1. No category

MONDAY | MARCH 2, 2015 | JUMADA AL ULA 11, 1436 AH
P21 Crisis in rear-view mirror as motor show revs up
VOL. 34 NO. 108 | PAGES 32 | BAISAS 200
P31 Marcel Khalife to perform with ROSO
P25 ”ˆƒ•–ƒ”•ƒ•ƒ‹•–ƒ…Žƒ‹ϐ‹”•–˜‹…–‘”›
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
HM greetings to
President Mladen
MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos
has sent a cable of greetings to
President Mladen Ivanic, Chairman
of the Presidency of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, on the occasion of his
country’s Independence Anniversary.
In his cable, His Majesty expressed his
sincere greetings and best wishes to
President Ivanic and the friendly people
of the country. Meanwhile, His Majesty
has received a cable of thanks from
President Sergio Mattarella of Italy in
reply to His Majesty’s greetings cable on
the occasion of him being elected as a
President for the Republic. SEE ALSO P2
Case against Omani
weak and flimsy
NEW DELHI: The Omani national arrested
by the Mumbai police last Thursday
along with a Saudi national for alleged
misbevaiour with a 52-year-old American
woman at a five-star hotel may have a
very week criminal case against him and
the same may not stand the scrutiny
of the court, feel legal experts here.
The experts say if the alleged victim’s
statement in her complaint to the police
against the two is any indication to go by,
Hassan Darwish stands more than a fair
chance of dismissal of the case against
him in the court of law at the appropriate
stage.
REPORT ON P4
WEATHER TODAY
MUSCAT
MAX: 230C
MIN: 170C
SALALAH
MAX: 280C
MIN: 200C
SUNRISE 06.29 AM
PRAYER TIMINGS
FAJR: 05:14
DHUHR: 12:24
ASR: 15:45
MAGHRIB: 18:15
ISHA: 19:25
NIZWA
MAX: 260C
MIN: 150C
SCAN THE CODE TO
LIKE OUR NEW
FACEBOOK PAGE
[email protected]
FARES RISE
AS AIRPORT
TAX GOES UP
A PROMISE
TO KEEP
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
March 1: Airline fares have shot up from March 1
as the carriers have started passing the increased
airport tax to the passengers. The tax increase was
introduced by the Oman Airport Management
Company (OAMC) SAOC.
The OAMC has some months ago notified
the airlines of an upward revision of the present
airport tax from RO 5 to RO 8 for all international
passengers travelling on and after March 1 from
Muscat and Salalah. However, infants under the age
of 2 have been exempted from the tax.
“We have informed all our agencies and
passengers of the hike in fares and the agents have
started collecting the same on the new bookings.
The increase in tax is irrespective of date of issue of
tickets, hence if the revised tax amount RO 8 has not
been collected initially, then the difference of RO
3 is chargeable to the passengers,” a spokesperson
from the Air India Express told the Observer.
The airlines has urged passengers to contact
their travel agents or Air India-Air India Express
Office in CBD Area to avoid inconvenience at the
airport check-in counters.
TURN TO P3
Crime rate drops 15pc
MUSCAT: The crime rate in Oman has dropped
15 per cent, and the number of thefts fell by 33 per
cent in 2014 as compared to that in the previous
year. The crime detection rate rose by 11 per cent
in 2014 compared to 2013.
This was stated by Lt Gen Rashid bin Salim al
Badi, Director-General of Inquiries and Criminal
Investigation, who was speaking at the annual
meeting for directors of the Directorates of
Inquiries and Criminal Investigation at the Royal
Oman Police (ROP), which began yesterday
under the auspices of Maj Gen Hamad bin
Sulaiman al Hatmi, Assistant Inspector General
of Police and Customs for Operations.
LAKSHMI KOTHANETH
MUSCAT
March 1: Tha’ir Aboud has
been walking from Austria. He
has covered so far a distance
of 6,700 km. He is at present
in Shinas. In the weekend he
walked through the UAE border
to enter the Sultanate of Oman.
He shall walk to Muscat and
follow the coast of Oman on
foot to reach Salalah. From
there he plans to fly to Jeddah
and walk from there to Mecca.
He began his journey on July 25,
2014.
Tha’ir has a promise to keep.
“It all started two years ago
when my sister called and said
The journey began
from Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia, Montenegro,
Albania, Macedonia,
Bulgaria and Turkey.
After Turkey he went to
Iran, the Emirates and
now Oman
she was diagnosed with breast
cancer. I could not do anything
other than being there while
she went through the treatment
which was difficult. She was
afraid. And I went through my
mind wondering what would be
the best way to keep her mind
away from fear,” said Aboud.
He needed to put her mind
on something else other than
her health. “We are hardly
11 months apart and grew
up almost like twins,” added
Aboud.
That is when the idea struck
him. He bought two travelling
guide books one for him to
follow and the other for his
sister to follow his route. His
first journey was to Spain.
“We kept in touch with the
aid of technology. But at times
when she called I couldn’t
attend. That made her worry
about me. Soon she had changed
her focus to me.” TURN TO P3
Oman inflation
lowest in world
MUSCAT: The World Economic
Forum’s Global Competitiveness
Report 2014-2015 ranked Oman on
top of the list of the lowest inflation
rate at the world level in terms of
change in inflation indicator.
The
report
provides
a
comprehensive assessment of the
competitiveness for countries around
the world. It analyses a number of
factors including institutions and
policies, as well as a number of factors
which identify the level of productivity
in the country. These factors are
classified under 12 categories called
pillars. Inflation is one of the five
indicators. It is worth mentioning
that the Sultanate was ranked 46th in
the world in competitiveness report
(2013-2014) which surveyed 144
economies.
TURN TO P3
Technical glitch
hits MSM trade
STAFF REPORTER
MUSCAT
March 1: The Muscat Securities
Market (MSM) announced that a
technical failure which disrupted
the trading system at the beginning
of trading session yesterday was
successfully rectified and that trading
resumed later.
As a result of the technical
breakdown the pre-open session was
delayed until 10:37 am and ended at
10:50, then the trading session began
and ended at 1:50 pm.
Mustafa Ahmed Salman, Board
Chairman, United Securities, said
the glitch lasted for about half an
hour before it was fixed by the MSM
administration.
TURN TO P5
2
MSM GAINS 21.09 POINTS
M O N DAY l M A R C H 2 l 2 0 1 5
OMAN
His Majesty thanked
by Italian President
MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has received a cable
of thanks from President Sergio Mattarella of the Italian
Republic in reply to His Majesty’s congratulatory cable on
the occasion of him being elected as a President for the
Republic.
In his cable, President Mattarella expressed thanks for His
Majesty’s congratulations. He also expressed his complete
confidence on utilising new opportunities for the joint
cooperation between the two friendly countries, wishing
His Majesty good health and success and the Omani people
further progress and prosperity. — ONA
ROP new bldg in Yanqul
YANQUL: Royal Oman Police (ROP) on Sunday celebrated
the opening of the police services building in the Wilayat
of Yanqul in Al Dhahirah Governorate under the patronage
of Shaikh Saif bin Hamyar Al Malik al Shihi, Governor
of Al Dhahirah in the presence of Maj Gen Sulaiman bin
Mohammed al Harthy, Assistant Inspector General of Police
and Customs for Administrative and Financial Affairs.
The opening ceremony was attended by a number of
members of the State Council and the Majlis Ash’shura.
TRAINING ON COMBATING CORRUPTION
Muscat Securities Market general
index 30 on Sunday added 21.09
points, comprising a rise by 0.32
per cent to close at 6,580.41
points, compared to 6,559.32.
The trading value stood at RO
5.82 million, comprising a rise by
8.68 per cent compared to the last
session, which stood at RO 5.35
million.
A training course themed “Administrative
and Financial Methods to Combat
Administrative and Financial Corruption,”
began at the Ministry of Information on
Sunday. The 5-day course will provide
participants the skills so that the Ministry
can combat corruption in the public
sector. It also aims at highlighting the
internal auditing in protection of integrity
and enhancing of transparency.
Oman made big strides in healthcare
EFFECTIVE NETWORK: The network of health services in Oman has resulted in the significant
decrease in infant mortality rate and the incidence of diseases
STAFF REPORTER
MUSCAT
March 1: The 7th International Conference
on Health Issues in Arab Community began
at Al Bustan Palace Hotel yesterday under
the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Shihab
bin Tareq al Said, Adviser to His Majesty the
Sultan.
The conference, which will continue for
several days, is organised by the Ministry of
Health and the Arab Centre for Economic
and Social Services in the US.
The opening ceremony was attended by a
number of under-secretaries, senior officials,
participants from government and private
health institutes, and representatives from
international and American health-related
associations, universities and centres.
Dr Yahya al Azri, Senior Consultant
Hepatobiliary and Transplant Surgeon at
Royal Hospital and conference co-chair,
pointed out in his welcome address to the
Sultanate’s significant progress in all aspects
of healthcare with its overall social and
economic dimensions.
The health achievements represented in
the deployment of a wide network of health
services, covering all parts of the Sultanate,
which has had a direct impact in improving
the public health situation in the country,
resulted in the significant decrease in
mortality rates, and the incidence of diseases,
and decrease in infant mortality rates at birth.
Over 300 professionals from different
countries including Arab Americans, MENA
region, local and global scientists and
researchers with 140 international speakers
from different health organisations from 33
countries have participated in this global
forum.
It is worth mentioning that the Arab
Centre for Economic and Social Services
(ACCESS) is one of the largest non-profit
Arab American human services agency in the
US. The centre provides a variety of social,
economic, health and educational services
through eight centres and more than 100
programmes.
For the first time since its inception, the
conference is held outside the US. Oman was
chosen for its ideal organisation for medical
and scientific meetings and conferences
as well as its great role in public health and
primary healthcare. The Ministry of Health
has started earlier last year the preparations
process for this important conference and a
local committee with team work objective was
formed in order to support all the logistics
required to make it a success.
Majlis economic, financial
panel hosts IMF officials
MUSCAT: The Economic and Financial
Committee at Majlis Ash’shura on
Sunday met with a delegation from
the IMF during which the status of
economic development in the Sultanate
was discussed.
The meeting, which was headed
by Salayum bin Ali al Hakamani,
discussed major topics pertaining to the
performance of the Omani economy,
public finance, efforts of economic
diversification particularly during the
recent oil prices slump.
Committee members emphasised
the importance of taking into
account local data in planning and
implementing projects as every country
has its conditions and indicators.
The meeting sought to encourage
employment in the private sector and
streamlining employment in the public
sector pursuant with the Government
trend to limit expatriate manpower and
enable citizens in this essential sector.
It also discussed topics related to
encouraging the establishment of
SMEs as they are tools of enhancing the
Omani economy.
Members of the committee presented
their visions and comments on items of
the meeting.
They also affirmed the consideration
of local components when developing
plans and implementation of various
projects.
— ONA
State Council plans
meet on changes to
manpower laws
Royal Hospital
Heart Centre to be
operational soon
MUSCAT: The State Council, represented by the Human
Resources Development Committee, will hold a seminar
from Tuesday on “Revising Legislations Governing National
Manpower at Private Sector” under the patronage of Shaikh
Khalid bin Sultan al Hosni, Deputy Chairman of the State
Council.
The two-day seminar, in which a number of public
and private institutions will take part, aims at finding
an appropriate mechanism to empower the national
manpower at the private sector and providing them with
high competitive capabilities and skills to face changes of the
work market.
Through organising this seminar, the Committee seeks to
come up with important recommendations that will enrich
the topic of its study on Revising Legislations Governing
National Manpower at Private Sector and presenting
solutions in light of the current situations of the national
manpower at the private sector.
— ONA
MUSCAT: The Royal Hospital has confirmed that the
National Heart Centre will be opened shortly and the
construction of the CAT scan and PET/CT scanning centre
and hyperbaric and diving medicine centres will begin
this year as part of the expansionary projects at the Royal
Hospital. Dr Qasim bin Ahmed al Salmi, Director-General of
the Royal Hospital told Oman, Arabic daily sister publication
of the Observer, that the hospital has four specialist centres
including the National Tumours Centre, National Diabetes
and Endocrinology Centre and the National Health Genetic
Centre.
Statistics show that number of patients receiving medical
treatment services at the Royal Hospital has increased
by 14 per cent in some specialities and 120 per cent in
others. Kidney and stem cell transplant surgeries are being
performed at the Royal Hospital as well as following up
of liver transplant cases that were performed outside the
Sultanate, Al Salmi said.
OMAN
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Supreme Council discusses 9th
Five-Year development plan
omandailyobserver
3
BOOKS ARE STUDENTS BEST FRIENDS
ON THE AGENDA: The seminar will discusses and analyse over two-days the Sultanate’s
position in the product space and its focus on promising sectors
The third seminar on the 9th five-year development plan under way.
MUSCAT: The third seminar on the
9th five-year development plan (20162020), which aims at benefiting from
international expertise in drafting this
plan, began at the Supreme Council for
Planning on Sunday under the auspices
of Sultan bin Salim al Habsi, SecretaryGeneral of the Supreme Council for
Planning.
The seminar is being organised by
the Supreme Council for Planning
in collaboration with experts from
Harvard University.
As part of the preparations for the
9th five-year plan, a number of their
Highness and excellencies, officials from
the different public organisations took
part in the seminar.
The seminar discusses over two-days
analysis of the Sultanate’s position in
the product space and its focus on the
promising sector.
It will also cover the challenges facing
implementation policies in the Omani
economy and will diagnose the success
factors and the proposed strategy to
implement the complex strategies.
While addressing the gathering, Al
Habsi said that the aim of this seminar
was to prepare for the 9th five-year
— ONA
plan, which is under preparation and
is expected to be completed in the
coming two months. He pointed out
in a statement that the seminar aims at
presenting a number of international
experiences to benefit from those who
fit the Sultanate’s economic and financial
conditions.
He also pointed out that the next fiveyear plan will include sub plans for the
main sectors and sub sectors that will all
integrate in a single five-year plan.
Talal bin Sulaiman al
Rahbi,
Deputy Secretary General of the
Supreme Council for Planning,
Oman inflation
lowest in world
FROM PAGE 1
The Sultanate maintained its eighth position in the
government budget balance indicator. It also moved one
position higher and was ranked fourth in the government
debt indicator compared to 2013-2014 report.
The two indicators were measures as a percentage of
the GDP. They represent elements of environment pillar at
macro-economic level.
The Sultanate has moved one position ahead in macroeconomic environment indicator namely credit rating
compared to the 2013-2014 report, as the Sultanate was
ranked 33rd.
— ONA
Air fares
increase
FROM PAGE 1
“We have already started
collecting the additional
tax amount of RO 3 from
March 1”, Joe Rajadurai,
Country Manager, Qatar
Airways, said, adding that
this additional charge is
applicable to all irrespective
of the date of bookings.
“This tax rise is applicable
to anyone using Muscat and
Salalah airports no matter
when they have booked the
ticket”.
“The additional RO 3 is
automatically added to the
ticket fare by the system
itself and we have started
charging the passengers
from March 1”, Latheef
Parakkott, Sales Manager,
Gulf Air, said.
“We have already started
applying the new tax to
the bookings and all those
who have booked tickets
some two months back are
bound to pay the additional
charges. If the charges are
not collected, they have
to pay at the airport while
check in,” Cashio Vettom,
Senior Divisional Manager,
Khimji House of Travel,
said. “The new fee hike
is another burden on the
low-income groups who
travel in more than two
years’ interval. I am sure
it will not be suitable for
them whereas the baggage
allowance remains the
same”, an aviation expert
told the Observer.
presented a working paper on the major
achievements in the draft five-year plan
and the coming stages. He pointed out
that the draft plan is expected to be
ready on March 15 and that it will be
submitted to the Supreme Council for
Planning on March 25.
The standard plan will be rolled out
to all respective parties during the April
and May this year.
He also pointed out that the plan
analysed 18 sectors, as well as economic
and social enablers. “We are at the 22nd
week of the draft plan and only three
weeks are remaining” , he added.
The first day of the seminar included
two lectures by Matt Andrews from
Harvard University who gave a
presentation about Oman’s position in
the product space, focusing on the most
promising sectors. The second lecture
covered the implementation challenges
for the Sultanate’s economy.
The second day of the seminar
includes two presentations. The first
presentation will be by Intisar bint
Abdullah al Wuhaibiyah, DirectorGeneral of the Development Planning
at the Supreme Council for Planning,
on the diagnosis of the factors of success
at the Omani economy. The second
presentation will be on the proposed
methodology for implementing the
complex strategies.
— ONA
Muscat International Book Fair has become a hit among students.
— ONA
A promise to keep
FROM PAGE 1
“After 10 days of walking my body
was in pain. I was covering 30 km a day
and carrying 10 kg in my bag. I prayed
to Allah that if my sister was helped and
I could go on I would walk to Mecca. My
sister’s treatment worked successfully
and I completed my journey, but I
remembered I had a promise to keep,”
pointed out Aboud.
Soon he was onto planning the
journey. “I chose to go through the
mosques of Europe. The journey
began from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia,
Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia,
Bulgaria and Turkey. After Turkey I
went to Iran, the Emirates and now
Oman,” said Aboud.
When Aboud was planning the
journey, he calculated it through Syria.
But by then Syria was closed. “I thought
of Iraq and that route got closed too due
to the current situation. So I chose Iran
to cross to Kuwait but the snow made
me take yet another route and I crossed
to the Emirates. The Saudi Arabian
Embassy informed me that I cannot
enter the country by foot. So here I am
and I am so happy I made it to Oman!”
Tha’ir Aboud was a general manager
of a company that produced water
tanks before he embarked on the
journey. Being in charge of the Middle
Eastern market also means he has many
clients in Oman. Aboud probably never
thought this is how he will enter the
country of his clients.
His journey is all about hope and
gratitude, “There is always hope. Never
stop hoping.”
4
OMAN
omandailyobserver
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Understanding, tolerance exhibition reaches Salalah
THE FREEDOM: Each centre has the freedom to decide its own training procedures and the ministry issued no instructions on targets
KAUSHALENDRA SINGH
SALALAH
March 1: The exhibition showcasing
Oman’s understanding for religious
tolerance, mutual understanding and
peaceful coexistence, remained in Salalah
for three days after travelling to more
than 65 global destinations covering
25 countries. The exhibition evoked
good response from the visitors, mainly
from those who had come to Salalah
to take part in the recently-concluded
international conference on heritage and
culture.
The exhibition venue, Dhofar
University, was abuzz with activities as
a large number of university students
and many others from other institutions
in Salalah visited the campus and learnt
about the exhibits providing insights into
the role of religion in the daily life of the
people in Oman.
The visitors appreciated the Sultanate’s
move to safeguard its cultural identity
in these times of rapid changes and
appreciated the role of Islam in Oman
that is linked among the various religious
factions in the country. The exhibition
was successful in spreading Oman’s
message of Islam which underlined in the
true spirit of tolerance, understanding
“An initiative in the positive direction,
is how I want to comment about the
exhibition”, said a visitor and added that all
the exhibits on the display were touching
upon the issue of harmony, which is
somehow missing in today’s materialistic
and consumer-driven society. “Any effort
aimed at social harmony is a huge big step
and an exhibition with such a beautiful
thought and content is something rare,”
he said.
The exhibition is an initiative of the
Ministry for Endowments and Religious
Affairs. Its initial journey started with
exhibitions in Germany and Austria in
2010, titled ‘Religious Tolerance: Islam in
Oman.’
“The exhibitions were well-received
and interest was shown in hosting the
exhibition by institutions located outside
German-speaking regions. Thus, a
decision was taken in 2011 to have the
exhibition translated and made available
international delegates were delighted elsewhere in Europe,” said a Ministry
and coexistence.
The exhibition’s aim is to promote to affirm that “any progress should for Endowments and Religious Affairs
religious tolerance, mutual understanding substantiate with building understanding document. As word of this timely message
spread in academic and interfaith circles,
and peaceful coexistence, and the among its people.”
RNO TO TAKE PART IN JOINT NAVAL DRILL
the project was extended in 2013 to
be offered worldwide, translated into
18 languages and with the new title
‘Tolerance, understanding, coexistence:
Oman’s Message of Islam’.
The exhibition encourages visitors
to design a message and be part of the
Tolerance Team by using “your own
photograph or a one-minute video clip or
any form of modern art. It offers $1,000
as an award plus a five-day trip to Oman
on International Day of Tolerance on
November 16.”
In 1996, the UN General Assembly
invited UN Member States to observe
the International Day for Tolerance on
November 16, with activities directed
towards both educational establishments
and the general public.
The 2005 World Summit Outcome
document furthered the commitment
of heads of state and government to
advance human welfare, freedom and
progress everywhere, as well as to
encourage tolerance, respect, dialogue
and cooperation among different
cultures, civilisations and peoples.
Cybersecurity: A top priority
and concern in the Middle East
ALI AHMED AL RIYAMI
MUSCAT
A number of vessels of the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) fleet will take part in the joint naval drill ‘Ittihad 17,’ due to be
undertaken by the naval units of the GCC in the United Arab Emirates from March 2 to March 11. The participation comes
within the framework of the training plans pursued by RNO to exchange expertise with the sisterly forces in all aspects that
contribute in sustaining the readiness levels of the RNO fleet and its personnel in various naval disciplines.
— ONA
ROP investigations department heads meet
MUSCAT: The annual meeting for the
Directors of Inquiries and Criminal
Investigations departments of Royal
Oman Police (ROP) was inaugurated
at the Directorate-General of Inquiries
and Criminal Investigations on Sunday
under the auspices of Maj Gen Hamad
bin Sulaiman al Hatmi, Assistant
Inspector General of Police and
Customs for Operations in the presence
of Mohammed bin Ali al Hadidi, Deputy
Attorney General.
Brig Rashid bin Salim al Badi,
Director-General of Inquiries and
Criminal Investigations, delivered
a speech where he pointed out that
the meeting aims at reviewing the
achievements made during last year and
the plan for next year.
The meeting included a visual
presentation on “Yaqeen “ project which
aims at standardising the bio print. It
also included a documentary on the
major cases spotted by the Economic
Crimes Combating Department.
It is worth mentioning that the fiveday meeting will discuss a number of
issues including the major cases, the
lessons learned and the best practices
to ensure quick response for criminal
notification. It will also discuss the
preventive role in reducing rates of
crimes. — ONA
March 1: One of the biggest threats
facing e-enabled regions around the
world is cybercrime and, as reported,
over the last two years alone cyber
criminals have stolen $1 billion from
over 100 banks globally, while the
Market Forecasts and Analysis Report
(2014-2019), by MarketsandMarkets,
predicts that the global cybersecurity
industry will be worth $155.74 billion
in 2019.
These and other posted reports
show the costs being faced in
combating
cybercrime,
which
the 2014 Global Economic Crime
Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC) identified as the ‘second most
common form of economic crime
reported in the Middle East’, and the
MarketsandMarkets report indicated
that the region’s cybersecurity market
will grow by 84 per cent from $5.17
billion in 2014 to $9.56 billion in 2019.
Oman issued its own Cyber Crime
Law by Royal Decree in 2011 as a way
of enabling the country’s e-strategy for
a digital society with implementation of
this by ITA (Information Technology
Authority of Oman).
Further, in April 2014 the 3rd
Annual
Regional
Cybersecurity
Summit was held here - organised by
Oman’s (CERT), on behalf of ITA, and
in cooperation with ITU-IMPACT and
Naseba — attracting key government
officials, CEOs and other experts - in
Case against Omani weak, flimsy: Experts
R A K SINGH
NEW DELHI
March 1: The Omani national
arrested by the Mumbai police last
Thursday along with a Saudi national
for alleged misbehaviour with a
52-year-old American woman at a
five-star hotel may have a very week
criminal case against him and the
same may not stand the scrutiny of
the court, feel legal experts here.
The experts say if the alleged
victim’s statement in her complaint
to the police against the two is any
indication to go by, the Omani
(Hassan Darwish) stands more than
a fair chance of dismissal of the case
against him in the court of law at an
appropriate stage.
For their alleged roles in
misbehaviour with the woman, the
Mumbai police has lodged an First
Information Report against Hassan
and Saudi national Fahad Al Ghatani
at Colaba police station under various
sections.
After analysing and scrutinising
the woman’s statement to the police,
Delhi-based advocates here said that
“prima facie no case of harassment,
stalking and criminal trespass is
made out against the Omani at all.”
Delhi-based advocates said
that prima facie no case of
harassment, stalking and
criminal trespass is made
out against the Omani.
The alleged victim, a Florida-based
business woman, had reportedly
told the Colaba police that she met
Hassan at Taj Hotel, where she struck
friendship with him and exchanged
mobile numbers and the two kept in
touch on phone.
Referring to this part of the
woman’s statement to police, a senior
Delhi-based lawyer Gyanant Singh,
practicing at the Delhi High Court,
said, “The fact that the woman herself
met Hassan at the hotel, struck a
friendship with him, gave her mobile
number and kept in touch with him
prima facie rules out the chances of
Hassan stalking her.”
“Apparently, Hassan, quite friendly
to the American woman, had no
opportunity or requirement to stalk
her,” said Singh, adding “you stalk
strangers and not the friends.”
Analysing the woman’s reported
statement pertaining to the fateful
night, Singh pointed out that
“the woman herself had called up
Hassan at around 12.45 am on the
night intervening Wednesday and
Thursday, following which Hassan
reached her suite and watched
television with her at least till 1.20
am, when the woman went to the
washroom.”
This part of the statement too
discloses no criminal offence like
trespassing or harassment committed
by Hassan as he visited the US
woman’s suite at her invitation and
the woman too did not allege any
untoward act committed by him
during his presence till she went to
the washroom.
Referring to the most critical part
of the woman’s statement, Singh
and many other lawyers, including
advocate Pratap Patnaik, pointed
out that after she returned from
the washroom, she found another
person, Saudi national Fahad, waiting
in the room.
At this juncture, the police has
quoted the woman as telling it that
Hassan introduced him as his “friend
from Saudi Arabia” while also telling
them that she realised that Fahad
was also the person, who has been
stalking her.
The Colaba police on their part
have told media that they are not sure
how Hassan and Fahad knew each
other.
Referring to these facts, the
advocates say that “this is a matter of
investigation and it is highly unlikely
that a man, invited by a lone woman
in the dead of night in a hotel room,
with whatever purpose, would invite
another man there.”
Pointing out the woman’s remark
to the police that “she later realised
that Fahad was the man, who used
to stalk her”, the lawyers said it
might be possible that Fahad might
have reached the woman’s room on
his own and might have rung the
door bell, when Hassan might have
allowed him in, thinking that he was
known to his host.
“But, this is the matter of
investigation,” said the advocates
adding that “In any case, Hassan had
left the suite soon after the woman
came out from the washroom, while
Fahad stayed on for at least 20 to 25
minutes during which he misbehaved
with the woman and it took at least
that much of time for the woman to
raise the alarm.
the areas of information security, from
countries around the world.
The Summit allowed for knowledge
sharing between the public sector,
private sector and academia, so that
regional organisations could effectively
safeguard their networks against the
threat of cyberattacks. It focused
on Cybersecurity Strategy: Legal
Measures, Organisational Structures,
Technical and Procedural Measures,
Capacity Building, and International
and Regional Cooperation. There were
also a number of information security
companies exhibiting at the event to
promote their products and services to
the local market.
As noted: The growing sophistication
and proficiency of cyberattacks
is prompting governments and
organisations in the region to invest in
more secure IT infrastructure to protect
against cybercrimes.
In the 2013-2014 annual report
by the US Commerce Department’s
International Trade Administration,
it indicated that some GCC countries
are drastically increasing their budget
spending on cyberdefence and
cybersecurity.
Highlighting the increasing concern
of securing information and minimising
the impact of security breaches,
the 3rd Gulf Information Security
Expo and Conference (GISEC), the
region’s leading IT security platform,
will address key issues surrounding
cybersecurity management, identity
management and disaster recovery
across susceptible industry sectors such
as financial services, governments, oil
and gas, IT and pharmaceuticals, as well
as in individual accounts.
As the region’s largest IT security
knowledge event, GISEC will be
taking place at the Dubai World Trade
Centre (DWTC) from April 26-28
2015. Showcasing over 150 exhibitors
and attracting over 5,000 trade visitors
from 50 countries, including Chief
Information Security Officers (CISOs)
and Chief Information Officers
(CIOs), who will learn how to develop
cybersecurity strategies.
OMAN
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
GCC education ministers to meet
MUSCAT: The 17th meeting of the GCC
Higher Education and Scientific Research
Ministers Committee will be held at the
Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort on March
9. The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry
of Higher Education, will host the meeting.
The preparatory meeting of the GCC
Under-Secretaries of Higher Education and
Scientific Research will begin on March 9
and lasts for two days, while the ministers’
meeting will begin on March 11.
The meeting will discuss a number of
joint topics, most importantly the joint
investment in education, the GCC quality
assurance network project and enhancing
the international cooperation with Turkey,
Jordan, Morocco, European Union, China
and Korea in the educational fields. — ONA
omandailyobserver
5
Corporate governance awards launched
THE GOAL: The award aims to raise awareness on transparency and accountability
MUSCAT: The fourth edition of
Corporate Governance Excellence
Award 2015, organised by Oman
Centre for Corporate Governance
and Sustainability (OCCGS) at
the Capital Market Authority
(CMA), was launched at the Grand
Hyatt Muscat Hotel on Sunday
under the auspices of Abdullah
bin Salim al Salmi, CEO of CMA.
The biannual award aims at raising
awareness of transparency and
accountability among all stakeholders
and encouraging companies to abide
by the corporate governance charter.
While addressing the gathering,
the CEO of CMA said that the aim
of governance is to have a system that
governs the operation of companies
to create efficient organisations
that contribute to building a strong
national economy characterised by
transparency and competitiveness.
It also aims at limiting any negative
Oman to host
woman Gulf
sports from
March 8
MUSCAT: During the 84th
meeting of the executive
office of heads of the Gulf
Olympic
Committees,
which was held in Doha,
the Olympic Committee
affirmed the Sultanate’s
readiness to host the 4th
Gulf Women Competition,
scheduled to be organised
in Muscat from March 8 to
March 18.
During the meeting,
Taha bin Sulaiman al
Kushri, Secretary-General
of the Omani Olympic
Committee,
highlighted
the steps taken to organise
the 4th Gulf Woman
competition.
The Office reviewed the
agenda of the 29th meetings
for Heads of the Olympic
Committees’ at the GCC
countries, scheduled to be
held on Tuesday.
It is worth mentioning
that the delegation of
the
Omani
Olympic
Committees,
which
takes part at a series of
Gulf meeting, is led by
Khalid bin Mohammed al
Zubair, Chairman of the
Committees and Taha al
Kushri, Secretary-General
and Jihad bin Abdullah
al Shaikh, member of the
Olympic Committee BoD.
— ONA
Glitch hits
MSM trade
FROM PAGE 1
Any trading system
can experience such a
breakdown and effect was
limited as no transactions
were cancelled and the
buy and sell orders weren’t
affected.
The MSM administration has not yet announced
the cause of the breakdown.
A
similar
glitch
occurred in March last year
and rendered the MSM
electronic trading system
irresponsive,
forcing
cancellation of the trading.
That was the first technical
failure to have occurred at
electronic trading system
since it was first introduced
in 2006.
Last year, the MSM has
announced that it signed
an initial agreement with
Euronext for the provision
of a modernised electronic
trading system which is
expected to be operational
at the beginning of next
year.
effects on the national economy
and local communities from failure
to abide by the best practices in
managing joint stock companies.
Mohammed al Barashdi, OCCGS
specialist made presentation on
the Award, its objectives, targeted
categories,
the
registration
procedures, the timetable, the
arbitration process and the handing
over of the award.
The launching ceremony was
attended by Shaikh Dr Abdul Malik
bin Abdullah al Hinai, Adviser at
the Ministry of Finance, a number
of officials at CMA and Muscat
Securities Market.
— ONA
Oman Air to fly to Goa and Dhaka
MUSCAT: Oman Air, the Sultanate’s
national carrier, will launch services
to three new destinations this spring.
The airliner will fly from Muscat to
Singapore and Goa from March 29 and
to Dhaka from August 2015, according
to a press release issued by Oman Air on
Sunday.
The Chief Executive of Oman Air,
Paul Gregorowitsch announced the new
routes, saying: “We are delighted to be
opening up new routes to Singapore,
Goa and Dhaka, and to be offering our
customers even more choice within
Oman Air’s continually expanding
network. We know there is strong
demand for flights to each of these
The Sultanate’s national
carrier will launch services
to three new destinations
this spring to Dhaka,
Singapore and Goa, says
CEO Paul Gregorowitsch
destinations. We are therefore very
confident that the new services will
prove extremely popular and I would
encourage customers to book as early as
possible.”
“The launch of these new services
continues our ambitious programme
of expansion and follows the highly
successful December 2014 introduction
to our network of services to Manila
and Jakarta. We look forward to giving
many thousands more air travellers
the opportunity to fly with Oman Air
aboard our outstanding new aircraft.”
Oman Air’s new Airbus A330
service between Muscat to Singapore
will operate daily and Oman Air’s new
service, operated using spacious and
comfortable Boeing 737 aircraft, will
offer four flights per week between
Muscat and Goa. Oman Air’s new
service, operated using its flagship A330
aircraft, will offer four flights per week
between Muscat and Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport in Dhaka.
6
OMAN
omandailyobserver
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Audit for accreditation of HEIs on in full swing
A NEW LEVEL: The OAAA is about to begin Standards Assessment
HASAN KAMOONPURI
MUSCAT
March 1: The process of accrediting
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
in Oman, which first began in 2008,
has been moving forward expeditiously
and is now nearing completion.
The first formal Quality Audit was
carried out in 2008. Almost 90 per cent
of the HEIs in Oman have been through
the Quality Audit process and 43 Quality
Audit reports have been published by
the Oman Academic Accreditation
Authority (OAAA), the national body
responsible for accrediting HEIs and
programmes.
Quality Audit is the first stage in
Oman’s institutional accreditation
process. The second stage is Standards
Assessment, says Dr Salim Radhawi,
CEO, OAAA.
The first formal institutional
Standards Assessments will commence
before the end of 2015, Dr Tess Goodliffe,
Deputy CEO Technical Affairs, OAAA,
told the ‘Observer’.
The OAAA is now about to embark
on Standards Assessment. In this
process, HEIs will be evaluated against
a set of internationally-benchmarked
external standards and successful
institutions will be accredited.
The OAAA has developed a cyclical
two-stage institutional accreditation
system (Quality Audit followed by
Standards Assessment). The system is
designed to support HEIs with their
continuous quality improvement efforts
and to provide means of holding HEIs
accountable to society.
Through the OAAA system of quality
audits, HEIs’ internal quality assurance
mechanisms and a system-wide quality
Tess Goodliffe, Deputy CEO
Technical Affairs, OAAA
Dr Salim Radhawi,
CEO, OAAA
SL Gupta, Dean,
Waljat College of Applied
Science
The OAAA has developed a cyclical two-stage institutional
accreditation system which is designed to support HEIs
with their continuous quality improvement efforts and to
provide means of holding HEIs accountable to society
network, Higher Education in the
Sultanate is focused on continuous
quality improvement and OAAA is on
its way to ensuring that it will eventually
reach the goal of quality in all HEIs
and their programmes at international
standards.
The introduction of Quality Audits in
Oman’s higher education sector has been
essentially a call for a shift in the quality
assurance culture, encouraging HEIs
to move from a compliance-focused
culture to one where HEIs have to take
responsibility for the development of
their quality management systems and
effectiveness.
This approach encourages institutions
to develop their internal quality
management systems while giving the
public some degree of reassurance that
the HEIs are being monitored by an
external body.
Lauding the Quality Audit process,
Prof Dr S L Gupta, Dean, Waljat College
of Applied Sciences (WCAS), says
“The Quality Audit report is helping
HEIs in clearly understanding their
strengths and weaknesses. To have an
external body identify them in a public
manner has motivated them to hasten
the implementation of meaningful
improvements”.
The accrediting of HEIs is important
because at the heart of the Sultanate’s
vision for the contribution to human
resource development is relevant, high
quality education aligned with the needs
of the job market, says Dr Gupta.
The Quality Audit report comments
on the HEI’s mission and vision, and the
appropriateness and effectiveness of its
systems for achieving that mission and
vision.
The Quality Audit commenced with
WCAS undertaking a self-study of its
mission, vision and systems. The results
Bioethics meet at SQU next week
MUSCAT: A meeting of the Oman
National Bioethics Committee on
Sunday reviewed the preparations
for the First International Bioethics
Conference to be hosted by Sultan
Qaboos University from March 8 -10.
The meeting chaired by Dr Ali bin
Saud Al Bimani, the Vice Chancellor
of SQU and Chairman of the National
Bioethics Committee, approved the
minutes of the previous meeting
of the committee and reviewed the
implementation follow up report.
The
international
bioethics
conference is organised by the Oman
National Bioethics Committee, in
collaboration with SQU, the Research
Council (TRC), and Unesco. The
conference is designed to offer a
platform for exchange of information
and knowledge about bioethics and for
networking.
It will address various topics
related to bioethics including ethical
perspective of womb transplant,
embryonic and stem cell research;
present challenges facing Islamic
bioethics and its future perspectives;
end of life and related issues; challenges
of premarital medical examination; and
Islamic jurisprudence ruling related to
Ebola outbreak.
The conference will also discuss
challenges faced by the National
Bioethics Committee in establishing
rules and drawing up legislation in the
Sultanate.
The opening ceremony of the
conference will be held under the
patronage of Shaikh Abdullah bin
Mohammed Al Salmi, Minister of
Awqaf and Religious Affairs.
