UAE Culture Ministry Partners with Publishing Entities to Support Grant Program

The UAE's Ministry of Culture has announced a collaboration with four publishing entities to empower and support creators within the National Grant Program for Culture and Creativity. WAM
The UAE's Ministry of Culture has announced a collaboration with four publishing entities to empower and support creators within the National Grant Program for Culture and Creativity. WAM
TT

UAE Culture Ministry Partners with Publishing Entities to Support Grant Program

The UAE's Ministry of Culture has announced a collaboration with four publishing entities to empower and support creators within the National Grant Program for Culture and Creativity. WAM
The UAE's Ministry of Culture has announced a collaboration with four publishing entities to empower and support creators within the National Grant Program for Culture and Creativity. WAM

The Ministry of Culture has announced its collaboration with the Emirates Literature Foundation, Kalimat Group, Fiker Institute and Magrudy Enterprises to empower and support creators within the National Grant Program for Culture and Creativity, launched by the Ministry last year, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported Thursday.

“The initiative aligns with the UAE's commitment to developing and sustaining its cultural and creative sectors, and to capitalize on investment opportunities in creators who play a pivotal role in building a sustainable creative economy for future generations,” WAM said.

“Under these agreements, the four leading and prestigious entities in the field of literature will work to increase the impact of the program by creating opportunities to support its beneficiaries and introduce their work on local and international platforms within the cultural and creative industries sector, thus achieving sustainable impact,” the news agency added.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture Mubarak Al Nakhi stressed the importance of signing partnership agreements with authorship and publishing institutions.

He said the agreements facilitate the exchange of expertise, enable access to specialists' experience, support the sector's growth sustainably, empower talented writers, including those with unique perspectives and distinguished literary works, and inspire them to pursue further creativity and innovation.

This will support the cultural movement and scene in the UAE and achieve its goals and strategies in spreading knowledge and culture and empowering creators with all tools and means, he added.



2,000-year-old Statue is Found Abandoned in Garbage Bag in Greece

The Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill as smoke from a wildfire is seen in the village of Varnava blankets Athens, Greece, August 11, 2024. REUTERS/Elias Marcou
The Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill as smoke from a wildfire is seen in the village of Varnava blankets Athens, Greece, August 11, 2024. REUTERS/Elias Marcou
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2,000-year-old Statue is Found Abandoned in Garbage Bag in Greece

The Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill as smoke from a wildfire is seen in the village of Varnava blankets Athens, Greece, August 11, 2024. REUTERS/Elias Marcou
The Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill as smoke from a wildfire is seen in the village of Varnava blankets Athens, Greece, August 11, 2024. REUTERS/Elias Marcou

A marble statue of a woman believed to be more than 2,000 years old was found abandoned in a garbage bag near the Greek city of Thessaloniki, police said Wednesday.

A resident discovered the 80-centimeter (31-inch) headless statue beside a trash bin in Neoi Epivates, outside Greece’s second-largest city. The man turned it over to local authorities, who contacted archaeologists to assess its significance.

Police said experts, following an initial evaluation, determined the piece dates to the Hellenistic era, a period roughly between 320 and 30 B.C. that was marked by a flourishing of art and culture following the conquests of Alexander the Great, The AP reported.

The statue was sent for further examination by archaeologists. It will ultimately be handed over to the local antiquities authority for preservation and study.

Police opened an investigation to determine who discarded the statue and briefly detained a man for questioning who was later released without charge.

Accidental archaeological discoveries are relatively common in Greece, a country renowned for its ancient heritage, and often made during building construction or public works. In December, workers installing natural gas pipelines near Athens uncovered a Roman-era statue of Hermes buried upright in a brick-lined pit near the Acropolis.

Thessaloniki weeks ago unveiled a trove of antiquities found during the decades-long construction of its metro system, which officially opened in November. Key finds, including a marble-paved Roman thoroughfare and tens of thousands of artifacts spanning the Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods, are now showcased at subway stations.