Oman

Deposed royal who fled to UK after 1964 revolution finally reunited with family in Oman After more than half a century of living in Southsea, Portsmouth, with its unpredictable British weather, shingle beaches and Victorian pier, relocation to the Gulf state of Oman might take some adjustment.But for Jamshid bin Abdullah al-Said the 91-year-old last sultan […]

Gulf states prepare for demographic shift as migrant workforces return home, with prospects bleak for those who stay Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDuring 14 years in Lebanon, Jevie Olido’s four children have grown up without her, her marriage has failed and her parents have grown old. Now, the income that kept her far from […]

War in Yemen and Saudia human rights repression will keep foreign secretary busyDramatic Houthi rebel advances and threats to end humanitarian aid in Yemen will lead Dominic Raab’s agenda when he makes his first visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday.The British foreign secretary will also travel to Muscat later this week to meet the new Sultan of Oman, Haitham […]

Countries around world scramble to halt spread of virus that has so far killed almost 3,000 peopleCoronavirus – latest updatesSaudi Arabia has taken the unprecedented step of banning foreign pilgrims from entering the country five months before the annual hajj pilgrimages, while Japan will close its schools next week as countries around the world scramble […]

Ruler of Oman for nearly 50 years who transformed his country into a prosperous modern stateOver the course of nearly five decades, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has died aged 79 after suffering from cancer, transformed Oman from a backward and isolated country into a prosperous, modern and unified state fully engaged in the Arab region and the wider […]

Senior delegates visit country viewed as important to UK strategic interests in regionThe critical importance of Oman to Britain’s post-Brexit foreign policy, which includes plans for a major naval base, has been underlined by the UK sending its most senior delegation to the commemoration ceremonies marking the death of the country’s sultan.Sultan […]

Reports say Haitham bin Tariq al-Said will replace Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who had no children Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Arab world’s longest-serving ruler and with a reputation for quiet diplomacy, has died at the age of 79.His cousin, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, will be sworn in as the new sultan, ending decades of speculation over who would […]

Leader who modernised his Arabian sultanate while balancing diplomatic links between Iran and US Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has died aged 79, lived to be the Middle East’s longest-ruling monarch after seizing power in a 1970 palace coup and pulled his Arabian sultanate into modernity while balancing diplomatic ties between adversaries Iran and […]

With Qaboos bin Said’s illness seemingly terminal, an elaborate set of rules is enactedElaborate discussions are under way in the Omani court about a potential successor to Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has ruled the Arab nation for nearly 50 years but whose longterm illness has been worsening.The succession process involves the opening of sealed letters in […]

The explosions, on a vital passageway for the world’s oil supply, may prove Trump’s policy of coercion has backfiredThe explosions were bigger and the damage more extensive. But the message and its means of delivery have some similarities.Thursday’s attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman caused jitters in global markets and unease across a […]

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as tanker fires send crude prices soaringSummary: Oil jumps after Gulf attacksUS: Iran probably responsibleIran: It’s very suspiciousOil up 4.5% on fears of US-Iran tensionsTanker incident in Gulf of OmanTwo tankers hit - Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous 4.57pm BST What different countries have […]

First female Omani novelist to be translated into English shares £50,000 prize with translator Marilyn Booth – the first time an Arabic book has wonJokha Alharthi, the first female Omani novelist to be translated into English, has won the Man Booker International prize for her novel Celestial Bodies.Alharthi, the £50,000 award’s first winner to write […]

After decades of hostility, a shared hatred of Iran – and a mutual fondness for Trump – is bringing Israel’s secret links with Gulf kingdoms out into the open• Read the text version here Continue reading...

After decades of hostility, a shared hatred of Iran – and a mutual fondness for Trump – is bringing Israel’s secret links with Gulf kingdoms out into the open. By Ian BlackIn mid-February 2019, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, flew to Warsaw for a highly unusual conference. Under the auspices of the US vice-president, Mike Pence, he met […]

Australia 5-0 OmanMilos Degenek scores first international goalSocceroos captain Mark Milligan is happy his side is getting “into the habit of scoring goals” after the defending champions thrashed world No82 Oman 5-0 in an Asian Cup warm-up.Australia got off to a lively start with goals to Andrew Nabbout and Chris Ikonomidis in the first thirteen […]

A British man was also injured and the identities of the victims are not yet knownTwo British women have been killed in a crash in Oman after the car they were travelling in veered off the road, police have said.Officers said they were investigating driver culpability following the incident in Salalah, close to the border with Yemen. Continue reading...

Oman’s sparsely inhabited coast of fishing villages and Bedouin camps is being transformed into an industrial city with port, luxury hotels and housing for 111,000“Five years ago there was nothing here,” says Hamad Said Al Rawahi as he drives fast along a stretch of freshly paved highway in Oman’s coastal desert. He just picked me up from the side […]

War hero who won an MC for his part in the famous St Nazaire raid of 1942 and was later sent to ColditzMaj Gen Corran Purdon, who has died aged 97, commanded a demolition team in an audacious raid on the French port of St Nazaire in the spring of 1942, after which he was taken prisoner, finishing the war in Colditz, the camp for incorrigible allied officers […]

16th-century Kenyan dry-stone walled settlement, ancient city in Oman and oasis in Saudi Arabia recognised by UN bodyThree new sites have been awarded world heritage status by Unesco, including a remote Kenyan settlement and an ancient city in Oman.The 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee made the announcement on Friday afternoon following a meeting […]

Flash floods tear away roads and strong winds rip roofs off buildings in city of SalalahA powerful cyclone has struck Oman and killed at least three people, among them a 12-year-old girl, officials have said.Cyclone Mekunu caused flash flooding that tore away some roads and submerged others in Salalah, the country’s third-largest city, leaving drivers […]