established in 1981 editor-in-chief: abdullah bin …...may 29, 2020 · their home town of jaipur...

FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020 SHAWWAL 6, 1441 AH

ESTABLISHED IN 1981 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI VOL. 39 NO. 197 | PAGES 16

MUSCAT: In implementation of the Royal directives issued by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik on the suspension of the judiciary holiday for 2020, which aims to guarantee a continued judiciary work in order to achieve public interest, the Council of Administrative Affairs for Judiciary has issued a circular to all courts (all types and degrees) including administrative judiciary, to process all cases normally. — ONA

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik on Thursday issued two Royal Decrees.

Royal Decree No 57/2020 ratifies Oman’s joining the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their

Utilisation to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Article (1) ratifies the Sultanate of Oman’s joining the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation to the Convention on Biological Diversity

signed in Nagoya on October 29, 2010, in accordance with the version attached to this Decree.

Article (2) instructs the departments concerned to deposit the Document of Joining the above-mentioned Nagoya Protocol in accordance with the protocol’s provisions.

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OMAN DAILY

NO JUDICIAL RECESS FOR COURTS THIS YEAR

ROYAL DECREES RATIFY CONVENTIONS

TURN TO P2

MUSCAT LOCKDOWN TO BE LIFTED TODAY

ROYAL DIRECTIVES

M U T T R A H T O R E M A I N I N H E A LT H I S O L A T I O N

MUSCAT: Oman reported over 600 cases on Thursday even as the government prepares to lift lockdown of Muscat Governorate from Friday.

The Ministry of Health announced 636 new positive cases of COVID-19, of which 345 are Omanis and 291 are expatriates.

This brings the total number of positive

cases in the Sultanate to

9,009, in addition to 40 deaths.

The ministry also pointed out that 2,177 patients have recovered.

The ministry also announced the death of a 51-year-old citizen with COVID-19, taking the number of deaths registered in the Sultanate to 40.

Around 451 of the total 636 cases reported on Thursday are from Muscat, taking the total from the capital to 6,758, including 31 deaths.

According to ROP, the Wilayat of Muttrah will continue to be

under health isolation.

Ruwi,

Darsait, Al Wadi al Kabir, and Al Hamriya fall under Greater Muttrah and accordingly, restrictions will continue in these places, and motorists will have to go through checkpoints as previously.

As reported earlier if individuals do have the permit to drive across for work or other valid reasons then they must also carry rental agreement to prove the place of residence at the checkpoints, while returning homes at any of the above-mentioned places.

V I N O D N A I R

2 FRIDAY MAY 29, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

OMAN

MUSCAT: The ongoing repatriation process of Indian nationals living in the Sultanate saw as many as 354 adults along with 18 infants travelling to their home towns in Southern India on Thursday.

The two flights, one from Salalah to Kannur and another from Muscat to Kozhikode, also witnessed many stranded passengers, elders as well as pregnant women and people needing medical assistance.

Indian Embassy had earlier announced that thousands of Indian citizens will be given chance to travel back home with 15 more flight services instituted as part of the Phase 2 Plus which started on May 28 till June 7.

“We have been able to send our nationals who wished to get home on compelling reasons in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic spread over the past few weeks. This has been possible only with the support of the authorities

of Oman, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ROP, the Airport Authority and all concerned”, said Munu Mahawer, the Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman.

There will be a flight from Muscat to Kochi (Kerala) today followed by three more flights transporting Indians from Muscat to their home town of Jaipur in Rajasthan, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Trivandrum in Kerala tomorrow (May 30).

THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY:

31 May Salalah - Kannur (Kerala)01 June Muscat - Kozhikode (Kerala)01 June Salalah - Kannur (Kerala)02 June Muscat - Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir)03 June Muscat - Bhubaneshwar (Odisha)03 June Muscat - Kannur (Kerala)04 June Muscat - Kochi (Kerala)04 June Muscat - Trivandrum (Kerala)07 June Muscat - Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

372 INDIANS RETURN HOME ON 2 FLIGHTS

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

FROM PAGE 1Article (3) says that this Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and be effective from its date of issue. Royal Decree No 58/2020 ratifies Oman’s joining Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Article (1) ratifies the Sultanate of Oman’s joining Minamata Convention on Mercury signed in Kumamoto, Japan, on October 10, 2013, in accordance with the version attached to this Decree.

Article (2) instructs the departments concerned to deposit the Document of Joining the above-mentioned Minamata Convention on Mercury in accordance with the convention’s provisions.

