Employers across Oman will be required to comply with new payroll and leave-management obligations from Sunday, July 19, as the insurance branch covering sick leave and other eligible forms of leave comes into force under the Social Protection Law.

The new scheme introduces a mandatory contribution equivalent to 1 per cent of each covered worker’s contribution wage, with the cost to be borne entirely by employers. Employees will not be required to make any separate contributions toward this insurance branch, according to an Oman Observer report.

The insurance scheme will apply to eligible Omani workers, as well as specified categories of non-Omani employees across both the public and private sectors, marking another key step in Oman’s ongoing social protection reforms.

Three-year legislative process

In the second edition of its Himaya bulletin for July 2026, the Social Protection Fund said the new insurance branch is designed to reimburse employers for eligible leave allowances, along with related insurance contributions. The Fund said the initiative is intended to strengthen employment and social stability while supporting business continuity.

The rollout follows a three-year legislative process that began with the promulgation of the Social Protection Law under Royal Decree No. 52/2023. The legislation established sick and other leave insurance as one of the Sultanate’s social insurance branches.

The provisions were originally due to take effect two years after the decree was issued on July 19, 2023. However, Royal Decree No. 60/2025 extended the implementation period by an additional year, shifting the commencement date to July 19, 2026.

Coverage and employer obligations

A Social Protection Fund decision issued in June identified the categories of non-Omani workers subject to compulsory coverage. These include expatriate employees working in units of the state administrative apparatus, other public legal entities, and private-sector establishments governed by the Labour Law.

The most immediate impact for businesses will be the additional 1 per cent payroll-related contribution. Employers will also remain responsible for paying employees during eligible leave periods before submitting electronic compensation claims to the Social Protection Fund.

For sick leave, employers must continue paying the worker’s full wage during the first seven days of absence. From the eighth day onward, the insurance branch will cover the eligible allowance, provided medical evidence is submitted and all legal conditions are met.

According to the Fund, sick leave may be covered for up to 182 days in a calendar year. Compensation is calculated at 100 per cent of the worker’s wage from the eighth to the 21st day, 75 per cent from the 22nd to the 35th day, 50 per cent from the 36th to the 70th day, and 35 per cent from the 71st to the 182nd day.

According to the Fund’s public guidance on sick and other leave insurance, employers must first pay the eligible amount to the worker before applying to the Social Protection Fund for reimbursement.

Preparing for implementation

The insurance branch also extends to specified forms of other leave, including eligible periods related to marriage, bereavement and accompanying relatives for medical treatment. Payments will remain subject to the qualifying periods, supporting documentation and other conditions stipulated under the law.

In certain cases, the scheme will also cover specified old-age, disability and death insurance contributions during approved leave, helping ensure continuity in an employee’s insurance record.

With the new rules taking effect on July 19, employers are expected to ensure payroll systems are updated to calculate the new contribution accurately. Human resources teams will also need to maintain up-to-date employee records, contribution-wage data, medical evidence and other supporting documents to facilitate compensation claims under the new framework.

Abu Dhabi-based telecoms group e& has officially confirmed the completion of the sale of its 16.2 per cent stake in Vodafone, generating $5.95bn (Dhs21.9bn) in proceeds and a net cash return of around $1.3bn (Dhs4.8bn).

The announcement follows a previous disclosure that e& had signed a binding agreement to sell its 3.94 billion Vodafone shares to Vega, an acquisition vehicle wholly owned by the Niel family group. Friday’s update confirms the transaction has now been completed.

The company received Dhs21.5bn ($5.84bn) in immediate cash proceeds from the sale, with a further Dhs400m ($110m) related to Vodafone’s 2026 final dividend due to be paid on July 30, taking the total consideration to Dhs21.9bn ($5.95bn).

Vodafone is a UK-headquartered telecommunications company and one of the world’s largest mobile network operators, serving more than 340 million customers across Europe and Africa.

“The successful completion of this transaction reflects the natural evolution of e&’s strategic priorities, enabling the Group to sharpen its strategic focus on its core businesses while unlocking the value created through its investments,” the company said in a statement on Friday.

