Times of Oman - June 9, 2016

Page 1

THURSDAY

June 9, 2016 3 Ramadan 1437 AH

RAMADAN PRAYER TIMINGS

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

IFTAR

Dhuhr

12.11pm

6.58PM

Asr

3.29pm

Maghrib

6.58pm

FAJR

Isha

8.20pm

3.52AM

Fajr (Tomorrow)

3.52am

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 93

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ All senior officials in our government must always remember that they are first and foremost the servants of the people of this dear country.

| 44 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

MONITORING

CABLES

His Majesty sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to King Abdullah II of Jordan on the occasion of his accession to the throne. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his

Ministry carries out 1000s of inspections

best wishes of good health, happiness and a long life to King Abdullah II, praying to Allah the Almighty for the return of this and similar occasions on him and the Jordanian people to achieve further aspirations of progress and prosperity. -ONA

FAHAD AL GHADANI

fahadnews@timesofoman.com

His Majesty sends condolences MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia on the death of Princess Lulua bint Saud bin Abdulaziz

To Senior State Officials, 1978

Al Saud. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere condolences and sympathy to King Salman, praying to Allah the Almighty to rest the deceased’s soul in peace and grant her family patience. -ONA

Timely payment of salaries to employees pushes them to perform better in their job.

MUSCAT: Enforcement teams from the Ministry of Manpower inspected more than 3,500 businesses up to March this year and found irregularities in their functioning. In course of the inspection, nine companies were referred to public prosecution for delays in paying the salaries of their employees. “The Ministry of Manpower has referred nine out of 25 companies, which had been warned earlier to adjust their legal situation for

delaying the issuance of salaries,” said Salim Al Badi, director general of labour welfare at the Ministry of Manpower. Field monitoring “This comes as a result of the inspection visits and field monitoring done by the ministry under the framework of efforts to protect private sector employees’ salaries,” said Al Badi. He added that the ministry also depends on reports received through its call centre. The Manpower Ministry carried out 3,580 inspections last year

and during the first three years months of this year. Al Badi also called on companies to take care of its workers and respect their rights, especially when it comes to their salaries. “Companies must issue the salaries at the right time and also follow any decision made by the Ministry of Manpower to pay salaries in advance on special occasions,” said Al Badi. He further explained that the payment of salaries at the right time pushes employees to perform better in their jobs and in the future. >A8

OPEN HOUSE FOR EXPATRIATES?

HASAN ALI SHABAN AL LAWATI

hassan@timesofoman.com

A plan to allow expatriates to buy outside of Integrated Tourist Complexes is under discussion

MUSCAT: Expatriates may finally be able to own property in a wider number of locations across Oman if a plan under discussion gets official backing. The Oman Real Estate Association is urging the Ministry for Housing (MoH) to make more areas available for sale to people of all nationalities, an official at the

T R AV E L I N C O M F O R T

ministry revealed. Currently, non-nationals can only buy property in an Integrated Tourist Complex (ITC) which can be beyond the financial reach of some people living and working in the Sultanate. A senior official from the ministry said they are “currently studying” the idea. “However, it needs approval from many authorities to see the light of day,” Siham Al Harthi, director manager of the

Planning and Studies Department at the MoH, told the Times of Oman (TOO), adding that no time frame has been set yet to implement the new rule. Hassan Juma, vice-chairman of the Oman Real Estate Association, suggested that the government should allocate “special zones,” which can house expatriates at more reasonable prices, compared with ITC properties. “This has to be done on real de-

mand, and not as a speculative market, where buyers purchase a house with the hope that it will become more valuable at a future date,” he stated.

REGION

MARKET

Boost to economy He added that if expatriates own houses or apartments in Oman, they will visit the country often. “In this way, they will be contributing to the country’s economy by using more local transportation,

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

Taxis loaded with apps to woo tourists

OMAN

Fewer emergency Hoax bomb threat rescue calls last year grounds EgyptAir jet

Omantel confirms landing of cable

FAHAD AL GHADANI RAHUL DAS

1

Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) celebrated the milestone landing of the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1) submarine cable system in Oman at a ceremony on Monday in the Al Bustan area of Muscat. >B3

fahadnews@timesofoman.com rahuldas@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Taxi passengers in Oman will soon be able to access free wireless internet, pay fares by credit card or smart phone and read books as they travel, say officials. These are some of the plans announced by Ingenuity Technologies LLC, after it was awarded a taxi licence by the Ministry of Transport —a first for the city.

“People will be able to connect their smart phones, tablets or laptops and surf the internet as soon as they enter a luxurious taxi as a part of our plan,” said Amira Al Sheidi, acting project manager of the company. Licence Ingenuity Technologies LLC has obtained a licence to regulate taxis at the Sultan Qaboos Port and at three, four and five-star hotels, as well as provide on-call taxi services in the governorate of Muscat.>A8

Land and water rescue teams responded to 976 emergency calls in 2015, an average of at least two call-outs every day. Fewer people required the rescue services last year, thanks to intensive awareness campaigns in schools across the country, officials say. >A5

WAT TAYA H A C C I D E N T

Injured doctor to be airlifted to India REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: “He is unaware that he has lost his mother in the accident. He is still unconscious. How can we tell him? He has suffered a brain injury, a fractured rib and injured his facial bone. “I am running from pillar to post to make arrangements for him to be airlifted to India. He needs advanced treatment and care. He loved his mother a lot. Her funeral took place in India

restaurants, services, etc.,” he said. “This will give real-estate sector in the Sultanate a boost,” Juma pointed out, adding that it will also prevent Oman from losing remittance money, which is being sent abroad. The 2016 World Bank Migration and Remittances Fact Book, which looks at remittance outflows for 2014, revealed that remittance outflow from Oman has increased over the years. >A8

today. This is a tough time,” said Angel Binoy, the wife of Binoy Mathai, an assistant cardiologist at the Badr Al Samaa Hospital in Ruwi, who was left fighting for life after met with an accident last Friday near Wattayah in Muscat. Binoy’s mother, who was also in the car, was killed on the spot when their car was in collision with a lorry last Friday evening. “As he needs advanced treatment and extra care, I will be airlifting him to India,” she said. >A8

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

C1

2

An EgyptAir passenger plane en route from Cairo to Beijing was forced to make an emergency landing in Uzbekistan on Wednesday after receiving a security threat call the airline said turned out to be a hoax. All passengers and crew members were evacuated. >A10

3

MORNING MINUTE


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.