AFP photographer wins award for picture of slain Palestinian child

Mahmud Hams, 27, a native of Rafah, bagged the prize for photography of the Arab Journalism Awards handed out by Dubai Press Club at the end of a two-day Arab media forum in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The 15,000-dollar prize "is a boost which will prompt me to work with more enthusiasm," said Hams, who was shot in both legs while taking pictures in the town of Deir al-Balah in 2004.

"I am happy to be able to convey the Palestinian people's daily reality," he said.

The winning picture, taken last year, provides a close-up of the slain girl with part of her sunlit face still stained with blood during the funeral, with mourners seen in the background.

It was commended by the award organisers as "a moving sight from the Palestinians' daily tragedy."

Awards for other journalism categories were delivered during the ceremony, including a 50,000-dollar prize for the year's Arab media personality which went to Saudi journalist Othman al-Omair.

The award for best feature went to Yusef Saad of the UAE daily Al-Khaleej for a report on private schools in the country.

Saudi journalist Abdul Aziz al-Hindi clinched the prize for best business reporting and Kuwait's Mohammed Musaed al-Saleh won the award for the best column.

The UAE's Super magazine was declared the best Arab sports publication and Suhair Hilmi of Egypt's daily Al-Ahram won the best interview prize.

During the forum, a report on the Arab media outlook up to 2011 was released which projected continued growth for the region's print media, contrary to their counterparts in the West.

The report, issued by the Dubai Press Club and the renowned services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, also forecast Arab satellite channels would continue to dominate the media scene despite the increasing influence of the Internet.

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