Al Busaidy wins Oman Football Association poll

Muscat: Sayyid Khalid Bin Hamad Bin Hamoud Al Busaidy on Thursday won the three-way contest for the Chairman's post in an historical first election to vote Oman Football Association board to office for a four-term.
The election for Chairman and Vice Chairman was so closely-fought that two observers - Fifa's Eisa al Hosni and Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) Charmaine Pereira had to order three rounds of voting to determine the winners.
Under football's governing body's regulations, a winner could be declared only after polling over 51 per cent of votes.

Saleem Bin Qasim Al Zawawi bowed out of the contest after polling only five votes in the first round. Finally Sayyid Khalid, who was nominated by Seeb Club, polled 29 votes against 14 polled by Sayyid Suleiman Bin Hamoud Al Busaidy, who held the vice-chairman's post in the outgoing board.

Earlier, the general assembly of 43 members also elected Salem Bin Said Al Wahaibi, first vice-chairman and Shaikh Saif Bin Hilal Al Hosani as second vice-chairman.
The newly-elected nine board members of the OFA are Talal Al Amer, Ebrahim Al Qasmi, Hasan Al Ajami, Sa'ad Al Shamis, Naser Al Balushi, Nayef Al Marhoon, Seif Al Jabri, Ahmad Al Habsi and Talal Al Amri. The new association will meet today to assign the roles to each member and discuss the future plan of the OFA.
"It's milestone in the history of Oman football. Probably this is the first time in the Middle East a football association is elected after a democratic voting process," said Sayyid Khalid, who as the President of Fanja Club brought the country's first team trophy in 1989.

Poker an education tool: Harvard academic

Poker should be seen as an educational tool that can build strategic thinking skills, a Harvard law professor said yesterday, announcing a plan to offer poker workshops to schools and universities worldwide.
"It teaches life skills, it teaches numeracy, risk assessment, resource management, and it teaches a lot about psychology," Harvard Law School's Prof Charles Nesson said on the sidelines of an internet conference in Singapore.
Poker "teaches you to rely on yourself, assess the situation yourself and make the play," Nesson said.
He said he was forming a "global poker strategic thinking society" that would offer poker workshops to schools and community centres, sponsor team poker matches between professional schools, and hold seminars and conferences that explored poker as a means to teach strategic thinking.
For example, Nesson said, poker taught the importance of not making the first bet in a game a lesson he said could be extrapolated to the advantages of not making the first offer in business negotiations.
Nesson said the society would be started at Harvard, but that chapters could be set up at colleges such as Yale University and Brown University as well as the National University of Singapore.
Plans were under way to promote poker in developing countries such as Jamaica as a form of nation-building, Nesson said.
"The teaching of poker strategic thinking is a way of thinking suited to national development," he said. "If you have a populace that comes to believe in their own skills, they become much more empowered individually and collectively." Interest in poker has exploded in the United States in the past few years with the advent of televised tournaments like the World Poker Tour.

Sayyid Khalid’s Ambitious Vision for the Future of Omani Football

sayyid khalid’s ambitious vision for the future of omani football catapults the upcoming 2007-2011 cycle to a whole new level
In a sportive gathering of current and former club Presidents, members of the Omani Olympic Committee, sports personalities and members of the press, Sayyid Khalid bin Hamad Al-Busaidi unveiled his vision and campaign platform ‘Comprehensive Vision – Bright Future’ to transform Omani football into a flourishing industry for the upcoming Oman Football Association elections 2007-2011 cycle.
With the upcoming Oman Football Association board elections approaching on August 30th 2007, Sayyid Khalid bin Hamad Al Busaidi and Sheikh Salim bin Saeed Al Wahaibi have already publicly announced their candidacy for Chairman and Vice-Chairman after being nominated by the Seeb Club and Muscat Club respectively, as part of their national duty to pave the road for Oman’s football success.
They believe that current efforts exerted by various parties need to be focused, well managed and benchmarked to international standards. “This needs to be translated into a long-term sustainable strategy of which I intend to spearhead along with Sheikh Salim Al Wahaibi to reform the sport in the Sultanate keeping the needs and best interest of all stakeholders such as the Clubs, Government, football players and the community at heart to nurture empowerment,” said Sayyid Khalid.
Sayyid Khalid and his team aim to take Omani football to a whole new level by raising awareness on the game itself in regards to technical expertise, management and marketing which will enable the creation of a true profession which instills cultural, commercial and social value in local communities and the society as a whole. This entails the implementation of various sophisticated training programs available to all football clubs and providing the best possible professional instructors and trainers to educating the media on the efforts exerted by the Association and marketing the Sultanate’s highly qualified football players and future athletes.

Qatar to host next GCC summit instead of Oman

The annual summit of Gulf Arab states will be held in Qatar in early December, not in Oman as previously planned, the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council said on Monday. Qatar and its Gulf partners have accepted to a request by Oman that the GCC summit take place in Doha, on the understanding that Muscat will host the 2008 gathering, Abdulrahman al-Attiyah told AFP.

