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Observer
2 hours ago
- Business
- Observer
Excitement in the air as Oman Kite Festival kicks off in Bar Al Hikman
The skies above Bar al Hikman came alive on Tuesday with colour and movement as the Oman Kite Festival was officially launched, ushering in a high-energy, coast-to-coast celebration of sport, sustainability, and community. Kicking off the festival, Dr Hashil Al Mahrouqi, CEO of Omran Group, welcomed athletes, spectators, and community members to the opening ceremony, setting the tone for what promises to be one of the most dynamic watersport events Oman has hosted. Organised by Oman Sail and proudly supported by Omran Group, the 10-day festival (July 14–24) brings together a diverse lineup of international and local kitesurfers, who will compete in a series of races and freestyle showcases spanning Oman's eastern coastline—from Bar Al Hikman and Al Ashkharah to Masirah Island and Ras Al Hadd. 'There's been a lot of excitement leading up to this,' said Firas Asqul, Project Manager at Oman Sail. 'From studying the market, we felt it was the right time to host a large-scale, public-facing event. We're thrilled to see it finally take off.' The event schedule includes competitive highlights such as the Kite Course Race at Bar Al-Hikman (July 15), the adrenaline-pumping multi-stage Downwinder Race (July 16, 20, 21), Big Air and Freestyle Shows on Masirah Island (July 17–18), a Coastal Race in Ras Masirah (July 19), and the grand finale Slalom Race at Ras Al Hadd Lake on July 24. For Omani participant Khalfan Al Athubi, a sailing skipper who has been kitesurfing for four years, the challenge goes far beyond competition. 'I've always wanted to try a downwinder. I've never done long distance before—not even in training—so I'm really excited. Hopefully I can go far with it.' In addition to sporting excitement, the festival also showcases Oman's commitment to sustainability, tourism, and youth engagement in line with Oman Vision 2040. Community beach clean-ups, a small business exhibition at Al Ashkharah Park, and artisan markets give the event a cultural and environmental dimension—connecting sport to purpose. Senior leaders from Omran and Oman Sail, including CEO Dr. Khamis Al Jabri of Oman Sail and Johanna Ilic from Omran, were present at the opening to show their support. Their remarks emphasised the national importance of the festival as a platform for showcasing Oman's stunning coastal landscapes, supporting local talent, and drawing international attention to the country's growing watersports scene.
Yomiuri Shimbun
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yomiuri Shimbun
In Sudan, Where Children Clung to Life, Doctors Say USAID Cuts Have Been Fatal
QUAZ NAFISA, Sudan – The 3-year-old boy darted among the mourners, his giggles rising above the soft cadence of condolences. Women with somber faces and bright scarves hugged his weeping mother, patting her shoulders as she stooped to pick up her remaining son. Marwan didn't yet know that his twin brother was dead. Omran shouldn't have died, doctors said. The physician at his clinic outside the Sudanese capital said basic antibiotics probably would have cured his chest infection. The International Rescue Committee, which received a large amount of its funding from the United States, had been scheduled to deliver the medicines in February. Then the new U.S. administration froze foreign aid programs, and a stop-work order came down from Washington. Omran died at the end of May. As his health declined, his frantic mother had carried him in ever-widening circles to 11 health facilities. None had the medicine he needed. 'He was just in my arms whimpering, 'I'm so sick, Mom,'' said 24-year-old Islam al Mubarak Ibrahim. 'I was holding him and trying to comfort him, and I prayed to God to save him.' Her boys were inseparable. Marwan thinks Omran is still in the hospital. 'One day, I will just tell him, 'Your brother went to Paradise,'' she said. After more than two years of ferocious civil war, Sudan is home to the world's largest humanitarian crisis, the United Nations says. Both sides have attacked hospitals. The military often delays or denies aid access; the paramilitary it is fighting has kidnapped relief workers and looted aid facilities. Disease and famine are spreading unchecked. More than half the population, some 30 million people, need aid. More than 12 million have fled their homes. For so many families barely hanging on, programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were a lifeline – providing food to the hungry and medical care for the sick. While the Trump administration's cuts to USAID this year have been felt deeply across the world, their impact in Sudan was especially deadly, according to more than two dozen Washington Post interviews with civilians, clinicians and aid officials in the capital, Khartoum, and surrounding villages. When U.S.