Top News Oman August 2012

In no particular order...

Aug. 18 - A ROP Brigadier was sentenced to jail and fined for accepting bribes and for misappropriation of public funds. Total fines for the crimes: 91929 OMR; jail time: 4.5 years. Rumored amount of ill-gotten gains 500,000 OMR.
 http://main.omanobserver.om/node/106673

Aug. 15 - A Filipino fitness instructor working at PDO's gym stabbed her Filipino colleague to death with a kitchen knife in flat over a dispute. 
 http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/filipina-gym-instructor-arrested-for-murder-in-oman-1.1062287  

Aug 8 - Oman mediated the release of Iranian woman from US prison and received her for transfer.
 http://main.omanobserver.om/node/105631  

Aug - Al Said royal yacht returned from summer tour and docked at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muttrah near Muscat.

Aug 25 - Attention is being drawn to the increasing drug and alcohol use going on in the Sultanate in regard to youth.  In 2011, there were 3000 reported cases alone make that about 1 per 1000 people.* This seems to be a newer problem in Oman, but with serious negative effects all around. 

http://main.omanobserver.om/node/107294 

Aug 12 -  A gas pipe caused an explosion at the apartments Muscat Oasis in Baushar. Four floors were destroyed. Eight people were injured. Questions about safety standards arose.

http://www.timesofoman.com/echoice.aspx?detail=10100 

Aug 3 - Labour camp workers rioted near Azaiba and destroyed property and at least 20 cars upon hearing one of their compatriots had died (of Malaria without receiving proper medical care). The company assured that they provide the best available health care in accordance with the law. This is another tragic episode in the plight of the foreign labourers. 

http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Oman/Workers-go-on-rampage-at-labour-camp-after-sick-worker-dies-1lv0 

Aug 8, 28 -  The  'Lese-majesty ' detainees and activists were sentenced to one year prison time in most cases and a minimal fine. 

Aug - The board members of Oman Football Association (OFA) collectively resigned to avoid sanctions and being suspended by FIFA. OFA board elections have been scheduled for late September. 

Aug. - Oman welcomed many new Ambassadors. 

Aug 28 - Horrible road accidents in Salalah claimed the lives of 7 members of an Emirati family while vacationing. The spotlight has been on this family, but about 55 people died in accidents during Eid vacation in Salalah out of about 95,000 travelers which comes out to about a .05% chance of having a fatal accident during the Eid in Salalah. Driving has serious risks in the Sultanate. Each year a traffic symposium is held to discuss what to do but the statistics show the accident rate is on the rise. 

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/oman-road-tragedy-claims-7-of-emirati-family-1.1067146 

Aug - The Quantab beach development project kicked off. 

Aug 12 - The US Destroyer USS Porter and a Japanese tanker collided in the Straight of Hormuz.  

Aug 19 - Eid Mubarak

Website Popularity Rankings Oman: English blogs higher than newspapers & Ministry of Tourism

Popularity Rankings in Oman of websites listed by category based on Alexa data. Forums about society, politics and football are extremely popular. The Ministry of Education is the most popular government sponsored website. Egyptian and foreign news outlets are more popular than Omani ones. And, certain English blogs have a higher popularity ranking than major newspapers (including the Oman Observer), the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Tourism.  Downloading and file sharing also ranks high. I have not included all sites or search engines in the rankings below.

Government Sites
14 - Ministry of Education - moe.gov.om
21 - Ministry of Education Forum - forum.moe.gov.om/~moeoman 
30 - Higher Education Admission Center - heac.gov.om 
31 - Sultan Qaboos University - squ.edu.om 
77 - Manpower - manpower.gov.om
121 - ROP - Royal Oman Police 
181 - Muscat Securities - msm.gov.om 
237 - General Directorate of Traffic - traffic.gov.om 
737 - Ministry of Information Oman - omanet.om
1127 - Ministry Of Tourism - www.omantourism.gov.om/ 

