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Arab Booker Longlist Announced

Authors on the IPAF list: (left to right): Antoine Douaihy (Lebanon), Dima Wannous (Syria), and Amin Zaoui (Algeria) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Authors on the IPAF list: (left to right): Antoine Douaihy (Lebanon), Dima Wannous (Syria), and Amin Zaoui (Algeria) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Arab Booker Longlist Announced

Authors on the IPAF list: (left to right): Antoine Douaihy (Lebanon), Dima Wannous (Syria), and Amin Zaoui (Algeria) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Authors on the IPAF list: (left to right): Antoine Douaihy (Lebanon), Dima Wannous (Syria), and Amin Zaoui (Algeria) (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) announced on Wednesday the long-list of 16 novels in contention for the 2018 Prize. The novels selected were chosen from 124 entries from 14 countries, all published between July 2016 and June 2017 by a panel of five judges chaired by Jordanian academic, critic, poet, novelist and playwright Ibrahim Al Saafin.

This year's list witnessed the first appearance of: Shahad al-Rawi, Walid al-Shurafa, Ahmed Abdel Latif, Rasha Adly, Aziz Mohammed, Amjad Nasser, Dima Wannous and Hussein Yassin.

Some of the authors on the 2018 long-list is as follows: "Christina" for Atef Abu Saif (Palestine) published by Dar al-Ahlia, "The Last Country" for Antoine Douaihy (Lebanon) by Arab Scientific Publishers, "al-Najdi" for Taleb al-Refai (Kuwait) by That al-Salasil, "Leg Over Leg - in the Sighting of the Lovers' Crescent " for Amin Zaoui (Algeria) by al-Ikhtilef, "Flowers Consumed by Fire" for Amir Tag Elsir (Sudan) by Dar al-Saqi, "Heir of the Tombstones" for Walid al-Shurafa (Palestine) by Dar al-Ahlia, "The Earthen Fortress" for Ahmad Abdel Latif (Egypt) by Dar al-Ain, "The Black Peacock" for Hamid al-Nazir (Sudan) by Medad, and"Ali, the Story of an Honourable Man" for Hussein Yassin (Palestine) by Dar al-Ruaat

Of the 16 authors chosen, three have been shortlisted for the Prize previously – Atef Abu Saif (2015, A Suspended Life); Amir Tag Elsir (2011, The Grub Hunter); and Ibrahim Nasrallah (2009, Time of White Horses). Tag Elsir and Nasrallah have also been longlisted and served as mentors on the Prize’s Nadwa – an annual writing workshop for talented, emerging writers.

Five of this year’s writers have been long-listed before: Antoine Douaihy, Taleb al-Refai, Amin Zaoui, Fadi Azzam, and Hamed al-Nazir.

Saudi Arabian author Aziz Mohammed and Iraqi Shahad al-Rawi, are the two youngest authors long-listed with their debut novels. Rawi’s novel "Baghdad Clock" has already been translated into English and is due to be published by "Oneworld Publications" this year.

The 2018 judges includes, alongside Ibrahim al-Saafin, an Algerian academic, translator, novelist and poet Inam Bioud, Slovenian writer and translator Barbara Skubic, Palestinian short story writer and novelist Mahmoud Shukair, and Sudanese-English writer and novelist Jamal Mahjoub .

Chair of Judges Ibrahim al-Saafin commented on the long-list saying that novels varied on the long-list between realistic, fantastical, historical and social, but all in their different ways tackling Arab reality and the challenges faced by Arab societies on political, cultural and human levels, as well as grappling with questions of identity.

"They bring to life the tragic distortions and dreams of these societies, delving deep into the past to throw light on current issues," added Saafin.

The shortlist will be announced in February and the winner will be announced at an awards ceremony held in Abu Dhabi on April 24, the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Each candidate of the six shortlisted finalists will receive $10,000, with a further $50,000 will be given to the winner.

Last year’s winner of the prize was "A Small Death" by Saudi author Mohammed Hasan Alwan.

The most prominent prize aims to promote the international reach of Arabic fiction as it provides funding for English translation for its winners.