Brunei varsity College
delegation at SQU
MUSCAT: An academic delegation
from Seri Begawan Religious Teachers
University College, Brunei Darussalam,
headed by Dr Abang Hj Hadzmin
Abg Hj Taha, Deputy Vice Chancellor,
visited Sultan Qaboos University on
Sunday. The delegation was received
by Dr Said bin Ali Al Yahyaee, SQU
Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs and Community Service, and
other officials.
The two sides discussed on the
possibilities of collaboration between
the two institutions through exchange
of students and faculty members.
Dr Taha, evinced interest to learn
from SQU’s expertise in teaching
Islamic studies and Arabic language.
The two sides discussed on the
methods to activate exchange of
student and faculty members between
the institutions. The Brunei delegation
consisted of Dr Hajah Salmiah Binti Pg
Haji Shahbudin, Director of the Arabic
Language Centre, and Nurul Azimah
binti Abdul Hamid, Assistant Lecturer
at Seri Begawan Religious Teachers
University.
Shaikh Dr Kahlan Bin Nabhan Al
Kharusi, Assistant Grand Mufti of
the Sultanate, and eminent experts
in bioethics including Dr Mohamed
Ali Al Baar and Prof Abdallah Daar,
will deliver keynote speeches at the
conference. Around 60 participants
from Oman and abroad, including
Islamic scholars and scientists and
physicians specialised in this field, will
attend the conference.
were summarised in its Quality Audit
Portfolio. This document was submitted
to the OAAA.
Another Vice-Chancellor from a
private university says Quality Audit
is extremely useful in helping the HEIs
to meet their mission and vision and
in preparing themselves for the second
stage of the institutional accreditation
process.
Before carrying out the first
cycle of Quality Audits, the OAAA
delivered a National Quality Training
Programme to support the sector in
its preparation for external review
activities. The programme included
workshops on areas such as strategic
planning;
benchmarking;
seeking
stakeholder feedback; and developing
key performance indicators.
The Quality Audit process involves
the HEI submitting a self-study portfolio
which is reviewed by a panel of external
reviewers convened by the OAAA.
The Quality Audit report is usually
divided into nine chapters covering
all aspects of an institution’s activities:
governance and management; student
learning by coursework programmes;
student
learning
by
research
programmes; industry and community
engagement; academic support services;
students and student support services;
staff and staff support services and
general support services and facilities.
As a public document, the Quality
Audit report is also of interest to other
stakeholders, such as prospective
students, their parents, employers,
funding bodies, and public at large, adds
Dr Gupta.
The Quality Audit report contains
Commendations (recognising where
an HEI is doing well); Affirmations
(agreeing with an HEI where it recognises
and is responding to opportunities for
improvements); and Recommendations
(where the Panel has identified issues
requiring the HEI’s attention).
The results of the first cycle of
Quality Audits show that there is a
strong commitment from HEIs to build
a culture of quality and develop their
internal quality management systems.
Conclusions from reports show
that there are clear trends in terms of
areas of strength and opportunities
for improvement across the higher
education sector in Oman. Overall,
the reports resulting from the first
cycle of Quality Audits contained
more
Recommendations
than
Commendations which reflects the
developing nature of the higher
education sector in Oman, says Dr
Goodliffe.
SQU to study smoking habits among students
MUSCAT: The Student Counselling Centre at SQU is
conducting a study about the prevalence of smoking
habits among university students and its it causes. This
study reflects the university’s interest in providing a
suitable academic environment for students by creating
an awareness on the negative impact of smoking on
personal, health, physiological and social spheres. It will
also highlight the negative impacts of smoking habit
reflect directly on students’ ability and achieving their
academic and career goals.
Dr Saeed bin Sulaiman Al Dhafri, Director of the
Centre said that this study is considered as a practical
tool to reveal the extent of smoking habit among
university’s students so the university would be able to
take necessary measures to address the problem based
on scientific evidence. It will also help in reducing the
growth of this bad habit among students. This study is
expected to contribute to formulating treatment and
therapies for the students who have developed an
rid
addiction to smoking and to help them get
of it.
Dr Al Dhafri
said that the
idea of this
study came from
the directives of the Dr
Ali bin Saud Al Bimani,
the Vice Chancellor, who is keen to follow up various
issues related to university’s students.
The research is carried out by a team led by Dr Al Dhafri.
The other members of the team are: Prof Dr Samir Ibrahim
Hassan, Dr Zakiya bint Qahtan Al Busaidi, Dr Manal bint
Khasib Al Fazari, Dr Maha Abdul Majeed Al Ani, Al Mur bin
Mohammed Al Hashmai and Marawa bint Nasser Al Rajhi.
Dr Zakiya Al Busaidi, Senior Consultant, Family
Medicine and Public Health and Supervisor of the
Student Clinic at SQU said that the SQU Hospital
has introduced a service to offer treatment
and counselling for students at the clinic and
processes are underway to conduct awareness
campaigns against smoking.
Maha Abdal Majeed Al Ani, from the Student
counselling Centre, said the objectives of the
study are to identify the spread of smoking
phenomena among the university’s students,
realise the attitudes of students towards
smoking, whether smokers or non-smokers.
In addition, the study will evaluate the
spread of smoking phenomena among students
according to a number of variables including
(sex, age, academic year, college, region, place
of residence during the study) by assessing the
social, economic, demographic and behavioural
characteristics of smokers.
The study aims to identify the reasons
that force the students to smoke and
the level of the university’s students
awareness about the negative
effects of smoking in health,
social, psychological,
economic and academic
perspectives, as well as to
identify the level of students’
awareness about
the different means to reduce
smoking and its
impact on them. Further, the study
will come up with scientific solutions that help to limit
smoking and suggest an effective treatment plans to reduce
smoking among university’s students.
Programme was organised on the directives of Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi
Health, safety audits at Indian schools
MUSCAT:
The Indian School
Muscat (ISM) became the first Indian
school under the board to undergo a
comprehensive health and safety audit
of its facilities as part of the Board of
Directors (BoD) initiatives on Safety at
Indian Schools.
The audit was conducted on February
19 and 21.
In line with the Board Policy to
support various initiatives for the
schools, the Board of Directors formed
a ‘safety task force’ recently to promote
and implement safety at schools.
The task force consists of volunteer
team of experts from leading
corporates with decades of experience
in health safety and parents, nonparents and well-wishers of the
In its efforts to provide
quality education and
enhance comprehensive
infrastructural development,
the Board of Directors,
Indian Schools, involve all
stakeholders in this mission
schools.
The team during the audit
examined and assessed fire safety
and its controls, emergency response
plan and preparedness, medical
facilities, electrical installations and
connections, building safety, pantry
and canteen, labs infrastructure
facilities, security and school traffic
management, waste management
and environment management. The
team came up with improvement
suggestions and corrections which
would be taken up by the school
management with the help of the
experts in the task force.
The safety task force has set up
an Audit Plan for the year 2015 to
conduct similar safety audits in all the
Indian Schools in Oman.
In its efforts to provide quality
education and enhance comprehensive
infrastructural development, the
Board of Directors, Indian Schools,
involve all stakeholders in this mission.
The Board has formed task
forces consisting of professionals
and experts from different fields for
recommending plans to improve
scholastic and co-scholastic activities,
safety and transport in schools.
An orientation programme on
School Quality Assessment and
Accreditation (SQAA) was recently
conducted to create awareness among
school administrators and senior
teachers about the need to maintain
quality of holistic education.
This programme was organised
under the aegis of the Board of Directors
Academic Task force in accordance
with the directives of Central Board of
Secondary Education, New Delhi that
all CBSE affiliated schools should get
themselves accredited after fulfilling
the quality criteria as per its guidelines.
PHILIPPINES HUNTING FOR BOMBMAKER
The Philippine military is trying to
capture a bombmaker it believes is
being “coddled” by Filipino militants
who have pledged loyalty to IS,
authorities said yesterday. The capture
of Abdel Basit Usman is one of the
objectives of a major army offensive
on the southern island of Mindanao,
said local military commander Major
General Edmundo Pangilinan.
PANDA POPULATION UP 17 PER CENT
M O N DAY l M A R C H 2 l 2 0 1 5
China’s population of wild
giant pandas jumped
nearly 17 per cent over a
decade. The survey found
that by the end of 2013
China had 1,864 giant
pandas alive in the
wild, marking an increase
of 268 individuals,
or 16.8 per cent.
HK police pepper-spray protesters
TENSION: Marchers demonstrate against increasing number of visitors from
mainland China who they say disrupt their daily lives
HONG KONG: Police fired pepper
spray at demonstrators in Hong Kong
on Sunday during a march in protest
at the increasing number of visitors
from mainland China.
Local residents are becoming
increasingly angry at border-crossing
Chinese traders, whom they say have
disrupted their daily lives and clogged
public transport.
The so-called parallel traders
typically travel to Hong Kong by
train and stock up on everything
from iPads to milk powder, taking
advantage of lower prices, wider
choice and better quality in the city
while dodging hefty tariffs on their
return.
Hong Kong reverted to China
in 1997 but is semi-autonomous,
retaining border controls and a
separate administration.
It was the latest in a string of
protests over the issue in towns in
Hong Kong’s New Territories, near
the Chinese border.
Scuffles broke out between rival
groups as demonstrators marched
The so-called parallel
traders typically travel to
Hong Kong by train and
stock up on everything
from iPads to milk powder,
taking advantage of lower
prices, wider choice and
better quality in the city
while dodging hefty tariffs
on their return.
Masked protesters from the Civic Passion group take part in an anti-China
demonstration at the rural Yuen Long district in Hong Kong yesterday. — Reuters
through the main shopping area in
Yuen Long on Sunday afternoon.
Those
against
the
march
shouted: “Go back home!” to the
demonstrators, while the antimainland groups called for traders to
return to China.
One officer was surrounded by a
Dhaka pays tribute
to slain blogger
Mourners queue to pay their last respects to Avijit Roy in
Dhaka yesterday. — AFP
DHAKA: Bangladeshis gathered on Sunday to pay tribute
to a US blogger and critic of extremism who was killed in
Dhaka, in the latest of a series of attacks on writers in the
nation. Avijit Roy, a US citizen of Bangladeshi origin, was
hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants on Thursday
after a book fair. His wife and fellow blogger Rafida Ahmed
suffered head injuries and lost a finger and remains in
hospital in a serious condition.
The attack came amid a crackdown on hardline groups,
which have increased activities in recent years in the South
Asian nation of 160 million people.
People from all walks gathered with flowers at the Dhaka
University premises on Sunday to pay their respect to Avijit,
who came to his native city in mid-February and was due to
go back to the United States.
“Free thinking in Bangladesh is become a great danger, all
the free thinkers are at great risk,” writer Shahriar Kabir said.
“We want to know why the government failed to ensure
the safety of him, despite knowing that he had been facing
threats from the radicals.”
No arrest has so far been made.
— Reuters
Lanka cancels licences
for foreign mining firms
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s new president has cancelled mining
licences issued by the previous government to 16 foreign
companies to search for blue sapphires and other gems, his
office said on Sunday.
The office of Maithripala Sirisena said permits granted
to the unidentified companies were being withdrawn
immediately to better protect the local mining industry.
“Sixteen foreign companies had been given gem mining
licences by the previous administration, and the president
in an effort to protect local miners cancelled those permits
without further investigation,” it said in a statement.
Sri Lanka has a substantial gem and jewellery industry
and is known for some of the world’s biggest and most
expensive precious stones.
But traditional gem mining is labour-intensive and the
industry has resisted attempts to introduce new technology,
fearing deeply unpopular job losses. It is unclear if the 16
companies had already been mining on the island or had
been preparing to set up operations. Sirisena, who ousted
Mahinda Rajapakse at presidential polls in January, first made
the announcement at a meeting with local industrialists on
Saturday night, the statement added.
— AFP
group of protesters who hit him in the
face, said a photographer at the scene.
It was not clear which group the
attackers belonged to.
Police confirmed that officers had
been injured but could not say how
many or whether there had been any
arrests.
It was unclear whether protesters
had been injured.
Earlier this week Hong Kong’s
leader said the government was
considering restricting the number
of Chinese tourists entering the city,
following the public backlash.
The announcement came after a
leading travel body said the number
of mainland visitors over the Lunar
New Year fell for the first time in
almost 20 years — attributing the
trend to the frosty reception they
receive. — AFP
7
ASIA
8
ANALYSIS
omandailyobserver
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
JOBLESS SPANIARDS
TRY LUCK IN AFRICA
O
nly 14 km of sea separate Spain from Morocco, and North Africa from Europe.
But to a growing number of commuting Spaniards, the neighbouring country and
its prospects are a world away from the economic crisis battering their homeland.
They export cheap goods, work in call centres or on construction sites in
flourishing locations in the Maghreb.
Some eventually leave Europe altogether. More than 10,000 Spaniards officially
live in Morocco. Another 5,000 work in the shadow economy, the Ministry of
Labour in Rabat estimates.
If they can’t get a residence permit, they return home and immediately cross
the Strait of Gibraltar again and keep working without papers.
Apart from tourists, another category of Spanish visitor can be seen in
abundance on the streets of the famous port city of Tangier. Laden with enormous
bags of goods, the shuttle traders make the trip regularly to load up with bargains
from the bazaars that they can sell in southern Spain.
“We come here a twice a month,” say a Spanish couple.
They come specifically from Granada to fill voluminous bags. “We buy clothes
and household goods, which are not particularly expensive in Morocco, and
sell them later in Spain. It doesn’t make us millionaires, but we can at least pay
our bills.”
Spain’s unemployment rate stands at 23.7 per cent. So even given the low wages
in Morocco, its labour market is a viable alternative.
This exit from the economic crunch at home is helped by close political
relations between Spain and Morocco.
There have been prolonged tensions
between France and Morocco over what the
Morocco is mostly
Moroccans suspect is France’s inclination to
sympathetic to the
court Algeria.
So Spain is seen as “almost the only friend guest workers and
of Morocco”, as a Madrid newspaper recently
is making all efforts
headlined.
Consequently, trade between Spain and to better regulate
Morocco has developed rapidly in recent years. their immigration
Moreover, the African country needs
without scaring
skilled workers for current major projects
like high-speed train links, highways and them away, reports
holiday resorts, and Spanish bricklayers, ABDEL MOHSIN EL
painters or electricians have a good chance of
HASSOUNI
finding work.
Martin Sierra, who works in Tangier, is
among the many tradesmen who keep their
families ticking over with work they find in Morocco.
“My children are in Spain so I travel there once a month to see them,” says
Sierra, who works on two building sites but still doesn’t earn what he used to.
“I have no choice. At home, I’m unemployed,” he says.
Getting into Morocco is easy for the Spanish guest workers - no visa and only
a 50 euro ferry crossing.
Even so, locksmith Salvador Martinez chose to drop the commute and settle
here permanently to run his own business in Tetouan, 60 km east of Tangier.
When he receives clients he greets them in a traditional Moroccan robe,
the djellaba.
One of his regulars is local businessman El Haj Aissa: “I come to Salvador
because he does good work, but also because he’s Spanish. I want to show him
that we are a hospitable country,” he says.
As well as a deferential reception by many locals, common language roots are
an invaluable asset to the Spanish shuttle traders and migrants. Since northern
Morocco was once occupied by the Spaniards, many people still speak the
language.
The Moroccan government is mostly sympathetic to the guest workers and is
making efforts to better regulate their immigration without scaring them away.
This type of migration is not necessarily bad for the economy, the labour
market or the state budget, say officials in Rabat. And for the most part, Morocco
regards the Spanish influx as a solution rather than a problem.
Spain’s economy expanded by 1.4 per cent in 2014, after five years of recession
or no growth, the country’s national statistics agency Ine said last week, confirming
a provisional figure published in late in January.
The gross domestic product (GDP) of the euro zone’s fourth largest economy
rose to 1.06 trillion euros, Ine said in a statement.
Republican Senator and possible presidential candidate for 2016 Marco Rubio speaks during an appearance in Hollis, New Hampshire. — Reuters
A shift to national security
I
f last week was any indication, Republicans could spend the fight to American soil,” Wisconsin Governor Scott
much of the 2016 presidential election attacking Democrats Walker said last Thursday.
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry called IS “the worst
as weak on national security, rather than focusing on the
economic concerns that have preoccupied voters in recent threat to freedom since communism,” while Pennsylvania
years. The shift reflects a changing political landscape as Senator Rick Santorum called for 10,000 US ground troops
the US economy has steadily added jobs while gruesome to fight the militant movement.
Even Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning Kentucky
beheading videos by IS and increasing conflict in countries
such as Syria and Libya have revived Americans’ concerns senator, sought to balance his skepticism of domestic
surveillance and overseas military action with the need to
about security threats.
Such a focus also provides plenty of opportunities to confront IS. “We must protect ourselves from IS without
attack Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic front-runner losing ourselves as a people in the process,” he said.
The red-meat rhetoric plays to a Republican strength
who as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 was the public
face of President Barack Obama’s effort to emphasise as the improving economy eases public concerns about
job generation. According to Reuters/Ipsos polling, 49 per
diplomacy over armed confrontation.
cent of Americans disapprove of Obama’s
At a gathering of conservative activists,
handling of the economy in January,
potential
Republican
presidential
The shift reflects a
down from 55 per cent in February of
candidates characterised that approach
changing political
last year.
as naive at best. On Clinton’s watch, the
When Americans are asked which
United States allowed Libya and Syria to
landscape as conflicts
party has the better plan for dealing with
slide into chaos while failing to contain
in Syria and Libya
terrorism, the Republican advantage
the rise of new extremist groups like IS,
revive US concerns
over Democrats has widened from 2
they said.
percentage points to 8 percentage points
“Because of the Obama-Clinton
on security, writes
over that period.
foreign policy, our allies no longer
ANDY SULLIVAN
“When Americans are being beheaded
trust us and our enemies no longer fear
on television it changes Americans’
us,” Florida Senator Marco Rubio told
perspective,” said Dave Bossie, president
the Conservative Political Action
of Citizens United, a conservative group.
Conference last Friday.
However, Republicans are not immune to overstepping
The annual gathering of conservative activists, known
as CPAC, drew more than a dozen potential Republican on the issue.
Democrats have accused them of undermining national
candidates this year as the party gears up for the
security by tying funding for the Department of Homeland
2016 election.
Many of the dozen or so potential candidates who spoke Security to an effort to roll back Obama’s executive action
at the conference just south of Washington portrayed IS to shield several million immigrants from the threat of
as a direct threat to US domestic security, at times echoing deportation.
The renewed focus on security also risks alienating
the with-us-or-against-us rhetoric used by Republican
president George W Bush after the September 11, 2001 voters who view Bush’s decisions to invade Afghanistan in
2001 and Iraq in 2003 as costly mistakes. Bush’s approval
attacks.
“We need a president, a leader, who will stand up and ratings slumped in his final years in office as the Iraq War
say we will take the fight to them and not wait till they bring dragged on.
Indonesian maid vows to fight on after Hong Kong court victory
A
s she walks through Hong Kong’s Victoria
Park on a busy last afternoon, Erwiana
Sulistyaningsih is stopped every few steps
for photos and hugs. Most of her fans are
Indonesian domestic workers enjoying
their weekly day off, gathering as they
always do for food, dancing and a chat, but
there are Hong Kong families too.
This is the former maid’s final day in
Hong Kong after winning her case against
the abusive employer who beat, starved and
kept her prisoner.
Last Friday, Law Wan-tung, 44, was
sentenced to six years in prison on 18
charges including grievous bodily harm,
assault, criminal intimidation and failure
to pay wages in a case that made headlines
around the world.
It has turned the 24-year-old Indonesian
into a hero for many of her peers, and
though her case shone a spotlight on the
abuse often suffered behind closed doors,
she isn’t finished yet.
“I still want to help my fellow migrant
workers who are abused and neglected by
my own government,” she said.
“If there’s an opportunity, I would like to
form a foundation to help with these issues
and to educate the Indonesian community
so that they can understand our basic
problems outside the country and back in
Indonesia.”
Softly-spoken and slight, with newly
bobbed hair and huddled in a quilted
orange jacket, she is sceptical that Indonesia
will take meaningful action to protect
migrant workers, arguing that the problem
is so multi-layered and deep-rooted there is
no quick fix.
From a poor farming family in east Java,
Sulistyaningsih’s parents could not afford to
send her or her brother to university. After
graduating from high school she worked as
a waitress but was determined to save up
for college and to help support her family
financially, so moved to Hong Kong to
join its army of domestic workers in 2013.
The city is home to nearly 300,000 maids,
mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Sulistyaningsih says her story highlights
Indonesia’s endemic problems — a lack
of job opportunities and an unaffordable
further education system.
“The government should provide
accessible education especially for poor
people,” she says, as well as helping to
Sulistyaningsih says her
story highlights Indonesia’s
endemic problems — a lack
of job opportunities and
an unaffordable further
education system, notes
LAURA MANNERING
generate “decent jobs for decent pay, not
just profit for investors”.
That way, fewer people would feel they
had to seek their fortune overseas, she says.
When they arrive in Hong Kong, the women
known locally as “helpers” are often stung
by massive agency fees back home, which
leave them in debt — something which
local campaigners, Amnesty International
and the judge in Sulistyaningsih’s case
highlighted as a major problem.
Sulistyaningsih herself says both her
passport and a booklet explaining her
rights were removed by her employment
agency when she first set foot in the city.
“I was afraid because I had heard
so much about migrant workers dying
abroad, but I took the challenge hoping
my fate would be better. Now I realise it’s
not just fate — it’s the system that makes us
vulnerable.”
Hong Kong-based campaign group
Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body is
planning to file an official complaint to
the legislature about domestic workers’
conditions, with the aim of forcing a reform
debate in the city’s de facto parliament.
Sulistyaningsih says she is looking
forward to resuming her studies in
economics at the Catholic Private
University in central Java, where she was
offered a four-year scholarship after the
establishment’s owner read about her case.
A supporter holds up a sign of Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih,
during a protest calling for better protection of migrant workers, in Hong Kong. — Reuters
ANALYSIS
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
9
Immigration figures major concern for Cameron
W
ANDY JALIL
Foreign Correspondent
[email protected]
ith immigration being such a vital issue in the
election in just two months’ time, the Prime
Minister David Cameron is more than a little
concerned that he has not been able to deliver on
his pledge to cut immigration by ‘tens of thousands’
per year. On the contrary, the net migration rate to
the UK has gone up significantly, official figures
showed last week, leaving Cameron to explain why
he has failed to meet his commitment to slash the
numbers of people who come to Britain.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics
showed that migration to the UK was up 298,000
in the year to September, a rise of 42 per cent from
last year, and higher than when the government
came to power in 2010. Immigration and security
minister James Brokenshire responded to the
figures saying: “Uncontrolled mass immigration
makes it difficult to maintain social cohesion, put
pressure on public services and can force down
wages. That’s why this government is working
to reduce net migration and why the figures are
clearly so disappointing.”
Experts believe that growth in employment
with availability of jobs was the key factor in the
rise. Director of Migration Observatory at the
University of Oxford, Madeline Sumption, said:
“If the UK’s economic performance compared to
the rest of the EU had been poor, then we might these people have no automatic right to work in
well have seen net migration fall but that has not Britain. There were increasing numbers of arrivals
from the Indian sub-continent and a rise in ‘chain
happened.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the leader migration’ where existing migrants bring in their
of the Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems), said that he relatives. While eastern European immigration
had previously warned his Conservative coalition remains steady, the majority of EU migrants now
partners not to pursue the
come from Spain, Portugal,
target, adding: “They made a
Italy, Greece and France,
huge amount of fanfare about
Figures from the Office which all have struggling
it and they were warned by
economies and high youth
for National Statistics
me and others ‘don’t do this, it
unemployment. The figures
showed that migration also show that nearly 200,000
doesn’t make any sense’.”
A
Downing
Street
was up 298,000 in the Romanians and Bulgarians
spokeswoman said the prime
for national insurance
year to September, a rise applied
minister was ‘disappointed’
numbers to work in Britain
of 42 per cent from last last year. Yet only 37,000 were
and when asked if he had faith
in Teresa May, she replied: “He
registered as having arrived in
year, and higher than
absolutely has confidence in
year to September which
when the government the
the home secretary. He thinks
suggests that tens of thousands
came to power in 2010 were in the country before the
she is doing an excellent job.”
A total of 624,000 people
lifting of labour restrictions at
migrated to the UK in the
the start of 2014.
year to September while 327,000 left. The inflow
The prime minister admitted that he should
is up 94,000 on the previous year. Most of the cut benefits and tax credits for immigrants more
extra migrants — 190,000 of the net inflow – came quickly to stop the UK being such a ‘massive draw’.
from countries outside the EU and that is further He was asked by MPs about what lessons he would
embarrassment for Cameron. Unlike EU citizens, draw from the Government’s failure to achieve
its net migration target. In giving evidence to the
Commons liaison committee he said: “The biggest
lesson I would draw is we need to act more rapidly
on the financial draw to Britain.”
He added: “I think that the way tax credit
system and benefit systems work to make Britain a
massive draw — not only because we’re creating so
many jobs but also the financial draw — we needed
to act on that faster. I have made very clear pledges
about what will happen in the next Parliament if
I’m lucky enough to come to another one of these
meetings.”
UK Independent Party (Ukip) is looking to
capitalise on people’s concern about immigration
at May’s General Election, and pounced on
the latest figures showing the huge increase.
Steve Woolfe, the party’s migration spokesman
commented: “The government should be ashamed
of its abject failure to keep control of the constantly
rising numbers of those arriving here.”
Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, accused the prime
minister of a “shocking failure” to meet his
campaign promises on immigration, predicting
it would give Ukip a welcome boost in the polls.
He said: “David Cameron had a contract with the
British people — he said ‘if I fail on this you can
judge me’. Well, judgement day has come.”
RUSSIAN SHADOW
STUART GARLICK AND MARY SIBIERSKI
E
stonians voted yesterday in an election marked by nerves in the
vulnerable Nato member over a militarily resurgent Russia and a popular
pro-Kremlin party, but opinion polls suggest the centre-left coalition is
poised to return to power.
Moscow’s annexation of Crimea last year and its meddling in eastern
Ukraine has galvanised the EU including this euro zone member of 1.3
million people, a quarter of whom are ethnic-Russian.
Military manoeuvres by Moscow on Estonia’s border days ahead of
the vote are further stoking deep concerns in Europe that the Kremlin
could attempt to destabilise countries that were in its orbit during Soviet
times. Prime Minister Taavi Roivas, at 35 the EU’s youngest head of
government, is tipped to hold onto power.
Analysts expect his centrist Reform party to renew its coalition with
the Social Democrats, buttressed in the 101-seat parliament by a smaller
conservative party.
A TNS Emor opinion poll released on the election eve on Saturday
showed Reform leading with a forecast 26 per cent of the vote, ahead of
the pro-Kremlin opposition Centre party with 22 per cent and the Social
Democrats with 19 per cent. The conservative IRL commanded 16 per
cent, with six smaller parties also running.
Earlier opinion polls had showed Centre, backed mainly by ethnic
Russians, narrowly ahead. But lacking coalition partners would make it
unlikely to govern.
Russia’s former world chess champion and staunch Kremlin critic
Garry Kasparov took to Facebook last week to express his “personal
concern” over the Centre party’s popularity.
Centre leader Edgar Savisaar lost the trust of many Estonians last year
when he pledged his support for Russia’s annexation of Crimea from
Ukraine.
A former Communist Party member, the current Tallinn mayor was
Estonia’s first premier after independence from the USSR in 1991.
“The current security situation will stay with us for a long period of
time,” Roivas has said about Europe’s worst standoff with Russia since the
Cold War. “This is not just bad weather, this is climate change.”
He is part of a chorus of Baltic leaders demanding more Nato troops,
hardware and extra air patrols to counter Moscow’s heightened military
overtures.
Nato will boost defences on its eastern flank with a spearhead force of
5,000 troops and command centres in six formerly communist members,
including one in Estonia.
A protester holds a sign outside the federal courthouse in Boston on January 5 for the first day of jury selection. — AP
Life and death at the heart of Boston trial
F
rom the moment US prosecutors stand
up on Wednesday and begin their case
against accused Boston Marathon bomber
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, their minds and those
of their defence counterparts will be focused
on just one thing: The death penalty.
Tsarnaev, 21, is accused of killing three
people and injuring 264 with a pair of
homemade pressure-cooker bombs left at
the race’s crowded finish line on April 15,
2013, in the largest mass-casualty attack on
US soil since September 11, 2001.
The ethnic Chechen, who moved to the
United States from Russia with his family a
decade before the attack, could be sentenced
to death if he is convicted of charges that also
include the fatal shooting of a police officer
three days later as he tried to flee the city.
“The bottom line is you’re not going to get
a not guilty in this case,” said Jules Epstein, a
Widener University School of Law professor
who has represented defendants in federal
and Pennsylvania death penalty cases. “I
don’t think the defence is arguing that. So
every move is with an eye on the end game
and that is avoiding death.”
Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to all
charges and his attorneys have offered little
detail on their case, with the bulk of both
prosecution and defence filings under seal
in Boston federal court.
But legal experts said the defence will
likely try to show that his 26-year-old
brother, Tamerlan, an amateur boxer, who
died following a gun battle with police as
the pair tried to flee Boston, was the driving
force behind the attack.
Showing that he was heavily influenced
by his brother could be a mitigating factor
that would persuade a jury to sentence
Tsarnaev to life in prison rather than death,
legal experts said.
For prosecutors, the challenge is to show
that he was fully responsible for actions
while not making any errors that could
result in a guilty verdict or death sentence
being overturned on appeal.
“With someone who is so young, the
strategy would be to try to humanise him
in front of the jury,” said Deborah Denno, a
Fordham University School of Law professor
who specialises in the capital punishment.
“In a death penalty case... you try to
humanise him as much as possible to make
it so the jury empathises with him.”
Finding the jury has been an arduous
process, as eligible jurors needed to be willing
to consider imposing the death penalty, and
not have too personal a connection to the
event.
The faces of Tsarnaev and his older
brother as seen on a surveillance video
walking towards the site of the blasts carrying
backpacks that prosecutors contend held
the bombs are burned into the memory of
Boston-area residents.
Thousands of people were crowded
around the finish line when the bombs went
off and hundreds of thousands ordered to
remain in their homes for four days as police
mounted a massive manhunt.
Tsarnaev was found hiding in a
drydocked boat, where he had written a
note suggesting the attack was an act of
retribution for US military involvement in
Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty
to all charges and his attorneys
have offered little detail on
their case, with the bulk of both
prosecution and defence filings
under seal in Boston federal
court, reports SCOTT MALONE
Muslim-dominated countries.
When the trial opens, prosecutors will
be seeking to show evidence that Tsarnaev
understood his actions and played an active
role in planning and building the pressurecooker bombs that ripped through the
crowd, tearing the legs off 16 people and
killing spectators as young as 10.
“If they indeed show that he ordered
someone to do something or actively
participated in the discussion about where
to place the backpacks, made anti-American
statements, that would hurt” the defence,
said Dean Weinstein, an attorney now in
private practice who previously brought
death-penalty cases as a state and federal
prosecutor.
Prosecutors will also need to tread
carefully since if the jury finds Tsarnaev
guilty and sentences him to death at the
trial’s end, expected in June, both decisions
likely would be immediately appealed.
Particularly when questioning victims of
the attack, prosecutors will need to take care
not to elicit testimony so emotional that it
would be found inflammatory by an appeals
court, experts said.
“You can reach a tipping point where
the appellate court will say you’ve gone too
far,” said Epstein, of Widener University.
“The prosecution has to tell the terror and
the violence of this case without making it
impossible for jurors to react in a rational
way when they reach sentencing.”
Earlier, a US court last Friday denied a
request by alleged Boston Marathon bomber
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for his trial to be moved
out of the city, just days ahead of opening
statements.
According to the ruling by the US Court
of Appeals for the First Circuit panel,
Tsarnaev had “not met the well-established
standards for such relief.”
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
omandailyobserver
INDIA
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
ATF, non-subsidised LPG price hiked
BURDEN: CPM says fuel price increase unacceptable, calls for protest
NEW DELHI: Indian Oil Corp (IOC),
the nation’s largest oil company, on
Sunday increased Aviation Turbine
Fuel (ATF) — or jet fuel — prices by a
steep 8.2 per cent and of non-subsidised
cooking gas (LPG) by Rs 5 per cylinder
consequent to recent upward movement
of international crude oil rates which
earlier plunged to near six-year lows.
Jet fuel in Delhi was hiked by Rs
3,849.97 per kilolitre, or 8.2 percent, to
Rs 50,363 per kl.
The hike follows seven consecutive
monthly cuts since August, which saw
ATF price cut by Rs 23,648.73 or 33
percent.
State-run IOC, earlier on Saturday,
hiked the rates of petrol and diesel by
over Rs 3 each (ex-Delhi) citing the rise
in crude prices in their announcement
made on the day the union budget for
2015-16 was presented.
Oil marketing companies (OMCs)
also hiked the price of non-subsidised,
or market-priced LPG by Rs 5 to Rs 610
per 14.2 kg cylinder in Delhi.
Customers can purchase nonsubsidised gas after exhausting their
quota of 12 cylinders at subsidised rates.
A subsidised LPG cylinder currently
costs Rs 417 in Delhi.
The price of non-subsidised LPG was
last cut on February 1 by Rs 103.50.
OMCs revise jet fuel and non-
subsidised LPG prices on the first of
every month based on average imported
cost and the rupee-dollar exchange rate.
The Indian basket of crude oil traded
on Thursday at $59.19 per barrel.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of
“This is the second hike
in the prices of petrol and
diesel this month. The
government, instead of
reducing the excise duty, is
passing the burdens on to
the people.
India-Marxist (CPM) yesterday said the
increase in prices of petrol and diesel
is unacceptable and called for protests
against the hike.
It said in a statement that the prices
were hiked by over Rs 3 a litre, “hours
after the union budget imposing greater
burdens on the people was presented” in
parliament on Saturday.
“This is the second hike in the prices
of petrol and diesel this month. The
government, instead of reducing the
excise duty, is passing the burdens on to
the people.
“This increase in prices of petrol and
diesel is unacceptable.”
— IANS Price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) has been raised by Rs 5 per cylinder.
Modi passes test
despite lack of dazzle
CROP CRISIS
Indian farmers examine a damaged wheat crop which was due to be harvested in the Badarkha village of Dholka Taluka some 30 kms from Ahmedabad yesterday.
Unseasonal heavy rains in parts of the sate of Gujarat have damaged crops.
— AFP
Nitish to fast against land acquisition bill
PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar on Sunday announced a one-day
fast — and asked people across the state
to join him — in protest against the land
acquisition amendment bill.
Nitish Kumar asked people to
put pressure on the Narendra Modi
government to withdraw the relevant
bill. He, however, did not announce the
date of the fast.
“I appeal to the people to join a
one-day fast to protest against the
land acquisition amendment bill,” the
Janata Dal-United leader said while
addressing thousands of party workers
at the Gandhi Maidan here. Nitish
Kumar described the land acquisition
amendment bill as a “black law”, which
was against the interests of farmers.
“I and my party have been opposing
this black law and I appeal to party
workers
and
leaders to launch
a
campaign
against it to
safeguard
f a r m e r s ’
interests,” he said.
The
chief
minister targeted Modi and the
Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that
after getting votes from farmers in the
Lok Sabha election, they (BJP) have
forgotten the farmers and left them in
the lurch.
“Now, Modi and the BJP are hell
bent on snatching the farmers’ lands to
benefit industrialists,” he said.
Nitish Kumar said the Modi
government should take back the law or
face a countrywide protest.
“The land acquisition amendment
bill is anti-farmer and anti-people,”
he said. “Without consulting farmers
and without wider discussion on the
legislation, the bill has been brought,” he
claimed.
Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary
Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on
Sunday appealed to all political parties
to help pass the bill amending the Land
Acquisition Act 2013 in the larger
national interest.
He told reporters that the
government was ready to consider
and discuss any meaningful and
constructive suggestions and if
necessary, incorporate them. He said he
held talks with leaders of various parties
to seek their suggestions. “I hope that all
political parties will think in the interest
of the country, development and welfare
of farmers,” he said.
— IANS
‘Rahul will return
stronger’
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Congress vice president Rahul
Gandhi, who has taken a break
from parliament, will return
“stronger and more energetic”,
party leader A K Antony said
on Sunday. The former defence
minister defended the Gandhi
scion’s move which has drawn flak
from many quarters.
“Rahul Gandhi has been
working very hard without rest
for a long time,” Antony told
reporters here. “So he decided to
take a break... Wait and see, he will
return more stronger and more
energetic. He and Sonia will
together take the Congress back
to where it belonged,” he said.
Rahul has in the past described
Antony as his political guru.
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI:
India’s
reform-minded
prime
minister,
Narendra Modi, appears to have passed
a major test with a budget that pleased
economists and investors with pledges
to spend more on modernising India’s
ageing roads and railways while keeping
borrowing in check.
The budget presented by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday
loosened the reins on public spending
to drive growth, but promised lowerthan-expected borrowing despite
raising the fiscal deficit target.
While it was short on the “big bang”
reform measures that free-market
champions have been calling for since
Modi took office with a strong mandate
last year, the budget won plaudits for
moves to cut corporate tax and make
India more competitive.
That should help temper bond
traders’ concerns of a glut of
government debt and avoid a big selloff when markets open on Monday.
“Despite the higher fiscal deficit; the
market borrowing number is below
market expectations,” said Arvind
Chari, head of fixed income and
alternatives at Quantum Advisors in
Mumbai.
Stocks, which some investors say are
over-valued and risked a 6-8 per cent
crash if the budget disappointed, ended
up nearly 1 percent on the NSE market,
which opened in a special session
during the budget speech.
“We think the budget is positive
for growth and the (Indian rupee),”
HSBC Global Research said in a note
to investors, who will now be focusing
keenly on Modi’s ability to deliver on
his programme.
The budget had been billed in
advance as “make or break” for Modi’s
efforts to bring new vigour Asia’s third
largest economy.