Sources close to the Omani government said Muscat had asked for the change because it is rebuilding infrastructure and facilities damaged by a June cyclone.
Oman has said the damage caused by Cyclone Gonu could rise to US$3.9 billion.

The venue of the annual end-of-year summit rotates among GCC member states and last year's meeting was hosted by Saudi Arabia.

Source: Al Bawaba

Gonu leaves $3.8bn cloud over Oman

by Dylan Bowman on Sunday, 17 June 2007

Cyclone Gonu has cost Oman's economy almost $4 billion, according to initial government estimates.An official source at the Ministry of National Economy said reconstruction could cost the country between $3.24 billion and $3.89 billion, and that the ministry is currently working with various governmental authorities to repair infrastructure damaged or destroyed by the cyclone, WAM reported today.Cyclone Gonu wreaked havoc on the country earlier this month, battering its coast for three days and killing around 50 people.
The cyclone halted Oman’s oil and gas exports and damaged main roads and bridges connecting the eastern provinces with the capital Muscat, and caused floods and landslides across all regions.In Muscat's centre, streets were turned into turbulent rivers, trees uprooted and power lines cut. Cars were left piled on top of each other, stuck in rubble and mud.The country also suffered from power outages for days after the storm left its coast and moved up to southern Iran. At its peak, Gonu was measured as a maximum-force Category Five hurricane.Oman's weather centre, which has been keeping records since 1890, says Gonu could have been the strongest storm to reach the coast since 1977.

Oman Cyclone Hits Kashmir Handcraft Industry

Srinagar, June 12 : The cyclone that struck Muscat, the capital of the gulf state of Oman, last week, killing at least twenty-eight people, has also cast its shadow on the Kashmir handicrafts industry.
People connected with the industry say that Kashmiri traders at Muscat have suffered severely due to the cyclone which heavily damaged the Gulf state’s infrastructure.
Though the exact loss suffered by Kashmiris trading in the country was not immediately know, well informed sources said that at least twenty-five outlets have suffered severe loss, while some others were partially damaged.
“There are more than one hundred outlets owned by Kashmiri handicraft traders in Muscat, while about 200 Kashmiris are directly or indirectly connected with the trade in the country,” Altaf Ahmed Baig, a handicraft exporter said.
He said that the details pouring in from the country were shocking as most of the infrastructure owned and possessed by Kashmiris has suffered extensive damage and loss, which has a direct impact on the handicraft industry at the domestic level.
“The communication system there has collapsed, and as such we do not know the exact details of the losses as yet”, he said adding that the trading community here expected the state government to intervene and enquire about the whereabouts of Kashmiris in the country.
Baig was of the opinion that the cyclone in Oman was likely to have its impact on Kashmir’s export industry as the gulf state had a great import potential for handicraft products.
“Oman is one of the favorite countries for handicraft exporters in Kashmir, who are now a worried lot after the calamity,” he said.
Though there are thousands of Kashmiris in Oman, the state government was yet to respond and enquire about their whereabouts. Sources said that no step has been taken yet to ensure the safety of the residents of the state in the calamity struck country.
The fiercest storm to hit the region in 30 years forced thousands of people from their homes and left a trail of destruction along the east coast of a country unaccustomed to such violent weather.
The cyclone initially packed winds of 260 kms an hour and was the strongest to lash the Arabian Peninsula since 1977.

Saudi prince defends US accounts

by Reuters on Wednesday, 13 June 2007

Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, facing accusations he personally received 1 billion pounds ($2 billion) under a British arms deal, said on Tuesday the funds were transfers between official Saudi bank accounts.Britain's Guardian newspaper reported last week that Prince Bandar, a former ambassador to Washington, received secret payments into U.S. bank accounts for facilitating the al-Yamamah oil-for-arms deals, in which Britain's BAE Systems sold aircraft and equipment to Saudi Arabia."These articles have given readers the impression that these funds were transferred by BAE as secret commissions as part of financial and administrative corruption during my work as the ambassador," Prince Bandar said in a rare statement published on the Saudi state news agency SPA.
"The allegations of the Guardian are not only as far from the truth and reality as can be, but they also represent a zenith in fabrication," he said.A spokeswoman for the British newspaper declined to respond to the comments.He said all the funds mentioned by the Guardian originated from Saudi government accounts in the kingdom and were transferred into official Saudi accounts in the United States."The funds the newspaper referred to were from the accounts of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and have been transferred to other Saudi government accounts in the United States and not to my personal accounts," Prince Bandar said."Although all the transactions between relevant parties are confidential as they are government dealings... any sane person cannot believe that transfers that are subject to the regulations of the American and British banking systems could be kept secret or ... away from the knowledge of the relevant governments."He denied any link between the account and BAE."Additionally these accounts by no means belong to the British aerospace firm," he said. "The aforementioned accounts are audited and reviewed annually by the Ministry of Finance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

