better quality and downloading
SUNDAY | MARCH 22, 2015 | JUMADA AL THANIA 1, 1436 AH P17 SEZAD awards RO 22.3m contracts for new projects VOL. 34 NO. 128 | PAGES 32 | BAISAS 200 P31 The power of a tragic genius P25 ϐ Inside Chief Executive Officer DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI Editor-in-Chief ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman www.omanobserver.om FOLLOW US ON: Indonesia has third-highest emissions Pakistan launches open skies policy Is time running out for Greece? [email protected] ROYAL ORDERS: Sultanate airlifts British diplomats and the injured from Yemen OMAN Good response to CEO programme MUSCAT: The website for the Public Private Partnership Work Team, under the national programme for the CEOs, started receiving applications for nomination for the first batch (30 participants). The nominations, which opened on March 17, has been receiving good response. The selection process for the programme, which was blessed by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and which is supervised by the Competence Development Institute at the Diwan of Royal Court, has been designed in a way to be transparent and fair. REPORT ON P5 ASIA Neighbours vow to end conflicts SEOUL: The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan pledged to set up a trilateral leadership summit at “the earliest” opportunity as they met in Seoul yesterday for the first time in nearly three years. The talks were an effort to calm regional tensions stoked by territorial disputes and historical rows with roots in Japan’s colonisation of the Korean peninsula and occupation of parts of China before and during World War II. REPORT ON P6 EUROPE French Atlantic coast braces for giant tide MONT SAINT MICHEL: Towns on France’s North Atlantic coast braced for their first giant tide of the millennium yesterday as the full moon and last week’s solar eclipse combined to create an ocean surge not seen since 1997. At the picturesque Mont Saint Michel island where some of the biggest tides in the world occur, visitors gathered to watch the tide disappear out of sight, exposing areas of beach and rock visible only every 18 years. The next peak tide is not due until 2033. REPORT ON P14 INSIDESTORIES GIRLS SHOULD HOLD LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE P6 TERRORISTS NEUTRALISED IN INDIAN KASHMIR P10 Hadi declares southern base capital MUSCAT/SANAA: In compliance with the Royal orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the Sultanate in coordination with authorities in Yemen evacuated British diplomats on humanitarian grounds, said an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday. The evacuees were flown by a Royal Air Force of Oman (Rafo) helicopter to the Sultanate and they will be later transported back to their home country, the official added. On Royal orders and in response to a humanitarian request made by Yemen, Oman yesterday received 40 Yemenis including children who sustained injuries in Friday’s suicide bombings for medical treatment in the Sultanate. Meanwhile, US military personnel stationed at Al Anad airbase in southern Yemen have been evacuated over security concerns, a Yemeni military source said yesterday amid fighting involving Al Qaeda militants nearby. The troops left late on Friday for an “unknown destination”, the military source at the Yemeni base in Lahj province said. Members of Yemen’s anti- American personnel gathering intelligence for drone strikes on Al Qaeda are deployed at Al Anad. Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi accused forces that controls the capital Sanaa of staging a coup against him, and said he would “raise Yemen’s flag” in the Houthis’ northern stronghold. In a call to arms from the southern city of Aden, where he fled last month after escaping house arrest by the Houthis, Hadi called on them to pull their forces out of state ministries, return weapons seized from the army, and quit Sanaa. “We shall deliver the country to safety and raise Yemen’s flag on Mount Marran in Saadeh,” he said in a televised speech, his first since reaching Aden. Hadi’s flight to Aden last month has now raised the prospect of armed confrontation between rival governments based in north and Anti-Houthi protesters demonstrate in southwestern city of Taiz yesterday. — Reuters south Yemen, while the Yemeni-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula terror units, which are trained by US At least 29 people were killed on included both Al Qaeda members and (AQAP) exploits the chaos to launch attacks abroad. — ONA/Agencies forces and based at Al Anad, have also Friday in clashes between Yemeni separatists, in Lahj. SEE ALSO P13 been evacuated, the source added. security forces and gunmen who Yemen has acknowledged that Crackdown on abandoned cars SAMUEL KUTTY MUSCAT March 21: The civic authorities have started cracking down on owners who abandon their vehicles on parking areas, roadsides or in areas which have no enclosures or fences. According to a warning notification issued by the Muscat Municipality, if vehicles are found abandoned on public places and not claimed within the period of notice, they will be confiscated. The number of vehicles being abandoned on the streets and the car parks including those in the residential areas in the Vehicles are abandoned for a variety of reasons. capital city is on the rise, causing problems for the residents and I think there are a “the vehicle is then confiscated and away to the scrapyard. They blocking traffic movement. number of reasons towed can be reclaimed after paying the Many of these vehicles have their people don’t necessary fine, that too for a limited roofs rotten away, interiors piled full of discarded coffee cups and reclaim their cars. In many period”. Vehicles can be left at various beverage bottles and other trash. locations for a variety of reasons While giving time duration, the cases they are quite old without being abandoned. warning from the civic authorities and need repairing Residents may leave vehicles asks the owners “either clean, repair or take away their vehicles under AN OFFICIAL while they are out of the area or they Muscat Municipality may be unable to return to their Article 5 of Municipal Cleaning and vehicles because of illness. Organised Use of Public Places”. TURN TO P2 If the owner does not respond, Kerry stresses unity over Iran nuclear deal LONDON: US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday said he and counterparts from Britain, France and Germany were “united” on seeking a nuclear deal with Iran, while the Iranian president said there was “nothing that cannot be resolved”. Kerry was due to hold talks in London later with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, France’s Laurent Fabius, Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier and EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, in a brief stopover amid reports of disagreements over their negotiating position. The London gathering comes one day after the latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany) ended without a breakthrough. Kerry, speaking in Lausanne before heading to London, said that there had been “substantial progress”, while Iran’s President Dr Hassan Rouhani declared separately that “an agreement is possible” and “there is nothing that cannot be resolved”. Kerry insisted world powers were “united” in their talks with Iran. SEE ALSO P15 The event precedes the earliest known tsunami dating back to 1945 Was Muscat hit by a tsunami in 1723? P13 45 DEAD IN SYRIA AS KURDS MARK NEW YEAR WEATHER TODAY MUSCAT MAX: 350C MIN: 240C SALALAH MAX: 310C MIN: 240C SUNRISE 06.10 AM PRAYER TIMINGS FAJR: 04:54 DHUHR: 12:19 ASR: 15:45 MAGHRIB: 18:23 ISHA: 19:34 NIZWA MAX: 360C MIN: 230C CONRAD PRABHU MUSCAT March 21: Was ancient Muscat harbour and its environs pummelled by a giant tsunami as far back as in 1723? It’s a question that international and regional experts will discuss — among a host of other