1. religion and spirituality
2. islam

SUNDAY | MARCH 15, 2015 | JUMADA AL ULA 24, 1436 AH
VOL. 34 NO. 121 | PAGES 32 | BAISAS 200
P20 Waiting for boom in encryption services
P29 Parents brace for another dose of Frozen fever
P25 Pakistan, Ireland set for do-or-die World Cup duel
Inside
Chief Executive Officer
DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI
Many dead as ferry sinks in Myanmar Party hits out at spying on Rahul Egypt government sacks 41 judges Editor-in-Chief
ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI
Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising
PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
www.omanobserver.om
FOLLOW US ON:
OMAN
editor@omanobserver.om
Alarming rise in
lifestyle diseases
in the Sultanate
ULTRA-MARATHON WINNER
Expo to focus on oil
investments
MUSCAT: The first Oman Refining
and Petrochemical Exhibition and
Conference will begin tomorrow at
Oman International Exhibition Centre.
Held under the theme ‘Strategies
to Develop the Petrochemical and
Refining Sector of Oman,’ the threeday exhibition aims to find a suitable
platform for those this field to exchange
ideas and experiences and attract
foreign investments. The event is a
suitable place to meet the needs of the
industry.
REPORT ON P3
URGENT ACTION: Public need to be educated
on healthy living and food habits
REGION
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
Not clear on interim
Iran nuclear deal
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: On the eve
of fresh talks with Iran, US Secretary
of State John Kerry said it was unclear
whether an interim agreement over its
nuclear power programme was within
reach. “I can’t tell you whether or not we
can get a deal, whether we are close,”
Kerry told a news conference yesterday
in the Red Sea resort of Sharm elSheikh, where he attended an Egyptian
investment summit. “The purpose of
these negotiations is not just to get a
deal, it is to get the right deal,” he added.
REPORT ON P13
INSIDESTORIES
P7
GANDHI GETS CENTRAL
POSITION IN LONDON
P10
CYCLONE RIPS THROUGH
SOUTH PACIFIC
P15
WEATHER TODAY
MAX: 280C
MIN: 190C
SALALAH
MAX: 280C
MIN: 230C
Special unit to oversee
road network likely
STAFF REPORTER
MUSCAT
EX-MALDIVES PRESIDENT
GETS 13-YEAR JAIL
MUSCAT
Omani runner Sami al Saeedi claimed first
place in the Urban-Ultra Hajar 100-km
marathon race held in Ras Al Khaimah in
the UAE yesterday. Haris from the US was
the runner-up. It took the Omani 11 hours
and 37 minutes to finish the race which
kicked off at 6:00 am.
NIZWA
MAX: 320C
MIN: 180C
SUNRISE 06.16 AM
PRAYER TIMINGS
FAJR: 05:01
DHUHR: 12:21
ASR: 15:46
MAGHRIB: 18:21
ISHA: 19:31
March 14: Oman’s Ministry of
Transport and Communications says
it plans to establish a special unit to
oversee the management of the vast
network of paved and unpaved roads, as
well as bridges and other road-related
assets, currently under its jurisdiction.
The initiative is a key part of a
longer-term initiative by the ministry to
implement a comprehensive system for
the management of road assets under
its purview.
Of the estimated 60,000 km of roads
that crisscross the length and breadth
of the Sultanate, the ministry has
direct responsibility for the funding,
development and maintenance of some
30,000 km of these roads.
They include approximately 13,300
km of paved roads comprising a
mix of modern expressways, dual
carriageways, and interurban single
carriageway highways, as well as 16,000
km of unpaved roads.
Also falling within the ministry’s
remit are around 250 bridges, 4,000
culverts, retaining walls, and other road
infrastructure.
Given the importance of roads as
a key enabler of economic growth
and social well-being, the ministry is in
the process of appointing a consultant
to formulate a long-term strategy
for the management of this ‘national
asset’.
“Looking to the future, and the
need to maximise the benefits of this
investment for the Omani people in the
longer term, the ministry has identified
the need to enhance and strengthen its
resources, capacity and skills to manage
and maintain the roads infrastructure as
a key national asset and the significant
resources invested in it,” it said.
REPORT ON P17
NORMALCY
After 3 days,
Al Nahdha
resumes
MUSCAT: The Al Nahdha
Hospital, which was closed
on Wednesday due to
unstable weather forecast,
resumed services yesterday
from 3.30 pm, according to
hospital sources.
All departments and
medical sections of the
hospital resumed work, said
the hospital administration
posted in its official website.
The hospital sources
further added that all the
departments were open
and received patients from
yesterday.
It is worth mentioning
that the hospital was
closed for three days due to
changes in the weather.
Iraqi forces poised for final Tikrit assault
TIKRIT: Iraqi commanders were
plotting a strategy for flushing out
the few remaining IS fighters from
central Tikrit, a city one commander
said yesterday would be liberated
within three days.
The massively outnumbered IS
fighters are completely boxed in but
protected by snipers and thousands
of bombs they planted across the
city.
That has slowed the progress of
the broad alliance of forces battling
IS, which is keen to minimise
casualties on the way to what would
be the biggest victory yet against the
group.
Karim al Nuri, a top leader of
the Badr militia and spokesman of
the volunteer Popular Mobilisation
units, said it would take no
more than “72 hours” to liberate
Tikrit from IS, which seized it last
summer.
The last defenders are holed up
in the city centre and “surrounded
from all sides”, Nuri said.
Speaking from the outskirts of
Tikrit, near the village of Awja, he
said “their number is now 60 to 70”.
An lieutenant colonel in the
army’s elite counter-terrorism forces
was more conservative about the
battle’s evolution, saying “battles in
cities are difficult for all armies”.
SEE ALSO P8 AND 13
Different names for same violent phenomenon
PARIS: They may have different
names according to the region they
hit, but cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons are all violent tropical storms
that can generate 10 times as much
energy as the Hiroshima atomic
bomb.
Cyclone is the term used for a lowpressure system that strikes the South
Pacific and Indian Ocean.
The same type of disturbance in
the Atlantic and northeast Pacific is
called a hurricane while typhoon is
the term used in Asia.
But meteorologists use the term
“tropical cyclone” when talking generally about these immensely powerful natural phenomena, which are divided into five categories according to
the maximum sustained wind force
and the scale of the potential damage
they can inflict.
Cyclone Pam, which slammed
into Vanuatu late last Friday with
wind gusts of up to 320 km an hour,
wreaked widespread devastation in
the South Pacific island nation.
But Pam was not the strongest
storm ever to hit the South Pacific —
Tropical Cyclone Zoe, which struck
in 2002, was stronger with 380 km an
hour winds.
Cyclones are formed from simple
thunderstorms at certain times of
the year when the sea temperature is
more than 26 degrees Celsius down
to a depth of 60 metres.
— AFP
W This Nasa Earth Observatory image
obtained yesterday shows Cyclone
Pam as it was heading in a
southwesterly direction. — AFP
March 14: Drastic measures are needed to
tackle the rising cases of non-communicable
diseases which are caused by erratic lifestyles,
according to a senior medical practitioner at
the Ministry of Health.
Inappropriate eating habits, neglecting
the first and minute signs of diseases, and
consumption of alcohol and tobacco, coupled
with physical inactivity are the root causes of
increase in lifestyle diseases, according to
Dr Ahmed Said al Busaidi, Head of NonCommunicable Diseases at and Family and
Community Medicine, at the ministry.
“Non-communicable diseases such as
lifestyle diseases are on the rise due to wrong
lifestyle and eating habits and we need to
chalk out plans to eradicate such diseases.”
Speaking to the Observer on the sidelines
of a recent event, Dr Al Busaidi added that
hypertension and diabetes are becoming
epidemic across the world and so does in
Oman.
In the Sultanate, the increase in the
prevalence of diabetes is as high as 14 per
cent, while hypertension is at 40.3 per cent.
“The very rampant cases of hypertension
and diabetes reminds us that immediate
preventive measures are needed to control
these diseases. Around 80 per cent of the
non-communicable diseases are due to four
factors which we often neglect,” he added.
These four factors which result in such a
vast number of cases include use of tobacco,
NON-COMMUNICABLE
DISEASES ON THE RISE
‹ THE PREVALENCE
OF DIABETES IS
AS HIGH AS 14
PER CENT
‹ THE RISE IN
HYPERTENSION
CASES STANDS AT
40.3 PER CENT
unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity
and harmful use of alcohol.
“Intake of more salt, sugar and fatty
foods are also contributing to these diseases
as we are more and more inclined towards
consumption of such foods on daily basis.”
He opines that the idea is not to treat those
diseases, but to take precautions against such
ailments, and we need to have more dialogue
on such diseases with general public.
“History has it that the Sultanate has played
a lead role in control of non-communicable
diseases such as measles, and the like over the
last few decades, and we need to formulate a
strategy to tackle these health threats.”
TURN TO P5
2
FOSTERING THE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERING
The Afaq voluntary team
organised a work camp
aimed at fostering the
spirit of volunteering in
the youngsters as well as
conserving public utilities
at the Al Qaham township
in the Wilayat of Wadi Bani
Khalid in North Al Sharqiyah
Governorate.
S U N DAY l M A R C H 1 5 l 2 0 1 5
OMAN
OMAN AT ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Oman national tent
pegging team is continuing
its participation at the
International and Asian tent
pegging championships being
held in Noida, near New Delhi,
from March 10-15. Omani
team has won seven medals of
different colours on the first two
days of the championships.
TOP DESTINATION: Impressive performance in travel & tourism competitiveness index
Oman ranks better in intl indices
MUSCAT: The review of Oman’s
economy for the third quarter of
2014 released by the National Centre
for Statistics and Information
(NCSI) features promising signs.
Heralding strong fundamentals,
the Sultanate improved its rankings
in various global indices in the
third quarter. The petroleum, nonpetroleum, services and industrial
activities performed quite well.
Further, public finance logged a
surplus of RO 55.5 million in the
period, despite the wobbly global
economic recovery.
The global economic growth
forecasts for 2014 were downgraded
by 0.4 percentage points to 3.3 per
cent compared to the estimates in
the April 2014 World Economic
Outlook. Continuing the trend,
global growth forecasts for
2015 were also reduced to 3.8 per
cent, a slightly better figure over
last year’s.
In the face of these adversities,
however, the Sultanate was ranked
31st globally, and third at both the
Arab and GCC levels in the Global
Enabling Trade Index 2014 by
obtaining 4.7 out of 7 points.
In the Global Competitiveness
Index (2014–2015), the Sultanate
came in at 46th rank globally, and
sixth place among the Arab and
GCC States, by obtaining 4.46 out
of 7 points.
As for the Economic Freedom
Index 2015, the Sultanate secured
the 56th place globally, and fifth
and fourth at the Arab World and
GCC countries level respectively,
scoring 66.7 out of 100 points.
The
Sultanate’s
impressive
performance was also reflected
in the Travel and Tourism
Competitiveness Index, where it
came in at the 57th place globally
and the fourth place at the Arab
World and the GCC countries level
with a score of 4.29 out of 7 points.
The GDP at current prices
recorded a 5.2 per cent growth year
on year in the third quarter of 2014,
increasing from RO 22.5 billion
to RO 23.6 billion at the end of
September 2014.
The oil sector witnessed a growth
of 1.4 per cent in Q3, 2014, reaching
RO 11.4 billion due to the 2 per
cent increase in crude oil prices.
On the contrary, the added value of
the natural gas fell by 6.8 per cent
compared to Q3, 2013.
The added value of the nonpetroleum activities rose 8.2
per cent in the quarter ended in
September 2014, reaching RO 13.6
billion compared to RO 12.5 billion
during the same period of 2013.
This increase is attributed to the 9.2
per cent increase in the added value
of the agricultural and fisheries
activities, in addition to the 12.6
per cent increase in the added value
of the service activities that reached
RO 10 billion. On the contrary,
the added value of the industrial
activities decreased by 3.5 per cent
due to a weak basic chemicals
industry.
The public finance of the state in
the third quarter of 2014 logged a
financial surplus of RO 55.5 million
recording an 84.2 per cent decrease
compared to figures for the same
period of 2013, which stood at RO
351.3 million.
The public revenues on the
other hand dropped 0.2 per cent to
reach RO 10.46 billion during the
period, while total public spending
increased by 15 per cent to reach
RO 9.3 billion.
Domestic liquidity in Q3, 2014
witnessed a 15.1 per cent increase
to reach RO 12.9 billion compared
to RO 11.2 billion during the same
period in 2013. Total deposits
at commercial banks rose 13.5
per cent to reach RO 17.1 billion
compared to RO 15.1 billion in the
third quarter of 2013.
The total value of credit also
increased, by 8.8 per cent, to reach
RO 16.5 billion compared to RO
15.2 billion recorded during the
same period of 2013.
Personal loans constituted 39.6
per cent of the total credit recorded
at the end of September 2014
at RO 6.5 billion logging a 6.8
per cent growth rate compared to
figures for the same quarter of the
prior year.
Muscat Securities Market’s
Index grew by 12.6 per cent, while
the trade value increased 3.4 per
cent in the third quarter of last year
reaching RO 1.71 billion compared
to RO 1.66 billion recorded at the
end of September 2013.
— ONA
OMAN
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
omandailyobserver
3
UPWARD TREND: As of the end of 2013, the value of foreign investments in Oman stood at RO 12.7 billion
Sultanate an attractive hub for foreign investors
MUSCAT: The expertise houses and
international rating agencies pointed out
that political stability is one of the most
attractive features in the Sultanate.
They said that political stability
encourages a large number of foreign
companies to invest in the different
economic, production, service and
business sectors.
As part of the diversification
trend and encouraging investment,
the Sultanate has taken a number of
measures to improve the investment
climate in the Sultanate to attract local
and foreign investments.
The Sultanate enjoys many factors
that encourage investors to invest in it,
such as the government commitment
to providing the infrastructure,
such as Sohar Industrial Port, the
industrial estates, the free zones, the
Sultanate’s joining many international
organizations, joining WTO and FTA
with USA and the amendments made to
many national laws to ensure that they
meet the requirements of globalisation
and integration in world economy.
The factors also include free transfer of
commodities, services and capitals.
As part of the export-based
ENCOURAGING INVESTMENTS
Q LIBERAL policies
Q WORLD-CLASS infrastructure
Q STRATEGIC location
Q INCENTIVES to companies
diversification trend, the Sultanate
sought to ensure maximum utilisation
of its resources, such as natural gas and
to increase the benefit of these resources.
To this end, the government
intensified its promotion efforts, which
resulted in signing agreements for
setting up major industries with foreign
capitals, such as the fertiliser project
in Sur, the steel and iron factory, the
aluminum smelter and other projects.
The
government
encourages
the foreign capital to invest in the
untapped resources in the Sultanate,
impart technology, benefit from the
administrative capabilities, as well as
benefiting from communication with
multinational companies by opening
new markets for the Omani products.
The Sultanate has been committed
to opening the economic market as per
100 firms expected at Oman
petrochemical exhibition
MUSCAT: The first Oman Refining
and Petrochemical Exhibition and
Conference (ORPEC) will begin
on Monday at Oman International
Exhibition Centre under the auspices of
Salim bin Nasser al Oufi, Undersecretary
of the Ministry of Oil and Gas.
Themed “Strategies to Develop the
Petrochemical and Refining Sector
of Oman,” the three-day exhibition
will be organised by Oman Expo,
in cooperation with the Oman Oil
Refineries and Petroleum Industries
Company (Orpic) and Clarion Aventis.
The exhibition aims to find a suitable
platform to meet those in charge of
Three-day platform will help
devise strategies to further
develop petrochemical
and refining sector
these fields in a bid to exchange ideas
and experiences and attract foreign
investments. The event is a suitable
place to meet the needs of this industry
and provide trade and investment
opportunities available to meet the
needs of the companies operating in
this industry that have managed to
attract huge investments, along with
the current expansion projects of oil
refineries in Muscat, Sohar and Duqm
zone.
All issues related to oil industry
and its derivatives, refining and oil
manufacturing industries, display
of products, services, technologies,
systems and relevant equipment of
refining and petrochemical sector will
be showcased in the exhibition.
It is expected that more than 100
companies and institutions representing
several countries, including China, Italy,
India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Iran will
participate in the exhibition. — ONA
Treasury bills, CDs worth RO 500m tendered
MUSCAT: The treasury bills tender was
held at the Central Bank of Oman (CBO)
on March 8. The total amount applied for
issue No 405 was RO 140.8 million. The
tenor of these bills is 91 days, so their
settlement date is on March 11 and the
maturity date is on June 10.
The total amount allotted for these
bills was RO 60 million. The average
accepted price of these bills was 99.950
per cent, the weighted average discount
rate was 0.20122 per cent, the weighted
average yield was 0.20132 per cent while
the minimum accepted price was 99.945
per cent.
Treasury bills are short-term highly
secured financial instruments of the
government that helps the licensed
commercial banks to gainfully invest
their surplus funds, with added
advantage of ready liquidity through
discounting and repurchasing facilities
(repo) offered by the Central Bank.
Treasury bills would also create a
benchmark yield curve for short-term
interest rates. Furthermore, Government
(MOF) may also resort to this instrument
whenever felt necessary for financing its
recurrent expenditures.
Meanwhile, certificates of deposit
tender was held at the CBO last week.
The total amount allotted for issue No
Treasury bills are short-term
highly secured financial
instruments of the
government that helps
the licensed commercial
banks to gainfully
invest their surplus funds,
with added advantage
of ready liquidity.
908 was RO 360 million.
The average interest rate of these
certificates was 0.12 per cent while the
maximum accepted interest rate was 0.13
per cent. The tenor of these certificates is
28 days, so their maturity date is on April
8. The certificates of deposit issued to
licensed banks by the CBO as a monetary
policy instrument aimed at absorbing
excess liquidity at the banking sector in
particular and maintaining stability of
the interest rate and the money market
in general.
The repo rate during March 11-17 is 1
per cent.
— ONA
the free competition rule. To this end,
it encouraged the private sector and
provided it with facilities that help it play
an active role in the growth of GDP.
It also provided a number of
packages, incentives, guarantees, tax
exemptions and simplified procedures. It
also promoted transparent management
of investments. All these factors made
the Sultanate an attractive hub for
investments.
The Sultanate, which adopts
ambitious privatisation policy, has
integrated infrastructure and advanced
communication and banking networks.
It also implements policies that are
investor-friendly in a bid to attract
foreign investments.
The Sultanate has a well-regularised
capital market that is provided with the
latest systems and equipment. It also
entered into agreements with a number
of countries for the encouragement and
protection of investments. The Sultanate
has also a stable monetary system that
allows free exchange and transfer of
capitals.
The banks operating in the Sultanate
also provide loans at low interest rates
for the different industrial projects and
guarantees for exports. The Government
The Sultanate has been
committed to opening the
economic market as per the
free competition
rule. To this end, it
encourages the private
sector and provides it with
facilities that helps it play
an active role in the
growth of GDP. It also
provided a number of
packages, incentives,
guarantees, tax
exemptions and
simplified procedures.
also provides planned industrial land
plots that are provided with the required
infrastructure to meet the needs of the
industrial projects.
A survey study conducted by the
National Centre for Statistics and
Information (NCSI), in coordination
with the Central Bank of Oman
(CBO) on the foreign investment in
the Sultanate during the seventh fiveyear plan (2007-2011), highlighted
the remarkable growth in the foreign
direct and indirect investments; thanks
to the investor-friendly policies and
environment. As of the end of 2013,
the value of foreign investments in the
Sultanate stood at RO 12.7 billion.
The foreign reports on investment in
the Sultanate point out that the Sultanate
has integrated package of incentives for
foreign investments, the most important
of which are the social and political
stability, availability of production
factors, such as free economic zones and
industrial estates equipped with worldclass facilities and the strategic location
on the world regional and international
trade routes coupled with having many
export ports.
The Sultanate, which adopts free
economy policy, promulgates new laws
and legislations and updates its existing
laws to ensure proper implementation
of the free market policy. The Sultanate’s
Government imposes no custom
burdens or restrictions on financial
transactions or transfers abroad. It also
promulgates some laws and legislations
that aim at increasing profitability of the
projects set up in the Sultanate. — ONA
4
omandailyobserver
OMAN
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
FUTURE PROSPECT: Graduates of the institute will be employed
in the oil and gas companies in the Sultanate
Institute to open doors to
500 trainees by end of 2016
The winners with the guest of honour.
The Wave, Muscat retains the crown
MUSCAT: The Wave, Muscat took a last
gasp win in the final race of the Extreme
Sailing Series Muscat to retain their
crown for the third year in a row while a
mixed day for Oman Air ended with an
optimistic nod to the future.
The new team on Oman Air had
exceptional support ashore for the
final day with members of the Oman
National Football Team, also supported
by their sponsor Oman Air, watching
from the race village. Pre-sailing,
professional footballers, Raed Ibrahim
Saleh, Ali al Jabri and coach Paul Le
Guen joined the team to learn more
about the sport and to meet the Oman
Air sailors including Ali al Balushi who
was a semi-professional football player
before launching his sailing career.
“Oman Air is a leader in National
Sports Development and their support
in arranging for us to meet the Oman
National Football Team players today
was enormously appreciated, it provided
huge inspiration to us and was quite
an honour, especially for me who loves
football almost as much as I love sailing!”
said Ali al Balushi.
After 28 races over four sunny days
in Oman, Leigh McMillan’s crew on
The Wave, Muscat were neck and neck
with rivals SAP Extreme Sailing Team,
needing to beat them in the last double
points race to hang onto the title they
earned in 2013 and again last year. A
storming start to the race was converted
into a resounding win, by approximately
200 metres, which elevated McMillan
and crew to the top of the Muscat
leaderboard and tied on points for the
overall lead in 2015 with SAP Extreme
Sailing Team and Red Bull Sailing Team,
all of them with 18 points after two Acts.
MUSCAT: Salim bin Nasser al Oufi,
Under-Secretary of the Ministry of
Oil and Gas, said that Takatuf Petrofac
Oman Institute, scheduled to be set
up in the Wilayat of Manah to provide
qualified Omani human resources in
energy and its associated industries
sector, will receive the first batch of
trainees at the end of 2016. He also
pointed out that the engineering design
stage is about to be completed.
In a statement to Oman news Agency
(ONA), Al Oufi added that the first
batch will include 500 trainees who are
holders of general education diploma
and the technical diploma, as well as
graduates of the technical institutes.
The institute’s capacity can later on be
increased to 1,000 trainees.
Ibrahim al Harthy, Acting CEO of
Takatuf Oman, said that the Institute,
One of the main features
of the institute, which
is the first of its kind in
the Sultanate, is that it is
provided with simulator
for oil and gas operations.
This simulator will be used
in exposing trainees to real
work experiences.
a partnership project between Takatuf
Oman (60 per cent) and Petrofac (40
per cent), will provide two-year training
programmes in oil and gas related fields.
It will enhance the trainees’ skills
in operation, engineering, mechanical
repairs, electricity and health, safety
and environment (HSE). Trainees will
also receive courses in English language,
project management and how to develop
their personal skills continuously.
He also said that the institute will
benefit from Petrofac international
experience in oil, gas and engineering
sectors. One of the main features of the
institute, which is the first of its kind in
the Sultanate, is that it is provided with
simulator for oil and gas operations.
This simulator will be used in exposing
trainees to real work experiences.
Graduates of the institute will be
employed at the oil and gas companies
operating in the Sultanate.
While Takatuf Oman is a specialised
company in providing human resources
solutions, Petrofac is one of the major
international oil services companies.
— ONA
DIABETES CENTRE MARKS ANNIVERSARY
The easy win in the final race belied
the nerve-wracking intensity of the final
day, a relieved McMillan said afterwards.
“We had a really tough day and SAP
were sailing much better than us. They
had the measure of us on the start lines
and really put the pressure on. It came
down to the last race and having been on
the back foot all day and not making the
most of the situation, we just had to beat
them.
“Thankfully we managed to sneak
away from them at the start. It was touch
and go and they were making it difficult
for us but we managed to pull it off.
“It’s pretty exhausting winning like
this — lots of highs and lows but we
managed to pull it off in the end. It was
great having all the families here too but
if I’m honest, that added to the pressure!”
Until the end that is, when the sight
of families and friends waving and
cheering on the beach at Almouj in
celebration of their win saw the pressure
give way to euphoria.
“It was great to see my relatives
standing there cheering proudly at the
end when we won. It made me feel very
proud,” said The Wave, Muscat bowman
Nasser al Mashari, whose performances
were watched by his family, including
his father, children, sisters and nephews.
“Sailing here in Muscat is obviously
different from the other Extreme events
but I found it very exciting, especially
when we won.”
Oman Air found themselves
disqualified from Race 25 as penalty for
a collision in the previous race, which
ended Red Bull Sailing Team’s Muscat
campaign, but they still managed to hold
on to their fourth position.
It was an unfortunate mistake,
explained skipper Stevie Morrison,
which they put down to their limited
experience with the boats, this being
only their second Extreme event, and an
enthusiasm to succeed.
The Extreme Sailing Series moves
to Qingdao in China for the third Act
where each of the Top 3 teams, including
The Wave, Muscat will be pulling out all
the stops to close out an advantage over
their rivals. The action starts in Fushan
Bay on April 30 and continues through
to May 3.
The National Diabetes and Endocrine Centre at the Royal Hospital marked the second anniversary since its foundation in the
presence of Dr Ahmed al Salmi, Director-General of Royal Hospital. The Ministry of Health statistics show that 14 per cent of
the population in Oman have diabetes.
— ONA
NCSI survey to measure people’s
willingness to vote in Majlis polls
MUSCAT: The National Centre for
Statistics and Information will today
start an opinion poll aimed at providing
crucial information for the next Majlis
Ash’shura elections and to measure the
people’s willingness to vote.
The 5-day survey targets 1,500 Omani
citizens of the age group 18 and over in all
governorates of the Sultanate. It aims to
find out whether the Omani citizens are
knowledgeable about the conditions and
procedures of Majlis Ash’shura elections
and their former voting experience.
It also aims to find out whether the
citizens are satisfied about procedures
and conditions that are followed in the
electoral process.
Respondents will be asked about
how they evaluate and select their
favourite candidates in the 8th Majlis
Ash’shura elections which is expected
be take place in October this year. The
survey uses telephone calls to collect
information from the respondents which
is considered as the most suitable way of
surveying as it saves time and effort and
reduces the cost of data collection.
The survey template includes
general questions about the timing of
the elections, willingness to take part,
knowledge about election procedures
and conditions and how the voters pick
their favourite candidates.
It also measures whether the
respondent feel satisfied about the
performance of Majlis Ash’shura and
their evolution of the 7th term. — ONA
HERITAGE DAY IN SAHAM
The 4th annual Heritage Day was organised in the village of Majaz Al Suqra in the Wilayat of Saham under the auspices of Dr
Faisal bin Ali al Zaidi, Deputy Wali of Saham. The event included traditional horse and camel games as well as folk songs and
sports competitions. — ONA
OMAN/LATE NEWS
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
WINNERS: The first prize of RO 4,000 went to site on Wilayat of Rustaq and joint second
prize of RO 3,500 to sites on wilayats of Ibri and Sur
Wilayati competition attracts
39 websites, 21 app projects
omandailyobserver
5
Expansion of road networks
in Dhofar under way
STAFF REPORTER
MUSCAT
March 14: The Information Technology Authority
(ITA) recently celebrated the closing of Wilayati
competition for e-content development under the
auspices of Khalid bin Hilal al Busaidi, UnderSecretary at the Ministry of Interior, and in the
presence of Dr Salim bin Sultan al Ruzaiqi, CEO of
ITA, at the Grand Hurmoz Hotel, Muscat.
Wilayati competition, which was launched on
October 19, 2014, aims at encouraging app and
web developers to generate Omani websites/mobile
applications, highlighting the characteristics of the
wilayats in the Sultanate, to enrich local Omani
e-content.
The websites and applications are meant to
be open platforms to showcase each wilayat’s
services, events and activities, as well as mapping
all government service authorities.
The competition witnessed great interaction
and participation with 76 participants, including
24 job-seekers, 20 employees and 32 students. A
total of 60 participating projects — 39 websites and
21 mobile applications — were entered, but only 7
made it to the final stage.
In his speech on the occasion, Hassan Fida al
Lawati, Director of ICT Industry Development,
ITA, said “Through this competition, ITA aims to
encourage Omani youth to unleash their talents
in website and application development and
programming. It also aims at increasing the number
of Omani websites and application supporting the
tourism industry in the Sultanate.
“We aspire to enrich localised Arabic e-content
to promote Oman electronically in different areas
culturally, economically, historically... promoting it
nationally and internationally.
“Through this competition, we also seek to
create Omani e-content which can help us in
developing one common portal and application
for all wilayats that include all information, news,
events and services, through the partnership
between ITA and the government and private
agencies, as well as researchers, job-seekers and
developers.”
The ceremony included the honouring of the
competitions winning projects along with an
accompanying exhibition to present the winning
projects. The first prize of RO 4,000 went to
developer Hamd bin Saif al Busaidi, for developing
SQU HOLDS FAMILY DAY
a website and mobile application for Wilayat al
Rustaq in South Al Batinah Governorate; joint
second prizes of RO 3,500 went to Musa bin
Hamood al Zaidi and Salim bin Hamood al Zaidi,
for developing Wilayat Ibri website in Al Dhahirah
Governorate; and Al Mutasim bin Hamood al
Ghilani for developing a website and mobile
application for Wilayat Sur in South al Sharqiyah.
The competitions set criteria for participation
included that all websites and applications should
be accessible and easy to use. Websites and
applications should include information about
each wilayat, its map, weather status, touristic
and archaeological attractions, handicrafts, main
customs and traditions and business opportunities,
as well as providing historical background about
main, well-known figures in each wilayat, social
media channels and multimedia.
Rise in lifestyle diseases
FROM PAGE 1
The Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) represented by the public relations and media
department organised family day under the auspices of Dr Ali bin Saud al Bimani, ViceChancellor of SQU at the university’s sports complex. — ONA
“However”, he added, “The role of the ministry is to
treat the cases, but prevention is far beyond the reach of
the ministry as it is solely depends upon the individual. For
example, physical inactivity is purely for the individual, and
one cannot be pursued to do physical exercise after a certain
point and it is solely his responsibility”.
He said that some countries have programmes to
encourage the public to lead an active lifestyle and they have
borne fruit as well. There are events and programmes to
encourage people to lead a more active lifestyle, but these
events such as ‘walk for a cause’ are occasional and we
need to have better programmes to keep people active and
maintain such lifestyle diseases at bay.
Egypt hails $12 billion Arab states pledge
SHARM EL SHEIKH: Egypt yesterday said that
the $12 billion pledged to it by three Arab states
to help its economy shows their strong support for
President Abdel Fattah al Sisi and his fight against
extremists.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab
Emirates each offered $4 billion and the Sultanate
has pledged $500 million in investment aid at a
conference attended on Friday by hundreds of
business and political leaders in the coastal resort of
Sharm el Sheikh.
Sisi, who ousted president Mohamed Mursi
in 2013 and crushed his supporters, has sought to
persuade allies that his country is on the front lines
of a war against regional militants.
He has called for building a unified Arab force
to fight the IS group that has captured territory in
Iraq and Syria, and which commands an affiliate in
Egypt.
Cairo has carried out air strikes against the
extremist group inside Libya, where IS also appears
to have gained a foothold.
Planning Minister Ashraf el Arabi said the Gulf
nations’ pledge showed their support was “political,
and this political support is very important in this
phase”.
“I believe that the message is clear that most of
the world is supporting Egypt in building the new
Egypt,” he said.
“The (funding) announcement... makes us very
comfortable, and it is a certificate of trust that Egypt
will develop and become better than before.”
About 100 countries and international
organisations are attending the three-day
conference aimed at attracting billions of dollars for
Egypt’s economy, which has been battered by years
of political turmoil.
Sisi, who has positioned himself as a bulwark
against extremists, said investing in the Arab world’s
most populous country would help stabilise the
entire region.
Egypt’s stability “is a cornerstone in regional
stability,” he told the conference.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who met
Sisi and the leaders of Jordan and the Palestinian
Authority, told businessmen on Friday that
Washington was “eager and ready and willing” to
help Egypt’s economic development.
But a US diplomat travelling with him said there
had been “no decision” on freeing up $650 million in
military aid frozen during the height of a crackdown
on Sisi’s opponents that left hundreds dead.
Washington had released some of the aid,
including the delivery of Apache helicopters Egypt
says are important for its fight against insurgents in
the Sinai Peninsula.
Sisi, who won elections after toppling Mursi,
has been criticised for unleashing a crackdown on
dissent.
“Egypt presents a model for Arab civilisation,”
Sisi said on Friday.
“A country that rejects violence and terrorism
and extremism, a country that strengthens regional
stability and peace.”
Restoring the economy and attracting foreign
investment have been key tenets of Sisi’s presidency.
In one of the biggest deals expected at the
conference, British Petroleum is to sign a $12 billion
agreement — shared with its Russian partner DEA
— to develop Egyptian gas fields.
Plans were also unveiled for a new administrative
and business capital east of Cairo that will house five
million people and feature a theme park “four times
bigger than Disneyland”.
Housing Minister Mustafa Kamel Madbuli said
the new city would relieve pressure on overcrowded
Cairo, with its population of 18 million expected to
double in coming decades.
“The idea to build the new city originated from
our awareness that Cairo’s current population will
double in the next 40 years,” Madbuli said on Friday
in a presentation showcasing the details. — AFP
A delegation looks at a scale model of the new Egyptian capital displayed at the congress hall in the Red
Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh yesterday. — AFP
SALALAH — The Ministry of Transport
and Communications is exerting significant
efforts in the development and expansion
of road networks in Dhofar Governorate. A
number of road projects are currently under
construction and the existing roads in the
deserts and mountainous areas are being
rehabilitated.
This was stated by Engineer Said bin
Mohammed Tabouk, Director-General
of Roads and Land Transport in Dhofar
Governorate.
In January this year a direct order was
issued for the construction of 36 km TaqaMirbat dualised road at an approximated cost
of RO 52.5 million.
6
AUSTRALIA TO DECIDE ON BANK ENTRY SOON
S U N DAY l M A R C H 1 5 l 2 0 1 5
CHAN TO SING FOR CHINA’S OLYMPICS BID
Australia expects to make a decision
within weeks on whether it will
seek to join the China-backed Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB),
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on
Saturday. Australia’s decision on whether
to become a founding member of the
institution risks upsetting either key
strategic allies the United States and
Japan, or top trading partner China.
ASIA
Martial arts actor Jackie Chan is planning
to unleash one final kung fu death kick on
Kazakhstan’s bid to host the 2022 Winter
Olympics by recording a song backing
Beijing’s campaign. “Wake up Winter”
will be played for the first time when
the International Olympic Committee’s
evaluation committee visits the Chinese
capital from March 24-28, Xinhua
reported on Saturday.
Japan promises
$4 bn to combat
natural disasters
SPEED OF BULLET
RISK PROOF: Losses from disasters cost an
average of $250-$300 billion annually
A new bullet train, bound for Tokyo, runs near Takaoka, Toyama prefecture, on Saturday. The new bullet train service, linking
Tokyo to the old castle town Kanazawa in northwestern Japan and the Hokuriku region, started on Saturday. — Reuters
Taiwan spinning away from China’s
‘one country, two systems’ model
TAIPEI: Taiwan is spinning away
from China’s idealised model of “one
country, two systems” as a renewed
spirit of democracy sweeps across its
political sphere, rousing a new cadre
of grassroots leaders critical of a shared
future with China.
The number of new political
parties and advocacy groups has
surged following advances by the proindependence Democratic progressive
Party (DPP) in November elections
that routed the ruling pro-China
Nationalist party from positions in local
government. The victory of Taiwan’s
main opposition party was preceded
by a massive protest by thousands of
students in March last year over a trade
pact with China.
More groups are likely to emerge
before next year’s presidential and
legislative elections.
Such political fragmentation will
make it harder for China to strike the
deals it has been pushing for to pull
Taiwan closer into its economic orbit.
Freddy Lim, whose New Power Party
is one of 14 new parties registered since
last July, wants more openness and
greater discussion of issues, including
how Taiwan handles ties with China.
“The determination for change by
society is very strong,” said Lim, a
former chief of rights group Amnesty
International in Taiwan who is standing
for a legislative seat.
Taiwan citizens want to reclaim a
Taiwan citizens want to
reclaim a sense of identity
many feel they have lost
since China-friendly Ma YingJeou became president in
2008
sense of identity many feel they have
lost since China-friendly Ma Ying-Jeou
became president in 2008. He is set to
end his second, and final presidential
term, in early 2016.
Ma’s pro-China trade policies have
benefited big business, making his
Nationalists the go-to party for Beijing,
which deems Taiwan a renegade
province to be taken back by force
if necessary, particularly if it moves
toward independence. But Taiwan’s
Sunflower Movement, the label given
to the student protests, suspended the
ratification of the cross-strait trade pact,
holding up progress on economic ties
with China. “It shows the possibility of
a third way,” said Joseph Lin, Chairman
of Taiwan’s Judicial Reform Foundation,
which is defending 118 people charged
over the protests. “It shakes up the preexisting relationship between politics
and moneyed interests.”