Al Jazeera English wins more creative awards

Al Jazeera English has been awarded three awards at the BDA World Gold Awards.
Al Jazeera English was presented with three Bronze trophies at the 2007 PROMAX & BDA International Conference in New York 14 June 2007 in the categories of Art Direction & Design: Topical Campaign; Art Direction & Design: Image Campaign and Website-News. 'I am delighted that our 'Clear& Simple' Brand strategy has been recognised. Everyone has worked very hard in all four centres to help us forge a consistent, coherent and confident Al Jazeera English identity across all our output online and on-air, so everyone deserves the credit,' said Director of Creative, Morgan Almeida. This follows Al Jazeera English receiving one Gold and two Silver trophies for their innovative and fresh Creative Direction at the Promax/BDA Global Promotions & Design Conference in Dubai on the 28 March 2007. Earlier this month Al Jazeera English channel came in second position at the Broadcast Digital Channel Awards receiving 'Highly Commended' in the category of 'Best News Channel of the year'. 'I am delighted that Al Jazeera English, in such a short period of time of being on air, is accruing worldwide recognition. It is a testament to the strength of the Al Jazeera brand. We look forward to building on these early successes into the future.' said Wadah Khanfar, Director General of the Al Jazeera Network. Al Jazeera English was also nominated for awards at the One World Media awards in the categories of Broadcast Journalist of the Year: Nadene Ghour; Popular Features: 48 in Damascus, Amanda Palmer; MDGs Award: Malaria Week, The News Team.

Mugabe’s academic mugs

So, Edinburgh University has finally stripped Robert Mugabe of the honorary degree it awarded him in 1984. It is the first time in the university’s 425-year history that it has revoked an honorary degree - and Mugabe will be afforded a right of appeal.
The university’s sanction came about after a sustained anti-Mugabe campaign by its student body and alumni, local newspapers and MPs. In order to carry it out, the university’s senate first had to alter its rules and then empanelled three professors to examine whether there were grounds to penalise Mugabe.
On June 6, the senate duly announced that there were such grounds. Not a difficult decision to arrive at, I’m sure, if 23 years late. More troubling than the time lag is that the university has been less than honest about the circumstances under which it conferred the honour.
Edinburgh’s recent official announcement read: “After examining evidence relating to the situation in Zimbabwe in the early 1980s - evidence that was not available to the university at the time the degree was conferred [my bold] - the group recommended that the degree should be withdrawn.”
One of the “three wise men” on the investigating panel, Professor Sir Neil MacCormick, emphasised that the university’s offer of the honorary degree had been made “in good faith” and that evidence of Mugabe’s human rights abuses - namely, the massacres in Matabeleland, in which as many as 20,000 civilians are believed to have been murdered - only came to light later, and “was not known to the senate when in 1984 it confirmed its decision to proceed and award the degree”.
Indeed? Let’s look at the timeline: Edinburgh University conferred the degree (at the initial suggestion of Lord Carrington, the former foreign secretary) upon Mugabe on July 20, 1984. But more than three months previously, on April 8, I had started reporting the massacre. The Sunday Times ran my first piece (to which we appended two other bylines to protect me) under the headline, “Mass murder in Matabeleland: the evidence”.
The first line read: “Robert Mugabe’s government in Zimbabwe has launched a new campaign of extraordinary brutality in Matabeleland, in the south of the country.” I reported from inside the curfew area (from which journalists were banned) using my own testimony and other eyewitness accounts of the Balaghwe “death camp”, run by the fearsome 5th Brigade, a North Korean-trained army unit fiercely loyal to Mugabe.
These reports were backed up by local priests - at least one of whom was already openly calling the killings “genocide” - and by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.

Latest service from Omantel, thanks:

MUSCAT — Wireless Internet service for post-paid
customers was launched in Oman for the first time here
yesterday. The new facility, named 'Post-paid Wi-Fi', allows ADSL and Dial-up
subscribers to surf the Internet wirelessly in 20 'hotspots' across the Muscat governorate,
senior Omantel officials told a news conference here.
"This new service enables ADSL and Dial-up subscribers to use their
own username and password to surf wireless Internet without purchasing the
prepaid Wi-Fi cards and they will be billed monthly on the basis of their
usage," explained Saleh bin Abdullah Al Farsi, Omantel's
Division Head, Marketing and Customer Service.
He said subscribers could
avail of the new service by filling the necessary forms at the Customer Service
Counters in Muscat or through visiting the company's web site, adding that
Omantel was “eager to expand the use of Internet” in the country.

Good step, Further steps required, think more about basics :)

Oman to allow more Internet service providers

MUSCAT (Reuters) - Oman plans to license several new Internet service providers, in a further liberalisation of its telecommunications sector, state news agency ONA said on Friday.
The small Gulf Arab state's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said companies with at least two years of technical experience could apply for the licenses beginning on June 2, ONA reported.
Oman's telecoms liberalisation began in 2005 when it issued a second mobile licence to Nawras, a joint venture of Qatar Telecommunications Co. and Omani investors. The move ended the monopoly of Oman Telecommunications Co. (Omantel), the sultanate's largest firm by market value.
Nawras also offers some Internet services.
Omantel's CEO said last month Oman planned to sell a fixed-line telephone licence this year, also ending his company's monopoly in that area.