India, a major energy importer, is
seeking to take advantage of swooning
oil prices to mount a dash for growth
that would see it eclipse rival China as
a motor of the global economy.
Some have questioned Jaitley’s
arithmetic, warning it could come
Some have questioned
Jaitley’s arithmetic, warning
it could come undone if
oil prices rise and that his
budget included optimistic
targets for revenues from
partial privatisations and
other non-tax receipts.
undone if oil prices rise and that his
budget included optimistic targets for
revenues from partial privatisations and
other non-tax receipts.
“We notice a 400 billion rupees ($6.5
billon) swing in ‘other receipts’ which is
helping fund the extra fiscal deficit.
Whether that ‘other’ materializes is
up to question but as for now the lower
budgeted borrowing should keep bond
markets happy,” said Chari.
Other critics say Jaitley should have
made a bolder statement to reduce
India’s expensive food and fertiliser
subsidies, a move the government may
have felt was more difficult politically
after defeat in a state election made
Modi look less invincible.
But overall the budget was described
as competent, if not exciting.
Jaitley’s headline innovation was
a roadmap for simpler taxation, with
a promise to cut corporate tax to 25
per cent from 30 per cent over four
years, and a commitment within a year
launching a national service tax union
to make business easier.
The budget also shifted more
resources to states in a boost for
federalism.
It promised to clamp down on India’s
black economy and warned of tough
new penalties including overseas asset
seizures and jail time for tax evaders.
All of this was praised in India’s
leading newspapers and analyst notes,
with public opinion also broadly
positive.
Even a decision to hike a service tax
to 14 percent met with acceptance from
some middle-class Indians, but with
caveats.
— Reuters
The government was mindful of the need to balance reform to help two-thirds of the people still living on less than $2 a day
Budget isn’t big, but it’s full of bang, say experts
NEW DELHI: The Indian government’s
budget was praised on Sunday as
balancing the need to boost business
and to help the poor, but some experts
were disappointed at a lack of big-bang
reforms to Asia’s third largest economy.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
announced an $11.3-billion increase
in spending on crumbling roads, rail
and other infrastructure and cut the
corporate tax rate on Saturday, when he
unveiled the right-wing government’s
first full budget.
Jaitley also rolled out new pension,
insurance
and
social
security
programmes for tens of millions of
desperately poor, along with tougher
penalties for wealthy people who stash
their cash overseas to avoid paying tax.
But some analysts were concerned
that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did
not use the budget to radically reshape
this budget would signal a sharp and
visible departure from business as
usual,” Sadanand Dhume, India expert
at Washington-based think-tank the
America Enterprise Institute, said.
“Measured by that yardstick, it is
indeed a bit of a disappointment,” he
added.
Some economists had been
hoping Jaitley would slash the more
than $35-billion annual subsidy bill
championed by the previous left-leaning
government.
Critics say the programme is
inefficient and too expensive.
Others were anticipating a start to
the privatisation of inefficient state-run
A digital screen shows Finance Minister Arun Jaitley delivering his Budget speech at banks and companies.
Parliament in New Delhi. — AFP
Alok Churiwala, head of Churiwala
Securities in Mumbai, said reform
economic policies after his party swept economy.
to power in a general election last May,
“Given Modi’s historic mandate expectations had been sky high, but
pledging to reform the then-faltering last year, many people had hoped that “we all knew in our hearts that in a big
democracy like ours (such) moves are
most unlikely”.
Jaitley on Saturday attempted to
deflect criticism of the pace and scale
of reform, after months of pledges to
fire up the manufacturing sector and
improve the ease of doing business to
attract foreign investment.
“People who urge us to undertake
‘big-bang’ reforms also say that the
Indian economy is a supergiant which
moves surely but slowly,” Jaitley told
parliament.
Political researcher Manoj Joshi said
the government was mindful of the need
to balance reform with helping the twothirds of Indians still living on less than
$2 a day.
“The point is that the BJP is a
political party and is making a budget
in a country where there are many poor
voters,” Joshi, from the Delhi-based
Observer Research Foundation, said.
“They have tried to balance the issue
of setting the stage for growth along with
social equity.”
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
last month suffered a drubbing in Delhi
state elections, its first major defeat at the
polls since it stormed to power.
Despite new figures showing
the economy is growing faster than
previously thought, critics say many
ordinary Indians have yet to feel the
benefit and are tired of waiting for
change.
India’s media on Sunday mostly
praised the budget for forging ahead
with efforts to boost growth, while
holding back on reforms in favour of
helping the poor.
“Jaitley lights growth fuse,” a frontpage headline read in the Hindustan
Times. — AFP
INDIA
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
11
POWER SHARING: Mufti Mohammad Sayeed sworn in as CM; BJP leader Nirmal Singh is deputy CM
IN BRIEF
PDP-BJP government takes oath in J&K
Ideas sought
for PMO
mobile app
JAMMU: PDP Chief Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed called for peace on Sunday after
taking oath as chief minister of Jammu
and Kashmir, heading a coalition that
brought the BJP to power for the first
time in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
BJP leaders Amit Shah and L K Advani
were among the 1,400 guests who witnessed the ceremony, over two months
after the PDP and the BJP won 28 and
25 seats respectively in a hung verdict
that exposed deep divisions between the
Muslim and Hindu areas.
After taking oath in English, Sayeed,
79, warmly hugged Modi and sat close
to him on a flower-decked stage at the
Jammu University’s General Zorawar
Singh auditorium to witness the entire
ceremony.
Later, addressing the media, Sayeed
said he had told Modi that peace was a
must if Jammu and Kashmir had to prosper.
He said the Modi government must
address the need for a dialogue between
India and Pakistan. Kashmiris, he said,
must be involved in the process.
In an indication as to what he desired,
Sayeed lavished praise on former prime
minister and now ailing BJP leader Atal
Bihari Vajpayee for starting a peace process with Pakistan in 2003 — when Sayeed
was chief minister the first time.
And in comments that would not
have pleased many BJP supporters, he
credited Pakistan, the separatist Hurriyat
group and militants for what he said was
a peaceful ballot in November-December
last year.
“The PDP-BJP government is a historic opportunity to fulfil the aspirations
of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and
take the state to new heights of progress,”
Modi tweeted.
The National Conference and the
Congress stayed away from the oath-taking ceremony.
Inclusive of Sayeed, the
PDP will have 11 cabinet
berths and the BJP six, Lone
included. The PDP and BJP
have three and five junior
ministers respectively. Two
of the junior ministers are
women: Priya Sethi (BJP)
and Asiya Naqash (PDP).
mad Ashraf Mir and Asiya Naqash (all
PDP).
In the evening, the PDP and the BJP
released a common minimum programme (CMP), promising to transform
Jammu and Kashmir as “the most ethical
state ... from the present day position of
being the most corrupt state”.
The CMP promised “genuine autonomy of institutions of probity”, and
“a sustained and meaningful dialogue”
for peace with “all internal stakeholders
... irrespective of ideological views and
predilections”.
It revealed the continuing difference
of opinion between the two parties on
the controversial Armed Forces Special
Powers Act, which gives sweeping powers to armed forces in the state. The PDP
wants it to go.
This is the second time Sayeed heads
a coalition government in Kashmir. He
took power in 2002, heading a PDP-Congress alliance, for three years.
The Kashmir verdict brought about
a clear divide between the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu region, with the PDP
winning almost all its seats in the valley
and the BJP sweeping Jammu.
This is the first time the BJP is tasting
power in Jammu and Kashmir, where a
separatist campaign which has raged since
1989 has left thousands dead. — IANS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
National Conference leader Omar
Abdullah took a dig at BJP ministers for
taking oath to uphold the Jammu and
Kashmir constitution — the only Indian
state to have its own constitution and a
flag.
Son of a preacher from the Kashmir
Valley, Sayeed will head the government
of his Peoples Democratic Party and the
Bharatiya Janata Party, and will be the
chief minister for all of six years.
BJP leader Nirmal Singh will be the
deputy chief minister. He said the two
parties would provide a stable government. Former separatist leader Sajjad
Gani Lone took oath as a BJP ally, and
then warmly hugged Modi and Sayeed,
triggering thunderous applause.
Inclusive of Sayeed, the PDP will have
11 cabinet berths and the BJP six, Lone
included. The PDP and BJP have three
and five junior ministers respectively.
Two of the junior ministers are women:
Priya Sethi (BJP) and Asiya Naqash
(PDP).
The PDP cabinet ministers are Abdul
Rehman Bhat Veeri, Javaid Mustafa Mir,
Abdul Haq Khan, Syed Basharat Bukhari,
Chowdhary Zulfiqar Ali, Haseeb Drabu, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Altaf
Bukhari, Imran Raza Ansari and Naeem
Akhtar.
The BJP’s cabinet members are Nirmal
Singh, Chander Prakash, Choudhary Lal
Singh, Bali Baghat, Sukhnandan Kumar
and Lone (Peoples Conference).
The junior ministers are Chering Dorjay, Sunil Kumar Sharma, Abdul Ghani
Kohli, Priya Sethi and Pawan Gupta (all
BJP) and Abdul Majeed Paddar, Muham-
Kashmir minister has a Kerala connection
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The
choice of Haseeb Drabu as a minister
in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday has
made many happy in Kerala, where he
did his MPhil.
Drabu was a student at the Centre
for Development Studies here in
1983, after which he joined a Phd
programme at the institute in 1986.
His friend Pyarelal Raghavan, now
a journalist in New Delhi, said that
they still keep in touch via Twitter.
Raghavan and Drabu were
classmates at the CDS for around six
years. They regrouped a few years
later in Delhi when they worked for a
media company.
Another former classmate of the
minister, K N Harilal, a former Kerala
Planning Board member and now a
professor at the CDS, described Drabu
as a jovial, happy go lucky person.
“He was very sharp, intelligent and
was liked by our senior teachers (K N
Raj, I S Gulati, Gita Sen and others),”
said Harilal.
Drabu joined the Peoples
Democratic Party and was elected to
the Jammu and Kashmir assembly
from Rajpora constituency. — IANS
Resident doctors defer strike Agra has 100 suspected swine flu cases
after negotiations with govt
NEW DELHI: Following assurances
from the health secretary to improve security conditions for resident doctors in
government hospitals, the Federation of
Resident Doctors Association (FORDA)
on Sunday decided to postpone its indefinite strike for a fortnight.
“We have decided to postpone our
indefinite strike till March 15. We have
been assured of proper security conditions by next week. We will go on a strike
from March 16 if our demands are not
met,” said Balwinder Singh, President of
FORDA. FORDA is an association of 25
Delhi-based government hospitals.
FORDA, in a letter dated on February 12, had urged union Health Minister
J P Nadda to immediately address the issues related to security in the city’s government hospitals.
They had said that if the demands
were not met before February 28, they
would go on an indefinite hunger strike
Achuthanandan
cuts a lonely
figure in CPM
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Is
the CPM boycotting veteran
leader and former Kerala chief
minister V S Achuthanandan?
Ever since Achuthanandan
staged a ‘boycott’ of his party’s
state conference, none of his
colleagues in the Communist
Party of India-Marxist seem to
be keen to get in touch with
him.
This was clearly evident
when the 91-year-old spent
half a day at the Kottayam
government guest house on
Saturday but not a single party
leader came to greet him.
Achuthanandan was in
Kottayam to inaugurate a
seminar of the CPI.
It was a week earlier that
he walked out of his own
party’s 21st state conference
after a resolution condemning
his constant breach of party
discipline was read out.
Speaker after speaker upheld
the party’s finding that he
was regularly breaching party
discipline.
Since last Sunday, he has
been staying put at his official
residence here, virtually isolated
by both the CPI-M leadership
and the rank and file. — IANS
and refrain from any sort of clinical
work.
The letter was written after four incidents of physical assaults, wherein the
resident doctors of Guru Tegh Bahadur
Hospital and Safdurjung Hospital were
attacked by the patients’ kin.
The resident doctors also claimed
that pickpockets and thieves were roaming unchecked in the hospital premises,
stealing patients’ belongings and cash.
Singh said he and the other members
of the association were attempting to
make government hospitals from other
states become members of the association so as to strengthen the organisation
and also ensure that their demands do
not go unheeded.
“The number of operation theatres
also need to be doubled in all hospitals
because patients have to wait for a long
time for surgical procedures,” Singh said.
— IANS
AGRA: With four more new probable
swine flu cases, the total number has
touched 100 in the Taj Mahal city.
Of the reports of 20 patients received
in Agra, seven have tested positive.
According to Agra’s Chief Medical Officer H S Danu, 82 samples were
sent for testing at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in New
Delhi.
With the weather taking an abrupt
turn, the return of the chill will extend
the agony, say doctors who were hoping
the virus would die soon as the mercury
rises.
Meanwhile, 16 fresh cases of swine
flu were detected in West Bengal in the
last 24 hours, taking the total number of
positive cases to 131, an official said on
Sunday. There were no fresh deaths.
The toll due to swine flu in Bengal
rose to eight on Saturday with the death
of a two and-a-half-year-old at a city
hospital.
“No deaths were reported since Sat-
‘No decision yet
on special status
to Andhra’
urday evening. 16 fresh cases have been
detected. The total number of cases
has reached 131,” said Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Malay
Kumar De.
Most of the cases are being reported
from the North 24 Parganas district and
from Kolkata while some were reported
from Howrah and Hooghly districts.
However, De said the state government is not advising residents to get
vaccinated.
Data collated by the Health Ministry
said that altogether, 1,075 persons have
now perished from the disease in 2015
while the number of those affected by
swine flu stands at 19,972 as on February 28. — IANS
The Met department has forecast similar weather for at least two more days
Rain brings back winter chill in Delhi
NEW DELHI: Rain accompanied by
cold winds on Sunday brought back the
winter chill to the national capital and
its adjoining areas which had turned
unusually warm in recent days. The Met
department has forecast similar weather
for at least two more days.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the sudden change in weather was caused by
western disturbances — a weather system originating in the MediterraneanCaspian Sea region and moving across
the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, which
brings rain or snow in the sub-Himalayan regions.
“Such sudden change occurs because of the western disturbances. With
this change, there are always chances of
cold wind, rain, thunderstorm and even
snowfall in the affected areas,” an IMD
official said.
Though Delhi’s minimum temperature on Sunday settled at 15.2 degrees
Celsius — three notches above the season’s average — the maximum was 19
degrees, eight notches below average.
Delhi received 17.2 mm of rainfall till
5.30 pm on Sunday, while its adjoining
areas Gurgaon and Ghaziabad received
11 mm and 10 mm of rainfall, respectively.
“It has been raining in Gurgaon since
early morning. The rain stopped in the
‘Such sudden change occurs
because of the western
disturbances. With this
change, there are always
chances of cold wind, rain,
thunderstorm and even
snowfall in the affected
areas,’ an IMD official said.
afternoon for about an hour or so but it
started drizzling again. The weather has
all of a sudden turned cold,” Shivangi,
a 25-year-old research scholar from
Gurgaon, said.
People in Ghaziabad too were seen
putting on woollen clothes following the
dip in temperature.
NEW DELHI: Urging young
engineers to help move India to the
status of an innovation hub, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday
said he will invite ideas from the public
for developing a mobile application for
the Prime Minister’s Office towards
making it mobile-friendly.
“The faster you all make mobile
apps, the faster you will capture the
market. We need a revolution in
mobile governance. We will launch
a competition through mygov. In to
seek ideas for a PMO mobile app,” he
said at an event here to mark 25 years
of the IT industry body Nasscom.
“Why didn’t Google originate in
India? We have no dearth of talent.
The government will provide the
necessary infrastructure if the sector
continues to innovate,” he added.
Saying that the IT industry had
changed the West’s perception of
India, Modi emphasised that the quest
for a ‘Digital India’ needed to include
all citizens.
He also pointed out that cyber
security was an emerging issue where
new IT graduates could contribute to
finding solutions.
“Everyone’s worried about cyber
security. Can India’s youngsters help
the world sleep peacefully at night? It’s
the need of the times, can the industry
evolve a taskforce to tackle this
problem,” asked the prime minister.
“Cloud godowns” and “cloud
lockers” would soon be an emerging
trend and the domestic industry
could capitalise on it provided it could
ensure cyber security, he added.
“Whole
banks
and
even
government departments will move
from physical files to cloud storage,”
Modi said.
He also highlighted the use
of technology on the coal block
allocations and direct transfer of
cooking gas subsidy in terms of
promoting transparency. — IANS
“The constant rain since Saturday
night has brought down the temperature
here. I had to put on my sweater to overcome the chill,” said Vivek Srivastava, a
financial analyst from Ghaziabad, who,
however, said he was enjoying the sudden change.
The Met department has forecast a
cloudy Monday with rain accompanied
by cold winds in many parts of the city.
“Delhi will see a rainy Monday. More
cold wind is expected during the day
while fog is expected in the evening,” the
IMD official said.
Monday’s maximum and minimum
temperatures are likely to hover around
20 degrees and 15 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Sunday’s maximum humidity was
100 per cent.
Saturday’s minimum temperature
settled at 12.6 degrees Celsius, a notch
above the season’s average, while the
maximum was 29.2 degrees, four notches above average. — IANS
HYDERABAD: The NDA central
government has not yet taken a
decision on granting special category
status to Andhra Pradesh and the
issue was under consideration, said
union Urban Development Minister
M Venkaiah Naidu.
Naidu faced a volley of questions
at a news conference here on Sunday,
a day after Telugu Desam Party
(TDP), a partner in the Bharatiya
Janata Party-led National Democratic
Alliance, voiced disappointment
over the union budget for 2015-16.
The budget tabled in parliament on
Saturday made no mention of special
status.
TDP president and Andhra
Pradesh
Chief
Minister
N
Chandrababu Naidu has announced
that he will meet Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to seek justice to
the state as promised by him during
election campaign last year.
Venkaiah Naidu meanwhile
assured that the central government
would fulfill all commitments made
in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation
Act.
He admitted that Rs 100 crore
allocated in the budget for Polavaram
project is insufficient and promised
to take up the issue with Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley.
“Can I fight in the government,” he
shot back when asked why is he not
fighting for special status.
“Every day I am spending some
time for betterment of the two states
in whatever manner I can do,” said
the BJP leader, who played a key role
in extracting some commitments
for Andhra Pradesh from then UPA
government during debate on the
reorganisation bill in parliament.
Visibly upset over some questions
by reporters, Venkaiah Naidu wanted
to know why they never asked these
questions to the previous government.
12
POPE PRAYS FOR VENEZUELA PROTEST VICTIM
M O N DAY l M A R C H 2 l 2 0 1 5
ITALY ANTI-IMMIGRANT LEAGUE RALLY
Pope Francis called on Sunday for an end
to political violence in Venezuela and said
he would pray for a teenager killed during
an anti-government demonstration last
week. Protests against the government of
President Nicolas Maduro turned violent
in the city of San Cristobal where 14-yearold Kluibert Roa was shot dead. A 23-yearold policeman has been detained and
charged over the killing.
WORLD
Thousands of supporters of Italy’s
anti-euro Northern League filled one
of the biggest squares in Rome on
Saturday, accusing the government of
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of selling
the country out to faceless powers in
Brussels. Northern League leader Matteo
Salvini, who called the rally, took aim at
a series of targets, ranging from illegal
immigrants to tax authorities.
Mali govt signs peace deal, Tuareg rebels delay
ALGIERS: The Malian government
signed a peace agreement with some
northern armed groups on Sunday
in Algiers but the main Tuareg rebel
alliance asked for more time to consult
its grassroots.
The deal, hammered out in eight
months of tough negotiations in
neighbouring Algeria, provides for the
transfer of a raft of powers from Bamako
to the north, an area the size of Texas
that the rebels refer to as “Azawad”.
Militants linked to Al Qaeda seized
control of northern Mali for more than
nine months until a French-led military
intervention in 2013 that partly drove
them from the region.
Militant groups were not invited to
the Algiers talks.
The Tuareg rebel alliance that
includes the National Movement for the
Liberation of Azawad said it had asked
for a “reasonable delay” for consultations
before signing.
“An agreement that has not been
shared with the people of the region has
little chance of being implemented on
the ground,” an alliance representative
said.
But a rebel spokesman, Mohamed
Ousmane Mohamedoun, said he was
“optimistic that a deal could be signed
within weeks in Mali”...”after securing
the approval of our people”.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye
Diop said on Sunday’s deal was
“a promise of peace” and voiced
“confidence in the future”.
His Algerian counterpart Ramtane
Lamamra was equally optimistic that the
rebel alliance would soon sign up.
“The agreement will be signed by all
the groups,” he said.
The delay sought by the Tuareg
alliance was merely an indication of their
“desire to secure maximum support for
the deal.”
Mali’s former colonial ruler France
welcomed the deal, urging all groups to
sign it without delay.
“The agreement finalised this
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra (L) hugs Mali’s Bilal Acherif, the general
morning in Algiers is an excellent
secretary of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, during a peace
development,” Foreign Minister Laurent
agreement ceremony as part of mediation talks between the Malian government
and some northern armed groups, on Sunday in Algiers.
— AFP Fabius said, describing it as “a balanced
and beneficial document for the country
and the region”.
“I salute the decision of the president
and the Malian government to sign it
and call on all groups in the north to do
so without delay.”
A spokesman for the groups that
did sign hailed the agreement as “an
essential document for restoring peace
and reconciliation”.
“We have undertaken to respect
the spirit and the letter of it,” Harouna
Toureh said. “We will do all we can so
that the agreement comes to life and
allows all the peoples of the region to
rediscover one and another and live
together, as they did in the past, in
brotherhood and solidarity.”
— AFP
Spanish PM hits back at Greek Chile leader visits ailing 14-yr-old girl
accusation of anti-Athens ‘axis’
SANTIAGO: Chile’s President Michelle
Bachelet on Saturday visited a 14-yearold girl suffering from cystic fibrosis
who made a heart-wrenching video
appeal to be allowed to end her life.
Valentina Maureira had addressed
Bachelet personally in the message,
which she recorded with a smartphone
and uploaded to YouTube from her
hospital bed without her parents
knowledge.
“I ask to speak urgently with the
president, because I am tired of living
with this disease,” she said.
“She can authorise an injection to put
me to sleep forever,” she said.
Maureira is in “stable” condition
from cystic fibrosis, an incurable genetic
disorder that attacks the lungs and other
vital organs, making it difficult to breathe
and causing a host of other symptoms.
international creditors at Germany, the
biggest contributor to their country’s
240-billion-euro bailout.
But in a speech on Saturday to his
Syriza party, which won an election on
January 25, Tsipras turned on Madrid
and Lisbon, accusing them of attempting
to sabotage the negotiations for political
reasons. “We found opposing us an axis
of powers... led by the governments of
Spain and Portugal which for obvious
political reasons attempted to lead the
entire negotiations to the brink,” Tsipras
said. “Their plan was and is to wear
down, topple or bring our government
Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia
to trial new jet tracking system
its flight plan.”
The announcement came ahead
almost a year after Malaysian Airlines
MH370 went missing en route from
Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239
people on board last March.
A massive air and underwater search
failing to find any evidence of the plane.
While the system was “not a silver
bullet”, it would help to improve current
methods of tracking ahead of other
solutions being developed, Airservices
Australia chairman Air Chief Marshal
Angus Houston said.
If an aircraft deviates more than
200 feet from its assigned level or two
nautical miles from its expected track,
S Leone VP places himself in quarantine
to unconditional surrender before our
work begins to bear fruit and before the
Greek example affects other countries,”
he said, adding: “And mainly before the
election in Spain.”
Rajoy said Spain had shown solidarity
with Greece as part of the euro zone
by helping with its bailout and urged
Greece to fulfil its obligations and keep
its promises.
“We are not responsible for the
frustration generated by the radical
Greek left that promised the Greeks
something it couldn’t deliver on,” he said.
— Reuters
It can increase realtime monitoring if an abnormal situation arises
SYDNEY: Australia on Sunday said it
was trialling a “world first” system with
Malaysia and Indonesia that increases
the tracking of aircraft over remote
oceans, allowing authorities to quickly
react to abnormal situations such as the
disappearance of MH370.
It raises the minimum tracking rate
for planes flying over remote oceans to
15 minutes from current intervals of 30
to 40 minutes.
The technology “can increase
realtime monitoring should an
abnormal situation arise,” Australian
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss
said.
“In a world first, all three countries
will trial a new method of tracking
aircraft through the skies over remote
oceanic areas,” Truss told reporters.
“Now this initiative adapts existing
technology used by more than 90 per
cent of long-haul passenger aircraft
and would see air traffic control able to
respond more rapidly should an aircraft
experience difficulty or deviation from
Her message has been viewed thousands
Bachelet responded to the appeal
of times on social networks, igniting with Saturday morning’s unannounced
debate over euthanasia in Chile, where visit, accompanied by Health Minister
it is forbidden by law.
Carmen Castillo.
— AFP
AROUND THE GLOBE
Mariano Rajoy arrives for a party meeting in Seville on Sunday. — Reuters
ATHENS/MADRID: Spain’s centreright Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
hit back on Sunday against accusations
from Greece’s leftist premier that Spain
and Portugal had led a conservative
conspiracy to topple his anti-austerity
government.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
said Spain and Portugal had taken a hard
line in talks on the euro zone extending
the Greek bailout programme because
they feared the rise of the left in their
own countries.
Greeks have directed much of their
fury about years of austerity dictated by
President Michele Bachelet posing for a selfie with Valentina Maureira at the
hospital in Santiago on Saturday.
— AFP
the system would automatically monitor
the jet more closely, such as every five
minutes or almost continuously, he
added.
“This is a big step forward. It’s not
just changing things, it’s going to make,
I think, the monitoring of aircraft
over these oceanic areas much more
effective,” the head of the air traffic
control body said.
“We will have a datum close to where
the aircraft ran into trouble, which is in
marked contrast to MH370 where the
last known position was in the Malacca
Straits.”
The trial, using automatic dependent
surveillance
contract
(ADSC)
technology, will commence at the air
traffic services centre in the eastern city
of Brisbane before being extended to
Melbourne in the country’s south and to
Indonesia and Malaysia.
Long-haul jets that use the existing
technology include wide-bodied planes
such as Boeing’s 380, 777, 330, 340 and
350 models, Truss said. — AFP
FREETOWN: Sierra Leone’s Vice-President Samuel Sam-Sumana said on Saturday that
he had placed himself in a 21-day quarantine after one of his bodyguards died of Ebola
amid a worrying recent surge in new infections in the West African nation.
Cases of Ebola, which has killed nearly 10,000 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and
Guinea during a year-long epidemic, have fallen off sharply in recent weeks.
Of 99 new confirmed Ebola cases in the region during the week to February 22,
however, 63 were in Sierra Leone according to the World Health Organisation’s weekly
report. Sam-Sumana’s bodyguard John Koroma died early this week.
“I have decided to be put under quarantine because I do not want to take chances
and I want to lead by example,” the vice president said. “I am very well and showing no
signs of illness.”
Sam-Sumana said his entire staff will also be placed under observation and anyone
showing symptoms of the disease would be tested.
The vice president is the country’s first senior government figure to subject himself
to a voluntary quarantine.
However, officials in neighbouring Liberia, including the chief medical officer and
transport minister, were placed under observation late last year. — Reuters
Berlusconi on
crutches for three
weeks due
to foot injury
ROME: Former Italian prime minister
Silvio Berlusconi might have to use
crutches for the next three weeks
because of a foot injury, one of his
doctors said.
The 78-year-old provoked a “tiny
composite [bone] fracture” after
placing his foot awkwardly while
getting out of a car “a few days ago,”
Alberto Zangrillo told the ANSA news
agency late on Saturday.
“Berlusconi can walk, but if
anything, he should use crutches and
be careful with his movements for
about 20 days,” he said.
The injury comes at a critical
time for the embattled conservative
politician.
On March 8 he will finish
community service in a centre for the
elderly for a tax fraud conviction, and
two days later Italy’s top appeals court
will start deliberating on the “bunga
bunga” case,
where Berlusconi is accused of
soliciting sex from a minor.
In a first instance ruling in 2013,
Berlusconi was handed a seven-year
suspended jail sentence, but the
conviction was quashed in a first
appeal ruling a year later.
Top judges could issue guilty or
innocent verdicts, or order a retrial.
— dpa
People walk in the heavy rain along Biscayne Blvd in Miami, US. Some areas
of Miami saw up to 8 inches of rain in just a few hours, flooding streets
according the local media. — Reuters
Anti-militant operation in German city
BREMEN: Police in the northern German port city of Bremen were continuing
their investigation into a potential militant threat on Sunday, according to a police
spokeswoman.
“We have an ongoing raised alert,” Franka Haedke said, adding that officers had
worked through the night after announcing on Saturday that they had been tipped off
to an imminent threat of a militanat attack.
“We have laid a security net over Bremen,” Haedke said, without giving further
details of the operation. Two people were arrested but were later released as there
were no grounds on which to charge them, she said, without stating the reasons for
their initial arrest. Earlier, police had held several others in custody.
Haedke said the police operation would continue at threatened locations.
There were fewer armed police on the streets in the centre of Bremen as there were
a lot fewer people out and about compared to Saturday.
Meanwhile, the German Interior Ministry said on Sunday that Germany remained
the target of terrorists. — dpa
REGION
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
POLITICAL ROADMAP: President Sisi orders that law be redrafted within one month
Court ruling may force delay of
Egypt parliamentary elections
Members of the special forces police stand guard in front of the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo yesterday during a
court session to determine if the House of Representatives parliamentary election law is constitutional. — Reuters
CAIRO: Egypt’s parliamentary poll
looks set to be delayed after a court
ruled that part of an election law was
unconstitutional and the main election
committee said it was working on a new
timetable for the long-awaited vote.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi directed his government to make amendments to the law, which defines electoral
districts, within one month.
The first phase of the parliamentary
poll is due to start on March 22.
The election is the final step in a political road map the army announced in
July 2013.
Another court ruling later this month
will definitively decide whether or not
the elections will be delayed.
The latest development highlights
Egypt’s rocky path towards democracy
since the ousting of president Mohamed
Mursi in 2013 by the army after mass
protests against him.
Egypt has been without a parliament
since June 2012 when a court dissolved
the democratically elected main chamber, reversing a major accomplishment
of the 2011 uprising.
“The committee will prepare a new
timetable for (election) measures after
the legislative amendments are issued,”
a statement from the Supreme Election
Committee said.
Earlier, the Supreme Constitutional
Court ruled that an article in a law defining electoral districts was unconstitutional.
“The court’s ruling imposes the necessity of delaying the elections,” said
political science professor Hassan Nafaa.
“The new law may combine or add
electoral districts, therefore the door for
candidates’ registration has to be reopened and that means we are, practically
speaking, looking at a delay of no less
than three months.”
Egyptian leaders say the election
shows their commitment to democracy.
In the absence of parliament, Sisi has
wielded legislative authority to introduce economic reforms that have im-
pressed investors.
The People’s Assembly is made up of
567 seats, with 420 elected as individuals
and 120 through winner-takes-all lists
with quotas for women, Christians and
youth.
The remaining seats are appointed by
the president.
Several opposition political parties
had announced they would boycott the
election.
Egypt is trying to burnish its image
in the run-up to an investors’ summit in
mid-March which the government sees
as playing a key role in turning around a
battered economy.
Egyptian businessman Seif Fahmy
said that many investors are waiting to
see the make up of the next government.
“We really want to see what the next
government is going to look like,” he
said.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s army yesterday said at least 172 militants were
killed in February in joint police and
military operations in the restive Sinai
where security forces are battling an insurgency.
The militants were killed in a series
of security operations in the peninsula
after a deadly January 29 attack by extremists left 30 people dead, mostly soldiers.
The army said the militants were
killed in the North Sinai cities of El-Arish, Shaikh Zuweid and in the town of
Rafah that borders Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Another 229 suspected extremists
were arrested in these operations, while
85 militant hideouts were destroyed last
month, the army said in a statement accompanied by a picture of a suspected
militant shot dead.
Egypt’s army has poured troops and
armour into the region to fight the insurgency. — AFP
First Iran flight lands in Yemeni capital
SANAA: A first Iranian flight landed in
the Yemeni capital on Sunday, a day after officials from the militia-controlled
city signed an aviation agreement with
Tehran.
The Mahan Air plane arrived in
Sanaa carrying a team from the Iranian
Red Crescent and medical aid, an aviation official told said.
Senior Iranian diplomats were on
hand to welcome the flight — the first
between the two countries in many
years.
Yemen’s official Saba news agency,
which is controlled by the militiamen who overran Sanaa in September,
said Mahan Air and Yemenia would
each operate 14 weekly flights under the
accord.
Western-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who last weekend
escaped house arrest by the Huthis in
Sanaa, slammed the agreement as “illegal,” according to an aide.
“Those who signed it will be held accountable,” Hadi said during a meeting
with tribal chiefs in the southern city of
Aden where he is now based.
Tehran has repeatedly been accused
of backing the Houthi militia, also
known as Ansarullah.
The deal signed in Tehran by
the aviation authorities of
both countries allows Yemen
and Iran each to fly up to
14 flights a week in both
directions.
Meanwhile, Saba reported that a
Houthi delegation led by the head of
the “Ansarullah political council”, Saleh
al Sammad, would travel to Tehran on
Sunday for an “official” visit.
“The delegation which includes an
economic delegation, will hold talks
with Iranian government officials to discuss means of strengthening economic,
political and other means of cooperation between both countries,” Sammad
told Saba.
The visit is part of efforts to “open
new horizons in relations with countries
that respect the will of the Yemeni people”, said Sammad.
US Secretary of State John Kerry
charged last week that “critical” support
CCTV shows Syria-bound British
girls at Istanbul bus station
ISTANBUL: Security footage appears
to show three British girls, believed
to be heading for Syria to join IS
militants, waiting at a bus station in
Istanbul before travelling to a Turkish
town on the Syrian border, media
reported on Sunday.
Close friends Kadiza Sultana, 16,
and 15-year-olds Shamima Begum and
Amira Abase, boarded a flight from
London to Istanbul on February 17.
British police, who have said
the girls are thought to have since
entered Syria, and their families have
launched urgent appeals for them to
return home.
The CCTV images show the
three girls entering a bus terminal
in Istanbul’s Bayrampasa district on
the European side of the city, which
the trio reached by metro from the
airport. They are seen wearing winter
coats on top of their niqabs, two
of them with hoods pulled up and
carrying luggage as they sit and wait,
according to footage on the Aksam
newspaper’s website, which cited
security sources.
The footage was recorded in the
early hours of February 18, less than 24
hours after the girls left their homes in
east London, telling their families they
were heading out for the day.
At one point they can be seen
leaving the waiting lounge of the busy
terminal along with other passengers
and walking through a snow-covered
path into the departure lounge.
The time codes on the images
suggest that the girls waited at the
terminal for nearly 18 hours before
taking a bus to the southeastern
Turkish city of Sanliurfa close to the
Syrian border.
Aksam said that Turkish police were
trying to identify the passengers in the
footage helping the girls carry their
luggage at the bus station.
Turkey accused Britain of failing to
provide information about the girls
sooner.
An estimated 550 Western women
have travelled to join the militants in
Iraq and Syria. — AFP
Passengers disembark from an Airbus A310 of Iranian private airline Mahan Air at Sanaa
International airport following its first flight to Yemen from Iran yesterday. — Reuters
of the militia by Iran had “contributed”
to the collapse of Yemen’s government.
Iran rejected Kerry’s “blame game,”
insisting that foreign intervention in
Yemen would only “further complicate
the situation”
The Houthis, who have long clashed
with central authorities, descended from
their power base in northern Yemen to
seize Sanaa in September.
After moves to expand into southern and central Yemen were checked
by fierce resistance from Al Qaeda and
from tribesmen, the militia grabbed
the seats of power in Sanaa in February.
—AFP
omandailyobserver
13
Sisi meets new Saudi King
discusses regional issues
RIYADH: Egypt’s President Abdel
Fatteh el Sisi met Saudi Arabia’s King
Salman in Riyadh on Sunday for the
pair’s first in-depth talks on regional issues at a time of unprecedented turmoil
in the Middle East.
The meeting was aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, as well as discussing
the crises in the Middle East and addressing security in the Red Sea in light
of growing political chaos in Yemen,
pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on
Sunday quoted Sisi as saying.
Salman broke official protocol to
meet Sisi at the airport, a pointed mark
of favour towards the Egyptian president at a time when some Arab media
have asked whether the close ties that
existed between the two states under
the late King Abdullah would continue.
The visit is the latest in an intense
flurry of diplomacy in Riyadh, and follows talks between Salman and leaders
of all Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Arab neighbours, as well as Jordan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan will meet him on Monday.
The talks have been billed as an opportunity for the new leader to meet his
peers for in-depth discussions after cursory initial meetings last month when
they paid condolences over Abdullah’s
death.
However, the talks may also be
aimed at strengthening Arab unity,
analysts say. US Secretary of State John
Kerry will visit Riyadh this week ahead
of another round of international talks
aimed at finding a nuclear deal with
Iran. — Reuters
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
upon his arrival in Riyadh yesterday. — AFP
Jailed Kurdish leader’s call
to lay down arms hailed
ISTANBUL: Kurdish rebels on Sunday
hailed as “historic” a call for disarmament made by their jailed leader for disarmament and said Turkey should speed
up reforms to move the peace process
forward.
Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) imprisoned on an island near Istanbul, had on
Saturday urged the separatists to hold a
congress on disarmament in the coming
months.
“Such a goodwill statement presents
a unique chance to advance democracy
and resolve the Kurdish issue and Turkey’s basic problems,” the PKK said in a
statement.
“The government should fulfil its
responsibilities in a timely and proper
manner and take sweeping, concrete
steps,” it said.
The disarmament call was also
praised by the European Union as a
key step in efforts to end Turkey’s longrunning Kurdish insurgency that has
claimed some 40,000 lives.
