WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020 SHAWWAL 25, 1441 AH

ESTABLISHED IN 1981 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI VOL. 39 NO. 216 | PAGES 23

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OMAN DAILY

LONDON: Dexamethasone, a cheap and widely used steroid, has become the first drug shown to be able to save lives among COVID-19 patients in what scientists hailed as a “major breakthrough”.

Results of trials announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases, reduced death rates by around a third among the most severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital.

The results suggest the drug should immediately become standard care in patients with severe cases of the pandemic disease, said the researchers who led the trials.

“This is a result that shows that if patients who have COVID-19 and are on ventilators or are on oxygen are given dexamethasone, it will save lives, and it will do so at a remarkably low cost”, said Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor co-leading the trial, known as the RECOVERY trial. — AFP

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has sent a cable of condolences to Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabir al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, on the death of Shaikha Haya Abdullah Al Ali Al Malik al

Sabah. In his cable, His Majesty expressed his sincere condolences and sympathy to Shaikh Sabah, praying to Allah the Almighty to rest the deceased’s soul in peace and grant her family

patience. Meanwhile, His Majesty has sent a cable of greetings to President Dr Gudni Johannesson of the Republic of Iceland, on the occasion of his country’s National Day.

In his cable, His Majesty

expressed his sincere greetings along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to President Johannesson and the friendly people of Iceland further progress and prosperity. — ONA

HM sends cables to Kuwait and Iceland

Dexamethasone proves first life-saving drug from corona

TO IMPROVE LABOUR MARKET COMPETITIVENESS

MUSCAT: The Sultanate is moving towards abolishing the No-objection Certificate (NOC) which stipulated employer’s written consent for the transfer of workers under their sponsorship to another employer, with effect from January 2021. The move aims at addressing the labour market situation and boost its competitiveness and attractiveness.

The decision stems from the economic and social principles stated by the Basic Statute of the State as the Sultanate joined the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on April 7 this year as per the Royal Decree No 46/2020.

It is hoped that the decision will have several advantages for the employers including the adoption

of labour contract principle which regulates the contractual relational between employers and workers in a manner that ensures the rights and duties of both parties. Besides, the labour contracts protect the rights of employers in terms of protecting the confidentiality of their information and the information of the parties dealing with them.

TURN ON P2

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OMANPact to recycle lead-acid batteries inked

FROM PAGE 1

Among the prominent advantages of the decision to rescind the NOC is that it will boost competitiveness of the Omani workers relative to non-Omani workers by bridging the income and rights gap. In addition, it will significantly reduce

absconding cases of non-Omani workers particularly workers under pressure from employers clinching to their right not to issue an NOC thus depriving workers from being employed within a period of two years following their termination.

Other advantages include reducing the cost and

administrative burden resulting from deportation and legal settlements.

The decision is expected to back the government’s efforts to fight hidden trade as some employers will no longer be able to benefit from the conditions associated with the NOC which allowed them to practise hidden trade. In

addition, the decision will open the local market for skilled workers subject to supply and demand dynamism, and will back the Sultanate’s stance vis-à-vis international organisations as a country which protects worker’s rights to free movement and fights human trafficking.

NOC scrapping to improve labour market competitiveness

745 NEW COVID-19 CASES, 6 DEATHS REPORTEDCitizen gets 3 years in jail for hate tweetsMUSCAT: A citizen was sentenced to three years in jail after he was found guilty by the Appeals Court (criminal department) of inciting hatred and disunity among the population. The convict was also sentenced to three months in jail for using social media to disturb the public order.

MUSCAT: The Office of Majlis Ash’shura hailed the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to formulate a sub-committee for addressing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic under the Supreme Committee for tackling the pandemic, chaired by the Minister of Interior.

The office followed the great and continued efforts being made by the government through the Supreme Committee to limit the spread of the coronavirus and the constant work undertaken by the

Supreme Committee and the relevant authorities in spreading social awareness about the pandemic as well as the precautionary measurements taken to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The office extended its thanks to all segments of society for abiding by the guidelines and the preventive measures aimed to contain the coronavirus spread at workplaces and public places which signifies the high level of awareness distinctive of the Omani society.

This was stated at the

14th meeting of the Office of Majlis Ash’shura held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Office Chairman.

During the meeting the office members reviewed requests for briefing made by the Council members and addressed to the Minister of Health regarding the prices of imported medicines and the level of achievement on an annual basis of the Ninth Five Year-Plan for Health Development (2016-2020) and the budget allocated to the same.

— ONA

MUSCAT: The Omani Environmental Services Holding Company (be’ah) has signed three agreements to recycle the lead-acid batteries at the accredited treatment centre in the Sultanate with the best international specifications and standards, as a part of the company’s continued efforts to regulate and develop the waste management sector, reduce negative environmental impacts and support the local economy.

The agreements were remotely signed with the National Ferries Company, Mazoon Electricity Company and Oman LNG Company.

With more than 14,000 tonnes of lead-acid batteries used annually in the Sultanate, be’ah will focus on the proper disposal of these batteries. Through the authorised carriers, be’ah will collect lead-acid batteries from these establishments, then transfer them to the company’s approved processing site to be recycled and secondary materials manufactured.

According to the agreement, the be’ah will provide special containers for proper dispose of lead-acid batteries, characterised by insulating layers prevent the leakage of acidic substances harmful to human health and the environment.

ZAINAB AL NASSRI

Shura Office hails Royal directives to set up panel

MUSCAT: The Ministry of Health (MoH) on Tuesday announced 745 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the Sultanate, including 377 Omanis and 368 residents, which brought the total number of

positive cases in the Sultanate to 25,629 including six deaths.

Dhofar reported 37 new cases while Al Wusta had 11 cases on Tuesday with Muscat dominating the list with 445 new cases

followed by North Batinah 99 and South Batinah 69.

According to MoH, a total of 2,627 people were tested in the last 24 hours. Six deaths were reported due to COVID-19 on Tuesday, taking the total toll to 114.

www.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 3

OMAN

MUSCAT: The norms set to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have reportedly been flouted at the busy Central Fruits and Vegetables Market in Mawaleh.

A large number of ven-dors and customers gather there every evening while the road in the front is packed with heavy vehicles, the queue of which extends till Burj Sahwa roundabout. The timing for the market is 10pm to 4am.

Even as vendors and staff of the importing, packing and re-exporting area are playing safe with social dis-tancing and wearing PPE, the area earmarked for wholesalers and retailers is witnessing people mingling with each other without maintaining any pandemic protocols.

“On any given night, this largest wholesale and retail market receives hundreds of heavy vehicles from across the country and neighbouring countries and large gathering of people from across the country is a common sight. It’s alarm-ing to see that they are observing no or very less personal protective meas-ures,” a wholesaler told the

Observer.They wear no

hand gloves while face masks are worn just for namesake which is often pulled down when they c o m m u n i c a t e with each other. They sweat as the tempera-tures continue to rise and they arrange the vegetables and fruits with their naked hands. Social distancing is also not adhered to.

CASES SPIKE IN SEEBMeanwhile, the Wilayat of Seeb continued to report a spike in the number of cases

on Tuesday as well. The number touched a stag-gering 6,041 on Tuesday while Muttrah, which was once the focal point of c o r o n a v i r u s cases reported 5,866 incidents in all. Recovery rate too dipped with 2,120 and 3,

630 respectively.Muscat Municipality,

which runs the largest wholesale and retail mar-ket in the country, had ear-lier closed it several times as a means of safety of the sellers and buyers inside the market.

It was first ordered to close before Ramadhan, on April 24, as large crowds were feared to gather on the market premises on the eve of the holy month which would trigger the COVID-19 spread.

Later, the market was opened to wholesale trade but restricted the retail divi-sion from 4am to 10am.