Forums / Blogs / Hobbies
2 - Facebook
5 - Sablat Oman - s-oman.net - Global rank 3,059: Popular online forum all about Omani society
8 - Kooora - kooora.com - All about Arab football
17 - Censored Blocked Page Template - block.om 
20 - Hi Kora - hihi2.com - For those interested in Arab football 
28 - Omaniaa - omaniaa.net - Popular forum about politics, economy and society
37 - لبرزة العربية ALBRZH ALARABYA - albrzh.net  - General Arab forum; jobs... 
45 - Cool Binat -  cooolgirls.com
52 - Goal.com - goal.com - 'Provides soccer news and entertainment'
55 - ظفار المجد Dhofari Almajad - dhofari.com - Local forum on affairs of Dhofar region
108 - alharah2.net - Omani forum
199 - London Olympic 2012 - london2012.org 
570 - Muscat Mutterings - muscatmutterings.com, English blog on Oman
812 - AndyinOman .com - Expat teacher's blog about Oman; nicely done with lots of photos and descriptions

Shopping/Auctions

40 - Ebay - ebay.com 

48 - Apple Inc.- apple.com 
51- Amazon 

Service Providers / Banks
47 - Mazook -  Mozook is the number one mobile service provider in the Middle East and CIS region.
90 - Omantel - omantel.om - Phone service provider
92 - Bank Muscat - bankmuscatonline.com
99 - Oman Air - omanair.com 
106 - Booking.com 
120 - Nawras - nawras.om - Phone service provider Oman
1132 - Friendi Mobile - www.friendimobile.om 

Media
26 - MBC - mbc.net 
42 - Masrawy, Egyption portal and news site - masrawy.com
50 - Oman Daily - omandaily.om 
61 - Al Jazeera News - aljazeera.net 

74 - Al Arabiya News Channel - alarabiya.net, Arabic Language news station

81 - '7 Days' - youm7.com - Egyptian news site 

95 - Al Watan - watan.com - 'The largest Arab American Newspaper'

98 - Al Watan (Omani) - alwatan.com - 'Voice of Oman to the World'

101 - BBC Online - bbc.co.uk 

135 - India Times - indiatimes.com 

155 - Shabiba Newspaper - shabiba.com; Local Omani paper 

158 - Oman News - omannews.gov.om 

176 - Azzamn (Time) News - azzamn.org - Omani local news

232 - Quds Al-Arabi - alquds.co.uk - Arabic daily political newspaper published in Britain

255 - Gulf News - gulfnews.com 

295 - Times of Oman - timesofoman.com
322 - Muscat Daily 
1047 - Oman Tribune - www.omantribune.com 
1251 - Oman Observor - www.omanobserver.com

Downloads / Shareware
25 - My Egy - myegy.com - Place to download games, films and Arab movies
33 -  GulfUp | Free Files Sharing Site :) - gulfup.com 
49 - Arab Seed - arabseed.com - Watch or download Arabic movies, TV shows, music,  games

Other
274 - PDO

Special Ramadan Programming 2012 - MBC1

This is a quick summary of  some of the special TV programs produced for Ramadan this year on MBC1 Channel.

Adel Iman in Fareq Naji Atallah

9 pm  (Oman Timings) -  فرقة ناجي عطاالله - Gang Naji Atallah 

Gang Naji Atallah is a nightly series that stars the famous Egyptian actor Adel Imam.
Premise: Adel Iman plays an diplomat working in the Egyptian Embassy in Israel. He is sacked and his assets frozen. So, he forms a 'gang' to rob an Israeli bank of 200 million dollars. They pull off the heist, and now he and his gang are in the middle of escaping back to Egypt through Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The series is a comedy putting the characters in ironic and surreal situations, but sentiments of the struggles of the Palestinians and conflicts in Sinai, Egypt and elsewhere are weaved throughout the script. Comedy/Drama.

11 pm - Omar

This is a historical reenactment of the story of Omr Khattab who was appointed Caliph in 634 of the Islamic Empire. He was know for fairness and justice. The series takes us through his life; the rise of Islam in Mecca and later its expansion. The series is well-made and was filmed mostly in Morocco. There was some controversy just before the program's release concerning how religious figures were going to be portrayed.

