2006 FIFA World Cup Special
It is time again to be enthralled by the performances of our favourite football players as they battle it out for the greatest prize in the sport – the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Download a Printable World Cup 2006 Schedule (PDF). Requires FREE Adobe Reader.

The yoga guru, now in town
The Fontana Health Club at the Radisson SAS Hotel plays host to classes conducted by yoga guru Fariba who provides instruction and imparts knowledge on how to benefit from a practice that works on the mind and body at the same time. The classes are conducted throughout the week. On Saturdays and Wednesdays classes are held at 5:30pm and on Mondays at 7:15pm. Classes for ladies only are held on Sundays and Tuesdays at 10am.

Yoga helps with problems ranging from weight management to mental health and is easy to learn at any age. "Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity that massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner and helps us keep away diseases and disorders," says Fariba. "Apart from that it also helps us lose excess weight and make us mentally alert. It also keeps minds calm and cool while keeping emotions warm. Through these lessons I would like to introduce people to the world of yoga and help them achieve new levels of physical and mental well-being." Besides improving physical condition, yoga poses have physical benefits as well as psychological. For more information about classes please contact the Fontana Health Club on 24 487 777 Ext 3940.

The world in three weeks
Muscat played host to a rather unusual possé of visitors recently. No less than 405 Scandinavian tourists alighted at the Seeb International Airport, Muscat – the penultimate destination of a world tour that the tourists were part of. The tour that included ten destinations across the globe started on April 22. The tour, organised to commemorate 50 years of Ving and Spies, the Swedish and Danish wings respectively, of Scandinavian tour operator MyTravel group.

The tourists, chosen on a first-come-first-served basis, landed in Muscat on May 9. Their stopover in the city saw them visit the Grand Mosque, the corniche and the souq in Muttrah, while their host in the sultanate was Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa.

Summer package from The Chedi
The Chedi is offering a special summer package for residents of Oman this June. Pay RO76 per night and enjoy breakfast for two, early check-in at 10am and late check-out at 6pm, a 10 per cent discount on food at The Restaurant and 25 per cent discount on any treatment at the spa.

For RO87 per room per night, you upgrade to a deluxe room, while for RO180 you can enjoy the luxuries of the Club Suite.

The colours of life
The Omani Society for Fine Arts hosted an exhibition of pottery, collage and mixed media on May 23 and 24 at the Society's exhibition hall. Named Colours of Life, this exhibition featured works of pottery by Ineke van Eden, works of collage and mixed media by artists Sabine Konstanty and Willemina Mansell, and collage and acrylics painter Anina von Winterfeld. These four artists became acquainted with one another through teaching at the Arts and Crafts Centre of the Recreation Centre of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). At the PDO they have taught a number of different art media and techniques including drawing, watercolour, acrylic, collage and pottery to people of many different nationalities. Cumulatively the artists have lived in Oman for a total of twelve years. Sponsors of the exhibition include the International Maritime College Oman, Steinweg Oman, Sohar Industrial Port Company and Shell Representative's Office in Oman (SROO), while the patrons for the exhibition were the embassies of the Netherlands and Germany.

Sharjah's summer drive
The Emirate of Sharjah is promoting itself in a bid to attract more Gulf tourists to Sharjah as a unique cultural destination, while strengthening its position and highlighting its profile amongst other Gulf countries. Promotional packages to Sharjah start at as little as RO66 and includes not only airfare but also accommodation for two nights in a three-star hotel and transportation.

"These packages are only a few rials more than just the airfare of other airlines," said Mohammed Ali al Noman, the director of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The SCTDA also organised a road show across seven Gulf destinations – Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Dammam and Jeddah, as part of the tourism promotion drive. "The objective is to promote our packages in affiliation with Air Arabia and the hoteliers," added Al Noman.

Currently, tourism in Sharjah was looking up, a fact supported by increased occupancy rates in hotels. Occupancy rates have already increased to 85 per cent and are expected to touch 90 per cent by the end of this year.

Oman Air at the Arabian Travel Market
Oman Air participated in the 13th Arabian Travel Market (ATM) held in Dubai earlier this month. Usama al Haremi, manager, corporate communications and media, Oman Air, said, "Our participation this year was successful. Oman Air and Boeing attracted a number of visitors. The objective was to use the event as a platform to unfold our new services, which include tour packages to promote the tourist attractions in Oman and initiate our products and packages to both inbound and outbound tour operators, wholesalers and visitors."

He added, "ATM enabled us to significantly interact with members of the travel and trade industries on a global level. The extensive media coverage assisted us in exposing our strategies and promoting our tourist packages all over the world."

The ATM, one of the biggest tourism and travel exhibitions, has made remarkable growth in relation to the number of visitors converging on the fair from different parts of the world. This year's meet witnessed significant new activities, and the signing of numerous imperative deals.

ATM attracted 111 new exhibitors from a wide range of countries including Japan, Poland, and Ireland. With a total of 1,750 participants this year, about 50 official institutions from 59 countries occupied the exhibition area.

Mercedes-Benz opens museum
Mercedes-Benz has inaugurated a new Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. It is the only museum in the world able to present the 120-year history of the automotive industry. The display includes 160 vehicles and more than 1,500 other exhibits on two connected tour routes occupying nine levels.

A lift takes visitors to the top level of the museum, from where two sweeping tour routes spiral down through nine levels to the starting point. The new museum also documents the more than 100-year commercial vehicle history of the company.

Audi challenges ‘Big Red’ in Dubai
An Audi A6 saloon car was driven up the highest dune in the northern Emirates – the ‘Big Red’ near Al Nizwa.

The completely unmodified car with quattro permanent four-wheel drive went up the dune in a straight line – an angle of 60 per cent. Afterwards, members of the audience had the chance to test their own driving skills. The quattro system recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with the Middle East quattro tour.