Discussion Forum April 25, 2003

Discussion Forum

OMAN CRICKET CLUB – THE TRUE STORY

After 25 years of existence Oman cricket Club Managed by Khimjis’ have only around 50 Omani players. Most of them – Baluchies migrated from Pakistan. It has no playing ground of its own neither they have their own coaching facilities. After repeated announcements Green turf wicket & ground remains a distant mirage & stadium exists only in dreams. Thanks to a senior member of The Royal family – OCC is able to utilise few grounds for their purpose. For how long is a big question !?

It has no recognition from GOYSCA – A Govt. body which recognises a game as a national game. That is the reason OCC teams which have participated in a few tournaments abroad, organised by Asian Cricket Council is unable to play under the Omani National Flag. No Omani Govt. school children play or are interested in playing cricket.

Irrespective of all these known facts - It is surprising that Asian Cricket Council has given a recognition to Oman Cricket Club & is willing & spending lot of time, energy & even money - in training coaches, players & umpires.

This is not surprising when Khimjis’ are in charge of OCC. Delegates from ACC are entertained & kept well & entertained during their visit to Oman. In return most of these visitors turn a blind eye to the realities on the ground while writing a report to ACC. How long this eye wash will last is a matter of concern for most cricketers in Oman!

IT IS HIGH TIME FOR “ACC” TO LOOK INTO THIS TRUE STORY.

THE FATE OF INDIAN SCHOOL SEEB-OMAN

After an early & untimely Exit of H.E. K. M. Meena , the previous Indian Ambassador to Oman - the future of INDIAN SCHOOL SEEB appears to be in doldrums. If you remember Mr. Meena was instrumental in bringing back this school in the hands of Indian Community from the Business lobby. He has to suffer a lot for the same reason. Before Mr. Meena left - all the MOUs & Agreements were signed by the concerned School Authorities with a private party to construct a purpose built school with play ground facility. All the ground work to start the construction was over.This was also published in the local English daily along with a fotograph. Till today – 9 months after Mr. Meena left there is no sign of New School Building !

All the poor Indian parents residing in the area have started to lose their hopes – whether their kids will ever get to study in a well equipped New school Building promised to them ! SO WHAT IS THE TRUE PICTURE !?

Along with series of steps taken by the new Ambassador of reversing the decisions taken by his predecessor – Independent Seeb School Committee was reduced to play merely a supportive role to Indian School Muscat Committee. The President of Seeb School had no choice but to resign & The president of ISM took over the charge. Other members also obviously lost the interest.

The new management for the reason only known to them hasn’t still given green signal to the private party to start the construction of the new school building. Mean while the student strength has reached nearly 1000 & a new building had to be hired in addition to 2 already hired premises – to accommodate all the students in one shift. There are hundreds of confused parents waiting for the final word about the New school building – so that they can send their kids to NEW Seeb School.

Meanwhile the Construction cost has jumped many folds & it seems the private party has asked the new management to revise the rate …..a few question arises out of this affair….

THIS UNNECESSARY DELAY IS GOING TO COST THE COMMUNITY A LOT OF MONEY –WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS LOSS OF THOUSANDS OF RIALS!?

THERE IS A DEFINITE & URGENT NECESSITY FOR THE NEW SCHOOL BUILDING – WHY THEN THE THINGS ARE NOT BEING SORTED OUT !?

WHO IS PREVENTING IT & FOR WHAT MOTIVES !?

WHO IS BENEFITING BY THIS DELAY !?

 

CUSTOMS AND OZONE OFFICERS CALL FOR STRICT CONTROL ON ILLEGAL TRADEOF OZONE DEPLETING SUBSTANCES

New Delhi - The 2nd Joint South East Asia Pacific and South Asia Customs and Ozone Officers Cooperation Workshop has called for a strict control on illegal trade of ozone depleting substances (ODS).The Workshop focused on information exchange and training as key areas to be strengthened to control illegal trade at National, Regional and Global level. Further assistance from International agencies such as Interpol, IRLO, WCO was also solicited. Workshop discussed in detail important issues like control of ozone depleting substances in transit and import/re-export, monitoring International transit trade, policies and measures to deal with seized ODS goods, problems related to the banning of import of ODS and ODS equipments etc.

Delivering the key note address Mr. Naresh Dayal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests emphasized the importance of the current decade and future challenges for meeting the compliance targets. He urged industries to assist the Government in controlling illegal trade in ODS. Mrs. Parveen Talha, Director General, National Academy for Customs, Excise and Narcotics informed the delegates about the institutional capacity available in India for combating illegal trade and providing training to customs and enforcement officers.

The workshop is being held at Agra from 22nd to 24th April 2004 . The Ozone Officers and Custom Officers of member countries viz India, Bangla Desh, China, Iran DPR Korea, Republic of Korea, Maldives, Mangolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Phillippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and Sweden are participating in the three day workshop. The workshop will provide appropriate recommendations for combating illegal trades in ODS and smooth compliance of the provisions of the protocol so as to protect ozone layer and to save the global environment. (KM)

Adobe to launch a new technology that improves communication between document creators and print production teams JDF can automate complex print workflows

DUBAI - April 25, 2004 Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced the company's participation at drupa 2004 in Dusseldorf , the largest international tradeshow for print media, publishing and converting. At the show, Adobe will promote industry-wide adoption of the Job Definition Format (JDF) standard by demonstrating practical examples of how the XML-based job ticket file format improves communication between document creators and print production teams, as well as how JDF can automate complex print workflows.

