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Oman state power firm to take over Dhofar Power

July 28, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

July 27 (Reuters) – Oman’s state-owned Electricity Holding Co., majority shareholder of Dhofar Power Co. DHP.OM, will offer a 25-percent premium to buy the remaining stake in the firm, Dhofar said on Tuesday.

Electricity Holding, which has a 69.42 percent stake in the company, plans to buy the outstanding shares in the third quarter for 2 rials per share, valuing the stake at 5.52 million Omani rials ($14.34 million).

Dhofar Power shares closed at 1.6 rials on Monday.

The deal will be completed by the end of September, Dhofar said in a statement to the Muscat bourse.

Dhofar planned to kick off a 200 million rial, five-year expansion plan this year, centered on its transmission and distribution operations. [ID:nLG341013]

The power company said in November it was looking to its majority shareholder to help fund the expansion and warned income would be hit by higher borrowing costs related to the plan.

Dohar Power had a first-quarter net profit of 650,000 rials, down from 940,000 rials in the same period in 2009.

(Reporting by Saleh al Shaibany; Editing by Jason Neely)

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Mistaken for pirate, Indian fisherman shot off Oman coast

April 23, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

In what appears to be a case of mistaken identity, crew from a passing foreign cargo ship off the coast of Oman fired upon a group of fishermen, fearing they were pirates, and killed one of them. Another fisherman was injured in the incident on Monday morning.

Raju Ambrose, 34, was declared ‘dead on arrival’ by doctors at the Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah on the southwestern coast of Oman, said Manpreet Singh, president of the Indian Social Club Salalah. Ambrose, hailing from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, is survived by his wife, two teenaged daughters and a seven-year-old son.

Apparently, shots were fired without any warning or provocation from the ship at the group of nearly 75 fishermen who had set off from Salalah on 25 boats. Singh said it appears the ship’s crew mistook the fishermen for pirates.

“The crew opened fire indiscriminately at a place called Sarbatat off the coast of Salalah and two people were injured,” said Singh. “Both the victims were rushed to the Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah but Ambrose was declared as having been brought dead on arrival. The other fisherman, Sebastian, who was on a different boat, was treated and later discharged.”

An eyewitness said that by the time the fishermen realised that they were being fired upon, it was too late. “We were fishing when we suddenly heard a loud noise that took everyone by surprise,” said Joy, who was on the boat with Ambrose.

“At first, I thought that the sound was coming from the ship. But later, I realised that people on the ship were firing at us. We go out into the deep sea quite often, but such an incident has never happened. In fact, we wave at all the ships that pass by the area.”

Joy added that the fishermen tried to steer the boat away, but in vain. “All of a sudden, a bullet hit Raju and he fell overboard. The other fisherman on the boat, Francis, and I managed to pull him out of the water and then we fled for our lives. We took him to the shore with the help of other fishermen and from there to the Sultan Qaboos Hospital, but it was too late.”

Many cargo ships on the high seas off the Horn of Africa have opted for armed protection after a spate of attacks and hijacks by pirates based in Somalia for ransom.

(Courtesy: Muscat Daily)

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Iran annoyed over Pak’s delay in finalising electricity import deal

March 23, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar.23 (ANI): Iran has expressed serious discontent over the delay on the part of Pakistan in finalising the deal regarding importing electricity from it.

Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Masha’allah Shakeri said Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Islamabad in 2008 regarding providing 1,135MW of electricity, but even after 15 months no final agreement had been reached.

Shakeri said he has met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and several top Pakistani officials in the past year and half but there has been no response from Islamabad.

“I’m perplexed. I can’t understand what’s wrong with the Iranian offer. Time is of the essence. Should Iran wait forever. What was the need to sign the MoU,” The Dawn quoted Shakeri, as saying.

He said Iran is ready to help Pakistan overcome the numerous hurdles it is currently facing, and could also offer financial support in future.

“Honestly we would like to go with Pakistan. Our objective is to address Pakistan’s immediate electricity needs. We are ready to build infrastructure. Our cooperation can even include financial assistance,” Shakeri said.

Iran, which is the world’s 19th largest electricity producer, is eyeing becoming a regional power hub, and says that several major countries such as Russia, India, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Syria and Oman have shown interest in buying electricity from it.

(ANI)

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Four Nepali women being sent to Muscat detained at Gorakhpur

September 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Gorakhpur, Sept 19 (ANI): Volunteers of a social service organisation and the personnel of the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of Uttar Pradesh Police at Gorakhpur detained four Nepalese women.

