FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 6, 2020 | RABEE AL AWWAL 20, 1442 AH

EUROPE NOW REGION HARDEST HIT BY VIRUS INFECTIONS P4

INSIDE

editor@omanobserver.omEstablished 1981. Editor-in-chief: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili

WORDS OF WISDOMThroughout our country’s glorious history, the world has known Oman as an influential cultural entity, which promoted the region’s growth and prosperity, and security and peace

OMAN

CONDOLENCES TO

UAE, VIETNAM

HM GREETS NEW

SEYCHELLES PRESIDENT

His Majesty Sultan Haitham

bin Tarik has sent a cable of

condolences to Shaikh Khalifa

bin Zayed al Nahyan, President

of the United Arab Emirates, on

the death of Shaikha Maryam

bint Hamdan bin Zayed bin

Khalifa al Nahyan.

His Majesty the Sultan

expressed his sincere

condolences and sympathy,

praying to Allah the Almighty to

rest the deceased’s soul in peace

in paradise and grant her family

patience.

His Majesty the Sultan sent

a similar cable of condolences

to President Dr Nguyen Phu

Trong of the Socialist Republic

of Vietnam over losses of lives

caused by the floods which

battered several Vietnamese

cities.

His Majesty expressed his

heartfelt condolences and

sympathy to President Nguyen,

families of the victims and the

Vietnamese friendly people,

wishing the injured speedy

recovery. — ONA

His Majesty Sultan Haitham

bin Tarik has sent a cable of

greetings to President Wavel

Ramkalawan of the Republic

of Seychelles on the occasion

of him being elected as a new

President for his country. His

Majesty the Sultan expressed his

sincere congratulations and best

wishes of success to President

Ramkalawan to lead the friendly

people of Seychelles towards

further progress and prosperity.

His Majesty also wished

relations of friendship between

the two countries further

progress and growth. — ONA

PRAYER TIMINGSPRAYER TIMINGS SUNRISE: 06:16 FAJR: 04:58 DHUHR: 11:56 ASR: 15:07 MAGHRIB: 17:30 ISHA: 18:43MUSCAT: Max 320C Min 180C SALALAH: Max 290C Min 200C NIZWA: Max 320C Min 150C

SPECTACULAR SAIJAThis beautiful village in the Wilayat of Samayil forms the picturesque valley under the cliffs of Al Hajar Al Gharbi Range connected to Jabal Al Akhdhar. Saija was known in the past as “Sail Ga” means “Rain is coming” due to the heavy annual rains in the village. The water-rich region receives rains throughout the year and harbours aflaj that are the source of life in and around the village. SEE P3

HM receives ambassadors’ credentials

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan

Haitham bin Tarik received

separately at Al Barakah Palace on

Thursday credentials of a number

of ambassadors of the sisterly and

friendly countries accredited to the

Sultanate.

His Majesty received credentials of

the following ambassadors:

Manabile Shogole, Extraordinary

and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of

President Cyril Ramaphosa of the

Republic of South Africa, accredited

to the Sultanate.

Abdallah Abasi Kilima,

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Ambassador of President Dr John

Magufuli of the United Republic of

Tanzania, accredited to the Sultanate.

Thomas Friedrich, Extraordinary

and Plenipotentiary Ambassador

of President Dr Frank-Walter

Steinmeier of the Federal Republic of

Germany, accredited to the Sultanate.

Dmitry Dugadkin, Extraordinary

and Plenipotentiary Ambassador

of President Vladimir Putin of the

Russian Federation, accredited to the

Sultanate.

Anwar Abdul Halimov,

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Ambassador of President Shavkat

Mirziyoyev of the Republic of

Uzbekistan, accredited to the

Sultanate.

Suwat Kaewsook, Extraordinary

and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of

King Maha Vajiralongkorn of the

Kingdom of Thailand, accredited to

the Sultanate.

VOL. 39 NO. 358 | PAGES 12 | BAISAS 200

TURN TO P2

Biden closer to win, Trump launches legal challengesWASHINGTON: Republicans in the

United States pledged to pursue their

legal challenges in key battleground

states on Thursday, as the Democratic

nominee for president, Joe Biden,

inched closer to winning the White

House.

“We support the voters that stood

hours in line that feel like they’re

being disenfranchised by votes being

found in the middle of the night,”

said Republican National Committee

Chair Rona McDaniel to Fox News.

Republicans have filed lawsuits in

Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia,

and have asked for a vote re-count

in Wisconsin. They say that mail-

in ballots that arrived after the state

deadlines are being counted anyway,

and that Republican poll watchers are

being shut out.

It is unclear whether these lawsuits

will have the desired effect of having

some mail-in ballots disqualified.

US voters are expecting updates on

Thursday in the handful of states still

in play in the hope of getting a decisive

result on whether Trump or Biden

had won. Biden has a lead in the race

and has multiple pathways to victory,

while Trump is in a tighter spot.

All eyes will be on Nevada,

Georgia and Pennsylvania to see if

any are solid enough to be called

for a candidate. If Biden can hold a

lead in Arizona, which is also set to

report more results, any other state

coming in for him will likely push his

campaign over the line.

The election has been a nail-biter,

with the Democrats having failed to

deliver the repudiation of Trump that

they had promised. The Republicans

look set to hold a slim majority in the

Senate, while the Democratic majority

in the House of Representatives

shrunk.

Trump does not appear ready to

concede the election, as he has even

claimed victory in states that are still

up-in-the-air and even Michigan, one

that clearly went for Biden. It is highly

unusual for a candidate to make such

a move.

Several of Trump’s posts on Twitter

and Facebook have been affixed

with warning messages, including

ones claiming “fraud” without proof,

amid concerns they were designed to

spread misinformation. SEE P5

P6HOW CONTAGIOUS ARE KIDS WITH COVID? SHORT ANSWER: WE DON’T KNOW

OMANTEL GROUP POSTS REVENUES OF RO 1.859 BN

P7DHOFAR TO TAKE ON AL NAHDHA, IBRI TO MEET AL ORUBA IN HM CUP SEMIS

P9

Oman Air named Middle East’s leading airlineMUSCAT: Oman Air, the national

carrier of the Sultanate, has

received internationally acclaimed

recognition in the 2020 World Travel

Awards Middle East programme.

The airline has been named The

“Middle East’s Leading Airline”

Business Class and “Middle East’s

Leading Airline” Economy Class.

The Airline’s in-flight magazine,

Wings of Oman, also earned the

title, “Middle East’s Leading Inflight

Magazine”.

Voted by travel and tourism

professionals and consumers

worldwide, the honour recognises

the commitment to excellence each

winner has demonstrated. — ONA

Young activists and Democratic party candidate supporters gather outside of the White House in Washington DC. — AFP

FROM PAGE 1

Qadam Shah Shahim, Extraordinary and

Plenipotentiary Ambassador of President Ashraf

Ghani of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,

accredited to the Sultanate.

During the side meetings with His Majesty the

Sultan, the ambassadors conveyed greetings of the

leaders of their respective countries along with their

best wishes of good health, happiness and a long

life to His Majesty the Sultan and the Omani people

continuous progress and prosperity under the wise

leadership of His Majesty.

They also expressed their great honour and utmost

delight to present their credentials before His Majesty

the Sultan. They affirmed to exert their sincere efforts

to promote relations of their countries with the

Sultanate in various domains in a manner that serves

the joint interests of the Omani people and their

respective countries’ peoples.

His Majesty the Sultan welcomed the ambassadors,

expressing his thanks for their leaders’ greetings and

best wishes.

His Majesty affirmed to them that they would

receive all support from His Majesty, the Government

and the Omani people to facilitate carrying out their

duties.

The credentials’ presentation ceremony was

attended by the Minister of Interior, the Foreign

Minister, the Head of the Royal Protocols, the

Commander of the Royal Guard of Oman and the

Military Aides to His Majesty the Sultan.

— ONA

HM RECEIVES AMBASSADORS’ CREDENTIALS

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GCC tourism ministers discuss cooperation

Sultanate attends GCC health ministers’ committee meeting

Saija — Green, picturesque village in Samayil

CAA marks World Tsunami Awareness Day

Total confirmed COVID-19 cases stand at 117,167

MUSCAT: The Sultanate,

represented by the Ministry

of Heritage and Tourism, on

Thursday took part in the 5th

meeting of the GCC Ministers

of Tourism, held via video-

conferencing.

The Sultanate was represented

in the meeting by Salim bin

Mohammed al Mahrouqi,

Minister of Heritage and Tourism.

The meeting discussed topics

related to promoting the joint

cooperation in the tourism field

in the GCC states, activating

integration to upgrade the sector

within a joint action that aims to

facilitate inter-tourism and benefit

from experiences in developing

aspects of tourism.

The meeting also discussed

the communique and Riyadh

Declaration of the 40th session of

the GCC Supreme Council.

It also discussed a memo of

the GCC Secretariat-General

on COVID-19 pandemic and

its impact on the tourism sector

among other topics.

— ONA

MUSCAT: The Sultanate,

represented by the Ministry of

Health, on Thursday took part

through video-conferencing in

the 6th meeting of the Health

Ministers’ Committee of the GCC

and Yemen.

The Sultanate was represented

in the meeting by Dr Ahmed bin

Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of

Health.

The meeting comes within the

framework of joining the efforts

of the member states to achieve

a unified health strategy and to

strengthen and implement joint

GCC action.

The GCC Health Ministers

discussed the updates in the

implementation of the decisions

of the 40th session of the

Supreme Council, held in Riyadh

in December 2019, as well the

contents of the final declaration,

particularly the health field,

such as the conclusion of global

competitiveness requirements

and strengthening strategic

partnership.