Oman pulls out of Gulf Air ownership

MANAMA — Sheikh Salman bin Hamed Al Khalifa, deputy ruler of Bahrain, received at Al Rifaa Palace here yesterday Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council; Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Harthy, transport and communications minister; Darwish bin Ismail Al Balushi, secretary-general of the Finance Ministry and Mohammed bin Sakhar Al A’amri, undersecretary for civil aviation affairs at the Transport and Communications Ministry. During the meeting, Macki and his accompanying delegation conveyed the greetings of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain and the deputy king of Bahrain along with His Majesty’s wishes of progress and prosperity to the Kingdom of Bahrain under King Hamad’s wise leadership. During the meeting, Macki and head of the delegation conveyed the Sultanate’s government intention to withdraw from the Gulf Air ownership. He underlined the Sultanate’s keenness on deep historical and brotherly cooperation relations between the two countries leaderships and people in various spheres. In his turn, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa emphasised the Bahraini government’s appreciation to the Sultanate’s supportive stands for Gulf Air Company in the past 33 years, which undoubtedly reflects deep historic relationship between the two countries. Sheikh Salman discussed with the delegation ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries, particularly in economic and investments sectors, which would be beneficial for both countries and peoples. The deputy king of Bahrain has asked Macki to convey the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain along with his greetings to His Majesty the Sultan. The meeting was attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, finance minister in the Kingdom of Bahrain, chairman of Bahraini Properties Holding Company and senior Bahraini officials. Meanwhile, Macki, Al Harthy, Darwish and A’amri held a joint meeting with Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, finance minister in the Kingdom of Bahrain and chairman of Bahrain’s Properties Holding Company in the presence of senior Bahraini officials. The two sides reviewed bilateral relations between the Sultanate and Kingdom of Bahrain in various spheres. Macki, the head of the Omani side, handed over the Sultanate’s letter of intention to withdraw from the Gulf Air company in accordance with the Article 22 of the Gulf Air formation agreement. Hence from today onward, the Gulf Air would be managed by the Bahraini government. The two sides also agreed at the meeting to form a joint committee and its member to be appointed by the two sides to assess the company’s assets and to appoint auditors and technicians for this purpose.

The Pan Arab Web Awards Winners 2007

The Pan Arab Web Awards Winners 2007

http://www.panarabwebawards.org/index.php?page=winners07

COngartulation to MSM, Times of Oman, Aljazeera, Etihad Airwas, ,...so on.

Bye

Oman: Environmental protection requirements

The Government of Oman has updated its National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. Legislation passed in December 2005 has been implemented, applicable to any company or organisation that may be vulnerable to oil spills and/or any other form of hydro-carbo contamination in the course of their business, whether it be on land or offshore. This is also enforced by article (1)0 - Pollution Control and Environmental protection Law - covered by Royal Drecree No (114/2001). The Government of Oman has signed an International Maritime Organization (IMO) document which stipulates that, from January 2007, Oman's Coastal Areas have 'special area status'. One of the conditions stipulated by the IMO to retain this 'special area status' is that Oman should upgrade its current in-country environmental protection from a Tier I to Tier II capability.

‘Modern Technology in Industries’ conference started

MUSCAT — Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry and chairman of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estate (PEIE) inaugurated the ‘Modern Technology in Industries’ conference yesterday at Crowne Plaza Hotel. Maqbool while inaugurating said that the concept of the conference is significant since it plays a definite role in the region including the Sultanate. The challenges of globalisation and major developments in technology, information, export, marketing and training are main issues dealt with by the conference. Maqbool said organising such conferences and gatherings will boost the medium and small scale industries and training the nationals to get a major role in productions and acquire modern information technology. Sultan bin Salem Al Habsi, chief executive officer, PEIE delivered a welcome speech. The two-day conference which concludes today will also see 41 experts working in IT sector from the Sultanate and Arab and Gulf states presenting their working papers and take part in the deliberations.

Google maps the Darfur crisis

Google is using its popular online mapping service to draw attention to atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. In a joint effort with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Google has updated its Google Earth application (free download here) with high resolution satellite images and special icons to draw attention to destroyed villages, displaced people and refugee camps.
Google Earth allows users to focus on satellite images and maps of most of the world.
When users scan over the Darfur region, where the United Nations estimates that more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in four years of carnage, Google Inc hopes to attract their gaze with icons. The icons represent destroyed villages with flames and refugee camps with tents. When users zoom in to a level of magnification that keeps most of Darfur on a computer screen, much of the region appears to be on fire.

Google faces brain drain

Web search giant looks for ways to retain its soon-to-be-wealthy workers.

