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Jordanian teenager drowns in Mughsayl The victim was identified as a Jordanian national, aged 18 years and her body was flown back to Jordan by her relatives on Thursday DROWNING INCIDENT: The Public Authority of Civil Defence and
Ambulances tweeted that a Jordanian woman had drowned in Mughsayl. Photo– Soumya N Ghosh REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: An 18-year-old Jordanian girl drowned in the Al Mughsayl waters, some 40km from Salalah, on Wednesday evening, sources said. On Wednesday, late in the evening, the Public Authority of Civil Defence and Ambulances (PACDA) tweeted that a Jor-
danian woman had drowned in Mughsayl. Sources at Salalah’s Sultan Qaboos Hospital said the victim had been identified as a Jordanian national, aged 18 years and that her body had been flown back to Jordan by her relatives on Thursday. In 2014, seven expatriates had drowned at the Yiti beach in Mus-
cat and at the Mughsayl beach. Person rescued Meanwhile, the police also rescued a person, who fell from a mountain in Nakhal. The injured person has been admitted to a hospital by the police. On Wednesday, the police had urged people to stay safe during
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the holidays as four people had been killed in two different road accidents on Tuesday. In a tweet posted on its official Twitter handle, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) had urged people to be safe during the four-day-long National Day holiday. On Tuesday, four people were involved in two different road accidents. While in Kabourah, an Omani driver was killed when his car plunged into a wadi (valley), in Buraimi, an Omani teacher and two Egyptian teachers, were killed when their car met with an accident involving a truck. According to PACDA’s statistics from 2014, the ambulance team had to respond to 10,517 cases during the year 2014, up from 9,889 cases in 2013. Some 7,905 of those cases were trauma-related and included road and construction-related accidents, occupational injuries and fire injuries; whereas 2,612 were reported as medical cases. Road accidents topped the list with 7,705 cases, followed by accidents at home, prison and during recreation.
GOODWILL VISIT
WELCOME: A reception was organised at the Cochin Port in Kerala under the auspices of Hamad bin Saif Al Rawahi, the Sultanate’s ambassador to India. -ONA
Shabab Oman ship docks at Indian port COCHIN: In implementation of the Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and as part of its second world tour (2015 Omani-Indian Friendship Bridge), second Shabab Oman Vessel of the Royal Navy of Oman ( RNO) arrived at Cochin Port. The vessel is accompanied by a training sailing boat that will participate in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the opening of Indian Embassy in Oman. A reception was organised at
the Cochin Port in Kerala under the auspices of Hamad bin Saif Al Rawahi, the Sultanate’s ambassador to India in the presence of a number of officials and senior officers of the Indian navy and Royal Navy of Oman ( RNO). In his speech, Al Rawahi pointed to the role the 2nd Shabab Oman has played in building the bridges of friendship, love and peace between Oman and India. He also said that the visit of the vessel to India came in response to His Majesty the Sultan’s directives. -ONA
C O N S E RVAT I O N E F F O R T S
Stress on soil conservation to achieve food security Times News Service
CELEBRATION: UAE’s Ambassador to Oman Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi thanked His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for the cooperation extended to the Emirates. – O K Mohammed Ali
UAE shares special ties with Oman, says envoy Staff reporter MUSCAT: Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) share special ties and a historic relationship, the UAE’s ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi, said. “Oman and the UAE are like one family,” said the ambassador while addressing the guests gathered to celebrate the 44th National Day of the UAE. The ambassador thanked His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for the cooperation extended to the UAE. He also appreciated Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister of
Foreign affairs and Mohammed bin Salem Al Said, chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their hard work in maintaining a good bilateral relationship with UAE and the Sultanate. Martyr’s Day As per the order of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, president of UAE, November 30 will be celebrated as Martyr’s Day. “November 30 will be observed as Martyr’s Day to mark and celebrate their sacrifices made in service to the country and its people,” Al Suwaidi said. “In order to support the legal government in Yemen, we gave up
many martyrs to express loyalty to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayeed Al Nahyan,” the ambassador said. According to him, UAE is the top country in the Arab world and said it has developed rapidly in various sectors. “UAE has developed nationally and internationally; economically, politically, and in various sectors, such as infrastructure, energy, space, technology,” Al Suwaidi said. Cabinet ministers, government officials, ambassadors of other friendly countries and officials from other embassies also attended the celebration held at the UAE Embassy.
