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Olive Oil Production in Al Jabal Al Akhdhar / Report

     Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, Jan.04 (ONA) ---- The 2019 season of olive oil in Al Jabal Al Akhdhar witnessed good production, achieving economic value for farmers in the quantities of olive received and oil extracted from them in government and private presses.  The production amount reached more than 60 tons, and the amount of oil extracted reached 8028 liters.  The economic return for this year has reached RO160.000, at RO20 per liter.     The olive harvest for this season began in mid-August and continued until December.  The best period is October and ...

Abalone Fishing Season in Dhofar Report

Sadah, Dec.21 (ONA) ---- Abalone Fishing Season has started.  Abalone is one of the most important maritime seasons that the people of Dhofar Governorate await every year.  The Dhofaris, especially those living in the Wilayats of Sadah and Mirbat, depend on it for good return. Abalone is a mono-shelled mollusk, which lives in coastal areas with rocky beaches where algae and seaweeds are abundant.  It is one of the marine species of high economic value in global markets.  It is known in Arabic as "ear-shell" and globally as abalone.  It is often glued to the lower ...

Fisheries Sector in Wilayat Jaalan Bani Bu Ali  Report

Ja'alan Bani Bu Ali, Dec.14 (ONA) ---- The fisheries sector in the Wilayat of Ja'alan Bani Bu Ali in the Governorate of South  A'Sharqiyah is considered one of the most important and most promising economic sectors because it is one of the pillars of economic development in the Sultanate for its prominent role in providing job opportunities and one of the most important sources of income.    The coasts of the wilaya enjoy a strategic marine location on the Arabian Sea.  The number of coastal villages is more than 22 villages, extending along the coastal strip ...

The Sultanate Affirms Commitment to its International Obligations

     Madrid, Dec.11 (ONA) ---- The Sultanate, in its speech at the 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Climate Summit (cop 25), affirmed its commitment to its international obligations, its ratification of the various international conventions on climate change and on the promotion and enhance efforts of the international community to support adaptation of measures and mitigating the negative effects of climate change.    This came in a speech delivered by Mohammed bin Salim al-Toobi, Minister ...

Abalone Harvest Season to Start Tomorrow in Dhofar

        Salalah, Dec.10 (ONA) ---- The harvest season for abalone in the Governorate of Dhofar will start tomorrow /Wednesday/ and last for ten days.  Abalone is considered one of the rare and important marine resources that Oman waters is rich with.    The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries represented by the Directorate General of Fisheries in the Governorate of Dhofar has completed its preparations for the current season after the two-year ban that the Ministry approved to preserve the stock of Abalone.  The production in the 2016 season reached ...

Al Ruwaidah in Wilayat Al Hamra Report

Al Hamra, Dec.07 (ONA) ---- Al Jabal Al Sharqi in the Wilayat of Al Hamra is rich in many beautiful tourist areas and places, including ''Al Ruwaidah'' area, which has become a tourist destination for lovers of nature, camping and exploration in the mountain peaks due to the mild weather and various services, such as roads, communications, electricity and water.    The areas and villages of Al Jabal Al Sharqi of in the Wilayat of Al Hamra are known as an extension of the villages of Jabal Al Akhdhar.  They thus meet and are similar in terms of water sources and ...

SQU Hosts Food and Brain Health International Workshop

     Muscat, Nov 24 (ONA) --- Food Science and Nutrition Department and Ageing & Dementia Research Group (ADRG) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) organized the 6th International Workshop on Food and Brain Health.         The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Rahma Al-Mahrooqi, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies & Research, SQU, in the presence of Dr. Nasser Al-Habsi, Assistant Dean of the College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences (CAMS).        There were 13 international speakers from USA, Qatar and ...

2019 UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for the Conservation Presentation Ceremony in Budapest

 Budapest, Nov.20 (ONA) ---- The 2019 UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for the Conservation of the Environment was presented in its 15th session in the Hungarian capital Budapest.    Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, Dr. Madiha bint Ahmed al- Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education, Chairperson of the Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, presented the prize to the representative of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in India, based on the recommendation of the jury committee of the prize.    The prize ...

SQU Marks GIS Day

        Muscat, Nov 13 (ONA) --- The Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Research Center at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) organized a celebration on the occasion of the International Day for Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which falls on 13 November every year.          On this occasion, Dr. Yaseen bin Ahmed al-Mulla, Director of the Center, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the event said that GIS is one of the important pillars of work at the Center along with remote sensing and the use and ...

