THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 5, 2015 | RABEE AL THANI 15, 1436 AH P20 Ǧϐ VOL. 34 NO. 83 | PAGES 32 | BAISAS 200 P32 Ǩ P28 Ͷ Inside Chief Executive Officer DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI 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 Deadline for Majlis election ends today MUSCAT: The Ministry of Interior announced that the deadline for submitting applications for Majlis Ash’shura 8th term membership will expire by the end of business day today. The ministry affirmed that any applications submitted after this date will not be entertained by the walis’ offices. The ministry called upon all applicants who meet the requirements stipulated to expedite the submission of their applications to the offices of the walis in each wilayat they wish to nominate for election. REGION Freed Australian reporter home BRISBANE: Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste arrived home in Australia yesterday saying he had dreamt of returning to his family on each of the 400 days of his detention in Egypt. “I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am to be here,” said the award-winning correspondent who was deported on Sunday from Cairo, where he was held. “This is a moment that I’ve rehearsed in my mind at least 400 times over the past, well, 400 days and it feels absolutely awesome to be here,” the 49-year-old said, flashing the victory sign and holding his arms aloft. REPORT ON P13 World conference on fossil corals Thai PM promises 2016 elections Teen survives 48 hours lost in Alps [email protected] Oman, Lithuania for stability in global energy market MUSCAT: The Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania both recognise the potential of mutual benefits, and in pursuit to strengthen and broaden the friendly relations and cooperation in fields of trade, economy, energy, transportation, communication, and information technology, sciences, education, innovation and culture, health protection, tourism and sports, as well as other fields, resulting from the quantitative and qualitative achievements of the Sultanate in numerous economic and social sectors under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, and the development and continuous growth of Lithuania on the eve of the 25th anniversary of restoration of the Lithuanian Independence, and on the occasion of the official visit of Algirdas Butkevicius, Prime Minister of Lithuania, to the Sultanate during The MoUs signed between the two countries will contribute to the remarkable development of economic and cultural relations. They will provide a solid base for benefitting from mutual experiences ALGIRDAS BUTKEVICIUS Prime Minister of Lithuania February 2-4, an official session of talks was held at the Council of Ministers Headquarters in Muscat yesterday between His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, and Algirdas Butkevicius. Both Parties reached the following outcome. The two countries agreed to develop and expand political, diplomatic, economic and cultural cooperation for the benefit of both nations; to cooperate in international organisations, regional and international fora, in the context of the roles and efforts played by both countries to promote the rule of law, justice, dialogue and the resolution of conflict through peaceful means. TO P4 Majlis refers Traffic Law changes to HM STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT Feb. 4: The State Council has referred amendment in Traffic Law provisions No 28/93 to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos in a step to issue it after getting compliance from the Majlis Ash’shura. The State bureau earlier hosted Mohammed bin Ali al Kiyumi, Head of the Legal Committee, to hear his comments being introduced during a previous meeting. The council yesterday held its fifth meeting for the fourth annual sitting of the fifth term under the chairmanship of Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council. The members introduced Takaful Insurance Law referred by the Council of Ministers and hosted the head of the Economic Committee to listen reasons for the amendments carried out by the committee in the law. The meeting identified the agenda of the seventh upcoming regular session, during which the Takaful Insurance Law will be discussed. Confusion over, local taxi fares are now fixed KABEER YOUSUF MUSCAT Feb. 4: Confusion over fares for local taxi journeys will be a thing of the past as the authorities have fixed sharing taxi fares and no more than the prescribed fares need to be paid, should there be any misunderstanding over the same in the Muscat Governorate. In the fare chart released by the Muscat Municipality, fares to important destinations in Muscat have been mentioned and the civic authority has instructed all the taxi drivers to abide by the chart. Accordingly, anyone who takes a cab from Qurayat to Ruwi will have to pay RO 2 with the sole discretion of the cab driver as to the number of passengers he can carry in one trip. From Ruwi, AMERAT 0.400 QURAYAT 2.000 a passenger has to pay 400 baisa to QURM 0.300 SEA ROAD 0.300 Amerat souq; 500 baisa to Amerat Area 5 and 600 baisa to Amerat Area 6. “These fares have been unified to avoid bargains,” Ali bin Fadhel al The other prices from Ruwi to in order to provide the passengers a Balushi, who officially represents the different destinations are to Qurm hassle-free travel and for the cab drivers taxi drivers, told the Observer. roundabout (300bz); Rawasco (400bz); RUWI INSIDESTORIES MUSCAT Wattayah (200bz); Burj Sahwa (700bz); Ghobrah (400bz); Ghala R/A (400bz); Athaiba (500bz); Muttrah Sea Road (300bz); and to Darsait roundabout (200bz). Likewise, from Qurm roundabout to Al Khuwair, one has to pay 400 baisa; while Ruwi Plaza to Wadi Kabir it is 300 baisa and Muttrah it is 300 baisa. If one takes a cab from Muttrah Sea Road to Old Muscat area he has to pay 200 baisa and to Sidab it is 300 baisa, it is learnt. TO P3 Oman flays killing of Jordan pilot TAIWAN PLANE CAREENS INTO RIVER, 25 DEAD P7 WAR OF WORDS AHEAD OF DELHI POLLS P11 Jordanians take part in a rally in Amman against the killing of pilot Maaz al SEE ALSO P13 Kassasbeh. — AFP MUSCAT: A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry yesterday said that the Sultanate received with deep sorrow the news of IS’s execution of Jordanian pilot Maaz al Kassasbeh. The statement reads as follows: “With deep sorrow and sadness, the Sultanate has received the news of the execution of the Jordanian pilot Maaz al Kassasbeh by the IS group. The Sultanate as it condemns in the strongest terms this criminal act which reflects an inherent malice and organised terrorism against all Muslims and which goes contrary to the divine law and the sanctity of human soul. It reaffirms the importance of concerted international community’s efforts in the fight against terrorism and eradicate its sources, and expresses its solidarity with the Government of the sisterly Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and family of the martyr”. Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdallah II vowed a “severe” response to the IS group. “The blood of martyr Maaz al Kassasbeh will not be in vain and the response of Jordan and its army after what happened to our dear son will be severe,” the King said in a statement released by the Royal Court. Abdallah held talks with senior military and security officials yesterday after cutting short a trip to Washington following IS’s release of a video showing Kassasbeh’s killing. Information Minister Mohammad al Momani said Amman was “more determined than ever to fight the terrorist group. Jordan executed two fighters yesterday, including would-be suicide bomber, as it had promised to do if Kassasbeh were killed. — ONA/AFP Seventy-five per cent of construction work on 150,000 square metres utility in Salalah completed P14 HOSPITAL SHELLED IN EAST UKRAINE WEATHER TODAY MUSCAT MAX: 260C MIN: 200C SALALAH MAX: 260C MIN: 190C SUNRISE 06.44 AM PRAYER TIMINGS FAJR: 05:25 DHUHR: 12:20 ASR: 15:32 MAGHRIB: 17:55 ISHA: 19:25 NIZWA MAX: 260C MIN: 090C Massive public park to be ready by khareef season KAUSHALENDRA SINGH SALALAH Feb. 4: With works going on in advance for the annual festivity, khareef would entirely be a different experience in Salalah this year. The authorities here are on their toes to get things done before hand and the results are quite promising with the completion of 75 per cent of construction work of a park measuring 150,000 square metres in Salalah’s Iitin area. The park is likely to be ready for visitors by April-May this year. And this is just one highlight of many other ongoing works to meet the festival requirements to offer the best possible facilities and services to the visitors during the khareef season. There are works which are visible and there are many others which are either in the pipeline or waiting for final approval. In front of the park are the Majabi restaurants, which are famous for all sorts of meat preparations all through the year. Of course the thin restaurants become crowded and overcrowded sometimes during khareef. Keeping in mind popularity of the place and its location, the authorities have decided to develop the area with all possible recreational and civic facilities. According to sources in the Ministry of Tourism, there is a plan to develop 10 restaurants in this area. The matter is being considered by a high level committee of the ministry. Due to many houses coming up in Itin and Auqad areas, TO P5 2 OMAN OIL PRICE RISES $1.73 T H U R S DAY l F E B R U A R Y 5 l 2 0 1 5 OMAN BILATERAL BONDS Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin al Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs received in his Office at Mu’askar Bait Al Falaj on Wednesday Ali Akbar Sibeveih, Ambassador of Iran to the Sultanate. The meeting reviewed the good relations and fields of the existing cooperation between the two friendly countries. It also discussed a number of issues of common concern. — ONA MSM GAINS 75.26 POINTS Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) said that Oman oil price (April delivery) has reached $55.50. The DME statement said that the price of Oman oil rose $1.73 from the price of Tuesday, which was $53.77. The average price of Oman oil (February Delivery 2015) has stabilised at $61 and one cent, thus $17.23 per barrel lower than January delivery 2015. Muscat Securities Market general index on Wednesday added 75.26 points, comprising a rise by 1.13 per cent to close at 8,724.10 points, compared to the last session, which stood at 6,648.84 points. The trading value stood at RO 14,759,600, comprising a rise by 9.93 per cent compared to the last session, which stood at RO 13,426,543. The report released by MSM pointed out that the market value rose by 0.56 per cent) Seminar on industry day themes organised MUSCAT: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry organised on Wednesday a seminar titled “Themes of Industry Day” at the Inter-Continental Hotel under the auspices of Ahmed bin Hassan al Dheeb, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He added that the themes of the seminar revolved around the role of the industrial sector in the light of falling oil prices and government incentives provided to the industrial sector, Omanisation and industrial licensing procedures and improvement of the industrial sector performance, industrial strategy and finally approve the final recommendations. Al Dheeb said that the contribution of the industrial sector in GDP over The themes revolved around the role of the industrial sector in the light of falling oil prices and government incentives provided to the industrial sector the past four years ranged from 10 to 11 per cent, which is a good rate as the Future Vision of the Omani Economy 2020 was put on the grounds that the contribution of the industrial sector will be15 per cent of GDP. He explained that the seminar came through the vision of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to meet a group of industrialists to assess the previous period, especially since the government on the verge of a new five-year plan in order to stand on what has been achieved and to know the appropriate mechanisms to support the industrial sector, noting that all the proposals and ideas will be discussed during the meeting of the Minister of Commerce and Industry with industrialists on February 9. With regard to quick response to industrial applications, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry pointed out that it will be through the Internet, where it will be distributed to all stakeholders in the same period and the reply will also be via the Internet, as some of the services have activated to help applying — ONA through the Internet. Boney M to rock Muscat with evergreen songs Tanzanian delegation visits PAEW KABEER YOUSUF MUSCAT MUSCAT: A delegation from the Zanzibar Water Authority (ZAWA) currently visiting the Sultanate on Wednesday visited the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) during which the delegation was briefed on PAEW experience in the implementation and management of projects related to water supply in urban areas. — ONA Feb 4: Boney M, the band that took the music lovers across the world with storm of evergreen songs in the 70s and 80s, is all set to perform at Oman Automobile Association Club in Muscat on Wednesday. For music lovers, this is one name that will make their hearts skip more than a beat. Maizie Williams, Original band member who will lead an 11-member troupe told the Observer. The event will see the nostalgic numbers of Rivers of Babylon, Daddy Cool, Ma Baker, Brown Girl and many more being rendered live to the audience. Boney M came together in 1976 and has since Maizie Williams at the press conference in Muscat then occupied a special place in the hearts of music “I am excited to be performing for the Omani lovers the world over. Boney M have sold over 159 million CDs audience today. My troupe and I are going to take how the beautiful memories from Oman for sure” worldwide, garnering 18 Platinum and 15 Gold Albums and over 200 Gold and Platinum Singles. Their chart domination included three more top Australian singles, Mary’s Boy Child, the yuletide classic Hooray! Hooray! It’s a Holi-Holiday and Gotta Go Home songs make them the most iconic European disco act of the era. Though Boney M made modest beginnings, they soon turned in their songs had distinctive soul soothing melodies and foot tapping beats that made it a sensational hit and remains so till today. OMAN T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 omandailyobserver Ramadhan contest winners awarded Bank Muscat to host SME workshop for women from Saturday MUSCAT: Oman Establishment for Press, Publications and Advertising on Wednesday honoured the winners of two cars in the Ramadhan Contest for the year 1435 AH. The award ceremony held at OEPPA premises was presided over by Dr Ibrahim bin Ahmed al Kindi, CEO of OEPPA. Said al Hidaifi won the Toyota Rav4 Car from the Oman Daily and Zuwaina al Shuali won Toyota Corolla from the Oman Daily Observer. Around 18,000 people participated in the contest last year organised by Al Omaneya for Advertising and Public Relations of OEPPA. Confusion over local taxi fares now fixed CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 These fares are for rides on sharing basis to and fro regular routes and the taxi driver reserves the right to the number of people he can carry, but within the rule which governs the maximum number of passengers. However, this rule doesn’t apply if you are hiring a cab to a destination of your choice. Following various complaints on price disparities, the Muscat Municipality has earlier announced that it had plans to introduce taxi metres in the city. The plan is expected to bring uniformed prices and remove the need to negotiate. REVISED TAXI FARE FROM TO RO/BAISAS Qurayat Ruwi Ruwi Ruwi Ruwi Ruwi Qurm RA Ruwi Plaza Plaza Ruwi Ruwi Ruwi Muscat Amerat/Souq Amerat/Area No.5 Amerat/Area No.6 Qurm RA Rawasco Al Khuwair Wattaiyah Al Wadi al Kabeer Muttrah Al Sahwa R/A Gubrah Ghala RA 2.000 0.400 0.500 0.600 0.300 0.400 0.400 0.200 0.300 0.300 0.700 0.400 0.400 MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, is hosting a twoday workshop on ‘How to run and manage your business’ for women entrepreneurs at the bank’s head office on February 7 and 8. The workshop is organised by Al Wathbah, Bank Muscat’s SME Department, as part of activities aimed at expanding and strengthening avenues for SME development in the Sultanate. Expert trainers will lead the workshop aimed at serving as a platform for existing and prospective women entrepreneurs to familiarise themselves with the various aspects of running successful SME ventures. Topics to be covered include market analysis and marketing plan, operation plan, financial plan and writing a business plan etc. Bank Muscat regularly organises workshops and seminars to facilitate unique learning opportunities to address the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and thereby create an environment favourable for SME Sohar Port to take part in world’s largest food show BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT Feb 4: Sohar Port and Freezone can become an important conduit through which food manufacturers can reach booming Middle East markets at a fraction of the cost, according to CEO Andre Toet. His remarks come as Sohar Port prepares to exhibit the benefits of its unique position outside of the Strait of Hormuz at Gulfood 2015, and follows a deal with Sohar Flour Mills to construct a new flour mill at the Omani port. “Growing populations and a 90 per cent dependence on food imports is a perfect recipe for growth; the value of regional food markets will hit $53 billion in 2020. This offers great returns for the industry, but it is also increasing the region’s food bill. Part of the challenge is operating costs in big cities, and our aim is to harness our location, connectivity, and rates to cut the cost of putting food on tables,” explained Toet. “On top of not having to pay the additional costs of passing through the Strait of Hormuz, land and energy rates at Sohar Port are very competitive when compared with other ports and distribution centres across the region. Oman’s Free Trade Agreements with the US and Singapore also offer potential savings that are not so readily available in some other parts of the region, especially its FTA with the US,” he continued. Food exports were expected to account for $150 billion and supported 1 million jobs in 2014. Like the Middle East, Singapore is heavily dependent on food imports, and Toet added that in addition to creating supply chains, revenue, and jobs serving regional markets, there is a very real possibility of creating a transhipment hub for food transiting between East and West. (OEPPA Business Development Dept) success. Over the years, Bank Muscat has launched several initiatives as part of its commitment to SME development in the Sultanate. Serving as building blocks for entrepreneurs, these initiatives assume importance in the backdrop of the priority accorded by the government to develop the SME sector in the Sultanate. Aimed at strengthening the SME sector and creating a successful generation of entrepreneurs, Al Wathbah is committed to facilitating such unique initiatives. In step with the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said to support the SME sector and strengthen its role in the economic development of the Sultanate, Bank Muscat has taken the lead to develop the SME sector in Oman. Aimed at strengthening the SME sector, Bank Muscat offers a comprehensive suite of tailor-made finance solutions, including Al Wathbah non-collateral finance. — ONA 3 IN BRIEF 73 infiltrators arrested, 65 deported MUSCAT: The Royal Oman Police (ROP), in collaboration with other military and security departments, last week arrested 73 infiltrators of different nationalities in a number of wilayats for entering the Sultanate illegally. The ROP also deported 65 infiltrators after taking the necessary legal actions, in coordination with their respective embassies. Secretary-General of Arab Interior Ministers Council arrives in Sultanate MUSCAT: Dr Mohammed bin Ali Kuman, Secretary-General of the Arab Interior Ministers Council arrived here on Wednesday on an official twoday visit to the Sultanate during which he will meet with a number of officials in the Sultanate. He was received by a number of officials at the Ministry of Interior and Royal Oman Police (ROP). — ONA 4 omandailyobserver OMAN T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Sultanate, Lithuania ink MoU on IT and telecom Algirdas Butkevicius, Prime Minister of Lithuania, received at his residence in Al Bustan Palace Hotel yesterday Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs. The meeting reviewed means of enhancing cooperation between the two countries and touched on a number of issues of common concern. The meeting was attended by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry, and a number of officials at the Foreign Ministry. MUSCAT: The Sultanate and Lithuania signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel on Wednesday during the ongoing visit of Algirdas Butkevicius, Prime Minister of Lithuania to the Sultanate. The MoU is related to the cooperation between the two countries in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). It was signed on behalf of the Sultanate’s government by Dr Salim bin Sultan al Ruzaiqi, CEO of the Information Technology Authority (ITA) while it was signed on behalf of the Lithuanian government by Evaldas Gustas, Minister of Economy. Dr al Ruzaiqi told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the MoU will contribute attracting the Lithuanian companies to render their experiences in the Sultanate as Lithuania is one of the leading countries in ICT. He added that the MoU will also contribute in enhancing cooperation between the Sultanate and Lithuania and availing the opportunities for the Lithuanian companies to invest in the ICT field in the Sultanate. Dr al Ruzaiqi explained that the MoU will also avail the opportunities for the Omani companies to establish partnerships and benefit from the expertise of their Lithuanian counterparts, pointing out that the MoU included the cooperation in the field of e-government between the two countries as the Sultanate seeks to benefit from the expertise of the advanced countries in this field. On his turn, the Lithuanian Minister of Economy said the MoU envisaged mutual cooperation in the field of ICT, the exchange of ICT uses and experiences, and enhancing the investments of both sides in this field. He stressed in his statement the keenness of both countries to enhance scope of cooperation in the political, cultural and economic areas, as well as promoting cooperation in the trade, investment, innovation, tourism, education and renewable energy fields. The signing ceremony was attended by Algirdas Butkevicius, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, Dr Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry (Head of the Mission of Honour Accompanying the Lithuanian Prime Minister), Sayyid Badr bin Hamoud al Busaidi, Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry, Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications and a number of officials in both countries. — ONA Oman, Lithuania for stability Munich Airport to help airports expansion in Sultanate in global energy market STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT CONTINUED FROM P 1 Feb 4: Germany’s Munich Airport, one of Europe’s busiest gateways, has pledged to continue contributing Bavarian expertise in the expansion of Muscat and Salalah airports, among other hubs in the Arabian region. A delegation from Flughafen München GmbH (FMG), which operates Munich Airport, was in Muscat earlier this week to affirm the German corporation’s continued cooperation with Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC). FMG CEO Dr Michael Kerkloh, who headed the delegation, signed the follow-up agreement with Dr Juma Ali Juma, Chairman of OAMC, during In a statement, Dr Kerkloh described the visit as a major success that helped lay the “cornerstone” for continued and enhanced cooperation with its partners in Oman and the GCC.” To date, Munich Airport has successfully provided support in 25 airport projects on four continents. “As emphatically demonstrated by the agreements we have now signed, our expertise will continue to be eagerly sought after in the future, in particular in the Arabian Gulf region,” he said. In Muscat, an extensive expansion programme is slated to quadruple the annual passenger handling capacity The two parties acknowledge the importance of maintaining stability in the global energy market, and of the need to secure sustainable energy supplies, as well as economic diversification for the purpose of long-term development and growth. The development of the cooperation in the following areas including industry, energy, transport, science, technologies, innovations, information technologies, telecommunications, construction, building materials industry, pharmaceuticals, food industries, environment protection, agriculture, tourism, education and health services. The parties stressed the importance of areas of culture and science and the exchange of experience, building skillsets, the participation in scientific forums and conferences and the development of direct relations between the institutions of higher education of the parties. The two sides are convinced of the expedience for taking measures in promotion of investment of state and private enterprises, considering that such investments are the most important and substantial factor in development of long term bilateral economic relations. Oman and Lithuania stressed the FMG CEO Dr Michael Kerkloh (right) with signed the follow-up agreement with Dr Juma Ali Juma, Chairman of OAMC, in Muscat. to 48 million. All of the expansion measures, including the new terminal, are scheduled for completion at the end of 2016. A new runway and control tower went into operation in December 2014. The expansion work at Salalah Airport in the south of Oman also includes a new runway, a new tower and an additional terminal. At both locations the FMG consultants will support the local partners in particular with the preparations to open the terminals, including the testing of the baggage systems. In addition, the Munich experts will help to prepare the relocation and provide training at both airports, the German corporation said. Dr Markus Söder, the Bavarian minister of finance and chairman of the FMG Supervisory Board, welcomed FMG’s latest commitment.”Munich Airport is Bavaria’s calling card for the entire world. As an international air transportation hub, it is enormously important for the Bavarian economy. The skills of our experts have been in demand around the globe for many years. That’s something Bavaria can be proud of.” (OEPPA Business Development Dept) Oman and Lithuania stressed the necessity of strengthening trade relations in all levels. In this regard, the two sides aspire to benefit from exchanging of business delegations, organising of trade fairs and exhibitions and developing further their business contacts. Benefiting from the considerable opportunities in developing business relations between business representatives, in establishing joint ventures, taking into consideration the importance of small and medium enterprises in economic development. necessity of strengthening trade relations in all levels. In this regard, the two sides aspire to benefit from exchanging of business delegations, organising of trade fairs and exhibitions and developing further their business contacts. Benefiting from the considerable opportunities in developing business relations between business representatives, in establishing joint ventures, taking into consideration the importance of small and medium enterprises in economic development. The parties underline the importance of cooperation between chambers of trade and commerce of both parties, as well as the development of cooperation of other associate business structures with the aim of exchanging all that is related to trade and investment opportunities. The establishment of a joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation as in important factor in developing cooperation, as well as believing in expedience of regular consultations between other ministries and state institutions between both the parties. Agreement to sign accords concerning avoidance of double taxation, investment promotion and protection, air services and economic cooperation in the future. The two parties acknowledge their intention to further consult regularly on various bilateral issues of mutual interest, as well as regional and international matters of common concern. T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 OMAN 5 GCC regulators size up union of capital markets TESTING WATERS LAKSHMI KOTHANETH MUSCAT The National Ferries Company (NFC) organized an experimental journey on board of Souqarah Ferry from Khasab Port in the Governorate of Musandam to Bahman Port in Qasham Island in Iran. Technical team of the National Ferries Company highlighted the technical requirements for docking the Omani ferryboats at Bahman Port in Iran. NFC’s delegation were briefed on the work system at Bahman Port in Qasham Island and the facilities at the port. The delegation toured the port, its facilities and were familiarized with the available investment opportunities for the private sector. — ONA Public park coming up in Salalah FROM P1 the upcoming park in Itin would serve the dual purpose of khareef and day-to-day visits by the people residing in this area. “It would also suit to those who go up at Ain Jarjij and adjoining areas where the impact of the monsoon season remains the maximum all through the season. Either way while going up or while coming down they can have a break in the park which is to be fitted with toilets and sitting areas,” said a local resident Fahad. According to the plan, the public park in Iitin would have maximum greenery with coconut, tamarind and neem trees. There would grass lawns, shaded pavilions, exercise omandailyobserver stations and shaded sitting areas. The first of its kind park in Salalah would have a wide plaza area with stone paving. There are designed wadis (culverts) with islands and grass mounts, bridges, steps and garden gate buildings with wide parking areas on both the gates. The place would have two slaughter houses, long asphalt pathway for regular walkers and children, while there would be four toilets, two each for men and women visitors. According some sources, there is a plan to develop auto cleaning toilets in several parts of Salalah as part of offering the best possible civic amenities to the Salalah visitors during khareef and winter seasons. IEEE conference and exhibition concludes MUSCAT: The 8th Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) GCC Conference and Exhibition concluded this evening in the Conference Hall at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). The 4-day Conference was hosted by SQU in collaboration with IEEE at Oman Society of Engineers (OSE) in the Sultanate, under the theme “Towards Sustainable Smart Solutions” and was attended by 250 engineers from both inside and outside the Sultanate. Feb. 4: The GCC Capital Market Regulators met yesterday in Saudi Arabia. The meeting is a follow up on what was achieved at the 35th session of the GCC Supreme Council Summit that was held in Doha in December last year. The Supreme Council was also briefed about the functioning of the GCC Monetary Union, and the measures taken by States to implement the Gulf common market. The Supreme ϐ importance of continuing the steps to further the integration among the ϐǡ and to intensify efforts to implement its resolutions on joint action with regard to the areas under the eco- BUCKLE UP More than 200 child restraints donated MUSCAT: Oman Road Safety Association (ORSA) donates more than 200 child restraints for newborns in Oman. Funds for those restraints were raised through the BP Oman sponsored “Buckle Up” campaign. They will be distributed in phases through government hospitals in Muscat, Dhakhliya, Dhahira and Sharqiya in 2015. Amor Nasser Al Matani, Chairman of ORSA, stated, “These funds were raised as part of the recent campaign of ‘Buckle Up Every Person in Every Seat on Every Trip’ that was organised by ORSA in partnership with BP Oman. Many individuals, schools and organisations participated in donating funds towards this cause. I thank Oman Oilfields Supply Centre (OOSC), Special Technical Service (STS) Oman, Shell Oman Marketing and Sports for all committee of the Ministry of Health, schools and colleges and everyone who helped in raising these funds.” nomic agreement. However some of the capital market experts have been skeptical about the viability because of the varying level of market performances in all the GCC countries. Speaking to Observer, one of the ofϐ er because Capital Markets are closely ϐ cies. “These are not yet integrated nor coordinated. Moreover, GCC countries should be open to a progressive and ϐ economic union or integration, and this need not replace the sovereign ǡdz ϐ market sector. In other words, the ofϐ could be where regulators can be coordinated and integrated but leave ϐ being while maintaining competitive advantage of each sovereign state. ϐnancial market be achieved has been a pondering question while another ϐ Ǥϐ tems established is one thing, but to have them operational and functioning well is a different matter as has been the case with GCC Common Customs. “For Capital market integration, it is still very premature. We need to ϐ integration and then perhaps realise that we do not need for it to be located in one country. It could operate all over the GCC. Furthermore, the regulatory powers can also continue to exist as they are and be coordinated by a committee or rotating chairs. All options are open at this stage,” he said. 6 OMAN omandailyobserver T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 BOOSTER: RO 700,000 worth pacts include buildings which would yield revenue for clubs Agreements to fund Sohar, Majis and Al Salam sports clubs signed SOHAR: Agreements to support investment projects for Sohar, Majis and Al Salam Sports Clubs that worth RO 700,000 were signed at Crowne Plaza Sohar Hotel in North Al Batinah Governorate on Wednesday under the patronage of Shaikh Saad bin Mohammed al Mardhouf al Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs, with a support from Jusoor Corporation, represented by Orpic and Sohar Aluminium. Shaikh Rashad bin Ahmed al Hinai, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Sports Affairs stressed the importance of these initiatives by the private sector to support sports that will help these clubs to provide more sports and cultural activities and programmes that would attract young people. Omar bin Mohammed al Abri, Project Manager at Jusoor Corporation said in his speech that the RO 700,000 Shaikh Rashad bin Ahmed al Hinai, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Sports Affairs, agreements include the establishment stressed the importance of these initiatives by the private sector to support sports that of buildings for each club to achieve the will help these clubs to provide more sports and cultural activities and programmes desired goals in the sports and support for the current and future generations which would attract young people through the use of financial returns for these investment buildings. sustainable social projects that focus on support youth projects in the sports and Al Batinah Governorate, members of Shaikh Ali bin Saleh al Hashar CEO young people is one of the basic pillars social areas. The signing ceremony was Majlis Ash’ shura and the heads of sports of Jusoor, said that the establishment of of any society and will contribute to attended by a number of walis of North clubs in the governorate. — ONA TOURISM Oman Fisheries plans seaweed farming pilot MUSCAT: The Oman Fisheries Company plans to go ahead with a pilot project on seaweed farming at a government allocated coastal site. The partially state owned company said in a report that feasibility studies are underway. “The Company has planned to go ahead with the pilot project on seaweeds farming on government allocated area in the sea. The company has initiated viability studies with the government for the identification of appropriate land. We are in the process of (undertaking) technical and financial feasibility studies,” Mohammed bin Hamada al Masrouri, Chairman and Abdulamir bin Said bin Mohammed, Chairman – Internal Audit Committee, said in the Directors’ Report of the Group’s financial performance for the nine months ended December 31, 2014. The unaudited results represent the consolidated figures of Oman Fisheries Co SAOG, Oman Fisheries Co FZE and Al Ameen Stores and Refrigeration LLC. According to the report, the consolidated turnover jumped 29 per cent to RO 17.80 million in the nine months under review, compared to RO 13.80 million a year earlier. Despite the increase in turnover, losses climbed to RO 999,000, up from RO 545,000 during the same period of the previous year. It attributed the losses to a number of setbacks, notably a decision by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to ban some species for export. That led to an increase in stocks of frozen species in the company’s inventory, with little prospects of sales in the local market. The company has however pledged to find a market for these stocks locally. Also impacting the performance was a decision by the company to limit larges cale procurement of cuttlefish to ensure compliance with quality standards set by customers. Adding to costs during the nine month period were higher operating expenses, depreciation, personnel costs, and the operation of two new plants in Salalah and Soqara. As part of its commitment to supporting the government’s food security drive and boosting the available fish across Oman, the company has set aside around 2,000 metric tons of frozen fish for local consumption during the offseason and the holy month of Ramadhan. Distribution is planned across the country, the