The Dhofar Mountains shrouded in mist at the Al Mughsayl blowholes, west of Salalah, Oman. Stephen Lock for The National
The Dhofar Mountains shrouded in mist at the Al Mughsayl blowholes, west of Salalah, Oman. Stephen Lock for The National
The Dhofar Mountains shrouded in mist at the Al Mughsayl blowholes, west of Salalah, Oman. Stephen Lock for The National
The Dhofar Mountains shrouded in mist at the Al Mughsayl blowholes, west of Salalah, Oman. Stephen Lock for The National

Oman extends restrictions in popular tourist region Dhofar


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Oman has extended the lockdown in the southern region of Dhofar, a region popular with GCC tourists escaping the summer heat.

The lockdown in Dhofar was due to be lifted on July 3, but the Supreme Committee for Covid-19 on Wednesday announced a two-week extension, until July 17.

“The Committee followed up with great concern the epidemiological indicators of Covid-19 for the spate of new cases of infection, particularly among citizens, a considerable rise in intensive care cases and high rate of mortality,” the statement from the committee said.

The number of infected people in the country has crossed the 40,000 mark.

Oman also extended the lockdown to the Masirah Island in the central coast of Oman.

Tourism experts say Masirah and Dhofar are the biggest tourist attractions in the country and the lockdown extension to both areas would continue to hurt hotels and tour operators.

“At this time of the year, Dhofar and Masirah normally receive between 150,000 and 200,000 domestic tourists because it is cooler there in the summer. The hotels and tour operators in these two areas are going to miss a lot of income which is much needed to keep them afloat,” Yakoub Mirza, a domestic tourism analyst, said.

On Wednesday, the Health Ministry reported 1,124 new infections, 114 more than the previous day. The total number of people infected is now 41,194.

The Health Ministry also said nine people died on Wednesday, taking the total number of deaths to 185.

Oman tested 3,533 people in the past 24 hours and 24,162 people have recovered from the virus.

Currently, a total of 426 patients suffering from the virus are in hospitals, of whom 120 are in intensive care, the ministry of health said.

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Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)

Date started: August 2021

Founder: Nour Sabri

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace

Size: Two employees

Funding stage: Seed investment

Initial investment: $200,000

Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East) 

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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.

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Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages

Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”  

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Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”

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The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

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Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

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