Thursday 26 / December / 2024
There have been plenty of developments in Oman over the past week, that have made headlines both inside and outside the nation. Here are the week's five most-read stories in our weekly News Rewind.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has named His Highness Sayyid Asa'ad Bin Tariq Al Said as his Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations, Affairs and Cooperation, by Royal Decree. Having been appointed His Majesty's Special Representative, His Highness was also previously one of the Sultan's official representatives.
Oman has enough oil reserves to last for 15 years, according to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, HE Salem Nasser Al Aufi, who also emphasised the need for Oman to explore alternative energy solutions.
While that will bring relief to some quarters, what will further fuel hope for the future is a statement by Abdul Karim Jalal Al Lawati, the promotions manager of the Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority, who forecast that the economic downturn would allow local companies to flourish further.
Oil and gas, though, are still a big part of Oman's economy, with OMR 420,000 being provided by Oman Liquefied Natural Gas LLC to build 60 new homes in Sur. Six companies have been contracted to build 10 homes each, with the hope that the 60 families who will be housed here can wean themselves off social welfare and kickstart their lives anew.
Meanwhile, Mwasalat, the nation's national transport provider, has warned passengers to pick up any belongings they have forgotten within a month, from their HQ in Azaiba. Customers will be able to collect their bags and belongings from Sunday to Thursday between 8am and 2pm and again from 4pm to 8pm.
