OMAN DAILY · 14 hours ago · resume our normal lives”, said Al Yakoobi. SALALAH: Even as Salalah and adjoining areas are facing the danger of flooding under the influence of

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2020 SHAWWAL 8, 1441 AH

ESTABLISHED IN 1981 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI VOL. 39 NO. 199 | PAGES 20

MUSCAT: It’s back to work today for all in the Sultanate with the lifting of the coronavirus lockdown.

Except for the Wilayat of Muttrah, which is still under lockdown, life in most parts of the country is limping to normal amid social distancing and restriction on gatherings.

“The sight of people filling our roads is heartwarming. It gives rise to the hope that we will have our normal life back, sooner than we think”, said

Mohammed al Yakoobi, a public sector employee.

As the restrictions on the movement eased on Friday, traffic in most parts in Muscat, other than the locked down areas, swelled a little with citizens arriving from their native villages.

“The virus threat is not over. More cases are being reported. But abundant caution and strict adherence to the guidelines will allow us to resume our normal lives”, said Al Yakoobi.

SALALAH: Even as Salalah and adjoining areas are facing the danger of flooding under the influence of tropical depression, the Dhofar Municipality has put in place rescue and relief measures

to open roads, remove blockages that are causing overflow in the wadis and pumping out water from low-lying residential areas.

According to Salalah Met Office, from Wednesday to Saturday, Sadah received highest rainfall of 194 mm followed by Mirbat 184 mm,

Taqah 181.2 mm, Salalah Airport 174.6 mm, Qairoon Hairiti 136 mm, Shlim 52.3 mm, Thamrait 50.4 mm and Dhalkout 43.2 mm.

In an Interview with the Observer, Dr Ahmed bin Mohsin al Ghassani, Chairman of Dhofar Municipality, said the civic

body is fully prepared to tackle the situation arising out of the tropical depression.

“Our focus right now is to open all the closed roads by making way for the rain water, due to which the roads have been closed. Most of the roads now are open and traffic has resumed” he said.

OMAN DAILY

IT’S BACK TO WORK TODAY AFTER LOCKDOWN

MUSCAT: The number of COVID-19 positive cases will be high in the coming days, Minister of Health Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of Health, said in an interview with Oman TV.

A total of 2,400 patients have recovered from the illness, he said, and added there is a possibility of the number of deaths going up

over the coming days.“The efforts of the Ministry

of Health in active epidemiological monitoring, including more tests reflected in the increase in the number of cases in the past two days”, he said. The total number of positive cases in the Sultanate currently stands at 10,243, with 42 deaths.

S A M U E L K U T T Y

KAUSHALENDRA SINGH

[email protected]

@omanobserver

RELIEF IN FULL SWING AS RAINS FLOOD DHOFAR

CIVIC BODY FULLY PREPARED TO TACKLE THE SITUATION

NUMBER OF COVID-19 CASES TO REMAIN HIGH

TURN TO P4

TURN TO P2

2 SUNDAY MAY 31, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

MUSCAT: All the three major checkpoints in Muscat Governorate covering Wilayat of Muttrah and Hamriya, will stay as long as the measures against COVID-19 are on, according to the Royal Oman Police (ROP), as the country reported record number of cases on Friday and Saturday. The three checkpoints cordoning off the wilayat from the rest of the city are -- one at the Darsait intersection, second at the entry point near the Oman House, and the third one at Hamriya roundabout -- controlling vehicular as well as people’s movement in and around the areas.

“The Wilayat of Muttrah is under health isolation and the checkpoints which are in place since April 10, will be there till the Ministry of Health accomplishes its task of testing all citizens and residents in and around these areas,” a senior official from the ROP told the Observer.

The Sultanate reported the registration of 603 confirmed cases on Saturday and 811 cases on Friday taking the total number of Covid-19 cases to 10,423 with 2,396 recoveries and 42 deaths.

There were queries from the general public about the continuity of these checkpoints as the Supreme Committee declared its decision to

lift lockdown on the governorate.“I feel only checkpoints can control

people’s movement in and out of the affected areas and without the scrutiny at the entry points, things would take a bad shape,” said Gurbinder Singh, a resident of Muttrah. People are still needed to show their ID cards, letter from their company, and their tenancy contract (if they are asked to produce them) at the checkpoints.

“I commute from Wadi Kabir to Qurum on a daily basis and I have to cross the major checkpoint of Darsait intersection where I’m supposed to show the letter from my office and my ID as well as tenancy contract that I’m a resident of Wadi Kabir,” Dilna Sujith, a private sector employee told the Observer.

CHECKPOINTS IN MUSCAT

GOVERNORATE TO STAY

OMANIT’S BACK TO WORK TODAY AFTER LOCKDOWNFROM PAGE 1

The Supreme Committee dealing with COVID-19 situation decided last Wednesday that all employees will resume work gradually, with the attendance of 50 per cent of the workforce. The decision also allows some employees to take annual leave from their leave balance. According to the committee, reopening of workplaces won’t entirely remove all restrictions imposed during COVID-19. When reminded it will be a new working envi-ronment with regulations, Abdullah al Balushi, another public sector employee, said “It is better than facing a hostage like situation at home. We have been longing to return to work”.

While admitting it will be slightly diffi-cult to change back so suddenly after being in lockdown and away from work for more than two months, Al Balushi said that without work the life is not normal. “We know that the virus threat is not over. But we can go back to our normal routine life by strictly adhering to the measures suggested by the authorities”, he said.

Mohamed al Lawati said that nothing could keep him so long at home but the coronavirus managed what others couldn’t do. “Work and virtual meetings turned our homes into offices. Children’s rooms became classrooms with e-learning. This is going to change now”, he quipped. Meanwhile, the Supreme Committee reminded of the necessary precautionary controls needed to ensure that the disease does not spread. It stressed on the role of the individual and society, in general, in preventing disease and adhering to the preventive precautions.

“The committee stresses the need for all government and private agencies to devel-op policies and procedures to protect their employees and beneficiaries from spread-ing of the virus”, it said in a statement.

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

www.omanobserver.om SUNDAY MAY 31, 2020 3

OMAN

SALALAH: Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) vessel Al Rasikh arrived in Dhofar Governorate on Saturday to provide support to the other naval vessels pres-ently stationed in Dhofar to help in search and res-cue operations and recon-naissance of affected naval zones as well as pro-viding logistic support to the other sectors amid the tropical condition currently affecting Dhofar.

Meanwhile, the Sultan’s

Armed Forces (SAF) con-tinues its efforts by har-nessing its manpower and financial capacities in dealing with the tropical condition affecting Dhofar Governorate.

SAF has confirmed its ability to handle the adverse weather condition by activating emergency plans with the continued follow-up of the Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs with direct supervision of the SAF

chief of staff and the com-manders of SAF units.

Within the framework of the Military Sup-committee for Emergency Management, SAF units provided various support and services depending on the situation helped by its cumulative experience in dealing with emergencies resulting from heavy rain and flash floods.

These include reopening of roads and providing transportation in the

affected areas. SAF medi-cal services continued to provide medical support through the Armed Forces Hospital in Salalah which was opened for citizens and expatriates who could not access the health institutions due to road-blocks.

The Royal Air Force of Oman (Rafo) is utilising its aircrafts in the ongoing search and rescue opera-tions, evacuation and trans-portation of goods. — ONA

SALALAH: Salalah may have two years’ worth of rain in just a few days, as the city and its adjoining areas have been receiving heavy rains since Thursday that is likely to continue till Sunday.

