Day: February 22, 2024

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Heritage Ministry Exhibits 38 Publications at Muscat International Book Fair

In its independent pavilion, now being booked for the second time in a row at Muscat International Book Fair, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is exhibiting 38 publications, six of which appear for the first time.

The Ministry’s pavilion has a section for tourist guides that are also available in electronic form. The section comprises 4 specialized tourism brochures and a number of new promotional publications and posters.

A key publication at the Ministry’s pavilion is a book titled ‘The Natural Heritage of Musandam Governorate’, authored by researcher Saif Al Hatmi of Oman Botanical Garden. The manual is considered a valuable scholarly and cultural reference to researchers and nature lovers.

The design of the pavilion, which occupies an area of 72 square metres, features Omani traditional architecture. Visitors to the pavilion will experience a world of conventional Omani building structures that are also exemplary of edifices. No one can miss the arches, multiple entrances and the arcades that tune
the smooth flow of visitors from different age groups. In this pavilion, various aspects of tourism promotion are highly represented, with special emphasis on natural and cultural heritage of the Sultanate of Oman.

In the internal corridors of the pavilion, there will be a project to document and photograph Omani historical landmarks by using virtual reality technology (VR).

Source:Oman News Agency

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Information Ministry’s Pavilion at Muscat Book Fair Energetic in Showcasing Media Roles

The Ministry of Information’s pavilion at Muscat International Book Fair is actively engaged in enlightening visitors about the roles and tasks carried out by the Ministry in serving the media sector.

The pavilion operates through four main sections. They are Oman News Agency section (ONA), the Directorate General of Publications and Artistic Works section, the Directorate General of Electronic Media section (which comprises Ayn platform and media portal) and the Nizwa Magazine section.

ONA section exhibits the agency’s photographic archiving that narrates the story of development in the Sultanate of Oman. The section comprises interactive screens and picture panels that incarnate the progress experienced by the Sultanate of Oman, day by day, over the prosperous years of its transition.

The Publications and Artistic Works section presents the Ministry’s publications, as well as publications supported by the Ministry of Information. The section also includes the Ministry’s latest publications.

Ayn Platform
section exhibits Omani electronic books, of which 39 are now on its website. This section also presents visual, audio and written contents that abound in the platform, inspiring visitors to experience listening to the audio versions of Omani books.

The 4th section of the Information Ministry’s pavilion is dedicated to Nizwa Magazine, notably to celebrate the 30th anniversary since the magazine was first launched. This section presents various editions of the magazine and a short-film review of the magazine’s three-decade span.

Source:Oman News Agency

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SAF Chief of Staff Receives UK Military Officials

Vice Admiral Abdullah Khamis Al Raisi, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) received in his office at Al Murtafa’a Garrison today Air Marshal Joy Martin Sampson, Senior Advisor to the British Chief of Defence Staff for the Middle East and Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren, Senior Adviser to the British Ministry of Defence for Middle East Affairs.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed areas of existing military cooperation between the two countries.

They also exchanged views on various military matters of mutual interest.

The meeting was attended by Brigadier Hamed Abdullah Al Balushi, SAF Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Planning.

Source:Oman News Agency

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Defence Secretary General Receives UK Military Officials

Dr. Mohammed Nasser Al Zaabi, Secretary General at the Ministry of Defence received at Al Murtafa’a Garrison today Air Marshal Joy Martin Sampson, Senior Advisor to the British Chief of Defence Staff for the Middle East and Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren, Senior Adviser to the British Ministry of Defence for Middle East Affairs.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views and discussed several matters of mutual interest.

The meeting was attended by senior officers of the Ministry of Defence.

Source:Oman News Agency

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Learning from Admired Individuals Boosts Memory Retention: Study


A Swedish study suggests that the ease of remembering information may be influenced by the feelings associated with the person delivering it.

Led by Inês Bramão from Lund University, researchers found that people retain information better when presented by someone they like or admire.

Three experiments involving 189 volunteers revealed that positive feelings towards the presenter facilitated memory retention and association of everyday objects.

The brain seemed to assimilate information more readily when delivered by a liked individual, a phenomenon evident even with neutral information.

While the study’s findings shed light on memory processes and polarization, caution is advised due to the limited sample size and cultural specificity of the participants.

Nevertheless, understanding how emotions influence information processing could offer insights into the origins of ideological divides.

Source:Oman News Agency

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Space Mission Embarks on Deciphering Moon’s Radio Code


Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 launched to the Moon’s South Polar region as part of NASA’s CLPS initiative, aiming to reduce costs for lunar missions.

Among the payloads is ROLSES, a radio observation instrument. ROLSES will study the lunar surface’s radio environment, distinguishing natural and human-generated activity.

By analyzing dynamic spectral patterns, it can differentiate sources like Jupiter, the Sun, and lunar lander emissions.