SQU Hosts IGCP Workshop on Diamonds, Recycled Mantle

        Muscat, Nov 13 (ONA) --- A workshop on “Diamonds and Recycled Mantle,” which is organized as part of the 5th International Geoscience Program (IGCP-649), commenced at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) today. The event is being sponsored by UNESCO; IUGS; ICGP-649 Project; SQU, Institute of Geology at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, China; and Nanjing University.                The IGCP is a cooperative enterprise of UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences ...

TRC Provides Platform to Explore Science and Innovation at Oman Science Festival 2019

Muscat, Nov 6 (ONA) --- The Research Council (TRC) continues its participation in the Oman Science Festival 2019.        This year’s festival is a five-day event, starting from the 4th till the 8th of November 2019 at Oman Convention and Exhibition Center. The festival consists of 300 events and more than 1,200 participants, in addition to leading programming and robot competitions, various hackathons, drone competitions, scientific films as well as scientific presentations.           Among its various events, TRC has ...

TRC Organizes Family and Talent Hackathons at Oman Science Festival

Muscat, Nov 4 (ONA) --- The Research Council (TRC) is taking part at the second season of Oman Science Festival 2019, which is taking place at Oman Convention and Exhibition Center from the 4th untill the 8th of November 2019.   Based on the strategic objectives of TRC, their participation in the festival aims to transfer knowledge, provide a stimulating environment for research and innovation, encourage creativity and innovation, and promoting the culture of scientific research and innovation.   Participation of TRC in the festival further includes an interactive pavilion ...

Conference on Modern Strategies of Risk Management Kicks off

             Muscat, Nov 3 (ONA) --- A conference on Modern Strategies of Risk Management began today under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid bin Omar al-Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service.            The three-day conference aims to introduce principles of crises, disasters management and relevant operations to their management, to mitigate their impact, and identify roles and responsibilities of those participating in their management.               ...

Cruise Ships Visit Salalah Port

             Salalah, Oct 30 (ONA) --- Salalah Port today received “MSC Orchestra” and “AIDAbella” cruise ships with 6,064 passengers on their boards including 4,491 tourists from various nationalities.           The tourist programme of the two cruise ships included tours to major archeological and historic landmarks in the Governorate of Dhofar, besides visiting beaches and traditional markets in Salalah.               “MSC ...

SQU Hosts Forum on Remote Sensing and Space Technologies

Muscat, Oct 30 (ONA) --- The Remote Sensing and GIS Research Center at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) today organized an International Forum on Advancements and Future of Remote Sensing and Space Technologies under the patronage of Dr. Mona bint Fahad Al-Said, SQU Assistant Vice Chancellor for International Cooperation.         This forum was co-sponsored by IEEE- Geoscience and Remote Sensing International Society.          The forum consisted of two sessions and eight speakers covered the many topics. These ...

FIRST, ITU-ARCC Symposium, 11th OIC-CERT Annual Conference Kick off

            Muscat, Oct 29 (ONA) --- The ITU Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre (ARCC) affiliated to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in cooperation with the Ministry of Technology and Communications, organized the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) and ITU-ARCC Symposium and the 11th Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC-CERT) Annual Conference at the Kempinski Hotel, Muscat today.            Nineteen speakers and 150 participants from 37 member states of the ...

Gulf Tobacco Control Committee Meets

Muscat, Oct 29 (ONA) --- The Gulf Committee for Tobacco Control met today at the W Hotel Muscat in the presence of the undersecretary members states.       The Committee met on the sidelines of the 5th Meeting of the GCC Ministers of Health Committee and the 82nd Conference of the GCC Council of Ministers of Health.       The meeting reviewed the final report and recommendations of economics of tobacco in the GCC countries.       The Meeting also discussed a number of topics including setting a gulf target to ...

Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Inaugurates Regional Cybersecurity Week

        Muscat, Oct 28 (ONA) --- Sayyid Shehab bin Tariq al-Said, Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan, today inaugurated the Regional Cybersecurity Week, organized by ITU Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre (ARCC) affiliated to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in cooperation with the Ministry of Technology and Communications.       The week runs till October 31st with the participation of 600 specialists and 49 speakers from 45 countries around the world.         The conference included ...

100 Percent Organic Farming Would Boost Emissions

         London, Oct 23 (ONA) --- A new study suggests that a switch to 100% organic food production in England and Wales would see an overall increase in greenhouse gas emissions.          While going fully organic would produce fewer direct emissions than conventional farming, researchers say it would limit food production.          As a result, more imports would be needed, resulting in up to five times more land being used ...

At Least 55 Elephants Die in Zimbabwe Drought

Harare, Oct 22 (ONA) --- At least 55 elephants have starved to death in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park over the past two months amid a severe drought.         The drought has massively reduced crop levels in Zimbabwe.        A third of the population is reportedly in need of food aid in the midst of an ongoing economic crisis.        In August, a World Food Programme report said two million people were at risk of starvation in the country.         Some of the elephants were reportedly found within 50 metres ...