The PKK also said that they wanted
to speak with Ocalan “directly” and “immediately” to ensure that the peace talks
continue to progress.
Currently, pro-Kurdish lawmakers shuttle between Ocalan’s prison
on the Island of Imrali and the inhospitable Qandil mountains in northern
Iraq, where the PKK leadership is based.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
on Saturday welcomed Ocalan’s call as
“very important” but cautioned that earlier calls made by the Kurdish rebels had
failed.
The ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) is seeking support from
Turkey’s estimated 15 million Kurds in
parliamentary elections in June in order
to change the constitution and imbue
Erdogan’s office with more executive
powers.
But at the same time the party is
keen to prevent any outbreak of violence
ahead of the election campaign and is introducing a bill that boosts police powers to crack down on protests — a move
the PKK has called on the government
to abandon.
The ostensible trigger for the bill was
pro-Kurdish violent protests in southeastern Turkey and Istanbul last October
that left scores of people dead. — AFP
The breakdown in law and order in Libya has allowed migrants to reach Europe by boat
Italy to begin naval exercises off Libya
ROME: Italy will begin annual naval exercises this week near the coast of Libya,
where a breakdown in order has allowed
tens of thousands of migrants to try to
reach Europe by boat and increased
fears of attacks by militants.
The navy said in a statement that the
exercises, known as Mare Aperto (Open
Sea), would begin on Monday.
The exercises were suspended last
year because of the search-and-rescue
mission dubbed Mare Nostrum, which
was set up after hundreds of migrants
were drowned off the southern island of
Lampedusa.
Mare Nostrum has now ended and
been replaced by a more limited European Union mission known as Triton.
Admiral Pierpaolo Ribuffo, the officer in command of exercises, said the operation was not directly connected with
the crisis in Libya, where Italian energy
group Eni has significant offshore oil
platforms and other assets.
But he said the presence of naval ves-
African migrants are seen in a room at the Alkarareem immigration centre in the
east of Misrata. — Reuters
sels in the area could help improve security.
“We’re training our ships and our
men, that’s all. Our activity has nothing to do with other scenarios,” he told
Italian news agency ANSA in comments
that were subsequently released by the
navy.
“Obviously the presence of ships at
sea also means security, deterrence and
dissuasion,” he said.”But that’s normal,
it’s like police patrolling the streets.”
Italy, whose southern islands are only
around 300 kilometres from the Libyan
coast, has led calls for a global diplomatic push to stabilise Libya, where two
rival governments are fighting for control and where militants have gained a
growing foothold.
It has also offered help in training a
regular Libyan army but has ruled out
any peacekeeping mission for the moment.
Concern over attacks on targets in
Italy has been heightened by video messages from groups associating themselves with the IS movement, stating that
Rome was a target and by press reports
that militants could reach Italy on migrant boats.
Officials have said that Italy, like
other Western countries, faces a general
risk but there has been no indication
of any concrete threat and no evidence
of violent militants among migrants,
most of whom are from Africa or Syria.
— Reuters
14
AMERICAS
omandailyobserver
RETURN TO
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Venezuela holds US citizens
on spying charges: Maduro
POWER
IN BRIEF
STRAINED TIES: The president announces several moves against Washington
Newly sworn-in Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez (L) and
his Vice-President Raul Sendic (R) wave at the Congress in
Montevideo on Sunday.
— AFP
Tabare Vazquez
sworn in as new
Uruguay president
MONTEVIDEO: Tabare Vazquez was sworn in as president
of Uruguay on Sunday, returning to office a decade after first
leading the left to power and drawing a curtain on folksy
farmer Jose Mujica’s colourful rule.
Mujica, a former guerrilla fighter, handed power back to
his Broad Front (FA) party colleague, in a country that bars
presidents from serving consecutive terms.
Vazquez, a cancer doctor with a more buttoned-down
style, won 53.6 per cent of the vote in a November 30
presidential run-off, reclaiming the office he previously held
from 2005 to 2010.
After taking the oath of office before the National
Assembly, he called for dialogue on issues facing the
country, at a moment when the parties that long dominated
Uruguayan politics, the Blancos (Whites) and Colorados
(Reds), are reeling from a string of FA victories.
“We can and we must analyse and dialogue respectfully
together on the different paths to achieve the best public
education for our people, to have quality health care for all,
dignified housing,” he
said.
Vazquez, 75, cuts a Vazquez, a cancer
more sober figure than doctor with a more
the outspoken Mujica, buttoned-down
and
has
criticised
some of his reforms style, won 53.6 per
— including the still- cent of the vote
unimplemented
plan in a November 30
to sell marijuana at
pharmacies,
a
key presidential run-off,
element of the new reclaiming the office
cannabis law.
he previously held
Known
for
his
spartan lifestyle, his salty from 2005 to 2010.
commentary and his
devotion to his threelegged dog, Mujica steps down more popular than ever, with
an approval rating over 60 per cent.
But after five years at the helm of this South American
nation, the 79-year-old farmer leaves something of a mixed
legacy for Vazquez.
“There’s still so much to do and I hope that the next
government will be better than mine and will have greater
success,” Mujica said in an interview with a local newspaper
on Thursday.
“I became president filled with idealism, but then reality
hit.” The colourful rabble-rouser attracted international
attention as much for his lifestyle as his policies.
Eschewing the trappings of power, Mujica insisted on
living on his modest farm and driving around in an ageing
Volkswagen Beetle.
He was more likely to be seen in a beret with scruffy
clothes, having just gotten down from his tractor, than
wearing a suit.
He also gave most of his salary to charity.
— AFP
CARACAS: Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro has said his
government had detained US
citizens, including a pilot, on
suspicion of espionage, in a move
likely to strain already tense relations
between Washington and Caracas.
Maduro also said his government
would order a reduction in the
number of US embassy staff in
Caracas and prohibit some US
officials from entering Venezuela in
retaliation for a similar US measure
last year. Venezuela would also
require US citizens to obtain visas
before visiting, he told a rally on
Saturday.
The Venezuelan president,
long at odds with Washington, has
renewed accusations in recent weeks
that the United States is seeking to
topple him.
Maduro’s political opponents at
home call this a smokescreen aimed
at distracting from an increasingly
severe economic crisis in the oilexporting nation.
Venezuela has been hard hit by
the collapse of oil prices over the last
nine months.
“We have captured some US
citizens in undercover activities,
espionage, trying to win over people
in towns along the Venezuelan
coast,” Maduro said at a rally in
Caracas adding one was a US pilot
detained in the volatile border state
of Tachira. “In Tachira we captured
a pilot of a US plane (who is) of
Latin origin (carrying) all kinds
of documentation,” Maduro said,
without offering details.
He said US politicians including
former President George W Bush,
former Vice President Dick Cheney,
and Senator Bob Menendez would
be blocked from entering Venezuela.
Menendez in response said:
“Being sanctioned by the Maduro
regime will never deter me from
speaking out against the ruin caused
by his government.”
A spokesman for the US embassy
in Caracas said he was unable to
comment, citing a lack of any official
diplomatic communication with the
Venezuelan government.
An official in US President
Barack Obama’s administration
broadly dismissed the accusations
from Caracas.
“The continued allegations that
the United States is involved in
efforts to destabilise the Venezuelan
government are baseless and false,”
the senior administration official
said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
The head of a Venezuelan
evangelical organisation said on
Friday a group of four missionaries
had been called in for questioning
after taking part in a medical
assistance campaign in the coastal
town of Ocumare de la Costa.
— Reuters
US wants to
avoid ‘political
football’: Kerry
WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is
“welcome” to deliver his US speech,
Secretary of State John Kerry said on
Sunday, insisting that Washington is
eager to avoid a “political football”
over the controversial visit.
“The Prime Minister of Israel
is welcome to speak in the United
States obviously and we have a closer
relationship with Israel right now in
terms of security than in any time in
history,” Kerry told ABC television’s
“This Week” programme.
“We don’t want to see this turned
into some great political football,” he
said, just hours before Netanyahu was
due to arrive in Washington.
Netanyahu was on his way to the
United States on what he has called
a “historic” 48-hour mission to try
to stop a nuclear deal with Iran —
including, controversially, his speech
on Tuesday before a joint session of
the US Congress.
The Israeli leader — who also this
week will address the annual AIPAC
pro-Israel lobby group — is making
the address to Congress to garner
last-minute support to halt a possible
world deal with Iran over its nuclear
programme.
— AFP
US moving
to deport
Bosnians
President Nicolas Maduro (C) greets supporters during a rally to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the social uprising known as ‘Caracazo’,
which Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez said marked the start of his revolution, in Caracas. — Reuters
US ‘pastor’ detained in Brazil on abuse charges
RIO DE JANEIRO: An American
cult leader suspected of
assaulting several girls, some
reportedly as young as 12, has
been detained in Brazil, police
said on Saturday.
Police tracked down 53-yearold Victor Barnard, wanted on
59 counts of sexual assault, in
the beach resort of Pipa near
the northern city of Natal after
a search coordinated with US
authorities, Globo television
reported.
Barnard, who founded his
River Road Fellowship sect in the
US state of Minnesota, is accused
Victor Barnard is pictured during of a series of assaults over the
his arrest in the northern Brazilian course of nearly a decade. He was
the subject of an international
state of Rio Grande do Norte.
— Reuters manhunt.
According to the US Marshals
Service, Barnard set up a campsite
near the town of Finlayson in
2000, urging several followers to
let their daughters live with him
there.
The young girls, whom
Barnard referred to as “maidens”,
were housed in a separate area
at the isolated camp, about 160
kilometres north of Minneapolis.
From 2000 to 2009 he
allegedly sexually assaulted some
of the girls, before moving his
family and church to Washington
state, the Marshals said.
US media reported that
two women came forward to
investigators reporting that they
had been assaulted at ages 12
and 13 by Barnard, while part of
his “maidens” group.
“I am ready to have him locked
up,” Lindsay Tornambe, who
said she first came into contact
with Barnard at age 13, told the
Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“As soon as I got the news (of
Barnard’s arrest), I started crying.
It feels so surreal. I knew the day
would come, but it finally came
and it’s almost numbing,” she said.
The self-proclaimed pastor
was added to the US Marshals
Service’s list of 15 most wanted
fugitives in November. A $25,000
award had been offered for
information leading to his arrest.
The Marshals Service said
Barnard was charged with the
assaults in April 2014 and had
been on the run since. — AFP
WASHINGTON:
US
officials
have identified about 300 Bosnian
immigrants who they believe
concealed their involvement in
wartime atrocities including the 1995
Srebrenica massacre, and are trying to
deport at least 150 of them, The New
York Times reported on Saturday.
The immigrants were among
refugees fleeing the violence in
Bosnia after a war that erupted in
1992 with the collapse of Yugoslavia.
The number of suspects could
eventually be over 600 as more
records from Bosnia become
available, the newspaper reported.
“The more we dig, the more
documents we find,” Immigration
and Customs Enforcement historian
Michael MacQueen, who has led
many of the agency’s war crimes
investigations, told the Times.
Many of the Bosnian suspects were
former soldiers and they include a
Virginia soccer coach, an Ohio metal
worker and four Las Vegas hotel
casino workers, the newspaper said.
Some are now US citizens, it said.
Space station commander Barry Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts began their six hour, 45 minute spacewalk at 6:52 am
US astronauts begin spacewalk at orbiting laboratory
MIAMI: Two US astronauts on Sunday
stepped out on the third spacewalk to
prepare the International Space Station
for the arrival of more commercial
spacecraft in the coming years. Space
station commander Barry Wilmore
and flight engineer Terry Virts began
their six hour, 45 minute spacewalk at
6:52 am (1152 GMT).
Tethered to the outside of the
orbiting outpost, they made quick
work of their first task, each installing
a boom with two antennas for a
communications system so that future
crews launching from Florida on US
commercial spacecraft will be able to
park at the space station, Nasa said.
Another main part of their job is to
route 400 feet (122 metres) of cable,
securing them with copper wire ties
as they manoeuvre across handrails on
the space station.
The spacewalk is the third in eight
days for Nasa, and is the 187th in the
history of the space station.
During
the
previous
two
spacewalks, Wilmore and Virts
installed more cable and lubricated the
latching portions of the space station
robotic arm, which Nasa said had
grown “arthritic” after more than a
decade in space.
Sunday’s spacewalk is one of
many planned for the coming year to
prepare the space station for a new
era in human spaceflight, when more
commercial vehicles will be arriving
at the research outpost carrying In this image taken from Nasa video, US astronaut Terry Virts (L)working during a
astronauts.
spacewalk on Sunday to prepare the International Space Station for the arrival of
— AFP
Boeing and SpaceX are working commercial space capsules in the coming years.
on new spaceships that will carry
astronauts to space, restoring US
access to low-Earth orbit following
the retirement of the US space shuttle
program in 2011.
Boeing’s crew vehicle, called CST100, is planning its first flight with a
pilot and astronaut in late 2017, and
SpaceX hopes to follow soon after.
Until then, the world’s astronauts
must pay $70 million per seat for
transport aboard Russia’s Soyuz
capsules. The outing went ahead
despite an apparent problem with
Virts’ spacesuit that allowed water
to build up inside his helmet after he
finished his spacewalk on Wednesday.
Nasa said the suit was known to
have issues with “’sublimator water
carryover,’ a small amount of residual
water in the sublimator cooling
component that can condense once
the environment around the suit is
repressurised following its exposure to
vacuum during a spacewalk, resulting
in a tiny amount of water pushing into
the helmet.”US space agency experts
met Friday at mission control in
Houston.
They decided the crew was not in
any danger and gave the go-ahead for
Sunday’s spacewalk.
In the first hours of Sunday’s
outing, Wilmore and Virts said they
were experiencing no problems so far.
“Both astronauts have reported
dry conditions inside their spacesuits
during periodic checks with ground
controllers,” NASA said on its space
station blog.
— AFP
15
Thousands of Russians march for Nemtsov
EUROPE
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
‘I AM NOT AFRAID’: Over 70,000 took to
the streets in honour of murdered Putin critic
MOSCOW: Holding placards declaring
“I am not afraid”, more than 70,000
Russians marched in Moscow on Sunday
in memory of Kremlin critic Boris
Nemtsov, whose murder has widened
a split in society that some say could
threaten Russia’s future.
Families, the old and young walked
slowly, with many carrying portraits of
Nemtsov, an opposition politician and
former deputy prime minister who was
shot dead while walking home from a
restaurant in central Moscow on Friday
night.
“If we can stop the campaign of hate
that’s being directed at the opposition,
then we have a chance to change Russia.
If not then we face the prospect of
mass civil conflict,” Gennady Gudkov,
an opposition leader, said before the
march.
“The authorities are corrupt and don’t
allow any threats to them to emerge.
Boris was uncomfortable for them.”
His murder has prompted deep soul
searching in a country where for years
after the Soviet Union collapsed many
yearned for the stability later brought by
President Vladimir Putin.
Some now fear his rule has become
an autocracy.
Putin has vowed to pursue those who
killed Nemtsov, calling the murder a
“provocation”.
National investigators who answer to
the Russian leader say they are pursuing
several lines of inquiry, including the
possibility that Nemtsov, a Jew, was
killed by radicals or that the opposition
killed him to blacken Putin’s name.
Putin’s
opponents
say
such
suggestions show the cynicism of Russia’s
leaders as they whip up nationalism,
hatred and anti-Western hysteria to rally
support for his policies on Ukraine and
deflect blame for an economic crisis.
“It is a blow to Russia. If political
views are punished this way, then this
country simply has no future,” Sergei
Mitrokhin, an opposition leader, said of
Nemtsov’s murder.
Some Muscovites, accepting a line
repeated by state media, appear to agree
that the opposition, struggling to make
an impact after a clampdown on dissent
in Putin’s third spell as president, might
have killed one of their own.
“The authorities definitely do not
benefit from this. Everybody had long
forgotten about this man, Nemtsov...
It is definitely a ‘provocation’,” said one
Moscow resident, who gave his name
only as Denis.
Some young people walking in
central Moscow asked: “Who is Nemtsov
anyway?”
Nemtsov, who was 55, was one of the
leading lights of an opposition struggling
to revive its fortunes, three years after
mass rallies against Putin that failed to
prevent him returning to the presidency
after four years as prime minister.
The opposition has little support
outside big cities and Putin has now
Russia’s opposition supporters march in memory of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov in central Moscow on Sunday.
been Russia’s dominant leader since
2000, when ailing President Boris
Yeltsin chose the former KGB spy as his
successor, a role Nemtsov had once been
destined to play.
Even many of Putin’s opponents have
little doubt that he will win another
six years in power at the next election,
due in 2018, despite a financial crisis
aggravated by Western economic
sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and a
fall in oil prices.
Many opposition leaders have been
jailed on what they say are trumped-up
charges, or have fled the country.
Their most prominent leader,
Alexei Navalny, is serving a 15-day jail
sentence for breaking a law that restricts
demonstrations.
Nemtsov, a fighter against corruption
who said he feared Putin may want him
dead, had hoped to start the opposition’s
revival with a march in Marino on the
outskirts of Moscow to protest against
Putin’s economic policies and what
they see as Russia’s involvement in the
separatist war in east Ukraine.
The Kremlin denies any role in the
fighting.
In a change of plan, the opposition
Ukraine’s frontlines calm ahead of gas talks
KIEV: Ukraine’s frontlines were
relatively calm on Sunday ahead of highlevel EU-mediated gas talks between
Kiev and Moscow, as journalists
mourned the killing by mortar fire of a
Ukrainian photographer.
Kiev’s security officials said there
was no fire after midnight on Ukraine’s
positions and no Ukrainian soldiers
have been killed over the past 24 hours.
Security spokesman Andriy Lysenko
however said that eight soldiers were
injured after rebels shot at Kiev’s
positions late on Saturday, including
from a tank and a grenade launcher.
The relative quiet in eastern Ukraine
has set in following a shaky Europeanbrokered peace plan to end fighting that
has killed at least 5,800 people since
April.
Both sides had begun to pull back
some heavy weaponry from the frontline,
with rebels claiming on Sunday that they
will complete the pullback by the end of
the weekend.
Monitors from the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) have reported weapons
movements on both sides but say it is too
early to confirm a full pull-back.
Speaking at the UN Security Council
on Friday, the OSCE’s envoy to Ukraine
Heidi Tagliavini said the current
situation was at a “crossroads” where the
risk of further escalation remained high
despite “encouraging signs.”
Journalist killed: In Kiev, colleagues
mourned the passing of photojournalist
Sergiy Nikolayev from the Ukrainian
daily Segodnya, who died after being
hit by a mortar shell in Pisky, a village
not far from Donetsk airport which
Ukraine’s forces ceded to the rebels in
January.
Nikolayev, 43, had succumbed to
his injuries along with a fighter from
the ultra-nationalist organisation Right
Sector late on Saturday.
Having covered conflicts in Somali,
Lybia and Georgia, “he died as a true
war photographer — at a war,” Segodnya
editor Olga Guk wrote on Sunday,
calling him a “fearless professional.”
The OSCE’s media freedom
representative Dunja Mujatovic said his
death was a “gruesome reminder” of
ESTONIANS GO TO THE POLLS
People release white pigeons on Sunday during an interfaith prayer service for
jailed Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenkoin in the centre of Kiev. Savchenko
has been on hunger strike in a Russian jail for over two months. Savchenko, a
33-year-old helicopter pilot, was charged by Russia of involvement in the deaths of
two Russian reporters in a mortar attack in east Ukraine.
— AFP
the dire safety conditions for journalists
covering the Ukraine conflict.
Seven media workers have been
killed there since last April, according to
the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Gas dispute: With the relative hiatus
in fighting on the ground, a gas dispute
flared up in recent days after Russia’s
Gazprom began direct deliveries to the
separatist-held areas in eastern Ukraine
and demanded that Kiev pay for them.
Ukraine’s national gas company
Naftogas stopped pumping gas to the
separatist areas last month, saying it
could not deliver due to a damaged
pipeline, but then adding that deliveries
resumed a few hours later.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
accused Ukraine of perpetrating
something that smacked of “genocide”
by denying energy to four million people
living in territories hit by a humanitarian
crisis.
The Kremlin appeared to soften its
rhetoric however after the European
Union unveiled plans on Wednesday
for a continent-wide single energy
market, with the goal of diversifying the
bloc’s energy sources and decreasing its
reliance on Russian gas.
The talks set for Monday between
energy ministers of Ukraine and Russia
together with European Commission
Vice-President Maros Sefcovic will
attempt to replace the “winter package”
interim deal mediated by the EU, which
guaranteed Russian gas supplies through
March.
— AFP
Hoffmann, from Ukraine, has been living in Germany since 2001
Doctor’s aide Olga Hoffmann
is the new Miss Germany
A woman casts her vote during Estonia’s parliamentary election in Uulu on Sunday.
Centre-right Prime Minister Taavi Roivas was favoured to form a new pro-Nato
coalition and fend off a challenge by an opposition party that wants better ties with
neighbouring Russia. — Reuters
GERMANY: Olga Hoffmann, a doctor’s
assistant from the western German city
of Muenster, was crowned the new Miss
Germany this weekend.
The 23-year-old beat 23 others to win
the title at a late-night event on Saturday
in the Europa Park venue in the town of
Rust near Freiburg in the south-west of
the country.
“I would like to represent Germany
with charm and beauty, with pride
and honour,” Hoffmann said after her
victory.
Hoffmann will have to take a
sabbatical from her career in the doctor’s
surgery in order to carry out her duties.
“My colleagues know about that and
She has long blond hair and blue eyes.
share my happiness,” she said.
Apart from the crown, the new Miss
Hoffmann, who comes from Ukraine
and has been living in Germany with Germany also won a car, jewellery,
her family since 2001, has German clothes and holidays in Cuba, Brazil
and on the German North Sea island of
citizenship.
Borkum.
Second place went to the 21-year-old
student Julia Kraml from Bad Abbach
near the Bavarian city of Regensburg,
while third place went to the 25-yearold student Lisa Wargulski from Wildau
near Berlin.
The competition featured 24 finalists
aged between 17 and 28 years old who
were judged by a jury that included a
politician, a former football manager, a
plastic surgeon, a boxer and television
celebrities.
There was an evening dress round
and a bathing suit one.
Miss Germany has been running
since 1927, which the organisers say
makes it the oldest and most important
beauty competition in Germany.
Some 5,115 women took part in 155
selection rounds ahead of Saturday’s
final. — dpa
— AFP
said Moscow city authorities had allowed
a march of up to 50,000 people alongside
the River Moskva to commemorate
Nemtsov’s death.
Ukrainian
President
Petro
Poroshenko said Nemtsov had told him
about two weeks ago that he planned to
publish evidence of Russian involvement
in Ukraine’s separatist conflict.
— Reuters
COVERUP CHARGE
Austria asks
Swiss to do
new autopsy on
dead dissident
VIENNA: Austria
has
asked
Switzerland to carry out an autopsy
on Rakhat Aliyev, a Kazakh dissident
found hanged in an Austrian prison
last week, to dispel any suggestions
of a coverup after a first post mortem
found traces of sedatives.
The authorities say Aliyev
committed suicide and there was no
indication of the involvement of any
third party in the death, but Aliyev’s
lawyers have contested the official line
on how their client died.
“The authorities will exhaust
all investigative possibilities to
clear up (this case) completely and
Justice
Minister
transparently,”
Wolfgang Brandstetter told the
Oesterreich paper in an interview
printed on Sunday.
“Foreign experts will be brought in
if needed.
A second autopsy in Switzerland is
set,” said Brandstetter, who had been
a lawyer for Aliyev before becoming
minister.
An initial post mortem in Austria
found traces of obscure sedatives
in Aliyev’s body, which hardened
his legal team’s suspicions about the
circumstances surrounding the death.
Prosecutors say their investigation
continues and the full report from the
first autopsy may take days to come
through.
The justice ministry established an
independent panel to oversee the case.
On the day of his death, Aliyev,
a former ambassador to Austria,
had been due to testify against other
inmates who he said had blackmailed
and threatened to kill him while
making it look like suicide.
The other inmates deny this.
Aliyev, 52, was accused of
murdering two bankers in Kazakhstan
in 2007. He said the allegations
were trumped up by political rivals
after he fell out with former allies
there, including his ex-father-in-law,
President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Aliyev, who became a vocal critic of
Nazarbayev, was in custody awaiting
trial for the murders since he turned
himself in to Austrian authorities in
June after a four-year investigation.
— Reuters
16
omandailyobserver
PANORAMA
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Junshiro Kobayashi of Japan
soars through the air during
his jump in the men’s large
hill team ski jumping final at
the Nordic World Ski
Championships in Falun.
— Reuters
South Koreans spin fireballs to celebrate the upcoming first full moon of the lunar new year at a riverside park in Seoul on
Sunday. South Koreans traditionally mark the occasion with a game involving cans filled with burning charcoal believed to
fertilise the soil and rid it of unwanted pests, ensuring a prosperous harvest.
— AFP
A participant jumps as he poses for photographers before running in the half-naked marathon at a park in Beijing on Sunday.
Hundreds of runners joined this annual running event, which required them to run half-naked as a way to promote
environmentally friendly lifestyles. — Reuters
Kyrgyz men ride horses as they fight for a slaughtered goat during a Buzkashi event in Altay, in northern Xinjiang autonomous
region, China. Buzkashi is a traditional Central Asian sport played between two teams of horsemen competing to throw a
beheaded goat into a scoring circle. — Reuters
People throw coloured powder into the air while celebrating Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, in Manila on Sunday.
Holi, one of the major festivals in India, celebrates the change of the seasons from winter to spring. — Reuters
People participate
in the North Face
Endurance
Challenge, 10K
marathon in the
hills of Asia,
southern Lima in
Peru. — Reuters
MONDAY | MARCH 2, 2015 | JUMADA AL ULA 11, 1436 AH
P18
P20
P21
Inside
Strategy Execution meet on Mar 22 Russia to tap $50 bn from Reserve Fund Fertiliser stored to fight pricing power FOLLOW US ON:
www.omanobserver.om
[email protected]
Sohar PTA/PET project financial close by mid-year
NEW VENTURE: OMPET makes headway in development of $600 million world-scale petrochemical complex at Sohar Port
CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT
Mar. 1: Oman International Petrochemical Industries Company (OMPET), a
subsidiary of Oman Oil Company —
the wholly Omani government-owned
energy and strategic investment vehicle
— is targeting financial close on its estimated $600 million purified terephthalic
acid (PTA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) complex at Sohar Port by the
middle of this year.
Financial closure is one of several
milestones set out by the company for
implementation over the course of this
year ahead of the start of construction
work on the world-scale project before
the end of the year.
The latest addition to Sohar Port’s
burgeoning petrochemicals cluster, the
OMPET project is essentially an integrated complex comprising a 1.1 million tonnes per annum (tpa) capacity
Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) plant
an engineering — procurement — construction (EPC) basis. An Invitation
to Prequalify (ITP) was issued by OMPET last on December 22, 2014 with a
contract slated for award around June
2015. The front-end engineering design
(FEED) for the PTA and PET plants, as
well as the utilities and offsite works, was
also completed last October.
According to officials, technology licence agreements have already
been inked with Uhde Inventa-Fischer
(UIF) for PET proprietary technology,
(For illustration only)
alongside a 250,000 tonnes per annum
capacity Polyethylene Terephthalate
(PET) facility. The complex is proposed
to be built adjacent to the aromatics
plant of Oman Oil Refineries & Petrole-
um Industries Company (Orpic) within
the industrial port.
Already, significant headway has
been made in preparing the ground for
the implementation of the project on
and with BP for the PTA production
know-how. Worley Parsons Oman is the
Project Management Consultant for the
overall project. As for financial closure,
OMPET has set June 30, 2015 as the
deadline for achieving this objective.
Conceived in line with the government’s goal to maximise returns on the
Sultanate’s hydrocarbon resources, the
OMPET project will utilise paraxylene
from Orpic’s aromatic plant as feedstock
in the manufacture of PTA.
Part of this PTA output will be uti-
lised in the
manufacture
of
PET. Purified isophthalic acid
(PIA), another intermediate
commodity used in
the
TO PAGE 19
18
OMAN
omandailyobserver
Strategy Execution Conference on Mar 22
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Ooredoo opens new concept store
SHARING EXPERIENCES: How best to take a strategy, analyse and make it happen
MUSCAT: A high level Conference
focusing on Strategy and Strategy
Execution has been organised by
Tanfidh Management Consultants to
take place in Muscat on March 22 and
23. The main aim of the event is to
deliver key messages on how best to take
a strategy, analyse and make it happen.
For the first time in Oman, a
combination of International and
Regional Key note speakers will share
their experiences on successes and
failures of executing strategy.
Strategy execution is a hot topic in
management today. The recent global
survey revealed that Leaders are so
concerned about strategy execution
that they rated it as both their number
one and number two most challenging
issue. It’s estimated that more than 60
per cent of strategies are not successfully
implemented.
When asked to define strategy
execution, most leaders respond with
statements like, “It’s the successful
Jeroen De Flander
Ghada Ibrahim
implementation of a strategic plan”
or “It’s about getting a strategy done.”
While these perspectives are certainly
valid, they aren’t very helpful in terms of
understanding what needs to be done to
actually drive business results.
Ranis is a regional keynote speaker
and strategy execution guru who has
helped organisations in the Gulf better
implement their strategies and achieve
tangible performance results. He has
successfully delivered strategy execution
Ranis Salman
projects and training programmes using
balanced scorecard in the Gulf including
Oman.
The conference will be led by an
International keynote speaker Jeroen De
Flander who is one of the world’s most
influential strategy execution. He has
helped more than 23,500 managers in 35
countries master the necessary strategy
execution skills. During his world tour
he has shared stages with strategy gurus
like Michael Porter, Costa markides
BUSINESS ALERT
Toyota is No 1 automaker in Fortune list
MUSCAT: Toyota Motor
Corporation took the top
spot in the Motor Vehicles
Sector of Fortune magazine’s
list of the World’s Most
Admired Companies. The
automaker also scored well
in a larger pool of peers, No
24 overall.
Toyota’s overall rank
increased from 25th in 2014,
and its No 1 spot in the
Motor Vehicles category also
represented a bump (from
No 2 last year). Toyota was
also sixth for Community
Responsibility and eighth in
Effectiveness in Conducting
a Global Business across all
companies. Toyota is the
only Japanese company in the overall Top 50.
Fortune’s annual list is widely considered to be the definitive report card on
corporate reputation. The survey measures nine attributes considered crucial to a
company’s global success, including quality of management, social responsibility,
people management and global competitiveness, among others.
“We’d like to thank Toyota team members, associates and partners worldwide
for helping us achieve this honour,” said Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor North America
Chief Executive Officer. “We are dedicated to our customers, communities, and
to leading the future of mobility. We’re proud to be recognised as one of Fortune’s
World’s Most Admired Companies and a leader in our industry.”
Fortune’s survey partners at Hay Group start with approximately 1,400
companies: the Fortune 1,000. The 1,000 largest US companies are ranked by
revenue and non-US companies in Fortune’s Global 500 database with revenues of
$10 billion or more. Hay then selects the 15 largest for each international industry
and the 10 largest for each US industry, surveying a total of 668 companies from
29 countries. To create the 55 industry lists, Hay asks executives, directors, and
analysts to rate companies in their own industry on nine criteria, from investment
value to social responsibility. A company’s score must rank in the top half of its
industry survey to be listed.
To arrive at the top 50 Most Admired Companies overall, the Hay Group
asked 4,104 executives, directors and securities analysts who had responded to
the industry surveys to select the 10 companies they admired most. They chose
from a list made up of the companies that ranked in the top 25 per cent in last
year’s surveys, plus those that finished in the top 20 per cent of their industry.
Anyone could vote for any company in any industry.
and Roger Martin, three of the world’s
top 50 thinkers. Jeroen had also shared
stage with creator of the world’s proven
performance management system “The
Balanced Scorecard” Dr Robert Kaplan.
He is author of two books, The Execution
Heroes and The Execution Shortcut, the
former is acclaimed masterpiece on
the practicability of making strategy
happen. At the Regional level, keynote
speakers will be Ranis Salman and
Ghada Ibrahim, both have extensive
experience in strategy execution in the
Gulf. Both, Rani and Ghada are Strategy
Execution and Balanced Scorecard
practitioners and educators.
Ranis is a regional keynote speaker
and strategy execution guru who has
helped organisations in the Gulf better
implement their strategies and achieve
tangible performance results. He has
successfully delivered strategy execution
projects and training programmes using
balanced scorecard in the Gulf including
Oman.
MUSCAT: Under the auspices of Sayyid
Ahmed bin Hilal al Busaidi, Wali of
Muttrah, Ooredoo officially inaugurated
its new and expanded store in Qurum
City Centre. Bringing a whole new retail
experience, the state-of-the-art store
boasts the hallmark Ooredoo branding
and offers a great range of features for
both the public and business customers.
A Wi-Fi bench allows customers to
enjoy Ooredoo’s LTE home broadband
speeds through a series of laptops. The
new consultation desks are angled to
provide greater privacy while dealing
with one of the store champions and
there is a self-service area in the front of
the store for customers to recharge, pay
bills and much more. This area is even
available when the store is closed, so
customers can access these facilities at
any time.
There is also a brand new dedicated
business area, specifically designed
for Ooredoo’s B2B customers. Lounge
seating provides a comfortable area to
sit, with additional features and services
exclusively for Ooredoo’s business
customers.
warranty and full service history, making it the safest way to purchase a preowned Volkswagen.”
Through the Das WeltAuto approved used car division, Volkswagen Oman
offers German engineering for everyone by offering customers affordable
personalised finance options; with EMIs starting from as low as RO 67 for the
Polo sedan.
advice based on her experience of using Turnitin at her institution.
The presentations were interspersed by lively and frank discussions and
debates on the issue of academic integrity and the efficacy of Turnitin as a useful
tool. Over 70 delegates were in attendance, representing different institutions in
Oman. The event was a great success and a valuable contribution to the academic
development of Oman.
ZED at Nizwa University Career Fair
Bank Muscat extends lead support to
Oman capital markets forum
IN line with efforts to promote the development of youth and support
Omanisation, General Automotive Company’s (GAC) Dakhiliyah division,
named Zubair Enterprises Dakhiliyah (ZED), recently participated in the
Nizwa University Career Fair offering graduate students with promising job
opportunities in the automotive field.
The three-day career fair began on February 17 at Nizwa University under the
auspices of Shaikh Dr Khalifa bin Hamad al Sa’di, the Governor of Al Dakhiliyah.
The opening ceremony was also attended by Hamad bin Khamis al Aamri, Under
Secretary of the Ministry of Manpower for Labour Affairs. It was organised by
the Directorate General of Manpower in the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah in
collaboration with the Nizwa University with the aim of providing the Omani
labour market with professionally trained manpower.
Over 56 governmental and private institutions took part in the fair, offering
over 1,500 job opportunities to aspiring graduates. This included the participation
of Zubair Enterprises Dakhiliyah, offering graduate students promising job
opportunities and encouraging them to apply. In addition, a number of activities
and training workshops were also being held throughout the duration of the fair,
highlighting a number of topics related to job opportunities, as well as touching
on key aspects of the labour law.
GAC has, since its inception, been strongly committed towards the growth
and development of the youth in Oman. It has over the years partnered with
several educational institutes in the Sultanate, participating in several career fairs
and regularly interacting with students to share exclusive industry insights and
trends. GAC also organises various training programmes and seminars for both
its staff and for students in a bid to create a talent pool of young Omani automotive
experts. In its most recent endeavour, GAC recently signed an agreement with the
V O L K S W A G E N Ministry of Manpower to train 37 young Omanis and recruit them throughout
Oman has launched the company’s country-wide branch network.
‘Das
WeltAuto’
approved pre-owned
car division, which will
enable customers in the
University
Sultanate to purchase MAJAN
fully approved and College hosted Oman’s
checked
pre-owned very first Academic
Volkswagen cars. The Integrity
workshop
specialist unit has been on
February 25, in
created to meet growing demand from across the Sultanate for quality pre-owned partnership with Turnitin
Volkswagen vehicles and will guarantee buyers a total peace-of-mind ownership and
Techknowledge.
experience.
Turnitin is the global
The new division ensures that customers who wish to purchase a used leader in evaluating
Volkswagen can do so with confidence, as all Volkswagen ‘Das WeltAuto’ and improving student
pre-owned models in Oman are put through the rigorous testing programme learning, their system
by Volkswagen trained and certified technicians. Only after passing the is used extensively by
comprehensive check programme does the car make the grade as a Volkswagen Majan University College
approved pre-owned vehicle. As part of the ‘Das WeltAuto’ pre-owned car and other institutions in Oman to check student papers for similarity with other
programme, customers also benefit from a guaranteed trade in and a minimum sources and assist academic staff provide rich, constructive feedback on student
12 month unlimited mileage warranty when making a purchase.
work. The event is the second of two Middle East Academic Integrity workshops,
Commenting on the new ‘Das WeltAuto’ approved used car division, the first was held at the American University of Beirut on February 23, 2015.
Andrew Squires, the General Manager of Wattayah Motors said, “Our mission
James Thorley, Director of International Sales for Turnitin opened the event,
at Volkswagen Oman has always been to provide our customers with the highest giving an overview of upcoming features and developments in the Turnitin suite
levels of customer satisfaction through sales and after-sales service. With our of products. Ahmad Masri, of Techknowledge followed with a talk on Turnitin’s
‘Das WeltAuto’ approved used car division we want to extend similar levels of partnership with Al Manhal aimed at enhancing anti plagiarism efforts in Arabic
service and a satisfying ownership experience to our used car buyers as well. language literature. Ian McNaught from Majan University College shared on
This is why every car undergoes a comprehensive technical inspection by our the challenge of academic integrity and intellectual property across cultures and
in-house Volkswagen certified technicians and this is backed by a comprehensive generations. Nancy K Hoke from Khalifa University, UAE gave some practical
BANK Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, in
pursuance of the private sector role in the economic development of Oman,
has extended lead support to the 3rd Oman Capital Markets Forum organised
by Muscat Securities Market. The 2-day conference on the topic ‘Empowering
private businesses towards long-term sustainability’ begins today under the
auspices of Dr Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidi, Minister of Commerce and Industry,
at Grand Hyatt Muscat.