Last year’s massive protests in Hong
Kong against Beijing’s control of the
former British colony fed the suspicion
of people in Taiwan over the island’s
closer ties with China. Many in Taiwan
say the Hong Kong protesters were
inspired by the island’s sit-in. “People
in Taiwan understandably have to be
more cautious than ever in watching
out that their liberties aren’t eroded
and that Chinese business does not buy
up Taiwan business and become more
influential,” said Jerome Cohen, a senior
fellow of the US-based Council on
Foreign Relations.
That is where the new parties come
in. They aim to disrupt Taiwan’s twoparty system, in which the Nationalists
and the DPP hold the bulk of the 113
seats in the legislature.
Just five of more than 260 of the
island’s political parties figure in
parliament. A newly formed Social
Democratic Party, led by social activists,
plans to set up shop soon. Sunflower
protest leaders have also formed
advocacy groups such as Taiwan March,
which seeks constitutional reform.
China-born Wu’er Kaixi, one of the
students who led Beijing’s Tiananmen
Square protest in 1989, has launched
a campaign to represent his adopted
home, Taichung, in central Taiwan,
where he has lived since 1996.
Last year’s protest was the spur, he
said, adding, “In the old picture, I would
not have the chance or the urge to do
this.” Lawmaker Hsu Hsin-Ying, who
quit the Nationalists in January, plans
another run for the legislature, but this
time representing a new party that is
still being set up.
— AFP
SENDAI: Japan will provide assistance
amounting to $4 billion in the coming
four years to reduce the number of
disaster victims and their suffering
around the world, Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe said on Saturday.
Under the initiative, Tokyo will train
40,000 government officials and local
leaders — including a project focused
on women — to spearhead national
efforts to cut disaster risk and build
back better after disasters, Abe told a
UN conference in the northeastern city
of Sendai.
In return for help offered in the
wake of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami
and nuclear crisis that devastated
coastal regions in the country’s
northeast, “Japan will contribute to
the international community with our
knowledge and technology,” Abe said.
The package will also support
the development of disaster-proof
infrastructure.
Japan is one of the world’s biggest
donors of finance for disaster risk
reduction.
Together with the World Bank, it
contributed more than half of the global
total of $13.5 billion from 1991 to 2010,
according to the UK-based Overseas
Development Institute. UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-Moon told reporters he
hoped “many others in the developed
world” would emulate Japan’s example
in making new commitments to fund
disaster prevention.
The Japanese prime minister
described disaster risk reduction as “the
most important challenge” for both rich
and poor countries, particularly for
developing nations where 90 per cent of
disaster victims are concentrated.
He called for “mainstreaming of
disaster risk reduction” internationally,
including in new global development
goals and a deal to fight climate change
due to be agreed later this year.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (R)
shakes hands with Japan’s Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe at the third UN
World Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction in Sendai on Friday.
— Reuters
As the Sendai conference — due to
adopt a new global plan to reduce the
risk of disasters — opened, one of the
Pacific Ocean’s most powerful storms
ever devastated the island nation of
Vanuatu.
Cyclone Pam tore off roofs,
uprooted trees, sent sea surges flooding
through the capital and killed at least
eight people with the toll set to rise, aid
officials said.
Ban, who met with the president
of Vanuatu on Saturday morning
to express his condolences, said the
impacts of the storm were not yet
clear “but we fear the destruction and
damage could be widespread”. Vanuatu
President Baldwin Lonsdale appealed
to the global community for assistance
in dealing with the disaster, telling the
conference he did not yet know the full
impact of the cyclone, but was speaking
with “a heart that was heavy”. “What we
are discussing here (in Japan) is very
real for millions of people around the
world,” Ban said. Their needs should
be kept in “sharp focus” during the
negotiations on the Sendai agreement,
he added.
— Reuters
ETHNIC CONFLICT
China sends fighter
jets to Myanmar
border after bomb
kills four chinese
BEIJING: China sent fighter jets
to patrol its border with Myanmar
after a bomb dropped by a Myanmar
warplane killed four Chinese in
southwestern Yunnan province, state
media reported on Saturday.
The bomb hit a sugarcane field in
Lincang city on Friday, killing four
workers and injuring nine others,
China’s official news agency Xinhua
said.
It came days after China warned
of escalating violence near the border
following a surge in ethnic conflict
in the remote Kokang region in
Myanmar’s northeastern Shan state.
The People’s Liberation Army Air
Force on Friday sent several fighter
jets to “track, monitor, warn and
chase away” Myanmar military planes
flying close to China’s border, air force
spokesman Shen Jinke was quoted by
Xinhua as saying.
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister
Liu Zhenmin summoned the
Myanmar Ambassador to Beijing, Thit
Linn Ohn, on Friday night to protest
against the deaths, the agency said.
Liu urged Myanmar to “thoroughly
investigate” the case and “take
immediate and effective measures to
prevent recurrence of such incidents”,
said Xinhua.
He called on the Myanmar
authorities to “safeguard the security
and stability in the border areas
between China and Myanmar”, the
agency added.
China’s foreign ministry said earlier
this week that a house in Yunnan
had been hit by shelling from across
the border in Myanmar, where the
military are fighting rebel forces.
Last month, Myanmar declared
a state of emergency in Kokang in
response to the conflict, which began
on February 9.
The unrest has virtually emptied
the main Kokang town of Laukkai, the
epicentre of the fighting, with streets in
the once-bustling frontier community
transformed into a battleground.
More than 30,000 people have fled
from Myanmar into Yunnan province,
according to Xinhua.
— AFP
PERFECT WELCOME
Buffalo gores butchers, rampages through Manila
MANILA: A water buffalo gored
two butchers at a slaughterhouse
before going on a rampage through
the Philippine capital on Saturday,
terrorising hundreds of people and
tossing furniture in the lobby of a small
hotel.
The three-year-old female, weighing
nearly half a ton, injured a total of three
people with its 18-inch (46-centimetre)
horns and caused the evacuation of
about 200 call centre workers during its
two-hour bid for freedom.
“I ran, but it was faster. It tossed me
into the air with its horns and when
I woke up, I was being stitched up in
hospital,” said butcher Jonet Rufino, the
first victim.
“In my 14 years at work, this is the
first time I was attacked by an animal,”
said the 35-year-old, who required 14
stitches to a wound on his backside.
The animal broke loose as it arrived
by truck at a central Manila abattoir
and went after the butchers with its
potentially lethal horns, said police
investigator James Bagay.
It then galloped through some
of Manila’s busiest streets, goring a
A 400-kilogramme female water
buffalo is restrained with rope as it
lies at the back of a flatbed truck in
Manila on Saturday. — AFP
woman bystander before reaching the
Cubao business district, more than a
kilometre (0.6-mile) away.
There, Bagay said, it entered the
lobby of a small hotel and tossed some
furniture, before breaking into a call
centre building.
It broke some glass panels at
reception, but no one was hurt —
although the building had to be
evacuated, he said.
The huge animal was eventually
trapped about two hours after the
rampage began.
“I’ve been a policeman in this city
for 15 years.
I have never seen anything like it,”
Bagay said.
“The animal was probably stressed
after the overnight trip.
Its handlers should have paid more
attention,” he added.
Bagay said the buffalo, which was
taken to a police station, would likely
still be destined for the abbatoir.
Water buffaloes — plant-eating,
mud-loving animals used to pull
ploughs and carts in Asian farms — can
weigh up to 1.2 tonnes (2,650 pounds),
with males three times larger than
females. Their meat can be eaten in the
Philippines as a substitute for beef.
— AFP
A military officer checks a Japanese honour guard before a welcoming ceremony for French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le
Drian in Tokyo on Saturday. France and Japan agreed to work together on researching military equipment, as Tokyo looks to
broaden its defence ties and bolster its international profile.
— AFP
SUBCONTINENT
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
Over 30 dead and scores missing
after Myanmar ferry sinks
RESCUE: 169 people have been rescued and no foreigners are believed to be on board
YANGON: Rescuers were frantically
searching for survivors on Saturday
after an overloaded ferry sank in rough
waters off the coast of western Myanmar
killing more than 30 people and leaving
at least a dozen more missing.
The “Aung Takon 3” went down
late on Friday after leaving the town
of Kyaukphyu on its way to Sittwe in
western Rakhine state, police said.
“The latest death toll is 33 — four
men including a monk and 29 women.
At least 12 persons are still missing,”
a police officer in Sittwe town said,
speaking on condition of anonymity.
He added 169 people had now been
rescued, and that no foreigners were
believed to be on board the ship.
“We suspect that the boat sank
because it was overloaded with goods,”
the police officer said, adding that
the ship was listed as carrying 214
passengers and crew.
But locals said they feared the ferry
was packed with unregistered ticket
holders who would not have shown
up on the ship’s manifest, a common
practice on the impoverished nation’s
often overcrowded ferry network.
“We don’t know how many are still
missing because some people were
on board without official tickets,” Hla
Shwe, a local from Ngaputhone village,
which lies a few kilometres away from
where the ship went down, said by
telephone.
“There are many dead bodies which
didn’t appear yet,” local MP Maung
Lone added, also by telephone. “We
estimate about 300 people were on
board.” Three navy boats and a host of
private vessels were sent to scour the
A survivor from an overloaded ferry that sank is helped as she arrives at Kyaukphyu jetty in Rakhine state on Saturday. — AFP
area after news emerged that the ferry
had sunk shortly after 8.30 pm (1400
GMT).
Many Myanmar citizens living
along the nation’s lengthy coastline
and flood-prone river systems rely
heavily on poorly-maintained ferries
for transportation.
Sinkings are not uncommon. Ten
people were killed in 2010 when a ferry
capsized in the Irrawaddy delta region,
while 38 perished in 2008 when a ship
went down in the Yway River.
Locals said the area where the “Aung
Takon 3” capsized was notorious for its
treacherous waters.
“The tide there is very strong and the
sea very rough. Fishing boats have often
sunk in that area many times before,”
Sittwe town resident Thein Zaw said.
In recent years Rakhine state
has also been the departure point
for thousands of desperate Muslim
Rohingya who crowd onto small and
dangerously overcrowded boats to
escape persecution, often aiming for
Thailand and Malaysia.
Communal
violence
between
Buddhists and Rohingyas swept
through the region in 2012 leaving at
least 200 dead.
Some 140,000 people, mainly
Rohingya, are trapped in miserable
displacement camps around Sittwe
after losing their homes in the unrest.
— AFP
omandailyobserver
7
Pakistan again detains
Mumbai attacks suspect
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: A day
after the detention orders of Zakiur
Rehman Lakhvi (pictured), an alleged
mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai
terror attack, were declared void by
the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the
home ministry of Pakistan’s Punjab
province reordered his detention on
Saturday.
IHC’s Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi
on Friday accepted Lakhvi’s appeal filed
against his third detention order and
ordered his immediate release.
However, before his release could be
executed, the Punjab home department
detained Lakhvi for a month on
Saturday.
“There is a drama being enacted
by Pakistan over Lakhvi’s case, as the
reality is the entire trial process is
farce, the judges are being constantly
changed and Lakhvi is living a kings
life in jail,” G Parthasarthy, former high
commissioner of India to Pakistan, said
over phone.
“I appreciate this step taken by
Pakistan, to keep Lakhvi behind bars.
We have handed over enough evidence
and documental proof also against
Lakhvi, now it is up to Pakistan to
understand that terrorism is dangerous
to its own soil”, said senior Congress
leader Raashid Alvi.
“We always want good relations
with Pakistan provided Pakistan learn
a lesson and come ahead with a good
relationship towards India and seriously
act against terrorism” he added.
Lakhvi had been granted bail in both
cases against him, including the 2008
Mumbai attack case and the six-yearold case pertaining to the kidnapping
of an Afghan national, Dawn reported.
IHC’s decision drew a sharp reaction
from New Delhi and the Indian
external affairs ministry summoned
Pakistan High Commissioner to India
Abdul Basit and sought an explanation
“There is a drama being
enacted by Pakistan over
Lakhvi’s case, as the reality
is the entire trial process is
farce, the judges are being
constantly changed and
Lakhvi is living a kings life in
jail,” G Parthasarthy, former
high commissioner of India
to Pakistan, said
over Lakhvi’s release.
Commenting on the IHC order
to release Lakhvi, India’s home
ministry said in a statement, “It is
the responsibility of the Pakistan
government to take all legal measures
to ensure that Lakhvi does not come
out of jail.”
Washington also responded to
IHC’s order by saying that Pakistan
had promised the US to bring the
perpetrators of the Mumbai terror
attack to justice and it hoped that it
would do so.
Lakhvi is accused of being the
mastermind of the November 2008
Mumbai attacks, which killed 166
people.
— IANS
Former Maldives president Nasheed jailed for 13 years
MALE: Former Maldives president and
opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed
has been sentenced to 13 years in prison
after what rights groups said was a
“flawed” trial, sparking international
concern over the honeymoon islands.
Nasheed called on his supporters to
take to the streets to protest against the
sentence after a trial his party said was
“blatantly politicised”.
“I appeal to all of you today to stay
courageous and strong, to confront the
dictatorial power of this regime,” his
office quoted him as saying.
Nasheed,
the
Indian
Ocean
archipelago’s first democratically elected
leader, was convicted late on Friday
under the country’s tough anti-terror
law of ordering the arrest of a chief judge
when he was president in January 2012.
The 47-year-old was then taken to
Dhoonidhoo prison on an island near
the capital Male.
Nasheed’s lawyers resigned before the
end of his brief trial, saying it was biased
and aimed at destroying his political
career. It came amid growing opposition
to the government of President Abdulla
Yameen and will effectively prevent
I appeal to all of
you today to stay
courageous and
strong, to confront
the dictatorial power of this
regime
MOHAMED NASHEED
Former Maldives president
Nasheed from running for president at
the 2018 elections.
The opposition has held regular nighttime rallies over the past year to protest
what they call growing authoritarianism,
which has damaged the atoll nation’s
image as a tourist paradise.
CONTRIBUTING THEIR MITE
Local media reported that police
clashed with Nasheed’s supporters
across the tiny capital island of Male
after the verdict.
Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic
Party (MDP) said the verdict dealt a
blow to the young democracy seven
years after it embraced multi-party
elections following three decades of rule
by former strongman Maumoon Abdul
Gayoom.
“Democracy jailed for 13 years
on March 13, 2015,” said MDP
spokeswoman
Shauna
Aminath.
“Nothing good will come out of this. It’s
a sad, sad, sad day for the Maldives,” she
added.
Regional power India, whose prime
minister cancelled plans to visit the
Maldives over the unrest, said it was
“deeply concerned” and was monitoring
the situation closely, while Washington
and London also expressed concern.
Rights group Amnesty International
said the trial was “deeply flawed” and
called the conviction “unsound”.
“Rather than responding to
international calls to strengthen
the impartiality of the judiciary the
government of the Maldives has
proceeded with this sham trial for
political reasons,” said the group’s AsiaPacific director Richard Bennett.
Yameen has denied that the move
was politically motivated.
The MDP’s Aminath said lawyers
for the party would appeal Nasheed’s
conviction in the high court.
Nasheed resigned as Maldives leader
in February 2012 after a mutiny by
police and troops that followed weeks of
protests over Mohamed’s arrest.
He was charged with corruption
over the arrest three years ago but those
charges were dropped last month and
a few days later the prosecutor general
had him re-charged and arrested under
tougher anti-terror laws.
Nasheed, who was dragged to court
on February 22 and appeared to be in
pain after being pushed and pulled by
police, has maintained his innocence
throughout.
The United States said in a statement
after the verdict it was concerned at the
“apparent lack of appropriate criminal
procedures during the trial” against
Nasheed.
Supporters of Mohamed Nasheed carry banners as they gather in the streets of the
capital Male in the early hours of Saturday. — AFP
State Department spokeswoman
Jen Psaki said the US called on Male to
“restore confidence in its commitment
to democracy and the rule of law”.
“We urge the government to ensure
former president Nasheed’s safety and
well-being in custody, and we hope
all Maldivians will express their views
peacefully,” she said.
Britain’s junior foreign minister,
Hugo Swire, tweeted that he was “deeply
concerned”. “Many questions over due
process and transparency,” he wrote.
— AFP
Pakistan’s research body found that 75 per cent of the water sources are contaminated
Drinking water sources ‘unsafe’ for use
Afghan children collect coal as fuel for fires at their homes, from a brick factory on
the outskirts of Jalalabad, on Saturday. — AFP
ISLAMABAD: Almost 75 per cent of
the drinking water sources in all the four
provinces of Pakistan are contaminated
and unsafe for human use, laboratory
tests carried out by Pakistan Council of
Research in Water Resources (PCRWR)
have shown.
The research body’s water quality
monitoring was initiated in 24 major
cities across the four provinces. The
objective of the programme was to
identify the gaps and disseminate
findings to the implementing agencies
with recommendations for water quality
improvement in the country.
The analytical data revealed that out
of 360 total sources, only 90 sources (25
per cent) have been found safe whereas
270 sources (75 per cent) were found
contaminated and unsafe for human
consumption.
The analysis of the water samples
showed excessive levels of bacteriological
contamination, hardness, arsenic, iron
and total dissolved solids (TDS).
Some appalling statistics came out
of Sindh where 96 per cent of the water
samples were found unsafe. Out of the
four cities, samples in Badin were found
safe. But not a single sample in Karachi,
Hyderabad and Sukkur was safe or fit
for human consumption. In Punjab, 63
per cent samples were unsafe, KhyberPakhtunkhwa (K-P) 90 per cent and in
Baluchistan 85 per cent water samples
found unsafe for drinking purposes.
The research council selected 163
samples in 12 cities across Punjab for
water analysis and out of that only 60
samples were found safe while 103 were
found unsafe.
These cities include Bahawalpur,
Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kasur,
Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Sargodha,
Sheikhupura and Sialkot.
In Sindh, four cities were selected
including Hyderabad, Karachi, Sukkur
and Badin and 85 water samples were
tested from different sources and only
three samples were found safe and
82 samples or 96 per cent were found
unsafe for human use.
In K-P, the PCRWR had selected four
cities — Abbottabad, Mingora, Mardan
and Peshawar — and found that out of a
total of 40 only four samples were found
safe while the remaining 36 were found
unsafe.
In Baluchisan, four cities — Khuzdar,
Loralai, Quetta and Ziarat — were
selected for water testing and 47 sources
were tested. Only seven samples were
found safe for drinking. — Internews
8
ANALYSIS
omandailyobserver
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
NEVER CRY OVER
SPILT MILK IN LIFE
ABDULAZIZ AL JAHDHAMI
aljahdhami22@gmail.com
H
ave you ever made a decision which you regretted later? I trust most of us have
experienced this; it’s frustrating and hard to feel that you made a wrong or unlikable
choice.
To tell the truth, it is most maddening when it comes to making your mind on
money or job! Don’t you worry at all; it is just a very normal feeling and thought we
all get, especially when not sure of the decision to make.
Likewise, we regret a choice we had taken.
Whenever you don’t give yourself enough time to make your mind, you definitely
get such a kind of feelings.
Those very unpleasant thoughts and emotions remain itching in our minds and
boiling in our hearts. However, it helps us recall things we have made or review a
decision have been taken sometimes back; could be in a hurry or unplanned.
With this critically distressing thinking, you get to discover your slips and mistakes
which you learn from.
As it might be hard and intolerable experience;
but with mistakes comes the learning lesson.
It is most maddening
We learn things from our reoccurring
mistakes, so we can get things right in the next when it comes to
time while taking a decision.
making your mind on
Hence, never blame yourself for making
money or job! Don’t
undesirable decision for it could be the right one
you worry at all; it
and you might realise that someday later.
Believe me after each experience you come is just a very normal
through in your life there is a lesson behind it
feeling and thought
which you might not discover on the spot.
Yet, it is happening for your own good; you we all get, especially
get the message sooner or later unless you regard when not sure of the
it as curse and a failure.
decision to make.
Just as some people do when they face the
music of a problem or getting into trouble.
The way in which you perceive and look at
things really counts to get the right decision taken on time.
If your eyesight first hocks the positive side, then you will never think that you are
lost. There is nothing called a dead end or unsolved problem! Think positively and
believe in the possibility to get things fixed the way you like.
Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them.
Opportunities do not come with their values stamped upon them.
Believe it or not, with every challenge we go through in day to day life, there is a
lesson and a blessing behind it.
Case in a point, there are challenges from Allah to test our patience and
believe on Him.
He is always there with us as life is getting harder and complicated.
Trust that Allah is bestowing people things for their own good on the certain times.
Always remember life is an experience and every day is an opportunity to make a
new happy ending. Live the moment and have some faith and hope which is the last
to be ever lost in life.
As Helen Keller, American lecturer and creative author, said: “Optimism is the
faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
Every test in our life makes us bitter or better, every problem comes to break or
make us. The choice is ours whether we become victim or victor.
Sometime, you just need to be more positive and roll the dice to make things come
the way you wish for. In some circumstances, fate is the only justification we attribute
to for what happens to us.
True, it is fate that we always relate things to, but it depends on the way we look
at things.
Our beliefs and confidence are behind our attitudes, perception of life and
ultimately the decisions we make.
A resident welcomes a relative who belongs to the group known as Hashid Shaabi, in the town of Al Alam.
— Reuters
Poised for final Tikrit assault
I
raqi forces yesterday plotted ways of flushing out die- they swept across Iraq’s heartland nine months ago.
Baghdad has tried and failed several times to take back
hard fighters from central Tikrit, which one commander
Tikrit but the ongoing operation is on a different scale, with
predicted would be liberated within three days.
Fighters from the IS group are massively outnumbered up to 30,000 men initially involved.
Military coordination was improved, the cooperation of
and completely boxed in but they are protected by the
some tribesmen was secured and Iran is said to have played
thousands of bombs they planted across the city.
The broad alliance of fighting forces battling IS in the a key role in the operation’s planning and execution.
IS has countered every military loss lately by ramping up
region is keen to minimise casualties on their way to what
its propaganda war with ever more shocking acts, including
would be their biggest victory yet against the group.
Karim al Nuri, a top leader from the Badr militia and a video of a boy apparently executing a prisoner, and the
the spokesman of the volunteer Popular Mobilisation units, destruction of priceless archaeological heritage sites.
It has also tried to project the image of an organisation
said it would take no more than “72 hours” to liberate
Tikrit. The last IS fighters holed up in the city centre were that is still expanding, despite the fact its footprint in Iraq —
the home country of IS supremo Abu Bakr al Baghdadi —
“surrounded from all sides”, Nuri said.
has been shrinking steadily for months.
Speaking from the outskirts of Tikrit,
Last Thursday, IS spokesman Abu
near the village of Awja, he said “their
Iraqi army troops
Mohammed al Adnani announced that a
number is now 60 to 70”.
as well as fighters
pledge of allegiance by the Boko Haram
A lieutenant colonel in the Iraqi
army’s elite counter-terrorism service
eager to retake their group had been accepted.
The Nigerian organisation has been
had a slightly higher estimate and a more
own city launched a suffering military setbacks of its own in
conservative assessment of the battle’s
huge assault nearly
recent weeks and the announcement
evolution. “Battles in cities are difficult
came as no surprise.
for all armies,” he said.
two weeks ago,
“For both groups, the new linkage
AFP reporters in a northern
writes SALAM FARAJ provides a much-needed propaganda
neighbourhood of Tikrit saw dozens
victory at just the right moment,” said the
of craters on a single street, caused
Soufan Group intelligence consultancy.
by the explosion of bombs concealed
The outcome of the battle of Tikrit, seen by commanders
underneath.
There was no evidence of intense fighting yesterday, as a key stepping stone on the way to reconquering IS’
after another day that saw Iraqi forces strike IS from northern hub of Mosul, seems in little doubt but there is
above — with artillery, jets and gunships — but make little more at stake for the government than just territorial gain.
The vast operation is seen as test of Baghdad’s ability
headway on the ground.
Army troops, police units, Popular Mobilisation units, to instil discipline in the array of fighting forces involved
the militia groups as well as fighters eager to retake their in the war effort against IS. Militias have been accused of
serious crimes and abuses in reconquered areas, including
own city launched a huge assault nearly two weeks ago.
of carrying out deadly revenge attacks against people.
They first cleared outlying areas in Salaheddin province,
In a report released late last Friday, Human Rights
of which Tikrit is the capital, and broke the city’s defences
Watch said government and allied forces had also “engaged
last Wednesday.
Tikrit is the hometown of former president, the remnants in deliberate destruction of civilian property” after retaking
of whose Baath party collaborated with IS militants when the Turkmen town of Amerli in September.
Cuba reconciling with Paris Club after a long divorce
C
uba has begun reconciling with the Paris
Club of creditor nations after a nearly
three decade-long divorce, moving to put
its financial house in order as it opens up
to the world economy.
“We are going to finish the
reconciliation in a few more weeks, and
some weeks or months later we will have a
negotiation,” said Bruno Bezard, the club’s
chair and the head of the French Treasury.
“We have advanced rapidly. There is a
will from Cuba and its creditors’ part to
complete this work,” said Bezard, who was
in Havana with French officials preparing
for President Francois Hollande’s May 11
visit to the island.
The Paris Club is an informal group of
public creditors created in 1956.
Its members include officials from 20
industrialised countries who meet to try
to resolve payment problems of debtor
nations. Cuba’s debt is expected to be
on the agenda for the visit by Hollande,
the first by a French president, and it
is possible part of it will be forgiven,
something Russia, Japan and Mexico have
done in recent years.
Bezard estimates Cuba’s debt with the
Paris Club at $15-16 billion, of which $5
billion is owed to France.
Cuba stopped servicing its debt with the
Paris Club in 1987, alleging “interference”
in its domestic political affairs by some of
its creditors.
A year earlier it had renegotiated its
1982-86 debt payments.
In 2001, Havana proposed a new
renegotiation to find a “reasonable
solution,” but that failed due to what
Cuba’s Central Bank said were the “totally
unacceptable conditions” demanded by
the creditors.
The $8 billion dollar debt that was at
the centre of the 2001 negotiations, and
which Cuba declared “immobilised,” will
be at the centre of the coming Paris Club
negotiations.
Cuba’s rupture with the Paris
Club coincided with a debt crisis in
Latin America and a campaign by
then president Fidel Castro to declare the
debt “unpayable.”
The entire size of the Cuban debt is
not known, but is believed to exceed
$22 billion.
But President Raul Castro, who took
Cuba stopped servicing its
debt with the Paris Club in
1987, alleging “interference”
in its domestic affairs by some
creditors. A year earlier it had
renegotiated its payments,
notes CARLOS BATISTA
over from his brother Fidel in 2006, began
normalising relations with creditors in
2009 as part of an effort to revamp the
island’s Soviet-style economy.
The objective has been to generate
confidence, gain access to credit and
attract foreign investment.
Cuba begins a new round of talks in
Havana on Monday with the United States
over restoring diplomatic ties between the
two countries.
The restoration of ties could eventually
help lead to the lifting of the US embargo
of the nation and further open Cuba up to
the global economy.
“For Cuba, it is essential to put in order
its international financial commitments.
That would be the logical step in the
policy of more prudent management of
spending in effect since 2009,” said Cuban
economist Pavel Vidal, at the Universidad
Javeriana in Cali, Colombia.
Former economy and finance minister
Jose Luis Rodriguez said Cuba paid an
average $3.2 billion a year to service
its debt between 2010 and 2014, which
represented 4.7 per cent of Cuba’s GDP.
“This policy of control over
expenditures and the other reforms
under way allows Cuba to negotiate with
international creditors on the basis of
financial credibility which it has been
rebuilding little by little,” said Vidal.
A Cuban talks by phone in a street of Havana last Wednesday. Direct connection
of telecommunications between the US and Cuba is under way.
— AFP
ANALYSIS
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
omandailyobserver
9
Niz-Vegas: It’s all happening in the interior areas!
N
RAY PETERSEN
petersen_ray@hotmail.com
izwa, the heart of the hinterland, continues its revival
as a destination for travellers, and an improving
environment in which to live and work.
The Dakhilyah region, in fact, seems to be a hive
of construction and infrastructural development.
There are so many lights now, even traffic lights!
The Firq strip is reminding us a little of Las Vegas, so
we refer to it as Niz-Vegas!
Culturally, the Sultan Qaboos Mosque, adjacent to
the Muscat/Firq interchange, continues to rise like the
phoenix, if not from the ashes, then certainly from a
barren plot of nondescript land near the motorway.
The four tall minarets, from which the call to
prayer will issue, are a simple and striking landmark
that will surely feature in visitor and tourist
memorabilia for centuries.
The implicit simplicity of the design is a tribute to
the absolute confidence of the architect in his work.
No gimmicks required.
The completed construction is eagerly awaited, as
a rival to the historic Nizwa Fort, as a local attraction.
Nearby, the Royal Oman Police have two construction
projects under way between the Hay-A-Turath and
Birkat Al Mouz interchanges.
Both are identified by roadside hoardings as
Special Task Force building sites, and they are being
constructed at a frenetic pace.
My earnest wish is that one of these will become a
dedicated traffic enforcement headquarters however, cleaners and car dealership and private service
there appears to be little indication in any direction workshops. The issue here is one of the roading and
as to the duties and services that will be offered from infrastructure.
either.
Quite simply the narrow roads and streets are first
The Nizwa Grand Mall, (Now who would have of all not made for large articulated trucks.
ever believed that?) construction is also flying along,
Then, the traffic counts are very high, and
and the impending clash between retail giants especially on the one main access street leading
Carrefour and the existing Lulu
off from the Adam-Nizwa
Hypermarket will surely benefit
Roundabout, traffic control is
local consumers. One problem
The Dakhilyah region, dangerously absent.
for the retail giants however may
To make matters worse, the
in fact, seems to be a
be staffing, if the current Lulu
glut of local driving instructors
hive of construction
situation is any example.
appear to consider Karsha a
good place to bring their trainee
Whenever they are busy,
and infrastructural
the queues are 10-12 shoppers
development. The Firq drivers.
The opposite is true, with
deep, and a Lulu supervisor told
strip is reminding us a the learner’s lack of positivity
me that they are having great
difficulty recruiting Omanis to fill
little of Las Vegas, so we and confidence causing more
for those around
the cashier positions, a condition
refer to it as Niz-Vegas! problems
them, than themselves.
of their Nizwa location.
Improved access to this
He advised that expatriate
industrial area is a must for local
employment, on the checkouts,
residents.
was not acceptable.
I myself get my car serviced and cleaned, my
This could yet prove a significant stumbling block
furniture repaired, doors manufactured, and minor
to an enjoyable consumer experience.
At the other end of the Firq strip is the Karsha metalwork jobs done. All this is achieved within this,
Industrial Park, with its hundreds of metal and so busy, couple of square kilometres.
Which leads me to another thing.
carpentry workshops, auto electricians, vehicle
Having been in the Dakhilyah region now for 6
years, I have not seen any new urban roads.
Hundreds of new homes have been constructed,
with no roading access.
All I can see is, maybe, where someone has
used a bulldozer or loader, to grade an unofficial
or informal road to access these new houses, and
the only compaction is performed by the resident’s
own vehicles. Is there, I wonder, no coordinated
programme for the assessment and provision of the
infrastructural needs of these residents?
Finally, it is great to see the region progressing.
New highways and traffic systems, new businesses,
and community services are welcome additions to our
landscape. Only one other issue gets my, somewhat
selfish, attention this week.
Birkat Al Mouz, where I live, has no water.
Trucks are carting water from outlying towns,
doubling the price of water to us.
I have attempted to find out why our water supply
system has been turned off.
The only response I have is that it is a government
requirement while the tendering process for the
third party charging of water to consumers is being
finalised. It certainly is debatable whether the
concepts of service, communication and transparency
in community services are seen as essential in some
organisations?
MYSTERY DEATHS
MARIA ANTONOVA & OLEKSANDR SAVOCHENKO
T
ragedy, foul play or fear of prosecution? A spate of mystery suicides by allies
of Ukraine’s deposed president Viktor Yanukovych has been called all three.
Three former lawmakers close to the ousted leader have been found dead in
Ukraine in the past two weeks, in what their party has called a consequence
of their persecution by Kiev’s new pro-Western government.
Their deaths followed four suicides earlier this year of regional officials
who were working under the old regime.
Although Kiev rejects allegations of any connection between the three
events, some are calling for a thorough probe to quash any suspicion that top
figures in the corrupt old regime are being extrajudicially punished.
On February 28, former deputy Mykhaylo Chechetov, a prominent
lawmaker in Yanukovych’s time, was found dead near his house in Kiev.
He jumped out of a window from his 17th floor apartment, leaving a
suicide note which said that “he had no more moral energy to live and asked
that he be forgiven and understood”, said interior ministry spokeswoman
Yulia Mustash. Chechetov had been arrested a few days earlier as part of
a probe into a series of draconian laws passed in a controversial vote last
January to crack down on the massive Maidan protests. He paid bail and went
home on February 23 before taking his life five days later.
Last Tuesday, former lawmaker Stanislav Melnyk, also from Yanukovych’s
Party of Regions, was found by his wife dead in his bathroom. He left a suicide
note asking for forgiveness.
Finally Oleksandr Peklushenko, another ally of Yanukovych targeted
in a probe into the violent dispersal of the pro-Western rally in the city of
Zaporizhia where he was governor last year, was found dead from a gunshot
to the neck last Thursday.
The Party of Regions — dormant since Yanukovych’s ouster — said in
a statement that the death of Peklushenko and others was a consequence
of “political reprisals” by the new regime, accusing it of “terror”
towards opponents.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov however explained the suicide as a choice
to avoid the looming trial over charges that Peklushenko was involved in
hiring thugs to beat pro-Western activists at the rally.
“The main motive that could explain such an act was that the trial was
coming up,” Avakov said at a briefing last Friday, adding that he rejected any
“speculation” into the recent deaths being somehow tied.
“I don’t see any pattern here,” he said. Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy
Baganets said that the suicides may be motivated by “fear of being held
responsible” for crimes committed, and that preventing such acts was the job
of a psychologist rather than that of the authorities.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the Talaimannar-Madu train in north western Talaimannar town. — AFP
India seeks edge over China as Modi visits Lanka
W
hen Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala
Sirisena received India’s Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at an ocean-front colonial
building last Friday, the two looked out over
a $1.4 billion Chinese real estate project
halted days ago after criticism from New
Delhi.
The vista will have pleased Modi, whose
government strongly opposed the land
reclamation project inaugurated by China’s
President Xi Jinping last year under a deal
that gives China ownership of a patch of
land overlooking a strategic port.
Modi’s was the first bilateral visit by
an Indian premier in 28 years, a sign of a
friendship that has warmed rapidly since a
January election ousted a leader whose close
ties with China had left Sri Lanka’s larger
neighbour feeling unloved.
India and China are increasingly jostling
for influence in South Asia and the Indian
Ocean and former Sri Lankan president
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision to let Chinese
submarines dock in Colombo port and
the real estate deal were very worrying for
New Delhi.
“The course of the 21st century will
be determined by the currents of the
Indian Ocean,” Modi said in a speech to
Sri Lanka’s parliament that highlighted
the new bonhomie. “Your leadership and
our partnership will be vital in making a
peaceful maritime neighbourhood.”
In January, political and intelligence
sources said that Rajapaksa had expelled
the Colombo station chief of India’s spy
agency in the run-up to the presidential
election, accusing him of helping organise
the opposition.
Rajapaksa himself accused India’s
Research and Analysis Wing spy agency
of conspiring with the CIA and Britain’s
MI6 to rally the fractious opposition, in an
interview with India’s the Hindu newspaper
last Friday.
India’s Foreign Ministry said Modi would
meet Rajapaksa, who emphasised in the
interview that he did not blame the prime
minister for the alleged conspiracy.
On his first day on the island off India’s
southeast coast, Modi promised India would
develop an oil tank “farm”, offered a $318
million railway credit and a $1.5 billion
currency swap between the central banks of
the two nations.,
“The world sees India as the new
frontier of economic opportunity, but our
neighbours should have the first claim on
India,” Modi told lawmakers.
Ahead of Modi’s two-day visit, Sri Lanka’s
new government ordered a review of most
Chinese infrastructure projects amid
allegations of corruption and expensive
loans under Rajapaksa.
China has rejected any wrongdoing.
China has built seaports, power plants
and highways in Sri Lanka, helping the
country rebuild after a long civil war.
China’s ambassador said last week that
Beijing lent money during the 2008 financial
crisis when other loans were not available.
Its navy has made forays into the Indian
Ocean, including when submarines docked
last year in Colomobo.
Modi visited northern Jaffna peninsula
Ahead of Modi’s visit, the
Sri Lankan government
ordered a review of Chinese
projects amid allegations of
corruption and expensive
loans under Rajapaksa regime,
reports RANGA SIRILAL
yesterday to launch a housing complex
funded by Indian government in the former
war zone where Tamil Tiger rebels fought
for a separate state in a 26-year war.
India has long urged greater autonomy
for ethnic minority Tamils who have close
ties to south India, based on Sri Lanka’s 13th
constitutional amendment introduced by an
Indo-Sri Lanka pact in 1987 under former
Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Rajiv Gandhi’s visit that year was
overshadowed by an incident in which a
member of the Sri Lankan honour guard hit
him with a rifle butt. Gandhi was later killed
by a Tamil separatist suicide bomber.
