Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission Signs Executive Program with China NPPA

The program will encourage the two parties to build bridges of culture, enrich content, and strengthen literary cooperation - SPA
The program will encourage the two parties to build bridges of culture, enrich content, and strengthen literary cooperation - SPA
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Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission Signs Executive Program with China NPPA

The program will encourage the two parties to build bridges of culture, enrich content, and strengthen literary cooperation - SPA
The program will encourage the two parties to build bridges of culture, enrich content, and strengthen literary cooperation - SPA

The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission signed an executive program with the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) in China, for cooperation in the fields of translation, literature and publishing, and translation of prominent classic literature books from Arabic language into Chinese language and vice-versa, and publishing them in both friendly countries.The signing ceremony of the executive program took place at the Riyadh International Book Fair 2023, which is organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission under the theme "Inspirational Destination" at King Saud University in Riyadh from September 28 to October 7, SPA reported.

The program will encourage the two parties to build bridges of culture, enrich content, and strengthen literary cooperation between the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission and the National Press and Publication Administration in China in a way that serves the sector and contributes to the development of cultural exchange between the Saudi and Chinese peoples.The program also reflects the keenness of the Ministry of Culture to promote international cultural exchange as one of the strategic goals of Saudi Vision 2023.



UN Rights Office Warns of Israel’s Threat to Baalbek, Other Archaeological Sites in Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area on the outskirts of the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek in the Bekaa valley on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area on the outskirts of the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek in the Bekaa valley on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
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UN Rights Office Warns of Israel’s Threat to Baalbek, Other Archaeological Sites in Lebanon

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area on the outskirts of the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek in the Bekaa valley on October 31, 2024. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area on the outskirts of the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek in the Bekaa valley on October 31, 2024. (AFP)

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday expressed alarm over “the continuing grave impact” of Israeli military operations on civilians and civilian targets in Lebanon, including the destruction of places of worship and risks posed to invaluable archaeological sites.

The office said that since Israel’s air force ordered the northeastern Lebanese city of Baalbek evacuated, airstrike that followed have “come perilously close” to the ancient Roman-era temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Destruction of cultural heritage “depletes the historical and cultural identity of the communities it represents,” it said.

The sites destroyed or severely damaged so far include mosques in the southern villages of Yaroun, Maroun el-Ras, Blida, and Kfar Tibnit, OHCHR said, adding that a Melkite Greek Catholic church in the port city of Tyre was also damaged in early October.

Civilian objects, buildings dedicated to religion and other sites of cultural significance are protected from attack under international humanitarian law unless they become military objectives, the office said.

It stressed that should the sites lose their protection, any attacks upon them must still comply with the principles of proportionality and precaution, and that all parties to the conflict should take special care to avoid damage to buildings dedicated to religion or other sites of cultural or historical significance.