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OMAN FACE BAHRAIN IN GCC UNDER-19 FINAL The Sultanate’s football squad will be looking to bring home a second GCC crown in as many weeks when the national under-19 will clash with Bahrain in the final in Doha on Saturday. >A11
SATURDAY, September 12, 2015 / 28 Dhul Qa’ada 1436 AH timesofoman.com
R O YA L O R D E R
Royal Decree amends Civil Status Law MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on Thursday issued Royal Decree No. 33/2015 amending some provisions of the Civil Status Law. Article (1) states that the amendments attached to this Decree shall be applied to the Civil Status Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. 66/99. Article (2) cancels all that contradicts the attached amendments or contravenes with their provisions. Article (3) says that the decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and takes effect from its date of issue. — ONA A L A M E R AT
No loss of life in Oman earthquake
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TRAGEDY: Construction cranes surround the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. -Reuters file photo
R E G I S T R AT I O N I S S U E
150 Haj pilgrims sent back from Saudi fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A reliable source at the Omani Haj Mission confirmed that 150 Haj pilgrims were sent back from Saudi Arabia as their details had not been registered with the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs. The source explained that approved campaigns did not face any problems while entering the Saudi Arabia. The source pointed out that the mission is working on continuous communication between them
and the authorities concerned to take legal action against fake and unauthorised campaigns which had fooled the public and provided them with fake permits. News had spread on social media about the return of 150 pilgrims. The ministry has issued 11,200 Haj permits and registered other information such as the mode of transport of pilgrims to Makkah and their residential address in Medina or Makkah. The ministry has warned Haj and Umrah campaign organisers that there will be legal action against the offenders.
RIYADH: A construction crane that crashed into the Grand Mosque in holy city of Makkah on Friday, left 87 people dead and 183 injured, the head of Saudi Arabia’s civil defence authority told Al Ikhbariya television. Pictures circulating on social media showed the crane, which appeared to have collapsed or snapped, had crashed into it. The civil defence authority, which gave the casualty figures, said on Twitter that emergency teams were sent to the scene after a “crane fell at the Grand Mosque”. That came about an hour after it tweeted that Makkah was “witnessing medium to heavy rains”. The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands of Muslims gather from all over the world for
“They should choose the private sector because the salary is good and the future is better than with the government. In the government they see the time and no work is there. In the private sector there are more options and you can do more things,” she says. Amaal Al Lawati, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Ooredoo, is one such woman who has shone brightly in the private sector for the past 20 years.
For those eyeing better future and growth ambitions, private sector gives the right platform to
Oman, Iran to form committee for the construction of dams Staff Reporter
SHARING EXPERTISE: Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian, left, with Minister of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Shuhi, in Tehran. -Photo courtesy IRNA
Chitchian added that Oman, like other Gulf countries, has good experience in water desalination and Iran is keen to use their knowledge in this field. In addition, the Omani minister said that Oman plans to ex-
pand its co-operation with Iran on water resources and is seeking to use Iran’s experience in dam construction and transfer lines. Al Shuhi also encouraged private Iranian companies to participate in projects in Oman.
the annual Haj pilgrimage set to begin later this month. The Grand Mosque is usually at its most crowded on Fridays, the Muslim weekly day of prayer. It houses the Ka’aba -- the massive cube-shaped structure towards which Muslims worldwide pray. The governor of the holy city of Makkah, Prince Khaled Al Faisal, has ordered an investigation into the incident. A massive project is currently underway to increase the area of the mosque by 400,000 square metres, allowing it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at once. The mosque is surrounded by a number of cranes. The Haj has largely been incident-free during the past few years. -Reuters
Career growth pulls females to private sector
BOOST TO TIES
MUSCAT: Oman and Iran plan to establish a joint committee to explore the potential for the participation of Iranian companies in construction of dams in the Sultanate, according to an Iranian official. The specialised and technical committee will be formed with the participation of Iran and Oman’s Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources in the near future, said Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, quoting Hamid Chitchian, Iranian energy minister. Chitchian was speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Oman’s Minister of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Shuhi , in Tehran. Fruitful discussions were held and the two sides agreed to share their expertise and experience in the field of management and study of water resources, said the Iranian minister.