seismic-related issues — at a regional conference entitled, ‘Reducing Tsunami Risk in the Western Indian Ocean’, which opens here today. The two-day conference has been jointly organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of Unesco and Oman’s Directorate-General of Meteorology (Public Authority for Civil Aviation). The event will provide a backdrop for potential weather-related perils, including tsunamis and sea-level related threats. Experts will discuss a growing body of research into the tsunami risk from the Makran Subduction Zone — a subsea area along the southwestern coast of Balochistan (Pakistan) and Iran, where the oceanic crust of the Arabian Plate is subducting beneath the continental crust of the Eurasian Plate. They will also study the technologies behind hazard warning strategies adopted by littoral states of the western Indian Ocean, including the Sultanate of Oman, in mitigating impacts from the official launch tomorrow of the System (NMHEWS), which will serve potential tsunamis. TURN TO P3 National Multi Hazard Early Warning as Oman’s first line of defence against PROMISING RO 500 million to develop fisheries sector MUSCAT: The government has allotted RO 500 million to finance strategic plan (2013-2020) for the development of fishing sector in the Sultanate as the sector is one of the promising ones in diversifying sources of national income, generating job opportunities and ensuring high added value. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has already started implementation of the plan. The 2015 Budget gave priority to two major fisheries projects namely fish processing complex in Duqm and infrastructure development to increase the production of aqua farming. The RO 53 million worth finance agreement has been signed last week with the Saudi Fund for Development to finance construction of fishing port and fish processing complex in Duqm. The agreement affirms the Omani government’s commitment to enhance natural resources use in the Sultanate especially in the field of fisheries and development of infrastructure. The government’s investments in fishing port and the fish processing industries in Duqm is expected to hit RO 80 million, including investments on the fishing port, which will be the biggest port along the Omani coast. The infrastructure for fish processing complex includes internal roads, electricity, water and communication networks, as well as rehabilitating 60 land plots for investments. The Sultanate’s fish production from the sea and aqua farms, which now stands at 210,000 tonnes, is expected to gradually reach 0.5 million tonnes by the end of 2020 when the ministry completes the implementation of its strategic plan. The contribution of fisheries sector during the 9th-fiveyear plan (2016-2020) is expected to increase to 3 per cent by the end of the plan. — ONA 2 SEMINAR ON FINANCIAL DISTRESS S U N DAY l M A R C H 2 2 l 2 0 1 5 GCC PETROLEUM MEDIA FORUM Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) will organise a seminar on the importance of sound financial management and distress risk management on Monday. The subject of financial distress is worrying to many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) globally and locally as this distress has a negative impact on several economic and social standards. OMAN Oman wins best Smart App award The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Oil and Gas, will take part in the activities of the 2nd GCC Petroleum Media Forum and its accompanying exhibition which will open in Riyadh today. The Sultanate will present several working papers on Transparency and Information in the Gulf Petroleum Media during the event. A HOUSEMAID RETURNS FROM HER VACATION E-SERVICES: National Centre for Statistics and Information and the Ministry of Manpower also get prizes for their smart applications STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT media field at the Arab e-government shield’ competition in Kuwait. The National Centre for Statistics March 21: Oman Arabic daily, sister publication of the Observer, won the and Information (NCSI) also won an award for the best Smart App in the award in the NCSI-Oman statistical category. The Ministry of Manpower’s smart application also reaped best application award. The award ceremony was held at the Symphony Style in the Kuwaiti capital under the auspices of Shaikh Mohammad Abdullah al Mubarak al Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs. Abdallah al Ruzaiqi from Oman newspaper said the Oman newspaper’s smart application allows the users to access all the stories and news that are published in the paper print as well as the supplements. The application was launched in September last year and has been highly commended by readers for its user-friendly features and also for being a free-of-cost media services that enables the reader to follow the news and keep update. The Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA), publishers of Oman Arabic daily and its sister publication the Observer, is gradually transforming itself to fully-fledged e-services. The application can be downloaded on Android and iOS operating systems. Responsibilities of e-media to be addressed MUSCAT: The 1st Oman E-Media Conference organised by Future Event Management Company (FEMC), in collaboration with the Information Technology Authority (ITA), will kick-off today at Crowne Plaza Hotel Muscat. The three-day conference will be opened under the auspices of Shaikh Khalid bin Omar al Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service. Ali bin Rashid al Meta’eni, CEO of FEMC, said that the conference aims to highlight the latest developments in e-media in the world and on how to take advantage of those changes, raising awareness of how to use the e-media and addressing the challenges it faces, as well as highlighting the national and social responsibility of the e-media in the Sultanate. — ONA TRADITIONAL BOAT RACE The traditional boat race organised by the Directorate of Sports Affairs in South Al Sharqiyah kicked-off under the auspices of Salim bin Mohammed al Ni’aimi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, yesterday. — ONA Abandoned cars FROM PAGE 1 They may also park up vehicles that are awaiting repair or have been involved in an accident. Abandoned vehicles are generally in a poor condition although this is not always the case. Even the finest automobiles ever made are now being abandoned by citizens and expatriates. “We don’t consider expensive or inexpensive vehicles while removing them — they are all abandoned,” said an official at the municipality. The official said it was difficult to explain the reasons behind the recent increase in vehicles being abandoned, but he felt his department had become more efficient at locating and towing them away. With big loans to repay to the financial companies and banks, many car owners abandon their vehicles catch the next flight never to return. According to an executive at the recovery section of leading financial company in Muscat, there are several cases when cars are abandoned for failing to repay loans. “We confiscate those cars, if located, with the help of the Royal Oman Police. But there are also several cases of missing cars which are not traced. They remain as unclaimed and abandoned”, he says. An official at the ROP Public Relation Department said, “the police take action against owners if cars are found parked or abandoned at roadsides hindering traffic. Also we act when we receive complaints from residents about these kinds of vehicles.” Wadi Kabeer is becoming the prime location where the highest number of abandoned vehicles are found for its proximity to auto workshops. Residents complain about the unsightly vehicles hogging parking spaces at various areas in the city. Unwanted vehicles are a big problem, especially if they have been left in allocated parking spots or are dumped in full view of the community, said Abdul Waheed al Lawati, a resident in the