The Tamils were defeated by the army in
2009.
“We stand with you in your efforts to build
a future that accommodates the aspirations
of all sections of society, including the
Sri Lankan Tamil community, for a life
of equality, justice, peace and dignity in a
united Sri Lanka,” Modi said.
“We believe that early and full
implementation of the 13th Amendment
and going beyond it would contribute to this
process.”
On Friday he held talks with Sirisena and
urged the government to fully implement a
1987 constitutional provision giving Tamils
greater autonomy.
“Sri Lanka has lived through decades of
tragic violence and conflict,” Modi said last
Friday.
“You have successfully defeated terrorism
and brought the conflict to an end. You now
stand at a moment of historic opportunity to
win the hearts and heal the wounds across
all sections of society.”
India has long supported greater
autonomy for the minority group, but
Tamil leaders said Modi’s comments were
particularly strong.
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10
omandailyobserver
INDIA
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
POLITICAL ESPIONAGE: Police and BJP
dismiss allegations as ridiculous
IN BRIEF
Haryana
to impose
complete ban
on beef
Cong hits out at
spying on Rahul
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on
Saturday termed as “routine” a visit by
a policeman to Congress Vice-President
Rahul Gandhi’s house to make queries
— including on his physical appearance
— even as the party termed it “political
espionage” and sought an explanation
from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP dismissed the Congress’
allegations as ridiculous.
Police Commissioner BS Bassi said
Assistant Sub-Inspector Shamsher Singh
of the Special Branch had gone to get a
proforma filled and left it at Gandhi’s
office on March 3. He said the proforma
was not person-specific and gathering
such information about “vulnerable
people” and revisiting it was part of the
Special Branch’s duties.
“If he (the policeman) had gone with
an ulterior motive or for snooping, he
would not have left the proforma behind.
There was no snooping, no instruction
from the government of India. There is
no pressure on police,” he said.
He said they had such information
about Bharatiya Janata Party president
Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and police have also visited
residences of Congress leader Veerappa
Moily and BJP veteran L K Advani.
Bassi, however, admitted that “some
shortcomings had been noticed (about
the kind of questions in the proforma
being used since 1999) and these will be
rectified.”
His reaction came minutes after
Congress spokesperson Abhishek
Manu Singhvi condemned police’s
“unnecessary and weird inquiries” about
Gandhi and launched a strong attack on
NRI FOUNDATION
G P Hinduja
awarded
LONDON: Britain-based industrialist
GP Hinduja was presented the
inaugural NRI Foundation Award by
visiting Indian Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley here. “The India-UK partnership
is furthered by a very strong 1.5 million
British Indian community, which
has come into this land, adopted it
as its own,” Jaitley said at the awards
ceremony on Friday night.
Hinduja, the co-chairman of
the Hinduja Group, was honoured
for establishing a global business
presence across various sectors. His
philanthropic works in Britain and
India were also recognised.
The other NRI Foundation Award
winners were the Asian Media and
Marketing Group, Lloyds Banking
Group’s
Head
of
Responsible
Business Kamel Hothi and the British
government’s Dealmaker for India
Alpesh Patel.
The three Hinduja brothers —
Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash —
figured in the Bofors scandal that came
out in 1986. In 2005, the Delhi High
Court dismissed the allegations against
them.
the Modi government. The controversy
erupted at a time Gandhi is on “leave of
absence” to reflect on the party’s future
course.
Alleging a Delhi Police officer was
“found snooping” at Rahul Gandhi’s
residence a few days ago, he said when
the Special Protection Group personnel
stopped him, it was found he was trying
to fill up a form with “very interesting
somewhat weird questions” about
Gandhi’s name, his father’s name, his
height, gait, eye and hair colour, dress
and shoes.
“More importantly the telephone
numbers and addresses of each of his
(Gandhi’s) associates, friends, what he
does, where he goes,” Singhvi said.
“This kind of political espionage,
snooping, surveillance and intrusion
in political opponent’s life may be the
Gujarat model but not the Indian model,”
Singhvi said, referring to the oft-quoted
Modi’s Gujarat model of development.
Taking potshots at Modi, who served
as Gujarat chief minister for almost 13
years, he said: “Track record may show
that it has been a model perfected in
Gujarat. Indeed not only for political
opponents but for, we are told, large
number of tales about judges, journalists
and private persons.”
Demanding a comprehensive
explanation by Home Minister
Rajnath Singh or the prime minister,
he said that it was not a Congresscentric issue and the party will raise it
in parliament. “It is something which
everybody should stand up for, stand
up against. It is something which no
law permits.”
— IANS
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (3rd L) and dignitaries unveil Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament square,central London. — AFP
GANDHI GETS CENTRAL POSITION
IN LONDON’S PARLIAMENT SQUARE
LONDON: A statue of Mahatma
Gandhi has been extended the most
central position in London’s Parliament
Square directly facing Britain’s Palace of
Westminster or Houses of Parliament.
In a park where there are statues
of Sir Winston Churchill and Nelson
Mandela in two corners, it is highly
significant that arguably the most
prestigious location has been given to
Gandhi.
The statue was unveiled by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley in the presence of
British Prime Minister David Cameron
on a glorious sunny, albeit cold morning
in London in the presence of a hundreds
of members of the public.
Prime Minister Cameron said the
sculpture is a “magnificent tribute” to
one of the “most towering figures” in
history, Sky News reported.
The nine feet high bronze sculpture
has been created by leading British
sculptor, Philip Jackson, renowned for
statues of Queen Elizabeth and Bomber
Command. Jackson started work on the
statue in July.
The sculpture is inspired by
photographs of the civil rights leader
outside 10, Downing Street in 1931.
A band played Indian classical
music, Indian flags adorned the square,
and schoolchildren stood in the crowd
to watch.
“This statue is a magnificent tribute
to one of the most towering figures in the
history of world politics and by putting
Mahatma Gandhi in this famous square
we are giving him an eternal home in
our country,” Cameron said.
“Many of his teachings remain as
potent today as when he first made
them.
“’The best way to find yourself is to
lose yourself in the service of others’ and
‘be the change that you want to see in
the world’ remain timeless, profound
and inspiring words of wisdom,” he
added.
Several other notable personalities
attended the ceremony, including
Chair of the Gandhi Statue Memorial
Trust, Meghnad Desai, and Bollywood
superstar Amitabh Bachhan. — IANS
Tax system being overhauled: Jaitley
LONDON: Seeking to soothe the
sentiments of foreign investors,
disturbed by fresh claims of tax on
past transactions by Indian authorities,
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said
his government was rationalising the
country’s tax system to make it fair.
“We are trying to rationalise taxes —
that is, lower taxes and introduce a nonadversarial and fair system” the finance
minister told an event co-hosted over
the weekend by the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
and UK-India Business Council.
His other engagements included
unveiling of Gandhi statue in Parliament
Square in the presence of Prime Minister
David Cameron, among others, talks
with Prince Charles, and meeting with
a delegation of the Confederation of
British Industry, led by director-general
John Cridland.
“We need a lot of investment in
India. We need to ease the process of
doing business. Therefore, slowly we are
introducing changes in that direction,”
Jaitley said, adding a fair and equitable
tax system was a top priority.
The finance minister’s comments
came against the backdrop of the tax
authorities slapping a $3.2 billion capital
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley delivers a speech in central London.
gains tax on Cairn India, a part of the
Vedanta Group, for a transaction that
took place some 10 years ago.
This tax, which was not explicitly in
existence at that time, was introduced
in 2012 with retrospective effect and has
been a cause for much concern among
foreign investors. Such retrospective
tax is against the present government’s
stated policy.
Britain-based Vodafone faces a
similar dilemma and so do some 30-odd
companies.
— AFP
But the finance minister, while not
raising the issue directly during his
various addresses, only stated what he
has been maintaining in the past.
“We are correcting the aberrations in
the taxation structure,” said the finance
minister, who is on a two-day visit here
on his way back to India from the US.
“Our roadmap is very clear,” he said,
referring to the policies being pursued
by the Narendra Modi government. He
also made specific reference to Modi’s
Make in India initiative.
Jaitley also touched upon the latest
coal and spectrum auctions that have
evoked much interest, beyond the
government’s expectations.
“The success of these auctions
demonstrate how corruption can best
be avoided and fetch high values,” he
said.
He also made a political statement
without directly referring to the previous
United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
regime’s prime minister Manmohan
Singh. “If he’d had his way, the crisis
would never have taken place,” said
Jaitley, adding that even though the
previous government had announced
the coal auctions soon after it took over
in 2004, it was unable to do so for the
next 10 years.
“How can one allow such a system to
continue,” he queried.
Jaitley, who also held a series of
meetings, notably with Leader of
Opposition Edward Miliband and
Indian-origin lawmaker Keith Vaz, and
also with Chancellor of the Exchequer
George Gideon Oliver Osborne, said
India was now on a high growth path.
“We will have a 7.5 per cent growth this
year. It will be higher next year.”
— IANS
Victims abused during movement against forcible land acquisition
Women of Nandigram movement suffer in silence
KOLKATA: They were once an integral
part of the Nandigram movement that
eventually catapulted the Trinamool
Congress into power in West Bengal, but
women who were at the forefront of the
anti-acquisition stir are now confined to
their homes.
They are also subjected to all kinds of
oppression, according to Women against
Sexual Violence and State Repression
(WSS), a forum of women from diverse
political and social movements, claimed
on Saturday.
WSS has published a report on the
“abject condition” of the women who were
“subjected to inhuman torture including
abuse” during their movement against
forcible land acquisition by the erstwhile
Left Front government. The acquisition
was intended for a special economic
zone in that rural area of East Midnapore
district.
The movement that started in January,
2007, snowballed into a major agrarian
agitation that eventually led to a police
firing March 14, leaving 14 villagers dead
and scores injured. The day is observed as
Nandigram Divas by the Mamata Banerjeeled Trinamool.
“Women like Tapasi Das, Radharani
Aari and others, became the face of the
Nandigram movement, suffered rape,
bullet wounds and state terror, but
remained defiant.
“These women who were instrumental
in unseating the Left Front in the state,
The movement that
started in January, 2007,
snowballed into a major
agrarian agitation that
eventually led to a police
firing, leaving 14 villagers
dead and scores injured.
today have been absolutely edged out of
the political space,” said Anuradha Talwar
of the WSS. “My body was like a property
that would get the votes,” Talwar quoted
one of the abuse survivors as saying.
“The victim was much sought after by
the Trinamool during the build up to the
2011 state assembly elections but was later
abandoned,” she said.
Only three of the 16 abuse survivors
have received compensation of Rs 2
lakh from the state government that was
ordered by the Supreme Court.
But these women’s misery has been
compounded by the fact that “the very
men who subjected them to the brutality”,
have made their way back into the villages
after negotiating with the Bhumi Uchhed
Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) — an
organisation formed for the movement.
“With the rapists freely roaming around
with many of them living in adjacent
houses, these women often live in fear,”
said Saswati Ghosh of the WSS.
“Very few of the women, who were
raped, injured or otherwise tortured during
the movement, have been compensated by
the government. In most of the cases, it’s
the husband or the son who have got a job
for the woman’s sacrifices, while she herself
received nothing,” added Ghosh.
The forum also said that most of
the cases slapped against the agitators,
including that of murder, are still pending
while there were no records of cases
involving rape.
The WSS has said it will submit its
findings to the chief minister on Monday
demanding the state government take steps
to alleviate the women’s plight. — IANS
HARYANA:
The
Haryana
government will impose a complete
ban on the sale of beef in any form
in the state, a minister said on
Saturday.
“The ban covers canned beef
also, which was legal during the
tenure of previous Congress state
government. The state government
is engaged in framing a stringent
law to clamp a complete ban on cow
slaughter that will be presented in
the ongoing budget session of the
Haryana Vidhan Sabha,” agriculture
and animal husbandry minister O P
Dhankar said here.
The BJP government in Haryana,
headed by Chief Minister Manohar
Lal Khattar, has a majority in the
assembly and the proposed bill is all
set to be made into law.
Dhankar said that the ‘Gau
Sanrakshan Avam Gau Samwardhan’
law, which is being framed after
studying the related laws in different
states, would be more stringent.
“It would have provision of 10
years’ imprisonment if found guilty
of cow slaughter. Action would also
be taken against the driver of the
vehicle carrying beef and the vehicle
would be impounded,” he said.
Dhankar clarified that there
was no move to book people under
section 302 (murder) of the Indian
Penal Code for cow slaughter.
“The news, being telecast by some
TV channels, that under the new
law a case would be registered under
section 302 of the Indian Penal Code
against the person found guilty of
cow slaughter is wrong. There will
be no such provision in the law.
Over 12,000
police posts
vacant in
Maharashtra
MUMBAI: Maharashtra has a
staggering 12,115 police posts
ranging from constables to
additional director-general of police
lying vacant, an RTI query revealed
here on Saturday.
Of these, the highest number
— 2,708 vacancies — are of
police sub-inspector (PSI) rank,
a critical backbone of the entire
police department supporting
investigations and maintaining law
and order, said activist Anil Galgali.
The state has 219,986 police
posts, of which 12,115 are vacant
for various reasons. Against the
requirement of 9,659 posts of PSI,
6,951 are filled up, with a shortfall
of 2,708. Of 25 posts of additional
director-general of police, three are
vacant. Of the 47 posts of special
inspector general of police (IGP),
eight are vacant.
Similarly, seven out of 38 posts of
deputy IGP, including two vacancies
for two sanctioned posts of deputy
IGP (technical), are not filled up.
At the superintendent of police
(SP) and deputy commissioner of
police level, out of the 265 sanctioned
posts 30 are vacant, while there are
209 vacancies for the post deputy SP
or ACP (unarmed) out of the 686
posts, he added.
In the armed category of deputy
SP or ACP, there are 50 vacancies
out of 87 posts, for assistant police
inspector posts — 471 unfilled out
of 4,447, for assistant sub-inspector
there are 1,030 vacant out of
18,804, while for the post of police
constables 2,323 out of 42,964 are
vacant and constables 4,101 out of
96,240 are vacant.
The categories of police subinspector of motor transport of
marine IInd Class and First Class
Master Engine Driver are run with
only 11 out of the total 270 posts,
PSI Motor Transport 54 vacant out
of 109 posts and the employees work
under inhuman conditions. — IANS
INDIA
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
omandailyobserver
11
MAIDEN VISIT: First Indian premier to set foot on the war-ravaged town
IN BRIEF
Modi hands over houses to Tamils in Jaffna
Odisha opposes
cash plan
under PDS
ARRAYCOLOMBO: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Saturday visited
Jaffna, becoming the first Indian premier
to set foot in the war-ravaged town in
Sri Lanka’s Tamil-dominated Northern
Province, where he handed over homes
built with Indian assistance to displaced
local Tamils.
Modi also laid the foundation stone
of a cultural centre in Jaffna. He is the
second foreign leader to visit the town,
about 400 km north of Colombo, after
British Prime Minister David Cameron
in November 2013.
He also visited the North Central
Province’s capital city of Anuradhapura
where he, along with Sri Lanka President
Maithripala Sirisena, offered prayers at
the sacred Mahabodhi tree.
After this, Modi flagged off a train
service in the town of Talaimannar and
also unveiled a plaque inaugurating the
local railway station.
The Jaffna housing project, built with
Indian assistance, will provide shelter to
27,000 families.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi
said: “This project will provide shelter
to 27,000 families. These houses are not
just walls made of brick and stones, but
an opportunity to share the sorrow of the
needy and help them.”
He
said
the
owner-driven
Six held for
betting on
cricket match
GURGAON: Six people were arrested
here on Saturday for betting on a
cricket World Cup match between
India and Zimbabwe, police said.
All arrested are in the age group of
24 to 35 years.
Acting on a tip-off, Crime Branch
(Unit-1) chief Yashwant Singh and his
team raided a flat in Orchid Society in
sector-49.
Those arrested have been
identified as Promod from Prajapat
Nagar Delhi, Gagan Jain from
Laxmi Nagar Delhi, Mohan Kumar
from Neb Sarai Delhi, Nirmal from
Madhubani Bihar, Aashutosh from
Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and Mohan
from Nepal.
Thirty-one mobile phones, 3
laptopsand many other gadgets were
seized during the raid, police said.
— IANS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan chief minister of the northern province CV Vigneswaran (centre L) seen at a
ceremony held in Jaffna. — AFP
reconstruction project idea was begun in
Gujarat after the 2001 earthquake.
Modi also participated in the
symbolic milk boiling ceremony to mark
house warming being performed by the
families.
He also offered prayers at the
Naguleswaram Temple in Jaffna. “Feeling
blessed”, he tweeted.
At Talaimannar, he inaugurated the
Talaimanar 1650 pier railway station
and flagged off the TalaimannarMedawachchiya train service to
Colombo, following the rehabilitation
work carried out with Indian credit
assistance.
Rajya Sabha to work overtime to finish
pending business on general budget
NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha will sit
beyond its scheduled time next week to
complete pending business, including
passing the general and railway budgets
and the mines and coal bills, an official
release said here on Saturday.
“During the fourth week of the
current budget session of parliament
beginning Monday, Rajya Sabha will
sit beyond 7.00 p.m. to take up the
governments’s legislative and other
business,” the release said.
A decision in this regard was taken
in the meeting of the Business Advisory
Committee of the house on Thursday.
The upper house is still to take
up for consideration and returning
the Appropriation Bills relating
to the Demands for Grants on
Account (Railways) for 2015-16 and
Supplementary Demands for Grants for
2014-15.
While discussion on railway budget
has almost been concluded, the Rajya
Sabha will also take up discussion on the
general budget for 2015-16 and related
appropriation bills after they are passed
by Lok Sabha next week.
Another important business the
Rajya Sabha which will be taken up next
week will be consideration and passing of
the Mines and Minerals (Development
and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015
and the Coal Mines (Special Provisions)
Bill, 2015 as passed by Lok Sabha and
to be reported by the respective select
committees.
The two select committees are to
submit their reports on the respective
ordinance replacement bills by March
18, 2015. The two ordinances, which the
bills seek to replace will lapse on April 5.
As per the schedule announced, the
parliament is to be adjourned on March
Consensus on speedy and timely funds’ disbursal
Centre, states to streamline
payment of compensation
NEW DELHI: The central and the
state governments on Saturday agreed
to streamline the process for speedy
and timely disbursal of compensation,
including first-aid as well as medical
treatment of the acid attack victims.
The “consensus” for speedy and
timely disbursal of the compensation
including first-aid and the medical
treatment of acid attack victims was
arrived at the meeting of the chief
secretaries and health secretaries of the
states and union territories.
The meeting was jointly convened by
union Home Secretary LC Goyal and
Health Secretary BP Sharma as directed
by the Supreme Court’s Social Justice
bench on February 6.
“There was a consensus in the
meeting to handle such cases with full
sensitivity and streamline the current
process for speedy and timely disbursal
of compensation money including firstaid as well as medical treatment of the
acid attack victims/patients”, the official
statement said.
Meeting reviewed the current
status of the efforts made by the states/
UTs relating to notification of victim
compensation scheme and treatment
Speaking on the occasion, Modi said
Sri Lanka and India ties are special. “We
are not just neighbours but joined by our
cultural relations.”
He said the Talaimanar railway project
would give a fillip to the economic
progress of the area. The railway line,
which will stretch from the Talaimannar
Pier to Madhu Road, covering a distance
of 60 km, will provide connectivity for
the people of Northern Province to the
rest of the country.
Modi’s visit came a day after he gently
nudged Sri Lanka to reach out to its Tamil
minority and branded the vanquished
Tamil Tigers terrorists while he outlining
his determination to build a stronger
economic relationship with Colombo.
In a carefully worded speech
delivered in parliament on Friday,
Modi emphasized that Colombo, which
crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009, needed to
respect all diversities — for its own good.
Sri Lanka, he said to loud thumping
of desks by the MPs, had successfully
defeated terrorism and ended a longrunning conflict that claimed thousands
of lives since 1983.
“You now stand at a moment
of historic opportunity to win the
hearts and heal the wounds across all
sections of society,” he said, speaking
in English to an audience of mostly
Sinhalese politicians.
The prime minister is in Sri Lanka
on the third and final leg of his five-day
three-nation tour. He is the first Indian
prime minister to visit Sri Lanka in 28
years. Earlier, he visited Mauritius and
Seychelles.
— IANS
The meeting was jointly
convened by union Home
Secretary LC Goyal and
Health Secretary BP Sharma
as directed by the Supreme
Court’s Social Justice bench
on February 6.
of such victims, in pursuance to the
directions of the apex court.
Goyal stressed on the speedy
disbursal of compensation amount
as well as timely treatment of acid
attack victims in accordance with the
provisions of the Code of Criminal
Procedure.
Section 357C of the Code of
Criminal Procedure says: “All
hospitals, public or private, whether
run by the central government, the
state government, local bodies or
any other person, shall immediately,
provide the first-aid or medical
treatment, free of cost, to the victims
of any offence covered under section
326A, 376, 376A, 376B, 376C, 376D
or section 376E of the Indian Penal
Code, and shall immediately inform
police of such incident.”
The health secretary advised the
states to make use of the Clinical
Establishments Act to provide first aid
or medical treatment with special focus
on acid attack victims.
Besides this, he offered support for
capacity building of state government
doctors in plastic surgery at specialised
institutions identified by the health
ministry.
Noting that some of the states have
framed model rules for compensation
but the rate of compensation was not
uniform in all the state, the apex court by
its February 6 direction asked the union
home secretary and the health secretary
to “jointly convene a meeting of the
Chief Secretaries/their counterparts in
the states and union territories within
a period of six weeks to work out the
details with regard to treatment of acid
attack victims...”
The court further directed that the
meeting would also discuss and prepare
some model rules for compensation
to be paid to the acid attack victims as
directed by the apex court by its July 18,
2013 order.
— IANS
The upper house is still to
take up for consideration
and returning the
Appropriation Bills relating
to the Demands for Grants
on Account (Railways) and
Supplementary Demands.
20, 2015.
The third ordinance replacement
bill related to land acquisition is still to
be introduced in the Rajya Sabha, the
release said.
The Business Advisory Committee
of Rajya Sabha has allotted one hour for
further discussion on the mines bill, two
hours for the coal mines bill next week
and 10 hours for the general budget.
Of the six ordinances to be replaced
by bills, the Rajya Sabha has so far passed
three bills relating to Amendment of
Citizenship Act, The Motor Vehicles Act
and the insurance laws. Lok Sabha has
passed all the six ordinance replacement
bills.
The government also proposed
consideration and passing of the
Companies
(Amendment)
Bill,
2015 and The Regional Rural Banks
(Amendment) Bill, 2015 in the Rajya
Sabha next week.
For the next week in the Lok
Sabha, the government has proposed
discussion on general budget for 201516 and introduction, consideration and
passing of Appropriation Bills relating to
the Demands for Grants on Account for
2015-16, Supplementary Demands for
Grants for 2014-15 and Excess Demands
for Grants for 2012-13.
— IANS
Kerjiwal’s cough, blood sugar
under control, says doctor
BENGALURU: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal has recovered from chronic
cough and high blood sugar after nineday naturopathy treatment at a private
hospital here, a senior doctor said on
Saturday.
“Kejriwal’s chronic cough and blood
sugar are under control, as he recovered
well under our treatment,” Jindal
Naturecure Institute medical director
Babina Nandakumar said.
With his 10-day stay at the institute
hospital ending on Sunday, Kejriwal will
be returning to Delhi on Monday by
evening flight.
“As Kejriwal has responded well to
the naturopathy system of medicine,
including yogic exercises, diet, specific
therapies and walking, he has been
advised to continue with them till his
health stabilises,” she said.
Being aware of Kejriwal’s hectic
schedule and engagements, the doctors
have advised him to maintain strict diet,
take food at prescribed times and go to
bed early to get up early.
“As Kejriwal is unable to extend his
stay here due to the upcoming budget
session (of the Delhi legislative assembly)
and other pressing engagements, we
have prescribed a regime comprising
naturopathy treatment, diet and
exercises,” she said.
Kejriwal’s blood sugar has come down
to 130 pp (postprandial) and 90 fasting
from a high of 300 mg/dl when he was
admitted on March 5.
“Frequency of Kejriwal’s chronic
cough has also come down. He has
shown remarkable improvement on both
counts,” Nandakumar said.
The 46-year-old Aam Aadmi Party
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has
opposed the central government’s
proposal for providing money to
the beneficiaries instead of rice and
wheat under the Public Distribution
System (PDS), said an official on
Saturday.
The government opposed the
recommendations of the Shanta
Kumar Committee which includes
introduction of direct cash transfer
to replace PDS for the below poverty
line (BPL) families.
The issue was also discussed in the
assembly.
“The state government cannot
accept this proposal of giving money
directly to the beneficiaries through
cash transfer instead of rice and
wheat. The rural economy of the state
will crumble if recommendations of
the Committee are implemented,”
said Odisha Food Supplies and
Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay
Das Burma, while replying during
the discussion on demand for grants
of the Food Supplies and Consumer
Welfare department.
An official of the department said
the state government has already
expressed its unwillingness to the
central government. Stating that PDS
is closely linked to procurement of
paddy, Sanjay Das Burma also said
introduction of direct transfer will
fully destroy the system.
Swimmer Bula
Choudhury’s
house burgled
KOLKATA:
Former
national
women’s
swimming
champion
Bula Choudhury’s residence in
West Bengal’s Hooghly district was
burgled on Saturday and many of her
valuables, including commemorative
plaques and medals, were stolen.
The Arjuna awardee who also has
a house in the city, said her residence
in Hindmotor was locked for some
time and the burglars broke open and
took away all her golden ornaments
as well as plaques and medals.
“The burglars broke open all
the cupboards and took away my
jewelery. They also took away all the
plaques and medals that I had won
over the years,” said Choudhury, the
first woman to swim across seven
seas in five continents.
“I keep shuttling between the
two residences and the house at
Hindmotor usually remains locked.
It’s fortunate that nobody was in the
house at the time, who knows the
robbers could have attacked us,” said
Choudhury who has filed a police
complaint.
Eye surgery
goes wrong in
Haryana
(AAP) convener was earlier treated at the
institute on the city’s outskirts when he
came with social activist Anna Hazare
in February 2012, as he had high blood
sugar level but no cough.
“Kejriwal stayed with us for 16 days
and followed our nature cure regime, diet
and treatment instructions meticulously.
On discharge, his sugar level was within
normal limits without medication,”
Nandakumar recalled.
During the last three years, due to
preoccupation with social and political
activities and punishing schedules,
Kejriwal could not maintain the
lifestyle changes he had learnt at the
institute.
“Deviation from natural lifestyle has
had its toll and his blood sugar level shot
up to 300 mg/dl plus. Insulin and oral
diabetic medications could not stabilise
it and it remained erratic. As allopathic
medication could not control it, he
decided to revert to naturopathy at our
institute,” Nandakumar said.
— IANS
CHANDIGARH: At least 14 people
have been admitted to the PGIMER
here after the cataract surgery done
on them in a private hospital in
Haryana’s Panipat town earlier this
week went wrong.
Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij
visited the Post Graduate Institute
of Medical Education and Research
(PGIMER) on Saturday and enquired
about the patients who had been
brought from Panipat.
The 14 eye patients, including
five women, are mostly elderly and
had undergone cataract surgery
at Navjeevan Eye Hospital in the
industrial town in Panipat, 80 km
from Delhi, on March 11 during a
free camp organised by eye surgeon
Ankur Gupta.
The patients were rushed to
PGIMER after they complained of
pain in their eyes within one to two
days of the surgeries. Doctors at
PGIMER told the health minister that
they were trying their best to salvage
the vision of the patients. — IANS
AMERICAS
12
SECURITY AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS
S U N DAY l M A R C H 1 5 l 2 0 1 5
The State Department on Friday said it was
upgrading the security of its unclassified
computer network to defend against cyber
attacks, leaving some employees unable
to send outside e-mails or access the
Internet. Department spokeswoman Jen
Psaki said the agency was improving “the
security of its main unclassified network
during a short, planned outage of some
Internet-linked systems.”
WORLD
US, Cuba to
meet again
tomorrow
WASHINGTON: American and
Cuban diplomats will meet early next
week for a third round of historic
talks on restoring diplomatic ties and
reopening their embassies, US officials
said on Friday.
Top US diplomat for Latin America,
Roberta Jacobson, will travel back
to Havana on Sunday for the talks
between the two old Cold War foes
expected to open on Monday and last
until mid-week.
Both sides said progress had been
made in their last negotiations in
Washington on February 27 aimed at
restoring diplomatic ties severed for
more than half a century, but cautioned
that differences remained.
Jacobson will again meet with
Cuba’s chief negotiator Josefina Vidal in
a bid to hammer out remaining issues
as both sides eye an upcoming Summit
of the Americas in Panama on April
10-11.
President Barack Obama is to attend
the summit, at which Cuba will also
participate for the first time.
“The president said recently he still
thinks this can be done by April and the
Summit of the Americas, so obviously
that’s something that we still would like
and that’s what we hope,” a senior State
Department official said.
Washington and Havana have held
two rounds of talks on reopening
embassies, but thorny issues remain
such as compensation for American
property nationalised after the Cuban
Revolution, freedom of movement for
US diplomats and Cuba’s removal from
the US blacklist of state sponsors of
terrorism.
— AFP
WHAT’S UP THERE?
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro
greets Sandinista supporters next to
his wife Cilia Flores and Nicaragua’s
President Daniel Ortega during a
ceremony in Managua. Hundreds of
Sandinistas marched in the avenues in
support of Maduro’s government and
against the new sanctions imposed by
the US on a group of officials
in Venezuela.
White House intruder
pleads guilty to assault
US President Barack Obama puts on his jacket before boarding Air Force One at Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport to
return to Washington from Phoenix, Arizona on Friday. — Reuters
WASHINGTON: An Iraq War veteran
pleaded guilty on Friday to charges of
running into the White House armed
with a knife before being tackled, a
security breach that helped lead to a
shake-up in the US Secret Service.
Omar Gonzalez was charged with
climbing over the White House fence
on September 19 and racing across the
north lawn. He burst through the front
door and reached as far as the executive
mansion’s East Room before Secret
Service agents subdued him.
“Are you guilty?” US District Judge
Rosemary Collyer asked Gonzalez,
who was dressed in an orange prison
jumpsuit.
“Yes, yes, your honour,” said
Gonzalez, formerly of Copperas Cove,
Texas. He gave his age as 43, though
prosecutors had said he was 42.
Gonzalez was carrying a folding
knife when he was arrested and told
a Secret Service agent that he needed
to tell President Barack Obama that
the atmosphere was collapsing. The
Obamas were not in the White House
when the incident occurred.
Gonzalez, who has no prior
convictions and suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder, pleaded guilty
to federal charges of illegal entry with
a dangerous weapon and assault on a
federal officer.
He faces up to 10 years in prison for
the illegal entry charge and eight years
for the assault accusation, plus hundreds
of thousands of dollars in fines.
Collyer said prosecutors and the
defense had agreed that sentencing
guidelines called for 12 to 18 months in
prison and possible fines. Sentencing is
set for June 8.
Gonzalez will also undergo
supervised release after he leaves prison,
and conditions include avoiding contact
with the Secret Service, Collyer said.
— Reuters
3 held in terror probe plead not guilty
NEW YORK:
Three New York
residents accused of offering support
to IS militants fighting in Syria and Iraq
pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges
on Friday during a court appearance
following their arrest last month.
Uzbekistan nationals Abdurasul
Hasanovich Juraboev, 24 and Abror
Habibov, 30, together with Kazakhstan
citizen Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, are
charged with offering support to a
foreign terrorist organisation.
They face up to 15 years in prison if
found guilty.
FBI agents arrested Saidakhmetov
at New York’s John F Kennedy
International Airport on February 25
as he attempted to board a flight to
Istanbul en route to Syria.
Juraboev, who had bought a ticket
for a flight to Turkey due to leave in
March, was detained at his home in
Ferguson mayor resists calls to
resign as police ‘chase leads’
A small group of protesters gather at the memorial for Michael Brown Jr at Canfield
Apartments in Ferguson, Missouri on Friday night. — AFP
FERGUSON: The mayor of Ferguson
rejected growing calls on Friday to
resign in the aftermath of a blistering
US government report into the fatal
police shooting of unarmed black
teenager Michael Brown.
Mayor James Knowles struck a
defiant tone in a flurry of interviews
with US news media as St Louis
County police kept up the search
for the gunman who wounded two
officers amid an otherwise peaceful
demonstration on Wednesday.
“Right now, this community
needs leadership,” Knowles, a white
Republican in his early 30s who was
re-elected mayor by acclamation four
months before Brown was shot and
killed on August 9, told NBC News.
He said he enjoys “continued
support from a lot of residents” in his
St Louis suburb of 21,000. Two-thirds
of the population is African-American,
but the city government and police
force are predominantly white.
“This community needs someone
who is going to stay around and work
towards bringing us together, moving
us forward. And I’ve committed to
doing that. And so has the rest of the
city council.”
MARCH IN SUPPORT OF VENEZUELA PRESIDENT
Mayor James Knowles
struck a defiant tone in
a flurry of interviews
with US news media as
St Louis County police
kept up the search for the
gunman who wounded two
officers amid an otherwise
peaceful demonstration on
Wednesday.
On CNN, Knowles — a Ferguson
native and one-time civilian employee
of its police force — said that if citizens
really want him to go, a recall process
exists for ousting disliked elected
officials.
“There are ways to remove me if
that is the will of the people,” he told
the all-news network, one of many in
the United States giving saturation
coverage to the story.
Tension has gripped Ferguson since
August 9, when local police officer
Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-yearold Brown, a suspect in a petty cornerstore shoplifting, after an altercation on
a residential street.
Sometimes violent protests ensued,
as Brown’s death — and the failure
by a grand jury to indict Wilson —
ignited a heated national debate about
race relations, law enforcement and
excessive use of police force.
In the aftermath of a scathing
Justice Department report last
week that exposed racial bias in his
department, Ferguson’s embattled
police chief Thomas Jackson submitted
his resignation on Wednesday.
That night, however, Ferguson was
back on a knife edge when shots rang
out in the dark amid an otherwise
peaceful march outside the local police
station, wounding two officers — one
in the face, the other on the shoulder.
St Louis County police chief Jon
Belmar, now in charge of policing
Ferguson’s nightly protests, who
initially called the shootings an
“ambush,” said on Friday that
detectives working “around the clock”
were chasing several leads.
“I cannot tell you at this point that
an arrest is imminent. There is certainly
nobody in custody,” he told reporters,
nearly 48 hours after the bullets flew.
It was the first time that any police
officer had been hit by gunfire during a
Brown-related protest, in a Midwestern
state that has some of the most relaxed
gun laws in the United States.
President Barack Obama, appearing
on a late-night TV talk show, said
people had a right to be angry about
Brown’s death, but added there was no
excuse for “criminal acts.”
Protest organisers say the shooter,
or shooters, did not come from their
ranks. But in the absence of a swift
arrest,
some
African-Americans
wondered on Friday — with no hard
evidence to back their speculation — if
the gunfire might have been the sinister
work of disgruntled white agitators.
— AFP
Brooklyn while Habibov was arrested
in Jacksonville, Florida and accused of
paying for Saidakhmetov’s trip.
Appearing before judge William
Kuntz in federal court in Brooklyn on
Friday, all three pleaded not guilty, a
spokesman said.
Prosecutors said Juraboev came to
the attention of authorities after posting
a message online last August offering to
kill President Barack Obama if ordered
to do so by IS, which has taken control
of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
The court hearing came against
a backdrop of mounting concern
amongst Western governments over
the rising number of foreign fighters
travelling to Syria through Turkey to
join extremist groups.
US intelligence officials warned
in February that more than 20,000
volunteers from around the world,
including more than 150 Americans,
had gone to Syria to link up with
extremists.
Nicholas
Rasmussen,
director
of the National Counter-Terrorism
Center, said the rate of travel to Syria
was “unprecedented” and exceeds
the number of militant supporters
who went anywhere else, such as
Afghanistan or Pakistan, in the last 20
years.
— AFP
IN BRIEF
Parents of slain Mexican pupils head to US
Brazil govt backers
take to streets
ahead of protests
RIO DE JANEIRO: Pro-government
labour unions and social activists
staged demonstrations across Brazil
on Friday in support of President
Dilma Rousseff, two days before
mass protests planned against her
administration.
The leftist leader is facing a
wave of discontent over a stalling
economy, unpopular budget cuts and
a corruption scandal over kickbacks
at oil company Petrobras that has
implicated four dozen politicians from
her governing coalition.
The protests on Sunday could
deepen a political crisis that has
given rise to calls for Rousseff’s
impeachment for not stopping a
multibillion-dollar graft racket at
Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the oil
company is formally called.
Police said 12,000 people blocked
one of the main avenues of Sao Paulo,
Brazil’s largest city, marching in the rain
to defend the state-run oil company
and worker rights threatened by belttightening economic policies.