Reportedly, as per the statement of the women who were taken into custody at the Gorakhpur Railway Station, they were intending to go to Muscat.

These women had entered India through the Sanauli border post.

Although all the four women had their respective passports with them, only two of them could show their endorsed visas for Muscat.

“Our team visited the railway station along with a Nepali counsellor. When she saw these women and spoke to them, they gave some wrong information, which in turn sounded fishy and made us to suspect something was amiss. When we asked them where they were heading, initially they said Oman and again changed their statement saying, New Delhi. When our counsellor asked them for their passports, some said they had it while others said they didn’t. So, we found them suspicious,” said Gyan Kumar, co-ordinator, Maanava Sewa Sansthan, Gorakhpur.

Amidst such confusing utterances by the women, the police believe that one of the women named Dilmaya was trying to send the other three to Muscat by bringing them from Nepal.

She claimed that they were going to Muscat because they had their relatives residing and working there.

“These people held us for interrogation. We asked them either to let us go to Nepal or else allow us to go to Muscat. We have our relatives there,” said Dilmaya.

A couple of months ago, police officials of Gorakhpur had detained five women who were allegedly being trafficked to Gulf countries for flesh trade.

Reportedly, a pimp was escorting these women to Mumbai from where they were to be sent to certain destinations in the Middle East. (ANI)

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Mumbai’s ‘Lalbag Ka Raja’ mandal registers Rs 37 million offerings

September 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sep 6(ANI): After the conclusion of the 10-day Ganesha Chaturthi festival organisers of a popular Puja pandal in Mumbai, claimed to have received offering donations of around Rs 37 million.

Thirty staffers from two banks – Bank of Maharashtra and Mahanagar Bank- counted the money and other offerings made to Mumbai’s famous Lalbag ka Raja.embers of the organizing committee of the ‘Lalbag Ka Raja’ which had erected 23-feet Lord Ganesha idol this year, said that the money counting process was still on and till Saturday they had collected Rs 36.96 million.

“For the first time this year we started counting the money collection during the on going festival itself. After the concluding day of the festival we have collected around Rs 36.96 million,” said Sanjay Ghadekar, Treasurer of the ‘Lalbag Ka Raja’ festival committee.

Ghadekar further said that they have also received a lot of foreign currencies this year from devotees belonging to various countries.

“Along with Indian currency we collected some foreign currencies as well. These currencies are from countries like United Kingdom, Singapore, Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirates,” Ghadekar added.

The festival began on August 23, and at the end of the 10-day long festival, the idol of Lord Ganesha was taken out in a grand procession and immersed in the sea. (ANI)

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UAE quits Gulf monetary union

May 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Nicosia, May 22 (ANI): The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it decided to withdraw from a planned Gulf Arab Monetary union, something with has been debated for the last 30 years. The decision does not affect UAE’s broader membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The decision casts doubts over the future of the project, although the other four countries- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain- reiterated their intention to participate. Two years ago, GCC member Oman announced that it would not join the planned single currency.

According to WAM news agency, UAE’s announcement was made by a Foreign Minister official who said that the general secretariat of Gulf Cooperation Council was informed accordingly.

Journalists and banking officials believe that the decision to withdraw from the planned monetary union was the result of the recent announcement that the proposed central bank of the GCC would be located in Saudi Arabia. The UAE government expected that the bank would be based on its own territory.

On May 5 GCC Secretary General Abdurrahman al-Attiyah told journalists that the first step toward creating a Gulf central bank would be the establishment of a Riyadh-based monetary council, which would exist in a ” transitional phase” in the move towards monetary union.(ANI)

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Malaysia’s Petronas inks Oman gas deal – report

April 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Reuters) – Malaysian national oil firm Petronas has signed an agreement with Oman to look for gas in the Gulf Arab state, a Malaysian newspaper reported on Monday.

Under the deal, Petronas [PETR.UL] will explore and sell natural gas from Block 63 in Al Dhahirah and Al Dakhiliyah regions, measuring 3,709 sq km, the Business Times reported.

The paper quoted unnamed industry sources as saying that the agreement is for an acreage of Natih block.

Petronas was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Liau Y-Sing; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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Iraq cuts May OSP crude prices for all buyers

April 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq will cut its May official selling price for its Basra Light and Kirkuk crude to buyers worldwide, a senior Iraqi oil official said on Sunday.