The commercial weather forecasting services website, AccuWeather, sounded very heavy rain in Salalah due to the low pressure in the Arabian Sea.

“380 mm (15 inches) is possible in this area including Salalah, Oman. This amount of rain would be about two years’ worth of rain for the city in just a few days,” the report said.

Most areas in Dhofar are witnessing heavy rain since Thursday. Heavy rain, according to Oman Met Office, will continue till Sunday, the direct impact of which will be there till Monday.

TWO YEARS’ OF RAIN IN JUST A FEW DAYS?K A U S H A L E N D R A S I N G H

SAF CARRIES OUT RELIEF OPERATIONS IN DHOFAR

SAF MEDICALSERVICES CONTINUED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL SUPPORT THROUGH THE ARMED FORCES HOSPITAL IN SALALAH WHICH WAS OPENED FOR CITIZENS AND EXPATRIATES


SALALAH: Masoud bin Salim al Kathiri, Wali of Shaleem and Halaniyat Islands, confirmed the readiness of all the service-providing entities to deal with the tropical condition currently affecting Dhofar Governorate.

Emergency and rapid response plans have been fully activated by all authorities concerned in the wilayat. Residents of the wilayat were urged to be cautious, fishermen and sea-goers were advised not to venture into the sea and to move their fishing boats to safe areas. Motorists were cautioned against the crossing of running wadis during heavy rain, Al Kathiri said noting that communication continued with the public and private establishments to activate emergency plans to deal with the weather system.

Meanwhile, Shaikh Mohammed bin Saif al Busaidy, Wali of Taqa, affirmed that the government authorities concerned are making efforts to limit the impact of the tropical condition.

Citizens and expats residing on the coastline of the Wilayat of Taqa were told to move to safer places while residents of Wadi Darbat have been evacuated with authorities issuing warning to people to keep away from wadis and low-lying areas, Al Busaidy said adding that Taqa Municipality has cleaned up and reopened the affected roads.

The wali confirmed that the government authorities of the wilayat are fully prepared to deal with the emergency resulting from tropical

condition. Abdulqadir bin Ahmed al Haddad, Wali of Mirbat, said the wali’s office has formed a work team comprising various departments to oversee the readiness of public and private establishments to deal with the tropical condition currently affecting the Governorate of Dhofar.

Emergency and response plans have been fully activated by all the relevant departments, the wali said noting that the mountain road of Hasheer has been closed as a precautionary measure to traffic due to heavy rain.

ALL ROADS OPENSaid bin Mohammed Tabouk, Director-General of Roads and Land Transport in Dhofar Governorate, affirmed that all roads leading to the wilayats of Dhofar have been reopened for traffic following completion of clean-up operations. Alternative roads have

been opened to replace roads that were blocked due to the impact of heavy rain. The Salalah-Thamriat road that leads to Muscat Governorate has been opened for traffic. Besides a temporary dirt road in lieu of the blocked Salalah-Taqah road, the official said.

The Taqah-Mirbat, Mirbat-Sadah-Hasik have also been reopened after the cleaning of rocks that fell on the Hasik-Al Shuaimiyah road. The road linking Salalah to Rakhyout and Dhalkout as well as the Thamrait-Al Mazyouna road leading to the Republic of Yemen, remained open to traffic, the official said. — ONA

WILAYATS BRACE FOR EMERGENCY

OMAN

FROM PAGE 1Traffic has been restored on the road from Al-Nahda Tower roundabout to Umm Al Ghawarif Bridge in both directions. The municipality is also working on clearing the blockages caused by the accumulated debris in some of the major wadis. The blockages are causing overflow and subsequent waterlogging on main roads.

The third and one of the most impor-tant challenges is to pump out water from some waterlogged residential areas. “We have put our pumps to clear water, but bigger pumps are needed for some areas. We have sought support from Muscat and as soon as big pumps arrive we will keep on removing water until the impact of the tropical depres-sion is over”, Dhofar Municipality chairman said.

Dr Al Ghassani put stress on identify-ing dangerous roads and closing them for traffic until they are fully restored.

Meanwhile, the weather monitoring stations sounded possibility of high sea waves and heavy rains that might lead to flooding in the coastal areas of Dhofar Governorate. Dhofar reported active winds with high-speed gusts – wind speed of 17 knots with active gusts of 45 knots, while active and high winds continue to blow during the coming hours. The wali of Taqah has informed citizens and residents in the coastal areas to move to safe places and evacuate the Wadi Darbat.

Latest weather charts and the analysis of the National Multi-Hazards Early Warning Centre indicated that the trop-ical depression located over Dhofar Governorate with estimated surface wind speed around the centre between 17 and 25 knots (30 to 45 km/hr) with a chance to move to the West in the com-ing hours, said the Weather Bulletin 3 of Oman Meteorology.

RELIEF IN FULL SWING AS RAINS FLOOD DHOFAR

EMERGENCYAND RESPONSE

PLANS HAVEBEEN FULLYACTIVATEDBY ALL THERELEVANT

DEPARTMENTS


OMAN

MUSCAT: A COVID-19 test on a per-son when he is admitted to any hos-pital for any reason is a must now. This is done along with a host of other tests. The result takes three days and in the meantime, he has to go through other tests and medica-tions as an inpatient.

However, question is being asked both by the patients and their relatives that whether he should be given another COVID-19 test before he leaves the hospital. It holds logic for high chances of virus infection due to the patient’s movement inside the hos-pital with minimum personal protec-tive equipment (PPE) for two to three days, according to medical experts.

“I strongly advocate that there should be some provision to do the same. There should be a similar pro-

tocol once the travel is open. This can preferably be a rapid test, says Dr Mizun Tufail al Rahman.

If the virus has entered the body on day one, the patient develops cough and fever only by seventh day. So, the first week in medical science is called incubation period.

“The PCR test for Covid-19 becomes positive only when one develops symptoms or after seven days of viral entry. Not during incubation period. So, if a patient contracts an infection in the hospital, the test will be positive only after about seven days or five to 10 days of contracting the same,” explained Dr Raman, a cardiologist. He further says that a PCR test, tests the virus protein while antibody test identifies the pro-tein or antibody produced by the body against the virus. The antibody test becomes positive only after

roughly two weeks after the virus enters the body.

“The patient might get infected after being tested or being discharged. Ideally at the time of discharge patient should be tested again for Covid-19,” opines Dr Viresh Chopra.

“However, if you test positive for Covid-19 by a viral test, you should know what protective steps to take if you are sick or caring for someone. Also, if you test negative for Covid-19 by a viral test, you probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected. Nonetheless, that does not mean you will not get sick. The test result only means that you did not have Covid-19 at the time of testing.”

He further says that if one tests positive or negative for Covid-19, no matter the type of test, he or she still should take preventive measures to protect him and others.

MUSCAT: The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said that the Sultanate’s production of aquaculture in 2019 amounted to 1,054 tonnes, an increase of 133 per cent, compared to 2018, with a total value of RO 2 million. Production was limited to two types, namely seabream with 862 tonnes that constituted 82 per cent of the total aquaculture production at a total value of RO 1,712,000. The other type, tilapia, constituted 18 per cent, with a quantity production of 192 tonnes.

