Fahad Cultural Center to House Saudi National Theater, Orchestra

Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan (Arabic website)
Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan (Arabic website)
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Fahad Cultural Center to House Saudi National Theater, Orchestra

Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan (Arabic website)
Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan (Arabic website)

Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan announced on Thursday that the King Fahad Cultural Center has been elected as headquarters for the national theater and orchestra which were announced earlier in the Cultural Vision for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Prince Badr attributed the center’s selection to the Culture Ministry’s “keenness towards harnessing all capacities facilitating the establishment of the two groups (the national theater team and orchestra), in such a way that meets the standards of the audience and pioneers of Saudi theater and music fans.”

Cultural Vision for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia encompasses the following central objectives, as cited by the ministry’s official website: promoting culture as a way of life, enabling culture to contribute to economic growth and creating opportunities for international cultural exchange.

These objectives are closely aligned with the three strategic pillars of the Kingdom’s national transformation Vision 2030, which are to create a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation.

The Ministry will seek to realize the cultural sector’s potential, bringing all aspects of the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage into the daily life of Saudis – it will enrich the lives of the people of Saudi Arabia.

Culture is a broad term, and the Ministry has identified 16 priority sub-sectors where it will focus its work. The intention of this is to create a Ministry which can effectively champion causes across the sector. The Ministry will also create 11 new bodies, reporting to the Ministry which will focus on these sectors.



Volcano in Philippines Spews Ash Over a Mile into the Sky 

Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)
Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)
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Volcano in Philippines Spews Ash Over a Mile into the Sky 

Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)
Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)

A volcano in the central Philippines erupted early Tuesday morning, sending a massive grey plume of ash up about three kilometers (1.8 miles) into the sky and launching ballistic projectiles.

Kanlaon Volcano, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian nation, has had several eruptions in the past century -- the most recent of which happened last month.

A level three alert -- out of a scale of five -- put in place during an eruption in December remained unchanged Tuesday, as officials highlighted an existing six-kilometer (four-mile) evacuation radius.

"A moderately explosive eruption occurred at the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano at 2:55 am today (1855 GMT Monday)," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement, adding that it lasted five minutes.

"The eruption generated a greyish voluminous plume that rose approximately 3 kilometers above the vent before drifting to the general west," it said.

"Large ballistic fragments were also observed to have been thrown around the crater within a few hundred meters and caused burning of vegetation near the volcano summit."

Stating the continued level three alert, the agency warned there were "increased chances of short-lived moderately explosive eruptions that could generate life-threatening volcanic hazards."

In August 1996, Kanlaon Volcano erupted, sending a spray of heated rocks that killed three hikers who were near the summit at the time.

The Philippines is on the seismically active region of the Pacific known as the "Ring of Fire," where more than half the world's volcanoes are located.

The most powerful volcanic explosion in the Philippines in recent years was the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Manila, which killed more than 800 people.