King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Receives IUCN Administrative Classification Accreditation

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
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King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority Receives IUCN Administrative Classification Accreditation

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve has been accredited by the International Union for Conservation of Nature for meeting international administrative classification standards.

The accreditation is a significant endorsement, qualifying the reserve to be included among efficiently managed and effective natural reserves.

Through its strategies, the authority seeks to preserve the valuables of the reserve and reinstate its environmental balance. It also works on protecting the environment and nature in accordance with the best international practices to ensure a sustainable environment for today and tomorrow’s generations as pledged by the Saudi Vision 2030, and the Saudi Green Initiative.

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is the largest wildlife reserve in the Middle East and Asia, and is characterized with its geographic and historic diversity.

Covering over 130,000 sq. km, the reserve is the fourth-largest protected area in the world and the largest in the Middle East. It spans four administrative regions: Al-Jawf, Hail, Tabuk, and the Northern Borders, and includes UNESCO-listed historical sites like Jubbah, with origins dating back over 8,000 years BC.



Elizabeth Strout, Miranda July are Among Finalists for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
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Elizabeth Strout, Miranda July are Among Finalists for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

American authors Elizabeth Strout and Miranda July are among finalists announced Wednesday for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, alongside four debut novelists exploring the search for freedom in different countries and cultures.

Pulitzer Prize winner Strout’s Maine-set mystery novel “Tell Me Everything” and writer'-filmmaker July’s “All Fours,” in which a “semi-famous artist” seeks a new life, are shortlisted for the 30,000 pound ($39,000) prize. It's open to female English-language writers from any country.

The contenders also include Dutch writer Yael van der Wouden’s postwar story “The Safekeep” and German-born poet Aria Aber’s novel “Good Girl,” about a teenager exploring her dual German-Afghan heritage.

Also on the list are Iran-born writer Sanam Mahloudji’s intergenerational family saga “The Persians,” and “Fundamentally” by Britain's Nussaibah Younis, about an academic trying to rehabilitate women caught up with ISIS, The AP news reported.

Author Kit de Waal, who is chairing the panel of judges, said that the six books were “classics of the future” that explored “the importance of human connection.”

“What is surprising and refreshing is to see so much humor, nuance and lightness employed by these novelists to shed light on challenging concepts,” she said.

Previous winners of the fiction prize, founded in 1996, include Zadie Smith, Tayari Jones and Barbara Kingsolver.

Last year, award organizers launched a companion Women’s Prize for Nonfiction to help rectify an imbalance in publishing. In 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in Britain’s newspapers were by women, and male writers dominated established nonfiction writing prizes.

Winners of both nonfiction and fiction prizes will be announced on June 12 at a ceremony in London.