Fourth edition of Katara Prize for Arabic Novel kicks off
QNA
Doha
The fourth edition of Katara Prize for Arabic Novel kicked off at The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) yesterday. 
The event was attended by novelists, critics, academics and officials of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO).
The fourth edition has seen record participation with a total of 1,283 entries received, including 596 in the unpublished novel section, 562 in the published novel category and 47 in the unpublished studies category, in addition to 78 participants in the category of unpublished novels by young writers. There were 322 women and 961 male participants this year. Winners of the prize will be announced today. 
Katara General Manager, Dr Khalid Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, stressed during the opening ceremony that the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel has succeeded in achieving its goals and in promoting the Arabic novel in the Arab creative scene. 
Over a short period of time, Katara Prize for Arabic Novel has become a platform for Arab creative writers and intellectuals, he said, adding that this was evident in the increased number of participants year after year from different parts of the Arab world.
Al-Sulaiti pointed out that the achievement of the award in consolidating its objectives in the Arab world confirms the success of Katara in the service of the Arab creativity movement and in pursuing effective and influential cultural initiatives at Arab and global levels.
Following the opening ceremony, the participants attended the inauguration of an exhibition featuring the life and works of renowned Arab novelist Ghassan Kanafani at Building 18 (Gallery 1). The exhibition showcases 32 works introducing the life and literary journey of Kanafani, the Palestinian revolutionary novelist, from his birth in Acre on April 1936 until his assassination by Israeli intelligence agencies in Beirut on July 8, 1972.
A ceremony to sign books was also organised at Building 18 (Gallery 2). 
On the second day of the festival, an initiative “Narrations from novels,” for school students to get them acquainted with Arabic novels will be launched, in addition to organising two critical seminars, the first on the Arab feminist novel, and the second discussing the novel and the theatre, in which a number of Arab critics and academics will take part.
The Katara Prize for Arabic Novel is an annual award, launched by the Cultural Village Katara in 2014, as part of Katara’s mission to promote cultural activities through a project that brings together Arab voices from across the Arab world.


Qatar parachuting team soars 
in Australian championships
QNA
Doha
The Qatar’s parachuting team won four medals in the 2018 FAI World Parachuting Championships that concluded in Australia yesterday, HE the Commander of the Joint Special Forces Major General Hamad bin Abdullah al-Fetais al-Marri said yesterday.
He said the achievement was a ‘modest gift’ to the Qatari leadership and the people. 
Speaking exclusively to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the commander of the Joint Special Forces attributed the achievements of the parachuting team to the “unlimited support” of HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah. 
He noted that preparing the team for future international events is currently of the highest priority, adding that the team has been holding training camps abroad since the beginning of the year. He said the goal was to prepare the team to excel in all international events. 
On Monday, Qatar won four medals in the FAI World Parachuting Championships – a gold medal in the 4-Way Sequential, two silver medals in the 2-Way Sequential and 4-Way Rotation, and a bronze in the 8-Way formation.
Commander al-Marri said that one of the priorities of the parachuting team is participation in the state’s National Day activities on December 18 every year when it stages an airshow along with the Qatari Armed Forces at the Doha Corniche, Darb Al Saai, or Katara.


CCQ hosts first Universities Debate League in Arabic
QNA
Doha
The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) hosted the first Qatar Universities Debate League (QUDL) in Arabic for the 2018-2019 season, organised by Qatar Debate Centre for participants from several local universities and educational institutions.
The tournament, which witnessed the participation of students representing CCQ, Qatar University, Hamad bin Khalifa University and Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, included three rounds in which the teams met on three topics.
The rounds discussed three thought-provoking topics; “The Council will prevent first world countries from attracting competencies in third world countries”; “The council will not take punitive action against soldiers for war crimes as long as they received orders”; and “The council will seize vacant lots in residential or commercial areas”. Commenting on the occasion, Dean of the Community College of Qatar Dr Abdallah Hazaimeh, said: “At CCQ, we are honoured to be hosting QUDL for the first time in collaboration with QatarDebate Centre, and we firmly stand behind the message this event aims to spread as well as the Centre’s relentless pursuit of preparing and nurturing the future leaders of the nation”.
“There are some important life lessons we believe the participating teams will walk away with today, complemented by three key skills this debate tournament highlights self-confidence, leadership, and team spirit.
“We can personally identify with these skills at CCQ, as without them we couldn’t have achieved the remarkable growth we enjoy today since the College first opened its doors in 2010. This is why we are always keen on having meaningful interaction with our future leaders, and we wish the best to all participating teams,” he added.

Related Story