SATURDAY | JULY 22, 2023 | MUHARRAM 4, 1445 AH VOL. 42 NO.

250 | PAGES 12 | BAISAS 200

ILO hails safeguards in new Social Protection Law

The International Labour Organisation (ILO), a specialised agency, has applauded landmark
measures enshrined in the new Social Protection Law enacted by the Omani government last
week as setting a new benchmark for countries in the Arabian Gulf region. Royal Decree
52/2023 promulgating the Social Protection Law encompasses a comprehensive set of
reforms centring on the creation of a single national contributory pension system designed
to serve all workers in the public and private sectors. SEE P7

Established 1981. Editor-in-chief: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili editor@omanobserver.om

P4 P7 P9
BRITISH PM INDIA, SRI LANKA MESSI SET FOR
SUNAK AVOIDS AGREE TO BOOST TIES MIAMI DEBUT BUT
WIPEOUT IN KEY THROUGH POWER, MAYBE OFF THE
ELECTIONS PORT PROJECTS BENCH

YAZD
WIND CATCHERS BEAT
THE HEAT IN IRAN
Tall, chimney-like towers rise
from centuries-old adobe houses
in Iran’s desert city of Yazd,
drawing in a pleasant breeze for
residents of one of the hottest
cities on earth. The wind catchers,
called badgirs in Persian, are just
one of the engineering marvels
inhabitants have developed in
this ancient city in central Iran
— where temperatures reach well
over 40 degrees celsius in the
summer. And, unlike energy-
guzzling air-conditioners, they’re
cost and carbon-free. SEE P3
BERLIN
POLICE SAY NO LIONESS,
PROBABLY WILD BOAR
There are no indications of a
lioness on the loose south-west of
Berlin, authorities said on Friday.
Police have given the all clear for
the area. Search efforts had not
yielded any clues. After analysis of
the video purporting to show the
animal, experts assume it is not a
lioness but probably a wild boar.
“As far as any human can judge,
we assume that it is not a lioness,”
Michael Grubert, the mayor of the
municipality of Kleinmachnow in
the state of Brandenburg next to
Berlin, said at a press conference.
There is no longer any danger, he
added. SEE P4
MIAMI
TRUMP DOCUMENTS
TRIAL SET FOR MAY 2024
A US judge on Friday ordered
Donald Trump’s trial for mishan-
dling top secret documents to
begin in May of next year, at the
height of what is expected to be
a bitter and divisive presidential
election campaign. US District
Court Judge Aileen Cannon set
the start of the jury trial of the
former president — the first ever
to face criminal charges — for
May 20, 2024. Prosecutors had
asked for the trial to begin in De-
cember of this year, while Trump’s
defense attorneys had requested
that it be held after the November
2024 election. SEE P5
Cool Al Jabal Al Akhdhar
attracts record tourists
MAI AL ABRI
MUSCAT, JULY 21
The cool weather of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar
is drawing a record number of tourists
to the mountains. According to the
National Center for Statistics and
Information, 79,034 people visited the
wilayat by the end of June. More than
half (45,302) of them were international
tourists (excluding GCC) who came
to see its breathtaking landscapes,
temperate climate, and rich cultural
heritage indicating the global appeal of
the ‘Green Mountains.’
Other visitors included 28,406 were
from Oman followed by 3,848 from
Saudi Arabia, 611 from Kuwait, 265
from Qatar, and 329 from the United
Arab Emirates. As the mercury soars
to the forties in Muscat and other
governorates, Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, is an
irresistible attraction for holidaymakers.
Part of Oman’s majestic Al Hajar
mountain range, Al Jabal Al Akhdhar
offers temperatures in the 20s and 30s
even during summer. Its wadis and
terraces are dotted with flourishing
farms and orchards where apricots,
plums, figs, grapes, apples, pears,
almonds, walnuts, and saffron thrive.
The pomegranates grown here are
considered among the finest in the
world.
Watermarks to make AI safer, responsible
WASHINGTON: The White House
said on Friday that OpenAI and others
in the artificial intelligence race have
committed to making their technology
safer with features such as watermarks
on fabricated images.
“These commitments, which the
companies have chosen to undertake
immediately, underscore three
principles that must be fundamental to
the future of AI -- safety, security, and
trust -- and mark a critical step towards
developing responsible AI,” the White
House said in a release.
Representatives from Amazon,
Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta,
Majority of them were
international tourists who
came to see its breathtaking
landscapes, temperate
climate, and rich cultural
heritage indicating the
global appeal of the ‘Green
Mountains.’
More tourists are expected to turn up
when the wilayat will host the Al Jabal
Al Akhdhar Festival, which will be held
between August 3 and August 19. The
Microsoft, and OpenAI were to join
US President Joe Biden later on Friday
to announce the commitments, which
include developing “robust technical
mechanisms” such as watermarking
systems to ensure that users know when
content is AI-generated, according to a
festival’s primary objective is to attract
families and visitors to experience
the distinctive culture, rich history,
and natural beauty of the Al Jabal Al
Akhdhar region.
The surge in tourism to Al Jabal Al
Akhdhar comes as a positive sign for
Oman’s travel and hospitality industry,
which has been actively promoting the
country as a must-visit destination.
The mountain range’s popularity is
expected to contribute significantly to
the local economy, generating revenue
for businesses and creating employment
opportunities for the wilayat’s residents.
White House official.
Worry that imagery or audio created
by artificial intelligence will be used for
fraud and misinformation has ramped
up as the technology improves and the
2024 US presidential election gets closer.
Ways to tell when audio or imagery
have been generated artificially are
being sought to prevent people from
being duped by fakes that look or sound
real.
“They’re committing to setting up a
broader regime towards making it easier
for consumers to know whether content
is AI-generated or not,” the White
House official said. — AFP
Oman, Saudi, GCC
condemn Sweden
for Quran burning
MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman has
expressed its strong condemnation of
the repeated granting of permission by
the authorities in Sweden to extremists
to burn and desecrate copies of the Holy
Quran.
In a statement issued on Friday, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the
international community to take a strong
stance by criminalising all acts that incite
hatred and conflict among religions and
cultures and offend laws and beliefs. It
stresses the importance of promoting the
culture and values of peaceful coexistence
and tolerance among all members of
societies irrespective of religions and
cultures to build a world of peace and
mutual respect.
Other countries and GCC on Friday
denounced the renewed desecration of
the holy book. Saudi Arabia expresses
strong denunciation of the “repeated
and irresponsible actions of the Swedish
authorities” in permitting “extremists” to
desecrate copies of the Holy Quran. Its
foreign ministry said it will summon the
Swedish chargé d’affaires to hand him a
protest note.
Egypt said it condemns the repeated
desecration of the Holy Quran,describing
it as a “glaring defiance” to the feelings of
millions of Muslims around the world.
In Lebanon, thousands of followers of
the Hizbullah movement took the streets
and staged sit-in protests.
Secretary-General of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab
States Jassim Mohammed Albudaiwi
strongly condemned the continued
provocations against Muslims.
He stressed that these disgraceful and
unacceptable acts provoke the feelings
of Muslims all over the world, and
that the Swedish authorities must take
immediate and serious action to stop
these behaviours and hold extremists
accountable, said SPA.
Albudaiwi stressed that these heinous
incitements contradict the principles of
tolerance and freedom of religion, and are
indicative of hatred, and extremism.
He also referred to the emergency
session of the United Nations Human
Rights Council, which convened last
week, and condemned the acts of religious
hatred. — ONA with agencies

Facekinis hottest fashion trend as temperatures rise

BEIJING: In scorching Beijing,
“facekinis” are the hottest new
fashion downtown as surging
temperatures shatter records.
With the mercury rising above
35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) and
the surface temperature soaring
as high as 80C in some parts of
the country, residents and visitors
have taken to carrying portable
fans and covering themselves up
to avoid getting a tan. Some hats
even have fans built in. is definitely up a lot this year,” 17-year-old student Li Xuyan who
Facekinis, or full face masks said a salesperson, who gave her with her mother sported masks
with holes for the wearer’s eyes surname as Wang, in a shop that that covered most of her face
and nose, sleeves to cover arms, sells hats. when they visited a tourist area in
as well as wide brimmed hats and Many female consumers in Beijing.
lightweight jackets made out of east Asia favour fair skin, and Chinese state television on
UV-resistant fabric have become sun protection products are also Wednesday showed tourists taking
especially popular. popular in neighbouring countries selfies next to a 12-metre-tall
“Compared to before the such as South Korea. thermometer that displayed a real-
pandemic, two or three years ago, “The main concern I have time surface temperature of 80C at
this year is much, much better is potential skin diseases, or the scenic Flaming Mountains in
than previous years. Sales volume developing sunspots,” said Xinjiang. — Reuters

WEATHER MUSCAT: Max 340 C Min 310 C SALALAH: Max 270 C Min 250 C NIZWA: Max 420 C Min 300 C PRAYER TIMINGS SUNRISE: 05:32 FAJR: 04:08 DHUHR: 12:18 ASR: 15:40 MAGHRIB: 19:00 ISHA: 20:19
oman
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EMBARK ON A VISUAL ODYSSEY THROUGH THE HEART OF OMAN WITH

RENOWNED TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER PASCAL MANNAERTS. INVITED BY THE
MINISTRY OF HERITAGE AND TOURISM, PASCAL’S LENS CAPTURED THE
ESSENCE OF THE SULTANATE, FOCUSING ON ITS INSPIRING WOMEN AND
THE CAPTIVATING ALLURE OF THIS ENCHANTING COUNTRY

