HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) arrived here today on a private visit to the Sultanate of Oman.
During the visit, he will meet with His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik
Source: Oman News Agency
The GCC Permanent Committee for Statistical Affairs held here today its 10th meeting, during which it reviewed the progress made in developing GCC statistical practices. It also looked into a statistical report on the GCC social protection system.
The meeting was chaired by Khalifa Abdullah Al Barwani, CEO of the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
It discussed ways of upgrading the level of performance and augmenting statistical data availability and exchange of data, besides enhancing cooperation among member states to help promote the statistical sector.
Source: Oman News Agency
Oman Energy Association (OPAL) signed an agreement here today to develop and manage a platform that serves as an integrated database of inputs from various fields and specializations. The platform covers data about retirees, job seekers and people with various experiences.
The platform offers experts an opportunity to showcase their services and expertise to the public and private sectors. This will contribute to enhancing cooperation between the two sectors and promoting sustainable development in the Sultanate of Oman.
The agreement was signed by Abdulrahman Humeid Al Yahya’ee, CEO of Oman Energy Association, and Laila Said Al Harthi, co-founder and CEO of Dawam platform.
The signing was attended by HH Sayyida Mayan Shihab Al Said and a number of officials from OPAL and Dawam platform.
Source: Oman News Agency
The Swedish government today said it wants to increase its defense budget by 28%, putting it on track to reach the military spending target 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) set by the NATO alliance, which the Scandinavian country is preparing to join.
Unveiling a defense bill for 2024, Sweden’s center-right coalition government has said military spending would increase by a total of $2.4 billion. Of that amount, approximately $63 million will be spent on Sweden’s future membership of NATO.
In May last year, Sweden and neighboring Finland sought protection under NATO’s security umbrella after Russia invaded Ukraine.
However, Sweden, which abandoned a long history of military nonalignment, is still waiting to become the 32nd member of the alliance. Finland joined earlier this year.
New entries must be approved by all existing members, but Turkey has so far refused to ratify Sweden’s application. Ankara said this was because Sweden was refusing to extradite dozens of people suspected of links to Kurdish militant organizations.
Source: Oman News Agency
Rescuers today raced against time to find survivors in the rubble more than 48 hours after Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in over six decades, with nearly 2,500 killed in a disaster that devastated villages in the High Atlas Mountains.
More than 25 aftershocks have already hit the country since the 6.8 magnitude earthquake.
Some villagers say they are struggling to find enough space to bury their dead as funerals can take place besides rescue work. Others are preparing extra graves ready for more bodies, even as rescue operations continue.
Source: Oman News Agency
A recent study suggests that infants and young children with a diverse gut bacteria community are less likely to develop wheezing and allergy-related asthma.
The study analyzed 323 children’s gut bacteria at various stages and asked parents about allergy-related wheezing and asthma in their children.
Microbiota, acquired from mothers at birth, were found to reduce the risk of food allergies and childhood asthma by enhancing the immune system’s function.
“A mature gut microbiota at age one correlated with lower chances of allergies and asthma in childhood.” said Dr. Yuan Gao, a research fellow at Deakin University, Geelong in Australia.
Researchers are also planning a clinical trial involving 2,000 children to test the use of oral inactivated bacteria to protect against wheezing and asthma triggered by viral infections.
Source: Oman News Agency
Hurricane Lee barreled over open waters just northeast of the Caribbean, unleashing heavy swell on several islands as it regained some strength and expanded in size.
The Category 3 hurricane is not forecast to make landfall and is expected to stay over open waters through Friday. Late Sunday, it was centered about 310 miles (500 kilometers) north of the northern Leeward Islands. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 120 mph (195 kph) and it was moving northwest at 8 mph (13 kph).
Last week, Lee strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane in just one day.
The US National Hurricane Center said that dangerous surf and rip currents were expected to hit most of the US East Coast starting Sunday, but that the hurricane’s impact beyond that was still unclear
Source: Oman News Agency
As many as 2,000 people are feared dead in Libya after Mediterranean storm “Daniel” caused devastating floods that swept away entire neighborhoods and wrecked homes in multiple coastal towns in the North African nation.
The confirmed death toll from the weekend flooding stood at 38, according to health authorities. But the tally did not include Derna, the worst hit city, which had become inaccessible.
Video by Derna residents posted online showed major devastation. Entire residential blocks areas were erased along Wadi Derna, a river that runs down from the mountains through the city center. Multi-story apartment buildings once well back from the river were partially collapsed into the mud.
At least 23 people were reported dead in the eastern town of Bayda, the town’s main medical center said. Another seven people were reported dead in the coastal town of Susa in northeastern Libya, according to the Ambulance and Emergency Authority. Seven others were reported dead in the towns of Shahatt and Omar Al Mokhtar, according to officials.
Storm Daniel is expected to arrive in parts of west Egypt on Monday, and the country’s meteorological authorities warned about possible rain and bad weather.
Source: Oman News Agency