Non-tariff restrictions for the

GCC Ministries of Health were

also discussed, in addition to

following-up the implementation

of the decisions of the GCC

Supreme Council in this field.

Moreover, the meeting

presented reports of the General

Committee on the efforts made

by the GCC countries to confront

COVID-19 pandemic.

The Secretariat’s General vision

on strengthening joint Gulf action

in the post-COVID-19 pandemic

was also reviewed.

The meeting also discussed

the work plan of the GCC Health

Ministers’ Committee, following

up the implementation of the

International Health Regulations,

the Gulf guide for epidemic

preparedness and response

plans, and the public health plan

for emergency preparedness

and response, in addition to

developing general framework for

the public health emergency plan

at the GCC countries’ airports,

as well the early health warning

system.

Further, the meeting

discussed the need to unify a

guide for healthy cities in the

GCC states that have obtained

accreditation from the World

Health Organization (WHO) and

develop a relevant strategy within

the 2020-2030 plan.

The GCC Health Council is an

authority that seeks to achieve a

comprehensive and unified health

strategy among the GCC states

and strengthen integration for

citizens of the member states to

obtain the highest standards of

health. — ONA

SAMAYIL: Saija village is one of

the beautiful villages of the Wilayat

of Samayil in the Governorate of Al

Dakhiliyah. It is located under the

slope of the mountain extending

from Al Hajar Al Gharbi (Western

Mountain Range) connected to

Jabal Al Akhdhar or the Green

Mountain.

The village was known in the

past as ‘Sail Ga’ which means flow

of rains due to the heavy rains that

hit the village, covering the farms

with green.

There are many historical

and religious monuments in the

village, such as forts, towers and

old neighbourhoods that stand

witness to the greatness and glory

of the Omani people.

There are also a number of

archaeological sites, including

‘Al Rajm’ which is a collection of

graves dating back hundreds of

years at the entrance to the village.

Said bin Hamoud al Yarubi

(pictured), one of the villagers,

said, “In the village there are old

neighbourhoods that host a group

of houses that were previously

inhabited by most of the villagers,

the most famous of which are

the neighbourhoods of Yaariba,

the Hadhrami and the Jabryeen

neighbourhood.

The village has three entrances

namely Al Sabahat, which are

gates that were opened at dawn

and closed after sunset prayers,

or according to what the people

agreed on at that time”.

He said that due to the strategic

location of the village near Al

Hajar Al Gharbi Range, it had

many defensive fortifications, such

as the Yellow tower, Al Khub tower,

Al Sharaj tower, Hamrout tower,

Wind tower and Al Maqsoura

tower, the most famous of which is

the Al Sawda tower.

“All of these towers have

disappeared. Therefore, the people

of the village are looking forward

to restoring them to be part of

the best witness to the history

and heritage of the village and its

ancient past,” he adds.

There are about 13 old mosques

in the village, the most famous

of which is Jama Mosque, which

is considered one of the largest

mosques in the village.

There are many facilities in

the village including a school for

teaching the Holy Quran and a

well dedicated to drinking and

ablution, in addition to other

mosques, such as the Khamis

Mosque, Al Maqsoura Mosque

and the Al Makhrasi Mosque.

Saija village is characterised

by the abundance of water, as it

receives plenty of rains throughout

the year.

The village also houses many

aflaj, the ancient irrigation system

or water channels including Falaj

Al Hamam, whose water flows

from the bottom of the mountain.

Its water is hot, especially during

winter. This made it a destination

for many tourists, whether citizens

or foreigners, in addition to Falaj

Al Qari, Falaj Al Hadith and Falaj

Al Mahdouth. — ONA

MUSCAT: The Sultanate,

represented by the Civil Aviation

Authority (CAA), on Wednesday

marked the World Tsunami

Awareness Day, which falls on

November 5 every year.

The celebration for 2020 aims

to encourage the development of

local and national plans to reduce

disaster risks and save lives.

The Sultanate seeks to enhance

awareness of the dangers of

tsunami waves and how to deal

with them, reduce their risks,

raise the level of preparedness

and response.

The Sultanate also continues

participating in global and

regional conferences, as well as

drills related to this issue. The

Sultanate also cooperates in

implementing the tsunami waves

awareness programme with the

authorities concerned in the

Sultanate, such as the National

Committee for Civil Defence

(NCCD), the Ministry of

Education, and Oman National

Commission for Education,

Culture and Science.

The launch of the Multi

Hazard Early Warning project

in the Sultanate, following the

tsunami of 2004, is one of the

Sultanate’s prominent efforts to

pay attention to this issue.

Through this projects, the

National Multi Hazard Early

Warning Centre was established

at the Civil Aviation Authority.

It was provided with the

latest equipment, and it was

inaugurated on March 23, 2015.

— ONA

MUSCAT: The total number of

positive COVID-19 cases in the

Sultanate reached 117,167, while

the number of recoveries stood

at 107,368, comprising 91.6 per

cent.

Meanwhile, the total number

of COVID-19 related death cases

stood at 1,286, the Ministry of

Health said.

The Ministry also pointed out

that 39 cases were hospitalised

over the past 24 hours, adding

that the total number of current

hospitalised COVID-19-infected

patients stands at 353, of them

145 are in intensive care units

(ICU). — ONA

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world

DUTCH TO CULL

CHICKENS AS BIRD

FLU FOUND

The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture

on Thursday ordered the culling

of 200,000 chickens after highly

pathogenic bird flu was found at a

farm in the eastern town of Puiflijk.

The cull, which includes birds at a

second farm within a 1km radius,

is the second in the country within

a month after the H5N8 disease

was first found in wild fowl.

Risk to humans from the disease

is considered low, but the World

Health Organization says it has

been spreading among migratory

birds that then transmit it to

domestic poultry.

Britain on Monday ordered

a cull of 13,000 birds at a farm in

Frodsham, Cheshire, after detecting

cases there.

In briefPRISTINA

DHAKA

AMSTERDAM

BANGLADESH

SIGNS DEAL

WITH INDIA

Bangladesh signed a deal with

the Serum Institute of India on

Thursday to buy 30 million doses of

potential coronavirus vaccine being

developed by British drugmaker

AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca’s

experimental COVID-19 vaccine

is seen as one of the most advanced

candidates in the race against the

novel coronavirus.

“Whenever the vaccine is ready,

the Serum Institute will give us 30

million doses in the first phase,”

Health Minister Zahid Maleque

told reporters after the deal was

signed in Dhaka.

He said five million doses

of vaccine per month would be

purchased through Bangladesh’s

drug maker, Beximco

Pharmaceuticals.

THACI QUITS AFTER

INDICTMENT

CONFIRMED

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci

resigned with immediate effect on

Thursday after learning that a war

crimes tribunal in the Hague had

confirmed his indictment for war

crimes. Thaci told a news conference

in the Kosovo capital Pristina that

he felt his resignation was necessary

“to protect the integrity of the state”

because the judge at the Kosovo

Specialist Chamber would not allow

him to appear as president.

The tribunal was set up in 2015

to handle cases of alleged crimes

during a war that led to Kosovo’s

independence from Serbia a

decade later. The court is governed

by Kosovo law but staffed by

international judges and prosecutors.

Under the constitution, the head

of parliament will serve as acting

president until a new one is elected.

Beijing curbs foreign arrivals over resurgenceBEIJING: China on Thursday

defended a ban on non-Chinese

arrivals from a growing list of

countries as “reasonable and fair” as

it guards against a resurgence of the

coronavirus.

COVID-19 first emerged in

central China late last year, but

Beijing has largely brought its

outbreak under control through

tight travel restrictions and stringent

health measures for anyone entering

the country.

In March, as the virus ripped

across the world, China shut its

borders to all foreign nationals.

It gradually eased restrictions

to allow those stranded overseas to

return with special permission from

its embassies, negative COVID-19

tests and a two-week quarantine on

arrival.

But in a sharp reversal, as the

outbreak once more billows out

across Europe, the Chinese Embassy

in the UK on Wednesday said

Beijing had decided to “temporarily

suspend” entry from Britain by non-

Chinese nationals.

Embassies in Belgium, the

Philippines, India, Ukraine and

Bangladesh have since put out

similar notices.

The Chinese foreign ministry said

on Thursday it was a “reasonable and

fair” measure to tackle the pandemic.

“China is drawing on the practices

of many countries and adjusting its

handling of the entry of the relevant

people into China based on the

changing pandemic situation,” said

ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

Britain — one of the world’s

hardest-hit countries with nearly

48,000 deaths linked to the virus and

more than one million cases — has

entered a new nationwide lockdown

to curb the contagion’s spread.

Belgium, meanwhile, which has

the most COVID-19 cases per capita

in the world, has been in lockdown

since last week, while large parts

of the Philippines went back into

lockdown in October.

India passed eight million

cases last week, second only to the

United States, while Ukraine and

Bangladesh have also been sources

of imported cases in China in recent

months.

Beijing has recently tightened

requirements for travellers from

several other countries, making

entry much more difficult.

They include the presentation of

a health certificate from the local

Chinese Embassy showing the results

of a nucleic acid test and an antibody

test — within 48 hours of travel.

The new rules apply to travellers from

countries including France, Singapore,

Canada, Germany, Pakistan, South

Africa and the US. — AFP

Medical staff members check the temperature of people as they enter at Capital Airport, following an outbreak of COVID-19, in Beijing, on Thursday. — Reuters

Europe now region hardest hit by virus infectionsPARIS: Europe has become the

region with the highest number

of registered cases of the new

coronavirus, according to a tally by

AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday based

on health authority data.

