TUESDAY
November 22, 2016 22 Safar 1438 AH
HM SENDS GREETINGS
FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN
MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President General Michel Aoun of the Lebanese Republic on the occasion of his country’s Independence Anniversary. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to President Aoun and the Lebanese people further progress and prosperity. -ONA
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. 227 | 36 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group
DRIFTING SPORT
Omani trio in first-ever Red Bull Car Park Drift final GAUTAM VISHWANATHAN
gautam@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: There are three Omani finalists for this year’s Red Bull Car Park Drift final which is being held in the Sultanate for the very first time.
Traffic jams in Oman now occur frequently, and often cause anger and frustration. However, if you see one snaking towards Port Sultan Qaboos on December 9, it will be one that induces pride across the nation. At the local championship, Ali
Al Balushi won for the fourth consecutive year. Aged only 18, first-time competitor Haitham Al Hadidi thrived under pressure and secured second place. The third place was snagged by Tarek Al Shaihani, who will also be joining Al Balushi and Al Hadidi at Port
UK confident of good trade ties with Oman post-Brexit DEEBA HASAN
deeba@timesofoman.com
MORNING MINUTE
gether, we spent days and nights making the car ready for the competition,” Al Hadidi said, adding,“It was an amazing experience and I feel so happy to be in second place in my very first competition.” “Since my childhood I have been participating in karting and buggy
competitions, training after school and during the weekends. I only started drifting a few months back when I got my driver’s licence,” he said. “My dream is to put my country on the map for drifting and motorsports in general,” he said. >A6
Muttrah Souq set to get vital safety system
LIAM FOX
MUSCAT: Britain is positive about maintaining its long-standing relations with Oman postBrexit, according to Dr. Liam Fox, Member of the British House of Commons, who has been the Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade since 2016. Fox came to Oman to strengthen ties between the two countries. “It’s a pleasure to be back here in Oman. It’s been a few months since I was last here and I would like to begin by congratulating His Majesty and the people of Oman in celebrating the 46th National Day. It’s a great pleasure to be here to join in that time,” Fox added. >A7
Sultan Qaboos next month. To get to this stage represents not just the hard work put in by these young Omanis but also the sacrifices and efforts of their families. “Preparing the car was not easy but my family supported me. To-
Oman enters Guinness book for candle lighting
A2
Better safety plan will help Souq shopkeepers insure their businesses
TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES
from natural hazards
OMAN
Ways to unwind during National Day holidays
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With Oman enjoying some fantastic weather over the last few days, we all wish we could get away from the city and unwind for a couple of days. Fortunately, the National Day holidays on November 23 and 24 will help us do just that. >A4
REGION
MARKET
Yemen truce will not be renewed
CBO eases provisions for restructured loans
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Oman’s banking regulator has relaxed specific provisions for restructured loans. >B1
A two-day truce after two years of war in Yemen that expired on Monday would not be renewed. >A8
3
HASAN SHABAN AL LAWATI
hassan@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Historic Muttrah Souq will have security guards and a revamped fire safety plan, allowing shopkeepers there to insure their businesses, officials have revealed. Night security guards and a fire control system will be deployed in the 200-year-old market by early 2017, according to Dr Ibrahim Al Rahbi, Director General of Muscat Municipality at Greater Muttrah. “We have floated the tender and we are expecting a fire con-
trol system to be installed three months from now,” Al Rahbi said. This is a sigh of relief to some 1,000 shopkeepers who ply their trade inside the traditional marketplace. The Souq is one of the oldest markets in Oman and it attracts thousands of tourists every year. But shop-owners have been stuck in a limbo for years as insurance companies refuse to cover the shops citing lack of safety. The Times of Oman reported earlier this year that brokers in Oman confirmed that the Souq is a major headache and that insurance companies are reluctant to
provide cover. In February, a shop manager in Muttrah Souq lost goods worth OMR200,000 in a fire that engulfed his shop. He said his firm was denied insurance and that many others like him are totally unprotected. But that is expected to change with plans to allocate security guards at night to watch over the place. “A team of officials from different departments visited the Souq following the newspaper’s report to solve the problem,” Al Rahbi explained. In addition to safety updates, the municipality pledged to rebuild the rest rooms within the Souq and decorate the entire market in a major makeover. Al Rahbi also added that a tourist kiosk will be placed near the entrance so visitors can get maps and information about the historic attraction. “It will be supervised by Muscat Municipality and the Ministry of Tourism and it will be located near the taxi stop overlooking the sea,” Al Rahbi said. Mohammed Ashraf, a shopkeeper in Muttrah Souq for the last 20 years, welcomed the news. >A6
UCI ASIA TOUR
18 teams, 144 cyclists to vie for Tour of Oman 2017 honours REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Eighteen teams and 144 cyclists will take part in the Tour of Oman from February 14, a senior official has revealed. “There will be 18 teams and 144 cyclists from all over the world. In all, they will tour 980kms in Oman. Locations and tracks will be announced in January 2017,” Habib Al Zawawi, the media coordinator of Tour of Oman, told Times of Oman. The Tour of Oman is held soon after the Tour of Qatar and is conducted by the same team of organisers. Green Mountain Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) sealed the overall victory in the 2016 Tour after claiming the key stage to Green Mountain. Norwegian riders Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data)
ENDURANCE TEST: The Tour of Oman is held soon after the Tour of Qatar and is conducted by the same team of organisers. -File photo
also made their mark on the race with two stage wins apiece. The Tour of Oman is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Oman since 2010
as part of the UCI Asia Tour. The race is organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation, and was held for the first time between February 14 and 19, 2010.
The race is a men’s competition consisting of six stages. The race contains mainly flat stages, with some hillier parts. During the race, the leader of
the General Classification wears a red jersey, the leader of sprinter’s points classification is denoted by a green jersey and best young rider by white.
The inaugural edition of the race in 2010, consisted of six stages, beginning with 16-laps around Muscat Corniche and ending with an 18.6 km time trial, also in Muscat.