area. “Many times these cars have been there so long that the tyres have lost air and they are caked in dust. Then it’s only a matter of time before someone scribbles something offensive on the windscreen,” he added. OMAN S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 omandailyobserver 3 Was Muscat hit by a tsunami in 1723? FROM PAGE 1 RO 100,000 to boost Oman Down Syndrome Association LAKSHMI KOTHANETH MUSCAT March 21: The Parent Support Group for Children with Down Syndrome officially became an association registered by the Ministry of Social Development on the Global Day for Down Syndrome. The logo and the website were launched at a function held at the Al Sawadi Beach Resort and Spa, Barka, under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Asaad bin Tareq al Said, the honorary Chairman of Oman Down Syndrome Association. Speaking on the occasion, HH Sayyid Asaad announced the donation of RO 100,000 for the welfare of the Association. “It was a wonderful surprise for all of us and a great boost for the association. He said the donation is to kick start the work for the association. There is also a plan for all the other regions to have mini centers connected to the association in their own wilayats,” said Ahmed bin Mohammed al Jabri, the head of the newly formed Oman Down Syndrome Association (ODSA). The focus is now to build the center complete with furniture and equipment. The emphasis is on specialists for various therapies such as speech and occupational as well as helping children with learning difficulties. “We need to see the adults with Down Syndrome as well. We meet every year when we celebrate March 21st. We have met twins who are 27 years old, and others in their 30s and 40s. We need them to be in our association because we need to learn from their experience. We do not know if they have had early intervention or maybe they coped on their own with family support, but they can also benefit from the association,” added Al Jabri. Hatim al Abdulsalam, from Oman LNG, Corporate Social Responsibility, has been inspired by the association, said: “To support the community is extremely important. We would like to be part of the journey from the very beginning. It is important that we are able to give to an association in whatever way even when we do not personally require their assistance. I met a lot of people today who do not have children with Down Syndrome but they are here to support the association.” The parents are relieved that at the center the children’s need is in focus. “We want to give the children the fundamental support because the aim is not keep them in the center alone. Our aim is to help them enter mainstream schools because we do not want them to be isolated from rest of the community.” Lack of opportunities hamper children’s rehabilitation KABEER YOUSUF MUSCAT attain adulthood. “Some of our kids do have excellent IQ and special skills but nobody is March 21: While considerable attention willing to accommodate them with a job and this scenario is hampering our to physically disabled individuals rehabilitation process,” says Shantal Abi is being paid to, mentally disabled Chebel, who runs the Hams al Atheer children are facing a bleak future as they are clueless how to earn a living to Rehab Centre in Muscat. Speaking to the Observer on the sustain life. sidelines of the World Down Syndrome Lack of employment opportunities and established mindset of the society Day celebrations at Golden Tulip Hotel yesterday, she added that these are hampering the rehabilitation of skills can be better utilised if they are children with Down’s Syndrome in offered a job with minimal supervision. Oman, according to an expert. Shantal herself is a mother of a Down Although most of the kids with Down’s Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy do Syndrome child. The Centre owned by possess special skills and better IQ, they Khalid al Balushi accommodates 82 kids with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy find being left out as no employer is willing to offer a placement when they and Autism. “The only exception is a biscuit manufacturing company which came forward to offer job to a 16-year old Omani boy with a regular job,” she added. She further noted that more attention to these kids who are born slow learners will help them lead a better life. “I am receiving no help or support from the outside world for my three Cerebral Palsy children aged 16, 12 and 6 and I am devoted to the daily affairs of my kids,” Makkiya Saeed Abdullah, mother of three kids suffering from CP said. The event was supported by Golden Tulip, OBM, Mini’s Boutique, and Dried Lemon. SOHAR rail and cargo plans gather pace STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT March 21: Plans for a world-class rail terminal and rail links that will connect global supply chains with SOHAR Port and Freezone via the GCC Rail project, have received widespread praise from among thousands of government officials, rail operators, and contractors at this year’s Middle East Rail Exhibition, the largest railway expo in the MENA region, SOHAR Executive Commercial Manager Edwin Lammers announced. The efficiency and integration of supply chains and the benefits of transporting cargo through SOHAR were also the subject of approvals and praise from participants engaging with the Omani port at The Cargo Show MENA 2015, according to Lammers. Both events were held simultaneously at the Dubai International Convention Centre, and drew large crowds of admirers interested to find out more, Lammers explained. “The GCC Rail project has received worldwide coverage in the media and attracted the gaze of government planners and railway developers from around the world. This was reflected in the high levels of interest in the terminal planned for SOHAR at the Middle East Rail Exhibition, and as the gateway to the Gulf, many of the expo’s 6,000 visitors were keen to find out how they can utilise the terminal to boost their business.” The Oman leg of the GCC Railway will connect all of the Gulf state’s logistics hubs but will be predominantly used to get goods in and out of consumer markets in UAE and Saudi Arabia, through SOHAR. The main rail section from SOHAR will stretch across 6 viaducts, 2 tunnels, and 122 kilometres of track before reaching UAE. Meanwhile, as one of the world’s largest port and freezone development sites, Lammers noted, the multimodal nature of SOHAR and its position outside the Strait of Hormuz proved to be a point of interest. “We have been inundated with enquiries from both shows. Participants were particularly interested in the time and cost savings associated with distributing cargo from outside the Strait of Hormuz, the status of the hundreds of kilometres of expressways being built across Oman, and how each element of our multimodal infrastructure at SOHAR will offer access to the region’s big consumer markets. “While faster road and new air transportation links are now available after the opening of Sohar Airport, rail holds the most promise in terms of cargo volumes and efficiency. When fully operational, the transport time for cargo departing SOHAR railway station for the UAE border will be fixed at around 1 hour,” he said. Of significant interest to experts will be a paper detailing newly unearthed evidence of a monster tsunami that may have battered the ancient coast of Muscat in 1723. The paper is based on research jointly conducted by Prof Thomas Vernet of Institut des Mondes Africains (Université Paris) and Prof Goesta Hoffman of the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech). Citing recent research into Portuguese and French archival records, the paper reveals that a powerful natural disaster may have hit the port of Muscat and its vicinity in August 1723. Ships are known to have sunk amid heavy destruction wrought along the coast as a result of flooding triggered by a rise in sea levels. The records also associate this event with an earthquake which