Saudi Literature Commission Participates in London Book Fair

Saudi Literature Commission Participates in London Book Fair
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Saudi Literature Commission Participates in London Book Fair

Saudi Literature Commission Participates in London Book Fair

The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission participates in this year London Book Fair with a pavilion where Saudi publishers and their counterparts from around the world may hold cultural dialogues and exchange experiences.
The fair, held at Olympia London between May 12 and 14, is an opportunity for the commission to boost Saudi literary publishers and agents’ presence internationally.
Commission CEO Dr. Mohammed Hasan Alwan stressed that the Saudi pavilion was shown significant interest by the public and industry people, adding that the commission has introduced many initiatives and programs aimed at developing the publishing industry and enhancing cultural activity; one such initiative is lending support to Saudi literary publishers and agents globally, SPA reported.
The commission exhibits books in its pavilion, and showcases the Literary Agent Initiative, the Publishing House Leadership Program, and the Tarjim (translate) Initiative, which contribute to supporting and developing this vital sector in the Kingdom, and strengthening the role of workers in the industry, which is a driver of the Saudi culture.
The commission also reviews the Riyadh International Book Fair, one of the largest cultural forums in the Kingdom, which hosts a country as a guest of honor every year to celebrate its culture through literary events.
The Literary Agent Initiative aims to help literary agents secure the best opportunities for authors and facilitate their literary journey, the Tarjim Initiative contributes to enriching Arabic content with highly valuable material translated from various languages, while the Publishing House Leadership Program seeks to create an attractive investment environment by empowering participating publishing houses and enhancing their competitive capabilities locally and globally.



Stolen Shoe Mystery Solved at Japanese Kindergarten When Security Camera Catches Weasel in the Act

This image made from security camera video released by Kasuya Police shows a weasel with a shoe at a kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Kasuya Police via AP)
This image made from security camera video released by Kasuya Police shows a weasel with a shoe at a kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Kasuya Police via AP)
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Stolen Shoe Mystery Solved at Japanese Kindergarten When Security Camera Catches Weasel in the Act

This image made from security camera video released by Kasuya Police shows a weasel with a shoe at a kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Kasuya Police via AP)
This image made from security camera video released by Kasuya Police shows a weasel with a shoe at a kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Kasuya Police via AP)

Police thought a shoe thief was on the loose at a kindergarten in southwestern Japan, until a security camera caught the furry culprit in action.

A weasel with a tiny shoe in its mouth was spotted on the video footage after police installed three cameras in the school in the prefecture of Fukuoka.

“It’s great it turned out not to be a human being,” Deputy Police Chief Hiroaki Inada told The Associated Press Sunday. Teachers and parents had feared it could be a disturbed person with a shoe fetish.

Japanese customarily take their shoes off before entering homes. The vanished shoes were all slip-ons the children wore indoors, stored in cubbyholes near the door.

Weasels are known to stash items and people who keep weasels as pets give them toys so they can hide them.

The weasel scattered shoes around and took 15 of them before police were called. Six more were taken the following day. The weasel returned Nov. 11 to steal one more shoe. The camera footage of that theft was seen the next day.

The shoe-loving weasel only took the white indoor shoes made of canvas, likely because they’re light to carry.

“We were so relieved,” Gosho Kodomo-en kindergarten director Yoshihide Saito told Japanese broadcaster RKB Mainichi Broadcasting.

The children got a good laugh when they saw the weasel in the video.

Although the stolen shoes were never found, the remaining shoes are now safe at the kindergarten with nets installed over the cubbyholes.

The weasel, which is believed to be wild, is still on the loose.