author - oman observer

The Sultanate’s state budget for 2021 announced on Friday estimates RO 8.64 billion in revenues, RO 10.88 billion in total spending and RO 2.24 billion deficit. The 2021 budget is based on an...

A year before, at this time, we were all euphoric to welcome 2020, and never expected the year would be as tumultuous and wearisome as it has been. For all its eventfulness — from record-setting...

With emphasis on increasing efficiencies, the year 2021 is set to usher in with rationalised spending in Oman even as priority will be for providing basic services to citizens. While the government is...

Oman is facing a rapidly rising diabetic cases and the number of people affected with it over the coming three decades will grow further. According to a report published in the Journal of Diabetes...

Amid fears of COVID-19, Christian community in Muscat celebrated Christmas on a subdued note, yet with devotion and traditional fervour. The churches and their surroundings, normally abuzz with...

[gallery type="slideshow" ids="648124,648123,648126"] One of the main challenges when Oman set out on its Renaissance journey was the preservation of the country’s heritage and culture. And there...

It was confusion mixed with despair for most people when they learnt about the closure of the Muscat airport and the country’s borders. The closures, taken as a precautionary step against the...

Citizens and expatriates will have to shell out more to avail of electricity and water from next year. “In line with the programme for reforming electricity and water subsidies, new tariffs will be...

MUSCAT: As part of the initiatives to shore up government revenues, the Sultanate is all set to overhaul the subsidy on public service system in a phased manner during the next five-year period from...

Although COVID-19 is posing severe challenges to people of all sections of the society, the most affected are the households with loans. As a result, it spells a situation of debt overhang and likely...

15,879 construction workers among 45,715 apply to avail the scheme With only a few days left for the exit facility deadline, 45,715 applications from expatriates of different nationalities have so...

Bilateral relations between Oman and India have scaled to new heights, and there is potential for more partnerships in all the priority areas that are identified in Oman’s Vision 2040. “The...

As a prelude to the regulatory approval for the COVID-19 vaccines, the Sultanate has started preparing the ground for the rollout with the launch of an awareness drive with the aim of disseminating...

On the back of Oman’s proactive policies, the positive trend on the oil market augurs well for the economy that is striving to recover from the COVID-19 shock and drop in revenues. The price of...

Along with hiring ban on expatriates in different occupations in the private sector, Omanisation of leadership positions is also on course. Although the slowdown in economic activities led to...

A sharp decline in the number of COVID-19 infection cases has been registered recently, as cases dropped from 26 per cent in the past few months to 4 per cent Even as most business activities have...

With the winter already set in, Muscat Municipality warned against the tendency to burn solid waste in the open. “Burning of waste is considered a quicker and easier way of disposing them but it can...

Despite a general contraction in demand, the agriculture and fisheries sector grew by a solid pace of 6.1 per cent in 2019. The sector contributed 3.4 per cent of non-hydrocarbon GDP and 2.4 per cent...

Some anxiety is definitely warranted, especially during worrisome situations like the current coronavirus pandemic. This applies not only to basic health questions such as the risk of becoming...

With the Sultanate opening its borders to visitors after positive signs of recovery from COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry is set to see more people arriving in the country in the coming months....