Article (3) says that this Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and be enforced from its date of issue. — ONA

ROYAL DECREES RATIFY CONVENTIONS

MUSCAT: The Ministry of Health (MoH) on Thursday held a meeting in the presence of MoH Under-Secretary for Health Affairs, Under-Secretary of Ministry of Manpower for Work Affairs, Under-Secretary of Ministry of Regional Municipalities & Water Resources for Water Affairs, Head of Dhofar Municipality and Director General of Services Development at Muscat Municipality.

The meeting discussed the actions taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as strengthening control over the establishments in order

to adhere to the health measures that prevent the transmission of disease among workers and clients.

During the meeting, it has been agreed on mechanisms of follow-up and surveillance along with forming work teams from the departments concerned. — ONA

Guidelines for reopening activities discussed

www.omanobserver.om FRIDAY MAY 29, 2020 3

OMAN

Tropical disturbance could move into

Dhofar Governorate

MUSCAT: The low pressure system off the coast of Oman has intensified into tropical depression and is expected to move into Dhofar Governorate in the next 48 hours.

The wind speed at the cen-tre of the depression is now between 17 to 25 knots which is 30 to 45 km per hour. The direction continues to be towards Dhofar and the thun-dershowers may continue until Sunday.

“The centre is still over the sea but the drifting clouds are bringing rains over Dhofar along with strong winds. The wind is expected to be stronger tomorrow evening and might impact Al Wusta as well, resulting in dust rising in desert areas. The sea condition by tomor-row is forecast to be rough,” said the weather forecaster at National Multi Hazards Early Warning Center.

Amount of rain expected is 50-90mm associated with fresh wind, flash floods with reduced horizontal visibility and rough conditions with wave height of 2-4 metres in the next 24 hours.

The weather map indicates continuous flow of clouds accompanying the depres-sion with heavy thunder-showers.

L A K S H M I K O T H A N E T H

@ism_salam


OMAN

MUSCAT: Oman Air has flown a number of flights to bring citizens home, along with cargo-only flights to bring food, commodities and medical supplies to the country.

Oman Air stands ready to operate additional flights on an as-needed basis as plans are formulated for an order-ly return to scheduled serv-ice, at a time to be deter-mined based on guidance from national and interna-tional authorities.

In coordination with the Ministry of Health, the Public Authority for Civil Aviation and authorities in other countries, Oman Air has always taken extensive safety precautions in every aspect of its operations.

Policies and requirements relating to the crew and guest safety are continu-ously reviewed and revised as necessary to protect the crew from COVID-19 and ensure the safety of guests who enter the country,

including transit guests who fly on to other destinations.

Oman Air provides crewmembers with all nec-essary protective equip-ment, including masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. Cabin crew will wear dis-posable full-body personal protective equipment (PPE), including a mask, face shield and gloves, over their uni-forms once the airline resumes regularly sched-uled flights.

All crewmembers are reg-

ularly updated with the lat-est information about COVID-19. Considerable care is taken to ensure the crews’ adherence to official safety requirements at all times, to include during flights, on layovers and throughout quarantine periods which are required after their flights.

Crew members who oper-ate flights are closely moni-tored and quarantined upon arrival in Muscat, as per official directives.

OMAN AIR CONTINUES REPATRIATION EFFORTS,

CARGO FLIGHTSOMAN AIR HAS TAKEN EXTENSIVE SAFETY

PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT THE CREW FROM COVID-19 AND ENSURE THE SAFETY OF GUESTS, INCLUDING TRANSIT GUESTS WHO FLY ON TO OTHER DESTINATIONS


MUSCAT: Parents of Indian schools in Oman have requested the Board of Directors (BoD) governing the 22 Indian schools in the country to con-sider waiving off or halving the fees during the COVID-19 months when classes did not take place.

With this, many parents who feel the pinch of the pandemic by being sacked or given a salary cut have sent email to the BoD, according to a group of parents.

“As Indian schools in the Sultanate of Oman are shut as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19 outbreak, the decision of the BoD of Indian schools to collect the full fee is against the interest of the parents and turning a blind eye towards real-ity”, parents have told the Observer.

“We, the parents who are finan-cially affected by the COVID-

19, have requested the BoD of Indian Schools in

Oman to consider a waiver of at least cur-rent three months’ fees to support us financially and mor-ally.”

After their cry for either waiving off or

giving a reduction in the total fee went high

and loud, the school management had decided

to reduce ‘other fees’ which involve computer fees and the like.“After we made requests, the man-

agement decided to scrap only ‘other fees’ which means fees other than tuition fees for the months from May to August 2020, whereas 85 per cent of school fee is being charged as tui-tion fees”, parents added.

They further said the balance 15 per cent collected by way of computer fee, lab fee, library fee, etc are charged in the month of April itself (first month of the academic year in the Gulf) and thereby giving an actual reduction of just 7 per cent of the total fee.