The conference to be attended by key representatives from the business
fraternity of Oman, the GCC and MENA region will focus on empowerment
of private-owned businesses, family and public, towards growth and long-term
sustainability.
The forum provides an ideal platform to discuss investment opportunities in
the GCC and MENA regions. The support to the forum comes as part of the
bank’s endeavours to share experience and facilitate collaboration opportunities,
highlighting investment opportunities in Oman. The forum assumes importance
against the backdrop of regional economies facing challenging times in the
wake of volatile oil prices. The presence of key representatives of the business
fraternity makes the forum valuable for participants to gain a clear understanding
of investment opportunities in the region. Bank Muscat, through its presence in
Oman as well as the GCC countries, is in a unique position to facilitate investment
in the region.
During the last 33 years since its inception in 1982, Bank Muscat has been
closely involved in the progressive march of the nation. The bank remains
committed to supporting the government objectives in diversifying the national
economy, creation of employment opportunities and expansion of investment
prospects in the Sultanate.
Mistal launches new luxury watches
Volkswagen launches pre-owned car division
First Academic Integrity workshop held
SKILLED with supreme technical mastery and blessed with the artistic vein of the
rare few, De Bethune, the Swiss watchmaking wonders have launched the DB25T
Zodiac, DB28 GS Anglais and the DB28 Maxichrono Titane that add to their
noble 2015 collection. For the connoisseurs who respect the true quintessence
of mechanical horology, De Bethune has found its place in the world of the
aristocrats.
Each timepiece is a work of art created from inspirations drawn from the
centuries lapsed while simultaneously infusing the highest technical standards
brought about by years of cautious research and development.
The three new models were showcased in the zenith of its glorious conception
at the Mistal showroom in Darsait. To showcase these exclusive watches, Pierre
Jacques, CEO, De Bethune himself graced the occasion with his presence
alongside Dharmesh Ajit Khimji, Managing Director, Mistal Watches as they
addressed the media in a one to one interactive press conference held at the same
venue amidst much enthused reporters.
The Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix honoured De Bethune with the most
coveted title, the ‘Aiguille d’Or’ or the ‘Golden Hand’ that has been sought after
by esteemed watch manufacturers from the world over. Awarded for their
exceptional brilliance in combining with supreme perfection the art and science
of watch-making, De Bethune has produced timepieces that combine comfortable
sturdiness along with the innovations that surround the sheer weightlessness,
impeccable accuracy and distinct readability of each piece.
The DB25 Zodiac and its elegantly open worked lugs frame a polished and
blued titanium sky adorned with hand-engravings on solid gold representing the
12 zodiac signs. These symbols lend a sense of infinity to the depth of the De
Bethune star-studded sky.
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
19
EU sets France
tough targets to
rein in deficit
BRUSSELS: The EU set France tough
new targets for the coming years to
ensure it gets its budget deficit back
within Brussels rules, after giving Paris
until 2017 to comply.
The European Commission is
keeping up the pressure two days after
it extended the deadline for France, the
euro zone’s second biggest economy
after Germany, to get back below the
EU’s ceiling of 3.0 per cent of economic
output.
Brussels said France must use the
extra breathing room to reach a deficit
of 4.0 per cent of annual economic
output in 2015, 3.4 per cent in 2016 and
2.8 per cent in 2017.
The first two years are tougher than
France’s own targets of 4.1 per cent in
2015 and 3.6 per cent in 2016.
French Finance Minister Michel
Sapin, speaking during a visit to
Slovenia, said the country would be
able to meet what he described as
“demanding” but realistic targets.
The EU had disappointed
fiscal hardliners when it said last
Wednesday that France would escape
possible fines for now and get two
more years to get its house in order,
while Italy and Belgium were let off
France, like many of the
European Union’s 28
member states, has been
in breach of the deficit
limit for years and has won
two previous deadline
extensions.
the hook completely. But to reach
the EU’s new benchmarks France will
have to find additional savings in an
economy growing very slowly, putting
the government on the spot as it tries to
boost growth through increased public
spending.
For 2015, the Commission, the EU’s
executive arm, estimated the savings
required at 0.5 per cent of GDP, up from
the current 0.3 per cent — that means
additional savings worth at least 4.0
billion euros ($4.5 billion).
But for 2016, Paris must find an even
tougher 0.8 per cent and then 0.9 per
cent in 2017, the Commission said in
a series of recommendations following
Wednesday’s deadline extension.
— AFP
Sohar PTA/PET project financial close
FROM PAGE 17
production of PTA, will be supplied by
a dedicated PIA plant planned by Takamul Investment Company at Sohar.
Takamul is the downstream investment
arm of Oman Oil Company and a 30
per cent shareholder in OMPET.
Other key ingredients required in
the PET manufacturing process are
monoethylene glycol (MEG) and acetic
acid, which will be procured from the
open market, while hydrogen gas will
be sourced from natural gas.
Importantly, the OMPET project is
expected to catalyse investments in an
array of spin-off ventures that will utilise PET as the basic raw material. PET
resin is widely used in the production
of bottles for beverages, drinking water, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and
all kinds of foodstuff. PET sheets also
used to manufacture food trays, while
PET films are used for wrapping and all
kinds of packages.
OMPET is a joint venture of Oman
Oil Company (50 per cent), Takamul
(20 per cent) and LG International (30
per cent). The company aims to bring
its PTA/PET complex into operation by
2018.
Russia to tap $50 bn
from Reserve Fund
MOSCOW: Russia plans to spend more
than $50 billion from its emergency
Reserve Fund in 2015 as falling oil
prices and a slumping economy cause
the government’s deficit to rise.
First Deputy Finance Minister
Tatiana
Nesterenko
said
the
government would ask parliament
to allow the spending of up to 3.2
trillion roubles ($52.36 billion) from
the Reserve Fund in 2015, including
500 billion roubles already envisaged
in the budget.
The increase means that Russia
could spend well over half of the fund,
currently worth $85 billion, in a single
year — a rapid run-down of the fiscal
buffers that underlines the precarious
state of government finances.
Russia is presently revising its budget
for this year, which was based on the
assumption the oil price would be $100
per barrel — well above its current level
of around $60 per barrel.
Ministers have previously said the
budget will now assume an average oil
price of $50 per barrel.
Budget revenues are also much lower
than expected because the economy
is contracting, under pressure from
Western sanctions imposed because of
the Ukraine conflict as well as the lower
oil price.
Nesterenko said in the worst-case
scenario, the Reserve Fund could fall to
as low as 1 trillion roubles by the end
of the year, implying over 80 per cent of
the fund could be spent.
Earlier on Friday, she said the
ministry projected a budget deficit of
3.7 per cent of gross domestic product
this year — a large increase compared
with the 0.6 per cent deficit originally
planned for 2015.
The increase mainly reflects a large
shortfall in revenues compared with
previous plans. Nesterenko said these
were now projected this year at 12.5
trillion roubles, down from 15.1 trillion
envisaged in the budget.
Expenditures are seen at 15.2
trillion, slightly below the 15.5 trillion
envisaged in the budget.
Nesterenko said that the budget
projections would be even worse
without some 1.07 trillion roubles
in budget cuts, which the ministry
believed should be larger.
The latest budget projections suggest
that the ministry has largely failed in its
efforts to persuade the government to
impose bigger spending cuts. — Reuters
MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET
20
INTERNATIONAL
omandailyobserver
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
China manufacturing shrinks again in February
WEAKENED ECONOMY: Falling inflation, driven by tumbling commodity prices, has been pushing up the real cost of borrowing
SHANGHAI: Weakness in China’s
vast manufacturing sector, aggravated
by high real borrowing costs and weak
demand, appears to have driven the
central bank to accelerate the pace of
monetary easing to ward off deflation in
the world’s second-largest economy.
Cuts to benchmark lending and
deposit rates, announced by the
People’s Bank of China (PBoC) on
Saturday evening, pre-empted official
data released yesterday that showed a
second consecutive month of shrinking
manufacturing activity for February.
While economists had been
predicting further easing to support
the struggling economy, some were
surprised that the PBoC made its
move just days before China’s national
legislature will meet to set the official
economic growth target for 2015.
“This rate cut signals policymakers’
willingness to take further action to
ease financing conditions in an effort to
maintain stable growth,” wrote Nomura
analysts’ in research note that said the
cut had come sooner than predicted.
‘‘It also suggests that growth may have
slowed sharper than we expected.”
China posted its slowest growth in
decades in 2014, at 7.4 per cent, and
sources said in January the government
had settled on a target around 7 per cent
this year.
While Beijing has signalled it is
comfortable with a moderating pace of
growth as it shifts away from investmentintensive export manufacturing toward
services, that transition remains a work
in progress and the factory sector is still
China posted its slowest
growth in decades in
2014, at 7.4 per cent, and
sources said in January the
government had settled
on a target around
7 per cent this year.
A worker welds at a construction site in Yiliang, Yunnan province. — Reuters
a major employer and consumer in its
own right.
Although China’s official purchasing
managers index (PMI) remained below
the 50-level that separates expansion
from contraction in February, at 49.9 it
had rebounded slightly from January’s
reading and also beat more pessimistic
forecasts.
A preview of the data was not
enough, however, to dissuade the PBoC
from making its second interest rate cut
since a surprise reduction in November.
The central bank, which also just
UBM unlikely to do big deals in 2015
LONDON: UBM Plc, which organises
the world’s largest fashion convention,
MAGIC, said it was unlikely to make
big acquisitions in 2015 as it digests
Advanstar Communications, its biggest
ever acquisition in a record deal-making
year for the company.
The $972 million acquisition of trade
show organiser Advanstar last year
capped off a five year spree in which
UBM bought 53 companies, most of
which were “bolt-on” deals, a strategy
which Interim Chief Executive Robert
Gray plans to stick to this year.
“We’re not likely to do anything big,
not likely to do our record year in terms
of acquisitions,” Gray said.
“We have a nice cash flow to be able
to fund bolt-ons.
We do have £50-75 million a year
and we do have a pipeline, so I suspect
we’ll do some of those.”
That number is slightly higher than
the £25-50 million UBM earmarked in
November to invest annually for the
next three to five years as part of its
“Events First” strategy.
Gray said while mid-sized and large
deals fit UBM’s “Events First” strategy,
the company had a good pipeline of
attractive bolt-on acquisitions.
UBM runs more than 400 events in
over 30 different countries and some of
its well-known shows include beauty
event Cosmoprof Asia, the Hong Kong
Jewellery & Gem Fair and the US tech
security conference, BlackHat.
The company said recently that the
integration of Advanstar is on track,
with both trading and synergies in line
with expectations.
UBM said trading in the first two
months of the year has been “good”,
and performance of large events so far,
including MAGIC in Las Vegas, had
been in line with expectations.
The company, founded in 1918 as
United Newspapers to acquire the Daily
Chronicle and Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper,
said it expected 2015 operating margin
before costs for its events business to
be broadly in line with last year. Group
adjusted operating profit fell 3.5 per cent
to £179.8 million in the year ended on
December 31. Revenue fell 6 per cent to
£746.3 million
Continuing revenue from its events
business, which accounts for nearly 60
per cent of sales, fell 2.6 per cent.
However, that compared with a 19
per cent rise in revenue at rival Informa
Plc’s global exhibitions business last
year. — Reuters
Upgrades 2015 profit forecast by over 20 per cent
Fast growing IAG outpaces
continental airline rivals
LONDON: British Airways-owner
International Airlines Group raised
its 2015 profit forecast by more than
20 per cent, outperforming struggling
continental rivals and sending its shares
to an all-time high.
IAG, which is trying to acquire
Ireland’s Aer Lingus , said that the profit
increase would be driven by cost control
across the group and growth at its Iberia
Spanish unit which until last year had
dragged on the business.
Created by a merger in 2011, IAG
prioritised cutting staff costs before
rival European flag carriers Lufthansa
and Air France-KLM, and is seeing the
benefits of a painful restructuring at
Iberia, where it cut jobs and salaries.
IAG is also a step ahead of Europe’s
other traditional airlines through its
exposure to the continent’s budget travel
sector, having acquired discount carrier
Vueling in 2013, enabling it to compete
with Ryanair and easyJet.
“We expect Iberia to continue to
improve its profitability given the
trajectory that it’s on.
The performance to date for Iberia
has been tremendous and we expect that
to continue in 2015,” Chief Executive
Willie Walsh told reporters.
Shares in IAG, which before Friday
had already soared 56 per cent over
the last six months compared to a 1.6
per cent rise in Britain’s bluechip index,
earlier hit their highest ever level before
paring gains to trade up 3 per cent at
577 pence. “IAG remains our top pick
amongst the European airlines.
It has positive earnings momentum
with a better trading performance
than its network carrier peers and
it is showing clear benefits from its
restructuring efforts,” Liberum analyst
Gerald Khoo said, reiterating a “Buy”
rating.
Given its prospects, he said IAG’s
valuation on an enterprise value (EV)
to core earnings (EBITDA) ratio
warranted a premium rating and it
should move further towards the level
of the budget airlines.
Currently IAG trades on an EV
to EBITDA ratio of 6.85 according
to Reuters data, trailing easyJet and
Ryanair which trade on 9.28 and 10.10
respectively, but ahead of Air France
and Lufthansa on 5.22 and 3.30.
IAG’s performance shows the
benefits of its broader strategy.
It benefits from involvement in
long-haul travel, where it is enjoying
strong demand on trans-Atlantic routes,
balanced with exposure to fast-growing,
budget short-haul flights.
Both Air France and Lufthansa, hit
by strikes last year, are trying to expand
their low-cost operations at the same
time as reducing costs in their main
businesses, emulating IAG’s moves over
the last four years.
IAG is also getting an extra boost
from economic growth in Britain and
Spain, its two domestic markets.
Already the biggest European airline
by market capitalisation, IAG could
grow further by buying Aer Lingus.
But its 1.36 billion euro approach
is yet to get the backing from the Irish
government, which owns a 25 per cent
stake. — Reuters
four weeks ago reduced the level of cash
banks must hold as reserves (RRR), did
not address directly why it had chosen to
move so quickly.
But its statement noted that the goal
of the cut was to keep “real interest
rate levels suitable for fundamental
BIZ BRIEF
US Q4 growth rate
revised down to
2.2 per cent
WASHINGTON: US economic growth
braked more sharply than initially
thought in the fourth quarter amid a
slow pace of stock accumulation by
businesses and a wider trade deficit,
but the underlying fundamentals
remained solid.
Gross domestic product expanded
at a 2.2 per cent annual pace, revised
down from the 2.6 per cent pace
estimated last month, the Commerce
Department said.
The economy grew at a 5 per cent
rate in the third quarter.
The fourth-quarter revision was
generally in line with expectations.
With consumer spending
accelerating at its quickest pace since
the first quarter of 2006 and sturdy
gains in other measures of domestic
demand, the slowdown in growth is
likely to be temporary.
Growth in consumer spending,
which accounts for more than
two-thirds of US economic activity,
was revised down by one-tenth
of a percentage point to a 4.2 per
cent pace in the fourth quarter, still
the fastest since the first quarter of
2006.
A tightening labour market and
lower gasoline prices are likely to
keep supporting domestic demand
and help the economy navigate a
turbulent global economy.
Business spending on equipment
was revised to show it rising at a 0.9
per cent rate instead of the previously
reported 1.9 per cent contraction.
A first-quarter acceleration is now
in the cards, with data on Thursday
showing a rebound in business
spending intentions in January after
four straight months of declines.
With both business and consumer
spending expanding in the fourth
quarter, growth in final sales to
domestic purchasers was revised to
a 3.2 per cent pace from the previous
2.8 per cent rate.
Businesses accumulated $88.4
billion worth of inventory in the
fourth quarter, far less than the $113.1
billion the government had estimated
last month. — Reuters
trends in economic growth, prices and
employment”.
While it said that the cut did not
represent a change in monetary policy,
the announcement did use new phrasing
to describe the policy as “neutral and
appropriate”.
Falling inflation, driven by tumbling
commodity prices, has been pushing
up the real cost of borrowing. Globally,
around 20 central banks have cut rates
since the start of the year.
China’s inflation and trade data for
January were negative, with imports
tanking nearly 20 per cent.
With Sunday’s PMI survey also
showing an employment sub-index at its
lowest level in two years, there has been
little for Beijing to take comfort from so
far in 2015, even allowing for seasonal
distortions from the Lunar New Year
holiday.
“Given the extent of the deceleration
in inflation, as well as the uncertain
outlook of the property market, we
believe more rate cuts will likely be
needed to keep growth steady in
the coming quarters,” wrote HSBC
economists in a research note.
“In fact... real rates will still remain
high compared with the level of
economic return.”
The PBoC has highlighted its
increasing concern about deflation, with
an article in its official newspaper on
Wednesday warning that the risk of a
deflationary cycle setting in were underappreciated.
The cuts thus far are seen primarily
as reducing the impact of these high real
rates on heavily indebted Chinese firms
— in particular the large, state-owned
companies able to borrow from banks at
benchmark rates.
The PBoC said in its statement that it
believed the cuts would lower borrowing
costs throughout the system, but some
analysts questioned that assertion.
“We are not convinced.
There is no clear transmission from
bank deposit rates to market interest
rates,” wrote Mark Williams, Chief Asia
Economist at Capital Economics in a
research note, adding that overall credit
growth has continued to slow, in part
due to a crackdown on shadow banking.
“The reduction in financing costs
will help many indebted firms but... the
binding constraints on bank lending are
the official lending quotas.
As a result, rate cuts do not in
themselves do anything to boost
lending.”
To really juice credit creation, in
particular the kind that trickles down to
the more economically dynamic private
sector, most economists believe the bank
will have to do many more cuts to both
rates and RRR. — Reuters
Sale of firm pumps up BASF earnings
BERLIN: A divestment at BASF pumped up fourth-quarter net income 26 per cent
year-on-year to 1.42 billion euros ($1.61 billion), the world’s biggest chemical company
said. Stock in the group fell 3 per cent, but brokers in Frankfurt attributed the drop not
to disappointment in the earnings report but to profit-taking after a pre-results stock
surge.
During the final quarter of last year, BASF sold its half of a joint venture, Styrolution,
to the other partner, German-based Ineos.
Chemicals companies are seen as gauges of worldwide industrial activity.
Chemicals prices have slid along with the price of oil, BASF’s main feedstock.
BASF said it expected the global economy to grow this year more than last year, but
it also issued a caution.
“The outlook for 2015 is subject to significant uncertainty,” BASF Chief Kurt Bock
said.
“Oil and raw material prices are volatile, as are currencies; the emerging markets
are growing more slowly; and the global economy is being dampened by geopolitical
conflict.”
Peter Spengler of Germany’s DZ Bank said the company’s fourth quarter was better
than many analysts had expected.
BASF, which is based in the western German city of Ludwigshafen, put full-year
net income at 5.16 billion euros, up 8 per cent from 2013, and proposed raising its
dividend per share to 2.80 euros, up 10 cents from a year ago. — dpa
Vespa scooters are parked outside a store at a street in Lima’s Miraflores
district in Peru. — Reuters
Glencore cuts Australian coal output
SYDNEY: Mining and commodities giant Glencore Xstrata said it was reducing its
coal production in Australia by 15 million tonnes amid weak global demand and
oversupply.
It is understood that up to 120 jobs at Glencore’s 13 Australian mines could be
affected as a result of the cuts, which will include scaling back some operations and
deferring projects. The announcement follows the Swiss company’s decision to shut
its mines for three weeks over the Christmas period.
“We plan to reduce 2015 production by 15 million tonnes to more closely align our
coal output with current customer demand,” Glencore, which produced just under 100
million tonnes of coal in Australia last year, said in a statement.
“We will continue to review all our coal operations in the prevailing economic
climate.” Glencore did not say which mines would be affected. The firm has 8,600
workers at mines in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland.
Other major miners such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have continued to ramp
up their production levels — particularly in iron ore — despite plunging commodity
prices.
Glencore Chief Executive Ivan Glasenberg was reported to have said in December
that “we don’t want to oversupply and cannibalise our own business” in a criticism of
other miners.
Rival Rio Tinto, which posted a 78 per cent rise in 2014 annual net profit to $6.53
billion earlier this month, said on Friday it was merging its copper and coal divisions as
part of an ongoing cost-cutting drive. — AFP
PERSPECTIVE
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
GAINING
omandailyobserver
21
CONTROL
Farmers store fertiliser to fight pricing power
C
anadian farmers are
ploughing
profits
from bumper crops
into fertiliser storage
facilities to mitigate
the pricing power
held by major retailers and producers.
Having their own storage lets farmers
buy nutrients more cheaply during the
off-season and creates fewer transport
bottlenecks in the spring planting
season.
Over time, the practice might erode
the steep premiums farmers pay in the
spring to retail businesses owned by
Agrium Inc, Richardson International
and Cargill Ltd, while shifting
distribution patterns of producers
Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, Mosaic
Co and CF Industries.
The trend is part of a wider shift by
North American farmers to gain more
control over both costs and the prices
they collect.
In the US, farmers are building silos
and bins to store grains and oilseeds
until crop handlers entice them to sell.
Canadian farmers produced recordlarge harvests of wheat and canola in
2013, boosting their net income to C$6.4
billion, the fourth straight year of gains,
according to the most recent Statistics
Canada data.
After diammonium phosphate prices
spiked in 2008 to $1,200 per tonne,
compared with less than $500 a tonne
today, Saskatchewan farmer Kevin
Hruska spent about C$400,000 in 2010
to build storage for about 6,000 tonnes
of blended fertiliser.
“We want to store it all — we don’t
want to be held hostage by the logistics
of springtime and the games the
fertiliser companies play,” said Hruska,
who grows wheat and canola and uses
about 6,500 tonnes of fertiliser a year
on his sprawling 45,000 acre farm. ‘‘It
gives you a lot of security knowing your
fertiliser is in place out of season.”
The difference between harvest
and spring fertiliser prices has been
almost enough for farmers to pay the
cost of storage within one season, said
Lyndon Carlson, senior vice-president
of marketing at Farm Credit Canada,
the country’s biggest agriculture
lender.
Fertiliser prices have been higher in
April, the month when demand soars
just before most planting gets under way,
than in the previous October eight times
in the last decade, according to a survey
of Alberta prices by the provincial
government.
The price of urea, for example, was
C$529 per tonne in October 2013 and
C$721 six months later.
Sales volumes of epoxy-lined bins
— designed to withstand fertiliser’s
corrosiveness — have climbed 20 per
cent since 2010 at Westeel, Western
Canada’s second-largest seller of
farm storage, said president Andre
Granger.
Farmers in North and South Dakota
are also building storage for fertiliser,
like their Canadian neighbours, but
the trend has not caught on with much
smaller US Midwest grain farms.
Farmers there lack the same scale
to buy storage facilities or fertiliser
spreading equipment and rely on local
Fertiliser prices have been
higher in April, the month
when demand soars just
before most planting gets
under way, than in the
previous October eight times
in the last decade, according
to a survey of Alberta
prices by the provincial
government.
Farmer Lenard Kidd fertilises the grass under a blanket of snow near grain elevators in Mossleigh, Alberta, in this file photo.
— Reuters
co-operatives to do the work, said Peter
Trebuschnoj, Iowa-based director of US
operations at Meridian Manufacturing,
which makes bins for the farm, industrial
and energy sectors.
US hog farmers are avoiding high
retail prices for spring fertiliser by
cashing in on their own endless supply
of free manure.
Iowa grain farmer Chuck Souder said
the ability to produce and store excess
fertiliser was a deciding factor when his
family built a hog barn last fall that can
hold about 2,500 animals at a time.
He estimates the hogs will produce at
least $37,000 in fertiliser a year.
RETAIL STRATEGY
AUTOMOBILE
Russian supermarkets freeze prices
for inflation-weary shoppers
L
ots of things freeze in
Russia’s bitterly cold
winters, but not usually
food prices, yet that
is exactly what top
supermarket chains are
doing to protect the poor from galloping
inflation.
The plunging rouble and a Russian
embargo on European Union and
US food products in retribution over
Ukraine sanctions has resulted in prices
for many goods skyrocketing.
The ACORT trade association, which
includes major supermarket chains
such as Magnit, X5, Auchan, Lenta and
Metro, announced last week that it was
freezing prices “on more than 20 socially
important items of basic necessity for
two months”.
The supermarkets said they hope
to “contribute to a stabilisation of the
situation on the food markets in the
interest of consumers” and called on
suppliers to help in the effort.
Freezing prices may also be in the
interests of the supermarkets although it
will eat into their profits, analysts say, as
it may help them escape worse measures
from the government.
The list of products covered has not
been announced, but the newspaper
Vedomosti reported that it will include
meat, fish, milk, sugar, salt, potatoes,
cabbage and apples.
According to official statistics, food
prices rose by 15 per cent in 2014 and
increases have accelerated since the start
of the year.
With it taking nearly twice as
many roubles to buy a dollar, prices for
imported goods have soared.
“I see how much prices are rising
every day and sometimes it makes my
hair stand on end,” said Maria Bunina, a
62-year-old Moscow pensioner.
“I usually fill up a trolley,” she said. “A
year ago that cost 1,200 roubles ($19.50)
and today it costs 2,500 roubles.”
The same goes for medicines, most
of which are imported. Prices have
jumped by as much as third.
A group that unites more than 730
North of the border, bumper crops
and the strength of multi-generational
farms allow some farmers to pay cash
for storage, while others borrow, said
Randy James, Manager of agriculture in
Manitoba for Bank of Montreal.
The growing size of Canadian farms
also makes building storage affordable.
Crisis in rear-view
mirror as Geneva
motor show revs up
T
A customer pushing a shopping cart in an Auchan Hypermarket in Moscow in this file picture. The sign reads: Auchan. Lots of
things freeze in Russia’s bitter cold winters, but not usually food prices, yet that is exactly what top supermarket chains are
doing to protect the poor from galloping inflation. — AFP
pharmacies has said they will join the
initiative by freezing prices on vital
medicines for chronic illnesses that are
common among lower income groups.
Food and medicine prices are a
sensitive issue for Russian President
Vladimir Putin, who returned to the
Kremlin in 2012 on campaign promises
of improving social welfare.
With the rouble having lost nearly
half of its value against the dollar, in
large part due to the collapse of the
global price of Russia’s key export earner
oil, the government is strapped for cash
to fund welfare programmes.
Instead, the authorities have
turned to a series of highly-publicised
inspections to ensure shops and market
traders are not price-gouging.
Spectacular cases of a 163 per cent
jump in cabbage prices, the cost of
cucumbers rocketing 478 per cent and
tomatoes 338 per cent were uncovered.
Faced with the prospect of greater
crackdowns, inflation-linked losses
from freezing prices on some basic
necessities may be the “lesser evil”,
according to economists at Alfa Bank.
In Saskatchewan, the average farm
is 1,668 acres, five times the average in
Iowa.
The benefits go beyond dollars and
cents.
The farm input distribution system
often becomes congested during spring,
with fertiliser in high demand during
farmers’ narrow planting window.
For that reason, farmers’ move to
build fertiliser storage and buy offseason is positive for retail sellers, even
though they might sell less product
at premium spring prices, said Tom
Hamilton, vice-president of Richardson
Pioneer.
To be sure, the more fertiliser farmers
store, the more price risk they take.
In 2009, retail dealers incurred
heavy losses on inventories when prices
collapsed.
“Bottom line, the risk of inventory
change will always overshadow the
desire to store up,” said Potash Corp
Chief Executive Jochen Tilk. — Reuters
Faced with the prospect
of greater crackdowns,
inflation-linked losses from
freezing prices on some
basic necessities may be the
“lesser evil”, according to
economists at Alfa Bank.
They called the initiative “an attempt
to show a united front in a context of
rising pressure from the government to
contain inflation”.
Meanwhile, analysts at VTB Capital
said they believe “country-wide price
controls are unlikely”.
Nor do they “view retailers’ current
proposals to fix prices for selected
(products) as a material profitability
threat,” although they expect margins
to be squeezed. Consumers are also
somewhat sceptical.
“Maybe it isn’t a bad thing they are
fixing prices,” said Bunina, “but they are
fixing them at today’s prices and not the
previous ones, when a litre of milk is
costing me 60 roubles instead of 30.”
Alfa Bank estimated that a price
freeze could cover about a third of the
average shopping basket and so reduce
inflation by half a percentage point.
VTB Capital expects food price
inflation to hit nearly 22 per cent in
the first quarter and average 18 percent
in 2015, with the share of food in
household spending to increase to 55
per cent this year.
Higher prices and the lower
purchasing power of Russians may lead
to a drop in overall retail sales by eight
percent, according to Alfa Bank.
Real wages were down eight percent
year-on-year in January.
“Russia’s economy is starting to feel
the effects of lower oil prices and the
steep fall in the rouble at the end of
last year, with consumers bearing the
brunt of the economy’s problems,” said
economists at London-based Capital
Economics.
The government forecasts the
economy will contract by three per cent
this year, but many economists are more
pessimistic.
— AFP
he front end of McLaren’s brand new P1 GTR seems to form a
knowing smirk, a pointer perhaps towards the race-track ready
motor powering this $2 million dream car. It is one of 90 sleek
never-before-seen machines due to have their world premieres
when the Geneva Motor Show opens on Thursday.
After being dogged by malaise since crashing into the economic crisis
in 2008, the European car industry is finally picking up speed.
Luxury sports cars, high-end SUVs and “green” cars will be bumper-tobumper at the show — one of the auto industry’s biggest and most diverse
events — with around 900 shiny vehicles and more than 130 new models
and “concept cars” on display.
Among the eagerly awaited newcomers are Renault’s new cross-over
SUV Kadjar, aimed at taking on Nissan’s popular Qashqai, a new version of
Skoda’s flagship Superb sedan, as well as a new Ford Focus RS.
But such family-oriented cars will as always need to battle for attention
with the latest generation of jaw-dropping luxury vehicles.
Ferrari is launching its new 488 GTB supercar, while Austin Martin will
unveil its new race car inspired Vantage GT3.
“Green” cars, boasting next-to-no emissions, and concept vehicles
focused on the autonomous vehicles of a driverless future are also expected
to draw crowds at the
show.
“The Geneva Motor
Show will open in a
positive context for the
European car industry,”
said auto market analyst
Flavien
Neuvy
of
Cetelem credit company.
With sales on the
continent up 5.7 per cent
last year and swelling 6.7 per cent in January, there is finally something to
get excited about. The European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association
(ACEA) has meanwhile predicted a cautious two-per cent growth for the
European car market in 2015.
The positive mood in the industry will certainly rub off on the display
of new vehicles, according to Euler Hermes analyst Yann Lacroix.
Trade shows generally reflect “the overall climate in the car sector,” he
said, pointing out that “the market is growing a bit, company results are
improving, so we’re on a positive track.”
But the European car industry still has a way to go before fully
returning to pre-crisis sales volumes. Last year, only 12.5 million cars were
sold in the European Union, compared to 16 million in 2007. And the
recovery remains uneven, with southern European countries like Spain,
Italy and even France facing a particularly steep climb. But shrinking oil
prices may help jump-start the process, according to observers. Black
gold recently tumbled to a six-year low of just over $40 (over 35 euros)
per barrel, resulting in lower fuel prices that are “revitalising household
purchasing power a bit”, said PwC analyst Josselin Chabert. “Consequently,
if the tendency continues, this could soften the effect of the crisis, which
European countries still have not fully exited,” she said. —AFP
22
LEISURE
omandailyobserver
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Online Editor’s Choice
CARTOONS
ADAM @ HOME
4
7
by Brian Basset
8
10
13
14
15
16
17
CALVIN AND HOBBES
19
21
23
24
26
27
by Bill Watterson
29
32
33
34
35
36
1
2
3
4
GARFIELD
by Jim Davis
5
6
9
11
12
13
15
16
18
20
STONE SOUP
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
A word to open with (6)
Concerning a sailor in making
total effort (3,5)
Is eating one most elevating? (6)
Act unfairly in many a race (5)
Enlightenment for a Los Angeles
politician? (4)
They’re off to show appreciation
and respect (4)
Bob’s girl? (4)
It can easily get out of hand (3)
Bernard was maybe out of breath
(4)
Aristocrat in a right old mess? (4)
A good shot-stopper (5-4)
In effect, music on a plate (4)
Find out about modern times? (4)
He cut a superior woman short! (3)
Was consciously fresh after a
weekend (4)
Regarded as less than moneyed (4)
Pretty little thing on a string? (4)
Jazz, note is a business (5)
Players with high voices? (6)
Could a plumber do one for
entertainment? (3,5)
A horsy question - why go round
the pub? (6)
DOWN
Should it always be a draw? (5)
A naval force possibly left out East
(5)
Be next to an upturned tub (4)
How traps might serve as restraint
(5)
Vessel known for its tidy shape? (4)
Sent in chains, perhaps? (6)
She may have a meal with a bit of a
liar (6)
Female fished out in the repechage
(3)
Idiots taking a ship into a stormy
sea (5)
Depressed by a more down-toearth editor? (7)
Bound to go out of phase (3)
Sooner than finish nowhere (3)
Is he into computers for kicks? (6)
Send for a system (5)
5
6
9
11
12
13
15
16
18
20
21
22
23
25
28
30
31
32
33
CR O SSW O R D
21 Police department, though it could
be a medical centre (3)
22 Not enough, perhaps, to help make
life wearisome (3)
23 Are such foreigners rather like
Dan? (6)
25 Guided by a little coloured light (3)
28 Unpleasant in no out-of-the-way
manner (5)
30 Opens up wicked ways to hide a
mistaken conclusion (5)
31 Put off the doctor about to change
a fee (5)
32 Eating just one seems funny, mister
(4)
33 New diet that makes its mark (4)
EASY PUZZLE
ACROSS
4 Rectangle (6)
7 Runway (8)
8 Whirlpools (6)
10
13
14
15
16
17
19
21
23
24
26
27
29
32
33
34
35
36
1
2
3
4
YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Screws 7, Hornpipe 8,
Menu 10, P-rivet 11, Per-U.S.-e 14,
M-EW 16, R-isks 17, Rain (Man) 19,
Di-Ned 21, Da-VI-d 22, Medal 23,
Do-N’T 26, Sum up 28, Wan 29,
T-ragic 30, Cinema 31, Ants 32, Eventide 33, Nine-ty.
DOWN: 1, Supper 2, Eleven 3, Shut
4, Angered 5, V-itus 6, Pekes 8, MIMI 9, NEW 12, Rid 13, Skein 15,
DI-van 18, Aug-ur 19, Dad (rev.) 20,
Nil 21, De-Picts 22, Mug 23, Danton
24, Ones 25, Tr-ash-y 26, St-R-ew 27,
M-aker 28, Win 30, Ca-E-n.
Woman’s name (5)
Victim (4)
Stream (4)
Spoken (4)
Ocean (3)
Fever (4)
Second-hand (4)
Stage lamp (9)
Travel permit (4)
Tree (4)
Humour (3)
Day (4)
Radiate (4)
In this place (4)
Pigs (5)
Fast currents (6)
Honesty (8)
River (6)
DOWN
Navigation aid (5)
Follow (5)
Eye inflammation (4)
Musical drama (5)
YESTERDAY’S EASY SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Reader 7, Adjacent 8,
Avon 10, Desert 11, Banish 14, Ire
16, Hilly 17, Moat 19, Fatal 21, Fetid
22, Genie 23, Fret 26, Creel 28, Roe
29, Really 30, Direct 31, Opal 32,
Allowing 33, Eleven.
DOWN: 1, Random 2, Divert 3, Rant
4, Galahad 5, Peril 6, Itchy 8, Asia 9,
Ore 12, Nil 13, Slope 15, Patio 18,
Ochre 19, Fen 20, Tie 21, Fellows 22,
Gel 23, Forage 24, Reel 25, Titian 26,
Cream 27, Eagle 28, Rip 30, Doge.
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:
Travel abroad
in the coming
year will have
a salutary
influence on
your conduct
in the future.
You will meet
a number of
influential
people who
will make you
change some of
your fixed ideas
and give you a
different outlook
on aspects
of life. You
could find your
earnings are
improved.
Titled woman (4)
Required (6)
Flood (6)
Rim (3)
Applauds (5)
Clergyman (7)
Not at home (3)
Ready (3)
Urged on (6)
Small mammal (5)
Be seated (3)
Frozen water (3)
Face (6)
Spirit (3)
Fire-raising (5)
Skinflint (5)
Reticent (5)
Conceal (4)
Ditty (4)
Haima . . . . . . . . 23436013 . . . . 23436055
Sohar . . . . . . . . . 26840022 . . . . 26840099
Al Buraimi. . . . . 25650855 . . . . 25652319
Sur . . . . . . . . . . . 25440244 . . . . 25461373
Tanam . . . . . . . . 25499011 . . . . 25499033
Masirah . . . . . . . 25404018 . . . . 25404018
Ibra. . . . . . . . . . . 25470533 . . . . 25470535
Adam. . . . . . . . . 25434167 . . . . 25434055
Bidiya . . . . . . . . 25483535 . . . . 25483535
Ibri . . . . . . . . . . . 25491011 . . . . 25491990
Saham . . . . . . . . 26854427 . . . . 26855148
Khasab . . . . . . . 26830187 . . . . 26830187
Dibba. . . . . . . . . 26836443 . . . . 26836443
Burkha. . . . . . . . 26828397 . . . . 26828397
Sinaw. . . . . . . . . 25474338
PISCES
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
February 20March 20
March 21April 20
April 21May 20
May 21June 21
June 22July 21
July 22August 21
You should be satisfied with a modest return on an investment you
made, and not be tempted to plunge
too deeply in case you should lose
what you have gained so far.