However, Muscat Municipality announced the second time closure of the market on May 18 after heavy numbers of people were seen with no or less precautionary measures even after repeated requests to follow safety measures.

Although it was briefly opened, shutters were again closed from Saturday, June 6 till June 13 as part of tack-ling the community spread of Covid-19. It was later lift-ed with time restrictions on both wholesale retail trades.

“We keep urging all those who visit the market to observe utmost care and sanitise their hands and wear facemasks. And that is the reason we have reg-ulated the timings as well as imposed restrictions. It’s the people to take care”, an official from the Muscat Municipality present inside the market said.

COVID-19 PREVENTIVE NORMS FLOUTED AT MAWALEH MARKET

K A B E E R Y O U S U F

The area earmarked for

wholesalers and retailers is

witnessing people mingling with

each other without

maintaining any pandemic protocols

4 WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

MUSCAT: A decision to allow foreigners, including expatriates in Oman, to own property in the Sultanate, is awaiting approval from the cabinet.

The decision, when implemented, will let expatriates buy properties from a range of specified housing projects in the country.

Speaking to the Observer, a senior official at the Ministry of Housing said that the decision on the topic was delayed due to certain circumstances this year.

“The initiative was aimed at finding a way for foreign individuals to own/benefit from specific housing ranges, to keep capitals in the Sultanate and promote foreign investment’’, the annual of Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit (ISFU) said.

As per a ministerial decision of 2012, expatriates in Oman are allowed to buy properties only in Integrated Tourism Projects.

Any decision to allow ownership of properties for non-Omanis outside

ITCs will have a major impact as expatriates officially constitute around 41 per cent of the total population, with a sizeable number of potential buyers. The report said that the draft resolution on the subject was approved by the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

“This step was accomplished and

the committee formed to review the conditions and controls began its tasks to draft the decision and set the necessary conditions and controls. ISFU communicated with all stakeholders to set these conditions and controls and followed up the work of the committee’’, the report said.

DECISION ON EXPATS OWNING PROPERTY AWAITS CABINET NOD

OMAN

MUSCAT: The State Audit Institution (SAI) on Tuesday participated in the 16th special-ists’ committee meeting of the GCC Anti-Corruption and Integrity Protection Agencies.

The meeting was held through video conferencing from the headquarters of GCC Secretariat General in Riyadh.

The meeting reviewed a number of issues relevant to the committee’s terms of refer-ence, mainly upgrading the guiding principles for expertise exchange between Anti-Corruption Agencies of the GCC. In addition, the committee members discussed the pro-posal to prepare a joint GCC programme for raising aware-ness in the field of education that focuses on educating the younger generation on integri-ty protection and fighting cor-ruption. — ONA

V I N O D N A I R

SAI ATTENDS GCC MEET

AGAINST GRAFT

MUSCAT: As part of supporting the modernisation of the traditional fisheries sector in Oman, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is launching a project to provide licences for 70 coastal vessels and 40 modern boats.

In 2019, as many as 48 applications for modern boats were approved and licences issued.

According to the 2019 Annual Report published by the Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit (ISFU), the ministry is cooperating with the Al Raffd Fund to finance the project.

“The applications

will be evaluated and qualified by the ministry and subsequently financed”, says the report.

Regarding the modern boats, points out the report, the aim of this project is to replace the fiberglass skiffs with new modern boats, the designs of which offer opportunities for longer overnight trips, enhanced catch quality and quantity, and reduced operating costs.

The Sultanate enjoys several inherent advantages that make the fisheries sector a promising sector for the national economy.

The Fisheries Lab as part of Oman’s National Programme for Enhancing Economic

Diversification (Tanfeedh), has paved the way for the transformation of the Sultanate’s fisheries sector.

Based on the set plans for 2019, the sector has scored many achievements as the ministry and Al Raffd have successfully signed a memo for Al Raffd to fund 20 modern boats per year.

Moreover, a consultant was assigned for Diba port’s designs, and the tendering process for Mahout and Al Shuwemiya is at the final stages.

Also, Al Wusta Fisheries Industries Company played a vital role in contributing towards increasing the amount of commercial fishing landings.

LICENCES FOR 70 COASTAL VESSELS, 40 MODERN BOATS

S A M U E L K U T T Y

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OMAN

MUSCAT: Water production in the Sultanate increased by 1.4 per cent to reach 35.69 million cubic metres until the end of January 2020, compared to 35.21 million cubic metres in the same period in 2019, according to statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).In the Governorate of Muscat, the water production rose by 4.2 per cent to reach 16.14 million cubic metres in the one-month period of 2020, compared to 15.49 million cubic metres in 2019. — ONA

SALALAH: The coro-navirus pandemic has not only confined peo-ple to their homes, it has sent a strong message to eat healthy to beat the pandemic. By being at home they have to look for home solu-tions, which are not only handy, but also very effective in build-ing body immunity and thus building a natural shield to get protected from the disease.

Researchers of all streams are working overtime to establish facts that can help beat the virus. A sec-tion of them are focusing on diet and suggesting people not to fall prey to Corona by including certain commonly found food ingredients to ensure that people don’t fall prey to COVID-19.

Dr Atiya Fatima has worked extensively on Medicinal Chemistry. She says, common food items are rich in vitamins, minerals

and phytochemicals, which are powerful antioxidants. These commonly found food ingredients, accord-ing to her, are a boon in boosting body immunity.

In an interview with Observer, Dr Atiya said it is a must to eat properly to beat the virus. As researcher she suggested to include garlic, ginger, turmeric, clove, cin-namon, walnut, strawberry, broccoli, yoghurt, Vitamin D and Zinc in daily diet to boost immune sys-tem.

“It’s also important to note that still no research has impli-

cated specific food that can help fight against COVID-19 spe-cifically. Also there isn’t any scientific evi-dence specifically relating immune sys-tem and COVID-19, but boosting our immune system could suffice us with ability to maintain our overall health’’, she said.

“Garlic can be termed as a nutrition-al superstar with its therapeutic effects and immense nutri-tional benefits. It is packed with Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, folate, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phospho-rous, potassium, sodi-um and zinc. It has innumerable number of health benefits such as lowering of blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease and warding of common cold. Allicin, a sulfur con-taining compound, adding to the smell and hot sensation of garlic has anti-bacte-rial and anti-fungal properties.

K A U S H A L E N D R A S I N G H

EAT TO BEAT THE PANDEMIC

WATER PRODUCTION RISES 1.4 PER CENT

FOODS THAT HELP IN BOOSTING IMMUNE SYSTEM TO FIGHT AGAINST COVID 19

Dr Atiya Fatima

MUSCAT: The Education and Research Committee of the State Council on Tuesday hosted Sayyid Salim bin Musallam al Busaidy, Under-S e c r e t a r y f o r A d m i n i s t r a t i v e Development Affairs at the Ministry of Civil Services (MoCS), and several officials as part of its study on ‘the status and future of teach-ers in the Sultanate’, at the meeting hall of Council of Oman.

The 11th meeting of the first annual session of the 7th term was headed byMo-hammed bin Hamdan al

Toobi, committee head and the committee members in the presence of the Secretary-General of the State Council and Secretariat staff.

The committee discussed with the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Service and ministry officials issues related to the study, which included: legislation related to selection, qualification, appointment, promotions, acceptance ratios for col-lege admissions, training programmes and plans to facilitate on-the-job work for the teachers, laws regu-

lating the education profes-sion, challenges and diffi-culties facing the teaching profession , incentives for teachers in addition to soci-etal obligations towards the profession of teaching.

The Education Committee’s study on the status and future of teach-ers aims to look into the mechanisms for selecting, preparing, training, operat-ing and motivating the teacher and proposing ways to develop them, reviewing the current legislation and laws regulating the educa-tion profession, and propos-

ing new legislation that guarantee upgrading the education profession and the social status of the teacher.