Aquaculture projects in the Sultanate are categorised into integrated aquaculture and commercial aquaculture projects. The integrated aquaculture projects are based on the integration between agricultural activity and aquaculture. It aims to optimize the use of land and water resources in a food production activity that contributes to food

security. As for commercial aquaculture projects, most of them take place at sea or on a land beside the sea. Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production systems in the world. It currently contributes 50 per cent of global fish production. This proportion will increase to 62 per cent by 2030, according to reports issued by the World Bank.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, according to the outputs of the fish resources laboratories, “Tanfeeth”, seeks to increase the contribution of the aquaculture sector to the gross domestic product to reach RO 222 million by 2023, through several aquaculture projects, the most important of which are shrimp and abalone, and the marine cages for seabream, cobia and Jack fish, in addition to seaweed. — ONA

AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION INCREASES BY 133%


COVID-19 TESTING FOR HOSPITAL PATIENTS: SHOULD SECOND TEST BE DONE BEFORE DISCHARGE?

AQUACULTURE SECTOR TO THE GROSS DOMESTIC

PRODUCT TO REACH

RO 222MILLION BY 2023


OMAN

Sultanate’s population grows by 625,000 between 2014-2019MUSCAT: The Sultanate’s total population has grown by 625K during the period between mid-2014 to mid-2019 to reach 4.62 million with the annual change of population over the same period registering 3.5 per cent among Omani and 2.7 per cent among expats.

The Sultanate’s Population Statistics Bulletin for mid-2019 data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) showed that the hierarchy of Omani population based on gender is almost bal-anced with males account-ing for 1.34 million (50.4 per cent) against 1.34 mil-lion female population (49.6 per cent) with a male/female gender ratio of 101.

The segment of children and adults under 29 years makes up 64 per cent of the Omani population with the segment of children under 5 years alone accounting for 15 per cent. The male/female gender ratio among Omanis age-ing 65 and above is 92/100 while the gender ratio among the 15-64 segment is 101 males against 100 females.

The age dependency ratio is 72 dependents for

each 100 individuals of working-age population. The ratio among children is 65 for each 100 individu-als working-age popula-

tion while the ratio among the elderly is relatively low with 7 dependents for each 100 individuals of working-age population. — ONA

MUSCAT: As many as 4,000 Indians including some 300 infants reached home in the past 3 weeks since the gov-ernment of India allowed Air India Express to fly the citi-zens home from the Sultanate.

These people include stranded passengers, elders as well as pregnant women and people needing medical assistance.

On May 30, three flights transported nearly 540 Indians from Muscat to their home towns of Jaipur in Rajasthan, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Trivandrum in Kerala.

With these three flights from Muscat to their home town of Jaipur in Rajasthan, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Trivandrum in Kerala on Saturday, the carrier flew 19 times from Muscat and Salalah to various Indian destinations.

Embassy had announced 15 more flight services as part of the Phase 2 Plus between May 28 till June 7, 2020 to various Indian desti-nations as part of the repa-triation process, ‘Vande Bharat’.

Today, there is a scheduled flight from Salalah to Kannur in the afternoon.

The cost of tickets has to be borne by the passengers themselves and air tickets will be issued by the Air India Express only to short listed persons. All passengers are required to confirm accept-ance of all conditions of trav-el, including quarantine requirements in India as well as health requirements in order to board the flight, an Indian Embassy source said.

Nearly 4,000 Indians reach home

Children under 5 years make up 15 per cent of the population.


MUSCAT: Lana Khalil Wreikat, Unicef Representative in the Sultanate, said the Sultanate is among the leading countries that commit to providing children with education, healthcare and ade-quate protection. She added that the Sultanate has achieved high level in terms human devel-opment.

Wreikat said: “The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information and the Supreme Council for Planning, has always confirmed that the chil-dren are the basis of the future”.

She explained that the

Unicef in collaboration with the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) has issued the child well-being and empower-ment index (CWE) which measures children’s life, well-being and empow-erment in the Sultanate compared with other countries. The index includes the categories of material well-being, education, household environment risk, behaviour, health and nourishment. In the case of the Sultanate, all these indexes were found to be high with the Sultanate register-ing 82.08 out of 100 and ranking 23rd out of 94 countries measures by the Child Well-Being Report. — ONA

OMAN RANKS 23RD IN CHILD WELL-BEING

Saudi reopens key holy site to worshippersRIYADH: Saudi Arabia has said that starting from Sunday, it will gradually reopen the Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque in the city of Medina, one of Islam’s two holiest sites, two months after it was closed due to the corona-virus pandemic. A state agency in charge of the mosque said on Saturday congregational prayers would be allowed in 40 per cent of the site’s capacity amid strict precautions. They include sterilizing the site af-ter each prayer and setting up barriers to ensure distancing among worshippers, the agency added on its Twitter account.

Philippine carriers to resume commercial flightsMANILA: Philippine carriers will resume commercial pas-senger flights from this week as the government further eased coronavirus restrictions across the country, officials said on Sat-urday. Preparations were under way at the Ninoy Aquino Inter-national Airport (NAIA) for the resumption of domestic and in-ternational flights from Manila to other parts of the country, said Ed Monreal, the facility’s general manager. “Domestic carriers have already expressed their intention to operate beginning from June 1”, he said, referring to the date when the capital and most of the country are put un-der the more relaxed “general community quarantine”.

Russia plans vaccine clinical trials in two weeksMOSCOW: Russian scientists plan to start clinical trials within two weeks on a vaccine to com-bat the novel coronavirus, the country’s health minister was quoted as saying on Saturday. Russia has the world’s third-highest toll of coronavirus infec-tions after the United States and Brazil, and Kremlin officials have said the nation’s researchers are working on almost 50 differ-ent vaccine projects. — Agencies


WORLD

WASHINGTON: US Pres-ident Donald Trump said he is severing ties with the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the coro-navirus pandemic, as the death toll from the disease spiked again in the United States and Brazil.

Trump’s move signals an end to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to the United Nations agency just when it needs it most, with outbreaks in many parts of the world yet to reach their peak.

Countries in Latin America are bracing for difficult weeks ahead, especially Brazil, where the death toll shot up by 1,124 on Friday and there was a record number of new infec-tions.

Trump initially sus-pended funding to the WHO last month, ac-cusing it of not doing enough to curb the early spread of the virus and

being too lenient with China, where the virus emerged late last year.

On Friday he made that decision perma-nent in a major blow for the agency’s finances, as the United States is by far its biggest con-tributor, pumping in $400 million last year.

“Because they have failed to make the re-quested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Or-

ganization”, Trump told reporters.

The Republican leader said the US would be redirecting WHO funds “to other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs”.

“The world needs an-swers from China on the virus. We must have transparency”, Trump said.

Beijing has furiously denied US allegations that it played down or even covered up the threat from the virus af-ter it was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, insisting it has been forthcoming.

The pandemic has since claimed almost 364,000 lives globally and the number of cas-es is nearing six million.

Populations are now learning to adjust to life with the long-term threat of infection as the virus continues its march around the globe and a vaccine remains elusive. — AFP

TRUMP CUTS WHO TIES AS PANDEMIC

GRIPS LATIN AMERICA

A Brazilian takes a picture of her 81-year-old mother through a window at the Premier Hospital, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. — AFP

The world needs answers from China on the virus. We must have transparency

DONALD TRUMP, US PRESIDENT

BRIEFS


WORLDUNREST FLARES DESPITE ARREST OF MINNEAPOLIS POLICEMANMINNEAPOLIS: The white former Minneapolis police officer shown in video foot-age using his knee to pin an unarmed black man’s neck to the street was charged with murder on Friday in the man’s death, an inci-dent that has unleashed four nights of violent pro-tests.