destroyed villages, it said. “Thus the evidence strongly suggests that a tsunami – so far unrecorded — occurred at that time. Yet the reliability needs to be discussed from a historical point of view and in the light of recent geological research on paleo-tsunami in Oman, as well as climatic data on tropical storms in the North-western Indian Ocean,” the researchers stated. Stressing the need for further studies into the event, the paper added: “Geological evidence of past extreme wave events mainly relies on fine grained overwash deposits as well as boulder deposits along the shore. Dating of these deposits is associated with uncertainties that complicate a direct correlation with historical evidence. For the moment we do not have a direct correlation of the 1723 event with the geological record. We therefore conclude that the preservation potential of tsunami deposits is limited and that palaeo-tsunami research requires a trans-disciplinary approach.” The 1723 event precedes the earliest known tsunami dating to 1945 when a major earthquake in the eastern part of the Makran Subduction Zone caused hundreds of confirmed fatalities in what is now Pakistan, while triggering a sea surge off Oman’s eastern coast centring on Sur. In addition to Makran tsunamis, Oman is also subject to far-field tsunamis from the Sunda Trench, tropical cyclones, and flash floods. Tropical cyclones in Oman caused more than 60 fatalities in 2007 (Gonu) and an estimate 727 deaths in 1890, according to experts. To help guard against water-related hazards, a number of coastal sea level gauges have been installed at major ports around the Sultanate as part of the National Multi Hazard Early Warning System Network. Survey unearths marine artefacts in Oman’s northern coastal area MUSCAT: The team conducing marine and coastal survey has concluded the first phase of its mission at Al Duqm in January this year. The marine and coastal survey project is overseen by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture in cooperation with the maritime archaeologists from the Western Australian Museum and the University of Southampton. The survey targeted area adjoining the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (SEZAD) and it has resulted in the discovery of several archaeological sites in the northern coastal area and to the south of SEZAD. — ONA 4 omandailyobserver OMAN S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 Passenger traffic at Muscat and Salalah airports soars BOOMING CITIES: The increase in arrival and departure is attributed to the rise in number of flights operated by existing airlines Conference to showcase readiness to shift to new Muscat airport MUSCAT: The total passenger traffic (including transit & transfer passengers) through Muscat International Airport has increased by 8 per cent to 1,597,660 passengers until February 2015 compared to 1,474,451 passengers for the same period of 2014. Statistics show an increase in the arrival passengers by 8 per cent to 809,283 passengers until February this year comparing to 747,361 passengers for the same period of the year 2014. The number of departing passengers has also increased by 8 per cent to 778,092 passengers until February this year comparing to 720,046 passengers for the same period of the year 2014. The increase in arrival and departure traffic into Muscat International Airport Salalah Airport has witnessed an increase by 11 per cent in the total number of arriving and departing passengers to 145,947 passengers is attributed to the increasing in the number of flights operated by existing airlines, such as Fly Dubai, Fly Emirates, Pakistan International Airlines and Air Arabia. In terms of air cargo traffic at Muscat International Airport, aviation statistics indicate an increase in the total unloaded and loaded freight by 6 per cent, with total shipment (19,419 tonnes) compared to (18,268 tonnes) in the same period in 2014. Salalah Airport has witnessed an increase by 11 per cent in the total number of arriving and departing passengers to 145,947 passengers until February 2015 compared to 131,025 passengers for the same period of 2014. As for the movement of air cargo at Salalah Airport, cargo traffic has increased by 14 per cent, bringing the loaded and unloaded cargo to (246 tonnes) until February 2015 compared to (216 tonnes) in the same period in 2014. — ONA MUSCAT: The Sultanate will host an international conference on operational preparedness and shifting to new airports on March 25. The conference will bring together companies involved in the management and operation of some of the best regional and international airports to review their experiences and benefit from the success factors that ensured smooth shift to new airports. The conference will also review the challenges, difficulties and gaps that led to failure in shifting to actual operation of some airports. The idea of the conference emanated from Oman Airports Management Company’s (OAMC) desire to review similar international experiences. OAMC seeks to achieve the maximum benefit from this conference by reviewing these experiences, enhancing the strength areas and eliminating the weakness areas by developing preset plans that ensure smooth shift to actual operation stage, full readiness and sustainable success of the different aspects of operations. The conference provides an ideal opportunity to exchange expertise among participants who represent new and under way airports. It will also display its readiness to OAMC seeks to achieve the maximum benefit from this conference by reviewing these experiences, enhancing the strength areas and eliminating the weakness areas by developing preset plans that ensure smooth shift to actual operation stage start actual operations of the airport, its experiences and the developments it has made in terms of rehabilitating its human resources and using of the best technologies in the world in the airport management field. It will also review the programmes it has implemented and its experiences in general to get feedback from participants. The conference combines the international and local experiences together. The aviation and airport world has become an important industry interested in opening new airport operations. OAMC will be involved in the management of five new airports in the Sultanate, some have been completed and some are under way. A number of executives from elite international airports and airport management companies will take part in the conference alongside with a number of international civil aviation consultants, public officials and air carriers operating in the Sultanate. There is a confirmation for participation from a group of officials and companies operating several global airports, such as officials from Heathrow Airport in London, Munich Airport and Berlin Airport in Germany, Zurich Airport in Switzerland and Dublin Airport in Ireland, as well as speakers representing regional airports from Dubai Airport, Abu Dhabi Airport and Doha Airport, in addition to speakers from Delhi Airport in India. — ONA The village of Miqel hosts several tourist sites, such as Miqel Cave which is one of the rare and famous caves in the Sultanate Ponds in Wadi Bani Khalid attract tourists year-round WADI BANI KHALID: The Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid hosts various tourism sites that attract tourists yearround. The weather is cold in winters and mild in summers. The ponds located in the village of Miqel, which lies 8 km away from the centre of the Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid, are a tourist destination throughout the year. The ponds have become the emblem of the Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid. The ponds are more than 100 metres in length and more than 8 metres in depth in some places. Several Aflaj “traditional irrigation system or water channels” of the ponds branch to water many farms and pass through the channels up to 4 kilometres in length. The water