It also aims to examine the challenges facing the teach-ing profession, propose ways to overcome it and set a time-frame for its imple-mentation, in addition to coming up with recommen-dations and results in sup-port of efforts aimed at developing the educational process through upgrading the level of performance of its most important compo-nent, the teacher.

6 WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

OMANState Council committee discusses challenges of teaching profession

MUSCAT: Suhar Municipality has issued administrative decision 88/2020 regulating the accommodation for expa-triate bachelors in resi-dential areas.

Warning of legal actions, the decision says rental contracts for homes and villas in residential neigh-bourhoods will be limited to family only, where the tenant is staying with family alone.

It is prohibited to regis-ter rental contracts for workers and single employees in homes and villas.

It is not permitted to use a residential villa or apart-ment simultaneously for housing and economic/commercial purposes.

It is prohibited to regis-ter rental contracts for unskilled or semi-skilled bachelors in buildings intended for residential or commercial use.

Lease contracts for apartments in multi-story residential and commer-cial buildings, more than two floors except the roof floor, maybe certified for

bachelors of the following categories: managers, doctors, engineers, and their level at the rate of one employee in each room, and students, administrators, techni-cians, professionals, and their level at a rate of only two people in each room.

The lease contract must be in the name of the com-

pany where the employee works and not with the employee himself.

The landlord must install screens on the windows of the building from the directions over-looking the houses and residential villas, if any, before finalising the con-tract.

The companies must not stop buses to trans-port employees in front of the rented building. Workers should avoid indecent dressing while coming out of their homes.

The landlord shall appoint a permanent employee to oversee the building and its residents.

It is permissible to reg-ister rental contracts for apartments in the resi-dential commercial build-ings for singles.

Housing curbs for bachelor expats in SuharS T A F F R E P O R T E R

www.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 7

WORLD

SEOUL: North Korea blew up an office set up to foster better ties with South Korea on Tues-day in a “terrific explo-sion” after threatening action if North Korean defectors went ahead with a campaign to send propaganda leaflets into the North.

North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said the liaison office in the border town of Kaesong, which had been closed since January due to the coronavirus, was “completely ruined”.

Surveillance video released by South Ko-rea’s defence ministry showed a large explo-sion that appeared to bring down the four-storey structure. It also appeared to cause a partial collapse of a neighbouring 15-sto-rey high-rise that had served as a residential facility for South Korean officials who staffed the liaison office.

The destruction of the building represents a major setback to efforts by South Korean Presi-

dent Moon Jae-in to coax North Korea into cooperation.

It also appears to be a further blow to US Pres-ident Donald Trump’s hopes of persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and open up to the outside world.

“We are aware that North Korea destroyed the liaison office in Kaesong and remain in close coordination with our Republic of Korea

allies,” a senior US ad-ministration official said.

The State Depart-ment did not imme-diately comment, but announced that Dep-uty Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, the top US official dealing with North Korea, would travel with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Hawaii on Tuesday.

Sources said Pom-peo will hold talks with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Hawaii on Wednesday on issues including North Korea.

China is North Ko-rea’s main ally and neighbour and shares US concerns about Pyongyang’s weapons programmes. US of-ficials have stressed the need for Beijing to strictly enforce inter-national sanctions on North Korea.

Russia said on Tues-day it was concerned about the situation on the Korean peninsula and called for restraint from all sides.

— Reuters

NORTH KOREA DESTROYS SOUTH LIAISON OFFICE IN

‘TERRIFIC EXPLOSION’

Berlin, Nato warn against US troop cuts in GermanyWARSAW: Germany and Nato on Tuesday underlined the impor-tance of US troops in Germany for security on both sides of the Atlan-tic, a day after President Donald Trump announced he would slash the number stationed there. “We think that the US presence in Ger-many is important for the security not just of Germany but also for the security of the United States and especially for the security of Europe,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said during a visit to Poland.

Indian and Chinese troops in deadly border clashNEW DELHI: Three Indian soldiers were killed in a violent face-off on the Chinese border, the Indian army said on Tuesday, following weeks of rising tensions and the deployment of thousands of ex-tra troops from both sides. Brawls erupt regularly between the two nuclear-armed giants across their disputed 3,500-km frontier, but no one has been killed in decades. But the Indian army said there were “casualties on both sides” in Mon-day’s incident on the Himalayan frontier between China’s Tibet and India’s region Ladakh. “A violent face-off took place yesterday (Mon-day) night with casualties on both sides. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two sol-diers,” an Indian army spokesman said in a statement.

Tanzanian President Magufuli dissolves parliamentDAR ES SALAAM: Tanzanian President John Magufuli dissolved parliament on Tuesday ahead of elections in October, touting his government’s record in expand-ing infrastructure such as roads, electricity generation and reform-ing the mining sector. Nicknamed “the Bulldozer” for his ability to push through major projects, Magufuli took office in November 2015, pledging to expand the East African nation’s road and railway network and power-generation capacity. — Agencies

IN BRIEF

We are aware that North Korea destroyed the liaison office in Kaesong and remain in close coordination with our Republic of Korea allies

A SENIOR US ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL

BEIJING: More than two dozen new coro-navirus cases in China and the first New Zealand infections in almost a month on Tuesday underlined the immense challeng-es still ahead in con-taining the deadly pan-demic, even as some EU nations reopened their borders to fellow Europeans.

More than eight mil-lion people have now been infected with the virus worldwide since it first emerged in China late last year — with more than 435,000 deaths — and the tolls are still surging in Latin America and South Asia.

Caseloads have declined across Europe, however, and governments are keen to ease lockdowns that have saved lives but devastated economies — despite experts warning that restric-tions will be required until a vaccine or effective treatment is

developed.The latest reminder

of the threat came on Tuesday from China, which had largely brought its outbreak under control, as 27 new infections were reported in Beijing,

where a new cluster linked to a wholesale food market has sparked mass testing and neighbourhood lockdowns.

“The epidemic situa-tion in the capital is extremely severe,” Beijing city spokes-man Xu Hejian warned, as the number of con-firmed infections

soared to 106.And New Zealand

reported its first cases in almost a month — two recent arrivals from Britain — prompt-ing authorities to start tracing their move-ments. The South Pacific nation had declared last week that it had ended commu-nity transmission of the virus.

While these cases have caused concern about the possibility of a full-blown resur-gence in countries that have suppressed their outbreaks, the disease is gaining a worrying momentum in other regions with massive populations.

Known infections in India have crossed 330,000, and authori-ties already stretched by the COVID-19 out-break are bracing for the monsoon season, which causes out-breaks of illness such as dengue fever and malaria every year.

— AFP

WORLD8 WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

New cases in China, New Zealand sound pandemic alarm

THE EPIDEMIC SITUATION IN

BEIJING IS EXTREMELY

SEVERE, AS THE NUMBER OF CONFIRMED INFECTIONS

SOARED TO 106.

Chinese authorities are testing thousands of people as a new cluster of coronavirus cases sparks alarm. — AFP

Spain may quarantine UK visitors, says foreign ministerMADRID: Spain is considering impos-ing a quarantine on visitors from Britain when it reopens its borders next week, Spain’s Foreign Minister said, in response to a similar policy introduced last week for travellers to Britain. Arancha Gonzalez Laya told the BBC she hoped Britain would lift its restriction, making a reciprocal Spanish one unnecessary. “We will be in a dialogue with the UK to see whether or not we should be intro-ducing reciprocity as they have dif-ferent measures than the rest of the European Union,” she said.