The continent’s 52 countries have

a combined total of 11.6 million cases

including more than 293,000 deaths,

ahead of Latin America and the

Caribbean which has reported 11.4

million cases with 407,000 deaths.

Europe has again become the

epicentre of the pandemic in recent

weeks after experiencing a lull during

the northern hemisphere summer.

Since the beginning of October,

the region has had the highest

number of new infections daily in the

world.

Last week, 277,000 new cases a day

were recorded, more than half of the

total number of cases worldwide of

517,000 daily.

And the pandemic continues to

accelerate across the continent, with

the number of cases detected last

week 20 per cent higher than the

previous week.

In terms of fatalities, the pace is

even faster, with almost 50 per cent

more new deaths — 21,500 last week,

compared with 14,403 the week

before.

The countries in the region with

the most new cases in the last seven

days are: France (44,000 cases daily

on average, up 11 per cent over the

previous week), Italy (28,600, up

43 per cent), the United Kingdom

(22,400, up two per cent), Spain

(21,100, up 13 per cent) and Poland

(20,000, up 46 per cent).

SWEDISH ALARM

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan

Lofven went into self-isolation

on Thursday and warned that the

soaring coronavirus cases had created

a “serious situation” again, as the

country’s deaths passed 6,000.

Lofven said in a Facebook post

that he was isolating with his wife at

home and would get tested soon after

a person within his social circle tested

positive for COVID-19.

“It’s the only responsible thing to

do in this situation,” Lofven said.

The head of government also

warned that developments were

“going in the wrong direction quickly.”

“More people are infected. More

people are dying. It is a serious

situation,” he said.

Lofven said he had not been

in direct contact with someone

confirmed to have the coronavirus

but someone in his “vicinity” had.

Even though that person had since

tested negative, he had decided to

self-isolate on the advice of his doctor.

After seeing a heavy death toll

from March to June — over 5,000 in a

country of 10.3 million inhabitants —

Sweden registered a decrease in both

cases and fatalities between July and

mid-October.

Since then, the number of cases

has soared and deaths have also

started climbing in recent days.

On Thursday, the country

reported another five deaths linked

to COVID-19, bringing the total to

6,002.

“Looking at the number of

deceased per week, we are also

seeing an impact with increases over

the last two weeks,” Karin Tegmark

Wisell, head of microbiology at the

Public Health Agency, told a press

conference.

In response to the surge, Sweden,

which famously has elected to

curb the virus with mostly non-

coercive measures, has issued stricter

recommendations for heavily hit

areas.

These include calls for people to

avoid crowded indoor environment

and if possible all physical contact

with other than people in your own

household.

On Thursday, these

recommendations were extended

to two more regions meaning more

than half of Sweden’s 21 healthcare

districts have now received stricter

local recommendations. Another

4,034 cases was also reported in the

last 24 hours, one of the highest daily

totals on record, bringing the total to

141,764 cases. — AFP

A bus drives past a sign displaying the measures imposed by the government against the outbreak of the COVID-19, on the first day of a newly imposed lockdown, in London, on Thursday. — Reuters

NEW DELHI: India’s capital is

reeling from the double impact

of the coronavirus and severe

air pollution, New Delhi’s chief

minister warned on Thursday,

as the megacity reported a

record jump in cases and its

worst smog in a year.

With fears growing about

rising infections, Chief Minister

Arvind Kejriwal also banned

firecrackers from being used

this month during Diwali, the

biggest festival on the Hindu

calendar.

The air quality index —

measuring the tiny particles

which enter the bloodstream

and vital organs — was at its

most dangerous since last

November, according to the

state-run System of Air Quality

Weather Forecasting and

Research (SAFAR).

The toxic haze blanketing

Delhi, which regularly turns the

city of 20 million people into

the world’s most-polluted, came

as officials late on Wednesday

reported a new daily-high of

6,842 virus infections in the

capital.

And the filthy air is

actually driving more cases of

COVID-19, Kejriwal told an

online briefing.

“The corona situation

is worsening because of

pollution,” he said, echoing

medical analysis which says

existing illnesses caused by

poor air quality could make

people more vulnerable to the

coronavirus.

Anumita Roy Chowdhury,

of the Delhi-based Centre for

Science and Environment,

said: “Some global studies have

already shown how the effect of

the pandemic is higher in more

polluted regions.”

And Santosh Harish, at the

Delhi-based Center for Policy

Research, said: “Evidence from

previous related infections

and emerging research suggest

that pollution exposure

could increase severity of the

infection, and the transmission

of the virus.”

MORE CROP BURNING

Kejriwal blamed the

choking smoke on agricultural

burning, saying regional state

governments were not helping

farmers to find alternative ways

to clear their fields.

“We will come together

to celebrate Diwali without

crackers. If we burst crackers,

we are affecting the lives of our

family and our children,” he

added.

The cracker frenzy usually

turns Delhi’s grey winter skies

into a putrid yellow.

Every winter, Delhi is

blanketed by haze from a build-

up of vehicle fumes, industrial

emissions and smoke from

agricultural fires in regions

around the capital. — AFP

A man uses his mobile phone as he rides a camel along with other commuters along a street amid smoggy condition in New Delhi on Thursday. — AFP

Delhi battling dual crises of pollution and coronavirus

The continent’s 52 countries have a

combined total of 11.6 million cases including

more than 293,000 deaths, ahead of Latin

America and the Caribbean which has reported 11.4 million

cases with 407,000 deaths

US POLLS OMANDAILYOBSERVERF R I D A Y l N O V E M B E R 6 l 2 0 2 0 5

TRUMP TURNS TO COURTS

WASHINGTON: Democrat Joe Biden

edged closer to victory over President

Donald Trump in the US presidential

race on Thursday as election officials

tallied votes in the handful of states

that will determine the outcome.

The Republican president, who

during the long and rancourous

campaign attacked the integrity of the

American voting system, has alleged

fraud without providing evidence,

filed lawsuits and called for at least one

recount. Some legal experts called the

challenges a long shot unlikely to affect

the eventual outcome of the election.

As counting continued two days

after Election Day, slowed by large

numbers of mail-in ballots this year,

Biden was leading in Wisconsin,

Nevada and Arizona and closing in on

Trump in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Multiple Trump lawsuits and a recount

request would have to succeed and

find in some cases tens of thousands

of invalid ballots to reverse the result

if Biden does prevail.

Some of the outstanding votes

in Georgia and Pennsylvania were

clustered in places expected to lean

Democratic — like the Atlanta and

Philadelphia areas. In Georgia’s

Fulton County, which includes most

of Atlanta, officials said they expected

to finish vote tallying on Thursday

morning, with 10,000 absentee ballots

left to count. By early on Thursday,

Trump led by 19,000 votes out of

nearly 5 million cast in the state.

Trump had to win the states

where he was still ahead, including

North Carolina, plus either Arizona

or Nevada to triumph and avoid

becoming the first incumbent US

president to lose a re-election bid since

fellow Republican George H W Bush

in 1992. The president appears to have

grown more upset as his leads in some

states have diminished or evaporated

during the counting.

On Thursday morning, he weighed

in on Twitter, writing, “STOP THE

COUNT!” To capture the White

House, a candidate must amass at least

270 votes in the state-by-state Electoral

College. Such electoral votes are based

largely on a state’s population.

Edison Research gave Biden a

243 to 213 lead in Electoral College

votes. Other networks said Biden

had won Wisconsin, which would

give him another 10 votes. The

counting and court challenges set

the stage for days if not weeks of

uncertainty before December 8, the

deadline to resolve election disputes.

The president is sworn into office on

January 20, 2021. “The litigation looks

more like an effort to allow Trump to

continue rhetorically attempting to

delegitimatise an electoral loss,” said

Joshua Geltzer, Executive Director

of Georgetown Law’s Institute

for Constitutional Advocacy and

Protection.

RAZOR-THIN MARGINS

Biden, a 77-year-old former

vice-president, predicted victory on

Wednesday and launched a website to

begin the transition to a Democratic-

controlled White House. Trump,

74, is seeking a second four years in

office after a tumultuous first term.

Trump’s campaign called for a recount

in Wisconsin, where Biden led by

roughly 21,000 votes out of 3.3 million

cast, a margin slim enough to entitle

him to a recount.

However, elections experts said

a recount in Wisconsin was seen as

unlikely to unlikely to alter the result.

His campaign also filed lawsuits in

Michigan and Pennsylvania to stop

vote counting. Michigan Secretary

of State Jocelyn Benson, in charge

of elections, called the Trump team’s

lawsuit “frivolous.”

Trump’s campaign filed a lawsuit

in Georgia to require that Chatham

County, which includes the city of

Savannah, separate and secure late-

arriving ballots to ensure they are not

counted. It also asked the US Supreme

Court to allow Trump to join a

pending lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania

Republicans over whether the

battleground state should be permitted

to accept late-arriving ballots that were

mailed by Election Day.

Trump’s campaign said it planned

to make an announcement in Las

Vegas later on Thursday. Fox News

reported the campaign would

announce another lawsuit, this one

alleging voter fraud in Nevada.

Despite Trump’s allegations of fraud

and an unsubstantiated charge that

Democrats are trying to “steal” the

election, US election experts say fraud

in balloting is rare.

Biden said every vote must be

counted. “No one’s going to take our

democracy away from us, not now, not

ever,” Biden said on Wednesday in his

home state of Delaware.

