project Oman’s foam take-out food containers and plastic cotton buds

 VOL. 38 NO. 36 | PAGES 28 | BAISAS 200

P13

MUSCAT: Oman’s longest zip line 

will be built in Al Hamra, according 

to a statement from the Ministry of 

Tourism. The zip line will come up 

in the Misfat Al Abriyeen village, to 

attract tourists.  The project will be 

jointly run by Al Masfah Company, 

Oman Refreshments Company and 

the Ministry of  Tourism will supervise 

the project. 

BRUSSELS:  Plastic cutlery, foam 

take-out food containers and plastic 

cotton buds are among the single-

use products to be banned across 

EU member states by 2021 under a 

plan that was provisionally agreed in 

Brussels on Wednesday.  Straws, drink 

stirrers and sticks for balloons will also 

be banned from the market.  SEE P10

MUSCAT: SalamAir plans to serve 19 

destinations, including new ones such 

as Alexandria in Egypt, Mashhad in 

Iran and Chittagong in Bangladesh 

in 2019. Mohamed Ahmed, CEO, 

SalamAir, said, “We have received an 

A320 Neo aircraft, which has started 

lying; we will receive another ive 

such aircraft next year.”  SEE P4

OMAN MUST DITCH 

AFFINITY FOR BIG 

CARS TO ADOPT 

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

PRAYER TIMINGS

WEATHER TODAY

MUSCAT

MAX: 260C

MIN: 150C

SALALAH

MAX: 310C

MIN: 240C

NIZWA

MAX: 270C

MIN: 110C

SUNRISE 06.44 AM 

FAJR: 05:23

DHUHR: 12:09

ASR: 15:10

MAGHRIB: 17:30

ISHA: 18:45

OMAN

EUROPE

Al Hamra to get 

longest zip line

Single use plastic 

ban from 2021

SalamAir will ly  

to 19 destinations

follow us @omanobserver

P27&@Oman20406

OMAN POST LAUNCHES 

COMMEMORATIVE STAMP 

CHAMPIONING WOMEN 

EMPOWERMENT

P21@@Oman20406

AL AIN UPSET 

RIVER PLATE TO 

REACH  CLUB 

WORLD CUP FINAL

AWO DELEGATES 

THANK HM

Participants at the 7th Annual 

Conference of the Arab Women 

Organization (AWO) thanked 

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos 

for the care provided by His 

Majesty the Sultan to women, 

as well as for the generous 

hospitality extended to them.

 SEE P3

Hacked cables reveal Europe’s anxiety about Trump, Russia, China

UK UNVEILS IMMIGRATION 

CLAMPDOWN AFTER BREXIT P10

INSIDESTORIES

FACEBOOK REMOVES MORE 

MYANMAR ACCOUNTS P7

Don’t eat toxic 

pufer ish, 

people told

ZAINAB AL NASSRI 

MUSCAT, DEC 19 

The Ministry of Agriculture and 

Fisheries on Wednesday warned 

the public against the sale/ 

consumption of toxic fish.

The ministry, as part of the 

Omani Fish Quality Control 

Regulations, has urged fishermen 

to dispose of toxic fish, if caught, 

in a proper manner as they might 

result in acute poisoning.

Earlier this week, the 

National Poison Control Centre 

of the Ministry of Health’s 

Directorate General of Diseases  

Control and Surveillance 

responded to six critical cases with 

symptoms of acute poisoning due 

to the consumption of puffer fish.

All the six people were 

admitted to intensive care unit at 

a referral hospital in Muscat.

BRUSSELS: Hackers accessed 

the European Union’s diplomatic 

communications network for 

years, downloading cables that 

reveal concerns about the Trump 

administration, struggles to deal with 

Russia and China and the risk of Iran 

reviving its nuclear programme, the 

New York Times reported on Tuesday.

More than 1,100 cables were 

supplied to the Times by security irm 

Area 1 ater it discovered the breach, 

the newspaper said, adding that Area 

1 investigators believed the hackers 

worked for the China’s People’s 

Liberation Army.

he cables include memorandums 

of conversations with leaders in Saudi 

Arabia, Israel and other countries 

that were shared across the European 

Union, according to the report.