“We have addressed all the con-cerns of the parents and we are very well aware of the situation at their job front and we are ready to support them in all possible ways”, said Dr Baby Sam Samuel, Chairman of the BoD.

“However”, he added, “We have to also see how the school system can be run taking into consideration all the expenses during the few months of lockdown.

And remember, only the school is closed and no classroom sessions are taking place. We have other oper-ational expenses and online classes are smoothly going on.”

All the Indian schools began online classes by early April, which, accord-ing to the parents, also increased other expenditures.

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

OMAN

Parents seek March to May fee waiver from Indian schools

y19,

BO

tan

mand

ALL THE INDIAN SCHOOLS

BEGAN ONLINE CLASSES BY EARLY APRIL, WHICH, ACCORDING TO

THE PARENTS, ALSO INCREASED OTHER

EXPENDITURES


WORLD

KHULNA, Bangladesh: Rezaul Islam wades through waist-high water, a sack of rice on his head salvaged from what remains of his home, a week after a cyclone savaged Bangladesh and eastern India.

The strongest storm to hit the area this century killed more than 100 people, flat-tening entire villages, uprooting trees and ruining fish ponds in the Indian state of West Bengal, and south-west Bangladesh.

“We are trying to salvage

whatever we can,” 17-year-old Islam said, his house still half-submerged in water left by storm surges unleashed by Cyclone Amphan.

With homes destroyed or uninhabitable, more than 200,000 people in India and at least 100,000 in Bangladesh remain crammed into cyclone shel-ters -- often with little regard to coronavirus precautions.

The most damage caused by Amphan was from the accompanying storm surge, which wrecked several hun-

dred kilometres of embank-ments that are supposed to protect homes and farms in low-lying coastal areas.

Locals worked through the night when the cyclone hit, desperately trying to shore up levees with sandbags. It was mostly to no avail.

Tens of thousands of acres of farmland, fruit plantations and farms have been devastated by the salt-water.

In the Bangladeshi town of Koira, thousands like Islam have been trying for days to

retrieve belongings from what remains of their homes in the now-desolate land-scape.

Many buildings had roofs ripped off by the 165-kilome-tre-per-hour winds of Amphan.

Wells for drinking water have also been polluted and locals are now reliant on the army to deliver supplies.

“I could not salvage any-thing. All valuable items and furniture have rotted,” said wizened 71-year-old widow Nosimon Begum. — Reuters

Malaysia’s ex-leader Mahathir expelled

from partyKUALA LUMPUR: In the latest twist to a turbulent six-decade career in politics, Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad was sacked on Thursday from the political party he co-founded in 2016. A statement from the United Indigenous Party of Malaysia, known by its Malay acronym Bersatu, said that 94-year-old Mahathir’s membership had been “revoked with immediate effect”

Mahathir, who was party chairman, was fired along with four other parliamentari-ans for not supporting Malaysia’s govern-ment, which is headed by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the Bersatu president. The five lawmakers took to the opposition benches during a brief May 18 parliamen-tary sitting.

Crashed Pakistani jet’s cockpit voice

recorder foundISLAMABAD: Investigators scouring the site of a crashed Pakistani airliner found the jet’s cockpit voice recorder on Thursday and hope it will answer why pilots had failed at an initial landing attempt. The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane came down among houses on May 22 after both engines failed as it approached Karachi air-port, killing 97 people on board. Two passengers sur-vived. Investigators found the plane’s black box flight recorder two days after the crash.

Iran says N-work will not be hurt by sanction waivers

TEHRAN: A US decision to termi-nate sanctions waivers that have allowed foreign companies to do some work at Iranian nuclear sites will not affect Iran’s nuclear pro-gramme, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) said on Thursday. The United States said on Wednesday it will terminate the waivers, which had allowed Russian, Chinese and European companies to carry out work at Iranian nucle-ar sites. The role of the foreign firms was agreed in Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2015, and was intended to help ensure Iran’s nuclear programme would not be used to make weapons. — Agencies

IN BRIEFS

Floods and tears in Bangladesh a week after cyclone

Philippines confirms 539 new coronavirus cases

MANILA: The Philippines’ health min-istry on Thursday reported 17 more novel coronavirus deaths and 539 new infections, the largest number of cases reported in a single day since the virus was first detected in the country. In a bulletin, the ministry said total infections have risen to 15,588 and deaths have reached 921. The number of recovered patients was 3,598. An inter-agency panel on coronavirus has recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte the easing of strict lockdown measures in the capital, which accounts for most of the coronavirus cases and deaths, to restart economic activity.