This data will inform future lunar observatory designs, crucial for sustaining long-term human presence on the Moon.

Data from these missions will aid the Artemis program in conducting lunar science and establishing a sustainable lunar presence.

Source:Oman News Agency

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AI Breakthrough Offers Solution to Fusion Energy Challenge: Study


Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in the pursuit of fusion energy by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle a longstanding challenge.

Fusion energy, touted as a clean and abundant energy source, has faced hurdles in maintaining sustained fusion reactions due to plasma instabilities.

However, researchers from Princeton University and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have reported in Nature that their AI system can forecast and prevent these instabilities in real-time.

By conducting experiments at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego, the team demonstrated the AI controller’s ability to anticipate potential plasma tearing up to 300 milliseconds in advance, ensuring uninterrupted fusion reactions.

This advancement marks a crucial step forward in nuclear fusion, offering increased confidence in the feasibility of continuous fusion energy production.

Source:Oman News Agency

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ADHD Traits May Boost Survival Abilities: Study


A recent study suggests that traits associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may have provided various advantages to people’s ancestors.

While ADHD traits like impulsivity and distractibility pose challenges in modern life, they may have aided hunter-gatherer people in ancient history in foraging for food efficiently.

The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, analyzed data from 457 adults who played an online foraging game.

Participants with ADHD-like symptoms were more likely to abandon depleted berry patches and search for richer ones, ultimately scoring more points.

This behavior mirrors the strategic foraging patterns of hunter-gatherers. However, the study’s reliance on self-reported ADHD symptoms and online simulations presents limitations.

Researchers advocate for further studies using clinical diagnoses and real-world foraging tasks to validate these findings.

This research sheds light on how ADHD traits may have persisted in human populations due to thei
r adaptive benefits in specific environments.

Source:Oman News Agency

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Green Tea Does Not Lower the Risk of Lung Cancer: Study


A recent study in Frontiers in Nutrition challenges the belief that green tea reduces lung cancer risk.

Researchers used Mendelian randomization to analyze green tea’s association with lung cancer risk, finding no significant link.

Despite previous claims of green tea’s protective effects, this study suggests otherwise for both non-small cell and small cell lung cancer.

The Mendelian approach, free from observational biases, underscores the complexity of understanding dietary impacts on cancer.

Researchers noted potential biases in prior studies, emphasizing the need to consider lifestyle factors.

Source:Oman News Agency

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MoHAP hosts 7th UAE International Conference on Antimicrobial ResistanceResearchers Have New Clues about Brain Changes and Alzheimer

DUBAI: The UAE is taking a significant step forward in the global fight against antibiotic resistance by hosting the 7th UAE International Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (ICAMR), which will begin tomorrow.

Organised by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) in collaboration with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Emirates Health Services (EHS), and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the conference is set to take place in Dubai on 23rd and 24th February.

The event aims to foster an environment conducive to expertise sharing and discussion, promote advancements in health services, and emphasise the importance of continuous education and innovation in healthcare. Held under the patronage of Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, the conference is expected to draw over 600 professionals, including doctors, consultants, nurses, and technicians from the UAE and 18 other countries.

Additionally, 15 leading pharmaceutical and medical device companies dedi
cated to the fight against antimicrobial resistance will participate. The conference will feature more than 38 international experts delivering 32 specialised lectures and engaging participants in interactive workshops.

Dr. Najiba Abdul Razzaq, Conference Chair and Consultant of Internal Medicine at Kuwait Hospital in Dubai, part of Emirates Health Services (EHS), highlighted that the 7th edition of ICAMR provides an ideal platform, bringing together healthcare professionals from around the world to address the pressing challenges of antibiotic resistance and share the latest research and innovations in antimicrobial treatments.

The conference will also provide participants with a perfect opportunity to exchange knowledge as well as experiences and adopt fresh therapeutic strategies.

Amid warnings from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that antibiotic resistance causes 700,000 deaths annually-a figure projected to surge to 10 million by 2050-the 7th edition of the ICAMR emerges as a crucial initiative in
raising awareness and enhancing medical competencies to tackle this looming global health crisis.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Alzheimer’s quietly ravages the brain long before symptoms appear and now scientists have new clues about the dominolike sequence of those changes – a potential window to one day intervene.

A large study in China tracked middle-aged and older adults for 20 years, using regular brain scans, spinal taps and other tests.

Compared to those who remained cognitively healthy, people who eventually developed the mind-robbing disease had higher levels of an Alzheimer’s-linked protein in their spinal fluid 18 years prior to diagnosis, researchers reported. Then every few years afterward, the study detected another so-called biomarker of brewing trouble.

Scientists don’t know exactly how Alzheimer’s forms. One early hallmark is that sticky protein called beta-amyloid, which over time builds up into brain-clogging plaques. Amyloid alone isn’t enough to damage memory – plenty of healthy people’s brains harbor a lot of plaque. An abnormal tau protein that forms neuron-killing tangles is one of several co-conspirators.