report said. With the fishing season in full season, Oman Fisheries plans to build up stocks in parallel with a plan to boost sales and profitability, it stated, adding that a 3 year strategy to achieve profitability is currently under review. (OEPPA Business Development Dept) GUtech to host international conference on fossil corals and sponges from today STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Nasser al Mehrzi (left) at the three-day world conference on tourism and culture in Cambodia on Wednesday. HCT and Nama team up to develop start ups for students MUSCAT: Students from the Higher College of Technology (HCT) in Muscat held an engagement session with staff from Nama Group, a strategic sponsor of Injaz Oman. The objective of the session was to introduce the students to the volunteers and to enable the formation of teams that will participate in the Sharikati competition which will be held later this year. Currently in its fourth year, the Sharikati programme aims to train students the principles of entrepreneurship and empower them to develop their own micro and small businesses. Ahmed bin Saleh Al Jahdhami, CEO of the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), member of Nama Group, and Board Member at Injaz Oman said, “It is our pleasure to collaborate with Injaz Oman in their drive to promote an entrepreneurship culture within the youth segment. At Nama Group, we continuously urge our staff to take part in volunteering initiatives as it is a key component to a sustainable development.” Feb 4: An international conference addressing research topics on fossil corals and sponges from Paleozoic to recent times, will begin at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) on Thursday. Around 60 scientists from Belgium, Germany, Poland, France, Italy, the UK, Japan, Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China and Australia are participating in the 10 daylong conference, which is backed by The Research Council, Carmeuse, Springer Publishing House and the Geological Society of Oman (GSO). Prof Dr Michaela Bernecker, Head of the Department of Applied Geosciences at GUtech and main organiser of the conference, commented: “The meet will address corals and sponges through time and space, during reef crisis in earth history, biomineralisation, coral growth, biostrome forming and reef building from a micro to macro scale. The participants of the conference consider how the marine ecosystems are influenced by several triggering mechanisms like global and regional tectonics, increased carbon dioxide Coral reefs of the Sea of Oman offer the possibility for geologists and biologists to apply an interdisciplinary approach of comparison with the fossil deposited on the Arabian shelf during throughout the geoligical history concentrations, loss of oxygen in the oceans, carbon dioxide poisoning or rapid global warming. Their discoveries help us to actively respond in an optimal way to current global concerns including sustainable use of natural resources, biodiversity response to global warming and keeping our planet environmentally sustainable.” According to the academic, the study of coral and sponge limestone is importance because fossil reefs are potential petroleum reservoirs. “The study of such fossil reef limestone allows us to interpret this potential reservoir rocks with significant primary framework porosity and permeability for water and hydrocarbons Prof Dr Michaela Bernecker with Permian and coral limestone used in the façade of the Sahab Hotel in Jabal al Akhdar. like oil and gas and to understand the heterogeneities in carbonate reservoirs,” she said. As part of the conference, a number of field excursions will offer researchers the opportunity to visit the magnificent geological outcrops for example in Al Khoud, Jabal Al Akhdar and in the “Those excursions will provide unparalleled access to the unique fossil Cnidaria and Porifera limestone locations in the Sultanate for scientific discussion and exchange of ideas,” said Prof Michaela, adding, “the modern coral reefs of the Sea of Oman offer the possibility for geologists and biologists to apply an interdisciplinary approach of comparison with the fossil counterparts deposited on the Arabian shelf during throughout the geoligical history.” Professors of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) will lead the field trip in the Al Khoud area. Students from GUtech and SQU will also participate in the conference and a special student session will be organised. Frankincense trees grow on marginal land that is not suitable for agriculture all the while protecting the soil from erosion by producing biomass Project proves sustainable harvest of frankincense trees ZAINAB AL NASSRI MUSCAT Feb 4 : The four-year Frankincense Project successfully achieved its aim of assessing how to sustainably harvest Oman’s frankincense trees. The study took place in four experimental research locations in the Governorate of Dhofar, where three meteorological stations were deployed to monitor the impact of climatic factors on resin production. This was revealed by The Environment Society of Oman (ESO) team led by Dr. Mohsin al Aamry, project leader, Dr Hamad Al Ghailani, Community Outreach Manager and Environmental Expert, Fawziya Al Khanjari, Head of Government Relations, HSBC and Lamees Daar, Executive Director of ESO. The Frankincense Project was designed to protect and preserve an important piece of Oman’s heritage and environment for generations The Frankincense Project was designed to protect and preserve an important piece of Oman’s heritage and environment for future generations. Over the centuries, frankincense has been a large source of income for the people of Dhofar and is today an internationally-renowned commodity. to come. Over the centuries, frankincense has been a large source of income for the people of Dhofar and is today an internationally-renowned commodity from this part of the world. Frankincense trees also positively contribute to the environment by growing on marginal land that is not suitable for ordinary agriculture all the while protecting the soil from erosion by producing substantial biomass. Few people know that Frankincense is harvested by tapping the trunk and branches of the Boswellia sacra tree every 14 days between March and April and every 21 to 28 days between the November and May while avoiding tapping between June and October. In the past few years, after closely monitoring the growth patterns of frankincense trees, researchers observed that tapping has harshly affected the trees, often leading to degradation that is beyond repair. The number of taps should also depend on tree height, trunk size and foliage cover maintaining a 30 cm distance from one another. This kind of harvesting reduces the side effects of tapping and guarantees the overall well being of the trees along with seed germination. Dr Mohsin al Aamry, said, “I am delighted to share this new information about the sustainable harvesting of a tree that holds a special place in Omani heritage. The challenge now is to put these new findings into practice and ensure the survival of the frankincense tree.” Fawziya al Khanjari, head of government relations, HSBC Bank Oman, said, “Sharing the same vision with the Environment Society of Oman, we are proud to have supported this firstof-its-kind study on one of the country’s oldest natural treasures. Recognising that there is much more to be done, HSBC Bank Oman will remain committed to sustainable management practices by supporting national projects that support local communities and raise awareness on the importance of environmental preservation.” An infographic poster has been designed to inform practitioners on the sustainable harvesting of frankincense which is vital to the survival of this endemic tree. The completion of the project has resulted in important scientific findings never before addressed. The project continuation will focus on communicating with key audiences and relevant authorities to promote a conservation culture among local communities while fostering good working practices at an institutional level. JAPAN PM CONDEMNS PILOT KILLING Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday he was deeply angry over the “outrageous” killing of a Jordanian pilot, who was apparently burnt to death by IS fighters, and repeated Japan’s resolve not to give in to terrorism. “I feel an intense sense of anger and outrage upon hearing that the Jordanian pilot Mouath al Kasaesbeh was horrifically burned to death,” Abe said in parliament. KIRCHNER ARRIVES IN BEIJING T H U R S DAY l F E B R U A R Y 5 l 2 0 1 5 Argentine President Cristina Kirchner and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. Kirchner is visiting Beijing reciprocating a visit from her Chinese counterpart. ASIA DRAMATIC FOOTAGE: Stricken plane’s wing clips taxi and motorway Taiwan plane careens into river after take-off, 25 dead Rescuers lift the wreckage of the TransAsia ATR 72-600 from the Keelung river at New Taipei City yesterday. TAIPEI: A TransAsia Airways plane with 58 passengers and crew on board careered into a river shortly after taking off from a downtown Taipei airport yesterday, killing 25 people and leaving 20 missing, officials said. Fifteen people somehow survived the crash after the plane lurched between buildings, clipped a taxi and an overpass with its port-side wing and crashed upside down in the shallow water. Dramatic pictures taken by a motorist and posted on Twitter showed the plane careening over the motorway soon after the turboprop ATR 72-600 aircraft took off in apparently clear weather on a domestic flight for the island of Kinmen. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” a volunteer rescuer surnamed Chen said of the most recent in a series of disasters to hit Asian carriers in the past 12 months. Television footage showed survivors wearing life jackets wading and swimming clear of wreckage. Others, including a young child, were taken to shore in inflatable boats. Emergency rescue officials crowded around the partially submerged fuselage of flight GE235, lying on its side in the river, trying to — AFP Pratt & Whitney is part of United Technologies. The head of Taiwan’s civil aviation authority, Lin Tyh-ming, said the aircraft last underwent maintenance on Janauary 26. The pilot had 4,916 hours of flying hours under his belt and the co-pilot had 6,922 hours, he said. Taipei’s downtown Songshan airport, the smaller of the city’s two airports, provides mostly domestic flights but also connections to Japan, China and South Korea. A statement from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said 31 of those on board were tourists from the southeastern city of Xiamen, which lies close to Taiwan’s Kinmen island. The crash is the latest in a string of mishaps to hit Asian carriers in the past 12 months. An AirAsia jet bound for Singapore crashed soon after taking off from the Indonesian city of Surabaya on December 28, killing all 162 people on board. Also last year, a Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared and one of its sister planes was downed over Ukraine with a combined loss of 537 lives. TransAsia is Taiwan’s third-largest Rescuers pull a passenger out of the plane which crash landed in a river in — Reuters New Taipei City yesterday. — Reuters carrier. help those on board. The plane missed apartment buildings by metres, though it was not clear if that was luck or whether the pilot was aiming for the river. Footage showed a van skidding to a halt on the damaged overpass after barely missing the plane’s wing, with small pieces of the aircraft scattered along the road. The chief executive of TransAsia, Peter Chen, bowed deeply at a televised news conference as he apologised to passengers and crew. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said his government had offered Taiwan any help necessary following the crash. The last communication from one of the aircraft’s pilots was “Mayday Mayday engine flameout”, according to an air traffic control recording. A flameout occurs when the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted or when there is faulty combustion, resulting in an engine failure. Twin-engined aircraft, however, are usually able to keep flying even when one engine has failed. The plane was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127M engines. The aim of the talks is to persuade the North to scrap its nuclear weapons in return for aid N Korea strikes down US talks, vows doom SEOUL: North Korea yesterday ruled out resuming dialogue with the United States, and vowed to respond to any US aggression with nuclear strikes and cyber warfare. The bellicose statement from the country’s top military body, the National Defence Commission (NDC), came after reported moves by Washington and Pyongyang to revive long-stalled six-nation talks on denuclearisation. It also preceded the start in early March of annual joint US-South Korea military exercises that always presage a sharp spike in military tensions and rhetoric on the divided peninsula. The NDC statement was an apparent reaction to remarks Barack Obama made regarding the eventual collapse of the regime in North Korea, which the US president called the “most cut-off nation on Earth”. The NDC statement said the president’s comments amounted to a threat to engineer the country’s downfall. “Since the gangster-like US imperialists are blaring that they will ‘bring down’ the DPRK (North Korea) the army and people of the DPRK cannot but officially notify the Obama administration that the DPRK has neither need nor willingness to sit at negotiating table with the US any longer,” the NDC said. The statement, carried by the North’s official KCNA news agency and titled “US imperialists will face final doom,” said North Korea would respond to any US military aggression in kind — whether with conventional, nuclear or cyber forces. Obama slapped sanctions on North Korea last month following the hacking of Hollywood studio Sony Pictures’ computer network. US officials blamed the attack on Pyongyang and described it as the most damaging commercial hack in US history. North Korea, which is known to have built up a formidable cyber warfare unit, has officially denied any involvement. The Washington Post reported on Monday that US and North Korean nuclear envoys had been secretly discussing the idea of “talks about talks”, but had been unable to agree on practical arrangements. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki stressed the US had not changed its position of requiring the North to take tangible steps towards denuclearisation before any meaningful dialogue can be held. North Korea carried out nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. The aim of the six-party talks is to persuade the North to scrap its nuclear weapons in return for aid and other incentives such as security guarantees and diplomatic normalisation. Last month, North Korea offered to suspend future nuclear tests temporarily if Washington cancels its annual military drills with the South. The proposal was formally rejected by the US as an “implicit threat.” Pyongyang views the joint exercises as provocative rehearsals 7 for invasions, while Seoul and Washington insist they are purely defensive in nature. The NDC statement said the North was capable of bringing about the “final ruin of the US” with its “precision and diversified nuclear striking means.” Hong Hyun-Ik, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute think-tank in Seoul, said neither North Korea nor the United States appeared particularly sincere about the idea of dialogue. The United States needs a “trouble-making” North Korea” to rally support from its allies for its ultimate strategy of keeping China’s growing influence in check in the region, Hong said. At the same time, with its economy in better shape than the past, North Korea feels “no sense of urgency” about resuming talks. “Against this backdrop, neither North Korea nor the United States wants to take the initiative for a breakthrough,” Hong said. — AFP Thai PM maintains general election to take place in 2016 BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said yesterday that a general election planned for early 2016 to return Thailand to democracy would go ahead. “If everything goes according to our plan at the start of next year there will be a new general election,” Prayuth told reporters in Bangkok. “As far as I have heard from all sides, the road map we have planned is moving forward as scheduled.” Prayuth led a military coup in May following months of political unrest, including street violence that left nearly 30 — Reuters people dead. 8 ANALYSIS omandailyobserver T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 NIGERIA ON EDGE OVER BOKO HARAM A suspected bombing rocked a presidential campaign rally in northeast Nigeria on Monday, as the country braced for fresh Boko Haram attacks before polling in just under two weeks time. President Goodluck Jonathan, who had been addressing supporters of his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe city, had just left the venue when the blast happened in a car park outside. Rescue workers and health officials said the bodies of two women were brought to the Gombe State Specialist Hospital with 18 people who were injured. “We have evacuated two bodies of females we believe were suicide bombers behind the blast,” said the rescue official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak to media. The blast, confirmed by eyewitnesses including a local reporter following the presidential convoy, came a day after two explosions in Gombe city blamed on Boko Haram militants. Sunday’s attacks left at least five people dead in a weekend of deadly violence that also Analysts believe saw the group attack the key city of Maiduguri Maiduguri, the Borno for the second time in a week. Nigerian troops, aided by civilian vigilantes, state capital, will repelled the attack while Chad and Cameroon likely be hit again bombed the Boko Haram-held town of Gamboru, on the eastern fringe of Borno State. before polling day, Security analysts believe Maiduguri, the given its symbolism Borno state capital, will likely be hit again for the group as it before polling day, given its symbolism for the group and because it would undermine the would undermine February 14 vote. Feb 14 vote, reports The election is expected to be the closest AMINU ABUBAKAR since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999, with the prospect of the PDP being dumped out of power for the first time in 16 years. Nnamdi Obasi, Nigeria researcher at the International Crisis Group, said the upsurge in violence was “predictable” and that another strike on Maiduguri was on the cards. Boko Haram is in control of most of Borno and has effectively surrounded Maiduguri, which is seen as one of the few places left in the state where voting could feasibly still take place. Turnout could be affected if large numbers of people, may of them displaced by six years of violence, desert the city, which with other areas in the northeast is a main opposition stronghold. Capturing Maiduguri would not only be a morale-booster for the rebels but also likely sink Jonathan’s re-election bid once and for all, said Obasi. Chad’s offensive comes after the African Union and United Nations last week backed a new 7,500-strong, five-nation force to tackle Boko Haram. Nigeria’s military maintains that N’Djamena’s involvement is part of the existing agreement with Chad and Niger for their troops to assist in the counterinsurgency. Chad and Niger had withdrawn their troops from the multi-national base at Baga, in northern Borno, last year, leaving only Nigerian soldiers to defend the town when it was attacked on January 3. That led some to assume the existing force was dead in the water but the devastating strike on Baga, in which hundreds or more were feared killed, appears to have jolted it into action. Jonathan, who has been criticised for failing to end the violence, could be hoping for a political bounce from any military successes in the tight election campaign, even at this late stage. But Mark Schroeder, from security and political analysts Stratfor, believes that allowing foreign forces to operate on Nigerian soil would be counter-productive to him and the country. “This is essentially absolving Nigeria of its long-standing geopolitical strength as the region’s hegemon able to assist internal and pan-West African security stability,” he said. Schroeder, the group’s vice-president for Africa analysis, also considered Nigerian Army operations no more than “forays”, adding that a sustained effort was needed to claw back territory. Boko Haram’s attacks on Maiduguri may be designed to draw the Nigerian army to defend the city, allowing the group to mount strikes elsewhere in the northeast and defend eastern positions. Pro-Russian rebels arrive at the hospital of Donetsk’s Tekstilshik district after it was hit by a shelling yesterday. — Reuters Which weapons Kiev needs? T he White House has signalled it may be ready to change bolster the rebels, but Ukraine’s stocks of light anti-armour tack and start supplying arms to Ukrainian troops battling weapons are in an “abysmal condition,” said the report by pro-Russian separatists, but what does Kiev want — and the Atlantic Council, the Brookings Institution and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. what can Washington provide? The White House is reportedly considering giving Kiev has said it hopes for an announcement of military aid during a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry today, Ukraine “fire-and-forget” Javelin anti-tank missiles, which after a US think-tank report called for a massive upscaling use shaped charges to squirt deadly jets of molten metal through thick armour. in the quality of weapons available to Ukrainian forces. Shaped charges were used to deadly effect by insurgents The US government in November committed $118 million in “non-lethal” equipment and training for in Iraq targeting the armour of US-led coalition forces. The report said that Washington should provide $1 the Ukrainian military, of which around half has been delivered, including body armour, night vision glasses, billion in military assistance “as soon as possible”, followed by another billion in 2016, and again in 2017. mortar radar and medical equipment. In order to overcome the superiority of the separatists’ While Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest arms capabilities, it noted, the US should producers, it lacks the hi-tech systems provide radar to pinpoint the locations needed to match the separatists’ arsenal, While Ukraine is one where Grad rockets are being fired “out allegedly supplied by Moscow. of the world’s biggest to a range of 30-40 km”. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Reconnaissance drones would be Klimkin said yesterday that “we have arms producers, essential to detect troop movements on enough Kalashnikovs,” and what is it lacks the hi-tech the largely flat terrain of east Ukraine. needed is sophisticated equipment for systems to match the Such drones would be non-lethal and “modern warfare” — including secure likely human portable. radios, jamming equipment for separatist separatists, writes Armoured Humvees would provide radios, reconnaissance drones and more CHARLES ONIANS “all-weather mobility, speed, reliability radar systems to locate mortar, rocket and a measure of protection as they and artillery fire. move between positions on the “What we need is exactly modern warfare, which we’ve been lacking all this time,” Klimkin battlefield,” the report said. The survival rate of Ukraine’s casualties, 70 per cent told Western journalists in Kiev, adding that the separatists were currently able to “intercept our soldiers talking on of which are from rocket and artillery fire, would also be greatly improved by the provision of field hospitals, the mobile phones and then steer their fire.” Ukraine’s needs also include training to use sophisticated report said, calling the current military medical system equipment, Klimkin said: “It’s not about buying a couple of “relatively underdeveloped and severely under resourced”. Beyond the US, Nato members using former Soviet more tanks.” The US report published on Monday by a group of equipment compatible with Ukraine’s arms inventory could former senior civilian and US military leaders said the prove particularly useful with contributions to air defence West must “bolster deterrence in Ukraine by raising the systems to discourage large-scale Russian airstrikes. “Procuring advanced US air defence weapons would be risks and costs to Russia of any renewed major offensive.” expensive, and integrating them into the existing Ukrainian Kiev and its Western allies have accused Russia of pouring columns of heavy armour over the border to air defence system would take time,” the report said. UN mission struggling in Mali desert with no peace to keep A fter UN helicopters strafed separatist rebels in northern Mali last month, residents of the region’s largest town Gao took to the streets to celebrate the long-awaited burst of action by the peacekeeping mission. Just days later, a UN base in Gao was attacked by crowds hurling stones and petrol bombs, furious at rumours the peacekeepers had signed a secret deal with the rebels. At least three people were killed after UN troops opened fire, forcing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to order an enquiry. The abrupt reversal highlights the daunting task facing the UN mission in a country where there is still no peace to keep, two years after French forces wrested control of Mali’s desert north from separatist rebels and Al Qaedalinked militants. In part, the difficulties experienced by the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) stem from a mandate that has left it open to attack from all sides. Peacekeepers in Mali are supposed to help the state impose its authority on the north, while also acting as a broker for stalled peace talks between the warring factions — a role that requires the UN mission to win the trust of rebels. “MINUSMA’s position (was already) delicate due to the complex mandate,” said Jean-Herve Jezequel, Sahel analyst at International Crisis Group. “The events in Gao have just complicated an already very tricky task.” While France’s focus has shifted to regional counter-terrorism, the 10,000-strong UN mission that deployed in the wake of the swift French offensive in Mali inherited the trickier task of rebuilding a broken state. UN peacekeepers face challenges ranging from Malians’ expectations that they would bring separatists to heel, a leadership vacuum within the mission itself, and the harsh reality of operating in a zone awash with rebels and organised criminal gangs. “MINUSMA’s relationship with the government and the (rebel) groups was already strained by the lack of trust,” Jezequel said. “The Malian population doesn’t understand the role of the mission. This is not a lack of explanation but a fundamental problem.” Having seen French firepower defeat Having seen French firepower defeat separatist forces advancing south two years ago, many Malians want peacekeepers take a robust approach to the remaining rebels, notes DAVID LEWIS Qaeda-linked forces advancing south two years ago, many Malians want peacekeepers take a robust approach to the remaining rebels, especially those led by Tuaregs demanding a separate homeland. Yet until Dutch Apache attack helicopters destroyed a rebel vehicle in the town of Tabankort in January, they mostly saw UN troops standing guard on sandy urban streets. “MINUSMA had won over our hearts when they appeared to launch the assault against the rebels,” said Mountaga Toure, a Malian political analyst. “But then they wasted this enormous feeling of goodwill with a bogus agreement,” he said, referring to a proposed buffer zone to separate warring factions, which was seen as favouring Tuareg separatists over pro-government militia. The idea, which peacekeepers say was a working document, has since been scrapped. However, it highlights an atmosphere of mistrust and the mission’s failure to communicate effectively with Malians. Yvan Guichaoua, a Mali expert at the University of East Anglia, said the mission had not received due credit for behindthe-scenes work in talking sides down from conflict. Tiebile Drame, leader of the opposition PARENA political party, agreed. Soldiers from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali take part in the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France. — Reuters ANALYSIS T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 omandailyobserver 9 Greece shakes Europe’s political kaleidoscope B y catapulting to power an improbable alliance of the hard left and nationalist far right, Greece has shaken up Europe’s political kaleidoscope and may have signalled the end of an era of centrist consensus. With eight general elections due in the European Union this year, as well as regional votes, the earthquake in Athens may be a harbinger of other shocks to come. Expect the unexpected in 2015 from Britain to Finland and Denmark to Spain as voters who have endured five years of economic crisis, falling real incomes and welfare cuts vent their anger, anxiety or apathy at the ballot boxes. Mainstream centre-right and centre-left parties that have dominated European politics since the end of World War Two are bleeding support to populists at both ends of the spectrum, and to mavericks like Italian comic-turnedpolitician Beppe Grillo. In many countries, voters feel the established parties offer no real alternative. Many are keen to punish a ruling “caste” perceived as out of touch with ordinary people’s concerns, and as helping themselves rather than their electors. What unites many of the new forces is hostility to the EU and to policies of austerity driven from in Europe since 2011 may have been as good as Brussels and Berlin. “We’ve reached the end of a 30-year cycle of it gets,” said Tina Fordham, chief global political liberal individualism and wealth accumulation analyst at US bank Citi. “The outlook everywhere that began with Ronald Reagan and Margaret is for weaker governments with significant untested non-mainstream Thatcher,” former British Europe minister Denis unpredictable, components.” MacShane said in an interview. Greeks have suffered “We’re in for at least half higher unemployment, deeper a decade of turbulence and uncertainty in Europe.” Expect the unexpected poverty and more social dislocation than any other MacShane, whose latest this year from Britain Europeans since they became book “Brexit: how Britain to Finland and Denmark the first euro zone country to will leave Europe” is due out in February, says the last to Spain as voters who seek an international bailout such period of flux was in have endured five years in 2010. Greece is also probably the the 1970s, when a post-war of economic crisis, vent country where the traditional consensus on the welfare political class has been most state, a mixed economy their anger when discredited by corruption with a big government role they to to the ballot, scandals and tax avoidance, and collective bargaining reports PAUL TAYLOR nepotism and fiddled crumbled, at least in Britain statistics. and the United States. Spain’s two mainstream Whether antiestablishment outsiders will win power anywhere parties that have alternated in power since the fall of fascism have also been tarnished by a string of other than Greece remains to be seen. But they seem set to make government more sleaze affairs. They are seen by many Spaniards as sharing the blame for the collapse of a property awkward and less stable everywhere. “In hindsight, the governments we have had bubble that triggered tough austerity measures. As in Greece, one young Spaniard in two is out of work. That has fuelled the rise of the year-old utopian left-wing Podemos (Yes We Can) party, led by charismatic young academic Pablo Iglesias. It leads both Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party (PP) and the opposition Socialists (PSOE) in opinion polls. Iglesias, 36, who is close to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, 40, may gain credibility from Syriza’s victory, especially if the new Athens government is able to negotiate some debt relief and an easing of austerity. However, Tsipras’ alliance with the hard right Independent Greeks has jarred with leftists in southern Europe — it would hard to imagine France’s anti-capitalist Left Party led by JeanLuc Melenchon teaming up with Marine Le Pen’s National Front. The prospect of months of confrontation between Athens and Brussels amid potential financial instability may deter Spanish voters from risking a vote for Podemos by the time the election comes around in December, or drive the PP and the PSOE to form a Germanstyle grand coalition government. Another country where anti-establishment radicals could upset the applecart is Britain, which votes on May 7. BEYOND ENDGAME KATE KELLAND AND BEN HIRSCHLER A s West Africa’s devastating Ebola outbreak begins to dwindle, scientists are looking beyond the endgame at the kind of next-generation vaccines needed for a vital stockpile to hit another epidemic hard and fast. Determined not to lose scientific momentum that could make the world’s first effective Ebola interventions a reality, researchers say the shots, as well as being proven to work, must be cheap, easy to handle in Africa and able to hit multiple virus strains. That may mean shifting focus from the stripped-down, fast-tracked vaccine development ideas that have dominated the past six months, but it mustn’t mean the field gets bogged down in complexities. “We need a stockpile because there will be other outbreaks,” said Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI global immunisation alliance, which helps bulk-buy vaccines for poor countries. The experimental vaccines now moving into large clinical trials in West Africa target the current Ebola Zaire virus strain, but the next outbreak may be different. “We need to work with the pharmaceutical industry to create second-generation vaccines that would cover not just Ebola Zaire but also Ebola Sudan and perhaps Marburg, perhaps Lassa. The idea is to have vaccines that will work across different places,” Berkley said. Right now, scientists are grappling with several tricky issues — partly due to success in cutting new infections in the vast Ebola outbreak. With relatively few new cases, big trials in Liberia and Sierra Leone to test the first generation single-dose one strain vaccines may not have the statistical power needed to show whether the shots work. And already, early data from safety trials in humans suggest a single-dose vaccination with the most advanced vaccine, from GlaxoSmithKline, may not provoke an immune response strong enough to protect people exposed to the virus. “We now know you get around 10 times fewer antibodies in humans (than in monkeys) and probably five times fewer T-cells,” said Adrian Hill of Oxford’s Jenner Institute, referring to two key elements of the immune system. This strongly suggests that a two-dose regime, or a so-called “primeboost” approach, is the one likely to prove effective, Hill said. These and other issues add up to a sizeable to do list for scientists focussing on vaccines for future stockpiles. Producing multi-strain, or multivalent, vaccines that could protect against different types of Ebola and other haemorrhagic fevers will be more time consuming than making today’s monovalent shots, but it is by no means impossible. Kosovars board buses in the capital Pristina on Monday to headed for Serbia. — Reuters Surge in Kosovars crossing illegally into EU T he European Union is experiencing a steep rise in the number of Kosovo citizens smuggling themselves into the affluent bloc, with 10,000 filing for asylum in Hungary in just one month this year compared to 6,000 for the whole of 2013. It follows a relaxation of travel rules allowing Kosovars to reach EU borders via Serbia and has coincided with political turmoil and street unrest in Kosovo fuelled by poverty, high unemployment and economically debilitating corruption. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said hundreds of Kosovars had slipped into Hungary and asked for asylum in the first eight months of last year, only for the number to rocket to 21,000 between September and December. Hungary’s State Office of Immigration and Nationality said that of 14,000 foreigners who had sought asylum since the turn of the year, 10,000 were from Kosovo, a small, ethnic Albanian-majority state that declared independence from Serbia in 2008. “We have visited several reception centres in the past two weeks and most of the Kosovars we talked to said they came because of extreme poverty and total lack of perspective,” said Erno Simon, a UN refugee agency spokesman in Budapest. Over the past few days, crowds of people were seen boarding night buses from the Kosovo capital Pristina bound for Serbia’s capital Belgrade, more than halfway to Hungary. Among them, 18-year-old student Vilson Beqiri said he would take a second bus from Belgrade to the northern Serbian town of Subotica and then cross the border into Hungary illegally. “We’ll meet some other people there (in Subotica), pay them, and they’ll lead us to Hungary,” he said. “God willing I’ll be in Germany by tomorrow evening.” The exodus appears to have been abetted by an EU-encouraged easing of travel rules in Serbia, which since 2012 has allowed Kosovars to enter with Kosovo-issued documents that Belgrade previously rejected given that it does not recognise its former southern province as independent. It has also coincided with political turbulence in Kosovo, which held an inconclusive election in June and only formed a new government six months later. Last week, police fought running battles with protesters lobbing rocks and petrol bombs during anti-government demonstrations stirred by joblessness and corruption. Rados Djurovic of the Asylum Protection Centre NGO in Belgrade said people smugglers may have found new routes to spirit migrants from Serbia into Hungary — a well-trodden path for Syrians, Afghans and others trying to reach western Europe. On Monday, 250 illegal migrants from Kosovo were stopped by Hungarian police without valid documents on a train from Budapest to Vienna. Almost all asylum applications are rejected as migrants cannot show they are fleeing war or persecution, but applying staves off immediate deportation while their cases are being processed. In the meantime, many will give overstretched immigration authorities the slip Hungary’s State Office of Immigration and Nationality said that of the 14,000 foreigners who had sought asylum since the turn of the year, 10,000 were from Kosovo, reports FATOS BYTYCI and push on westwards through the EU’s borderless Schengen zone under the radar. Most would hope to find work in the grey economy in wealthy western Europe, hooking up with relatives and friends until they can ultimately legalise their stay. Hungary’s immigration agency said 40-50 per cent of asylum applicants would normally leave the country within 24 hours, and a further 30-40 per cent within 3-10 days. Around 700,000-800,000 Kosovars already live and work in western Europe, mainly Switzerland and Germany — a diaspora that originated with an exodus from repression and war with Serbia in the late 1990s and then stubborn poverty in the 15 years since. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and is recognised by more than 100 countries. But Serbia’s refusal — backed by UN veto-holder Russia — to do so has impeded Kosovo’s international integration and therefore its economic development. Kosovo Interior Minister Skender Hyseni said the government was at a loss to stop the emigrant wave. “(We) could stop this process by simply putting a roadblock at the border crossing points, (but) then the government would be accused of violating a fundamental human right.” An ethnic Serb Kosovo minister lost his post on Tuesday, the day before another protest over a statement that insulted the ethnic Albanian majority and sparked a wave of protests. “From today on minister (Aleksandar) Jablanovic is not a part of the kosovo government,” Prime Minister Isa Mustafa told reporters, without taking questions or saying whether the Serb minister had quit or was dismissed. ESTABLISHED ON 15 NOVEMBER 1981 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Dr Ibrahim bin Ahmed al Kindi EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili HEAD OFFICE ADVERTISING Tel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 Fax: 24699643 AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. Box 3303, P.C. 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman Tel: SWITCHBOARD: 24649444 DIRECT: 24649430/24649437/24649401 Fax: 24649434 SALALAH OFFICE Tel: 23292633 Fax: 23293909 NIZWA OFFICE Tel: 25411099 P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611 Website: omanobserver.om DISTRIBUTION AGENT Al OMANEYA for Distribution & Marketing, P.O. Box 974, P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Tel: 24649351/24649360 Fax: 24649379 e-mail: [email protected] PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising P.O. Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman [email protected] Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these pages are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer. 10 INDIA omandailyobserver AUTHORITIES TOLD Make rainwater harvesting attractive NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court yesterday directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to make rainwater harvesting “attractive” by giving wide publicity to its benefits including rebate in water tariff. A division bench of Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said: “Why aren’t you taking out advertisements in newspapers? We feel wider publicity is needed for public awareness to enable community at large to participate in rainwater harvesting programmes.” The bench further said that the DJB needed to emphasise in their advertisements that it would provide technical and financial assistance to people interested in setting up such systems. The court directed DJB to file its response indicating steps taken on advertising through newspapers, and other medium by next date of hearing on April 22. Previously, the DJB had informed the court that it had made it mandatory for property of 500 sq metres or more in the national capital to install provision for rainwater harvesting. To encourage rainwater conservation, the DJB said it had adopted the method of awarding subsidy in the water bill to the consumers who have installed rainwater-harvesting system in their plots. On non-compliance with the provision, “the tariff applicable on the consumer increases by 1.5 times”, the DJB had said. The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate R K Kapoor seeking to make rainwater harvesting mandatory for both residential and commercial buildings here. — IANS T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Rahul says Jayanthi pitted against him after he spoke about Modi DELHI ELECTION: Vows to fight for poor till last breath; property rights to people in 2 years NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi yesterday vowed to fight for the poor and tribals till his last breath and said former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan was pitted against him over the issue after he spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a rally at Jahangirpuri in north Delhi, Gandhi made a slew of election promises including property rights to people in two years, ending contractual system of appointment within a week of the Congress party assuming office in Delhi and providing permanent jobs, reducing power tariff to Rs 1.50 per unit in six months and bringing down water tariff. Gandhi attacked Modi several times during his nearly 25-minute speech. He accused Modi of being pro-rich, wearing imported clothes and working for a few “business friends”. Without naming the Bharatiya Janata Party, Gandhi said efforts were being made to polarise voters before the elections for political gains. Gandhi later held a roadshow in parts of Old Delhi during which he was enthusiastically greeted by Congress supporters. In his speech, Gandhi said he had said something against Modi a few days back and the next day, Natarajan was “propped up” against him. “I want to say I have fought the battle of the poor and tribals. I had told Jayanthi Natarajan that we should look into the welfare of the environment, poor and the tribals,” Gandhi said. The Congress vice president said he was not afraid. “Till my last breath, I will fight for the poor. I am not here to do politics for the rich. I am not here for four-five industrialists. I am here to do politics for the poor. I will stand for them.” This was the first time Gandhi spoke Congress party supporters shower flower petals as party vice-president Rahul Gandhi (C) waves to supporters during an election roadshow in New Delhi yesterday. — AFP about Natrajan’s outburst that his office wrote her letters on issues concerning the environment. Natarajan was virtually forced out of the Congress-led government and resigned from the party last week. Gandhi targeted Modi over the ‘Make in India’ campaign and claimed that not a single youth had got employment. “Crores of rupees were invested in marketing for ‘Make in India’. He (Modi) wears suit worth Rs 10 lakh, media people say even that is not made in India, it is made in UK,” Gandhi said. During US President Barack Obama’s visit, Modi wore a pin-striped suit that had his full name — Narendra Damodardas Modi — monogrammed in the fabric. Gandhi also accused the prime minister of working for a few industrialists. He said that international petroleum prices have come down by over $100 since the last UPA government, but people had not benefitted. “You are not getting the benefit but somebody is getting it. I will tell you. Modi has four-five business friends. They are getting benefit that you should get. It is your loss and their benefit,” he said. Gandhi said the Congress gave rights to property to 55 lakh people and will give it to all people in Delhi in two years. Accusing the BJP of working against the interests of farmers, he said the land acquisition bill was “the most difficult work” of UPA-II government. “I can say it damaged UPA politically,” Gandhi said, and added that forces that were hurt by the provisions of the bill ranged against the Congress. He asked if people had benefited in the past eight months from “dreams sold” by Modi. Gandhi accused the AAP of failing to fulfil its promises to people and not regularising people on contractual employment during its 49-day rule in Delhi. He said the AAP had not agitated against the Modi government for its acts of omission though anti-corruption activists had fiercely agitated against the UPA government. — IANS PM: Huge crowds pointer to direction wind is blowing ...SAILING AWAY A man rows a small boat on the waters of Dal Lake on a sunny day in Srinagar yesterday. — Reuters NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said the huge turnout at his election rally here — his last before the Delhi assembly polls on Saturday — was a clear indication of “the direction the wind is blowing” and appealed to voters to bring a stable BJP government in Delhi. He also took a dig at surveys ahead of the February 7 polls that predicted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) having an advantage. Addressing a rally in south Delhi’s Ambedkar Nagar, Modi said for a strong nation it was necessary to have a strong BJP government and appealed to voters not to give an “unstable” government to Delhi. “I am seeing the huge crowd here. It is much bigger than when I would address rallies ahead of the general election. It gives an indication of the direction the wind is blowing,” he said. He urged the people to vote in the BJP with full majority in Delhi. “Don’t bring in an unstable government. It is the country’s capital. Its fate should not be left hanging. Please vote for progress, vote for the BJP,” he said. Modi said his aim was to bring development to the country and bring change to the lives of the poor in Delhi. He said the “entire world now considers India as an important force and it is happening because of your votes that brought the BJP with majority to the Centre”. Taking a dig at the opposition parties, he said his opponents are troubled by him, because “they are not able to digest how Modi, a poor man, has come to be the prime minister”. He said in the last Lok Sabha election, surveys said he would lose by three lakh votes in Varanasi, but he won. He said under the leadership of Kiran Bedi, who has been named the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial candidate, the party will begin development of Delhi. — IANS IN BRIEF Experts call for awareness on litter-free AP capital HYDERABAD: Singapore is not only planning and designing the new capital of Andhra Pradesh but is also trying to make sure that its best practices are followed. Known for its strict anti-litter laws, Singapore has advised the Andhra government to create awareness and educate people not to litter their surroundings. Advisors from Singapore engaged in planning the new state capital near Vijayawada held talks with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and submitted models of development. The consultants would assist the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) to strategise and focus on key areas in the capital, such as infrastructure planning, development control, housing, solid waste management and integrated transport systems. “A Singapore expert in solid waste management pointed out that Andhra Pradesh needs streamlining of garbage collection, segregation of waste. The expert added that the government also has to create awareness and educate people not to litter their surroundings,” a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said yesterday. Suggesting that the processes and systems have to be streamlined, the Singaporean advisors said the state government has to make the environment conducive for private investors through policy changes and faster clearances. — IANS ‘Economy needs to grow yearly at 7-8 pc’ NEW DELHI: Given the growthinflation conundrum with the union budget due later this month, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha on Wednesday said the government wants to put the economy on sustainable noninflationary growth trajectory of over 7 per cent. “We want to put India on a sustainable non-inflationary growth trajectory of seven to eight per cent growth. We need to have 7-8 per cent growth to provide employment to young people that join the workforce every year,” Sinha said here at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)-organised 15th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. “Seven-eight per cent growth will double the size of the economy in the next 10 years. — IANS New voting system for NRIs: Another committee formed R A K SINGH NEW DELHI Feb 4: A trifle confused over legislative complexities in providing new electronic-cum-p ostal-ballot ing mechanism for voting by NRIs from the countries of their stay itself, the Election Commission has formed a committee to determine the exact changes needed to be made in the Representation of the People Act. The Election Commission formed the three-member committee to be headed by its Deputy Election Commissioner Sudhir Tripathi and comprising of its former Principal Secretary and present Legal Adviser S K Mehndiratta to examine the issue. The third member of the panel would be from the Union Law Ministry, which has been asked by the Commission to nominate one of its members to be part of the panel. The newly-constituted panel has been asked to submit its report latest by February 23, the day the Parliament commences its budget session. The Election Commission decided to constitute a panel for ascertaining the exact provisions of the R P Act, which need to be changed for devising the new voting mechanism for NRIs after the Union Law Ministry approached it for last minute consultation. The Union Law Ministry has earlier tentatively decided to add an additional clause either in section 60 or section 61 of the RP Act, 1951 to provide for the new voting mechanism to NRIs, said the officials of the Legislative Department of the Union Law Ministry, tasked to draft the amendment bill. The ministry officials, however, subsequently decided to consult electoral laws experts at the Election Commission as well as a matter of abundant caution so that the new law does not run aground in the courts of law. The ministry officials told the Observer that they decided to approach the Election Commission because they had a lurking feeling that the section 20A of the RP Act, 1950 too may be required a bit of tinkering for giving legislative framework to the new provision. The ministry earlier had tentatively chosen section 60 the RP Act for amendment because it is this section, which provides for special procedure of voting like those through postal The newly-constituted panel has been asked to submit its report latest by February 23, the day the Parliament commences its budget session balloting or proxy voting for certain classes of people like members of police or Armed Forces, government servants posted abroad or at a place other than their home states. These special categories of voters like those from Armed forces and foreign services, eligible for postal or proxy voting, have been incorporated as voters by section 20 of the RP Act 1950 (not 1951), while NRIs too, after changes in RP Act in 2010, have been listed as special category of voters by addition of another section 20A in the RP Act 1950, explained the officials. Accordingly, one of the choice before the government is to amend section 60 of the R P Act, 1951 that fixes voting procedure for special category of voters listed in section 20 or 20 A of the RP Act, 1950, said the officials, explaining the rational why section 60 could be changed to provide for the new voting mechanism for NRIs. Alternatively, section 61 A has been identified for amendment because it is this section which provides for the voting through Electronic Voting Machine. This section 61A, empowering the Election Commission of India to use the EVMs in elections was added by the government in December 1988, said officials. In fact, the government had earlier decided to make proper legislative changes to provide for a legal frame work for the new voting mechanism to ensure that the same does not run aground before any court of law due to absence of legal backing to it as the mechanism of voting through EVMs had been struck down by the Supreme Court for want of proper law to support it, the officials said. The Supreme Court, the officials recalled, had on March 5, 1984 struck down the use of EVM as voting mechanism by the ECI which the poll panel had done on experimental basis in an election for Parur assembly constituency in Kerala in May 1982. INDIA T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 omandailyobserver PIL FILED : Seeks CBI investigation into foreign funds received in the past and now SARADHA Jaitley calls AAP propagandist, Kejriwal dares him to arrest NEW DELHI: It was yet another day of political slugfest between the AAP and the BJP in the run-up to the February 7 Delhi assembly polls with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday calling the former a “brilliant propagandist” which wears the “label of honesty” on its sleeve. However, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose party has been accused of receiving dubious funds, dared Jaitley to arrest him if he had done anything wrong. Meanwhile, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed yesterday in Delhi High Court, seeking a CBI probe into foreign funds the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received in the past and now allegedly in violation of law. In an acerbic post on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s website, Jaitley said “Kejriwal is not a stranger to the tax laws” and “knew what his party was doing”. Jaitley was referring to the Rs 2 crore funding to the Aam Aadmi Party allegedly received from bogus companies. A breakaway group of the AAP has levelled these charges. Jaitley posed questions to Kejriwal. “If Kejriwal were still a revenue service officer and a case of such money conversion through sham companies resulting in donations to a political party had landed on his table, what would he have done? “Would he have asked the assessee to write a letter to the chief justice of the Supreme Court of India or allowed him to argue that a payment by cheque to political parties forgives all sins of black money conversion?” “Would he have arrested the fraudulent assessee under the Indian Penal Code rather than proceeding under Aam Admi Party party chief, Arvind Kejriwal greets supporters during an election rally in New Delhi yesterday. the Income Tax Act? “He should be honest enough to tell the people what “Arvind Kejriwal, IRS (India Revenue Service Officer)” would have done under these circumstances,” Jaitley further wrote. Kejriwal once again refuted the charges, asserting that his party took money through cheques. “If I have done wrong, tell finance minister to arrest me. I am ready for a probe, these are false allegations,” Kejriwal said. In another related development, advocate M L Sharma filed an application in the ongoing case that sought registration of a criminal case against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and others for allegedly receiving foreign funds in violation of law. Sharma claimed that it has been revealed that lakhs of phone calls from abroad have been made to Delhi for supporting AAP’s election. Meanwhile, the Election Commission cleared Kejriwal of charges of his name Delhi election: Thousands from outside campaign for BJP, AAP NEW DELHI: Wearing their trademark white and saffron caps respectively, thousands of AAP and BJP supporters from across India have swamped Delhi to do their bit for what is a do-or-die election for both parties. Students, doctors, engineers, lawyers, activists and even common labourers, they can now be spotted all over the national capital seeking support for the BJP or the AAP. In sheer numbers, the Aam Aadmi Party of Arvind Kejriwal seems to have edged out the Bharatiya Janata Party. Both parties are determined to outdo the other in the Saturday battle. Most BJP campaigners from outside Delhi, estimated at about 15,000, have come from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. The 20,000-strong AAP army is drawn dominantly from Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. Many are staying with friends and relatives. Others prefer the premises of BJP and AAP offices that have sprung up in all 70 constituencies. From early in the morning, these volunteers branch out in constituencies Students, doctors, engineers, lawyers, activists and even common labourers, they can now be spotted all over the national capital seeking support for the BJP or the AAP allotted to them, soliciting support. Many position themselves outside the Delhi Metro stations and other hubs distributing pamphlets and caps. BJP campaigners sport saffron caps. AAP caps are white in colour. Both have their party names and election symbols — BJP’s lotus and AAP’s broom — printed on them. Amitabh Goswami, 31, an engineer from Bengaluru, has been in Delhi for a week. He and his friends stay at a friend’s house at Mukherjee Nagar near Delhi University and campaign for AAP’s Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, a former legislator. All are engineers in the same company and are on leave, Goswami said. AAP’s Punjab convenor Sucha Singh Chhotepur said that over 20,000 AAP volunteers from other states were now in Delhi. “From Punjab, more than 1,500 volunteers are helping AAP candidates. They mostly stay at party offices and houses of party leaders,” he said. “Four hundred of us have come from Madhya Pradesh,” said Pankaj Singh of the AAP, adding 62 volunteers from Chhattisgarh were camping in Krishna Nagar, where BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi is contesting. Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said that his party’s volunteers were staying at their own cost. “We have farmers, doctors, lawyers, businessmen and poor people from outside rubbing shoulders here,” he said. Balwant Singh, a farmer from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh and a BJP supporter, said he reached Delhi on January 25. He is campaigning for Najafgarh candidate Ajeet Singh Khadkhari. Three of his relatives have also come to Delhi. In comparison to the all four MPs of the AAP from Punjab, more than 120 MPs of the BJP are campaigning in Delhi besides several central ministers, a few chief ministers and party leaders from several states. BJP leaders hold five to 10 rallies every day. — IANS SCAM Trinamool MP Srinjoy Bose granted bail — AFP being incorrectly enrolled in the electoral list in his New Delhi constituency. The poll panel’s lawyer told a court that Kejriwal’s inclusion in the electoral rolls was correct. The pleas against Kejriwal were filed by Congress leader and his poll opponent Kiran Walia and NGO Maulik Bharat Trust. They had questioned the legality of Kejriwal’s candidature from New Delhi constituency as he was a resident of neighbouring Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. — IANS KOLKATA: A court here yesterday granted conditional bail to Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Srinjoy Bose, who was arrested in November 2014 by the CBI probing the multi-crore-rupee Saradha chit fund scam. Passing the order, South 24 Parganas district and sessions judge Samaresh Prasad Chowdhury directed Bose not to go abroad without permission from the court and to cooperate with the Central Bureau of Investigation in matters related to the probe. He was also told not to make any effort to influence the probe. After hearing the bail petition moved by Bose’s counsel, the judge asked him to submit two bonds of Rs 50,000 each. Bose’s lawyers had sought bail arguing that he had already spent 75 days in police and judicial custody and was cooperating in the probe. They said Bose should be granted bail as the CBI was yet to file a chargesheet against him under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, under which he was arrested, while the maximum detention time under the section was 75 days. The counsel for the CBI did not oppose the defence lawyer’s argument about the statutory period, but prayed to the court that Bose be not given bail as the case was sensitive and had a bearing on the society. Bose, the editor of Trinamool mouthpiece Jago Bangla and Bengali newspaper Sambad Pratidin, was arrested on November 21 by the CBI for alleged criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of funds and deriving undue financial benefits in connection with the scam. FIGHT AGAINST CANCER Students from various colleges hold cancer awareness placards during a rally taken out on World Cancer Awareness Day in Bangalore yesterday. — AFP ‘Country could be role model for eradicating malnutrition’ here in a conference — “From Data Deserts to Fertile Facts: Unleashing the power of data on nutrition in India” — a panel of experts said India was a “rising power house” and the world was looking at it to see how it deals with problems like this. “Nutrition-wise India is important simply because of its size and the vast programmes it runs to deal with the issue,” said Lawrence Haddad, co-author of the report and fellow of the International Food Policy Research Institute. Speaking on the occasion, Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Secretary Arti Ahuja said reduction of under nutrition requires concerted action across the board. “Many states in India have made significant interventions in this regard, and the positive results are becoming visible now,” said Ahuja, His lawyers had sought bail arguing that he had already spent 75 days in police and judicial custody and was cooperating in the probe. The assistant general secretary of city soccer giants Mohun Bagan, Bose is the first senior Trinamool leader to be granted bail in the scam. Sports and Transport Minister Madan Mitra and former director general of police Rajat Majumdar — both important Trinamool leaders — are still behind bars. Suspended Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh is also in jail. Bose was accused of ‘blackmail’ by purported scam kingpin and Saradha Group promoter Sudipta Sen in a letter he is supposed to have written to the CBI in April 2013. In the letter, Sen claimed he entered the media business after the Bengali daily started attacking him. Sen, now under arrest along with his top aides, said that after he purchased a television channel, Bose and Kunal Ghosh came to him and he had to make arrangements for paying Rs 60 lakh per month to the newspaper for running the channel. Sen also claimed that the duo promised to ensure a “smooth passage” for him and protect his business from the state and central governments and assured him “they have very close connections” with the chief minister. Sen in his letter also alleged that over two years, the paper had taken Rs 20 crore from him for running the channel. — IANS NATIONAL GAMES Chandy says no to Mohanlal’s refund offer Nutrition-wise India is important simply because of its size and the vast programmes it runs to deal with the issue NEW DELHI: Terming malnutrition a global issue involving people from all financial backgrounds, health experts yesterday said India could be a role model in dealing with the problem. They said almost every country, rich or poor, faces a serious public health risk due to malnutrition either from under nutrition, obesity or micro nutrient deficiencies. Releasing the Global Nutrition Report 11 who is a member of the Independent Expert Group for the Global Nutrition Report. The report tracks worldwide progress for all 193 UN member countries in improving their nutrition status by bringing together data on more than 80 nutrition indicators, including programme coverage, underlying determinants such as food security and water, sanitation and hygiene, resource allocations and political commitments. It aims to contribute to country-led efforts to strengthen accountability and accelerate the reduction of malnutrition. Haddad said new preliminary data from India suggests a faster improvement in the reduction of malnutrition than anticipated. Yet, with the lowest rank among 100 countries, India is vulnerable on sanitation and other underlying determinants for under nutrition, Haddad added. — IANS T H I RU VA NA N T HA P U R A M : Putting an end to all speculations, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy yesterday said the state government has no moral right to accept the money that they gave to superstar Mohanlal. Mohanlal was paid for his musical band’s performance at the opening ceremony of the 35th National Games, held here last week. “There is an agreement that the government has entered into with Mohanlal for the conduct of his programme. Even if he says that he will return the money, the Kerala government has no moral right to take back the money,” said Chandy. Since the conduct of the event, which incidentally was the debut performance of Mohanlal’s newlyformed musical band Lalisom, both the superstar and the government have come in for much criticism over the poor quality of the programme. Snubbed by a massive social media outcry targeting Mohanlal, the film star went into a shell and, in an email to Kerala Sports Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, said he will return the Rs 1.63 crore that he had taken towards expenses incurred — he pointed out that he did not charge any fee for his appearance. Sources close to the actor have pointed out that yesterday morning, he has, in a speed post mailed a draft of Rs 1.63 crore to the state government, thereby closing the lid over the controversy. Chandy, meanwhile, had to face a barrage of questions on the rationale behind the government defending Mohanlal’s inferior quality programme. He also observed that some vested interests have been trying for some time to play foul by working against the conduct of the National Games. — IANS 12 OBAMA SPEAKS ON IMMIGRATION REFORM T H U R S DAY l F E B R U A R Y 5 l 2 0 1 5 WORLD Chad says it killed 200 Boko Haram fighters N’DJAMENA: Chad’s army killed more than 200 militants from Boko Haram on Tuesday in fighting in northeastern Nigeria, with nine of its own forces killed, the army and state television said yesterday. Chad has deployed 2,500 troops as part of a regional effort to take on the insurgent group. An estimated 10,000 people died in the region last year. Chad’s army destroyed more than a dozen vehicles equipped with heavy weapons and some 100 motorcycles used by the militants in battles in the towns of Gambaru and Ngala, the army high command said in a statement yesterday. There was no independent confirmation of its claim. Militants also attacked the town of Fotokol in Cameroon yesterday in the latest cross-border incursion by the group, which operates near Nigeria’s frontiers with Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The fighters attacked at around 5 am (0400 GMT) after Chadian troops who were temporarily based there crossed over to Gambaru on Tuesday, according to a Cameroonian military officer close to the operation and a Cameroon military source. “The insurgents have been driven out. They tried to surprise us because the Chadian troops who were in Fotokol had crossed over to Nigeria,” Cameroonian Information Minister Issa Tchiroma said by telephone. The attack provoked intense fighting and six Cameroonian soldiers were killed, said the Cameroonian officer, who declined to be identified. US President Barack Obama speaks about immigration reform during a meeting with young immigrants, known as DREAMers, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. The group has received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which provides relief from deportation for immigrants who arrived in the US illegally before they were 16 years old. French president Francois Hollande and Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met in Paris yesterday. Tsipras discussed plans to jointly create a fouryear reform plan for Greece. Pentagon nominee open to arming Ukraine Biden to meet Merkel, Poroshenko on Ukraine WASHINGTON: US Vice-President Joe Biden will huddle with leaders from Germany and Ukraine on an upcoming visit to Europe, as allies plot a response to increased violence in Ukraine. Biden later this week will travel to Belgium and Germany, where he will attend a high-profile security conference in Munich. The visit includes a meeting with Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “This will give the three leaders an opportunity to discuss the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine and international support for Ukraine’s reform efforts, including through financial assistance,” said a senior administration official. Russia is accused of running a proxy war in Ukraine, providing advice and heavy weapons to the pro-Moscow separatists. A renewed spasm of violence has seen hundreds of civilians killed in recent weeks as pro-Russian rebels pushed into government-held territory. The upsurge has led to deeper discussions about the United States and its allies supplying the Ukrainian military with deadly weapons. — AFP said. Ashton Carter, US President Barack Obama’s nominee to be secretary of defence, talks with Senate Armed Services Committee the pro-Moscow separatists. Chairman John McCain prior to testifying at a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, yesterday. — Reuters “I certainly support that, and if I’m A group of former senior US officials WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s nominee for defence secretary said yesterday he would likely support providing weapons to Ukraine to help the Kiev government in its fight with pro-Russian separatists. Ashton Carter, expected to be confirmed soon by lawmakers as the next Pentagon chief, made the comment before the Senate Armed Services Committee amid signals the Obama administration is leaning towards providing arms to Ukraine. “I’m very much inclined in that direction, mister chairman, because I think we need to support the Ukrainians in defending themselves,” Carter said when asked by Senator John McCain if he supported delivering “defensive weapons” to Kiev. “The nature of those arms I can’t say right now,” as he had not conferred with US military commanders or Ukrainian leaders on the issue, Carter said. The Obama administration so far has only provided “non-lethal” assistance to Ukraine, including night-vision goggles, body armor, radios and other items, while imposing economic sanctions on Russia over its role in the conflict. Investigators seek clues at deadly NY train crash site Members of the NTSB and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials observe the damaged car of a commuter train the morning after it struck a vehicle in Mount Pleasant, near Valhalla, New York, yesterday. — Reuters MOUNT PLEASANT: Investigators examining the circumstances of a New York commuter train accident that killed six people said yesterday they were collecting recording devices from the site where the train hit a vehicle stalled on the tracks in the railroad’s worst-ever accident. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said five passengers died in the MetroNorth train crash near the suburb of White Plains on Tuesday evening, not six, as he had previously announced. The woman driving the Jeep Cherokee that the train struck while it was stuck on the tracks also died. Fifteen other people were injured, including seven in very serious condition, the governor added. An earlier traffic accident in the area had diverted a number of vehicles toward the crossing where the accident happened, according to Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive. FOUR-YEAR REFORM PLAN FOR GREECE “Apparently the gate went down on the car and she got out to put the gate up and at that point got back in the car to drive away,” Astorino told reporters yesterday. Astorino said he has considered the road there as dangerous, echoing complaints made by other local residents. Snow covered the blackened front car yesterday at a crash scene crisscrossed with yellow police tape. Two large red lights at the crossing flashed intermittently alongside a sign stating: “Do not stop on tracks.” The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state-controlled agency that runs the railroad, said the crash was the deadliest accident for Metro-North, the second-largest commuter railroad in the United States. The National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency that investigates transportation accidents, plans to examine signals at the crossing, the highway that intersects the rail tracks and any issues linked to a fire ignited by the crash, according to board member Robert Sumwalt. The fire seemed to have started after the Jeep’s gasoline tank burst, Cuomo said. The highway signals, rail signals and the crossing arms at the intersection all have recording devices that NTSB investigators will examine, Sumwalt said in remarks to reporters at Reagan National Airport outside Washington. Investigators are likely to be on the ground for the next five to seven days to interview witnesses and collect “perishable evidence,” Sumwalt told reporters a few hours later after arriving at the crash site. Thousands of commuters faced a snarled journey to work yesterday morning in the aftermath of the accident. — Reuters The White House had feared that sending in weapons could trigger a tense confrontation with Russia and escalate the conflict. But with no sign Russia is backing off in Ukraine and repeated violations of a ceasefire agreement, US officials say they are now seriously considering a shift in policy. Some top US commanders and senior figures in the administration favor the move, officials said. Washington has accused Russia of running a proxy war in Ukraine, providing advice and heavy weapons to and officers this week urged a major increase in military assistance for Ukraine, including providing lightarmor missiles designed to take out tanks as well as radar to counter artillery fire. If confirmed by the Senate as the next defense secretary, Carter said an “early” priority would be to ensure the United States was “doing enough” to reassure Nato allies in the Baltics and across Eastern Europe. “I understand that we are adding forces, rotational forces to the Baltic states as a presence there, as a deterrent to any Russian kind of adventurism,” he confirmed, I’d want to look into what more we can do to do that.” He also recalled witnessing the signing of a landmark 1994 agreement, the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, in which Ukraine relinquished its nuclear arsenal. The deal, which was signed by Moscow, “provided for Russia to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which it has obviously not done,” Carter said. “And that was a part of the climate and context in which the Ukrainians agreed to give up nuclear weapons in the first place.” — AFP AROUND THE GLOBE Nigeria to defer deadline for voter ID handout Free from Ebola, LAGOS: Nigeria’s election body said yesterday that it may push back the deadline for voter identity cards but denied media reports that the vote itself could be survivors complain distributing postponed. The spokesman for Independent National Election Commission (INEC), Kayode of new syndrome Idowu, said that the body may allow voter ID cards to be handed out after the current DAKAR/MONROVIA: Romeo Doe, a 29-year-old tailor who survived Ebola in Liberia, is struggling to cope with the impact of a disease that killed seven members of his family and now threatens his livelihood. Since he was released from an Ebola centre in the capital Monrovia in November, pressure is rising in his eyes and affecting his vision — a complaint some doctors say is common among survivors of the West African outbreak. There are a growing number of survivors of the disease in the region, between 5,000 and 10,000 according to the United Nations, and some complain of side effects months after their recovery — a condition some doctors are calling “post-Ebola Syndrome” (PES). “Since I was discharged I have felt this pain in my eyes,” said Doe. “They, as you can see, are red; they are hurting me. I want the government to help me get back on my feet.” Ebola, which has killed almost 9,000 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, initially causes fever and vomiting, then attacks the immune system and vital organs, often causing internal and external bleeding. About 60 per cent of Ebola patients have died in the current outbreak, typically from shock or organ failure. Some of those who have survived the disease report a mixture of symptoms after their recovery, including vision problems, joint pain, hair and memory loss and anxiety attacks. Margaret Nanyonga, a doctor who treated Ebola patients in the town of Kenema in Sierra Leone, said she had seen survivors go blind. Overall about half of those she saw recover reported declining health, she said. Doctors say it is not yet clear how long the symptoms last. There is also no scientific literature or medical consensus on any new syndrome among West African survivors or how many people might be affected. February 8 deadline. However he described media reports about a possible election postponement as “completely false”. The prospect of an election delay was first raised last month by National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki, who said that INEC should look at delaying the polls because of problems in distributing voter cards. Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday maintained that it was not trying to influence INEC on a postponement decision. “The decisions to postpone or delay the elections are firmly within the purview of INEC,” PDP spokesman Femi Fani Kayode said. “It has absolutely nothing to do with President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP or anybody else. “— AFP A man plays with his daugther near the San Miguel de Aralar Sanctuary below the peak of Mount Artxueta in Navarre following heavy snow storms in northern Spain yesterday. — AFP Italy recovers over 2,000 stolen artefacts ROME: More than 2,000 stolen historical artefacts were recovered in an “unprecedented” nationwide operation yesterday, Italy’s monuments police said. Officers from the national heritage squads of the Carabinieri police found ancient vases, coins, fragments of ancient buildings and equipment for clandestine archeological excavations in 142 locations up and down the country. “It is an unprecedented operation, considering the number of targets and forces deployed,” the Carabinieri said, claiming to have uncovered a criminal group that specialised in looting and smuggling art from across southern Italy. Earlier in the investigations, officers found another 874 stolen artefacts and arrested three Italian suspects, police said. The Carabinieri kicked into action in March 2014, following the theft of a priceless fresco from the ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii. “Unfortunately, we have not found it yet,” Captain Carmine Elefante, a Carabinieri spokesman, said. — dpa REGION T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 omandailyobserver 13 Jordan vows war against IS RETALIATION: King Abdullah cuts short US visit, flays ‘barbarity’ AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah vowed a relentless war against IS on their own territory, state television quoted him as saying during a security meeting on Wednesday. “We are waging this war to protect our faith, our values and human principles and our war for their sake will be relentless and will hit them in their own ground,” state television said. His comments come a day after IS released a video appearing to show a captured Jordanian pilot being burned alive. Jordan executed on Wednesday two convicted extremists who were involved in terrorist plots, hours after the IS group released a video showing its fighters burning alive a captured Jordanian pilot. One of those executed at daybreak was the female failed bomber Sajida al Rishawi, who was at the centre of negotiations on the fate of pilot Mu’adh al Kasasbeh, according to the official news agency Petra. Jordan’s King Abdullah cut short a visit to the United States to return home after meeting with President Barack Obama, who condemned the “barbarity” of the execution. After landing in Amman, the king went into meeting with security officials. Mosques across the country held memorial prayers for the pilot and churches rang their bells in solemn remembrance. Some of the services were broadcast on state television, which has placed an image of Al Kasasbeh in the upper left corner during its continuous coverage. The government has declared the pilot a “martyr,” and pledged that retaliation will be “earthshaking and strong.” The 22-minute video depicting the execution of the pilot appears to have been filmed well in advance and officials have been quoted as saying they believe the 26-year-old pilot was murdered last month. Jordan had demanded a proof of life, but none was forthcoming from the extremist group when talks collapsed last week, leading many to believe the pilot was dead. The brutal video has sparked calls for revenge in Jordan against the group. “The Jordanians and the allied forces should avenge the death of my son,” said the pilot’s father Safi al Kasasbeh, denouncing the activist group as a terrorist organisation that was not connected to a religion. Meanwhile, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud on Wednesday condemned the killing of a Jordanian pilot by IS fighters, calling it a “heinous crime which contradicts the tolerance of our noble religion”, the Saudi state news said. His message offered condolences to the Jordanian people and King Abdullah of Jordan after footage on Tuesday purported to show masked gunmen putting captured Jordanian pilot in a cage and burning him to death. — Agencies GUARD OF HONOUR Safi (C), the father of Jordanian pilot Maaz al Kassasbeh, is surrounded by family members and security forces during a mourning ceremony at the headquarters of the family’s clan in the Jordanian city of Karak yesterday. — AFP SYSTEMATIC ABUSE UN warns of ‘systematic’ violence against children in Iraq Tunisian President, Beji Caid Essebsi, reviews troops during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at Houari Boumediene international airport yesterday, outside the capital Algiers. Essebsi starts a two-day visit in Algeria, his first official visit abroad since his election, after he received an official invitation from Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. — AFP Gunmen storm Libyan oilfield TRIPOLI: Gunmen possibly linked to fighters assaulted and seized control of a Libyan oilfield, killing and kidnapping several workers, Libyan and foreign officials said on Wednesday. A French diplomatic source in Paris said four local employees were believed to have been killed in the raid on the remote Al Mabrook oilfield south of Sirte on Tuesday night. The Philippines Foreign Ministry said three Filipinos were among four foreign nationals who were kidnapped. France’s Total has a stake in the site but it is contracted to a Libyan company. The Filipinos worked for an Italian company “Unknown gunmen stormed the Mabrook oilfield last night,” National Oil Corp (NOC) spokesman Mohamed El Harari said, without providing details. Ali al Hassi, spokesman for an oil guard force, blamed fighters for the attack. “The field is outside of our control,” he said.” IS is controlling it.” Rival armed factions have been fighting for almost two months for control of Libya’s biggest oil ports, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, on the Mediterranean coast. The recognised government of Abdullah al Thinni and elected parliament has been forced to work out of an eastern rump state since a faction called Libya Dawn seized the capital Tripoli in August, setting up its own administration and reinstating the old assembly. Al Mabrook closed following clashes which shut Es Sider in December. It used to pump 40,000 barrels a day. Total said it had already withdrawn staff from the site in 2013 and had no personnel onshore since July 2014. It was not clear whether NOC had employed expatriate staff at the field. The French diplomatic source said no French citizens were among the dead. “There are possibly four dead local people,” he said. It was not immediately possible to verify the assertion that fighters were involved. Fighters claiming links to IS, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq, claimed an attack on the Corinthia luxury hotel in Tripoli last week that killed nine people, among them five foreigners. — Reuters GENEVA: Many children in Iraq remain at the mercy of ruthless armed groups that use them as fighters, suicide bombers and human shields and subject them to systematic abuse, a UN watchdog said Wednesday. In a report on the plight of children in the strife-torn country, a UN committee voiced deep concern over “the large number of children recruited by non-state armed groups,” and especially the IS fighters. “It is a huge, huge, huge problem,” Renate Winter, a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), told reporters in Geneva. IS spearheaded a sweeping offensive that has overrun much of Iraq’s heartland since June, carrying out a campaign of brutal killings, kidnappings and torture. Children have not been spared. CRC, which is composed of 18 independent experts who monitor the implementation of international children’s rights treaties, denounced numerous cases of IS fighters torturing and murdering children, especially those from minorities. The group has been targeting and attacking schools, executing teachers and subjecting children to systematic sexual abuse, including sexual slavery, the committee said. The committee has urged Baghdad to explicitly outlaw the recruitment of anyone under the age of 18 into armed conflict. — AFP Greste also urged Egyptian authorities to free fellow Al Jazeera colleagues Fahmy and Baher Ex-presidential candidate’s oppn party to boycott polls CAIRO: An Egyptian opposition party led by a moderate said on Wednesday it would boycott a longawaited parliamentary election because it lacked democratic credibility given a clampdown on political freedoms by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The election is to be held in two phases in March and April, something the Sisi government hopes will spawn political and economic stability after nearly four years of upheaval following the 2011 uprising. Cairo casts the vote as the critical last leg of a roadmap to democracy announced after the army toppled Mohamed Mursi, an who was the nation’s first freely elected president, in 2013 following mass unrest against his rule. But critics accuse Sisi of reinstating authoritarian rule in Egypt, rolling back freedoms won in the 2011 revolt, under the cloak of a crackdown on militant violence and street protests that have done great damage to the economy. “Given the absence of a proper democratic atmosphere for a genuinely competitive election, the party decided to boycott the House of Representatives election,” the Strong Egypt party, which describes itself as centrist and is headed by ex-presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, said in a statement. Last year he accused the armybacked authorities of creating a “republic of fear”. Egyptian government leaders say the parliamentary election shows their commitment to democracy. The Popular Current, a movement led by another ex-presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, has also said it will shun the election in protest at the prevailing political climate. The only other opposition party of The election is to be held in two phases in March and April, something the Sisi government hopes will spawn political and economic stability after nearly four years of upheaval note, the liberal al Dostour founded by former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei, has not said whether it will run in the election. With Mubarak’s National Democratic Party dissolved, Sisi loyalists have scrambled to form alliances to secure him a solid bloc of support in parliament. Abol Fotouh, a former Brotherhood leader who ran for president against Mursi in 2012, also boycotted the presidential election last year won easily by Sisi, who was the military chief of staff when Mursi was overthrown. Sisi’s crackdown began with the killings of hundreds of Brotherhood supporters during street protests and the imprisonment of thousands more, and has expanded to include liberals and other opposition activists. Meanwhile, an Egyptian court Wednesday sentenced to life 230 secular activists from the 2011 revolt against Hosni Mubarak, including leading campaigner Ahmed Douma, an official said. Thirty-nine others, all minors, were jailed for 10 years. He has introduced economic reforms to win back foreign investors and tourists scared off by years of violent turmoil. —AFP/Reuters PROTESTING FOR RIGHTS Freed Australian reporter ‘ecstatic’ to be home BRISBANE: Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste arrived home in Australia on Thursday saying he had dreamt of returning to his family on each of the 400 days of his detention in Egypt. “I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am to be here,” said the award-winning correspondent who was deported on Sunday from Cairo, where he was held for allegedly aiding the blacklisted Brotherhood. “This is a moment that I’ve rehearsed in my mind at least 400 times over the past, well, 400 days and it feels absolutely awesome to be here,” the 49-year-old said, flashing the victory sign and holding his arms aloft. Greste also urged Egyptian authorities to free fellow Al-Jazeera television colleagues CanadianEgyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed of Egypt. Both men remain in an Egyptian Australian journalist Peter Greste hugs his mother Lois and father Juris at Brisbane International Airport. — Reuters prison, although Fahmy’s family said Tuesday he had renounced his Egyptian citizenship hoping to pave the way for his release. “But of course this is all tempered... by a real worry for my colleagues for Mohamed Fahmy, for Baher Mohammed, for all the other guys imprisoned alongside us,” Greste told reporters at Brisbane airport. “If it’s right for me to be free then it’s right for all of us. “I think that Egypt now has an opportunity to show that justice doesn’t depend on your nationality. “If it’s right for me to be free it’s right for everyone else,” he said.” After his plane landed around 00:30 am Thursday, Greste first held a private reunion with his mother Lois, father Juris, brothers Andrew and Mike and other relatives before meeting the press. “My family have been the bedrock throughout all of this,” he said referring to a worldwide campaign to free the AlJazeera team. “My family have been absolutely awesome. I couldn’t have done this without them. “All I’ve done was sit in a cell, write a couple of letters. To celebrate this with them has meant the world.” A group of supporters and old friends greeted him at airport arrivals, carrying signs saying ‘Welcome Home Peter’ and ‘Journalism is not a crime’. A beaming Greste shook hands and hugged them. Since being released, he has repeatedly voiced concern about his Al-Jazeera colleagues still behind bars in Cairo. “Special thanks to all who’ve supported us over the past year. MUST NOT FORGET THOSE STILL IN PRISON,” the Australian reporter wrote in a tweet before arriving in Brisbane. He also posted a picture of himself standing in the sea, giving the victory sign, writing: “Free in Cyprus! Feels sweet. Peter back online for first time in 400+ days.” Palestinians erect a tent at a land that they said was confiscated by Israel, during a protest against land confiscations near the West Bank town of Abu Dis near Jerusalem yesterday. — Reuters 14 EUROPE omandailyobserver T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Shell hits hospital in Donetsk, dead feared VIOLENCE SURGES: EU calls for an immediate ceasefire to allow civilians to escape the fighting DONETSK: Shelling at a hospital in east Ukraine killed four people on Wednesday ahead of a visit to Kiev by US Secretary of State John Kerry that will see possible arms supplies high on the agenda. The latest deaths came as international pressure grew for an immediate halt to surging violence which has seen hundreds of civilians killed in recent weeks as pro-Russian rebels pushed into government-held territory. An AFP journalist saw a body lying next to the crater from a mortar blast that shattered the windows at the hospital in a western suburb of the rebel stronghold Donetsk. Two more dead civilians were sprawled outside a nearby residential building and a local resident said another elderly man was killed in his home. “The firing hit in front of and behind the hospital. The children’s playground and a school were hit too,” resident Denis Gladkov said. Eight other civilians were killed in clashes around the region over the past 24 hours, rebel and government officials said. As the death toll ticked up EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini called for an immediate ceasefire to allow civilians to escape the fighting. “The spiral of ever increasing violence in eastern Ukraine needs to stop,” Mogherini said. Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe An elderly woman walks inside a hospital in Donetsk. — Reuters have demanded a “local temporary truce” around the battleground town of Debaltseve for the next three days. Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub between rebel centres Donetsk and Lugansk, has been the focus of the fiercest fighting for a week as rebels battle to encircle Ukrainian forces. Officials say thousands of civilians have fled the beleaguered town over recent days and those remaining behind are trapped in basements without water or electricity. Ukraine’s military said that rebels had Spain’s ruling PP tops election poll, Podemos pips Socialists MADRID: Spain’s anti-austerity Podemos party would come second in an election to the ruling People’s Party but ahead of the Socialists, a poll showed on Wednesday, fuelling uncertainty about the country’s political stability. No clear majority would emerge from the vote, forcing the main parties to try to form a coalition, according to the poll from the Centro de Investigaciones Sociologicas (CIS), the nation’s most closely-watched political survey. The next Spanish general election is due by year-end. Support for the conservative People’s Party (PP) and the Socialists, the two dominant parties since Spain’s return to democracy in the late 1970s, has fallen to a record low after a series of corruption scandals and tough welfare cuts. This is mostly benefiting to one-yearold Podemos, whose left-wing policies and surging pre-election popularity have drawn comparisons with Greece’s new Syriza rulers. The PP would take 27.3 per cent of the vote, while Podemos would get 23.9 per cent and the Socialists 22.2 per cent, according to the CIS survey carried out in early January through a poll of 2,500 people. With newcomer Podemos now grabbing the biggest share of the leftist vote, the Socialist Party may have to decide between backing a grand coalition with its centre-right PP opponents or a left-wing government lead by Podemos. Like Syriza in Greece, Podemos is hoping to win power by overtaking the two leading parties and emerging as the dominant party on the left. launched a fierce infantry attack towards the town overnight but had been beaten back after a five-hour battle. Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 25 wounded in fighting across the region over the past 24 hours, the army said. As fighting raged, US Secretary of State John Kerry will jet into Ukraine on Thursday with hopes growing among Kiev’s pro-Western leaders that longstanding demands for the US to supply arms could be met. President Barack Obama’s administration had previously ruled out sending weapons to Ukraine’s government but the failure of economic sanctions to force Russia to halt alleged military support for the separatists has prompted a second look at the option. Washington — fearful of becoming embroiled in a proxy war with Russia — has so far provided non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, including flak jackets, medical supplies, radios and nightvision goggles. Ukraine though is thought to be seeking weapons, including so-called “fire-and-forget” anti-tank missiles, to counter the heavy armour it says Moscow has poured over the border. “What we need is exactly modern warfare, which we’ve been lacking all this time,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told Western journalists in Kiev. While Kerry is not expected to pledge any arms during his trip, Klimkin said he hoped for “deliverables” from the visit and another meeting between President Petro Poroshenko and US Vice President Joe Biden in Munich. Poroshenko said on Tuesday he had “no doubt” that the US and other Nato allies would eventually agree to start arming Ukraine. Fears are mounting of a sharp escalation in the violence after truce talks collapsed and rebels announced an ambitious mobilisation to start next week aimed at bolstering their forces to 100,000 fighters. Meanwhile, France will not deliver weapons to Ukraine for the moment to fight pro-Russian separatists, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday. “We have no intention of delivering weapons at this stage to Ukraine,” Le Drian said at a news conference with Canadian counterpart Robert Nicholson. “We think that we need to find a political solution to this crisis.” Fighting since April has now claimed over 5,358 lives, including some 220 in just the past three weeks, according to the United Nations. — AFP Scotland set to deal Labour heavy blow in election LONDON: Britain’s opposition Labour party is in danger of losing over threequarters of its seats in Scotland at the upcoming general election, damaging its chances of an outright victory, according to a poll published on Wednesday. The poll of Scottish constituencies, conducted by former Conservative Party deputy chairman Michael Ashcroft, found there would be a minimum 21 per cent swing to the Scottish National Party (SNP) if the election were held tomorrow. If repeated across Scotland in the vote due in May, 35 of Labour’s 41 seats in the territory could be lost, although the pollsters warned that the swing would not be uniform. “Even so, the prospect of losing heartland seats will be a blow to Labour’s hopes: every seat they lose in Scotland means another they have to win from the Conservatives in England,” Ashcroft said on the website Conservative Home. Of the 59 seats in Scotland, the SNP The prospect of losing heartland seats will be a blow to Labour’s hopes: every seat they lose in Scotland means another they have to win from the Conservatives in England’ MICHAEL ASHCROFT Dy Chairman-Conservative Party currently holds six and Labour 41, with the Liberal Democrats in charge of 11 and the Tories one. On current polling, both Labour and the Tories will fail to win enough seats nationwide to gain outright victory, raising the prospects of another coalition or a minority government with support in parliament. Opposition Labour Party tries to embarrass Cameron three months before a tight election The survey, which was conducted in January among 16,000 voters in 16 Scottish constituencies, also spelt bad news for two of Westminster’s big hitters. The poll gave the SNP an eightpoint lead over Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander. Liberal Democrat treasury minister Danny Alexander also faces defeat to the SNP, while SNP’s former leader Alex Salmond looked set for a comfortable win. Despite losing a referendum on Scottish independence last year, Salmond’s own popularity and that of his party has gone from strength to strength. Their rise is most threatening to Labour, which traditionally counted Scotland as a solid source of seats. Voters have complained about Labour leader Ed Miliband and say that the party has become too Londoncentred. — AFP RESCUE ACT US teen survives 48 hours lost in Swiss Alps GENEVA: A 19-year-old American student who disappeared over the weekend while skiing in the Swiss Alps was rescued on Tuesday, alive but suffering from hypothermia, police said on Tuesday. After searching for more than 48 hours, rescuers finally found the US teen, who went missing while skiing off-piste on Sunday near the Diablerets resort in southern Switzerland, police in the canton of Vaud said in a statement. “The man was found conscious, in a state of hypothermia and exhaustion, and stuck waist-deep in the thick blanket of snow,” the statement said, describing his survival as “miraculous”. He had told his rescuers that he had left the prepared slopes to “free ride” back to the resort. But on his way down the mountain, he had gotten lost and broken one of his bindings. He had tried to continue on one ski, but had fallen into a stream. Exhausted and soaked, the 19-yearold was then caught in a storm, which snowed him under and trapped him for the next two days. “The skier was relatively wellequipped when it came to clothing, but had no working means of communication and none of the vital material needed when skiing offpiste,” including shovels and sensors, the police said. The skier, whose life was not in danger, was taken by helicopter to the Zweisimmen hospital near Bern. French comedian on trial PARIS: French comedian Dieudonne told a court on Wednesday he condemned last month’s Paris attacks “without any ambiguity” as he stood trial on charges of condoning terrorism over a comment suggesting he sympathised with the gunmen. The polemicist was arrested on January 14 after saying “I feel like Charlie Coulibaly”, a mix of the slogan “Je suis Charlie” that became a global rallying cry against extremism and the name of one of the gunmen who killed a policewoman and four others. His arrest was one of dozens of cases opened for “condoning terrorism” or “making threats to carry out terrorist acts” after the attackers killed 17 people in the January 7-9 shooting spree that also targeted magazine Charlie Hebdo, sparking concerns over freedom of expression. “Of course I condemn the attacks without any restraint and without any ambiguity,” Dieudonne told the court in Paris. — AFP ALL SET FOR THE LAUNCH PM asked about tax affairs of wife’s employer LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron was asked in parliament on Wednesday about the tax affairs of his wife’s employer, as the opposition Labour Party tried to embarrass him three months before a tight election. Seeking to boost support ahead of the May 7 vote, Labour has looked to cast Conservative Party leader Cameron as someone who has benefited the rich, while failing to help low paid voters weather what it has called “a cost of living crisis”. Cameron, a descendant of King William IV and an alumnus of Britain’s elite Eton College, rejects the charge saying he has lifted millions of low paid voters out of tax altogether. He has also spoken out strongly against multinational companies using tax avoidance schemes to pay tax elsewhere. But the work of his wife, Samantha Cameron, has come under the spotlight in recent days after newspapers publicised the tax arrangements of her employer — Smythson, a British manufacturer of luxury leather goods. Cameron rejects the charge saying he has lifted millions of low paid voters out of tax altogether The firm has its flagship store on London’s exclusive Bond Street and counts members of the British royal family among its clients, but public records show it is owned through a parent company in Luxembourg and connected to a trust in Guernsey. Cameron’s wife works as a creative consultant for Smythson, and there is no suggestion that it is doing anything illegal. However, the press coverage is awkward for the prime minister. On Wednesday Labour lawmaker Tom Blenkinsop asked Cameron in parliament whether he knew “anyone who owns or works for a UK-registered company that uses a Luxembourgbased holding company in order to avoid paying their fair share of tax in the UK?” Cameron ignored the implied reference to his wife, saying he wanted to see more companies headquartered in Britain and that more and more firms were choosing to do so. “We inherited a situation where company after company was leaving our shores,” he told parliament “Because we have now got competitive tax rates and a business friendly government more and more businesses are coming here.” Smythson declined immediate comment on its tax status. Meanwhile, Britain on Wednesday appointed a New Zealand judge to lead a troubled inquiry into historic child abuse allegations, after the first two nominees quit following criticism of their establishment links. High Court judge Lowell Goddard has been picked from 150 candidates to chair the mammoth probe, which includes investigating an alleged political paedophile ring. The departure of a second head of the wide-ranging inquiry had been a major embarrassment for the British government. Prime Minister David Cameron announced the probe in July last year following a string of scandals involving the abuse of children at hospitals and care homes as well as churches and schools. Home Secretary Theresa May, the interior minister, said on Wednesday there would be “no stone unturned” in the probe, after she announced Goddard’s appointment. “I am now more determined than ever to expose the people behind these despicable crimes and the people in institutions that knew about abuse but didn’t act, that failed to help when it was their duty, sometimes their very purpose, to do so,” she said. — AFP A photo made available by the CNES/CSG shows The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle seen ready for its launch atop a Vega rocket from Europe. — AFP 16 omandailyobserver PANORAMA T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Indian students from various colleges light candles in the shape of a ribbon during a rally taken out on World Cancer Awareness Day in Bangalore. Putting out data on the prevalence of the deadly disease on World Cancer Day, the World Health Organistan (WHO) cautioned that the number of cases of cancer is expected to rise about 70 percent over the next twenty years. — AFP A sculptor assistant touches up on a monument, featuring Soviet leader Josef Stalin, US President Theodore Roosevelt (C) and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the three Allied leaders, side by side in the Yalta conference in Livadiya outside Yalta, Crimea. A new monument by Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli is to be unveiled in Crimea as part of celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the 1945 Yalta conference. — AFP Vintage and classic cars are displayed ahead of the Bonhams’ Les Grandes Marques du Monde vintage motor cars and motorcycles auction at the Grand Palais exhibition hall as part of the Retromobile vintage car show in Paris. — Reuters A cross-country skier makes his way through the snowy landscape on the Schauinsland mountain near Hofsgrund in the Black Forest. — AFP German waitress Kathi Kink, aged 91, presents her collection of 80 fancy dress costumes at her home close to the ‘Zum Goldenen Tal’ restaurant where she works in Naring near Weyarn, southern Germany. Since 1939 at the age of 16, Kathi has worked as a waitress at the ‘Zum Goldenen Tal’ restaurant in Naring, serving her guests drinks and meals between five and 11 hours per day, five days a week. When not working, in her private time Kathi likes to travel the world or reads books. Since 1977 she has worn a mileometer to record her steps and has so far completed a distance of 81,000 kilometres up until the present day. — Reuters Demonstrators from grassroots environmental network Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) stage a protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Pact in front of the European institutions in Brussels. US and EU negotiators began their latest round of talks seeking to push through the world’s biggest-ever free trade deal, which after nearly two years remain bogged down by public opposition. — AFP A gardener trims the grass at the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens. — Reuters THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 5, 2015 | RABEE AL THANI 15, 1436 AH P19 P20 P21 Inside Sky TV’s interim profits more than double Mongolians vote for foreign investment Taxes in Britain may increase after election FOLLOW US ON: www.omanobserver.om [email protected] NBO inks $116.24m finance Omani Dry Port operator licence gets global interest deal with Dalma Energy MONEY MATTERS: First of 5 new rigs will be delivered to PDO in April STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT Feb. 4: Dalma Energy (Dalma), the international drilling contractor, announced yesterday that it has successfully partnered with National Bank of Oman for the financing of a new project for Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). With a total value $116.24 million, the funding provided by National Bank of Oman will enable Dalma to deliver five state-of-theart 1000 hp VFD rigs to PDO. The first rig will arrive from the Chinese supplier, Shandong Kerui Group in April 2015, while the remaining four will be delivered over the subsequent three months. Within Oman, and following completion of the deal, Dalma will now have 19 rigs under contract with PDO. The agreement signed on the five new rigs is for 6 years with extension options for a further 2 years. The crews for the new rigs, comprising 425 Omani nationals, have been hired in advance of the rig arrivals and are currently being trained in the high-tech Dalma Training Institute which commenced operations in 2012. The completion of the deal, and the involvement of National Bank of Oman, further emphasises the importance of the drilling industry for Oman and its oil & gas sector as a major supplier of well-paid jobs. T Fredric Young, chief executive officer, Dalma Energy, said: “This project is a major milestone for Dalma Energy fostering the relationship with PDO in Dalma’s home market. The new rigs continue the success story in the 1000 hp segment which is served by Dalma since 1992. Dalma provides experienced crews and state of the art equipment to PDO and BP in Oman. Dalma is pleased that the ongoing positive business outlook has allowed financing within the Sultanate of Oman and thus delivering a substantial contribution to the In-Country-Value strategy of the oil & gas industry.” Ahmed al Musalmi, chief executive officer, NBO, said: “This marks another important achievement for National Bank of Oman and we are proud to be the sole financer of this $116m credit facility. The transaction reinforces National Bank of Oman’s capabilities and commitment to continually strengthen our collaboration with local corporates to support key strategic projects and contribute to Oman’s economic growth.” Al Musalmi added, “National Bank of Oman is strongly positioned for future growth and we have developed a robust five-year growth strategy and innovative plans to build on the success of the bank’s transformation. Our focus remains on expanding our retail, corporate and investment banking operations where there are opportunities to grow in the medium and long term. Over the past three years, we have committed over $1 billion to support major strategic projects in Oman. Through our commitment to delivering a consistently superior customer experience and creating value for our stakeholders, National Bank of Oman is well-placed to continue on its journey to be the Bank of Choice.” CONRAD PRABHU MUSCAT Feb 4: As many as 34 local and international companies have registered to participate in the request for Expressions of Interest (EoI) process to operate and manage Oman’s first ever Dry Port envisioned as part of the South Al Batinah Logistics Area (SABLA). Registered companies include 17 international firms assessing their interest to offer their expertise in this strategic project aimed at advancing the government’s goal of elevating the Sultanate’s global rankings in the logistics sector. The quality and strength of firms looking to participate in the tender process for the operation and management of the Dry Port was among a host of issues reviewed at a pair of high-level meetings convened at the Supreme Council for Planning this week. The