LIJU CHERIAN
@lijucherianoman

I
N October 2019, Rania
Khodr, Head of Oman
Tourism France, Ministry
of Heritage and Tourism,
Sultanate of Oman,
invited Brussels-based freelance
photographer Pascal Mannaerts
to visit Oman with a purpose.
Rania specifically instructed
Pascal to photograph ‘inspiring
Omani women and not about
Oman’ and the visit was in
collaboration with Asia Voyages
and the Ministry of Heritage and
Tourism.
Pascal later went around Oman
and Muscat as he had the ability
to place the human element at the
heart of his work.
From the desert sands of Rimal
al Sharqiya to Sidab, Nizwa, and
beyond, his portraits capture
their outer beauty and inner
strength, sparking dialogues,
evoking emotions, and provoking
thoughtful contemplation.
“I came to Oman for the very
first time just before the Covid-19
pandemic. I was truly amazed
by the beauty of the country
and its people. I particularly
appreciated the grace, elegance
and nobility of the Omanis. I also
found Omanis to be particularly
hospitable towards their visitors.
The Omanis I met are like the
country itself, which is absolutely
beautiful and inspires respect His book ‘Parchemins
and a deep sense of admiration,” when I was travelling and I am a d’Ailleurs’, published by a major
recollects Pascal. self-taught photographer,” he says. French publishing house,
As a travel photographer, he Pascal studied law at university Hachette, in 2017, includes a
collected a series of portraits of in Brussels and worked as a selection of his 15 years of travel
particularly inspiring Omani lawyer for more than 10 years and across five continents. The three-
women. He focused on this he travelled whenever possible chapter book was a big success in
photographic subject and it during free time. Europe and distributed in Canada
was wonderful to meet all these When he was back home, and the US.
amazing people. “I’ve also he shared his pictures with He is presently working on
travelled to some extraordinary relatives. His photos began to his second book which will have
places around the country and be noticed and got published by pictures of his recent travels and
can’t wait to go back to complete some big names such as National focus on specific themes and will
all that reporting in pictures,” he Geographic, Géo, The Guardian, have a chapter on Oman about his
adds. and BBC. visit.
Having travelled to over 70 “I was really happy about that Pascal (@Pascalmannaerts)
countries, Pascal has several and I made the choice to evolve as says he is able to share all his
PICTURES BY PASCAL MANNAERTS
projects in mind in Asia but also a photographer and to follow this experiences around the world
in Africa and in South America. road, which brought me much for travelling took him to Asia, to discover the world. through photography. “This
He is planning to go back to India more happiness and satisfaction India, Africa, Latin America, and “I dreamt of the unknown, of is what drives me forward:
in September 2023 to the eastern than working as a lawyer in the Middle East and now works open spaces and adventures, of discovering, being inspired, and
states of India and their specific Brussels, though it was related to on assignments or on personal discovering different cultures. creative through photography
tribes. asylum and refugees and was also projects. From the very beginning, I and then sharing the result of this
Photography for Pascal has satisfying.” So now as backpacking with combined this desire to discover creativity, with as many people
always been closely linked to He followed his passion for his camera and notebook, he has the world with my passion for as possible. Then the loop is
travel. “I learned photography photography and this passion one simple and powerful dream: photography.” complete,” he adds.

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IRAN’S ANCIENT
‘WIND CATCHERS’
BEAT THE HEAT
NATURALLY
YAZD: Tall, chimney-like towers rise from
centuries-old adobe houses in Iran’s desert
city of Yazd, drawing in a pleasant breeze for
residents of one of the hottest cities on earth.
The wind catchers, called badgirs in Persian,
are just one of the engineering marvels
inhabitants have developed in this ancient city
in central Iran — where temperatures reach well
over 40 degrees celsius in the summer.
And, unlike energy-guzzling air-conditioners,
they’re cost and carbon-free.
“For centuries, before we had electricity,
they made it possible to cool dwellings,” said
Abdolmajid Shakeri, the provincial deputy of
Iran’s cultural heritage and tourism ministry.
The oldest of the city’s 700 wind catchers
dates back to the 14th century, but the
architectural feature is believed to date back as
far as 2,500 years when the Persian Empire ruled
over much of the Middle East.
“The badgirs played a key role in the city’s
prosperity,” said Shakeri about the desert city
that was a caravan stop on the ancient Silk Road.
“Thanks to them, people lived at ease,” he
added, describing how the wind catchers pull
fresh air into buildings and allow hot air to
ventilate out through large vertical slots.
Majid Oloumi, the head of Dowlatabad
garden, home to a towering 33-metre (100 foot)
wind catcher — one of the tallest in the world —
described the cooling method as “totally clean
because it uses neither electricity nor polluting
materials”.
UNESCO listed Yazd as a World Heritage
Site in 2017, describing the city as a “living
testimony to intelligent use of limited available
resources in the desert for survival”.
‘SIMPLICITY’
The bioclimatic architecture which provides
thermal comfort for the people of Yazd has
attracted interest elsewhere on a heating planet.
“Badgirs demonstrate that simplicity can
be an essential attribute to sustainability,”
said Paris-based architect Roland Dehghan
Kamaraji, who has studied Iran’s wind catchers.
“It goes against the common misconception
that sustainable solutions need to be complex or
high-tech.” At a sustainable urban community
called Masdar city in the United Arab Emirates,
buildings have been “designed to make use of
the natural ventilation for cooling, like badgirs,”
he said.
Similarly, ventilation inspired by
“termite mounds, an approach
similar to that of
badgirs”
were
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built atop Eastgate Centre, a shopping mall and
office complex in Harare, Zimbabwe.
However, Yazd’s unique architectural
traditions have largely been abandoned at their
birthplace.
“Unfortunately, our ancestral heritage has
been forgotten,” especially since the emergence
of air conditioners, said Oloumi.
Yazd’s old town is a labyrinth of narrow
streets and roofed alleyways. Its centuries-old
A couple sit for drinks by a wind-catcher at a rooftop cafe in Iran’s central city of Yazd.
edifices made of clay, mud-brick and adobe all
provide insulation against the torrid heat.
But the old houses stand in sharp contrast to
modern cement buildings and multi-lane roads.
“Today, house architecture imitates that in
other countries, and cement-based construction
does not correspond to the climate of Yazd,” he
added. A view of wind-
Kamaraji says bioclimatic architecture has catchers in Iran’s
central city of Yazd.
waned due to economic constraints and modern
— AFP
construction methods that “largely favour the
use of energy and fossil fuel intensive materials”.
OLD BUT EFFECTIVE
Another sustainable architectural feature of
Yazd is its system of underground aqueducts
called qanats, which transport water from
underground wells, aquifers or the mountains.
“These underground aqueducts have great
utility,” said Zohreh Montazer, an expert on
the water system. “They constitute a source
of water supply and make it possible to cool
the dwellings and to preserve food at an ideal
temperature.” Iran is estimated to have around
33,000 operational qanats today, a significant
drop from the 50,000 in use in the mid-20th
century.
UNESCO says the decline in qanats is driven
in part by the drying up of underground water
sources due to overconsumption. — AFP
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British PM Sunak avoids wipeout in key elections
LONDON: British Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak’s governing
Conservatives lost two strategically
important parliamentary seats on
Friday but unexpectedly retained
Boris Johnson’s old constituency in
a setback for the opposition Labour
Party.
The Conservatives’ narrow
victory in Johnson’s seat gave
Sunak some breathing space to try
to narrow Labour’s large lead in
the polls by aiming to reduce high
inflation and ease a cost-of-living
crisis before a national election
expected next year.
Sunak was quick to hail the win
as proof the national election was
not a “done deal”. In a cafe in the
constituency, he told reporters:
“The message I take away is that we
have to double down, stick to our
plan and deliver for people.”
But the scale of the challenge was
highlighted by the loss of the once
safe Conservative parliamentary
seat of Selby and Ainsty in northeast
England, where Labour overturned
the biggest Conservative majority at
a by-election since World War Two.
Labour leader Keir Starmer
said that victory showed “just how
powerful the demand for change is”.
The Conservatives also suffered
Thai reformist party to back
rival after PM vote defeat
BANGKOK: The reformist party
that won Thailand’s recent election
said on Friday it would back a
rival candidate to become prime
minister after its own leader was
blocked by the military and pro-
royalist establishment.
The Move Forward Party
(MFP), which rode to victory on
a wave of support from young
and urban voters frustrated by
a decade of army-backed rule,
said its priority was not to take
the PM job but to restore civilian
government.
After MFP leader Pita
Limjaroenrat was knocked back
in a leadership vote last week, the
party said it would now support
the nominee from its coalition
partner Pheu Thai, which came
second in May’s election.
“The most important thing
is not that Pita will become PM,
but the fact that Thailand would
Macron shuffles cabinet, eyeing reset of crisis-hit 2nd term
PARIS: French President
Emmanuel Macron reshuffled his
government on Thursday as he
looks to move on from a series of
crises since his re-election last year,
government sources said.
After weeks of speculation that
he might change prime minister,
the 45-year-old head of state said
on Monday that he was sticking
with under-fire Elisabeth Borne.
Advisers and ministers had long
argued over whether the centrist
should carry out a major overhaul
of the cabinet to signal a fresh
start, but in the end the reshuffle
was limited in scope. The highest-
profile change saw the replacement
of Pap Ndiaye, France’s first black
education minister, who despite
a stellar CV as an academic and
expert in race relations appeared
to struggle in France’s raucous
political environment.
He was replaced by Gabriel
* Unexpected win for
Conservatives in ex-PM
Johnson’s old seat
* Labour overturns large
majority in another vote
* Votes seen as test of
public support before
national poll
a crushing loss in another vote but
the retention of the seat of Uxbridge
and South Ruislip just outside
central London by fewer than
500 votes ensured Sunak avoided
becoming the first British leader to
lose three by-elections on a single
day in more than half a century.
Conservative former minister
David Jones said his party now
needed to push economic policies
to rebuild support in traditionally
strong areas. “With up to 18 months
until the election, there is time to do
it,” he said.
Sunak, a former finance minister
and investment banker, has tried
to use his technocratic leadership
to restore the Conservatives’
credibility after a series of scandals
last year forced Johnson to resign
Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew, deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai,
and party secretary-general Prasert arrive at a press conference to discuss plans
ahead of next week’s parliamentary vote for a new Thai prime minister in
Bangkok. — AFP
be able to become a democratic
country,” MFP Secretary-General
Chaitawat Tulathon said.
“MFP will allow the second
party, Pheu Thai, to become the
main party of the eight coalition
Attal, an ambitious 34-year-old
former government spokesman,
while other changes took place
in the health, housing and social
affairs ministries.
Junior interior minister Marlene
Schiappa was also sacked after she
became embroiled in a scandal and
irked her colleagues by posing for
Playboy magazine in the middle
of the protests over the pension
reform in April.
Since his re-election last year,
Macron has faced months of angry
demonstrations over a deeply
unpopular hike in the retirement
age and was forced into crisis
management again late last month
when riots erupted nationwide.
In April, the 45-year-old head
of state promised to spend the
next 100 days developing a new
roadmap for the remaining four
years of his mandate amid criticism
that his government lacked a clear
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addresses Conservative Party members and supporters at a cafe in Ruislip after a
by-election in the northwest London constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. — AFP
as prime minister, and economic
turmoil prompted his successor, Liz
Truss, to quit after just six weeks.
He is expected to reshuffle his
senior ministers soon to pick his
team to fight the next election.
With stubbornly high inflation,
economic stagnation, rising
mortgage rates, industrial unrest
and long waiting times to use
parties,” Chaitawat said.
“In the next parliamentary
meeting, MFP will vote for PT’s
PM candidate, just like PT voted
for MFP’s PM candidate.”
— AFP
Newly appointed Minister for Solidarity, Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities Aurore Berge (L) and newly appointed French
Junior Minister For the Persons with Disabilities Fadila Khattabi attending a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Health in
Paris. — AFP
the state-run health service, the
Conservatives had been braced for
the possibility of losing all three
seats.
In national opinion polls, Sunak’s
Conservatives are trailing Labour
by about 20 points, which suggests
the governing party will find it
difficult to win a fifth consecutive
national election.
Police admit Berlin ‘lioness’
was likely wild boar
BERLIN: There are no indications
of a lioness on the loose south-
west of Berlin, authorities said on
Friday.
Police have given the all clear
for the area. Search efforts had not
yielded any clues. After analysis of
the video purporting to show the
animal, experts assume it is not a
lioness but probably a wild boar.
“As far as any human can
judge, we assume that it is not
a lioness,” Michael Grubert, the
mayor of the municipality of
Kleinmachnow in the state of
Brandenburg next to Berlin, said
at a press conference.
There is no longer any danger,
he added. Doubts about the lion
theory had been mounting before.
Several experts had expressed
scepticism, including Berlin
wildlife expert Derk Ehlert. He
told regional radio station RBB
that he only saw two wild boar
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But Labour’s loss in Uxbridge
shows it could struggle to secure a
clear parliamentary majority.
John Curtice, Britain’s best-
known pollster, said the Uxbridge
result suggested the most likely
outcome of a national vote was
a hung parliament and Starmer
might see more debate within the
party about his “safety first, ming
Michael Grubert, Mayor of Kleinmachnow, holds a picture which shows that the
suspected animal on the loose may not be a lion, according to experts, in
Kleinmachnow. — Reuters
running from left to right on the
video.
Earlier, the chairman of
the Nature and Biodiversity
Conservation Union (NABU),
Rainer Altenkamp, said he
was convinced that the wanted
vase strategy”.
Starmer has been criticised
by some in his party for sticking
to a disciplined stance on public
finances, refusing to make any
uncosted offerings and sometimes
dropping policies he believes a
Labour government could not
afford.
“The tide is still a long way out
for the Conservatives and they still
have an awful long way to go before
they look as though they might
have a chance of being able to
retain power after the next general
election,” Curtice told the BBC.
The Uxbridge by-election was
called after Johnson’s shock decision
to quit parliament last month
after he was found to have made
misleading statements over parties
held in Downing Street during the
coronavirus pandemic. Johnson
denied misleading parliament.
The winning Conservative
candidate, Steve Tuckwell, said his
party’s victory was because of local
rather national factors, pointing to
the issue of London’s Labour mayor
extending the ultra-low emission
zone (ULEZ) to include suburban
areas such as Uxbridge meaning
some voters had to pay more for
their cars. — Reuters
predator was a wild boar.
There were compelling signs
that the animal was not a lioness,
Achim Gruber, executive director
of the Institute of Veterinary
Pathology, said earlier on Friday.
— dpa
vision for the future. He is yet to
present it publicly or outline his
thoughts in detail on the riots,
which were sparked by a police
officer shooting dead a 17-year-old
driver at point-black range during
a traffic stop in western Paris.
The most intense urban violence
since 2005 sparked a debate about
law and order, immigration, as well
as racism and police brutality.
Despite impatience among
some ruling party MPs for fresh
direction, political scientist Bruno
Cautres said the reshuffle “did not
send a strong political message.”
“It’s a reshuffle to get rid of
ministers who were under-
performing or did not want to
stay,” he said. Crucially he said
it did not broaden the political
composition of the government,
which is in a minority and must
rely on opposition parties when
voting on legislation. — AFP