Derek Chauvin, who was dismissed from the police department with three fel-low officers the day after the fatal encounter, was arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges for his role in Monday’s death of 46-year-old George Floyd.

Graphic video footage taken by an onlooker’s cell phone and widely circulat-ed on the Internet shows Floyd — with Chauvin’s knee pressed into his neck — gasping for air and repeat-edly groaning, “Please, I can’t breathe”, while a crowd of bystanders shouted at police to let him up.

After several minutes, Floyd gradually grows unre-sponsive and ceases to move. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.

The video reignited an outpouring of rage that civil rights activists said has long simmered in Minneapolis and cities across the country over persistent racial bias in the US criminal justice system.

The charges brought by Hennepin County prosecu-

tors came after a third night of arson, looting and van-dalism in which protesters set fire to a police station, and the National Guard was deployed to help restore order in Minnesota’s larg-est city.

Authorities had hoped Chauvin’s arrest would

allay public anger and avert continued unrest. But defy-ing an 8 pm curfew imposed by Mayor Jacob Frey, about 500 demonstrators clashed anew on Friday evening with riot police outside the battered Third Precinct building.

— Reuters

Merkel tells Trump she won’t attend G7 summit

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has declined an invitation from US President Donald Trump to the upcoming G7 summit “given the overall pandem-ic situation”, a government spokes-man said on Saturday. “The chan-cellor thanks President Trump for inviting her to the G7 summit in Washington in late June. As of today, given the overall pandemic situation, she cannot promise her personal participation, ie a trip to Washington”, the spokesman said. Trump is conducting the upcoming G7 summit in Camp David after indicating earlier this month that he wanted an in-person meeting rather than a teleconferencing session.

Israeli police fatally shoot Palestinian in JerusalemTEL AVIV: Israeli police officers fatally shot a Palestinian they suspected was carrying a weap-on in Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday, a police spokesman said, but the man was later found to have been unarmed, Israeli media reported. “Police units on patrol there spotted a suspect with a suspicious object that looked like a pistol. They called upon him to stop and began to chase after him on foot, during the chase officers also opened fire at the suspect”, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Rosenfeld said the suspect, a Palestinian resi-dent of east Jerusalem, was dead.

Trump strips Hong Kong special privilegesWASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said he would strip several of Hong Kong’s special privileges with the United States and bar some Chinese students from US universi-ties in anger over Beijing’s bid to exert control in the financial hub. In a day of concerted action, the United States and Britain also raised alarm at the UN Security Council over a controversial new security law for Hong Kong, infuriating Beijing which said the issue had no place at the world body. In a White House appear-ance that Trump had teased for a day, the US president attacked China over its treatment of the former British colony, saying it was “dimin-ishing the city’s longstanding and proud status”. — Agencies


ANALYSISOpportunity awaits a post-COVID-19 society

Maybe now the incessant hold that COVID-19 has held over the Sultanate is being, ever so cautiously, relin-quished, we have an opportunity to

consider what change lies ahead?It is clear that the reduction in oil revenues has

done the government here no favours at all, how-ever, the initial indications are that they are mak-ing responsible fiscal decisions across the board so far in terms of requiring ministries and gov-ernment funded entities to operate leaner and meaner. While this means cuts in operations, and in some cases manpower, it will also inevitably lead to salary cuts. The workforce response must be pragmatic and supportive to a government that, for now, cannot sustain lifestyle wants, but respond to society’s needs.

All is not gloom however, as around the world, other nations are emerging from their self-imposed ‘hibernation’ and will begin to move around again, with a consequential rise in demand for oil and gas, and the price of oil is certain to rise along with that increased global mobility.

Neither should there be gloom on the organisa-tional and institutional fronts, as the lockdown has revealed that as many as half of the global workforce are entirely capable of performing their duties and responsibilities on a work-from-home basis. This offers the opportunity for man-agement streamlining in a manner that may never have been envisaged without COVID-19.

Education too has opportunities, in addition to its social and academic obligations. There is no doubt that students must return to campuses, however, there is a sector obligation to provide an online platform to support ‘homework’ and assign-ments, which is also capable of providing nation-wide remote education at a moment’s notice.

Online degree study programmes are a massive earner for European and American universities, and there is an opportunity for programmers and educationalists to create such programmes as a viable alternative. Having experience of study and supervision of online degree studies in the UK, the concept is totally reliant on student moti-vation for success however, and while on-campus study provides a significant ‘handholding’ ele-ment of support. Online learning is significantly different, more demanding, and consequently probably has greater validity and reliability.

Finally, it is clear already that employers will be within their rights to demand performance, account-ability, and reliability from their employees.

As Turkish drones helped drive east-ern Libyan forces back from Tripoli this month, Russia was said to be

reinforcing them with war-planes, raising the stakes in a stalemated civil war that has partitioned the country.

Recent weeks have marked a turning point in a complex con-flict between two uneasy coali-tions that are each backed by an array of foreign states whose competing regional agendas make them unwilling to counte-nance defeat.

Eastern commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA) now face the likely failure of their year-long effort to capture Tripoli, seat of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

Backed by Russia and Egypt with arms, mercenaries and air

strikes, according to UN experts, Haftar had last summer advanced into Tripoli’s south-ern suburbs before his offen-sive stalled.

However, aid from Turkey helped turn the tide with air defences and drone strikes that neutralised LNA air power before hammering its ground troops and long supply lines this month.

“In the last few weeks, there has been a significant change in balance in Libya,” said a sen-ior Turkish official, crediting Turkish drones and “untrained soldiers” operating LNA air defences.

It led, over the past month, to the LNA’s sudden loss of a string of towns near the Tunisian bor-der, a crucial air base, a dozen of its own air defence systems and most of its foothold in Tripoli. With them went Haftar’s hopes of victory.

— Reuters

FOREIGN POWERS IN LIBYA RISK STALEMATE

A N G U S M C D O W A L L A N D U L F L A E S S I N G

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ESTABLISHED 15 NOVEMBER 1981

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili

HEAD OFFICETel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 Fax: 24699643

SALALAH OFFICETel: 23292633Fax: 23293909

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

Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government fire weapons during a battle with IS fighters in Sirte, Libya. — Reuters File Photo

RAY [email protected]

10 SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

Everybody, young

and old, is fond of

mangoes. In the

mango season, it is

not unusual to eat five to

ten mangoes a day, espe-

cially if the mango is Omani

and terribly sour.

In many households

around the country, it is time

for mango to rule not just

the taste buds but also the

day-to-day menu. Raw man-

goes are in the market now,

and the sight of them brings

to mind thoughts of a multi-

tude of dishes, from pickles

to desserts.

Traditionally, many recipes

appreciate the fruity sour-

ness of raw mango. When one

falls from a tree, the one who

picks it up cannot decide

whether to eat it raw with a

sprinkle of salt and chilli, cook

it or eat it with rice.

The advent of summer and

abundance of crop is a major

determinant of our food hab-

its, says Maryam al Hattali, a

chef who makes the best out

of the raw mango. That could

be the reason why eating raw

mangoes is an emotion, and

the mention of it brings rush-

es of childhood memories.

Raw mango is that one piece

of the puzzle that can easily

connect people through gen-

erations and states with their

mango memoirs.