Ukraine president’s wife hospitalised with COVID-19KIVE: The wife of Ukraine’s President, Olena Zelenska, was hospitalised after contracting coronavirus and her condition was stable, the presi-dential office said on Tuesday, adding a fresh test of her husband showed he remained negative. Zelenska said last week she had tested positive for coronavirus, while her husband Volodymyr Zelenskiy and their two children had tested negative. The President also cancelled all meetings and visits. “Olena Zelenska’s current diagnosis is COVID-19 — bilateral polysegmental pneumonia of moder-ate severity. (She) Does not require oxygen donation. The condition is stable,” the office said in a statement.

Moscow reopens museums as it rolls back curbsMOSCOW: Residents of Moscow were able to return to museums and sum-mer terraces on Tuesday for the first time in more than two months as the Russian capital rolled back more coronavirus curbs despite con-tinuing to record over 1,000 new daily infections. Starting on Tuesday, museums, libraries and zoos in the city of nearly 13 million are reopen-ing their doors, albeit with continued limits on the number of visitors at any one time. Dentists are getting back to business too. Authorities are allowing sporting events to resume, though spectators must take up no more than 10 per cent of a given ven-ue’s capacity. — Agencies

IN BRIEF

Break the social stigma…

In the first week of March when the c o r o n a v i r u s made its assault

in the Sultanate, like many others, I too thought it would not linger so long. None of us even thought that the coronavirus would do this much harm to humanity.

We realised the fact that life will never be the same again, but at a closer look, we can foresee changes at every level of our lives.

What I fear is not the economic impact but the social stigma that will plague our society. We are going to live in a world in masks without handshakes and always at a distance from others including our loved ones.

I think due to this ostracisation that people hide symptoms and even avoid treatment. No doubt, it can lead to deep-seated social and financial fears.

The recent video in social media showing an airline crew member breaking into sobs in India because the residents of her locality were spreading rumours that she had been infected with the virus. When she was away, the neighbours came

by and threatened her mother against even going out to buy essentials.

This was not an isolated case in India that ‘vigilant residents’ stopping people from going out of their homes simply because they travelled abroad in the course of their duty or met people who had COVID-19. In San Francisco, a n u m b e r o f pharmacies were boycotted following the death of one of its workers.

These kinds of incidents point to the fact that people who recovered from the pandemic will have to live with another traumatic life of being segregated from the society. No doubt, this is not social distancing rather it is a social boycott.

If social distancing is a scientific phrase to combat the virus, we need to be socially closer than ever. So one should not ask when will this catastrophe end, instead ask how we will continue in the post-COVID-19 period!

We should not allow our fear to make us hostile. Be kind and find ways to keep supporting each other.

James Lovelock — founder of the Gaia the-ory and, arguably, the field of Earth system science — thinks the world has lost perspec-

tive in responding to the new coronavirus, and should focus on a far more formidable foe: glo-bal warming.

“My impression is that we have overreacted almost everywhere to the pandemic,” he said by phone from his home in south-ern England, where he has been in lockdown with his wife.

Lovelock, who will be 101 next month, has had the disconcert-ing habit in his 75-year career of being right about important things.

“Disconcerting” because his ideas have often been at odds with conventional wisdom, ahead of their time or, in the case of cli-mate change, unbearably grim.

In the early 1960s, for example, when Nasa was determined to find life on Mars, Lovelock — under contract at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California — told his employers there almost

certainly wasn’t any, and then designed the experiment to prove it. When he announced a decade later that Earth is best under-stood as a single, self-regulating superorganism, the notion was at first ridiculed by his peers.

By the 1990s, however, the com-plex interplay of all life forms with the water, air and rocks around them — Earth’s geo-bio-chemical balancing act — was accepted as self-evident.

“Lovelock was certainly a vision-ary in changing our understand-ing of how life shapes the Earth,” commented Tim Lenton, direc-tor of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter.

“Whether or not you accept his Gaia hypothesis — and many don’t — his work has trans-formed our view of what we now call the ‘Earth system’ and the central role of life in maintaining habitable conditions on Earth.”

Lovelock — who worked in the virus department of Britain’s National Institute for Medical Research from the end of World War II to 1957 — puts the global COVID-19 response into the context of earlier viral out-breaks. — AFP

A world redrawn: Worry about climate not COVID

ANALYSIS

M A R L O W E H O O D

www.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 9

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SALALAH OFFICETel: 23292633Fax: 23293909

NIZWA OFFICETel: 25411099P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611

Samuel Kuttysamkuttyobserver@gmail.com

BUSINESS10 WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

MUSCAT: Oman is devel-oping the legislative framework necessary to spur the growth of free zones around key air-ports in the Sultanate.

The initiative is being driven by the Implementation Support and Follow-Up Unit (ISFU), a task force operating under the auspices of the Diwan of Royal Court to oversee the speedy deliv-ery of projects proposed as part of the National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh).

Explaining the rationale behind the issuance of a Royal Decree to this effect, ISFU said: “Given regional competition, this is a key enabler identified in the national air cargo strategy to support the development of the air-port city as a business hub. Initiated by the strat-egy and concept master plans, several potential clusters have been identi-fied. These clusters require free zone status

to match and ideally beat regional free zones on competitiveness.

The proposal for a Royal Decree regulating airport free zone develop-ments is one of 21 logis-tics-related projects and initiatives currently under various stages of implementation with the support of ISFU.

According to ISFU, robust legislation, under-pinned by comprehensive and attractive free zone policies and procedures, is key to attracting local and international tenants to the Airport Free Zone and wider Airport City, thereby enabling the growth of air cargo growth.

“Existing free zone poli-cies and procedures through a Royal Decree need to be reviewed and amended, in line with best practices, to make the

Airport City sufficiently attractive so to enhance the air cargo ecosystem, broader logistics sector and accompanying socio-economic benefits,” said ISFU in its newly pub-lished 2019 Annual Report.

Stakeholders in the ini-tiative include the Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC), Port of Duqm, Oman Global Logistics Group (ASYAD), Oman Air SATS Cargo, Oman Aviation Group, shipping agents and customs bro-kers, freight forwarders, and the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (SEZAD).

Significantly, a draft of the proposed Royal Decree for Airport Free Zones has been submit-ted to the Council of Ministers for its consider-ation and approval,

according to ISFU. “The focus in 2020 will be on the finalisation of the detailed master plan for the Airport City, and issu-ing the Free Zone Royal Decree for Airports,” it added.

The first such airport free zone, anchored by an ambitious Airport City complex, is already envi-sioned at Muscat International Airport.

The National Aviation Strategy 2030 unveiled earlier this year includes plans for the Muscat Airport City project, the centrepiece of which is a Muscat Airport Free Zone.

Covering an area of 3.3 million square metres, the zone will be ear-marked for investments related to light industry, warehousing and storage of airfreight, ecommerce activities, aviation related goods and equipment, and an integrated service delivery station.

Clusters related to avia-tion services, hospitality, duty free shops and air-cargo are envisaged as well.

TANFEEDH INITIATIVE: The proposal for a Royal Decree regulating airport free zone

developments is one of 21 logistics-related projects and initiatives currently under various stages of implementation

with the support of ISFU.

C O N R A D P R A B H U

ROYAL DECREE ON AIRPORT FREE ZONES ON ANVIL

BUSINESSwww.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 11

MUSCAT: Overcoming chal-lenges posed by, among other factors, bureaucracy, legislative shortcomings and other systemic deficien-cies, the Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit (ISFU) — a high powered task force set up within the Diwan of Royal Court — has announced the successful delivery of a sizable portfo-lio of projects and initiatives that promise to impart strong and sustainable impetus to Oman’s econom-ic diversification.

ISFU — set up to oversee the expeditious implemen-tation of strategically impor-tant projects and initiatives across — said it had achieved a 76.1 per cent score in the successful delivery of these proposals in 2019.

