Tuesday 23 / April / 2024
AUGUST 20
New barrier means park, pay for airport pick-ups
A new barrier at the entrance to Muscat International Airport will put an end to drivers circling round as they wait to collect people, in a bid to “organise the traffic,” according to the management. The new “electronic gate” means drivers will be able to drive to the departures and arrivals halls area just once during certain times of the day.
AUGUST 24
Wage Protection Programme for workers announced
A new Wage Protection Programme has been officially announced by the Ministry of Manpower. According to the statement released by the ministry, the new electronic programme will monitor bank accounts to ensure private sector workers are paid on time. “It is a new electronic programme, in cooperation with the Ministry of Manpower and the Central Bank of Oman (CBO), to monitor the disbursement of payments from organisations in the private sector.”
SEPTEMBER 13
Thank you HM, says Indian priest after rescue from Yemen
An Indian priest kidnapped after an attack on a care home in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden in 2016 has been freed and flown to Oman, the government has revealed. Father Tom Uzhunnalil was abducted in March 2016 when four gunmen posing as relatives of one of the residents at the home burst inside, killing four Indian nuns, two Yemeni female staff , eight elderly residents and a guard. The Sultanate helped to fi nd and rescue the Vatican employee, the government said.
SEPTEMBER 23
Oman’s foreign minister to UN: We stand for peace
Oman’s Foreign Minister has urged the nations of the world to put aside their differences and unite in the name of world peace. Speaking at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Aff airs, asked the leaders of the world to follow policies which advocated coexistence and mutual understanding. “In its foreign policy and international relations, the Sultanate adopts an approach based on the promotion of peace, coexistence, tolerance, dialogue and close cooperation with other nations and people, and adherence to the principles of justice, equality and non-interference in the internal aff airs of states and the peaceful settlement of disputes, in accordance with the provisions and principles of the Charter of the United Nations Trust based on mutual respect for the sovereignty of states and good neighbourly relations and in a manner that preserves the security, stability and prosperity of states,” said Alawi.
NOVEMBER 27
Photo trip turns into tragedy for friends
Three promising Omani photographers lost their lives in a tragic accident, and a fourth is currently battling for his life in hospital, after their car collided with a truck early on Friday morning. Ahmed Abbadi, Mohammed Al Nahdi and Oman Al Adawi lost their lives, while Sameh Al Rahbi, 22, is currently in critical condition at Nizwa hospital.
The collision took place near Samail, after the four of them had left Duqm and were returning to Muscat. Emergency services from the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) rushed to save the youths at around 3:45am, before they were rushed to Nizwa hospital.
OCTOBER 9
ROP guidance on low pay family visas
Expat workers with salaries of OMR300 and above who want to bring their families to live in Oman must show proof of rental contracts and salary, the ROP said on Sunday. The tweet from the ROP reads: “Regulations on familial residency to foreign employees. The expat that wants to bring his family, must have an income of no less than OMR300 per month. The expat’s Ministry of Manpower information form will be consulted in addition to a bank statement showing the expat’s salary deposit for at least the past three months.”