“One thing that I love to

make is the mango pickle that

the majority in the Sultanate

favor. Of course, some, like

my mother, prefers to eat the

raw mango uncooked with

salt and sometimes with rice

instead of the lemon. However,

it is very favorable to eat the

spicy mango pickle with the

lunch dish”, explains Maryam.

Maryam shares some tips

when making the mango

pickle:Use fresh spices. Take the

spices in a plate and then

remove husks or stones if

any. For the sour mango pick-

le, coarsely ground the mus-

tard seeds and fenugreek

seeds. Get raw mangoes with

really tender skin. Don’t peel

the skin off. But if you get raw

mangoes with tough skin,

then peel off the skin. You can

choose to add more red chilli

powder if you want more spicy

taste in the pickle.

Remember there should be

no water or moisture in your

jar in which you will keep the

mango pickle. The jar has to

be clean and dry. Hygiene and

cleanliness are very impor-

tant when you are making

pickles.

Here is Maryam’s recipe:

1 big raw mango,

2 pinches roasted fenugreek

seeds powder

1 pinch turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red

chilli powder,

Salt, as needed,

2 pinches asafetida

Chop the cleaned mango

and place in a mixing bowl. In

a pan, heat oil and switch off

the stove and add fenugreek

seeds powder, turmeric, red

chilli powder, and mix well.

Add salt and asafoetida and

mix everything with the

chopped mango. Your pickle

is ready.

Zahra al Abri is a usual cus-

tomer for Maryam.

She said, “My family impa-

tiently wait for summer to get

the pickle. I buy adequate

amount and I store in the

fridge. The markets provide

the pickle the whole yearlong

but the taste is different. It is

healthier when it is fresh”.

M A I A L A B R I

Sour mango, the most awaited fruit in summer

www.omanobserver.om SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2020 11

FEATURES

Superheroes, from near and far, join Indonesia’s coronavirus battle

VOLUNTEERS CLAD AS Superman and Spider-Man sprayed disinfectant against the coronavirus on Indonesia’s island of Java, flanking a colleague wearing the winged hel-met of local superhero Gatotkaca who shout-ed, “Wear masks, wash hands and stay alert.”

The trio handed out masks, containers of hand sanitiser and bamboo slit drums, while demonstrating how to correctly wash hands, don masks and maintain security following reports of a spate of thefts in the residential area.

The Southeast Asian nation has reported more than 11,000 virus infections and 845 deaths, though a sluggish early response to the pandemic and low rates of testing cause medical experts to worry there could be far more cases.

“(If the) superheroes support (the meas-ures), the children will definitely obey the orders,” said Widanarko, who coordinated the event aimed at teaching people to pro-tect themselves.

“First, washing their hands. Second, not wandering outside and always wearing a mask,” added Widanarko, who uses one name.

People could use the traditional bamboo slit drums handed out to sound the alarm over robberies or thefts by any criminals who take advantage of measures against the virus, said Widanarko, speaking in the Kampung Larangan neighbourhood.

In the city of Makassar on the neighbour-ing island of Sulawesi, another group of superheroes was walking the streets to get out the message.

Braving traffic at a busy intersection, vol-unteers dressed as Deadpool, Black Panther and another, garbed in the red and bold body armour of Indonesian superhero, Bima-X, held up placards that read “Stay Home” and “Get Well Soon Earth”. — Reuters

INSTAGRAM TOP PICKS

Tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn: Things you can grow on your balcony

WHEN IT COMES to cultivating vegetables, gardens have one advantage over balconies - size. But it’s perfectly possible to grow food on a balcony, and some plants even prefer them.

Tomato plants particularly like the sheltered location and often do better on balconies than in gardens, gardeners say.

Peppers, chillies and aubergines are also good options because they thrive in warm soil and plant pots heat up much faster than garden flower beds, according to Wolfgang Nixdorf from Germany’s Rhineland-Pfalz Gardening Academy.

Nixdorf says runner beans, sweet

corn, kohlrabi and salad also grow very well in a confined space. When growing lettuce, however, he advises balcony gardeners to make sure there’s some shade for the plants. Cucumbers are not suitable for bal-conies because their roots need too much space.

It’s important to remember that vegetables need to be watered more often when they are cultivated on balconies, and in sunny, warm weather that means every day.

Planters for fruit vegetables should have water drainage holes in the ground and offer enough vol-ume - at least 10 litres. They can be filled with normal potting soil. — dpa

BUSINESS

MUSCAT: Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the Sultanate’s biggest oil and gas producer, achieved record production of 1.210 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in 2019, bolstered by a strong uptick in condensate output.

This compares with a combined oil, gas and condensate output of 1.205 million boe/d during 2018.Black oil production was the highest since 2005 – averaging 616,380 bar-rels per day (bpd), the majority state-owned energy firm announced in a recent post, titled ‘Committed to Sustainable Developments: Highlights of 2019’. The correspond-ing figure for 2018 was 610,170 bpd.

Crude output is proposed to be ramped up to around 700,000 bpd by 2024, it said.

Gas production averaged 62.2 mil-


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

PDO ACHIEVES RECORD OIL, GAS AND CONDENSATE OUTPUT IN 2019

sition to a full-fledged energy company, PDO is placing a greater emphasis on renewables such as solar and wind.

It is also continuing to deploy and trial technologies to improve its energy and water management, and reduce flaring and greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

Building on its contribution to In-Country Value (ICV) development, PDO’s strategies helped ensure the local retention of cumulatively around $615 million in contract value last year, it said. It also delivered 11 manufacturing and services facilities in 2019, creating around 200 jobs for locals.

lion m3/day last year, which was slightly lower from previous year’s average of 64.8 million m3/day.

However, condensate output surged to 93,000 barrels per day (bpd) last year, up from around 65,300 bpd in 2018.

Among the many highlights of 2019 was its success in booking 136 million barrels of contingent oil resources, and 1.1 trillion cubic feet of commercial contin-gent resource of non-associated gas volumes in “some of the most testing terrain in the world”, said the company.

Significantly, the company achieved a further reduction in the unit finding cost (UFC) of oil to $1 per barrel, with an overall UFC of $0.9 per barrel of oil equivalent, it said

Furthermore, the Exploration Directorate drilled 26 wells and production from exploration wells was delivered as planned at a daily average rate of approximately 1,250 barrels, with further output expected from new exploration wells com-ing on stream during this year (2020), said the company in a report published in the latest issue of its Al Fahal magazine.

A key highpoint of 2019, according to PDO, was the “safe and successful start-up” of the company’s largest project – Rabab Harweel Integrated Project (RHIP) — representing the largest reserve addition (more than 500 million barrels of oil equivalent) and capital project in PDO history.

This world-class, highly techni-cal and complex project was delivered two months ahead of schedule and over $1 billion under budget, said PDO.

Additionally, as part of its tran-

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH: MAJORITY STATE-OWNED ENERGY FIRM SEES CRUDE PRODUCTION RISING TO 700,000 BPD BY 2024

BUSINESSwww.omanobserver.om SUNDAY MAY 31, 2020 13

MUSCAT: Following a brief suspension of operations on Friday owing to adverse weather in Dhofar Governorate, Port of Salalah announced yes-terday (Saturday) that services had resumed and were shortly expected to be fully restored.

An official of the tran-shipment and logistics hub said the suspension was called as a “precautionary measure” with a view to ensuring the safety of employees, customers and port equipment during the tropical depression that hit southern Oman on Friday.