-supported soup kitchens were forced to close, babies starved quietly, their mothers said, while older siblings died begging for food. Funding stoppages meant that critical medical supplies were never delivered, doctors said. The lack of U.S.-funded disease response teams has made it harder to contain cholera outbreaks, which are claiming the lives of those already weakened by hunger. The World Health Organization says an estimated 5 million Sudanese people may lose access to lifesaving health services as a result of the U.S. cuts. In a response to questions from The Post, the State Department press office said it was 'reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States. … We are continuing lifesaving programs and making strategic investments that strengthen other nations and our own country.' 'Americans are the most charitable and humanitarian-minded people in the world,' the statement continued. 'It's time for other countries to step up in providing lifesaving aid.' For now, no one has filled the void left by Washington. European countries, including Germany, France and Britain, have also slashed funding for international relief or announced their intention to do so. Russia and China rarely fund humanitarian work; wealthy Persian Gulf countries tend to work outside established foreign aid systems. On the ground in Sudan, volunteers are appealing to members of the diaspora, many of whom lost their homes and savings when they fled the war. As Tom Fletcher, a top U.N. relief coordinator, put it this month: 'We have been forced into a triage of human survival.' Empty shelves The health center in Omran's village of Quaz Nafisa, about 35 miles north of Khartoum, is supposed to serve 60,000 people, physician Amira El Sadig said, but its entire stock of medicines now fits on a single shelf of a filing cabinet, with room to spare. Sadig, 41, was delighted last year when the International Rescue Committee announced it would provide the clinic with medications, solar panels to cool vaccines, oxygen tanks, simple medical devices, and lab tests for malaria and other diseases. A referrals system set up by the IRC would help patients needing more-specialized care. When President Donald Trump took office in mid-January, he signed an executive order calling for an immediate freeze to foreign aid programs and vowing no further assistance 'that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.' In February, billionaire Elon Musk proclaimed that his newly created U.S. DOGE Service was 'feeding USAID into the wood chipper.' Sweeping global cuts soon followed. As the fatal consequences became clear, and political backlash intensified, the administration said it would restore funding for essential, lifesaving programs. But in many places, including Sudan, vital staffers had already been fired and payment systems disabled, aid workers said. Initially, the IRC project in Quaz Nafisa was frozen by the stop-work order. Then it was terminated on Feb. 27, the organization said. It was partly reactivated March 3, but the disbursement of funds was delayed. Five months later, the clinic is due to begin receiving the help it was promised at the beginning of the year. Sadig listed a handful of what she said were preventable deaths between February, when the medications were due to arrive, and the end of May. They included a man with a scorpion bite. A woman with cholera. A diabetic who needed insulin. And Omran, the dimpled 3-year-old. 'There are other deaths in the villages around here that we don't even know about,' Sadig said. 'Most people don't bother to come here because it is not equipped.' Sadig wishes that she could solve the problem with her 'own hands,' that her country could stand on its own. 'We say thank you to the American people for helping with our suffering,' she said. Kitchens closed In the desert outside the city of Omdurman, just to the northwest of the capital, Fatma Swak Fadul lives in a sweltering adobe slum. She used to have seven children; now she has five. For more than a year, they survived on a single daily meal from local soup kitchens. They were run by volunteers from the local Emergency Response Rooms, which formed in 2019 during the pro-democracy protests that helped topple military dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The two years following his ouster were a heady era of hope, until two generals – the head of the military and the leader of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary – joined forces to overthrow the fledgling government. Two years later, their rivalry spilled into all-out war, and the young demonstrators mobilized again. They smuggled food and medicine across front lines and cooked provisions donated by charities in vast pots, trying to keep the hungriest alive. Last year, USAID gave the Emergency Response Rooms $12 million, which accounted for 77 percent of the soup kitchens' funding, said Mohamed Elobaid, who manages the group's finances. When the stop-work order came in January, Fadul said, almost all the soup kitchens in her neighborhood shut down overnight. So her children starved. Her daughter Nada, only 18 months old, starved to death in February, she said, and was often too weak to cry. Three-year-old Omer, who loved to wrestle with his siblings and dreamed of owning a bike, lingered longer. First, his mother said, he began to lose his vision, which can be a side effect of malnutrition. Then he began asking fretfully for an absent brother. In his last days in March, he curled up on a mat, she said, begging her for porridge. 