Muscat Shopping Festival

MUSCAT — The annual ‘Family Shopping Festival 2007,’ which commenced on November 21 at the Oman International Exhibition Centre, is a shopper’s paradise. The Oman International Exhibition Centre is representing a global market apart from becoming a platform for over 350 exhibitors to showcase their goods and services. From home appliances to textiles, handicrafts and intricately designed jewellery, the Family Shopping Festival 2007 is a veritable feast of products. It’s women’s morning today and the evening is dedicated exclusively to families. Women can give their shopping urges and their pockets free rein at Family Shopping Festival 2007. So can families enjoy a leisurely stroll and bargain to their heart’s content at the Oman International Exhibition at Seeb.The Shopping Extra-vaganza features goods that range from personal to domestic at whopping cash discounts. Sales, discounts, incentives and bargains can be won at every stand with the attraction of the festival is the essence of family shopping of unity and fulfillment, a joy for all. Over 350 exhibitors from all over the Middle East and Asia are participating in the nine day spectacular, countries such as Oman, Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bahrain, India and the UAE. Family Shopping Festival 2007 is organised by Trifoil Expo. Some of the visitors gave their reactions on the shopping festival: ‘The event will offer high quality goods at affordable prices, a must for the whole family,’ said Ashraf Marei. ‘With the new highways the road has become much easier and faster to access the centre’ Samjad, said a resident of Ghubrah. ‘There has never been anything like this event, an amazing opportunity to bag some amazing bargains,’ said Sashi Rajnish. ‘There is a wide scope, a positive experience for both the exhibitor and the general public, a beneficial interchange,’ said Imran Al Shafik. ‘Shopping for the whole family has never been easier, all under one roof, something for everyone, a thrilling experience,’ said Hassan Mahmood. ‘Sales have been brisk and we are happy to be a part of this shopping extravaganza,’ Mohammed an exhibitor from Syria stands. The shopping hours are from 10am to 1pm and from 4:30pm to 10pm.

Mineral resources:

The Sultanate’s mineral resources include chromite, dolomite, zinc, limestone, gypsum, silica, copper, gold, cobalt and iron, to name but a few. Several industries have grown up around them as part of the national development process which, in turn, have boosted the minerals sector’s contribution to the nation’s GDP as well as providing jobs for Omanis.

Picture illustrate :

1) Chalcedony

2) Massive chalcopyrite

3) Marblized calacite

4) Albite feldspar

5) Specular hematite

6) Pyrite crystals

Copper has been mined in Oman for thousands of years. The mineral sector’s operations include mining and quarrying. Several projects have recently been completed including: an economic feasibility study on silica ore in Wadi Buwa and Abutan in the Wusta Region, which confirmed that there were exploitable reserves of around 28 million tonnes at the two sites; a feasibility study on the production of magnesium metal from dolomite ore; a draft study on processing limestone derivatives; a project to produce geological maps of the Sharqiyah Region (Ibra); economic feasibility studies on the exploitation of gold and copper ores in the Ghaizeen area; a study on raw materials in the wilayats of Duqm and Sur for use in the Sultanate’s cement industry; and a study on the construction of a new minerals laboratory in Ghala in the Governorate of Muscat.

Team Oman ready for road to ICC World Cup

MUSCAT — Team Oman’s road to the ICC Cricket World Cup starts today as the Sultanate cricketers join five other teams in the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in Windhoek, Namibia. Team Oman, after good warm-up games in South Africa and after their title triumph in the ACC Tewnty20 Cup recently, are hoping to make the grade of booking a place in the ICC World Cup qualifiers to be played in the United Arab Emirates in 2009. Oman, as well as hosts Namibia, Argentina, Denmark, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will battle it out over a week of action at three venues around the city. At stake are four places in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (formerly the ICC Trophy) in the UAE in 2009, the tournament that will determine which of the leading ICC associate and affiliate teams will go to the ICC Cricket World Cup in the Asian sub-continent two years later. For five of the teams in Windhoek, it is a road they have travelled down before as Oman, Denmark, Namibia, Uganda and the UAE all played in the ICC Trophy in 2005 but failed to reach the Caribbean showpiece. However, Namibia (2003 in Southern Africa) and the UAE (1996 in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) have both reached the World Cup so they should know exactly what is at stake and what sort of rewards are on offer to the successful sides. Oman may be the only country which lacks proper cricket infrastructure, but the cricketers of the Sultanate have performed well despite the handicap. However, there have been discussions on how better Team Oman could have been if they had the proper infrastructure to benefit from. The day of Oman boasting a proper infrastructure for cricket is not far off, but one hopes the talented team fight their way all through to the 2011 World Cup. The new kid on the block is Argentina, a country basking in the glory of its success in the recent IRB Rugby World Cup where its side reached the semifinals and finished third. The cricketers have done just as well in many senses because, as late replacements for the United States in the ICC WCL Division 3 event earlier this year in Darwin, they were not expected to make many headlines. On paper, at least, the likes of Fiji, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and the Cayman Islands all looked likely finalists alongside the fancied Uganda, and there were also Italy and Tanzania to consider. But Argentina proceeded to rip up the formbook and won through to the final before losing out to Uganda, the other side to earn promotion from that event which gave both line-ups their tickets to Windhoek. It will be fascinating to see if the South American side can continue their journey or whether they will get stopped in their tracks by some of the more experienced sides on show. In his explanation to the media on the the significance of the ICC WCL and how the Windhoek tournament fits in, ICC Global Development Manager Matthew Kennedy said: “The idea of the WCL is to give each of the ICC’s 91 associate and affiliate Members a clearly defined pathway to progress and develop in world cricket. “Apart from Division 1, which involves the top six associate sides, the next best teams from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Division 2 and 3 events along with the top teams from each of five regional qualifying events. It means that regular global One-day cricket opportunities are no longer confined to just the top sides in the LG ICC ODI Championship table and this tournament in Windhoek is an example of that.”