These initiatives, emerg-ing from a series of ‘Labs’ held in previous years, are distributed across the following nine key economic sectors and goals: Manufacturing, Tourism, Logistics, Labour Market & Employment, Business Environment, Fisheries, Renewable Energy, Mining and Information & Communication Technology (ICT).

A report issued by ISFU on Tuesday details progress achieved in the delivery of a total of 133 project and initi-atives.

Further broken down into specific goals, their number rises to 184 initiatives, each

with significant implications for driving investment inflows, boosting employ-ment generation, spurring productivity and economic competitiveness, nurturing SME development, and har-nessing local resources.

In a foreword, Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal al Busaidi, Minister of Diwan of Royal Court, said: “During the past three years, I followed up the progress of the Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit (ISFU) from a small team with lim-ited capacities into a well-established and institutional unit.

Currently, ISFU has its own system, methodology and business procedures. It has specialist teams con-sisting of national expertise whom are following up with more than a hundred and thirty initiatives and projects in several key economic sectors and other sectors enabling the economic sec-tors.”

ISFU’s methodologies, the Minister said, are based on “effective partnership” with all relevant public and pri-vate entities. “

Although there are chal-lenges facing some initia-tives and projects, requiring more cooperation between relevant entities and the pri-vate sector, in addition to the economic direct impact of the economic diversifica-tion projects requiring more time to be attained, we have already started to see the impact of many projects, making us more proud and

honoured,” he noted.Dr Khamis bin Saif al Jabri,

Chairman of ISFU, credited the Unit’s success to the introduction of a ‘Sprint Methodology’ that enabled all parties to “work harder and faster toward achieving the goal of each sector”.

SECTOR-WISE ACHIEVE-MENTS:

Manufacturing: Projects delivered during 2019 include Mazoon Dairy, Koso Gulf Valves Manufacturing Plant, Sohar Cement Factory, Sebacic Acid Production Plant in Duqm, Polymer Manufacturing Project in the field of oil wells injection, and MISCO Steel Rebar and Billet Production Plant.

Scheduled to come on stream this year are: Liwa Plastics Industries Complex, Salalah Methanol Company’s Ammonia Plant, Salalah LPG Project, and food security projects (poultry and meat).

Renewable Energy: Oman’s first wind farm in Dhofar was launched in 2019.

A number of Logistics: Achievements of the past year include initiatives relat-ed to speedy customs clear-ance, inauguration of Suwaiq Port and others.

Fisheries: The Small Pelagic Fishing project was implemented by Al Wusta Industrial Fisheries.

Tourism: Good progress was achieved in advancing a number of projects and initiatives.

Mining: Through the joint efforts of ISFU, Public Authority for Mining, and

other entities, the Mining sector was able to finalise all required procedures for 15 pre-approved mining blocks, making them availa-ble for immediate invest-ment.

ICT: Initiatives in this sec-tor are in line with employ-ment creation.

National Employment: There were extensive efforts made to launch the National Centre for Employment (NCE), while the Job Security Fund was formally unveiled as well.

Business Environment: Achievements include legis-lation in support of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) – an initiative super-vised by the Capital Market Authority ; Oman Commercial Arbitration Centre initiative supervised by Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Oman Credit and Financial Information Centre (Mala’a) – an initiative supervised by the Central Bank of Oman; “Invest in Oman” portal supervised by the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (Ithraa); Investment Services Centre supervised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Further, a number of laws and regulations related to investment environment and procedure facilitation were issued - Foreign Capital Investment Law, Bankruptcy Law, Executive Regulation of Mergers and Acquisitions, and Escrow Account Executive Regulation.

C O N R A D P R A B H U

ISFU REPORT SIGNALS NEW

PUSH FOR OMAN’S ECONOMIC

DIVERSIFICATIONNEW MOMENTUM:

A report issued by ISFU on Tuesday details progress achieved in the delivery of a total of 133 projects and initiatives distributed across nine economic

sectors and strategic national objectives.

BUSINESS12 WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

WHY MIDEAST CRUDES MATTER TO BUYERS IN ASIA

The crude oil market has w i t n e s s e d some of the highest volatil-ity in living

memory, casting a spotlight on the value of different benchmarks and liquidity and yield of crude that is delivered into them.

Typically, the value of a grade of crude oil is defined by the underlying value of the products that are pro-duced when it is refined. The refinery yields of dif-ferent crude grades and underlying refinery eco-nomics are critical in ana-lyzing the competitiveness of competing crudes.

Crudes are not homoge-nous and there are hun-dreds of different types, each with their own quali-ties and characteristics. The international market has settled on using certain benchmarks, against which the values of crudes are measured.

For a crude benchmark to be robust it must have a variety of often disparate characteristics. These include abundance in pro-duction volume, steady quality, diversity of buyers and sellers, geographic rel-evance and absence of interference, from political forces for example. Many crudes around the world share some of these char-acteristics but only a hand-ful fulfill all criteria.

Within the Middle East reference prices include Platts Dubai, Platts Oman and DME Oman, each hav-ing different characteris-tics.

Both Platts Dubai and

Platts Oman offer an alter-native delivery mechanism, which means that more than one crude grade can help form the daily value of the assessment and ensure sufficient liquidity for the benchmark. For Platts Dubai, this includes the alternative delivery of Oman, Upper Zakum, Al Shaheen and Murban. For Platts Oman, Murban is also acceptable as an alterna-tive deliverable grade.

Total deliverable crude on a daily basis for Platts Dubai can therefore be cal-culated as the daily produc-tion of the five streams of crude that go into the assessment. Clearly, not all of this volume will be freely available on the spot mar-ket on any given day. Some will be diverted into domes-tic refineries and some car-goes may have destination restrictions. Yet the liquidi-ty pool remains deep. A con-servative estimate of crude available for delivery into Platts Dubai is 2.75 million b/d, while 1.75 million b/d is available for Platts Oman.

The DME Oman futures contract is underpinned by Oman’s 950,000 b/d pro-duction and after allowing for domestic refinery con-sumption, around 800,000 b/d is available – slightly more than a cargo and a half of crude per day.

Crude oil grades from the

Middle East are sought by complex refiners in Asia, which typically blend differ-ent crudes to customize their preferred slate required for their process-ing units. As a result, the underlying value of these different grades is critical when a refiner is evaluat-ing which grade to pur-chase as part of their monthly requirements.

Changes in value of dif-ferent crude grades can be linked to the value of the products that the crude makes, with gasoline his-torically king of the barrel.

Murban, which is among the lighter and sweeter crude grades across the Middle East, has the highest yield of gasoline among all the crudes in the Platts Dubai and Platts Oman alternative delivery mecha-nisms. This explains why it has typically been valued the highest.

However, with gasoline demand decimated due to Covid-19, Murban was more competitively valued ver-sus the other grades as its yield values shifted to reflect the economics of refining the grade.

Oman crude is mostly sold to China, which argua-bly has different refining economics to other end-users. Critically, Beijing adjusts domestic retail pric-es for oil products once

crude oil falls below $40/b. The breakdown of tradi-tional refining economics focusing on the yield value of a particular crude have led to Oman crude trading away from other grades in the region.

With Oman being the only deliverable into DME Oman, the contract diverged and moved substantially higher relative to the Platts Dubai and Platts Oman assess-ments. While it averaged 11 cents/b above Platts Oman in February, the difference leapt to over $3.15/b in April and May.

This increased spread has likely impacted the eco-nomics for refiners in Asia processing grades that are priced against these differ-ent markers.

The yield for the different crudes needs to be consid-ered against the price of the different benchmarks to examine their relative competitiveness from a refinery’s perspective. The availability of suitable alter-native grades that can be delivered into a benchmark ensures tradable value and stable prices that are use-ful for all producers and buyers. Not just a single consumer of a single grade of oil.

