SUNDAY
September 25, 2016 23 Dhul Hijja 1437 AH
FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN
MORNING MINUTE
On the occasion of the 2nd National Day, 1972
‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ We should remember that our country is vast, and providing services to all its parts requires great efforts and patience. And if our income from oil is modest in relation to our requirements and the circumstances of our country, we are rich in other resources and strong in our belief in God and in work.
Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 177 | 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
A SMILE AT LAST
TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES
OMAN
Physically challenged need jobs, not pity
1
Disabled or physically challenged people are frustrated after being denied the chance to work and most of them are overlooked when they apply for jobs just because they were born with a disability. It is about time employers from different sectors address the issue. >A6
WORLD
Corbyn re-elected Labour Party leader
Almost a month ago he was pulled from a burning car
Today his gap-toothed smile proves he’s the luckiest boy in Oman
Though Sulaiman has recovered, his sister Gazal, who suffered 75% burns, is still critical
FAHAD AL GHADANI
fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Sitting up in his hospital bed and smiling cheekily for the camera, Sulaiman Mohammed is the luckiest boy in Oman. Less than a month after the threeyear-old and his elder sister were pulled from a burning car at a Sur filling station, Sulaiman is now finally able to breathe, talk and even eat a little. One of the first questions he asked his dad was whether his big sister was okay. Medics are still treating Gazal, 4, and her father says she has undergone the first of many skin graft operations and that doctors were satisfied with the outcome. Mahmood Abu Attiyah, the uncle of the children, said all medical devices have now been removed from Sulaiman. “He always asks about his sister Gazal. He can eat normally now but only small amounts of food for every meal,” he added. “Gazal has undergone successfully a cosmetic surgery last Monday,” Mohammed Sulaiman, the father of the two, told Times of Oman. “Her condition is still critical but at least now cosmetic surgeries
2
Jeremy Corbyn was reelected leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, comfortably defeating his challenger Owen Smith. Corbyn won 61.8 per cent of the total vote, an even larger margin of victory than last year, and called for party unity and vowed to get Labour election-ready. >A10
MARKET
Spotlight on major Sohar investments
3
As many as 15 small and medium-sized downstream steel projects in Sohar were presented before a large gathering of potential investors. Jindal Shadeed and Ministry of Commerce and Industry highlighted various investment opportunities. >B1
The toddlers were pulled from a burning car by an Omani.
are possible for her. She will need many surgeries as she sustained 75 per cent burns. Her respiratory organs (lungs) are burned inside due to breathing in the hot smoke,” said the father. He added that her blood pressure is now stable but her body is still not responding to treatment. “Doctors said they can’t predict anything regarding Gazal’s condition. They update us every day with her condition,” said the father. In happier news for the parents, Sulaiman is getting much better and his body is responding well to the treatment. >A5
SPREADING SAFETY MESSAGE
Car safety seats for children to become mandatory soon: ROP Time News Service MUSCAT: Child safety seats may become mandatory while travelling in cars very soon, according to a senior official at the Royal Oman Police (ROP). “We are working on the executive regulations for the newly amended traffic law and it will explain everything about safety seats for children in cars,” the official said. The Children First Association is a child safety organisation founded by the Ministry of Social development in 2009, with Her Highness Muna bint Fahd Al Said appointed as its chairperson. Along with focusing on different aspects of child safety, the association is also trying to raise awareness among families in Oman about the importance of child car seats, according to Dr. Ibrahim Al Harthi, deputy chairman of the association.
“Our goal is to raise awareness among families in Oman and we try to talk to them about the car seats and features of the seats and how they can help children. We are distributing posters for awareness purposes and also planning to distribute free car seats later, based on the funding we receive.” “We are also in talks with hospitals, families of newborns, the ROP, and hopefully we will have small teams all across the country very soon, which will spread this message. We have our Instagram
RAISING AWARENESS: The Children First Association is also trying to raise awareness among families
in Oman about the importance of child car seats. – Supplied picture
and Twitter pages up and running, offering free advice to everyone about child safety, our website is also active and gives out similar information.” Until now, the organisation has allocated OMR2,000 for
child safety seats, and is looking for more funding from different groups and organisations. “Children First is working on creating awareness on many things, including food and nutrition, our ‘My Food’ campaign,
which is about what children eat and what they should be eating as part of a good diet,” Al Harthi stated. The public in Oman has also been regularly and actively calling for a law to make child safety seats
mandatory in cars as most people in the country tend to ignore this important safety measure for their children. Ana Vukman, a former resident of Oman, said it is important to make this a law if we want to make the roads safer for children. “They are important for the safety of children and must be made a law as soon as possible.” Sahar, a resident of Oman said, “Like in all the European countries, it should be a must to have child safety seats in cars in Oman too. It is also very dangerous to carry children in the lap while the car is moving.” Mohammed Osama Rawat, another resident, also appealed for such a law, “Even under normal circumstances, it will keep the child safe and intact on the seat in case of sudden use of breakdown due to some reason. Its benefits in the case of an accident are unquestionable.” >A5
PAC D A
Missing man found dead in Salalah Staff Reporter MUSCAT: A man who had gone missing in Salalah waters was found dead on Saturday, according to the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA). On Friday, the PACDA had first tweeted that a man was missing in Salalah waters and the search had started. However, it was stopped later on due to poor visibility.
SEARCH OPERATION: PACDA personnel searching for the man who
was later found dead in Salalah waters on Saturday. – PACDA
Injured A 26-year-old Marah Land park worker is battling for his life in hospital after he suffered serious injuries in a fall from a ride in the park, the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA)
Man suffers serious injuries in a fall from a ride in the park.
tweeted on its official twitter handle. According to PACDA statistics, 113 recorded cases of drowning occurred in 2015, down from 150 in 2014 and 292 in 2013.
Battle of Britain Ball raises OMR12,000 for charity
A4