News

Muscat, 17 May (ONA) --- The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) announced that the upcoming concert, which will be held on 19-20 May 2022, will star the famous Arab singer Melhem Zein, known throughout the Arabic speaking world for a voice which resounds with an epic ‘mountainous’ quality, earning him popular attention from around the world. The audience will enjoy a concert dedicated to Zein’s repertoire, paying homage to the greats of Arabic music heritage. During his 24-year career, Melhem Zein has explored the music of the artists Wadih El Safi, Mohammed Abdel Wahab ...

Turin, 15 May (ONA) —— Italian police today said they foiled a cyberattack targeting the final of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) that was held in Turin.Hackers tried to break into the systems on the opening night on Tuesday and during the final that ran from Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday, the police said.The attacks were traced back to Russian hacker group Killnet by cybercrime specialists assigned to the ESC, after rumours that Russian groups might try to disrupt the event. While the ESC is a cultural event, it is also politically charged, and Russia was excluded this ...

San Francisco, 11 May (ONA) --- The Omani writer and novelist Jokha Al Harthi took part in the annual Bay Area Book Festival, held in Berkeley, San Francisco. She participated in various panels on books, culture and literature in Oman to celebrate her newly published novel titled “Bitter Orange Tree”. A number of US newspapers and journals lauded the novel, including the New York Times. --- Ends/Anas ...

Muscat, 10 May (ONA) --- Oman will host the 35th FIAP Black and White Biennial – Oman 2022 from 24 to 31 October 2022 in Muscat. Oman will be the first Middle East country to host this international event. A meeting was held to this effect between Said Sultan Al Busaidi, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth’s Undersecretary for Culture and Riccardo Busi, President of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) Board of Directors. The idea of hosting this global event emanates from the cultural strategy launched by the ministry at the end of 2021, which ...

Muscat, 10 May (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, will participate in the 33rd edition of Tehran International Book Fair, due to kick-off tomorrow Wednesday. The participation aims at introducing the Omani culture and highlighting its literary production. Oman's pavilion will include various literary and historic publications in different languages, in addition to several publications and titles on various literary, intellectual, scientific and historic areas. As many as 1700 local ...

Tehran, 9 May (ONA) --- The 33rd edition of Tehran International Book Fair will kick-off at Tehran's Grand Prayer Grounds this Wednesday. Ali Ramazani, Deputy Secretary General of the fair told Oman News Agency that the event will be held in full adherence to health protocols as it was halted for two years due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. As many as 1700 local publishing houses and 178 foreign publishers representing 32 countries will take part in the event. Ramazani added that the State of Qatar will be the guest of honour in the fair, which lasts till 21 ...

Vienna, 8 May (ONA) --- Austria's former health minister Rudolf Anschober has become successful as the author of a coronavirus non-fiction book.   With "Pandemia," an analysis of coronavirus policies and the description of the fates of several people who fell ill, the 61-year-old Green politician climbed to number one on the bestseller list of non-fiction books in Austria in April.   "It is surprising," Anschober told dpa. The success shows the immense interest in coming to terms with the first coronavirus years, he said: "The pandemic ...

Muscat, 8 May (ONA) ---- The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) closes its season this month with four significant productions demonstrating the notable strengths of the opera house to enhance global collaboration and cultural enrichment across nations and generations. May opens with a concert of musical excellence featuring the young virtuoso pianist, Alexander Malofeev, playing alongside the celebrated Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Sladkovsky. The concert presents a programme of the classical composers: Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Borodin, to be ...

Kentucky, 28 Apr (ONA) --- A new permanent exhibit at the Kentucky Derby Museum tells the story of how the horse race evolved over the years to become an iconic event. The 500-square-foot (46-square-meter) exhibit called This is the Kentucky Derby on the first floor of the museum in Louisville, local officials said. The exhibit presented by Kroger explores the history, culture, spectacle, economic impact and tradition of the race, the museum said in a statement. It answers questions including who started the Kentucky Derby, how it became a media sensation and how traditions like ...

Beijing, 28 Apr (ONA) --- Veteran Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang has died at age 86 while in a COVID-19 quarantine hotel in the southern Chinese city, local media reported. Tsang was best known internationally for his action roles in the 2002 James Bond film “Die Another Day,” John Woo’s “The Killer” in 1989, “Rush Hour 2” in 2001 starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, and 1998′s “The Replacement Killers” alongside Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino. In all, Tsang had some 237 acting credits, mainly in Hong Kong film and television productions, and especially in ...