[Dan Colover is Head of Middle East Market Engagement, S&P Global Platts]

DAN COLOVER

MUSCAT: Oman Arab Bank (OAB) and Alizz Islamic Bank announced the signing of an agreement for the overall structure of the poten-tial merger between the two banks. This step will pave the way for the successful finalisation of two-years of negotiations between both parties.

The agreement was signed by Rashad Mohammad al Zubair, Chairman of OAB, and Saleh Nasser al Araimi, Chairman of AIB, on behalf of both respective banks.

The potential merger will wit-ness the establishment of a major banking entity that will deliver world-class conventional and Islamic banking services and will be the first of its kind in the local banking sector. The signing was attended by AbdulAziz Mohammed al Balushi, Board Member of OAB, Rashad Ali al Musafir, CEO of OAB and Salaam Said al Shaksy, CEO of Alizz Islamic Bank.

The agreement covered the overall structures and proce-dures that will be taken as part of

the merger process. Oman Arab Bank agreed to sub-

mit an offer to the shareholders of Alizz Islamic Bank to acquire all shares, with the aim to make Alizz Islamic Bank a wholly-owned Islamic banking subsidiary and convert Alizz Islamic Bank into a closed joint-stock company (SAOC).

Once this step is completed, the business of Al Yusr, the Islamic Banking window of Oman Arab Bank, will be integrated with Alizz Islamic Bank SAOC, creating a larger full-fledged and licensed Islamic bank. Following this, shares of OAB will be listed at the Muscat Securities Market (MSM), converting it into a public joint-stock company.

Upon completion of the merger, Oman Arab Bank will continue its conventional banking business and operations, while Alizz Islamic Bank will remain fully Shari’a-compliant and continue to offer Islamic Banking products and services as a full-fledged Islamic bank.

MUSCAT: Oman Tourism College (OTC) will be welcoming new students for the academic year (2020-2021) from Sunday, June 21 onwards, for the vari-ous academic programmes that it offers.

This includes the General Foundation programme, Bachelor (Honours) and Diploma. Students can register by vis-iting the college website and filling in the required admission form.

Commenting on the college’s aca-demic programmes, Dr Abdulkarim Sultan al Mughairi, Dean of OTC said, “OTC offers various programmes, short-training courses and profes-sional development courses in its state-of-the-art classrooms and labs; all of which are fully equipped with advanced tools and technologies. We provide BSc (Hons) and Diploma in four primary majors, namely, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Tourism Marketing, Event Management and Business Enterprise, alongside path-way courses in Service Management or Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Moreover, the college also offers a full-time or part-time study system, in order to provide students in various fields of tourism, with an opportunity to further develop their qualifications and skillsets to advance their career.”

OTC opens admissions fornew academic year

OAB, Alizz Islamic ink pact to finalise merger

MUSCAT: Sohar Aluminium and Sohar Port and Freezone continue their efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting initiatives by the Ministry of Health and the General Directorate of Health Services, in the Governorate of North Batinah. The two companies collab-orated to co-fund the procurement

of a “GeneXpert” 8-module machine and testing kits.

This initiative follows previous actions undertaken by both compa-nies to contribute to the fight against the pandemic. The testing machine and kits will contribute to increasing the testing capacity in the North Al Batinah Governorate.

Sohar Aluminium contributed to supporting the Ministry’s efforts by providing equipment and tools used to protect the health sector first line responders against COVID-19. The company’s contribution to the pur-chase of this machine and testing kits comes fully from the donation of its employee through a special cam-paign that was launched earlier by the company for this purpose.

SOHAR ALUMINIUM,

SOHAR PORT FUND

COVID-19 TESTING SYSTEM

BUSINESSwww.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 13

German investor confidence highest since March 2006

F R A N K F U R T : Confidence among investors in Germany surged in June to its highest level since before the financial cri-sis, a closely-watched survey showed on Tuesday, as Europe’s top economy emerges from a virus lockdown.

The ZEW institute’s monthly barometer added 12.4 points to 63.4 in June, the same level as in March 2006, as “confidence grows that the growth trough will pass in summer,” ZEW chief Achim Wambach said.

But Wambach noted that “revenue expecta-tions remain very dif-ferent for different sec-tors,” with pessimism for export-oriented car and machine-tool mak-ers and financial firms while IT, telecoms and services enjoy a more positive outlook.

The arrival of the coro-navirus in Europe and government-imposed lockdowns to control its spread sent the ZEW’s index of investors’

expectations for the coming months plung-ing into negative terri-tory.

A rebound was already visible in April as Germany appeared to weather the storm more ably than EU neighbours like France and Italy.

Financial players’ assessment of the present situation in Germany remained deep in negative terri-tory at -83.1 points in June, an improvement

of 10.4 over the reading for May.

Turning to the ZEW’s confidence barometer for the wider euro zone, investors’ assessment of the current situation showed a more modest improvement, while the six-month outlook picked up at a similar pace to Germany.

The high reading in June for Germany alone suggests “the worst could be over” for Europe’s biggest econo-my, ING bank analyst Carsten Brzeski com-mented.

Activity is restarting and Berlin has offered lavish support to firms and workers, meaning “the rebound of the economy should contin-ue well into the second half of the year,” Brzeski said.

Nevertheless, he warned that “any initial sharp rebound will be followed by a flattening out” as Germany’s long-standing structural challenges make them-selves felt.

— AFP

LONDON: UK jobless claims more than doubled at the height of Britain’s coronavirus out-break, official data showed Tuesday.

Claims surged 126 per cent to 2.8 million people in the three months to May, coinciding with a strict nationwide lockdown that shut shops and businesses, Office for National Statistics fig-ures revealed.

Claims surged almost a quar-ter in May from April, the ONS added, while job vacancies tum-bled to a record low as economic activity ground to a halt.

Britain’s lockdown was imposed on March 23, when the UK government also launched a “furlough” jobs retention scheme under which it pays the bulk of wages.

Lockdown restrictions were eased this month but furlough-ing continues.

The ONS on Tuesday added that the unemployment rate — or the proportion of the work-force that is unemployed — was flat at 3.9 per cent in the three months to April, not far from a 45-year low.

Furloughed workers are clas-sified as employed under the ONS data, while the rate is likely to start shooting higher from next month’s figures, taking into account the surge in claims to May and beyond.

Separately Tuesday, the UK Treasury said 9.1 million people were being paid via its furlough scheme.

Economists argue that the full extent of coronavirus will not be clear until the costly scheme ends in October. Companies will meanwhile have to start con-tributing from August. — AFP

A steel worker stands amid sparks of raw iron coming from a blast furnace at a ThyssenKrupp steel factory in Duisburg, Germany. — Reuters

The high reading in June for Germany

alone suggests ‘the worst could be over’ for Europe’s biggest economy. Activity is restarting and Berlin

has offered lavish support to firms and

workers, meaning ‘the rebound of the

economy should continue well into

the second half of the year’.

UK jobless claims near three million on coronavirus

People look at job listings at the Careers and Jobs Live careers fair at the ExCeL centre in London. — Reuters

BUSINESS14 WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

www.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 15

SPORTS

TOKYO 2020 EXECUTIVE SAYS ANOTHER DELAY SHOULD BE AN OPTIONTOKYO: Tokyo 2020 board member Haruyuki Takahashi has said a further delay to the already-postponed Olympics should be considered instead of canceling the event if the COVID-19 pandemic does not improve, Japanese daily Nikkan Sports reported on Tuesday.

The Japanese gov-ernment and the International Olympic Committee made the unprecedented deci-sion in March to postpone the Games, originally due to start next month, until 2021.

IOC President Thomas Bach has said the Games would have to be scrapped if the event cannot be held next year but Takahashi said cancelling them would have major financial implica-tions.