By Mark Schwanhausser, Elise AckermanSAN JOSE MERCURY

Less than three years after going public, Google Inc. is confronting one of the more confounding consequences of its phenomenal success: a potential brain drain of its earliest — and richest — employees quit after earning the right to cash in the last of the stock options that made them millionaires.
Hundreds of the 2,300 Googlers hired before the Internet juggernaut's initial public offering in August 2004 are hitting their fourth anniversary. When they do, they'll be free to cash in the final portions of their pre-IPO options, collectively worth an estimated $2.6 billion before taxes.

So far, the exodus has been limited to a "handful of people," said Stacy Savides Sullivan, Google's chief culture officer and a 43-year-old pre-IPO millionaire herself. "We anticipated more because we think it would only be natural. We worry every day about this and hope we can stay ahead of it."
"This is what any of these companies struggles with," said Steve Patchel, a tech-industry pay consultant in the Santa Clara, Calif., office of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a human resources consulting firm. "There are all these moving parts. Nobody can ever get it perfect."
Google's story is also a case study of how companies must learn to manage overnight millionaires who think more like "volunteers" because they're no longer motivated primarily by pay and can quit at any moment.
Sullivan can relate. Hired when Google had only about 50 employees, her first stock options finished vesting in 2003, though she said she didn't mark the milestone because her husband handles their finances. People ask her all the time why she bothers to keep working.
"I know this sounds corny, but I still have fun here," Sullivan said, then adds a remark that cuts to the heart of Google's challenge.
"That's the only reason I stay. If it weren't enjoyable, I would leave."

Calderon is new coach of Oman

MUSCAT: Argentinean coach Gabriel Calderon arrived in Oman on Friday as he prepares to lead the national team in next summer's Asian Cup finals in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, the Oman Football Association have announced.
The former Saudi Arabia coach will succeed Czech coach Milan Macala.
Calderon, 47, coached Saudi Arabia in 2004 and led them to the 2006 World Cup before he was axed by Saudi Arabia Football Association in December 2005.
"I have big ambitions to do something for Omani football," said Calderon. "I have a good perception of the Oman national team which is one of the best teams in the region," he said.
"I will prepare the Omani players well especially considering how difficult Oman's group in the Asian Cup is."
"The campaign needs our full concentration and a lot of effort, especially in the first match against Australia," said Calderon.
Oman are in Group 'A' for the Asian Cup with hosts Thailand, newcomers Australia and 2004 quarter-finalists Iraq.

Google apologizes to China's Sohu.com

By Reuters

Google, which is seeking to broaden its presence in China, on Monday apologized to Sohu.com, one of the country's major Web portals, for using third-party technology in its latest product launch.
Sohu said an investigation by its technicians found a method of typing in Chinese characters released by Google in China last week had copied a product by Sohu.
In response, Google said that the product had in its initial R&D stage been built "leveraging some non-Google database resources" but that Google had since upgraded the system.
"We are willing to face this issue of ours. While we apologize for the inconvenience this may have incurred to users and Sohu, we have also adopted immediate actions," Google said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters.

Oman's top construction firm celebrates 35th anniversary

FROM very humble beginnings three-and-a-half decades ago to the biggest construction firm in the country and the largest private sector employer of nationals — Galfar Engineering and Contracting Company has indeed every reason to be proud of its accomplishments.
And it celebrated its 35 years of existence in style last week with a gala ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the presence of a gathering of some 400 high-profile dignitaries, including ministers, under-secretaries, senior government officials, diplomats and leaders of the business community.
The guest of honour was senior Royal Family member and Minister of Heritage and Culture Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said. “We at Galfar decided on the very first day that we will be one of the premier companies in construction and a contributor to the economic development in this blessed country,” Chairman Shaikh Salim bin Saeed al Araimi said addressing the audience. The company has more than kept its pledge. It is now the Sultanate's premier construction and engineering firm with an annual turnover of more than RO300 million that is expected to cross the RO400-million-mark by the end of this year. Out of the 18,500-plus employees, 4,500 are Omanis, whose number is expected to top 5,000 in the coming months of 2007.
“We have given the utmost importance in developing our human resources and we are proud of our achievements in Omanisation,” Shaikh Salim underlined. Galfar was launched as a small civil construction company in Muscat in 1972 by Shaikh Salim with a handful of employees, including a young Indian manager, P Mohammed Ali, now the Managing Director. Its first project was the Wali's villa in Sur. It has not looked back since.
The company, which has left an indelible mark in every sector it operates — oil and gas, roads and bridges, environment and building and construction — has carried out or been associated with many of the prestigious projects executed in Oman. Several more are under various stages of implementation by the company. It has also made a significant contribution towards the country's educational development with the establishment of two institutions of international standards — the Caledonian College of Engineering, affiliated to the Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, and the Oman Medical College, which is affiliated to the West Virginia University, USA.
Araimi said the company, which now also operates in several other countries including Brunei, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, had always stuck to its commitment to quality, completing projects on time, safety of its employees and ‘above all, honesty and integrity in our profession.’
It is now in the process of going public. “In view of these achievements, we as Galfar owners think that a company of this size should be owned by more Omani nationals,” Araimi said, adding: “So we have decided to transform Galfar into a public limited company. We have started the initial steps in this regard. Insha Allah within this year Omani nationals will have the opportunity to own shares of Galfar.”