This year, Hoopoe Fiction will publish in English winner of 2016 prize Rabai al-Madhoun’s "Destinies: Concerto of the Holocaust and al-Nakba", along with 2014 winner Ahmed Saadawi’s "Frankenstein in Baghdad" by Oneworld in the UK and Penguin Books in the US.

Other winners already available in English include Baha Taher’s "Sunset Oasis" in 2009 and Youssef Ziedan’s Azazeel" in 2012. English translations of Abdo Khal’s "Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles" and Mohammed Achaari’s "The Arch and the Butterfly" were published in 2014. Saud Alsanousi’s "The Bamboo Stalk" was published in 2015 and Raja Alem’s novel, "The Dove’s Necklace" in 2016.

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Varieties

17th Century Wreck Reappears from Stockholm Deep

The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
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17th Century Wreck Reappears from Stockholm Deep

The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)

A 17th century Swedish Navy shipwreck buried underwater in central Stockholm for 400 years has suddenly become visible due to unusually low Baltic Sea levels.

The wooden planks of the ship's well-preserved hull have since early February been peeking out above the surface of the water off the island of Kastellholmen, providing a clear picture of its skeleton.

"We have a shipwreck here, which was sunk on purpose by the Swedish Navy," Jim Hansson, a marine archeologist at Stockholm's Vrak - Museum of Wrecks, told AFP.

Hansson said experts believe that after serving in the navy, the ship was sunk around 1640 to use as a foundation for a new bridge to the island of Kastellholmen.

Archeologists have yet to identify the exact ship, as it is one of five similar wrecks lined up in the same area to form the bridge, all dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

"This is a solution, instead of using new wood you can use the hull itself, which is oak" to build the bridge, Hansson said.

"We don't have shipworm here in the Baltic that eats the wood, so it lasts, as you see, for 400 years," he said, standing in front of the wreck.

Parts of the ship had already broken the surface in 2013, but never before has it been as visible as it is now, as the waters of the Baltic Sea reach their lowest level in about 100 years, according to the archaeologist.

"There has been a really long period of high pressure here around our area in the Nordics. So the water from the Baltic has been pushed out to the North Sea and the Atlantic," Hansson explained.

A research program dubbed "the Lost Navy" is underway to identify and precisely date the large number of Swedish naval shipwrecks lying on the bottom of the Baltic.

Varieties

China Has Slashed Air Pollution, but the ‘War’ Isn’t Over 

This picture taken on February 11, 2026 shows pedestrians walking along an overpass as traffic snarls in Beijing. (AFP)
This picture taken on February 11, 2026 shows pedestrians walking along an overpass as traffic snarls in Beijing. (AFP)
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China Has Slashed Air Pollution, but the ‘War’ Isn’t Over 

This picture taken on February 11, 2026 shows pedestrians walking along an overpass as traffic snarls in Beijing. (AFP)
This picture taken on February 11, 2026 shows pedestrians walking along an overpass as traffic snarls in Beijing. (AFP)

Fifteen years ago, Beijing's Liangma riverbanks would have been smog-choked and deserted in winter, but these days they are dotted with families and exercising pensioners most mornings.

The turnaround is the result of a years-long campaign that threw China's state power behind policies like moving factories and electrifying vehicles, to improve some of the world's worst air quality.

Pollution levels in many Chinese cities still top the World Health Organization's (WHO) limits, but they have fallen dramatically since the "airpocalypse" days of the past.

"It used to be really bad," said Zhao, 83, soaking up the sun by the river with friends.

"Back then when there was smog, I wouldn't come out," she told AFP, declining to give her full name.

These days though, the air is "very fresh".

Since 2013, levels of PM2.5 -- small particulate that can enter the lungs and bloodstream -- have fallen 69.8 percent, Beijing municipality said in January.

Particulate pollution fell 41 percent nationwide in the decade from 2014, and average life expectancy has increased 1.8 years, according to the University of Chicago's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI).

China's rapid development and heavy coal use saw air quality decline dramatically by the 2000s, especially when cold winter weather trapped pollutants close to the ground.