The Sultanate Participates in Government Forum to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Middle East in Bahrain

Manama, Oct.15 (ONA) ---- The Sultanate, represented by the National Commission for Combating Human Trafficking (NCCHT), participates in the Government Forum to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Middle East, currently being held in Manama, Bahrain.      The delegation is headed by Issa bin Hamad al-Azri, undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, NCCHT in the Sultanate, and a number of officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Royal Oman Police.    The forum, which runs until October 16th, aims to discuss the challenges of ...

SQU, ITA Renew Agreement on Free and Open Source Software

Muscat, Oct 14 (ONA) --- Information Technology Authority (ITA) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) renewed the cooperation agreement signed between the two parties to cooperate and coordinate in the area of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).       Dr. Ali BIN Saud Al-Bimani, SQU Vice Chancellor and Dr. Salim Al-Ruzaiqi, CEO of ITA signed the agreement.        The agreement entails executing a joint project aimed to build and enhance the culture of FOSS and to encourage using them in entrepreneurship, academic and applied research, and ...

FAO Representative in Sultanate Highlights World Food Day

Muscat, Oct 14 (ONA) --- Dr. Nora Orabah Haddad, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Sultanate said that FAO and countries around the world celebrate World Food Day every year on the on the 16th of October, the day that the FAO was found 74 years ago.       She added in an interview with Oman News Agency (ONA) that FAO country offices, in collaboration with governments and other partners commemorate this this day in various ways to call for action to end hunger and other forms of malnutrition and ensure food security ...

Japan Deploys Military Rescuers after Typhoon Hagibis

Tokyo, Oct 13 (ONA) --- Japan has deployed tens of thousands of troops and rescue workers after one of the strongest storms in years hit, killing at least 18 people.                Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo yesterday (Saturday), moving north and bringing severe flooding.                Thirteen people are missing from the storm, public broadcaster NHK said.              In central Nagano ...

Google Offers Tool for Cities to Measure Emissions

California, Oct 10 (ONA) --- A tool Google offered in the US to help cities measure pollution and emissions levels is now available in Europe.                It compiles transport and building data from Google Maps with publicly available information about emissions             Google will initially offer the tool to Birmingham, Manchester, Wolverhampton and Coventry, Dublin and Copenhagen.             It plans to add more cities on ...

GCC Advisory Body Obtains ISO 9001: 2015 in Corporate Quality Management

Muscat, Oct 9 (ONA) --- The GCC Assistant Secretariat Sector, the Office of the Advisory Body of the GCC Supreme Council and the Office of the GCC Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva won the ISO 9001: 2015 Certificate in institutional quality management.        The Office of the GCC Advisory Body today marked the occasion with a celebration held under the patronage of Dr. Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani, GCC Secretary General, who praised the exerted efforts to improve the sectors of the ...

Report on Al Sawadi and its Beautiful Islands

Barka, Oct.05 (ONA) ---- Al Sawadi village, located in the wilayat of Barka, the Governorate of South Al Batinah, is one of the beautiful coastal villages in the Sultanate because of its various tourist landmarks that attract visitors from all regions to enjoy it.    There are seven islands in Al Sawadi village that are seen by visitors from afar with wonderful peaks floating on the sea, which can be reached by boats that are run citizens working in this profession of transporting visitors to these islands in a short period of time.     Al Sawadi Beach has gained fame ...

Six Killed As Typhoon Mitag Sweeps Parts of South Korea

Seoul, Oct 3 (ONA) --- Six people were killed when typhoon Mitag passed through the country, South Korea’s government said.            Mitag, the 18th typhoon this year, brought heavy rains in southern parts of the country. The toll was six dead and four injured, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.             Some of the six were underneath collapsed structures and others drowned, it said.            More than 100 houses and other ...

Scientists Estimate Earths Total Carbon Store

London, Oct 2 (ONA) --- There are 1.85 billion, billion tonnes of carbon on Earth, with more than 99% of it resident beneath our feet.            Scientists from the Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) project have spent 10 years assessing the "reservoirs and fluxes" of the chemical element.            In other words, they worked out where carbon is held and in what form, and how it moves through the Earth system.            The findings could help understand the ...

Floods Kill 113 in North India in Late Monsoon Burst

New Delhi, Sep 30 (ONA) --- Heavy rains have killed at least 113 people in India’s Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states over the past three days, officials said today, as flood waters swamped a major city, inundated hospital wards and forced the evacuation of inmates from a jail.                 India’s monsoon season that begins in June usually starts to retreat by early September, but heavy rains have continued across parts of the country this year, triggering ...