MUSCAT: A workshop was organised on Thursday by the Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering (SWAE) at the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences (CAMS) at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) to celebrate “2015 International Year of Soils” on Thursday. The event was organised under the patronage of Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Bakri, undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The 68th United Nations (UN) General Assembly has declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS). The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has been nominated to implement IYS 2015 within the framework of Global Soil Partnership and in collaboration with the governmental and the secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. IYS 2015 aims to create awareness and understanding about the importance of soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions. During the opening ceremony of the workshop, El Zein Mustafa El Muzamil, representative of FAO, spoke about the importance of soil conservation to achieve food security and environmental protection. “Healthy soils are the foundation for food, fuel, and fibre. Soils are also essential to our ecosysSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
HM award for voluntary work today MUSCAT: Winners of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos 4th Award for Voluntary Work will be announced at Majan Ball Room of Al Bustan Palace Hotel by the Ministry of Social Development on Saturday. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications will preside over the function. Honour During the event, winning individual and civil establishments and companies supportive the voluntary work will be announced and honoured. Ninety-nine projects; 50 individual projects 38 projects of civil establishments and companies and 11 projects of the companies supportive to social responsibility will compete for the 15 winning places covering different fields. The award reflects the vision of His Majesty the Sultan on voluntary work and its activities in the society. —ONA
SUSTAINABLE USE: The 68th United Nations General Assembly has
declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils. – Supplied photo
tems, playing a key role in the carbon cycle, storing and filtering water, and improving resilience to floods and droughts,” he explained. “The International Year of Soils is an effort to raise awareness and promote more sustainable use of this critical resource. Soil is also the largest pool of organic carbon, which is essential for mitigating and adapting to climate change. In an era of water scarcity, soils are fundamental for its appropriate storage and distribution,” El Muzamil said. Commenting on man-made and natural threats to soils, he said that 33 per cent of our global
soil resources have been degraded and human pressure on soils are reaching critical limits, reducing and sometimes eliminating essential soil functions. D. Salim Ali Al Rawahi, associate professor, SWAE, spoke about soils as a major resource contributing to food security and environmental sustainability. Dr. Hamdan Salem Al Wahaibi from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, soil and land resources for agriculture production in the Sultanate also spoke. Ahmed Al Mayahi spoke about the urban soils of Oman and the effects of anthropogenic activities.
F L O O D S I T UAT I O N
Expats following A1 Chennai floods < FROM
Those planning to visit Oman are boarding planes from the nearest cities of Coimbatore and Bangalore, the expats said. On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to Chennai take stock of the flood situation. “…The PM is taking an overview of the flood relief operations at INS Rajali, Arakkonam,” the official Twitter handle of the Prime Minister’s Office wrote. Desperate times Meanwhile, expatriates of Indian origin said they are anxiously following the developments though news channels and social media. For Mohamed Nayaz, an Ernst & Young staffer in Muscat, two days of desperation to reach his parents in Chennai ended on Wednesday, when a relative called to inform about their safety. “People have spent many days without electricity. Luckily a relative whose cell phone batteries lasted longer was able to
bring news from home,” Nayaz told TOO. Nayaz, who is following the developments on television channels and social media, said he can’t imagine the magnitude of rain in places, where he used to travel with friends or relatives. “The rains have changed the map of Chennai. The pictures I am seeing from Chennai are horrible. My college, the park I would play cricket in are all submerged. It’s just unbelievable,” he stated. The expats in Oman said they are facing difficult times and that “social media rumours” must end immediately. “Just two days ago a message on WhatsApp claimed that 40 crocodiles have escaped the flooded zoo. It’s ridiculous. Now, who counted the escapees?” Srinivasan mocked.
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