Since you can only be satisfied with
relationships that endure, try to be
more selective in the choice of people with whom you wish to make
friends.
It would be better to reach agreement by mutual consent than to
involve yourself in a lengthy dispute. By all means avoid a costly
legal transaction.
The gift you have taken so much
trouble to choose for celebrating
a happy event will be very acceptable and prove to be just what was
wanted.
If a young member of the family
shows a certain amount of originality, encourage him to express
himself freely without fear of being
ridiculed.
Your friendly approach and helpful attitude towards a new member of your organisation will go
a long way towards making him
feel at ease.
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
August 22September 22
September 23October 22
October 23November 21
November 22December 21
December 22January 20
January 21February 19
Try using ordinary common sense
to solve a problem which may be
more simple than it first seems.
Don’t look for complications
where none exist.
A close friend of many yeas standing will soon be moving away, and
you will be hard put to find somebody of equal sympathy and understanding.
Your restless mood which is slowing down your efficiency could
be eased if you could arrange to
spend a few days away from routine.
If some of your time is taken up
by a relative who seeks your help,
offer it freely since he feels you
are the only person who can help
him.
You may try in vain today to get
the co-operation you need to do
a domestic job. Refuse to start
until you get the assistance you
deserve.
If you think you know better
about a certain matter under dispute than your partner, you will
find positive proof is the only
way to show that you are right.
CLASSIFIEDS
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2 0 1 5
omandailyobserver
23
Situation Vacant
Housemaidǡ
™‹–Š”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡”‡“—‹”‡†
ˆ‘”ƒˆƒ‹Ž›‹‡†‹ƒ–
ŽŽƒǤʹͶ͹ͲͶͻͻͶǡ
ͻͻʹ͵ͺͲͳʹǤ
‡‡†HSE
personal, Salesman
ƒ†Electrical
Supervisor™‹–Šƒ‹
”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡Ǥ’’Ž›
–‘ǣ‰”ƒ†—•…ƒ–̷
·····
›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ…‘‘–ƒ…–‘ǣ
Sales Managerǡ ͲͲͻ͸ͺͻͷ͹ͳͶ͹Ͷ͸Ǥ
ˆ‘”ƒŽ‡ƒ†‹‰–‡”‹‘”
·····
‹–‘—–ƒ†—”‹–—”‡
family
—’’Ž›‘’ƒ›‹
driver ™‹–Š˜ƒŽ‹†
ƒǤš’‡”‹‡…‡ǣ͹Ϊ
ƒ‹†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡Ǥ
›‡ƒ”•ǡ’”‡ˆ‡”ƒ„Ž›‹
……‘‘†ƒ–‹‘™‹ŽŽ„‡
ƒǤƒŽƒ”›ǣ‡‰‘–‹ƒ„Ž‡Ǥ ’”‘˜‹†‡†Ǥͻʹʹ͵ͲʹͺʹǤ
”‡ˆ‡”‡…‡ˆ‘”ƒ‹
·····
ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ•Ǥ–‡”‡•–‡†
SYRIAN Mashavi Cook
…ƒ†‹†ƒ–‡•ƒ›’Ž‡ƒ•‡
and Moroccan Lady
ˆ‘”™ƒ”†–Š‡‹””‡•—‡–‘ Cookˆ‘”—”—‡ƒ…Š
‡Ǧƒ‹Ž‹†ǣ”‡…”—‹–‡–Ǥ
‘–‡ŽǤʹͶ͹ͲͶͻͻͶ‘”
Š”͹͵̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
ͻͻʹ͵ͺͲͳʹǤ
·····
·····
ƒŽ‹Ž
Salesman
ƒ•ŠŽ‹ǣ‡“—‹”‡†
ˆ‘”‘‹Žϐ‹‡Ž†•…‘’ƒ›ǡ
Heavy Truck
—•–Šƒ˜‡‡š’‡”‹‡…‡
Driverǡƒ‹•–ƒ‹Ȁ
‘‘‹Žϐ‹‡Ž†•ƒ††”‹˜‹‰
†‹ƒǤͻͻͶͳ͵ͷͲ͹ǡ
Ž‹…‡…‡Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
ƒŽŠƒ–™ƒʹͲͲͻ̷Š‘–ƒ‹ŽǤ ͻʹ͸͸ͷͳͷͳǤ
…‘
·····
·····
Mashavi cook
ƒ†‘”‘……ƒŽƒ†›…‘‘
ˆ‘”—”—‡ƒ…Š‘–‡ŽǤ
ʹͶ͹ͲͶͻͻͶǡ
ͻͻʹ͵ͺͲͳʹǤ
·····
Situation Wanted
INDIANƒŽ‡
‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ‡‰‹‡‡”
™‹–Š͵Ǧ‘–Š
…‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡…‘—”•‡‹
Ȁǡ’‹’‡Ž‹‡ƒ†
Ǥƒ‘˜‹•‹–
˜‹•ƒǡ•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
’Žƒ…‡‡–Ǥ‘–ƒ…–
ͻͷͺͲ͵Ͳ͵ͷǡǦƒ‹Žǣ
Œ‹––‡˜Œƒ…‘„̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
…‘
INDIAN ƒŽ‡ǡʹͻ
›‡ƒ”•ǡ‹˜‹Ž‰‹‡‡”ǡ
†‹’Ž‘ƒŠ‘Ž†‡”ǡͶ›‡ƒ”•
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ƒǡʹ
›‡ƒ”•‹”‘ƒ††‹˜‹•‹‘ǡ
Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”’Žƒ…‡‡–Ǥ
ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡Ǥ
ͻ͵ʹͻͺ͵ͻͷǤ
·····
INDIAN ƒŽ‡Ȁ
‰‹‡‡”Ǧ‹˜‹Žȋǡ
Ȍ‹ƒ‘
˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǡ‘˜‡”ƒŽŽͳͲ
›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹
Š‹‰Š”‹•‡–‘™‡”ǡ‘ˆϐ‹…‡
„—‹Ž†‹‰ƒ†
”‡•‹†‡–‹ƒŽ
…‘•–”—…–‹‘’”‘Œ‡…–
‹ƒ–ƒ”ƒ†ǡ
Š‘Ž†‹‰˜ƒŽ‹†
†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡
ͲͲͻ͸ͺͻ͵ͻͷͺͷ͵͵ǡ
‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ•Š‡‹Šƒ˜‹†̷
›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ…‘
‰‹‡‡”ǡ‡…Š
™‹–Š͵›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ
·····
Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
’Žƒ…‡‡–ǡ‘˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǤ
MBA with specialisation
‘–ƒ…–ǣͻͺͷͶͷͷʹͲǤ
‹ϐ‹ƒ…‡ǡ†‹’Ž‘ƒ‹
‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣˆ—”ƒƒœ‡‡ʹͲ̷
ƒ……‘—–‹‰ǡ’‘•–‰”ƒ†—ƒ–‡ ‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
†‹’Ž‘ƒ‹ƒ”‡–‹‰
™‹–Šʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ · · · · ·
ƒ•ƒ……‘—–•‡š‡…—–‹˜‡
‰‹‡‡”
‹†‹ƒǡ•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
—†ƒ‡•‡ǡ™‹–Šͻ
’‘•‹–‹‘ǡ’”‡•‡–Ž›‹
›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ƒ†
ƒ‘˜‹•‹–Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡Ǥ
ͻͻ͹ͶͺͷͶͻǡͻͺͷͶ͹͸͹ͲǤ ͻͶͶʹͻ͹ͶͻǤ
ǡ†‹ƒ
ƒŽ‡ǡ‘™‹–Šͺ
›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ•‡‡•
•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’Žƒ…‡‡–ǡ‘
˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǤͻͳ͵ʹ͹Ͳʹ͸Ǥ
·····
·····
·····
·····
–‘”‡…”—‹–
ƒ“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡†Interior
Designerȋ’”‡ˆ‡”ƒ„Ž›
ˆ‡ƒŽ‡ȌǤŽ‡ƒ•‡ˆ‘”™ƒ”†
›‘—”–‘ǣ
‹†‡•‹‰‡”Ǥƒ̷
‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘Ǥ
·····
Tourism
For Sale/Rent
›‘—Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”
ƒ˜‘›ƒ‰‡™‹–Š›‘—”
ˆƒ‹Ž›‘ƒŽ‡‰ƒ…›Ǧ
„‘ƒ–ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰
„—ˆˆ‡–ǫŽ›™‹–Š
ͳͷȀǦǤ‘”‘”‡
info@
alainaintourism.
com ͻʹͺͲͺ͸͵͸Ǥ
ȍ͵
VILLASˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡Ȁ
”‡–•Ȁ
Ȍǡ
ȋŠ‘’•Ȁ‘ˆϐ‹…‡•ˆ‘”
”‡–ȀŽŠ—™ƒ‹”Ȍ
ȋŽƒ–•ˆ‘””‡–Ȁ
ƒ†‹ƒ„‹”ȌǤ
96596348.
·····
Situation Wanted
ƒŽ‡ʹ͸›‡ƒ”•ǡ
Ǧ‹ƒ…‡Ƭƒ”‡–‹‰ǡ‘™‹–Š
ƒŽŽ›ǡʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ…—””‡–Ž›™‘”‹‰‹ƒǤ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
ͻͶʹͺʹͻͺͲǤ‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ
•Š‹”ƒ•˜‡ŽŽ‹›ƒ–Š̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
…‘
·····
ƒŽ‡͵ͻ›‡ƒ”•ǡ
™‹–Šͷ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹–Š‡ϐ‹‡Ž†‘ˆDz
‡…Š‹…‹ƒdzƒ†Ͷ›‡ƒ”•
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ƒ••—’‡”˜‹•‘”Ȁ„‹ŽŽ‹‰Ǥ˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǤ
‘–ƒ…–ǣͻ͵ͷ͹Ͳͳʹ͸
Ȁ‰Ž‹•Š
ϐŽ—‡–‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ
‰‹‡‡”ǡǡǡ
ͺ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ
ͷ›”•‹’”‘Œ‡…–
ϐ‹‡Ž†ȋƒƒ‰‡‡–
ƒ†•—’‡”˜‹•‹‘Ȍǡ
ˆƒ‹Ž‹ƒ”™‹–Š
”‹ƒ˜‡”ƒ͸Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
ͻͶ͸ͺ͹ͲͳͲǡ‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ
ƒ„†‡Ž‰ƒ†‡”ͳͻͺʹ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
…‘
ƒŽ‡ǡʹͷ›‡ƒ”•ǡ
ǡ‘™Ž‡†‰‡‹
ˆϐ‹…‡ǡƒŽŽ›ǡŠƒ˜‹‰
–™‘›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡
‹ƒƒ••Š‘™”‘‘
•ƒŽ‡•ǡ‡”…Šƒ†‹•‡”
™‹–Šˆ”‘’”‡˜‹‘—•
…‘’ƒ›Ǥ‹•ƒ‡š’‹”‡•
‘Ȅ’”‹ŽͳͲǤ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
ͻͺ͸ͷͻͻͺͲ
·····
ƒƒƒŽ‡ǡʹ͵
›‡ƒ”•ǡȋƒ”–“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡†Ȍ͵›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡
Account‹ƒ‡”‹…ƒ…‘’ƒ›
ƒ–ͻ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ƒ•ƒ—†‹–‘”Ȁƒƒ‰‡‹ƒ…‡Ǧ…‘•‘Ž‹†ƒ–‹‘
‡––”ƒ‹‡‡•‡‡•ƒ
ƒ•’‡”ǡ”‡ƒ•—”›ǡ
•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡Œ‘„‹
—†‰‡–ǡ˜‡•–‡–•ǡ–ƒš- ƒǤ
‘‘†‰Ž‹•Š
·····
ƒ–‹‘ǡȀǤ—””‡–Ž›
‘™Ž‡†‰‡Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
™‘”‹‰‹”‹ƒ…‡
ͻͶ͸͵͵ͻ͸ͺ
”‘ˆ‡••‹‘ƒŽǡʹͷǡ”‹
’‘•‹–‹‘‹ƒǤ‘‹‹‰
ƒƒǡ‡…ŠǦ‹ƒŽǡ
·····
‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ǥƒ˜ƒ‹Žǡǡǡ
ƒ„Ž‡Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
ͳͲ›‡ƒ”•
Šƒ˜‹‰Ͷ›‡ƒ”•
ͻͷͶͺͻʹ͸ͻǡ
‘’‡”ƒ–‹‘•ǡ™‹–Šǡ
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹…Ž—†‹‰
’”†•ͳͶͲ͸̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
‘‰‹•–‹…•ǡ•‹–‡‘’‡”ƒ–‹‘•ǡ
ǡŽ‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
–”ƒ‹‹‰ǡ…—””‡–Ž›
’‘•‹–‹‘Ǥȋ‹•‹–˜‹•ƒȌǤ
·····
Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
‘–ƒ…–ǣͻ͵͵ͷͶͷʹ͸ǡ
’Žƒ…‡‡–Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
’”‘ˆ‡••‹‘ƒŽǡ
‡Ǧƒ‹ŽǣŒƒ•‹–ŠǤ’…̷
ͻʹͺʹͷͲͷ͵Ǥ
‡š…‡ŽŽ‡–‰Ž‹•Šǡ
‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
Š‹‰Š“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘ǡͳͲ
·····
·····
›‡ƒ”•ƒƒ‰‡”‹ƒŽ‡š’
ƒŽ‡ǡʹ͹ǡ
‹ƒ‹”‡’—–‡†
”ƒ“‹‡Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽ‡‰‹†‹’Ž‘ƒ‹‹˜‹Ž
…‘’ƒ‹‡•ǡ”‡•—Ž–•Ǧ
‡‡”ǡŽ‘‰‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ‘”‹‡–‡†’”‘ˆ‡••‹‘ƒŽ
‰‹‡‡”‹‰ǡ͸›‡ƒ”•
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ͵›‡ƒ”•‹
…‘•–”—…–‹‘™‘”•ƒ† •‡‡•…ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‹‰
ƒ•ƒ•‹–‡‡‰‹‡‡”Ǥ
ˆƒ…–‘”›ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡‰‡–- ƒƒ‰‡‡–Ȁ
–‹‰‡Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽ™‘”•ƒ† ’‡”ƒ–‹‘•Ȁ†‹Ȁ—• ‘™‘˜‹•‹–‹‰˜‹•ƒ
•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’Žƒ…‡‡–Ǥ
†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡•Ž‘‘‹‰ ‡˜”‘Ž‡ǡ—‹…Œ‘‹‹‰Ǥ
‘–ƒ…–ǣͻ͸͸ʹ͸͹ʹͷͳǤ
ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡”‡’Žƒ…‡‡–Ǥ Ǥͻͳʹʹͻ͵ͻʹǤ
„‹‡•Š˜„̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
‘–ƒ…–ǣͻͺͻͷͻͲͶ͵
·····
·····
·····
‡‰‹‡‡”ǡ ƒŽ‡™‹–Š͸
ƒŽ‡ǡ”‘ˆǡ
›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹
ʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹
ʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’ƒ••›•–‡
‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡ •ƒŽ‡•Ȁƒ”‡–‹‰Ƭ
ƒ†‹‹•–”ƒ–‘”‹ƒǡ
’—”…Šƒ•‡Ȁƒ……‘—–•™‹–Š
ƒ†–”‘—„Ž‡•Š‘‘–‹‰
͵Ϊ›”•‡š’‹†‹ƒ
ƒ‹†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡
‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ‡“—‹’‡–ǡ
ȋƒ”†™ƒ”‡ǡ‡–™‘”‹‰ǡ •‡‡•’Žƒ…‡‡–‹
Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡Œ‘„Ǥ
‹†‘™•‡”˜‡”ǡ
‘–ƒ…–ǣͻͺͺͷͳͻͺͲǤ
‡‰‹‡‡”‹‰’‘•‹–‹‘
š…Šƒ‰‡‡”˜‡”Ȍǡͳ›‡ƒ” ͻͷͻͳͲ͹ͶͻǤ
·····
‡š’‹ǡǡǡ
ƒ˜ƒ…”‹’–ǡƒšǡ›•“ŽǤ · · · · ·
ƒŽ‡ǡʹ͸›‡ƒ”•ǡ
ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
‘ǡ–‡”
‰‹‡‡”ȋ‡…ŠȌǡ …‘’Ž‡–‡†ƒ†’—”•—‹‰
ͻ͹Ͷͻ͸ͻͻͺ
†‹ƒƒŽ‡ǡʹͶ›‡ƒ”•
ǤͶ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡Ǥ
·····
™‹–ŠͳΪ›‡ƒ”•†‹ƒ
—””‡–Ž›‹‹›ƒ†Šƒ•
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ȋ…‡”–‹ϐ‹‡†‹
‘•–……‘—–ƒ–ǡ•‡‡•
ǡŽ‘‘‹‰ —ƒ–‹–›—”˜‡›Ȁ
’Žƒ…‡‡–ǤͻͶ͵ͻͲ͸͸Ͳǡ
ˆ‘””‹˜‹‰Œ‘„‹‘ˆϐ‹…‡Ǥ ”‹ƒ˜‡”ƒȀ—–‘ƒ†ȌǤ
ƒ”—”ƒ̴ͺͺ̷›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ…‘Ǥ‹
Ž‡ƒ•‡…ƒŽŽǣͻʹ͹ͷ͹ͳ͵ͷǤ ‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
·····
’‘•‹–‹‘Ǥ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡‹
·····
—Ž–ƒƒ–‡‘ˆƒ
ƒŽ‡ǡʹʹ›‡ƒ”•ǡ
ȋ—•…ƒ–Ȍ‘˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǤ
ƒŽ‡ǡʹͶ›‡ƒ”•ǡ
‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ‰‹‡‡”ǡ
‘–ƒ…–ǣ
ƒŽ‡•š‡…—–‹˜‡ǡ͵›‡ƒ”•
•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’Žƒ…‡‡–Ǥ
ͻͳ͵Ͳ͵ͺ͸ͲǤ
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡™‹–Š†‡‰”‡‡ǡ
‘–ƒ…–ǣͻͷͲʹͲͲͶͶǤ
‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ†ƒ›—„ƒ̷
Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡Œ‘„Ǥ
‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ•ƒ‡‡•ʹͲͲͻ
‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
‘–ƒ…–ǣͻͳ͹͵ʹͺͳͺǤ
̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
·····
·····
·····
Investment
ˆ‘”ƒ
‹˜‡•–‘”ˆ‘”ƒˆ—ŽŽǦ
‡“—‹’’‡†‡š‹•–‹‰
‡†‹…ƒŽ…‘’Ž‡šƒ•
•‘‘ƒ•’‘••‹„Ž‡‹
‹Žƒ›ƒ–‘ˆƒ‹ƒǡ
‘˜‡”‘”ƒ–‡‘ˆŽ
—•–ƒǤͻʹʹͳʹͷͷ͹ǡ
ͻͻʹͶʹʹͶͻǤ
·····
Guest House
ʹͶͷ͸ͶͲ͹ͲǤ
·····
Lost
ƒ‡–Šƒ•Ž‘•–
ƒ‹•–ƒ‹’ƒ••’‘”–‘
Ǧ͸ͳ͹͸ͻͺʹǤ‹†‡”
’Ž‡ƒ•‡Šƒ†‘˜‡”–‘Ǥ
·····
ƒ‡‡
Šƒ•Ž‘•–ƒ‹•–ƒ‹
’ƒ••’‘”–‘
ǦͲͺͻʹʹͲǤ‹†‡”
’Ž‡ƒ•‡Šƒ†‘˜‡”–‘Ǥ
·····
Moogol has
Ž‘•–ƒ‰Žƒ†‡•Š‹
’ƒ••’‘”–‘
ǦͷͳͲ͹ͳͲͳǤ‹†‡”
’Ž‡ƒ•‡Šƒ†‘˜‡”–‘Ǥ
·····
‘Šƒƒ†Šƒ•
Ž‘•–ƒ‰Žƒ†‡•Š‹
’ƒ••’‘”–‘
Ǧͻͺͺ͹Ͳ͹ͲǤ‹†‡”
’Ž‡ƒ•‡Šƒ†‘˜‡”–‘Ǥ
·····
WIWI –‹†‹„‹Šƒ•
Ž‘•–†‘‡•‹ƒ
’ƒ••’‘”–‘Ͳ͸ͲͳͳͺǦ
ͻͺͺ͹Ͳ͹ͲǤ‹†‡”’Ž‡ƒ•‡
Šƒ†‘˜‡”–‘Ǥ
·····
CLASSIFIED
SECTION
RUWI :
24785668
Services
1. HOOPOE SMART
CARD SERVICES
2. AL FAHAD
TRANSLATION
SERVICES
STOP!!!
‘‘†‡™•–‘ƒŽŽ‘—”
†‡ƒ”…—•–‘‡”•ǣ—”
™‹ŽŽ˜‹•‹–›‘—”
‘ˆϐ‹…‡ȀŠ‘—•‡–‘…‘ŽŽ‡…–
†‘…—‡–•ˆ‘”–›’‹‰
‘”…Ž‡ƒ”‹‰ƒ†™‹ŽŽ
†‡Ž‹˜‡”–Š‡•ƒ‡‘
…‘’Ž‡–‹‘Ǥ
—”•‡”˜‹…‡•‹…Ž—†‡
–›’‹‰ƒŽŽˆ‘”•
”‡Žƒ–‡†–‘‹‹•–”›
‘ˆƒ’‘™‡”ǡ
‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ǡ‡Ǥ‰Ǥǡ
˜‹•ƒ•ǡ”‡‡™ƒŽ‘ˆ
˜‹•ƒ•ǡƒŽŽ•‡”˜‹…‡•
”‡Žƒ–‡†–‘‹‹•–”›‘ˆ
‘‡”…‡Ƭ†—•–”›ǡ
‡Ǥ‰Ǥǡ”‡•‡”˜ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ
…‘‡”…‹ƒŽƒ‡•ǡ
ƒ‡†‡–‘ˆƒ…–‹˜‹–‹‡•
‘ˆ–Š‡…‘’ƒ›ƒ†
ƒŽŽ•‡”˜‹…‡•”‡Žƒ–‡†–‘
‘›ƒŽƒ‘Ž‹…‡Ǣ
ƒ…‡ŽŽƒ–‹‘‘ˆ
‹•ƒ•ƒ––Š‡—•…ƒ–
–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ‹”’‘”–
ˆ‘””‡’ƒ–”‹ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ
‡’Ž‘›‡‡•Ǣ‹”‡…–‘”ƒ–‡
‡‡”ƒŽ‘ˆ”ƒˆϐ‹…Ǣƒ†
ƒŠƒ„‡”‘ˆ
‘‡”…‡Ƭ†—•–”›Ǥ
”ƒ•Žƒ–‹‘‘ˆŽ‡‰ƒŽ
†‘…—‡–•Ǥ‡†‹…ƒŽ
”‡’‘”–•ǡ…‘‡”…‹ƒŽ
ƒ‰‡…›ƒ‰”‡‡‡–•ǡ
Ž‹–‡”ƒ–—”‡ǡ…ƒ–ƒŽ‘‰—‡•
ȋƒ‰—ƒ‰‡•ǣ”ƒ„‹…ǡ
‰Ž‹•Šǡ”‡…Šǡ
’ƒ‹•ŠƬ–ƒŽ‹ƒȌ
—”††”‡••ǣ—™‹ǡ
†Œƒ…‡––‘
—Žˆ
”ƒ•’‘”–‘Ǥȋ
ȌǤ
‡Ž‡’Š‘‡•ǣʹͶ͹ͻ͵͵͵ͳ
ȀʹͶ͹ͻͶʹͺ͸
ǣͻͻʹ͵ͳͷͲͲ
Ȁͻ͸͹͹͹ͳ͹ͲȀͻͷͻͷͻͺ͵ͺ
ƒƒ‰‡†„›ǣƒŽ‹
ŠƒŽˆƒƒŽƒ†‹
ȋ͵͵›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡
‹ƒƒ‰‡‡–Ȍ
·····
1.
ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡ƒ†
•‡”˜‹…‹‰Ǥ
2. ”‹†‰‡ǡ
™ƒ•Š‹‰ƒ…Š‹‡
ƒ††‹•Š™ƒ•Š‡”
”‡’ƒ‹”‹‰Ǥ
3. ƒ‹–‹‰ƒ†
…Ž‡ƒ‹‰•‡”˜‹…‡•Ǥ
4.Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽǡ
’Ž—„‹‰ƒ†
…ƒ”’‡–”›™‘”
ͻ͹ͲͳͶʹ͵Ͷǡ
ͻͻͶͶ͹ʹͷ͹ǡ
ʹͶͷͲͶʹͺͳǤ
·····
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
ƒ”•ˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡
‘””‡–
‘„ƒ’’Ž‹…ƒ–‹‘
Šƒ”‹‰”‡•‹†‡…‡
”ƒ•’‘”–…ƒ”•
‡ƒŽ•–ƒ–‡ȋ•ƒŽ‡Ǧ
”‡–Ǧ‹˜‡•–‡–•
Ȉ ƒŒŒƒ†”ƒ
Ȉ •‡†ˆ—”‹–—”‡ˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡
Ȉ ƒ—…Š…‡”‡‘‹‡•‘ˆȋ”‡•–ƒ—”ƒ–•Ǧ
•Š‘’•Ǧ…Ž‹‹…•Ȍ
Ȉ ‘„ƒ†•
Ȉ ‡ƒ…Š‹‰†”‹˜‹‰
Ȉ ‘—•‡•…Ž‡ƒ‹‰Ǧ•‡”˜‹…‡•ƒ†’‡•–
…‘–”‘Ž
For information, please call:
99841230-95919344
92721879 - 99639264
Tel: 24649597, Fax: 24649590
BankMuscat account: 0397003776610011
Bank Dhofar account: 01040141195001
E-mail: [email protected]
MONDAY l MARCH 2, 2015 l JUMADA AL ULA 11, 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.
E-mail: [email protected]
SPECIAL Rates on
New Cars & 4 WDs
RENTING & LEASING
Tours and Airport Transfer
Tel: 24582663
GSM: 95859497,
Fax: 24582664,
[email protected]
Umrah/Haj
AL Hikmani for
HAJ and UMRAH
— With a host of
services including
the following:
Hiring luxurious
coaches,
arranging weekly
trips, preparing
visas for expats
at cost-effective
price, including
transport,
housing, meals
and visits to
shrine locations.
Land and air
trips weekly.
(99311310,
24566016,
99361982,
99707248,
99322124.
·····
Car for Sale
PORSCHE Cayenne
S-2004, white colour,
158,000 km, RO 4,500/96417989.
·····
MERCEDES CT 55,
2001, black colour,
122,000 km, RO 2,900/96417989.
·····
MERCEDES S 55, 2001,
dark blue, 250,000
km, RO 1,900/96417989.
Supply
of
Pesticides,
Gel (Cockroaches),
Public Health
chemicals,
Agriculture
chemicals,
Snake repellent, Rodent
baits
and
other insect
repellent from
Agropharm
Ltd UK.
PROFESSIONALS
in Pest Control Service,
Bedbug Treatment, Rodent
Treatment, Snake Treatment
and Termite Treatment
(Pre and Post Construction).
Tel: 24787606 / 24787503
Fax: 24787607
E-mail: [email protected]
P. O. Box: 565, Wadi Kabir,
Postal Code: 117,
SULTANATE OF OMAN
FREE INFORMATION
ABOUT ISLAM
If you would like to know
more about
Islam, please call:
Tel : 99425598, 96050000,
99353988, 99253818,
99341395, 99379133, For
ladies: 99415818, 99321360,
99730723
Or visit: www.islamfact.com
Good News
DO you or your
family members
require skilled 24hr
care? Dedicated to
chronic care &
physical
rehabilitation from
injury or illness;
Rochester Wellness
offers specialised
medical recovery
services. For more
information contact
our coordinators at
+968 22094265.
·····
AYURVEDIC
Treatment, Yoga
Massage &
slimming. Web
address: www.
siddhayur.com
92504980/
24475280.
·····
Sale and Buy
·····
LINCOLN Navigator
4WD, 1998, grey,
335,000 km, RO 1,600/96417989.
·····
OFFICE & Household
furniture and
electronics items.
99834373,
97102699.
·····
al-haditha
centre
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
AUTO REPAIR
CENTRE
Available on UNBEATABLE prices
Tours
Announcement
DOLPHIN
WATCHING TOUR.
Every Day 8 am and
10 am. For booking
94110088/
91162534. E-mail:
coraloceantours@
gmail.com Web:
www.
coraloceantours.com.
Abu Ayyub
al-Hashemi
land transport
(recommendation),
register No. 1205902
announces that
it is intending to
convert its name
to Abu Ayyub alHashemi trade
(recommendation).
Beneficiaries should
be informed of the
changes.
·····
Rent a Car
AHAD 2000 for rent car.
93203481, 93204595.
For Rent
FLATS and
shops for rent
93009999.
·····
SHOP for rent, 200
sq m in Maabela
Industrial. Call:
97314122,
99349878.
·····
A 735 Sq M2 store
in Bausher, Al
Misfah Industrial
is offered for rent.
The premise is
built in accordance
to high standards.
A 3-5 year lease
contract is required
99332902,
99047584.
VILLA in Bausher (Al
Awabi) consists of
majlis, 5 bedrooms,
5 toilets, 2 living
rooms and external
kitchen 99364586.
·····
2 BEDROOMS, 2 baths
and hall apartment for
rent in Al Wattayah,
behind Honda
Showroom. 99428161
(Owner).
·····
·····
BRAND new twin villa
in Al Khuwair, near
technical College.
Modern style with high
quality finishing. 6
bedrooms, RO 950 only
92230282.
·····
FURNISHED offices for
rent in prime location in
Ruwi (Mumtaz) with
free electricity, water
and Internet. For lease
long & short term
95950012,
99331181.
·····
DELUXE 3 bedrooms
apartment for rent in
Mumtaz area. For more
information contact:
99336263.
·····
1 B/R available in Rex
Road, Ruwi, suitable for
bachelors.
99889590.
·····
BRAND new villa in Al
Hail. 92817777.
FLAT located in Al
Muhaj Sq/Al Amerat on
the main road.
98895553.
·····
·····
Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all
types of Cars and Heavy vehicles
1510 Printer
RO 11.000 only
(ROP approved Grade A Workshop)
HP
All Cartridges also available
on UNBEATABLE prices
AII HP, Epson, Canon,
Lexmark, Samsung
Cartridges also available
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
Ruwi: 24792-792
[email protected]
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
For Rent
BRAND new villa in
Qurum, near Crowne
Plaza. Walking distance
from beach. 6 bedrooms,
3 halls with elevator!
92230282.
CLASSIFIED SECTION:
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
al-haditha LLC
PEST CONTROL
OMAN CO. LLC.
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
Rent-A-Car
FURNISHED house in
Mabella - 2 rooms,
kitchen, hall and 3
toilets for rent. Call:
99357404.
·····
FLAT in Mabella 3
rooms, sitting room,
hall, kitchen
(spacious) with 4
toilets. Call:
99357404.
·····
2 STOREY villa at
Mabella with 2 sitting
rooms with toilets, 2
halls, 3 bedrooms
with attach toilets (Municipality water
available). Call:
99357404.
·····
ONE B/R flats in Madinat
Al Alam for executives/
small family.
99238012/ 24704994.
·····
FULLY licenced
restaurant in Qurum
Beach Hotel.
24704994.
·····
OFFICE space available
‡ƒ…ŠϐŽ‘‘”͸ͲͲ•“
†‹˜‹†‡†‘ˆϐ‹…‡‹ͷ•–‘”‡›
building at Al Khuwair
͵͵Ǥ‡–ƒ‹Ž•ǣˆϐ‹…‡ǣ
24790449
or E-mail: infoajest@
gmail.com
·····
PENTHOUSE in Mumtaz,
1 bedroom, sitting room,
2 toilets, kitchen,
terrace.
98003444.
·····
SHOWROOM Front 120/
M2, Back 130/M2. First
floor commercial flat
1BHK, 2 BHK, Al
Athaiba North,
behind Al Fair.
99565364,
95497323.
·····
ǧhouse
behind GUtech, Halban,
is for rent. The building
consists of 4 bedrooms,
majlis, kitchen and 3
toilets. 91239119.
Manpower
FRIENDS
MANPOWER: Filipino
housemaids and all
kinds of workers.
24489268 Tel:/Fax:
24478153, 92462496.
·····
KHALIFA AlSinani Manpower
— labourers &
housemaid from
Indonesia, Kenya,
Uganda and other
countries. Al Suwaiq.
To communicate
26713500,
26713600.
·····
For Rent
INDUSTRIAL land
in Misfah for rent.
93009999.
·····
Telephone: 24595951/1414, Fax: 24597979.
For Sale
5,000 Sq.mt and
SHOP for sale, Beauty
Salon Barka, near LuLu
Hypermarket Center.
Contact: 97655500.
building with 8 shops.
·····
INDUSTRIAL area
land in Rusayil,
A 400 sq m residential
commercial building situ92702891.
ated at the first line of the
public road in Rawdat
·····
Samad Al Shaan. The
building is within 300 m
FULLY equipped, 2 chair
Dental Clinic for sale in Al far from the Imam Noor
Seeb area. MoH approved. Al Din Al Salmi. It houses
a 100 sq m 3 outlets. The
Call: 94514045.
remaining 300 sq m plot
·····
is workers residence, a
store and a toilet. The
3 BEDROOM house at
premise is at RO 55,000
Betras Zanzibar RO
plus 3 per cent commis90,000. Contact Owner:
sion.99600909.
99348943.
·····
·····
Contact 95490842,
CLASSIFIED
SECTION
RUWI:
24785668
·····
3 BEDROOMS, 3 baths
apartment for rent in
Sidab, opposite Petrol
Station. 97779755.
Behind Royal Oman
Police, Adjacent to
Dhofar
Building
·····
Ali al Maashari: 99639264 [email protected]
e-mail: [email protected]
Mohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 [email protected]
DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590
MONDAY | MARCH 2, 2015 | JUMADA AL ULA 11, 1436 AH
PACE POWER: Wahab Riaz also excelled with both bat and ball scoring a half-century and claiming 4 wickets
Irfan stars as Pakistan claim first victory
BEST
QUOTE
It was really tough
because it was a make or
break game for us. You
can’t believe how happy
we are because we were
out of the tournament if
we’d lost this game.
— MISBAH-UL-HAQ,
PAKISTAN
CAPTAIN,
AFTER THE
NARROW
VICTORY
OVER
ZIMBABWE
IN THEIR
POOL B
MATCH.
BEST BATTING
Thirimanne
* Lahiru
for Sri Lanka
139
against England.
BEST BOWLING
4-30
Mohammad
Irfan for Pakistan
against Sri Lanka
BRISBANE:
Mohammad
Irfan
extracted steep bounce from the
Gabba pitch to pick up four wickets as
Pakistan secured their first victory at
the World Cup by beating Zimbabwe
by 20 runs in their Pool B match on
Sunday.
Wahab Riaz also excelled with
both bat and ball, scoring a crucial
half-century and taking four wickets,
as Zimbabwe were all out for 215 in
the 50th over, chasing Pakistan’s 2357.
It was Pakistan captain Misbahul-Haq’s patient 73 and a quickfire
unbeaten 54 from Riaz that gave the
team, looking for their first win after
defeats to India and West Indies,
a total to defend after losing early
wickets to paceman Tendai Chatara.
Zimbabwe
openers
Chamu
Chibhabha (nine) and Sikandar Raza
(eight) also found the going tough
as both failed to manage rising balls
from Irfan, who stands a lofty 2.16
metres (7-foot-1-inch) tall.
The left-armer returned in his
later spells to also dismiss Hamilton
Masakadza (29) and Solomon Mire
(eight) to bag his best figures of 4-30
in ODI cricket.
Brendan Taylor (50) gave the
Africans a good platform for the
chase with a 52-run stand for the third
wicket with Masakadza and then a 54run partnership with Sean Williams
(33) but his dismissal off Riaz brought
Pakistan back in the game.
Riaz (4-45) then picked up Craig
Ervine (14) and Tawanda Mupariwa
(zero) in the space of three deliveries
in his eighth over to put the chase
beyond Zimbabwe’s reach.
Earlier, Chatara (3-35) got ample
SCOREBOARD
Pakistan’s Mohammad Irfan (right) celebrates with team-mates after he dismissed Zimbabwe’s Solomon Mire for eight runs
during their World Cup match at the Gabba in Brisbane. — Reuters
movement and bounce off the surface
to send back openers Nasir Jamshed
(1) and Ahmed Shehzad (0) in his first
two overs after Misbah had won the
toss and opted to bat.
The double blow forced Pakistan to
retreat into a defensive shell, amassing
the lowest tally in the first 10 overs at
this World Cup when they reached
14-2 after the opening 60 balls.
Pakistan were never able to break
free at any time in their innings and
It was Misbah’s patient 73
and a quickfire unbeaten
54 from Riaz that gave the
team, looking for their first
win after defeats to India
and WI, a total to defend
after losing early wickets to
paceman Tendai Chatara
as is often the case, Misbah was left
with the responsibility of rebuilding
Pakistan’s innings.
The 40-year-old right-hander
added a pedestrian 54 for the third
wicket with Haris Sohail (27) and
69 for the fourth with Umar Akmal
(33) before Williams struck another
double-blow to peg Pakistan back.