Citing “heavy rains and poor visibility”, the port announced a pause in con-tainer and general cargo operations on Friday as swathes of Salalah and other parts of the gover-norate were left flooded in the wake of the torrential downpour.

“As the weather situa-tion improved this morn-ing, we decide to gradually restore services starting with the Container

Terminal and we hope to be fully normal before the evening,” the official said.

Port of Salalah was among the worst hit when Cyclone Mekunu slammed into the southern part of the Sultanate in May 2018. A torrent of floodwater had deluged the maritime gateway, causing signifi-cant damage to infrastruc-ture and machinery, while also depositing massive quantities of silt and debris

across the port area. Some dhows that had sheltered in the harbour against the storm had capsized and had to be salvaged.

Given the scale of the damage, recovery efforts continued for well over a year. While the General Cargo Terminal was returned to normality in the first quarter of 2019, services at the Container Terminal were restored to its pre-cyclone capacity only by June-end 2019. Earlier this year, the port said it had reached a set-tlement with its insurer for a sum of $67.75 million as damages arising out the destruction and dis-ruption caused by Cyclone Mekunu.

OPERATIONS RESUME AT SALALAH PORT AFTER BRIEF WEATHER DISRUPTION

AT FULL CAPACITY, LIWA PLASTICS WILL ADD 880,000 TONNES PER YEAR

OF POLYETHYLENE AND 300,000 TONNES PER YEAR OF

POLYPROPYLENE TO OMAN’S POLYMER PRODUCTION CAPACITY

ANNUALLY.

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

OQ BEGINS MAIDEN PRODUCTION OF

POLYETHYLENE

MUSCAT: Bags of freshly produced polyethylene resin – a key building block in the manufacture of a wide array of commonly used plastics-based products and compounds – began emerging from the polymer unit of Oman’s multibillion dollar Liwa Plastics Industrial Complex (LPIC) over the weekend, marking the maiden pro-duction of this key commodity in the Sultanate.

OQ – the Sultanate’s diversified ener-gy powerhouse – which owns and operates the $6.7 billion Liwa Plastics project at Sohar Port, said the bagged resin represented the first output from test runs underway at the poly-mer unit within the complex.

In a tweet, wholly government-owned OQ congratulated the project team on the successful start-up of the polymer unit. At full capacity, the unit will add

880,000 tonnes per year of polyethyl-ene and 300,000 tonnes per year of polypropylene to Oman’s polymer pro-duction capacity annually.

As reported by the Observer, the for-mal commencement of polyethylene production in the Sultanate – ahead of Liwa Plastics commercial launch anticipated in the coming months – effectively paves the way for Oman’s entry into the ranks of global produc-ers of this basic ingredient.

A lightweight, durable thermoplas-tic, polyethylene is one of the most widely produced plastics in the world with millions of tonnes produced each year. Polyethylene is used in applica-tions ranging from films, tubes, plastic parts and laminates in numerous markets, including packaging, auto-motive, electrical, electronics, appli-ances, healthcare products and toys.

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE: CITING “HEAVY RAINS AND POOR VISIBILITY”, THE PORT CALLED A HALT TO

CONTAINER AND GENERAL CARGO OPERATIONS ON FRIDAY AS SWATHES OF SALALAH AND OTHER PARTS OF THE GOVERNORATE WERE LEFT FLOODED IN THE WAKE

OF A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR.

BUSINESS14 SUNDAY MAY 31, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

MS M 3 0 closed t h e w e e k higher by 3.31

per cent. Despite two-day trading week, the turnover was higher than last week. Foreigners were net buyers of approximately $4.9m.

All the sub-indices closed higher as well. Financial index was up by 3.38 per cent, Services Index was up by 2.88 per cent while the Industrial index was up by 0.76 per cent. Shariah Index also closed up by 1.21 per cent during the week.

As expected, almost all utility companies announced that Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) will continue to pay the investment charge for all the valid invoices. Reversal of the decision is an encourag-ing sign over how closely government is safe-guarding the interests of the investors.

Oman Cement announced that bids are due in by mid-July for two key tenders linked to the establishment of a new integrated cement plant in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Duqm in Oman’s Wusta Governorate.

The client is Al Sahawa Cement Company (ASCC), a subsidiary of Oman Cement Company, the Sultanate’s first cement manufacturer. Total investment in the cement mill is estimated at $212m. At its heart is a 5,000 tonnes per day (tpd) clinker production unit, a contract for which is proposed to be award-ed on an Engineering – Procurement – Construction (EPC) basis.

The Central Bank of Oman (CBO) issued the first license to non-bank financial entities (fintech companies) in favor of

Thawani Technologies for complying with all regulatory require-ments. The licence is a fundamental step towards achieving Oman’s vision to nurture and enable Fintech com-panies to offer accepta-ble, affordable, accessi-ble and available servic-es to the nation.

Oman’s total banking assets (Conventional as well as Islamic) grew by 0.3 per cent in March 2020 on year-to-date (YTD) basis. The assets have grown at a com-pounded average growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4 per cent since 2013 until 2019.

As at the end of March 2020, total credit has grown by 2.2 per cent since Dec 2019, reaching RO 26.40 billion, and total deposits have grown by 2.0 per cent (YTD) reach-ing RO 24.14 billion. The loan-to-deposit (LTD) ratio stood at about 109 per cent, roughly stable from Dec 2019.

The latest CBO data for conventional banks indi-cates that the weighted average Oman Rial inter-est rate spread (calcu-lated as lending rate minus deposit rate) wid-ened by 8.5bps on year-

on year basis (YoY), at 3.543 per cent during the month of March 2020, as the YoY growth in deposit rate lagged behind the YoY growth in lending rate.

On month-on-month (MoM) basis, the spread improved by 1.5bps as deposit rate contraction (-4.5bps) outpaced lend-ing rate decline (-3.0bps). The weighted average deposit rate on RO deposits dropped to 1.936 per cent from the peak of 2.089 per cent (since March 2010) wit-nessed in Jan 2020. Weighted average FCY spread softened by 9bps on month-on-month (MoM) basis during March 2020 to 2.73 per cent.

The FCY spread is lower by 103.4bps when compared to that recorded in March 2019.

Weighted average interest rate on private sector RO time deposits contracted by 4.6bps MoM in March 2020 and expanded by 19.5bps YoY, to 3.981 per cent. Weighted average inter-est rate on all private sector deposits (RO), rose to 1.511 per cent (+2.1bps MoM and +13.7bps YoY).

[Courtesy: U-Capital]

FOREIGN INFLOWS BUOY MSM INDEX

LONDON: Opec oil output hit the low-est in two decades in May as Saudi Arabia and other members started to deliver a record supply cut, a sur-vey found, although Nigeria and Iraq are laggards in making their share of the reduction

On average, the 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 24.77 million barrels per day (bpd) this month, the survey found, down 5.91 million bpd from April’s revised fig-ure.

Opec and its allies last month agreed to an output cut to offset a slump in demand and prices caused by the coronavirus crisis. An easing of government lockdowns and lower supply have helped oil prices more than double compared with a 21-year low below $16 a barrel in April.

“Opec has made a strong start in May with its latest production cut, lowering supply by 5 million bpd ver-sus April,” Daniel Gerber, chief exec-utive of Petro-Logistics, which assesses Opec supply by tracking tanker shipments, said.

“However, compliance is far from perfect. With less than four weeks between the adoption and the start of the agreement, many countries had already committed volumes to buyers and have not managed to reduce supply to the agreed levels.”