GRIDLOCK

If victorious, Biden would face

a tough battle to govern, with

Republicans appearing poised to

keep control of the US Senate, which

they could use to block large parts

of his legislative agenda, including

expanding healthcare access and

efforts aimed at fighting climate

change. The contentious election

aftermath capped a vitriolic campaign

that unfolded amid the coronavirus

pandemic, which has killed more than

233,000 people in the United States

and left millions more jobless.

The country has also grappled with

months of unrest involving protests

over racism and police brutality. The

United States set a one-day record for

new coronavirus cases on Wednesday

with at least 102,591 new infections,

according to a Reuters tally. With

tensions rising, about 200 of Trump’s

supporters, some armed with rifles

and handguns, gathered outside an

election office in Phoenix, Arizona, on

Wednesday following unsubstantiated

rumours that votes were not being

counted.

In Detroit, officials blocked about

30 people, mostly Republicans, from

entering a vote-counting facility

amid unfounded claims that the vote

count in Michigan was fraudulent.

Anti-Trump protesters in other cities

demanded that vote counting continue

and there were arrests in Portland,

Oregon, as well as New York, Denver

and Minneapolis. Over 100 events are

planned across the country between

Wednesday and Saturday.

By early on Thursday, Biden had

drawn about 3.6 million more votes

than Trump nationwide. Trump

defeated Democrat Clinton in 2016

after winning crucial battleground

states and securing the Electoral

College wine even though she drew

about 3 million more votes nationwide.

— Reuters

Biden was leading in Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona and closing in on Trump in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Oregon State Troopers block a street as they confront protesters in Portland on Wednesday . — AFP

Key battleground states No results yet

US electoral college votes results

IN

TX

WA

CO

AZ

KS

OK

MN

IA

AR

LA

WI

KYTN

MS AL GA

ID

MT

WY

CA

NV

AK

HI

UT

NM

NE*OHIL

NH

ORMA

PA

FL

MDDC

DE

NY

NJ

MEVT

RICT

Joe Biden

Donald Trump

Provisional results, as of Nov 5, 1430 GMT

WV

SD

ND

votes to win

MO

MI

VA

NCSC

Source: US networks

*4 electoral votes for Trump,1 for Biden in Nebraska

Arizona (AZ), which was initially called for Biden, is nowagain an undecided state as the margin between the two candidates tightens and counting of final votes continues

The Republican president has alleged fraud without providing evidence, filed lawsuits and called for at least one recount

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer.

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Website: omanobserver.om EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili e-mail: editor@omanobserver.om

ECOLOGICAL IMBALANCE

Indigenous Tao way of life under threatWhile 2020 will be remembered by many as a

year of travel bans and cancelled vacations, the

indigenous Tao people of Orchid Island will

remember it as the year unprecedented numbers

of visitors descended on their once tranquil

home. The small island, 90 km off Taiwan’s

southeast coast, is home to approximately 4,700

ethnic Austronesian Tao or Yami people, and

has in recent years become a popular holiday

destination for both Taiwanese and foreigners

alike.

But with bans on international travel due

to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year Orchid

Island has experienced an unexpected surge

in domestic visitors to more than 220,000 —

putting a strain on both its natural resources and

its inhabitants. A community whose livelihood

revolves around fishing, anthropologists believe

the Tao people migrated to Orchid Island from

Batan Island in the northern Philippines around

800 years ago.

They have their own language and belief

system, as well as customs such as tatala

boat-building, underground houses and taro

cultivation. Since 1982, Orchid Island has also

housed a nuclear waste facility, which has drawn

strong opposition and protests from Tao locals.

Taiwan has

enforced tight

measures to

curb the spread

of COVID-19,

resulting in

only 550 cases

and seven

deaths. Taiwan’s

government

encouraged

the country’s

nearly 24 million

population,

roughly

equivalent to

Australia’s, to spend the summer vacation

within the country’s borders in order to

bolster the economy, offering travel subsidies

and discounts. On many days during the

summer, ferries to Orchid Island, as well as

accommodation on the island were completely

booked up.

Many Tao islanders are now engaged in the

seasonal tourism industry, working as scuba

instructors, hoteliers, restaurateurs and guides.

However, with 82,000 visitors over July and

August alone, the 45 kilometre-square island’s

traditional Tao way of life and ecological balance

have been pushed to the brink.

“Here it used to be so beautiful and clean,

but since more people have been arriving, the

whole place has become a sewage plant,”

says Lu Mai of the Orchid Island Youth Action

Alliance.

To cope with the amount of trash produced

on the island over the summer, hoteliers

launched a “take home one kilogram per

person” scheme aimed at tourists.

The township office similarly initiated a

donation scheme of 200 NTD (US $7) per

visitor to help with the cost of transporting

garbage back to the mainland. But much of what

is picked up on the coasts has floated across the

sea from countries such as China, Vietnam, and

Hong Kong.

For the past seven years, Tao men have

organised and undertaken an annual

ocean clean-up scheme funded by Taiwan’s

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

As well as litter and pollution, the increasing

presence of Taiwanese fishing trawlers frustrates

local volunteers, many of whom are small-scale

fishermen.

“Go to the market, you’ll see the catches are

getting smaller.

— Thomson Reuters Foundation

TEN MONTHS INTO

A PANDEMIC THAT

HAS CLAIMED 1.2

MILLION LIVES

EXPERTS ARE STILL

DIVIDED ON THE

QUESTION

Win or lose, Trump’s movement stronger and bigger than everTHOMAS URBAIN

The US presidential

election is still up in the

air, but one thing is for

certain: the movement

created by Donald Trump

is alive and well, and more solid than

pundits expected.

No matter if he wins or loses,

Trumpism looks set to live on.

Republican political pundit Sophia

A Nelson summed it up quickly: “The

Trump movement is real. And it’s here

to stay.”

Despite being repeatedly — and

wrongly — described as only older,

white and rural, Trump’s base will help

deliver the third highest vote total in

American political history — behind

only Joe Biden, and Barack Obama in

2008.

Hispanic voters, often expected to

lean left, turned to Trump this time

around — their turnout in Florida

helped him easily defeat Biden in the

Sunshine State in Tuesday’s nailbiter of

an election.

“Ahead of the election, a lot of

pundits talked about how Trump

wasn’t bringing new voters to his

camp,” said Abraham Gutman,

who is on the editorial board at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

But he will have, at a minimum,

won about five million more votes

this time around then he did in 2016

against Hillary Clinton.

“Regardless of the eventual outcome

— in the state contests for electors

or in the popular vote margin — the

media needs a serious post mortem

to explore how, despite so much ink

spilled on Trump voters, the story of

the growth of the Trump movement

was totally missed,” Gutman said.

Trump staged dozens of campaign

rallies in the run-up to Tuesday’s

showdown at the polls with the

Democratic former vice-president.

He was regularly greeted by sizeable

crowds.

Truck parades for the Republican

incumbent rolled through town after

American town, as did boat processions

in waterfront communities.

All were evidence of a wide base of

support.

“His supporters love him. They

love him for this fact that he keeps

America first and Americans first,”

Jim Worthington, the founder of

People4Trump, said in a phone

interview.

“They realise that he’s fighting for

them. We broadened our coalition,”

added Worthington, who owns two

gyms.

‘REAL AFFECTION’

Trump’s controversial handling

of the coronavirus pandemic, which

has so far claimed the lives of more

than 233,000 Americans, his tough

immigration policies and his brash

style of speaking have not dissuaded

his fans.

The real estate mogul turned world

leader is still one of the most popular

Republicans in recent memory, since

Ronald Reagan.

His supporters “have a real affection

for this guy despite all of his flaws or

maybe because of his flaws,” said John

Feehery, a lobbyist with EFB Advocacy

who has worked with several

Republican lawmakers.

That’s a strange thing. I think part of

it is because he’s so authentic. (...) He

says what’s on his mind. And people

like seeing what’s on his mind.”

— AFP

PAUL RICARD

Are children a major source of

contagion for COVID-19? Ten

months into a pandemic that has

claimed 1.2 million lives experts are

still divided on the question, even as

governments must decide whether to

keep classrooms open or shut.

During the first wave of infection,

scientific consensus formed around

the concern that children might be a

crucial vector — as they are for the flu

— in spreading the new coronavirus.

And then, moving into the summer,

the opposite idea took hold: kids,

especially young ones, did not infect

others that much, several studies

suggested.

“If you look at the scientific

literature, it’s really not very clear,”

said Dominique Costagliola, an

epidemiologist at the Marie and

Pierre Curie Faculty of the Sorbonne

University in Paris.

These apparently contradictory

results have not made things any

easier for policy makers struggling to

balance the health of their citizens and

their economies.

A number of studies showed that

children, who rarely show symptoms

when infected, were not highly

contagious to other family members

during lockdowns in the Spring.

But that was during a period when

schools were shut down and the

spread of the virus had slowed, noted

epidemiologist Zoe Hyde, a professor

at the University of Western Australia.

“Most studies of COVID-19 and

children have been conducted during

highly unusual lockdown periods

or at a time of low community

How contagious are kids with COVID? Short answer: we don’t know

THE REAL

ESTATE MOGUL

TURNED WORLD

LEADER IS STILL

ONE OF THE

MOST POPULAR

REPUBLICANS IN

RECENT MEMORY,

SINCE RONALD

REAGAN

SAFETY CONCERNS

transmission,” she noted in the Medical Journal of Australia.

More recently, however, a new wave

of studies from the United States,

India and South Korea have challenged

the idea that kids are not that

contagious.

Findings published last week

from the US Centers for Disease

Control based on a study of 300

people in September concluded that

“transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among

household members was frequent

from either children or adults.”