12 am - Khawaja (Egyptian word for foreigner) Abdul Qadir 

This is a story about a British man who first moves to Sudan and then to Egypt in the 1940's. When he arrives in the Sudan, Khawaja is a heavy drinker but soon reverts to Islam with the guidance of his Sudanese friend and finds new peace in life. While in Egypt, he meets the wali's 'mayors' family and falls in love with the wali's sister Zainab. The story focuses on the relationships between the people in the Egyptian town and their trials and tribulations in life. Drama/Romance

1 am - Tariq wa Hayoona

The lively entertainers from Kuwait host a game show where callers can win various prizes and money. The shows format is a bit different this year. Whereas, previously callers searched for items in rooms; this year Tariq and Hayoona compete against each other in various tasks such as hanging laundry, making candy apples, screwing in light bulbs and more. The caller associated with the winner of the task (either Tariq or Hayoona) gets additional prize money. Callers are from all over the Arab world and each caller is serenaded with traditional music from their country. Average prizes are 500 - 2000 Saudi Rials. 

2 am - Haroof Waoloof  'Letters Thousands'

Another game show where callers receive trivia questions where the answer starts with a certain letter in the Arabic alphabet. The announcer is famous for waiving his Saudi sword around. In this year's promos, he is dressed up as Zorro and uses his sword to carve an Arabic 'ح' or 'h sound for 'haroof' instead of Zorro's 'z'. Almost every show a car or two is given away.

Tash ma Tash - This was a Ramadan series that ran for 18 seasons, but was not shown this year. It is a comedy.drama that deals with social issues in Saudi. The actor Nasser from 'Tash' is also a judge on 'Arabs Got Talent'. Below is a translated episode from Arabic into English from last year dealing with the religious police the muttawah.

Pirates of the Arabian Sea

Check out the markers on the map below indicating actual (in red) and attempted (in yellow) pirate attacks off the coast of Oman in 2012. Oman is in a high risk zone of pirate activity.

2012 Attacks: Source: http://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre/live-piracy-map/

Samho Jewelry in Port Sultan Qaboos

The map above shows all piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre during 2012. One may note a fair share of vessels have been attacked off the Omani coast.

Last year, South Korean press took over the Muttrah Cornish internet cafe by giving the owner a 'gratuity' to stay open during the afternoon 'siesta' period in order to report on the successful military operation of the South Korea navy to retake and rescue the hostages of the Korean ship Samho Jewelry. The ship was docked in the Muttrah port near Muscat after being saved. 

'In most incidents as soon as the pirates / armed robbers know that they have been spotted or feel the vessel has been secured and is a difficult target they will abandon the attack. However Somali and Nigerian pirates tend to be more aggressive in their attacks and hence additional precautions have to be taken.'

Most attacks in the Arabian Sea are perpetrated by Somali pirates and any ship seems to be prey from large oil tankers to fishermen navigating traditional dhow. To deal with pirates attacks, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has put together a bulletin of guidance on preventing and suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships. 

Dhow hijacked off the cost of Oman Jun 20 / 2012.
NATO rescue ship in background

According to the Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia Based Piracy bulletin, one of the most effect measures against being boarded is maintaining a nautical speed of 18 knots (which converts to about 32 km land speed) or above despite having machine gun fired or grenades flung on board to slow you down. Another is to hire private security contractor as no ship with hired 'security' has been successfully hijacked so far. Of course, being vigilant and fortifying the ship also helps. Basically, being boarded is bad and anything done to prevent that is helpful in thwarting an attack. 

'The average length of a hijacking of vessel and her crew is over 7 months.'

The motivation of the pirates is mainly money as there is often a ransom demand, but other motivations could be for revenge or pride. Some pirate groups calls themselves the Somali Coast Guard formed by fishermen touting the rational that they were protecting their seas from toxic waste being dumped in their waters by 'greedy' companies looking to dump cheaply and from over fishing of their waters by poachers.

Collecting ransoms may be seen as a form of remuneration for the pirates from being shafted in regard to their natural resources. This reasoning does not 'hold water' for some on the brutal attacks on private yachtsmen and their families including children. It is reported the pirates enjoy local support and encouragement from a majority of fellow Somalians. The pirate groups are known to coordinate and share in the booty. Pirating is a low overhead but high return endeavour for the Somali young men.

To engage in a 'pirate' attack it must be done in international waters; if perpetrated in a countries territorial waters, it is considered theft of a ship in addition to any other crimes which would have taken place during the attack.