“Dilma stays,” read banners held by
followers of the Communist Party of
Brazil, a Rousseff coalition member.
Turnout in other Brazilian cities
was smaller. There were no reports of
violence.
The demonstrators had
contradictory slogans. While backing
Rousseff, the unions called for the
withdrawal of her measures to reduce
unemployment and pension benefits,
part of an austerity plan she has had to
adopt to bridge a gaping fiscal deficit
and save Brazil from a credit rating
downgrade. — Reuters
MEXICO CITY: Parents of the 43 Mexican students who disappeared nearly six months
ago are travelling to the United States to call on compatriots living there to boycott
Mexico’s June elections, a spokesman said on Friday.
The spokesman, Felipe de la Cruz, said the aim was to pressure the Mexican
government into keeping the investigation open, even though authorities want it
closed.
“The Mexican government must understand that we will not rest until we find
them (the students),” he said.
“All Mexicans, wherever they are, should know that you cannot trust the authorities
or politicians.”
Mexicans living in the United States can cast ballots in Mexican consular offices for
the June 7 local legislative elections.
The missing students were from a teacher’s college in Ayotzinapa in the southern
state of Guerrero. They died in a night of protests on September 26 after being arrested
by police in the nearby town of Iguala and handed over to a drug trafficking gang that
killed them, burned their remains and threw them into a river, according to the official
government account. — AFP
Locals evacuate their homes during a forest fire in the hills of the port city of
Valparaiso, on Saturday. Thousands of people were evacuated from around
Valparaiso on Friday as a forest fire raged out of control, emergency service
agency Onemi said. — Reuters
Alleged protest organiser kills self in prison
CARACAS: A man accused by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of helping
mastermind anti-government protests in early 2014 committed suicide on Friday in an
intelligence service prison, authorities said.
Interior Minister Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez said the body of Rodolfo Gonzalez, 63,
had been found in an intelligence service cell and that he apparently had hanged
himself.
Gonzalez’s defence attorney, Jose Vicente Haro, said that Gonzalez hanged himself
after becoming “distressed” in recent days when he was told he would be moved from
the prison administered by SEBIN, Venezuela’s intelligence service, to a normal prison.
Gonzalez was “distraught over his transfer to an ordinary prison, with highly
dangerous inmates,” the lawyer said.
He added that Gonzalez, whose case had not yet reached trial, suffered poor health
that “did not permit him to live under such conditions.”
The Venezuelan attorney general’s office said on its website that it would
investigate the circumstances surrounding Gonzalez’s death. — AFP
REGION
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
omandailyobserver
Kerry: unclear on interim Iran N-deal
RIGHT DEAL: The US and five other major powers will resume talks with Iran in Switzerland from today
SHARM EL SHEIKH: On the eve of
fresh talks with Iran, US Secretary of
State John Kerry said it was unclear
whether an interim agreement over its
nuclear power programme was within
reach.
“I can’t tell you whether or not we can
get a deal, whether we are close,” Kerry
told a news conference on Saturday
in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el
Sheikh, where he attended an Egyptian
investment summit.
“The purpose of these negotiations is
not just to get a deal, it is to get the right
deal,” he added.
The United States and five other
major powers — Britain, Germany,
France, China and Russia — will resume
negotiations with Iran in Lausanne,
Switzerland, from Sunday.
They hope to clinch a framework
agreement by the end of the month.
The two sides would then seek to
negotiate by June 30 a final agreement to
would curb Iran’s most sensitive nuclear
activities for at least 10 years.
In exchange, sanctions on the
Republic would gradually end.
Kerry expressed concern again that a
letter to Iran last week from Republican
senators may have undermined the
talks.
The letter warned Iran that any deal
made by President Barack Obama might
last only as long as he remained in office
— a highly unusual intervention in US
foreign policy-making.
The US Secretary of State
says he would assure Iranian
negotiators and Europeans
allies during the upcoming
talks that Congress did not
have the authority to
change the deal
US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at a news conference in Sharm el Sheikh. — AFP
Kerry said he would assure Iranian
negotiators and Europeans allies during
the upcoming talks that Congress did
not have the authority to change the
deal.
“As far as we’re concerned, Congress
has no ability to change an executive
agreement,” Kerry said, adding that
“important gaps” still remained between
the sides.
The letter followed a speech to
Congress earlier this month by Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
who warned that Obama was negotiating
a “bad deal” with Iran.
Republicans invited Netanyahu to
Yemen political forces
form anti-Houthi alliance
SANAA: Yemeni political forces who
oppose the opposition that has seized
control of Sanaa formed an alliance
against it on Saturday, saying they want
to restore state authority and rebuild
weakened security forces.
Yemen descended into chaos after
the Houthis, seized Sanaa in September
and then began a push to spread their
influence further afield.
The
Houthis
dissolved
the
government and parliament in February,
forming a presidential council, after
President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi
submitted his resignation.
But Hadi slipped through a
Houthi siege of his Sanaa home and
fled to Aden, where he rescinded his
resignation and declared the southern
port city to be Yemen’s new capital.
The newly formed National Salvation
Bloc groups and secular parties, as
well youth groups, tribal alliances and
members of the Southern Movement,
which seeks greater autonomy for the
formerly independent south.
It also includes dissident southern
members of the General People’s
Congress, the party of former president
Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is suspected of
backing the Houthis.
It aims to restore state authority and
The Houthis dissolved the
government and parliament
in February, forming a
presidential council, after
President Abedrabbo
Mansour Hadi submitted
his resignation
“prevent the collapse of the army and
security forces and rebuild them,” said
a statement after a formational meeting
in Sanaa.
And it criticised “illegitimate”
measures taken by the Houthis and
rejected the state being controlled by
opposition.
The challenges threatening Yemen
led them to unite in face of what they
called the “destructive” consequences
of the latest developments in the
impoverished and deeply tribal country.
The bloc includes such major
political parties as Brotherhood-linked
Al Islah, hardline Al Rashad and the
Nasserist Unionist People’s party.
Yemen is also home to al Qaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
which, along with tribes and Al Islah
supporters, has battled Houthi attempts
to expand further south.
Meanwhile, hundreds had rallied
in Yemen’s capital on Friday to call
for presidential elections and demand
the son of ex-strongman Ali Abdullah
Saleh run as a candidate.
Sanaa has been under the control
of Houthis, since September, and
President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi
has fled to the southern city of Aden
after escaping house arrest in the capital
last month.
Saleh, who stepped down in
February 2012 after a year-long popular
uprising, has been accused of backing
the Houthis.
Gathered in Sabiin Square in Sanaa’s
southern district, near the residence
of Saleh’s son, Ahmed, demonstrators
chanted “The next president is Ahmed”
and “Ahmed is our president”.
The demonstration passed without
incident, a day after militiamen shot
dead two protesters taking part in a
rally.
Vehicles with loudspeakers urging
Yemenis to join the pro-Ahmed rally
circulated in Sanaa for two days before
the demonstration. Ahmed is Yemen’s
ambassador to the UAE, but rarely stays
in his country’s neighbour.
— AFP
speak about Iran without consulting the
White House or Democrats.
With Israel preparing to elect a new
government next week, Kerry said the
United States hoped that whatever the
outcome it would help push forward the
peace process with Palestinians.
Opinion polls show Israel’s centre-left
opposition is poised for an upset victory
in the parliamentary elections over
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
party.
“President
Obama
remains
committed to a two-state solution,”
Kerry said, adding “he remains hopeful
that whatever choice that people of Israel
make, that there will be an ability to be
able to move forward on those efforts.”
He declined to elaborate on the
prospects of resuming the talks, with an
election just days away.
Peace talks broke down in April 2014
after nine months of negotiations led by
Kerry, with the long-standing goal of a
two-state solution no closer.
Kerry met with Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday on the
sidelines of the investment conference in
Sharm el Sheikh. The meeting included
Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.
Abbas has steered clear of taking a
position on the Israeli election, saying
only that he was ready to work with who
— Reuters
wins.
Hamas blames Palestinian
Authority for Gaza violence
GAZA CITY: The Hamas-held interior
ministry in the Gaza Strip on Saturday
accused security forces reporting to
the rival Palestinian Authority of being
behind a wave of violence in the coastal
enclave.
Spokesman Iyad al Bozum accused
“members of the former security
establishment in Gaza” of “exploiting the
difficult conditions, especially since the
last war, to spread chaos and confusion
with explosions, car burnings and
shootings”.
Palestinian Authority security forces
were ousted from Gaza in 2007 by
fighters from the Hamas movement’s
armed wing.
Bozum did not elaborate, but
explosions have targeted vehicles used by
Hamas in recent months, as well as some
owned by members of PA President
Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party.
He told a news conference
investigations had shown the incidents
were “the result of plans by security
chiefs in Ramallah”, headquarters of the
PA in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Bozum said they were aimed at
“spreading chaos in Gaza in order
to cover up the government’s failure
and absolve him (Abbas) from any
responsibility”.
Since last spring, when Hamas
A Palestinian protester scuffles with an
Israeli soldier during a protest against
settlements south of Bethlehem. — Reuters
signed a reconciliation deal with the
PA, it has accused the government
of independents created under the
agreement of abandoning Gaza.
In return, the PA accuses Hamas
of raising obstacles to the work of the
government in the enclave, where it is
reluctant to transfer power.
Relations between Fatah and
Hamas have been further strained
since November, when a series of blasts
targeted the homes of a dozen Fatah
officials in Gaza, causing damage but no
casualties.
Bozum told reporters several
suspects have been arrested and played
recordings he said were of them, their
voices distorted and images blurred.
13
CRACKDOWN
Egypt sacks
41 judges for
supporting
Brotherhood
CAIRO: An Egyptian disciplinary
court ordered 41 judges into
compulsory retirement on Saturday
for supporting Brotherhood, judicial
sources said, the latest move in a
sweeping crackdown on political
dissent.
The government has implemented
a harsh crackdown on opposition as
well as political opponents since then
army chief Abdel Fattah al Sisi ousted
president Mohamed Mursi in July
2013 following mass protests against
his rule.
The
Disciplinary
Council
headed by judge Nabil Zaki did not
immediately release the reason for
its decision, but the judicial sources
said 31 of the judges were sent into
compulsory retirement for signing
a statement that condemned the
removal of Mursi.
Another 10 were removed from
their posts for joining “Judges for
Egypt” group which used to be
supportive of the Brotherhood even
before Mursi’s removal, the sources
added.
“The decision is shocking and it
is a massacre of the judges,” Ahmed
El Khatib, one of the punished
judges said. He made no comment
about whether he supported the
Brotherhood.
The judges have the right to appeal
against the decision.
Separately, security forces arrested
63 middle-level Brotherhood leaders
who face charges of attacking police
headquarters and inciting violence,
the Interior Ministry said in a
statement on Saturday.
Another
13
Brotherhood
supporters were arrested on suspicion
of possessing arms and ammunition,
it added.
The government has banned
the Brotherhood as a terrorist
organisation, and Sisi says it is a threat
to national security. The group says it
is committed to peaceful activism.
Egyptian security forces face a
insurgency that has killed hundreds
of soldiers and police since Mursi
was ousted. The attacks are mostly
concentrated in North Sinai, centre
of an insurgency by militants seeking
to topple the government.
Meanwhile,
German
ViceChancellor Sigmar Gabriel delivered
an invitation from Chancellor Angela
Merkel to Egyptian President Abdel
Fatah al Sisi for an official state visit
to Germany at a meeting in the Red
Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh on
Saturday.
The invitation was reported in
the online version of the business
newspaper
Handelsblatt
and
confirmed by dpa.
Al Sisi has asked for more help
from the West, primarily the United
States, in the fight against IS.
— Agencies
Iraqi army pounds IS with artillery, jets and gunships
Forces poised for final Tikrit assault
Supporters of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, dance as they demonstrate
to demand for a presidential election to be held and for him to run for presidency in Sanaa.
— Reuters
TIKRIT: Iraqi commanders were
plotting a strategy for flushing out
the few remaining IS opposition from
central Tikrit, a city one commander
said on Saturday would be liberated
within three days.
The massively outnumbered IS
fighters are completely boxed in but are
protected by snipers and thousands of
bombs they planted across the city.
That has slowed the progress of the
broad alliance of forces battling IS,
which is keen to minimise casualties on
the way to what would be the biggest
victory yet against the opposition.
Karim al Nuri, a top leader of the
Badr militia and spokesman of the
volunteer Popular Mobilisation units,
said it would take no more than “72
hours” to liberate Tikrit from IS, which
seized it last summer. The last defenders
are holed up in the city centre and
A top leader and spokesman
of the volunteer Popular
Mobilisation units, said it
would take no more than
‘72 hours’ to liberate Tikrit
from IS, which seized
it last summer
“surrounded from all sides”, Nuri said.
Speaking to AFP from the outskirts
of Tikrit, near the village of Awja, he
said “their number is now 60 to 70”.
An lieutenant colonel in the army’s
elite counter-terrorism was more
conservative about the battle’s evolution,
saying “battles in cities are difficult for
all armies.”
AFP reporters in a northern
neighbourhood of Tikrit saw dozens
of craters on a single street, caused
by the explosion of bombs concealed
underneath.
On a roof, a government marksman
wearing a white headscarf and who
gave his name as Haj Abu Maryam said
that by noon, he had already killed two
enemy snipers.
There was no evidence of intense
fighting on Saturday, after another day
that saw IS pounded from above — with
artillery, jets and gunships — but with
the assault making little headway on the
ground.
They first cleared outlying areas in
Salaheddin province, of which Tikrit is
the capital, and broke the city’s defences
on Wednesday.
Baghdad has failed several times in
bids to retake Tikrit, but this operation
is on a different scale, with up to 30,000
men initially involved.
— AFP
14
omandailyobserver
EUROPE
CARDBOARD ART
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
Serbian helicopter crashes while
evacuating newborn, seven killed
People visit the Falla del Pilar during the Fallas Festival in Valencia on Saturday. Fallas are gigantic structures made of
cardboard portraying current events and personalities. Fallas will be burned as a tribute to Saint Joseph, the saint patron of
carpenters. — AFP
BELGRADE: A Serbian military
helicopter evacuating a five-day-old
baby for emergency medical treatment
has crashed in heavy fog, killing all
seven people on board, the officials said
on Saturday.
A four-member crew, two medical
workers and the baby were all killed in
the crash, Prime Minister Aleksandar
Vucic told RTS television.
The incident was the worst of its
kind since 1996, Serbian army chief
of staff Ljubisa Dikovic said. The Mi17 helicopter transporting the baby
who was suffering severe respiratory
problems to a Belgrade hospital crashed
late Friday near the Serbian capital, the
defence ministry said in a statement.
The baby was initially being rushed
to hospital in an ambulance, but the
vehicle got stuck in a mudslide in central
Serbia some 200 kilometres (120 miles)
south of Belgrade.
Air traffic controllers lost contact
with the helicopter while it was awaiting
clearance to land.
The aircraft disappeared from the
radar a few minutes later, Vucic said.
The helicopter had attempted to
land twice due to poor visibility, the
helicopter unit commander Predrag
The wreckage of a military helicopter is pictured at the crash site near Belgrade
airport, on Saturday. — Reuters
Bandic told reporters.
Local media reported that several
commercial flights were redirected to
other airports due to heavy fog.
Shortly before the accident lights at
two of Belgrade’s main football stadiums
— of the Red Star and Partizan clubs
— were reportedly lit so the helicopter
could try to land there.
“The weather conditions were
complex but nothing that such an
experienced crew in a helicopter
equipped as this one could not handle,”
Bandic said.
According to military officials, the
pilot was among the most experienced
in the Serbian army, with more than
4,000 hours of flight.
“The crew was the best that the
Serbian army had to offer for this task,
(and) the helicopter was fully functional
before taking off,” Bandic said.
The government declared Sunday a
day of mourning. Military police have
cordoned off the crash site near the
airport.
— Reuters
EU and Germany raise Greece exit alarm
FRUSTRATION: Athens’ claim to Germany for World War II debts seen as outlandish by its EU member states
Labour leader
urges Britons
to choose hope
at election
BIRMINGHAM: The leader of
Britain’s main opposition Labour
party, Ed Miliband (pictured), who
hopes to become prime minister on
May 7, urged voters to choose hope
over fear at a rally for activists on
Saturday.
Miliband is fighting Prime
Minister David Cameron for the keys
to Downing Street in a knife-edge
race which commentators predict
could result in another coalition or a
minority government for Britain.
The centre-left party, which
governed Britain from 1997 to 2010,
says it wants to share the profits of
economic recovery more evenly
across society and protect the staterun National Health Service. “That
is the choice at this election — the
pessimists or the optimists, fear or
hope, the few or the many, a failing
Tory plan or a better plan for working
families. Britain can do better than
this,” Miliband said at Labour’s spring
rally in Birmingham, central England,
where he unveiled a pledge card of five
key election vows.
“Today I urge the British people to
choose optimism, to choose a country
for the many, to choose our plan for
working families, to decide to hope.”
His language seemed to echo that used
by Barack Obama on the US campaign
trail in 2008.
Labour is being advised by David
Axelrod, who helped orchestrate
Obama’s rise to the White House. Eight
weeks before the election, Labour is on
32 per cent support compared to 33
per cent for Cameron’s Conservatives,
the senior partners in coalition
government, according to a rolling
average of opinion polls compiled by
the UK Polling Report. Despite its
campaign focus on the economy and
the NHS, media coverage of Miliband
often focuses on his awkward public
persona. Newspapers this week
focused on how many kitchens he has
in his north London home after he
was pictured in a small, sparse room
drinking tea with his wife. It later
emerged that he had a second, larger
kitchen, prompting commentators to
debate whether this meant he was out
of touch with ordinary voters. —AFP
Brussels: EU Commission chief JeanClaude Juncker has warned of an
alarming lack of progress in talks on
Greece’s bailout, as Germany raised the
spectre of a tumultuous Greek exit from
the euro.
Juncker was meeting Alexis Tsipras,
the leader of the hard-left Syriza party
who came to power in January, on
Friday just days after Tsipras renewed a
demand that powerful Germany repay
debts from its Nazi past.
“I am not satisfied by the
developments in the recent weeks,”
Juncker said before talks began with
Greece’s 40-year-old premier and amid
acute concern that Greek coffers could
run empty at any moment.
“I don’t think we have made sufficient
progress, but we will try to push in the
direction of a successful conclusion of
the issues we have to deal with.”
Greece won a four-month extension
of its EU-IMF bailout in February
— despite Tsipras initially saying he
wanted to abandon austerity and have
a completely new arrangement — but
it will not get any of the cash until new
reforms are approved by its eurozone
partners. But frustrations with the Greek
government are mounting among its 18
People during rainfall in Athens on Saturday. — Reuters
fellow eurozone members after Athens
renewed its claim to Germany for World
War II debts seen as outlandish by its
partners.
Greece’s harshest critic, German
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble,
warned that with all the time wasted,
a disorderly “Grexident” that could
accidentally push Athens out of the
euro could not be excluded. “To the
extent that Greece is solely responsible
and decides what is to happen, and we
don’t know exactly what Greek leaders
are doing, we can’t exclude it,” Schaeuble
told Austrian broadcaster ORF.
A German finance ministry
spokeswoman later rowed back on
Schaeuble’s comments, stressing that
“we do not want Greece to leave.”
Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem
— the Dutch finance minister whose own
relations with new Greek counterpart
Yanis Varoufakis have been testy — also
criticised the attitude from Athens.
“In Greece, too much blame for
Greece’s problems is laid outside Greece
and Germany is now the preferred
victim,” Dijsselbloem told Dutch state
broadcaster NOS.
“There’s a lot of verbal violence. This
doesn’t serve any purpose.” Juncker
however insisted after his meeting with
Tsipras that failure was not an option,
and pleaded for a breakthrough.
“I am totally excluding a failure,
I don’t want a failure. I would like
Europeans to go together,” the former
Luxembourg premier said.
The two agreed that former Latvian
premier Valdis Dombrovskis, the
European Commission vice-president
for the euro, would lead a “task force”
that would deal with Greek officials for
further talks.
Greek Defence Minister Panos
Kammenos warned in an interview
Saturday that a Greek exit would have a
“domino effect” on the eurozone.
“If Greece explodes, then Spain and
Italy are next. And, eventually, Germany.
That is why we must find a solution
within the euro,” he told the German
daily Bild. Rather than a third bailout, he
said Greece needed “debt forgiveness”
like that offered to a shattered Germany
after the war.
Bringing up the issue of World War
II reparations, he also argued that “all
other European countries had been
compensated” except Greece.
European officials behind-the-scenes
warned that the dangers of a “Grexit”
remained acute.
“Juncker told Tsipras he was very
worried and could not exclude an
‘accident’,” an official said. “He urged
Tsipras to multiply his efforts... and
avoid statements that could only divide.”
With Greece likely to seek a third
bailout since 2010 later this year, Tsipras
stressed the need for a longer-term
solution.
“I want to be sincere to you that I have
spent 90 per cent of my time to discuss
about the short-term deliberations
with our partners in order to find a
compromise,” he said.
“But I think now it’s time to think
about the future.” Athens faces an urgent
cash crunch, having to find 6.0 billion
euros ($6.4 billion) in the next two
weeks alone to pay its creditors. That
cash emergency deepened after Athens
revealed on Friday that state revenue
was nearly one billion euros short of
projections last month.
— Reuters
Many believe that commercial concerns have allowed Clarkson to stay on despite a series of controversies over race
Cash-cow Clarkson gives BBC major headache
LONDON: Hosts of motoring television
shows rarely generate headlines, but the
furore over the suspension of Top Gear
host Jeremy Clarkson reveals much
about British society and national
broadcaster the BBC.
Clarkson, who was already on his last
warning from the BBC, was suspended
on Tuesday following a “fracas” with an
assistant producer which is now subject
to an investigation.
He hinted on Saturday that he could
be about to leave the broadcaster, calling
himself a “dinosaur” and adding: “The
day must come when you have to wave
goodbye to the big monsters” in his
column for the Sun newspaper.
To his supporters, Clarkson is a
humorous, straight-talking man-ofthe-people standing up to the petty
bureaucracy and political correctness
which they blame for the country’s ills.
In the eyes of his detractors, he is a
boorish bigot who speaks only for out-oftouch white men and whose friendship
with the country’s most powerful figures
belies his anti-establishment posturing.
Caught in the middle is the BBC,
for whom Clarkson has worked since
1988, turning the show from a specialist
To his supporters, Clarkson is a humorous, straight-talking
man-of-the-people standing up to the petty bureaucracy
and political correctness which they blame for the
country’s ills. For others, he is a boorish bigot who speaks
only for out-of-touch white men and whose friendship
with the country’s most powerful figures belies his antiestablishment posturing. Caught in the middle is the BBC,
for whom Clarkson has worked since 1988, turning the
show into a global hit that earns $73 million every year
programme aimed at petrolheads into
a weekly hit watched by five million
people in Britain, around 40 per cent of
them female.
It has also become a global hit with
more than 350 million viewers in 214
countries and earns around £50 million
($73 million) in revenue each year for
the broadcaster’s commercial arm, BBC
Worldwide.
But the BBC now faces a dilemma
over whether to keep its troublesome
star or risk further trouble down the line.
“It is a bureaucratic machine that
must try to please everybody, because
everybody pays for it,” said The
Economist weekly, referring to the yearly
licence fee paid by British television
viewers.
In the short-term, it is likely to have
to compensate foreign broadcasters for
cancelling the remaining shows in the
current series that was being filmed
when Clarkson was suspended.
Uncertainly also looms over a soldout live event in Stavanger, Norway,
which is due to be held on March 27
and 28. Many believe that commercial
concerns have allowed Clarkson to stay
on despite a series of controversies over
race. Most damaging for Clarkson have
been accusations of using the N-word
while reciting an old nursery rhyme in
leaked footage, something the presenter
denied. The show also drew controversy
after a racially offensive Clarkson
comment about an Asian man.
Last year, the Top Gear crew
including Clarkson fled Argentina after
residents hurled stones at a Porsche
they were driving whose licence plates
appeared to reference the Falklands War.
“Top Gear” has also landed in hot
water over its depictions of Albanians,
Romanians and Germans, while the
BBC apologised to Mexico after the
show described Mexicans as “lazy” and
“feckless”.
“His antics... suggest that he holds his
employer in contempt and sees it as a bit
of a mission, pushing the boundaries of
what he sees as its political correctness,”
said Deborah Orr, columnist with the
left-leaning Guardian. “It’s time for a
parting of the ways.”
A YouGov poll found that 45 per
cent of Britons think he should be
sacked, although a petition calling for
his reinstatement has already received
over 800,000 signatures.
Clarkson has often played on the
perception among right-wingers that the
BBC is more concerned with spreading
left-wing messages.
Spectator columnist Rod Liddle
echoed this sentiment, saying Clarkson
“doesn’t toe the usual PC (politically
correct) line”.
“I had the suspicion that they would
get him, one of these days,” Liddle wrote.
But his opponents deride Clarkson’s
image as an outsider, pointing to his
connections in politics, media and
showbusiness.
The group known as the “Chipping
Norton set” after the town west of
London where many live or have a
home includes Prime Minister David
Cameron, who has rallied to Clarkson’s
defence, calling him “a great talent”.
—AFP
INTERNATIONAL
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
Cyclone pounds Pacific island
STRONGEST STORMS: Dozens have been killed in one of the worst weather disasters
SUVA: A terrifying tropical cyclone which smashed into Vanuatu in
the South Pacific on Saturday wreaked widespread devastation, raising
fears that dozens may have died in what may be one of the region’s
worst weather disasters.
The full extent of the damage is unknown, with limited
communications in place after Super Cyclone Pam, a maximum
category five storm, slammed directly into the island nation late on
Friday with gusts of up to 320 kilometres an hour.
The UN had unconfirmed reports of 44 people killed in one province,
and said late on Saturday that there was no clear number of deaths or
injuries but that the impact of the cyclone had been “catastrophic”, as
Vanuatu’s president appealed for international help.
“A disaster of this magnitude has not been experienced by Vanuatu
in recent history — particularly in terms of the reach of the potential
damage and the ferocity of the storm,” said Sune Gudnitz, who heads
the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs in the Pacific.
Aid agencies were scrambling for information and preparing to send
teams to Vanuatu, whose main island is home to more than 65,000
people, with a UN disaster assessment and coordination team expected
to arrive late on Sunday.
“While it is too early to say for certain, early reports are indicating
that this weather disaster could potentially be one of the worst in Pacific
history,” Unicef New Zealand’s Executive Director Vivien Maidaborn
said in a statement. “The sheer force of the storm combined with
communities just not set up to withstand it, could have devastating
results for thousands across the region.”
Vanuatu’s President Baldwin Lonsdale led appeals for international
assistance, telling delegates at a UN conference on disaster risk
reduction that he spoke with a “heart that is so heavy”.
“I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and people of
Vanuatu to the global community to give a lending hand in responding
to these very current calamities that have struck us,” Lonsdale told the
conference in Sendai, Japan. Aid agencies have also launched appeals
and are hoping to start flying in emergency supplies of food, shelter
and medicine from Sunday, when the airport in the capital Port Vila is
expected to reopen.
— AFP
Damaged boats are pushed up against a jetty in Port Vila, the capital city of the Pacific island
nation of Vanuatu. — Reuters
French reality TV team
returns home after crash
PARIS: French sports stars and crew from
the ill-fated reality TV series “Dropped”
returned home from Argentina on Saturday
as experts investigate the helicopter crash
that killed 10 people, including three top
French sports personalities.
The week has been “very long, very
long”, skater Philippe Candeloro said
before flying out of Buenos Aires along
with the rest of the 27-person team,
landing in the French capital on Saturday
morning.
The judge investigating the collision of
two helicopters during filming of the show
gave permission for the French participants
and crew to return home on Thursday after
questioning them.
Monday’s accident killed Olympic
champion swimmer Camille Muffat,
renowned
yachtswoman
Florence
Arthaud and Olympic boxer Alexis
Vastine, as well as five French
television crew members and two
Argentine pilots.
The television programme featured
sports stars who were taken blindfolded
into rugged environments and given 72
hours to get to a place where they could
charge a mobile phone.
Upon landing, Candeloro, former
swimmer Alain Bernard, ex-cyclist
Jeannie Longo, snowboarder Anne-Flore
Marxer and television crew members were
welcomed by relatives and the head of the
TF1 television channel which had been
due to show “Dropped”.
They then went their separate ways
without speaking to the press.
“There was a lot of emotion, tears,”
an airport source who wished to remain
anonymous said.
French investigators are scheduled to
meet the Argentine investigating judge
next week.
Initial findings indicate the crash was
caused by human error, officials say.
Many of this weekend’s sporting events
in France and abroad were due to pay
hommage to the three sports stars who
died in the crash.
Players and supporters at the FranceItaly Six Nations rugby game in Rome on
Sunday, for instance, were expected to hold
a minute of silence.
— AFP
HERALDING SPRING
Belarusian people sing songs as they take part in a Slavic “Spring welcome” festival on the
outskirts of Minsk. — Reuters
omandailyobserver
15
Policeman killed as
gunmen abduct three
Chinese in Nigeria
LAGOS: Gunmen abducted three
Chinese workers after a shootout that
left a police officer dead in central
Nigeria, police said on Saturday.
“Three Chinese nationals were
abducted by some unknown gunmen
within the early hours of Friday,” a senior
police officer said, requesting anonymity.
He said the gunmen had stormed
a quarry outside Lokoja, the capital of
Kogi state, and engaged the policemen
on guard in a shootout.
“One policeman was killed while
another sustained gunshot wounds,” he
said. He said the assailants escaped with
their hostages on foot through the bush,
adding that police were on their trail.
It was unknown whether the
kidnappers were planning to demand a
ransom. Kogi state has seen a wave of
abductions targeting foreigners this year.
Two weeks ago, two other Chinese
nationals were kidnapped in the state,
while an American missionary was
taken from her school last month.
The missionary, who works in the
village of Emiworo where her Free
Methodist Church runs a community
organisation, was released last week.
State police said they were unaware of
any ransom paid for her liberation.
Foreign nationals have often been
kidnapped in Nigeria by local gangs
who typically release hostages following
a ransom payment. Such abductions are
It was unknown whether
the kidnappers were
planning to demand a
ransom. Kogi state has
seen a wave of abductions
targeting foreigners
especially common in the southern, oilproducing Niger Delta, where expatriates
working with large oil companies have
been a frequent target.
A number of foreigners have also
been kidnapped in the north of the
country, but those attacks claimed by
Boko Haram or the linked group Ansaru
are considered a different phenomenon,
and not necessarily motivated by a desire
for ransom. A number of people seized
by Nigerian Islamists have been killed
by their captors, while others have died
during botched rescue operations.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram are no
longer in a position to seize a town in
Niger, a Niger government minister said
on Saturday, following a regional effort
to boost the fight against the group.
“The situation is totally under control.
There is no longer any chance that Boko
Haram will take a city.... The risks of
attacks occurring are very much reduced
by the elimination of all the potential
actors,” Mohamed Bazoum, Minister of
State at the Presidency, said.
— AFP
16
omandailyobserver
PANORAMA
Chinese team’s performance at the 6th World Pyro Olympics in Manila. The annual competition includes fireworks
manufacturers from Brazil, Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal and Sweden.
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
— Reuters
A man checks his mobile phone next to an artwork by US conceptual artist John
Anthony Baldessari (L) during the opening of the Art Basel art fair in Hong Kong.
Greek Presidential guards conduct ceremonial
march in front of the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier in Athens.
— Reuters
Pope Francis blesses a child as he leads a special audience for members of UCIIM,
Italian catholic association of teachers, school managers, educators and trainers, in
Paul VI’s hall at the Vatican.
— Reuters
A Blue Morpho butterfly lands on the arm of a woman at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in San Diego,
California. Called the Butterfly Jungle, the exhibit has over 30 species of butterflies. — Reuters
An engineer
shows an app
on his
smartphone
providing
control over
several
functions of a
Porsche car
registered with
the app at the
CeBIT trade fair
in Hanover. The
world’s biggest
computer and
software fair will
open to the
public from
March 16 to 20.
— Reuters
A man looks at Femme rose sur fond rouge, a painting made by Kees
van Dongen at the TEFAF artfair in Maastricht.
— AFP
A balloon depicting Vincent van Gogh flies over the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque during the hot air balloon festival in
Putrajaya.
— Reuters
Children take part in an anti-nuclear protest in Taipei
on Saturday. Tens of thousands of anti-nuclear
activists around Taiwan marched the streets on
Saturday to urge the government to terminate the
controversial fourth nuclear power plant project and
to stop using nuclear power. The sign reads,
“Nuclear-free home.”
— Reuters
People pose for photographs with a WWF (World
Wide Fund For Nature) panda mascot on Orchard
road shopping district in Singapore . The ninth
edition of Earth Hour will roll across the globe on
March 28.
— AFP
Tourists ride on Segways in downtown Rome. — Reuters
SUNDAY | MARCH 15, 2015 | JUMADA AL ULA 24, 1436 AH
P20
P19
P21
Inside
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TASK: MoTC has responsibility for management of around 30,000 km of roads in Oman
Dedicated unit for road network
Picture for illustration only
CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT
Mar. 14: Oman’s Ministry of Transport
and Communications (MoTC) says it
plans to establish a special unit to oversee
the management of the vast network
of paved and unpaved roads, as well as
bridges and other road-related assets,
currently under its jurisdiction.
The initiative is a key part of a
longer-term initiative by Ministry to
implement a comprehensive system for
the management of road assets under its
purview.
Of the estimated 60,000 kilometres
of roads that crisscross the length and
breadth of the Sultanate, the Ministry
has direct responsibility for the funding,
development and maintenance of some
30,000 km of these roads. They include
approximately 13,300 km of paved roads
comprising a mix of modern expressways,
dual carriageways, and interurban single
carriageway highways, as well as 16,000
km of unpaved roads. Also falling within
the Ministry’s remit are around 250
bridges, 4,000 culverts, retaining walls,
and other road infrastructure.
Responsibility for the remaining
30,000 km of roads lies with other
government and public sector bodies,
such as Muscat Municipality, Sohar
Municipality, Dhofar Municipality,
Ministry of Regional Municipalities and
Water Resources, Ministry of Defence
and Petroleum Development Oman
(PDO).
Given the importance of roads as a key
enabler of economic growth and social
well-being, the Ministry is in the process
Savannah identifies
gold mineralisation
in Oman Block 4
BUSINESS REPORTER
MUSCAT
Mar. 14: Australian-based mining exploration and
development firm Savannah Resources Plc announced at the
weekend that it has identified areas of gold mineralisation
with associated copper mineralisation in its Block 4 licence
in north Oman. The results follow a recently completed rock
chipping and geological mapping programme in Block 4.
Reconnaissance mapping and rock chip sampling within
Block 4 has identified a series of anomalies with high levels of
gold mineralisation associated with copper mineralisation,
the company said in a statement.
Rock chip sampling produced results up to 5.7 per cent
copper and 3.7g/t gold with a
large number of the anomalous
samples being returned from the
Gaddamah prospect in Block
4. It said the results from the
Gaddamah prospect have also
confirmed the historical drilling
intercepts, including 15.9 metres
at 1.91 grammes of gold per tonne and 1.2 per cent copper.
Diamond drilling is under way at both the Sarami (Block
5) and Ghayth (Block 4) prospects with five of the planned
10-hole diamond drill programme completed to date.
Savannah’s CEO, David Archer said, “Work is progressing
well on our Blocks 4, 5 and 6 projects with the primary
focus being on VMS style copper deposits. Recent results
demonstrate there are also high levels of gold anomalism
present, which is highly exciting and can often be found
with copper mineralisation in addition to being prospective
in its own right. We see these unexplained gold anomalies,
especially Gaddamah, which is located close to the old Lasail
(9.2Mt at 1.6 per cent copper) and Lasail West (0.4Mt at 1.0
per cent copper) copper mines, as significant opportunities.”
AIM-listed Savannah Resources has interests in three
copper blocks in the highly prospective Samayil Ophiolite
Belt in Oman.
of appointing a consultant to formulate a
long-term strategy for the management
of this ‘national asset’.
“Looking to the future, and the need to
maximise the benefits of this investment
for the Omani people in the longer term,
MoTC has identified the need to enhance
and strengthen its resources, capacity and
skills to manage and maintain the roads
infrastructure as a key national asset and
the significant resources invested in it,” it
said.
According to authorities, the Road
Management System (RMS) will be an
information and decision support tool
that identifies the optimal allocation of
resources for the management, operation,
preservation and enhancement of a safe
and well-engineered roads infrastructure
asset to meet the needs of current and
future road users.
The aim of this project is to implement
a system that can be utilised to assist in
planning and prioritising road related
investments at strategic, tactical and
operational levels. The system should
help in managing the Omani road
network with the objective function of
minimising cost to the national economy
whilst maximising benefits to road users.
As part of the project, the selected
consultant will be required to develop
and/or update a Road Network
Classification and Numbering System for
entire national road network comprising
around 30,000 km of asphalted roads
and 30,500 km of unpaved roads. The
consultant will also develop a location
referencing system for the Oman roads
network that can be incorporated and
used in the development of the road
management system (RMS).