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Russia hits Ukraine’s
grain for fourth day
A view shows barley where a grain warehouse was destroyed by a Russian
missile strike at a compound of an agricultural company in the village of
Pavlivka, in Odesa region, Ukraine. — Reuters
KYIV: Russia pounded
Ukrainian food export facilities
for a fourth day in a row on Friday
and practised seizing ships in the
Black Sea in an escalation of what
Western leaders say is an attempt
to wriggle out of sanctions by
threatening a global food crisis.
The attacks on Ukraine’s grain,
a major part of the global food
chain, followed a vow by Kyiv to
defy Russia’s naval blockade on
its grain export ports following
Moscow’s withdrawal this week
from a UN-brokered safe sea
corridor agreement.
“Unfortunately, the grain
terminals of an agricultural
enterprise in Odesa region were
hit. The enemy destroyed 100
tonnes of peas and 20 tonnes of
barley,” regional governor Oleh
Kiper said on the Telegram
messaging app.
Photographs released by the
emergencies ministry showed a
fire burning among crumpled
metal buildings that appeared to
be storehouses. Two people were
injured, Kiper said, while officials
reported seven dead in Russian
air strikes elsewhere in Ukraine.
Moscow has described the
Sweden temporarily withdraws Iraq
embassy staff for security reasons
STOCKHOLM: Seconded staff at
the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad
have been temporarily withdrawn
for security reasons after it was
stormed by Iraqis, Sweden said
on Friday, amid persistent anger
among Muslim states about
a planned Quran burning in
Sweden’s capital.
Iraq expelled the Swedish
ambassador on Thursday and
recalled its charge d’affaires in
Stockholm in protest at a planned
attack on the Quran that had
prompted hundreds of protesters
to vandalise the embassy in the
Iraqi capital.
A Swedish foreign ministry
spokesperson said seconded staff
and operations had been relocated
to Stockholm, but declined to give
further comment.
At the scheduled event in
Stockholm on Thursday, two
protesters kicked and partially
destroyed a book they said was the
Quran but did not set it alight.
If the burning had gone ahead,
it would have been the second
such burning in Sweden in weeks.
The Quran is believed by Muslims
to be a revelation from God.
Demonstrators on Friday
took to the streets of Beirut and
Baghdad to protest against what
they condemned as the desecration
of the Quran in Sweden.
In Baghdad, dozens of people
on Friday carried copies of
the Quran and portraits of the
attacks as revenge for a Ukrainian
strike on a Russian-built bridge
to Crimea — the Ukrainian Black
Sea peninsula seized by Moscow
in 2014. It accuses Ukraine of
using the sea corridor to launch
“terrorist attacks.”
Russia said its Black Sea fleet
had practised firing rockets at
“floating targets” and it would
deem all ships heading for
Ukrainian waters to be potentially
carrying arms.
Kyiv responded with a similar
warning about ships headed to
Russia. “Terrorist attacks are
when Russian anti-ship missiles
hit shopping malls, hospitals,
and grain terminals,” tweeted
Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian
presidential adviser.
The attacks on grain export
infrastructure and anxiety
over shipping drove prices of
benchmark Chicago wheat
futures towards their biggest
weekly gain since the February
2022 invasion.
The UN Security Council was
due to meet later over Russia’s
exit from the grain deal, which
aid groups say is vital to fend off
hunger in poor countries. — AFP
Supporters of Moqtada al Sadr during a rally after the weekly Friday prayers denouncing the burning of the Quran in Sweden
in the eastern Sadr City suburb of Baghdad. — AFP
cleric Moqtada al Sadr during a
demonstration.
Sadr, whose supporters had
called the protest during which the
Swedish Embassy was stormed on
Thursday, told a press conference
on Thursday he would not escalate
unless a similar event happens
again.
In Lebanon crowds gathered
outside mosques to demonstrate,
US judge sets May 2024 trial date for
Trump classified documents case
MIAMI: A US judge on Friday
ordered Donald Trump’s trial for
mishandling top secret documents
to begin in May of next year, at the
height of what is expected to be
a bitter and divisive presidential
election campaign.
US District Court Judge Aileen
Cannon set the start of the jury trial
of the former president — the first
ever to face criminal charges — for
May 20, 2024.
Prosecutors had asked for the
trial to begin in December of
this year, while Trump’s defence
attorneys had requested that it
be held after the November 2024
election.
Cannon said she was setting the
start of the trial for May to give both
sides time to process more than
1.1 million pages of documentary
evidence and confront the
challenge of handling the classified
documents at the heart of the case.
“No one disagrees that
Defendants need adequate time to
review and evaluate it on their own
accord,” said Cannon, a Trump
appointee.
The 77-year-old Trump is the
clear frontrunner for the Republican
presidential nomination, and the
trial will begin near the end of the
primary campaign to select the
party’s candidate. The trial will not
stop the onetime reality television
star from campaigning, but as
a criminal defendant, he will be
required to be present during the
proceedings, which are expected to
last weeks, if not months.
Trump pleaded not guilty last
month to dozens of criminal counts
for allegedly mishandling some of
the government’s most sensitive
following a call by Hizbullah
for protests after Friday prayers,
footage broadcast by Hizbullah’s
Al Manar television showed.
In Baalbek in Lebanon a
Swedish flag was burnt during a
protest by hundreds of people, Al
Manar footage showed.
Swedish Foreign Minister
Tobias Billstrom on Thursday said
that the storming of the embassy
Special Counsel Jack Smith (L) at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC, and former US President and 2024
Presidential hopeful Donald Trump. — AFP
secrets and scheming to prevent
their return.
Trump is charged with 37
criminal counts over his refusal to
hand over government records he
took when he left the White House
in 2021.
According to the indictment
from special counsel Jack Smith, the
former president took hundreds of
classified documents in cardboard
boxes to his Mar-a-Lago home in
Florida.
Trump kept the files — which
included records from the
Pentagon, CIA and National
Security Agency — unsecured at
Mar-a-Lago, where large social
events were regularly held, the
indictment says.
The documents were stashed
at various locations at the estate
was “completely unacceptable”
and later also that the government
strongly rejected desecrations
of the Quran or any other holy
scripture.
“The Swedish Government
understands that the despicable
acts committed by individuals at
demonstrations in Sweden may be
offensive to Muslims,” he said in a
statement. — Reuters
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S A T U R D A Y l J U LY 2 2 l 2 0 2 3
Trump is charged with
37 criminal counts over
his refusal to hand over
government records he
took when he left the
White House in 2021
including a ballroom, a bathroom,
Trump’s bedroom and a storage
room, it said.
Trump faces 31 counts of
“willful retention of national
defence information” relating to
specific documents. A conviction
on each count carries up to 10 years
in prison.
Other charges include:
conspiracy to obstruct justice,
punishable by up to 20 years in
prison; withholding a document
Jazz legend Tony
Bennett, 96, dies
NEW YORK: Singer, the
velvet-voiced son of Astoria
whose enduring appeal
earned him 18 Grammys
and fans from Frank Sinatra
to Lady Gaga, has died at
96. Born in Long Island
City, Queens on August
3, 1926, the chart-topping
Bennett’s remarkable
longevity covered seven
decades, stretching from the
administration of President
Harry S. Truman through
the White House of Donald
Trump.
Bennett’s singular
vocal stylings earned him
a reputation as a singer’s
singer, and he became
revered by fellow performers
as disparate as Barbra
Streisand and Bono
His old pal Sinatra
declared him the
heavyweight champion of
crooning: “For my money
Tony Bennett is the best
singer in the business.”
The Queens-born
Bennett earned his first
of his Grammys in 1962,
winning three awards for his
signature West Coast torch
song “I Left My Heart in San
Francisco “
“Fifty-three years later,
Bennett captured his 18th
and last Grammy for “The
world
5
or record, which also carries a
potential 20-year sentence; and
making false statements.
Waltine “Walt” Nauta, a 40-year-
old US Navy veteran from Guam
and a personal aide to Trump, is
charged with six counts for helping
Trump hide documents at Mar-a-
Lago. He has also pleaded not guilty.
Nauta served as Trump’s military
valet while he was president and
continued working for him in a
personal capacity after he left the
White House.
Trump, who was impeached
twice over allegations of
misconduct while in office and
was recently found liable for abuse,
has vowed to stay in the 2024
White House race regardless of the
outcome of the documents case.
— AFP
US singer Tony Bennett
Silver Lining: The Songs
of Jerome Kern” to end a
remarkable run of musical
relevancy.
Bennett scored his first hit
single with “Because of You”
in 1951 — and never stopped
recording or performing in a
career that peaked, collapsed
and peaked once more.
Forty years after his debut
smash, Bennett appeared
on “MTV Unplugged.” Two
decades later, he teamed
with Lady Gaga for the
album”Cheek to Cheek.”
Bennett was also an
acclaimed artist, working
under his given name of
Anthony Benedetto on
paintings featured in the
Metropolitan Museum of
Art and the Smithsonian.
— dpa
 6 Opinion SATURDAY JULY 22, 2023
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Athens ill-prepared for heatwaves BELGIUM’S REGAL GATHERING