Sakhr Software in final stages of completion for Oman's biggest E-Government educational portal project

Sakhr Software, dedicated to provide Arab users with state-of-the-art intelligent solutions is currently handling the biggest E-Government project in Oman that is focused around an electronic educational portal for the Omani Ministry Of Education.

The project, which will cover in its first phase two educational zones, involves 200 Schools and 116,000 Students. Work on the project started in the middle of 2006 to provide via the portal several e-government services for parents, student admission and registrations, student transfer, issue certificates, and much more. In addition to providing the SMS (School Management System), the project aims to provide two other major services: e-learning and an Internet Portal System which will establish communication between students, teachers, parents, zone administrations and everyone else involved in the educational process. Mr. Fahad M. Al Sharikh, Sakhr Software CEO said,

'We are delighted to be given the opportunity to build this very advanced and progressive e-Education portal for the Oman Ministry of Education. We would be providing the mechanism to transfer the educational data to electronic form so that it is easily accessible to all relevant educational departments.'

According to Yahya bin Saud Al Sulaimi, Minister for Ministry of Education, Oman, 'The e-Education initiative would help the flow of information between parents, students, teachers and the Ministry and is certainly a step in the right direction in shifting the existing education system to a more advanced level.'

Sakhr Software team members have successfully completed all stages of development for this project recently and the portal will be activated in the next academic year 2007/2008.

Currently Sakhr has a team of project managers, team leaders, software designers, developers and quality control engineers proceeding to the deployment and training phase. To provide a tailor-made solution for the client, the Sakhr team members were relocated to Muscat to execute the project in the Ministry Of Education premises.

The project is the biggest of its kind in the GCC area and it is expected to roll out to all schools in Oman (1000 Schools) in less than five years. Sakhr has also been serving the Omani Ministry Of Education since 1996 using the IT school management system which is running in more than 800 schools successfully.

Microsoft, SQU, MECIT empower students with .Net Club

Oman Daily Observer

By A Staff ReporterMUSCAT — Microsoft and two leading universities in Oman have launched the .Net Club initiative. Open to all students at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and the Middle East College of Information Technology, the scheme will provide students with access to the latest technology, training and software. Microsoft .NET clubs have been established in universities and colleges around the Gulf with the aim of creating a community that helps students to build bridges with the IT industry and to develop their own interest in technology and software development.

Students at these higher education institutions in Oman who join the Club will be able to access the Microsoft Developers Network Academic Alliance, which gives them free access to the latest development tools, operating systems, server software, documentation and technical references. “Many students leave university with minimal experience of the work experience and the challenges their chosen industry faces,” explained Khaled Salman Abdul Rahim al Belushi, .Net Club Chairman, SQU. “We are offering them, through this partnership with Microsoft, a chance to realise their full potential through a club that will give them access to the IT industry, major players within it and the chance to learn from them and their peers.”

The students will join a regional and international community of .NET clubs that exchange experience and knowledge online, and will also be able to leverage Microsoft’s support for working on .NET related projects and arranging and participating in industry events. “Fostering talent and enabling our student to reach their full potential is our main goal” explained Ahmed Saleh al Najashi, .Net Club Chairman, MECIT College. “The opportunity we are giving to our students through this launch is life-altering and I look forward to witnessing the effect such access to the IT industry has on the club members.”

An internship programme attached to the .Net Club enables Microsoft to help graduate students find employment and fit into the workplace with ease. Similarly members will benefit from participation in summer training courses and entrance into the Microsoft Imagine Cup competition. “Microsoft’s vision is of a campus presence where students from different backgrounds and interests, connected by a love of innovation and technology, interact on topics that are relevant to their lives and the realisation of their own potential,” commented Abdullah Lootah, Country Manager, Microsoft Oman.

“As a company we are committed to the growth of skills within our future generation and equipping them with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. Our partnership with both these universities has provided us with another platform from which to achieve this goal.” Microsoft launched the first .Net Club with Dubai Women’s College (DWC) in April 2006 and currently runs 17 across the region.