A separate RMS Implementation
Unit (RMS-IU) is proposed to be
established within the Ministry with
the goal of supporting capacity building
and technology transfer. This unit will
assume eventual responsibility for the
management of the Road Management
System on behalf of MoTC in the longer
term.
MSM continues downtrend
Two IPOs likely
in summer
SAMUEL KUTTY
MUSCAT
THE Muscat Securities Market
is likely to see two initial share
sales before the summer, by a
utility firm and a family-owned
business.
According to Ahmed Saleh
al Marhoon, Director General
of the Muscat Securities Market,
“We are expecting some initial
public offerings this year, and two
may happen by summer,” Ahmed
Saleh al Marhoon on the sidelines
of a securities conference in Abu
Dhabi. He declined to give the
identity of the firms involved.
Seeking to encourage them
to list by allowing them to hold
onto more of their businesses
post‐IPO, Oman is amending its
Commercial Law to reduce the
minimum free float to 25 per cent
from 40 per cent currently, the
Director General was quoted as
saying.
Mar. 14: Along with its global and
regional peers, the Muscat Securities
Market continued its downtrend for the
consecutive eighth day when the bourse
closed trading on Thursday.
The bench mark MSM 30 Index
6,399.76 points amid range bound and
stock specific activity while the Sharia
Index increased by 0.05 per cent to
close at 990.70 points.
“Uncertainty and lack of clarity
about oil and its recovery have been
affecting the market negatively”, said
Suresh Kumar, Research Head at Al
Maha Financial Services.
In the global markets, too, stocks
ended in the red as oil prices on the US
took another tumble and fell below $46
a barrel after data showed supply levels
On Thursday a total of 15.491 million
continue to rise. Most analysts expect shares were traded amounting to aggregate
weak sentiment to continue in the turnover of RO 5.319 million on the
regional and local markets.
Muscat Securities Market. TO PAGE 19
18
omandailyobserver
OMAN
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
GROWTH VISION: 2nd GCC Supply Chain & Logistics Conference, April 13-16: Al Bustan Palace – A Ritz Carlton Hotel
Industry titans to address Oman logistics conference
CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT
Mar. 14: Top-flight personalities representing heavyweights in the world of
logistics are being lined up to present at
the 2nd GCC Supply Chain & Logistics
Conference due to be held at Al Bustan
Palace — A Ritz Carlton Hotel during
April 13-16, 2015. The event, organised
by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, will showcase the Sultanate’s long-term vision for growth as a
logistics gateway to the Gulf and the
wider Middle East region.
Dr Ahmed bin Mohamed al Futaisi
Prefacing the
high-powered
line-up is Dr
Ahmed bin
Mohamed
al
Futaisi,
Minister of
Transport and
Communications, whose
keynote address is set to be one of the most anticipated presentations of the conference.
Dr Al Futaisi’s presentation will focus
on, among other core issues, the Sultanate of Oman Logistics Strategy 2040
(SOLS), which spells out a 25-year road
map for securing a place for Oman in
the ranks of the world’s top logistics
performers.
Kim Fejfer
Also headlining the opening day’s inaugural proceedings is Kim Fejfer, Chief
Executive Officer, APM Terminals, a
giant among global terminal operators.
APM Terminals operates a Global Terminal Network which includes inter-
ests in 71 port
facilities and a
186 combined
port and Inland Services
operations,
employing
20,300 professionals in 63
countries, and
on five continents.
With world headquarters in The
Hague, Netherlands, the company provides port management and operations
to over 60 liner shipping customers
who serve the world’s leading importers and exporters of containerised and
other cargoes.
Leveraging over a century of maritime industry experience and the
strength of the Maersk Group, APM
Terminals has grown to over $4.33 billion in revenue in 2013.
A native of Denmark, Fejfer attended management programmes at
IMD, Switzerland and the Cranfield
School of Management, in England
and Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He was appointed CEO of APM
Terminals in June 2004 and is located
in The Hague, Netherlands company
headquarters. He is a member of the
Group’s Executive Board since January
2011.
Eric Sing-Chi Ip
Adding much
cachet to the
speaker lineup is Eric
Sing-Chi Ip,
Group Managing Director, Hutchison
Port
Holdings Limited
(HPH), the
world’s leading port investor, developer and operator. The HPH network of port operations comprises 319 berths in 52 ports,
spanning 26 countries throughout
Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe, the
Americas and Australasia.
HPH, which is a subsidiary of the
multinational conglomerate Hutchison
Whampoa Limited (HWL), has also
expanded internationally into other logistics and transportation-related businesses.
These include cruise ship terminals, airport operations, distribution
centres, rail services, and ship repair
facilities. In 2014, the HPH port network handled a combined throughput
of 82.9 million TEU worldwide.
Ip, who will deliver his keynote address on Day 2 of the conference, is also
Executive Director of Hutchison Port
Holdings Management Pte Limited, the
Trustee-Manager of HPH Trust. An
industry veteran, Ip began his career in
the maritime industry in 1980, holding
management positions with various
leading shipping agencies. He joined
Hong Kong International Terminals, a
member of HPH Trust, in 1993 as the
General Manager of Commercial and
was promoted to Managing Director
in 1998.
He is an independent non-executive
director of COSCO Pacific Limited and
China Shipping Development Company Limited, and an outside director of
Hyundai Merchant Marine Company
Limited.
Allard Castelein
Fittingly, the
respective
joint venture
partners
of
the
Omani
government
in Sohar Port
and
Duqm
Port are being
repres ente d
as well at next
month’s conference. Port of Rotterdam Authority,
which is a JV partner in Sohar Port, will
be represented by Allard Castelein, who
took over as Chief Executive Officer of
the Authority on January 1, 2014.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is
the manager, operator and developer
of Rotterdam’s port and industrial area,
a mega-hub billed as the largest in Europe. The Port Authority invests in the
development of the existing port area,
new port sites (Maasvlakte 2), public
infrastructure and in the handling of
shipping traffic. The goal is to strengthen the Port of Rotterdam’s competitive
position as a logistics hub and indus- istry of Transport and Communications in the organisation of the 2nd
trial complex of world standing.
GCCSCL Conference & Exhibition is
the Oman Logistics & Supply Chain
Eddy Bruyninckx
Association (OLSCA), a non-profit
Port of Antgrouping of professionals hailing from
werp, one of
all sections of the logistics and supply
Europe’s largchain industry in the Sultanate. Wellest maritime
known event’ management firm Al
hubs, will be
Nimr Expo & Conferences is providing
represented at
operational support to the ministry in
the event by
putting together a world-class conferits CEO, Eddy
ence and companion exhibition.
Bruyninckx.
Consortium
Antwerp Port,
which is the
OEPPA, publisher of Oman
international arm of Port of Antwerp,
Daily Observer and Oman
is a 50:50 joint venture partner with the
Arabic, is the Strategic Media
Omani government in the operation
Partner. A special publication
of Duqm Port on the Sultanate’s Wusta
titled ‘Oman Logistics’ will be
coast.
launched in conjunction with
Eddy Bruyninckx has headed the
the event. For advertising
Antwerp Port Authority since 1992,
queries, drop a mail at:
first as general manager of the Antomanlogistics2015@
werp Municipal Port Company (as it
gmail.com
was then), and for the last fifteen years
as CEO of the Authority in its present
form. As CEO he forged the Authority into an efficient, independent company under public ownership, while
at the same time establishing peaceful
industrial relations within the port of
Antwerp.
For this successful turnaround and
modernisation he was awarded the title
of “Public Sector Manager of the Year”
in 2003, conferred for modern public
management by the Flemish Association for Management and Administration Science, and in 2012 he had the
honour of receiving the first World
Ports Award in Abu Dhabi.
Conference partners
Working closely with Oman’s Min-
BUSINESS ALERT
Joint clean-up campaign
conducted in Wadi al Jizi
Meanwhile, the authorities concerned in Sohar
Municipality committed to recruit their continuous
efforts to support community service and maintain the
cleanliness and safety of the environment. The participants
and volunteers commended be’ah for well-organised event
and its commitment to increase community outreach
across the Sultanate.
be’ah intends to organise another cleaning campaign in
North Al Sharqiyah Governorate on March 21, 2015 and
it urges volunteer teams, citizens and residents to actively
participate.
McDonald’s Drive-Thru
restaurant opens in Salalah
MUSCAT: In collaboration with Sohar Municipality,
Oman Environmental Services Holding Company SAOC
(be’ah) recently organised a cleaning campaign in Wadi al
Jizi in North Al-Batinah Governorate.
Sixty volunteer teams participated in be’ah’s second
cleaning campaign included Al Nima sport team and
Ruwad Al-Tataawu, and numerous volunteers from local
community came together to do their part and raise
awareness of the need to eliminate litter in tourist sites. To
preserve the beautiful environment of these sites, as many
of them have become collecting spots for litter and debris
which impact the habitat and inhabitants.
The campaign reflects be’ah’s strategies in waste
management and its commitment to conserve the beauty
of Oman. As well to spread awareness among different
spectrums of society and concerned entities to undertake
initiatives to reduce the amount of waste and promote
recycling in everyday life. The company is committed
to support the society and its development by provide
the best solutions in waste management in a sustainable
development method, emphasises on the need to maintain
a clean and healthy environment.
The enthusiastic volunteers and concerned authorities
from Sohar Municipality collected varied wastes include
plastic bags, plastic bottles, tissue papers, glass bottles,
paper cups and camping remnants left by the visitors,
along with other waste. be’ah hopes the cleaning campaign
will generate social responsibility awareness and raise
public concern of the need to protect the Sultanate’s varied
tourist attractions.
MCDONALD’S Drive-Thru restaurant is now the newest
landmark in Salalah. Situated at Al Wadi, Rabat road
opposite of Lulu Hypermarket, the newest McDonald’s
restaurant provides great value for money and quality
food, providing an enjoyable eating out experience to
all the residents and visitors in Salalah with an added
convenience of McDonald’s world-renowned Drive-Thru.
The McDonald’s Drive-Thru restaurant is designed in
contemporary style with cozy dining atmosphere with
over 200 sitting capacity. It has a large Playland area and a
spacious party room for children.
The McDonald’s Drive-Thru restaurant — the latest
addition to McDonald’s Oman’s chain of restaurants
boasts the kind of charm, warmth and intimacy that
has made McDonald’s around the world so popular for
families, children, individuals, young adults, groups and
people of all ages and walks of life.
The restaurant provides a welcoming atmosphere
with its vibrant feel and modern décor. The location of
McDonald’s Drive-Thru restaurant makes it an ideal
venue for people on the go.
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
omandailyobserver
19
Bank Sohar wins Best Banking Performance award
MUSCAT: Continuing in its journey
towards banking excellence, Bank
Sohar has been presented with the “Best
Banking Performance” Award at the
fourth edition of the Al Roya Economic
Award 2015, marking the bank’s first
award in the year 2015.
The prestigious award ceremony
was organised by Al Roya Press and
Publishing at the Al Bustan Palace, a
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, on March 11 under
the auspices of Dr Fuad bin Jaafar al
Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and
Fisheries, who handed over the award
to Rashad Ali al Musafir, Acting CEO,
Bank Sohar.
Also present at the event was Hatim
bin Hamad al Taie, Publisher and CEO
of Al Roya Press and Publishing.
Commenting on the significance of
the award for Bank Sohar, Rashad al
Musafir said, “We are proud to have won
such a prestigious recognition which
reflects the outstanding performance of
the bank in 2014.
Receiving such recognition will no
doubt continue to motivate us in order and actively contribute to the overall sector in Oman. I would like to take board members for their guidance, our
to excel in all facets of our operations financial performance of the banking this opportunity to thank our esteemed loyal customers for their trust in us, as
Meethaq launches interactive forum
with prominent personalities
MUSCAT: Meethaq, the pioneer of
Islamic banking in Oman from Bank
Muscat, launched a unique social
forum aimed at facilitating interaction
with prominent personalities sharing
inspirational aspects of their life and
career as well as perspective on economy
and important social and cultural issues
in the country.
Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, UnderSecretary at the Ministry of Oil and Gas,
addressed the first of the series of Majlis
Meethaq gathering at Bank Muscat head
office, attended by key representatives
of academic, industry, banking and
financial sectors.
Salim al Aufi appreciated Meethaq
Islamic Banking for hosting the forum
with a view to highlighting important
economic, social and cultural issues in
Oman. He shared interesting aspects
of his personal life, career and views on
important economic and social issues
in the country. He exuded optimism on
the recovery of oil prices and attributed
the decline in prices to oversupply in the
market.
Majlis Meethaq will be held
every month in which a well-known
economic, social, religious or cultural
personna having influence on Omani
society from the Sultanate or abroad will
be hosted.
The interaction between the guest
and the audience will primarily focus
on aspects of the presenter’s personal
life, success in career and views on
important issues facing the country and
community.
Meethaq is focused on developing
as a benchmark Islamic financial
institution on both the local and
regional level.
Meethaq has adopted the best
practices in Islamic banking and
finance worldwide to combine a robust
model which protects customers and
complements the Islamic banking
industry.
Some fund managers want China to go further with market reforms
MSCI faces opposition to China
inclusion in key index: sources
HONG KONG: China must make
bolder market reforms before Chineselisted shares can be included in key
MSCI emerging market benchmark
indexes, leading global fund managers
and MSCI insiders said.
Anticipation that MSCI would push
ahead with plans to include locallylisted China ‘A’ shares in its Emerging
Markets Index, which is tracked
by $1.7 trillion of funds, increased
following the November launch of the
Hong Kong-Shanghai Stock Connect
trading scheme, which has helped open
up China’s tightly-controlled capital
market.
But, despite strong lobbying by
Beijing, some of the world’s biggest fund
managers want China to go further with
its market reforms.
That lack of support is likely to
scupper Chinese hopes that global index
compiler MSCI would add China-listed
stocks at its annual review in June.
MSCI, too, is disappointed by a lack
of progress on several issues that make it
difficult and expensive to move money
in and out of China’s capital markets.
“In my view, most of those issues
remain,” said one MSCI insider who
didn’t want to be named because the
subject is highly sensitive. ‘‘I’d be very
surprised if we manage to get ‘A’ shares
included even this time around going by
the preliminary chats I’ve had.”
Chinese shares listed overseas
already account for 18.9 per cent of
MSCI’s emerging markets index.
Including all China’s domestic shares
could trigger the largest-ever global
equity rebalancing, and drive up that
figure to 27.7 per cent.
Some predictions suggest $300
billion will eventually flow into the
China market. MSCI is expected to
discuss adding China ‘A’ shares — the
yuan-denominated shares listed on the
Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges — in
May, before announcing a decision in
June.
Chinese regulators, keen to attract
more long-term institutional money,
are scrambling to tackle other market
constraints, and still hope to persuade
global investors to give MSCI the
green light, fund managers and
lawyers said.
As part of its lobbying campaign,
the CSRC last month sent a delegation
to New York and Boston to reassure
investors that China is committed to
capital market liberalisation.
A second individual familiar with
MSCI’s thinking said MSCI was still
trying to persuade major clients, which
include investment giant BlackRock and
other index funds, to back its plan.
But these firms first want to see
China solve critical investment obstacles
relating to the Stock Connect system and
its quota-based institutional investment
programmes.
These
investment
restrictions
include confusion over whether foreign
investors can enforce their rights to
assets held in China; limits on how
frequently investors can repatriate
capital out of China; uncertainty over
whether China will raise caps on
investment quotas; and a lack of clarity
over taxation of capital gains.
— Reuters
well as our management and staff for
their continued dedication and hard
work.”
Bank Sohar continues to reflect
exceptional results, where the year 2014
saw the bank record a net profit of RO
29.878 million, translating to an increase
of 11.19 per cent when compared to
previous year’s net profit of RO 26.871
million.
The operating profit for the year 2014
was RO 38.988 million as compared to
RO 31.735 million in 2013 resulting an
increase of 22.85 per cent.
Bank Sohar was carefully chosen
for this award following a rigorous
selection process by the judging panel
which included a number of renowned
economists. The award ceremony
witnessed more than 130 participants
across five categories including ‘Best
Governmental Project’, ‘Best Private
Project’, ‘CSR award’, ‘Best Banking
Performance’ and ‘Women Craft
Projects’.
“We would like to thank the
organisers of the Al Roya Economic
Awards for highlighting the pioneering
economic leaders in the country.
This recognition motivates winning
organisations to continue on their path
of excellence. I would also like to thank
them for bestowing us with such an
honour,” added Rashad al Musafir.
This is the first recognition of Bank
Sohar in 2015 and another valued
addition to the various accolades
the bank has received over the
eight years of operations. In 2014
alone, Bank Sohar received 21 local,
regional and international awards,
with acknowledgements varying from
financial excellence and growth to
unique products and CSR awards.
This includes being named the
‘Best Financial Brand Oman 2014’ by
renowned UK-based Global Brands
Magazine as well as receiving ‘The
Diamond Eye Award for Quality,
Commitment & Excellence’ from the
French-based Otherways Management
& Consulting Association and
‘Business Excellence Award’ by
Texas-based, World Confederation
for Business (WORLDCOB), among
others.
MSM continues
Alargan Towell attracts strong
downtrend
FROM PAGE 17
Oman investors were net buyers
to an extent of RO 958,000, while
foreign and GCC investors emerged as
net sellers to an extent of RO 661,000
and RO 326,000 respectively. MSM30
Index Market Capitalisation at the end
of the day stood at RO 6.913 billion.
Al Anwar Holding was the most
active in terms of volume as well as
turnover. The top gainer of the day was
Gulf Stones, up by 9.09 per cent, while
Al Sharqia Investment, down by 2.29
per cent, was the top loser of the day.
The Financial Index Financial
Index stemmed its losses and closed
at 7,869.86 points, gaining 4 points,
while the Industry Index and Service
Index declined by 10 points 3 points,
respectively.
“The market is keenly waiting for
the first quarter results. The dividend
adjustments will also have its reflection
on the local bourse”, said Suresh.
The Qatar Exchange index dropped
58.76 points or 0.48 per cent, while
the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange
General Index ended 0.36 per cent
lower at 4,483.54. The main Saudi
index edged up 0.3 per cent to 9,691
points, rising above major technical
resistance on its 200-day average of
9,662 points. Saudi Basic Industries
was the main support, gaining 1.3 per
cent.
Real estate developer Dar Al
Arkan was one of the most traded
stocks and climbed 0.4 per cent after
the kingdom’s housing minister
was relieved of his position, which
investors may interpret as a push
to speed up the state’s housing
construction programme.
Egypt’s market rallied from a weeklow to climb 0.7 per cent to 9,641
points as blue chips provided support,
while in Kuwait, the index slipped 0.1
percent to 6,514 points.
Egypt’s Orascom Construction
dropped 4.0 per cent to $12.50, well
below its initial public offer price of
$14.25, extending a sell-off which
according to some market players
may be driven by Egyptian investors
looking for hard currency.
$200 million GE
facility in Egypt
CAIRO: US conglomerate General
Electric said it will set up a new
training and manufacturing facility
in the Egyptian canal city of Suez
in an investment worth $200
million.
GE, considered a bellweather of
global industrial activity, made the
announcement on the sidelines of a
major international conference hosted
by Egypt to attract overseas investment
in its troubled economy.
US Secretary of State John Kerry
and hundreds of other prominent
figures are attending the three-day
conference at the Red Sea resort town
of Sharm El-Sheikh. — AFP
response at property show
MUSCAT: Alargan Towell, the Sultanate’s
leading affordable housing solutions
provider, successfully took part in the
inaugural edition of the Global Property
Show, which was held recently at the
Oman International Exhibition Centre.
The event brought together the best
of the world’s property investment
opportunities to the residents of Oman. It
presented the latest developments in real
estate from Oman, Egypt, United Arab
Emirates, India and many other countries.
By setting up a well-designed stall at
the venue, the company showcased all
its leading projects including Al Waha,
Telal al Qurm and Beyout Alfaye which
are in various stages of completion. Each
project targets a different customer
segment, and therefore visitors got the
opportunity to choose the investment
option that suited them best.
Tony Safarian, General Manager,
Alargan Towell Investment Company said:
“The first edition of the Global Property
Show was a tremendous success for us
as well as other exhibitors. We received
numerous enquiries from visitors and
this only reinforces our belief that Oman
is the right market for practical housing
solutions at affordable prices. Such
exhibitions are a great channel for us to
interact with customers from all walks
of life. Our real estate advisors present
at the stall, helped many customers to
arrive at the right housing option and
also delivered sound advice as to how
investors can make the most out of the
stable market in Oman.”
Russia’s central bank cuts
interest rate to 14 per cent
MOSCOW: Russia’s central bank cut
its main interest rate to 14 per cent
from 15 per cent as it juggled the need
to resuscitate its crisis-hit economy
against fears of rising inflation.
The rate cut is the second since
the start of the year after a mammoth
increase in December that came as
authorities scrambled to put a lid on
economic turmoil sparked by Western
sanctions over Ukraine and tumbling
oil prices.
The bank said in a statement that
it had “decided to reduce the key rate
from 15 to 14 per cent per annum
taking into account that the balance
of risks is still shifted towards a more
significant cooling of the economy.”
It said the reduction was not
enough to pose “an additional threat of
increased inflationary pressure.”
The bank said that it would be
prepared to consider further cuts if the
risk of inflation falls.
“As inflation risks abate, the Bank of
Russia will be ready to continue cutting
the key rate.”
The central bank predicted inflation
of about 9 per cent for the whole of
2015, while it is currently close to 17
per cent.
It said high inflation was mainly
caused by Western trade sanctions and
the ruble depreciation which it said
were “short-term” factors whose impact
would taper out this year.
The hard-hit rouble rose slightly at
the news, standing at 61.30 against the
dollar and 64.89 against the euro at
around 1100 GMT, after reaching 61.81
against the dollar and 65.35 against the
euro earlier in the day.
Russia last cut its key rate to 15 per
cent from 17 per cent on January 30 in
a surprise move that sent the rouble
tumbling. In December it had jacked
up the rate from 10.5 per cent to 17
per cent, widely seen as untenably
high.
Analysts said the rate cut had been
expected and relatively conservative.
“Overall, the CBR took a balanced
step,” ING bank’s Russia & CIS chief
economist Dmitry Polevoy said in
a research note, saying the move
communicated the bank’s “relatively
dovish stance” but “sent a clear signal
that the policy bias remains unchanged,
ie there is more easing ahead.” — AFP
20
omandailyobserver
PERSPECTIVE
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
SARTORIAL SHIFT
Venezuela’s oil giant embraces pragmatism
A
subtle change in office
attire may be the
most telling symbol
of a quiet revolution
taking place inside
Venezuela’s troubled
economic engine, giant oil firm PDVSA.
For years, PDVSA employees were
encouraged to wear red shirts in support
of late President Hugo Chavez’s socialist
movement. Rafael Ramirez, the former
oil czar famously vowed the state-owned
firm would be “redder than red” and
sent workers to state rallies.
Over the past few months, however,
the company’s new management —led
by president Eulogio del Pino, a lowprofile Stanford-educated engineer
— has eased up on revolutionary garb
and attendance at militant gatherings,
according to sources within and outside
the company.
New posters inside its Caracas
headquarters request employees don
normal office wear, visitors say, a telltale
sign of what could be the most sweeping
changes in over a decade at a firm
that controls the world’s largest crude
reserves and generated some $78 billion
in exports in 2013 — 96 per cent of
Venezuela’s hard currency revenue.
The sartorial shift symbolises the new
management’s effort to regain focus at a
firm that has become a haven for political
friends and operatives, according to
people familiar with the strategy.
It marks a sharp pivot after a decade
under the helm of Ramirez as shoring
up the nation’s main cash cow trumps
ideology in the face of the collapse in
global crude prices.
The changes go well beyond the
symbolic: PDVSA is granting its minority
partners more financial and operational
sway in joint ventures, according to
sources close to the company.
A dozen of those foreign oil
companies are also poised to tap the most
favourable exchange rate of Venezuela’s
complex three-tiered currency system.
Some of the firm’s roughly
150,000 employees have been laid off,
particularly those with overt political
roles, and hundreds of oil ministry
staffers have also been let go, according
to a union leader and a source close to
the government.
“They’re trying to find mechanisms
to give people confidence in investing,
and also trying to increase production,”
said one foreigner close to joint ventures.
To be sure, success is by no means
guaranteed, given that oil prices have
halved in the past year, currency
controls complicate even the most basic
operations and the nation is stuck in an
economic crisis.
Del Pino walks a tightrope between
managing government involvement and
ploughing on with his business plans,
and some industry analysts fear his
hands may ultimately be tied.
PDVSA and the oil ministry did not
respond to requests for comments about
changes in the sector’s management.
The first sign that PDVSA might be in
for a revamp came last September when
Ramirez, a former confidant of Chavez,
was demoted from his triple role as head
of PDVSA and the Oil Ministry, and
vice-president for the economy.
Asdrubal Chavez, the former
president’s cousin and oil industry
veteran, took over the oil portfolio, but
Ramirez remain the head of Venezuela’s
Opec delegation until late December
when President Nicolas Maduro sent
him off to New York as UN envoy.
The first sign that PDVSA
might be in for a revamp
came last September when
Ramirez, a former confidant
of Chavez, was demoted
from his triple role as
head of PDVSA and the Oil
Ministry, and vice-president
for the economy.
Away from the limelight, Del Pino,
until September in charge of PDVSA’s
exploration and production, has been
revamping joint ventures’ and refineries’
operations, sources say.
Minority partners are to garner more
control over their oil fields, including
hiring rigs themselves instead of relying
on a PDVSA service unit, possibly
saving tens of millions of dollars, people
familiar with the matter say.
PDVSA holds 60 per cent stakes in
joint ventures, and minority partners
have long complained of delays in
dividend payouts as well as complicated
operations, in part due to lack of dollars
for imports.
The company is now offering some
partners an increase in ownership,
which could attract more much-needed
capital.
PDVSA holds majority stakes in joint
ventures with energy majors including
Chevron, Repsol, Eni, Rosneft, Total,
ONGC, Statoil and China National
Petroleum Co (CNPC).
The government says production
has already risen in the heavy-crude
Orinoco region, where the joint ventures
operate, and forecasts output to reach
1.37 million barrels per day (bpd) by
the end of the year compared with 1.25
million in 2014.
The new management has also started
trimming PDVSA’s workforce, which,
including contractors, tripled between
2001 and 2013 to nearly 157,000 even as
Venezuela’s crude production has fallen
LIVESTOCK FARMING
to 2.899 million bpd from around 3.1
million, according to annual company
reports. “There are more arrests and
layoffs coming.
That’s what we hear in all the offices,”
said Ivan Freites, a leader of the oil
workers’ union and a government critic.
For example, there had been layoffs
of people technically employed at the
massive Paraguana refinery, but who
actually performed political duties,
Freites said.
Hundreds of employees close to
Ramirez are also being shown the
door at the Oil Ministry and the oil
giant, according to a former ministry
employee and other people familiar with
the matter.
The most striking case of what
some call a witch hunt is the arrest of
PDVSA’s regional production boss Jose
Luis Parada and his sister Gladys Nubia
Parada, a senior oil ministry official, for
alleged corruption in distribution of
highly-subsidised gasoline.
The powerful siblings were close to
Ramirez, according to company insiders.
Some recent appointments at the
company also suggest Del Pino does not
enjoy full autonomy.
New Chief Financial Officer Carlos
Malpica is a relative of Cilia Flores,
Maduro’s wife and close adviser, while
some former members of the military
have been tapped for posts in the supply
and trade departments.
Some experts also warn that despite
his best intentions Del Pino’s mission is
doomed as low oil export prices depress
the revenues and Maduro will look to
tap the oil giant’s resources to spend on
parliamentary election campaigns this
year.
“The strong pressure on PDVSA
to generate resources is increasing,”
said Richard Obuchi, local economist
and energy specialist.”Actually, I think
it would almost be a big success if
they managed to maintain current
production levels.” — Reuters
MOBILE SECURITY
Dairy firm bets farm on cattle that roam Waiting for boom in
encryption services
B
agore
Bathily
was
working as a vet to
Senegal’s
pastoralist
farmers when he was
struck by an absurdity:
3 million cows roam the
country but no dairy company processes
their milk.
Demand for dairy products was
growing among Senegal’s middle class
but consumer choice was limited to
those made from imported milk and
cheap milk powder.
Others had failed to solve the riddle
but Bathily decided to try.
“If I could start a dairy industry that
will buy milk from the local farmers
and make products that consumers
will like, we could create something
sustainable,” he said. Bathily’s idea
touched on two questions central to
Africa’s development: how to monetise
subsistence livelihoods and how to kickstart production of consumer goods in a
continent reliant on imports.
Africa’s dairy industry produced
around 17 million tonnes of products
in 2014, of which around 7 million were
made from imported milk, according
to the International Farm Comparison
Network (IFCN), which promotes
knowledge of global dairy.
Demand for milk in Africa is
expected to grow sharply in the next
decade due to population growth and
rising incomes, leading to an increase
both in production and imports, said
Torsten Hemme, IFCN Managing
Director. The processing industry is
dominated by companies including
Brookside in Kenya, FrieslandCampina
and Promasidor in Nigeria, and Fan
Milk in Ghana, which has received
investment from Dubai-based Abraaj
Group.
When Bathily, now 39, launched
La Laiterie du Berger (LDB) in 2006, it
was — and it still is — the only dairy
processing company in Senegal using
milk from the local herd. He raised
around 1 million euros ($1.2 million)
with help from family and an angel
investor, France-based Investisseurs &
Partenaires, to start the firm.
LDB has since increased its capital to
L
give Danone and its social investment
fund a stake. Grameen Credit Agricole
and Phitrust Partners also own shares.
The company markets pasteurised
milk, yoghurt, fresh cream and sour
milk under the brand name Dolima,
which means “give me more” in Wolof,
Senegal’s national language.
It does not publish results but Bathily
says sales have climbed from 250 million
CFA francs ($431,466) in 2007 to 2.2
billion CFA francs ($3.83 million) in
2013. It is now the number two dairy
producer in Senegal behind Saprolait,
which uses imported powdered milk,
but success has not come easy.
Pastoralists make up nearly a third
of Senegal’s population but the average
herd consists of only two or three cows
producing a few litres of milk a day.
Peuhl farmers migrate hundreds of
kilometres in search of pastures.
To reach herders’ milk Bathily
contends with bad roads, a lack of
storage facilities and power cuts.
“We are not in Switzerland with
green hills, clement weather and cows
that produce 20 litres of milk per day,”
he said. For decades, businessmen and
researchers have wrestled with how to
Pastoralists make up
nearly a third of Senegal’s
population but the average
herd consists of only two or
three cows producing a few
litres of milk a day.
make Africa’s cows more productive and
the dairy business commercially viable.
East Africa’s industry uses highly
milk productive cattle such as Holstein
Friesians crossed with local breeds,
said Amos Omore, Tanzania country
representative for the International
Livestock Research Institute.
“It is very difficult to build commercial
dairy marketing because the limited
milk available is sold to neighbours and
in local markets,” Omore said.
Bathily established LDB’s main plant
in the town of Richard Toll, around
450 km north of the capital Dakar on
the River Senegal and the Mauritanian
border. The town is an agro-industrial
hub with a sugar manufacturer and rice
farmers. It is also near the homesteads
of nearly 1,000 pastoralists from whom
LDB collects milk twice a day.
Before dawn, logistics manager
Souleymane Ba dispatches five vehicles
loaded with hundreds of numbered
plastic containers.
Outside town the vehicles veer on to
tracks through the scrubland, driving
around 200 km between settlements
to exchange empty containers for ones
filled with milk.
Between 1992 and 2003, food giant
Nestle operated a processing business
but it shut due to high collection costs
and competition from cheap powdered
milk imports, a Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) report said.
LDB, however, makes an operating
profit and Bathily aims to ensure farmers
earn more by selling to him, giving them
an incentive to keep their cattle in one
place.
Even so, during this dry season
production fell to about 1,500 litres per
day from 6,000 litres during the rainy
season — an indication of the financial
challenges he faces. “
The social business model that we are
practising is not a model to do things for
free,” he said.”We are not in a hurry.
We are here for the long-term.”
— Reuters
ast year, Silent Circle was essentially banished to a hallway
to give its Mobile World Congress presentation on its
new high security Blackphone. Back then, there was little
interest in such a product.
Fast forward a year — during which yet more revelations
from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked out and
after a massive, embarrassing hack at Sony Pictures — and suddenly
everyone is interested. This year’s Silent Circle presentation in Barcelona
drew in the crowds.
The company even got a private room with a podium. Silent Circle is
one of the firms hoping to cash in on worries about spying and hacking
by selling its more secure mobile to corporate clients. Interestingly, so far,
none of the big companies seem to have any interest in the field.
Most of the competitors are newer businesses with a lot to prove.
“Companies have a massive problem” with the security of their digital
communications, says Silent Circle Manager Mike Janke.
While not a lot of private individuals are prepared to spend several
hundred euros for a safer smartphone, a lot of companies are willing to
make the investment, explaining the interest companies like Silent Circle
have in reaching out to them.
Silent Circle reported at the
Mobile World Congress
in Barcelona that threequarters of its business is
corporate.
“We didn’t change. The
market changed along with
us,” says Janke. He says the
newest Blackphone has extra features that separate tasks based on whether
they are private or professional and provides options for controlling
multiple devices within a single firm.
And Silent Circle is not the only game in town.
“Of course the market has grown,” says Bjoern Rupp, head of Berlin
manufacturer GSMK, which produces the Crytophone, which has gained
a reputation for being particularly safe.
He says a lot of firms have woken up to the risks, especially after
Snowden’s revelations about the ways US spies have sought to extract
secrets about companies. Today’s standard smartphones have a lot of
weaknesses that leave them vulnerable to attack. Apps can allow malware
onto the device.
So can connections via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. “These devices weren’t
made with a focus on security,” says Rupp. But GSMK’s phones are based
entirely on its own technology. That’s why there is no borrowing from
older devices for their phones.
They make it all themselves so they can provide warnings if a hacking
attempt is noticed. It also sets controls on apps and can ward off attacks.
The phone costs about 2,000 euros ($2,169).The Berlin-based company
is clearly trying to appeal to professionals who put a lot of weight on
security. Another focus is mid-sized firms, which might not have worried
about mobile security so much in the past. — dpa
TECHNOLOGY
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
omandailyobserver
21
DIGITAL TIME
APP
Swiss makers silently gear up
with smartwatches of their own
‘Meerkatting’ turns
a Twitter sensation
TO observers of the secretive Swiss watch industry,
its quiet, seemingly passive response to Apple Inc’s
plan to attack their centuries-old business could be
mistaken for submission before an overwhelming
adversary.
But luxury and fashion groups Richemont,
LVMH, Swatch Group and Guess Inc have been busy
in the past year tinkering with smartwatches of their
own, while aiming to preserve their products’ more
timeless appeal. Analysts and industry executives
are starting to think that maybe the Apple Watch
juggernaut will stoke sales of luxury timepieces
among younger consumers used to telling the time
with their phones, rather than on their wrists.
‘Apple has the potential to make the watch
cool again,’’ said CCS Insight mobile analyst Ben
Wood, a confessed wearable gadget freak. Swatch
has told Swiss newspapers it is gearing up to offer
smartwatches of its own in the next few months.
‘Apple is not the only company which is about
to toss a smartwatch on the market,’ Nick Hayek,
Chief Executive of Swatch, the world’s largest
watchmaking group, told SonntagsBlick in January.
‘This is not a threat but a huge opportunity for us
and the Swiss watch industry.’
The upcoming Swatch Smartwatch will include a
chip that allows users to make contactless payments
with a swipe of the wrist. It will use long-lasting
batteries and work with both Apple and Googlebased phones, according to news reports.
The threat of the smartwatch may also be limited
due to its short shelf life as a hi-tech, frequently
upgraded product.
An iPhone tends to lose half its value within the
first year after it is introduced, while Rolex’s flagship
Submariner model has risen in value, analysts at
Berenberg Bank noted in a recent report.
Montblanc, owned by Richemont, announced
in January the launch of the TimeWalker Urban
Speed e-strap watch, which combines a traditional
mechanical watch with an interchangeable strap
containing a Bluetooth connected device.
Guess Inc has also announced plans to launch
a smartwatch line called Guess Connect later this
year.
LIVE streaming video from a smartphone may soon be known as
‘meerkatting’ thanks to a new app that allows anyone with an iPhone
to become a roving reporter. The free application called Meerkat
has become a virtual overnight sensation since its low-key arrival on
Apple‘s online App Store late last month, winning over journalists,
politicians, self-anointed pundits, social media celebrities and others.
Meerkat integrates with Twitter, allowing users of the messaging
platform to launch live video streams with a single touch of an onscreen button. In the rapid-fire Twitterverse, Meerkat has become a
sudden hit with tens of thousands of users trying it.
Meerkat ‘marries the wide potential of livestreaming with the
instant and social strengths of Twitter. Two great tastes that go so well
together,’ wrote Hawaii-based consultant and blogger Ryan Ozawa.