A much larger study from Britain

released on Tuesday paints a different

picture.

“Living with children 0-11

years old was not associated with

increased risks of recorded SARS-

CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 related

hospital or ICU admission,” research

from the London School of Hygiene

and Tropical Medicine and the

University of Oxford, based on data

from more than nine million adults,

concluded.

For children aged 12 to 18, there

was a risk, but it remained small, the

study found. — AFP

Since more people have been arriving, the whole place has

become a sewage plant

LU MAI,

Orchid Island Youth Action Alliance

OMAN DAILY OBSERVERFRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020

Analysis6

Students attend a class at the Blanquizal Public school during its reopening in Medellin, Colombia. — AFP

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 6, 2020 | RABEE AL AWWAL 20, 1442 AH

business editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.omfollow us @oman_biz

MUSCAT STOCK

MARKET

CRUDE OIL PRICE

3,550.55Oman Crude $ 41.21Brent Crude $ 41.32Light Crude $ 39.17

JAKARTA: Indonesia suffered its first

recession in over two decades as the

COVID-19 pandemic hit consumption

and business activity in Southeast

Asia’s largest economy, costing millions

of jobs, the statistics bureau said on

Thursday.

Gross domestic product (GDP)

shrank by a slightly more than expected

3.49 per cent year-on-year as household

consumption and investment fell in the

third quarter, official data showed.

Economists in a Reuters poll had

expected GDP to decline 3 per cent

after a 5.32 per cent contraction in

the second quarter. Finance Minister

Sri Mulyani Indrawati told a news

conference the “the worst is over”

pointing to a sharp rebound in

quarterly GDP in the July-September

period.

But a separate statistics bureau

survey showed some 2.6 million

people had lost jobs in the year to

August due to COVID-19, pushing the

unemployment rate to a nine-year high

of 7.07 per cent.

A 9.8 per cent rise in government

spending helped soften the blow, but

economists called on more stimulus to

lift the economy.

“The government will focus on

further accelerating economic recovery

and returning to positive economic

growth,” said Sri Mulyani, adding

authorities would boost spending in

the fourth quarter.

The rupiah and the main stock

index briefly pared gains after the

data. Indonesia’s first recession since

the Asian financial crisis in 1998 —

normally defined as two consecutive

quarters of economic contraction —

comes as the country has struggled to

contain the coronavirus outbreak.

It has the highest caseload and

COVID-19 death toll in Southeast

Asia. Indonesia introduced restrictions

to contain the spread of the virus earlier

this year, many of which were lifted in

June, but the government imposed a

second round of curbs in Jakarta for a

month in September.

Household consumption, normally

the economy’s main growth engine,

fell 4 per cent on an annual basis in

the third quarter, while investment

dropped 6.5 per cent and exports

tumbled 10.8 per cent. GDP grew a

non-seasonally adjusted 5.05 per cent

quarter-on-quarter, up sharply from

a 4.19 per cent contraction in the

second quarter but below a 5.34 per

cent forecast in the Reuters poll. The

government had spent 52.8 per cent of

its 695.2 trillion rupiah ($48.3 billion)

pandemic-relief budget year-to-date,

official data showed. — Reuters

Indonesia suffers first recession in over 20 yearsA 9.8 per cent rise in

government spending helped soften the blow, but economists called on more

stimulus to lift the economy

Workers carry pieces of wood as walks at the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit construction at Sudirman Business District in Jakarta. — Reuters

EU warns no return to pre-crisis economy before 2023BRUSSELS: A second wave of the

coronavirus pandemic has stalled a

nascent recovery in Europe, the EU

said on Thursday, warning that the

economy would not return to pre-

virus normality before 2023.

“The rebound has been

interrupted,” the EU’s economic

affairs commissioner Paolo Gentiloni

told reporters as he announced new

forecasts.

The soured outlook dashed

hopes for a quick turnaround of

the European economy and raised

questions whether more stimulus

would be needed to avert more

lasting damage.

“We never counted on a V-shaped

recovery. Now we know for sure that

we won’t have one,” Gentiloni said.

In its forecast, Brussels pointed

to a whole series of danger signs,

including higher unemployment and

soaring debt levels for countries that

will need to keep spending to revive

their economies.

The European Commission

said the eurozone economy would

expand by just 4.2 per cent next year,

much lower than the 6.1 per cent it

predicted in July.

In effect, renewed disruptions

across the continent will “put the

recovery on hold in the short term”,

Gentiloni said, but added that the

outlook was subject to “extremely

high uncertainty”.

The loss of steam came despite a

better-than-expected recovery in the

middle of 2020 which limited the

depth of this year’s historic recession.

The economy in the 19 countries

that use the single currency would

crash by minus 7.8 per cent in 2020,

instead of the minus 8.7 predicted

earlier, the EU said.

But, unlike earlier hopes, EU

economic output “will not return

to pre-pandemic levels by 2022,”

warned commission Vice President

Valdis Dombrovskis.

All 19 eurozone countries are

mired in recession this year, but three

are particularly hard hit -- Spain with

a dive of 12.4 per cent, Italy at minus

9.9 per cent and France at minus 9.4

per cent.

Germany, the bloc’s leading

economy, has limited the damage,

with GDP expected to fall 5.6 per

cent in 2020.

The downturn has led member

states to open the purse strings in the

hopes of saving their economies and

public deficits have widened to more

than 10 per cent in the case of France,

Italy, Spain and Belgium. As a clear

consequence, the debt of the member

states is expected to soar in 2020 and

will exceed 100 per cent of GDP in the

eurozone as a whole. — AFP

China considers 5% annual GDP growth target for next five yearsBEIJING: China’s policymakers are

close to setting an average annual

economic growth target of around

5 per cent for the next five years, at

the lower end of ranges previously

considered as global risks cloud the

outlook, policy sources said.

Beijing is looking to set a more

flexible growth target for the 14th five-

year plan to hedge against external

risks caused by the pandemic and rifts

with the United States, three people

involved in internal discussions said

following last week’s agenda-setting

leadership meeting.

No decisions have yet been made

as the government is still drafting

detailed economic and social

development goals under the five-

year plan, taking their guidance from

top Communist Party leaders, they

said.

At last week’s meeting, President Xi

Jinping and others laid out a blueprint

for China’s five-year plan and key

objectives for the next 15 years. They

include a goal to turn China into a

“high income” nation by 2025 and

advance to a “moderately developed”

nation by 2035, which implies income

of more than $20,000 per person.

The World Bank defines “high

income” countries as those with per

capita gross national income of above

$12,535. China’s per capita income

reached $10,410 in 2019, according to

the World Bank.

“Such objectives should be

expressed in numbers. We still

need a key indicator for economic

development during the 14th five-

year plan period,” said a policy source.

“We will have a GDP target

and it could be around 5 per cent.”

Government think-tanks and

economists had previously made

recommendations for average annual

GDP growth targets, policy sources

have said, which included targets of

around 5%, 5-5.5% to 5-6%.

Ning Jizhe, vice head of the

National Development and Reform

Commission (NDRC), said last week

the state planner will set detailed

economic targets for 2021-2025 in

line with leaders’ recommendations.

Targets are expected to be

announced when the five-year plan

is approved at the annual parliament

meeting in early 2021. — Reuters

Containers and trucks are seen at a terminal of the Qingdao port in Shandong province, China. — Reuters

LONDON: Up to 3,500

jobs are at risk at British

supermarket group

Sainsbury’s as its new CEO

embarks on a restructuring

drive that will close 420

Argos shops and all in-

store meat, fish and deli

counters. Detailing his

strategy for Britain’s

second-biggest grocer,

Simon Roberts, who

succeeded Mike Coupe in

June, said on Thursday he

would refocus Sainsbury’s

on its core food business.

He plans to lower

prices, treble the number

of new products launched

each year, expand online

services to meet growing

demand and open 110 new

convenience stores over

three years. “We will put

food back at the heart of

Sainsbury’s,” he said.

“Our other brands -

Argos, Habitat, Tu, Nectar

and Sainsbury’s Bank

- must deliver for their

customers and for our

shareholders in their own

right.” He said the bank

could be sold, confirming

to reporters “expressions

of interest” have been

received.

He denied he was

taking the 151-year old

Sainsbury’s downmarket

by closing in-store

counters. “We’ve had a

really good look at how

customers are shopping

for food today and the

reality on the counters

is that they have been in

long term decline for quite

a period of time,” he told

reporters.

He is targeting an Argos

general merchandise store

or collection point in every

Sainsbury’s supermarket,

reducing the Argos

standalone store estate

to around 100 by March

2024. Roberts said his plan

would boost earnings,

forecasting pretax profit

in the year to March 2022

ahead of that reported in

the year to March 2020

- a year not impacted by

COVID-19.

Sainsbury’s said it

aimed to find alternative

roles for as many affected

employees as possible.

— Reuters

Omantel Group posts revenues of RO 1.859 bnBUSINESS REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 5

Omantel Group, of which the most

is owned by the Omani government,

reported revenue totalling RO1.859

billion for the nine months ended

September 30, 2020, down 2 per cent

from the corresponding tally of RO

1.893 billion for the corresponding

period of 2019.

Announcing its unaudited

financial results for the period, the

Group posted a profit of RO 167.7

million this year, down from RO 198.3

million, representing a drop of 15 per

cent. EBITDA at RO 758.3 million

was lower by 7 per cent compared to

last year.

Omantel’s domestic operations

witnessed a 6 per cent decline in

net profit to RO 56 million during

the first nine months of the year.