The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers a timeline for how those abnormalities pile up.

The study’s importance ‘cannot be overstated,’ said Dr. Richard Mayeux, an Alzheimer’s specialist at Columbia University who wasn’t involved in the research.

‘Knowledge of the timing of these physiological events is critical’ for testing new ways of treating and maybe eventually even preventing Alzheimer’s, he wrote in an accompanying editorial.

Source:Oman News Agency

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FM underlines need to ensure that Israel refrains from any military action in Rafah


Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed on Wednesday the importance of ensuring that Israel refrains from any military action in Rafah that would end up by displacing the Palestinian people or forcing them to move to neighboring countries.

Shoukry made the remarks during a session entitled ‘The Role of the G20 in Dealing with Current International Tensions,’ that was held on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said Shoukry expressed his thanks to the Brazilian side for inviting Egypt to take part in the group’s meetings.

Talking about the unprecedented crisis the global system is facing now, Shoukry reviewed the failure of the international system in maintaining its principles and customs, saying the international law and the international humanitarian law are being violated in the Gaza Strip in a war that resulted in the deaths of more than 29,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of whom are women and children with
hospitals being bombed, universities and schools being demolished, and places of worship, including mosques and churches, being destroyed.

Also, the international system failed to preserve the idea of an international community in which compassion and values such as solidarity prevail over exclusion, fear, revenge and racism, Shoukry said, making clear that a complete siege was imposed by Israel on more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, and they were left either to die of hunger or were forced to flee from one place to another.

Despite all this, Shoukry said, many countries have refrained from demanding that this hateful war to stop, and no one talks about censorship practiced on media or the current distortion of facts by referring to Palestinian losses as deaths rather than as killings, which leads us to question whether all lives important for everyone.

Although the current war on Gaza is considered the bloodiest and most destructive war in contemporary history, we have witnessed continued determin
ation in the Security Council to obstruct calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, he said.

Shoukry called on the G20 and its members to end the current polarization, and urged them to work seriously towards a sincere and full commitment to international law, international humanitarian law and relevant United Nations resolutions, and to work to achieve an immediate and sustainable cessation of hostilities, and unhindered access to humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.

At the end, he said it is not possible to wait for a new aggression against Rafah, and for the war in Gaza to continue in a way that would lead to more killings, suffering and destruction, stressing the need to stop the war now.

Source: State Information Service Egypt

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Brent: A fruitful dialogue with Al-Nuwairi and Al-Aqouri about Batili’s efforts to lay the foundation for successful elections and how to strengthen bilateral relations between the United States and Libya.(Al-Dabaiba) monitors the availability of basic commodities and the mechanism for controlling their prices during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Libya, “Jeremy Brent,” expressed his happiness at meeting with the First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, “Fawzi Al-Nuwairi,” and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Committee of the House, “Youssef Al-Aqouri,” describing the dialogue he conducted with the two sides. With fruitful dialogue.

‘Brent’ said in a tweet published by the US Embassy in Libya on its page on the X platform: ‘We had a fruitful dialogue about the best ways to support the mediation efforts undertaken by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Batili, to lay the foundation for successful elections and how to strengthen bilateral relations between the United States and Libya”.

Source: Libyan News Agency

The Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, ‘Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba,’ held a meeting on Wednesday evening, at the Cabinet Office in Tripoli, to follow up on the availability of basic goods and the mechanism for controlling their prices during the holy month of Ramadan, in the presence of the Ministers of Economy and Trade, ‘Mohamed Al-Hawaij,’ and of Transportation, ‘Mohamed Al-Shahoubi, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Adel Jumaa, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy Suhail Bouchiha, and members of the Supreme Economic and Security Committee.

According to the media office of the Prime Minister, ‘Bouchiha’ presented a position on the documentary credits opened during the fourth quarter of last year, and the first quarter of this year, in the field of foodstuffs and meat, noting their contribution to price stability, stressing the availability of appropriate quantities of the needs of the Libyan family.

The Economic Security Committee also presented its plan to follow up on the local marke
t, with the aim of preventing monopoly and speculation, and communicating with major merchants to ensure the availability of goods and confirm their prices to achieve citizen comfort during the month of Ramadan, according to the same source.

For his part, ‘Al-Dabaiba’ stressed the necessity of uniting the efforts of all relevant government institutions during the month of Ramadan, to provide goods and merchandise, and to stand before brokers and speculators after communicating with the main distribution sources, stressing the need to support Libyan manufacturers and give them priority in all procedures, on the condition that they contribute to providing the goods. at reasonable prices,

The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of continuous communication with the Central Bank of Libya and the Customs Authority, to follow up on documentary credits and their movement, to ensure its arrival before Ramadan.

Source: Libyan News Agency