‘Imagine the applications for breaking news. Imagine deploying
Meerkat at an event, with broadcasters and viewers easily interacting
throughout. I could easily see myself falling head over heels in love
with Meerkat.’ The app uses the name and image of a
meerkat, which is a long-necked carnivorous relative
of the mongoose that lives in the deserts of southern
Africa. The news blog TechCrunch described
Meerkat as ‘the livestreaming app Twitter should
have built.’ Twitter appears to have taken notice.
The one-to-many messaging platform
announced on Friday that it was buying the maker of
a rival video streaming app called Periscope, which
is in beta testing and has not yet been released to the public. ‘Excited
to officially welcome @periscopeco to the Twitter team. Can’t wait
for everyone to see what they’ve built!’ Twitter product vice president
Kevin Weil tweeted on Friday.
It was not immediately clear whether Twitter would maintain
Periscope as an independent app or integrate it into the platform.
Both companies are based in San Francisco.
‘That is a worry for Meerkat,’ Danny Sullivan, founder of the blog
Search Engine Land, said of Twitter buying Periscope.
Sullivan ‘meerkatted’ — some are calling it ‘meercasting’ — a
stroll around the South By Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin,
Texas, shortly after arriving there on Friday.
‘It is kind of neat to give a taste of South-By to people who have
never seen it and want a taste of it,’ Sullivan said, referring to the
festival by its informal name. ‘It works surprisingly well; it is very
impressive how easy it was to get going with the live stream.’
With Meerkat, a tweet is fired off containing a link that anyone
can click to be connected to the stream while it is in progress. Tiny
profile icons pop up to show who is tuning in to broadcasts.
CAMERA
Olympus Stylus SH-2 launched with nightscape modes
EXACTLY a year after Olympus introduced its stylish
compact camera Stylus SH-1, the camera manufacturer
has gone ahead and launched its successor the Stylus SH2. The Olympus Stylus SH-2 is not too different from its
predecessor apart from the fact that it has support for
shooting RAW images and time-lapse movies, and also
brings a ‘live composition’ feature apart from nightscape
modes. It is expected to go on sale next month for a price
tag of $400.
The Stylus SH-2 has a 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS sensor
with a 24x optical zoom lens. The lens can also go as wide
as 24mm. The one thing unique to the Stylus SH-2 when
compared with other compact cameras — which is also
a feature the camera has retained from its predecessor —
is the mechanical 5-axis image stabilisation system. This
IS system should help users take stable shots in low-light
conditions. The camera can also shoot 1080p videos at
60fps. There’s a 3-inch touchscreen LCD with a 460k-dot
resolution on the rear of the Stylus SH-2. The addition of
Wi-Fi capabilities to the camera is an added advantage
but the lack of NFC is a bit of a letdown.
Design-wise the camera looks like the more expensive,
more feature-rich, more powerful PEN range of
interchangeable lens cameras.
The entire body is mostly made of an aluminium alloy
and a sheet of leather stitched to the front, which makes
it look retro. In case you were wondering, the Stylus SH-2
has dimensions of 109x63x42mm and weighs 271 grams.
AUTOMOBILE
Mercedes-Benz unveils new
version of B-Class in India
Eberhard Kern, Managing Director at Mercedes-Benz India, poses with the new
version of B-Class car during its launch in Mumbai last week. Mercedes-Benz
plans to sell more compact cars to tap the fastest growing part of India‘s
premium car market, a move analysts say could help the German automaker
overtake rival Audi as the country‘s top luxury car seller. — Reuters
SMARTPHONE
HTC Desire 820s dual SIM has octa core processor
THE HTC Desire 820s which is a variant
of the original smartphone, is soon to go
official in India and a local retailer notes
that stocks have already started coming in.
The device is priced at Rs 24,490 and is said
to offer an improved multi-tone unibody
design with a new 64-bit processor and other
great features.
The phone is powered by a 1.7 GHz OctaCore Mediatek processor instead of using a
Snapdragon chip like on the 820 and 820q
models and comes with dual SIM slots and
HTC’s signature BoomSound front facing
speakers. All variant looks almost identical
and not much has been modified on the
inside. The main difference in the new
version is that its CPU is clocked a bit higher
and packs Mali 760 graphics.
Then there’s dual SIM support with 4G
LTE enabled on both slots. Like the original
handset, this HTC device also comes with
Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box and has
the same core hardware. The display is 5.5
inches wide with 720p HD resolution and
accompanied by an 8MP selfie camera, while
the rear dons a 13MP shooter with an LED
flash. In the memory department, the Desire
820s offers 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal
storage which can be expanded by up to
128GB more through the microSD card slot.
There’s also a 2600mAh battery capable of up
to 12.1 hours of 3G talk time, and dual frontfacing BoomSound speakers.
HTC Desire 820s specifications:
„ Android 4.4.4 KitKat
„ 1.7GHz octa core 64-bit MediaTek
processor
„ Mali 760 graphics
„ 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 128GB
expandable
„ 5.5-inch 1280 x 720 pixel IPS LCD
„ 8MP front camera, 13MP rear shooter
„ 2600mAh battery
„ Dual SIM w/ 4G LTE
22
LEISURE
omandailyobserver
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
Online Editor’s Choice
CARTOONS
ADAM @ HOME
1
by Brian Basset
7
8
10
11
14
16
17
19
21
CALVIN AND HOBBES
by Bill Watterson
22
23
26
28
29
30
31
32
33
GARFIELD
1
by Jim Davis
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
12
STONE SOUP
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
Ill-will can never quite be
amusing (6)
Person with a flexible tongue? (8)
Food that can turn out to contain
a little fat (4)
To hang about makes a change for
a toiler (6)
One takes it to be a responsible
position (6)
Chaps opening negotiations with
me (3)
His life style is singular in
different ways (5)
The ship had cast off (4)
Does she need just half a pork
pie? (5)
To put back about £1 is a bloomer
(5)
Instrument to make a call with?
(5)
Kind of cake a woman might
fancy (4)
Sounder, faultless service to the
West Indies (5)
Money order for a Brit abroad (3)
The aim of a camping life? (6)
Forced to have interfered with a
broadcast? (6)
Nigel Balchin’s island (4)
Footwear, or drawers? (8)
Four-legged variety of hornet (6)
9
12
13
15
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
30
CR O SSW O R D
THURSDAY’S CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
13 Stop at the Norwegian centre, just
in case (5)
15 Beefy aggressor? (5)
18 Offer of a lift to work in central
China (3,2)
19 Stir that vessel! (3)
20 Location of ball (3)
21 Going round a side street (7)
22 Can it live on just one bit of
pollen or nectar? (3)
23 Kind of jacket for a terrorist? (6)
DOWN
24 She backs me up to a certain
Lines of approach by old people
degree (4)
(6)
25 Produce notes illegally? (6)
Suggested by Tom Doe? (6)
26 Withholding the figure for the
Drunken insult? (4)
distance across! (5)
Something to drink or to eat with
27 Go ahead, mess mates! (5)
a jerk? (3,4)
28 Drink up, chum! (3)
Suit the case, as one is able to
30 Just mispronounced for a bit of
measure (3,2)
fun (4)
Animal that doesn’t disturb all the
rest (5)
Father’s no waiter! (4)
EASY PUZZLE
It’s in a certain district of England
ACROSS
(3)
1
Put
out
(6)
No friend possibly of the Earth
7 Surrounded (8)
(3)
8
10
11
14
16
17
19
21
22
23
26
28
29
30
31
32
33
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
ACROSS: 1, Pairs 6, D-AI-ry 9,
Air-sh-ip 10, A-TT-ic 11, Aside 12,
Sedge 13, Breeder 15, Pus 17, Rend
18, La-ti-sh 19, For-U-M 20, Archer
22, S-oft 24, Do-h 25, Pirates 26, FrI-ed 27, Serif 28, S-Al-ly 29, Lurcher
30, Still 31, Tiers.
Aquatic bird (4)
Trinket (6)
Seem (6)
Cot (3)
Military clergyman (5)
Celebrity (4)
Drive back (5)
Log (5)
Heathen (5)
Young horse (4)
Undress (5)
Lip (3)
Contribute (4,2)
Last number (6)
Norse god (4)
Hunter (8)
More profound (6)
DOWN: 2, Attire 3, R-aised 4, Sic 5,
Us-h-er 6, Di-Agra-m 7, A-p-se 8,
Radius 12, Seno-R 13, Broad 14,
ENO-Ch. 15, Pilot 16, Shots 18,
Lu-CID 19, Fearful 21, Robert 22,
Safari 23, Fee-L-er 25, P-each 26, Fill
28, Set.
THURSDAY’S EASY SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Cheap 6, Lithe 9,
Vaulted 10, Utter 11, Vogue 12,
Steel 13, Focuses 15, Beg 17, Idle
18, Deride 19, Cadet 20, Stamen 22,
Poor 24, Tan 25, Defence 26, Stair
27, Spoor 28, Stole 29, Reverie 30,
Frets 31, Truth.
DOWN: 2, Hot rod 3, Avenue 4, Par
5, Flats 6, Leveret 7, Idol 8, Housed
12, Sedan 13, First 14, Clean 15,
Bison 16, Genre 18, Deter 19,
Centres 21, Tamper 22, Pester 23,
Ocelot 25, Diver 26, Sort 28, Sit.
DOWN
Swamp (6)
Antenna (6)
Hollow (4)
Old ship (7)
Enquired (5)
Love (5)
Brass instrument (4)
Hospitals
by Jan Eliot
Hospital. . . . . Board . . . . . . . Emergency
Royal . . . . . . . 24599000 . . . 24590491
Health Services Department
‘YO UR STARS ‘
Muttrah . . . . . . . 24797602
Quriyat . . . . . . . 24845001 . . . . 24845003
SQH, Salalah. . . 23211555 . . . . 23211151
Police. . . . . . . . . 24603988 . . . . 24603980
Al Nahda . . . . . . 24831255 . . . . 24837800
Ibn Sina. . . . . . . 24876322 . . . . 24877361
Nizwa. . . . . . . . . 25439361 . . . . 25425033
Al Rustaq. . . . . . 26875055 . . . . 26877186
Sumayil. . . . . . . 25350055 . . . . 25350022
Izki . . . . . . . . . . . 25340033 . . . . 25340033
IF IT’S YOUR
BIRTHDAY:
In the coming
year you will be
faced with an
opportunity to
do something
which you never
thought you
were capable
of. It may
concern your
personal life or
some member
of the family, but
it may also be
in connection
with your work.
Whatever it
may be, it is
important to
keep calm.
Colour (3)
Friend (3)
Smell (5)
Souvlaki (5)
Molar (5)
Piece of material (3)
Enclosure (3)
Chief city (7)
Seed (3)
Bounded (6)
M East country (4)
German songs (6)
Extent (5)
Stream (5)
Free (3)
River crossing (4)
Haima . . . . . . . . 23436013 . . . . 23436055
Sohar . . . . . . . . . 26840022 . . . . 26840099
Al Buraimi. . . . . 25650855 . . . . 25652319
Sur . . . . . . . . . . . 25440244 . . . . 25461373
Tanam . . . . . . . . 25499011 . . . . 25499033
Masirah . . . . . . . 25404018 . . . . 25404018
Ibra. . . . . . . . . . . 25470533 . . . . 25470535
Adam. . . . . . . . . 25434167 . . . . 25434055
Bidiya . . . . . . . . 25483535 . . . . 25483535
Ibri . . . . . . . . . . . 25491011 . . . . 25491990
Saham . . . . . . . . 26854427 . . . . 26855148
Khasab . . . . . . . 26830187 . . . . 26830187
Dibba. . . . . . . . . 26836443 . . . . 26836443
Burkha. . . . . . . . 26828397 . . . . 26828397
Sinaw. . . . . . . . . 25474338
PISCES
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
February 20March 20
March 21April 20
April 21May 20
May 21June 21
June 22July 21
July 22August 21
Your youngster is looking to the
future with renewed optimism, so
try not to dampen his enthusiasm
when pointing out the pitfalls
which may possibly lie ahead.
A friend living abroad should be informed of your plans over the next
couple of months beforehand, so
that he can choose a mutually convenient time for his intended visit.
You will enjoy an evening of recalling old times with a friend
from the past and you will be
pleased that time has not diminished your mutual affection.
You will feel much happier being
content with what you have, without
longing for things which you know
are beyond your reach just now. But
the future may change the situation.
If you feel you deserve more appreciation for your work bring
your thoughts to the attention of
your boss. You will find your efforts have not been ignored.
You may wonder why a colleague is
a bit short with you at the moment.
Surely you know him well enough to
ask him what is wrong. He may be
pleased to share his problem with you.
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
August 22September 22
September 23October 22
October 23November 21
November 22December 21
December 22January 20
January 21February 19
It is always painful to part with
a dear friend, but you can comfort each other that you will meet
again eventually and promise to
keep in touch meanwhile.
You do not feel very enthusiastic about other people’s ideas at
present. Just try to show an interest and encourage them to do what
they have in mind.
A new contact you make today
should be kept up, as it could
mean an important step forward
in the months to come bringing
increased income.
Keep away from a business
connection you don’t fully
trust, in spite of certain advantages the contact would have
brought you.
As you are going to have a rather
busy day, don’t postpone an important job. Do it now and refuse
to be interrupted by well-meaning
friends.
Avoid anything that may shake
the faith of a young person who
admires you greatly. He is very
susceptible to what you do and
say and must not be disillusioned.
CLASSIFIEDS
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2 0 1 5
omandailyobserver
23
Situation Vacant
URGENTLY required
Accountant/Accounts
Executive with 7 to 10
years experience. Send
the CV to hr-gdm@
outlook.com
REQUIRED Public
‡Žƒ–‹‘ˆϐ‹…‡” with
7 years experience.
95955041.
·····
WANTED Sales
Manager, for a leading
Interior Fitout and
Furniture Supply
Company in Oman.
Experience: 7+ years,
preferably in Oman.
Salary: negotiable.
Preference for Omani
nationals. Interested
candidates may please
forward their resume to
e-mail id: recruitment.
hr73@gamil.com
WE Al Mayar Co LLC
are seeking talented
experienced Sales
Executive for the FMCG,
Electrical and Electronic
Sales. The interested
persons can send thire
CV’s to ultrasales@
almayarllc.com and
pnoman@gmail.com.
·····
FILIPINA Housemaid,
with release required
for a family in Medinat
Al Alam. 24704994,
99238012.
·····
For Sale
INDUSTRIAL area
land in Rusayil, 5,000
Sq.mt and building
with 8 shops. Contact
95490842,
92702891.
·····
USED portacabin (5
Nos) for sale.
Interested parties
may contact Mr Arif
on GSM No
99259157/
92332088 at NTS
Ghala Camp for
inspection. Sealed
offers should be
submitted on or
before 17.03.2015.
·····
·····
·····
·····
·····
·····
·····
MERCEDES 55 CL - AMG
- 2001 - Black 124,000= kms - valid
23/9/2015 - Excellent
condition RO 2,800=
Contact: 94056332.
Tourism
·····
AHAD 2000 for rent car.
93203481, 93204595.
ȍ͵
VILLAS for sale/
rents Ȁ
),
ȋŠ‘’•Ȁ‘ˆϐ‹…‡•ˆ‘”
rent/ Al Khuwair)
(Flats for rent/
Wadi Kabir).
96596348.
·····
WE need HSE personal,
Salesman and Electrical
Supervisor with Omani
Driving licence. Apply to:
grandmuscat@yahoo.
com Contact No:
00968 95714746.
PORSHE cayenne - S 2004 - white - 165,000=
kms- valid 30/12/2015
- very good condition
RO 4,750= Contact:
94056332.
·····
For Sale/Rent
REQUIRED family driver
with valid Omani driving
licence. Accommodation
will be provided.
92230282.
WANTED: 1. A/C
Mechanic; 2. Electrician
plumber; 3. Computer
headwear Tec. Contact
No. 99447257/
97014234 mansur75@
hotmail.co.uk.
REQUIRED Salesman
ˆ‘”‘‹Žϐ‹‡Ž†•…‘’ƒ›ǡ
must have experience
‘‘‹Žϐ‹‡Ž†•ƒ††”‹˜‹‰
licence. Contact:
alkhatwa2009@hotmail.
com
·····
·····
·····
Situation Vacant
MERCEDES 500 S 2001 - Dark blue 250,000= kms - valid
30/12/2015 - good
condition RO 1,900=
Contact: 94056332.
SHOP for sale, Beauty
Salon Barka, near LuLu
Hypermarket Centre.
Contact: 97655500.
A 400 sq m residential
commercial building situated at the first line of
the public road in Rawdat Samad Al Shaan.
The building is within
300 m far from the
Imam Noor Al Din Al
Salmi. It houses a 100
sq m 3 outlets. The
remaining 300 sq m
plot is workers residence, a store and a toilet. The premise is at RO
55,000 plus 3 per cent
commission.
99600909.
SYRIAN Mashavi Cook
and Moroccan Lady
Cook for Qurum Beach
Hotel.24704994 or
99238012.
·····
Rent a Car
·····
Guest House
QURUM BEACH
HOTEL24564070.
·····
Required
Reputed engineering
consultancy firm in
Muscat looking for
following placement:
1. Omani secretary
(Female)
2. Autocad technician
(Omani female)
3. Civil engineer min 5
years experience
having driving
licence
4. Electrical engineer
degree/diploma min
3 years experience.
E-mail: alfurjar06@
gmail.com/ hope4u99@
icloud.com
·····
REQUIRED Salesman
cum Hardware
Engineer for
Computer Shop at
Ruwi with minimum
2 years experience.
E-mail: strns1@gmail.
com 98825805/
98825806.
·····
Services
LINCOLN - Navigator 4
WD - 1998 - Silver and
Black - 200,000= kms valid 25/12/2015 good condition RO
1,600= Contact:
94056332.
·····
·····
Car for Sale
ARE you looking for
a voyage with your
family on a legacyboat, including
buffet? Only with RO
15/-. For more
info@
alainaintourism.
com 92808636.
3 BEDROOM house at
Betras Zanzibar RO
90,000. Contact Owner:
99348943.
·····
Lost
MALEK Abdur Rahman
has lost Bangladeshi
passport No F
0625738. Finder please
handover to ROP.
·····
PREDEESH Shibi has
lost Indian passport No
L 3862065. Finder
please handover to
ROP.
·····
SHARAFT Ali has lost
Pakistani passport No
RL 1796701. Finder
please handover to
ROP.
·····
RUWI
: 24785668
Behind Royal
Oman Police,
Adjacent
to Dhofar Building
CLASSIFIED SECTION
RUWI
: 24785668
Situation Wanted
PURCHASE
manager with 14
years experience
in construction
indusrty with valid
D/L & NOC. Contact:
92884811. E-mail:
bati.rajesh@gmail.
com
·····
INDIAN male, postgraduate, 20+ years
experience in
pagemaking/
proofreading/
production dept with
a publishing house
and with valid Omani
driving licence seeks
suitable placement.
NOC available.
98423154.
·····
Situation Wanted
INDIAN male — Civil
Engineer — 12+ years
Gulf experience in high
rise building and land
development. MS
Project, Primavera P6,
ˆϐ‹…‡•‹ŽŽǡ
available. Living in
Salalah 94093300,
93884335. E-mail:
asuresh84_2007@
yahoo.com
·····
ELECTRICAL Plant
and Equipment
Engineer, Institution
of Engineering and
Technology UKMembership. Involved
in plant operation and
maintenance, electrical
instrumentation, project
coordination,with 8
years of experience.
92221670.
Situation Wanted
RESTAURANT/ Catering
- manager - operations
with 21 years experience
out of which 2 years in
Saudi, is available on
visit.98894682.
BE COMPUTER Engineer, 4+ years experience, valid Omani driving licence with NOC,
seeks suitable placement. 98097727.
·····
·····
INDIAN male, having
heavy vehicle driving
licence, 3 years Gulf
experience, looking
for suitable post.
99651214.
·····
INDIAN male, 29
years, Civil Engineer,
diploma holder, 4 years
experience in Oman, 2
years in road division,
looking for placement.
NOC available.
93298395.
Services
MAITENANCE: 1.
A/C Maintenance &
Servicing; 2. Fridge,
Washing Machine
& Dish washer
repairing; 3. Painting
& cleaning services; 4.
Electrical & Plumbing
Carpentry work.
Contact: 99447257,
97014234, 24504281.
·····
·····
·····
SMART professional
“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘ǡ‰Ž‹•Šǡ
11 years Oman
experience in Admin,
operations, Management,
communication,
commercial. Immediately
available, NOC.
98179887.
CIVIL Engineer, BTech
with 3 years experience,
looking for suitable
placement, on visit visa.
Contact: 98545520.
e-mail: furkanazeem20@
gmail.com
·····
WE offer you the
Business Services:
Maintenance of
buildings and villas for
paint and carpentry
and decoration works
and installation of
material water proof
and cleaning services
building management
and leasing of real
estate (Out motto is
to provide quality
in all our business).
Muscat Renaissance
Development
and Investment.
99070093.
·····
CA India, CPA (Ausralia),
—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡††‹ƒƒŽ‡
with more than 20 years
experience in Senior
position (12 years in
Oman with valid D/L)
currently on visit,
seeks immediate and
suitable position in a
Dynamic Organisation.
93910095. E-mail:
Reji.Thomas07@gmail.
com.
5 YEARS experienced
Civil Site Engineer seeks
suitable placement.
98758539.
ELECTRICAL Engineer
Sudanese, with 9
years experience and
UAE driving licence.
94429749.
·····
·····
·····
·····
1. HOOPOE SMART
CARD SERVICES
2. AL FAHAD
TRANSLATION
SERVICES
STOP!!!
Good News to all our
dear customers: Our
PRO will visit your
‘ˆϐ‹…‡ȀŠ‘—•‡–‘…‘ŽŽ‡…–
documents for typing or
clearing and will deliver
the same on completion.
Our services include
typing all forms
related to Ministry of
Manpower, Immigration,
e.g., visas, renewal
of visas, all services
related to Ministry of
Commerce & Industry,
e.g., reservation of
commercial names,
amendment of activities
of the company and
all services related to
Royal Oman Police;
Cancellation of Visas at
the Muscat International
Airport for repatriation
of employees;
Directorate General
‘ˆ”ƒˆϐ‹…Ǣƒ†ƒ
Chamber of Commerce
& Industry.
Translation of legal
documents. Medical
reports, commercial
agency agreements,
literature, catalogues
(Languages: Arabic,
English, French, Spanish
& Italian)
Our Address: Ruwi,
Adjacent to Gulf
Transport Co. (GTC).
Telephones: 24793331
/24794286
GSM: 99231500
/96777170/ 95959838
Managed by: Salim
Khalfan al Hadi (33
years of experience in
management)
·····
1. AC maintenance
and servicing.
2. Fridge, washing
machine and dish
washer repairing.
3. Painting and
cleaning services. 4.
Electrical, plumbing
and carpentry
work 97014234,
99447257,
24504281.
·····
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
ƒ”•ˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡
‘””‡–
‘„ƒ’’Ž‹…ƒ–‹‘
Šƒ”‹‰”‡•‹†‡…‡
”ƒ•’‘”–…ƒ”•
‡ƒŽ•–ƒ–‡ȋ•ƒŽ‡Ǧ
”‡–Ǧ‹˜‡•–‡–•
Ȉ ƒŒŒƒ†”ƒ
Ȉ •‡†ˆ—”‹–—”‡ˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡
Ȉ ƒ—…Š…‡”‡‘‹‡•‘ˆȋ”‡•–ƒ—”ƒ–•Ǧ
•Š‘’•Ǧ…Ž‹‹…•Ȍ
Ȉ ‘„ƒ†•
Ȉ ‡ƒ…Š‹‰†”‹˜‹‰
Ȉ ‘—•‡•…Ž‡ƒ‹‰Ǧ•‡”˜‹…‡•ƒ†’‡•–
…‘–”‘Ž
For information, please call:
99841230-95919344
92721879 - 99639264
Tel: 24649597, Fax: 24649590
BankMuscat account: 0397003776610011
Bank Dhofar account: 01040141195001
E-mail: a.almashari@omandaily.om
SUNDAY l MARCH 15, 2015 l JUMADA AL ULA 24, 1436 AH
editor@omanobserver.om
www.omanobserver.om
RENT A CAR
z Low Rates
z Wide Range of Cars
z Excellent Service
Contact:
Muscat 24489248,
24489648.
Salalah: 23296246.
E-mail: INFO@ahoman.com
SPECIAL Rates on
New Cars & 4 WDs
RENTING & LEASING
Tours and Airport Transfer
Tel: 24582663
GSM: 95859497,
Fax: 24582664,
abcrent@omantel.net.om
Umrah/Haj
AL Hikmani for
HAJ and UMRAH
— With a host of
services including
the following:
Hiring luxurious
coaches,
arranging weekly
trips, preparing
visas for expats
at cost-effective
price, including
transport,
housing, meals
and visits to
shrine locations.
Land and air
trips weekly.
(99311310,
24566016,
99361982,
99707248,
99322124.
·····
Car for Sale
PORSCHE Cayenne
S-2004, white colour,
158,000 km, RO 4,500/96417989.
·····
MERCEDES CT 55,
2001, black colour,
122,000 km, RO 2,900/96417989.
·····
MERCEDES S 55, 2001,
dark blue, 250,000
km, RO 1,900/96417989.
Supply
of
Pesticides,
Gel (Cockroaches),
Public Health
chemicals,
Agriculture
chemicals,
Snake repellent, Rodent
baits
and
other insect
repellent from
Agropharm
Ltd UK.
PROFESSIONALS
in Pest Control Service,
Bedbug Treatment, Rodent
Treatment, Snake Treatment
and Termite Treatment
(Pre and Post Construction).
Tel: 24787606 / 24787503
Fax: 24787607
E-mail: pcomctom@omantel.net.om
P. O. Box: 565, Wadi Kabir,
Postal Code: 117,
SULTANATE OF OMAN
FREE INFORMATION
ABOUT ISLAM
Good News
Does your family
member require full
time Medical help?
Dedicated to chronic
care and physical
rehabilitation from
injury or illness;
Rochester Wellness
offers specialised
medical recovery
services. For more
information contact
our coordinators at
22094265.
·····
AYURVEDIC
Treatment, Yoga
Massage &
slimming. Web
address: www.
siddhayur.com
92504980/
24475280.
·····
Sale and Buy
·····
LINCOLN Navigator
4WD, 1998, grey,
335,000 km, RO 1,600/96417989.
·····
OFFICE & Household
furniture and
electronics items.
99834373,
97102699.
·····
AUTO REPAIR
CENTRE
Available on UNBEATABLE prices
Tours
Announcement
DOLPHIN
WATCHING
TOUR. Every Day
8 am and 10 am.
For booking
94110088/
91162534. E-mail:
coraloceantours@
gmail.com Web:
www.
coraloceantours.
com.
Abu Ayyub
al-Hashemi
land transport
(recommendation),
register No. 1205902
announces that
it is intending to
convert its name
to Abu Ayyub alHashemi trade
(recommendation).
Beneficiaries should
be informed of the
changes.
·····
·····
If you would like to know
more about
Islam, please call:
Tel : 99425598, 96050000,
99353988, 99253818,
99341395, 99379133, For
ladies: 99415818, 99321360,
99730723
Or visit: www.islamfact.com
al-haditha
centre
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
For Rent
ROOM for rent (with AC
and some furniture),
opposite Zakher Mall.
96339371.
SHOP for rent, 200
sq m in Maabela
Industrial. Call:
97314122,
99349878.
·····
·····
A COMMERCIAL shop &
room with accessories
in Al Ghubra.
95054077,
99219333.
A 735 Sq M store in
Bausher, Al Misfah
Industrial is offered
for rent. The premise
is built in accordance
to high standards.
A 3-5 year lease
contract is required
99332902,
99047584.
·····
VILLA in Bausher (Al
Awabi) consists of
majlis, 5 bedrooms,
5 toilets, 2 living
rooms and external
kitchen 99364586.
·····
1510 Printer
RO 11.000 only
HP
All Cartridges also available
on UNBEATABLE prices
AII HP, Epson, Canon,
Lexmark, Samsung
Cartridges also available
·····
2 BEDROOMS, 2 baths
and hall apartment for
rent in Al Wattayah,
behind Honda
Showroom.
99428161 (Owner).
·····
BRAND new villa in
Qurum, near Crowne
Plaza. Walking distance
from beach. 6 bedrooms,
3 halls with elevator!
92230282.
·····
comsuply@omantel.net.om
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
INDUSTRIAL land
in Misfah for rent.
93009999.
·····
FURNISHED house in
Mabella - 2 rooms,
kitchen, hall and 3
toilets for rent. Call:
99357404.
·····
FLAT in Mabella 3
rooms, sitting room,
hall, kitchen
(spacious) with 4
toilets. Call:
99357404.
·····
2 STOREY villa at
Mabella with 2 sitting
rooms with toilets, 2
halls, 3 bedrooms
with attach toilets (Municipality water
available). Call:
99357404.
·····
For Rent
ONE B/R flats in Madinat
Al Alam for executives/
small family.
99238012/ 24704994.
·····
FULLY licenced
restaurant in Qurum
Beach Hotel.
24704994.
·····
OFFICE space available
‡ƒ…ŠϐŽ‘‘”͸ͲͲ•“
†‹˜‹†‡†‘ˆϐ‹…‡‹ͷ
storey building at Al
Khuwair 33. Details:
ˆϐ‹…‡ǣ24790449
or E-mail: infoajest@
gmail.com
·····
SHOWROOM Front 120/
M2, Back 130/M2. First
floor commercial flat
1BHK, 2 BHK, Al
Athaiba North,
behind Al Fair.
99565364,
95497323.
DELUXE 3 bedrooms
apartment for rent in
Mumtaz area. For more
information contact:
99336263.
·····
·····
·····
4 BEDROOM flat with
bathrooms, kitchen, hall
in Al Hail North. Call
99219596.
FURNISHED offices for
rent in prime location in
Ruwi (Mumtaz) with
free electricity, water
and Internet. For lease
long & short term
95950012,
99331181.
1 B/R available in Rex
Road, Ruwi, suitable for
bachelors. 99889590.
FLAT located in Al Muhaj
Sq/Al Amerat on the
main road. 98895553.
3 BEDROOMS, 3 baths
apartment for rent in
Sidab, opposite Petrol
Station. 97779755.
·····
·····
·····
·····
CLASSIFIED SECTION:
(ROP approved Grade A Workshop)
Ruwi: 24792-792
BRAND new twin villa
in Al Khuwair, near
technical College.
Modern style with high
quality finishing. 6
bedrooms, RO 950 only
92230282.
AN apartment consisting
of two bedrooms, sitting
room, toilets, kitchen
and dining room, near
Private Sultan School.
99375655.
Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all
types of Cars and Heavy vehicles
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
For Rent
FLATS and shops for
rent 93009999.
·····
2
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
al-haditha LLC
PEST CONTROL
OMAN CO. LLC.
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
Rent-A-Car
·····
·····
ǧhouse
behind GUtech, Halban,
is for rent. The building
consists of 4 bedrooms,
majlis, kitchen and 3
toilets. 91239119.
·····
Telephone: 24595951/1414, Fax: 24597979.
Manpower
FRIENDS
MANPOWER: Filipino
housemaids and all
kinds of workers.
24489268 Tel:/Fax:
24478153, 92462496.
·····
KHALIFA AlSinani Manpower
— labourers &
housemaid from
Indonesia, Kenya,
Uganda and other
countries. Al Suwaiq.
To communicate
26713500,
26713600.
·····
For Rent
G FLOOR, 2 bedroom
flat, near Indian
School, Wadi Kabir,
1st April, RO 300
monthly.
93801805.
·····
VILLA in Al Ansab
consists of 6
bedrooms, 6 toilets
and a large kitchen is
for rent at RO 700/-.
99363504.
·····
SHOP for rent:
Shops for rent
in Ruwi at prime
location. Contact:
98825805/
98825806.
·····
THREE bedrooms,
sitting lounge,
Mawaleh North.
Contact:
99420312.
·····
FOR RENT: villa, 4
bedroom, with
toilets, sitting room,
family hall, fully aircondition split units,
curtains, all the
windows & covered
car park at Bausher
33. Call Owner
92515989.
·····
NEW flat for rent at
South Mabellah, 3
rooms with 3 toilets
spacious hall kitchen
and store.
95458433.
·····
AN apartment located
near Al Ghubra Centre
is for rent at RO 280.
The flat consists of 1
bedroom and a living
room. 95548774.
·····
Investment
EXPATRIATE partner (Omani partner
is already available)
required to establish a LLC Company
(Expatriate investors’ LLC Company).
Please contact on
99332510.
·····
LOOKING for an
investor for a fullequipped existing
medical complex as
soon as possible in
Wilayat of Haima,
Governorate of Al
Wusta. 92212557,
99242249.
·····
Ali al Maashari: 99639264 ali.almashari@omandaily.om
e-mail: classified@omandaily.om
Mohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 m.alrahdi86@yahoo.com
DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590
SUNDAY | MARCH 15, 2015 | JUMADA AL ULA 24, 1436 AH
BEST
QUOTE
It’s been 11 years and I
wouldn’t change it for
anything. There have been
special times through
good and bad
— BRENDAN TAYLOR,
ZIMBABWE CAPTAIN,
AFTER PLAYING THE FINAL
INTERNATIONAL MATCH OF HIS
CAREER AGAINST INDIA
BEST BATTING
138
Raina ton helps India beat
Taylor-inspired Zimbabwe
Dhoni happy
with workout in
Zimbabwe win
SIX OUT OF SIX: The defending champions will be upbeat as they ready for the quarters
AUCKLAND: Suresh Raina hit a
century as India spoiled Brendan
Taylor’s farewell party with a hardfought six-wicket win in the World
Cup Pool B match in Auckland on
Saturday. Raina survived two
dropped catches during his
unbeaten 104-ball 110 as
India chased down a stiff 288run target in 48.4 overs for their
sixth win in as many matches.
Departing Zimbabwe batsman
Taylor had anchored Zimbabwe’s 287
all out with a punishing 110-ball 138
in what was his last international after
signing a deal with English county
Nottinghamshire.
With India on 158-4, and Raina on
47, Zimbabwe spurned a good chance
of pressing for a win when Hamilton
Masakadza dropped a sitter at short
fine-leg off Sikander Raza.
It was Masakadza who was at
the receiving end of the second
chance when wicket-keeper Taylor
dropped Raina off his bowling with
his score on 71.
The left-hander punished
Zimbabwe by completing his
fifth one-day hundred — his
first in World
Brendan Taylor for
Zimbabwe against
India
BEST BOWLING
4-14
MORE SPINE
Mitchell Starc for
Australia against
Scotland
Cups — reaching the three-figure
mark off 94 balls. In all he hit
nine boundaries and four
sixes.
With India in a spot of
bother at 92-4, when Raza
bowled Virat Kohli for 38,
Raina found an able partner
in skipper Mahendra Singh
Dhoni as the experienced duo
added 196 for an unbroken fifth
wicket stand.
Dhoni finished with
85 not out off 76 balls,
hitting the winning
six off Tinashe
Panyangara,
his second in addition to eight
boundaries.
India had lost opener Rohit
Sharma (16), in-form Shikhar
Dhawan (four) and Ajinkya
Rahane (19), with two of the
wickets going to Panyangara.
Earlier Taylor smashed 15
boundaries and five towering sixes
in his brilliant knock.
His ton anchored his team,
unable to qualify for the quarterfinals, after they were sent into
bat by the defending champions.
He added an invaluable 93
for the fourth wicket
with Sean Williams (50)
and another 109 for the
next with Craig Ervine
(27) to help Zimbabwe
recover from a struggling
33 for three.
Taylor guided paceman
Mohammad Shami’s shortpitched ball over the third
man boundary for a six to reach
his successive hundred in this
World Cup off 99 balls.
In the process Taylor became the
only Zimbabwe batsman to hit back-
India’s Suresh Raina plays a shot during the Pool B match
against Zimbabwe at Eden Park in Auckland. — AFP
to-back hundreds
h
at the World Cup,
with this innings following his 121
against Ir
Ireland.
Taylor then smashed left-arm
spinner Ravindra Jadeja for three
boundari
boundaries and two sixes in one
over to complete
c
his 400 runs in the
tourname
tournament — another Zimbabwe first
at a World Cup.
He wa
was eventually out off paceman
Mohit SSharma, who also ended
Ervine’s knock
k
to finish with three for
48. Sham
Shami and Umesh Yadav also took
three wic
wickets apiece.
Before Taylor came into his own,
Zimbabw
Zimbabwe had lost Masakadza (two),
Chamu Chibhabha (seven) and
Solomon Mire (nine) by the 11th over.
Pakist
Pakistan-born
Raza chipped in with
a 15-ball 28, including three sixes and
a four, to give the innings some muchneeded impetus.
im
For the
th first time in the tournament,
was tested as spinners
India’s bowling
bo
Ravichan
Ravichandran Ashwin went for 75 and
Jadeja for 71 respectively in their ten
apiece. India will face Bangladesh
overs apie
in Melbourne on
in the quarterfinals
qu
March 19.