'I told him we don't have any wheat to make that,' Fadul said. 'He was suffering a lot and then he died around midnight.' His mother wept, she recalled, then asked the neighbors to help bury him. She had done her best to keep them alive, she said, walking 10 hours each day to collect small bundles of firewood she could sell for about a dollar. Sometimes it was enough to buy wheat to boil in water; never enough for all the children, but the older ones could live on less. The daily meal from the soup kitchen was a godsend, she said. Often the family would share a single bowl. 'You can't ask your neighbors for anything because we are all in the same situation,' Fadul said. 'We have nothing.' In mid-May, the soup kitchen reopened, buoyed by funds from the Sudanese diaspora and the U.N. World Food Program. But many children are now so malnourished, doctors say, their stomachs cannot handle normal food. To survive, they need a special high-calorie supplement, and that, too, is hard to find. Stuck in the warehouse Hundreds of thousands of doses of the lifesaving supplement – a peanut paste called Plumpy'Nut – have been paid for by the U.S. government and are sitting in a warehouse in Rhode Island, said Navyn Salem, the founder and CEO of Edesia Nutrition, which manufactures the paste. About 122,000 doses were due to go out in February to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Sudan, Salem said, but their shipping contract was canceled amid the wave of USAID cuts. The supplies began moving again at the beginning of June, she said, but it will take more than a month to ship them all out. Now, more stocks are piling up – 185,000 doses from the past fiscal year – but Salem said her factory has received no new orders. 'No business can survive this amount of uncertainty, and many children will not survive either,' she said. 'The financial losses and the losses of human life are unimaginable and unacceptable.' The small nutritional packets are desperately needed at the Almanar feeding center in the Mayo Mandela district of Khartoum, where mothers lined up last month carrying their starving children. Rahma Kaki Jubarra's 9-month-old son, Farah, weighs just 12 pounds. Her other son, 3½-year-old Jabr, is down to just 21 pounds. The tape the medics wrap around their arms to measure their body fat slides far into the red, signaling an emergency. Before the war, Jubarra said, she scraped by, selling falafel while her husband was a trader at the local market. When RSF fighters took over their neighborhood, they burned 200 homes, including hers, she said, and beat her husband, brother and eldest son so badly they fled. Jubarra and her two children now live in the ruins of their former home; a blanket draped over the charred walls is all that shields them from the merciless sun. Jubarra scavenged fish bones from restaurants and boiled them to feed her children. Her elderly father, who was also beaten, was too ill to flee and stayed with her, which meant another mouth to feed. But the soup kitchens were closed, she said, and the price of wheat had quadrupled. 'Sometimes I boiled water on the fire and told them I am cooking and just to wait,' she said. She'd continue poking at the pot, she recounted, hoping her children would fall asleep before they realized no meal was coming. She rattled off the names of children she knew who didn't make it. Old people died. Her uncle died. Her father died. People went to Bashair, the nearest hospital, but Doctors Without Borders had pulled out after the facility was shot up by the RSF. As the fighting raged, no aid made it in. Last month, UNICEF was able to deliver peanut paste to the Almanar feeding center. Liana Ashot Chuol, just 7 years old, showed up by herself on a recent morning. She was carrying her starving 3-year-old sister and pushing her 5-year-old brother. Her mother had disappeared, she whispered, her father was dead and her grandmother had gone looking for firewood to sell. None of the children had eaten for two days, Liana said. Almanar director Amna Kornlues said that deaths have skyrocketed since the soup kitchens closed but that there is no way to know the true toll. Many children died at home, she said, and families stopped coming when the center ran out of aid to distribute. She asked for the U.S. to continue its support: 'All we need is a little, and we will share together,' Kornlues said. If U.S. funding is not preserved, UNICEF could run out of Plumpy'Nut within a few months, it says, with dire consequences for those who depend on the nearly 2,000 feeding centers the agency supports across Sudan. The U.S. cuts 'force us to make extremely difficult decisions,' said