Their News [Archives:2008/1211/Local News]

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November 27 2008

– Total announces new round of scholarships program

After a successful launch of Total's International Scholarship Programme early 2008, Total E&P Yemen is pleased to announce today its 2009 International Scholarships Programme. Yemeni nationals are invited to apply for undergraduate scholarships in order to pursue their Bachelor Degrees at the University of Leeds in Britain. Applications will be received from 24 November until 31 December 2008.

Mr. Martin Deffontaines, the General Manager of Total E&P Yemen, has stated that 'Total has committed to sponsoring an annual international scholarship programme based on the strong partnership and the well-founded trust it has with the Government and people of Yemen. Effective participation in the development of Yemen is a key element in our overall operations. I believe that it is through such programmes that we can help make a difference in the education development of Yemen.'

For more information, please visit www.total-ep-yemen.com.

– Procurement training for tenders committee

Second training of trainers' workshop on procurement in Sana'a was held last week. The training was in coordination with the USAID targeted 15 of the supreme committee for tender's staff and those working in the sector from Aden, Hadramout, Hudeidah, Taiz. Director of the committee for tenders and bids engineer Mohammed Ahmed Al-Junaid confirmed the government's support to fighting corruption and increasing transparency and performance in tenders. He emphasized on the importance of activating the role of those working in the field and implementing the tenders' law number 23 for year 2007 and the instructions manuals and standard documents.

Shakeeb Othaman USAID coordinator confirmed that this kind of training comes within the partnership support between Yemen and the agency. It is a part of a five month training program aiming at raising the quality of work and skills of the tender committee staff on the central and local levels and to enhance their legal and technical capacities. In total there are ten training sessions and will conclude in March 2009. Each training will be in different governorate according to a predesigned training plan and the number of targeted trainees is 223 in total, including employees working in the tenders field from various ministries and government offices around the republic.

The training program has been carefully designed and the trainees have been selected according to a specific standard and criteria.

The training which is given by an international expert covers the aspects of purchase procedures, using manuals, stages and procurement documents, importing from international supplies, in addition to the international laws and practices on procurement.

– Newspapers worldwide can compete for international award

Daily and weekly newspapers from around the world can be nominated for the International Newspaper of the Year and receive the Abitibi Bowater Premier Award. Deadline: February 16.

The Award is part of the U.K.'s 2009 Newspaper Awards, the industry awards dedicated to news media production. The judges will select an international newspaper based on its consistent quality, design, use of color, and photography.

To participate, three newspaper issues printed between October 1, 2008 and February 13, 2009 must be submitted, along with the entry form, to: Gary Cullum, Editor, Production Journal, 8 Sovereign Park, Cleveland Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 7DA, England.

The winner will be announced during the award ceremony on April 22, 2009 in London.

For more information, contact Helen Hargreaves at [email protected] or visit http://www.newspaperawards.

– New European online library set to debut

A new online encyclopedia branded 'Europeana' brings its visitors free, digitized resources from Europe's archives, museums, libraries and audio visual collections.

EU Commissioner for Information, Society and Media Viviane Reding has promised to have two million digitized objects including books, maps, paintings, photos and films available for viewing in English, German and French when the Web site debuts.

To visit the new site go to http://dev.europeana.eu/.

– The annual World Press Photo contest

The annual World Press Photo contest is at the core of the organization's activities. It offers an overview of how press photographers tackle their work worldwide and how the press gives us the news, bringing together pictures from all parts of the globe to reflect trends and developments in photojournalism.

How to Enter

The contest is open to all professional press photographers. There is no entry fee.

Not only photographers, but photo agencies, newspapers and magazines from anywhere in the world are invited to submit their best news-related pictures of the previous year. Both single images and photo stories are eligible. The results are published on this website. Entry forms for the contest come out in October. To enter the 2009 contest click here.

Judging & Results

Judging takes place at the beginning of February each year. The contest jury comprises thirteen picture editors, photographers and representatives of press agencies from different parts of the world, with widely divergent backgrounds.

This brings to the process a breadth of experience, a variety of perception, and a contrast in viewpoint that keeps judging dynamic and bolsters objectivity. The jury acts independently of World Press Photo, and the organization has no influence on its decisions.

Winners are announced at a press conference in the second week of February. Prizewinning photographers are invited to receive their awards at the annual Awards Days in Amsterdam at the end of April.

Awards

First, second and third prizes are awarded in ten categories – for picture stories as well as for single images – to encourage the submission of across-the-board as well as in-depth news photography.

Entries are judged for their news value and on the photographer's creative skills. In the case of stories and portfolios, the edit of the material submitted is also taken into account.

The winner of the World Press Photo of the Year, together with winners of first prizes (both for stories and for single images) in each category, receive a cash prize and a return air fare with hotel accommodation for the awards ceremony in Amsterdam.

World Press Photo of the Year Award

The main overall prize, the World Press Photo of the Year, is awarded for the single photograph that is not only the photojournalistic encapsulation the year, but represents an issue, situation or event of great journalistic importance, and does so in a way that demonstrates an outstanding level of visual perception and creativity. It has come to be regarded as the most prestigious international award for photojournalism in the world.

The award carries a cash prize of EUR 10,000, as well as expenses to travel to Amsterdam for the Awards Days in April. The winner also receives one of Canon's latest professional digital cameras.

Enter the 2009 contest

World Press Photo invites professional photographers and photojournalists to enter the 2009 World Press Photo contest. All entries must be received by 15 January 2009. Please choose one of the two options below in order to submit your entry to the 2009 contest:

1. Enter the contest online by uploading your files (available from 1 December)

– Available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

– Stable internet connection required.

– A username and password are needed to log in – both can be requested here between 1 December 2008 and 9 January 2009. Previous usernames and passwords are not valid for the 2009 contest.

– Entries must be submitted between 1 December 2008 and 15 January 2009.

– Easy to use.

– No costs involved.

– Reliable.

– Entry can be saved and edited before submission.

– Images are coded automatically.

2. Enter the contest by post/prepaid courier (available now)

– Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

– Recommended when your internet connection is unreliable.

– Entry must be sent by post or prepaid courier.

– Entries must be received between 1 October 2008 and 15 January 2009.

– Monthly contest invites stories from around the globe

Writers worldwide can submit their best stories to the Global Short Stories Competition, a contest held every month by Certys Limited, a media company, and supported by the Darlington Arts Centre in England. Deadline: end of each month.

The organizers are looking for untold stories from anywhere in the world. Each month a winning story receives a cash prize of UKGBP100 (about US$150) and is published on the contest's Web site. At the end of 12 months, each winner will be considered for an annual cash prize of UKGBP250 (about US$375).

Entries on any theme must be no more than 2,000 words and be written in English. There is a UKGBP5 (about US$7.50) entry fee per story.

Stories can be submitted online at http://www.globalshortstories.net/upload.html. For more information, visit

http://www.globalshortstories.net/index.html.
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