Riyadh International Book Fair 2019 to Feature over 900 Publishing Houses

The Riyadh International Book Fair 2019 will kick off on Wednesday. (SPA)
The Riyadh International Book Fair 2019 will kick off on Wednesday. (SPA)
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Riyadh International Book Fair 2019 to Feature over 900 Publishing Houses

The Riyadh International Book Fair 2019 will kick off on Wednesday. (SPA)
The Riyadh International Book Fair 2019 will kick off on Wednesday. (SPA)

The Riyadh International Book Fair 2019, one of the region’s largest cultural events and slotted for March 13-23, is set to witness the vast participation of over 900 Saudi, Arab and foreign publishing houses representing 30 countries.

For the first time, the event will be honoring seven leading Saudi filmmakers: Saad Khadr, Ibrahim Al Qadi, Khalil Al Rawaf, Saad Al Freih, Abdullah Al Muhaisen, Haifa Al Mansour and Ibrahim Al Hasawi.

The exhibition will also celebrate late Saudi writer and poet Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, as the Arab poet of the year for 2019. Gosaibi was named in consensus by a number of Arab Culture Ministers.

Saudi General Supervisor of Cultural Affairs Abdullah al-Kanani said the fair will officially open its doors on Wednesday.

Starting Thursday, it will be open to visitors from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.

According to Kanani, the Riyadh International Book Fair is split into two main wings: cultural and media.

Featuring multi-sector participation, the fair also enjoys the support of Saudi Media Minister Turki Al-Shabanah.

Noting that this year's guest of honor is the Kingdom of Bahrain, Kanani said the Gulf state will take part in over 13 cultural activities.

According to Kanani, the fair has slotted some 1,465 publishing houses, institutions and independent entities, bringing the number of participants up to 1,750 hailing from 30 Arab and foreign countries.

Recognizing the Riyadh International Book Fair as an iconic event for Arab exhibitions, he said it has become a “preferred destination for both publishers and readers.”

A total of 267 authors will hold book-signing events.

He also announced that the 2019 Book Awards will be announced on the sidelines of the fair.

The exhibition will also include a pavilion dedicated to Saudi Vision 2030 and displays for the NEOM, Red Sea and Qiddiya mega projects.



Hundreds of Firefighters Battling Wildfire in Southern France

An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
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Hundreds of Firefighters Battling Wildfire in Southern France

An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)

Nearly 1,000 firefighters and helicopters battled a wildfire about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of France's second-largest city Marseille on Friday, but officials said lower temperatures and increased humidity had improved the situation.

The 240-hectare (593 acres) wildfire flared up a week after a separate conflagration reached the northwestern outskirts of Marseille, forcing people to evacuate or into lockdown and temporarily shuttering the area's airport.

Pierre Bepoix, the colonel of rescue operations and deputy director for the area's firefighters, said 150 people had been evacuated, but firefighters had managed to save 150 homes and portions of the area's forests.

"It was a fire that swept through relatively dense vegetation ... which made our work particularly complicated," Bepoix told Reuters. "Obviously, priority was given to the preservation and protection of these homes and the lives that could be in these buildings."

Local officials said in a statement that 120 homes had been threatened by the fire, adding that it was not possible yet to identify any possible damage to them, and that two firefighters had been injured.

Meanwhile in Spain, a wildfire that broke out on Thursday evening in the central Toledo province and could be seen from downtown Madrid, ravaged 3,200 hectares of woodland.

Regional emergency services said early on Friday firefighters had secured the perimeter, though there were concerns over strong winds and high temperatures forecast throughout the day.