The 100 finalists selected on December 15, 2018 in the Ideathon for Oman Youths. Courtesy of the National Youth Programme for Skills Development
The 100 finalists selected on December 15, 2018 in the Ideathon for Oman Youths. Courtesy of the National Youth Programme for Skills Development
The 100 finalists selected on December 15, 2018 in the Ideathon for Oman Youths. Courtesy of the National Youth Programme for Skills Development
The 100 finalists selected on December 15, 2018 in the Ideathon for Oman Youths. Courtesy of the National Youth Programme for Skills Development

Omani youth move a step closer digital destiny


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Oman is moving ahead with its plans to promote entrepreneurship in the digital world among young citizens, with 100 of the best projects from the Ideathon for Oman Youths selected on Saturday for further development.

The finalists were chosen from a field of 600 participants who interacted over the course of two days on Friday and Saturday with a team of more than 100 experts and judges from Oman and abroad. The experts conducted workshops to help the youths frame their tech business ideas and pitch them to the 18 judging panels, each made up of three to four members.

Among the criteria for selection were creativity, scalability, impact, profitability and the candidate's pitching skills.

The 600 participants were chosen on Thursday from of a field of 735 who completed courses through Udacity, an online learning platform, to earn a Nanodegree — a entry-level qualification for jobs in data foundation, introduction to programming and digital marketing.

The Ideathon was organised by the Diwan of Royal Court’s National Youth Programme for Skills Development, an initiative to enable the country to prosper in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) brought about by advances in information and communications technology.

Dr Ali bin Qassim bin Jawad Al Lawati, the Adviser for Studies and Research to the Diwan of Royal Court and chairman of the NYPSD, said the participants’ completion rate for the Nanodegree courses was 74 per cent, higher than international rates in similar programmes.

Saturday's finalists will next take part in three modules to help them turn their ideas into actual businesses, services or products, according to programme officials.

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The first module involves exercises to develop trust among peers, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity and leadership skills.

In the second module the finalists will spend two weeks in either Singapore or Switzerland, where they will be able to explore different areas of interest related to 4IR while working on their own projects.

They return to Oman for the final module, which has two objectives. First, to study 4IR in relation the economy and society of Oman, and second, to allow them to present their projects to an investor panel, providing an opportunity to secure funding. There will also be networking events with local and regional investors.

According to a World Economic Forum report on the future of employment and skills requirements in the Middle East and North Africa region, one in every five jobs in the Arab world will require digital skills by 2020.

The report, which ranked Oman 62nd globally in terms of competitiveness, said Arab nations need to foster entrepreneurial freedom to provide youth with more opportunities and prepare the region for the technological transformations ahead.

"In response to a world where technology is offering unparalleled opportunities to societies and communities, Oman is well positioned to take full advantage to ride these waves of evolution and create its own waves of innovation," said Dr Al Lawati.

"Of course, this needs the right skills to grasp the opportunities — which is where the National Youth Programme for Skills Development is set to make a significant difference with its vision to create a community of young Omanis ready to embrace and exploit the opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution for the benefit of Omani society — and for future economic prosperity."

NYPSD officials say the programme aims to build a strong rapport between youths’ expectations, skills and abilities and the business community, giving them an opportunity to achieve their aspirations and providing support to turn innovative ideas into reality.

RESULTS
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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Gorillaz 
The Now Now 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Listen to Extra Time
Dhadak

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana

Stars: 3

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Jawan
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RESULTS
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Schedule for Asia Cup

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

If you go

The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates


The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
 

When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season

Afghanistan Premier League - at a glance

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Fixtures:

Tue, Oct 16, 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Kabul Zwanan; Wed, Oct 17, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Nangarhar Leopards; 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Paktia Panthers; Thu, Oct 18, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Kandahar Knights; 8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers; Fri, Oct 19, 8pm: First semi-final; Sat, Oct 20, 8pm: Second semi-final; Sun, Oct 21, 8pm: final

Table:

1. Balkh Legends 6 5 1 10

2. Paktia Panthers 6 4 2 8

3. Kabul Zwanan 6 3 3 6

4. Nagarhar Leopards 7 2 5 4

5. Kandahar Knights 5 1 4 2

Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company

Scoreline

Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')

Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')

Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'

Score

Third Test, Day 2

New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)

Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings

Match info

Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')