in the ponds is inexhaustible, forming permanently flowing rivers. The ponds are a favourite place to swim and dive. The village of Miqel hosts several tourist sites, such as Miqel Cave, which is one of the rare and famous caves in the Sultanate. It is approximately 1 mile walk from the ponds. There is a rock in the cave in the form of a ship called the “Noah’s Ark.” During the Blessed Renaissance of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid, which is 220 kilometres away from the Governorate of Muscat, enjoyed like all wilayats of the Sultanate, care and attention through the provision of services needed by the people of the wilayat, such as hospitals and roads, the most important road is the one connecting the wilayat to Bidbid-Sur main road. Talal bin Khalfan al Shu’aibi, Acting Director of the Department of Tourism in the North Al Sharqiyah Governorate, told Oman News Agency (ONA) that there is a remarkable increase in terms of tourists visiting the ponds. In 2014 some 115,058 tourists visited the spot compared to 110,538 tourists in 2013. The tourist peak is usually during holidays. — ONA OMAN S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: The national programme for CEOs to provide Omani private sector with qualified and knowledgeable leaders Omanising senior positions contributes to labour market MUSCAT: The website for the Public Private Partnership Work Team, under the national programme for the CEOs, has started receiving the applications for nomination for the first batch 30 participants. The turnout for application, which is open from March 17 to April 11, has been beyond expectations. The selection process for the programme, which was blessed by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, and which is supervised by the Competence Development Institute at the Diwan of Royal Court, has been designed in a way to be transparent and fair. Before inviting applicants to have interviews with the expert panel, the application passes through many stages including the first validation stage to ensure that it meets the requirements. The programme provides unique learning experience for the targeted audience. It aims at providing the Omani private sector with qualified and knowledgeable leaders. The programme comes in a bid to enhance the performance and activate the role played by the private sector in the growth of the national economy. It also aims at enhancing the efficiency of the national manpower who hold senior and decision-making positions. The national programme for the CEOs uses three main methods. The first one is a twelve-month long theoretical programme, divided into six training units, that covers the latest ideas and researches related to leadership. The second method includes practical application of the theoretical study. This application focuses on developing draft strategic projects for the Sultanate. The third method provides a platform through which the programme’s participants and others can exchange ideas and views that may develop this promising sector. — ONA 24 UK universities to take part in GHEDEX STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT March 21: Encouraging the students from Oman to opt the United Kingdom as their education destination, more than 24 Universities from UK have confirmed their participation at Global Higher Education ExhibitionGHEDEX to be held under the patronage of the Oman’s Ministry of Higher Education from April 20 to 22 at the Oman International Exhibition Centre (OIEC) Seeb. The Confirmed universities include the University of Strathclyde; University of Bristol; University of Stirling; University of Portsmouth; University of Reading; University of Bradford; Into University Partnerships UK & USA; University of Leeds; University of York; University of Lincoln; Newcastle University; University of Wales Trinity Saint David; Cambridge Education Group; University of Exeter; Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh; University of South Wales; University of Derby; Cardiff Metropolitan University; Southampton Solent University; University of East London; Liverpool John Moores University; Student Connect Solutions; Coventry University and Oxford Brookes University. Students seeking to pursue a UK degree and enhance their career prospects must make it a point to visit GHEDEX, Oman’s premier exhibition for opportunities in higher education, a press note has said. “We have over 200 programmes at the University of Lincoln, UK, and we benefit from very high student satisfaction rates in the UK. Consequently, we have programmes at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels [both taught and research based]. Our university offers a really good chance for students from Oman to come and study in the UK. The University of Lincoln, UK, also offers international scholarships for postgraduate students. Students are welcome to learn more about our Global Postgraduate Scholarships and International Alumni Scholarships at GHEDEX”, Andrew Reader, International Officer, and University of Lincoln. Last year, over 490,000 students from 200 nations studied in the UK for their higher education. Figures released by UCAS towards the end of January this year, also indicated that the number of international students applying to UK undergraduate courses is rising. Overall, there were 592,290 applications — the highest number ever recorded. Keeping these figures in mind, “Education and training are increasingly important to Oman, as the nation pushes ahead with Omanisation and efforts to diversify the economy away from dependency on Oil & Gas. This presents many opportunities for UK educational institutes to support some of these objectives through the provision of top quality education and training. The warm and close friendship which the UK and Oman enjoy today is, in no small part, due to the many educational and training exchanges between the two countries down the years,” says Lola Lam, Commercial Attaché, UK Trade & Investment, British Embassy in Muscat. Adding more to this view, Raihan Alavi, MA; MBA, Educational Strategist (London) & Director, Student Connect Solutions (UK) Ltd said that collaboration programmes should be more global in their functionality. “There should be a willingness for global leaders in education to work more closely with established institutions in developing countries. This is a broader topic of discussion and we can be approached directly in this regard.” Malayalam Wing elects new executive body STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT March 21: Malayalam Wing, a linguistic socio-cultural body under the umbrella of Indian Social Club (ISC), has elected a new 9-member body of executive members for the year 2015-2016. The new members include Gopalankutty Karnavar (Convener); K A Thajuddeen (Co-Convener); Sreekumar S (Treasurer); Hema Malini Suresh (Secretary - Women’s Wing); Sreekumar P (Cultural secretary), Pappachan P Daniel (Literary and Social Welfare Secretary); Sunil Kumar K (Music and Drama Secretary); Babu Thomas (Entertainment and Sports Secretary); and Pranadeesh P (Children’s Wing Secretary). “We have a lot to go in terms of social and cultural activities and we will try our level best to impart the best possible service to the community in particular and the various societies in general,” Gopalankutty Karnavar told the media. Apart from the various annual socio cultural events, the new committee will be identifying various areas where it can be a name to reckon with, according to the new members. A massive blood donation campaign and medical checkup will be conducted on May 1 to support the Bausher blood bank while the annual youth festival with various entertainment and other activities will be held in May where more than 1,500 adults and children will brush their talents at this mega event. The Onam celebrations will be held on September 17, 18 and 19 with a gamut of colourful events and a grand feast where celebrities from India will be the