Relief as France prepares new

lockdown easingPARIS: The French government is expected to announce new measures to ease the coronavirus lockdown, allowing restaurants in areas where the outbreak remains contained to open as soon as this week. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe will unveil the second phase of his plan to get the country back to work following a meeting with top cabinet members, a government source said, after strict stay-at-home orders were lifted on May 11. But while restaurants, bars and cafes in so-called “green” zones with limited COVID-19 cases could open on June 2, those in “red” zones including Paris and a large swathe of the northeast may have to wait until July, the source said.

14 security personnel killed in Afghanistan

KABUL: Taliban militants killed at least 14 security forces in two Afghan provinces a day after a mutual three-day ceasefire finished, officials said on Thursday. The militants killed at least seven members of the Afghan national army on Wednesday in Seya Gird district in Parwan province north of the capital Kabul, according to the provincial governor’s spokesperson, Wahida Shahkar. Two soldiers were taken hostage by the Taliban, while a further one was wounded, Shahkar said. The account was confirmed by a provincial council member, Esmatullah Mohammadi.


WORLD

LONDON: As much of the world begins to emerge from lockdown, people are looking back at time spent cut off from friends, family and colleagues by the coronavi-rus and forward to what happens next.

Reuters has captured some of those reflections along with por-traits from across Africa and the Middle East of people inside their rooms looking out and outside looking in.

“The lockdown... has been a great time for me to breathe, to re-eval-uate how I’ve been living my life and trying to focus more on the things that truly matter to me”, said Adetona Omokanye, a 29-year-old photographer who lives in Lagos.

Alexander Caiafas, from the same teeming Nigerian city, has also seen the bright side of being cooped up at home.

The data analyst, 25, has rel-ished time spent with family, on his studies and connecting with friends online.

But in rural Eastern Cape Province in South Africa, house-wife Zodidi Desewula drew little comfort from weeks in her tiny, cylindrical “rondavel”.

In the Egyptian capital Cairo, Nada Maged, a 20-year-old stu-dent, described lockdown as “pris-on”.

“When I look out I see the same view but have a different feeling - the streets are more sad and mys-terious, and there is no hope of getting out soon”, she said.

Zineb Mohamed “Om Hany” also lives in the city, and misses regu-lar contact with her family and friends.

With a sea view from her window in the ancient Lebanese city of Tyre, Lama Nadra, 28, has the luxury of seeing it everyday.

“I like the calm and being away from the noise of the capital, Beirut,” she said, adding that once she was free to move around she wants to go swimming again.

For her, the end of lockdown will mean seeing family less. — Reuters

IN BRIEFS

World emerges from lockdown

with mixed feelings

Adetona Omokanye, a 29 year-old documentary photographer, takes pictures from the window of his home in Lekki, Nigeria. — Reuters


ANALYSISUS states cry out for federal aid amid pandemicWASHINGTON: In the d e c e n t r a l i s e d American system, the COVID-19 pandemic is draining public financ-es in many cities and states, and without help from the federal gov-ernment, experts say the consequences will be lasting and the recovery slower.

“There cannot be a national recovery if the state and local govern-ments are not funded,” New York’s Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.

The states that have borne the brunt of the pandemic, including New York, account for a third of GDP in the world’s largest econo-my, Cuomo said at a press conference after he met with President Donald Trump to dis-cuss the economic impact of the pandem-ic. “How can you tell one third of the country to go to heck, and then think you’re going to see an economic rebound... There is no nation without the states,” Cuomo said.

Many cities and some states had not fully recovered from the 2009 recession, and

now the widespread lockdowns to stem the spread of the coronavi-rus have deprived them of sales taxes from stores, hotels, bars and restaurants, which rep-resent around 30 per cent of their income.

At a time when heath spending and demand for unemployment ben-efits spiked with nearly 40 million workers becoming jobless since mid-March, the annual deadline for filing income taxes was pushed back to July 15, meaning states have to wait longer to collect revenues.

State and local gov-ernments, which employ teachers, police and firefighters, “are suffering from a pretty toxic combination of less revenue... and more spending,” said Robert Maxim, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

Unlike the federal gov-ernment, which can run a deficit, most states are required to have a balanced budget and generally can only bor-row to finance specific projects like schools and parks, not for emer-gencies. — AFP

When power loom operator L o k a n a t h Swain board-ed a bus home after a 40-day

wait in the Indian textile hub of Surat, he took a silent vow - to never return to his workplace of two decades.

Like millions of migrant work-ers left jobless by India’s strict coronavirus lockdown, Swain was left penniless and facing starvation and could only afford the 1,700 km trip back to east-ern Odisha state after his family wired him money.

Countless workers in India have walked thousands of miles home after losing their jobs, many dying in accidents along the way, and the ordeal has made them reluctant to return to work despite India easing restrictions to reboot industrial

activity.“Nobody was understanding

our problems there. My employ-er did not lift the phone when I contacted him to ask for my 10 days’ wages pending with him. They are big people. What can we do?” Swain, 45, said.

