Oman's sultan, 79, travels to Belgium for medical checks

Oman's 79-year-old ruler will travel to Belgium for a medical checkup, the sultanate's state-run news agency reported Saturday.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said left "for some medical checks that will take a limited period, God willing," the Oman News Agency reported, citing a royal court statement. He has taken medical trips abroad in the past.

The sultan has ruled Oman since overthrowing his father in a bloodless 1970 coup. He has no known successor for his throne in Oman, a country on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula home to some 4.6 million people. (AP) SCY