Day: February 20, 2024

Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman and the United States of America (USA) signed the Environmental Action Programme to activate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Environmental Fields (2024-2027).

During the signing, Oman was represented by the Environment Authority, while the USA was represented by its Department of State.

The action programme includes a plan to bolster environmental laws and regulations, advance environmental expertise and practices related to the protection of the environment, controlling pollution, conserving natural resources and wildlife and sustainable ecosystem management.

The programme seeks to boost efforts and action in areas related to adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change, as well as encouraging and adopting integrated environmental management practices and using innovative technology.

Source: Oman News Agency

Muscat: The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT) today held its periodic meeting under the chairmanship of Sheikh Khalifa Ali Al Harthy, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs, Chairman of the NCCHT.

During the meeting, the committee reviewed its prominent achievements and efforts till date, as well as updates on implementing the national action plan to combat human trafficking in Oman (2024-2026).

The member parties in the committee highlighted their activities and efforts that are exerted to increase awareness on the importance of combating human trafficking.

Source: Oman News Agency

Muscat: A delegation from Maritime Security Agency in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, led by Rear Admiral Imtiaz Ali, Director General of Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency visited the Maritime Security Centre (MSC) in Muscat today.

Upon the guests’ arrival, they were greeted by Commodore Adil Hamoud Al Busaidi, Head of the MSC.

Members of the visiting delegation were briefed on the tactical roles and tasks carried out by the centre in the safety of the Omani maritime environment.

They also toured the centre’s facilities and viewed its latest equipment and technologies used in carrying out its national duties.

Source: Oman News Agency

Muscat: Maj.Gen Hamid Ahmed Sakroon, Chairman of the Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies received in his office at Bait Al Falaj Camp today a delegation from the faculty and students at the Command and Staff College in the Arab Republic of Egypt, headed by Brigadier Walid Adel Ahmed Al Shorbaji.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed several matters of common interest.

The meeting was attended by Air Commodore Abdullah Fayez Al Dhafri, Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs, Commodore Khalid Amer Al Salti, Director of Studies and Academic Affairs, senior officers at the Academy for Strategic and Defense Studies.

The Egyptian Delegation visited the National Defense College (NDC) in the Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies at Bait Al Falaj Camp.

Upon their arrival at the college, the guests were greeted by Rear Admiral Ali Abdullah Al Shidi, NDC Commandant.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed a range of topics of common interest, especially in academic and training
fields.

Members of the visiting delegation were briefed on the college’s facilities. They also toured the NDC’s departments.

The Egyptian Military Delegation also visited the Joint Command and Staff College (CSC) at the Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies.

Upon their arrival at the college, they were greeted by Brigadier Saif Hamad Al Yousifi, Commandant of the CSC.

The visiting delegation watched a visual presentation about the college, its curriculum and training programmes.

Source: Oman News Agency

Muscat: Oman oil price (April delivery 2024) today reached 82.77 US Dollars, comprising a rise by 51 cents compared to the price of yesterday (Monday), which stood at 82.26 US Dollars.

The average price of Oman oil (February delivery 2024) has stabilized at 77.21 US Dollars per barrel, thus 5.96 US Dollars per barrel lower than January delivery 2024.

Source: Oman News Agency

A recent study, detailed in Frontiers in Nutrition, highlights the potential benefits of almonds for post-exercise muscle recovery and performance.

Over eight weeks, 25 mildly overweight middle-aged participants consumed 57 grams of almonds daily.

The study revealed a significant reduction in muscle soreness and enhanced muscle performance during a vertical jump challenge, indicating improved recovery.

Notably, the reduction in soreness amounted to nearly 25 percent over a 72-hour recovery period following exercise.

However, the study’s applicability is limited as it focused solely on non-smoking individuals who were mildly overweight and occasionally physically active.

Nevertheless, researchers underscore the potential of almonds as a nutritious snack to aid in exercise recovery, which could facilitate adherence to new training programs, especially among those less accustomed to regular exercise.

Experts stress the importance of incorporating such nutrient-rich foods into balanced diets to support over
all health and fitness goals.

These findings provide valuable insights into dietary strategies for optimizing exercise recovery and performance, although further research across diverse demographic groups is warranted to validate and extend these initial findings.