Opec and its allies, known as Opec+, agreed to cut supply by a record 9.7 million bpd from May 1. Opec’s share, to be made by 10 members from their October 2018 output in most cases, is 6.084 million bpd.

So far in May, they delivered 4.48 million bpd of the pledged reduction, equal to 74 per cent compliance, the survey found.

May’s output would be the lowest by Opec since 2002, excluding mem-bership changes since then, Reuters survey records show.

The biggest drop in supply came from Saudi Arabia, which pumped a record 11.7 million bpd in April. Saudi supply is expected to drop even fur-ther in June. — Reuters

Opec delivers three quarters

of record oil cut in May

FINANCIAL INDEX WAS UP BY 3.38 PER CENT, SERVICES INDEX WAS UP BY 2.88 PER CENT WHILE THE INDUSTRIAL INDEX WAS UP BY

0.76 PER CENT. SHARIAH INDEX ALSO CLOSED UP BY 1.21 PER CENT DURING THE

WEEK.

BUSINESSTrump announces probe of Chinese companies listed in USWASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday ordered a probe into the actions of Chinese companies list-ed on American financial markets as tensions flared anew between the world’s two biggest econo-mies.

The announcement followed Beijing’s move to implement a new security law on semi-autonomous Hong Kong that critics say would stifle free-dom, as well as with Trump’s claims that China obfuscated the origins of the coronavi-rus that has killed more than 100,000 people in the United States.

“I’m instructing my presidential working group on financial mar-kets to study the differing practices of Chinese companies listed on the US financial markets with the goal of pro-tecting American investors,” Trump said, without providing details on what steps his administration might take.

“Investment firms should not be sub-jecting clients to the hidden and undue risks associated with financing Chinese companies that do not play by the same rules. Americans are enti-tled to fairness and transparency,” he added.

As of February 2019, 156 Chinese companies with a market capitaliza-

tion of $1.2 trillion were listed on US markets, at least 11 of which were state-owned, according to the Congressionally-mandated US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Among the largest were e-commerce giant Alibaba, China’s largest oil pro-ducer PetroChina and Sinopec, the world’s largest oil refiner.

Starbucks competitor Luckin Coffee

debuted on Nasdaq last year with a market value of about $4 billion, but was asked to de-listed earlier this month after a massive fraud scandal.

The announcement of the review came as Trump said he would be sus-pending the entry of certain Chinese citizens and reviewing US relations with Hong Kong, which saw seven months of huge and sometimes-vio-lent pro-democracy protests last year.

— AFP


INVESTMENT FIRMS SHOULD NOT BE

SUBJECTING CLIENTS TO THE HIDDEN AND

UNDUE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH FINANCING CHINESE COMPANIES THAT DO NOT PLAY BY THE SAME RULES.

AMERICANS ARE ENTITLED TO

FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY.

GERMANY, BRUSSELS SEAL PACT ON LUFTHANSA RESCUE PLANFRANKFURT: Germany and the European Commission have reached agreement on a giant Berlin-funded rescue plan for coronavi-rus-hit Lufthansa, a Commission spokeswoman and a source close to the negotiations said Friday.

Since the pandemic hit Europe, the Lufthansa group — which also includes Brussels and Austrian Airlines and Swiss — has been bleeding one million euros per hour, with around 90 percent of its 760-air-craft fleet grounded.

The deal would see the German carrier give up eight planes and their asso-ciated landing rights, the spokeswoman and the

source said.Lufthansa said in a state-

ment it had “decided to accept the commitments

offered by Germany to the EU Commission” for the rescue package, adding it would surrender up to 24 take-off and landing slots that could be allocated to rival airlines.

German media had previ-ously reported the European Commission would demand the group give up valuable takeoff and landing rights at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs in exchange for Brussels’ green light.

The nine-billion-euro ($10 billion) German state life-line, would see Berlin take a 20-percent stake in the group, with an option to claim a further five percent plus one share to block hos-tile takeovers. — AFP

A Lufthansa plane passes the moon over Frankfurt, Germany, in this file photo. — Reuters


A worker wearing protective garments sanitises the Duomo square, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in central Milan. — Reuters

BUSINESS

VIRUS-BATTERED ITALY FACES WORST RECESSION SINCE WWIIMILAN: Facing its deepest reces-sion since World War II and with business confidence collapsing, the coronavirus pandemic is hit-ting Italy’s economy hard.

Business confidence in the euro zone’s third largest economy in May plummeted to its lowest level since official statistics institute ISTAT started the index in March 2005.

The figure is “alarming”, said small business federation Confesercenti.

“The health and economic emer-gency has swept businesses away, especially in shops, services and tourism,” it said.

Its members are particularly concerned “by the lack of liquidity necessary to pay costs and sala-ries... we are close to a point of no return and that’s why the meas-ures decided by the government (loan guarantees, SME subsidies) must be operational immediate-ly,” said federation head Patrizia De Luise. “We need to reduce bureaucracy and accelerate and simplify procedures, because if support is delayed again, many businesses will have no option

but to stop,” she said.The government last week

accused banks of not acting quickly enough, but they said that they had already passed on around 400,000 loan requests worth more than 18 billion euros ($20 billion) to the state-backed Central Guarantee Fund.

Italy was the first European country to be hit by the pandemic and imposed a strict two-month lockdown which paralysed much of the country’s economic activi-ty. — AFP

WASHINGTON: The IMF approved a two-year $24 billion credit line for Chile as the South American nation battles the growing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement came a day after Peru secured a two-year, $11 billion credit line, and as Latin America becomes a growing hotspot for COVID-19.

The Flexible Credit Line is a renewable funding mechanism granted to coun-tries with strong economic policy track records, and Chile is only the fifth coun-try to receive one. Along with Peru, Mexico and Colombia currently have FCLs in place.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva (pictured) praised Chile for its “very strong fundamentals ... and track record of implementing prudent macroeconomic policies” that have helped the country to weather the eco-nomic shocks so far.

However, “Chile’s open economy is exposed to substantial external risks as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 out-break, including a significant deteriora-tion in global demand for Chilean exports, a sharp decline or reversal of capital inflows toward emerging mar-kets, and an abrupt tightening of global financial conditions,” she said in a state-ment.

The IMF has ramped up lending and rolled out a series of new financing tools to help countries deal with the pandem-ic, which is expected to cause the worst global economic slowdown since the Great Depression.

The backstop should help to boost market confidence and Santiago intends to treat the credit line as “precautionary and temporary,” and exit the backstop after 24 months, Georgieva said. — AFP

Chile, Peru secure credit lines from IMF amid pandemic

Italy was the first European country to be hit by the

pandemic and imposed a strict two-month lockdown

which paralysed much of the country’s economic activity. As a result, the country is set

for a drop in GDP of between nine and 13 per cent, the

Bank of Italy said

NEW YORK: Roger Federer topped the 2020 Forbes magazine list of highest-paid glo-bal athletes announced on Friday, leading the line-up for the first time with pre-tax earnings of $106.3 million (95.5 million euros).

The Swiss tennis leg-end, a men’s record 20-time Grand Slam singles champion, becomes the first play-er from his sport atop the annual list since its 1990 debut, rising from fifth in 2019.

Federer’s haul over the past 12 months included $100 million from appearances fees and endorsement deals plus $6.3 million in prize money. His pre-vious best showing was second in 2013.