The Vodafone disposal is among the first major strategic portfolio moves since Masood M. Sharif Mahmood succeeded Hatem Dowidar as e&’s Group CEO on April 1, 2026.

The sale also follows another significant divestment announced last month, when e& agreed to sell a 12.5 per cent stake in Careem to Uber Technologies for $100m in cash. While reducing its shareholding, e& said it would retain a significant interest in the ride-hailing and super app platform.

e& first invested in Vodafone in 2022 before steadily increasing its holding to become the UK telecoms company’s largest shareholder. At the time of the sale, the stake represented 16.2 per cent of Vodafone’s issued share capital, equivalent to 3.94 billion ordinary shares.

The buyer, Vega, is an acquisition vehicle wholly owned by the investment group of French billionaire Xavier Niel.

The United States on Friday launched a seventh straight night of attacks on Iran, which in turn struck countries in the Gulf, as both sides targeted infrastructure while shipping in the Strait of Hormuz came under further assault.

At sea, where the renewed conflict has again cut off energy supplies from the Gulf, US Marines boarded a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported, citing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, that two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after passing through a mined route south of the strait, but the US military labeled the report as false.

Armed men seized another vessel off Yemen, raising concern over security in the Middle East’s other big choke point for oil shipments at the mouth of the Red Sea.

Iran’s state television quoted the Revolutionary Guards as saying that until US “aggression” comes to an end, it will not be possible to export chemical fertilisers or even a “single drop of oil and gas” from the region.

The Revolutionary Guards later said four “violating” vessels that attempted to pass through the strait in recent hours were stopped through a combined missile and drone operation.

Washington and Tehran have been testing the limits of escalation since their ceasefire agreement collapsed last week, raising the prospect of a return to all-out war.

After reports of the escalation on Friday, benchmark Brent crude oil prices climbed 3 per cent and were on track for a third consecutive weekly gain, putting political pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of November congressional elections.

Trump has threatened to launch broad-based air strikes on Iran’s infrastructure and has also declined to rule out a ground assault on Iran’s coast or islands. US officials have said attacks on southern Iran are designed in part to give Trump options.

Infrastructure targeted

Iranian media reported enemy strikes early on Saturday in coastal Hormozgan Province on the Iranian side of the Strait of Hormuz. State TV said three people were killed and eight wounded while two bridges and a road tunnel were damaged.

Mohsen Rezaei, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, warned on Friday against US escalation or any attempt to seize Iranian territory.

“If US strikes continue for several more days, we will move into a phase of full-scale offensive operations,” Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guards top commander, told state television.

Iranian state media earlier said at least five bridges were struck in the south in US attacks early on Friday. Seven people were reported killed in attacks on bridges in the southern port of Bandar Khamir, where the train station was also hit. An airport was reported hit further east and away from the coast in Iranshahr, in a province bordering Pakistan.

Iran announced attacks on Gulf countries that host US airbases, including Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, in addition to a US vessel in the northern Indian Ocean.

Authorities in Kuwait said one of the country’s power generation and water desalination stations had been hit in an Iranian attack, causing damage, a fire and the disruption of a large number of electricity generation units.

The Kuwaiti army later said it was responding to Iranian drone attacks.

The Revolutionary Guards said it attacked a depot of US drones in Bahrain and destroyed Bahrain’s main artificial intelligence centre with ballistic missiles and drones.

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has announced that UAE nationals can now renew their Emirates ID cards up to one year before their expiry date, doubling the previous early renewal period of six months.

The new measure, which came into effect on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, forms part of the authority’s broader strategy to deliver proactive digital government services, enhance customer convenience and improve access to essential public services, a WAM report said.

Reads more-Emirates ID renewal made easy: UAE introduces one-step process

According to ICP, the initiative is designed to help citizens manage official documentation more efficiently while supporting the UAE’s vision of building a flexible, customer-centric service ecosystem powered by advanced digital infrastructure.

Integrated passport and Emirates ID renewal

The latest enhancement builds on ICP’s earlier decision to allow UAE nationals to renew their passports up to one year before expiry. Where passport and Emirates ID expiry dates coincide, citizens can now complete both renewals through a single integrated transaction.