A
densely-populated
concrete jungle lacking
in green space, Athens
has become one of
Europe’s hottest capitals
and despite its vulnerability to extreme
temperatures, has failed to make
environmental innovations, experts
warn.
Residents and visitors have sweated
through a scorching week in the Greek
capital, only finding respite on cafe
terraces in the evening.
And the mercury is expected to soar
again with highs of 40 degrees Celsius
forecast for this weekend, prompting
authorities to partially close the
Acropolis and some major parks.
In 2007, the more than three million
residents of the city experienced a
record high 44.8C.
“With the concrete and the tarmac,
cities become heat islands. In Athens
there are very few green spaces to lower
temperatures,” Kostas Lagouvardos,
research director for the Institute for
Environmental Research and National
Observatory of Athens, said.
“And the forests that surround the
city are disappearing due to wildfires.”
Despite being flanked by hills and
rivers, Athens is overrun by concrete
buildings.
From the top of the Acropolis, the
view of the city is an endless sprawl of
buildings and houses, interrupted by a
rare green patch.
Central Athens is the second most
densely populated area in Europe after
Paris, according to Eurostat.
“In Greece, construction is going
on all the time and everywhere! It’s the
biggest problem,” said urban planner
Aris Kalandides.
According to the World Wildlife
Fund, there is only 0.96 square
metres of green space per resident
in Athens, which falls far short of
the World Health Organization’s
recommendation of nine square
metres per capita.
With only 11 per cent of its
surface area covered by trees,
Athens is near the bottom of the
list compared to other European
capitals, according to the European
Environment Agency.
“There is hardly any countryside
left around Athens, the suburbs
ALEXANDROS are nibbling away and destroying
KOTTIS everything. Economic interests are
taking priority over the need for green
The writer is AFP space,” said Kalandides.
correspondent in The lack of a strategy and political
will appear to be the main roadblocks
Greece
to reversing the trend, according to
specialists.
In 2021, Athens appointed its
first climate tsar responsible for
implementing a strategy to adapt
infrastructure and behaviour to climate
change.
The appointment came with nearly
five million euros in funding from the
European Investment Bank (EIB).
“The urban fabric of Athens is made
up of dense buildings that cover 80 per
cent of the city’s surface area. All this
tarmac and cement retains heat during
heatwaves,” the EIB said in its report.
Projects launched since include
three “green corridors” in the city and
improved water management on the
city’s highest peak, Lycabettus.
But some current urbanisation
WITH ONLY 11 projects have rubbed up against
PER CENT OF ITS environmental goals.
SURFACE AREA Dozens of trees have been cut to
COVERED BY build new metro stations and a huge
housing complex is about to be built
TREES, ATHENS
on the grounds of the former Ellinikon
IS NEAR THE airport.
BOTTOM OF THE And a “grand promenade” planned
LIST COMPARED for central Athens, with trees and
TO OTHER benches, has been a building site for
EUROPEAN three years.
CAPITALS, “There is a lack of political planning
and engagement from the entire
ACCORDING TO
population,” said Iris Lykourioti, an
THE EUROPEAN architecture professor at the University
Crown Princess Elisabeth, Princess Eleonore and Queen Mathilde of Belgium pose ahead of the Te Deum
ENVIRONMENT of Thessaly. mass, on the occasion of Belgian National Day, at The Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral in Brussels.
AGENCY — AFP

Stranded in Tunisia and waiting for death

F
or nearly three weeks now,
more than 1,000 men,
women and children from
Africa have been clinging
to survival in the no-
man’s lands at Tunisia’s borders. A few
scrubby trees offer fitful shade, videos
taken by migrants show, and border
guards from neighbouring Libya and
Tunisian aid workers occasionally
drop off water and a bit of bread.
Otherwise, there is nothing.
Tunisian authorities dumped the
African migrants there after rounding
them up in the Mediterranean port
of Sfax, hours away, where growing
numbers have boarded boats to nearby
Europe this year. Many were beaten by
officers; a few have died in the desert,
where there is little to no medical care,
migrants and rights groups say.
Over and over, they sent pleas for
help from the dwindling number of
phones they managed to keep charged:
“Please help us. We are dying,” one
wrote to The New York Times. “We
don’t have any food and water,” begged
another. “We are stranded. If there’s
any way you can help us…”
By Sunday, the text messages had
stopped.
With migration to Europe at
its highest level since 2016, the
Mediterranean route from North
Africa is once again posing a
dilemma for Europe, where
burning anti-migration sentiment
has played into ugly scenes
of coast guards setting some
migrants adrift while leaving
hundreds of others to drown.
It is in launchpad countries
like Tunisia, which has overtaken
Vivian Yee Libya as the main crossing point
for Africans and others dreaming
The writer is the Cairo of Europe, that European leaders
bureau chief, covering hope to contain the problem.
politics, society and But critics of the deal say
culture in MENA they have only outsourced the
ugliness.
region
On Sunday, Italy, the
Netherlands and the European
Commission signed a deal with
THE Tunisia promising more than $1
MEDITERRANEAN billion in European Union aid
and investment to stabilise the
ROUTE FROM
country’s crumbling economy
NORTH AFRICA and strengthen border controls.
IS ONCE AGAIN “We all heard that the prime
POSING A minister of Italy paid the Tunisian
DILEMMA FOR president a lot of money to
EUROPE, WHERE keep the Blacks away from the
BURNING ANTI- country,” Kelvin, a 32-year-
old Nigerian migrant, said on
MIGRATION
Saturday from Tunisia’s border
SENTIMENT HAS with Libya. He declined to give
PLAYED INTO his full name, fearing further
UGLY SCENES harsh treatment.
Like other sub-Saharan
African migrants, many of whom
can enter Tunisia without visas,
he had spent several months
cleaning houses and working
construction in Sfax, scraping
together the smuggler’s fee for
a boat to Europe. Then, he said,
Tunisians in uniforms broke
through his door, beat him until
his ankle fractured and put him
on a bus to the desert.
The EU-Tunisia deal went
ahead over the objections of
some EU lawmakers and rights
Crumpled boats used by migrants at a small port outside of Sfax, Tunisia.
groups that accuse Europe of
buttressing an autocrat in the
making, Tunisia’s president, Kais
Saied. Saied, who has a record
of vilifying migrants, has spent
the last two years dismantling
Tunisia’s democracy, the only one
to emerge from the Arab Spring
protests that consumed the region
more than a decade ago.
He has jailed dozens of
political opponents, cowed the
once-independent judiciary,
circumscribed the news media
and rewritten the constitution to
bestow more power on himself,
all to muted reaction from
Western allies.
In the face of criticism,
Tunisia moved some of the
migrants in the desert to shelters
last week and allowed the
Tunisian Red Crescent to provide
some aid. But rights groups say
hundreds remain without shelter
or food.
The president has rejected
reports about migrants being
expelled from Sfax, claiming
that they received only “humane
treatment.” But the president’s
assertion contradicted testimony,
photos and videos provided by
the migrants.
Rights groups have also
accused the Tunisian coast guard
of abuses against migrants,
including deliberately damaging
their boats or beating the
passengers, even as European
countries rush to upgrade the
force’s equipment.
Yet much of Europe puts
curbing migration first.
“We need to be pragmatic,”
Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign
minister, said in a news
conference last month.
— The New York Times