Nouakchott, 25 Apr (ONA) --- The Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, hosts an art exhibition that seeks to document the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons.This event is organized by Muritania’s National League in support of the Palestinian people on the occasion of marking the Palestinian Prisoners Day.Cheikhani Weld Beeb, Secretary-General of the league said that the exhibition aims to be a reminder of the suffering of Palestinian prisoners. It also aims to highlight the investigation methods and the inhumane treatment suffered by ...

Paris, 25 Apr (ONA) --- The French Traumatic Memory and Victimology Association or “Mémoire Traumatique et Victimologie” has published an online book called “When They Hurt You” or “Quand On Te Fait Du Mal”, with pictures by French youth literature author Claude Ponti. This book, which is available to readers for free, seeks to enable children who are victims of violence to protect themselves. The association recalled the difficulties children encounter in reporting forms of violence or threats to which they are exposed, whether physical or ...

London, 21 Apr (ONA) --- Our early ancestors probably created intricate artwork by firelight, an examination of 50 engraved stones unearthed in France has revealed.The stones were incised with artistic designs around 15,000 years ago and have patterns of heat damage which suggests they were carved close to the flickering light of a fire.The study undertaken by researchers at the Universities of York and Durham, looked at the collection of engraved stones, known as plaquettes, which are now held in the British Museum. They are likely to have been made using stone tools by ...

Muscat, 19 Apr (ONA) --- The National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) has issued the English version of the book titled “The System of Government Transition: Modern and Renewable Renaissance of Oman (An Analytical Study)”. The issue comes as part of the 26th volume of the Research and Survey in National and International Archives series. The book is 614 pages long and includes 16 chapters divided into two main themes. The first theme is on the organization of mechanisms for the transfer of power throughout history. The second theme highlights the organization of the ...

New York, 18 Apr (ONA) --- "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" got off to a less than magical start in its first weekend in the US and Canadian theatres. The third installment in the Harry Potter spinoff opened to US$43 million in North America, according to studio estimates.It was enough to secure the film the top spot on the box office charts, but it's also a low for the franchise. The first film had a $74.4 million debut in 2016 and the second, "The Crimes of Grindelwald" opened to $62.2 million in 2018. "The Secrets of Dumbledore," which Warner Bros. released in ...

Hull, UK, 17 Apr (ONA) --- Conservation work to bring 13 historic maritime paintings back to life by removing years of grime and varnish has been finished.The Hull Maritime Museum art was sent to Lincoln University's conservation studio for expert treatment.Specialists spent more than 1,000 hours working on the paintings and frames which illustrate Hull's maritime past.Clarricoates, from Lincoln University, said the paintings covered part of Hull's maritime history, from the 18th century through to the 20th century, and many of the pictures were painted by local artists."By removing ...

Istanbul, 11 Apr (ONA) --- The Museum of Islamic Civilizations, which was opened recently by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, draws great interest from visitors with its exceptional artworks that shed light on the development of Islamic art. “These artifacts, which are in the inventory of National Palaces and other museums, have not had a chance to meet with visitors before,” said Yasin Yıldız, President of National Palaces, adding that the museum has welcomed more than 5,000 visitors since its opening. Located on a 10,000-square-meter closed area in the Çamıca ...

New York, 11 Apr (ONA) --- “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” sped to the top of the charts in its opening weekend in the US, earning an impressive $71 million according to studio estimates. Paramount’s PG-rated sequel easily bested the weekend’s other major newcomer, Michael Bay’s “Ambulance,” which faltered in theaters. “Sonic 2,” which brings back the first film’s director, writers and cast, including James Marsden, Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz, who voices the blue video game character, opened in 4,234 locations and actually surpassed its predecessor’s opening weekend. ...

London, 10 Apr (ONA) --- Henry Patterson, the best-selling author of The Eagle Has Landed, has died aged 92, his publisher has said. Patterson, who began writing when he was a teacher, penned 85 novels between 1959 and 2017. The Eagle Has Landed, about a Nazi plot to kidnap Sir Winston Churchill in World War Two and written using the pseudonym Jack Higgins, sold more than 50 million copies and became a film. Patterson sold more than 250 million books over his career, with his other works including Comes the Dark Stranger, Hell is Too Crowded and To Catch a ...

New York, 5 Apr (ONA) —- Author, playwright and longtime champion of multiculturalism Ishmael Reed is receiving a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to literature.Reed is among this year’s winners of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, given for work that “confronts racism and explores diversity,” the Cleveland Foundation announced today.Percival Everett’s novel “The Trees” won for fiction and Donika Kelly’s “The Renunciations” was cited for poetry. Prizes for nonfiction were given to George Makari’s “Of Fear and Strangers: A History of Xenophobia” and Tiya ...

