PARIS, Nov. 18th, 2008: The Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura and representative of H. H Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, UAE Supreme Council member and ruler of Sharjah Abdullah Al Owais awarded the 2008 Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to Egyptian Professor Gaber Asfour and Portuguese author Adalberto Alves in a ceremony in the Organization's Headquarters in Paris.

Present at the ceremony were UAE Ambassador to France Abdullah Al Ameri as well as members of the diplomatic corps in Paris, Matsura said the Award.

AJMAN, Nov.

DHABI, Nov. 18th, 2008: Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research received participants at the recent conference on "Electronic Media: Challenges and Opportunities" and the Global Space Technology Forum, both recently held in Abu Dhabi.

The meeting reviewed the goals of the two gatherings.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Nahyan received the head of Special Olympics International who is on a current visit to the UAE.

Fujairah, 18th Nov. 2008 -- HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, inaugurated today BUILDEX08, the Construction and Quarry Industry Exhibition, at Fujairah Exhibition Centre.

Running until 20th November, the event is organised by the Fujairah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah.

Sharjah, 18th Nov.

Abu Dhabi  - A group of nations dubbed the "Friends of Pakistan" agreed, in principle, Monday to throw a financial lifeline to Pakistan.

Specific sums to be committed were not named Monday. There will be another meeting of the group in January followed by a ministerial- level meeting in February that should set the specific amounts of assistance to be expected.

Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, assistant foreign minister for South Asia Affairs, said the group plans to finance projects geared toward policing and security.