Iraq cut the price of Basra crude for U.S. buyers from the April price by $6.20, bringing it to a discount of $4.90 a barrel below the second-month futures contract for U.S. crude benchmark WTI, said Falah Alamri, head of the State Oil Marketing Company (SOMO).

The price of Basra crude for European buyers was cut 10 cents to a discount of $1.15 below the North Sea spot crude marker, known as BFOE, Alamri said.

The price for Asian buyers fell 65 cents to a discount of 50 cents below the average of Oman/Dubai quotes, he said.

For U.S. buyers of the heavier Kirkuk crude, exported from the Turkish Mediterranean terminal of Ceyhan, Iraq cut the May price by $5.80 from April to a discount of $3.95 below first-month WTI. To European buyers, Iraq cut the price by 25 cents to BFOE minus $1.10.

Below is a table containing prices for April and May. All prices are listed in dollars below or above the benchmark.

Basra Light: May ’09 April ’09

European buyers Dtd BFO -1.15 -1.05

U.S. buyers WTI 2M -4.90 +1.30

Asian buyers Oman/Dubai -0.50 +0.15

Kirkuk:

European buyers Dtd BFO -1.10 -0.85

U.S. buyers WTI 1M -3.95 +1.85

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Missy Ryan and Mike Nesbit)

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Kuwait NRI’s unaffected by ongoing global meltdown

April 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kuwait City, Apr 9 (ANI): Despite the economic recession in the Gulf, Indians working in Kuwait claim they are quite unaffected by it.

In a population of 3.4 million people in Kuwait, 600,000 are Indians. The Indian community, therefore, forms one of the largest expatriate groups here.

Najida, an Indian woman working in a travel management company, has been staying in Kuwait for the last five years.

She has been working in the travel industry for the last 15 years and believes that the impact of recession is very slow on Indians living and working in Kuwait.

“So far I would say, the recession does not have much impact on the Indians as yet … unlike Dubai or other neighbouring countries, it has a much slower impact here,” said Najida.

Insia Anwar, another Indian working in Kuwait as a managing director of Varco Centre (a company dealing with computers) said that although there is some news of job cuts in other Gulf regions like Dubai, Oman and Saudi Arabia, the economy of Kuwait is quite strong.

“Honestly, the economic slowdown hasn’t really affected this part of Kuwait so much,” said Anwar.

Indians living in Kuwait are a diverse lot with a sizeable number of people involved in high-end well-paying jobs as managers in banks, petroleum companies, investment fund firms and IT firms.

Indians also forms the back-up community, keeping the wheels of the day-to-day life running in the Gulf. Cooks, chauffeurs, housemaids and clerks, mostly from South India, have added to the diversity of this oil-rich Gulf country. By Lokendra Singh (ANI)

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With economy on mind, Ansari to visit Kuwait

April 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) With oil-rich Kuwait looking east to invest, India will seek investment funds from the Gulf country when Vice President Hamid Ansari goes there Monday on a three-day visit.

This will be the first high-profile visit from India to Kuwait in nearly three decades.

The two countries will sign two pacts in the area of science and technology cooperation as well as educational exchanges for 2009-11.

Ansari will call on Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Monday and discuss a broad swathe of regional and global issues including security, energy, terrorism and bilateral ties.

Enhancing cooperation in maritime security is high on the agenda as India exports nearly 70 percent of its oil requirements from the Persian Gulf region.

Ansari, who earlier was India’s envoy to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, will also meet ministers of defence, foreign affairs, finance and oil in Kuwait.

Kuwait is home to 580,000 Indian expatriates. Issues relating to their welfare will be discussed between the two sides.

Ansari will attend a reception hosted by members of the Indian community in Kuwait Monday evening.

Ansari’s visit will focus on scaling up trade and economic ties between India and Kuwait in the context of a broader energy partnership.

Kuwait, a member of the influential Gulf Cooperation Council, has nearly 10 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves.

‘In the current scenario, Kuwait has a lot of capital. We seek to encourage Kuwaiti investment in infrastructure sector in India,’ N. Ravi, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry, said ahead of Ansari’s visit.

Ansari will make a pitch for accelerated Kuwaiti investment into India in his address to the Kuwaiti Chambers of Commerce and Industry next week.

India can absorb $500 billion investment in the infrastructure sector over the years, Ravi said.

Although recession has hit parts of Kuwait’s economy, its economy is still going strong.

Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation G.K. Vasan and senior officials of the external affairs and petroleum ministries will accompany Ansari.