Adobe will also demonstrate the means to generate CIP4-compliant JDF files from the desktop using Adobe Creative Suite (CS). In its partner booths Adobe will demonstrate concepts of how Adobe Creative Suite can create JDF and Portable Document Format (PDF) files that integrate with production and printing systems from industry leaders, including Agfa, Creo, Dainippon-Screen, EFI, Esko-Graphics, Fujifilm Electronic Imaging, Heidelberg , and Xerox.

"JDF will revolutionize publishing production, radically simplifying information exchange between the applications and systems essential to the graphics arts industry. Adobe will be among the first to show JDF being generated from industry-standard creative tools," said Don Walker, general manager, publishing technologies and services group at Adobe. "As a founder of CIP4 (an international organisation residing in Switzerland which seeks and defines methods of how to connect all related processes in printing) and one of the creators of the JDF specification, Adobe plans to integrate this technology across its publishing and design platform and work with other members of CIP4 to drive JDF adoption throughout the creative industries." At drupa 2004, Adobe also will participate in JDF Parc, an area on the show floor hosted by the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress (CIP4) Organization, where attendees can get the most up-to-date information on the JDF standard through presentations, product literature, and JDF workflow demonstrations. "For the Middle East print industry, the new Adobe announcements are especially crucial, keeping in view the stress placed upon cutting-edge technology in the region," said Ibrahim Lahoud, Middle East Regional Manager, Adobe Systems.

"The sophistication of the JDF standard and its industry-wide adoption will revolutionize the regional print industry by optimizing print workflow through the progressive elimination of room for error in manual procedures." In partner booths across drupa 2004 Adobe will display print systems incorporating Adobe PostScript and Adobe Creative Suite, both of which will demonstrate JDF in action. Adobe PostScript 3 version 3016, introduced in August 2003, contains an extensible framework for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to develop JDF-enabled devices. At the show Adobe will demonstrate, for the first time, a concept for JDF creation within Adobe Creative Suite.

Adobe Creative Suite combines new full-version upgrades of the company's market-leading creative professional software - Adobe InDesign CS, Adobe Photoshop CS, Adobe Illustrator CS, and Adobe GoLive CS. It also incorporates Acrobat 6.0 Professional, and introduces the innovative Version Cue file version manager. "JDF enhances communication between the different components that make up modern print production workflows," said James Harvey, executive director of CIP4. "In JDF Parc and other booths on the show floor, drupa 2004 attendees will see and experience how vendors are cooperating to develop complete JDF workflows and gain a better understanding of its true advantage, which I believe will be the tipping point to broader JDF implementation." (keralamonitor.com)

SHUAA Capital acquires over 16% of Oman National Investment Corporation

Dubai , Friday 23 April 2004 : SHUAA Capital acquired today a block of shares of Oman National Investment Corporation SAOG (ONIC) equal to 16.7% in a transaction valued at AED 73 million.

The block of shares was purchased from ABRAAJ Capital who had recognised the fundamental value of ONIC and had acquired shares over the past 12 months. The Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of ABRAAJ Capital, Arif Naqvi said, "While we have invested and supported the management of ONIC we have seen the value of the shares rise, however, this is the right time of us to sell as we are not in for the long-term. "The long-term role is better suited to SHUAA Capital," he stated

ONIC is a public shareholding company listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange with a market cap of approx. AED 475 million and shares held by over 7,000 investors. ONIC owns two insurance companies in Oman , Al Ahlia Insurance and National Life Insurance. In addition, it owns substantial stakes in a number of companies including, Oman Orix Leasing, Al Anwar Holding and Oman Investment and Finance Company.

The deal will make SHUAA Capital the single largest shareholder in ONIC and allows it to be represented on its board of directors.

The CEO of SHUAA Capital, Iyad Duwaji said, "We view this acquisition as a strategic and long term one that fits within our strategy of expanding our presence in the GCC and in the financial sector where we can add value to our investments. "We expect this investment to contribute positively to our income from associates in the coming years," he concluded. Established in 1979, SHUAA Capital has become a full fledge financial services company offering a broad range of financial services and products, as licensed by the UAE Central Bank. These include underwriting of securities and other corporate finance activities, investment advisory services, fund and portfolio management and brokerage of local, regional, and international securities. More recently, SHUAA Capital has emphasized the opportunities available within the GCC markets and has established individual funds for different classes of assets. Funds managed by SHUAA Capital today include: Menavest, Arab Gateway Fund, AL-THIQA Emirates Equities Fund, The Arab Income Fund ‘TAIF’, and Al-Mahfatha Qatari Investment Portfolio. Additional information can be obtained by contacting SHUAA Capital psc at Emirates Towers, Shk. Zayed Rd., Box 31045, Dubai, UAE, telephone +971 (4) 330-3600, fax +971 (4) 330-3550, or from the company website at www.shuaacapital.com.

Abraaj Capital is a premiere investment firm that specialises in Private Equity Buyout investments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. UAE-based, the firm also pursues follow-on investment opportunities in South Asia . Abraaj Capital has brought together some of the most compelling and successful investment track records in leveraged acquisitions across the Middle East, it has completed over $350 million in MENA-focused private equity transactions, generating an internal rate of return of over 35 percent annually over a nine-year period. For more information, visit www.abraaj.com