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SATURDAY | JULY 22, 2023 | MUHARRAM 4, 1445 AH
business
Lower hydrocarbon revenues to
weigh on GCC economic growth
QASIM AL MAASHANI
MUSCAT, JULY 21
The Gulf economy’s impressive
GDP figures for 2022 showcased
the region’s economic strength and
growth, solidifying its position as
an influential player in the global
economy.
However, the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries are
projected to face slower economic
growth in 2023 due to lower oil
and gas earnings and a global
economic slowdown, according
to the World Bank’s latest Gulf
Economic Report.
The projected GDP growth
for the GCC in 2023 is 2.5 per
cent, a significant decrease
from the remarkable 7.3 per
cent growth witnessed in 2022,
primarily fuelled by increased oil
production.
The decline is attributed to a
contraction in hydrocarbon GDP,
expected to decrease by 1.3 per cent
following the Opec+ production
cut announcement and the global
economic slowdown.
However, non-oil sectors are
ACME Group secures $500m loan for Oman green hydrogen project
BUSINESS REPORTER
MUSCAT, JULY 21
India-based renewable energy
company ACME Group announced
securing a Rs 4,000 crore (approx
$500 million) loan from one of the
India’s largest green infrastructure
financial institutions Rural
Electrification (REC) Limited for
its Green Hydrogen and Green
Ammonia project in the Sultanate
of Oman.
The loan will be utilised to
commence the first phase of the
pioneering Green Hydrogen and
Green Ammonia project, to be
established at the Special Economic
Zone (SEZ) in Duqm, Oman.
The first phase of the facility
is expected to produce 100,000
tonnes of Green Ammonia annually
and will be expanded to 1.2 million
tonnes per annum with about 3.5
GW of electrolyzer capacity, which
will be powered by 5.5 GWp of the
solar PV plant.
ACME Group also announces
ILO hails safeguards for Omani, expatriate labour
CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT, JULY 21
The International Labour
Organisation (ILO), a specialised
agency, has applauded landmark
measures enshrined in the new
Social Protection Law enacted
by the Omani government last
week as setting a new benchmark
for countries in the Arabian Gulf
region.
Royal Decree 52/2023
promulgating the Social Protection
Law encompasses a comprehensive
set of reforms centring on the
creation of a single national
contributory pension system
designed to serve all workers in the
public and private sectors.
Furthermore, for the first time
in the Gulf region, it envisions the
establishment of a social insurance
scheme for maternity and paternity,
and sickness cash benefits, the
Geneva-headquartered institution
said in a press statement.
expected to grow at a robust rate
of 4.6 per cent, driven by private
consumption, fixed investments,
and looser fiscal policies.
Oman’s economy is forecast to
grow at a slower pace of 1.5 per
cent in 2023, reflecting softening
global demand. The hydrocarbon
sector is anticipated to contract
by 3.3 per cent, but the non-oil
economy is projected to grow
by 3.1 per cent due to increased
infrastructure projects and growth
in the tourism sector.
the signing of a significant
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with REC Limited amounting
to over Rs 21,000 crore of loans for
setting up 380 MW ( round the clock
renewable power ) RTC, phase 1 of
Odisha and phase 1 of Tamil Nadu
Green Ammonia projects and 600
MWhr of Pumped Hydro Project.
The MoU was formalised during the
14th Clean Energy Ministerial and
8th Mission Innovation meeting
(CEM14/MI-8) held in Goa.
Speaking about the
development, Shashi Shekhar,
Vice-Chairman of ACME Group, said,
“The securing of debt for the green
“We congratulate the
government, employers
workers in Oman for achieving
and
this major milestone,” said Ruba
Jaradat, ILO Regional Director for
the Arab States.
“The new legislation sets a new
vision for social protection in
Oman and paves the way towards
universal social protection in the
Sultanate of Oman, establishing
Oman as a reference for other
countries in the region. Inclusive,
comprehensive, equitable and
sustainable social protection
systems are critical for countries
to further ongoing social and
economic transformations. Oman
is showing that ambitious change
in the region is possible, when it
is rooted in international labour
standards, careful analysis and
social dialogue,” she added in the
statement.
The new law, the ILO said,
represents the culmination of
“an ambitious reform process”
After a stellar GDP expansion of
8.7 per cent in 2022, Saudi Arabia
is projected to experience a slower
growth rate of 2.2 per cent in 2023.
The oil sector will contract by 2 per
cent as the country complies with
Opec+ agreed production cuts,
but non-oil sectors are expected to
grow by 4.7 per cent.
Economic growth in the UAE
is projected to slow to 2.8 per
cent in 2023 due to a decline in
global economic activity and a
contraction in oil production.
hydrogen and ammonia project in
Oman is an important milestone. We
will start the construction activities
soon and build one of the most
advanced technologies and create a
state-of-the-art facility.
As a company deeply committed
to offering comprehensive green
energy solutions, ACME Group is
thrilled to receive support from
two of the largest funding agencies
in the renewable sector. This
endorsement not only strengthens
our resolve but also stands as
a testament to ACME Group’s
unwavering dedication and proven
track record in establishing top-
NEW SOCIAL PROTECTION LAW
spearheaded by Tawazun, the
National Programme for Fiscal
Balance (since rebranded as
Estidamah), with the close support
of the international agency’s
regional office.
It unleashes an array of ground-
breaking measures, including
The non-oil sector is anticipated
to grow strongly by 4.8 per
cent, offsetting the decline in oil
activities.
Qatar’s real GDP is estimated
to slow down to 3.3 per cent in
2023 after a strong performance
in 2022. The hydrocarbon sector
is expected to expand by 0.8 per
cent, while robust growth in the
non-hydrocarbon sectors (4.3 per
cent) will be driven by private and
public consumption.
Economic growth in Kuwait is
expected to slow to 1.3 per cent
in 2023 due to a cautious Opec+
production approach and sluggish
global economic activity.
The non-oil sectors are
anticipated to grow by 4.4 per
cent, primarily driven by private
consumption.
Bahrain’s economic outlook
hinges on oil market prospects and
the implementation of structural
reforms. Growth is projected to
moderate to 2.7 per cent in 2023,
with the hydrocarbon sector
contracting by 0.5% and non-
hydrocarbon sectors expanding by
3.5 per cent, the report added.
quality assets. Going forward, we are
actively exploring the establishment
of round-the-clock (RTC) energy
solutions, encompassing solar,
wind, hydro pump storage, green
hydrogen, and ammonia.”
Vivek Kumar Dewangan,
Chairman and Managing Director,
REC, said, “REC expresses its
eagerness to collaborate with
ACME Group across the entire
renewable energy value chain.
These projects are poised to play a
pivotal role in facilitating the energy
transition journey and contributing
significantly to achieving India’s
green energy targets.”
“REC has consistently been at
the forefront of supporting cutting-
edge technologies that not only
address the challenges posed by
climate change and environmental
degradation but also foster a
conducive investment environment.
The partnership between REC and
ACME Group marks a significant
step towards a sustainable and
greener future for the nation.”
some that are a first in the Gulf
region, the ILO noted. Notable
inclusions: Government-funded
universal social protection
benefits, including a cash benefit
for all children under the age of
18; Universal old age pension for
senior citizens over the age of 60;
India, Sri Lanka agree
omanobserver.om/business
business@omanobserver.om
to boost ties through
power, port projects
Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe meets India’s Prime Minister
Narendra Modi before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. — AFP
NEW DELHI: India and Sri
Lanka said on Friday that they
had agreed to improve economic
ties by increasing cooperation in
renewable energy and studying
the feasibility of building an
oil pipeline and a land bridge
between the two countries.
New Delhi will also help
develop a port and an economic
hub at Trincomalee, a city on Sri
Lanka’s northeastern coast.
The announcements were
made by the leaders of the two
countries as Sri Lankan President
Ranil Wickremesinghe held
talks with Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in New Delhi on
Friday morning.
India’s support of nearly $4
billion between January and July
last year was critical for Sri Lanka
after it almost ran out of dollars
and sank into a financial crisis
that left it struggling to fund
essential imports including fuel
and medicine.
Modi said on Friday that the
two leaders “adopted a vision
document for our Economic
Partnership” to strengthen
maritime, air, energy and
people-to-people connectivity,
to accelerate mutual cooperation
in tourism, power, trade, higher
education, and skill development.
Modi also said the two sides
would work quickly to connect
their electricity grids and study
the feasibility of building a
and Universal disability allowance.
Further, by integrating 11
incumbent pension funds into one
centralised entity, newly named
as the Social Protection Fund
(SPF), significant cost-savings
and efficiency enhancements will
accrue across the social protection
ecosystem, it said.
Also, for the first time, the new
law expands protections to the
sizable expatriate workforce in
Oman, affirming the government’s
continued efforts to bring local laws
into alignment with international
labour laws.
At some point in its multi-
stage implementation, envisioned
over several years, the new law
will cover foreign workers for
employment injury, maternity and
sickness under the same terms as
national workers.
Nasser al Jashmi, Secretary
General of Ministry of Finance
and Supervisor of the National
Programme for Fiscal Sustainability
Follow us on
petroleum pipeline and a land
bridge between the countries,
which are about 50 km apart at
one point.
The projects to connect the
power grids through undersea
cables and the oil pipeline are
expected to cost around $4 billion
in total, according to officials
on both sides. Few details were
released on the agreements on
renewables.
Wickremesinghe said that
“constructing a multi-product
petroleum pipeline from the
southern part of India to Sri
Lanka will ensure an affordable
and reliable supply of energy to
Sri Lanka.”
The two countries also will
soon restart negotiations on
a more expansive trade deal
known as the Economic and
Technological Cooperation
Agreement.
Wickremesinghe also said
that he had updated Modi about
the reform measures being taken
by his government to resolve
the island’s financial crisis, and
expressed appreciation for the
support provided by India for
the “most challenging period
in modern history”. Sri Lanka
defaulted on its foreign debt
last May and India is part of a
common platform established
with Japan and other Paris Club
members to help the island
restructure its debt. — Reuters
and Financial Sector Development
(Estidamah), was quoted as saying
thus: “Inspired by the principles
enshrined the Omani Constitution
and the goals expressed in its
Vision 2040, the government has
embraced improving well-being
and social protection as a central
strategic priority. As Oman strives
towards a more diversified and
productive economy, protecting
people remains at the core of
its commitments. Rights-based
and inclusive social protection
are essential pillars for fostering
sustainable economic progress,
ensuring that no-one is left
behind.”
ILO said its support for the
initiative came in the form of
technical assistance on policy,
legal, governance, actuarial and
socioeconomic modelling aspects
of the reforms coordinated by the
Regional Office for Arab States in
Beirut and the Social Protection
Department in Geneva.
business
business
8 OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S A T U R D A Y l J U LY 2 2 l 2 0 2 3

Shares subdued after US tech earnings disappoint

LONDON, SYDNEY: Global
stocks edged lower on Friday
after disappointing tech earnings
sapped risk appetite, while the
dollar soared against the yen after
a report that the Bank of Japan is
leaning towards keeping its yield
curve control policy in place next
week.
The MSCI World index of global
shares, which has risen more than
16 per cent this year, dipped 0.3
per cent. Europe’s STOXX 600
was flat and Germany’s tech-
heavy Dax slipped 0.3 per cent.
Following steep post-earnings
plunges in Tesla and Netflix earlier
in the week and chipmaker TSMC
warning of a drop in 2023 sales, a
sub-index of European technology
shares lost 0.9 per cent.
The moves came after Wall
Street’s tech-heavy Nasdaq share
index fell 2 per cent on Thursday,
its biggest one-day loss since
March. Investors took profits
amid concerns about tech stock
valuations, which have been
supported by exuberance about the
potential of artificial intelligence
that has helped the Nasdaq gain
about 40 per cent year-to-date.
“The market got very over-
bought,” said Patrick Spencer, vice-
* European tech stocks
drop after big fall for US
mega-caps
* Nasdaq rebalancing
tipped to cause ‘quirky’
price action
* Markets look ahead to
Fed, ECB, BOJ next week
* Dollar soars against
yen as BoJ tightening
speculation fades
chair of equities at Baird.
“If you haven’t played this
market, you’ve missed out.” A
special rebalancing of the multi-
trillion dollar Nasdaq 100 due
at the close of trading on Friday,
would also cause some “quirky
price action” in tech mega-caps,
Spencer said. The overhaul of the
index — designed to reduce its
heavy weightings of tech giants
like Microsoft and Apple — may
exacerbate moves in these stocks
during the ongoing earnings
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. — Reuters
season, Spencer added. But he also
predicted that ever-optimistic tech
investors would use sustained price
weakness as a “chance to reload.”
Futures trading indicated the
S&P and the Nasdaq 100 would
each add around 0.2 per cent in
early New York dealings.
The dollar headed for its largest
one-day rise against the yen in a
month after sources familiar with
the Bank of Japan’s thinking said
central bank officials were leaning
towards maintaining its yield-
control policy at next week’s policy
meeting.
“Markets were building up
expectations,” for an end to ultra-
dovish BoJ policy, “which now
looks unlikely to play out,” said
Guillaume Paillat, a multi-asset
manager at Aviva Investors.
The dollar jumped 1.3 per cent
on the day to purchase 141.8 yen,
its biggest rise since late April. Just
a week ago, it was trading below
138.
Japan’s benchmark 10-year
government bond yield sank 5
bps to 0.41 per cent, the lowest
level since July 6, right before
speculation for a hawkish tweak to
policy this month began to ramp
up.
The US Federal Reserve and the
European Central Bank also meet
next week, with both expected to
raise rates again after their most
aggressive monetary tightening
cycle in decades.
The Fed’s outlook will be watched
closely as the US central bank
balances above-target inflation
in an economy that appears to be
plodding along, with the potential
for rate rises implemented so far
to cause a deep recession. In bond
markets, Treasuries settled down
after spending the previous session
braced for more Fed hawkishness
in response to an unexpected drop
in weekly unemployment claims.
Two-year Treasury yields, which
track interest rate expectations,
were flat on the day at around 4.84
per cent in European trading.
Ten-year Treasury yields were
flat at 3.854 per cent after spiking
11 bps the previous day.
Elsewhere, oil prices were
higher. Brent crude futures were
up 1 per cent at $80.41 per barrel
and US West Texas Intermediate
crude futures rose 1 per cent to
$76.40. Gold prices were flat at
$1,970 per ounce.
— Reuters