“I thought I would not survive until the time trains would resume. How long can a starv-ing man survive? May be one or two days,” Swain said from a quarantine facility where he is housed near his village in Ganjam district of Odisha state.

Swain is among the often invis-ible army of about 100 million migrant workers in India - or 20 per cent of the workforce - who leave their villages for jobs in cities, where their skills are needed in manufacturing, con-struction, or the hospitality industry.

— Reuters

Indian workers shun city jobs after ordeal

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer.

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R O L I S R I V A S T A V A A N D A N U R A D H A N A G A R A J

D E L P H I N E T O U I T O U

Oman’s first utility-scale solar power project now onlineMUSCAT: The Sultanate has officially brought into com-mercial operation its first utility-scale solar photo-voltaic (PV) scheme – a 105 MWac capacity Independent Power Project (IPP) located at Amin in the south of the Block 6 license of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

Amin Renewable Energy Company (AREC), represent-ing a consortium led by the Japanese-based interna-tional conglomerate Marubeni Corporation, built the facility under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed with PDO. Featuring 336,000 solar PV panels, output from the sprawling solar farm is ear-marked exclusively for use by PDO in powering its Interior operations.

An official of the majority-government owned Oil and Gas company revealed in an interview to a local news portal that the Amin solar farm came on stream earli-er this week after several weeks of performance test-ing and commissioning. It follows the award of a gen-eration license (renewable energy) by the Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER) Oman to the developer, Amin Renewable Energy Company (AREC), in January this year.

In April, Amin Solar export-ed more than three million units of commissioning energy to PDO’s grid, “achiev-ing the target by fair mar-gin”, AREC said in a recent post on LinkedIn.

AREC is a partnership of Marubeni Corporation, Oman Gas Company SAOC, Bahwan Renewable Energy Company, and Nebras. In

January 2019, Muscat-based AREC had been awarded the contract to “develop, finance, build, operate and maintain” what is billed as the world’s first utility-scale solar project with an oil and gas company as the offtaker of its electric-ity output.

According to PDO, the project has secured carbon credit registration within the European Union. At full capacity, clean energy from the plant will help offset more than 225,000 tons per year of CO2 emissions – the equiv-alent of taking some 23,000 vehicles off the road, it noted.

Significantly, Amin Solar joins a growing portfolio of renewables and other clean energy based initiatives embraced by PDO as part of its long-term commitment to reducing its carbon foot-print. The project also aligns

with the company’s broader vision to evolve into a full-fledged energy development organisation with a remit that transcends its current focus on hydrocarbon based resources and encompass-es a variety of low-carbon

opportunities.PDO is a global pioneer in

the use of solar energy to generate steam necessary for its Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) operations. To this end, PDO is overseeing the imple-mentation of a 1-gigawatt Miraah project that har-nesses solar energy to pro-duce heavy oil from the Amal oilfield instead of natural gas for steam generation.

Furthermore, PDO is exploring avenues for invest-ment in solar and wind resources for power gener-ation and water desalina-tion, power to ‘X’, solar to hydrogen, and other oppor-tunities. The company has also expressed an interest in bidding for large-scale solar power schemes procured by state-run Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP).

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


BUSINESS

LANDMARK VENTURE:

105 MWac Amin Solar project begins

supplying clean energy to Petroleum Development Oman

(PDO) under a 23-year Power Supply

Agreement


BUSINESS

LONDON: European shares rose for the fourth straight session on Thursday and the euro perched at a two-month high, as businesses returning to work and a 750 billion euro EU stimulus plan outweighed rising US-China tensions.

Asian markets had been subdued overnight after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned Hong Kong no longer warranted special treatment under US law, but there was no stop-ping Europe.

Traders diving back into the markets after Wednesday’s EU plan to prop up the bloc’s coronavirus-hit economies pushed the region-wide STOXX 600 index up 1 per cent to its highest since early March.

The euro enjoyed the view at $1.1016, having risen to a two-month high. It also held at the near three-month high it had hit versus the neigh-bouring Swiss franc the pre-vious day, while the dollar was largely quiet.

Euro zone bond yields were relatively stable too, with

Italian borrowing costs — a key European confidence indicator — holding near eight-week lows and safe-haven German Bunds seeing another small sell-off.

“With the release now of the European Commission’s plan for COVID recovery, we see there being room for further positivity in Eurozone risk assets, even while the global sentiment is buffeted by China-related tensions,” Mizuho analysts told clients.