“His brand is pristine, which is why those that can afford to align with him clamor to do so”, University of Southern California sports busi-ness professor David Carter told the maga-zine.

The ongoing corona-virus pandemic that shut down sports worldwide caused the first decline since 2016 in the total income of the world’s 100 top-paid athletes, a 9 per cent dip from last year to $3.6 billion. Another plunge is expected next year from the shut-down.

Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo was second on the list at $105 million, $60 mil-lion in salary and $45 million from endorse-ments, with Argentine football hero Lionel Messi third on $104 million, $32 million of that from sponsorship deals.

Messi and Ronaldo, who have traded the top spot three of the past four years, saw their combined incomes dip $28 mil-lion from last year due to salary cuts when European clubs halted play in March.

Brazilian footballer Neymar was fourth overall on $95.5 mil-

lion, $25 million from endorsements, while NBA star LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers was fifth on $88.2 million, $60 mil-lion of that from endorsements.

NBA star Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors was sixth on $74.4 million with former teammate Kevin Durant next on $63.9 million.

Tiger Woods, the reigning Masters champion and a 15-time major winner, was eighth on the list and tops among golfers at $62.3 million, all but $2.3 million from spon-sor deals.

Woods topped the

SPORTSwww.omanobserver.om SUNDAY MAY 31, 2020 17

Forbes list a record 12 times before an infidel-ity scandal helped end his run.

Two NFL quarter-backs rounded out the top 10 with Kirk Cousins ninth at $60.5 million and Carson Wentz 10th on $59.1 million.

The top 100 featured athletes from 21 nations and 10 sports. More NBA players

made the list than those from any other sport at 35, but 31 NFL players made the cut, up from 19 from last year, and they pulled down the most money of any league, aided by finishing the season before the deadly virus outbreak.

Two women, tennis stars Naomi Osaka of Japan and Serena Williams of the United States, made the list, the most females on it since 2016. Osaka ranked 29th overall on $37.4 million ($34 mil-lion in endorsements), four spots ahead of Williams with $36 mil-lion ($32 million in endorsements). — AFP

Swiss star leads Forbes list for first time with $106.3m earnings

Ronaldo second with $105m, Messi third

on $104m

SPORTS

VIENNA: Formula One’s truncated coronavirus-hit season will finally get under way with the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5, the Austrian government announced on Saturday.

The Spielberg circuit has also been given the green light to stage a second race the following weekend.

“The two Formula One races on July 5 and 12 at Spielberg will be staged without spectators”, announced Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober.

He said that the two races had been approved after F1 organisers “had presented a complete and professional plan” to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The F1 season was thrown into chaos with the cancellation of the traditional curtain-raising Australian Grand Prix in March only hours before practice was due to begin.

Melbourne was one of 10 races either cancelled or postponed, yet F1 boss Chase Carey believes a 15-18 race season is still possible.

But Silverstone’s hopes of also staging back-to-back races after Austria are in the balance after the British government insisted that all arrivals in the country undergo a two-

week quarantine period.Anschober added a

caveat to Saturday’s statement, insisting the season’s belated restart would only go ahead if all the health assurances made by F1 were fulfilled.

“In addition to strict hygiene measures the plan also involves regular testing and health check-

ups for teams and all the other employees”, he said.

“The crucial element will be the close coordination between the organisers and the regional and local health authorities”, he added.

Its remote location made the Red Bull Ring circuit a “logical” location to stage the season’s first two races,

F1 managing director Ross Brawn said this month.

With a local airport, the races can be held in an isolated environment, essential in the fight against the pandemic that has killed less than 700 people in Austria, and more than 364,000 worldwide.

‘AUSTRIA FITS THE BILL’“One of the logistical

challenges is getting everyone tested and cleared to enter the racing environment”, Brawn explained in an F1 Nation podcast.

“Once we do that, it’s very attractive to keep everyone in that environment, within that biosphere that we want to create, for another race.

“Austria fits that bill very well. It has a local airport right next to the circuit, where people can charter planes into. It’s not too close to a metropolis”.

Carey outlined the blueprint for the rehashed season this month, involving additional European races through the traditional August break.

“We will then plan to race in Asia and the Americas in September, October, November before finishing in the Gulf in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi in December”, he said. — AFP


F1 SEASON TO OPEN IN

AUSTRIA

GOVERNMENT BACKS SPIELBERG DOUBLE ACT ON JUNE 5, 12


SPORTS

MADRID: Barcelona could suffer from the new rule that allows teams to make five substitutions in a match instead of three, their coach Quique Setien has said.

Fifa has made the tempo-rary change to ease the physical strain on players, who are returning to a con-gested period of games after a lengthy break due to the coronavirus pan-demic.

The law could favour the bigger clubs like Barcelona, who have deeper squads and better players ready to come off the bench.

But Setien believes Barca, who are two points clear at the top of La Liga, will also find opponents are now fresher towards the end of games.

“I think it will actually harm us,” Setien said on Friday night in a video con-ference with the Las

Palmas Football Federation.“We know we settle a lot

of matches in the final min-utes. If you give the oppo-nent the option of bringing on fresh players in that time, they won’t have that weakness of tiredness.

“But it can also give you

some options in certain moments. It’s a bit of an unknown so we’ll see how it goes.”

La Liga is due to restart on June 11 after a three-month break, with the plan for the season to finish on July 19.

Teams are set to begin full training again on Monday, which would give them only 10 days working all together before compet-itive games resume, with many being played in the searing heat of Spanish summer.

“We thought we would have more time to work as a group but it’s not to be,” Setien said.

“We would have liked more time. I hope there are not many injuries and that it does less damage than people think.”

Barcelona lost to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in their penulti-mate match before La Liga suspended fixtures on March 11.

But Madrid’s defeat by Real Betis the following weekend allowed Barca, who beat Real Sociedad, to regain top spot with 11 games left to play. — AFP

FIVE-SUB RULE COULD COUNT AGAINST BARCA: SETIEN

L A L I G A T O R E S T A R T O N J U N E 1 1 A F T E R 3 - M O N T H B R E A K

SPORTS20 SUNDAY MAY 31, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

FREIBURG, Germany: Bayer Leverkusen secured a scrappy 1-0 Bundesliga victory at Freiburg on Friday, bouncing back from a midweek setback to win with an opportunist goal by forward Kai Havertz.

The result lifted Bayer, who were hammered 4-1 by VfL Wolfsburg at home on Tuesday, two places up to third on 56 points from 29 games, eight behind champions

and leaders Bayern Munich who entertain Fortuna Duesseldorf on Saturday.

Freiburg stayed eighth on 38 points after stretching their winless run to four games since the Bundesliga restart-ed on May 16 following a two-month lay-off caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Havertz netted a 54th-minute winner for the visitors when he poked a close-range shot

through goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow’s legs after Leon Bailey threaded a superb pass through to the 20-year-old. A dull first half pro-duced a solitary chance for Freiburg in the 43rd minute, when Lucas Hoeler fired wide of the far post with only Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky to beat.

With Bayer gaining the upper hand after taking the lead, Julian Baumgartlinger had a

goal disallowed for the visitors in the 63d minute for a push on Dominique Heintz and that finally seemed to spring the home side into action.

Nils Petersen missed Freiburg’s best chance for an equaliser in the 87th minute, allowing Hradecky to keep out his scuffed shot after a flowing move left him with time and space inside the penalty area.

— Reuters

HAVERTZ LIFTS LEVERKUSEN TO THIRD

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