chief guests, the committee members further said. omandailyobserver 5 Eurodiet medical conference tackles weighty problems Dr Dominique Calvao,Thomas Pinon and Thanae Pachiyannakis. MUSCAT: The well-attended Eurodiet Medical Conference held recently at the Crowne Plaza Muscat attracted doctors from Oman’s public and private healthcare facilities. As KIMS Oman hospital was the first Eurodiet centre in Muscat, the organisers invited specialists in internal medicine, Dr N S Joseph and Dr Shashiraj Eswarappa, who have been prescribing Eurodiet for the past 2 years, to their patients. Medical Director, Dr Dominique Calvao, from the head office in Luxembourg, a specialist in nutrition and hydrology and a graduate of psychology and sociology, was the speaker at the event — focusing on weight loss and management utilising the unique and only medically supervised programme of its kind in the Gulf ‘The Eurodiet Method’. He was accompanied by Thomas Pinon, Global Managing Director of Eurodiet, and Thanae Pachiyannaki, General Manager — Oman. Dr N S Joseph Dr Joseph noted, “We have had hundreds of patients on Eurodiet who have lost up to 30kg in 5 months with no side effects, but on the contrary they have improved and controlled blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol.” Rawad al Sakakiny, a Eurodiet patient, of Dr Eswarappa from KIMS, said, “My biggest problem with other dieticians and centres was that they could not help me with vegetarian meals and due to being a multiple sclerosis patient with limited mobility, I was having trouble losing weight. I have lost 20 Kg with the Eurodiet method and I loved it.” In attendance from KIMS was Jishy Seby, Clinical Dietician, who supports and prescribes Eurodiet. The new centre in Adaiba, Hatat Polyclinic, has resumed. Dr Anindya Choudhury, senior dermatologist, and his team will be prescribing the Eurodiet method for people within that location. The main office is located in Al Qurum Gardens Complex. Rawad al Sakakiny, a Eurodiet patient. 6 INDONESIA’S WIDODO TO VISIT JAPAN, CHINA S U N DAY l M A R C H 2 2 l 2 0 1 5 Indonesian President Joko Widodo will kick off a visit to Japan and China at the weekend, an official said Friday, seeking fresh investment from Asia’s two biggest economies to boost slowing growth. Widodo, who took office in October, will arrive in Tokyo on Sunday for a four-day state visit, during which he will meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as Japanese businessmen. ASIA Singapore on edge as Lee Kuan Yew’s condition worsens Singapore: The health of independent Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew has worsened, the government said on Saturday as one of the foremost figures of 20th century Asia struggled with severe pneumonia. The 91-year-old, widely credited with transforming the city-state into one of Asia’s wealthiest economies, has been in the Singapore General Hospital for more than six weeks and is being aided by mechanical ventilation, a form of life support. “Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s condition has worsened,” the office of his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said in a terse midday statement. The government said earlier in the week that he was already critically ill. Floral tributes and cards dedicated to Lee have started to pile up outside the hospital as Singaporeans showed affection for the authoritarian leader who modernised Singapore but is criticised by rights advocates for his iron-fisted rule. “I cannot bear just sitting at home and listening to the news, not being able to do anything,” retiree Phua Siew Lian, 88, said as she set a bouquet of sunflowers at a designated spot outside the hospital building where Lee is being cared for under tight security. Lee was prime minister from 1959, when colonial ruler Britain granted Singapore self-rule, to 1990. He led Singapore to independence in 1965 after a brief and stormy union with Malaysia. His deteriorating health has cast a pall ABE FIRST JAPAN PM TO ADDRESS US CONGRESS over preparations for the city-state’s 50th anniversary of independence on August 9, an event known as “SG50”. Some Singaporeans were also seen at the hospital saying quiet prayers after leaving flowers. The prime minister posted the latest health bulletin on his Facebook page and was immediately flooded with messages of support for him and his father. He visited a community centre where residents offered tributes and encouragement for the patriarch to fight on. “Dear Papa, Hope you get better!,” he wrote on a banner. On the elder Lee’s watch, Singapore became a financial hub and high-tech industrial centre despite its lack of natural resources, and Western leaders often sought his views on Asian politics. — AFP Shinzo Abe is expected to become the first Japanese prime minister to address a joint session of the US Congress next month, crowning a visit focused on deepening trade and military ties. Abe is due to make the speech during a trip to Washington at the end of next month, diplomatic and legislative sources said, with an official announcement expected soon. Beijing says Winter Olympics bid a spur to fight worst smog BEIJING: Beijing’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics will spur the city in its fight against a serious air pollution, a senior official said on Saturday, putting an overall figure of $7.6 billion on efforts to tackle the issue. While Beijing made strenuous efforts to clean up its air in time for the 2008 summer Olympics, the city still suffers from terrible smog, so bad on occasion that it forces the airport to shut and envelops everything with a thick, choking haze. “I think this is a fact — Beijing’s air at the moment has a problem. We all know it. This is a problem that we have great determination to resolve,” Wang Hui, spokeswoman for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee, told a news briefing. “The measures we have taken are the toughest,” she added, speaking ahead of a visit to China next week by The govt is spending $7.6 an International Olympic Committee billion to fight smog, an (IOC) evaluation team. official said added, without The government is spending 47 billion yuan ($7.6 billion) — organisers providing a timeframe or later said the figure was actually 48 linking it directly to the bid billion yuan — to fight smog, she added, without providing a timeframe or linking it directly to the bid. “Applying for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, and this will be conducive to will promote the tackling of air pollution our bid,” Wang said. PITCH FOR PEACE: Summit soon to calm regional tensions rooted in territorial and historical disputes S Korea, Japan, China agree to resolve row SEOUL: The foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and China agreed on Saturday that a summit meeting of their leaders, on hold for nearly three years because of tensions over history and territory, should be held soon to mend the countries’ ties. The ministers were meeting, also for the first time in three years, in a bid to restore what had been a regular forum to discuss cooperation until it collapsed over what Seoul and Beijing saw as Japan’s reluctance to own up to its wartime past. “Based on the accomplishments achieved through this meeting, the three ministers decided to continue their efforts to hold the trilateral summit at the earliest convenient time for the three countries,” a joint statement after the meeting said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a joint news conference much depended on Japan proving it was push to recast Japan’s war record in a less apologetic tone as an attempt to whitewash history, and have urged him to uphold former leaders’ statements of apology. Abe has recently shown signs of softening his stance, helping to ease relations. Meeting on the sidelines earlier, Wang expressed hope South Korea would join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Seoul was reviewing its options, a South