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Nicole Brewer, 43, an English teacher, travel advisor, and writer who runs the website ILuv2GlobeTrot, initially considered the United Arab Emirates (UAE), namely Dubai, a popular tourist destination for Westerners

A US expat who relocated to Oman 12 years ago has revealed the astonishing amount she spends on her monthly expenses. When searching for a Middle Eastern country to call home, Nicole Brewer, 43, an English teacher, travel adviser, and writer who runs the website ILuv2GlobeTrot, initially considered the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai, a sought-after holiday spot for Westerners.

During her search, Nicole, an English lecturer at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, came across a job posting for Oman by chance and decided to “give it a go.” Situated in the south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, oil-rich Oman is an Islamic country that shares borders with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the war-torn nation of Yemen to the southwest.

Oman also boasts a sweltering climate, with summer temperatures frequently soaring beyond 40°C. Nevertheless, Nicole feels “very relaxed” there and observed that she wouldn’t have remained in the Gulf nation for as long as she has if it were not for the “good life.”

Nicole, who hails from Detroit, now lives in the historic city of Nizwa in northern Oman and earns $44,000 per year (approximately £32,600).

However, there is another advantage to living there that may appeal to anyone facing high living costs.

She revealed to CNBC Make It‘s Millennial Money series on YouTube: “I am living in a fully furnished, two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, which costs around 250 Omani rials a month, so approximately 650 US dollars (about £480) per month in rent.

“All of my utilities are included, including water and electricity. They even provide internet. The only thing I pay for separately is my mobile phone bill. My biggest expenses are food and taxis because I actually… I don’t drive.”

Going into more detail in the video, entitled I Moved To Oman 12 Years Ago And I Am Never Going Back To The U.S., Nicole explained: “I spend roughly 25 to 30 Omani rials per week on groceries, which is equivalent to about 75 to 80 US dollars (around £55 to £60). I eat out about once a week, if that. So, including that, my monthly food costs come to roughly $400 (around £300).”

As an Islamic country, it’s crucial to understand that Oman’s rules and traditions are vastly different from those in the UK. The Foreign Office emphasises that travellers must show respect for its local faith, laws, customs, and practices.

For instance, holidaymakers and visitors are permitted to consume alcohol in licensed venues, but non-Muslim residents require a licence to drink at home; these permits are not available to non-residents.

Consuming alcohol in public is prohibited, vaping devices and e-cigarettes are banned, and people must dress modestly in public areas. Cross-dressing is illegal, as is cohabiting or sharing accommodation with someone of the opposite sex if unmarried or unrelated.

Drug offences, regardless of the substance, carry severe penalties, including the death penalty. Same-sex sexual activity is also illegal in the Gulf nation.

You can view more travel advice for Oman via the Foreign Office website.

Aug. 12 (UPI) — Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner nominee E.J. Antoni has suggested suspending monthly jobs reports in favor of more accurate quarterly reports.

The economist criticized the current methods used by the BLS to gauge employment numbers in the United States in an Aug. 4 interview with Fox News Digital that was reported on Tuesday.

“How on Earth are businesses supposed to plan, or how is the [Federal Reserve] supposed to conduct monetary policy, when they don’t know how many jobs are being added or lost in our economy?” Antoni said.

“It’s a serious problem that needs to be fixed immediately,” he added.

Instead of continuing to publish what he called flawed monthly jobs reports that undergo significant adjustments months later, Antoni favors publishing more accurate quarterly reports.

That would continue until the BLS can correct data-gathering methods and ensure more accurate monthly reports, he said.

“Major decision-makers from Wall Street to D.C. rely on these numbers,” Antoni said. “A lack of confidence in the data has far-reaching consequences.”

Antoni is the lead economist for the Heritage Foundation, and President Donald Trump said he will ensure accuracy in the BLS jobs reports.

“Our economy is booming,” Trump said Monday evening in a Truth Social post. “E.J. will ensure the numbers released are honest and accurate.”

Trump on Aug. 1 fired former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the BLS reported 73,000 new jobs in July, which was less than half of the 147,000 jobs reported in June.

The BLS on Aug. 1 revised down the June report to 14,000 jobs created, which is 133,000 and 90.5% fewer than initially reported.

The BLS also revised downward its prior employment report for May, which initially was reported as 144,000 new jobs, to 19,000.

The revised May jobs report is 125,000 fewer than initially reported, which is a change of 87%.

Trump accused McEntarfer of knowingly producing false jobs reports shortly before the Nov. 5 election that reflected well upon the Biden administration but later were revised to remove 818,000 jobs.

President Joe Biden nominated McEntarfer to lead the BLS in July 2023, which the Senate confirmed in January 2024.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick forecasts the revenue increase even as Trump announces higher pharma and semiconductor chip levies, which have yet to kick in.

The United States expects to bring in at least $50bn a month from tariffs as higher levies on imports from dozens of countries begin to kick in.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday outlined the forecasted revenue, an increase of $20bn from last month, when tariffs brought in $30bn.

“And then you’re going to get the semiconductors, you’re going to get pharmaceuticals, you’re going to get all sorts of additional tariff money coming in,” Lutnick said in an interview with Fox Business Network.

US President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs on imports from dozens of countries took effect on Thursday, raising the average US import duty to its highest in a century, with countries facing tariffs of 10 percent to 50 percent.

Trump on Wednesday also announced plans to levy a tariff of about 100 percent on imported semiconductor chips unless manufacturers commit to producing in the US, as well as a small tariff on pharmaceutical imports that would rise to 250 percent over time.

Details of those sectoral tariffs are expected in the coming weeks after the Commerce Department completes investigations into the impact of those imports on US national security.

Lutnick told Fox Business Network that companies could win exemptions from the expected semiconductor tariff if they filed plans to build plants in the US, and those plans were overseen by an auditor.

“[Trump’s] objective is to get semiconductor manufacturing done here,” he said, predicting that the initiative would result in some $1 trillion in investment to bolster domestic manufacturing.

Other exemptions have already been agreed, including with the European Union, which said its agreement to accept a 15 percent tariff on most EU exports includes chips, and with Japan, which has said the US agreed not to give it a worse rate than other countries.

The push to boost domestic chip manufacturing is not new.

The US Congress created a $52.7bn semiconductor manufacturing and research subsidy programme in 2022 under former President Joe Biden, and all five leading-edge semiconductor firms agreed last year to locate chip factories in the US.

Last year, the Commerce Department said the US produced about 12 percent of semiconductor chips globally, down from 40 percent in 1990.

Lutnick, asked about separate talks under way with China on extending a tariff truce that is due to end on August 12, said he felt an agreement was possible.

“I think we’re going to leave that to the trade team and to the president to make those decisions,” he said. “It feels likely that they’re going to come to an agreement and extend that for another 90 days, but I’ll leave it to that team.”