Speech of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Sultan of Oman

Tuesday 25 Shawwal, 1428 AHCorresponding to 6th November 2007:

In the name of God, the compassionate, the Merciful.Praise be to God who ordained Shura (consultation) as a path for his worshippers, and may blessings and peace be upon his servant and messenger, Prophet Mohammed, his family, companions and followers.
Honourable Members of the Council of Oman,

Dear Citizens,

In the name of Almighty, the generous, the giver and guide to the right and straight path, we open on this blessed day and with God’s guidance, the 4th Term of the Council of Oman, praising the Almighty for the bounties and favours he has bestowed upon us. We thank God in our hearts and publicly in a way that qualifies us to achieve more progress, prosperity, security and stability, he is the hearer of our prayers.Oman’s eventful years of experience in the practice of Shura have succeeded in establishing the concepts of joint action and mutual co-operation between the country’s citizens and the state’s administrative institutions. Moreover, the great efforts made by the State Council and the Majlis A’Shura – in preparing economic and social studies, reviewing laws and regulatons and putting forward recommendations and proposals on issues of concern to society, with the aim of improving it and providing it with the means to enable every section of it to achieve progress – have had a tangible effect on enriching this national enterprise.We have followed with great attention this blessed march and carefully monitored its developments and we look with satisfaction at the way this experiment is progressing on the path of rapid growth - a growth that constantly reinforces its foundations and pillars, and which further consolidates the values and principles for the sake of which it was established.We have great faith in the steady progress achieved by the Sultanate in all fields – praise be to God – and in its ability to keep abreast of the modern age in a well-planned and measured manner while keeping a constant eye on the future. Accordingly, we expect the Council of Oman in general, and the Majlis A’Shura in particular, to take on more comprehensive responsibilities in the fields of economic and social development. In doing so, we hope that the experience gained will provide an impetus for further beneficial and constructive action in serving this dear nation, which is resolutely engaged in building its present, while looking towards its future, in the light of the ever-increasing demands and established realities of the modern age. Accordingly, we shall urge our government to raise and intensify its contacts with the Council of Oman in order to enable it to carry out its duties and tasks in the best possible manner.Honourable Members of the Council of Oman…It gave us pleasure to see the Shura Council’s 6th Term election being conducted in a well-organised manner, thereby ensuring that it ran smoothly and easily in an atmosphere of calm and security. It was clear evidence of the citizens’ awareness and their commitment to the values and principles of this decent, upright society.We highly appreciated the huge turn out of all citizens, male and female, to practise their right to choose their representatives in the Shura Council in the way we mentioned, and for that we thank God for granting us success.Honourable Members of the Council of Oman…Dear Citizens…The features of our domestic and foreign policy are clear. We work for construction and development at home, and for friendship and peace, justice and harmony, coexistence and understanding, and positive constructive dialogue abroad. That is how we began, that is how we are today and that, with God’s permission, is how we shall continue to be. In so doing, we wish the whole of mankind well-being and prosperity, security and stability, and co-operation in establishing the scales of justice and equity.“Our lord, upon you we depend and rely, to you we submit and to you we return”“Our Lord, grant us mercy from Thyself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way”May God grant us success in the pursuit of that which serves the common good, and may peace be upon you and the mercy of God and his blessings