Muscat, October 18: More than 1,400 Omani youngsters will receive training in various trades under agreements signed here by the government with 
local institutes.

They will be trained for administrative and technical jobs and as equipment operators, typists, printers, hairdressers and beauticians.

The RO3.6 million deals were inked on behalf of the government by Manpower Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Nassir Al Bakri.

Jeddah, October 18: The Ministry of Health (MoH) sent out millions of SMS text messages on the Second Annual Global Hand Washing Day (on Friday) under the slogan – ‘Clean Hands Save Lives’ — asking parents to encourage their children to wash their hands regularly.

Dr Khalid Al Mirghlani, spokesman for the ministry said that diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections are responsible for the deaths of more than 3.5 million children under the age of five each year.

Tehran, October 18: Iran released a foreign Newsweek reporter on bail Saturday almost four months after he was arrested following the country’s disputed presidential election, as embattled opposition leaders promised to press on with their campaign against the country’s rulers.

Maziar Bahari, a dual Iranian-Canadian citizen who was released after posting bail of 3 billion rials ($300,000), is among more than 100 prisoners put on mass trial as part of the government’s attempts to silence opposition protests that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s June 12 re-election was fraudulent.

Washington, October 18: A flurry of congressional measures aimed at toughening US sanctions on Iran to pressure the Islamic republic to abandon its suspect nuclear program will likely have little to no impact, experts say.

Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation on Thursday that bars foreign firms that sell petroleum products to Iran from winning US government deals.

Vienna, October 18: Direct talks without preconditions between the United States and Iran are the only solution to the conflict over Tehran’s nuclear program, the U.N. nuclear agency’s head was quoted as saying on Saturday.

New sanctions against Iran would only aggravate the dispute rather than push it to give in to international demands, Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told Austrian daily Die Presse.

Abu Dhabi, October 18: General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces received Helene Pelosse, Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi, on Saturday.

During the meeting Pelosse gave 
a detailed presentation on the latest activities and projects undertaken by IRENA as well as its plans for the future.

Dubai, October 18: The Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, Dr. Anwar Gargash, on Saturday lauded the initiative of Dubai’s Attorney-General Issam Al Humaidan to set up a permanent task force of specialists to deal exclusively with human trafficking cases.

Dr. Gargash said the unique initiative will benefit all involved parties and contribute to strengthening mechanisms and ways for tackling the crime in through enhanced coordination 
and cooperation.

Abu Dhabi, October 18: Presented by international stars Orlando Bloom and Naomi Watts, the Black Pearl awards for Best Narrative Film and Best Middle Eastern Narrative Film ($100,000 each) went to “Hipsters” (Russia) by Valery Todorovsky and “The Time that Remains” by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman.

The Best New Director for a narrative feature ($50,000) is Glendyn Ivin (Australia) for “Last Ride”, while the Best Middle Eastern Director award ($50,000) went to Pelin Esmer (Turkey) for “10 to 11”.

Abu Dhabi, October 18: Emirati director Hani 
Al Shaibani dominated the ninth Emirates Film Competition (EFC), as he won four awards in this year’s fiesta for Gulf Arabic movies. The three main categories were UAE shorts, GCC shorts and GCC features.

A veteran filmmaker in the UAE, Shaibani was awarded with the Best Short Film in the UAE, Best Feature Film in the Gulf, Best Script and Best Editing.

Dubai, October 18: Dubai, the City of Lights, wore a much brighter look on Saturday with thousands of Indian expatriates celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights, by lighting up rows of lanterns and lamps inside and outside their houses, shops and offices.

One major part of the festival that was missing from households was the non-stop sound of firecrackers because of the local safety regulations.

Dubai, October 18: According to lawyer Hussain Al Jaziri of Jaafar Alwan, Al Jaziri and Associates for Advocacy and Legal Consultancy, if a person has suspicion that he/she is being stalked by the same individual, he/she should immediately report the problem to the police without any hesitation.

If the person is subject to sudden attack for theft, molestation or any other motive, he/she has the right to protect oneself. As per the UAE law, self-defence is an acquired legitimate right if the attacker indeed gets into action, Al Jaziri said.

Ajman, October 18: Ajman residents are complaining about high sewage fees and have urged the authorities to include the tariff in the water and electricity bills, instead of charging separately.

Nader Amin, an Egyptian who resides in the Naemiya area, said he is paying a fixed amount of Dh70 every month for sewage fees, irrespective of whether he is staying in his one-bedroom apartment or not. “This is unfair. The fees are unreasonably high and should be connected to real consumption, at least in view of water and electricity usage,” Amin said.

Abu Dhabi, October 18: Since the beginning of the H1N1 outbreak in April, about 8,000 patients in Dubai have been tested, with approximately 2,500 tested positive for Influenza A and 5,000 tested negative, according to a healthcare professional.

Jane Griffiths, Associate Professor and Director of Nursing at Rashid Hospital in Dubai said of the 2,500 who tested positive, a majority of them belong to the high risk groups including those below five years old, pregnant women and those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes.

Abu Dhabi, October 18: Film fans across the 
UAE and the region have lots to look forward to next year as the curtains came down on the star-studded 10-day extravaganza of movies — the third Middle East International Film Festival — on Saturday.

Exposed to films from the region and those from across the world, the gala entertained film buffs with movies from all genres, be it comedy, tragic, political, based on environment, etc, making the festival truly memorable for the audience and those involved in the making of the films screened.