“Japan and the world economy will be severely hit,” Nikkan Sports quot-ed him as saying, adding that another postponement should be considered

before cancellation. Tokyo 2020 was not immediately available to comment on the report.

Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said during the organising commit-tee’s executive board meeting on Friday that cancelling the Games had not been discussed with the IOC. With the Beijing Winter Olympics and soccer World Cup to be staged in 2022, delaying the Tokyo Games further would cause greater sched-uling issues and con-flicts.

Takahashi, a former executive at the advertising agen-cy Dentsu Inc, made headlines in March when a Reuters investigation found that he was paid $8.2 million by the com-mittee that spear-headed Tokyo’s bid for the 2020 Games.

— Reuters

IOC President

Thomas Bach has said the Games would have to be

scrapped if the event cannot be held next year but Takahashi said cancelling them would

have major financial implications

16 WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

SPORTS

CRICKETAUSTRALIA

ADMITSWORLD T20

PLANSUNREALISTIC

MELBOURNE: Staging the Twenty20 World Cup in Aus-tralia this year is “unrealis-tic” in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic, Cricket Australia chair-man Earl Eddings admit-ted on Tuesday.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from October 18 to November 15, and offi-cials have previously said they are plan-ning for it to proceed on those dates.

But with many global borders still shut due to virus-related travel restrictions, Ed-dings conceded that was look-ing increasing-ly unlikely.

“While it hasn’t been formally called off this year, or postponed, trying to get 16 countries into Aus-tralia in the cur-rent world,

where most countries are still going through COVID spiking, I think it’s unrealistic, or it’s going to be very, very difficult,” he told reporters.

Eddings said Cricket Aus-tralia had put forward a number of options to the In-ternational Cricket Council (ICC).

“The ICC are having meet-ings as we speak, it’s a bit of a movable feast at the mo-ment,” he said.

T20 World Cup chief ex-ecutive Nick Hockley, who on Tuesday took over as interim Cricket Australia chief, said he expected the ICC to make a decision about the tourna-ment’s future next month.

“We’ve got a fantastic local organising committee who are busy preparing for every eventuality and the decision that will come,” he said.

‘POSITIVE CHATS’Australia has so far enjoyed success containing the vi-rus, allowing it to ease re-strictions, including letting crowds of up to 10,000 into sports stadiums from next month.

But strict international border restrictions remain in place and there are also limits on domestic movement between states, creating an added headache for an event where forty-five matches are split between seven cities.

Eddings said India’s Test tour in December-January appeared set to go ahead, with the tourists willing to undergo quarantine to enter Australia.

“We’ve had a lot of very pos-itive chats with India, they’re very keen to tour,” he said.

— AFP

While it hasn’t been formally called off this

year, or postponed, trying to get 16 countries

into Australia in the current world, where

most countries are still going through COVID

spiking, I think it’s unrealistic, or it’s going to

be very, very difficult.

EARL EDDINGS, CRICKET AUSTRALIA

CHAIRMAN

www.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 17

SPORTS

Muscat: The Oman Football Association (OFA) recently appointed Said bin Humaid al Amri as the acting manager of the Oman national football teams directorate.

The new recruitment announcements by OFA also included Farah Mohammed al Busaidy as Director of International Relations and Sultan al Touqi as legal researcher.

In his first interaction with the media, Said al Amri affirmed that he will continue the journey with more quality and technical values to the national team to reach the desired objectives.

Al Amri, who started his charge with the new position since June 11, had joined the national teams directorate at OFA since 2018.

“I have experience as I have dealt with all the national teams previously as well as I had completed many technical courses through OFA and Oman Olympic Committee (OOC). Definitely, I will implement the theoretical knowledge and practical experience towards accomplishing the

right development of Oman’s football,” he added to Oman Daily Observer.

The newly appointed acting manager of the national teams directorate

explained that all the preparation schedules of the national teams are ready. “The team members worked very hard to come with a better preparatory

plan for the forthcoming participation for the national teams including the senior team, Olympic team and U-16 team. We are awaiting the green light from the Supreme Committee and the Ministry of Sports Affairs to proceed further with the set plans from the technical staff of the national teams”.

Commenting on the continuous meetings with the technical head of the national teams, he responded: ”We are in a direct follow up with all the technical staff of the national teams and arranging many meetings to discuss details for the technical plans and schedules. I hope things will improve in the next period and will implement the plans as the season will resume”.

Al Amri, who graduated from Sultan Qaboos University, thanked OFA board chairman Shaikh Salim al Wahibi and the general secretary at OFA for their confidence in him. “I hope to live up to their trust on me. I will do my best to deliver the top efforts for the success of our national teams,” he added.

‘Development of national football teams the main focus’

ADIL AL BALUSHI

“I have experience as I have dealt with

all the national teams previously as well

as I had completed many technical

courses through OFA and Oman

Olympic Committee (OOC). Definitely, I

will implement the theoretical

knowledge and practical experience

towards accomplishing the right

development of Oman’s football.’’

Said bin Humaid al Amri,

Acting Manager, Oman national football teams

SPORTS

SYDNEY: Australian Nick Kyrgios says the United States Tennis Association is being “selfish” by pressing ahead with the US Open on its original dates from August 31 to September 13.

Multiple media reports on Monday said the USTA would confirm the Grand Slam tournament would go ahead without fans despite New York City still recording hun-dreds of new COVID-19 cases everyday.

Novak Djokovic, Ash Barty and Simona Halep have all indicated they would have concerns about playing the tour-nament under the health protocols designed to keep them safe.

Kyrgios, who has been in lockdown in Australia since the pandemic brought a halt to the ATP Tour, appeared more concerned about having to undergo 14 days of self-isolation

upon his return home from Flushing Meadows.

“People that live in the US of course are push-ing (for) the Open to go ahead ‘Selfish’’’, the world number 40 posted on Twitter.

“I’ll get my hazmat suit ready for when I travel from Australia and then have to quarantine for two weeks on my return’’.

Kyrgios also slammed the ATP Tour as selfish earlier this month for pressing ahead with plans to play the US Open while the virus had not been contained and with the streets of US cities filled with protests at the death of George Floyd.

The 25-year-old also tweeted Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal last week to ask them if they felt the tournament should go ahead. He received no public replies from any of the multiple Grand Slam winners. — Reuters

‘AMERICANS SELFISH TO GO AHEAD WITHUS OPEN’

PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN

THE US OF COURSE

ARE PUSHING (FOR)

THE OPEN TO GO

AHEAD ‘SELFISH’. I’LL

GET MY HAZMAT

SUIT READY FOR

WHEN I TRAVEL FROM

AUSTRALIA AND THEN

HAVE TO QUARANTINE

FOR TWO WEEKS ON

MY RETURN

NICK KYRGIOS, WORLD NUMBER 40

18 WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

Unwrapping the Gift of the Old City of Qalhat

Qalhat was once the jewel of the Omani coastline, lauded by Italian explorer Marco Polo as having “fine bazaars and one of the most beautiful mosques,” and one does not need too much imagination to see the people, the souqs, and a bustling foreshore fishing and trading port of Qalhat, alive, and in its prime... page 20

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PHOTO BY YERU EBUEN

Almost everybody, at some time or another has remarked upon the remarkable prominence of

the archaeological feature known as Bibi Maryams Tomb, either built for her by Baha al Din Ayaz, or by her for him. It stands proudly, clearly visible from the coastal highway, 25kms North of Sur, despite its continued deterioration over the last 500 years.

However, few have ventured on the trek to the ancient city that Bibi Maryam’s Tomb overlooks nearer to the sea, and once the capital of old Oman. In fact, says historian Mohammed Shabankariyei, “An Omani, Mohammed Diramku, laid the foundations for the Hormuz Kingdom, establishing the port city of Hormuz, and the region’s growth and affluence on Kish Island, dur-ing the late 11th Century.”