The authority said the combined service is expected to reduce processing time and administrative effort while enabling a larger number of citizens to benefit from the streamlined renewal process.

Major general Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, director general of ICP, said the decision to extend the Emirates ID renewal window reflects the UAE leadership’s commitment to delivering proactive government services that place citizens at the centre of service development.

“Extending the Emirates ID renewal period from six months to one year reflects the UAE leadership’s directives to deliver proactive government services,” Al Khaili said.

He added that the move demonstrates ICP’s commitment to responding to citizens’ evolving expectations by providing greater flexibility and allowing them to complete transactions at a time that best suits their personal and professional schedules.

According to Al Khaili, the initiative is expected to enhance quality of life, improve customer satisfaction and contribute to the overall well-being of UAE nationals through easier access to government services.

Supporting the UAE’s digital transformation

Al Khaili also highlighted the UAE’s strong global standing in the field of identity management, noting that the Emirates ID is recognised for its security, reliability and ease of issuance. He said the card plays a central role in enabling access to a wide range of government services through an integrated electronic network connecting public and private sector entities.

He added that extending the renewal period will further strengthen the regional and international reputation of the UAE’s identity card ecosystem, positioning it as a benchmark for other countries seeking to modernise identity management services.

The initiative also supports the objectives of the UAE’s Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme by simplifying customer journeys, reducing procedural duplication and strengthening service integration through the use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies.

ICP said the latest enhancement aligns with its long-term vision of delivering fully integrated, proactive government services, shifting from standalone transactions to bundled services while creating a more seamless and efficient customer experience.

Iran said it launched fresh attacks on US facilities in the Gulf on Friday after a sixth consecutive night of US strikes on Iranian military facilities, as last month’s truce descended into daily attacks and counterattacks.

The US military said it completed another night of strikes on Iran “to further degrade Iranian military capabilities”, including on Qeshm Island and near Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port and key navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities.

“US forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones, and warships, launched precision munitions that hit dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities,” the US Central Command said in a statement.

Iran has fired missiles and drones at US military bases in neighbouring states, including an air base in Jordan.

In the early hours of Friday, Iran’s military said it had attacked U.S. facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Several explosion-like sounds were heard in the Qatari capital Doha, according to a witness, and the Ministry of the Interior said a child was injured by shrapnel.

Iranian media reported that five bridges were hit in the latest round of US strikes, as well as the train station in coastal Bandar Khamir and Iranshahr Airport in southeastern Iran.

Seven people were killed in U.S. attacks on bridges in Bandar Khamir, a port city in southern Iran, state news agency IRNA reported.

Reuters ​could not immediately verify the reports.

Shipping halted again in Strait of Hormuz

The escalation has once again largely halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important shipping route for oil and gas, pushing up global energy prices.

Tehran resumed its blockade of the strait and Washington again blockaded Iranian ports from Wednesday.

Iran has signalled it could prod its Houthi allies in Yemen to close another key strait: the Bab al-Mandeb at the mouth of the Red Sea, if Washington attacks Iran’s infrastructure.

Iran last week hit ships moving through a corridor in the strait. Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, told a briefing on Thursday that US President Donald Trump would not “sit by and allow these active acts of terrorism to take place in the strait without ensuring Iran pays consequences for that.”

But she added the president was “always open to diplomacy at the very same time.”

Within Iran, the renewed bombing has unnerved residents.

“Living with this fear that war could start again is very exhausting. You cannot live like this… Personally, I want diplomacy to prevail,” Mahlegha, 46, a government employee, said.

Iran keeps grip on Strait

Iran wants all ships using the Strait of Hormuz to travel through a channel close to its shores, and intends to charge passage fees at the end of a 60-day negotiation period set in last month’s memorandum.

Washington had encouraged ships to use an alternative route to the south, along the Omani coast.

US forces said their airstrikes have hit military targets along the coast to cripple Iran’s ability to control the strait. Iranian Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said on Thursday this would not work because Iran could strike the strait from anywhere on its territory.

Trump has not ruled out the possibility of using ground forces, including to seize Kharg Island, the site of Iran’s main oil export terminal. He has repeated threats to hit Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations.