. He spoke about his journey with the Qur’an.Al-Akbari, who hails from Chahmuslim in Bastak, Sunni southern Fars Province, Iran, was invited by friends to lead the Isha and Taraweeh prayers. He went to Qur’anic school at the age of six and finished learning the Qur’an by heart at eight. Then in the preparatory, and secondary education he went on to reinforce his learning of the Qur’an.He said: "After I got my high school certificate, I was admitted to the Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Tehran University. I specialised in Tajweed (to perfect the reciting of the Qur’an) i.e. Hafs, al-Soussi, al-Duri recitations, as well as in Maqamat (tones), and scientific miracles in the Qur’an. Currently I run a Qur’anic school in Chahmuslim for boys and girls."He added: "The teaching of the Qur'an is based on its scientific miracles i.e. the use of numbers as well as the meanings of its words. For instance, children are taught to remember the number of Ayahs (verses) by mnemonics or prompts which are easy to remember. As the Holy Qur’an is divided into 30 parts, they are given this rule: To find in which page part 7 is, deduct one from seven, multiply 6X2= 12 add another 2 to the right of 12= 122. So part seven will begin on page 122. This helps them remember how to get quickly to the pages of the chapters or the parts they have learnt when revising or asked to revise or during tests or exams."Concerning the prompts about the meanings of the Holy Qur’an, for example, when we teach the chapter Surah Ya-Sin, we take its number in the order of chapters of the Qur’an i.e. 36, then the number of its Ayahs (verses) i.e. 83; multiply 36x83= 2,988 which is the exact number of Surat Ya-Sin’s letters in the Arabic version of the Qur’an. These prompts are also part of the miracles of numbers in the Qur’an. I love the Qur’an and teaching it, I get invited by many people in the region. I have been teaching for 27 years and I hope to keep at it until death,” concluded al-Akbari.

Ali bin Towar al-Kuwari, the 'Etqan' (Arabic for perfection) 3rd edition researcher and presenter on Qatar TV, gave an interview to the media and said that after the success of the 1st and 2nd editions, the Etqan 3rd edition was a challenge. Bin Towar said: “We were keen to present the programme in a distinctive form, unlike any other, by focusing on the future and what Qatar will be like, especially its great interest for future generations.” Bin Towar said that the programme was filmed on three continents. “Asia, Europe and North America, and we reached many innovating companies that led to changing the world, especially those who have partnerships with Qatar. We also introduced for the first time two basic elements, namely 'Etqan', a virtual character in which we relied on AI. He accompanied me in an interactive dialogue between me and him. It was integrated into this edition, and it can be developed during the coming ones.” It represents the second element after the bicycle, which attracts youth and excites them. Bin Towar valued the programme’s 46-strong work team. “The technical work crew is French, headed by Emmanuel Soler. He is famous in the world of photography.” He added: “The research team, consisting of 14 people focused over a period of 8 months purely on research.” He remembers that the first meeting of the entire work team was last August (2022), where he stressed to them the keenness to highlight “perfection” in all its forms. “So we were filming for approximately 17 hours a day, despite travelling for many long hours.” He pointed out that the “deep fake” episode is one of his distinctive episodes, as it was a prank for viewers, by presenting famous personalities, like Khaled Jassim, Abdullah al-Ghaferi. He highlighted another feature of the programme by asking whether anyone in the street has a desire to buy and own lands on Mars, and in the virtual world, “which are all worlds that are happening today. We monitored opinions about them, and we also raised 'alternative medicine,' and whether people have confidence in returning to it. It was filmed in hospitals in Korea, where we saw treatments by alternative medicine.” Regarding digital diplomacy and its role in enhancing Qatar’s international standing, Bin Towar said: "Qatar is one of the first countries to make great strides in the field of IT. The Executive Vice President of CISCO, a leading company in the field, has confirmed that Qatar is the most digital country in the world, as the Internet rate in Qatar has reached 94.1%, which is one of the highest global rates." The preview of this episode in English is available here. He added: "In the 'Etqan' programme, we filmed for the first time inside Microsoft, in a gesture that this company does not grant to others. This reception reflects Qatar’s soft power and its ability to be effective in international decisions in this sector." Bin Towar through the filming of 'Etqan' programme has learned closely about what Qatar offers to humanity, and its influential and inspiring role for many Arab scholars who have expressed their desire to be in Qatar as it has a stimulating environment for success and innovation. Bin Towar confirmed that the programme has received high viewership rates, according to a recent census. "We achieved 40% of what we aspire to achieve, and we aspire to more." Concerning the challenges, Bin Towar said it was “one of the most difficult seasons he has ever experienced, but with the support of the Qatar Media Corporation (QMC), all these challenges have been overcome." "The Corporation is a major supporter of the project, to the point that 'Etqan' has become its trademark. 'Etqan' continues to achieve many successes, and by following the programme’s 20 episodes, the direction to the future and the successes achieved will be sensed,” Bin Towar concluded. 'Etqan' programme episodes are being broadcast on Qatar TV at 6pm during Ramadan.