Kristine Hambrouck, the acting U.N. representative in Sudan. Aid workers must choose between buying vaccines for babies or nutrition products for starving children, she said, and all could die without help. Cholera spreads Sickness here is just as dangerous as hunger. Cholera, a waterborne disease that can kill within hours, swept across the capital in the past month after RSF drones attacked the filtration plant and electricity grid, knocking out the city's water pumps. People are drinking from polluted rivers or contaminated wells, along streets where charred and bloated bodies have decomposed. Soup kitchen manager Waleed Elshaikh Edris told The Post that dozens of people had died of cholera in a single day last month in his neighborhood of Al Fitehab, including his uncle and his cousin, who he said died only eight hours after she began to show symptoms. 'When artillery shelling was intense, we had solutions – we would go under buildings,' he said. 'But this infection suddenly sneaks into your body without your knowledge.' The World Health Organization said that its partner organizations are missing 60 percent of their medical supplies and that tracking and containing the outbreak have become all but impossible. 'Supplies for cholera response were largely funded by USAID,' said Loza Mesfin Tesfaye, a WHO spokeswoman, adding that 'the cuts have reduced the number of disease surveillance teams [and] reduced our ability to distribute water-purifying supplies.' At a mobile health clinic run by volunteers in the Salha district of Omdurman, elderly men were treated with bags of intravenous fluids hung from a mosque window. In what was once an upmarket restaurant in Omdurman, a young man curled up on a table, an intravenous tube sticking out from his hand. Much of the cholera response has fallen to locals like Momen, a dreadlocked 33-year-old who slips out his front door on a bike every day at 5 a.m., carrying chlorine tablets – the most common way to disinfect water supplies – along with information leaflets and dreams of a different Sudan. Momen gives the tablets to the tea ladies fanning battered pots on charcoal fires, to mothers with jerricans lining up at water wells, and drops them in the round blue communal tanks. As a pro-democracy activist during the 2019 uprising, he was arrested more than 40 times and shot in the arm, he said. Momen spoke to The Post on the condition he be identified by his first name for fear of being targeted by armed groups. 'When support was coming from USAID, we were able to respond and carry out emergency interventions much more quickly,' he said. Now, the volunteers have to design their own solutions and fundraise online, he said, which slows their work. But he said nothing will stop them. 'Our country needs us,' he said. 'We are going to change Sudan.'
Muscat Daily
31-05-2025
- Business
- Muscat Daily
Omran earns RO25.2mn profit; RO156mn FDI in 2024
Muscat – Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran Group) has reported net profit of RO25.2mn and revenues exceeding RO58.3mn for 2024, driven by increased operational efficiency and investment activity. The figures reflect the group's growing impact on Oman's tourism sector and its broader contribution to economic diversification. The performance update was shared during a recent Board of Directors meeting, where members reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Omran's role as a leading force in tourism investment and development. Omran secured over RO156mn in foreign direct investment (FDI) last year, underscoring its ability to attract strategic global partnerships. The inflow of capital supports national efforts to increase the contribution of non-oil sectors to the GDP, a press release stated. A total of 820,365 guests stayed across Omran's hotel portfolio in 2024 – a 6% increase from the previous year. The average occupancy rate reached 45%, up by 2.6 percentage points year-on-year. A key milestone was the official opening of JW Marriott Muscat, adding to the sultanate's luxury hotel offerings. The group announced several new projects to strengthen Oman's position in high-end tourism. These include the Middle East's first Club Med Resort in Musandam and a partnership with Santani Wellness Resorts to develop wellness tourism in Dakhliyah. Omran also reported a 40% In-Country Value Index in 2024, with RO19mn directed towards small and medium enterprises. SME spending accounted for 34.7% of total procurement. Additionally, the group created 370 new jobs for Omani nationals. As part of its corporate governance goals, Omran introduced an Environmental, Social and Governance Framework to align with international sustainability standards and improve transparency across its operations. 'Omran's results underline its role as a key driver of tourism and investment in Oman. Through strategic partnerships, large-scale projects and a focus on sustainability, the group continues to position itself at the centre of the sultanate's economic diversification strategy,' the press release added.