HEAT PUMP REVOLUTION: GERMANY’S GREEN SHIFT

Global retailers cash in
on Barbie movie craze
NEW YORK: Shoppers are
snapping up Barbie hoop
earrings, perfume, jumpsuits and
dresses as retailers seek to cash
in on Friday’s Barbie film release,
reigniting the craze for the plastic
doll and her hot pink, sequin-
adorned universe.
With many consumers
spending less amid a cost of living
squeeze, retailers are jumping Barbie-themed merchandise is
at the opportunity to persuade displayed at a mall in Glendale,
shoppers to buy more expensive California. — Reuters
items and boost their revenues.
Employees assemble air-to-water heat pumps in monobloc design in the production line at the headquarters of the heating technology company Vaillant Group in
Remscheid, western Germany. As Germany looks to a future without fossil fuels, a big white boxy appliance is generating a lively debate — and often a heated one — for
The vast range of products and The vast range of products
its potential to replace emissions-heavy oil and gas boilers. Heat pumps are spurring huge investments from major companies in Europe’s top economy, as a huge brand tie-ups, many aimed at and brand tie-ups, many
backlog of orders pile up for the devices. — AFP adults, are a bet on the nostalgia
trip that Barbie represents for aimed at adults, are a
many who played with the doll as bet on the nostalgia trip
children. that Barbie represents for

Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, PepsiCo named Mattel, which owns the brand,

aims for the film to renew the
doll’s nostalgic appeal, while
also embedding Barbie into the
many who played with
the doll as children

as worst UK packaging polluters psyche of a new generation.