Google Responds to Yahoo by Increasing Gmail Storage to Infinity Plus One

From BBspot

Mountain View, CA – Google announced today that soon customers of their Gmail service will have their storage size increased to "infinity plus one." The announcement comes shortly after Yahoo's announcement that their Yahoo mail customers would be given unlimited storage.
Greg Tomkins, an engineer at Google, is credited with coming up with the "infinity plus one" idea. "I was out in the yard when my kids ran up to me yelling at each other. My son said to my daughter, 'I hate you to infinity.' She replied, 'I hate you to infinity plus one.' And right then I knew I had the solution to competing with unlimited storage," said Tomkins.
He continued saying that his son's idea about putting "dragons and Pokémon" on the Gmail pages didn't go over as well with management.
Tomkins also said that they would be using new RAID technologies which allow them to store copies of e-mail in parallel universes. This means that if their servers crash they will be able to recover your data from another universe where they haven't.
"Once your Yahoo e-mail box is full, you'll be able to transfer it to Gmail and add one more message," said Tomkins. "Those Yahoos will have a hard time beating that."
Related News

When contacted about the Google announcement, a Yahoo representative said, "We will be making an announcement shortly about our million-trillion-billion infinity storage," and added, "Neener, neener, neener."
Not to be left out of the storage bonanza, a Hotmail representative said that while they "can't offer unlimited storage, they can delete all your e-mail at random intervals in conjunction with their Live OneCare service, to make sure you never run out of space."

Cellucom Oman Shows the Excellence in COMEX 2007

Cellucom Oman won the best Mobile Retailer of COMEX 2007

ClickPress

Cellucom, one of the fastest growing distributors and retailer of mobile communication devices and accessories in the Middle East, came out on top at this year’s Best Mobile Retailer Award of COMEX 2007. Sajith Pillai ,Country Manager Cellucom Oman received the Award by Dr.Salim Sultan Al-Ruzaiqi CEO of ITA.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Isa Al Harthy, minister of transport and communications, opened the 17th edition of Telecommunications and Information Technology Exhibition — Comex 2007 — at Oman International Exhibition Centre.

The mega event, organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Information Technology Authority (ITA), is bringing together technological excellence of the international telecom community. Comex continues to grow serving as a hub for discussions between attendees and organisations.

The five-day event is an important platform for Oman's economy as it facilitates knowledge and information exchange along with introduction of new products and services into all industries, sectors and households. The event is structured with two sections, one for 'business' and the other for 'shopper'.

Accepting the award on behalf of Cellucom, Sajith Pillai, Country Manager, said, "It is very encouraging to see the Team Cellucom being recognised on their journey towards providing best Mobility products and high quality service . We are rapidly spreading our wings and this accelerated growth and reach will create more happy customers.

“Although we are 18 month old to the mobile market in Oman, we are very optimistic about our success and growth here,” Sajith Pillai, Country manager, Cellucom Oman. “We foresee a huge potential in the mobile phone industry in Oman, with the steady increase in mobile penetration over the recent years. We look forward to catering to the changing demands of consumers in the Sultanate of Oman by offering our range of cell phones and accessories and ensuring high quality service.”

Cellucom, the premier distributors and retailers of mobility products and one of the fastest growing retail chains in the GCC region has accelerated its growth in Oman, with the opening of its two new showroom in Sohar on 1st March 2007 and Salalah on 22nd March 2007 .

The telecommunications sector in Oman is poised for dynamic growth over the next few years. The presence and strategic expansion of Cellucom in Oman, coupled with our focus on providing value added services and attractive content will further spur the growth of Oman’s telecommunications sector,' added Sajith Pillai.

Cellucom has adopted a two-pronged approach for its plans in the region by focusing on both its retail outlet and product portfolio expansion. The company is broadening its product line by placing greater emphasis on its concept of 'MOBILITY' to its customers.

Oman's first e-payment gateway

Khaleej Times correspondent

MUSCAT — Plans to launch Oman's first 'e-payment gateway' (ePG) have been unveiled here, opening up new channels and modes of payment for the public.
An ePG is a system that authorises and processes payments by accepting payment information through different channels such as the Internet, mobile and kiosks, providing greater convenience to citizens. Users will be able to make payments using their credit card, debit card, or direct bank transfer. The facility does not at present exist in Oman.

Second distributor appointed for Nokia in Oman

MUSCAT — The world's top manufacturer of mobile handsets, Finland-based Nokia, has appointed a second distributor in Oman to cope with "expanding demand" for its products in the country.

Bell Tel, the new dealer, said it planned to open branches throughout the Sultanate, beginning with three this year.
"MHD (the existing distributor) is doing a good job... The new appointment is meant to cater for rising demand for our products here," Iyad Issa, Nokia's Area Manager, Lower Gulf, told a news conference.
It was also part of the company's overall strategy of intensifying focus on consumer needs, he said, adding: "The consumer is the deciding point for us."
In reply to a question, Issa said the number of Nokia customers in Oman was "growing nicely," but declined to provide figures. "We are in a healthy position in Oman... We are definitely in a leadership position," he added.

Malik al Khalidi, Director, Bell Tel, said the company's strategy was to spread across the country in phases. It will open its first branch in Salalah in three months, and two more before the end of the year, he added.
Talal al Rahbi, Oman Mobile's Manager Product Development and Market Intelligence, said the company, the Sultanate's first and biggest cellphone service provider, would soon enter into a tie up with Bell Tel to offer their customers special packages.