Source: Oman News Agency

The National Museum, represented by the Department of Museum Learning and Community Outreach, today organized an event titled “Rock Engravings”.

The purpose of the event was to introduce rock drawings and engravings and their human significance inspired by Oman’s nature across the ages.

The event included a lecture titled “Examples of Rock Drawings in the Sultanate of Oman,”. The lecture introduced rock drawings found in numerous valleys and mountains in Oman, dating back to ancient times. It showcased examples, explained their meanings, discussed drawing techniques, and highlighted the tools used. The lecture was followed by a guided tour for participants to explore examples of rock drawings and engravings in the Prehistory and Ancient History Galleries of the National Museum.

Continuing with the event, an art workshop was conducted for drawing and engraving on wood, mimicking the rock drawings and engravings displayed in the Prehistory and Ancient History Galleries.

It is worth noting that rock drawings
and engravings have been discovered in numerous valleys and mountains across Oman, spanning various provinces and dating back to prehistoric and ancient eras. Some of the well-known drawings depict human life symbols, animals like oryx, horses, camels, dogs, and elephants, as well as reptiles like scorpions and snakes. In the realm of tools, war-related items such as spears, swords, and shields are highlighted. Symbolic representations in Omani rock art include stars and the sun, among others.

Source: Oman News Agency

Muscat: Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, today organized the ‘Partnership and Integration’ programme.

The programme aims to find solutions to the challenges facing the progress of the Omani private sector, upgrade the level of performance, and keep pace with aspirations in light of the objectives of the Oman Vision 2040 towards an effective and proactive private sector.

Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, explained that the proposed solutions that were formulated and discussed during the programme will enhance the competitiveness of the private sector. These solutions were specific, clear, and tailored to address the real challenges of the sector, he added.

The minister stressed that the existing efforts made by private sector establishments are designed to develop the national economy through the continuous endeavor to find strategic partnerships that contribute to ad
vancing economic development.

Al Yousef added that these meetings with the private sector represent the necessity of strategic partnership through the proposals and initiatives presented by the private sector through OCCI.

The minister stated that the programme aims to empower the private sector, create new business opportunities and projects, attract quality investments, enhance exports, and develop a competitive business milieu. He noted that the ministry is moving forward to streamline procedures, improve services, protect competition and prevent monopoly.

For his part, Dr. Said Mohammed Al Saqri, Minister of Economy said that the national goals sought from these and similar programmes aims to further achieve integration, enhance the capabilities of the national economy and raise the ceiling of ambition for a more competitive performance through which the Sultanate of Oman rises to advanced levels in easing the business environment. The move contributes positively on global competitiveness indicators an
d expanding production structures with highly efficient national cadres, he added.

Dr. Mahad Said Ba’owain, Minister of Labour said that integration between the public and private sectors aims to achieve a stimulating business environment that ensures sustainability and growth for the private sector so that this sector can contribute to supporting the national economy in general and enhance its role as a major employer of labour.

Faisal Abdullah Al Rowas, OCCI Chairman presented a visual presentation in which he explained the participatory paths with the government’s legislative and executive departments. The step aims to create a favorable climate for the consensus of ideas and visions to achieve integration and adopt sustainable solutions that enhance the performance indicators of the private sector and its contributions to the national economic system. He also highlighted the OCCI strategic approach to improve the business environment in the private sector.

HH Dr. Adham Turki Al Said, Head of the OCCI E
conomic Committee explained that the ‘Partnership and Integration’ programme provided valuable insights that lead the private sector towards sustainability in achieving strong growth based on the opportunities outlined by Oman Vision 2040 in various sectors. The programme requires doubling efforts, accelerating achievement, and creating a flexible legislative and procedural environment that supports improving the business environment and contributes to creating a qualitative shift in the business community, he added.

Source: Oman News Agency

Muscat: Karwa Motors, a subsidiary of Oman Investment Authority (OIA) and Qatar Transportation Company, announced the launch of a new type of buses, specifically intercity buses.

The new type of the buses designed to accommodate 45 passengers in line with Gulf standard specifications approved for buses operating in the oil and gas sector.

The company today celebrated delivering two of these buses to a leading transportation company in the Sultanate of Oman.