LONDON: Coca-Cola,
McDonald’s and PepsiCo are
the worst packaging polluters in
Britain, an annual waste audit has
found.
Campaign group Surfers
Against Sewage, which released
its annual audit on Friday, looked
at more than 30,700 individual
polluting items collected by more
than 4,000 citizen scientists along
coastlines, canal paths, bridleways
and city streets over a 12-month
period up to June 5.
The audit found that 12
companies are responsible for
more than two thirds (70 per cent)
of branded pollution collected
over the year.
Coca-Cola was found to be
the UK’s biggest polluter for the
fourth year running, responsible
for almost one fifth (17 per cent)
of branded pollution logged by the
citizen scientists.
It comes despite the company
launching initiatives to reduce
plastic pollution, including the
introduction of attached caps
across its entire portfolio in May
2022.
McDonald’s came in second
with 11 per cent of salvaged
polluting items attributed to the
brand after overtaking PepsiCo
this year, which came in third
place.
Together, the top three were
responsible for 37 per cent of
all branded pollution collected
during the audit, down by only
two percentage points from last
year’s figures.
Other top polluters included
Tesco, Haribo, Nestle, Heineken,
Mars, Carlsberg and Red Bull.
Izzy Ross, campaigns manager
at Surfers Against Sewage, said the
results are “shocking, but sadly not
surprising”.
She said: “This Dirty Dozen of
plastic polluting companies need
to clean up their act.”
Elsewhere, the fishing industry
has emerged as a leading source of
plastic waste this year, with fishing
gear like nets, lines and ropes,
making up 11 per cent of the items
overall and 16 per cent of those
found on beaches.
A significant number of vape
and e-cigarette products were also
identified for the first time this
year, with 131 items logged by
collectors.
Surfers Against Sewage are
calling on companies to take
responsibility for the entire
lifecycle of their products, by
reducing packaging and adopting
circular business models.
The charity is urging the British
government to introduce an “all-
in” deposit return scheme (DRS)
for drinks containers of all sizes
and materials, including glass —
rather than solely small containers
classified as “on-the-go”.
The British government
announced plans to introduce
a DRS in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland but has since
delayed the implementation of the
scheme, which it has announced
will not include glass, until 2025.
— dpa
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen
this many brand partnerships
coming out of one film,” said Jo
Ashdown, managing partner
at Mando-Connect, a brand
partnership agency that is part of
WPP .
Zara’s Barbie collection
launched on Monday does feature
17 children’s garments and
accessories, including a hot-pink
one-piece swimsuit, a backpack,
and sneakers, but the offering for
women is much broader, with 85
items.
Men, too, can buy into the
trend with a fuchsia suit, or
cowboy boots and denim shirt
to match the styles worn by Ryan
Gosling in his role as Barbie’s
boyfriend, Ken.
Apparel and footwear
brands from H&M to Primark,
Gap, Superga and Crocs, have
launched Barbie collections.
A Zara Barbie eau de parfum,
hoop earrings, and pink cropped
hoodie were all out of stock by
Wednesday on the brand’s UK
site. A fuchsia double-breasted
suit blazer for men, priced at
£89.99 ($116.04), was also out of
stock.
A Gap Barbie hoodie for
women was available only in
size XXS online, while a pair of
Barbie Crocs, priced at $59.99
— $10 more than normal Crocs
— was sold out on the Crocs
website. Luggage brand Beis had
a waiting list for all three sizes of
suitcases in a Barbie pink, priced
at a premium to its usual colour
range.
Walmart pitched Barbie
dolls in varying skin tones and
hairstyles at $45 to collectors.
The craze stretches beyond
retailers with Hyatt Hotels and
Hilton offering Barbie-themed
hotel suites in cities including
Bogota, Colombia and Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
The sheer amount of
merchandise — from Barbie
rugs to Barbie toothbrushes —
raises a possibility of the brand
overstretching, but a renewed
emphasis on diversity and
inclusivity from Mattel, retail
partners, and the film itself, could
provide enough novelty to keep
people interested.
“Everybody can be a Barbie or
a Ken,” said James Zahn, editor
of trade magazine The Toy Book.
“I think that’s helped grow the
brand without oversaturating it.”
— Reuters
SATURDAY | JULY 22, 2023 | MUHARRAM 4, 1445 AH
sport
MESSI SET FOR MIAMI DEBUT
BUT MAYBE OFF THE BENCH
MIAMI: Lionel Messi should make
his debut for Inter Miami against
Mexican club Cruz Azul on Friday
but the seven-times Ballon d’Or
winner may be limited to a role off
the bench.
The Argentine arrived in South
Florida last week to a wave of
enthusiasm and was presented to
fans at a special stadium event on
Sunday.
But since the initial hype, when
club owner Jorge Mas described
him as “America’s number 10”
and promised the move would
“change the football landscape” in
the US, there has been a noticable
change of tone. Messi only started
training in earnest this week after
spending time with his family on
vacation and the opening game of
the new Leagues Cup — which pits
MLS and Liga MX teams together
in a tournament format — may
come too soon for the World Cup
champion to start.
Co-owner David Beckham said
on Tuesday that Messi will play
“some part of the game” and coach
Gerardo “Tata” Martino, Messi’s
compatriot and former Barcelona
coach, had suggested he might start
on the bench.
At the pre-match press
conference, moved to the
downtown performing arts centre
in Fort Lauderdale due to the huge
media interest, Martino said they
would make a decision on how to
use Messi after training on Friday.
“It is very difficult for people not
to have expectations,” said Martino,
“But it may take a while.”
Spanish midfielder Sergio
Busquets, a former team-mate of
Messi’s from their glory days with
Barcelona, certainly doesn’t feel
ready yet for a full game in what
will also be his debut.
“I need time to adapt. It would
be practically impossible for me to
play 90 minutes tomorrow,” he said.
The fact that fans have paid
around $250 for tickets for what has
long been billed as Messi’s debut,
means that he almost certainly
will enter the field at some stage
however.
Cruz Azul’s experienced coach,
the Brazilian born Ricardo Ferretti,
laughed when asked whether his
team expected to face Messi.
“If he didn’t play... it would be
better. But, they also have to think
about something, why are there so
many people here? Because of him,
right?” said the 69-year-old.
But Ferretti, known as “Tuca”
throughout his career as a coach in
Mexico, was a little irked that the
game between the two teams was
being viewed purely as the debut of
one player.
“We will not face a single player.
He does not win or lose alone.
Soccer is a team sport. There are
players who stand out and deserve
emphasis, I agree with that,” he
added. “There are two institutions
here — Cruz Azul is a historic
team, one of the greats of Mexican
football and Inter Miami is an
important team in MLS,” he added.
The Inter Miami players who
haven’t been making the headlines
in recent days, have had a strange
week with over 200 media turning
Follow us on
omanobserver.om/sports
sport@omanobserver.om
Manchester City
forward Mahrez
joins Saudi
Arabia’s Al Ahli
RIYAD: Manchester City’s Algerian forward Riyad
Mahrez has completed a move to Saudi Arabia’s Al
Ahli, Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya TV said early on
Friday.
Al Ekhbariya said on Twitter that Mahrez has
become Al Ahli’s latest signing but did not provide
further details. The Jeddah-based club have yet to
make a formal announcement.
Mahrez scored 78 goals and made 59 assists in 236
appearances in all competitions with City, and won
11 trophies at the club, including five league titles
following his move
from Leicester City
in 2018.
Al Ahli, who sealed The 32-year-old
promotion to the Pro saw his role for
League after spending Pep Guardiola’s
side reduced last
one season in the
season, scoring 15
second division last goals in 47 games,
term, have also signed but missing out on
Liverpool striker action in the FA
Inter Miami’s Roberto Firmino on Cup and Champions
Lionel Messi
trains in the a free transfer and League finals as City
rain at Fort Chelsea’s Senegalese won a historic treble.
Lauderdale, Last year he,
Florida, on July goalkeeper Edouard
renewed his contract
20, 2023, on Mendy on a three- until 2025.
the eve of their
Leagues Cup year deal Mahrez becomes
football match the latest big-name
against
Mexico’s Cruz signing in the Saudi
Azul. — AFP Pro League, which
has become an attractive destination for Europe-based
out to film their training session on players since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr last
Tuesday. January.
Al Ahli, who sealed promotion to the Pro League
A GREAT TEAM-MATE after spending one season in the second division
But DeAndre Yedlin, the US last term, have also signed Liverpool striker Roberto
international who played in the Firmino on a free transfer and Chelsea’s Senegalese
Premier League with Tottenham goalkeeper Edouard Mendy on a three-year deal.
Hotspur and Newcastle United, Last month, the Saudi Public Investment Fund
said Messi has quickly fit into the (PIF) announced a Sports Clubs Investment and
dressing room. Privatization Project involving the league champions
“He’s a great team-mate. For Al Ittihad, Al Ahli, Al Nassr and Al Hilal. — Reuters
the (presentation) event he had
on Sunday, (striker Leonardo)
Campana was looking for tickets
and so he put it in the group chat, I
didn’t even know that Messi was in
the group chat yet but he popped
up straight away and said ‘how
many do you need Leo?’
“Straight of the bat like that,
they’ve known each other for
like two or three days but just to
show that generosity is a great first
example of how he is,” he said.
Martino said that Messi looks
happy in training and has noticed
that he seems more relaxed having
finally won a World Cup with his
country. — AFP
sport
10 OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S A T U R D A Y l J U LY 2 2 l 2 0 2 3
Spain’s Olga Carmona in action with Costa Rica’s Maria Paula Salas in their Group C opener at Wellington Regional Stadium on Friday. — Reuters
Dominant Spain crush Costa Rica
3-0 in World Cup group opener
WELLINGTON: Spain began
their Women’s World Cup
campaign in scintillating fashion
by beating Costa Rica 3-0 in their
Group C opener on Friday thanks
to an own goal and first-half
strikes from Aitana Bonmati and
Esther Gonzalez at Wellington
Regional Stadium.
The teams had played out a
draw when they faced each other
on their World Cup debuts in 2015
but Spain are now sixth in the
women’s rankings and it showed
in their technical and physical
superiority as they scored three
times in a six-minute blitz.
Costa Rica goalkeeper Daniela
Solera saved a first-half penalty,
but Spain were never threatened
at the other end and went top of
their group ahead of Japan’s game
against Zambia on Saturday.
“Sometimes our players missed
the target but they played really
well,” Spain coach Jorge Vilda told
reporters. “Obviously we had more
opportunities than we actually
Kohli puts India on top on first day of 2nd West Indies Test
PORT OF SPAIN: Virat Kohli
and Ravindra Jadeja combined in
an unbroken century partnership
for India to regain the ascendancy
over West Indies at 288 for four at
stumps on Thursday, the opening
day of the second and final Test.
After being put in to bat at
Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad,
India started strongly before
faltering in the afternoon session.
After tea, Kohli played with the
exaggerated caution of a man keen
to leave a significant mark on the
500th international match. His
unbeaten 87 (161 balls, eight fours)
with the support of Jadeja (36 not
out) put India back in command.
Their stand of 106 frustrated
the Caribbean team in a long
final session with captain Kraigg
Brathwaite resorting to his own
loopy off-breaks in search of a
breakthrough.
It was a different tempo at the
took advantage of... We could have
been more active in certain plays.”
Twice Ballon d’Or winner
Alexia Putellas was named among
Spain’s substitutes as she makes
her way back to full fitness, but
their most-capped player was not
needed in the first half as Bonmati
and Esther ran riot in Costa Rica’s
box.
“We are going to follow the
medical team’s recommendations
and they said for today that Alexia
could play a little bit. Every single
minute from her really counts,”
Vilda said after Putellas played the
last 15 minutes.
In the pouring rain, Spain
dominated possession and pegged
Costa Rica back inside their
own half right from kickoff, with
Athenea del Castillo narrowly
firing wide while Ivana Andres
saw her header tipped over the bar.
But the relentless pressure
finally paid off in the 21st minute
when Gonzalez’s cross was turned
in by Costa Rica’s Valeria del
start, with skipper Rohit Sharma
and Yashasvi Jaiswal picking up
where they left off in the first Test.
At Windsor Park Stadium a
week earlier, they put on 229 for
the first wicket to lay the platform
for a crushing victory by an innings
and 141 runs in three days.
This time they blazed 121 by
lunch and added another 18 in
the afternoon before Jason Holder
finally brought much-needed
discipline to the West Indies
bowling. He was rewarded with
the wicket of Jaiswal for 57 via a
low catch at deep gully by debutant
batsman Kirk McKenzie.
That was the trigger for a mini-
slide as Shubman Gill went caught
behind to Kemar Roach for 10,
his second consecutive failure at
number three. Sharma followed,
bowled for 80 by a perfectly
pitched delivery from left-arm
spinner Jomel Warrican.
Campo.
Only two minutes later Spain
quickly regained possession and a
fine cutback set up Bonmati, who
smartly evaded two defenders to
curl home Spain’s second.
PULLING STRINGS
The Barcelona midfielder had
been pulling the strings in the
final third for Spain despite a wall
of white shirts in the box and she
deservedly earned the player of the
match award.
“It was important to score three
goals when we could. There are
tight results in the World Cup,” she
said.
“We have a very offensive team
to attack open spaces, we aren’t a
flat team like before.”
Costa Rica could have conceded
more if not for the heroics of
Solera in goal as she made timely
interventions and reflex saves.
However, she could do nothing
as Gonzalez scored the third from
a rebound off the post.
Virat Kohli, of India, hits 4 on the first day of the second Test cricket match between India and West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval
in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on Thursday. — AFP
Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane
seemed to have weathered the mid-
afternoon storm only for Shannon
Solera gave Costa Rica another
lifeline when she saved Jennifer
Hermoso’s penalty and she was in
fine form in the second half too to
frustrate Spain.
There were worried faces on the
bench when she went down late in
the second half clutching her leg
following a collision with a team-
mate but she managed to continue
after some treatment.
Costa Rica had their
opportunities on the counter-
attack but they were quickly
snuffed out and they managed
only one shot compared to Spain’s
45.
“For 22 minutes we were
compact but after the own goal the
whole team lost concentration,”
Costa Rica coach Amelia Valverde
said.
“For the second half we
changed our strategy a little bit
but we didn’t have chances despite
our best efforts to defend the shirt.
We’re obviously not happy.”
— Reuters
Gabriel, the second change to the
West Indies from the first Test, to
uproot Rahane’s off-stump on the
Brook and Stokes
add to Australia’s
agony in fourth Test
MANCHESTER, United
Kingdom: Harry Brook and
Ben Stokes hit fifties as England
stepped up their run-spree in
the must-win fourth Test against
Australia at Old Trafford on
Friday.
England were 506-8 at lunch
on the third day, 189 runs ahead
of Australia’s first innings 317,
after Brook had made 61 and
skipper Stokes 51.
It was the first time since
their 1985 series triumph against
Australia that England had made
500 in a home Ashes innings.
At 2-1 down with two matches
to play in the five-game series,
England must win in Manchester
to maintain their hopes of
regaining the Ashes.
England resumed in 384-4,
already 67 runs ahead, following
opener Zak Crawley’s stunning
189 on Thursday.
Brook was 14 not out and
Stokes 24 not out.
Stokes signalled his intentions
when he thrashed Mitchell
Starc’s second ball, a good length
delivery, through midwicket for
four.
Nevertheless, Stokes should
have been run out by substitute
fielder Michael Neser’s
throw from deep cover, but
wicketkeeper Alex Carey couldn’t
gather cleanly and demolished
the stumps with his gloves when
the all-rounder was short of his
ground.
England gave Australia
another run-out chance when
Stokes slammed a drive to Pat
Cummins at mid-on.
Both batsmen set off before
England’s Ben Stokes walks after losing his wicket Cricket at Old Trafford Cricket
Ground, Manchester, Britain, on Friday. — Reuters
stroke of tea.
“It felt like the heavens came
down because not much was
deciding against a single and
Brook would have been out by a
distance at the non-striker’s end
had Cummins’s throw hit the
stumps.
It was another moment to
forget for Cummins after he was
out to Thursday’s first ball before
bowling 16 wicketless overs for
an expensive 93 runs, as well
as dropping catches and losing
control in the field.
Brook, whose 75 had been
key to England’s victory in the
third Test at Headingley, kept the
runs coming against an Australia
attack without all-rounder
Mitchell Marsh, off the field with
muscle stiffness.
The rising star extended
England’s advantage beyond 100
runs with two classic boundaries
driven through the covers off
successive deliveries from Starc.
Cummins eventually took
his first wicket of the innings
when he bowled Stokes, who had
completed a 72-ball fifty.
It was the end of a stand of 86,
with England 437-5.
Brook then went down the
pitch to loft Cameron Green for
four en route to an 80-ball fifty.
Australia took the new ball 10
overs after it was available, with
England 471-5.
Soon afterwards, Brook
top-edged a hook off paceman
Hazlewood and Starc held a well-
judged catch just inside the long-
leg boundary.
Chris Woakes and Mark Wood,
who had finished off England’s
run chase at Headingley, both fell
cheaply to Hazlewood (4-105).
— AFP
happening out there,” said an
exhausted Gabriel, reflecting on
his lone wicket of the day.
“We were all over the shop in
the first session and worked out
our plans a lot better at lunch and
got the reward. On a pitch like this,
with hardly anything in it for the
bowlers, we’re happy to have taken
four wickets.”
India are giving a debut to right-
arm fast-medium bowler Mukesh
Kumar in place of seam bowling
all-rounder Shardul Thakur.
This is the 100th Test match
between the West Indies and India
since the first was played in Delhi in
November, 1948 at the start of the
Caribbean side’s historic inaugural
tour to the sub-continent.
Despite being winless against
their opponents for more than 21
years, the West Indies still lead
India 30-23 in Test victories across
the 99 matches. — AFP