— AFP
19
SCOREBOARD
ZIMBABWE
C Chibhabha c Dhawan b Shami ............... 7
H Masakadza c Dhoni b U Yadav ................ 2
S Mire c Dhoni b M Sharma ....................... 9
B Taylor c Dhawan b M. Sharma.............138
S Williams c&b Ashwin ............................ 50
C Ervine c&b M Sharma ........................... 27
S Raza b Shami ........................................ 28
R Chakabva c R Sharma b U Yadav ........... 10
T Panyangara c U Yadav b Shami ............... 6
T Mupariwa (not out) ................................. 1
T Chatara b U Yadav.................................... 0
Extras (lb-2 w-7) ....................................... 9
Total (all out, 48.5 overs) .............. 287
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-13, 3-33, 4-126,
5-235, 6-241, 7-276, 8-285, 9-286.
Bowling: M Shami 9-2-48-3, U Yadav 9.5-143-3, M Sharma 10-1-48-3, R Ashwin 10-075-1, R Jadeja 10-0-71-0
INDIA
R Sharma c Raza b Panyangara ................ 16
S Dhawan b Panyangara ............................ 4
V Kohli b Raza .......................................... 38
A Rahane (run out)................................... 19
S Raina (not out) ....................................110
M Dhoni (not out) .................................... 85
Extras (B-1 LB-2 NB-1 W-12) ................... 16
Total (for 4 wkts, 48.4 overs) ......... 288
Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-21, 3-71, 4-92.
Bowling: T Panyangara 8.4-1-53-2, T Chatara
10-1-59-0, T Mupariwa 10-0-61-0, S Mire 5-029-0, S Williams 5-0-31-0, S Raza 8-0-37-1.
AUCKLAND:
India
captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was delighted
to see his team cope with the pressure
of chasing down Zimbabwe’s 287
on Saturday, insisting the extensive
workout will help them in the World
Cup knockout rounds.
Zimbabwe stretched the defending
champions after skipper Brendan
Taylor smashed a fine 138 before the
Africans reduced them to 92-4 in
reply.
But Suresh Raina then made the
most of his good fortune after twice
being dropped to hit 110 not out while
Dhoni was unbeaten on 85 as India
overcame the jitters to achieve their
best World Cup chase in 48.4 overs.
The win was India’s sixth in six
games ahead of their March 19
quarter-final against Bangladesh in
Melbourne.
“I think it couldn’t have been better
in the sense if you’re playing the last
game of the league stage, and if you get
an easy win, you don’t get a lot out of
that game,” said Dhoni.
“What was good was the spinners
were put under pressure, and also we
lost quick wickets initially, and that
actually put our middle and lower
middle order under pressure, so we
gained a lot out of it.”
Indian spinner Ravichandran
Ashwin went for 75 runs in his ten
overs for one wicket while fellow slow
bowler Ravindra Jadeja conceded 71
without any reward in as many overs.
India then lost four key wickets
before Raina and Dhoni put on an
unbroken 195-run stand for the fifth
wicket.
“Winning, of course, was very
important, but the knock by Raina was
crucial coming at number five,” said
Dhoni.
— AFP
It will be the biggest game in the history of Ireland cricket, declared Niall O Brien in the Dublin-based The Independent newspaper
Pakistan, Ireland set for do-or-die World Cup duel
ADELAIDE, Australia: Plucky Ireland
take on buoyant Pakistan in a winnertakes-all World Cup clash at the
Adelaide Oval on Sunday that promises
an enthralling encounter between two
highly combustible teams.
The last league match in the monthlong group stage will steer the winner
into the quarterfinals and leave the
loser facing a tricky run-rate countback
against the West Indies.
A likely win for the West Indies
over the United Arab Emirates earlier
on Sunday will bring them level with
Pakistan and Ireland on six points to
set up a keen finish for the knock-out
rounds.
Defending champions India and
South Africa have already taken two
of the four quarter-final spots from
Pool B, while co-hosts Australia and
New Zealand have already qualified
from Pool A along with Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh.
It’s been eight years almost to the
day when Ireland celebrated St Patrick’s
Day on March 17 in 2007 by knocking
out Pakistan from the World Cup with
a three-wicket win at Kingston’s Sabina
Park in Jamaica.
Pakistan Leg spinner Yasir Shah does
catching exercises during training ahead
of their next Pool B match against Ireland Pakistan players warm up before a training session ahead of their Pool B match
at the Adelaide Oval.
— AFP against Ireland at the Adelaide Oval.
— AFP
A
day
later
Pakistan’s
disappointment turned into grief when
their English coach Bob Woolmer was
found dead in the bathroom of his
hotel room, causing disbelief in the
entire cricket world.
A long investigation proved
inconclusive as police overturned their
initial assessment of murder or suicide to
declare that Woolmer, 58, died of natural
causes. Since then, the two sides have
played four one-day matches, all hosted
by Ireland, with Pakistan winning three
and the fourth game ending in a tie.
— AFP
S U N DAY M A R C H 1 5 l 2 0 1 5
26
iN BRIEFS
FEBRUARY 14 TO MARCH 29
AUSTRALIA &
NEW ZEALAND
Quick-fire Australia romp past Scotland
EASY ROMP: The four-times champions were powered to victory by a ruthless bowling spell by Mitchell Starc
Starc glad as plan
comes together
HOBART, AUSTRALIA: Australia’s
Mitchell Starc looked forward to the
knockout stages of the World Cup with
confidence after taking four wickets
in the co-hosts’ comfortable win over
Scotland in their final Pool A match in
Hobart on Saturday.
Michael Clarke’s men were already
through to the quarter-finals but there
was no easing up from left-arm fast
bowler Starc at Bellerive Oval.
The 25-year-old took four for 14 in
just 4.4 overs as Scotland were shot
out for 130 after Clarke won the toss.
That left Starc topping the tournament
bowling charts with 16 wickets in five
matches at a stunningly low average of
8.50 apiece. “I’ve been working quite
hard with Craig McDermott (Australia’s
bowling coach) since the one-day series
in Zimbabwe. I look forward to continue
with (my form) through the back-end (of
the World Cup),” said Starc.
“Yeah, the ball is coming out nicely,
I can’t complain at all. Well, it’s coming
out consistently, but more importantly
we’re winning games and that’s all that
matters,” the New South Wales paceman
added. Starc’s brilliant six for 28 almost
rescued an improbable win for Australia
over fellow co-hosts New Zealand at
Auckland’s Eden Park in a match they
eventually lost by just one wicket. But
since then it’s been a largely smooth ride
into the quarter-finals for Clarke’s men,
bidding to win a fifth World Cup. — AFP
‘Tournament draw
probably helped
Pakistan’
OZ TALK
HOBART: Australia finished second in
Pool A after Mitchell Starc bowled the
World Cup co-hosts to a seven-wicket
victory against Scotland in a match that
lasted just 41 overs at the Bellerive Oval
on Saturday.
Starc (4-14) and Pat Cummis (342) set up Australia’s facile victory
with hostile spells of pace bowling as
Scotland collapsed to be all out for 130
in the 26th over.
Opening the innings to give himself
some valuable batting time, skipper
Michael Clarke top-scored with a runa-ball 47 as Australia chased down the
target in the 16th over.
Australia cruised in the chase but
Shane Watson (24) and Clarke fell in
successive overs before rain forced the
Australia
‘switched on’ for
knockout stage,
says Clarke
HOBART: Australia captain Michael
Clarke is pleased with whatever batting
opportunity he and his team-mates
had against Scotland on Saturday and
said every member of the squad was
‘switched on’ for the knockout stage of
the World Cup.
MIddle-order batsman Clarke and
James Faulkner have only recently
come back from injuries while
another all-rounder, Shane Watson,
has returned to the playing XI after
SCOREBOARD
SCOTLAND
K Coetzer c Smith b Starc ...........................0
C MacLeod c Warner b Starc.....................22
M Machan c Faulkner b Cummins ...........40
P Mommsen c Starc b Watson ...................0
F Coleman c Clarke b Johnson ..................0
R Berrington c Warner b Maxwell..............1
M Cross c Haddin b Cummins ...................9
J Davey b Starc.........................................26
R Taylor c Haddin b Cummins....................0
M Leask (not out) .....................................23
I Wardlaw b Starc .......................................0
Extras (LB-1 W-8) ......................................9
Total (all out, 25.4 overs) ..............130
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-36, 3-37, 4-50, 5-51,
6-78, 7-79, 8-95, 9-130.
Bowling: M Starc 4.4-1-14-4, P Cummins 7-142-3, S Watson 3-0-18-1, M Johnson 4-1-16-1,
G Maxwell 4-0-24-1, J Faulkner 3-0-15-0.
AUSTRALIA
M Clarke c Leask b Wardlaw ....................47
A Finch c Coleman b Taylor ......................20
S Watson c Cross b Davey ........................24
J Faulkner (not out) .................................16
D Warner (not out) ...................................21
Extras (LB-2 W-3) ......................................5
Total (for 3 wkts, 15.2 overs) .........133
Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-88, 3-92.
Bowling: I Wardlaw 5-0-57-1, R Taylor 5-0-291, J Davey 5-1-38-1, M Leask 0.2-0-7-0.
Australian cricketers congratulate team-mate Mitchell Starc (fourth left) after taking the wicket of Scotland batsman Joshua
Davey at the Bellerive Oval during the Pool A match in Hobart.
— AFP
players off the ground.
When play resumed, David Warner
and James Faulkner looked in a great
hurry to finish the match before another
rain intervention and they milked 41
runs in two overs to seal the team’s
fourth win of the tournament.
Warner blasted 21 runs off the six
balls he faced while Faulkner plundered
16 off as many.
Scotland finished their campaign
with a sixth successive defeat.
The pace and bounce Starc and his
pace colleagues generated rattled the
Scots with only four batsmen reaching
double digits in an abject collapse that
underlined the gulf in class separating
the teams.
The rain forecast for the match had
prompted Clarke to field as he decided
to try and skittle Scotland out first then
rush through the chase, knowing a
victory was needed to leapfrog Sri Lanka
in the group standings.
His bowlers did not let him down,
dismissing the Scots with 24 of their
allocated overs still remaining.
Starc, who began with a maiden,
tormented Kyle Coetzer before ending
the scoreless opener’s 11-ball ordeal by
getting him caught at third slip.
Calum MacLeod hit five boundaries
in his 22 but was done in by a short ball
from Starc, which the opener slapped to
Warner at backward point.
Watson also used the short ball
cleverly to remove captain Preston
Mommsen, one of the five Scotland
batsmen to fall for a duck, and the
associate team lost their top order for 51
in the 12th over.
Matt Machan (40) decided to
counter-attack, hitting six boundaries
before being dismissed by Cummins in
a two-wicket over.
Josh Davey (26) and Michael Leask
(23 not out) put up some resistance
down the order before slight drizzle
forced the teams off the field after
25 overs. When they returned, Starc
claimed two wickets in the next four
balls to take his tournament tally to 16
and walked away with the man-of-thematch award.
— Reuters
Windies’ Cup dream hinges on weather Gods
SYDNEY: The vagaries of the World
Cup draw may have helped Pakistan
rediscover their swagger at just
the right time to push them to the
brink of a quarter-final, according to
captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
Pakistan face Ireland in a must-win
clash in Adelaide on Sunday with the
winner finishing third in Pool B.
The loser of the match could
still advance to a quarter-final
against New Zealand in Wellington
depending on the outcome of the
West Indies-UAE game earlier in
Napier.
The 1992 champions had been
woeful in their first two matches
and then limped to a tense 20-run
victory over Zimbabwe before they
accounted for a stubborn UAE side by
129 runs.
Those two victories built their
confidence to a point where they
were able to beat pre-tournament
favourites South Africa by 29 runs on
the Duckworth/Lewis method in a
rain-effected match at Eden Park last
Saturday.
“We were playing against two
tougher oppositions up front just at
the start of the tournament and they
played better cricket than us,” Misbah
said of their successive losses to India
and West Indies.
“Then after that we got, you could
say, weaker sides, and we just got
our momentum back and got our
confidence back.
When you are against tougher
sides at the start sometimes
(you) lose your confidence and
momentum. But as we get back into a
winning situation, the confidence and
momentum is back.”
The Pakistani captain felt his trio
of pace bowlers, Wahab Riaz, Sohail
Khan and Mohammad Irfan had kept
his side in the tournament.
They have combined for 28 of
the 38 wickets his side have taken
and UAE captain Mohammad Tauqir
said his team felt they were as good
as South Africa’s attack of Vernon
Philander, Morne Morkel and Dale
Steyn.
— AFP
NAPIER, New Zealand: The West Indies will have one eye on the skies and
the other on the scoreboard as they seek
to keep their World Cup campaign alive
in a must-win clash with the United
Arab Emirates on Sunday.
The two-time champions’ hopes of a
quarter-final berth hinge on a convincing victory in Napier after a series of
unconvincing performances in Pool B,
including a shock loss to Ireland.
They currently lie fifth in the group
and to advance must snatch fourth place
off Pakistan or Ireland, who play each
other on Sunday in Adelaide.
But a cyclone thousands of kilometres away in the South Pacific could blow
away their chances if it brings heavy
rainfall to New Zealand’s North Island
by Sunday. A washout would send Jason
Holder’s men tumbling out of the tournament — they need two points from a
victory, the solitary point awarded for a
United Arab
Emirates’
Amjad Javed
leaves the
field out
against South
Africa during
their Pool B
match in
Wellington.
— Reuters
no-result will not be enough.
Forecasters say a cyclone-related
downpour is due on Monday, although
the New Zealand weather is notoriously
fickle and they warn rain is still possible
on Sunday. Team manager Richie Richardson was confident the weather gods
would smile on the West Indies.
“It’ll be fine on Sunday,” the former
batting great told the local Hawkes Bay
Today newspaper. “We have to play
the game to give ourselves a chance so
we want sunshine. We need two points
badly and we need it big.”
Further complicating matters, the
West Indies must soundly beat the UAE
by 70 runs or more to ensure they have
a better run rate than Pakistan and Ireland. Holder is also sweating on the fitness of key batsman Chris Gayle, who
missed training on Wednesday as he
struggled with a back injury.
The explosive left-hander has been in
patchy form but showed how dangerous
he can ben blasting a World Cup record
215 against Zimbabwe.
The fact that the West Indies’ qualification hopes are so tenuous is testament
to the erratic form and pre-tournament
bickering between players and management that has marred their campaign.
Certainly, UAE captain Mohammad
Tauqir indicated that the intimidating
mystique that once surrounded the men
from the Caribbean had evaporated after their four-wicket loss to Ireland.
— AFP
Australian cricketer Michael Clarke
plays a shot at the Bellerive Oval
during the Pool A match between
Australia and Scotland in Hobart.
— AFP
being dropped from the team that beat
Afghanistan on March 4.
Clarke naturally wanted more
batting time but the fear of rain
resulted in greater urgency and
Australia overhauled Scotland’s paltry
130-run total in the 16th over at the
Bellerive Oval.
In a rejigged batting order, Clarke
opened the innings and Watson came
at number three, followed by Faulkner.
“I dearly would have liked all three
of us to get a hundred each,” Clarke
told a news conference after his team’s
seven-wicket victory.
“I think we did whatever we
could. We made the most of whatever
opportunity we had. I think most
importantly, everybody in the squad
mentally is ready to go,” said the righthander who hit a run-a-ball 47.
Watson fell after a 23-ball 24 while
Faulkner (16 not out off six balls) hit
a six to seal Australia’s easy victory
which ensured they finished second in
Pool A.
— Reuters
Ranked number nine in the one-day standings, Bangladesh defeated number six England to qualify for the knockouts
Bangladesh want to build on ‘remarkable’ World Cup
AUCKLAND:
Bangladesh
hope
their “remarkable” progress into the
World Cup quarter-finals will help the
passionate cricketing nation build for
the future and compete on a regular
basis with stronger rivals.
Ranked number nine in the one-day
standings, Bangladesh defeated number
six England to qualify for the knockout
round for the first time.
High on confidence after their tough
fight against Pool A table-toppers
New Zealand on Friday, a match won
by the co-hosts by just three wickets,
Bangladesh now face defending
champions India in the quarter-finals in
Melbourne on March 19.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)
Chief
Executive
Nizam
Uddin
Chowdhury described Bangladesh’s
progress as remarkable.
“This has been a remarkable success
and validates our faith in the team,”
Chowdhury said.
“It is also important to look at the
bigger picture. Achievements like this
go a long way in further popularising
the game, unearthing talent, drumming
up support and attracting opportunities
and investment in cricket.”
Chowdhury
believed
the
performance will help in building for
the future.
“There are always challenges in the
path of development and progress but
we have been patient with our system.
We have seen a steady improvement
across all formats of the game in recent
years,” he said.
“I am confident that Bangladesh
passion for the game from Pakistan, of
which they were part until independence
in 1971.
They were granted Test status in 2000
but have shown little progress in the
five-day format, losing all but seven of
their 88 Tests.
Five wins were against Zimbabwe
and two against a depleted West Indies.
But in the last few years Bangladesh
have shown improvement in one-day
internationals and Twenty20 by beating
top nations like England, India and Sri
Bangladesh bowler Rubel Hossain
Lanka.
reacts during the Pool A match at
Seddon Park in Hamilton.
— AFP
Their recent progress has impressed
New Zealand captain Brendon
cricket is ready to take the next step McCullum.
“I think the development of their
forward.”
A cricket-mad country of 156 million skills in general has improved a lot over
people, Bangladesh inherited their the last few years. They’ve always been
tough at home,” said McCullum.
“But their ability to now travel, I think
you’re seeing their skills-set develop as
well.
“I think what we saw the other night
with a couple of the guys there (against
England in Adelaide), the threat that
they pose with ball in hand for their
quick bowlers is a lot more dangerous
than a few years ago.
“So I guess that is the sheer weight
of numbers as well that Bangladesh
possesses, and the passion for the game
is starting to flow through so you’re
starting to see talent rise to the top, and
they’ll become a very tough proposition
over the next few years.”
Bangladesh’s chief selector Faruque
Ahmed predicted the team will continue
to improve after the World Cup. — AFP
SPORT
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
omandailyobserver
27
AUSTRALIAN GP: The defending champion was more than half a second quicker than Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in second place
Pacy Hamilton dominates to capture pole
MELBOURNE:
Lewis
Hamilton
dominated qualifying to capture pole
position on Saturday for the seasonopening Australian Formula One Grand
Prix.
The defending champion was
more than half a second quicker than
Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in
second place.
Felipe Massa in a Williams and
Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari will be on
the second row for Sunday’s race.
“It has been a great start to the
weekend,” Hamilton said.
“It doesn’t feel like a long time since
the last race. We found a good balance
today and it was just about pushing
those laps. It is so much fun in qualifying
pushing those single laps.”
McLaren continued to struggle,
with both Jenson Button and Kevin
Magnussen missing the cut in the first
qualifying session. McLaren will start
last on the grid after the two Manor
cars did not run because of continuing
software problems.
Hamilton clocked a fastest time of
1 minute 26.327 seconds on the Albert
Park circuit in Melbourne, 0.594 seconds
up on last season’s runner-up Rosberg,
for the British driver’s 39th pole.
The Mercedes domination was
underlined by a gap of 1.351 seconds
between Hamilton and third-placed
Massa.
Rosberg, who won in Melbourne
last year, said: “Lewis was on impressive
form today. He absolutely nailed it so
well done to him.’’
“For me, it wasn’t a great day today
but I am thankful to the team for the car
they have given me. It really is a pleasure
to drive.”
Ferrari underlined the improvement
hinted in pre-season testing, with Vettel
— in his first qualifying for the team
since joining from Red Bull — fourth
ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
“Third place was possible — that’s a
bit annoying. My lap wasn’t quite right,”
Vettel said. “I am not completely satisfied
with my performance.”
Williams, third in the constructors’
championship last season, again appear
to be challenging near the top, with
Massa’s third place augmented by
Valtteri Bottas in sixth.
“The race we can do a good job,
definitely,” Massa said.
“The fight is really tough with
Ferrari. We are really at a similar pace
and it won’t be an easy race. But we are
there in the fight and really looking
forward to starting the season well
with both cars.”
However, Bottas was suffering a
back problem and was taken to hospital
for precautionary checks. A further
check will take place on Sunday before
the race.
Home favourite Daniel Ricciardo
(Red Bull), Carlos Sainz Jr (Toro Rosso),
and Lotus duo Romain Grosjean and
Pastor Maldonado completed the top 10.
Hamilton’s lead over 10th placed
Maldonado was a massive 3.152 seconds.
McLaren’s woes continued with
2009 champion Button and Magnussen
starting at the end of the grid.
McLaren, now partnered by Honda,
experienced reliability problems in preseason testing and have had to cope with
the absence of Alonso following the
two-time champion’s crash in testing in
Barcelona on February 22.
McLaren have said they do not know
when the Spaniard, who has rejoined the
team from Ferrari, will return.
A McLaren spokesman told BBC
Sport it was not known exactly what
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team’s British driver Lewis Hamilton speeds through a corner during the qualifying session at the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in
Melbourne.
— AFP
caused Alonso’s crash.
“Nonetheless, we at McLarenHonda are continuing to liaise and
co-operate with the FIA, and with
Fernando’s doctors, but it will not be up
to us to decide when he will return to the
cockpit,” he was quoted as saying.
“In the meantime, therefore, all we
can say is that he feels fit and well, he is
training hard, and he is keen to go racing
again as soon as possible.”
Sauber took part in qualifying with
Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr after
last season’s reserve driver Giedo van der
Hawks rally to beat Suns on the road
PHOENIX: Atlanta restricted Phoenix
to just 14 points in the final quarter
as the Hawks rallied for a 96-87 road
victory over the Suns.
The Hawks were down by eight points
early in the fourth quarter but nailed five
three-pointers in the final seven minutes
to sweep past the Suns.
Forward Paul Millsap scored 23
points for Atlanta, which improved to
1-1 on its six-game western road swing.
RAPTORS WIN
The Toronto Raptors beat Miami
for the first time in five years as guard
Kyle Lowry starred in a 102-92 home
victory over the Heat. Lowry had 19
points, eight assists, eight rebounds and
seven steals as Toronto halted a run of
16 consecutive losses to Miami, the
longest losing streak against one team in
franchise history. The win also snapped
Toronto’s four-game slide.
THUNDER GET PAST WOLVES
Oklahoma City starter Serge Ibaka
missed his first game of the season
with a sore knee but it did not stop the
Thunder from beating the Minnesota
Timberwolves 113-99.
The Thunder (36-29) moved into a
tie with the New Orleans Pelicans for
the final playoff spot in the Western
Conference. Oklahoma City point
NBA
Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) makes a pass against the Phoenix Suns
during the second half at US Airways Center. The Hawks won 96-87.
— USA TODAY Sports
MAVERICKS BEAT CLIPPERS
guard Russell Westbrook struggled with
A season-best 38-point second
his shooting at times but still posted his
sixth triple double in eight games, with quarter and a big night from forward
29 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds on Chandler Parsons from long range gave
the Dallas Mavericks a much needed
11-for-24 shooting.
Garde dropped a legal dispute with the
Formula One team.
The 29-year-old Dutch driver said
he had given up his rights “with respect
to the interests of motorsport and F1 in
particular.”
Ericsson missed the cut in the first
CRICKET
charge in a 129-99 thumping of the
short-handed Los Angeles Clippers.
Parsons connected with 5-of-6 from
beyond the arc for a team-high 22 points
for Dallas, which had lost five of its
previous seven games.
NUGGETS DEFEAT WARRIORS
Forward Kenneth Faried had 24
points and 17 rebounds and the Denver
Nuggets beat the self-depleted Golden
State Warriors 114-103 for their third
straight win. The Warriors (51-13) lost
for the first time in seven games, as they
rested All-Star guards Stephen Curry
and Klay Thompson, forward Andre
Iguodala and center Andrew Bogut.
Nevertheless, the Warriors led by
five points with five minutes left, before
Denver dominated down the stretch.
HORNETS SCORE
Guard Gerald Henderson scored 20
points to lead seven players in double
figures and the Charlotte Hornets
dominated the second half for a 10191 win over the Chicago Bulls and
climbed into eighth place in the Eastern
Conference. The Hornets trailed 40-21
early in the second quarter but roared
back and eventually led by 18 points
in the fourth quarter. They outscored
Chicago 25-10 in the third quarter and
16-6 to open the fourth.
qualifying session, while Nasr just failed
to make the final qualifying session.
Also out after Q2 were Red Bull’s
Daniil Kvyat, teenage novice Max
Verstappen in a Toro Rosso, and the
Force India pair Nico Huelkenberg and
Sergio Perez.
— dpa
NEWS
Pietersen could skip
IPL for England recall
LONDON: England batsman Kevin
Pietersen could push his bid for an
international recall by missing the
Indian Premier League in favour of
playing English county cricket.
The 34-year-old, who won 104 test
and 136 one-day caps, has not played
international cricket for 14 months after
being sacked following England’s 5-0
Ashes whitewash in Australia.
Pietersen has signed for IPL side
Hyderabad but incoming England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman
Colin Graves suggested this month that
he could be recalled to the England
set-up if he “scores a lot of runs” for a
county. England’s dismal showing at the
World Cup, where they were knocked
out in the group stage with two wins
from six games, has led to calls for
Pietersen’s return.
Pietersen does not have long to
make his mind up, however, as the
IPL starts on April 8, with the County
Championship getting under way on
April 12. “That’s what I’m looking at,”
Pietersen told Fox Sports Australia
when asked if he would play county
cricket.
“It just makes perfect sense to
explore different things.
“There will be a change of scenery
at board level with the ECB and I’ve
always expressed my desire to play for
England again if I get the opportunity.
“It seems encouraging but I’ve got a
few steps that I’ve got to climb.”
Pietersen believes he could work
under England coach Peter Moores
again despite the pair falling out in
2009.
\Moores, who was reappointed as
England coach in April, was sacked
following the “irretrievable breakdown”
of their relationship and South Africanborn Pietersen quit as captain.
“I can’t captain because I don’t think
my relationships are great, but I played
under Andy Flower and probably had a
pretty worse relationship with Flower
than I did with Moores,” he said.
— Reuters
Matt Phillips produced one of the goals of the season in the closing stages but the winger’s brilliant drive came too late for a QPR fightback
Palace stroll piles on misery for Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers’ Steven Caulker (left) vies with Crystal Palace’s
Yannick Bolasie (right) during the English Premier League match at
Selhurst Park in London.
— AFP
LONDON: Crystal Palace pushed QPR
deeper into the relegation mire with a 3-1
victory over their London rivals at Selhurst
Park on Saturday.
Alan Pardew’s side swept into a threegoal lead by half-time thanks to strikes
from Wilfried Zaha, James McArthur and
Joel Ward.
Matt Phillips produced one of the goals
of the season in the closing stages, but the
winger’s brilliant drive, from at least 40
yards out, came too late to spark a QPR
fightback.
QPR’s fourth successive Premier League
loss extended their miserable run to nine
defeats in their last 10 games, leaving the
west Londoners third bottom and three
points from safety.
While QPR have shown no signs of
improvement since Chris Ramsey replaced
Harry Redknapp as manager in February,
Palace have been in the ascendency since
Pardew took over from Neil Warnock.
The Eagles look certain to retain their
top-flight status for another season after
moving 11 points clear of the bottom
three.
Shaun Wright-Phillips made his first
Premier League start in more than two
years, but the 33-year-old’s presence failed
to spark an improvement from QPR.
Palace took the lead in the 21st minute
when Yannick Bolasie sent a low, driven
cross to the far post, where Zaha turned
QPR’s fourth successive
Premier League loss extended
their miserable run to nine
defeats in their last 10 games,
leaving the west Londoners
third bottom and three points
from safety
home under pressure.
It was a goal that came at a cost, though,
as the winger’s momentum meant he
suffered a nasty collision with the post,
leading to several minutes of medical
attention.
Pardew’s team doubled their lead five
minutes before half-time as Bolasie was
again allowed to send over a cross and
this time McArthur got ahead of Yun Sukyoung to tap home from close range.
QPR’s dismal collapse did not stop there.
Zaha was running riot and, despite
being hassled by three QPR players, was
still able to cut back for Ward, whose shot
under pressure from Sandro snuck into the
far corner.
With the points effectively in the bag,
Palace rarely needed to break sweat in the
second half before Phillips injected some
life into proceedings, hitting a remarkable
drive past Speroni from just inside the
Eagles’ half.
— AFP
28
SPORT
omandailyobserver
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
KAYAKING: AlMunthir stands on the cusp of history as he could become the first Omani to successfully navigate the entire coastline
Keeping the Sultanate’s flag flying high
BY HARIDEV PUSHPARAJ
MUSCAT: Trekking was his foremost
passion all along but AlMunthir Mustafa
Abdullatif made the transition to
kayaking after a trip to India.
The 29-year-old crude oil operator at
Oman Trading International in Dubai
was enjoying his time in Rishikesh in
northern India with some river-rafting
expeditions.
On the sojourn, Abdullatif met
veteran kayaker Brian Wilson who
exhorted him to take up the sport in a
big way. Thus came about the idea of
circumnavigating the entire coastline
of Oman as part of the Kayak Charity
Challenge along with four other
professional kayakers from the United
Kingdom.
If
Abdullatif
manages
to
circumnavigate the expanse of the
coastline successfully then he will
become the first Omani to do so, a
creditable achievement for the Muscat
lad. Talking about trekking and his early
years, Abdullatif was quite forthright.
“I was basically a trekker and did not
really know a great deal about kayaking
to start with. Trekking also was more of a
past time and passion that I had. It was a
passion during holidays,’’ he added.
Elaborating on the challenges that
one faces as part of being a professional
kayaker, Abdullatif was realistic about
the attributes required to be good
at the sport. “You challenge yourself
physically and mentally and that is the
temperament required to do well at the
sport. That is what I like about the sport
as well,’’ Abdullatif opined.
When asked about the training
regimen, Abdullatif was candid.
“I train every weekend on the Kayaks.
Brian and I go to Seeb Market which is a
23 km session. I train in the gym as well,
do some circuit training,’’ he said.
Looking forward to the Kayak
Charity Challenge, Abdullatif said the
weather will hold the key.
“We have to watch the weather and
plan our trip accordingly. We will have
the Coast Guard to give us regular
weather updates so we have to coordinate well with them,’’ he said.
“However, one thing that we have to
remember is that we cannot control the
weather,’’ Abdullatif said.
ESKIMO ROLL
Abdullatif spoke about the Eskimo
Roll and added that it is a technique that
they will be using in case of a capsizing
situation.
AlMunthir Mustafa Abdullatif in action.
— SUPPLIED PHOTO
Eskimo Roll is the best and safest
technique to recover yourself if you don’t have to hop out of your kayak into it and get back in. “We are undertaking a group due to safety purposes. There we can be there for each other in case of
ever happen to capsize. It is fast and you cold water and figure out how to empty the Kayak Charity Challenge as part of were six kayaks, so there are pairs and an emergency,’’ he added.
Raha register easy win against Enhance
MUSCAT: Raha Cricket Team recorded
an easy 6 wicket win against Enhance
in a Muscat Pharmacy & Stores LLC
sponsored ‘A’ Division 50 overs a side
League match played on Friday at the
MOS Turf Ground at Al Amerat.
Opting to field first Raha CT did
well to bowl out Enhance for 238 runs
off 48 overs with useful contributions
from Khawar Ali 57 (81b, 2x6 and 5x4),
Mehran Khan 43 (53b, 3x6) opening
batsman Unnikrishnan G P 36 (65v,
4x4) and his partner Ravi Baradkane 22
(31b, 1x6 and 2x4).
The bowlers to impress were Tariq
Hussain 3 for 29, David S.S. 3 for 65 and
Waseem Aktar 2 for 46.
Set a target of 239 for victory Raha
CT scored 242 for the loss of 4 wickets
off 40.3 overs. Sultan Ahmed led the
way with an unbeaten 83 (74b, 1x6 and
13x4) to earn the Man of the Match
award. Shahid Naseem 79 (107b, 12x4)
and opening batsman Shazad Akmal
34 (55b, 1x6 and 3x4) made valuable
contributions.
Brief scores:Enhance: 238 all out off 48 overs
(Khawar Ali 57, Mehran Khan 43, Unnikrishnan
GP 36; Tariq Hussain 3-29, David SS 3-65, Waseem
Aktar 2-46) lt to Raha CT: 242/4 off 40.3 overs (Sultan
Ahmed 83 n.o., Shahid Naseem 79, Shazad Akmal
34; Nester Dhamba 2-27)
Points:Raha CT: 5 points (8 Games – 29 points) and
Enhance: 0 (8 Games – 23 points)
ATTIC OUTDOORS TRIUMPH
Attic Outdoors aided by brilliant
bowling from skipper Sandeep Datta
and Usama Bhati who ended with 4
wickets each conceding 15 and 26 runs
LOCAL CRICKET
RUKUN AL YAQEEN BEAT
AL FAIRUZ TRADING
In an ‘H’ Division T20 match played in
the morning at the adjoining Ground No
3 at Al Amerat, Rukun Al Yaqeen (RAY)
defeated Al Fairuz Trading by 2 wickets.
Brief scores:Al Fairuz Trading: 129/9 off 19 overs
(Manikandan SP 35; Mohan Babu 4-26, Armstrong M
2-17) lt to RAY: 130/8 off 19 overs (Ragunath M 40)
Points: RAY - 2 points (8 Games – 4 points) and Al
Fairuz Trading - 0 (8 Games – 9 points).
respectively helped Attic Outdoors
tie their ‘F’ Division T20 match with
Oasis Water and clinch championship
honours. The match was played at the
Municipality Ground No 2 at Al Amerat.
Brief scores:Oasis Water: 152 all out off 19.2 overs
(Shiju S 27; Sandeep Datta 4-15, Usama Bhati 4-26,
Rajesh Rao 2-27) tie with Attic Outdoors: 152 all out
off 20 overs (Madhur Bhatnagar 47, Ghufran Anjum
38; Ramesh PP 4-39)
Points: Attic Outdoors: 1 (8 Games – 14 points) and
Oasis Water: 0 (7 Games – 5 Points)
GLOBAL MONEY EXCHANGE WIN
Global Money Exchange trounced
Huawei by 5 wickets to claim the ‘G’
Division runner-up position. The T20
match was played in the afternoon
session at the same venue.
Opting to bat after winning the
toss Huawei were restricted to 130 for
9 wickets off the 20 stipulated overs.
Midhun Karat Nair top scored with 47
(40b, 7x4).
Global Money Exchange replied
with 133 for the loss of 5 wickets off
14.4 overs. Opening the batting Ashok
Patel 44 (23b, 9x4), Rahul Rajeev 35
(25b, 5x4) and Shaheer Najeeb 31
Not Out (24b, 4x4) made useful
contributions.
Brief scores:Huawei: 130/9 off 20 overs (Midhun
Karat Nair 47; Shaheer Najeeb 2-16, Jerrin George
2-27) lt to Global Money Exchange: 133/5 off 14.4
overs (Ashok Patel 44, Rahul Rajeev 35, Shaheer
Najeeb 31 n.o.; Sanjeev Kumar 2-34)
Points:
Global Money Exchange: 2 points
(8 Games – 14 points) and Huawei – 0 (7 Games – 7
Points).
BINU STARS FOR PROFESSIONAL
TRADING
Skipper Binu B V with excellent
bowling figures of 5 for 25 off 4 overs
led Professional Trading to a 6 wicket
win against OUA Travels and take top
honours in the ‘G’ Division league. The
T20 match was played in the afternoon
session at the same venue.
Batting first OUA Travels were bowled
out for 128 off the 20 allotted overs
thanks to an unbeaten 46 (47b, 2x4) from
No 3 batsman Mohammad Imtiyaz.
Requiring 129 for a win Professional
Trading got to their target scoring 130
for 4 wickets off 17.3 overs. Openers M
Muthumurugan 49 (43b, 2x6 and 4x4)
and his partner Nandakunar B J 27 (26b,
4x4) were associated in a 63 run first
wicket partnership off 9 overs.
Brief scores: OUA Travels: 128 all out off 20 overs
(Mohammad Imtiyaz 46 n.o.; Rasik GP 2-23) lt
to Professional Trading: 130/4 off 17.3 overs (M
Muthumurugan 49, Dibin PK 32 n.o., Nandakumar
BJ 27; Rajkumar Nambalath 2-23)
Points: Professional Trading : 2 points (8 Games – 16
points) and OUA Travels : 0 (8 Games – 7 points)
SPANISH
LEAGUE
Criticism part of the
job for Ancelotti
MADRID: Real Madrid boss Carlo
Ancelotti has said the intense scrutiny
he has come under in recent weeks is
part of the job of coaching one of the
biggest sides in the world.
Madrid president Florentino Perez
called an impromptu press conference
on Thursday to deny rumours that
Ancelotti could be sacked if the
European champions lose El Clasico
against Barcelona next weekend.
“I have always understood criticism
as part of my job,” Ancelotti said on
Saturday.
“Coaching Real Madrid means
coaching the biggest team in the world
and if you do that then you get the most
criticism too. It is an honour for me to
coach this club.”
Los Blancos squeezed into the last 16
of the Champions League in midweek
despite am embarrassing 4-3 home
defeat to Schalke — their fifth defeat
in 15 games in 2015. That run of form
has also seen Ancelotti’s men surrender
top spot in La Liga to Barcelona for the
first time in five months and with little
room for error ahead of their trip to the
Catalan capital next Sunday.
