Packham pet plan

Nature presenter Chris Packham, 55, wants to be cremated and his ashes mixed with those of his pet poodles and scattered in the New Forest near his home.

Soldiers from the Royal Highland Fusiliers have been training infantrymen from both states.

The home- grown troops have been training the Qatari cadets in the use of batons, shields and search methods.

They have also deployed to Oman – ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said – where they have been training forces in urban warfare.

Human rights activists said the support was stopping political reform in the Gulf.

Khalfan al-Badwawi, a human rights campaigner who f led Oman after being repeatedly detained by police, said: “This a major obstacle to human rights campaigners in Oman because of the military and intelligence support from London that props up the Sultan’s dictatorship.”

The UK has licensed more than £1billion of arms to Oman since 2010, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade pressure group.

In April last year, soldiers from 2 Scots ran an urban operations instructor course for 30 soldiers from the Royal Army of Oman.

CAAT’s Andrew Smith said: “There’s been a focus on arms sales and military cooperation, withlittlewithlittle regardregardforfor thosethosebbeing tortured and imprisoned for peaceful protests. The UK should be using its influence to call for human rights and meaningful change, not to boost and empower dictatorships.”

According to Human Rights Watch, Oman’s authorities restrict freedom of expression