Oman in talks with UK for defence college

Staff Report

Abu Dhabi: Oman is negotiating an agreement to build and operate a defence academy with an Omani-British joint venture for more than $1 billion.
The head of the British government's Defence Export Services Organisation, Alan Garwood, was upbeat about the talks.
"There is a chance that the negotiations might be completed by the end of the month," he said.
According to the Defence News website, Serco and its partners in the Training College Consortium were selected in 2004 as the preferred bidders for a 30-year private finance initiative deal to build and operate the Oman Technical College.
The academy will centralise all military training by the Oman Ministry of Defence.
Some civilian training is also expected to be undertaken at the academy.
At the time of the original announcement, the value of the deal was set at $1.4 billion, with a deal expected within four months.
That proved optimistic. The private finance initiative negotiations have taken three years - an experience replicated in the UK, where the concept of privately funded military service provision first took hold.
Serco has been a beneficiary of the British policy of contracting out services. One of its programmes is the management of the Joint Services Command and Staff College.

Oman TRA gears up for further liberalisation

by Christopher Reynolds (christopher.reynolds@itp.com)

The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Oman (TRA) has released details of the next deregulation phase of the country’s telecommunications market.Mohsin al Hafeedh of the TRA told press the government is in the process of finalising the administration of Class II licences, which will cover ISP services, value added services and resale services. “This will be a gradual process in order that we don’t disturb the market,” he said.The reselling of services will enable start-up operators to purchase chunks of voice minutes, or data, as a resource from dominant operators and repackage the volume before selling it to end users. Al Hafeedh said this facility would be operational once the legal framework for the issuance of Class II licences are approved, but the official stopped short of providing a date.Enterprises that are successful in buying such licences will have to enter into lengthy discussions with incumbent operators and the TRA in order to draft a contract to resell bulk time, according to the regulator.“Competition will open up more choices, while the responsiveness of the services provided to customers will be quicker. We also envision a reduction in prices because if you are buying bulk time from a main or dominant operator you will get discounts,” said al Hafeedh.Oman’s mobile market was liberalised during March 2005 with the introduction of Qtel and TDC backed cellco Nawras, ending state owned incumbent Oman Mobile’s two-year market reign. Oman Mobile’s parent company Omantel is still the sole occupier of the fixed line telephony market, however, May 2006 saw the government of Oman announce its intention to deregulate the entire telecommunications sector, including the fixed-line and internet markets, though as of yet no date has been specified.

Did Murdoch just KO Google?

When one is asked about Google’s incredible success to date, and what they did so right, the obvious answer will likely involve an explanation of the brilliant technologies that make up PageRank and Adwords.
But if one looks under the hood, there’s also a not-so-obvious reason that played an equally critical role in Google’s success: the fact that the web has been predominately comprised of text. Text affords Google the friendliest technological and legal environments to apply and optimize its superior algorithms.
But what happens in a future where video, not text, is the fundamental element of the web? If Google cannot translate and convert the advantages it had in a text-dominated web into a future web of videos, Google is in trouble.
In a web comprised of text, Google could dominate the market in terms of aggregation, search, and distribution without the need to strike one single agreement with content owners. All Google had to do was crawl and index.
But, in a web comprised of video, Google must deal with content owners and strike licensing and distribution agreements, as neither its technologies nor current copyrights laws enable it to autonomously automate the aggregation of a video library without the explicit consent of content owners.
With that in mind, let me now jump to the big news of last week — the announcement that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and NBC Universal would launch an online library of big media video assets that could be licensed by any online distributor, provided they accept the terms and conditions set forth by big media. Towards such ends, the new big media joint venture also announced that Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, and MySpace had signed up as licensees and distributors.
Given the significant difference between a web of text vs. that of video for Google, the big media companies made a very smart move last week. Although not necessarily a checkmate, it was a “check” on Google. If all the other media companies fall in line as well, then it could become a “checkmate” against Google when it comes to big media content.
In other words, Google would have no choice but to accept the demands of the big media companies for the licensing and distribution of their content. The only way for Google to regain leverage against the big media companies, at that point, would be to change the game altogether (e.g. by owning content and becoming a full-fledged media company, as I had suggested they might in my last post).
But at the end of day, it may turn out that both sides of this titanic struggle were merely pawns in a higher-level game benefiting one single player… Rupert Murdoch.
Using Google as the red herring, Murdoch may actually have succeeded in rallying all of his competitors to join forces by contributing their combined digital video assets into one pool (which he has significant control over). But through his ownership of MySpace, Murdoch is in a very unique position relative to all his big media brethren.
Namely, he will be the only one that ends up owning both content (via the new joint venture) and distribution (via MySpace) in any material and meaningful way.
Owning the whole value chain has always been a strategy that has served him well, and by the looks of it, he’s going to continue enjoying such advantages. Not only that, Murdoch could very well have out-maneuvered Google by positioning MySpace to ultimately become what YouTube was supposed to be.