Deputy Foreign Minister Launches 5th Meeting of Arab-Chinese Library, Information Experts

The session's theme centred on "Library Services Transformation Amidst Changing Information Environments." - SPA
The session's theme centred on "Library Services Transformation Amidst Changing Information Environments." - SPA
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Deputy Foreign Minister Launches 5th Meeting of Arab-Chinese Library, Information Experts

The session's theme centred on "Library Services Transformation Amidst Changing Information Environments." - SPA
The session's theme centred on "Library Services Transformation Amidst Changing Information Environments." - SPA

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim El-Khereiji inaugurated the 5th session of the Arab-Chinese Library and Information Experts' meeting on Tuesday as part of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF).

The session's theme centred on "Library Services Transformation Amidst Changing Information Environments."

The opening ceremony saw the presence of General Supervisor of King Abdulaziz Public Library (KAPL) Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar, Arab League ambassador Hala Jad, and experts from Arab and Chinese backgrounds.

During his opening speech, the General Supervisor of KAPL stated that the 5th meeting, held in Saudi Arabia at the request of the Arab League, aimed to activate cooperation mechanisms in library and data fields. Its goal was to amplify its role in enriching digital content within Arabic and Chinese libraries.

Deputy Director of the National Library of China Zhang Jun expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for hosting the meeting.

He highlighted the digital transformation achievements of Chinese libraries and advocated for intensified future cooperation among Arab and Chinese libraries.



UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
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UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File

The Saint Hilarion complex, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, has been put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in danger due to the war in Gaza, the body said Friday.
UNESCO said the site, which dates back to the fourth century, had been put on the endangered list at the demand of Palestinian authorities and cited the "imminent threats" it faced.
"It's the only recourse to protect the site from destruction in the current context," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, told AFP, referring to the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
In December, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict decided to grant "provisional enhanced protection" -- the highest level of immunity established by the 1954 Hague Convention -- to the site.
UNESCO had then said it was "already concerned about the state of conservation of sites, before October 7, due to the lack of adequate policies to protect heritage and culture" in Gaza.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.