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87 pilgrims die as crane crashes into Grand Mosque
fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: An earthquake measuring 2.5 on the Richter scale was recorded around 6km south of Al Amerat in Muscat, at 3:18 am on Friday, by the earthquake monitoring centre of the Sultan Qaboos University. The centre reassured residents that even though they could feel such an earthquake, there was no loss of life or damage to property. The centre also had not received any such reports. >A3
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H O LY C I T Y O F M A K K A H
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SARAH MACDONALD
sarah@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Omani women represent just 2.6 per cent of the private sector workforce in the Sultanate, but they are steadily making gains as more of them opt for careers in which they can flourish. According to figures from the National Centre for Statistics and Information, at the end of June 2015 there were 1,829,726 documented private sector employees, including 47,441 Omani women. Among the 206,054 Omanis, women represent 23 per cent. While the numbers of Omani women are still comparatively low, they have been growing. In 2003 there were 13,385; in 2012 there were 35,248. But those who opt for the private sector find that it’s a means to achieve more in their careers. “If you have big ambitions, if you’re looking for promoting yourself and getting knowledge and getting real experience, I think you need to go to the private sector,” says Fatma Al Salmi, a 25-year-old Omani who works for Oman Flour Mills.
35,248 Omani women were working in the private sector in 2012 and their number is still growing with better career future in their mind
Personal growth When she completed her degree in Public Relations, Al Salmi purposely looked for a job in the private sector because she thought there would be more opportunity for personal growth and development. Though public sector jobs come with shorter hours, higher base salaries and other benefits, she thought there wouldn’t be much room to grow and learn new skills. Sawsan Al Balushi, 29, works as in reservations and ticketing for a local travel agency, Razan Travel. She recommends women take up jobs in the private sector because it is more interesting and employees can progress faster in their careers.
Better opportunities She spent 10 years in the banking sector and now has worked for Ooredoo for the past 10 years. She says entering the private sector was her own decision and like Al Salmi, she thought it would offer better opportunities in the long run. Al Lawati was looking for faster personal development, and thanks to her hard work, she got the results she was after. She was a supervisor in one bank when another offered her a position as assistant manager, and after five years there a third bank offered her a manager position. “After 10 years in the banking I said, ‘Let me try something else now,’ so Nawras approached me to be a section head,” she explains. Al Lawati was the first Omani director in Ooredoo (then Nawras), and now she is the first Omani woman to take a chief position. Mark Pudwell, Business Development and Training Manager at Competence HR LLC, says private sector companies would do well to attract and keep Omani women. In an assessment his firm did of nearly 9,000 recent Omani graduates, 65 per cent of the top candidates were women. >A3
TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES
OMAN
Meteor like object enters Oman airspace
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A meteor like unidentified object did enter the Sultanate’s airspace on Wednesday night, however, it is not clear whether it landed in the country or not, according to Saleh Al Shidhani from the Oman Astronomical Society, Locals in Wilayat of Yanqul in Al Dhahira Governorate reported that they witnessed a meteor like object and also heard the crash. >A3
OMAN
REGION
Sheraton intersection opens for traffic
Oman to host Yemen ceasefire talks
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Sheraton Hotel intersection in Ruwi has been opened for traffic following installation of the signals. The intersection was closed due to construction work of the flyover from Darsait to Wadi Kabir. The opening of the intersection will help people coming from Ruwi and heading towards area behind the Sheraton Hotel. >A2
Yemen’s government in exile said on Friday it has agreed to take part in UN-mediated peace talks next week in Oman aimed at reaching a ceasefire with Houthi rebels. However, in the absence of an announcement from the rebels, government spokesman Rajih Badi was unsure the rebels would attend. The talks “may not take place”, he said. >A4
UK’s Stereophonics coming to Muscat
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