Korean official told Reuters. Japan has yet to show serious intent (R-L) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byungof joining the institution, Wang said. se and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida during the 7th trilateral foreign “It’s an Asian infrastructure investment ministers meeting in Seoul on Saturday. The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan met for the first time in nearly three years in Seoul. — AFP bank, and Japan is an important part of Asia,” he told reporters. “We can serious about recognising its wartime the past,” he said referring to the end of cooperate together.” Japan and South Korea, major past. “The war has been over for 70 World War Two. years, but the problem with history South Korea and China see regional US allies along with Australia, remains a present issue, not an issue of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s are notable absentees from the bank. FESTIVAL CHEER Japan says it is reviewing the prospect of joining. The United States, worried about China’s growing diplomatic clout, questions whether the bank will have adequate governance and environmental and social safeguards. Japan-China ties remain frosty despite Abe meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time last November. South Korean President Park Geunhye has yet to have a two-way summit with Abe. Both China and Japan claim a tiny group of islets in the East China Sea, while South Korea and Japan have a separate island dispute. South Korea’s foreign ministry said after Yun’s two-way meetings with Wang and with Japan’s Fumio Kishida that they agreed to cooperate on “cutting off advances in (North Korea’s) nuclear capability.” — Reuters Average levels of hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 stood at 85.9 microgrammes per cubic metres in 2014, down four per cent compared with the previous year, but still far higher than the national air quality standard of 35 microgrammes. Beijing plans to bring readings down to 60 by 2017, the municipal environmental bureau said earlier this year. However Wang denied that the government had taken any special measures to ensure clean air for the IOC team’s visit, such as ordering an emergency shut down of factories, which often happens over important international events in Beijing. “I think this is a rational assumption, but it’s not the case. When the IOC evaluation team come, we want them to see a natural Beijing and Zhangjiakou,” she said, referring to the nearby city jointly bidding with the capital for the Games. With South Korea’s Pyeonchang hosting the 2018 Winter Games and Tokyo the 2020 Summer Games, the odds of Asia getting a third successive Olympics had initially seemed remote. But only Beijing and Kazakhstan’s Almaty have been left in the 2022 race though neither city is a winter sports powerhouse. — AFP Indonesia source of third-highest emissions globally JAKARTA: Indonesia’s high deforestation rate, land clearing and fires have led to carbon emissions that rank third-highest in the world, a United Nations official said on Saturday. Indonesia is experiencing deforestation rates of about 680,000 hectares per year and high rates of biodiversity loss, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation representative said. Mark Smulders said Indonesia’s forests cover half of the country’s land surface, it played a critical role in the country being more resilient to climate change. Smulders said Indonesia’s alarming deforestation is drawing international attention as it contributes significantly to the world’s supply of oxygen. The government pledged in 2009 to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26 per cent unilaterally and by 41 per cent with international support by 2020. — dpa “When girls get educated... that gives them the tools to speak up” Michelle urges Cambodian girls to hold leaders accountable Residents fly a kite depicting a dragon to celebrate the Longtaitou Festival, at a park in Shenyang, Liaoning province on Saturday. Longtaitou, which means dragon raising its head, is a traditional Chinese festival held on the second day of the second month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls on Saturday this year. — Reuters SIEM REAP: Michelle Obama called on schoolgirls to stay in school to push for equality and hold their leaders accountable on Saturday during the first trip by a sitting US president’s wife to Cambodia. The First Lady is visiting Cambodia — ruled by strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen for the last thirty years — to highlight what she has described as a “crisis” in women’s education with 62 million girls around the world denied schooling, primarily for economic or cultural reasons. “When girls get educated, when they learn to read and write and think, that gives them the tools to speak up and talk about injustice and demand equal treatment,” she said in a speech to Peace Corps volunteers in Siem Reap. — AFP US First Lady Michelle Obama with a guide during her visit to Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on Saturday. — AFP SUBCONTINENT S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 Kabul, IMF agree on vision for overhauling Afghan economy WASHINGTON/KABUL: Afghanistan agreed with officials from the International Monetary Fund on the country’s plans to boost tax revenue, fight corruption and build a stronger financial system, the IMF has said. The agreement does not entail financial assistance but shows that officials in Kabul and the IMF are on the same page over targeted policy changes, from better control of the budget to stronger bank supervision. Afghanistan’s government relies heavily on foreign donors and an IMF official said the plans aim to improve economic stability and “facilitate international donor support.” “Substantial grant financing from donors will be needed over the medium term to finance Afghanistan’s development and security needs,” Paul Ross, who led the IMF’s mission to Kabul, said in a statement. Many Afghan institutions have struggled over the last year amid a months-long election crisis and uncertainty over whether the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops will lead to more violence and territorial gains by the Taliban. Meanwhile, Col Brian Tribus, a spokesman for Resolute Support, the new non-combat Nato mission that launched in January, said the United States’ use of air power in Afghanistan in the first two months of 2015 was its lowest in five years, as the reduced international military coalition sharply cut battlefield aid to Afghan security forces. The reduction reflects the smaller US role in its longest war, even as Washington mulls slowing down the planned drawdown of American troops. None of the 503 air support sorties by American air assets this year have been flown to support Afghan security forces in battle, a coalition spokesman said. CALL TO STOP VIOLENCE “The vast majority of those missions were in support of the US counterterrorism mission,” Col Brian Tribus wrote in an e-mail. The US-led coalition recorded 36 “weapon releases” by aircraft in February and 40 in January. That compares with a peak of 1,043 weapon releases in October 2010, military data show. Of the roughly 10,000 American troops left in Afghanistan, most are in a training and advising role, with about 1,800 designated for missions to hunt down al Qaeda and other militants. The reduced US air support puts pressure on the fledging Afghan Air Force, which has just a fraction of Nato’s former air power, to support Afghan ground troops. Afghan security forces faced heavy casualties last year, and are bracing for their first spring fighting season after Nato’s 13-year combat mission officially — Reuters ended in December. omandailyobserver 7 RINGING IN NEW YEAR Afghans celebrate Nowruz to mark the Afghan New Year in Kabul on Saturday. Nowruz, one of the biggest festivals of the warscarred nation, marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year