It explained: “Domestic operation

results have been resilient considering

the serious business disruptions

witnessed since March 2020 resulting

from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proactive cost optimisation measures

taken by the management have

positively contributed in minimising

the overall impact by achieving a 6

per cent reduction in operating and

administrative expenses y-on-y.”

Revenue for the period grew 3 per

cent to RO 410.1 million up from RO

396.3 million last year. The uptick

mainly came from an increase in the

wholesale international business and

device revenues, which are typically

of low margin compared to the core

revenues, it said.

Core revenues dipped to RO 328.2

million this year compare to RO

345.4 million in 2019, representing a

decrease of 5 per cent, which impacted

overall margins, said Omantel.

Improvement in Q3 – 2020 margins

is attributed to a one-off capacity sale

from international business, it stated.

Omantel subsidiary Zain Group

contributed RO 150.3 million to the

net profit (before non-controlling

interest) of Omantel Group compared

to RO 179.6 million in 2019, entailing

a decline of 16.3 per cent. After

adjusting for non-controlling interest,

Zain Group contributed RO 28.9

million in H1-2020 compared to RO

33.8 million in 2019.

Interest costs incurred by Omantel

Group relating to Zain’s acquisition

was RO 39.2 million in 2020 (versus

RO 39.3 million in 2019) and is

accounted at the Omantel Group

level and is not part of the domestic

performance, it added.

Pandemic impacts: Omantel’s domestic operations witnessed a 6 per cent decline in net profit to RO

56 million during the first nine months of the year

Revamp by new

Sainsbury’s boss threatens

3,500 jobs

We never counted on a V-shaped recovery.

Now we know for sure that we won’t

have onePAOLO GENTILONI

EU economic affairs commissioner

businessOMANDAILYOBSERVER8business

F R I D A Y l N O V E M B E R 6 l 2 0 2 0

Bank of England ramps up stimulus again to tackle COVID and Brexit hitLONDON: The Bank of England

increased its already huge bond-

buying stimulus by a bigger-than-

expected 150 billion pounds ($195

billion) as it prepared for economic

damage from new coronavirus

lockdowns and the looming risk of

Brexit.

The move comes on the day

that England entered a four-week

lockdown to curb a second wave of

COVID-19, which is now killing

as many Britons each day as it

did in May. The BoE said Britain’s

economy was set to shrink 2 per

cent during the fourth quarter

as a result, and that the economy

would shrink a record 11 per cent

over the course of 2020 overall,

more than the 9.5 per cent it had

forecast in March.

“The outlook for the economy

remains unusually uncertain,” the

BoE said.

“It depends on the evolution of

the pandemic and measures taken

to protect public health, as well

as the nature of, and transition

to, the new trading arrangements

between the European Union and

the United Kingdom.” The BoE

kept its benchmark Bank Rate at

0.1 per cent, as expected in the

poll, and made little mention of

negative rates while a consultation

with banks over the practicalities is

underway. The BoE raised the size

of its asset-purchase programme

to 895 billion pounds, 50 billion

pounds more than expected by

most economists in a Reuters poll.

The central bank said that

would give it enough firepower to

stretch its buying of government

bonds through to the end of 2021.

“An extraordinary economic

shock warrants an extraordinary

policy response,” said Ambrose

Crofton, global market strategist

at J P Morgan Asset Management.

“The resurgence of the virus in

recent months will mean both the

government and companies are

once again turning to global capital

markets to borrow large sums. The

Bank’s purchases in these markets

will help prevent borrowing costs

rising,” he said.

Sterling rose against the

dollar and the euro after the

announcements. Bond yields fell.

The central bank now expects

Britain’s economy to exceed

its size before the COVID-19

pandemic only in the first quarter

of 2022. Previously, the BoE had

forecast the recovery would be

complete by the end of next year.

Unemployment was set to peak

7.75 per cent in the second quarter

of next year, much higher than

its most recent reading of 4.5 per

cent, the BoE said. Gross domestic

product was likely to grow by 7.25

per cent in 2021, weaker than a

previous forecast of 9 per cent.

But its two-year inflation

forecast remained unchanged at 2

per cent, the central bank’s target.

“Our view is that inflation will be

closer to 1.5 per cent by the end

of 2022. That’s why we believe the

Bank will still have to increase its

policy support,” Ruth Gregory, an

economist at Capital Economics,

said.

— Reuters

Lufthansa flies deeper into the red as crisis hits travel business

FRANKFURT: German flag

carrier Lufthansa posted a bigger-

than-forecast third-quarter loss

on Thursday after a hefty 80 per

cent drop in passenger traffic as

the coronavirus crisis forced the

airline to slash capacity in the

run-up to year’s end.

Lufthansa said it ran up a net

loss of 1.967 billion euros ($2.319

billion) in the three months ended

September after the crisis forced

the company to decommission

passenger jets, cancel flights and

hedge against fuel prices.

Analysts had expected the

carrier to report a 1.620-billion-

euro third-quarter net loss

after posting a 1.154-billion-

euro profit in the same period last

year. Lufthansa announced last

month that it had chalked up an

adjusted earnings before interest

and tax (EBIT) loss of 1.26 billion

euros for the third quarter of

2020 when releasing key data for

the September quarter.

Underpinned by government

financial support, Lufthansa’s

third-quarter revenue also fell

more than forecast to 2.660

billion euros, while passenger

traffic fell by 80 per cent to 8.7

million.

The airline’s continuing weak

ticket demand has resulted in the

group planning to cut capacity to

at the most a quarter of last year’ s

level with the carrier paying out 2

billion euros in compensation for

cancelled flights.

Lufthansa said it expects its

operating cash inflow to turn

positive again next year but only

if it can increase its flight capacity

to around 50 per cent of its pre-

crisis level. — dpa

FRANKFURT: The re-

covery in German in-

dustrial orders from

the shock of pandemic

restrictions slowed in

September, official data

showed on Thursday, as

new measures to tackle

a resurgence in cases

clouds the outlook again.

“After the first strong

recovery following the

lockdown in April, in-

dustry is continuing to

fight its way out of the

crisis,” the economics

ministry said in a state-

ment.

Industrial orders grew

0.5 per cent month-on-

month, compared with

a rise of 4.9 per cent in

August, as curbs tight-

ened and quarantines be-

came more widespread

across Europe to fight a

second wave of the pan-

demic. The data was be-

low expectations for a 1.5

per cent rise, according

to financial services pro-

vider FactSet.

The small rise was

sustained by domestic

demand which went up

2.3 per cent in Septem-

ber, while orders from

abroad dipped 0.8 per

cent. Compared with

the same month in 2019,

industrial orders were

down 1.9 per cent.

Manufacturing has

benefited from Ger-

many’s economic recov-

ery from May onwards,

enabling orders to re-

turn close to levels in the

fourth quarter of 2019

before the outbreak of

the pandemic, the min-

istry said, “driven by

domestic and foreign de-

mand”.

— AFP

New blow for Paris shopkeepers as lockdown bitesPARIS: As late-night shoppers

have continued to throng Parisian

stores selling takeaway drinks

and food amid a new national

lockdown, the city’s mayor

announced on Thursday that some

will be forced to close at 10:00pm

to prevent coronavirus-spreading

gatherings.

Restaurants and bars are already

shuttered under stay-at-home

orders that entered into force for

a month last Friday, but takeaways

are allowed and supermarkets,

specialist food stores and night

shops remain open, along

with other businesses offering

“essential” services.

“Faced with the worrying health

situation, to avoid gatherings, I

have agreed to a request from the

police department to close some

places that sell takeaway food and

alcohol from 10:00pm,” Mayor

Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter.

She told BFM television

that several gatherings at such

establishments have been

reported even as France, and

Paris in particular, is dealing with

a fast-growing second wave of

coronavirus cases.

On Wednesday, the public

health agency said there had been

more than 40,500 new infections

in 24 hours and 385 deaths in

hospital — a figure that excludes

deaths at care homes, which are

reported sporadically.

The overall French death toll

now stands at 38,674, with 4,089

people in intensive care, out of

6,400 beds available nationwide.

About a quarter of intensive care

cases are in the greater Paris region.

The new lockdown allows

people to leave home only to go

to the office, if working-from-

home is not possible; to go to

the doctor; exercise outdoors;

drop children off at school; or do

essential shopping. A self-signed

permission slip is needed for

each excursion, or an electronic

version on the government’s Tous

AntiCovid contact tracing app.

Hidalgo’s announcement came

after confusion earlier in the week

when government spokesman

Gabriel Attal announced a new

curfew for Paris, on top of the

lockdown, which was quickly

denied by the prime minister’s

office. — AFP

Recovery in German industrial orders slows in September

CALIFORNIA: Qualcomm

cashed in on the momentum

around the rollout of faster 5G

smartphones during its fiscal

fourth quarter, posting strong

financial results that beat Wall

Street analysts’ expectations.

The San Diego cellular

technology giant — a leader in

5G smartphone processors and

intellectual property — said that it

benefited from a host of 5G trends

during the quarter.

They include Apple’s launch

of four new 5G iPhone models

in October that use Qualcomm

chips; a settlement payment in

a long-running patent licensing

dispute with China’s Huawei;

more Android smartphone buyers

upgrading from 4G to 5G devices

across the globe; and additional

chip content from Qualcomm in

many 5G phones.

The company also reported

traction for cellular technologies

in new industries beyond its core

smartphone stronghold — such

as work-from-home gear and

connected cars.

“The challenges of the

COVID-19 pandemic highlight

the critical importance of our

products,” said Chief Executive

Steve Mollenkopf in a conference

call with investors.

