Saudi Culture Ministry Launches Logo Design for ‘Dar Al-Qalam’ Competition

Saudi Culture Ministry Launches Logo Design for ‘Dar Al-Qalam’ Competition
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Saudi Culture Ministry Launches Logo Design for ‘Dar Al-Qalam’ Competition

Saudi Culture Ministry Launches Logo Design for ‘Dar Al-Qalam’ Competition

The Saudi Ministry of Culture has launched a competition to design a logo for the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy, "Dar Al-Qalam".

It is open for all interested designers, calligraphers and artists, and the winning logo will receive a prize of up to SR100,000 ($27,000).

In its statement, the ministry said the competition’s main goal is to choose the best logo for Dar Al-Qalam. But it also aims at establishing an educational and developmental environment for artists and calligraphers, and founding a creative community.

The competition includes three phases starting with open registration on the competition’s website; sorting and qualification of applications, assessing primary proposals, and holding many workshops and seminars with experts in this field; and finally, the presentations of final contestants before the jury and selection of the winning logo.

The ministry noted that the competition comes in light of the Life Quality Initiatives, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 programs, and as part of the ministry’s efforts to help Dra Al-Qalam achieve its strategic goals to enhance calligraphy, provide a cultural and educational environment that meets the best local and global practices that bolster international cultural exchange, and support experts and talented in the field.



Drought Has Dried Major Amazon River Tributary to Lowest Level in over 122 Years

 A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
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Drought Has Dried Major Amazon River Tributary to Lowest Level in over 122 Years

 A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)

One of the Amazon River's main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, Brazil's geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.

The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 meters on Friday, as compared with a normal level of about 21 meters. It is the lowest since measurements started 122 years ago.

The previous record low level was recorded last year, but toward the end of October.

The Negro River's water level might drop even more in coming weeks based on forecasts for low rainfall in upstream regions, according to the geological service's predictions.

Andre Martinelli, the agency's hydrology manager in Manaus, was quoted as saying the river was expected to continue receding until the end of the month.

Water levels in Brazil's Amazon always rise and fall with its rainy and dry seasons, but the dry portion of this year has been much worse than usual.

All of the major rivers in the Amazon basin are at critical levels, including the Madeira River, the Amazon River's longest tributary.

The Negro River drains about 10% of the Amazon basin and is the world's sixth-largest by water volume. Manaus, the biggest city in the rainforest, is where the Negro joins the Amazon River.

For locals, the drought has made basic daily activities impossible. Gracita Barbosa, 28, works as a cashier on a floating shop on the Negro River.

She's out of work because boats that once stopped there can no longer navigate the river due to the low water levels.

Barbosa can no longer bathe in the river and now has to travel longer distances to collect drinking water.