One cable, the Times said, shows 

European diplomats describing 

a meeting between US President 

Donald Trump and Russian 

counterpart Vladimir Putin in 

Finland as “successful (at least for 

Putin).” 

Another, written ater a July 16 

meeting, relayed a detailed report and 

analysis of talks between European 

oicials and Chinese President Xi 

Jinping, who was quoted comparing 

Trump’s “bullying” of Beijing to a “no-

rules freestyle boxing match.” 

A third, from March 7, shows 

Caroline Vicini, the deputy head 

of the EU mission in Washington, 

recommending the trade bloc’s 

diplomats to describe the United 

States as “our most important partner” 

even as it challenged Trump “in areas 

where we disagreed with the US (e.g., 

on climate, trade, Iran nuclear deal).” 

he hackers also iniltrated the 

networks of the United Nations, the 

American Federation of Labour and 

Congress of Industrial Organizations 

(AFL-CIO), and ministries of foreign 

afairs and inance worldwide, the 

report added.

 — AFP

Big push for One Million 

Date Palm project

LAKSHMI KOTHANETH 

MUSCAT DEC 19

A central laboratory will be set 

up in Samayil for the One Million 

Date Palm Plantation Project by 

Oman Authority for Partnership 

of Development and University of 

Arizona.

he inal project agreement 

has been signed for development 

of three labs specialising in plant 

protection, horticulture and date 

palm biochemistry.

“he objective is to set up and 

equip labs through University of 

Arizona and constitute a team 

comprising Omani researchers 

from diferent universities who 

can beneit from these three key 

centres,” said Dr Dhair Awadh al 

Shanfari, CEO, Oman Authority 

for Partnership of Development.

He said this relationship will 

continue for four years, but “we 

hope it will spill over to other 

potentials in developing the key 

sector when it comes to research 

and development and date palms.”

he Partnership of  

Development has come up with 

an idea discussed between One 

Million Date Plantation Project 

and University of Arizona.

“We developed the concept 

and presented it to the plantation 

programme and Omani 

Authority for Partnership of 

Development. They agreed it 

was a good idea which could 

be sponsored under Oman’s 

offset programme and that is 

how the programme began,” 

said Todd Shallcross, Global 

Research Alliances — Research, 

Discovery & Innovation, 

University of Arizona (UA).

New Batinah Expressway 

a key link to GCC states

STAFF REPORTER 

MUSCAT DEC 19

With logistics emerging as one of 

the key non-oil sectors as part of 

diversiication strategy, Batinah 

Expressway ofers the vital link that 

connects the rest of the GCC with the 

help of bustling ports of Suhar and 

Duqm.

Assigned by His Majesty Sultan 

Qaboos as part of the 48th National 

Day celebrations, His Highness Sayyid 

Fatik bin Fahr al Said presided over the 

grand opening of Batinah Expressway 

on Wednesday.

Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed 

bin Saleem al Futaisi, Minister of 

Transport and Communications 

(MoTC), said the opening of the 

road completes the integration of all 

modes of transport as well as inter-

connectivity between ports, airports, 

industrial and economic zones, public 

transport with a strategic road that 

fulills the sustainable development 

needs. Speaking about the Diba-Lima-

Khasab project, Minister of Transport 

told to OmanTV: “Considered as one 

of the most arduous and vital projects 

in the Sultanate, Diba-Lima-Khasab 

Road comprises a large number of 

tunnels. he construction of the 

strategic linking road will help connect 

the Wilayat of Diba with Khasab. By 

the middle of next year, tender will be 

loated for the purpose.”

OMAN AUTHORITY 

FOR PARTNERSHIP 

OF DEVELOPMENT 

AND UNIVERSITY 

OF ARIZONA TO SET 

UP LABS FOR THE 

PLANTATION

EU oicials said 

they have begun 

a probe into the 

leak, which covers 

conversations with 

leaders in Saudi 

Arabia, Israel and 

other countries