>> World News P3 Strikes stepped up on IS near Kobane P4 Oman face Costa Rica challenge P19 P7 Air France estimates strike cost at 500m euros P14 ϐ DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI Chief Executive Officer ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI Editor-in-Chief Inside Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman US, Japan move to closer security ties Stark choices for Hong Kong protesters Thursday OCTOBER 9, 2014 | DHUL HAJJAH 15, 1435 AH Snowden, Pope tipped for Nobel peace [email protected] Vol. 33 No. 329 | 200 baisas | 20 pages www.omanobserver.om OMAN HM greetings to London exhibition explores the history of friendship By Andy Jalil Formed in 1959 from a nucleus of Uganda leader Scottish Aviation Pioneers and Hunt- HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent LONDON — Seldom does an event Britain and Oman have ing Percival Provosts and manned by a cable of greetings to President that focuses predominantly on a for- ϐ ǡ Yoweri Museveni of the Republic eign country draws such interest as enjoyed a relationship one of the most capable air forces in the joint exhibition currently run- the Middle East. This achievement country’s Independence Day ning at the Royal Air Force Museum for over 200 years that has been supported throughout by anniversary. In his cable, His Hendon in London. This exhibition mutual respect, friendship and en- Majesty expressed his sincere explores the enduring relationship goes back to the 1798 couragement between the air force of greetings along with his best wishes between the Royal Air Force of Oman Treaty of Friendship Ǥ to the president and the friendly ȋȌ ǯ that continues to develop into the Ǥ Force (RAF). 21st century with Rafo’s purchase of With the support of Rafo’s Ar- ͳʹϐͺ chives Division, the exhibition tells 200 years that goes back to the 1798 - this story through the experience Treaty of Friendship. The relationship tems. ϐ has culminated in close professional Speaking to the Oman Daily Ob- have played an important part in this co-operation that has developed ϔ server, Ross Mahoney, resident Avia- Ǥ between the air forces of the two ǡ tion Historian at the Royal Air Force HM Cup soccer Ǥ qualifiers today have enjoyed a relationship for over countries. Museum and To page 3 HIS Majesty’s Cup second division ϐ Oman to spend $6.8 bn off today with Daba (Musandam Governorate) hosting Qurayat 63,000 Omani tourists (Muscat Governorate). On Saturday, on education sector ϐϐ ǡ Yahqul host Al Salam, Mad’ha host ǡǯ By A Staff Reporter ʹͲͳͳ̈́ͷͳǡʹͺ͸ʹͲͳ͸ Ǥ ϐ ǤDz visited India this year Ȅ ̈́͸Ǥͺ in income will have a positive effect FULL REPORT ON PAGE 20 billion for education, or 18.6 per cent on the willingness to spend on edu- of the total public expenditure as the cation, especially for private sector By Vinod Nair in Muscat on November 12. government continues with its “Edu- education,” the report noted. He was speaking at a press meet cation for All” which targets to pro- “There are huge business op- Ȅ ϐ to mark the arrival of Indian Navy vide free basic education for all citi- portunities for suppliers who un- of this year, around 63,000 visas have ȋ ϐ ǯ Ȍǡ - ǡ Ǯͷǯ derstand the education sector. The EUROPE been issued from the Indian Embassy, jata (Offshore Patrol Vessel) and by Ventures Middle East. GCC has a young demographic and said J S Mukul, Indian Ambassador to Tarangini (Sail Training Ship), ele- The report said that building governments are investing heavily in ments of the First Training Squadron schools and universities will remain education,” said Andy White, Event Oman, in Muscat aboard a navy ship Death rate 10 a yesterday. based in Kochi under the Southern top priority for GCC governments, ͷǤ ϐ ǡ Dzϐ - day in Ukraine ̈́ͻͲ is the biggest investor in education ing” visit to the Gulf this month. The to be spent on education-related con- ̈́ͷ͸ towards rising number of tourists, es- pecially medical tourism, from Oman Southern Naval Command (SNC) is struction projects by the end of 2014, billion. Some 465 new schools will the Training Command of the Indian according to the report. It makes the be built, while another 1,500 will be visiting India as only 59,000 visas were registered in 2013. ǡ ϐ education sector one of the biggest refurbished along with work on an- and sailors, including from friendly The ambassador said that on Octo- for contractors and suppliers with other 1,544 existing school construc- foreign countries, is conducted. SNC ber 29, a high-level business delega- the population in the GCC forecast to tion projects expected to continue. It ϐ - increase from 50.6 million in 2014 to is also building eight new colleges, tion led by