Karwa Motors said that the delivery of these two new intercity buses marks an important step towards introducing this bus category into the local market, amidst significant demand from both local companies and individuals interested in utilizing this mode of transportation.

With this new bus category, Karwa aims to enter both the local and regional markets, enhancing the production capabilities of the Karwa Motors factory located in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) to meet the growing demand for “Karwa” buses, following their successful deploy
ment during the Qatar World Cup 2022.

In a press statement, Karwa Motors revealed that these two new buses are the first of Karwa Motors’ intercity bus type to be introduced into the Omani market, noting that there are underway orders from a group of local clients scheduled for delivery in the upcoming months.

Source: Oman News Agency

Muscat: Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) general index (30) today dropped (48.2) points, comprising a decline by (1.04%) to close at (4581.51) points, compared to the last session, which stood at (4629.68) points.

The trading value today stood at (RO 1,568,179), comprising a fall by (51.3%), compared to the last session, which stood at (RO 3,222,593).

The report released by MSX pointed out that the market value went down by (0.284%) to reach about (RO 23.80) billion.

The report added that the value of shares bought by non-Omani investors reached (RO 320,000), comprising (20.38%). The value of shares sold by non-Omani investors reached (RO 598,000), comprising (38.12%). The net non-Omani investment fell by (17.74%) to (RO 278,000).

Source: Oman News Agency

Muscat: The volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Sultanate of Oman by the end of 2022 reached RO 27,134.9 million with investment flow that constituted 4.8% of Gross Domestic Product at current prices against foreign investment of RO 25,089.1 million by the end of 2021, according to the preliminary data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

FDI constituted 75.9% of total foreign investment by the end of 2022.

Foreign investment in financial derivatives constituted RO 52.2 million with inflow of RO 1.3 million. Meanwhile, other foreign investment reached RO 5,642.2 million with inflows of RO 343.2 million.

The oil and gas activities bagged 56.4% of total foreign investment with a total value of RO 15,320.7 million compared to RO 5,558.9 million for the financial brokerage activity, RO 2,373.4 million for converting industries and RO 1,617.9 million for the transportation, storage and communications activity.

Further, total foreign investment in the activities of r
eal estate, leasing and commercial projects reached RO 1,112.9 million, while foreign investment in other activities reached RO 1,151.1 million.

FDI distribution over various sectors stood as follows: oil and gas (71.1%), converting industries (9.1%), financial brokerage (8.9%), real estate, leasing and commercial activities (4.9%) and other activities (6%).

The United Kingdom came on top of the list of top 10 countries with foreign direct investment in Oman (RO 9,621.9 million), followed by the United States of America (RO 3,684.2 million) and China (RO 1,039.6 million).

Moreover, FDI from various countries stood as follows: the United Arab Emirates (RO 915 million), Kuwait (RO 797 million), Qatar (RO 593.7 million), the Kingdom of Bahrain (RO 487.5 million), the Netherlands (RO 363.5 million), India (RO 321 million) and Switzerland (RO 176.5 million).

Meanwhile, statistics indicate that Omani investment abroad by the end of 2022 reached RO 5,383.6 million compared to RO 6,020.2 million by the end of 202
1.

The United Arab Emirates come on top of the list of countries that attract direct Omani investment abroad, with a total value of RO 960 million, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (RO 129.1 million. Omani direct investment in several countries stood as follows: the United Kingdom (RO 93 million), Kuwait (RO 32 million), Egypt (RO 19.7 million), India (RO 9.4 million) and Bahrain (RO 2.6 million).

Source: Oman News Agency

The Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) today celebrated the opening of projects namely protection dams for Wadi Jarf and Wadi Sai, surface water drainage channels, and infrastructure works for the government jetty at Duqm Port in Al Wusta Governorate.

The opening ceremony was held under the patronage of Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ).

The height of Wadi Jarf Dam is 19.4 meters, its length is 1,600 metres, while its width at the base of the dam is about 100 metres. The dam’s lake can reserve a storage amount estimated at 32.8 million cubic meters of water.

As for Wadi Sai Dam, it is about 16.4 meters high and 3,665 meters long, while its width at the base is about 100 metres. The dam lake is designed to accommodate 17 million cubic meters of water.

Source: Oman News Agency