Times of Oman - December 26, 2016

Page 1

MONDAY December 26, 2016 26 Rabi Al Awal 1438 AH

6 085010 120010

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

On the occasion of the 25th National Day Silver Jubilee, 1995

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ The human being, as we have always said, is the power, the instrument and the ultimate aim of national development. Thus we exert every effort to provide him with these essential qualities so that we can all, together, build our nation.

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 251 | 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

Remittances to Bangladesh fall

2016: THE YEAR OF AUSTERITY. WILL 2017 BRING ANY RELIEF?

1

With diversification

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

M U N I C I PA L C OU N C I L S E L E C T I O N S

OMAN

Although the number of Bangladeshi workers coming to Oman went up in November, according to Oman government data, their total remittances declined during the month, reports the Bangladesh government. >A3

and contributions from small-scale businesses, Oman

MARKET

can weather the

Port Services Corp. to continue operation

oil price storm

2

Port Services Corporation, which manages Muscat’s Port Sultan Qaboos , has said that the company’s board has decided to extend the concession pact to manage and operate the port, with the same terms and conditions for one year. >B1

Staff Reporters

– ONA/Shabin E

Voters elect 202 candidates in Municipal Councils polls SPORTS

Royal Cavalry horse comes first in Sharjah

3

The Royal Cavalry of the Royal Court Affairs continues to perform well on various racing tracks. The mare ‘Fareedah’ came joint first with the horse “AS Maidan” of Sheikh Abdullah bin Majid Al Qasmi. They arrived at the finish line at the same time. >C1

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Oman has chosen its 202 candidates who will represent all cities and villages of the country at their respective Municipal Councils. Of the 22 female candidates standing for election, seven were voted in this year, two in North Al Batinah, two in Al Buraimi, two in Muscat and one in South Al Batinah. “The voting process for the Municipal Councils Elections, which began on Sunday morning at 7.00 am in different wilayats,

continued smoothly without any hindrance,” said Eng. Khalid bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Head of the Main Committee of the Municipal Councils’ 2nd Term Elections. Ali Al Lawati, a voter, said the voting process was very quick. “It took me just a minute to cast my vote and finish the ballot,” he added. The results were announced before midnight, thanks to a new state-of-the-art machine which was used for the first time in Oman.

“New technologies have been introduced for the casting of ballots,” Al Busaidi said. “The most important is the evoting boxes, which provide realtime counting of votes during the election process. “While the system can process a considerable number of voting forms at the same time, it also ensures optimum privacy of voters and takes into consideration the security aspect while reading the voting forms,” Al Busaidi told the local media. >A4 Results on page >A4

MUSCAT: Rising oil prices will not halt austerity in Oman, but its residents might, analysts say. Experts agree austerity measures will continue to bite deep into next year but a non-oil mindset and more small business launches may just bring the diversification required to weather the oil price storm. In 2016 oil prices slumped as low as $27 per barrel from over $100 at their highest, shaking global economies, including that of Oman’s. Job losses, benefit cuts, cancellations of projects, new taxes and cuts in state expenditures in many nations followed. Many people living in oil dependent countries have never experienced cuts and austerity measures, but those very people could be the captains required to steer Oman out of trouble, one senior analyst in the Sultanate belileves. There is renewed hope of a resurgence in oil prices following a production cut agreement between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC countries, agreed to during the

$60 is the ideal price for Omani crude but even $50 will be acceptable, says Ahmed Al Hooti, the board member of the OCCI

second week of December. Oil prices have since gone up, with Oman crude trading at $52.51 on Thursday. Experts in Oman say that residents will need to tighten their purse strings next year, as austerity measures will continue to hamper the economy’s recovery. According to reports by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, this is a direct consequence of the slowdown in the growth of Oman’s gross domestic product (GDP), which is expected to contract to just 1.7 per cent in 2017. “This definitely is a big problem, because it affects the local purchasing power of people, and given the fact that the GDP growth rate is going down, you will have the country going through a slump, with less investments being made,” said Ramanuj Venkatesh, assistant accounts manager at Larsen and Toubro. >A5

UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2020

Expat lawyers can appear in appeals court TARIQ ZIAD AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com

Young Omani singer to compete in India Star TV reality show

A4

MUSCAT: Non-Omani lawyers will be able to continue to appear before appeals courts and the Supreme Court until December 31, 2020, since there are not enough Omani lawyers to handle the demands for legal representation. Minister of Justice Abdulmalik bin Abdullah Al Khalili issued a ministerial decision 261/2016, amending ministerial decision 1020/2009, stating that “Non-

Omani lawyers are permitted to appear before the court of appeals and the Supreme court until December 31, 2020.” The decision is effective as of January 1, 2017. Ahmed Adali, a prominent Egyptian legal practitioner in Oman, said that the decision was taken in view of the low number of Omani lawyers in the Sultanate. “The number of practicing Omani lawyers is insufficient to handle the cases and follow-ups to defend the rights of Omani citizens,” said Adali.

“Therefore, in response to the directives issued by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said in protecting Omani citizens and their rights in the first degree, expatriate lawyers can appear in the court of

appeals and Supreme Court until there are enough Omani lawyers,” he explained. According to the data issued by the Ministry of Justice, there were only 284 Omani lawyers, compared with 441 expat lawyers, as of 2015, registered in the records of the lawyer affairs department at the ministry to practice in the appeals courts and Supreme Court. There were only 197 Omani appeals court lawyers at the end of 2015, compared with 183 expat lawyers. >A6

T OU R I S M D E S T I NAT I O N

Three new hotels to be built in Oman next year Times News Service MUSCAT: Three new hotels will open in Muscat next year, cementing Oman’s continued growth as a tourism destination, the Ministry of Tourism said on Sunday. They will provide around 500 rooms to guests. The three-star Al Irfan International Hotel is expected to open in the first quarter of 2017, the ministry said. Located in Bausher, it will have 152 guest rooms. In greater Muttrah, another three-star hotel, the Muttrah Corniche with 120 rooms, is set to open by the middle of next year. Muttrah Corniche is located near Port Sultan Qaboos, one of the most important ports in Oman, in the heart of the capital Muscat. It overlooks beautiful mountains and is one of the most scenic areas

TOURISM BOOST: The opening of new hotels will cement Oman’s growth as a tourism destination.

in the Governorate of Muscat, ideal for picnic, sea watching, and admiring ancient buildings. “There are not many hotels in Muttrah, so a budget three-star hotel will boost

tourism, as more than 150 cruise ships visit Port Sultan Qaboos every year,” travel experts said. A third hotel, Sundus Rotana, is expected to begin hosting guests

in the third quarter of 2017. “The four-star hotel will have 215 rooms and is located at the Airport Heights,” according to the ministry. In addition, the three-star

Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Al Khuwair, with 232 rooms, is expected to open in mid-2018. Another hotel, the five-star Intercontinental Tilal Muscat, with 244 rooms, is expected to open by 2019 end, the ministry said. “These hotels are designed to cater to all types of travellers visiting the Sultanate. All these hotels are in the city, and will offer modern amenities to facilitate all types of travellers,” travel agents said. Recently, Maitha Al Mahrouqi, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, said that Oman was looking at a growth in tourism of 8-12 per cent per year. “The biggest airport will open; the convention centre has already opened. Then, there are a few fivestar hotels that are in the pipeline and will also open next year,” she said recently.

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.