The succession passed to Sulaiman, Issa, Lashkari, and Kay Qubad until the latter’s two sons Isa and Mahmud fought over the succession, allowing Shihab ud-Din Muhammad to ascend to the throne, and take the hand of Bibi Nasser Ud din in marriage. However, the schem-ing woman had her own agenda, and identifying Abulmakarim Rukn ud Din Mahmud Qalhati, as the man to give her a true king-dom, Bibi poisoned Shihab, and married the bolder man in the mid-13th century.

Together they forged a trade empire that stretched from China, through South East Asia and India, to Africa, with Qalhat as the nomi-nated second capital of the Kingdom. The dynasty ruled with equal reigns of peace and conflict, until the Portuguese, under Alphonso de Albaquerque, during the 16th Century, invaded the king-

dom’s territories, including Qalhat, in a bloody invasion, and took con-trol of Sayf Uddin Abu Nasr Shah’s family’s trade and wealth.

For close to a hundred years, the royal family lived in their accus-tomed wealth and prosperity, but their weaknesses were exposed and the empire disintegrated as the Portuguese lost interest, with ironically, Muscat becoming one of the first states to become inde-pendent from the old kingdom.

The bare bones of that period of history would appear to be grounds for a fantastic television epic, let alone the embellishment offered that the Hormuz empire was, according to H J Coleridge, a place where, “Foreigners, soldiers and merchants, threw off all restraint in the indulgence of their passions ... Avarice was made a science: it was studied and prac-ticed, not for gain, but for its own sake, and for the pleasure of cheating. Evil had become good, and it was thought good trade to break promises and think noth-ing of engagements.”

Protected, and marked for res-toration by Royal Decree 6/80, the work does not appear to have pro-gressed remarkably beyond the archaeological investigations con-ducted recently by Alina Marie Ermertz and her colleagues from the University of Bonn, in Germany, which are chronicled in “Geoarchaeological Evidence for the Decline of the Medieval City of Qalhat, Oman,” published last year.

The city of Qalhat was recently placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites for its “historical significance as the seasonal resi-dence of the Hormuz Royal family,” and it’s “archaeological potential,”

Qalhat’s history traces back to the Bronze Age, and from the Portuguese pillage of the city in the early 16th century, to their expul-sion almost a century later, the set-tlement has fallen into disrepair.

TEXT BY RAY PETERSENPHOTO BY LENA PETERSEN

Unwrapping the Gift of the Old City of Qalhat

www.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020 20

WHILST INTERNATIONAL TRAV-EL has been placed on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s wildlife has been able to flourish in both land and seas with the absence of mass tourism. Thailand’s natural resources are some of the most beautiful and famed in the world, with thousands of species of flora and fauna native to its shores. Strategies to protect the ecosystem and wildlife for the long-term sustainability of the country are at the core of TAT’s commitment to responsible tour-ism, with the tourism board intro-ducing the Responsible Thailand

Awards in 2019.“Thailand is one of the top tour-

ist destination in the world and welcomes over 39 Million visitors annually, of which over 500,000 come from the MENA region,” said Pichaya Saisaengchan, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand for Dubai and the Middle East. “In order to preserve the natural hab-itat, wildlife and traditions of the Kingdom, it is our responsibility to ensure that we regulate the impact of mass tourism on the ecosystem and engage with our local part-ners to ensure responsible tour-ism that is sustainable”.

Thailand benefits from a number of esteemed wildlife ini-tiatives and conser-vation programmes that contribute towards the greater good of Thailand, yet have been affected by the impact of COVID-19 with regards to funding and vol-unteering.

“The impact of the global pan-demic has left a funding gap for the world’s wildlife initiatives, many of which rely on tourism for their revenue streams. We would like to support them by highlight-ing legitimate organisations and initiatives that are doing great work in the Kingdom, and how tourists can continue to support them whilst travel is restricted”, confirms Pichaya.

ENGAGE WITH VOLUNTEERING PROGRAMS

Early in the year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand - in collabo-ration with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, as well as public and private sectors of the island of Ko Tao - launched ‘The One for Nature’ project to protect, rehabilitate, and conserve Thailand’s natural resources through responsible tourism. Travellers can keep up-to-date with volunteering initiatives taking place all over Thailand such as beach clean-ups on Phi Phi Island and street dog adoption pro-grammes in Phuket. One of the main activities of the initiative is to construct artificial reefs for marine ecosystem rehabilitation by using marine-friendly materi-als to develop new marine-rich dive sites.

SPONSOR AN ELEPHANT The current global travel ban

has seen camps struggle to cover the costs of welfare for the ele-phants they look after due to the dependency of tourism income. Thai non–profit organization, Save Elephant Foundation, provides assistance to Thailand’s elephants

through community out-reach, rescue and rehabilitation programs, and educational eco-tourism operations. The conser-vation of the elephants has even inspired Bangkok-based jewellery brand, PATTARAPHAN, to launch the ‘Tusk Earring Collection’ with 10% of the sales proceeds donated to support the elephants. Enthusiasts of Thailand’s ele-phants can lend their support through sponsorship programs, which help provide food, medical care and shelter.

SUPPORT THRIVING TURTLES WITH A STAY IN 2021

Turtles have made a comeback this year, as Thailand’s beaches remain deserted due to the coun-trywide lockdown. On the island of Koh Samui, a giant mother tur-tle laid her eggs, which have been cared for by Banyan Tree Samui’s sustainability team and the local Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, protecting them from predators to ensure survival of the hatchlings.

Around 200 green turtles hatched in April with exciting moments captured by the Banyan Tree team and shared on their social platforms. In addition, Thailand recorded the largest number of leatherback turtle nests in two decades on beaches in Phuket and Phang Nga. Travellers can support the conservation of the Banyan Tree Samui’s thriving turtle population by booking now for stays in 2021. Information and details can be found at www.TourismThailand.org

21 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

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How tourists can support thriving wildlife conservation programmes

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www.omanobserver.om WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020 22

FRANCE’S WILD WOLF population rose again last year, with officials counting 580 adults at winter’s end compared with an average of 530 a year ago, France’s OFB biodiversity agency said Tuesday.

The government has been allowing grey wolves to multiply despite fierce resistance from livestock owners, who say they are suf-fering from increased attacks on their flocks.

But this winter’s increase was slower than the 23 percent jump seen the previous year, and “survival rates declined,” the OFB said, adding that the causes remained unknown.

Wolves were hunted to extinction in France by the 1930s, but gradually started reappear-ing in the 1990s as populations spread across the Alps from Italy.

Their numbers have grown rapidly in recent years, prompting authorities to allow annual culls to keep their numbers in check, though the predator remains a protected species.

Under a “Wolf Plan” adopted in 2018, the “viability threshold” of 500 animals, the level at which the population is likely to avoid becoming at risk of extinction over a 100-year period, was not expected to be reached until 2023.

Wolves are increasingly spotted across French territory, from the Pyrenees moun-tains as far north as the Atlantic coastal regions near Dieppe.

But “there are still no packs formed out-side the Alps and Jura,” the heavily for-ested region near the Swiss border, the agency said.

The numbers are far below those found in Italy, Romania or Poland, but they have none-theless infuriated French farmers who say the wolves are decimating their flocks.

Last year, authorities registered 3,741 wolf attacks that led to the deaths of nearly 12,500 animals, mainly sheep.

The government offers compensation for the losses and has set up a range of measures to protect flocks, including patrols by “wolf brigades” in areas where traditional anti-wolf measures, such as dogs, fenced-off areas and additional shep-herding, have failed.

That has not been enough to assuage the powerful FNSEA agriculture lobby and other groups, which say they have to wait too long for compensation payments in the face of repeated attacks on their livelihood.— AFP

France’s wolf population rises further to 580 adults

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