There were early attempts to tackle the issue, including installing desulphurization technology at coal power plants, while factory shutdowns and traffic control improved the air quality for events like the 2008 Olympics.

But the impact was short-lived, and the problem worsened.

- Action plan -

Public awareness grew, heightened by factors like the US embassy in Beijing making monitoring data public.

By 2013, several international schools had installed giant inflatable domes around sport facilities to protect students.

That year, multiple episodes of prolonged haze shrouded Chinese cities, with one in October bringing northeastern Harbin to a standstill for days as PM2.5 levels hit 40 times the WHO's then-recommended standard.

The phrase "I'm holding your hand, but I can't see your face" took off online.

Later that year, an eight-year-old became the country's youngest lung cancer patient, with doctors directly blaming pollution.

As concerns mounted, China's ruling Communist Party released a ten-point action plan, declaring "a war against pollution".

It led to expanded monitoring, improved factory technology and the closure or relocation of coal plants and mines.

In big cities, vehicles were restricted and the groundwork was laid for widespread electrification.

For the first time, "quantitative air quality improvement goals for key regions within a clear time limit" were set, a 2016 study noted.

These targets were "the most important measure", said Bluetech Clean Air Alliance director Tonny Xie, whose non-profit worked with the government on the plan.

"At that time, there were a lot of debates about whether we can achieve it, because (they were) very ambitious," he told AFP.

The policy targeted several key regions, where PM2.5 levels fell rapidly between 2013 and 2017, and the approach was expanded nationwide afterwards.

"Everybody, I think, would agree that this is a miracle that was achieved in China," Xie said.

China's success is "entirely" responsible for a decline in global pollution since 2014, AQLI said last summer.

- 'Low-hanging fruits' gone -

Still, in much of China the air remains dangerous to breathe by WHO standards.

This winter, Chinese cities, including financial hub Shanghai, were regularly among the world's twenty most polluted on monitoring site IQAir.

Linda Li, a running coach who has lived in both Beijing and Shanghai, said air quality has improved, but she still loses up to seven running days to pollution in a good month.

A top environment official last year said China aimed to "basically eliminate severe air pollution by 2025", but the government did not respond when AFP asked if that goal had been met.

Official 2025 data found nationwide average PM2.5 concentrations decreased 4.4 percent on-year.

Eighty-eight percent of days featured "good" air quality.

However, China's current definition of "good" is PM2.5 levels of under 35 micrograms per cubic meter, significantly higher than the WHO's recommended five micrograms.

China wants to tighten the standard to 25 by 2035.

The last five years have also seen pollution reduction slow.

The "low-hanging fruits" are gone, said Chengcheng Qiu from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Qiu's research suggests pollution is shifting west as heavy industry relocates to regions like Xinjiang, and that some cities in China have seen double-digit percentage increases in PM2.5 in the last five years.

"They can't just stop all industrial production. They need to find cleaner ways to produce the output," Qiu said.

There is hope for that, given China's status as a renewable energy powerhouse, with coal generation falling in 2025.

"Cleaner air ultimately rests on one clear direction," said Qiu.

"Move beyond fossil fuels and let clean energy power the next stage of development."

Varieties

Sydney Man Jailed for Mailing Reptiles in Popcorn Bags 

Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania. (AFP file)
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania. (AFP file)
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Sydney Man Jailed for Mailing Reptiles in Popcorn Bags 

Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania. (AFP file)
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania. (AFP file)

A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said Tuesday.

The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said.

A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole period of five years and four months.

Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from seized parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania, the officials said in a statement.

The animals -- including shingleback lizards, western blue-tongue lizards, bearded dragons and southern pygmy spiny-tailed skinks -- were posted in 15 packages between 2018 and 2023.

"Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women's handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes," the statement said.

The smuggler had attempted to get others to post the animals on his behalf but was identified by government investigators and the New South Wales police, it added.

Three other people were convicted for taking part in the crime.

The New South Wales government's environment department said that "the illegal wildlife trade is not a victimless crime", harming conservation and stripping the state "and Australia of its unique biodiversity".