ambitious initiative is planned on a 95 sq km site at the intersection of the Barka-Nakhl road and Muscat-Batinah Expressway. Envisioned within this sprawling site is a full-service Dry Port designed to serve as an inland location closer to the greater Muscat and regional market for shippers to receive and deliver their cargo originating from or bound for Sohar Port or other points of entry into the Sultanate. Initially, a 30-hectare plot will be developed to provide a range of Dry Port related services. At the meeting chaired by Ahmed al Azkawi — Project Director, the project’s adviser Brad Julian provided a detailed overview of the strategic vision and objectives underlying the government’s goal High-level meetings review progress on the South Al Batinah Logistics Area project of establishing a world-class hub at the South Al Batinah location near Barka. Also emphasised was the significance of the project to the government’s broader goal of developing logistics infrastructure across the Sultanate with the aim of fuelling economic growth. Participants were also briefed about the findings of a market survey that assessed the scope, breadth and strength of demand for logistics related services in the Sultanate, and the positive ramifications for the economy. The findings affirmed the location and vital importance of the South Al Batinah Logistics Area project, and its anchor Dry Port venture, to achieving the government’s vision for logistics. Following the meetings, a field visit was organised to the site of the Logistics Area near Barka with a view to familiarising interested companies with the specific aspects of the project and the different types of activities and investments envisioned within this venture. Significantly, the Expression of Interest (EoI) for the Operation & Management of the Dry Port, floated by the SABLA Steering Committee earlier this month, has attracted significant local and international interest, according to the project team. Of the 34 companies that have collected prequalification documents to date, 17 hail from Asia, Europe, North America, Africa and Australia. TO PAGE 18 Mideast, N Africa to invest $755 bn in energy projects DUBAI: Middle East and North African states are expected to invest $755 billion in energy projects over the next five years despite the plunge in world oil prices, a key lender says. The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) said its projection for the 2015-19 period was only slightly down on the $760 billion that it forecast for 2014-18, although estimates for the coming period have been slightly inflated by an increase in project costs. Oil is expected to account for 31 per cent of the investment spend and gas for 27 per cent, the lender said in its February report. The other $316 billion is projected to be invested in power generation to meet soaring demand for electricity, which is heavily subsidised in most regional states, said APICORP, the development bank of the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries. The region’s top investor Saudi Arabia is expected to buck the trend with a reduction in capital spending after the completion of a series of mega-projects, APICORP said. Saudi investments are projected to fall to $127 billion for 2015-2019 from more than $170 billion for 2014-18. APICORP attributed the fall to the completion of major upstream oil projects and the diminished opportunities for further downstream mega projects. This is coupled with a drive by oil giant Saudi Aramco to reduce its capital spending by 20 per cent. The United Arab Emirates comes in second place with investment projections of $116 billion, followed by Algeria with $84 billion. Iraq and Iran are forecast to invest around $80 billion and $70 billion, respectively. Nearly all the region’s oil and gas exporters have vowed to maintain the same level of investments despite being hit by a more than 50 per cent fall in prices since last June. The price slump is expected to cost the six Gulf Arab states around $300 billion in lost revenues this year, the International Monetary Fund said last month. —AFP 18 OMAN omandailyobserver T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Dry Port licence attracts global interest Vaastu, legal aid at realty show BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT FROM PAGE 17 In part, the robust interest stems from the Logistics Area’s strategically advantageous location in South Al Batinah Governorate which is conducive as a hub for logistics, warehousing and distribution, consolidation, re-exports of containers and general cargo alike. Excellent multimodal connectivity with seaports along the coast, industrial parks and free zones ensure speedy and seamless handling and movement of these goods. Identified for implementation as part of the Phase 1 development of the Logistics Area is the Dry Port complete with road networks, warehousing and distribution facilities to service shippers and transporters. Complementing these facilities will be BUSINESS ALERT Al Ahlia wins Insurer of the Year award again MUSCAT: Al Ahlia Insurance has been conferred the ‘Oman Insurer of the Year’ title at the prestigious MENA Insurance Review Awards 2015, one of the big two annual insurance awards held recently in Dubai. This is the fourth time in five years that Al Ahlia has won the coveted title. Al Ahlia won the title previously in 2011, 2012 & 2014. Robust business performance, customer-centric brand values, a strong focus on training and career development and effective corporate governance framework were all areas contributing to Al Ahlia’s win. Commenting on the win, Lloyd East — CEO (RSA Middle East) and MD said; “We are delighted to be recognised with this award for the fourth time, and I want to thank all our colleagues for making it possible. Our focus on quality and continuous improvement to meet the customer needs is how we have maintained our reputation as a market leader. We remain committed to ongoing employee development and training programmes, competitive product offerings, and creating value for our partners and shareholders”. Al Ahlia Insurance Co is a part of the RSA Group that has legacy of over 300 years in insurance and operates in around 130 countries. Badr Al Samaa organises CME on epilepsy BADR Al Samaa healthcare group in association with Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, organised a Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme on epilepsy recently at Crowne Plaza. The lecture was about Epilepsy — Cure through Surgery. Dr Ashok Pillai, Professor Neurosurgery and Dr Siby Gopinath, Professor Neurology from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi, were the main speakers. The CME was chaired by Dr Srijithesh, Neurologist, Badr Al Samaa hospital Ruwi. Dr Ashok Pillai is a postgraduate — MD from Indiana University, USA and underwent advanced neuro surgical training in Amrita Institute medical sciences in Kerala. His areas of expertise is in the field of adult and paediatric epilepsy surgery, robotic neurosurgery, adult and paediatric brain tumour surgery including functional brain mapping, peripheral nerve surgery, and paediatric neurosurgery. Dr Siby Gopinath is a postgraduate — MD in general medicine from University of Baroda. She completed her neurology training from Amrita Institute of medical Sciences (AIMS). She functions as an academic faculty and is actively involved in teaching neurology for postgraduates. Her expertise is in the field of clinical electrophysiology and sleep medicine, in addition to several other areas of clinical neurology. Over 100 doctors from different region of the country attended the programme. administrative buildings, utilities, stores and other support infrastructure. The current deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest for the O&M the Dry Port is on February 15, 2015, after which the Steering Committee overseeing the Logistics Area project will identify companies that are eligible to compete for the O&M licence. An award is expected during the course of this year. (OEPPA Business Development Dept) Feb. 4: Dr Padmaja Yadav, a doctorate degree holder in Vaastu Shastra and a well-known Vaastu and Feng Shui expert, will be conducting free seminars in vaastu at the upcoming Global Property Show during February 18 - 21, 2015 between 6 - 7 pm every day at Hall No 2, Oman International Exhibition Centre. The seminars will impart knowledge on the role of Vaastu when identifying and choosing Vaastu-friendly properties and applying Vaastu for growth and success in life. According to Yadav, the design of too many homes, companies, hotels, hospitals and most public facilities ignore the power of space and its ability to create a negative or positive impact on us. Also known as the science of good fortune, Vaastu Shastra can help increase prosperity in your home or office. Through minor changes and the use of certain tools of Vaastu Shastra, one can gain health, wealth, prosperity and peace. Vaastu Shastra harmonises life with nature, allowing you to reach your optimum potential. Co-located at the Global Property Show is the Indian Property Pavilion where visitors can get free legal advice on Indian property issues. The organisers of the property show are bringing in top rated lawyer Ajit Jakhadi from the Mumbai High Court, India to help provide fast answers pertaining to all property related issues. “Many NRIs face the problem of not knowing include low monthly payment option, low interest rates, financing up to 8 years for new vehicles, on-the-spot approvals and motor insurance funding with one of the lowest monthly payments in the market. Customers are also not required to furnish post-dated cheques, making Sayyarati the easy, convenient and completely hassle-free way to own a new car. Notably, Sayyarati finance can be obtained from any of the 139 Bank Muscat branches spread across Oman. Sayyarati is the preferred auto finance in Oman, unique in all aspects with unparalleled benefits. The ongoing offer makes it easier and more affordable to own one’s dream vehicle without undue financial pressure. In addition, there are a host of extra value added benefits. ‘Safety and value of life’ Commax summit organised COMMAX Korea recently organised Commax Summit in Muscat under the theme ‘Safety and Value of Life’. The summit was organised in partnership with Muscat Lightings, the exclusive dealers of Commax in the Sultanate. Commax Korea is a world-renowned brand of Audio/Video Door Entry & Security System solutions company. It has been delivering optimised total solutions to customers across 120 countries through image telecommunication technologies and security technologies accumulated over nearly five decades. Muscat Lightings is one of the most prominent companies in the area of lighting solutions and security systems in Oman. It has four showrooms spread out all over the country that are the largest lightings showrooms in Oman, with a wide range of globally renowned brands and an extensive range of products. The products of Commax Korea are very popular among retail as well as project customers. It is widely used in residences as well as in a variety of industrial sites including hospitals, offices, commercial facilities and specialised facilities. Commax products mainly consist of Fine View Systems, Gate View Systems, CCTV Cameras and DVR (Digital Video Recorders). The Commax Summit, a one-day programme, was hosted by Muscat Lightings at the Best Western Premier Hotel for its premium clients to acquaint them with information about the latest and upcoming technologies and products of Commax Korea. The Commax Korea delegation visiting Oman consisted of the Director — Sales, Manager — Technical Products. KR renews support for Muscat Festival THE Khimji Ramdas Group is proud to be a participating sponsor in the 2015 Muscat Festival; the sponsorship comes in line with the Company’s objectives focused on supporting social, cultural and community based events that shine the spotlight on Oman’s rich heritage. Highlighting the company’s involvement during the month-long Muscat Festival, Anil Khimji, Director, KR said: “The Khimji Ramdas Group has always embraced every opportunity to work with local communities and assist them in becoming self-sufficient societies. Our commitment to preserving and promoting local Omani culture extends to virtually every national event. We have also been very BANK Muscat, the flagship proactive in promoting local culture and heritage through events like the Muscat financial services provider in Festival. Speaking of this, we have a long and cherished association with the the Sultanate, has made its organising committee of the Muscat Festival through our involvement, support presence at Muscat Festival, Oman’s tourism and cultural and participation in the event. This year, visitors to the event will have access to a showpiece, a rewarding wide range of products from one of our key consumer divisions.” experience for visitors with Ever since the inception of the Muscat Festival, the KR Group has been attractive campaigns linked providing consistent and unconditional support in line with the company’s key to products and services. objectives to uphold community and cultural initiatives. This time around too the The Sayyarati auto finance conglomerate is a participating sponsor and visitors to the event can benefit from campaign with interest rate smart offerings from one division of KR’s Consumer Products Group. Apart from beginning from 3.5 per cent that, during the period of the Muscat Festival customers can avail of a flat 60 per has evoked strong response from customers seeking to acquire the latest 2015 cent discount on products in all Khimji’s Luxury & Lifestyle outlets across Oman, models from leading auto brands. The main features of Sayyarati auto finance and Bait Al Ahlam, the home appliances division, offers 25 per cent on brands Bank Muscat campaigns a big draw at Muscat Fest their legal rights when it comes to investing in real estate in the country. Another common problem faced by a number of NRIs is the issue of land grabbing or gate crashers or people taking illegal possession of their properties. Many such concerns will be answered at the Global Property Show. Our aim is to make the process of property purchase as seamless as possible,” said Sunil Jaiswal, President — Sumansa Exhibitions, organisers of Global Property Show. “Jakhadi will help you understand the law pertaining to any real estate topic including buying or selling a home, foreclosure, property taxes, property deeds, real estate warranties, insurance, and easement disputes. In addition, he can also provide guidance on appraising the property, negotiating the rate, documentation, registration works, and so on,” the organisers said in a press statement. The exhibitors at the show include leading Indian real estate developers, construction companies and real estate agents. The Indian Property Pavilion will feature properties from Bengaluru, Chennai, Mangalore, Kochi, Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Delhi — NCR and many more cities. In addition to guidance on real estate matters, there will also be informative and educative seminar daily from 5-6pm by Jakhadi who will educate buyers on owners’ rights, legal processes involved in buying property, risk mitigation, and so on. (OEPPA Business Development Dept) like Siemens, La Germania, Frigidaire and Simfer. The 2015 Muscat Festival is being dubbed as one of Oman’s uniquely spellbinding extravaganzas yet since the concept’s launch years ago. Genesis gets Kiplinger’s best value award THE Genesis — premium series from Hyundai, won the best new/redesigned car in the Kiplinger’s personal finance annual best value awards at the 2015 Washington Auto Show. Kiplinger’s took a comprehensive review of hundreds of vehicles and revealed the best values on the newest models. Kiplinger’s buyer’s guide sorts the 2015 models by price and category, ranking them for performance, safety and value. For nine decades, the Kiplinger organisation has led the way in personal finance and business forecasting in the US. The Kiplinger Letter, launched in 1923, remains the longest continuously published newsletter in the United States. In 1947, Kiplinger created the first personal finance magazine in the USA and has been delivering sound, unbiased advice on personal finance and business in clear, concise language. “With the 2015 Genesis named as Kiplinger’s top picks, it shows that this model continues to exceed customer and media expectations for its confident handling, top safety ratings, design and value,” said Scott Margason, director of product planning, Hyundai Motor America. The 2015 Genesis — a premium sedan that has been designed to set new standards in its class — is the first Hyundai to feature the brand’s fluidic sculpture 2.0 design concept, while also boasting significantly enhanced driving performance and state-of-the-art technologies such as a head-up display, smart trunk function and autonomous emergency braking. BankDhofar’s entrepreneur account to support SMEs FOLLOWING the symposium to assess implementation of Saih Al Shamikhat decisions, which took place at Sultan Qaboos University recently, BankDhofar had announced the launch of a customised bundle of offers through its new ‘Entrepreneur Account’. The exclusive account is yet another initiative by BankDhofar to facilitate and support small and medium enterprises in the Sultanate, and it is central to the bank’s strategic framework to contribute to the development and growth of the national economy. Commenting on this initiative, Hussain Ali Ibrahim, acting AGM of Business Banking, highlighted the bank’s strategic vision and its role as a proactive key player in the development of the SME sector. “It is incredible to see the huge nationwide drive to support SMEs in recent years. Government and private sector organisations are joining hands to revamp this sector and push it forward. We at BankDhofar are very proud to be one of the leaders among the private sector organisations in terms of providing SME’s exclusive banking products and services, advisory and mentorship, and now the brand new Entrepreneur Account that is now available in all our branches across the Sultanate.” As a key player in the Omani private sector and being a major contributor in driving the development and growth of the national economy, BankDhofar was one of the first banks to introduce SME related solutions, products and services. Despite the fact that the SME term is relatively new to the Omani market, BankDhofar has been working for years to nurture and promote good business ideas generated in this sector, providing financial solutions and strategic guidance to entrepreneurs under its Corporate Banking umbrella. Hailing BankDhofar’s proactive initiative, Salah bin Hilal al Malawi, Head of the Directorate General of SMEs Development, noted: “The SME sector has come a long way in the past few years, thanks to the collective efforts by the public and private sector organisations. This would not be possible to achieve without the support of major companies that have an influence in the local market. BankDhofar’s continuous efforts to support entrepreneurs will definitely contribute to the Omani government’s drive to diversify the national economy and add to the comprehensive development of the Sultanate.” OMAN/INTERNATIONAL T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Sony cuts full-year net loss forecast to $1.4 billion Sony’s CFO Kenichiro Yoshida speaks during a press conference to announce the company’s financial results at its headquarters in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP TOKYO: Sony yesterday cut its fullyear loss forecast by more than a quarter to $1.4 billion, pointing to its latest three-month results that benefited from a weak yen and improving smartphone sales. The struggling consumer electronics firm said it now expected to lose 170 billion yen in the fiscal year to March, down from an earlier loss forecast of 230 billion yen, as it also cited lower restructuring costs. Sony’s projected earnings improved as its October-December net profit more than tripled from a year earlier to an estimated 89 billion yen. Operating profit doubled to 178.3 billion yen as sales grew 6.1 per cent to 2.55 trillion yen, Sony estimated. The Tokyo-based firm released the estimates after saying it would delay releasing finalised numbers until at least next month after a cyberattack at its Hollywood film unit linked to North Korean satire “The Interview” compromised “a large amount of data”. The company has said that the hack attack was unlikely to have a material impact on its financial results. Sony’s improving results were primarily “due to the favourable impact of foreign exchange rates, a significant increase in mobile communication segment sales reflecting an increase in unit sales of smartphones” among others, it said in a statement. Revenue from image sensors and its PlayStation games business also picked up, it said. But revenue was down in the movie and television production business. Restructuring costs in the quarter were reduced by a third from a year ago, it said. For the nine months to December, Sony estimated it had a net loss of 20.1 billion yen, reversing 9.9 billion yen in profit a year earlier. — AFP British think-tank sees pressure on parties Taxes in Britain may increase after election LONDON: Britain’s major political parties are likely to face heavy pressure to raise taxes to balance the budget after May’s election, contrary to their stated plans, a leading thinktank said yesterday. The Institute for Fiscal Studies, a non-partisan body whose analyses of Britain’s public finances are closely watched, said the fiscal tightening planned over the coming years was deeper than in any of 32 other advanced economies it had looked at. This would be a much greater challenge than the more modest progress made by finance minister George Osborne since his Conservative Party and their Liberal Democrat allies came to power in 2010 with a mandate to cut the deficit, the IFS said. “Mr Osborne has perhaps not been quite such an austere Chancellor as either his own rhetoric or that of his critics might suggest,” IFS director Paul Johnson said. “One result is that he or his successor will still have a lot of fiscal work to do over the course of the next parliament,” he added. Five years ago, Osborne intended to virtually eliminate by 2015 a budget deficit that then stood at 10 per cent of economic output. Instead, it has been cut to 5 per cent as growth fell short of the government’s forecasts. Osborne has said he has no plans to raise taxes after the election and the opposition Labour Party has said its tax rises will be focused on the rich. But the IFS said that “history suggests that general elections tend to be followed by tax rises”. Typically, the tax burden is raised by about £5 billion ($7.6 billion) just after an election, in today’s terms, equivalent to increasing the standard rate of income tax by 1 percentage point, the IFS said. — Reuters omandailyobserver 19 MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET 20 INTERNATIONAL omandailyobserver T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Asian shares at 3-month peak, warily watching oil SYDNEY: Asian shares took Wall Street’s lead to reach three-month peaks yesterday as revived risk sentiment dented the US dollar and sovereign bonds, though it was unclear how long this latest mood swing would last. Much might depend on whether oil can sustain its recent rally, thus helping to underpin energy stocks and lessen fears of global deflation. On Wednesday oil prices were down only modestly with bulls seemingly hopeful that industry cuts to investment would lessen the glut of supply in the market. Benchmark Brent crude oil was off a slim 15 cents at $57.76, following a rise of almost 6 per cent on Tuesday. US crude was quoted 66 cents lower at $52.39, but that compares with a low last week of $43.58. In share markets, the Nikkei jumped 1.8 per cent as banks outperformed on strong earnings from Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. MSCI’s broadest index of AsiaPacific shares outside Japan rose 1.5 per cent to the highest since late October. Australia’s main share index climbed 1.2 per cent to a near seven-year top as bulls basked in the glow of Tuesday’s cut in domestic interest rates. Shares in Shanghai firmed 0.35 per cent amid speculation that China’s central bank would be the next to ease policy following moves in Australia and Singapore. A survey suggesting China’s services sector grew at the slowest pace in six months in January only added to the expectations of more stimulus. One newspaper reported 14 Chinese provinces planned to invest 15 trillion Euro zone private sector grows at fastest rate: PMI A man looks at a share prices board in Tokyo yesterday. Japan’s share prices rose 342.89 points to close at 17,678.74 points at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, following sharp rises in New York and Europe sparked by higher oil prices and growing optimism about a possible deal to renegotiate Greece’s debt. — AFP yuan ($2.4 trillion) in infrastructure and other projects to help revive growth. Earlier on Wall Street, the Dow had ended Tuesday 1.76 per cent higher, while the S&P 500 gained 1.44 per cent and the Nasdaq 1.09 per cent. Greek markets had led the way in Europe on hopes that progress was being made in the stand-off over the country’s debt mountain. Still, it was far from certain whether Greece’s proposed debt-swap plan would get anywhere with euro zone officials giving it a chilly reception. The improvement in risk sentiment was enough to trigger a selloff in Treasuries, where yields on 10-year paper hit 1.81 per cent after the biggest daily rise in 14 months. Market positioning exaggerated the moves as investors have been very short on oil and very long on dollars and Sky TV’s interim profits more than double LONDON: European pay-TV broadcaster Sky posted soaring firsthalf profits buoyed by keen demand in Austria, Britain and Germany, in the first results to include Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland. Net profits, or earnings after taxation, more than doubled to £1.09 billion in the six months to December 31, compared with £411 million a year earlier, Sky said in a results statement. Revenues rallied 17 per cent to £4.302 billion in the reporting period, and grew 5 per cent on an adjusted basis. Adjusted operating profit meanwhile grew 16 per cent to £675 million. Total customer numbers swelled by 493,000 in the second quarter to reach more than 24.8 million subscribers, lifted by record growth in Austria and Germany. “We have delivered an excellent operational and financial performance in our first set of results as the new Sky,” said chief executive Jeremy Darroch, adding that it had enjoyed “strong customer demand in all five of our markets”. Back in November, Sky changed its name from BSkyB after completing the purchase of Sky Italia and a majority holding in Sky Deutschland, creating a pan-European pay-TV titan. Sky is 39 per cent owned by Rupert Murdoch’s media empire 21st Century Fox. The group’s five markets comprise Austria, Britain, Germany, Ireland and Italy. “Alongside our continued strength in the UK and Ireland, the acquisition of Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland gives us an expanded opportunity for growth,” added Darroch. “Both businesses had a strong quarter, Germany posting its highest ever customer growth and Italy showing resilience with good customer growth in a challenging economic environment. “Integration is progressing well and we are excited about the potential for the three businesses to be even stronger together.” Sky broadcasts the 24-hour Sky News channel, English Premier League football and blockbuster movies and also provides Internet and telephone services. The results were published one week after Sky revealed plans to launch mobile phone services next year in a tieup with Spain’s Telefonica. Under the multi-year agreement, Telefonica UK will give the group wholesale access to 2G, 3G and 4G services over its popular nationwide phone network, Sky said, but disclosed no financial terms. The announcement followed recent news that Telefonica was in talks to sell its British mobile phone unit O2 to Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa for £9.25 billion. Sky has been in talks for some time to use the network to operate a mobile service, and it is understood that its plans will be unaffected by the Hutchison deal. — AFP The Japanese car maker said sales would come in at 27 trillion yen Toyota raises full-year profit forecast to record $18 billion TOYOTA: Toyota on Wednesday raised its earnings forecast for the year to March, saying it expects to book a record $18.1 billion annual net profit due to a weak yen and cost cuts. The revision marked the second upgrade for the fiscal year to March as the world’s biggest automaker boosted its net profit estimate to 2.13 trillion yen from an earlier 2 trillion yen forecast. The Corolla and Camry maker also said sales would come in at 27 trillion yen, up from an earlier 26.5 trillion yen forecast. Operating profit would be 2.7 trillion yen, up from a 2.5 trillion yen earlier estimate, it added. “While we expect a reduction in vehicle sales, we are raising our operating income (estimate), factoring in the change in our foreign exchange rate assumption and the progress in our profit improvement activities, such as cost reduction efforts,” Toyota’s managing officer Takuo Sasaki said in a statement. Also yesterday Toyota said it booked a 1.7 trillion yen net profit for the nine months through December, up from 1.5 trillion yen a year earlier. Revenue for the period rose 5.2 per cent to 20.1 trillion yen, Toyota said. Japanese car companies have been big winners over the past year as a sharp drop in the yen inflated their repatriated profits, while sales have also picked up in the key North American market. Last month Toyota retained the crown of world’s biggest automaker after reporting that it sold a record 10.23 million Toyota Motors managing officer Takuo Sasaki (right) answers questions beside managing officer Koki Konishi (left) during a press conference announcing the company’s financial results at its Tokyo headquarters yesterday. — AFP vehicles in 2014, outpacing General Motors and Volkswagen. Rival Honda last week cut its full-year profit forecast as it grapples with soaring recall costs, including from an exploding airbag crisis linked to at least five deaths. Japan’s number two car company Nissan reports its financial results next week. — AFP bonds. The US dollar regained just a little ground yesterday, with its index edging up 0.13 per cent to 93.716. On Tuesday it had suffered its biggest one-day fall since October 2013. The euro was hovering at $1.1467, after an eye watering reversal from Tuesday’s low of $1.1312. The dollar fared better on the safe-haven yen, rising to 117.77. — Reuters BIZ BRIEF Alibaba uses drones to deliver tea in China SHANGHAI: Echoing US online retailer Amazon, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba yesterday tested a drone delivery service, promising to whisk ginger tea to customers within an hour despite close controls on airspace. Alibaba’s flagship consumer-toconsumer platform Taobao, estimated to hold more than 90 per cent of the Chinese market, showed off a photo of a black and silver drone with helicopter-like propellors carrying a white box to launch the service. But the option is confined to just three days and a few areas of three Chinese mega-cities — the capital Beijing, commercial hub Shanghai and Guangzhou in the south — and applies only to one brand of tea from one particular vendor, with a limit of 450 deliveries in total. “For consumers... such a cool consumption experience will give them more surprises,” Taobao said in a statement on its microblog. Airspace in China is strictly controlled, with the majority used by the military. The government allows limited use of civil drones for activities ranging from rescue to observation, and operators are required to apply for permission beforehand. The drone launch comes after Alibaba last week locked horns with a powerful government regulator, which delivered an unusual dressing down of the company and accused it of allowing “illegal” actions on its e-commerce platforms, including Taobao. A survey published late January by the State Administration for Industry & Commerce (SAIC) showed only about a third of products sampled from Taobao were genuine. Taobao has pledged to crack down on counterfeit goods in response and Alibaba founder Jack Ma met with SAIC director Zhang Mao last week, which could signal a de-escalation of the dispute. Alibaba, founded by Ma in 1999, is China’s biggest e-commerce company. It listed on the New York Stock Exchange last year in the world’s largest public offering to date. — AFP LONDON: The euro zone private sector grew at its fastest pace in six months in January as firms slashed prices at the steepest rate in nearly five years, a business survey showed yesterday. Data compiler Markit said the survey, carried out mostly before the European Central Bank announced a near-trillion euro quantitative easing programme to revive inflation and boost the economy, pointed to Q1 growth of 0.3 per cent. That matches the median forecast in a Reuters poll last month and, if realised, would be faster than the 0.1 per cent economists have pencilled in for the end of 2014. Markit’s final January Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), seen as a good indicator of growth, stood at 52.6, higher than a preliminary estimate of 52.2 and December’s 51.4. “The euro zone enjoyed a positive start to 2015, as growth of economic activity accelerated. Among the bigfour nations, output expanded in Germany, Italy and Spain, but the downturn in the French economy extended into its ninth month,” Markit said. However, that growth came at a cost to margins. An index measuring output prices fell to 46.9 from December’s 48.1, its lowest reading since February 2010, suggesting firms were slashing prices to drum up trade. Prices dropped a record-equalling 0.6 per cent last month as commodity prices, Brent crude in particular, tumbled. Price-cutting helped drive service industry activity up at the fastest rate in five months. The services sector PMI rose to 52.7 from December’s 51.6, ahead of the flash 52.3 estimate. Confidence about the ECB’s QE programme and signs of growth in new orders accelerating helped lift a gauge of optimism among service firms by the biggest one-month margin in over five years, to 63.9 from 59.7. — Reuters Wizz Air revives London shares listing plan LONDON: Low-cost Eastern European-focused airline Wizz Air resurrected a plan to list its shares on the London Stock Exchange, seeking to raise 150 million euros ($172 million) to help fund its growth plans. The proceeds sought compares to the 200 million euros it said it was aiming for last year, before it shelved the plans in June citing market volatility in the airline business. Wizz, whose no-frills rivals include Ryanair and EasyJet, said it aimed to complete the listing in the first quarter but gave no detail on the number of shares it plans to sell or at what price. The firm said its opportunities for continued growth would come as more people in the Central and Eastern European region start to travel by air, noting that low-cost airline penetration of that area was lower than in western Europe. The airline, which has plans to grow its Airbus fleet to 85 in 2017 from a current level of 54, had revenue of 1 billion euros in the fiscal year through to March 2014 and net profit of 89 million — nearly tripling its level of the previous year. The carrier, which is headquartered in Hungary, said its global offer would comprise the sale of both new shares and those sold by existing investors and that it expected existing investors to agree to a lock-up period. At the time the IPO was postponed last year, sources said the company was unable to reach the £500 million valuation it was hoping for. It said the proceeds from the offer would be used to help strengthen its balance sheet and fund growth plans including taking advantage of any expansion opportunities. — Reuters A worker cleans cell phone accessories at a Vodacom shop in Johannesburg yesterday. South African telecoms operator Vodacom posted Q3 revenue of 19.99 billion rand ($1.76 billion), down 1.1 per cent from a year earlier, partly due to a drop in the charge customers pay to call other networks. — Reuters Lenovo shares up after 3Q net drops HONG KONG: Shares in Lenovo surged almost six per cent yesterday, a day after it announced a better-than-expected Q3 net profit, boosted by a strong performance in its smartphone unit following the purchase of Motorola last year. The world’s biggest PC maker said it earned $253 million in the final three months of 2014, five per cent less than the previous year but better than the average $182.4 million forecast by analysts in a Bloomberg News survey. The news sent its shares jumping 5.86 per cent to HK$11.56 in mid trade in Hong Kong yesterday. However, while growth in the PC market is softening, the firm said revenue increased 31 per cent year-to-year to $14.09 billion, thanks to a more than doubling of mobile phone sales to $3.39 billion. Global mobile phone shipments surged 78 per cent to 24.7 million units in the quarter, boosted by the $2.9 billion purchase of Motorola from Google in October, according to a company filing with the Hong Kong exchange. That buyout came soon after the Chinese giant paid $2.3 billion for IBM’s server as it looks to diversify its business beyond PCs. “Lenovo continued to deliver solid performance along with smooth integration of two major mergers and acquisitions transactions,” it said in the filing. “Lenovo has now become a truly global smartphone player.” CEO Yang Yuanqing told Bloomberg News: “We are very fortunate that both of the acquired businesses performed pretty well. “Motorola is growing volume very fast — they almost doubled volume year on year — and for the first time delivered more than 10 million units last quarter.” — AFP PERSPECTIVE T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 RESCUE omandailyobserver 21 PLAN Greek finance minister takes debt plan to ECB G reek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis heads to Frankfurt for talks with Eu rop e a n Central Bank officials as he seeks to build support for a renegotiation of Athens’s 240 billion euro bailout. The visit is the latest stop on a diplomatic charm offensive that has seen Varoufakis take his case to London and Rome and comes as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visits Brussels to put the plan to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Varoufakis’s visit to Frankfurt is seen as especially important as the ECB is reported to be opposed to a pivotal part of his plan: a request for bridging finance needed to keep Greece solvent until June. According to the Financial Times, the ECB’s opposition could lead to Athens running out of cash at the end of February — a suggestion that may spook the markets. In its Wednesday edition, the FT cited officials involved in deliberations as saying the ECB will refuse Varoufakis’s suggestion of raising 10 billion euros in short-term Treasury bills because it refuses to raise an existing cap of 15 billion euros on such debt issuance to 25 billion euros. The Greek minister will have another tricky encounter today, when he meets German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble in Berlin in what will be a key test of whether his proposals have any chance of being accepted by the EU’s leading powers. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (right) and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras shake hands at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels yesterday. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made his first visit to Brussels since coming to power, promising to renegotiate his country’s international bailout. — AFP The challenge he faces in Frankfurt stands in stark contrast to his visit to Rome on Tuesday, where Athens’ debt plan was welcomed by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, sparking a rally on international markets. Renzi told his Greek counterpart Tsipras, who was accompanying Varoufakis, he believed an accord on the debt terms was possible, and promised the visiting leader of Italy’s support in trying to achieve it. “There has to be change in Europe,” Tsipras said. “We have to put social cohesion and growth before the policies of poverty and insecurity.” Renzi echoed the call for more growth-orientated policies but pointedly steered clear of any comment on the detail of Greece’s proposals, which he said would be discussed by EU leaders next week. “The world is calling on Europe to invest in growth, not austerity,” Renzi said, before joking that the election of Tsipras was a “blessing” because it ensured he was no longer Europe’s number one “dangerous lefty”. Varoufakis, the Greek finance minister, is pushing the idea of debt swaps that would avoid the need for creditors to accept ‘haircuts’ on the country’s 315-billion-euro foreign debt, while easing the monthly financing burden on the Athens government. He said Greece’s ideas would be put to euro zone finance ministers next week ahead of the summit of EU leaders. The Greek initiative was interpreted CONTAINING INFLATION OPINION POLL BoJ in bind as oil slump makes for slippery goal TOKYO: The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is caught in a bind, nearly two years into its stimulus experiment, as it further qualifies its inflation goals in response to tumbling oil prices, a move that could prove self-defeating by tempering price expectations. In April 2013, the BoJ pledged to achieve its 2 per cent inflation target in “about two years” under Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s monetary easing policy, a campaign to print money at an unprecedented scale in Japan. The bold, simple pronouncement with a clear time-frame drove down the yen and boosted stocks, reinforcing the initial impact of the easing programme, which is aimed at lifting Japan clear from two decades of crippling deflation. Though the timeframe remains official policy, in practice it has been slipping over the horizon, and now officials are adding another layer of atmospheric haze with a more convoluted assessment of what kind of inflation they are measuring. The shifting of goalposts is a recognition that several factors, most recently the collapsing price of oil, are pulling inflation away from the BoJ’s target, forcing it to keep adding footnotes to complicate — and some would say obscure — what had been a simple, clear policy commitment. After all, two years have nearly passed, and core consumer inflation, the BoJ’s key price gauge, is only a quarter of the bank’s target, and is expected to slow further in the coming months. In the first year of the easing campaign, known as QQE, the presentation panels Kuroda used in public appearances marked in bold the magic number “2”, to demonstrate his determination to hit the two-year, 2 per cent target and nudge people into spending. “QQE aims to show the BoJ’s strong, clear commitment to end deflation to wipe out people’s deflationary mindset,” Kuroda told a speech in September 2013. “We therefore... set a clear deadline to hit the target, which is roughly two years.” A year later, in the face of a weakening economy, the BoJ fudged the time goal to “around fiscal 2015”, which effectively opened the window to at least March 2016. Kuroda stopped mentioning the two-year timeframe in public from around September last year, when oil price falls were in full swing. The simple became yet more complex when the BoJ expanded QQE in October, blaming oil for slowing inflation, only to stand pat in January when oil prices kept falling. With many in the board strongly against further easing, the BoJ is quietly laying the ground to justify holding that even as inflation is seen grinding to a halt in the coming months. Its new communication strategy is to stick to its timeframe, but make it as ambiguous as possible, analysts say. BoJ officials concede that depending on oil moves, Japan may not see inflation hit 2 per cent until the middle of next year, or even later. “Nobody could predict oil prices would fall so much,” said one source on condition of anonymity. “I doubt the BoJ will come under fire for failing to hit the target strictly in two years.” Deputy Governor Kikuo Iwata, who was once a strong advocate of the timeframe, said yesterday it would take longer than he expected for Japan to hit 2 per cent. But officials are also beginning to stress that they do not look just at core by markets as reducing the likelihood of any unilateral debt cancellation, which would entail a risk of reigniting the kind of financial turmoil that has severely damaged leading economies since 2007. Led by the Athens bourse, which closed up more than 11 per cent, stock markets across Europe rose on the news, as did Wall Street and Asia in turn, while the euro was sharply higher. “After a week of trading insults and threats it looks like the euro zone paymasters and the new Greek government are finally ready to compromise,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading site Forex. com. The Greek government denied the debt swaps proposal represented a climbdown from election promises to force a renegotiation of its debt terms. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was non-committal about the Greek proposals. “It is clear the Greek government is still establishing its position,” she said. “We await their proposals and there will be time enough to discuss them.” Privately, German officials said there was “little room for manoeuvre” on the debt conditions. Greece’s debt is worth 1.75 times the country’s entire annual economic output. Because of severe spending cuts, the government now raises substantially more in taxes than it pays to fund services, but that surplus is more than wiped out by the cost of servicing the debt. US President Barack Obama on Sunday appeared to side with Greece by warning of the dangers of “squeezing” an economy in the grip of recession. Tsipras has dismissed the “troika” system monitoring Greece’s economy — the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and ECB — as lacking legal status. But he also says Greece has no intention of not meeting its outstanding obligations to the bailout creditors. After visiting Brussels, Tsipras will visit Paris in search of support from France, the euro zone’s second-biggest economy and, like Italy, a critic of EU “austerity”. — AFP The shifting of goalposts is a recognition that several factors, most recently the collapsing price of oil, are pulling inflation away from the BoJ’s target, forcing it to keep adding footnotes to complicate — and some would say obscure — what had been a simple, clear policy commitment CPI but a broad range of price indicators including core-core CPI, which strips out the effect of energy costs. The BoJ, which never disclosed the market estimates on which it bases its inflation forecasts, also said in January that oil price falls would push down inflation by 0.7 percentage point. Some analysts say it is an attempt by the BoJ to argue that it is on track to hit the price target because when excluding the effect of oil, core consumer inflation will hit 1.7 per cent next fiscal year, close to its 2 per cent target. “What’s important is to look not just at price moves of individual goods, but at the medium- and long-term trend of prices,” Kuroda told parliament last week. Last month Kuroda said the timing for meeting his target may stretch into fiscal 2016. “Our board never said we will hit 2 per cent inflation strictly in two years,” he told parliament last week. The BoJ’s struggle underlines the challenge central banks face in balancing clear communication and policy flexibility, and how to affect psychology with its stimulus. Surveys of Japanese households and corporate inflation expectations show they have barely heightened since QQE was put in place. A market measurement of inflation expectations has also fallen, to the dismay of the BoJ. Hideo Kumano, a former BoJ official who is now chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, believes the BoJ will eventually have to reconsider its two-year timeframe. “In real life, unpredictable things happen. It’s unrealistic for policymakers to persist on too rigid a timeframe,” he said. — Reuters Mongolians SMS vote for foreign investment ULAN BATOR: Mongolians have voted to back stalled foreign investment in the country’s vast natural resources, authorities announced yesterday, after a controversial four-day text message referendum. The poll saw 56.1 per cent of respondents support increased overseas investment in megaprojects such as the foreign-backed Oyu Tolgoi mine that could stimulate the troubled economy, the government said. The alternative of austerity via reduced state expenditures took 43.9 per cent. Mongolia enjoyed world-leading economic growth in recent years — peaking at 17.5 per cent in 2011 — on the back of a minerals boom exemplified by the giant copper and gold-laden Oyu Tolgoi mine, operated by Anglo-Australian resources giant Rio Tinto. But that expansion has slumped to troubling levels, as rising resource nationalism and an increasingly stringent investment environment led most foreign investors to abandon the country. Foreign direct investment into the landlocked country wedged between giants China and Russia crashed 74 per cent last year, according to the central bank. New Prime Minister Chimed Saikhanbileg used the telephone poll to seek a mandate less than three months after he took office via parliamentary negotiations after his predecessor was ousted. Mongolia last held parliamentary elections in 2012. President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj was re-elected for another four-year term in 2013. The vote for foreign investment is a win for Saikhanbileg, a supporter of his country’s megaprojects and advocate of FDI-fuelled growth. But netizens ridiculed the exercise, decrying the poll as a “sham” and an “obvious attempt by the government to divert liability”. Text messages were sent to about 3.31 million mobile phones — more than the country’s three million population. Each recipient of the SMS could vote once, but people with more than one mobile phone could vote with each device and foreign residents and visitors from overseas registered with domestic phone carriers were also able to participate. But participation was low with responses coming from only around 10 per cent of phones, the results showed. In the run-up to the poll, texts from the government explaining the referendum had been personally addressed by Saikhanbileg, who texted: “Let’s choose the road to development together.” The poll was the first nationwide one of its kind in Mongolia, after local votes on driving restrictions in the traffic-congested capital of Ulan Bator. But commentators criticised it as a way for the government to avoid responsibility and shift the blame to the people in the event that the chosen initiative fails. The referendum came after revenue-sharing negotiations between Oyu Tolgoi operator Rio Tinto and the Mongolian state stalled in 2014. A new investment law has also scared off investors. 22 LEISURE omandailyobserver T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Online Editor’s Choice CRYPTIC PUZZLE CARTOONS ADAM @ HOME 3 In brief, the type to get out of breath (5) 8 Like sea-horses (5) 10 Strayed right amid the wild deer (5) 11 Ingrate, this deserter? (3) 12 Non-vegetarian version of ‘corny’ (5) 13 Lizard in school? (7) 15 Valuable possession for a backward girl? (5) 18 Vehicle that’s right — except for height (3) 19 Snigger when a teetotaller gets in a row (6) 21 The movie we back (7) 22 It once made Britons blue (4) 23 Soothe in a magical manner (4) 24 In performance, one can be clear about it (7) 26 Revealed a debt of hush money? (6) 29 Some stone tablets with many holes in (3) 31 Like a boom in aviation? (5) 32 The way to leave port (7) 34 Forbid returning to bed to get a bit warm (5) 35 Is drunk in hospital, especially (3) 36 Figure to take a nap at the end of the garden (5) 37 A £50 eyepiece used when bowling (5) 38 Learning to be bossy? (5) DOWN 1 Chuck has to pull out for an hour (5) 2 Upon getting weary, dressed (7) 4 Learn there’s a lug at each end (4) 5 Keep airmen active (6) 6 Do your best to go over the street and keep a date (5) 7 Scrap with me and a general (5) 9 Nominal piano piece (3) 12 Though hampered, I manage to take the dog out (7) 14 No denial of artistry (3) 16 Take something the wrong way (5) 17 Time to take the new pram for a walk (5) 19 Teacher has only one shoe! (7) 20 Are their dialects sibilant first and last? (5) 21 Keep moving doggedly ahead with a by Brian Basset CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson GARFIELD by Jim Davis STONE SOUP 17 19 20 21 23 24 25 27 28 30 32 33 CR O SSW O R D ACROSS YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 9, All at once 10, Agreeable 12, Pots (rev) 13, Settle 14, Stunted 15, Pre-tended 17, Ab-stainer 18, Suspend 19, Pi-lla-r (rev) 20, E-r-go 23, Contended 25, The-rap-Ist 26, Meet (rev) 27, Spirit 29, Rackets 32, Testament 34, Peter’s-ham 35, Re-dress 36, Rolled 37, Grub(by) 38, Ste-vedor-e 39, Sat-in-wood. 23 24 25 27 28 30 32 33 vehicle (5) Whereupon it’s fashionable to take puss for a stroll? (7) Late again with the money (6) Dried leaves (3) Vagrants disseminating bosh about nothing (5) Extras at the Aldwych Centre on certain days (5) Accredited swimmer useful to an angler (5) Stated to be unhappy about a timeshare (4) That’s it, folks! (3) EASY PUZZLE ACROSS 3 8 10 11 12 13 15 18 Fire (5) Rituals (5) Senseless (5) Friend (3) Bully (5) Deserved (7) Type of saw (5) Deity (3) 19 21 22 23 24 26 29 31 32 34 35 36 37 38 Italian city (6) More brief (7) Stop (4) Dread (4) Funny (7) Haphazard (6) Boy (3) Feline (5) Restrict (7) Symbol (5) Plural of is (3) Strange (5) Sneaked (5) Bad-tempered (5) 1 2 4 5 6 7 9 12 14 16 DOWN Mature (5) Happiness (7) Was untruthful (4) Title (6) Go in (5) Edible bulb (5) Pitch (3) Boudoir (7) Also (3) New (5) DOWN: 1, Pan-pipes 2, Clothes sense 3, Intended 4, H-eat-e’d 5, Baseb-all 6, Grass snake 7, Perus-Al 8, Tender-foot 11, Bat-on (rev) 16, Eleven (11) 19, Pad 21, Raise the roof 22, Sauce-r 23, Come to rest 24, Depression 25, Tot 28, Returned 29, Retreats 30, Some-body 31, W-aver-e’d 33, Sid-l-e 34, Polish. YESTERDAY’S EASY SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 9, Retaliate 10, Abundance 12, Nape 13, Assume 14, Kittens 15, Tangerine 17, Naturists 18, Exhales 19, Yellow 20, Epee 23, Pogo stick 25, Confident 26, Sash 27, All but 29, Surgeon 32, Increases 34, Accordion 35, Neither 36, Nutmeg 37, Save 38, Tolerates 39, Colanders. DOWN: 1, Brunette 2, Step on the gas 3, Warships 4, Tenure 5, Maternal 6, Bucket down 7, Editors 8, Persistent 11, Needs 16, Enlist 19, Yak 21, Premeditated 22, Mirror 23, Passionate 24, Illustrate 25, Cat 28, Business 29, Secretly 30, Nonsense 31, Tethers 33, Chill 34, Attack. 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: New ideas and new opportunities will mean a busy time for you in the coming year. With your energy and drive you will be able to leave all competitors far behind and show some remarkable accomplishments. Don’t ever lose confidence in your ability to succeed. Mother-of-pearl (5) Deer meat (7) Garment (5) Throw (5) Brass flourish (7) Halo (6) Deceive (3) Passageway (5) Dissuade (5) Awkward (5) US coin (4) Anger (3) 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 AQUARIUS PISCES ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER January 21February 19 February 20March 20 March 21April 20 April 21May 20 May 21June 21 June 22July 21 You may notice that others are slaphappy in their approach to their duties but you wouldn’t feel happy if you emulated them. Your dedication to a very worthwhile cause must not prevent you from giving some of your time and attention to your family. There is no need to spend more than you can reasonably afford on a Christmas gift to someone who needs no further proof of your devotion. Don’t consider yourself to be better than a colleague who is not as well qualified as you. He has a great deal more experience than you. Don’t take it for granted that you will be successful in what you do. Only by great effort and using your capabilities to the full will you reach your goal. You must start revising your financial position at more regular intervals and take immediate measures to put it on a sounder basis. Watch your spending over Christmas. LEO VIRGO LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN July 22August 21 August 22September 22 September 23October 22 October 23November 21 November 22December 21 December 22January 20 Try to avoid being involved in an argument between a married couple. You cannot possibly know and understand all the reasons behind it. You will risk losing a friend. You are to be commended for being able with the means at your disposal to always present a smart and pleasant appearance. An older friend who brought up a family with great success could give you sympathy and support in the handling of difficult children. A person born under GEMINI may prove a very pleasant companion without necessarily exerting any significant influence on your life. Instead of brooding over what might have been it would be much better to face facts and accept life as it really is. Two of your friends who are quarrelling should be left to sort it out between them unless they ask for your advice. CLASSIFIEDS T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2 0 1 5 Lost Situation Vacant PRIVATE bilingual school at Muscat needs a Specialist and experienced Teachers (Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English). Email: cps20102011@ hotmail.com 93005900 ····· REQUIRED experienced Indian Driver for Sewage Tanker. Contact: 95339249. ····· SYRIAN Mashavi Cook and Moroccan Lady Cook for Qurum Beach Hotel.24704994 or 99238012. ····· WANTED experienced accountant with administration experience in Aluminium, Glass sales. Call to 99705023. E-mail: remmaj2014@ gmail.com. ····· Situation Wanted INDIAN male, Video Editor, excellent knowledge of computers including MS Office and computer software namely Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects, Photoshop & Combustion seeks suitable job. Contact 94569289 ····· PAKISTANI male, 26, MBA with 1 year experience in accounts/ Admin, 3 months experience in FFC, working knowledge with Peachtree, quickbooks, fluent in English, good computer skills, on family visit till 2nd March, seeks suitable position. Contact 91795092, e-mail: [email protected] ····· INDIAN male QA/QC Engineer-Civil (BE, ACQE) in Oman on visit visa, overall 10 years of experience in ǡϐ building and residential construction project in Qatar and UAE, holding valid GCC driving licence 00968 93958533, e-mail: sheikhnavid@ yahoo.com ····· LOOKING to recruit ϐInterior Designer (preferably female). Please forward your CV to: idesigner. [email protected]. ····· ȅ manicure, pedicure, skincare, threading, hair-straightening, hairdressing, and henna treatment. Call to 94499020. ····· Tours DOLPHIN WATCHING TOUR. Every Day 8 am and 10 am. For booking 94110088/ 91162534. E-mail: coraloceantours@ gmail.com Web: www. coraloceantours. com. ····· 23 omandailyobserver SALE OF VEHICLE/EQUIPMENT ZEESHN Khuram has lost Pakistani Passport No AU5847071. Finder please handover to ROP. ····· ENAM Hussen has lost Pakistani Passport No EB6895892. Finder please handover to ROP. ····· JAMAL Adnan Khidhr has lost Syrian Passport No N001897111. Finder please handover to ROP. ····· Leading construction company in Oman intends to dispose off their used vehicles and equipment in ‘is where is’ Ǥϐ are presently located at their Muscat Misfah Camp of the company and will be offered for inspection to the public on 8, 9 and 10 February 2015 between 08:00 am to 12:00 pm and 02:00 to 05:00 pm. Interested parties may contact: Tel.: (+968) 91372796 Situation Wanted INDIAN male, BCom with 2 years experience in purchase section in Oman (studied in Oman), currently on visit visa seeks suitable position in capital region in Oman. 95902965. ····· CLASSIFIED SECTION RUWI : 24785668 Behind Royal Oman Police Adjacent to Dhofar Building, Ruwi Wanted WANTED a transporter for a female student who lives in Al Mawaleh from and to Shatti al Qurum School 99371313. ····· Situation Wanted INDIAN male BE mechanical engineer with 3-month ϐ QA/QC, pipeline and NDT. In Oman on visit visa, seeks suitable placement. Contact 95803035, E-mail: jittenvjacob@gmail. com INDIAN IT prof, MCA 5+ yrs exp in Hardware, Networking, PHP, CSS, HTML, Java Script, Sql. NOC available, seeks suitable job. 97496998. E-mail: [email protected] 24 YEARS Oman experienced can handle accounts upto finalisation, banking, preparation of job costing receivable/ payable, age-wise analysis and timely follow-ups, preparation of BRS and other required MIS, having Omani driving licence, can join immediately. Contact: 94070799 ····· ····· TELECOMMUNICATION Technician having 3 years exp in software programming (PABX, CCTV...) and marketing looking for a job in technical area or HR, Admin, sales, marketing. Contact: 91706132. E-mail: [email protected] SENIOR Mechanical Power Engineer, Egyptian, 7 years experience in (oil & ȌϐȀ shore in Agiba Petroleum Co. 94249022. E-mail: mohab_206@yahoo. com ····· ····· CHEF with 7 years experience in tandoor, Chinese & Indian food, available 95924771 ····· INDIAN male with 10-year Oman experience in sales with Omani driving licence looking for sales/driving job 95067844. E-mail: sawood668@ gmail.com BSC Civil Engineer (degree 4 years hons) with GCC driving licence, about one year Gulf experience seeks suitable job. 93929310. ····· SUDANESE male, BSc in Chemical Engineering honours degree from U of K, fresh graduate, looking for suitable job ····· ϐǡ CIVIL engineer in project evaluation. experience in Oman with Contact: 92647250. Omani driving licence ····· 91102892 INDIAN male, 2 years ····· experience in Oil INDIAN male, 22 years, accounting, oil supply BE Mechanical Engineer, chain management and seeks suitable placement. ϐ ǡ Contact: 95020044. looking for a suitable e-mail: sameemsm2009 position. Contact: @gmail.com 96534120. E-mail: [email protected] ····· INDIAN male, 24 years, MBA, having 2 years of ϐ ϐǡ knowledge of Tally ERP, Focus, Wings, Peachtree, MS-Excel, currently on visit visa, seeks suitable placement. Available immediately. Contact 91058205, E-mail: aslammohammed10@ gmail.com ····· INDIAN male, 27 years, B Tech Mechanical, having 1 year pipeline experience, seeking job in any mechanical ϐǤ mentioned points need attention: 1 NOC is available, 2. Available in Oman till 31st January. Contact 95982207. E-mail: rahman.taus@ gmail.com ····· ····· CIVIL Engineer, 14 years experience, 5 years in Oman, valid driving licence, NOC release available Contact: 91101892. ····· IT assistant, BSc computer science with 4 years experience, MCP, MCITP. 95874315. ····· INDIAN male, BE wireless networks, CCNA & MCSE trained, 3 years experience as IT support assistant at a leading higher education institution in Oman seeking a position as network/ systems engineer. 96008737. E-mail: m.anas365@ outlook.com ····· JOB OPPORTUNITIES "5FDIOJDBMUSBJOJOH*OTUJUVUFJOWJUFTBQQMJDBUJPOTGPSGPMMPXJOH QPTJUJPOTJO4PIBS"SFBOMANI NATIONALS PREFERRED CIVIL TRAINERS (Steel Fixing, Shuttering Carpentry, Scaffolding) t.JO&OHJOFFSJOH(SBEVBUFTXJUITPVOELOPXMFEHFPG&OHJOFFSJOHQSJODJQMFT t"UMFBTUZFBSTFYQFSJFODFJOUFBDIJOHQSFGFSBCMZZFBSTFYQFSJFODFJOJOEVTUSZ t1SPöDJFODZJO&OHMJTI-BOHVBHFJTFTTFOUJBM HSE ADVISOR CUM TRAINER t .JO%JQMPNB)PMEFSTJO)4&TQFDJBMJ[BUJPOXJUIBUMFBTUZFBSTPG UFBDIJOHFYQFSJFODF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS t .JO#BDIFMPS%FHSFFJO&OHMJTI-JUFSBUVSFBUMFBTUZFBSTUFBDIJOHFYQFSJFODF t &YDFMMFOU$PNNVOJDBUJPO0SHBOJTBUJPOTLJMMTBOEBHPPEXPSLJOHLOPXMFEHFPG $PNQVUFSTFTTFOUJBMGPSBMMQPTJUJPOT t 1PTU"QQMJFEGPSTIPVMECFNFOUJPOFEJOUIF46#+&$5PGUIFFNBJMPSTBNFXJMMOPU CFDPOTJEFSFE 0OMZ$BOEJEBUFTXIPNFFUUIFBCPWFSFRVJSFNFOUTNBZBQQMZUP [email protected] Situation Wanted SMART professional, excellent English, communication, highly ϐǡͳͳ Oman exp in Admin management, operations, credit & collection, procurement, business development, customer relations, commercial, Ǥǡϐǡ analytical thinking. Quick joining, NOC. 91229392. INDIAN male, BTech-E&I, 10 years experience in Sales, Procurement and Business Development. 6 years Oman experience in Oil & Gas Sector, having Omani driving licence, NOC available, seeks suitable placement. Contact: 97233074. INDIAN male 24 years, having Omani driving licence, MS in Biotechnology from USA, seeks suitable job in management/ ϐǤ 96246621/95738937. ····· CIVIL Engineer (BE), 7 years experience in execution & skilled with ····· MS-Word, Excel, AutoCad, INDIAN male, 29 years seeking for a suitable old, engineering diploma placement, currently ····· holder, 4 year’s on employment visa INDIAN male, 9 years experience in Oman, 2 & available in Muscat. years in PDO Road experience in accounts, 98499008. E-mail: seeks suitable placement. Division, looking for saadkhan1331@gmail. placement. NOC Contact: 94080452. com available. 99352822. ····· ····· ····· DOCTOR (general MCOM, 4 years practice) is looking experience in marketing CIVIL Draughtsman: for job, prefer thiese & sales, 2 years Indian male, 23 years experience in Oman with 3 years experience areas near the Al Khuwair, Wattayah and having Omani driving in AutoCad, 2D & 3D, ǡϐ MEP, HVAC, 3DSMAX and Al Qurum, passed the promertic exam. Contact: Arabic, seeks sales Photoshop, looking for 96363153 job. Contact: suitable position, 95116991. ····· presently in Muscat on E-mail: faizhaneefa1@ visit visa. Contact: INDIAN male, MBA, gmail.com 91764358. Bcom. Having 7 mohdsiraj02@ years experience in ····· yahoo.com ϐ ȋ INDIAN male, with 10 of Logistics) with ····· years Oman experience knowledge in ERP & in sales with Omani A TUTOR, holder of Tally, and valid Omani driving licence, looking Bachelor in English D/L. NOC is available for suitable job. Contact: language and a Bachelor looking for suitable 95067844. E-mail: degree in Education. position. Contact: [email protected] Contact: 98599631. 99279626 ····· ····· ····· Ȉ Ȉ Ȉ Ȉ Ȉ Ȉ ȋǦ Ǧ Ȉ Ȉ Ȉ ȋǦ Ǧ Ȍ Ȉ Ȉ Ȉ Ǧ For information, please call: 99841230-95919344 92721879 - 99639264 Tel: 24649597, Fax: 24649590 BankMuscat account: 0397003776610011 Bank Dhofar account: 01040141195001 E-mail: [email protected] THURSDAY l FEBRUARY 5, 2015 l RABEE AL THANI 15, 1436 AH [email protected] www.omanobserver.om RENT A CAR z Low Rates z Wide Range of Cars z Excellent Service Contact: Muscat 24489248, 24489648. Salalah: 23296246. 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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 company and all services related to Royal Oman Police; Cancellation of International Airport for repatriation of employees; Directorate General ϐ Ǣ & Industry. Translation of legal documents. Medical reports, commercial agency agreements, literature, catalogues ȋǣ ǡ ǡ ǡ ƬȌ Our Address: Ruwi, Adjacent to Gulf Ǥȋ ȌǤ ǣʹͶͻ͵͵͵ͳ ȀʹͶͻͶʹͺ ǣͻͻʹ͵ͳͷͲͲ ȀͻͳͲȀ ͻͷͻͷͻͺ͵ͺ ǣ ȋ͵͵ experience in Ȍ ····· yPROPERTIES for sale and rent yBuildings cleaning yDocuments processing, clearance. ǣͻͻͺ͵Ͳ͵͵ͳǡ ǣͻͻ͵ʹͷͳͺ͵Ǥ ····· Sale and Buy Ƭ furniture and electronics items. ͻͻͺ͵Ͷ͵͵ǡ ͻͳͲʹͻͻǤ ····· 1. AC maintenance and servicing. 2. ǡ repairing. 3. Painting and cleaning services. 4. 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To communicate ʹͳ͵ͷͲͲǡ ʹͳ͵ͲͲǤ ····· 0UK\Z[YPHS*VTTLYJPHS ,Z[H[LMVY9LU[ 1236m2TUPSBHFDBQBCJMJUZNTIFE 336m2DPNQSJTJOHPGPVUMFUTUIBUDPVME CFDPNCJOFE N2PGPVUEPPSTQBDF "DDPNNPEBUJPOGPSVQUPXPSLFST 'VMMZBJSDPOEJUJPOFEXJUIHSBEF"TUFFM TUSVDUVSFDPMETUPSBHFDBQBCJMJUZ *OEVTUSJBM.BBCFMMBDFOUSBMMPDBUJPO 0QQPSUVOJUZGPSJOEVTUSJBMBOEPS DPNNFSDJBMPSHBOJ[BUJPOT t t t t t 1MFBTFDBMMBUPS !VTFS@TUPSBHFT!PVUMPPLDPN Umrah/Haj AL HAJ and UMRAH Ȅ services including ǣ luxurious coaches, arranging weekly trips, preparing visas for expats at cost-effective price, including transport, ǡ and visits to Ǥ Land and air trips weekly. ȋͻͻ͵ͳͳ͵ͳͲǡ ʹͶͷͲͳǡ ͻͻ͵ͳͻͺʹǡ ͻͻͲʹͶͺǡ ͻͻ͵ʹʹͳʹͶǤ ····· Vehicle sale TOYOTA Innova, ʹͲͳʹǤ ǣ ͻʹʹͺʹͷ͵͵Ǥ ····· Investment named ‘Oman ǯǤ company is all set Ǥ I just need a good Ǥ Ǧǣʹ̷ gmail.com Contact: ͻʹͶͻͳͳͲͷǡ ͻͻ͵ͺʹͺͲʹǡ ͻʹ͵ͷͶͳͻȄ ·· · · · · LOOKING for an investor for a fullequipped existing medical complex as ǡ Governorate of Al Wusta. ͻʹʹͳʹͷͷǡ ͻͻʹͶʹʹͶͻǤ ····· Ali al Maashari: 99639264 [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Mohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 [email protected] DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590 THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 5, 2015 | RABEE AL THANI 15, 1436 AH P26 P27 P28 Inside Lehmann backs Clarke as captain United end Cambridge’s adventure Ahmad stays patient in fourth round FOLLOW US ON: SHORT TAKES Samar-Maryam duo in ISC tennis semis (Right to left) Samar al Bakry, Maryam al Balushi, Aisha and Zakariya al Suleimani MUSCAT: The all-girls team of Samar al Bakry and Maryam al Balushi beat all odds and played some brilliant tennis as a team to clinch a place in the semifinals of the junior doubles at the ISCMuscat Pharmacy Open Junior tennis tournament organised by the Indian Social Club Muscat. Samar and Maryam, Oman’s top junior girls players, showed good understanding and played brilliant attacking tennis to stun the third seeded brother and sister duo of Zakariya and Aisha Al Suleimani with a narrow 8-6 victory in the quarterfinals. At one stage, Samar and Maryam were comfortably placed with a 5-1 lead before the Suleimani siblings regrouped, broke Maryam in the eighth game and Zakariya held to stay in the match. Samar and Maryam held firm, broke Aisha again but Zakariya played the lead role and narrowed the deficit to only one game. Samar held in the crucial fourteenth game to clinch a semifinal date against the second seeded duo of Abdullah al Barwani and Younis al Rawahi. The winner of the semifinal will take on the top seeds and defending champions Nevil Philips and Armaan Sattikar. Nevil and Armaan advanced to the title clash after outplaying Hassan Haider and Yash Tanna 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinal. Beckham still weighing options for Miami stadium MIAMI: More than a year after David Beckham swooped into Miami, the retired English soccer star has not yet secured a spot for his planned Major League Soccer team, but he and his partners are still searching, a spokesman said on Tuesday. “The Miami Beckham United team is actively looking at four or five sites,” Tadd Schwartz wrote in an e-mailed statement. Beckham’s group has remained mostly quiet since local officials last year rebuffed two attempts to secure land for a 25,000-seat bayfront arena in the city’s downtown. A first push last year to build the stadium on an empty tract on a small island mostly occupied by the port of Miami was fought by a maritime group led by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. A second effort to tuck it in between the NBA Miami Heat’s basketball arena and the city’s art museum also failed. — AFP www.omanobserver.om [email protected] Reid storms to title in Trans Hajar race WOMEN’S CHAMP: Briton Catherine Williamson wins Open Women’s category; SA riders dominate podium MUSCAT: Olympic hopeful James Reid won the 2015 Trans Hajar Mountain Bike Race by a massive 12 minutes 58 seconds with compatriots Max Knox (RSA) claiming second and Kevin Evans (RSA) taking third place to make it an all-South African podium in the Open Men’s category. British rider Catherine Williamson stormed to victory in the Open Women’s category 33 minutes and 55 seconds ahead of Eszter Dosa (HUN) in second and Hannele Steyn (RSA), last year’s winner, in third. Oman’s Mousab Al Rashidi finished 18th overall, while Hatim Al Boshri finished 24th and Mishari Al Khalili finished 27th out of the 41 riders who completed the course. Stage Four was the shortest stage of the race at just 53km but with four major climbs including one with a gradient of 26 per cent, it was no less challenging than the days before. Reid and Groustra led the pack going into the final climb but Groustra made a break for the line and Reid was unable to respond resulting in a one second stage victory to temporarily loosen James Reid’s grip on the race. The final day of racing saw the international field of pro and amateur riders take on a fast and predominantly flat stage in and around the beautiful and contrasting scenery of Arabia’s highest peak, Jebel Shams (3,028m). Competitors still had to face a 250m vertical ascent climb as well as a 400m climb to the finish line. Some confusion on the trail caused a shuffle in the standings and Jan Pyott (SUI) won the final stage of the race with Romania’s Tudor Oprea in second and Max Knox (RSA) in third. Despite faltering in final two stages, James Reid still took the overall win. Speaking about the race, champion James Reid said, “The race totally blew my mind. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my relatively short mountain biking career. It was something out of this world – the setting and environment we camped in and the daily stages we went on; every day there was something different. From bus transfers to lost cities to incredible 20 kilometre climbs and breath-taking views — it was something special.” Catherine Williamson made it four wins from five stages, finishing eight seconds ahead of Eszter Dosa (HUN) The 2015 Trans Hajar MTB race winners pose on the podium. in a time of 3:52.33 in the final stage. Hannele Steyn (RSA) finished third with a time of 4:09.21. Anna Christie ended the day in fourth with a time of 5:26.48, Michelle Guerin (NZL) two seconds behind in fifth, and Gill Sparrow (GBR) and ‘The race totally blew my mind. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my relatively short mountain biking career. It was something out of this world – the setting and environment we camped in and the daily stages we went on; every day there was something different’ Reinette Schulze finished 30 minutes later in sixth and seventh respectively. Catherine Williamson said, “I’ve found it an amazing week, it’s been tough riding in tough conditions. We’ve had lots of climbing but there’s been lots of varied, some single track, open roads, technical descends and rocky climbs. We’ve had a bit of everything. I’ve had a great week in Oman, anyone out there who wants to get some sunshine and base miles should definitely come and do this race.” The winners received their prizes from Shaikh Dr Abdul Malik bin Abdullah al Hinai, Advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Saif Al Rushadi and Arthur Jordens, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Chief Commissaire. The event was organised and managed by Oman Sail. David Graham, Oman Sail CEO said: “Congratulations to all the riders. The past five days has seen close and competitive riding between cyclists from all over the world. As well as challenging biking, riders experienced authentic Arabia, beautiful landscapes, and a really warm welcome from the villages they rode through. It was our pleasure to host them and we look forward to welcoming them back to Oman.” This year’s race was redesigned to provide a more challenging experience for competitors and to incorporate canyons, wadis, river-crossings and traditional Omani villages into a 400 km route with short sprints, steep climbs and rugged single track racing through the Al Hajar mountain range and Al Dakhiliyah Governorate countryside. James Reid dominated the stages to win the 2015 title in the men’s category. OMAN CRICKETERS FELICITATED Khimji Ramdas Muscat cricket team players, who represented the victorious Oman national team in the recently concluded ACC T20 Qualifier held in the UAE, were felicitated by the Khimji Ramdas board of directors. McLaren, Red Bull struggle JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA, Spain: Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was fastest in the final morning of pre-season testing in Jerez on Wednesday as McLaren and Red Bull’s hopes for a problem free day were dashed. Jenson Button twice failed to get beyond the pitlane as a nightmare week for the new McLaren-Honda partnership continued. McLaren racing director Eric Boullier warned on Tuesday that any more setbacks in testing would delay their chances of being competitive once the season gets underway in Australia in six weeks’ time. However, Button managed just seven laps on Wednesday morning to take the team’s total for the week to just 51, the same number as world champion Lewis Hamilton completed before lunch despite suffering a spin earlier in the day. Red Bull haven’t faired much better in the southern Spanish city and Daniil Kyvat managed just eight laps before being brought to a halt on track by a power unit problem. — AFP 26 SPORT omandailyobserver SPECIAL STORY Minnows take heart from shock-laden WC Kenyan left-arm spinner Aasif Karim SYDNEY: 8.2-6-7-3. Those were not the World Cup bowling figures of Australian leg-spin wizard Shane Warne or Pakistani fast bowling great Wasim Akram, but of a one-time tennis player. Kenyan left-arm spinner Aasif Karim, who also represented his country in the Davis Cup, was 39 when he caught the eye with those 50 magical deliveries, tying famed Australian batsmen into knots in Durban in 2003. He had quit cricket after the 1999 World Cup in England but returned for the next edition in South Africa, showing what players from non-Test playing nations were capable of at cricket’s showpiece event. Karim’s victims included Australian captain Ricky Ponting, Darren Lehmann and Brad Hogg. He did not taste success after his heroics, going wicketless against India in the next game, which turned out to be his last one-day match. Players from so-called minnows may quake at the prospect of facing pacemen Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson or bowling to Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle. But the giants of the game should under-estimate the minnows — represented in Australia and New Zealand by the likes of Afghanistan, Scotland and the UAE — at their peril. Previous World Cups are full of examples of players from smaller sides who have enjoyed a rare moment in the sun such as Canadian John Davison, Kenyan Maurice Odumbe and Irish brothers Niall and Kevin O’Brien. Davison overshadowed batting greats for a day when he smashed the then fastest World Cup hundred, off 67 balls, against the West Indies at Centurion in 2003. New Zealand were to suffer next from Davison’s punishing blade as the Canadian hammered a half-century off just 25 balls against an attack containing quality pacemen Shane Bond and Jacob Oram. Ireland’s part-timers made history on St Patrick’s Day in 2007 when they knocked out former champions Pakistan in the first round with a three-wicket win, their stars being paceman Boyd Rankin (3-32) and Niall O’Brien (72). In another famous shock, when Kenyan Rajab Ali shared the new ball with Martin Suji in a 1996 World Cup match at Pune, two-time champions West Indies did not expect they would struggle to chase a modest 167-run target. But Ali rocked the top order with two wickets, including that of Brian Lara, while off-spinner Odumbe (3-15) kept pressure on the middle order as their team pulled off a sensational 73-run victory. England were surprised by Zimbabwean chicken farmer Eddo Brandes, who finished with 4-21 off 10 dream overs in his team’s nine-run victory in a 1992 World Cup game at Albury, before the African side played their first Test. Zimbabwe had pulled off a major shock nine years earlier when Duncan Fletcher (69 not out and 4-42) masterminded Australia’s downfall with a brilliant all-round show. Dave Houghton managed to win two man-ofthe-match awards even in Zimbabwe’s defeats, cracking 84 against Australia at Southampton in 1983 and 142 against New Zealand at Hyderabad in India in 1987. Four years ago in Bangalore, Kevin O’Brien hit the fastest WC ton off just 50 balls as Ireland stunned England. — AFP T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 Contenders saddled with familiar baggage SHOWPIECE: Cricket World Cup has morphed into a commercial behemoth and a TV event followed by millions MELBOURNE: With strong hosts expected to challenge, a highly-fancied South Africa facing their demons and a sprawling format certain to generate criticism, the cricket World Cup’s return to Australia and New Zealand is a case of deja vu in many ways. Since the trans-Tasman neighbours first co-hosted in 1992, the one-day game’s global showpiece has morphed into a commercial behemoth and a television event followed by millions around the world. Familiar themes endure, however, and many of the 14 teams competing at the February 14-March 29 have arrived in the Antipodes with the same baggage as World Cups past. Boasting a world class attack, a fearless leader in AB de Villiers and an embarrassment of batting riches, South Africa have a gilt-edged chance to break their duck in the tournament. None of de Villiers’ squad was party to the semifinal disaster at the 1999 tournament in Britain or their firstround exit in 2003 on home soil. The “chokers” tag is still irritating, though, said retired skipper Graeme Smith. “Unfortunately it’s something they’ll never get rid of until we go on and win a tournament,” he told the ESPN Cricinfo website.”We made some stupid mistakes.” Australia, far and away the most successful team at the World Cup with four titles, failed to make the knockout phase in 1992 and are under pressure to win on their home pitches. In common with the 2011 tournament in the subcontinent, when Ricky Ponting’s leadership was under constant speculation, the co-hosts have been distracted by local media reports of a rift between captain Michael Clarke, his team mates and the country’s cricket governing body. Recovering from hamstring surgery, Clarke was given a deadline by selectors to be fit in time for the team’s second group match even as pundits have questioned his place in a batting lineup New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum plays a shot during the second one-day international against Pakistan in Napier. already brimming with class. Reigning champions India also have no shortage of quality batsmen but have traditionally struggled on southern hemisphere pitches without penetrative seam bowlers. HOME COMFORTS Semifinalists in six out of the 10 World Cups, New Zealand have generally punched above their weight and are expected to do so again with home comforts and a possible semifinal in Auckland. As with the 2011 tournament, the 10 test-playing nations will be joined by four Associate teams — Ireland, Afghanistan, UAE and Scotland. With two groups of seven teams playing round-robin matches, the preliminary round meanders for five weeks until the top four in each group advance to the quarterfinals starting on March 18. Battling administrative chaos and baffling squad selections, twice champions West Indies may be the most likely to join either lowly Bangladesh or Zimbabwe in making an early exit. With omitted former captain Dwayne Bravo paying the price for a contract dispute with the cricket board, 23-year-old all-rounder Jason Holder has the Herculean task of leading a team of disparate personalities. Though the quarter-finalists are likely to conform to the eight highest teams in the ICC’s world rankings, the knockout rounds will at least promise genuine suspense. Five of the seven venues to be used during the knockouts will have drop-in wickets, which lack the variation and Lehmann backs Clarke as Australian captain SYDNEY: Australia coach Darren Lehmann has offered his full support for Michael Clarke to return as captain for the World Cup after weeks of speculation over the 33-year-old’s career. Asked if Clarke would be skipper again if fit in time for the competition which begins later this month, Lehmann said: “Definitely.” “He’s ahead of schedule,” to return from hamstring surgery and chronic back pain, Lehmann said. Cricket Australia have given Clarke until Australia’s second pool match against Bangladesh on February 21 to prove his fitness for the World Cup. But Lehmann suggested that he could resume playing earlier, saying “fingers crossed he might be”. “Michael wants to lead his side really well through the World Cup and win the World Cup,” Lehmann said. Clarke is set to play for a Cricket Australia XI against Bangladesh in a one-day practice match on Thursday in Brisbane but he will be restricted to batting and light fielding. He appeared to move freely in fielding drills and in the nets on Wednesday morning as he met his Australia XI teammates, who are mostly youngsters and fringe Sheffield Shield players, the Associated Australian Press reported. Clarke was moved on Monday to admit he was ready to play under the captaincy of young gun Steve Smith. Amid reports that the team prefer the stand-in skipper who has had a sensational summer, Clarke insisted his relationship with his team-mates was exceptional. Clarke was forced to bow out after the first Test against India in December with the serious hamstring injury, and Smith filled in as captain with great success for the three remaining Tests. — AFP Steady Misbah, wild thing Afridi fire up Pakistan KARACHI: Pakistan one-day skipper Misbah-ul Haq and predecessor Shahid Afridi play for the same team, but come from different worlds. If the unpredictable Pakistanis are to secure a second World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, they need the two heavyweight talents to forge a united front. Misbah is conservative, careful; Afridi is brash, belligerent. Misbah takes time to settle and plays with a straight bat, characteristics which are alien to most fans of the game in Pakistan who have still not forgiven him for failing to guide the country to victory over arch-rivals India in the World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg in 2007. His ill-advised paddle-sweep with just five runs needed for victory still rankles. Then at Mohali in the 2011 World Cup semifinals, Misbah batted out crucial deliveries before scoring 56 off 76 balls as Pakistan again lost to India. “If he ever sits in my cab I will ask him why he bats so slowly,” said bemused Abu Dhabi taxi driver Kamal Khan during a recent series in the Gulf, Pakistan’s home-from-home in recent years. “Misbah is disliked for his slow batting while Afridi rules hearts because of his aggressive fours and sixes.” Afridi tends to throw his bat from the get-go, seemingly caring little for the nature of the pitch, the strength of the bowler or the situation of the match. “Once I went to bat and asked Afridi about the pitch and he replied: ‘I don’t know, but I am enjoying it as the ball is coming onto the bat’,” recalled former captain Ramiz Raja. Afridi’s strength is his lusty hitting — he hit two last-over sixes to help Pakistan pull off an incredible win over India in last year’s Asia Cup in Dhaka. When it comes to captaining the side, Misbah and Afridi are poles apart. Despite becoming Pakistan’s most successful Test captain last year, Misbah is criticised for being defensive. “Misbah is overly defensive as captain while Afridi attacks and is very aggressive,” former captain Mohammad Yousuf said. Misbah took over from Afridi as one-day skipper in 2011. But when Misbah withdrew from the third and final one-dayer against Australia in Abu Dhabi last year over poor batting form, Afridi grabbed his new opportunity with both hands. But Misbah returned with a bang, equalling the fastest Test century off just 56 balls thus ending speculation that Afridi might replace him as captain for the World Cup. Both men will quit one-day cricket after the World Cup but Misbah will continue to play Tests while Afridi will continue to enjoy the brasher Twenty20. — AFP — AFP carry of the co-hosts’ other traditionally prepared pitches, offering a more even playing field for the hosts and visitors alike. It will be a last hurrah in the format for Sri Lankan stalwarts Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, and for the latter, a farewell to international cricket altogether. Organisers expect more than one million spectators to flock to the 49 games at 14 venues and a television audience of over a billion viewers, cricket’s biggest window to the world. — Reuters SPORT T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 FA CUP omandailyobserver 27 Holders PSG reach French Cup final LONE GOAL: A first-half screamer from defender Maxwell sealed the semifinal against Lille Manchester United’s James Wilson celebrates scoring their third goal against Cambridge United at Old Trafford in Manchester. — AFP Man United end Cambridge’s adventure MANCHESTER: Juan Mata, Marcos Rojo and James Wilson’s goals gave Manchester United a comfortable 3-0 home win over fourth-tier minnows Cambridge United in their FA Cup fourth-round replay on Tuesday. United, fielding a side that cost £231 million ($350.4 million, 305.2 million euros) to assemble, survived an early scare against a Cambridge line-up that had not cost a single pound when Tom Elliott shot against the post in the first minute. But first-half goals from Mata and Rojo put Louis van Gaal’s side in control before Wilson added a third to rubber-stamp a win that sets up a fifth-round trip to Preston North End, who beat Sheffield United 3-1. “We have done what we had to,” United manager Van Gaal told the BBC. “For the club, the fans and the coach and my staff, we want to win a title this year. The biggest First-half goals from chance is the FA Cup, Mata and Rojo put but we still have to Louis van Gaal’s win four games to do side in control before that.” Elliott found Wilson added a himself clean through third goal to on goal with just 45 seconds on the rubber-stamp a win clock after an error by Daley Blind, who played the ball directly through to the former Leeds United trainee. Elliott showed poise to steady himself and advance, but could only steer the ball against the right-hand post as diving United goalkeeper David de Gea looked on aghast. It was hard not to imagine that would be Cambridge’s best chance and although the hosts had started slowly, they took a 25th-minute lead through Mata. Angel di Maria’s left-wing cross was headed down at the back post by Marouane Fellaini and Mata was on hand to flick the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Seven minutes later, Rojo made it 2-0 after Fellaini’s shot was blocked and the rebound spun kindly for Robin van Persie. The Dutch international chipped in a cross for Rojo, who made no mistake with a strong header from six yards out to claim his first goal for the club since joining from Sporting Lisbon last year. In the night’s other game, Sunderland came from behind to win 3-1 at second-tier Fulham, setting up a fifth-round trip to third-division Bradford City, conquerors of Chelsea in round four. — AFP LILLE, France: French League Cup holders Paris Saint-Germain moved to within one win of retaining the trophy as a first-half goal from defender Maxwell gave them a 1-0 semifinal victory at Lille on Tuesday. The French champions dominated affairs with the bulk of possession and mustered the only goal of the match on 27 minutes when Brazilian full back Maxwell blasted a fierce shot into the corner leaving Lille’s Nigerian ‘keeper Vincent Enyeama no chance. The joy at reaching the final was tempered somewhat as after the game PSG’s star player Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic tried to persuade several of his team-mates to ignore the waiting press. “Follow me follow me. Nobody talks. Zlatan is the boss,” Ibrahimovic said in English as he led a group comprising among others Maxwell, Edinson Cavani and Brazilian Lucas out of the dressing room. While a smiling Ibrahimovic progressed serenely through the mixed zone, Brazilian star Lucas disobeyed and stopped to speak with the press speaking in Portuguese. Laurent Blanc’s side will play either Monaco or Bastia, who meet at the Louis II stadium on Wednesday, in the April 11 final at the Stade de France. “We’re the Cup holders and we had the heart to defend that,” said Blanc. “We had to win here (Lille) first and that’s done but what pleases me most is not only the victory but also what we offered against a team that really dug in. “We didn’t give them hope even if the score was only 1-0 and my team played some really good stuff which will serve us in good stead for the future but we still have to progress,” added the former Bordeaux and France coach. The victory keeps PSG on track for a quartet of trophies with a Champions League last-16 tie Lille’s Idrissa Gueye (right) vies with Paris Saint-Germain’s Jean-Christophe Bahebeck during the French League Cup match in Lille. against Chelsea on February 17 and a last-16 French Cup fixture against Nantes lying ahead. The capital club also have the chance to go top of Ligue 1 on Sunday when they attempt to overturn a two point deficit on Lyon when the teams meet at the Stade Gerland. “We have a lot of matches and it’s going to be a marathon but let’s hope it continues as long as possible. I hope that March will be complicated and the marathon continues into April and May which will mean we’re advancing in all competitions.” concluded Blanc. Rene Girard’s Lille side were out of their depth against the starstudded PSG line-up who put a first choice team out including Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Thiago Silva and David Luiz. The hosts hardly conjured up a second half opportunity as reserve — AFP ‘keeper Nicolas Douchez, standing in for Salvatore Sirigu, enjoyed a relaxed evening in the away goal. Lucas and Cavani played a role in the winner with the Uruguayan marksman sliding the ball across to Maxwell who made no mistake from the edge of the penalty box. — AFP Bayern eke out draw against Schalke Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben makes a move in Munich. — AFP BERLIN: Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich managed to eke out a 1-1 draw at home to Schalke 04 on Tuesday despite playing over 70 minutes with 10 men following Jerome Boateng’s dismissal. The defending champions have failed to win both games since the return to action after the winter break, but they maintained their eight point lead at the top of the table. Second-placed VfL Wolfsburg — who inflicted the leaders first league defeat of the season last Friday — had to come from behind to draw 1-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern coach Pep Guardiola was far from disappointed at dropping points at home. “I’m very happy. It’s never easy against Schalke, we controlled the game and had our chances in front of goal,” said Guardiola. “We wanted the three points, but our performance was much better.” “We played very well when it was 11 versus 11, but there is no need to talk about the red card.” Arjen Robben’s second-half header gave Bayern the lead before Schalke captain Benedikt Hoewedes equalised five minutes later. “We had more control in the game today than against Wolfsburg and did not allow them to counter,” said captain Bastian Schweinsteiger referring to the 4-1 defeat. “But in Stuttgart (on Saturday) we need a win and a good performance.” Bayern had Boateng dismissed with just 17 minutes gone for a foul on Schalke’s Sidney Sam. But Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer easily saved Eric Choupo-Moting’s weak effort from the resulting penalty. Schalke had personnel problems as Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, last season’s league top scorer, is suspended while injury meant the Royal Blues played their third-choice goalkeeper for the second half. Bayern suffered an early set back as centre-back Boateng was shown a straight red for bringing down Sam. It was the first penalty Bayern have conceded at home in the league all season, but Neuer easily stopped Choupo-Moting’s weak effort. Schalke gave 19-year-old goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther his debut for the second-half after Fabian Giefer, who had replaced first-choice Ralf Faehrmann, was unable to come back out as he had suffered a thigh injury. The teenager made a key save to deny Robben early in the second-half, but Schalke fell behind soon afterwards. Xabi Alonso’s corner found Robben unmarked and he headed home on 67 minutes. The lead lasted five minutes as Bayern made the same mistake to leave Schalke skipper Hoewedes free to power home a header to level the scores. — AFP Mauritian Seechurn has been sent home from Equatorial Guinea and dropped from the African Football Confederation elite referees panel CAF ban referee, fine Tunisia after penalty drama BATA, Equatorial Guinea: CAF banned Mauritian referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn for six months and slapped a $50,000 (43,000 euro) fine on Tunisia on Tuesday after a controversial Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal. The host nation equalised off a dubiously awarded stoppage-time penalty and went on to a shock 2-1 win over Tunisia last Saturday in Bata. When the final whistle sounded, riot police had to protect the match officials from furious Tunisian players. According to an African Football Confederation (CAF) statement, host nation Equatorial Guinea were fined $5,000 for a pitch invasion and warned to tighten security at match venues ahead of Security guards protect referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn (second right) from Tunisia’s players after the quarterfinal. — AFP the semifinals. Ivory Coast face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first in Bata on Wednesday and 24 hours later Equatorial Guinea meet Ghana in Malabo. The CAF referees committee “regretted” the poor performance of Seechurn in the quarterfinal. The Mauritian has been sent home from Equatorial Guinea and dropped from the CAF elite referees panel. The CAF disciplinary board fined Tunisia $50,000 for “insolent, aggressive and unacceptable behaviour of the players and officials of the Tunisian team” during the match. Tunisia will also pay the cost of the damages caused at the Estadio de Bata. CAF have also ordered Tunisia to send a letter of apology, or provide evidence of ‘The last thing you can call this is a football match,’ complained defender Mohamed Yaakoubi the unfairness of CAF and their officials, before midnight on Thursday. Failure to do so will lead to additional sanctions against Tunisia, including a possible ban from the 2017 Cup of Nations qualifying competition. CAF also condemned the conduct of Tunisian Football Federation president Wadie Jary, who entered the pitch to criticise the referee. Jary resigned as a member of the Cup of Nations organising committee last Sunday in the aftermath of the controversial match. The Tunisian federation said in a statement that Jary quit having been a member of the tournament committee since mid-2013. Belgium-born Tunisia coach George Leekens suggested after the match that Seechurn might have wanted the home team to win, calling the penalty decision “forced”. Several Tunisian players echoed the words of the coach. “The last thing you can call this is a football match,” complained defender Mohamed Yaakoubi. “We felt they wanted us to lose by force. The penalty decision was not justified and came at a crucial time — it was not fair what the referee did.” — AFP 28 omandailyobserver SPORT T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 LEAGUE-BEST: The Golden State Warriors swept four-game series against Sacramento Kings for second straight season Augustin shines as Pistons punish Miami Heat LOS ANGELES: DJ Augustin is making the most of his latest opportunity. Augustin had 25 points with a season-high 13 assists on Tuesday and the Detroit Pistons withstood a 34-point effort by Chris Bosh for a 108-91 victory over the visiting Miami Heat. Augustin became the Pistons starting point guard after Brandon Jennings went down January 24 with a seasonending full Achilles tendon tear. In the last five games, Augustin has stepped in to average 21.8 points on 52 per cent field goal shooting with nine assists in 35.8 minutes per game. “We’re all good players,” Augustin explained.”When you get a chance to get more minutes and get a rhythm obviously you’re going to get better.” Team-mate Greg Monroe said the Pistons continue to fire on all cylinders with the speedy Augustin running the show. “He is just consistent, solid, makes great decisions and can shoot very well,” Monroe said of the sixth-year NBA veteran.”He is steady and sometimes that is all you need is someone who is consistent and does the job every night. He was our MVP tonight.” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope netted 18 points while Andre Drummond added 14 with as many rebounds for the Pistons (19-30) winners of two straight following a four-game slide. Playing without All-Star guard Dwyane Wade (right hamstring strain) for the third straight game, Miami held an early 11-8 advantage. But the Pistons went on a 25-1 period-ending burst behind seven points apiece from Augustin and Caldwell-Pope to take a commanding 33-12 cushion after one. “The last seven minutes of the first quarter were as good as we’ve played all year,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said.”That’s really where the game was decided, because after that it was a pretty even game.” Detroit led 53-39 at the break but Bosh went off the third quarter. The AllStar big man hit all nine shots en route to 21 points though Augustin countered Detroit Pistons’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (left) attempts a shot over Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside in Detroit. with 14 of his own. “Chris got hot,” said Monroe after a 12-point, nine-rebound outing. “Anybody with his talent level once they get going they’re hard to stop.” The Pistons carried an 85-67 bulge into the final frame and motored home with the lopsided win. “We couldn’t get a handle on Augustin,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after his club dropped to 21-27.” “He was going wherever he wanted to go and pretty much dominated the game.” At Sacramento, the Golden State Warriors thrashed Sacramento Kings 123-99. Stephen Curry had 23 points with nine assists, and the league-best Warriors (38-8) opened up a 21-point half-time cushion to sweep the four-game series from the hosting Kings for the second straight season. DeMarcus Cousins topped Sacramento (17-30) with 26 points and 11 rebounds while Rudy Gay netted 20. At Portland, the Portland Trail Blazers edged out Utah Jazz 103-102. Damian Lillard scored 25 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 with 11 rebounds, and the Trail Blazers trimmed the visiting Jazz to stop a three-game slide. Portland (33-16) got a lift from centre Robin Lopez, who returned with 11 points and six rebounds after missing 23 games with broken right hand Gordon Hayward led Utah (17-31) with 27 points. Portland led by nine with 3 minutes 26 left but nearly blew it. Three-pointers by Hayward and Joe Ingles around a layup by Lillard at the other end drew Utah to within 101-99 with 9.9 seconds left. After Aldridge made two free throws, Trey Burke buried another triple for Utah, making it a one-point game. Lillard missed his first free throw and the second intentionally as Portland held on. — USA Today Sports At Philadelphia, the Philadelphia 76ers prevailed over Denver Nuggets 105-98. Hollis Thompson scored 19 of his career-high 23 points in the opening half, Michael Carter-Williams added 15, 12 assists and eight rebounds, as the lowly Sixers (11-39) held off the reeling Nuggets. Italy’s Danilo Gallinari dropped in a season-high 22 points to pace visiting Denver (19-30), which made a push after trailing by 28 in the third quarter before suffering a third straight loss and 10 of the last 11. At New York, the Boston Celtics got the better of New York Knicks 108-97. Avery Bradley scored 26 points, Jared Sullinger added 22 with nine rebounds, and the visiting Celtics (17-30) beat the lethargic Knicks to stop a three-game skid. Carmelo Anthony netted 21 points for New York (10-39), which dropped back into the Eastern Conference basement. — dpa NBA RESULTS Philadelphia bt Denver 105-98 Detroit bt Miami 108-91 Boston bt NY Knicks 108-97 Portland bt Utah 103-102 Golden State bt Sacramento 121-96 LOCAL FLAVOUR Azzan, Eyad and Hassan advance to Al Hayat tennis finals Ahmad al Harthy during the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East in Doha. Al Harthy stays patient in Round 4 DOHA: Oman’s Ahmed Al Harthy was making the best use of his time in first practice ahead of Round 4 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge weekend at Losail International Circuit in Qatar, the Al Nabooda man easing into the top 10 as he fine-tuned his car for the weekend. Once again exciting night conditions have been introduced by the organisers of the most professional racing series in the region with Al Harthy returning to race on the fast and furious Losail International Circuit for the second of two back to back race rounds in Qatar. After reaching the half way mark in the championship at Losail International Circuit two weeks ago following three rounds and six races, Round 4 represents the start of the second half of the season with all the drivers looking forward to the challenge ahead. In first practice series leader Clemens Schmid, winner of both races at the Losail track in Round 3, set the pace with just a few seconds between the top 10 drivers showing exactly how tight the competition is. Despite a strong pace in the early session, the conditions the drivers will qualify and race in are set to be quite different as the sun sets, cooling the track and the lights of Losail are switched on for an exciting night race. Speaking after first practice Ahmed Al Harthy said: “It’s only been a few weeks but great as always to get back out in the car. The conditions are slightly different so we set the car differently to make the most of them but it’s going to change again when the sun sets and the lights come on. It adds an extra dimension to the racing so it’s going to be a fun weekend. I definitely have more speed to find but that’s what this testing session is for so we’ve been spending a lot of time going over the numbers and making sure we’re happy with the strategy. It’s going to be a new challenge tomorrow but we’re excited and ready for it.” As it stands, reigning champion Zaid Ashkanani (134 pts) trails behind Season 4 champion Clemens Schmid (144 points) but holds a 16-point lead over the third placed Shaikh Hasher al Maktoum of Skydive Dubai Falcons in the Drivers’ Standings. With Round 5 set to take place at Dubai Autodrome Circuit before a final showdown in Bahrain which will act as a support race to the official Bahrain Grand Prix weekend in April, all the drivers are well aware that they are entering the crucial part of the season. Every lap, every qualifying, position and point counts as the race for the championship heats up starting with Qatar in the coming days. The region’s leading drivers will line-up in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup again as the star attractions at Losail International Circuit for Race 1 Round 4 on Thursday (8pm) and Friday the 5th and 6th of February. MUSCAT: Talented Omani players Azzan al Harji and Eyad al Khanjari as well as Hassan al Zadjali moved into the finals of their respective categories in the second Oman Arab Bank (OAB) tennis tournament being organised by Al Hayat Tennis Centre at their courts on Monday. In the boys under-12 section, Azzan al Harji outlasted a battling Amir Hedari for a 9-5 victory and a place in the final. In the title match, he is scheduled to meet another tough opponent in Ayvret Van Waveren. Eyad al Khanjari stormed into the final of the boys under-16 section with an easy 9-1 victory over Pablo Echeverri to set up a title clash with Sultan Musa. Hassan al Zadjali, meanwhile, made it to the final of the men’s B singles with 6-1, 6-2 victory over Mohammed Reza. Awaiting Hassan in the final will be Younis al Numani. In the semifinals of the men’s A singles, Khalid Ikram brushed aside the challenge of Abdullah Yahyaei for a 6-0, 6-1 victory. In the final, Khalid will await the winner of the second semifinal between Bruno Van Begin and Drar Antar. Bruno Van Begin had also made it to the final of the veterans singles. In the semifinal against Luis Torres, Bruno Waleed Al Naamani, Hassan al Zedjali, Abdul Rahman al Hajri, Ammar al Khanjari. conceded just one game in each set before sealing the final berth with a 6-1, 6-1 victory. In the final, Burno is scheduled to take on Sajid Khan, who advanced without hitting a ball as he received a walkover from his semifinal opponent from Majees al Asfoor. In the women’s singles, Riddhi Dharamsey overcame a stiff challenge from Wafa Hudson for a 6-4, 6-2 victory. Riddi will meet Niloufar Sanei in her next outing. In the girls under-16 category, which is being played on a round robin league format, Zaina Helal scored two back to back victories. She accounted for Amber Baldwin in a 9-7 win and also defeated Laila Helal 9-4. In the men’s doubles, Sajid Khan and Khalid Ikram made it to the last-four stage with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Abbas Sanei and Mohammed Reza. Nashat Helal and Daniel Nordberg also reached the semifinals when they defeated Amr Hassan and Cailmos Khan 6-1, 6-3. In another match of the same category, Abdul Rahman al Hajri and Ammar al Khanjari recorded a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the duo of Hassan al Zadjali and Waleed al Naamani. Al Hajri and Al Khanjari will next meet Shuck Aldemita and Luis Torres. South XI beat Eleven fighters to claim Nurson Junior Cup MUSCAT: South XI won Nurson Junior Cup cricket tournament 2015 organised by Rising Kokan Team at the Bausher Municipality Ground. Eight teams took part in the knock-out tournament. After winning the toss, South XI put Eleven Fighters to bat. Eleven Fighters posted 77-4 in 8 overs, thanks to Rizwan Butt who scored 45 runs in 28 balls with 5 sixes. Needing 78 runs to win, South XI after good start in 3 overs 29 runs lost 3 wickets in 1 over. Parvez Baig claimed a hat-trick. Needing 54 runs in last 4 overs, Sajith K and Ashwith played sensible knock and took match away from Eleven Fighters by 5 wickets. Sajith K became man of the match for his 24 runs in 11 balls with 2 sixes. Among the individual prizes, Rizwan Butt of Eleven Fighters was selected as the player of the tournament. Rizwan also won the best batsman and maximum sixes awards. Parvez of Eleven Fighters took away the best bowler award, while Iqbal of South XI won the best fielder honour. Chief guest Steve Cahill, HSE Manager, Ofsat limited Co., presented the winners and runners-up trophies. South XI team with the officials and organisers. Brief scores: Eleven Fighters 77-4 in 8 overs (Rizwan Butt 45 (28b, 5x6, 1x4), Parvez Baig 12; Ganesh 14-2) lost to South XI 80-5 in 8 overs (Sajith K 24, Parvez Baig 3-17); MoM: Sajith K First semifinal: Eleven Fighters beat Eleven Warriors by 8 runs. Eleven Fighters: 69-6 in 7 overs (Rizwan Butt 44 (18b, 4x2, 6x4); Hussain 2-14) bt Eleven Warriors: 61-7 in 7 overs (Prakash 15; Arshad chawdhary 4-8); MoM: Rizwan Butt Second semifinal: South XI beat Abu Maather by 7 wickets. Abu Maather: 52-4 in 7 overs (Faizan 12; Iqbal 3-8) lost to South XI: 56-3 in 6.1 overs (Iqbal 17; Yusuf Sahibole 1-8); MoM: Iqbal. ENTERTAINMENT T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 omandailyobserver 29 TINSELTOWN Kunis stuns in red carpet appearance post baby A ctress Mila Kunis made her first red carpet appearance after the birth of her daughter with Ashton Kutcher, and stunned onlookers. Looking graceful and glowing in a strapless black Dolce & Gabbana dress with a corset bodice and full skirt at the premiere of her new sci-fi-action film “Jupiter Ascending”, Kunis is excited for the release of the film, which was delayed for months, reports eonline.com. It seemed like Kutcher was left home babysitting as there was no sign of him at the event. However, the couple has stepped out for date nights and low-key parties, including “That ‘70s Show” actor Wilmer Valderrama’s birthday dinner, and she’s been keeping fit with frequent walks around her neighbourhood with Wyatt. Giovanni Ribisi, Agyness Deyn to divorce A At 25, Taylor Swift is moving fast W ith 40 million a l b u m s and nearly 100 million singles sold worldwide, Taylor Swift is the most successful recording artist of the last two decades. A new exhibition at Los Angeles’ Grammy Museum, The Taylor Swift Experience, chronicles the 25-yearold singer’s life and times, with home videos, family photos and memorabilia offering proof that her career has been a long time coming. Swift began laying the foundations for her musical career before she entered the third grade. In shaky home videos, a cherubic 2-year-old Swift babbles her way through the childhood standard “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” At age eight, she sits by a Christmas tree — she grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania — and unwraps her first guitar. In a video interview that runs alongside the exhibition, Swift said she took precocious inspiration from country singer LeAnn Rimes, who was 13 when she released her first album, Blue. “I remember being really inspired as a 6-year-old that you could make an album at the age of 12 or 13,” Swift said. “I think that’s what adjusted my ambition scale to be like: I really want to get a record deal early. I really want to try to do this young. I want to write songs as early as possible. Get me a guitar now!” she added. As a sixth-grader, Swift performed the US national anthem at the opening of a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game. “My mom and I were just jumping up and down we were so excited,” Swift told the local newspaper the Eagle Times. At 14, she sang at the US Open tennis tournament and opened for country singer Charlie Daniels. Her family left Pennsylvania for Nashville, the US country music capital, to support her career. She said she chose Nashville because it was a natural home for female singer-songwriters like her. She found inspiration in country songwriters like Shania Twain, Kris Kristofferson and Patti Griffin. At 14, Swift became the youngest songwriter to sign a publishing contract with Sony/ATV. In 2006, when she was 17, she joined the start-up Big Machine Records and released her self-titled debut. Her 2008 follow-up, Fearless, released when she was 19, went platinum in 11 countries and won four Grammys, including Album of the Year. Her next two albums, Speak Now (2010) and Red (2012), sold more than a