India has vital stakes in the stability and prosperity of the Gulf region, which is home to over 4.5 million Indian diaspora. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Oman and Qatar last year.

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Recession-hit India to tap Kuwait for investment

April 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) With the global economic recession deepening, India will tap Kuwait for investment funds in the country’s burgeoning infrastructure sector and sign two pacts when Vice President Hamid Ansari goes to the oil-rich Gulf emirate on a three-day visit Monday.

Ansari will call on Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and discuss with him an entire gamut of bilateral relationship and regional and global issues, including security, energy, terrorism and cooperation in the field of science and technology.

The vice president will also meet ministers of defence, foreign affairs, finance and oil in that country.

Issues relating to the welfare of Indians in Kuwait will also figure in the discussions.

Ansari’s trip returns the visit by the amir to India nearly three years ago. This will be the first high-level visit from the Indian side to Kuwait, home to 580,000 persons of Indian origin, in nearly three decades.

Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation G.K. Vasan and senior officials of the external affairs and petroleum ministry will be accompanying Ansari on this important trip to the Gulf region, home to over 4.5 million Indian diaspora. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Oman and Qatar last year.

The focus of the visit will be on enhancing economic and energy ties between India and Kuwait, N. Ravi, secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry, told reporters here Thursday.

‘In the current scenario, Kuwait has a lot of capital. We seek to encourage Kuwaiti investment in infrastructure sector in India,’ Ravi said when asked whether a recession-hit India will seek investment funds from Kuwait during the vice president’s visit.

Ansari will make a pitch for accelerated Kuwaiti investment into India in his address to the Kuwaiti Chambers of Commerce and Industry next week.

India can absorb $500 billion investment in the infrastructure sector over the years, Ravi said.

The two countries will sign pacts in the area of science and technology cooperation and education exchange for the year 2009-2011, Ravi said.

Kuwait, a member of the influential Gulf Cooperation Council, has nearly 10 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves. A Kuwait bank has predicted that despite a sharp plunge in oil prices in the last few months, Kuwait is set to record over $4 billion surplus. But this estimate is based on high oil prices for most of the last year.

Recession has hit parts of Kuwait’s economy as well with the government mulling a $5 billion stimulus package and putting off a $15 billion refinery project.

According to official estimates, Kuwait has a total budget surplus of $113 billion over the past nine fiscal years.

Economic ties between India and Kuwait are steadily growing with bilateral trade estimated to be around $8.4 billion. Kuwait accounts for 12 percent of India’s crude oil imports.

IT, biotechnology and SMEs are emerging areas of cooperation between the two countries.

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Dubai is more competitive than Japan, Germany and France, says report

March 31, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Nicosia, Mar 31 (ANI): The National Competitiveness Report for 2009, published by the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies of the National University of Seoul, ranked Dubai 16th out of 65 global economies, saying it is more competitive than Japan, Germany, France and New Zealand.

The report, which is published annually since 2001, considers Dubai as the most competitive economy in the Middle East.

This is the first time that the emirate has been included in the Report.he US ranked No.1 in this year’s study of competitiveness, followed by the Netherlands and Denmark.

Kuwait is way below Dubai in competitiveness, which occupies the 30th position, followed by Oman at the 42nd position and Saudi Arabia at the 48th.

The findings of the National Competitive Report form part of a Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index, the first in a series of research projects conducted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI). ubai has the regional advantage in eleven export sectors relative to other Arab nations.

Globally, Dubai exports are competitive in five sectors, with semi-precious to precious stones and metals and imitation jewellery holding the first place in the index.

The index also showed that Dubai exports had competitive advantages in 23 industries relative to the global norm.

One of the weaknesses pointed out in the Report is that Dubai should be less dependent on foreign labour and needs to focus more on capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive methods. (ANI)

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Pakistan to resist shifting of Davis Cup tie to Manila

March 13, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Mar 13 (ANI): Pakistan has vowed to resist any attempt to shift their Davis Cup tennis home tie against Philippines to a neutral venue or Manila over security concerns.

The Philippine Lawn Tennis Association reportedly made the request in a letter to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) citing the March 3 militant attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, as reason for shifting the venue.

Philippines is scheduled to play Pakistan in Asia Oceania Group II on July 10-12 in Lahore, The News reported.

Pakistan Tennis Federation president Dilawar Abbas said any attempt to shift the tie would be refused.

“We are writing a letter to ITF in which we would demand that the tie should be played in Lahore, Pakistan because the venue would also have accommodation for the players and there would be no risks involved,” Abbas told a foreign news agency.