EUROPE CHEERS SUPER-SIZED STIMULUS PLAN

Travel and tourism in the time of COVID-19

The world is pre-paring for the reopening of the travel and tourism sector

in the coming weeks. The sector has suffered sig-nificant financial losses as a result of the continu-ing coronavirus pandem-ic in the last few months. As a result, world tourism has garnered the worst loss since 1950, accord-ing to estimates by the World Tourism Organi-sation. The epidemic has also led millions of peo-ple working in the travel, tourism, hotel, hospital-ity and services sector to lose their jobs, while the tourism sector alone has achieved losses of more than a trillion dollars, which speaks to the crisis afflicting this sector as a result of the disruption of flights, airports and other services.

Today we see that the largest car rental com-pany in international air-ports has declared bank-ruptcy, not to mention other airlines that have declared bankruptcy and those that are expected to follow suit as well. Ex-perts believe this indus-try is not likely to return to normality for at least another three years, as people fret about travel-ling in planes, trains and means of transporta-tion. Furthermore, guide-lines mandating the use of face masks, gloves, and hand sterilization will pose new challenges as well.

Thus, for normality to the restored in the inter-

national travel industry, it will require the passage of some time.

The industry must be ready to embrace new norms. According to the data of the International Air Transport Associa-tion (IATA), air transpor-tation is likely to be rede-signed so as not to restrict people for long hours in a confined area. This means that global travel will return to work hard for the next several years to support a full-scale re-vival of services. IATA be-lieves that the demand for international travel in 2021 will be less than the levels of last year, even as individual countries pre-pare for restart services domestic and interna-tional services.

The epidemic continues to threaten the holiday plans of tourists around the world, causing more worry for investors. Some laid-off employees have started heading to work in other sectors to earn a livelihood. Even in the event that travel and tourism reopens, the en-tertainment and amuse-ment aspects of a holiday cannot be assured for a while.

Indeed, tourists should not be surprised if coun-tries take certain meas-ures to protect their lo-cal populations. After all, in some countries the tourism sector is an im-portant source of income equal to half of its GDP, which drives these coun-tries to take decisions to restore hope to this sec-tor soon.

HAIDER AL [email protected]

Traders diving back into the markets after

Wednesday’s EU plan to prop up the bloc’s

coronavirus-hit economies pushed the

region-wide STOXX 600 index up 1 per

cent to its highest since early March

Nissan reports heavy losses, to shut Barcelona plant

A worker is seen complet-ing final checks on the pro-duction line at Nissan car plant in Sunderland, north-ern England, in this file photo. — Reuters

TOKYO: Crisis-hit Japanese automaker Nissan on Thursday reported a huge $6.2-bil-lion annual net loss, announcing it would shut its Barcelona plant and slash production, as it reels from the impact of the coronavirus pan-demic.

Nissan was already battling weak demand as well as the fallout from the arrest of former boss Carlos Ghosn, currently an international fugitive after jumping bail and fleeing Japan. — AFP

Shipping industry goes digital in lockdown

COPENHAGEN: The coro-navirus lockdown has accelerated a digitalisation drive in a global shipping and logistics sector that still routinely delivers many documents by bike messen-ger in some countries, according to industry lead-ers.

Ports operator DP World said on Thursday it would join shipping company Maersk and other peers in a blockchain platform aimed at limiting the sec-tor’s costly paper trail.

“The situation around the coronavirus is a very good catalyst for making sure everyone in the supply chain can communicate with each other digitally,” Mike Bhaskaran, DP World’s chief operating officer for logistics and technology, told Reuters.

The Dubai-based compa-ny, one of the world’s big-gest port operators, plans to connect its entire busi-ness, including its 82 con-tainer terminals, using the blockchain technology.

The participation of key companies in the TradeLens platform, launched in 2018 by Maersk and IBM (IBM.N), is seen as crucial for cut-ting costs in an industry that has seen little innova-tion since the container was invented in the 1950s.

“The current circum-stances have shown that digitalisation of the logistic supply chain is picking up pace,” Vincent Clerc, Maersk’s chief commercial officer, said in an interview.

— Reuters

Oil drops on worse than feared rise in US fuel stocksMELBOURNE: Oil prices fell in early trade on Thursday after US crude, gasoline and heating oil inventories all rose more than expect-ed, dousing hopes of a smooth recovery in demand from coronavirus lock-downs.

The decline extended loss-es from Wednesday on uncertainty about Russia’s commitment to deep oil production cuts in the lead-

up to a June 9 meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, dubbed OPEC+.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures fell as much as 5% to a low of $31.14 and were down 3%, or 97 cents, at $31.84 at 0019 GMT.

