SATURDAY April 9, 2016 1 Rajab 1437 AH
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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN
On the occasion of the Graduation of the 2nd group of students from the Sultan Qaboos University, 1991
‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ We call upon Omani youth to take advantage of every available opportunity in order to be able to face up to any tasks assigned to them, since work is both an honour and an obligation, and is, moreover, enjoined upon us by Almighty God.
Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 40
| 28 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group
R O YA L D I R E C T I V E S
Oman helps in release of US citizen from Yemen MUSCAT: In response to the Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for responding to the request of the US Government for the assistance in release of a US citizen in Yemen, the departments concerned in Oman coordinated with the Yemeni authorities concerned in Sana’a in the release of the American citizen, who was transported by a plane of the Royal Air Force of Oman to the Sultanate in preparation for his return to his country. —ONA TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES
F1 SHOWRUN LEAVES FANS SPELLBOUND
OMAN
Film award for expat
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An Indian expat in Oman has won the prestigious award at the 7th Norway Tamil film festival. Tasleem Khan has won the special jury award for his acting performance in a short film. >A3
REGION
– AFP
Kerry backs Abadi
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US Secretary of State John Kerry, visiting Baghdad, urged Iraq not to let its political crisis interfere with fight against militant group and voiced support for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi. >A4
BUSINESS
Middle East airlines
3
Middle East airlines passenger demand rose 11.3 per cent in February compared to the same period a year ago, according to International Air Transport Association. >B1
Though bad weather delayed the Red Bull F1 show run, people braved the rain and wind to cheer ace British racer David Coulthard
REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Did rain play spoilsport during the first Red Bull F1 show run in Oman? A majority of spectators did not think so. Even though the show was delayed by a few minutes due to bad weather, when ace British racer David Coulthard did a few wheel-
spinning ‘doughnuts’ and high speed stretches with the Constructors’ Championship winning machine, the viewers braved the rain and wind to cheer him up. A few rounds of speed stretches on the 1.1 kilometre iconic Muttrah Corniche road and a few ‘doughnuts’ at the main spot were enough for the viewers to quench their adrenaline rush.
“We expected more. However, even in the bad weather, he (Coulthard) did not disappoint us. We salute him for doing ‘doughnuts’ on the slippery road,” Mohammed Nasser, a private company employee, and his friends said. Asif Mohammed, another F1 fan, said he had come around 12pm to watch the show and was praying to see Coulthard driving the machine for at least one minute when the weather started worsening. “When the organisers announced that they are holding the event for 15 minutes due to the adverse weather conditions, I started to pray for everything to be okay soon. How can we miss a chance to see Coulthard in the racing machine doing speed stretches? A big
thank you to Coulthard and the organisers for not disappointing us,” Mohammed added. Ritul Sha, an expatriate who came with his family, said if rain hadn’t been there, they would have been lucky to enjoy the thrilling sport some more. “The rain disappointed us. But Coulthard didn’t. Under such risky conditions, he lived up to the moment,” Sha added. Even as the skies over Muttrah Corniche remained cloudy, by 12pm itself, the entire stretch designated for the public was occupied by hundreds of youngsters and families. People were even seen on top of the hill where a huge incense burner, Muscat’s known landmark, is situated. “Such shows will create a
space on the global tourism map for Oman. That is why we have brought this show to Oman,” Mohammed Al Riyami, a top official at the Ministry of Tourism, told Times of Oman. Al Harthy’s Vulcan drive After Coulthard’s show run, Oman’s ace racing champion Ahmad Al Harthy drove the Vulcan hyper car, one out of the only 24 all over the world, along the Muttrah Corniche for viewers. The show was held under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Taimur Bin Assad Al Said. The showrun was held with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, under the umbrella of the Oman Automobile Association and the Royal Oman Police.
O M A N W E AT H E R
Two die in Quriyat following heavy rain in the Sultanate FAHAD AL GHADANI
fahadnews@timesofoman.com
A3
A perfect getaway PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT OMAN
7,000 new jobs for Omanis in making ERIK PRINS
erik@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Despite the current tough times, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is continuing to target the creation of 7,000 new jobs for Omanis in the industry this year, Raul Restucci, managing director of PDO told the Times of Oman (TOO) on the sidelines of a graduation ceremony held on Thursday. “It’s a tougher environment, it’s an environment of cost-cutting, constraining what we can do to survive this phase, but we remain committed to this programme,” he said. Abdul Amir Al Ajmi, external affairs and value creation director at PDO, said the company had delivered 7,200 jobs, training and re-deployment opportunities with its contracting community last year. “I am pleased to emphasise that last year PDO was able to achieve performance that exceeded targets in all areas of its
business, including production, safety and of course in securing employment and training opportunities for job seekers,” he stated. Restucci said job opportunities will be in a range of levels, including scaffolding, electricians, mechanics, assistant drillers, but also inspectors, surveyors and designers. He further said the training programme is designed to let young Omanis gain confidence in the private sector and help develop themselves. “Our key goal is to address work ethics, so they learn a line of sight, what are the opportunities?” he asked. Restucci noted that there are lot of opportunities for Omanis to progress in their career. “No matter how humble you start, there’s a lot of opportunity in the industry if you dedicate yourself. Whether you decide to stay in the sector or set up you own welding shop, it doesn’t matter. The opportunity is very significant,” he added. >A2
MUSCAT: Two persons died following heavy rainfall in Oman yesterday, according to the official twitter account of the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA). The bodies were found in the early afternoon hours yesterday by citizens in the Wadi Al Khabil in the wilayat of Quriyat. In another incident, a man was rescued after being trapped in his vehicle in Wadi Khars in the wilaiyat of Dhank. Precautionary messages PACDA has tweeted precautionary messages in different languages, advising citizens and residents not to risk their lives by crossing wadis (valleys) or straying into nearby wadis or dams. Parts of the Sultanate witnessed isolated rain and thundershowers, accompanied by strong winds and hail, while Muscat and other parts of Oman saw moderate to heavy rains. The Oman Meteorology Department (Met) expects moderate rain to hit North and South Sharqiyah, North Batinah, Al Wusta, and thunderstorms and rain to hit the northern parts of Oman and the Al Hajar mountains. Upper air trough Oman will be affected by the upper air trough till Saturday, according to the National Multi Hazard Early Warning Centre. According to the Met’s latest advisory, more thundershowers are expected in parts of the northern governorate. Fishermen and sea goers have
– ONA
also been advised to follow updates from the Met before venturing into sea. According to the Directorate General of Meteorology at PACA,
Wilayat Ibri recorded the maximum amount of rain. The weather monitoring station in Bahla recorded 107.4 millimetres (mm) of rainfall, as tweeted
by PACA at 6pm. Samael recorded 22.6 mm and Bausher recorded 13.2 mm. PACA also tweeted that clouds were covering most parts of Oman. See also page >2