Las Vegas, 4 Apr (ONA) --- Olivia Rodrigo made an impressive Grammy debut, Silk Sonic claimed two major awards and Jon Batiste had the most stunning victory of the night winning the top prize at Grammy Awards. Batiste won five Grammys Sunday including album of the year for “We Are” pulling off an upset in a loaded category filled with tough competition from Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and the combined talents of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. After his win, the multi-genre performer honored the artists he beat, telling the audience that “the creative arts are ...

Los Angeles, 28 Mar (ONA) --- Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "Drive My Car" won best international feature at the 94th US Academy Awards in Los Angeles, becoming the first Japanese film in 13 years to bag the prestigious Oscar for the category after having garnered a string of international accolades."We've got it," Hamaguchi said as he closed his speech by raising the Oscar statuette. The director earlier expressed his gratitude to the actors and others involved in the film, which was based on a short story of the same title by world-renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami.The film ...

Muscat, 28 Mar (ONA) --- The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) today launched the newly released commemorative stamp, designed in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the opera house.Since the opening of ROHM in October 2011, the building, the programming and public engagement in cultural enrichment have been dynamic and exciting. Over a decade of world class programming has seen packed audiences for stars, world premieres of epic operas, co-productions commissioned and performed by ROHM, and the curation of multiple exhibitions.ROHM has expanded to include the House of Musical Arts ...

Duqm, 27 Mar (ONA) --- The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), in cooperation with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, identified, through excavation studies, various archaeological sites in the Wilayat of Duqm, Governorate of Al Wusta.The teams of archaeologists and specialists of the Institute have been studying several archaeological sites and human settlements in Duqm in general and the village of Nufon, located in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD). The ...

Muscat, 22 Mar (ONA) --- A novel titled “Dilshad: A Biography of Hunger and Satiation” by the Omani writer and novelist Bushra Khalfan was shortlisted for the 15th edition of International Prize for Arabic Fiction (Booker 2022). The novel "Dilshad" presents social tales overlapping in a bygone era and foreshadowing a social reality mirroring the history of Muscat, its villages and its people from different backgrounds under seemingly harsh conditions. As usual, the writer Bushra Khalfan traces footsteps of history to explore more realistic details for the reader by navigating ...

Muscat, 22 Mar (ONA) --- The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) announced the upcoming performance by the Caracalla Dance Theatre entitled Finiqia, The Legend Lives On. The performance will take place at the ROHM House of Musical Arts on Thursday and Friday, 24 and 25 March 2022. The first part is set in ancient world, where neighbouring regions sit on the brink of warfare. Searching to solidify his kingdom, Phoenician King Ahiram’s only choice is to extend his hand towards the Dynasty of Egypt and its celebrated Pharoah Ramses II, and as an allegiance, offers his daughter ...

Muscat, 22 Mar (ONA) --- The National Museum today organized a symposium titled (Oman: The Paradise of Archaeologist) under the patronage of Eng. Ibrahim Said Al Kharousi, Undersecretary for Heritage.The symposium, which coincides with activities of the fourth edition of the French Week, aimed at highlighting the most prominent discoveries made by the French-Omani research teams, as well as reviewing the relevant scientific publications and museum's activities. Further, the symposium discussed the development of research and the need to preserve the archaeological sites and ...

Muscat, 20 Mar (ONA) --- The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism today launched a book titled “Splendours of the Sultanate of Oman: Scent of the Past, Vision of the Future”. The 312-page book, translated into English, highlights Oman’s tourism potentials, enhanced by pictures of various tourist attractions in the Sultanate of Oman. The launching ceremony of the book was held under the patronage of Sayyid Saud Hilal Al Busaidi, Minister of State, Governor of Muscat in the presence of Salim Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism. Sayyid Saud bin Hilal Al ...

Muscat, 20 Mar (OAN) --- A photo gallery on "Tokyo, Before & After" was inaugurated at the HQs' of the Omani Arts Association today under the patronage of Bassil Ahmed Al Rawas, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Sports and Youth. The event, which marks the 50th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and Japan, lasts till 30 March. The photo gallery includes 79 photos taken by 11 Japanese photographers. It presents a gradual time frame that reflects the past and present of Japan. --- Ends/AH ...

Washington, 20 Mar (ONA) --- The USS Clamagore submarine, built at the end of World War II, will be dismantled and recycled, the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in South Carolina has announced.The submarine, which opened as an exhibit more than four decades ago, closed to the public in December 2021 due to "safety concerns caused by a leak in a main ballast tank," the museum said. Ballast tanks are used to control the buoyancy of a vessel.The submarine has undergone repairs for more than a decade due to "extensive corrosion," the museum added. One 2019 assessment found it ...