More: 
IMO Reporting Centre: http://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre
Modern Day Pirates Tales / Blog: http://piratebook.blogspot.com/
The Pirates of Somalia / Book: http://jaybahadur.blogspot.com/

Some news articles relating to attacks near Oman:

April 7 / 2012 MERCHANT VESSEL ATTACKED BY PIRATES OFF AL ASHKARAH

nov 11 / 2011 PIRATE ATTACK ON TANKER FOILED OFF SALALAH COAST

jun 23 / 2012 PIRATES SHOOT AT LNG TANKER OFF OMAN COAST

Jan 22 / 2012 TANKER ESCAPES PIRATE ATTACK OFF MUSCAT

Dec 11 / 2011 PIRATE ATTACK ON TWO VESSELS REPULSED

dec 27 / 2011 PIRATES HIJACK ITALIAN SHIP WITH 18 ON BOARD OFF OMAN

OCt 5 / 2011 MV DOVER DOCKS IN SALALAH FOLLOWING ITS RELEASE

Source BPM4 guide: Barbwire fortification to deter pirates

Source BPM4 guide: Water hosing to deter pirates

Pirate boats 'skiffs' 

Military boarding 

LNG tanker shot at by pirates

Article101 - United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982

Definition of piracy
Piracy consists of any of the following acts:
(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:
(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;
(ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;
(b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;
(c) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in subparagraph (a) or (b).

Murderer & Drug Dealer Escape From Omani Court & Are On The Loose

According to a popular forum, several (three) criminals escaped from an Omani courthouse (Seeb) yesterday (possibly through a bathroom window). As far as is known, they are still on the run as of now. It is said they are of Pakistani origin. Some of the crimes that is said they perpetrated were the murder of a Chinese woman and drug dealing. So, if you happen to see the likes of these persons around, contact the authorities.

For more see: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/three-under-trial-detainees-escape-from-police-1.1056720

Alleged Photos of the Fugitives

WSJ: Saudi Students Flood In as U.S. Reopens Door

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article entitled, Saudi Students Flood In as U.S. Reopens Door by ELLEN KNICKMEYER, describing the new sponsorship programme of King Abdullah of KSA which has sent around 60,000 Saudi students seeking Bachelor's and Master's degrees to American universities and 130,000 worldwide (which is about 1 out of every 200 Saudi persons) since 2005.

After a personal plea to President GW Bush by King Abdullah, America opened its universities' doors to Saudi students. The King covers the cost of tuition as well as gives a living allowance to the students. Under the scholarship, students have up to 18 months to study intensive English abroad to bring their language level up to university standards before being admitted to a university.

Almost all students return home as part of the scholarship agreement the students sign to participate in the programme stipulating that the graduates will work in certain government selected fields for several years in remuneration for the cost of education. Saudi is in the planning stages of building several international economic cities such as 'King Abdullah Economic City' all meant to internationalize and diversify the economy in the future.

King A and GW

It seems to be a win-win for everyone; Saudi students receive exposure and good education while their western counterpart's educational environment is enriched through cultural diversity - learning about Saudi culture and making Saudi friends all while American universities receive much needed fees during the economic downturn.

In Oman, we hear of only a handful of such scholarship programs such as through the US Fulbright programme. Oman has definitely improved and enhanced the education of its citizens through the founding and building of universities and university programs over the last 30 years (which should be applauded despite current criticisms reported as the system basically went from almost nothing to something). However, a scholarship programme such as the Saudi programme (even on a smaller scale) would definitely augment the current education students receive here in Oman and better equip them with skills fit for a modern economy.

Thus, it would reduce the need to import 'middle manager' expat workers from abroad to keep things running as it seems happening today; for example, most company's managers are from abroad and most reporters and editors from English print newspapers are mostly from the outside.

Excerpt: Saudi Students Flood In as U.S. Reopens Door
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304830704577492450467667154.html

'Saudi Arabia's international scholarship program, launched when Saudi King Abdullah took the throne in 2005, is a key part of his efforts to equip future generations in handling the country's main challenges, including a fast-growing population and declining oil reserves.