Times of Oman
19-05-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Oman's Ministry focuses on 'Sustainable Tourism'
Muscat: As part of its efforts to promote sustainable tourism in the Sultanate of Oman, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism supports initiatives launched by the public, private, and community sectors to achieve integrated environmental, economic, social, and tourism objectives. The Ministry plays a pivotal role in encouraging tourism investment within nature reserves through its effective partnerships, particularly with the Environment Authority through the Nature Reserves Committee and the Nature Reserve Investment Projects Study Committee. These partnerships contribute to proposing tourism projects and products with an environmental identity, imbued with cultural content that aligns with the dimensions of sustainable development and enhances the tourism experience. Dr. Saeed bin Khalfan Al Musharfi, Assistant Director General for Projects and Product Development and representative of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism on the Nature Reserve Investment Projects Study Committee, said that the committee is studying and evaluating investment opportunities in nature reserves from various perspectives, with a focus on the environmental and cultural characteristics and competitive advantages of each reserve. Al Mashrafi added that the signing of nine investment projects in seven nature reserves to promote ecotourism with local community participation, with an investment volume exceeding OMR 44 million, with the Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) and several private sector institutions to develop, manage, and operate several investment projects in several reserves across the Sultanate of Oman's governorates, will contribute to the optimal utilization of the unique natural resources of these reserves, transforming them into sustainable ecotourism products that reflect the rich biodiversity while highlighting cultural content. He explained that these projects will include a range of distinguished services, most notably the establishment of information centers aimed at providing educational content about the biodiversity of each reserve, guidance services for tourists, and spaces dedicated to displaying handicrafts and local products provided by productive families. This will also include eco-friendly hotel facilities that align with the environmental framework of each reserve, ensuring a comprehensive and sustainable tourism experience. He emphasized that he is counting on these investment projects in nature reserves to provide exceptional experiences that enhance tourist interaction and connection with the surrounding natural and cultural environment through diverse activities that harmonize with the overall framework of the reserves. The tourist experience will not be limited to interacting with wildlife, but will extend to unique contemplative and astronomical activities, providing tourists with a unique, holistic experience that blends nature, science, and culture. Al Mashrafi stated that these investment projects will complement the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism's initiatives to launch other tourism models and products based on the optimal use of natural and cultural elements, such as adventure tourism, wellness tourism, and others. This will position the Sultanate of Oman as a tourist destination that caters to the tastes of local and international tourists. Al Mashrafi pointed out that one of the most important aspects of nature reserve development, operation, and management projects is ensuring effective local community participation. This is achieved by involving local community members in development, operation, and management programs, particularly by providing direct and indirect job opportunities for residents of neighboring areas. A number of private sector institutions, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, have signed agreements to manage, develop, and operate some reserves. Dr. Saeed bin Khalfan Al Mashrafi emphasized that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism's role in supporting investment projects in nature reserves is not limited to technical and organizational aspects, but extends to employing tourism products in nature reserves within tourism promotion programs that the Ministry and its partners are working to implement in various local, regional and international exhibitions and forums. This makes the Sultanate of Oman a leading destination in the field of environmental and scientific tourism, attracting researchers, academics and students, in addition to naturalists, astronomers and general visitors who are fans of sustainable tourism.
TECHx
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TECHx
Aseel Omran Joins Motorola as Brand Ambassador
Home » Top stories » Aseel Omran Joins Motorola as Brand Ambassador Saudi actress and singer Aseel Omran has partnered with Motorola as the brand's new ambassador. This collaboration marks the launch of Motorola's latest premium flip phone, the Razr 60 Ultra, in the Middle East. Born in Riyadh, Aseel Omran is known for her presence on reality shows like Gulf Stars and Hiya wa Huwa . She has over 6.5 million followers on Instagram and has worked with international music producers, including RedOne. Her creative journey and influence make her a powerful voice in the Arab entertainment industry. Omran reflects the values of Motorola—iconic design and cutting-edge innovation. She is seen as a role model for Saudi women. Her ability to connect with youth and her presence in fashion and music align well with Motorola's vision. Motorola aims to blend technology with lifestyle. Previous partnerships with brands like Swarovski, Pantone, and Bose show its commitment to culture and design. The brand's latest collaboration with Omran supports its goal to create deeper connections in the region. According to Motorola, Aseel's personality—bold, innovative, and influential—makes her a strong fit for the campaign. She is also known for supporting causes such as her advocacy with UNHCR. This partnership allows her to connect with her fans in more meaningful ways. 'I'm thrilled to partner with Motorola, a brand that shares my passion for blending iconic style and design with the latest cutting-edge technology,' said Omran. 'I'm excited to use the power of technology to connect with my audience in new and inspiring ways, and to continue empowering women across the Kingdom and the region.' Vinayak Shenoy, Marketing Director, MEA at Motorola, added: 'We're excited to welcome Aseel Omran to the Motorola family as our first ambassador in the Middle East. Aseel's talent and influence make her a role model who has defied cultural norms to define her own path and empower others. She perfectly aligns with our values of 'flipping the script' and 'Make it Iconic.' This partnership will help us reach a wider audience and celebrate cultural diversity, innovation, and collaboration.' The newly launched Motorola Razr 60 Ultra blends design and technology. It is compact and uses premium finishes like Alcantara and real wood. With moto AI integration, the phone offers a smarter user experience. Key features include: Qualcomm Snapdragon® AI engine 68W TurboPower™ fast charging, the fastest in any flip phone Motorola continues to bring lifestyle and innovation together through technology. Aseel Omran's role highlights the brand's commitment to the region and its evolving digital audience.