Noh soars to Barracuda
lead with trio of eagles
LOS ANGELES: South
Korean Noh Seung-yul
grabbed three eagles to soar to
a sizeable lead on 23 points on
Thursday in the first round of
the US PGA Tour’s Barracuda
Championship in Truckee,
California.
Noh, chasing a second
career PGA Tour title to go
with his 2014 Zurich Classic
of New Orleans win, eagled all
three of the par-fives on the
Tahoe Mountain Club course,
especially valuable under the
Modified Stableford scoring
system that awards points
for birdies and eagles and
subtracts them for bogeys and
worse.
Noh also had five birdies
and a pair of bogeys, his 23
points putting him six clear of
American Beau Hossler, whose
two eagles included an ace at
the par-three third hole.
Noh said he’d never had
three eagles in a PGA Tour
round before, and it wasn’t
the kind of outing he was
expecting with the course
firming up and winds rising in
the afternoon.
“It’s just so much fun to play
today,” said Noh, who earned
five points for each eagle.
While some players find the
points system an invitation
to be more aggressive, Noh
said he tried to use his usual
approach.
“Nothing changed... Every
hole, every single shot. It’s just
sport
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S A T U R D A Y l J U LY 2 2 l 2 0 2 3 11
ALCARAZ FINDING IT
a better result today,” he said,
noting that he hit three greens
on the three par-fives and had
‘TOUGH TO BELIEVE’ HE’S
one tap-in eagle and one eagle
putt of more than 30 feet.
“I putted pretty good today,”
said Noh, who also had an
eagle putt of more than 15 feet.
WIMBLEDON CHAMPION
Hossler had set an early
target at 17 points in pursuit of
his first PGA Tour title.
Spain’s tennis player Carlos
He eagled the par-five sixth Alcaraz poses during the
to go along with his hole in Hopman Cup tennis
one at the third. tournament in Nice,
southern France. — AFP
“I was kind of in between
clubs,” Hossler said of the ace.
“I think it was like 211 (yards),
but at altitude it’s playing like
190.
“I hit seven-iron and it
landed in a good spot and it
went in.”
His only regret — he
couldn’t enjoy the highlight
footage.
“It looked like it was the
only hole on Tour this year
that had no camera,” Hossler
said.
France’s Alexander Levy had
eight birdies without a bogey
and was joined on 16 points
by American Ryan Gerard —
who had nine birdies and two
bogeys.
Carson Young, Patrick
Rodgers and Germany’s
Maximilian Kieffer shared fifth
on 15 points.
The tournament is
played opposite the Open
Championship at Hoylake.
— AFP

NICE, France: Carlos Alcaraz
said on Friday he finds it
“tough to believe” he is
Wimbledon champion as the
Spaniard prepares to play the
Hopman Cup mixed team
tournament in France days
after his triumph in London.
“Thinking I won Wimbledon
is tough to believe. I can’t
believe that I won and beat
Novak (Djokovic), probably it
will take some days to believe,”
Alcaraz told journalists.
On Sunday, Alcaraz beat
Djokovic in five sets to win the
second Grand Slam title of his
career.
“Since Wimbledon I didn’t
touch the racquet, today will
be the first time,” said Alcaraz,
who takes on 111th-ranked
Belgian David Goffin later on
Friday.
“I’m a little bit tired, I’m not
going to lie,” he said.
“I had some days off to rest a
little bit. I’m feeling great right
now. I’m here to make people
happy watching the match.”
The world number one
battled past seven-time
Wimbledon champion
Djokovic after a defeat to
the Serb in the French Open
semifinals during which he
suffered cramp.
But the 20-year-old believes
that he was “not well prepared
mentally” before the Paris
claycourt tournament.
“I couldn’t deal with the
pressure that Novak put on.
I relaxed, doing some mental
exercise before the match that
probably I didn’t do in Roland
Garros, that helped me a lot.”
In Nice, Alcaraz teams up
with 72nd-ranked Rebeka
Masarova, against the Belgium
pairing of Goffin and Elise
Mertens.
“We’re not used to
playing with women, mixed
doubles. I wanted to have this
experience,” he continued.
“It feels great. I’m really
happy and excited to be here.”
After the Hopman Cup,
Alcaraz will compete in the
Masters 1000 in Toronto from
August 7 and Cincinnati from
August 13.
“Right now my focus is on
Toronto, which is a Masters
1000 and really important, and
Cincinatti, but of course the
main goal is the US Open,” he
added of the final Grand Slam
of the year which begins on
August 21 and where he will
defend his title. — AFP

Mannarino holds off

Thompson to set Newport
semi with Humbert
NEW YORK: Second-seeded
Adrian Mannarino shook off a
second-set lapse to beat Jordan
Thompson 6-0, 6-7 (7/4), 6-2
on Thursday and set up an all-
French semifinal against Ugo
Humbert at the ATP grass court
tournament in Newport, Rhode
Island.
Mannarino was rolling at 6-0,
5-2 but ended up labouring for
almost three hours to make his
way into the final four.
“I was just trying to stay
focused, to play every point like
I should do, not getting upset
from the scenario of the second
set and trying to stay consistent,”
Mannarino said, admitting in his
on-court post-match interview
that he “choked” in the second
set. “I was up so far in the score,
and then Jordan started to play
really well. He was not missing
any more and in the beginning
of the third set he had the
(momentum).
“So it was tough to stay in the
match, but I did it very well.”
Thompson, who is playing
doubles with Mannarino this
week, won four straight games to
swing the second set his way.
He had an early break chance
in the third, but Mannarino
managed to fend him off and
reestablish control.
The French veteran next
faces third-seeded compatriot
Humbert, who defeated South
African Kevin Anderson 6-2,
6-4. — AFP
sport
12 OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S A T U R D A Y l J U LY 2 2 l 2 0 2 3

MERCKX SAYS
VINGEGAARD IS
STRONGEST ON
GRAND TOURS

(From L) UAE Team Emirates’ Austrian rider Felix Grossschartner, Jumbo-Visma’s

Victorious’ Slovenian rider Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey and
Matej Mohoric cycles past the Jumbo-Visma’s Dutch rider Dylan Van Baarle cycle past the finish line of the
finish line to win the 19th 19th stage of the 110th edition of the Tour de France cycling race 173 km
stage of the 110th edition of between Moirans-en-Montagne and Poligny, in the Jura department of central-
the Tour de France cycling eastern France, on Friday. — AFP
race 173 km between
Moirans-en-Montagne and POLIGNY: Cycling’s all-time totally crushing the two-
Poligny, in the Jura
department of central-eastern great Eddy Merckx believes time champion in the high
France, on Friday. — AFP Jonas Vingegaard’s climbing mountains on stage 17.
makes him stronger on Grand “Pogacar is still a more
Tours than his rival Tadej complete rider,” said Merckx,
POLIGNY: Slovenian Matej Pogacar, he said ahead of stage who has previously spoken
Mohoric claimed his third
victory on the Tour de France
when he won the 19th stage on
Friday as his Bahrain Victorious
MOHORIC 19 on Friday.
The 78-year-old Belgian
hailed the testing course of the
110th Tour de France and the
highly of the adventurous style
with which Pogacar races.
“But for the moment, in
the high mountains at least,
team celebrated for the third
time in this year’s race, having
started it under a cloud after
Gino Mader’s death.
WINS TOUR DE duel between the two current
big guns of road cycling.
“This has been a fabulous
Tour de France, wouldn’t
Vingegaard remains the
stronger of the two,” he said.
The 26-year-old Dane won
the 2022 Tour de France by
Mohoric, who has won on
all three grand tours, pipped
Thursday’s stage winner Kasper
Asgreen of Denmark to the line,
FRANCE STAGE you say?” the five-time Tour
de France winner said at the
starting enclosure of the stage at
Moirans-en-Montagne.
turning the screw on the then
two-time defending champion
Pogacar on a sizzling day on the
final climb of a major mountain
breaking into tears after a photo
finish gave him the victory a
couple of minutes later.
Mohoric’s victory comes just
19, VINGEGAARD Merckx said the duel between
overall leader Vingegaard and
second-placed Pogacar, as well
as the route itself, had delivered
stage.
Pogacar vowed to fight back
this year, but a broken wrist in
April hindered his preparations.

RETAINS YELLOW
over a month after his Swiss a great Tour. And Vingegaard again turned
team-mate Mader died following “It’s been a thrilling race,” he the screw in the mountains to
a crash on the Tour de Suisse said. take a rock-solid lead of over
on June 16. Bahrain Victorious “Also with Pogacar and seven minutes.
riders Pello Bilbao and Wout Vingegaard racing neck and Merckx raised his eyes to
Poels also took stage victories in neck helped, until the time-trial the heavens as if to say ‘if only’,
this year’s race. anyway,” he said. when asked if he would have
“We started this Tour under “There wasn’t much fancied his chances against the
a lot of stress after the death difference between the two pair. “I would really have loved
of Gino and Matej had the of them and then with what to have raced in this Tour de
ambition to win a stage. From happened the day after, well France,” said Merckx, who won
the beginning he was in great after that the suspense was gone the event from 1969-1972 and
shape but was not rewarded after the big mountain stage,” he again in 1974.
until today,” Bahrain Victorious said. “But I’m happy to have raced
sports director Vladimir The pair had engaged in a in my day,” he said.
Miholjevic told reporters. thrilling struggle for supremacy Merckx won a total of 11
“For us, doing this Tour at over the first 15 stages, and were Grand Tours, picking up a
this level is something amazing. separated by seconds. colossal 64 stage wins along
This stage was crazy but we Vingegaard however then the way and shares the all-time
were always there. These guys took a 1min 48sec lead over stage win record on the Tour
always deliver. It’s a victory well the Slovenian in the individual de France of 34 wins with Mark
deserved. effort on stage 16 before Cavendish. — AFP
“It’s stupid to say and could
be wrongly interpreted but we
lost a team member, a family
member and everyone in the
team, staff and riders, wanted
to honour Gino. He will always
be with us. It’s something we
managed to transform into (Above) Trek’s Italian rider dropped, by O’Connor, Asgreen
motivation.” Giulio Ciccone celebrates on and Mohoric who reached the
the podium with the best
Australian Ben O’Connor climber’s polka dot (dotted) top of the Cote d’Ivory first after
was third in a three-man sprint jersey after the 19th stage of jumping away from the peloton
ahead of a group of chasers who the 110th edition of the Tour at the intermediate sprint.
de France cycling race 173
were caught by surprise when km between Moirans-en- With 15km left, the trio led a
Asgreen attacked in the second Montagne and Poligny, in group of nine, featuring Mathieu
short climb of the day. the Jura department of van der Poel and green jersey
central-eastern France, on
Defending champion Jonas Friday. — AFP holder Jasper Philipsen, by 15
Vingegaard stayed safe in the seconds.
bunch to retain the overall (Left) Lotto Dstny’s Belgian They did not look back and
rider Victor Campenaerts
leader’s yellow jersey ahead of celebrates on the podium
O’Connor launched the sprint
Saturday’s hilly and treacherous with the most combative early, hoping to surprise his
20th stage between Belfort and rider’s award after the 19th rivals, only for Asgreen to get
the Markstein. stage of the 110th edition of into his slipstream and make his
the Tour de France cycling
A large breakaway took race 173 km between effort 300 metres from the line.
shape on the bumpy roads of the Moirans-en-Montagne and Mohoric followed and
Jura with a group of 30 chasing Poligny, in the Jura propelled his bike to the line just Jumbo-Visma’s Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard celebrates on the podium with
department of central- the overall leader’s yellow jersey after the 19th stage of the 110th edition of the
Victor Campenaerts. eastern France, on Friday. before the Danish rider. Tour de France cycling race 173 km between Moirans-en-Montagne and
The Belgian was caught, and — AFP — Reuters Poligny, in the Jura department of central-eastern France, on Friday. — AFP