Since taking over, the Saudi king has emphasized scientific education and exposure to foreign countries as keys to combat religious extremism and transform Saudi Arabia into a modern state. This year, the scholarship program has about 130,000 young people studying around the world, at an estimated cost of at least $5 billion since the program began.'

'Some of Saudi Arabia's harsher critics have supported the scholarship program. "If anybody is going to modernize [Saudi] society, it's going to be people" with exposure to the West, said Elliott Abrams, a conservative policy analyst who served in two Republican administrations. "In that sense I'm all in favor of it."

Top News From Oman: July 2012 - Qantab project to start any day now

Summary of news events in Oman - July 2012 from various sources:

• The Qantab development project is due to start any day now according to locals. 'Road closed' signs are posted in front of the street down to the beach. For more information about the project, see www.sarayabandarjissah.com.
  
  
• As most know, the handful  'activists' involved in offense writings were sentenced to one year in jail with the exception of one sentence being for a period of six months. The 'gatherers' (those who assembled in groups of more than 10 persons in protest) trial has been postponed twice in July.
  
  
• Renaissance Day was celebrated on July 23.
  
  'At a time the Omani people celebrate the advent of the month of Ramadan, the nation today marks the 42nd anniversary of the Sultanate’s Renaissance led by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. The Renaissance ushered in a new era of development at all levels, including domestic growth and the establishment of relations of friendship with other countries of the world.' http://main.omanobserver.om/node/103987
  
  
• Ramadan Karim - July 21 marked the first day of the holy month in Oman.
  
  
• July 19 - It was reported a US helicopter crashed 58 miles southwest of Muscat.
  
  
• Yusuf Saloojee was suspended in mid July from his position as South African ambassador to Oman pending a corruption investigation. More from:
  http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2012/07/19/mtn-s-house-for-saloojee-the-inside-story
  http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Oman/Business-as-usual-at-South-African-embassy-says-deputy-head-1kl5
  

• July 5 - FIFA issued a warning of possible immediate and indefinite suspension of the OFA (Oman Football Association). However, on the positive side, the Asian Football Confederation has picked Oman to host the AFC U22 Championship finals in January 2013 (assuming Oman has not been suspended).
  
  'FIFA has reminded the Oman Football Association that all FIFA member associations must manage their affairs independently and without influence of any third parties, as clearly stipulated in articles 13 and 17 of the FIFA Statutes. This is in relation to the apparent award by the Administrative Court in the Sultanate of Oman on 25 June 2012 following an appeal by three OFA clubs, in connection with the OFA elections of August 2011, the enforcement of which would allegedly entail the nullification of said elections and the organisation of a new electoral process'http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/footballgovernance/news/newsid=1660277/
  
  
• It was reported the Sohar Globe Roundabout was taken down in early July to make room for construction of a fly-over to ease traffic congestion in the area.

Omani Coat of Arms featuring a traditional khanjar

Omani Duwar, Two Well-Known Roundabouts Razed Recently

The Omani road system uses roundabouts over traffic signals for the majority. Along Sultan Qaboos Highway roundabouts are seen as decorative landmarks adding artistic interest to the roadway. 

Recently, two iconic roundabouts the Sohar Globe (RIP Jul 6/2012) and Wadi Kabir Bakhoor (Mejmar) circles were reported razed in order to make way for 'fly-overs' to ease traffic. Instead of destroying these well-known icons, why not move them into a park out in the desert such as done in Szoborpark (Memento Park) outside Budapest where all the old statutes are now displayed.

More info@:

Globe Roundabout to be History

www.timesofoman.com/echoice.aspx?detail=7785

'Demolition of Mijmar roundabout brought sad news'

www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Oman/Demolition-of-Wadi-Kabir-Mijmar-roundabout-sad-news-for-many

'I lived in Sohar when we had the Globe Roundabout'

www.facebook.com/ILivedInSoharWhenWeHadTheGlobeRoundabout

Before: Wadi Kabir Roundabout in Muscat

After: Wadi Kabir roundabout 'Sans' Bakhoor Decoration - May 2012

Spring 2011: Sohar Globe Roundabout

'Sans' Globe'

July 2012: Source:  www.facebook.com/ILivedInSoharWhenWeHadTheGlobeRoundabout

www.facebook.com/ILivedInSoharWhenWeHadTheGlobeRoundabout