the Minister of Commerce manding-in-Chief South, Vice Admiral 55.8 million by 2018. vocational and technical facilities. and Industry will be visiting India S P S Cheema, PVSM, AVSM, NM, who The total number of students in ǣDzͷ ϐ the GCC is expected to grow from a unique insight into the education Council. A delegation of Federation of coincide with the visit of the Training 11.1 million in 2014 to 11.6 million sector through its free-to-attend con- Indian Chambers of Commerce and Squadron. To page 2 by 2016. ference and workshop programme, Industry will be also visiting Oman to ϐ GDP per capita income in the GCC which runs from November 17-20 in attend the Infra Oman 2014. An Indi- W still claiming about 10 lives a day ̈́ͶͷǡͳͺͶ Dubai and is open from all. an business seminar will be also held Ǥ among government troops, pro- Russian separatists and civilians ϐ ǡ ‘BLOOD MOON’ AWES SKY WATCHERS Super-microscope earns yesterday. Over 3,660 people have died and 8,766 been wounded ϐ broke out in mid-April when armed trio Nobel chemistry separatists declared they were setting up their own state. STOCKHOLM — Two Americans and a German won the 2014 Nobel Prize FULL REPORT ON PAGE 4 for Chemistry yesterday for laying the foundations of an ultra-powerful microscope that has exposed life at the molecular level. The tool has revolutionised re- INDIA search into diseases and drug de- sign, the Nobel jury said, as it lauded Border shelling Moerner and Germany’s Stefan Hell. “Their ground-breaking work has toll rises to 12 brought optical microscopy into the nano-dimension,” it said. THREE women were killed as Working separately, the trio over- Indian and Pakistani forces kept came a presumed limit on optical Ǧϐ enlargement, theorised in 1873 by ǡϐ microscopist Ernst Abbe. He said the yesterday, taking the civilian toll laws of physics meant the resolution to 12, with dozens more injured. of an image would never be better Thousands of people on both sides than around 200 nanometres (200 ϐ billionths of a metre), which is half to escape what residents said was the wavelength of light. some of the worst shelling in years. Ǧ - Indian security sources said the tion limit, it was thought, for in- shelling had occurred along the A combination photo shows (clockwise from top left) the moments during and after a total lunar eclipse, also stance, that the inner workings of a internationally recognised border. known as a “blood moon”, pictured from Encinitas, California, yesterday. The coppery, reddish colour the moon cell would never be clearly observed, takes is made as it passes into Earth’s shadow. The total eclipse is the second of four over a two-year period preventing a full understanding of FULL REPORT ON PAGE 6 that began April 15 and concludes on September 28, 2015. The so-called tetrad is unusual because the full how cells function, reproduce or be- ǤȄ FULL REPORT ON PAGE 16 come infected. SEE ALSO PAGE 16 31° Salalah 25° Muscat37° Nizwa 25° Muscat 34°35° Sohar 29° 29° 06.00 11:53 15:15 39° Ibri 27° 17:46 19:16 04:44 Sunrise Dhuhr Asr 37° Sur 30° Maghrib Isha Fajr THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 2 OMAN ǤȄ 63,000 Omani tourists visited India this year From page 1 to Omani Coast Guard. He also said that the accidents on naval Talking to the Oman Daily Ob- ships are one offs and not a serious server, Vice Admiral S P S Cheema issue. said that since 2008, the Indian The Indian Navy has been pro- Navy has been playing a big role in viding training to international the anti-piracy patrol in the region, personnel for more than four dec- because the shipping lane here is ades, wherein more than 11,000 very crucial for global economy. personnel from over 40 countries He said that while the piracy re- have been trained. lated incidents are on decline, they ϐ ǡ ǡϔǫ have still not completely relegated. Royal Navy of Oman have also ben- He said also that India’s ship ϐ - Observer ϔǤ ǯ building industry is witness- dia, with over 100 personnel hav- ing a boom like never before and ing attended training in India over Ǥ three tugboats have been supplied the past year alone. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 OMAN/REGION 3 Ǧǡ ǡϔ ǡ ǯ ǡ ǡ ǯǤǣ ǯǯǤ London exhibition explores the history of friendship From page 1 distinct minority but still play an Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford ϐ - ing his views on the exhibition: “It’s Defence Studies in the UK and com- important role in Oman where they also attended as did various dignitar- tors both from the public as well an excellent idea to hold this exhibi- pleted Master Plan in Grand Strategy, the exhibition’s curator, said: are employed in training and in sup- ϐ ϐ tion.