“As you can see from our

results,the early stages of the 5G

ramp are well underway, with

our strategy playing out largely as

expected.” For the quarter ended

September 27, Qualcomm posted

adjusted revenue of $6.5 billion, a

35 per cent increase over the prior

year. Adjusted net income came in

at $1.7 billion, or $1.45 per share.

Wall Street analysts predicted

fourth quarter sales of $5.9 billion

and adjusted earnings of $1.17 per

share. — dpa

Qualcomm reports blowout quarter as 5G momentum grows

Pedestrians walk past the Bank of England in the City of London. — Reuters

People walk past a closed tourist shop in Paris. — Reuters

Restaurants and bars are already shuttered under stay-at-home orders that entered

into force for a month last Friday, but

takeaways are allowed and supermarkets,

specialist food stores and night shops remain open, along with other

businesses offering “essential” services

BUSINESS CLOSURES

Lufthansa airplanes are seen parked on the tarmac at Frankfurt airport, Germany. — Reuters

A woman walks past an advertisement of Qualcomm in Singapore. — Reuters

A worker wears a protective mask at the Volkswagen assembly line in Frankfurt.

— Reuters

FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 6, 2020 | RABEE AL AWWAL 20, 1442 AH

editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.om

follow us @observersportzsport

Dhofar to take on Al Nahdha, Ibri to meet Al Oruba in HM Cup semis

ADIL AL BALUSHI

MUSCAT, NOV 5

The second-leg matches of the

semifinal round of the prestigious

HM Cup will resume on Friday

and Saturday after a long break of

eight months due to the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic.

Dhofar will take on Al Nahdha

in the first fixture at Al Saada Sports

Compex on Friday while Al Oruba

will host Ibri at Sur Sports Complex

on Saturday. The first-leg matches

which took place on February

between Dhofar and Al Nahdha

ended in a 1-1 draw while Ibri had

defeated Al Oruba 2-1 at former

home.

Salalah giant, coached by the

experienced national coach Rasheed

Jaber, will aim to end the season

by registering accomplishment as

he lost the league crown and was

positioned in the runner up place.

Dhofar has the preference as they

scored in the first-leg match in Al

Buraimi sports complex through

Abdulaziz al Moqbali. Eight times

winner will need a goalless draw to

secure the spot for the final while Al

Nahdha strikers have to score one

goal to move the match to their side.

Al Nahdha, who are looking for

their first title, will enter the match

focusing on scoring as any draw

result of above than 1-1 will take the

Al Buraimi club to the summit clash.

Al Nahdha ended the top-

tier league in the third place and

they trounced Mirbat 4-1 in the

concluding week of the league. Al

Nahdha players began the technical

preparations since Tuesday and

after completion of Omantel League

without more rest.

In the other match, Al Dhahirah

based team will eye to enter the

history books for the first time and

reach the final of the top-domestic

competition. The first division

league club, Ibri, is fully aware it is

a golden opportunity for the team

to proceed further in the coveted

competition and it is only steps

ahead for the team to clinch the

historic title. The board directors

provided all the facilities as the team

is currently in a preparatory camp in

Sur.

Al Oruba, on the other hand, will

try to eliminate the team’s relegation

to the first division league. It is a

golden chance for the team to end

the existing season with a triumph

at least at the coveted HM Cup. Sur-

based team is holder of the titles for

four times and have the required

experience in this competition.

Despite the loss in the first leg-

match, Al Oruba team can advance

to the final if they score a 1-0 win.

Eight times winner will need a goalless draw to secure the spot for the final while Al Nahdha

strikers have to score one goal to move the match

to their side

OMANDAILYOBSERVERF R I D A Y l N O V E M B E R 6 l 2 0 2 010

sport

Fletcher hoping for WC place Rohit injury intrigues many

A new strength and conditioning programme and better shot selection has led to West Indies batsman Andre Fletcher hoping for a Twenty20 World Cup place.

Confusion lingered over Rohit Sharma’s ham-string injury after the opener, considered unfit for India’s upcoming tour of Australia, turned up for an IPL match in Sharjah on Tuesday.

Australia’s T20 Big Bash delayed

Australia’s Big Bash League was Thursday pushed back a week, but organisers confirmed it will be played in multiple cities with state bor-ders reopening after coronavirus shutdowns.

PARIS: Rafael Nadal became the fourth

man to win 1,000 Tour-level matches

on Wednesday by beating Feliciano

Lopez at the Paris Masters, while Diego

Schwartzman and Alexander Zverev also

reached the third round.

The 34-year-old, who won a record-

extending 13th French Open title across

Paris at Roland Garros last month,

followed Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer

and Ivan Lendl in reaching the 1,000 mark.

The Spaniard had to fight back against

fellow Spanish veteran Lopez, 39, but did

enough to win 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

Nadal was given a special presentation

to celebrate his achievement after the

match in a near-empty Bercy Arena, with

the event being played behind closed doors

after France entered its second coronavirus

lockdown last week.

“It has been a special moment. I know

it’s a very special number, 1000,” said the

20-time Grand Slam champion.

“Even if it’s not the same to celebrate

something like this without a crowd, I

enjoyed it with ATP, with the president

of the French Federation, Guy Forget,

supervisor and the ball boys.

“I enjoyed it and just can say thanks to

all of them to make this moment a little

bit more special.”

The top seed, bidding for a first

Paris Masters title, will face Jordan

Thompson in the third round

after the Australian beat

Croatia’s Borna Coric 2-6,

6-4, 6-2. Taking the trophy

in Paris this week would

see Nadal equal Novak

Djokovic’s record of 36

Masters titles.

Schwartzman

closes on

London spot

Earlier on

Wednesday,

Argentinian

Schwartzman moved within two wins of

sealing a debut appearance at the ATP

Tour Finals in London by beating Richard

Gasquet. The 28-year-old Schwartzman

was too strong for France’s Gasquet,

taking a 7-5, 6-3 victory, and will next face

Spanish qualifier Alejandro Davidovich

Fokina in the last 16.

Schwartzman will secure the final

spot at the season-ending tournament

by reaching the semi-finals in Paris, but

would qualify even if he fails to do so, as

long as neither Pablo Carreno Busta nor

Milos Raonic win the title. “I have it in my

hands but I have to say that I’m watching

the other matches,” said the sixth seed.

“I want to be there so I’m doing my best

on court.”

The Tour Finals get underway

on November 15. After the match,

Schwartzman wrote a message of support

for Argentinian football legend Diego

Maradona, who had brain surgery on

Wednesday, on a courtside camera.

“I love football, and he’s Argentinian,

so every place you go, everyone knows

Argentina because of Maradona, and

that’s why I put ‘Fuerza Diego’,” said

Schwartzman.

US Open runner-up Zverev continued

his excellent run of form by cruising past

Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 6-2 in

under an hour.

The fourth-seeded German, who won

back-to-back titles in Cologne last month,

will face Adrian Mannarino in round

three. Zverev, who has won three Masters

titles in his career, broke twice in each

set to extend his winning streak to nine

matches.

ANDERSON RETIRES INJURED

Third seed Daniil Medvedev reached

the last 16 after Kevin Anderson retired

injured from their encounter.

The Russian will next play Australia’s

Alex de Minaur, who beat Italian Lorenzo

Sonego 6-3, 7-5, for a last-eight place.

South African Anderson quit when 5-2

down in an opening-set tie-break, with

the tournament medical service saying the

former Wimbledon and US Open runner-

up suffered a thigh injury.

The 24-year-old Medvedev is yet to

reach an ATP final in 2020 after winning

four titles and finishing runner-up five

times last year.

Raonic kept his slim Tour Finals hopes

alive with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Pierre-

It has been a special moment. I know it’s a very special number, 1,000. Even if it’s not the same to celebrate something like this without a crowd, I

enjoyed it with ATP, with the president

of the French Federation, Guy

Forget, supervisor and the ball boys

RAFAEL NADAL

NADAL NOTCHES

1,000th WIN, SCHWARTZMAN

CLOSES ON TOUR FINALS

OMANDAILYOBSERVERF R I D A Y l N O V E M B E R 6 l 2 0 2 0 11

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BARCA, JUVENTUS REGISTER WINS IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

PARIS: Lionel Messi scored as

Barcelona overcame a depleted

Dynamo Kiev 2-1 in the Champions

League on Wednesday, while

Juventus eased Ferencvaros aside and

Manchester United slumped to an

unexpected defeat in Turkey.

Nine-man Paris Saint-Germain

lost to RB Leipzig in a repeat of

last season’s semi-final and Chelsea

proved too strong for Rennes, with

Timo Werner twice converting from

the penalty spot.

Making his 150th appearance

in European competition, Messi

dispatched an early penalty at Camp

Nou after he was fouled in the area

and Gerard Pique headed in Ansu

Fati’s cross on the hour.

Viktor Tsygankov grabbed a

consolation for coronavirus-hit

Dynamo as Barca, winless in four

games in La Liga, recorded their third

successive Group G victory to stay

three points clear of Juventus.

“We are happy because we won,”

said Barca coach Ronald Koeman.

“But we have to play better than we

did today. We have to improve, above

all without the ball, where we haven’t

played well.”

Cristiano Ronaldo made his first

start for the Italian champions since

September after testing positive for

Covid-19 in a 4-1 win at Hungarian

side Ferencvaros.

However, the Portuguese star

was outshone in Budapest by Alvaro

Morata, whose two goals put Andrea

Pirlo’s team in control.

Paulo Dybala added a third before

an own goal from Lasha Dvali, with

Franck Boli netting for the hosts in the

final minute.