million copies each within the first week of their release. Her latest album, titled 1989, sold 600,000 copies on its first day of release in November 2014. That month, Swift pulled her catalog from the online streaming service Spotify following a dispute over the fees they pay to artists, sparking an industry debate. In a 2014 cover story, Time magazine called her “pop’s savviest romantic,” and Billboard named her its 2014 Woman of the Year — for the second time. But all this begs the question: what might she accomplish in the next 25 years? In her November 2014 interview with Time, Swift said she had difficulty finding role models for her future in music. “I just struggle to find a woman in music who hasn’t been completely picked apart by the media, or scrutinised and criticised for ageing,” she said.”It just seems to be much more difficult to be a woman in music and to grow older.” “I just really hope that I will choose to do it as gracefully as possible,” she said. Swift’s smash single “Shake it Off ” helped her secure three Grammy nominations for Sunday’s awards presentation: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. — dpa MUSIC merican actor Giovanni Ribisi has filed for divorce from English fashion model Agyness Deyn after being married for two and a half years. The 40-year-old actor, who married in Los Angeles in June 2012 with the 31-year-old model, has cited irreconcilable differences in the court documents, which have been obtained by gossip website TMZ. The documents claim the pair separated on December 28, 2014, but the “Selma” actor filed for divorce earlier this month, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Ribisi was previously married to Mariah O’Brien, with whom he has a daughter named Lucia, for four years until their divorce in 2001. He also went on to date singer-songwriter Cat Power. Katy Perry loves Beyonce P op star Katy Perry, who performed at the Super Bowl along with other artistes including Beyonce Knowles, calls herself a huge fan of the singer. “Oh my God. I’m such a Beyonce fan,” she told Elle in the magazine’s March issue. “I was like, Finallllly. Finally I see you. I don’t see some propaganda version of you. I see you. I relate to who you are,” added the 30-year-old Perry. Perry also cleared the rumours doing the rounds about her friendship with Taylor Swift, calling her the “sweetheart”, reports people.com. “You’ve got to name someone the villain, someone the princess, someone the mom, the dad type — you know there always have to be characters,” she said. “As pop figures, we’re all characters. And the media uses that. Who is the sweetheart, who is the villain? You know. Taylor’s the sweetheart. Kanye’s the villain. That’s the narrative,” added Perry. Madonna to perform at BRIT Awards P op star Madonna has confirmed that she’ll be performing at the 2015 BRIT Awards. The ceremony, to be held at the O2 Arena on February 25, will see the likes of Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith also take to the stage, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Madonna put up an image of this year’s BRITs statue with a black wire wrapped around it, to mimic her “Rebel Heart” album artwork, on photo-sharing site Instagram. She captioned it: “Hello to all my UK Rebel Hearts!!!! See you at the Brits on Feb 25th #BritsImMadonna #livingforlove #rebelheart (sic).” Her previous performance at the event was two decades ago when she sang 1995 hit “Bedtime Story”. INTERVIEW Nothing special about stardom: Dhanush Q NIVEDITA H e’s that rare humble, grounded and modest talented actor who considers stardom “nothing more than a little extra attention than the normal crowd”.That’s Dhanush for you. “I think stardom is all about little extra attention than normal people. Among all the normal people, a few get some extra attention, and so, there is nothing special about stardom,” Dhanush said during his visit to New Delhi for the promotion of his forthcoming Bollywood film “Shamitabh”. Known for his Tamil movies “Aadukalam”, “Pollathavan” and “Vela Illa Pattathari”, the 31-year-old finds “nothing great” about stardom as he feels that at the end of the day, actors “are also working to earn bread and butter”. “I’ve always seen in my life that if a person makes Rs 5, he has a problem worth Rs 6. So, it doesn’t matter how much a filmstar earns or how much a software engineer earns. Everyone has their own set of problems to deal with,” added the National Film award winning actor, who maintains a balance between his southern films and Bollywood projects with his love for travelling and reading. Dhanush doesn’t have the conventional Bollywood ‘hero’ looks — but by virtue of his talent, he won the heart of Hindi film audiences as an obsessive lover in his debut Hindi movie “Raanjhanaa”. The competition in Bollywood is getting tougher by the day, but Dhanush is nonchalant. “I have just come here (in Hindi filmdom) and I have only time enough to focus on my character and live upto my director’s or audiences’ expectations. Competition is unnecessary,” he said and added that someday, he’d love to work with Bollywood’s talented actors Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. He feels if a director comes up with a script pairing him and the “fabulous Ranbir”, “something great can come out of it”.Also, he is in awe of Ranveer’s energy. “The energy that he puts in and the charisma that he has... he’s superb. I really like him,” added Dhanush, who, in “Shamitabh” shares screen space with the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, a good friend of his megastar father-in-law Rajinikanth. Dhanush, who is married to Rajinikanth’s daughter Aishwarya, recalls going blank for a second when he was told that he has to act with the Big B. “Then I thought, ‘Oh! Here’s a great opportunity to learn something from the best.’ So I took the opportunity and from day one (of the film’s shooting), I was really excited and thrilled.” What’s also interesting in “Shamitabh” is that the title is an amalgamation of the actors’ names — Amitabh and Dhanush. The latter says he’s “greedily enjoying” the feat even though he feels that his name “doesn’t deserve to be in the same panel”.The film, which launches Akshara Haasan, the younger daughter of yet another Indian cinematic icon Kamal Haasan and younger sister of Bollywood star Shruthi Haasan — will hit the screens on Friday. — IANS 30 omandailyobserver LIFESTYLE T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 MOHAMMED AL BALUSHI Can time management be taught? O OUD FRAGRANCE ENGULFS Muscat Festival venues the country — its culture, tradition and customs — in all its hues and shades and the two major venues are opening the windows of Arabian olfactory to the rest of the world. The area where oud products are displayed at the Amerat Park where more than 200 varieties of oud woods and concentrations from across the world is a welcome treat for the visitors to this park. The demand for this traditional Arab fragrance is evoking great response from people of different origin at a time the artificial perfumes are ruling the roost. Naturally extracted perfumes from the agarwood have flown in from different parts of the world including India, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE and elsewhere to stir the Arab passion for the same. “I have been dealing with oud and oud products for more than two decades and at the Muscat Festival from its very beginning”, says Salem Saud all Gabbashi, an oud vendor from Nizwa. “What is astonishing me is the fact that more and more youngsters are getting fascinated with the smell of oud and attar and luckily we are having good business here”, he added. Arab life is closely intertwined with the mesmeric olfactory of traditional oud and this has been bequeathed from generation to generation since time THE ARAB PASSION FOR OUD AND ATTAR HAS A MAJOR ROLE IN THEIR LIVES, THEIR SPECIAL OCCASIONS, AND IN EXPRESSING LOVE FOR THEIR DEAR ONES ON A DAY-TODAY BASIS Q KABEER YOUSUF M uscat Festival is, as it is supposed to be, the true stage for showcasing the essence of immemorial. The Arab passion for oud and attar has a major role in their lives, their special occasions, and in expressing love for their dear ones on a day-to-day basis. “Only specilaists can survive in oud marketing because people are more knowledgeable and they want to know the types of oud and its uses, and its effects”, says Zahir bin Badr al Kharusi from Al Awabi. The price of the varieties of oud being displayed at the Amerat Park ranges from OR10 to the most expensive oud being sold at OR 10,000 per kilogramme, while the average price is around OR 7,500/kg. According to an exhibitor, oud taken from trees as old as 200 years was also on display. These oud variants are equally of great demand with more people opting for less expensive ones, says Al Kharusi. Oman has a long history and tradition of perfumes and oud. Agarwood is reputed to be the most expensive wood in the world. There are many names for the resinous, fragrant heartwood produced primarily by trees in the genus Aquilaria. Most commonly, the resin is known as agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood, gaharu, agalocha or oud in Arabic. ne of the biggest problems in today’s modern organisations is the time management. “Time Management is not the subject to be taught” one of the tutors said. “Time Management is the management issue, and I can’t understand why organisations spend money on this”, she added. Time management is a habit and should come within the self. Do employees need to be taught how to come on time? Do employees to be trained and advised upon that? More or less it is all about personal organisation and self-discipline. Don’t people know that everyone has 24 hours and regardless you are the president or a common man, the number of hours never change? The nature has given the same number of hours to everyone. At last that depend on the person, either spends that time on daydreaming or working hard to make those dreams come true. Isaac Newton had 24 hours and did not ask 25 hours to prove his theory. Steve Jobs, made his name within the 24 hours. It is not about having or not having enough time, but how to value that one minute time. It has been noticed where several employees having problem in time management. Sadly to say that, most of them don’t really realise that who is stealing their valuable time from them. Are those stealers internals or externals and how to define them? Has it been understood and noticed the importance of time management? Naturally, people get frustrated, over-worked, tired, pressured, and stressed out if their time was not managed. “I am busy at the moment, submit the paper to that employee” one of the organisation’s staff said it without giving eye contact to the client. Such instances can be observed in most institutions. The question with itself can be raised that, what makes employees to have little time? There are several reasons for that, let’s identify a few of them: Management by crises, lack of planning, incomplete information, personal disorganisation, attempting too much, responsibilities are unclear, ineffective delegation, poor communication, leaving tasks unfinished, socialising and many more. All these can be considered as management issues. It is well-known and rightly highlighted that messaging on whatsapp and talking on the phone are common time wasters and must be controlled. Though, there are different types of managers and employees within the same organisation performing different tasks, but with different time management styles which may suite and may not. It is the management decision what type of employees it needs and why. On the other hands it is the employee who can fits him or herself with management thinking styles. Monochromic Time Managers and Polychromic Time Managers are easily found in organisations. It is matter of proper decision by the management how to get benefits from both at different situations. Have ever employees and managers noticed how much organisation may lose if workers don’t properly utilise their time or don’t manage their time at workplace? Imagine that, the salary of the employee is around RO 1,500 per month. Per day it will be 1,500 divided by number of days of one month, and let’s say 1,500 divided by 30 which equal RO 50. It means the organisation expects from the employees to produce or generate the revenue which is worth of RO 50. If the same example was applied where someone is working per hour for RO 20, if he or she doesn’t work for three hours, will not he or she be losing RO 60? It is the same concept if employees don’t properly use their time and manage it, the organisation will lose money, and that is the reason why business people say, that “Time is Money”. Scientifically, this is the time to manage the time within the time frame. Otherwise time will not be there when the real time starts. The best suggestion can be given that, identify the activities and go for ABC method or use different time management tools, such as Master List, Calendar, Prioritising Task List, Paper, and Directory. SOCIETY CLEAN ENVIRONMENT ISS conducts battery collection drive Volunteers shy away from scouting Q TAYMORA AL GHAWI I ndian School Sohar participated in Sohar Battery Collection’s drive and a phenomenal 210 kg of dead batteries were handed over to authorities for safe disposal. The school has always been guided and encouraged to actively participate in all environment related causes. “The people of Oman have always showered upon us their love, affection and hospitality. I consider it my solemn duty to encourage, motivate and educate my staff and students to keep their foster country clean, green and environmentally safe. We at Indian School Sohar will always grab every opportunity in doing so”, says the Principal, Sanchita Verma. The school organised a seminar for students, conducted by Rashmi Gopal, Coordinator — Sohar Battery Collection, on the need to segregate batteries from house hold waste in order to protect the environment. The students learnt about the components of a battery which include heavy metals and toxic elements like lead, cadmium and mercury, which, if disposed with garbage in an open landfill can contaminate the soil and water and affect the health of living beings. The seminar served as an eye opener for the students and who in turn did their best in the collection of used batteries with great zeal. They also took the initiative to spread awareness among T their family, friends and neighbours and collected batteries from all. The enthusiastic students visited the shops in the souq, educated vendors about the importance of safe disposal of batteries and collected discarded ones from them. From class III to class X every section was provided with a collection bucket. Class IV F was the proud Winners with 14.2 kg battery collection closely followed by VI B with the collection of 14 kg. Both the classes were awarded the First Prize i.e. Fun City Coupons. Kamal Gurung, Coordinator of the project says, “Sohar waste battery collection programme helps inculcate the habit of recycling, and reducing use of batteries among the students, who are the best ambassadors for spreading the awareness among the people of Sohar in a view to keep the environment healthy and clean.” According to Nikeeta Ramkumar of VI B who collected 35 batteries, she did so not only for winning the first prize but also to get the satisfaction of doing her bit in saving the environment. Rahul Khatav of Class VIII D, President of school’s Eco Club feels indebted to his school and the Principal for educating and encouraging him on this project. “I take great pride in being a part of this venture which enabled me to serve the environment and educate my neighbours. I wish a worldwide initiative should be taken by the authorities to make this beautiful planet greener and healthier to live in.” “The experience we gained through this mission would be preserved for our life time,” said the students of VI B. With the collected batteries the students of the Sanjeevani Club made the slogan “Keep Oman Clean and Safe”. he personal happiness of human beings depend on their social activities and what they give to each other, and that’s a reason why some people start “volunteerism”, the work that people do without any rewards or salary in return. A study carried out in 1994 by the National Institute of Ireland found that 94 per cent of participants thought that volunteerism helped people adapt to their communities more. The ultimate aim of Volunteerism is to help the poor to improve their personal capabilities. Accordingly, volunteerism has become one of the most common characteristics of the scouting organisation. However, one thing that people don’t know is that some volunteers stop working in scouting. One reason which makes volunteers shy away from scouting is that some of them are asked to perform multiple tasks at the same time. This overload makes them unable to effectively accomplish what they are supposed to do. Bushra al Husani, a scout at Ibri College of Applied Sciences (CAS), stated another reason. According to her “some scout members do not have a clear goal in scouting because they cannot trust their inner abilities and do not know the importance of volunteerism.” One of its advantages, which some scouts do not realise, as outlined by a study, is that there is a direct link between volunteer experience within scouting and obtaining employment or profession development (see scouts.org.uk). Beside the above reasons, some volunteers are given tasks which do not suit their mental or physical capacities, so they do not feel interested while doing them. Hanan al Mamari, a scout at Ibri CAS, says: “Most of the scouts are dissatisfied with the short number of training workshops provided for them.’’ Hanan also added that the shortage of financial support is another reason which makes volunteers shy away from scouting. Having a special finance balance for scouting activities would encourage more scouts to join societal activities. A range of potential solutions could be considered in order to increase the number of volunteers in scouting. Scouting volunteers should be offered enough leadership management and selfesteem training to broaden their skills and play a vital role in the development of their community. According to a 2012/2013 report published by the United Nations in www.unv.org , volunteers have to get some financial compensation to help them face their financial matters. Additionally, scouts should be supported by specifying a designated office in each governate of the Sultanate with a specific staff member who will serve as the focal point of scouting volunteers in that area. Incorporate the culture of volunteering in university courses and to assign national awards that honour scouting volunteers with exemplary programmes. Scouting is not just wearing a specific uniform and singing, but actually it is the real school of creating awareness and advancement of volunteerism. SPOTLIGHT T H U R S DAY FEBRUARY 5 l 2015 omandailyobserver 31 NIZAR AL MUSALMY [email protected] My boss hates me J Tourists walk down from the top of Roraima Mount. — Reuters Japanese tourists walk down Adventurers flock to Venezuela Q ANDREW CAWTHORNE A mystic, flat-topped mountain on the VenezuelaBrazil border that perplexed 19thcentury explorers and inspired “The Lost World” novel is attracting ever more modern-day adventurers. Once impenetrable to all but the Pemon indigenous people, several thousand hikers a year now make the three-day trek across savannah, through rivers, under a waterfall and along a narrow path scaling the cliffs of Mount Roraima. While those throngs are a boon to Venezuela’s tottering tourism industry, they also scatter a prehistoric landscape with unwanted litter and strain a delicate ecosystem. Standing at more than 2,800 metres high, Roraima is sacred ground for the Pemons and a spiritual symbol for many other Venezuelans. “It used to be more solitary and inhospitable,” recalled Felix Medina, a 59-year-old guide who has been taking people up the mountain for more than a decade. “I still love it, but there are too many people,” said Medina, his calves aching after he led two groups up and down Roraima with the local Akanan tour agency. “It’s chaotic sometimes.” Stars are seen in the night sky over Kukenan Between 3,000 and 4,000 people are climbing each year, up from hundreds a few years ago. That creates queues during peak times over Christmas and Easter, and sometimes leaves the few sheltered coves at the top crammed with tents. Helicopters bring wealthy foreign tourists, especially from Japan, to the summit. “It’s an exotic, faraway destination so it’s both very costly and very attractive,” said retired Japanese diplomat Edo Muneo, 68, who like other compatriots, had to pass a physical test before leaving Japan for Roraima. “House of the gods” In Pemon language, the flattopped mountains across southeastern Venezuela are known as “tepuis,” which means “houses of the gods.” Standing majestically next to Roraima is Kukenan, Japanese tourists take shelter from the rain next to a rock formation on top of Roraima Mount. — Reuters another tepui, infamous among the Pemons for ancestors who jumped off and committed suicide there. Out of season, both mountains have the peaceful aura appropriate to one of the Earth’s most ancient formations. On Roraima’s vast plateau, strange and gnarled rocks, formed when the African and American continents scraped apart, play with the mind, humorous in the sun, ghostly in the mist. In British author Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 classic “The Lost World,” dinosaurs attack a group of explorers amid the rocks and swamps of that fantasy landscape. Today’s travellers can see black frogs, dragonflies and tarantulas that are unique to Roraima, plus a range of endemic plants clinging to cracks and crevasses. Not surprisingly, it is also an ornithologist’s paradise. Some Roraima lovers want the government, tour operators and local Pemon leaders to convene and make rules to limit the numbers who can roam the top each day to, say, a few dozen. They would also like to see a stricter application of rules to ensure visitors, or the porters who most people employ, carry every last shred of waste down with them. Cristina Sitja, 42, a Venezuelan and children’s book illustrator who has been living away from her homeland most of her adult life, said she had been hearing about Roraima since her teenage years and finally climbed it this year. “It was a nice experience, but sad too,” she said. “I expected it to be quieter.” — Reuters ust to have a break after that chaotic and hectic morning, I retreated to one of the canteens for the ‘me-time’. No sooner had I started to dwell in my thoughts than a friend of mine intervened. We greeted each other and as per our customary manner I enquired about the news and he replied “ma-shei”— ‘there is no’ for Arabic. I asked for further information but the same answer came from his cohesive voice. He then proceeded to give the ‘news & information’. My problem, he shrugged to make himself comfortable, is that I feel my boss is a bit cross with me and the problem is now compounded with open plan offices. “He’s seething from inside” he lamented about his boss. I did not want to indulge myself and politely I asked him to clear things directly with his boss. He gave me a look as if I had asked him to join the battlefield on a front line. To avoid jeopardising a relationship with this old friend of mine, I agreed to assign myself with a detective work and try helping him out. I knew I wasn’t good in this field so cautioned him and just gave it a trial. My first feedback freezed him with his mouth half opened showing me a total surprise face. ‘I always give an excuse for my lateness”. What really puts off your boss is your lousy excuses. He becomes furious as it shows that you don’t care. I continued with my list and made it clear to him that bosses hate being bothered by things that you could work out yourself. They also hate constant updates and being copied on everything. “You should get on with your job”. I told him as he nodded looking somehow astonished. Lack of initiative is another area you need to work on. The worst thing your boss will want to see is to completely ignore directives and sound negative. I have heard you on many occasions suggesting to your team members that ‘we could have gone to a nicer eating outlet” Even when your boss had put in some efforts to get this team building event going. Most bosses hate their staff for talking over them. Pointing out their errors directly or indirectly is an issue that you need to consider abandoning. As the conversation continued he sat upright showing a lot of interest — a thing that motivated me to carry on. My friend was so mesmerised when I told him that just like him, bosses also have a life outside work. They too find it hard to get up in the morning and they also find meetings boring. But they stay motivated because it is part of their responsibility. They expect their staff to realise that passion and interest towards responsibility is a goal to be pursued by each individual. Every time you raise that wire that connect your ear with that equipment they call ‘telephone’ or you start surfing on your mobile phone in those social networks or you browse the Internet, your boss bumps in — what a coincidence! Non-work related activities during working hours really irritate most managers. At times some employees would tend to talk against their bosses but interestingly enough many of those bosses think their employees are wonderful. Your boss spends time and energy to protect you so it is in your interest to create a conducive environment within your work place. It’s very important to have a good and healthy relationship with your boss for a variety of reasons. Your boss has a tremendous amount of influence over workplace stress, whether real or perceived. They can make the workplace exciting and something to look forward to each day, or a place for your misery. In short, your health is at stake. Having a good relationship with your boss just makes sense. Work consumes most of your time usually, and having good relationships will make things more enjoyable and lead to opportunities. You were hired for a reason, so make sure that you’re adding value to the organisation and/or position. Be the person that speaks with facts, confidence and reasonable suggestions that produce results. This will build your boss’s confidence in you. CRAFT SAFE COOKING Pinata-making art lives on in Mexican family Cook in low flame to keep Alzheimer’s away PERENNIAL FAVOURITES AMONG THE DIFFERENT FIGURES INCLUDE SPIDERMAN AND BUZZ LIGHTYEAR. CHARACTERS FROM THE DISNEY HIT “FROZEN” CURRENTLY APPEAR TO BE TOP SELLERS IN LOCAL MARKETS E A Mexican party isn’t complete without a piñata, and Melesio Vicente Flores and Cecilia Albarran Gonzalez have spent the last 25 years making high-end versions of the papier-mache figures to later be stuffed with candies and broken open with a stick or club. As they practice the centuries-old tradition of pinata-making, the couple caters to a smaller market of consumers demanding higher quality “artistic” figures that pay greater attention to detail. Still, competition is tight as more run-of-the mill pinata makers sell their creations more cheaply. Three other rooftops full of the drying figures are visible on the hillside below the couple’s workshop and home. At their four-story house built into a hillside on the east side of Mexico’s sprawling capital, the VicenteAlbarran family fashions cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse for children’s birthdays, or caricatures of despised politicians for protests. Now in their 50s, the couple began making pinatas in 1989 and later expanded the family business to include their daughter Elvia Vicente Albarran and son-in-law Guillermo Luna Martinez. On the rooftop of their shared home, Luna covers cement molds in the Melesio attaches a head to a structured pinata. — AP shapes of body parts with newspaper and lays them out to dry. One story below, mother and daughter cut newspapers into strips, coat them in glue made from wheat flour and layer over gaps left after the shapes are cut from the molds. Vicente assembles the pieces into completed characters. After drying in the sun, the pinatas are brought inside to be painted. Colourful paper and tape create eyes, hair styles and costume details. It takes about two days to complete a pinata during the dry season, twice as long during the rains. With all four people working, the family can make 40 to 60 pinatas a week. “It’s hard work and there are lots of things to do, so there is no chance of getting bored. Time flies,” Albarran says. Perennial favourites among the different figures include Spiderman and Buzz Lightyear. Characters from the Disney hit “Frozen” currently appear to be top sellers in local markets, and Albarran says “princesses never go out of fashion.” Pinata vendors keep the craftsmen apprised of the market. Gerardo Moreno Alejo, who sells pinatas at La Merced, one of Mexico City’s biggest markets, says university students requested pinatas of President Enrique Pena Nieto late last year amid anger over the disappearance of 43 students from a rural teachers college. Albarran says more recent entrants to the trade have cut prices and lowered quality, causing many people to leave the business. Her family’s more elaborate pinatas sell wholesale for around 180 pesos, or $12. Other vendors using cheaper materials sell theirs for several dollars less, a price difference many shoppers can’t resist. — AP ating food cooked at high temperatures increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a fascinating research has found. When food is cooked at high temperatures or aged for a long time such as in hard cheese, it increases the content of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), a group of compounds that are combinations of sugars and proteins and other large molecules. AGEs increase the risk of various chronic diseases through several mechanisms including increased inflammation and oxidative stress. They can also bind to the receptor for AGEs (RAGE). RAGE transports beta-amyloid proteins across the blood-brain barrier and contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers explained. “We found that mice kept on a diet high in AGEs, similar to Western diet, had high levels of AGEs in their brains together with deposits of beta-amyloid proteins, a component of the plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease” said Jaime Uribarri and Weijing Cai of The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. For the study, the values for AGE for many types of food were taken from a study by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. They cooked 549 foods by different methods and measured the AGE content of the cooked food. The researchers found that the higher the cooking temperature, the higher the AGE content. The researchers found that meat made the highest contribution of AGEs, followed by vegetable oils, cheese and fish. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 5, 2015 | RABEE AL THANI 15, 1436 AH P29 P30 P31 Inside Cook in low flame to keep Alzheimer’s away Volunteers shy away from scouting Madonna to perform at BRIT Awards FOLLOW US ON: www.omanobserver.om [email protected] found a natural habitat on Sir Bani Yas. In 2008, four cheetahs were brought to the island to help maintain a natural balance. The cheetah — the world’s fastest land animal — was indigenous to the region but believed to have become extinct in the wild in the Middle East in the early 1970s. Bred or raised in captivity, the four cheetahs were taught to survive a n d TWENTYFIVE SPECIES OF MAMMALS AND 170 TYPES OF BIRDS — STRIPED HYENAS, DESERT LYNX, ARABIAN TAHR, ORYX, GIRAFFES AND CHEETAHS — ROAM FREELY IN SIR BANI YAS NATURE RESERVE, NOW HOME TO ABOUT 500 ARABIAN hunt ORYX f o r A giraffe stands near a road on Sir Bani Yas Island. — AFP NATURE RESERVE themselves, feeding mainly on sand gazelles. In 2010, the first cheetah cubs were born on the island. Ghani said the biggest challenge of the conservation programme was “rewilding” — educating animals raised in captivity to survive on their own. The animals “eventually become part of the natural population of the island”. by late UAE founder Shaikh Zayed bin International Union for Conservation vulnerable. Sand and mountain gazelles have also Planting mangroves Sultan al Nahyan who started bringing of Nature, which now classifies them as animals to Sir Bani Yas in 1971. “He started developing the island into a nature reserve and the idea back then was to create an Arabian Ark for his people,” said Marius Prinsloo, general manager of operations at the island. “We have been successful,” he said of the conservation efforts. ‘Great results’ Sir Bani Yas is now home to about 500 Arabian Oryx — one of the world’s Cheetahs rest in the shade Arabian oryx and gazelle roam in the nature reserve largest herds. Sameer Ghani, an independent conservation specialist, said the reserve’s Arabian Oryx breeding programme was showing “great results” after the animal “went extinct in the wild in the early 1970s”. A type of antelope, they once roamed most of the Arabian Peninsula but rampant hunting meant that for years they survived only in captivity. They were bred and reintroduced in the UAE and other countries, resulting in their removal in 2011 from the global list of endangered species by the Flamingos stand in a water reservoir helps save wildlife from extinction Q WISSAM KEYROUZ O ryx, giraffes and cheetahs roam an “Arabian Ark” nature reserve on a desert island where species once facing extinction in the Gulf region are making a comeback. Since animals were first brought to Sir Bani Yas off the coast of Abu Dhabi more than four decades ago, their total population has soared to more than 13,000. Twenty-five species of mammals and 170 types of birds are found in a nature reserve covering an area of 1,400 hectares. They include striped hyenas, caracals — also known as the desert lynx — and the Arabian tahr, a small goatlike mammal indigenous to the Hajar Mountains between the UAE and the Sultanate of Oman. Some species are, or were, endangered in the region, or even extinct in the wild. The reserve began as an initiative Non-indigenous animals including the scimitar-horned oryx, the reticulated giraffe and blackbuck antelopes have also been introduced in the park. Every visitor to the island is urged to plant a mangrove and if they do not then the reserve does it for them. About 2.5 million trees have been planted on Sir Bani Yas, which after decades closed to the public was opened to tourists six years ago offering African-style safaris. Sir Bani Yas, located around 170 kilometres from the capital of Abu Dhabi, is also home to the remains of a pre-Islamic monastery and other archaeological remains. “In 1992, we began exploration and excavation works and have since uncovered 36 archaeological sites, most importantly a Christian monastery dating back to 600 AD,” said Fatima Mutawaa of the Tourism Development & Investment Company, which is developing Sir Bani Yas. The sites “reflect the diverse cultures that have thrived on this island,” said Mutawaa. The monastery is believed to have been built by a community of 30-40 monks who probably belonged to the Nestorian Church. It is thought to have been abandoned after about 750 AD. While it has an airport and three luxury resorts, Sir Bani Yas has largely preserved its natural character, in stark contrast to the glitzy shopping malls and skyscrapers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. “Sir Bani Yas offers an amazing natural landscape of wadis (valleys) and salt stones and beaches,” said Mark Eletr, director of four resorts on the island run by Thai group Anantara. “People are experiencing this now and enjoying a very raw natural environment.” — AFP VIRTUAL WORLD TROUBLES Beware! Social media addiction can cause FOMO I f you cannot live without the social media for even a minute, check out if you’re suffering from FOMO — Fear of Missing Out. Health experts say the constant urge to be in touch with friends and happenings via smartphones has left many youths suffering from this new breed of disorder. “Absence of social media can lead to FOMO. One tends to develop uneasiness if staying away from social media is for too long,” clinical psychologist Ripen Sippy said. According to Ashima Srivastava, consultant, clinical psychologist, “It is more of a form of social anxiety than a phobia. FOMO is a phenomenon where one feels pressurised to share everything on social media to show how much fun one is having.” According to psychologists, FOMO creates a strange fear of remaining isolated from the crowd. “In FOMO, one develops the fear of missing out updates and important events; hence constantly remains preoccupied with checking mobile phones. The first thing one does is to check one’s mobile phone to see if one has missed something significant,” Sippy added. The FOMO anxiety arises from being neglected and isolated on the social media platform. Asked what leads to FOMO anxiety, Sippy said: “The phobia of being disapproved, being unpopular and living ordinary lives. Insecurities arise in a person related to his own self-esteem if he/she is not liked by others on the social media. A person who becomes insecure about his/her image tries harder to be liked more and more on a social platform”. Psychologists also pointed out that socialisation was a factor for developing FOMO — though social media helps one remain in touch with other people. “But often socialisation brings in comparisons which lead to despair. One starts comparing oneself with others, both psychologically and socially, on where one stands in society and where the others do. The fear of missing out from the rest of the world starts arising.” Clinical psychologist Deepak Kashyap said that people start seeking love and attention from the virtual world when they don’t get these in real life. “And the moment one stops getting the attention, FOMO phobia takes over,” Kashyap noted. Not just FOMO but excessive use of social media is affecting the social behaviour of an individual. — IANS
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