Bahrain Announces Arabic Literary Contest for Book Fair 2020

Photo taken from Arabic website
Photo taken from Arabic website
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Bahrain Announces Arabic Literary Contest for Book Fair 2020

Photo taken from Arabic website
Photo taken from Arabic website

The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities announced the Kingdom’s 2020 award for authors, noting that it will be handed out at the upcoming edition of its Bahrain International Book Fair, which is slated for March next year.

Saying the contest was open for registration, the authority said the prize was dedicated for all writers and researchers in Kuwait under the title “creative work in poetry or novel.”

It also confirmed that the award shows the Authority’s dedication towards preserving and growing national literary wealth through encouraging publications of all sorts, scientific research included.

Each year, the Authority picks a field theme and runs the prize accordingly. Nominated works undergo a highly selective process led by a panel of specialists.

“Works presented from Kuwait should be handed over to the Embassy of Bahrain within the specified period for registration, which lasts till the end of December, whereby the winner will be announced at the next Bahrain International Book Fair,” the Authority said in a released statement.

Knowing that each edition is run according to theme, not all Arab authors are allowed to partake in the competition. Non-compliant works are automatically rejected.

Conditions mandate that submitted works need to be produced less than two years ahead of the Fair. Participating publications need to abide to known principles and rules of scientific research, authoring methods and ethics.

The literature needs to be authentic and innovative in expressing new ideas and visions. It needs to have not won any Arab prize before as well.

Authors must present five official copies of their work written in Classical Arabic. Use of any modern dialectic linguistics will disqualify the work.



Japan's Space Agency Halts Epsilon S Rocket Engine Test after Fire

Smoke and fire is seen during a combustion test of an engine for a new small Japanese rocket Epsilon S at Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Smoke and fire is seen during a combustion test of an engine for a new small Japanese rocket Epsilon S at Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Japan's Space Agency Halts Epsilon S Rocket Engine Test after Fire

Smoke and fire is seen during a combustion test of an engine for a new small Japanese rocket Epsilon S at Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Smoke and fire is seen during a combustion test of an engine for a new small Japanese rocket Epsilon S at Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan's space agency aborted an engine test for the Epsilon S rocket on Tuesday following a fire at the test site, a failure that could push the rocket's debut launch beyond the March-end target and cause further delays in the national space program.
An explosion could be heard and a blaze could be seen shortly after the ground combustion test started at the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, according to footage from public broadcaster NHK.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the engine test encountered a "combustion abnormality" 49 seconds after the ignition. It said there was no indication of injury or damage to the outside facility, Reuters reported.
"JAXA will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the problem and consider countermeasures," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press briefing.
Hayashi, the top government spokesperson, said rocket development is "extremely important" to ensure the autonomy of Japan's space program.
JAXA partnered with the aerospace unit of heavy machinery maker IHI to develop Epsilon S, the next generation in the Epsilon solid-fuel small rocket series. Shares in IHI were down as much as 6% in Tokyo trade. An IHI Aerospace spokesperson said the company is investigating the cause.
Epsilon S's debut flight was slated by the end of the fiscal year through March 31 depending on the success of Tuesday's engine test.
The test was conducted after previous failures triggered months of investigation that have delayed space missions and satellite launch plans.
In July last year, an Epsilon S engine test failed due to thermal damage to its ignition systems. That followed a launch failure in 2022.
JAXA's larger flagship rocket H3, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, failed at its first launch last year but has succeeded in three flights this year, launching Japanese satellites and winning orders including from French satellite operator Eutelsat.
The H3 and Epsilon S are central to JAXA's ambition to build cost-competitive rockets amid the rise of American commercial launch providers such as market leader SpaceX and small rocket maker Rocket Lab.
In the private sector, IHI-backed Space One is set to attempt the second launch of its Kairos small rocket on Dec. 14 after the first flight exploded in March. It aims to become the first Japanese business to put a satellite in orbit.