United produced a shambolic first-

half defensive display as Ole Gunnar

Solskjaer’s side lost 2-1 against

Istanbul Basaksehir.

Demba Ba collected the ball just

inside his own half and raced through

to beat goalkeeper Dean Henderson

on 13 minutes, with Edin Visca

smashing in a second after Juan Mata

was stripped of possession.

Anthony Martial’s header cut the

deficit before half-time but United

saw their momentum in Group H

halted after wins over PSG and RB

Leipzig last month.

“You don’t just turn up and get

three points in the Champions League.

We weren’t good enough, that’s it. It’s

not easy to be positive when you’ve

lost the way we did,” Solskjaer told BT

Sport.

PSG CAPITULATE IN LEIPZIG

Emil Forsberg’s penalty earned

Leipzig a 2-1 victory as they came

from behind to beat a weakened Paris

Saint-Germain, dealing a major blow

to the Champions League aspirations

of last season’s runners-up.

Angel di Maria had given PSG an

early lead in Germany but he then

crucially missed a penalty for the

French champions, who were missing

both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe due

to injury and ended the contest with

nine men.

Christopher Nkunku levelled

before half-time for Leipzig and

Forsberg converted from the spot in

the 57th minute before the visitors

had both Idrissa Gueye and Presnel

Kimpembe sent off.

“It’s difficult. It’s maybe our fault

because we didn’t get the second

goal and then made a mistake on the

penalty,” PSG boss Thomas Tuchel

told RMC Sport.

“There was a red card, it’s then

hard, 10 against 11. There were too

many things going against us.”

Chelsea strolled to a 3-0 win

at home against Rennes who saw

defender Dalbert sent off after

conceding two penalties in the first

half.

Werner took over spot-kick duties

from Jorginho and confidently tucked

both away before Tammy Abraham

turned in a third for the Blues on 50

minutes.

Frank Lampard’s men have yet to

concede in Group E and are level on

seven points with Sevilla, who rallied

to defeat Krasnodar 3-2 despite the

dismissal of captain Jesus Navas late in

the first half.

Goals from Magomed Suleymanov

and Marcus Berg, the second a

penalty, put Krasnodar ahead in Spain

but Ivan Rakitic pulled one back for

Sevilla before the break.

Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesyri

struck twice in four second-half

minutes to floor Krasnodar and leave

the Russians alongside Rennes on just

one point.

Erling Braut Haaland notched a

brace to lead Borussia Dortmund to

a 3-0 win at Club Brugge and send

the Germans top of Group F. Thorgan

Hazard had opened the scoring in his

native Belgium.

Felipe Caicedo’s late equaliser

earned Lazio a 1-1 draw at Zenit Saint

Petersburg after Aleksandr Erokhin

had struck in the first half in front of

some 17,000 fans in Russia.

— AFP

Haaland at the double as Dortmund beat Club BruggeBRUGES, Belgium: Erling Braut

Haaland scored twice as Borussia

Dortmund claimed a 3-0 Champions

League group stage win over Club

Brugge on Wednesday.

Norwegian striker Haaland took

his Champions League season tally

to four goals as Belgian internationals

Thorgan Hazard, Axel Witsel and

Thomas Meunier helped him blast

away Brugge in a dominant first half

display from Dortmund.

Haaland is now the first player

ever to score 14 goals in his first 11

Champions League appearances.

“Erling is a goal machine, he always

scores one or two. It’s a shame he

didn’t get his hat-trick today,” Hazard

told Sky. The win brings Dortmund

back on course to qualify from Group

F after suffering an early setback with

a 3-1 defeat to Lazio in the opening

game. The Bundesliga side now lead

the group ahead of the Italians, who

were held to a 1-1 draw away to Zenit

St Petersburg earlier on Wednesday.

Dortmund took their chances

clinically in the first half, and were

3-0 up after just half an hour, with a

Belgian player involved in all three

goals.

A surprise pick ahead of England’s

Jadon Sancho in the starting line-up,

Hazard opened the scoring on 14

minutes, sweeping in a curling cross

from Thomas Delaney at the far post.

“It’s always better to score in

Belgium when you’re Belgian,” said

Hazard. A few minutes later, Witsel

rose highest at a corner to head the

ball into the path of Haaland, who

doubled the lead from close range.

Meunier then set up Haaland for

Dortmund’s third on 32 minutes,

squaring the ball to the Norwegian

after Mahmoud Dahoud had carved

open the Brugge defence with a

scintillating chipped pass.

Brugge battled on despite the

scoreline, and had several chances to

snatch a goal back before half-time.

Emmanuel Dennis forced a sharp

save from Dortmund keeper Roman

Buerki, while Eduard Sobol shaved

the post with a long-range shot on 36

minutes. Yet it was Dortmund’s night,

and Lucien Favre’s side saw out the

second half comfortably to leapfrog

both Brugge and Lazio into top spot.

With their Champions League

campaign back on course, Dortmund

now turn their attention to domestic

football with a crucial clash against

top-of-the-table rivals Bayern Munich

on Saturday. — AFP

Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Braut Haaland (centre) vies for the ball with Club Brugge’s Odilon Kossounou (left) and Clinton Mata (right) during the UEFA Champions League Group F match. — AFP

Dynamo Kiev’s Vitaliy Buyalskyy (centre) vies with Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong (left) during the UEFA Champions League group G match in Barcelona. — AFP

The win brings Dortmund back on

course to qualify from Group F after suffering an early setback with a 3-1 defeat to Lazio in

the opening game

We are happy because we won. But we have to play better than we

did today. We have to improve, above all

without the ball, where we haven’t played well.

RONALD KOEMAN,Barcelona coach

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Solskjaer laments ‘unforgivable’ defending as Man Utd suffer

Basaksehir shockISTANBUL: Manchester United boss Ole

Gunnar Solskjaer blasted “unforgivable”

defending from his hapless side as

they slumped to an embarrassing 2-1

Champions League defeat against Istanbul

Basaksehir on Wednesday.

United, floundering in the lower

reaches of the Premier League, started the

game as firm favourites after an impressive

win against Paris Saint-Germain and a 5-0

humbling of RB Leipzig.

But defeat in Turkey — a first-ever

Champions League group-stage win for

Basaksehir — heaps the pressure on the

Norwegian boss, whose side looked short

of inspiration and basic defensive nous in

Istanbul.

The three-time European champions

were badly exposed on the break as

former Chelsea forward Demba Ba and

Edin Visca gave the home team a two-goal

cushion.

United gave themselves hope when

they reduced the deficit shortly before

half-time through an Anthony Martial

header.

But despite multiple second-half

changes and an array of attacking talent,

Solskjaer’s lacklustre team could not

find a way past the organised Basaksehir

defence.

The result ended Manchester

United’s longest away winning run in all

competitions in their history — 10 straight

victories — and was their first away defeat

in 19 matches since losing in January at

Liverpool in the Premier League.

Solskjaer said the performance against

the hard-working Turkish side was not

good enough.

“They scored two goals like you do

in Europe when you do not defend well

enough,” he told BT Sport.

“The first one is that we play a short

corner and forget about the man up top.

That is unforgivable. The second one as

well, we are not very well organised to

counter the press.”

“You don’t turn up and get three points

in the Champions League,” he added.

“They are a team well organised and we

were not good enough. That is it.”

DEFENSIVE CHAOS

United started the game in the comfort

zone, with no sign of the defensive chaos

to come in front of a small but vocal

crowd.

Luke Shaw fizzed a ball past the far post

with his left foot but United, with Marcus

Rashford and Martial up front, lacked

penetration.

The home side were ahead in the 12th

minute after inexplicably poor awareness

and organisation allowed unmarshalled

ex-Chelsea forward Ba to collect a long

ball and race from the halfway line to

score, trailed helplessly by Nemanja Matic.

Axel Tuanzebe, who impressed in Paris,

had a heart-stopping moment after he

pulled Ba back but escaped with a yellow

card.

Basaksehir remained threatening on

the break, with United worryingly open

at the back, and the visitors were caught

napping again five minutes before half

time.

Deniz Turuc robbed Juan Mata of

possession down the left and raced

forward, sending over a cross that Ba

stepped over and Visca smashed past

Dean Henderson, making his Champions

League debut in place of David de Gea.

United crucially reduced the deficit in

the 43rd minute when Martial steered a

Shaw cross home with his head.

Solskjaer hooked off Tuanzebe at the

interval, with Scott McTominay coming

on and Matic dropping back to play at

centre-back alongside Harry Maguire.

United once more enjoyed territorial

advantage at the start of the second half

and Bruno Fernandes had a free-kick

pushed away.

Solskjaer threw on Edinson Cavani and

Paul Pogba in place of Mata and Donny

van de Beek to add impetus to the attack

but ponderous United struggled to create

clear chances.

Mason Greenwood came on for

Rashford as United continued to search

for a way through.

They went agonisingly close to

an equaliser in stoppage time when

Alexandru Epureanu hacked off the line

but they could not rescue a point in the

Group H tie.

United appeared to have turned

the corner after their 6-1 mauling by

Tottenham last month but they have now

suffered consecutive defeats to Arsenal

and Basaksehir.

“They (two losses) have set us back a

lot,” said Solskjaer, whose team travel to

Everton on Saturday. “You get a reality

check every time you play a game of

football.” — AFP

But defeat in Turkey — a first-ever Champions League group-stage win

for Basaksehir — heaps the pressure on the Norwegian

boss, whose side looked short of inspiration and basic

defensive nous in Istanbul

Istanbul Basaksehir’s midfielder Edin Visca (right) fights for the ball with Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka during the UEFA Champions League match. — AFP