The left-arm spinner got deliveries
to straighten and clean bowled
Akmal and birthday boy Shahid
PAKISTAN
N Jamshed c Raza b Chatara..................... 1
A Shehzad c Taylor b Chatara .................... 0
H Sohail c Williams b Raza .....................27
Misbah c Williams b Chatara ..................73
U Akmal b Williams ................................33
S Afridi b Williams .................................... 0
S Maqsood c&b Mupariwa......................21
W Riaz (not out) ......................................54
S Khan (not out)........................................ 6
Extras (LB-3, W-17) ................................20
Total (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) ........... 235
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-4, 3-58, 4-127,
5-127, 6-155, 7-202
Bowling: T Panyangara 10-1-49-0, T
Chatara 10-2-35-3, T Mupariwa 8-1-36-1, S
Williams 10-1-48-2, H Masakadza 3-0-14-0,
E Chigumbura 1-0-7-0, S Raza 7-0-34-1, S
Mire 1-0-9-0
ZIMBABWE
C Chibhabha c Sohail b Irfan .................... 9
S Raza c Sohail b Irfan ............................... 8
H Masakadza c Misbah b Irfan................29
B Taylor c U Akmal b Riaz ........................50
S Williams c Shehzad b R Ali...................33
C Ervine c U Akmal b Riaz .......................14
S Mire c U Akmal b Irfan ........................... 8
E Chigumbura c U Akmal b Riaz .............35
T Mupariwa c U Akmal b Riaz .................... 0
T Panyangara (run out) ...........................10
T Chatara (not out) .................................... 0
Extras (B-3, LB-2, NB-1, W-13) ...............19
Total (all out, 49.4 overs) ............. 215
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-22, 3-74, 4-128,
5-150, 6-166, 7-168, 8-168, 9-215
Bowling: M Irfan 10-2-30-4, S Khan 10-045-0, R Ali 10-0-37-1, W Riaz 9.4-1-45-4, S
Afridi 10-1-53-0
Afridi for a duck in the space of
three balls. Misbah holed out at long
on trying to clear Chatara out of the
ground after another meaningful
stand of 47 with Wahab Riaz (54 not
out) for the seventh wicket.
The partnership took Pakistan past
the 200 mark and some clean hitting
from Riaz, who belted six fours and a
six in his 46-ball knock for his first 50
in the format, added some vital runs
at the death. — Reuters
ENGLAND CAN STILL MAKE LAST EIGHT, SAYS MORGAN
WELLINGTON: England captain
Eoin Morgan insisted he was
still confident of reaching the
World Cup quarter-finals, despite
Sunday’s “hard to take” nine-wicket
loss against Sri Lanka.
The defeat leaves England on
the brink of an early exit after
heavy losses to New Zealand and
Australia in their opening matches.
England’s final Pool A
matches against Bangladesh and
Afghanistan now loom as must-win
clashes but Morgan said he had
not considered failing to make the
last eight.
“It’s not even a thought at the
moment — two games to win to
get us into the quarter-final,” he
said. Morgan said the fact that
England set a competitive 310-run
target made the Sri Lanka loss
more difficult to accept than the
routs against Australia and New
Zealand, when they were never in
the game.
“When you don’t turn up for a
race like those first two games, it’s
scratch. But today, when we turn
up and we’re beaten in that fashion
it’s harder to take.”
Morgan said England performed
with the bat, particularly Joe Root
who made 121, but failed with the
ball to allow Sri Lanka to finish on
312-1.
“When we bowl one bad ball,
every couple of overs or every over
you’re going to be punished,” he
said.
Morgan said England remained
a quality side that needed to work
on “the simple things” to click at
the tournament.
“It’s not out of our reach or a
million miles away,” he said. “It’s just
continuing to reproduce the simple
England’s captain Eoin Morgan (left) talks to bowler James Anderson during
things consistently.” — AFP
their World Cup match against Sri Lanka in Wellington.
— Reuters
‘We need to work hard to improve our batting. All the teams are getting to 280, 290 or 300 so we need to start well and capitalise on it’
Relieved Misbah tells Pakistan batsmen to shape-up
BRISBANE,
Australia:
Pakistan
skipper Misbah-ul-Haq told his batsmen
to shape-up or ship out of the World
Cup after the 1992 champions scraped a
20-run win over Zimbabwe on Sunday.
It was Pakistan’s first victory of this
World Cup after losing by 76 runs to
India and suffering a 150-run hiding
at the hands of the West Indies in their
previous two Pool B fixtures.
Misbah needed his bowlers to set
up Sunday’s win after his side had been
limited to a modest 235 for seven by
another poor top-order effort .
It was Pakistan’s highest total of
the tournament but a long way off the
fourteen 300 and over totals so far
registered elsewhere in the event.
WORLD CUP STANDINGS
“We need to work hard to improve
STANDINGS (PLAYED, WON, LOST TIED, N/R, POINTS, RUN RATE)
our batting. All the teams are getting to
280, 290, or 300, so we need to start well
POOL A
POOL B
and capitalise,” said Misbah.
New Zealand 4 4 0 0 0 8 +3.589
India
3 3 0 0 0 6 +2.630
Sri Lanka
4 3 1 0 0 6 +0.128
South Africa 3 2 1 0 0 4 +1.260
Misbah has his team’s best two scores
Bangladesh 3 1 1 0 1 3 +0.287
Ireland
2 2 0 0 0 4 +0.338
of 76 against Pakistan and 73 on Sunday.
Australia
3 1 1 0 1 3 -0.305
West Indies 4 2 2 0 0 4 -0.313
Afghanistan 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.760
Zimbabwe
4 1 3 0 0 2 -0.723
Umar Akmal and Sohaib Maqsood
England
4 1 3 0 0 2 -1.201
Pakistan
3 1 2 0 0 2 -1.373
got beyond fifty against the West Indies
Scotland
3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.735
UAE
3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.326
while Wahab Riaz scored a half-century
NOTE: Top four in each group qualify for quarter-finals
against Zimbabwe at Brisbane’s Gabba
ground.
“The pitch wasn’t easy. It was a bit runs short but we showed the kind of
“It was really tough because it was
a make or break game for us. You can’t two-paced and it was really difficult to quality we have in the bowling line-up
and credit should be given to the fast
believe how happy we are because we rotate the strike.
“I felt 250-260 would be really bowlers.”
were out of the tournament if we’d lost
The win gave Pakistan, who won the
challenging today. We were 15-20
this game,” added the captain.
World Cup when the tournament was
last staged in Australia and New Zealand
23 years ago, their first two points.
But they are second from bottom in
their pool, with just the top four sides
going into the quarter-finals.
They face the UAE in Napier on
Wednesday, South Africa in Auckland
next Saturday before their first round
is wrapped up at Adelaide on March 15
against Ireland.
“When I went into bat, the discussion
was to play all 50 overs and if we had to
take chances we would do so in the last
three or four overs,” he said. “The whole
team really worked hard and believed in
me and my batting.”
— AFP
M O N DAY M A R C H 2 l 2 0 1 5
26
FEBRUARY 14 TO MARCH 29
CRICKET
iN BRIEFS
AUSTRALIA &
NEW ZEALAND
TALK
The roller-coaster
week as minnows
hog limelight
RAY PETERSEN
Starc eyes to repeat
blistering form
against Afghanistan
AUCKLAND: Mitchell Starc has
no desire to be stood down for
Wednesday’s World Cup clash against
Afghanistan in Perth after his six-wicket
blitz just failed to nudge the four-time
champions past New Zealand.
With Australia expected to sweep
past Afghanistan, there has been talk
they might ‘keep their power dry’
by resting Starc ahead of the sterner
challenge set to be provided by Sri
Lanka in Sydney a week on Sunday in a
match that could have a key bearing on
the quarter-final line-up.
But Starc, who took six for 28 in
Australia’s nail-biting one-wicket loss to
New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday,
wants to keep charging in against
Afghanistan on a WACA pitch which
traditionally favours fast bowlers.
“We’ll see how everyone pulls up,
we’ve got a training session or two
before our next game so our focus is on
Wednesday and winning that game,”
said Starc.
“I’m always happy to play cricket. You
never want to rest. It’s about making
sure our recoveries as a squad (are OK).
We’ve got two long flights.”
After Wednesday’s game, Australia
will play Sri Lanka before completing
their group programme against
Scotland in Hobart on March 14.
Meanwhile, Starc backed Australia
spearhead Mitchell Johnson to bounce
back despite his fellow left-arm
paceman being carted for none for 68 in
six overs by the Black Caps.
Starc, 25, even revealed he asked
Johnson’s advice when Australia needed
one more wicket to win the game.
“I went to him for those last two balls
as well, because he’s been a great leader
for a long time,” Starc said.
— AFP
McCullum expected
to be fit for next
game, says coach
WELLINGTON: Captain Brendon
McCullum is expected to be fit for New
Zealand’s World Cup clash against
Afghanistan next Sunday despite being
hit on the arm in Saturday’s game against
Australia, coach Mike Hesson said.
McCullum was hit by Australia fast
bowler Mitchell Johnson high on his left
forearm and received treatment on the
area, which immediately swelled up.
He slipped on a protective arm
guard and continued batting, eventually
being dismissed for 50 in New Zealand’s
tense one-wicket victory over their
trans-Tasman rivals. “He looks a bit
like Popeye,” Hesson told reporters in
Auckland on Sunday. “Other than that
he’s pretty good. It is pretty swollen,
so we’ll try and get that down first and
make another assessment in a day or so.”
Hesson said the New Zealand captain
had not had an X-ray but he had been
told it may have burst a burst blood
vessel. “All the signs are he’ll be fine.”
Hesson said he, like many of the
40,000 at Eden Park and more watching
on television, had been battling inner
turmoil in the final moments of the
game after Mitchell Starc had bowled his
side to the brink of victory.
Starc took career-best figures of
6-28 and had last batsman Trent Boult
facing a hat-trick in the 23rd over as New
Zealand chased 152 for victory.
Bolt saw out the over and Kane
Williamson then belted a six off Pat
Cummins on the first delivery of the 24th
to clinch the one-wicket win.
“There was quite a bit going on
underneath,” Hesson said. “Obviously
Mitchell Starc had started swinging the
ball nicely. Four guys were knocked over
first ball they faced from him. He’s a
challenging guy. — Reuters
W
Sri Lanka’s Kumar
Sangakkara (L) and
Lahiru Thirimanne
celebrate beating
England in
Wellington on
Sunday. — Reuters
Sri Lanka extend England’s
agony in high run-chase
TONS: Sangakkara, Thirimanne ensured Lanka overhaul the 310-run target
WELLINGTON: England’s horror World Cup
run continued when Sri Lanka smashed the
third-highest run chase in the tournament’s
history to clinch a nine-wicket defeat in
Wellington on Sunday.
Centuries by Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru
Thirimanne ensured Sri Lanka overhauled the
310-run target set after England won the toss
and elected to bat.
The pair were unbeaten as Sri Lanka
ended the innings on 312-1 with 16 balls to
spare, Thirmanne carrying his bat on 139
and Sangakkara scoring 117 for his second
successive century.
The run chase has only been exceeded
twice at cricket’s showcase event, when Ireland
reached 329 against England in 2011 and Sri
Lanka’s 313 against Zimbabwe in 1992.
The loss leaves England with a solitary
World Cup win against minnows Scotland after
they were well-beaten by co-hosts Australia
(111 runs) and New Zealand (eight wickets) in
their opening matches.
A tally of two points with two pool games
left to play means their quarter-final hopes are
hanging by a thread, while Sri Lanka are on the
verge of the last eight.
Even so, it was a much-improved effort with
the bat from Eoin Morgan’s men, including
121 to Joe Root, who at 24 became England’s
youngest World Cup centurion.
But they proved toothless in bowling, failing
to make any impression with the ball on a
SCOREBOARD
ENGLAND
M Ali c Lakmal b Mathews ......................................... 15
I Bell b Lakmal ........................................................... 49
G Ballance c&b Dilshan.................................................6
J Root lbw Herath .................................................... 121
E Morgan c Dilshan b T Perera ................................... 27
J Taylor c Dilshan b Malinga ...................................... 25
J Buttler (not out) ...................................................... 39
C Woakes (not out) .......................................................9
Extras (B-4, LB-3, NB-2, W-9)..................................... 18
Total (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) ............................309
Fall of wickets: 1-62, 2-71, 3-101, 4-161, 5-259, 6-265
Bowling: L Malinga 10-0-63-1, S Lakmal 7.4-0-71-1, A.
Mathews 10-1-43-1, T Dilshan 8.2-0-35-1, R Herath 5.50-35-1, T Perera 8.1-0-55-1
SRI LANKA
L Thirimanne (not out) ............................................. 139
T Dilshan c Morgan b Ali ............................................ 44
K Sangakkara (not out) ............................................ 117
Extras (B-8, LB-1, W-3) .............................................. 12
Total (for 1 wkt, 47.2 overs)...........................312
Fall of wickets: 1-100
Bowling: J Anderson 8-0-48-0, S Broad 10-1-67-0, C
Woakes 9.2-0-72-0, S Finn 8-0-54-0, M Ali 10-0-50-1, J
Root 2-0-12-0
drop-in wicket at Wellington’s Westpac stadium
that offered no movement to their pace attack.
Stuart Broad leaked 67 off his ten overs
without a wicket and Steve Finn conceded 54
off eight.
“We certainly lost it with the ball,” Morgan
said.”We had a par score on the board.
“(But) today we bowled a bad ball every
over, which you get punished for.”
Fielding errors also proved costly with
Thirimanne dropped three times during his
innings.
England may still limp into the quarterfinals with wins in their final pool matches
against Bangladesh and Aghanistan, but they
will have lost to every major nation they have
played.
The win consolidates Sri Lanka in second
position in the Pool A table, although
tournament favourites Australia have a game
in hand.
England made a brisk start as Ian Bell and
Moeen Ali combined for a 62-run partnership
in the first 10 overs.
Root looked assured hitting his fourth oneday international century, with Gary Ballance
(6) the only real batting failure for England.
The 310 target looked competitive before
Sri Lanka, who now have four century makers
at the tournament, unleashed their batting
prowess.
Openers Thirimanne and Tillakaratne
Dilshan made a flying start to the chase, racing
to 100 without loss.
Thirimanne was dropped on three and
made the most of his life, bringing up his third
half-century of the tournament in 58 deliveries.
A change of pace from Ali provided a wicket
when Dilshan (44) mis-cued a drive straight to
Morgan at mid-wicket.
But it did nothing to stem the flow of runs as
Sangakkara came in and blasted a 45-ball half
century. — AFP
India go from butterfingers to electric-heels
MUMBAI: It is one of the accepted
truths of international cricket that
fielding is not India’s particular
forte but Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s
men have taken bold steps towards
altering that reputation at the
World Cup.
Too often in the past, India’s fast
bowlers have been liabilities in the
field, while during the recent Test
series in Australia the team’s closein catching was simply woeful.
The infusion of some young,
athletic fielders had already led
to an improvement in India’s
performance in that aspect of
limited-overs matches but the
team took it to an even higher level
last Sunday, outshining even South
Africa.
India did enough with both bat
and ball during their 130-run win
in their second World Cup match
but what might have surprised
South Africa, known for their
agility and tight fielding, was the
athleticism of their opponents.
“What we know is that we can
add minimum 10 to 15 runs to
whatever we score with the kind of
fielders that we have got,” skipper
Dhoni later said.
“There may be one fielder
or two slightly slower than the
others, but by no means are we bad
fielders. I think we have got some
excellent fielders, and apart from
that we have got fast bowlers who
are above average fielders.”
Gone are the days when an
Indian captain had to spend
considerable amount of time
trying to figure out where to hide
his slow-moving fielders and
pace bowlers. It was two Indian
pacemen that brought about
probably the two most crucial
moments during South Africa’s
LEADING BATTING & BOWLING FIGURES
BATTING
LEADING WICKET-TAKERS
Tim Southee
(NZL) 13
Trent Boult
(NZL) 10
Imran Tahir
(RSA) 9
Josh Davey
(SCO) 9
Jerome Taylor (WIS) 9
LEADING RUN-MAKERS
Kumar Sangakkara (SRI) 268
Chris Gayle
(WIS) 258
Lahiru Thirimanne (SRI) 256
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SRI) 229
Shikhar Dhawan
(IND) 224
BEST PERFORMANCES
Tim Southee
(NZL) 7/33
Mitchell Starc (AUS) 6/28
Trent Boult
(NZL) 5/27
Mitchell Marsh (AUS) 5/33
Imran Tahir
(PAK) 5/45
BEST PERFORMANCES
Chris Gayle
(WIS) 215
AB de Villiers
(RSA) 162*
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SRI) 161*
Lahiru Thirimanne (SRI) 139*
David Miller
(RSA) 138*
chase of India’s total of 307-7 at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground — not
with the ball but from the outfield.
AB de Villiers, scorer of the
fastest ODI century, decided to
take on Mohit Sharma’s arm for a
second run but a flat and accurate
throw to Dhoni from deep cover
found the South Africa captain
short of his crease.
India’s fielding inside the
30-yard circle was also electric,
improving the spectacle for the
majority of the crowd of 86,000
backing the world champions.
— Reuters
BOWLING
eek three started in fairly
predictable
fashion,
as
England
knocked
over
Scotland, and the Windies
scored a patchy win over
Zimbabwe. The week became more exciting and
dramatic on Tuesday, as Ireland scraped home with
only four balls to spare against a gutsy UAE side that
actually looked more likely to win for most of the
match. Shaiman Anwar scored a wonderful ton for
the Emiratis as they posted a competitive 278, and
it took a sparkling 50 from Kevin O’Brien to get the
heavily favoured Irishmen home.
The next day, in a match that was always going to
make history, Scotland and Afghanistan conspired
to make their match memorable and exciting. As
neither team had ever won a CWC match previously,
one of the protagonists was always going to be
laughing, and the other crying at the conclusion of
this One Day International. That was certainly so,
but they certainly created a dramatic and enthralling
match-up. Whether one of the 3,500 spectators at
the beautiful University Oval in Dunedin, or one
of the millions watching globally, you certainly got
your money’s worth.
Not for nothing is Dunedin known as ‘the
Edinburgh of the South’ and that hereditary support
probably offered the scots the support of the ‘home’
crowd. After winning the toss, and electing to
field, Afghani captain Nabi had the satisfaction of
seeing his pace trio of Zadran, Zadran, and Hassan
proved too lively for the Scots, and it was only an
80 run partnership at the end by Haq and Evans
that allowed Scotland to post a score that could
prove challenging. The drama was only beginning
however, and if act one set the scene, act two
delivered the punch!
Ahmadi announced his intentions, clouting
telling boundaries early on, but from 2-85, the
Afghans found themselves properly in trouble
at 7-97, as batsmen fell to a combination of poor
batting, nerves, and a lift in the Scots effort as
they recovered from Ahmadi’s onslaught. Now
the Afghans looked like the rabbits caught in the
headlights! A mini recovery led by Shenwari who
found a willing partner in Hassan, battled till the end
of the 46th over, with still 38 runs required from 24
balls. Six-wide-six-dot-six, suddenly it’s looking so
easy! Then Shenwari holed out trying to do it again.
There was to be a twist in the tail however, as
quickie Shapoor Zadran and Hassan sought the 19
runs needed for victory. Tooth and nail they fought,
with a single here, and a single there, then Berrington
bowled a wide, offering an extra ball, which Zadran
pulled to fine leg for four! Five needed off six balls.
Hassan nicks the first ball for a single, so only four
needed. Dot ball! Then Zadran flicks a Yorker of
his pads to fine leg for four, and the most unlikely
of wins. This was more theatre than sport, and the
contrasting emotions clear evidence of the passion,
pride, and tension, with the underdog coming from
an impossible position to take the spoils.
Normal service was resumed as the Sri Lankan
batsmen Dilshan and Sangakarra, both classy
players, knocked up big centuries, and Bangladesh
had no answer, finishing nearly 100 short on a good
batting strip. South Africa proved the form book all
wrong against the Windies as three batsmen scored
fifties, and AB deVilliers rewrote the record book
scoring 162 off 103 balls in a superb exhibition of
controlled assault and battery. Their total of 408
was also a new tournament record. The Windies
response fizzled out as early as the second over,
when Gayle was dismissed cheaply. South Africa
may have hit form now!
New Zealand lost the toss and had to bowl at the
lethal Finch/Warner axis, and at 80-1 Australia were
cruising. Enter Daniel Vettori! He tied the batsmen
up, Boult, with 5-27 knocked them over, and only a
fine Brad Haddin 43 gave the target respectability at
151. Black Caps skipper McCullum was in a hurry
scoring a sharp 50 off 24 balls, but with 4 ‘ducks’ and
some ordinary batting, and inspired Mitchell Starc
bowling (6 for 28) the batting team still needed 6
runs with their last pair at the crease. The nerves
were jangling all around a packed Eden Park as
Cummins resumed to Kane Williamson, who
calmly on drove an elegant 6 to seal the win for his
team. McCullum joked later that “maybe we should
come back and do it all again tomorrow,” but surely,
deep down, is aware that both of these teams to be
feared as the CWC gets towards the business end.
So what a week! Player of the week: AhB de
Villiers for his knock. Match of the week: In a week
of tight finishes, the most absorbing was Australia
v New Zealand. But the team of the week must be
Afghanistan. In winning a game that twice looked
lost, they demonstrated some real ticker!
SPORT
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
27
KILLER STRIKE: The Brazilian produced a tremendous finish from 25 yards at Anfield to settle a game of immense quality after Dzeko’s goal
Coutinho stunner clips Man City’s wings
LIVERPOOL: Philippe Coutinho
scored a sensational winning goal as
Liverpool beat Manchester City 2-1 on
Sunday to close on the Premier League
top four and dent their opponents’ title
defence.
The Brazilian produced a tremendous
finish from 25 yards at Anfield to settle
a game of immense quality after City
striker Edin Dzeko had cancelled out an
equally spectacular opener from Jordan
Henderson.
It was a victory that moved Liverpool
up to fifth place in the table and cast
serious doubt over whether reigning
champions City can now offer Chelsea a
realistic challenge for top spot.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side are now five
points behind the leaders having played
a game more than the Londoners, who
did not feature in league action this
weekend due to their League Cup final
with Tottenham Hotspur.
This was an entertaining contest from
the first whistle, with the hosts going
close when Adam Lallana ran onto
Coutinho’s through-ball but could only
shoot straight at Joe Hart.
Liverpool took the lead with their
next attack in the 11th minute as
Henderson received Raheem Sterling’s
pass before curling a fine shot from
outside the box into the top-right corner.
City looked to respond immediately,
with David Silva’s pass splitting the
home defence and Sergio Aguero’s shot
coming back off the post.
It was an open contest and Liverpool
responded to City’s chance through
Coutinho, who fired over on the break,
while Alberto Moreno’s energetic run
resulted in a wayward shot.
City drew level on 26 minutes with a
goal that owed a lot to Aguero’s trickery
Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho in action against Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta.
— Reuters
on the edge of the area as he found
Dzeko could have had a second soon chipped pass from Lazar Markovic.
the unmarked Dzeko, who produced afterwards, but his drive from the edge of AGUERO THREATENS EQUALISER
a composed finish beyond Simon the area went just over, while at the other
Coutinho worked Hart again from
Mignolet from 10 yards out.
end Lallana fired narrowly wide after a 20 yards and was then involved in a
Red card mix-up as Rooney sends United third
LONDON: An apparent case of
mistaken identity helped Wayne Rooney
return Manchester United to winning
ways with a brace in a 2-0 Premier
League victory over Sunderland on
Saturday.
Beaten 2-1 at Swansea City last
weekend, Louis van Gaal’s United were
frustrated by Sunderland until the 64th
minute at Old Trafford, when John
O’Shea conceded a penalty for dragging
back Radamel Falcao.
However, referee George East
elected to send off O’Shea’s team-mate
Wes Brom — like O’Shea, a former
United player — despite protests from
Sunderland’s disbelieving players that he
had got the wrong man.
Rooney planted the penalty into the
bottom-left corner and then added a
second goal to take United up to third
place in the table, two points above
Arsenal, who host Everton on Sunday.
Asked about the red card mix-up,
United manager Louis van Gaal told a
television reporter: “That’s a mistake.
You make mistakes as well, and so do I. It
can happen.” He added: “We are on our
way and we have been in the top four for
more than 10 or 12 weeks. I think we are
a stable team in the top four. I hope at
the end of the season, we are still there.”
Van Gaal made five changes to his
starting XI, with Chris Smalling, Jonny
Evans, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young
EPL
Wayne Rooney celebrates with team-mates after scoring the first goal for
Manchester United from the penalty spot.
— Reuters
and Falcao brought in as the Dutchman
switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation with
Rooney at number 10.
Sunderland had enjoyed their two
previous visits to Old Trafford, beating
United in a League Cup penalty shootout
and then winning 1-0 in the league last
May, and they started brightly.
United goalkeeper David de Gea
had to turn a low shot from Connor
Wickham around the post, while
Jermain Defoe fired over the bar.
United began to make inroads at the
other end, with Young shooting over
and then seeing a shot deflected onto the
bar by O’Shea, before Sebastian Larsson
cleared off the line from Marcos Rojo.
But the home side’s play lacked
penetration and Van Gaal elected to
withdraw the disappointing Angel di
Maria at half-time, with Adnan Januzaj
coming on. Then came the penalty
incident, with Falcao brilliantly bringing
down a right-wing cross and darting
away from O’Shea and Brown. O’Shea
hauled the Colombian back, but it was
an incredulous Brown who was shown
the red card.
SOUTHAMPTON SLIP
Rooney’s goal saw him end an eightgame scoring drought in the league and
he claimed a second in the 84th minute
— his 10th goal of the campaign —
by heading in after Januzaj’s shot was
parried by Costel Pantilimon.
Southampton lost further ground
in the battle for Champions League
qualification after sinking to a second
successive defeat at West Bromwich
Albion.
Saido Berahino scored the only goal
in the first minute, slamming home leftfooted when Chris Brunt’s free-kick was
partially cleared by Maya Yoshida, but
was later forced off by injury.
“The total performance of the team
in quality is a little bit low from the
beginning of the season, but we have
to go and believe in the next win,” said
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman.
— AFP
well-worked move, finding Lallana, who
back-heeled to Sterling, only for the
England forward to lose his footing at
the crucial moment.
DUBAI
The break-neck pace continued in
the second half, with Aguero heading
agonisingly just over for the visitors
from Pablo Zabaleta’s cross.
Then Sterling’s scrambled shot flew
fractionally wide after Lallana appeared
to have laid a goal on a plate for him.
The game finally settled down
midway through the second half and it
appeared both sides were finally showing
the effects of their mid-week European
defeats — City against Barcelona,
Liverpool at Besiktas.
Lallana was unable to hit the target
with an acrobatic shot from a Markovic
cross, but the hosts started to look the
most likely to get the third goal of the
game.
And it was Coutinho who provided
the decisive moment, cutting infield
from the left and arcing a glorious shot
over Hart to claim his fifth goal of the
campaign, a week after netting in similar
fashion at Southampton.
Both sides brought on attacking
players — Daniel Sturridge for the hosts
and Wilfried Bony for City — and it was
the visitors who nearly levelled when
a delightful piece of skill from Aguero
resulted in him shooting just wide.
City’s attacking allowed Liverpool to
play on the counter-attack and Coutinho
saw a deflected effort go just over from
Sterling’s pass.
Then Sturridge missed an even better
chance to put the game beyond doubt as
he sidefooted wide after being played in
by Henderson, who had won the ball off
Yaya Toure.
But the missed chance did not matter
as Liverpool held on without too many
alarms to ensure a potentially pivotal
result in both their own and City’s
seasons.
— AFP
OPEN
Awesome Federer
outclasses Djokovic
DUBAI: Roger Federer’s enduring
class shone through again as the Swiss
maestro beat world number one Novak
Djokovic 6-3 7-5 to win the Dubai
Championships for a seventh time on
Saturday.
The 33-year-old’s serve is the least
praised of his repertoire but it was
his awesome delivery that blunted
Djokovic’s baseline game, taking his
career ace haul past the 9,000 barrier
with 12 more, several at vital moments.
The match, the 37th in their rivalry
which Federer now leads 20-17, proved
to be a tale of chances taken and chances
missed — Federer converting his two
break points with clinical efficiency,
while Djokovic failed on all seven of his.
“We get the best out of each other,”
Federer said in a courtside interview
after winning an 84th tour singles
crown. “I’m pleased I did some good
serving when I had to. I definitely won
the big points tonight.”
Djokovic had two set points to level
the match in the second set but both
times Federer was rescued by his serve.
“If you don’t use these opportunities
against Roger, then, you know, he fires
back,” Djokovic told reporters.
“Small margins, really. Nothing to
really worry about. I thought it was a
good week overall.”
The 17-time Grand Slam champion
began with the same tactics that helped
trounce teenager Borna Coric in the
semi-finals, charging the net at every
opportunity. Djokovic was wise to that,
passing Federer in successive points,
first with a lob and then with a forehand
that arrowed into the corner.
The Serb had two break chances
with Federer serving at 1-1 in the first.
The Swiss saved both, yet still looked
the more vulnerable.
From the deuce court, Federer
regularly sliced his serve wide to pull
eight-time Grand Slam champion
Djokovic out of position before skipping
forward to despatch any short return.
The first set’s decisive moment came
with Djokovic serving at 3-4. Federer
advanced to blast a forehand down the
line for the Swiss’s first break point,
which he converted when Djokovic
clubbed a forehand long. — Reuters
Roger Federer with the trophy in Dubai.
— Reuters
Durban to confirm 2022 CWG bid
JOHANNESBURG: South African
city Durban will on Monday move
significantly closer to staging the 2022
Commonwealth Games — considered a
possible launchpad for an Olympics bid.
A short ceremony in London is set
to confirm the east coast city as the lone
contender to stage the quadrennial,
71-nation multisport event.
The 600-page, 30-centimetre thick bid
book will be handed to Commonwealth
Games Federation officials during a
brief mid-day ceremony at the official
residence of the London Lord Mayor.
Bidding for the Commonwealth
event is seen as a possible dress rehearsal
for a 2024 or 2028 Olympics bid.
No African country has hosted either
event. South Africa have proposed a
12-day Commonwealth Games from
July 18 — birthday of the late Nelson
Mandela, the first democratically elected
president of South Africa.
Canadian city Edmonton also wanted
to play host to the 2022 Games, but
withdrew due to financial constraints.
The
cost
of
staging
the
Commonwealth Games is a sensitive
issue in South Africa, where a quarter of
the active population is jobless.
Millions of South Africans lack
running water and electricity and believe
money used to fund the Games should
be spent on basic services instead.
National
government,
local
government and sports officials are
tight-lipped about costs, saying only that
the figures will be revealed on Monday.
“The 2022 Games will be affordable,”
South African Olympic body boss
Gideon Sam told reporters before flying
to London.
“About 95 per cent of the
infrastructure is in place.”
Sam says an economic impact study
predicts visitors to the Games would
spend 12 billion rand ($1 billion/928
million euros).
There would also be revenue from
ticket sales and shares of broadcast and
sponsorship deals.
The Olympic supremo is excited about
the likelihood of the Commonwealth
Games coming to Africa.
“The time has come for Africa
to host these Games. We have the
infrastructure.”
Officials stress that the emphasis will
be on upgrading existing facilities with
only an athletes’ village and a shooting
range to be built from scratch.
Another cost-cutter is that most of
the venues will be within 2.5 kilometres
(1.5 miles) of the main Moses Mabhida
Stadium, a 2010 Fifa World Cup venue.
“If you look at Durban, the main
stadium is in place, the swimming pool
is in place, the athletics track is in place,”
said Sam.
“We will follow the 2012 London
Olympics lead and use exhibition
centres for the indoor sports.” — AFP
28
NBA
SPORT
omandailyobserver
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Ahmad powers Al Nabooda to top spot
LEAGUE
PODIUM: Schmid first, Ashkanani second and Algosaibi third in Round 5 of Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Atlanta Hawks’ Kent Bazemore dunks the ball against
the Miami Heat.
— USA Today Sports
Atlanta Hawks
edge past
Miami Heat
MIAMI: The Atlanta Hawks opted to rest four players,
including two All-Stars, but were still strong enough to
defeat the Miami Heat 93-91 on Saturday.
Coach Mike Budenholzer benched All-Star point
guard Jeff Teague, starting small forward DeMarre
Carroll, All-Star centre Al Horford and reserve power
forward Pero Antic.
Still, Paul Millsap scored 10 of his 22 points in
the fourth and the Hawks (47-12), who have the best
record in the Eastern Conference, won their fourth
straight game.
Centre Hassan Whiteside had 14 points and an
equal career-best 24 rebounds for Miami (25-33), who
also got 22 points from guard Dwyane Wade.
At Washington, John Wall scored 22 points and
Nene had 21 as the Washington Wizards snapped a
six-game losing streak with a 99-95 victory over the
Detroit Pistons.
Marcin Gortat had 16 points and 17 rebounds
for the Wizards (34-26), who had lost five in a row
following the All-Star break and 11-of-13 since
January 28.
Fortified with the return of guard Bradley Beal
(right leg stress reaction) and forward Paul Pierce to
the starting line-up, Washington dominated the first
half and led by 68-47 but the Pistons rallied to move
ahead in the fourth.
The Wizards prevailed down the stretch to hand the
Pistons (23-36) a third straight loss.
At Minnesota, Marc Gasol led all scorers with
27 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as the
Memphis Grizzlies rallied to beat the Minnesota
Timberwolves 101-97 and win for the first time in
three games.
Mike Conley added 11 points for Memphis (42-16),
which trailed by five with just over eight minutes to
play before silencing the sellout crowd.
Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points for Minnesota,
which has now lost two in a row.
It was the 19th game with 20 points or more for the
rookie from Kansas. Kevin Garnett received his second
technical foul in the third quarter and was ejected.
At New York, the New York Knicks won for the
second time in as many nights, turning back the
Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors by 103-98.
Tim Hardaway
NBA RESULTS
Jr
led
the
Washington bt Detroit 99-95
Knicks (12-46)
Atlanta bt Miami 93-91
with 22 points.
NY Knicks bt Toronto 103-98
Center Andrea
Memphis bt Minnesota 101-97
Bargnani scored
Brooklyn bt Dallas 104-94
19 points against
San Antonio bt Phoenix 101-74
Utah bt Milwaukee 82-75
his former team.
— Reuters
from Ahmad al Harthy as Classic
Arabia’s Fahad Algosaibi pressured
Zaid Ashkanani from third. Saeed al
Mehairi pushed up another position
to pass Alesayi and then his own
team-mate in a move which officials
judged to have happened while he
was off the track. Failing to give
the position back he incurred a two
position penalty at the end of the
race.
As the race wore on Al Harthy
was pushing to secure vital points
for his Al Nabooda team and passed
Raffii to retake eighth while the front
two cars pulled away from the pack
and finished with a substantial gap
between them and the following
pack.
In the closing stages, Shaikh
Hasher al Maktoum did well to hold
off multiple advances from Alesayi
but kept his cool to take fourth just
behind Fahad Algosaibi.
Ahmed al Harthy races at the Dubai Autodrome during the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East.
The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
Team Bahrain in the early stages, it was certainly a more controlled the day before when fighting the Middle East returns for final Round
Al Harthy fought back to claim affair especially from my side. It was dusty track to stay on-line was hard 6 at the Bahrain International
Circuit in April as the support race
crucial points for his Al Nabooda great to stay strong throughout, get enough.
As soon as the lights went out for the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Racing team. Thanks to his strong past Raed and secure those points as
performance Al Nabooda now sit it meant we were the top team in this Schmid and Ashkanani went toe
twelve points clear at the top of the round. No we’re twelve points clear to toe down to the first corner but OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
AFTER RACE 2, ROUND 5 – TOP 6
team competition with just two in the team competition and with solid defensive moves from the (Name, country, team, points)
just one round to go we can see the series leader allowed him to hold 1. Clemens Schmid(UAE) Al Nabooda — 240
races left.
Speaking after his victory in silverware in the distance. We just off the assault. Further back Saeed 2. Zaid Ashkanani (Kuwait) BuzaidGT — 228
3. Saeed al Mehairi (UAE) Skydive Dubai —177
Race 2 of Round 5 at the Dubai have to stay focused and not get over al Mehairi of the Skydive Dubai 4. Charlie Frijns (NED) Team Frijns — 170
Autodrome, Ahmad said: “It was excited. If we are consistent there is Falcons jumped one position and 5. Hasher al Maktoum (UAE) Skydive Dubai —166
a solid race from my perspective. I no reason why we can’t be the top was pushing Classic Arabia’s Bandar 6. Raed Raffii (BAH) Team Bahrain — 138
OVERALL TEAM STANDINGS
Alesayi for fourth after a great start (Name, country, points)
managed to steer clear of trouble and team at the end of the season.”
Less windy conditions compared from the Saudi.
put as much pressure on the cars in
1. Al Nabooda Racing (UAE) — 351
Lap one saw a flurry of action 2. Skydive Dubai Falcons (UAE) — 341
front as I could. The conditions were with the previous day meant the
3. BuZaid GT (KUW) — 266
very different today and I think that drivers were able to focus on their all across the field with Raed Raffii 4. Classic Arabia Racing (KSA) — 258
caught a few guys by surprise but pace during Race 2, compared to from Team Bahrain taking eighth 5. Team Bahrain (BAH) — 218
MUSCAT: Oman’s Ahmad al Harthy
bounced back from a disappointing
day prior to take fourth in his Gold
Category in Race 2 of Round 5 of the
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle
East at the Dubai Autodrome,
securing his Al Nabooda Racing
team vital points and extending their
lead in the championship with just
one round to go.
The final results set up a thrilling
season finale race weekend at
Bahrain International Circuit as the
support races for the F1 Bahrain
Grand Prix where the team and
drivers championships will be
decided in front of packed stands
at the home of motor racing in the
Middle East.
With huge expectations on the
penultimate round of the series at the
Dubai Autodrome the competition
delivered
another
enthralling
weekend of motor racing action
featuring the region’s finest drivers.
The previous results in Qatar had
left it all to play for at the Motorcity
track and after a thrilling first race
where the lead changed at least four
times and the points were spread
evenly throughout the field, Race 2
was set to play the role as the most
important battle of the season so far.