And the Italian admitted there could
be changes for the visit of Levante on
‘I have always understood
criticism as part of my job.
Coaching Real Madrid
means coaching the
biggest team in the world
and if you do that then you
get the most criticism too.
It is an honour for me to
coach this club’
Sunday, but insisted he would continue
with his same attacking philosophy.
“The president always evaluates the
work that we do and some things could
change.
“We have looked at what has
happened and in an ideal world we will
change things, but without losing our
identity.
“We have a clear identity and in the
past few games we haven’t shown it.”
Ancelotti should be able to recall
both Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos
back into the starting line-up after long
term absences due to muscle injuries.
Meanwhile, full-backs Dani Carvajal
and Marcelo will return after being
rested in midweek.
— AFP
World number one Williams earned the 7-5, 7-5 victory in two hours, three minutes in front of a crowd of about 14,000 on centre court
Super Serena wins in emotional Indian Wells return
Serena Williams during her match against Monica Niculescu (ROU) at
the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
— USA TODAY Sports
INDIAN WELLS, UNITED STATES:
Serena Williams won her first match at
Indian Wells since 2001 on Friday, beating
Monica Niculescu in straight sets to end
her 14-year self-imposed exile from the
California desert event.
World number one Williams earned the
7-5, 7-5 victory in two hours, three minutes
in front of a crowd of about 14,000 on centre
court of the Tennis Garden stadium.
The 19-time Grand Slam winner walked
onto the court to a standing ovation from
the crowd, a sharp contrast to her last Indian
Wells appearance when as a 19-year-old she
was booed after beating Kim Clijsters in the
final.
Friday evening’s match was one of the
most anticipated of the two week hardcourt
tournament because Williams finally
decided to bury the hatchet after telling
herself she would never play in Indian Wells
again.
“I travelled the world in the last 14 years,”
Williams said. “I won 18 slams and I had
some great memories around the world.
There was just that one memory.
“I thought that if I could just put it aside
and create some new memories.”
Williams won the Indian Wells crown
in 1999 at age 17 and again two years later
when she rallied to beat Clijsters in the final
4-6, 6-4, 6-2 after a controversial semifinal
walkover when her sister Venus pulled out.
Romania’s Niculescu came out onto the
court first Friday followed a few minutes
later by Williams who received a warm
reception from the crowd as she emerged
from the tunnel.
One fan yelled “We love you Serena”
which was followed by more clapping and
cheering.
Several members of Williams’ family
were also in attendance including her
mother Oracene.
ENDS HER BOYCOTT
Williams announced last month she was
finally ending her boycott of the Indian
Wells tournament, saying she had to let
go of the past and move forward with her
tennis career. She was booed during the
2001 final by fans who accused her and her
sister Venus of rigging a match. Williams
responded later by claiming that she and
her family members at the 2001 match were
subjected to racial slurs.
She hasn’t played a lot this season and it
showed on Friday as Niculescu made her
work for the victory. “I felt excited to be
out there, almost overwhelmed,” she said.
“I wasn’t able to get off to as fast a start as I
wanted to in those first few games.
“It felt so good. I just wanted to be back
out there. It feels great walking out here and
everyone wishing me well.”
She got off to a slow start against
Niculescu as the long layoff and nerves
seem to get the best of her at the beginning
of the first set.
Niculescu jumped out to a 2-0 lead,
breaking Williams in the opening game by
mixing up her groundstrokes and taking
advantage of some unforced errors in the
first career meeting between the two.
Williams won the next three games to go
up 3-2 before Niculescu broke Williams for
the second time en route to a 5-3 lead.
Williams then started to get more
consistency out of her serves and
groundstrokes, taking the final four games
to win the set.
The second set was similar to the first
with several momentum changes. Williams
eventually took charge of the match late in
the set as she finished with a total of 12 aces
and won 73 per cent of her first-serve points
in the match. Williams also finished with 48
unforced errors to 29 for Niculescu.
“I never played anyone like her before,”
Williams said. “I struggled to find my
rhythm. She really made me work really
hard today. It was a really, really tough
match.”
— AFP
ENTERTAINMENT
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
Parents brace for another
dose of Frozen fever
omandailyobserver
29
TINSELTOWN
JLo limits kids from
using gadgets
S
inger-actress Jennifer Lopez says she only allows her children to use
iPads once a week and that she is a strict parent to seven-year-old Max
and Emme — her twins with ex-husband Marc Anthony.
Introducing ‘Sunday Funday’ as an incentive for her children to be wellbehaved during the week, their good behaviour means that they’re allowed to
play on the devices when the weekend comes around.
“It starts with a late breakfast. We sleep in, even the kids sleep in. And
Sunday Funday, they work towards that because they don’t get to use their
iPads during the week.
Or play video games or anything because it’s school time.
“And they have to be good in school and then they get Sunday Funday.
It’s something I made up so they could work towards it and behave,” she told
eonline.com when asked what a typical Sunday involved.
Lopez knows that the gadgets are an easy way to keep her children
occupied, but she doesn’t want them to be using them all the time, even if it
means she’ll get an opportunity to catch up on her sleep.
Q ERIC RANDOLPH AND ALICE RITCHIE
D
azed parents wander the aisles of
the Disney store in a manic search
for the right Elsa dress or Anna
doll, the endlessly repeated refrain
of “Let It Go” ringing in their
ears. Are they ready for another
instalment of “Frozen fever”?
“I bloody well hate them all,” says one man, staring
at the 60-euro ($70) price tag on a shiny turquoise
dress.
He was one of many grimly determined parents
making a dash through the Champs Elysees branch of
the Disney store in Paris on Friday, looking for more
merchandise to sate the bottomless hunger of their
charges back home.
The prospect of a Frozen sequel, officially
announced a day earlier by Disney, does not fill them
all with instant delight.
“More songs, more marketing? Yes, we’re certainly
worried,” said Sylka Pax from Belgium, who has an
eight-year-old girl.
“It drives us a little crazy but it has some advantages,”
she added on reflection. “We took part in a quiz the
other day and I immediately recognised the Frozen
song in the music section.”
‘No light at end of tunnel’
The parenting world has yet to recover from the
sensory and financial assault launched by Disney
in late 2013, when Frozen burst out of nowhere to
become the single most important thing in the lives of
millions of children.
That has meant several hours of Christmas Day lost
to the construction of a Frozen castle — whose broken
pieces then become hidden booby traps around the
house.
It has meant many mornings of struggle to convince
a daughter she should wear her school uniform rather
than an Anna dress.
And it has meant hearing the song “Let It Go” more
times than is medically advisable.
“We’ve got a five-year-old who sings it at the top of
her lungs all day — Let it goooooo!” says Disney store
shopper Carol Austin-Groome, from Britain.
“And she does not have a good singing voice.”
She is not alone. Even Prime Minister David
Cameron admitted last month to having heard the
song “more times than I care to remember” thanks
to his four-year-old daughter Florence who regularly
“launches into song” in front of his security detail.
London’s Little Rascals children’s entertainment
company says the will to organise Frozen parties has
slowly melted away in the past year.
“It’s diminished recently, not really among the
kids, but among the parents,” says founder Andrew
Bloomer, adding that Frozen parties still account for
around a quarter of his business.
He fears for the sanity of some customers if the
sequel triggers another wave of “Frozen fever”.
“They saw a light at the end of the tunnel and now
it’s gone,” he said.
A desperate search
In another aisle at the Disney store, Yusuf Sogul is
desperately looking for an Elsa doll before he catches
his flight back to Istanbul.
“My daughter is seven years old. She has phoned us
twice today and I have many messages on Whatsapp
telling me to get it, but they only have the big one — it
won’t fit in my luggage,” he says, slightly panicked.
At the London branch of the store, some parents
put a more positive spin on the Disney cash-cow,
which has become the fifth-highest grossing film of all
time.
“It’s the only movie she has watched all the way
through,” said Anna, from Gothenburg in Sweden,
buying a Frozen bag for her seven-year-old daughter.
“Normally she has ants in her pants but with
Frozen she sits and watches it. So it’s a good thing. And
I love the music.”
While some fathers may be dreading the coming
ice storm of a Frozen sequel, they also know they will
have their revenge when an even more powerful force
hits the screens.
“I couldn’t care less,” said London-based father
Graeme Harrison. “Because the boys and I have now
got Star Wars Episodes XII AND XIII movies to look
forward to.”
— AFP
Irina felt ‘insecure’ with Cristiano Ronaldo
S
upermodel Irina Shayk says she felt “insecure
and ugly” when she was in a relationship with
Real Madrid star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 29-year-old model recently split from the
soccer star after five years of dating and admitted she
previously thought she had found the “ideal man” but
things didn’t turn out the way she’d hoped, reports
femalefirst.co.uk.
“I thought I had once found the ideal man but it
didn’t turn out that way. I think a woman feels ugly
when she’s got the wrong man at her side. I’ve felt ugly
and insecure,” Shayk told Spain’s Hola magazine.
SAMUEL BECKETT STUFF
The Sports Illustrated beauty is now on the lookout
for a “gentleman” who treats her well.
“My ideal man is faithful, honest and a gentleman
who knows how to treat women.
I don’t believe in men who make us feel unhappy,
because they’re boys not men,” she added.
Cristiano and Shayk split over the Christmas period
last year and he is rumoured to have already moved on
with Spanish TV presenter Lucia Villalon.
The Portuguese star recently released a statement
confirming their split, saying: “I wish Irina the greatest
happiness.”
Monica Bellucci finds
singledom ‘liberating’
A
ctress Monica Bellucci
enjoys being single and
feels “lucky” to have
good health and a family.
Bellucci,
who
has
daughters Deva, 10, and
Leonie, five, with exhusband Vincent Cassel,
feels “very alive” and
enjoys life on her own,
reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Asked if being single
at 50 is strange, she told
Hello! magazine: “No.
It feels liberating.
The
single
woman is a free
woman and being
single does not
mean being alone.
I feel very alive.
“I’m lucky to be
in good health and
have two wonderful
daughters who fill
my life with such joy.”
She was 39 when she had her first child and thinks she was right to wait
until later in life because she was too “selfish” in her 20s and early 30s to be
a parent.
“(Being a parent) has made me so much more happy, more complete,
more full. When I was in my 20s and early 30s, I wasn’t ready to take on such
a responsibility.
Maybe that’s because I was an only child and that makes you more selfish.
“But as soon as I had Deva, I wanted to have another child.
Then I decided I should wait until I had time to understand what it means
to be a mother.
“I had my second daughter when I was 45, which is quite lucky for a
woman at that age. But it’s just been so beautiful to raise my children. It’s a
miracle,” she added.
Disembodied mouth unleashes Beckett on Paris theatre-goers
Q MARIE-PIERRE FEREY
I
n a pitch-black theatre, a
disembodied mouth spews Samuel
Beckett in a breathless, non-stop
monologue over a Paris theatre audience,
in English, without subtitles.
On the face of it, Beckett’s “Not I”
appears designed to be as indigestible
as it is possible for a play to be: just
eight minutes long, no other point of
focus other than the floating mouth
surrounded by blackness, and a
galloping, demented text that is streamof-consciousness with no obvious
structure.
It is a rarely-presented piece from the
repertoire of Beckett works. The Nobel
Prize-winning Irish playwright, novelist
and writer who notably wrote “Waiting
for Godot” and who died in Paris — the
city where he spent most of his life — in
1989, was considered a postmodernist
master of the “Theatre of the Absurd”.
For actress Lisa Dwan, also Irish, the
very challenging nature of the play she
has performed to full houses in London,
New York and now Paris was its appeal.
“This Beckett stuff goes right to the
core of humanity. There’s no messing
around with any politeness, you’re in
there,” she said.
‘Group hallucination’
Directed by Walter Asmus, an early
assistant to Beckett, “Not I” is grouped
together with two other plays by the
same author, “Footfalls” and “Rockaby”,
with Dwan the only person on stage for
all three.
Her presence, preternatural
technique, songlike voice and clear
affinity with the ideas and strange,
dark world of Beckett — a “genius” she
says repeatedly — make her a gifted
messenger of the playwright’s vision.
Those are all key attributes to
obtaining the hard-to-get licence from
Beckett’s estate for the plays — but
also necessary to interpret the author’s
often impenetrable texts that he never
explained himself.
“’Not I’ is obviously impossible to
memorise. He’s written it in such a way
it never gets easy,” Dwan said.
Then there’s the physical torture
involved in the role. The actress is pinned
to a wooden board and her face covered
in thick black make-up for the duration
of “Not I”, so only her mouth can be seen
as the inner voice of an unbalanced old
woman recounting key moments in
her life but repressing one important
experience.
“I’m wearing a blindfold and I have a
pair of tights on my head. I can’t see, hear
or move,” she said.
To the audience, a “group
hallucination” occurs that makes the
solitary mouth appear to be floating
around in the darkness.
The play, “spoken at the speed
of thought”, is more an emotional
experience than an intellectual revelation,
she said — and one that affects her just as
strongly as those watching.
— AFP
30
omandailyobserver
LIFE
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
CAS scout workshop concludes
SAYEH WOODMAN
sayehwoodman@outlook.com
Every bit helps
T
T
he Colleges of Applied
Sciences
Scout
Workshop drew to
a close under the
auspices of Dr Jehad
al Khalaf Bani-Younis,
Dean of the college. The three-day
workshop was held as part of a schedule
of activities planned by the Student
Service Centre at the Ministry of Higher
Education. All six Colleges of Applied
Sciences — Ibri, Nizwa, Sur, Sohar,
Salalah and Rustaq — participated.
The workshop aimed to prepare the
colleges’ male and female scouts for
future leadership roles.
The opening day comprised two
sessions. The first session began with
a presentation on the workshop’s
aims and purpose. The workshop
presenter, scout supervisor Hilal al
Khalbani, talked about scout movement
principles, scout work, ways of working
in small groups, and the characteristics
and responsibilities of good leaders.
A training workshop was held in the
second session and was followed by a
work demonstration.
The
second
day’s
activities
commenced with a workshop about
volunteer work and team building, and
included a workshop on how to plan
scout unit activities. The workshop was
conducted by Jumma al Nuaimi, a scout
group leader
The final day’s events included
a lecture on the organisation and
management of scout camps, focusing
on their management before, during
and after camping, as well as ways of
assessing participants’ understanding of
information conveyed.
“The main aim of the training course
is preparing and improving the scouts’
skills and knowledge and informing
them about their duties. The course
contains a set of activities including
workshops and a practical guide to the
formation of camps,” said Al Khalbani.
Several of the participants shared
their thoughts on the course. Mazoon al
Thehli, from CAS-Nizwa, said: “This is
the first time I have participated in such
a course, however I have gained a lot of
information about the scout movement
through the practical workshops. We
have learned about the scout movement
and its organisational structure.”
Hams al Mijazwi, from CAS-Ibri,
expressed her happiness at taking
part in the course through which
participants were able to understand
ambiguous concepts and unclear related
information.
Bayan College conducts workshop on academic advising
B
AYAN College — the first private college in the
Sultanate to offer degrees in Media Studies recently
organised a workshop on Academic Advising for its
faculty and staff.
Dr George Kolancherry, Head of the Advising
Committee, along with Antoinette Silveira, Krishna Sanal
and Fatima Husain — members of the advising committee
presented different aspects of advising such as importance
of advising, duties of advisers and responsibilities of
advisees.
Dr Jassim M Jaber — Dean, Bayan College and Modi al
Ghailani — Assistant Dean, spoke about key issues related
to advising and addressed rules and regulations.
The College offers specialised programmes in
Journalism, Broadcasting, Public Relations, Advertising,
English Professional Writing and English Literature.
Loneliness as
dangerous a
killer as obesity
L
oneliness and social
isolation are just as
much a -threat to
longevity and overall health as
obesity, says a new study.
“The effect of this is
comparable
to
obesity,
something that public health
takes very seriously,” said lead
study author Julianne HoltLunstad from the Brigham
Young University (BYU) in
the US. “We need to start
taking our social relationships
more seriously,” Holt-Lunstad
added.
Although older people
are more likely to be lonely
and face a higher mortality
risk, the association between
loneliness and risk of mortality
among the young population
is actually greater than among
the older population, the
researchers noted. Loneliness
and social isolation better
predict premature death
among a population younger
than 65 years, they added.
The study analysed data
from a variety of health studies.
Altogether, the sample
included more than three
million participants from
studies that included data for
loneliness, social isolation and
living alone.
“In essence, the study
is saying the more positive
psychology we have in our
world, the better we’re able to
function not just emotionally
but physically,” co-author of
the study Tim Smith from the
BYU noted.
his time every year, it’s full pelt to raise monies for charity — for
those who are less fortunate. It’s homed into us, leading up to the
prestigious event. With merchandise on offer to purchase, media
stunts, everything on TV related to this event, I want to share with you Red
Nose Day — as it’s a big thing in the UK. It’s the chance to act silly and raise
money for the charity at the same time.
Set up by the comedy community 18 years ago, Comic Relief uses
comedy and laughter to get across messages about issues and problems
that affect the lives of many people.
The heart of what Comic Relief is about is their commitment to help
end poverty and social injustice.
Comic Relief was launched live on BBC ONE, the English channel, on
Christmas Day 1985 from a refugee camp in Sudan.
The charity began with a few live events.
Since then there have been eight Red Nose Days that have raised more
than £250 million.
The projects that Comic Relief supports cover a huge range of issues.
Red Nose Day money in Africa has educated people about many
illnesses and made them aware, its taught women to read, immunised
children and helped people rebuild their communities.
Across the UK it has helped disabled people challenge prejudice and
discrimination, supported older people in their fight to get their rights
recognised and provided escape routes for women living with domestic
violence.
On the day, the streets in the City of London are filled with people
raising money for the charity on a fun run.
They will be expected to walk, crawl, skate or be pushed in shopping
trolleys in a bid to raise cash for Comic Relief. Celebrities get together
and do outrageous dares and events to raise money, and the entertainment
is second to none. Every year the supermarkets are full of red noses, for
purchase and the money goes to charity.
Comic Relief promise that for every pound donated by the public, a
pound goes to helping people, so you can see how big a deal the event is.
There’s lots of emotions at this time of year for this charity, happiness
and fulfillment knowing you’re doing your bit for charity with raising
monies, but also sadness too those unfortunate. The media conveying such
poverty in photos, video footage and messages certainly gets you shedding
the tears.
I always reckon that if you can help others, why not? Every bit counts,
something is everything, to the one receiving. When I was in Muscat I
liked walking to the big drop off box, as I used to donate clothes and gifts
in the drop boxes dotted around Muscat. I think this is a great idea for
charities.
They don’t really have that here in the UK, only drop boxes for recycling.
It’s always good to make a difference, and there’s so many different ways
to do that, and so many different people, situations and causes in the world.
Musical evening to mark Ugadi festival
EVENING OF BENGALI
THEATRE ON MARCH 26
O
n the eve of ‘Ugadi’ festival,
the Indian Social Club —
Karnataka Sangha Muscat is
all set to present a musical event named
“Natya Swara Sangama (Swara Sanje-3)”
on Friday, March 27, 2015 at Le Grande
Hall, Al Falaj Hotel from 6 pm onwards.
Around 25 ever popular songs chosen
from Kannada movies are going to be
rendered by talented in-house singers
of ISC — Kannada Sangha Muscat.
Some of the singers are professionally
trained and few are hobby singers who
have made singing as part of their life
standing on par with the professionally
trained singers.
Few numbers from the 25 songs
will have dance performance by young
dancers of Karnataka Wing to spice up
the ambience.
Popular actor, director, music
In all around 18 singers who were
director of Kannada film industry selected through audition are gearing
Sadhu Kokila who is also known for his up to enthrall the members of Kannada
comic roles in Kannada films will be the Sangha Muscat.
The programme is being coordinated
chief guest.
T
by Vani Bhagawat who has organised
and coordinated many such similar
events in past.
Entry restricted to ISC — Karnataka
members.
HEALTH TIPS
Insufficient sleep increases BP at night
C
hronic sleep deprivation can
increase night-time blood
pressure, putting you at
greater risk of heart diseases, warns
new research. “For the first time, we
demonstrated that insufficient sleep
causes increases in night time blood
pressure and dampens nocturnal
blood pressure dipping,” said lead
author Naima Covassin from Mayo
Clinic in the US.
The results stemmed from a
controlled study that mimicked the
sleep loss experienced by many people.
“We know high blood pressure,
particularly during the night, is one
of the major risk factors for heart
disease,” Covassin said.
In this study, eight healthy normal
weight participants aged 19 to 36
participated in a 16-day in-patient
protocol consisting of a four-day
acclimation period followed by nine
days of either sleep restriction (four
hours of sleep per night) or normal
sleep (nine hours of sleep per night),
and three days of recovery.
Twenty-four
blood
pressure
monitorings at regular intervals were
measured at each study phase.
CULTURE
During night-time, in the sleep
restriction phase compared to normal
sleep phase, systolic (top number)
and diastolic (bottom number) blood
pressure averaged 115/64 millimetres
of mercury (mm Hg) versus 105/57
mm Hg respectively, researchers
found.
Furthermore, the expected fall
in blood pressure during the night
was suppressed when the people had
inadequate sleep.
They also found that night-time
heart rate was higher with sleep
restriction than in normal sleep.
The findings are scheduled to be
presented at the American College of
Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific
Session in San Diego today.
he alumni of Bengal Engineering
College (Kolkata) in Muscat
are hosting the Bengali theatre
group ‘Naye Natua’ at Al Bustan Palace
— A Ritz Carlton Hotel on March 26,
2015.
‘Naye Natua’, formed by stage actor
and director Gautam Halder in 2009,
has presented a number of acclaimed
productions, such as Meghnadbodh
Kavya, Jaal and Barda. Gautam has
also acted in and directed a number
of outstanding plays for the Bengali
theatre group ‘Nandikar’.
Gautam is joined by Debshankar
Halder, widely acclaimed as one of the
best stage actors of his generation.
The group will be presenting two
plays. Barda is a solo performance by
Goutam Halder based on a story by
the well-known Indian author, Munshi
Premchand.
This shall be followed by ‘Missed
Call’ — a psychological thriller starring
both Gautam and Debshankar Halder.
The following day shall witness
a programme of recitation and
‘Shrutinatok’ by the much acclaimed
duo of Jagannath Basu and Urmimala
Basu.
This shall be held at Majan
InterContinental Hotel and shall be
followed by a musical performance
by Iman Chakraborty, a promising
upcoming singer of Kolkata.
The alumni of Bengal Engineering
College Muscat have been presenting
outstanding artistes from Bengal
over the last several years, including
Nandikar and Charbak, classical
performers Ajay Chakraborty and
Mamata Shanker, and contemporary
Bengali bands like Bhoomi and
Chandrabindoo.
SPOTLIGHT
S U N DAY
MARCH 15 l 2015
omandailyobserver
31
In Praise of CREATIVE ARTS
Q CLIVE G
hewholuvsfotos@gmail.com
I
Á
came across an article in The
Guardian
newspaper
the
other week which stated that,
in Britain today, there are
160,000 undergraduate and
postgraduate students studying
creative arts courses, that is, courses
in drama, dance, fine art, music, film,
photography, design and creative writing.
Apparently, this number is greater than
the whole of engineering, or maths and
computing combined.
To be honest, I was rather surprised
and not a little uplifted by these statistics,
especially given that public funding for
the Arts in Britain has fallen through the
floor in recent years, and the fact that
youngsters these days are so relentlessly
bombarded with the propaganda that
only science and mathematics-based
subjects are worthy of higher study as
only they will be a shoe-in to employment
after graduation. What a sad state of
affairs that 18-year-olds expected to
choose the career path they are to follow
for the next 40 years.
As I read this article, I was transported
back in time to the March day thirty-six
years ago when I stalked into my father’s
workshop, heart pounding, intent on
laying waste to his fanciful notion that
I was going to follow in his illustrious
footsteps through academia and study
Mathematics.
“Dad, I have applied to study Fine Art
at university,” I said with all the force I
could muster. “I have been called for an
interview next week.”
“What did you say?” my father said
as he very slowly looked up from the
lawnmower engine he was rebuilding.
As far as I know, my father never visited
an art gallery, took a photograph, read
a poem or attended a classical music
concert in his whole life.
“I said I have applied to study Fine
Art at university,” I repeated, then added,
“In England.” My father winced, as if I’d
just punched him in the solar plexus.
England, apparently, was an even greater
iniquity in his view of the world than
Fine Art.
“In England! And what’s wrong with
the art college in Dublin?” he said, wiping
his hands on a greasy rag as if getting
ready to tie me into a straightjacket and
send me to Monaghan, the location of the
regional secure psychiatric hospital.
“They have priests teaching there,” I
lied, shamelessly exploiting my father’s
rabid hatred of the Roman Catholic
clergy.
“And what about Belfast? Is the art
college there not good enough for you?”
“The art students in Belfast like to
cavort about with no clothes on,” I said,
making reference to a very lurid piece of
performance art I had witnessed on my
exploratory visit the previous month, and
at the same time shamelessly exploiting
Á
Don’t bother looking for a direct
link between today’s words and
pictures, because there isn’t one. I
just thought I would share with you
these two photographs I took last
week of an old house in Ibra with
beautiful painted roof beams in the
upstairs room
THE PROPAGANDA SPREAD
BY MANY PARENTS,
TEACHERS AND BY
SOCIETY IN GENERAL IN
THESE DAYS OF ECONOMIC
DOWNTURN IS THAT
YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD
FORGET ABOUT STUDYING
A CREATIVE ARTS
DISCIPLINE AND TURN
THEIR ATTENTION INSTEAD
TO SCIENCE AND MATHSBASED SUBJECTS THAT
WILL LIKELY GET THEM
WELL-PAYING JOBS AFTER
THEY GRADUATE. PARDON
ME, BUT I BEG TO DIFFER
my father’s rabid aversion to public
nudity.
“Well, I see that your mind is made
up,” he said. “If that’s what you really want
to study, then you have my blessing.” With
that, he turned back to the lawnmower
engine, which was just as well as my eyes
were tearing up.
Of course, it is not only the parents
of arty kids who can have their hopes
cruelly dashed. A few months ago, I met
up with my old school friend Dominic,
a bassoonist by profession, in a coffee
house in London. We hadn’t seen each
other in ten years.
“And how’s Finbar?” I asked after a
while, referring to Dominic’s only son.
“He’s at Oxford on a full scholarship.
How’s life going in Oman?” Dominic
said.
“How wonderful,” I gushed. “What’s
he reading?”
“Do you want that biscuit?” Dominic
said, eyeing the complementary finger of
shortbread on my saucer.
“No, you have it. What’s he reading?”
“Oh no, look. It’s started to rain and
I’ve left my umbrella at home,” Dominic
said, looking out of the window.
“Earth to Dominic, come in please!
What is Finbar reading at Oxford?”
“Economics,” Dominic mumbled,
pretending to check his phone for
messages.
“You’re joking! What happened to
that boy I once knew who painted, wrote
poetry, played Chopin and acted in
plays?” I said.
“The usual story. When he
moved up to secondary school, he fell in
with the wrong crowd, started listening to
pop music...”
“Pop music!” I gasped.
“… going out with girls …”
“Girls!” I exclaimed.
“… playing rugby …”
“RUGBY!” I shrieked, causing the
other customers in the coffee house to
look round and scowl at me. “Why didn’t
you write and tell me? I could have sent
you a camel whip from Oman.”
“I tried to reason with him, but it was
no good. He’s a very strong-willed boy.”
“But Economics, for heaven’s sake!
What sort of a dead-end job will he get
with a degree like that?”
“He’ll become a merchant banker,
I suppose. Or worse, an economist at
the IMF. He says he wants to own his
first Ferrari by the time he’s 30. I’m so
disappointed.” Dominic looked as if he
was about to burst into tears, so I thought
it best to adopt a consoling tone.
“Oh well, I suppose somebody has
got to do those kinds of demeaning jobs.
What about Iona?” I said, referring to
Finbar’s younger sister.
“Oh, she wants to be a novelist,”
Dominic said, perking up slightly.
“Well, at least she has some sense,” I
said.
Science and maths-based disciplines
have their own apologists, so I am not
going to discuss here what benefits the
study of such subjects at undergraduate
or postgraduate level might bring. No,
I carry the flag for the Arts, in case
that wasn’t already obvious. So what
justifications would I give for encouraging
young people to study a creative arts
subject at university, assuming they have
the passion and aptitude for that subject?
First of all, I might say that the world
is always, perhaps now more than ever,
in need of new ways of looking at things,
of new ideas, of thinking outside the
envelope, which are exactly the kinds of
skills you learn on a creative arts course.
Divergent thinking is fundamental to all
creativity.
Perhaps I would also point to recent
research that strongly indicates arts
graduates have a broader skills base and
so are better equipped for a wider range
of jobs. Furthermore, they are more
flexible in changing careers later in life.
I might also state the obvious by
saying that arts graduates care more
about the personal happiness and wellbeing that creativity naturally brings
them than they do about money and
possessions.
Most emphatically of all, though, I
would no doubt quote those famous
lines from the 18th century English poet
Alexander Pope — “The proper study
of mankind is man.” Reflection on the
human condition is fundamental to
creative art (as well as several science
subjects, such as Archaeology and
Psychology). Surely it is obvious to even
the most slow-witted individual that what
the world needs at the moment is more
human understanding, more empathy
and more thinking outside the box.
So if you are the parent of a teenager
with a strong aptitude and desire to
study a creative arts subject, then at least
consider giving them your blessing and
let providence take care of the future.
After all, I studied Fine Art at university
with my mathematician father’s blessing
and look how well I turned out!
CRUCIAL EVIDENCE
Ancient teeth reveal early human entry into rainforests
Q WILL DUNHAM
P
eople adapted to living in
tropical rainforests thousands
of years earlier than previously
known, according to scientists who
found crucial evidence in 20,000-yearold fossilised human teeth discovered
in Sri Lanka.
The researchers said there has
been a debate over when our species
first began living in rainforests, with
some experts arguing such habitats
may have been too daunting for early
human hunter-gathers.
In a study published on Thursday
in the journal Science, the scientists
examined teeth from 26 people found
at various archaeological sites in Sri
Lanka for evidence of whether their
diet consisted of rainforest plants and
animals.
They obtained small tooth enamel
samples using a diamond-tipped drill
and analysed them with an instrument
called a mass spectrometer.
Almost all the teeth, including
the oldest ones from about 20,000
years ago found at the Batadombalena rock-shelter in southwestern Sri
Lanka, indicated a diet primarily of
food from the rainforest.
“Humans have been manipulating
and living within dynamic rainforest
environments for at least 20,000
years and probably even longer,” said
University of Oxford archaeologist
Patrick Roberts, who studies early
human adaptations.
“The lifestyle, as we can see, was
dedicated rainforest subsistence,”
Roberts added.
Scientists previously had not found
direct evidence of human occupation
of rainforest regions before about
10,000 years ago.
Compared to open habitats,
rainforests present difficulties such
as dense vegetation that makes it
tough to get around, small, nimble
and often arboreal prey animals and a
bewildering array of plants and fruit,
including poisonous ones.
“However, it is clear that hunting
and gathering communities in Sri
Lanka figured out how to adapt
to such settings,” said Oxford
archaeologist Mike Petraglia, another
of the researchers.
The researchers said these people
hunted monkeys, giant squirrels,
mouse deer, porcupines and other
mammals, as well as freshwater and
forest snails, while also eating nuts and
starchy rainforest plants.
“These results further the picture
that our species was incredibly
adaptive, and it is arguably this that
made us the first species to expand
across the diversity of the globe’s
ecologies and environments,” Roberts
said.
While the study provides the
earliest direct evidence for human
reliance on rainforest resources,
the researchers said other evidence
suggests people may have taken to Sri
Lanka’s rainforests as early as 38,000
years ago.
Roberts said archaeological work in
Africa, Southeast Asia and Melanesia
also suggests humans may have used
rainforest resources at least 45,000
years ago.
— Reuters
The site of Batadomba-lena in Sri Lanka, where human teeth dating back 20,000 years old were excavated. — Reuters
SUNDAY | MARCH 15, 2015 | JUMADA AL ULA 24, 1436 AH
P29
P30
P31
Inside
Irina felt ‘insecure’ with Ronaldo Insufficient sleep increases BP at night In Praise of creative arts FOLLOW US ON:
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editor@omanobserver.om
A bunch of male date palm flowers
A
strong relationship
has linked Omanis to
the date palm since
ancient times as they
pay attention and
care to date palms,
which reward them with lots of fruits
that constitute their living throughout
the year; using palm fronds to make
craft products handed down through
generations to be an additional income
by selling these products, mainly linked
to agriculture and dates harvesting.
The annual indigenous farming
method of pollinating the date palms has
begun these days and will go through
various stages.
The pollination stage begins in the
Sultanate during the very cold season as
the pollination begins for some varieties,
which are famous for early “Rattab” stage
in summer like “Al Battash, Al Miznaj,
Al Manhi, Al Qidmi,” etc.
Date palm is unisexual, being either
male or female. Male and female flowers
grow on buds called Spathe, which
opens naturally when fully mature.
It is easy to identify the male and
female flowers. Under the method of
manual pollination, pollen from a male
flower is smeared over female flowers.
This works very well and also guarantees
higher yield.
The oldest and simplest pollination
technique consists of placing an entire
male flower spathe in the crown of
the female date palm and leaving the
pollination to wind, bees and other
insects. This technique does not always
yield uniform fruit sets unless if several
of the male flower spathes are placed in
the crown of the female date palm.
The most common technique of
pollination is to cut the strands of male
SINCE ANCIENT
TIMES THE
PEOPLE OF OMAN
HAS A STRONG
RELATIONSHIP WITH
DATE PALMS; THEY
CARE FOR THE TREES
WHICH REWARD
THEM WITH LOTS OF
FRUITS, FRONDS TO
MAKE TRADITIONAL
CRAFT PRODUCTS
MAINLY LINKED TO
AGRICULTURE AND
DATES HARVESTING
flowers from a freshly opened male
spathe and place two to three of these
strands, lengthwise and in an inverted
position, between the strands of the
female inflorescence.
This technique is used with certain
type of date palms like “Al Khunaizi and
“Al Khasab” with long spathes.
Choosing the appropriate pollen is
very important for pollination. Selection
of male date palm with many flowers
that produce the pollen is essential for
successful pollination.
The most important benefit of the
manual pollination process is that male
flowers from a single tree can be used to
pollinate 40 to 50 female date palms.
Farmers avoid pollination process in
rainy days because the rain ruins the
whole process of pollination.
Pollination process varies depending
on the type of plant, its quality, and type
of date palm, climatic condition and
humidity of the place.
Pollination takes several days,
depending on time spent by farmers.
Some farmers prefer to wait until all
flowers unfold, others pollinate flowers
separately. Late pollination might cause
failure of pollination, like in “Al Naghal”
date palms, except with some types like
“Al Khunaizi’’ and “Al Khasab.”
Pollination stage takes more than
two months. The second stage called
“Inhidhar” or descending. It means
locally bringing the bunch of the date
palm down to a level that can be reached
by the farmers to reap the “Rattab” in the
future.
Descending is of two types: either
to bring the bunch to the level of the
leaves or below the leaves with a rope,
plastic tape or fibril made of the leaves
of the date palm. After almost four
months of the second stage, harvesting
season begins, whether “Rattab” or fully
matured “Tamar” that could be stored
later.
— ONA
LATE-NIGHT SNACKS
WHAT YOU EAT ALSO IMPACTS HEART
A
team of Indian-American
researchers has found that
not just what you eat but
when you do so is equally important in
order to protect your heart from early
ageing.
The results from experiments over
fruit flies can one day translate into
cardiac and obesity-related health
benefits for humans, they noted.
“Time-restricted feeding would not
require people to drastically change
their lifestyles but just the times of day
they eat,” said Girish Melkani, biologist
at the San Diego State University.
The benefits of a time-restricted diet
were not exclusive to young flies.
When the researchers introduced
these dietary time restrictions to older
flies, their hearts became healthier too.
“Even if you introduce timerestricted feeding very late, you still
have some benefit,” Melkani pointed
out.
Melkani, along with Satchidananda
Panda, circadian rhythms expert at the
Salk Institute for Biological Studies and
Shubhroz Gill from the Broad Institute
in Boston found that by limiting the
time span during which fruit flies
could eat, they could prevent ageingand diet-related heart problems.
Previous research has found that
people who tend to eat later in the day
and into the night have a higher chance
of developing heart disease than people
who cut off their food consumption
earlier.
“So what is happening when people
eat late? They are not changing their
diet just the time,” Melkani added.
In their experiments, one group of
two-week-old fruit flies was given a
standard diet of cornmeal and allowed
to feed all day long.
Another group was allowed access
to the food for only 12 hours a day.
After three weeks, the results were
clear.
Flies on the 12-hour time-restricted
feeding schedule slept better, did
not gain as much weight and had
far healthier hearts than their “eat
anytime” counterparts, even though
they ate similar amounts of food.
The take-home message is to cut
down on the late-night snacks, the trio
concluded.
The study was published in the
journal Science.