Turkish ambassador to Qatar Dr Mustafa Goksu held on Thursday at his residence an Iftar reception in honour of the media professionals in Qatar. On this occasion Dr Goksu valued the fruitful relations with the media and stressed the importance of their unremitting efforts made during the coverage of the war on Gaza calling on them to keep up this momentum to help our brothers in Gaza, until hopefully this war comes to an end. The Iftar reception was attended by Gulf Times Editor-in-Chief Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka, a number of editors from other publications, and media professionals.

HE the Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad al-Thani, opened the 3rd Seminar Season by honouring the Qatari poet and diplomat Dr Hassan al-Naama, in recognition of his contribution to literature and poetry, and to consolidate the value of intellectuals in building the nation’s cultural identity.Dr al-Naama read his most recent poem, which was followed by a Nabati poetry evening in which the Qatari poet Saleh al-Nashira and the Kuwaiti poet Mazyad al-Wasmi were presented by journalist Ahmad al-Abdullah.The activities of the Seminar Season started Wednesday evening at the Sheraton Hotel, organised by the Ministry of Culture from March 6 to 9, with the participation of intellectuals, creators, thinkers, poets and media professionals from inside and outside Qatar.The season aims to enrich the cultural scene, to encourage creators, intellectuals and poets. As well as providing an incubating environment that embodies the cultural movement and expands the circle of comprehensive culture. The academic and novelist Dr Ahmed Abdelmalik attributed the importance of the Seminar Season to the fact that it creates an environment suitable for a culture of dialogue and reception.On the sideline of the poetic evening Dr al-Naama told Gulf Times that he was happy to be honoured. On the publication of his poetry collection, he said that he already published a first instalment at the opening of the Katara Publishing House. Pointing that “it is very big because I started writing poems about the Qatari history and events from the 1950’s up to date. I wrote many poems so it takes time to edit them prior to their publication, but a selection of poems was already published in one volume.”With regard to the young generations of poets Dr al-Naama said: “They have to work hard in order to be distinguished, literature is very important, so you have to give people food for their brain.”

A number of directors and heads of delegations participating in the 8th meeting of the GCC Standing Committee for Media Training Officials have confirmed that there is interest in training a new generation of broadcasters, editors and photographers to establish a consistent technical structure between the radio and television agencies of member states.They pointed out that the meeting contributes to strengthening co-operation between the GCC countries, learning about the state-of-the-art developments in the media sector, and intensifying co-operation in the field of joint radio and television production because of the strategic dimension it represents in media relations between the GCC countries, as well as in achieving distinguished programme production.Majri bin Mubarak al-Qahtani, director general of the Gulf Radio and Television Corporation, confirmed to the media that the agency aims to strengthen joint Gulf media work, in order to invest in youth and talents, and to create a new generation of young people capable of highlighting the Gulf identity and historical status.Al-Qahtani thanked HE Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Thani al-Thani, CEO of the Qatar Media Corporation (QMC), for his efforts in strengthening Gulf co-operation at the media level. He said that there is a strategy to provide qualitative training in line with the requirements of this stage and the challenges of the future, such as crisis management, artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity and other fields that qualify the youth to keep pace with the new media.Nasser al-Jaber, director of the Human Resources Department at QMC, indicated that this meeting aims to achieve integration between the media agencies in the co-operation countries, and to open channels of co-operation between media institutions. He also indicated that there is interest in training a new generation of media professionals to establish a consistent technical structure between the radio and television channels of the member states. Al-Jaber said programme production between the GCC countries is ongoing and has not stopped, and indicated that there is a plan to provide distinguished programme production by the end of this year.Maryam Swailam, head of the Training Center at QMC confirmed that media training at the Gulf Radio and Television Agency began after its approval at the meeting of information ministers of the GCC countries, held in the Sultanate of Oman on October 9, 2002. Since 2005, the agency has begun organising specialised training courses for staff in member institutions in the GCC countries. During this period, 62 courses were offered for 1,659 trainees from the GCC countries, including 181 Qatari trainees. Noting that this 8th meeting of the Standing Committee for Media Training Officials seeks to continue the joint media work that all media training officials in the ministries and organisations of the Arab Gulf states aspire to.Rasha al-Shajari, assistant director of the Development and Training Department at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information, said that this meeting contributes to strengthening co-operation between the GCC countries and learning about the state-of-the-art developments in the media sector. In addition to achieving distinguished programme production and distinguished awareness programmes at a cost distributed among six countries instead of one country. She revealed the readiness of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information to offer a course in the field of radio and television drama production.Asiya al-Balushi, director general of the Media Training Center in the Sultanate of Oman, explained that this meeting discussed ways and prospects for enhancing co-operation in the field of media training among the GCC countries. It was also noted that the Media Training Center in Oman had previously implemented many training programmes in co-operation with Gulf Radio and Television and member states. The most important of this was a course on applying artificial intelligence and employing it in media fields, and how to generate and create media content, in addition to ways of dealing with misleading news.