After being forced to retire from
Race 1, Al Harthy seemed to have a
point to prove in the second race of
Round 5 and produced a solid time
in qualifying to start fourth in the
Gold Category. With a good start
the Omani was able to establish a
comfortable position and despite
losing a position to Raed Raffii of
LOCAL FLAVOUR
FIH honours JS Mukul,
Mahfoodh al Juma
MUSCAT: The Oman Hockey Association (OHA) has
received special commendations from the president of
the Federation of International Hockey (FIH), Leandro
Negre and chief of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF),
Dato Sree Tayyab Ikram.
In a special communiqué, addressed to the OHA, the
FIH has commended HE JS Mukul, the Ambassador of
India to the Sultanate, and Shaikh Mahfoodh Ali Juma
al Juma, the Chairman of the OHA for their outstanding
contribution for the promotion of hockey in schools and
within the expatriate community in the Sultanate over
the past several years. OHA had organised presentation
ceremonies at the office of the Indian Ambassador on
February 25 during which the citations received from the
FIH President were presented to the Indian Ambassador
and the Head of Chancery, APS Chauhan by the well
known sports and hockey personality SAS Naqvi.
In another ceremony organised at the OHA
headquarters on February 26, Mahfood al Juma was
presented with the FIH citation by SAS Naqvi. They have
expressed deep gratitude to the FIH and AHF for their
noble gesture and have stated that it will inspire them
to spread the game of hockey in more and more schools
and encourage expatriate to promote the game.
The following organisers of the various hockey events
were also commended by the FIH for their contributions
in the promotion of hockey: Mohammed Osama Rawat
(Friends of the Naqvi Group), Belu Kuttappa (Team Coorg,
Muscat), Mohi (Technical Adviser, OHA) and SAS Naqvi,
Sports Consultant and International Coordinator of FIH
in Oman. Ishaq al Balushi was awarded a souvenir for his
contribution to development of hockey by Mahfood al
Juma at the OHA office.
Bank Muscat presents green playground to Al Watan team in Shinas
MUSCAT: Bank Muscat handed over a
green playground developed as part of the
Green Sports initiative to Al Watan team in
the Wilayat of Shinas under the auspices
of Dr Said bin Khamis al Kaabi, Chairman
of the Public Authority for Consumer
Protection, attended by dignitaries, senior
bank officials and a large turn-out of
football enthusiasts.
Al Kaabi congratulated Bank Muscat
for the success achieved by the greening
initiative. He said: “The Green Sports
initiative complements the government
efforts in building a sporting nation
by providing the youth the required
infrastructure facilities. The initiative
benefiting communities, especially youth,
contributes to sustainable development
and protection of the environment,
thereby ensuring all-round development
in Oman.”
Saif al Flaiti, Acting Regional Manager
— North Batinah Region, said: “The
inauguration of the green playground in
Shinas endorses the bank’s commitment
to support the youth representing the
country’s future.”
“We congratulate Al Watan team for
seizing the opportunity to green their
playing field, thereby setting a fine
example for other clubs and teams in
Oman to promote Oman as a sporting
nation.”
The funding criteria for the programme
include that sports clubs/teams should
have been in existence for three years with
a minimum membership of 300 youth
from the local community. Bank Muscat
will lay turf grass and hand over the fields
to beneficiary clubs/teams.
The bank recognises that local
clubs wield immense influence on
neighbourhood communities, especially
youth, hence clubs with modern
infrastructure facilities can help raise
sporting heroes for the country.
Dr Abdullah Ali al Farsi, Deputy
President of Al Watan, said: “The
Green Sports initiative has made vital
contributions to create an environment
encouraging Omani sports talents. The
unique initiative is a big support for the
country’s youth and we are confident that
many youngsters will benefit from this
programme and become sporting heroes
for the country.”
Aimed at promoting Oman as a
sporting nation, the Green Sports CSR
programme was launched by the bank
in 2012 to lay the foundation at the
grass-root level for a sustainable sports
infrastructure.
In a record time, the bank has achieved
notable success in developing green
fields in all parts of the Sultanate, thus
contributing to realising the sporting
dreams of clubs and teams.
Till date in the first three years of the
programme, 34 sports clubs have been
given support to green their playing fields.
The bank’s support to the initiative stems
from its commitment to giving a helping
hand to all deserving teams and clubs in
Oman to green their playing fields.
Enhance Royals post five-wicket victory Raha record easy win against
Muscat CT in A division
MUSCAT: Enhance Royals recorded an easy
five-wicket win against Moosa Abdul Rahman
Hassan (MARH) in an Oman Cricket organised
‘F’ division T20 match during the weekend at
the Municipality Ground No 2 at Al Amerat.
The feature of the match for Enhance Eagles
was the bowling of Rajagopalan Nair 4 for 23 and
the first wicket partnership of 106 runs between
V Anandapathi who remained unbeaten on 75
(50b, 13x4) and his partner Kather Meeran 47
(26b, 3x6, 5x4).
Brief scores: MARH – 149 for 9 in 20 overs (Sarath S 42, Jijo
Abraham 35, Mohammed Rizwan 31; Rajagopalan Nair 4-23,
SN Hari Krishnan 2-25) lost to Enhance Eagles – 150 for 5 in
16.5 overs (V Anandapathi 75 n.o., Kather Meeran 47; Allan
Anthony 3-18, Khalid Moosa 2-44); Points: Enhance Eagles - 2
(7 games – 7), MARH - 0 (7 games – 5)
overs. Ibrahim al Kishri in reply were restricted
to 153 for 9 in 20 overs. Kamaljot Singh hit
85 not out (55b, 1x6, 4x4). Suhaib al Balushi
claimed 4 wickets for 31 in 4 overs.
Brief scores: OCT Al Hail ‘A’ – 166 all out in 19.5 overs
(Amir al Balushi 56, Waleed al Balushi 27, Ismail al Balushi
24; Kashif Bakkar 5-25, Mohammed Muslim 2-25) bt Ibrahim
Al Kishri – 153 for 9 in 20 overs (Kamaljot Singh 85 n.o.,
Wasif Bakkar 23; Suhaib al Balushi 4-31, Amir al Balushi 2-28);
Points: OCT Al Hail ‘A’ - 2 (7 games – 7), Ibrahim al Kishri - 0 (5
games – 2)
NBO ‘B’ STAY IN CONTENTION
National Bank of Oman ‘B’ (NBO ‘B’)
recorded a 37-run win against Khalsa United
in a ‘J’ division T20 match at the University
Grounds at Al Khoud to stay in contention for
top honours.
Electing to bat, NBO ‘B’ scored 149 for 9
wickets in 20 overs with a top score of 76 (57b,
2x6, 7x4) from opener Homeshwar Ratre.
Skipper Harminder Singh and Arvind Singh
grabbed 3 wickets each conceding 11 and 25
runs respectively off 4 overs each.
Khalsa United, requiring 150 for a win, were
bowled out for 112 in 18.3 overs.
AMIR EXCELS FOR OCT AL HAIL
Amir al Balushi made a brilliant 56 (36b, 8x4)
and thereafter bagged 2 wickets conceding 28
runs off 4 overs to help steer OCT Al Hail ‘A’ to a
thrilling 13-run win against Ibrahim al Kishri in
the Enhance sponsored ‘E’ division T20 match.
Batting first, OCT Al Hail ‘A’ were bowled out
for 166 in 19.5 overs. The bowler to impress was
Brief scores: NBO ‘B’ – 149 for 9 in 20 overs (Homeshwar
Kashif Bakkar, who scalped 5 wickets for 25 in 4 Ratre 76; Harminder Singh 3-11, Arvind Singh 3-25) bt Khalsa
United – 112 all out in 18.3 overs (Arvind Singh 27,
Mohammed Danish 26; Khalid Manzoor 2-14, Ashish Pathak
2-16, Siddharth Oza 2-18); Points: NBO ‘B’ - 2 (6 games – 10),
Khalsa United - 0 (7 games –7)
ONEIC BEAT DHOFAR AUTO
In an ‘I’ Division T20 match, a 10-man
ONEIC defeated Dhofar Automotive by 5
wickets in a match reduced to 19 overs per side
due to late submission of the team list by Dhofar
Automotive.
Batting first, Dhofar Automotive scored 158
for 9 in 19 overs with a top score of 56 (44b, 4x4)
from No 6 batsman skipper Jishad Majeed.
The bowlers to be amongst the wickets
were Zubair Khan and M Awais who claimed
3 wickets each conceding 24 and 36 runs
respectively off 4 overs each. ONEIC, who were
awarded 12 penalty runs, reached their target
scoring 160 for 5 wickets in 16.3 overs. Opener
Rehan Siddiqui scored 46 (27b, 1x6 and 6x4).
Brief scores: Dhofar Automotive – 158 for 9 in 19 overs
(Jishad Majeed 56, Vijeyakumar 22, Suresh 20; Zubair Khan
3-24, M Awais 3-36) lost to ONEIC – 160 for 5 in 17.3 overs
(Rehan Siddiqui 46, Zubair Khan 30, Kamal Haider 22 n.o.);
Points: ONEIC - 2 (7 games – 3), Dhofar Automotive - 0 (7
games – 1)
MUSCAT: Raha recorded a five-wicket win
against the Muscat Cricket Team in a Muscat
Pharmacy & Stores LLC sponsored ‘A’ division
50 overs a side league match at the MOS Turf
Ground at Al Amerat on Saturday.
Opting to field after winning the toss, Raha
justified their decision when they bowled out
a depleted Muscat team for
178 in 42.3 overs. A solid first
wicket partnership of 66 off 9
overs between openers Aaqib
Ilyas 65 (35b, 3x6, 8x4) and Swapnil Khadye 23
(34b, 1x6, 2x4) paved the way for a good score.
With the duo’s departure in quick succession the
team slid to 178. Skipper Vaibhav Wategaonkar
chipped in with a useful 33 (80b, 1x4).
Waseen Akhtar was the pick of the bowlers
ending with figures of 3 for 18 in 10 overs 3 of
which were maiden overs. Khursheed Alam and
skipper Khalid Rasheed bagged 2 wickets each
conceding 24 and 33 runs respectively.
With a required run rate of under 4 runs per
over, Raha lost both openers with 25 runs on the
board off 6 overs but got to their target scoring
181 for 5 wickets in 45.2 overs thanks to a 73-run
fourth wicket partnership between Sultan Ahmed
54 not out (82b, 6x4) and Zeeshan Ahmed
Siddiqui 52 (87b, 6x4). Shaheed Naseem batting
at No.3 scored 27 (44b,
5x4) and Waseem Akhtar
chipped in with a useful 23
(30b, 4x4).
Rajesh Ranpura picked up 2 wickets giving
away 19 runs off 8 overs including a maiden over.
Sultan Ahmed was adjudged the man of the
match.
OMAN CRICKET
Brief scores: Muscat – 178 all out in 42.3 overs (Aaqib Ilyas
65, Vaibhav Wategaonkar 33, Swapnil Khadye 23; Waseem
Akhtar 3-18, Khursheed Ahmed 2-24, Khalid Rasheed 2-33)
lost to Raha – 181 for 5 in 45.2 overs (Sultan Ahmed 54
n.o., Zeeshan Ahmed Siddiqui 52, Shahid Naseem 27, Waseem
Akhtar 23; Rajesh Ranpura 2-19); Points: Raha - 4 (7 games – 24),
Muscat - 0 (7 games – 24)
ENTERTAINMENT
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
Dark visions
haunt Soko on
new album
Gigi ditches
old make-up
regime
Q SHAUN TANDON
omandailyobserver
29
TINSELTOWN
S
oko wakes up every couple of hours each night.
Recently it’s because she has friends staying over,
and she’s a self-conscious sleeper. But for much
longer Soko has been consumed by dark, vivid
visions. The French musician and actress explains
that the songs on her new album ‘My Dreams
Dictate My Reality’ — an emotionally searing work full of intense
personal pain but with flashes of exuberance — became almost
a compulsion to write. “Whatever is clouding my mind, pretty
much if I don’t write a song about it, it will continue completely
haunting me until I write it out,” she said.
“I was having super crazy dreams, and feeling not really
suited for the real world,” she said. “The whole album was about
me trying to feel better and not be as depressed.”
Raised in Bordeaux, the moment that has defined much of
Soko’s life came at age five when she watched her father suddenly
die of an aneurysm. She developed a precocious sensitivity,
becoming vegan and taking to the arts, as well as suffering social
anxieties. The childhood trauma lies at the heart of one of the
most powerful tracks on the new album, ‘Ocean of Tears,’ in
which she sings: “Every day I wake up from a crazy dream/Where
I’m looking for my daddy, and I know he’s here/And I don’t want
to wake; I can control my dreams/I feel safer this way, ‘cause I can
disappear.” The bleak introspection is consistent with her 2012
album, ‘I Thought I Was an Alien.’ But while the debut work had
a low-fi feel, her second full-length album is marked by a heavier
edge, with touches of post-punk icon Siouxsie Sioux in her voice
and a forceful guitar that at times evokes the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
‘My Dreams Dictate My Reality,’ which comes out on Monday
in continental Europe and a day later in the United States and
Britain, was produced by Ross Robinson, who has worked with
metal bands such as Korn and later with The Cure, whose bassheavy noir is the most obvious influence on Soko.
While pursuing music, Soko has also had a successful career
in French cinema. She has performed in movies including
‘Augustine’ and ‘In the Beginning,’ for which she was nominated
for a Cesar Award. Soko last year saw her music go viral online
with ‘First Kiss,’ a short film for fashion brand Wren that featured
Soko and others awkwardly kissing strangers. The video, which
has generated nearly 100 million views on YouTube, was set to
Soko’s song ‘We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow.’
Soko also was widely heard, but not seen, as the voice of the
sex surrogate in ‘Her,’ the dark Hollywood film on virtual reality
romance. Soko has kept up an active French cinema career, she
said, without detail, that she is working on four separate films,
but her music is entirely in English and she has been based
primarily in Los Angeles for seven years after stints in New York
and London. Soko says that she feels comfortable in the Englishspeaking world, and sometimes uneasy in France. She voiced
dismay at recent criticism she noticed on social media for her
lack of poise during a French radio interview, during which she
said she was “completely paralysed” by fright.
“I get such, like, mostly good and positive reactions in the
US — and people are really kind. I find people in France being
a lot more harsh and judgemental. They love hating everything,”
she said. Soko closes her album with the quiet, intimate ‘Keaton’s
Song,’ in which she sings, ‘You wonder why I hate myself/I’m
trying to kill the worst of me/To be the best of you.’
The song is an unambiguous reference to the British singer
and poet Keaton Henson who had written a song for Soko, ‘10
am, Gare du Nord,’ in which he pleads not to be hurt. Soko,
without divulging anything more private, said that ‘Keaton’s
Song’ offered her take on relationships in an increasingly fastpaced world. “Before, love was such a sacred thing and people
would just stick together because they said so. But now there are
so many distractions and people just go through so many lovers
and never get settled and never get satisfied,” she said. — AFP
FILM REVIEW
‘Ab Tak Chappan 2’: Better
than expected flick
Madonna calls her
stumble a horrible
nightmare
T
alking about her backward stumble during her gig at the BRIT Awards,
singer Madonna says it was a ‘horror show’ after her performance
went horribly awry. The 56-year-old opened up about the incident
while talking on ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’, which is set to air on March 14,
reports dailymail.co.uk.
The singer had been performing her new single ‘Living for love’ during
the live finale when she failed to untie her costume cape in time and fell
backwards.
During a filming on the show, she also said that it wasn’t a set-up.
Shaking her head after the host asked what she thought of the stunt
suggestions, due to the nature of the lyrics in the song which referenced a fall,
she said: “I’m never writing lyrics like that again! The universe was trying to
teach me a lesson I guess.”
Madonna, who opted out of re-watching the clip of her performance
during the interview, said: “It was a horrible nightmare because I like to be
amazing. Seriously I rehearse so that when I do the show, it’s effortless and
I create magic and I did the opposite. I actually created a horror show for
everyone”.
Kelly Osbourne
quits ‘Fashion Police’
A
‘
A
merican fashion model
and TV personality
Gigi Hadid says she
is stepping up her “make-up
game” after being unveiled as
the new face of cosmetics brand
Maybelline last month.
The 19-year-old has broken
away from her old beauty regime
and started experimenting with
“cooler” looks since landing
the spokesperson’s role, reports
femalefirst.co.uk.
“I feel like because I’m the
face of Maybelline, I should step
up my make-up game. Literally
only in this past week I’ve been
trying to do like cooler things,
just to try out the different
stuff,” she said.
“The other night I broke out
of my routine and tried this
cat-eye that came back down
and looked like a fish hook, and
the other night I did just single
lashes and a hot pink lip,” added
Hadid.
— IANS
b Tak Chappan 2’ had me
hooked. A lot of the film’s
spirit and energy flows from
its central character played by the stillriveting Nana Patekar. Sadhu Agashe is
a simmering relic of discontent ready to
explode at any given moment.
The splendid steel-complexioned
cinematography by Siddharth More
captures Agashe and his son (Tanmay
Jahagirdar) in a foamy filial harmony
that never rings phoney.
In a sharp swerve away from
tranquillity the narrative moves into
the smothering crime scene in Mumbai
quickly. The encounters are brusque,
brutal and devastating. There are no
songs punctuating the drama.
Barring a pungently punctilious
background score by Sandeep Chowta
which incorporates sounds and streams
from the 2004 film, ‘Ab Tak Chappan 2’
avoids trappings and adornments and
goes straight for the kill.
The twists and turns may be
predictable, the film goes even further
down the road to skin-tone stereotyping
but remains true to the rules of the
gangster genre. It would be unjust to give
away some of the twists and turns. But
mention must be made of the space that
the director makes for the emotional
bond between Patekar and his son. The
boy wants to be a full-time musician
while the father gently suggests he
should think of supplementing his
“passion” with a more practical vocation.
The father-son exchanges ring true.
‘Ab Tak Chappan 2’ does ample justice
to its characters. Nana Patekar is in topcop form. His wry rage at the politics
of corruption is eminently satisfying.
You feel the bitter resentment of this
conscientious man who wants to
cleanse ‘the system’. His silent rage on
losing the most precious person in his
life and his refusal to let an empathetic
crime reporter (Gul Panag) remain a
part of his life, are chunks from the plot
that move you. Among the supporting
cast stand-out performances come from
Vikram Gokhale and Govind Namdeo.
‘Ab Tak Chappan 2’ may lack the subtle
cynicism and acrimony of Shimit Amin’s
original, nonetheless it is gripping. — IANS
S
inger Kelly Osbourne has quit “Fashion Police”. The 30-year-old, who
has worked on the ‘E!’ series since 2011, has walked away from the
show just days after co-host Giuliana Rancic was forced to apologise
to Disney star Zendaya Coleman for making an “outrageously offensive”
comment about her dreadlocks, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
The network confirmed the news in a statement, saying: “Kelly Osbourne
is departing E!’s ‘Fashion Police’ to pursue other opportunities, and we would
like to thank her for her many contributions to the series over the past five
years, during which time the show became a hit with viewers.
“‘Fashion Police’ will return, as scheduled, on Friday, March 30 at 9:00 pm
and no decisions have been made on her replacement.”
— IANS
omandailyobserver
omandailyo
observer
M O N DAY l M A R C H 2 l 2 0 1 5
30
HAVING MORE THAN 633
PUBLISHING HOUSES
FROM 24 COUNTRIES,
INCLUDING ARAB
NATIONS, STUDENTS
WERE ABLE TO
CHOOSE FROM AMONG
THOUSANDS OF CHOICES
ALONG WITH THE HELP
OF THEIR TEACHERS. “IT
IS VERY INTERESTING TO
COME TO A BOOK FAIR
IN WHICH YOU HAVE
EVERYTHING UNDER ONE
ROOF. ALL YOU HAVE TO
DO IS TO COMPILE A LIST
AND SPECIFY WHAT YOU
WANT,” TEACHER AMINA
AL MAAWLI SAID
Exploring wider horizons of knowledge
Q ZAINAB AL NASSERI
A
s a part of the
educational strategy
to include students
in the general public
to absorb knowledge
through the cultural
atmosphere they are in, the organising
committee of Muscat International
Book Fair was keen to afford students
the chance to visit on specific timings
reserved only for them.
The
organised
school
trips
supervised by teachers were conducted
yesterday for female students from many
schools in the wilayats to the exhibition.
Today males students will be given the
opportunity to go through the same
exclusive experience from 10 am to 2
pm and take their turn to discover new
ways of acquiring knowledge through
the informative and exciting books on
display.
“These school trips aim to widen the
students’ horizons of thinking by getting
in touch with the various contents of the
Fair’s publishing houses,” a teacher said.
Expressing their joy and interest in
many of the books on show which were
suitable for their age, the female students
seemed more inclined on seeking
general knowledge through different
kinds of printouts and writings.
Nawal al Zadjali and Isaraa al Balushi
said that they are looking for novels
and poetry books, while their friends
Bushra and Iman al Balushi showed
more interest in learning about the rules
of the Arabic language, apart from other
literature titles.
Having more than 633 publishing
houses from 24 countries, including
Arab nations, students were able to
choose from among thousands of choices
along with the help of their teachers. “It
is very interesting to come to a book fair
in which you have everything under one
roof. All you have to do is to compile a
list and specify what you want,” teacher
Amina al Maawli said.
According to the latest statistics from
the exhibition media centre, the number
of visitors to the Book Fair touched
37,953 as on Saturday, while visitors to
the electronic website on the same day
reached 8,541.
“Now, books are more easily
accessible because of the technology. I
have already looked into the Web and
had a look at the list of books and prices,”
Balqis al Rawahi, a visitor commented.
Fathia al Rejaibi said: “It is easier to
go through books and publishing houses
in the Internet very comfortably, taking
your own time. There are plenty of
books specifically for the students which
are mainly informative and educational,
apart from the different fields. There are
many ways for the teacher to improve
his methods of teaching by utilising new
mechanisms”. She added that book fairs
are always an inspiration for her on a
personal level.
Afrah and Retaj al Naabi, two friends
who were looking around and buying
books together, said that they are on the
lookout for books on puzzle: “We like to
discover new games and the book fair is
the right place for this because it gives
us the chance to look and even compare
prices,” they commented.
The fair, which has two sections —
Al Farahidi and the Ahmed bin Majid
— has 872 stalls featuring publishing
houses and bookshops from the
Sultanate and other countries.
Also, yesterday there were
cultural programmes organised
as part of the fair. For example,
a workshop on Children’s
Literature, supervised by
the Ministry of Education
was held yesterday in Ibn
Duraid Hall from 11 am to
1 pm. Another workshop
on the importance
of
historical
documents
was
held from 7 to 9
pm in Al Outbi
Hall. In the
evening, there
was a philosophy
seminar lead by
the Omani Society
for Writers and
Literati.
FOLLOW US FOR AN EXCLUSIVE AND IN-DEPTH COVERAGE
ON MUSCAT INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR ON
@OmanObserver and #mbfobsever
https://www.facebook.com/omanobserver and also follow #mbfobserver
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYBRcqEAVdjbCzDIa9W0vYA
SPOTLIGHT
M O N DAY
MARCH 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
31
MUSICAL FEAST
Marcel Khalife to
perform with ROSO
at ROHM
Lebanese composer and singer Marcel Kahlife performs at Cartage International
Festival at Cartage Roman’s ruins, in Tunisia
An ivory folding fan is on display
Ivory carving ban a ‘symbolic’ move T
Q FELICIA SONMEZ
B
eijing has imposed
a one-year ban on
imports
of
ivory
carvings as critics
say rising Chinese
demand
threatens
African elephants with extinction,
but campaigners described the move
as “more symbolic than effective” on
Friday.
The measure came days ahead of
a visit to China by Britain’s Prince
William, who has campaigned against
illegal wildlife trafficking and is expected
to speak on the issue during a stop in the
southwestern province of Yunnan next
Wednesday.
The ban took effect on Thursday and
was announced by China’s State Forestry
Administration in a statement on its
website.
China is a signatory to the
Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (Cites), but
conservationists say it is the world’s
largest consumer of illegal ivory, with
skyrocketing demand leading to the
slaughter of tens of thousands of African
elephants each year.
Sammi Li, a spokeswoman for
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring
network, welcomed the import ban as
sending a message and “recognition by
China of their role in the illegal ivory
trade”.
But she said: “The actual volume to
be banned is rather small, so the ban is
more symbolic than effective.”
“It is hugely optimistic sign but
much more action is still needed,” said
Ian Douglas-Hamilton, who founded
Kenya-based Save the Elephants.
The ban was a “significant step in
the right direction, signalling a growing
realisation in China of the role they play
in the demand for ivory,” the zoologist
said, calling for a total ivory ban.
“One year is not enough,” said Paula
Kahumbu, who heads the Nairobibased
conservation
organisation
WildlifeDirect.
“China has been denying for a long
time that the demand for ivory has been
the cause of the killing of elephants,”
Kahumbu said.
“It’s a very strong signal to the
consumers of ivory that a complete ban
is coming. I believe that they will soon
ban the importation of ivory completely,
and even the domestic trade.”
Most illegal ivory is smuggled raw,
and China has a significant domestic
processing industry.
The country has a long tradition of
ivory carving and regulated sales are
legal, while Chinese collectors see the
items as a valuable investment.
The raw material is often intricately
carved to depict anything from
devotional Buddhist scenes to wildlife
and bizarre fantasies, as well as more
mundane household objects such as
chopsticks.
Under Cites, almost all international
commerce in ivory is banned, although
some limited categories such as licensed
hunting trophies are legal and there have
been occasional approved “one-off ”
sales of stockpiles by African countries.
Campaigners
condemn
such
disposals as actually providing cover to
the illegal trade.
The one-year timeframe for the ban
on carving imports “is designed to
assess the effects”, Xinhua reported, but
what impact it would have — if any —
was unclear.
An official at the State Forestry
Administration said that China’s last
major legal ivory acquisition was in
2008, when 62 tonnes were purchased at
a one-off auction, and since then “there
have not been significant imports”.
China has come under increasing
international pressure on the issue in
recent months.
Last year, Prince William appeared in
an advert against the illegal wildlife trade
along with footballer David Beckham
and Chinese basketball superstar Yao
Ming.
A joint report in December from
Save the Elephants and The Aspinall
Foundation campaign groups found
that more than 100,000 wild elephants
were killed from 2010 to 2012, with the
slaughter largely fuelled by the “out of
control” illegal ivory trade in China.
China is making efforts to stem the
trade, the report’s authors said, but the
measures were not going far enough.
Researchers said prices for raw ivory
in China had risen from $750 per kilo in
2010 to $2,100 in 2014.
“Every metric on the ivory trade has
exploded upwards in recent years,” they
said. But Chinese officials have denied
that demand in the country is rising.
Meng Xianlin, Executive Directorgeneral of the Endangered Species
Import and Export Management Office
of China, told the state-run ‘China Daily’
newspaper that “the scale of illegal ivory
production is way smaller than legal
production”.
Wildlife smuggling cases in China
fell 70 per cent last year from 2013, the
paper reported.
— AFP
he multi-talented Lebanese
artist Marcel Khalife, who will
play with the Royal Oman
Symphony Orchestra (ROSO) for two
special concerts at the Royal Opera
House Muscat (ROHM) on March 5
and 7, will premiere a new composition.
Marcel Khalife, born in Lebanon
in 1950, is an oud player, singer and
composer and is a celebrated Arab artist
for the last forty years. Accompanied by
the ROSO and conducted by Lebanese
Armenian conductor Harout Fazlian,
he will make his debut at the ROHM
with a concert that will premiere his
new composition ‘The Symphony of
Return’.
The second half of the concert will
feature Khalife performing some of
his popular songs, including those on
Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s
verses, accompanied by Al Mayadine
Quintet with pianist Rami Khalife,
accordionist Julien Labro, clarinetist
Ismail Lumanovski and percussionist
Bachar Khalife. The audience can
expect to hear songs such as ‘Mother
(Umi)’, ‘Passport’, ‘Tango’ and ‘In Your
Absence’, ‘It Rained’.
“Khalife is an incredibly gifted
musician and is highly respected by
fans in Europe, North America and
many other places, too,” said Umberto
Fanni, Artistic Director of the ROHM.
Marcel Khalife studied oud at the
Beirut National Conservatory of Music
from where he graduated in 1971.
He is known for his amazing voice,
magical music, and sublime artistic
taste in the selection of songs. Khalife’s
compositions have been performed by
numerous orchestras, notably the Kiev
Symphony Orchestra and the Academy
of Boulogne Billancourt Orchestra.
Al Mayadine Ensemble was founded
by Khalife in 1976. Khalife has toured
with them not just in the Middle East
but across Europe, the United States,
Canada, South America, Australia, and
Japan.
Harout Fazlian was born into a
musical family in Lebanon. He studied
the piano and violin as a child in Beirut,
and continued his musical studies in
Montreal, Canada in 1976. In 1996 he
moved back to Lebanon to contribute
to the rebuilding of his homeland,
especially in the area of arts.
For more information visit the
website at www.rohmuscat.org.om
Occasional fasting may
help you live longer
ENVIRONMENT
How pollution could make you obese
R
esearchers have discovered a link between the
levels of certain environmental pollutants that
a person accumulates in his or her body and
their level of obesity.
“We found that people with higher levels of persistent
organic pollutants (POPs) were quantitatively more
obese and also showed higher levels of cholesterol and
triglycerides,” said lead author Juan Pedro Arrebola
from the University of Granada in Spain.
These factors are regarded as key risk factors for
developing cardiovascular diseases.
The researchers analysed the levels of pollutants
accumulated in adipose tissue (fat) in nearly 300 men
and women, who were attended in the surgery services
of two hospitals in the province of Granada.
The POPs can remain in the environment for years,
even decades, without degrading.
“Humans are exposed to POPs mainly through
diet. Besides, POPs accumulate gradually in body fat,
and this is the reason why the median levels in our
study give us an idea of an individual’s accumulated
The findings were true irrespective of the gender,
exposition over a number of years,” Arrebola added.
Using complex statistical methods, the scientists age, place of residence or smoking habits of participants
confirmed that the accumulated levels of several in the survey.
The study appeared in the journal ‘Environmental
POPs were related to obesity and to serum levels of
cholesterol and triglycerides.
Pollution’.
— IANS
I
ntermittent fasting may actually
help people live longer and
healthier, says a study.
Fasting in mice has been shown to
extend lifespan and to improve agerelated diseases.
“We found that intermittent fasting
caused a slight increase in SIRT3,
a well-known gene that promotes
longevity and is involved in protective
cell responses,” said Michael Guo, a
student at Harvard Medical School.
The SIRT3 gene encodes a protein
also called SIRT3 that belongs to a class
of proteins known as sirtuins.
Sirtuins, if increased in mice, can
extend their lifespans.
“The hypothesis is that if the body
is intermittently exposed to low levels
of oxidative stress, it can build a better
response to it.”
The intermittent fasting also
decreases insulin levels in the
participants, which means the diet
could have an anti-diabetic effect as
well.
The group recruited 24 participants
in the clinical trial.
During a three-week period, the
participants alternated one day of eating
25 per cent of their daily caloric intake
with one day of eating 175 per cent of
their daily caloric intake.
To test antioxidant supplements, the
participants repeated the diet but also
included vitamin C and vitamin E.
The beneficial sirtuin proteins such
as SIRT3 and SIRT1, tended to increase
as a result of the diet.
However, when antioxidants were
supplemented on top of the diet, some
of these increases disappeared.
“Most of the participants found that
fasting was easier than the feasting day,
which was a little bit surprising to me,”
Guo added.
“The future studies should examine a
larger cohort of participants and should
include a larger number of genes in the
participants.”
The study appeared in the journal
‘Rejuvenation Research’.
— IANS
MONDAY | MARCH 2, 2015 | JUMADA AL ULA 11, 1436 AH
P29
P30
P31
Inside
Dark visions haunt Soko on new album Exploring wider horizons of knowledge Ivory carving ban a ‘symbolic’ move FOLLOW US ON:
www.omanobserver.om
[email protected]
O
Stalactites and stalagmites in the mysterious cave
THE MYSTERIOUS DROP AT
Wadi Bani Kharus
THE TERRAIN
AHEAD WAS
UNKNOWN TO US.
WE CONTINUED
ALONG THE STONEY
PATH OF THE WADI
BED UNTIL WE
REACHED THE FIRST
WATERFALL. I SET
UP AN ANCHOR
AND ABSEILED
AROUND 40M TO
REACH A SMALL
LEDGE. HERE,
I WAS ABLE TO
SET UP ANOTHER
ANCHOR FOR THE
NEXT, MYSTERIOUS
DROP!
ur spring crossing
of Wadi Bani
Kharus,
from
Al Soqrah to Al
Ulyia, was the
culmination
of
four previous exploration trips. Twice
we climbed from the bottom of this
spectacular wadi, beginning at the
village of Al Uliya, and twice again
we descended in the wadi from the
beautiful Jabal Akhdhar village of Al
Soqrah.
We were ‘The Three Muscateers’ —
my wife Marta, our good friend Ahmed
al Jabri, aka ‘Mismar’, and myself.
On May 10, 2013, early in the
morning, our generous friend Jumaa,
from Birkat al Mawz, drove us up the
Jabal Akhdhar and dropped us off at
Al Soqrah. There, we unloaded and
hoisted our backpacks, filled with all
our climbing gear, food and water.
I told our small team that I expected
us to finish our descent of Wadi Bani
Kharus after a challenging journey of
approximately 12 hours. Mona, my
daughter, would be waiting with the car
at Al Uliya, with cold soft drinks and
an air-conditioned drive back home to
Muscat.
It was 7.30 am when we started
walking towards the wadi bed beneath
Al Soqrah. We followed the rocky
curves of the wadi, reaching the
abandoned village of Al Khrayr after
about an hour and a half of walking and
bouldering.
The terrain ahead was unknown
to us — in our previous two trips we
stopped at Al Khrayr. We continued
along the stoney path of the wadi bed
until we reached the first waterfall. I set
up an anchor and abseiled around 40m
to reach a small ledge. Here, I was able
to set up another anchor for the next,
mysterious drop!
My laser measurer showed a height
of 150m for this waterfall. It was
impossible for us to continue this way
as we did not have a rope long enough
to abseil this steep path.
I re-joined Marta and Ahmed and
together we climbed out of the wadi
on the left bank to find another place
KHALED H ABDUL MALAK
[email protected]
to carry on our descent. We found a
perfect route, set our ropes, and abseiled
two healthy drops to reach the bottom
of this awesome 150m waterfall. It’s
termination is a superb place, marked
by a huge cave at the bottom and behind
the plunging cascade, with a large, bluegreen pool of very refreshing mountain
water — spelled C-O-L-D!
It was now 2 pm on a gorgeous sunny
day so we decided to take a lunch break
and satisfy the rumblings of empty
stomachs before we continued down
Wadi Bani Kharus. We devoured a few
delicious sandwiches Marta prepared for
us, and I traversed along the left side of
the pool to explore the mysterious cave.
This cavern is shallow but beautifully
decorated with some calcite formation
like stalagmites and stalactites. The
calcite is covered by green moss in
places, with even a few ferns and
flowering vines poking from its surface.
Mismar joined me into the cave
while Marta waited for us on the ledge
of the pool. It’s true that women might
be smarter than us men, but we had to
explore the unknown within this gaping
rock hole!
When we emerged, and after a short
photo session, we joined my better
half to set up our anchor for the next
drop, one that I had reached a few
weeks earlier climbing up-wadi from
Al Uliya. Ensuring a safe and secure
rope anchor, I began abseiling until I
reached a place where I could stand
comfortably and check if our rope was
long enough to reach the pool at the
bottom. Unfortunately, the rope came
up short! I had to call up to my partners
to join me here, where I would set a new
anchor.
di
the wa
Marta in r Al Khreyr
e
bed aft
Al Khreyr seen
on the right
bank of the wadi
Marta abseiling with
the mysterious cave in
the background
Mismar joining us at the bottom
of the 150m waterfall
Khaled checking the 150m waterfall
TALKING POINT
Apple car rumours fuel debate about car of future
Q EDWARD TAYLOR AND
JAN SCHWARTZ
T
he main talking point at this week’s
Geneva car show is likely to be a
vehicle that may never be built:
the Apple car. The world’s automakers will
gather in the Swiss city to tout their latest
minivans, city cars and sport utility vehicles
against an uncertain market backdrop, with
growing signs of recovery in Europe offset by
slowing demand in emerging markets.
But longer-term worries are also looming
large. Reports that technology giant Apple
may be building a car have got established
automakers, who have spent the past 127
years refining the combustion engine,
wondering whether they are still in pole
position to build the car of the future.
The growing use of computing power in
vehicles, and the ability of cars to connect to
smartphones and other devices, is providing
technology companies and automakers
with new business opportunities — and
increasingly making them rivals.
Thilo Koslowski, vice president automotive
at technology market research firm Gartner,
believes there is now a race between
carmakers and tech companies to control the
“brain” of next generation vehicles.
“Among the automakers there will be two
camps: those who understand this space,
and those who give outside technology
companies access to the centre stack of the
vehicle. Those companies will emerge in the
next five years,” he said.
The ability of software companies such
as Apple and Google, which is working on
driverless cars, to innovate and create new
revenue streams has spooked automakers.
Another factor intimidating car
executives is Apple’s size. With a market
capitalisation of $750 billion, it’s worth
more than Daimler, Volkswagen, Renault
, Peugeot, Fiat Chrysler, Ford and General
Motors put together. Carmakers haven’t
given up the fight, and many are investing
heavily to position themselves as high-tech
companies.
Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche
has said the race to build the car of the future
is far from over, and it’s not yet clear what
role technology companies will play.
“Google and the likes want to get
involved, I don’t think in the first place to
build vehicles,” he said.
“We have to understand that, and then
to find our roles, to which extent they
are complementary, to which extent we
become dependent, to which extent we are
competitors.”
— Reuters