Sultan Of Oman, The Middle East`s Longest-Serving Monarch, Dies Aged 79
(WorldNews Belgium)

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, the Middle East’s longest-serving ruler, has died aged 79. The British-educated leader seized power by overthrowing his father in a 1970 palace coup and pulled his Arabian sultanate into modernity while carefully balancing diplomatic ties between adversaries Iran and the US. Despite presiding at the head of a system of absolute monarchy the sultan was widely regarded as a popular leader, both within his own country and abroad. He was believed to have been in poor health in recent months, and travelled to Belgium for a medical check-up in December. The nation’s royal court has declared three days of mourning. The state-run Oman News Agency...