“Cricket and tennis has lots of difference, the spectators are in hundreds as compared to thousands in cricket, and since it’s an indoor sport security would be easier and complete,” Abbas added.

An international squash event, due to be staged next month in Pakistan, was cancelled while New Zealand hinted it would not send its cricket team to Pakistan for the November-December series this year.

Last month Pakistan was forced to relocate their home Davis Cup tie against Oman to Muscat after their rivals raised security concerns. (ANI)

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Philippines wants Davis Cup tie to be moved to Manila from Pakistan

March 13, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Manila, Mar 13 (ANI): The Philippine Lawn Tennis Association has asked Davis Cup organizers to move the July regional playoff against Pakistan from Lahore to Manila due to fears of its players being attacked.

PLTA vice president Randy Villanueva cited the March 3 attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, which killed six police officers and a driver and injured several players, as evidence of the risk for sports team visiting Pakistan.

“We asked them to be moved here to the Philippines because of the safety of our players and because of recent events in Pakistan, especially the cricket team of Sri Lanka getting attacked,” The News quoted Villanueva, as saying.

The association was awaiting a response from the International Tennis Federation, which shifted last week’s Pakistan-Oman tie to Muscat from its original venue in Lahore. (ANI)

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New technique may herald end of nuclear arms

March 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, March 5 (ANI): In a move which would be taken positively by advocates of world peace, a team of engineers has developed a technique to “denature” plutonium created in large nuclear reactors, making it unsuitable for use in nuclear arms.

Developed by engineers at the Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev in Israel, the technique involves adding Americium (Am 241) in plutonium so it can only be used for peaceful purposes.

Americium is a form of the basic synthetic element found in commercial smoke detectors and industrial gauges.

The technique could help “de-claw” more than a dozen countries developing nuclear reactors if the United States, Russia, Germany, France and Japan agree to add the denaturing additive into all plutonium.

“When you purchase a nuclear reactor from one of the five countries, it also provides the nuclear fuel for the reactor,” explained Professor Yigal Ronen, of BGU’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, who headed the project.

“Thus, if the five agree to insert the additive into fuel for countries now developing nuclear power – such as Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen – they will have to use it for peaceful purposes rather than warfare,” he added.

Ronen originally worked on Neptonium 237 for the purpose denaturing plutonium, but switched to Americium, which is meant for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), such as the one being built in Iran.

“Countries that purchase nuclear reactors usually give the spent fuel back to the producer,” explained Ronen.

“They wouldn’t be able to get new plutonium for weapons if it is denatured, but countries that make nuclear fuel could decide not to denature it for themselves,” he added. (ANI)

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Venues and schedule confirmed for ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier

February 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Dubai, Feb.10 (ANI): The ICC today confirmed the schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2009 to take place from 1 to 19 April in South Africa.

With three ODI venues being used, including Willowmoore Park in Benoni and Potchefstroom for group and Super Eight matches and Centurion for the final on 19 April, the event will enjoy first-class facilities.

In total there are nine venues being used for 54 matches played over 19 days with 12 teams fighting it out for the four qualification places on offer in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, formerly known as the ICC Trophy, incorporates Divisions 1 and 2 of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League and is the gateway for the top Associate and Affiliate teams into the premier one-day tournament in the world.

“It looks like it’s going to be a great event,” said ICC President David Morgan.

“Many of the top Associates are very evenly matched and I am expecting some thrilling matches during the tournament. We know from experience that South Africa is a perfect place to host big multi-team tournaments such as this and I know the teams will have some of the best facilities at their disposal,” he said.

“Four years ago, Scotland deservedly overcame the opposition in Ireland so I’m sure they’ll be anxious to hang on to the title. It’s not going to be easy though. Many of the other Associates have made big strides since then so it’s going to be a hard-fought tournament.”

Day one of the event offers up perhaps the most eagerly awaited fixture of all with defending champion Scotland taking on fierce rival Ireland in an ODI at Willowmoore Park in what will be a repeat of the final in 2005.

Among the teams will be Afghanistan and Uganda, which both qualified from January’s Pepsi World Cricket League Division 3 event in Buenos Aires. The WCL was created to provide a clear pathway for teams outside the top 10 towards improvement and ultimately, the ICC Cricket World Cup. This global event gives ICC Associate and Affiliate Members the opportunity to play similarly ranked sides in meaningful competition regardless of where they are located in the world.

