Day: April 13, 2024

New York: Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, announced appointment of Jordanian Muhannad Hadi as UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian Territory and Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, succeeding James Eugene McGoldrick of Ireland.

According to a UN statement on Saturday, Hadi has more than 30 years of international experience in humanitarian affairs and development work, most recently as regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syrian crisis.

Hadi served as WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, WFP Regional Emergency Coordinator for the Syrian Crisis, and WFP Representative/Country Director in Syria.

In 1990, Hadi began his career with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and has since worked with the World Food Program in Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Italy, Jordan, Egypt and Syria.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Sydney, Five people have been killed in a mass stabbing at a busy shopping center in Sydney, Australian police said.

Police were called to Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon local time following reports of multiple people stabbed.

The suspect – who police said acted alone – was shot dead at the scene by a lone officer.

The attack also resulted in injuring several people, including a child, all of whom have been transported to hospitals across Sydney.

Some news outlet also showed live video of people being put into ambulances and treated at the scene.

Eyewitnesses said people were running to flee the shopping center.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed in a video call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz the support for Ukraine and European initiatives in this regard. Officials in Macron’s office said that the two sides discussed trade relations between Europe and China last night, ahead of the expected visit of the German Chancellor to Beijing, his second visit since taking office at the end of 2021.

Macron and Scholz are scheduled to meet at a joint French-German summit on May 28th in Meseberg near Berlin, coinciding with a state visit to Germany by the French President.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation – Katara today concluded its Eid Al Fitr activities, which ran from April 10-13, included a rich and diverse array of cultural, recreational, and artistic events and activities, crowned with firework displays.

The Eid Al Fitr celebration was concluded with the performance of the Qatari Ardha folk dance and with 12 fine art artists putting the final touches on their paintings and murals during a freestyle drawing and painting event held at the Katara corniche, which attracted a wide audience, particularly families and children.

The Qatar Police band also performed several musical compositions that blend both traditional and contemporary melodies.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Since it ratified the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, a major reference for States Parties in developing public policies and enacting legislation and laws to take the necessary measures thereto, the State of Qatar has been paying special attention to cultural heritage.

The Ministry of Culture is holding a special celebration of the 20th anniversary of Convention. On this occasion, an exhibition highlighting Qatari cultural heritage will be held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris on Monday. The exhibition highlights “The Majlis: A Social and Cultural Space,” traditional crafts and industries, and examples of the “falconry”, which was registered on the UNESCO representative list in 2015, in addition to popular arts and popular culinary arts. The exhibition will also display photos showing the Qatar’s achievements in preserving heritage.

The State of Qatar give attention to the national c
ultural heritage, in addition to its role at the international level.

At the national level, Qatar has launched many initiatives to achieve cooperation and harmony between the efforts of various state institutions concerned with preserving intangible cultural heritage. It also sought to register a number of cultural elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity with the UNESCO, the most important of which are the falconry, Arabic coffee, the Majlis, the palm tree, and other files.

As part of its commitment to preserving, documenting, raising awareness of, and sharing cultural heritage, Qatar also seeks, individually and jointly to include a number of other cultural elements on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.

Being the owner of the initiative to register the “Bisht’ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO, The State of Qatar leads Arab efforts to follow up on registration procedures, in cooperation with Arab League of Educatio
nal, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).

Qatar has previously worked on registering a number of joint Arab files, such as the “palm tree” and “Arabic calligraphy” , in addition to the “metal engraving art”, which will soon be registered on the Representative List of World Heritage under an Iraqi initiative, with 14 Arab countries participating in it.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Paris, April 12 – The Ministry of Culture is set to hold a special celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding and Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. On this occasion, an exhibition highlighting the Qatari cultural heritage will be held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris on April 15.

The exhibition aims to highlight the efforts of the State of Qatar in protecting and preserving intangible cultural heritage, as the agreement recognized the need to protect living heritage and promote dialogue between peoples, cultural diversity, and human creativity.

The exhibition highlights “The Majlis: A Social and Cultural Space,” traditional crafts and industries, and examples of the “falconry” heritage, which was added to the UNESCO representative list in 2015 in addition to folk arts and folk culinary arts. The exhibition also includes a pavilion of photos that highlight the achievements of the St
ate of Qatar in preserving heritage.

In this context, Director of the Heritage and Identity Department at the Ministry of Culture Sheikha Nagla Faisal Al-Thani, said that the exhibition comes out of a desire to celebrate more than twenty years since first convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage, which was adopted by the General Conference of the UNESCO in Paris on October 17, 2003.

She added that the exhibition, which is organized by the Ministry of Culture, features many activities that contribute to activating the agreement, including registering a number of its elements on the UNESCO representative list, such as the Majlis, coffee, falconry, and palm trees.

The Ministry is currently working on preparing a documentary about the elements of Qatari intangible cultural heritage registered on the convention’s lists, she said noting that the Ministry of Culture always seeks, by holding these events, to spread awareness among the local community and inform the international communit
y on the role of the State of Qatar in protecting and preserving intangible cultural heritage that represents the identity of Qatari society.

Source: Qatar News Agency