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