The 12 teams taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier are split into two groups of six teams. Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Oman, Namibia and Uganda make up Group A while Kenya, Netherlands, Bermuda, UAE, Denmark and Afghanistan form Group B.

Each side plays the other teams in its group once with the top four from the groups progressing to the Super Eight stage. The teams each play four Super Eight matches against the sides they did not meet in the group stage. All points won in the groups will be carried over to the Super Eight stage apart from those gained against the bottom two from each group.

The top two teams in the Super Eight stage will contest the final to be played at Centurion on 19 April. The third and fourth-placed sides will play-off at Potchefstroom, the fifth and sixth-placed sides play off at Willowmoore Park while the seventh and eighth-placed teams play off at Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp.

The top four sides at the event qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The top six teams secure ODI status until 2013 and also qualify automatically for the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2009-10.

The bottom two teams from the CWCQ, which incorporates Divisions 1 and 2 of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League, will be relegated to Division 3.(ANI)

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Coalition of navies establish new counter-piracy task force

January 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Manama, Bahrain – The US Navy’s 5th Fleet Command which oversees all naval operations of a US-led coalition in the Middle East announced Thursday the establishment of a new task force specifically for counter-piracy operations.

Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) is be composed of naval ships and “assets” from more than 20 nations, the US military said in a statement.

US Navy Rear Admiral Terence McKnight has been named the commander of the new task force which is set to be fully operational by the middle of January.

Coalition efforts included CTF-150, which includes the deterrence of “destabilizing activities,” such as drug smuggling and weapons trafficking in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The establishment of CTF-151 will allow CTF-150 participants to remain focused on those activities, giving CTF-151 the ability to focus solely on the counter-piracy mission. (dpa)

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Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization to focus on climate change

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Jan 9 (ANI): The Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) member countries has agreed to include technical cooperation in the domain of adaptation strategies for climate change as a function of the organization.

Accordingly during the triennium 2009-2011, the technical support programme would focus on the areas of poverty alleviation, employment generation, infrastructure development, housing, sanitation, drinking water, rural health, education, water and natural resource conservation, entrepreneurship development, gender equity, micro credit plan, women”s empowerment, climate changes and rural livelihoods.

At a concluding session of the 16th General Session of the Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), it was also decided to hold the next conference be in Egypt during the year 2011.

Union Rural Development Minister Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh while briefing media persons on the outcome of the General Session said that the implementation process of NREGA, PMGSY and other flagship programmes run by his Ministry has influenced the participating delegates, and they have sought further details in this regard so as to carry such programmes in the respective countries also.

The conference, which began on January 6, elected India as President of AARDO for the triennium 2009-2011 with Syria and Nigeria as Vice-Presidents from Asia and Africa regions respectively.

Among the important agenda items deliberated in the conference were member relations, membership contribution, review of activities, technical work programme and income and expenditure for the next triennium 2009-2011.

The conference also elected ten new members of the Executive Committee. The new members of the Committee are: Egypt, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Jordan, Malaysia, Oman, Republic of Korea and Lebanon.

The conference decided to enhance number of training and fellowship programmes from 579 to 672 in the next triennium.

The conference also ratified admission of two new members, namely Gambia and Malawi.

The conference was attended by Ministers from 14 other countries – Burkina Faso, Egypt, Jordan, Gambia, Libya, Mauritius, Malaysia, Oman, Sudan, Syria, Malawi, Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka.

In all, 79 delegates from 30 member countries participated in the AARDO Conference. (ANI)

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PTF demands compensation as Pakistan-Oman Davis cup tie shifted

January 2, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Jan.2 (ANI): Angered over the shifting of the Davis Cup tie between Pakistan and Oman to Oman, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has demanded a compensation of 60, 00,000 dollars from the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

The PTF has lodged a strong protest with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) over the shifting and demanded that the matches should be played at any neutral venue.

“We would like to play this tie either in Malaysia or Singapore to protest its shifting from Pakistan to Oman,” the Daily Times quoted PTF president Syed Dialwar Abbas, as saying.

“There was no issue of security in Pakistan and the PTF had successfully organised eight international tournaments in 2008,”Abbas added.

Commenting on the cancellation of India-Pakistan tennis competitions, Abbas said that it has nothing to do with the strained relations between both countries and the tennis federations of countries would soon finalise the plans of their mutual series in Pakistan.

Sports in Pakistan has been hit hard in recent times. Deteriorating security condition in the country has forced the organisers to either cancel the event or shift it to any other country. (ANI)

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