Brent crude futures last traded down 2.3%, or 78 cents, at $33.96. — Reuters

Crude oil storage tanks are seen from above at the Cushing oil hub, in Cushing, Oklahoma. — Reuters

Workers wearing face masks helping a container ship to its berth at Qingdao port in Shandong province, China. — Reuters

BUSINESSwww.omanobserver.om FRIDAY MAY 29, 2020 11


Crash landing: Global air transport hit hard by virusPARIS: The COVID-19 pan-demic has battered the air transport sector by ground-ing most planes, resulting in layoffs, bankruptcies and rescue plans. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has esti-mated global airlines will lose $314 billion in 2020 revenues. That’s a 55 per-cent dive compared to 2019, and air traffic will not bounce back to where it stood before the virus until 2023, the IATA says. Here’s a recap of some of the major casualties.

GONE UNDERLatin America’s largest

airline LATAM, which has more than 42,000 employ-ees, became the latest car-rier to file for bankruptcy on May 26.

It entered into a voluntary reorganisation under Chapter 11 protection in the United States, which allows a company that is no longer able to repay its debt to restructure without pres-sure from creditors.

This comes just two weeks

after Colombia’s Avianca, which has 20,000 staff, also filed for bankruptcy in the US to reorganise its debt.

Cash-strapped giant

Virgin Australia also col-lapsed on April 21, going into administration.

The airline had appealed for a Aus$1.4 billion ($930

million) loan to stay afloat, but the government refused to bail out the majority for-eign-owned company.

— AFP

Trump leapfrogs back ahead of Obama in stock market gainsWASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump (pictured) is once again beating predecessor Barack Obama in stock market performance following a stunning recov-ery on Wall Street.

After a 1.5% jump on Wednesday, the S&P 500 is now up about 42% since Trump, a Republican, was elected in November 2016, compared with the bench-mark’s 31% gain during the same amount of time after Obama, a Democrat, was elected in 2008.

While the S&P 500 has surged 36% from its March lows and the Nasdaq

Composite is just 4% short of record highs, investors remain wary of a deep and extended economic slump resulting from the corona-virus pandemic.

For over three years, Trump repeatedly highlight-ed on Twitter and to report-ers the stock market’s stun-ning run-up, citing it as evi-dence of his success in the White House and making it part of his case for re-elec-tion this November.

Fueled by deep corporate tax cuts, the S&P 500 at its peak on Feb. 19 was up 58% from when Trump beat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in 2016. — Reuters

Aerial photos showing Boeing 737 Max airplanes parked at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, in this file photo. — Reuters

BUSINESS

OVER THREE YEARS, TRUMP REPEATEDLY HIGHLIGHTED ON TWITTER AND TO REPORTERS THE STOCK MARKET’S STUNNING RUN-UP, CITING IT AS EVIDENCE OF HIS SUCCESS IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND MAKING IT PART OF HIS CASE FOR RE-ELECTION THIS NOVEMBER

NEW YORK: The late Kobe Bryant’s induction into America’s basketball hall of fame has been postponed to 2021, US media reported on Wednesday.

Bryant, who died along with eight others in a helicopter crash in January, was schedule to be inducted into the Massachusetts-based Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on August 29.

Former NBA stars Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and six others are also slated to be enshrined next year due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re definitely canceling”, Hall

of Fame spokesman Jerry Colangelo told ESPN on Wednesday. “It’s going to have to be the first quarter of next year. (The board will) meet in a couple of weeks and look at the options of how and when and where”.

Bryant died on January 26 at age 41 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California that also claimed the life of his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna and seven oth-ers. Bryant was an 18-time NBA all-star, five-time NBA champion and three-time NBA finals MVP in a two-decade career with the Los Angeles Lakers. — AFP

We’re definitely cancelling. It’s going to have to be the first quarter of next year. (The board will) meet in a couple of weeks and look at the options of how and when and where

JERRY COLANGELO, HALL OF FAME SPOKESMAN

SPORTSwww.omanobserver.om FRIDAY MAY 29, 2020 13

K O B E ’ Sinduction to Hall of Fame postponed

NEW YORK: LeBron James was among a number of high-pro-file athletes who took to social media to speak out on the death of an unarmed black man seen in a video lying face down in the street while a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

Four Minneapolis police officers were fired on Tuesday over Monday’s inci-dent in which a handcuffed George Floyd can be heard repeatedly moaning and gasping while he pleads, “Please, I can’t breathe, please, man.”

James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, weighed in on Instagram late on Tuesday with a post that referred to Colin Kaepernick (pictured), the former NFL quarter-back who famously kneeled during the US national anthem to protest against racial injustice.

The post includes a photo of the officer pinning his knee on Floyd’s neck along-side a photo of Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem while a member of the San Francisco 49ers. It was topped with the caption “This ... ... Is Why.”

James, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, also wrote in the post “Do you

understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you?? #StayWoke”.

Others in the sports world voiced their outrage over the inci-dent that is likely to add fuel to the “Black Lives Matter” move-ment spawned by a series of U.S. police killings of unarmed black men.

