Oman

23 Nov 2022; MEMO: The British Army's presence is growing in the Sultanate of Oman, which is increasingly serving as a strategically important global hub for them. The Ras Madrakah Joint Training Area, located near the Duqm Port, will be used more frequently by the Army, raised from around six weeks per annum to more than eight months in a year, according to a report yesterday by Army Technology.

13 Nov 2022; MEMO: Oman has reported an alarming rise in the number of patients infected with HIV, with eight cases reported each week, local media reports.

According to Oman News, there were over 3,580 HIV cases recorded last year. Of those, 1,960 passed away.

09 Nov 2022; MEMO: Oman's Energy Minister, Salim Al-Aufi said on Tuesday he saw oil prices coming down from the range of $90 a barrel after the winter season, Reuters reports.

"We don't believe that the current prices are sustainable comfortably," he told Reuters on the sidelines of the COP27 climate conference in Egypt's coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

"We believe after the winter season they will go down … we think it will go to a much more comfortable position in the 70s," he said.

07 Nov 2022; MEMO: Oman recorded a budget surplus of $2.92bn (OR1.12), the country's Finance Ministry says, local media reports.

According to the report, the high price of oil and an increase in gas revenue contributed to public revenue, according to the monthly report by the Finance Ministry.

There was a 43.4 per cent increase in revenue, as OR10.64bn ($27.6bn) was measured against OR7.4bn ($19.2bn).

21 June 2022; MEMO: Two Omani fishermen have been found alive after being missing at sea for 10 days. They were spotted near Pakistan by a merchant ship, reported the Oman Observer on Saturday.

11 May 2022; MEMO: Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, visited Oman on Wednesday, a fellow member of the OPEC+ alliance of oil producers, where he met with the Gulf Arab state's ruling Sultan, Omani state media said, and Reuters reports.

US-allied Gulf states have not taken sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict while urging restraint and diplomacy to end the crisis. Gulf oil producers had also resisted Western calls to pump more oil and help isolate Moscow.

MUSCAT, May 11. /TASS/: Russia hopes that after its targets of the current special military operation in Ukraine are reached, the West will halt its drive for the ‘unipolar world’ and stop violating the principles of the UN Charter, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

01 May 2022; MEMO: Oman's Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik has issued a special pardon to over 300 inmates ahead of Eid Al-Fitr which will be celebrated tomorrow for much of the Muslim world.

According to Oman News Agency (ONA), "His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik , the Supreme Commander, issues his special pardon to a group of prison inmates convicted in various cases. An official source in the Royal Oman Police stated that those who were honoured with the royal pardon reached 304 inmates, including 108 foreigners."

01 Nov 2021; MEMO: Oman is set to launch its first satellite into space by 2022, joining some of its Gulf neighbours in having a presence in the Earth's orbit.

According to the Omani newspaper, Al-Shabiba, over the weekend, the country's satellite named "CubeSat" will be launched into the Earth's low orbit with the assistance of two Omani companies— ETCO and Tuatara—and the Polish firm, Sat Revolution.

03 Oct 2021; MEMO: Tropical Cyclone Shaheen bore down on Oman on Sunday, prompting authorities to delay flights to and from the capital, Muscat, and to urge residents to evacuate coastal areas, reports Reuters.

The eye of the storm was about 60 km (40 miles) from Muscat and it was carrying top winds of 120 kph (75 mph) or more, a joint statement by the country's hazard, weather, and civil aviation agencies said.