“Worlds honestly sickening. It really is..... no explanation,” Odell Beckham Jr., a three-time Pro Bowl NFL receiver who plays for the Cleveland Browns, wrote on Twitter.

Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, a two-time Women’s National Basketball Association champi-on tweeted: “If any-body that follows me is not outraged about these senseless attacks on BLACK MEN, please stop following me! If your spirit is not dis-turbed, please stop following me!”

“This inflicted Pain but it will never inflict FEAR... sorry, were not made like that! #BlackMenMatter,” she added.

Kaepernick popu-larised the gesture of kneeling during pre-game renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 2016 while a member of the San Francisco 49ers. He became a free agent after that season and has not been signed by another team since. — Reuters


SPORTS

LEBRON JOINS

ATHLETES EXPRESSING

OUTRAGE OVER

DEATH OF UNARMED

BLACK MAN

Do you understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you?? #StayWoke.

LEBRON JAMES, FOUR-TIME NBA MVP


SPORTS

LONDON: Watford captain Troy Deeney has revealed that people have told him they want his baby son to contract corona-virus after he chose not to return to training at the Premier League club.

Deeney has been absent from training since Watford and other Premier League clubs returned to non-con-tact sessions last week.

The forward’s concerns over potentially passing on COVID-19 to his five-month-old son, who has had breathing difficulties, came even before team-mate Adrian Mariappa and two other Hornets staff tested positive.

But the 31-year-old found himself and his family in the firing line during Mental Health Awareness week last week.

“I saw some comments in regards to my son, people saying: ‘I hope your son gets corona’,” Deeney told CNN Sport.

“That’s the hard part for me. If you respond to that, people then go: ‘Ah, we’ve got him’ and they keep doing it.”

He added: “In a time where it’s all about mental health and everyone says ‘speak up, speak out, please speak’, (Newcastle’s) Danny Rose spoke out... and I

spoke out and we

just get absolutely

hammered and battered

for it.“So people see

that and go ‘woah’ and it’s not just us

that gets it, the mis-sus gets direct messag-

es and you’ll be walking down the street and people will be like: ‘Oh, I’m at work, you go back to work’.”

Premier League clubs have voted unanimously for a return to contact training following government approval, with that step due to take place this week.

Deeney is understood to be due to resume training next week.

CNN reported he had been speaking to England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, about the statistics showing peo-ple from black and minority ethnic backgrounds are disproportionately affected by coronavirus.

“He’s been doing very, very good research and there is a lot of goodwill on his part to tell me, ultimate-ly, that I’m going to be looked after as best as they can and, ultimately, there is going to be some form of risk for all of us going back to work,” Deeney said.

“Lockdown and the social-distancing measures com-ing down mean people will still always have risk.”

— AFP

I saw some comments in regards to my son, people saying: ‘I hope your son gets corona. That’s the hard part for me. If you respond to that, people then go: ‘Ah, we’ve

got him’ and they keep doing it.

TROY DEENEY, WATFORD CAPTAIN

as hat ve hey aby son t corona-

r he choseurn to training mier League

has been absenting since WatfordPremier League

aju

abham

andfor it“So p

that andand it’s no

that gets it, tsus gets direc

es and you’ll be wdown the street anwill be like: ‘Oh, I’myou go back to wor

Premier LeagueWATFORD’S DEENEY REVEALS

ABUSE AFTER EXPRESSING VIRUS FEARS


SPORTS

MIND NO LONGER WITH BRESCIA’‘BALOTELLI’S

MILAN: Mario Balotelli’s future with Brescia remains uncertain after the Italian club’s president said his “mind is no longer” with his hometown club.

“Mario is an unusual boy and it is also obvious that his mind is no longer with us, nothing different from what he has always been,” Massimo Cellino told Telelombardia.

“I love him, I hoped that the air of home and the desire of the national team would do him good. We are all disappointed.”

Balotelli, who has 36 caps for Italy, joined Brescia last summer, as he targeted a return to the national side for Euro 2020, which has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But the 29-year-old scored just five goals in 19 matches, with the

Lombardy club sitting bot-tom of Serie A when the championship was sus-pended on March 9.

The former Inter Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool striker has not always been present at training since it resumed in Italy on May 4.

He was targeted by racist chanting in Verona earlier this season, threatening to walk off the pitch.

“It would be a mistake to blame everything on Mario. But there is disap-pointment, probably on his side too,” added Cellino.

Balotelli, who was born in Sicily but adopted and raised just outside Brescia, agreed a three-year deal with last season’s Serie B champions after being released by Marseille last June.

— AFP

established in 1981 editor-in-chief: abdullah bin …...may 29, 2020 · their home town of jaipur...

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