according to the Persian calendar. — AFP Sharif launches open skies policy INCENTIVES: Govt announces zero taxation on investments in aviation sector People protest on Saturday against what they believe to be violence inflicted on students who were demonstrating against an education law at Letpadan on March 10 in Mandalay, Myanmar. — Reuters ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan on Saturday launched what it called a “liberal, bilateral open skies national aviation policy”, announcing various incentives to investors — among them is zero taxation on investments in the sector. Under the National Aviation Policy 2015, launched by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, paid-up capital for an airline operations has been enhanced from Rs 100 million ($1 million) to Rs 500 million ($5 million) with an aim to attract financially-sound investors in the aviation sector. A minimum of three airworthy aircraft have been fixed for domestic and five planes for international operations for any airline company to operate. Sharif termed it “a forward-looking policy”, which will attract foreign airlines and investment in the country’s aviation sector. Under the new regime, the maximum aircraft age at the time of induction has been fixed at 12 years. Any aircraft reaching the age of 20 would have to be replaced. Inclusion of so many words on the Net in a single day is a new record Bangladesh to add 400,000 new Bangla words to Google DHAKA: The Bangladesh government will add 400,000 new Bangla/Bengali words to Google Translate on its Independence Day on March 26 in a bid to enrich the language on the Internet, media reported on Friday. “To put Bangla on top of everything, we’re going to create history on the Independence Day,” said State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak, according to a bdnews24.com report. “We’ll take Bangla on top by adding 400,000 words to Google Translate on March 26 with participation from everyone from home and abroad,” he said. The initiative, christened “Banglar Jonnyo Char Lakh” (400,000 for Bangla), is being jointly organised by Bangladesh’s ICT division, Bangladesh Computer Council and Google Developer Group Bangla. Palak said that the inclusion of so many words on the Internet in a single day would be a new record. The state minister said that 65,000 Bangla words were added to Google Translate on February 21, the second highest after Spanish on that day. Bangladesh Open Source Network’s general secretary Munir Hossain said that anyone could add new words or sentences to it by going to the Google Translate website. “To put Bangla on top of everything, we’re going to create history on the Independence Day,” said State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak. “We’ll take Bangla on top by adding 400,000 words to Google Translate on March 26,” he added. Google Translate is a free online language translation service that supports 90 languages, according to Google Inc. Palak said that about 4,000 people would directly work at more than 50 points across Bangladesh on March 26 to add Bangla words to Google Translate. Volunteers from Australia, Portugal, the US, Britain and other countries will also join the effort. Those interested to join the efforts will have to get themselves registered. Anyone who could add 1,000 new Bangla words would get an electronic certificate from Google, Palak said, adding that the search engine giant would publish the number of Bangla words added to it on March 26. Moreover, Google will also take the person, who will add the maximum number of Bangla words between February 21 and April 14, on a threeday study tour to its Singapore office. “(The) collection of Bangla words on the Internet is not that rich even though it is the seventh most spoken language in the world,” Palak said. “We can easily enrich Bangla on the Internet by adding new words to Google Translate,” he added. — IANS The government has also increased the period of aircraft on wet lease from 90 days to 180 days. However, it has put a bar on the number of wetleased aircraft; stating that it should not exceed more than 50 per cent of the fleet capacity of the airline. Finance minister Ishaq Dar, who was present at the launching ceremony, said that it has been decided in principle that revenues will be taxed but, there would be no taxes on investments in the sector. The final decision will be taken in the next budget due in June this year, he added. Captain (Retired) Shujaat Azeem, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Aviation, delineated the salient features of the policy, which included improving aviation safety and security oversight, level playing field for national airlines, open sky policy on principle of reciprocity and outsourcing terminal side of airports. It also included making safety Investigation Board independent, establishment of cargo villages, providing incentives on socio-political routes and building state of art infrastructure at all airports. He said the government has tried to give top priority to safety and security of passengers, while making travel affordable and easier. In order to ensure effectiveness and oversight of aviation safety and security, regulatory and service provider functions would be made independent of each other in both Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and Airports Security Force. Safety Investigation Board would be made independent and report to Minister of Aviation to ensure that findings and safety recommendations of an investigation remain unbiased. According to the draft of the policy, airport infrastructure shall also be modernised to meet future needs of aircraft, passenger and cargo traffic. It includes refurbishment of airport buildings and rehabilitation of airside infrastructure. Chief Operating Officers (COO) would be appointed at major airports. The operational control of all agencies working at airports like ANF, Customs, and Immigration will be placed under COO for efficient airport operations. Scheduled routes to politically and socially deprived locations have also been mentioned in the new policy. The operators will be offered an incentive by waived-off fees and other allied charges while operating to and from these locations to make these routes feasible for private sector. The policy also puts emphasis on up-gradation of air navigation infrastructure and effective utilisation of satellite based technology to improve safety standards and future capacity needs of air traffic. — Internews 8 ANALYSIS omandailyobserver S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 JOB HUNTING WAS NEVER BEEN EASY ABDULAZIZ AL JAHDHAMI [email protected] M aking a living has never been an easy matter in life, especially nowadays as people are struggling to get a decent job. Being an employee today is of high significance as other life necessities which people cannot live without. It is as crucial as that is! However, work is more than just about making a living; it’s fundamental to human dignity, to people’s sense of self-respect as useful, independent and free people. The real truth is that people make a living by what they get, but they make a life by what they give. Having a job is a means to justify an end which is making a living for people and their families. Making a living is always regarded the top priority in our life in order to be man of dignity. Today, getting a job is a big challenge for many young Omanis, both men and women. Though there are thousands of vacancies, the competition among jobseekers is very tough indeed. Not only fresh graduates, but experienced ones, who are not satisfied with their current jobs, are struggling to get rescued too by shifting to another profession. Although they are more experienced employees, they strive hard to get a substitute job. Most of the employers claim that priority Today, getting a job is accorded to the job-seekers and fresh graduates; it is really thrilling and appreciated is a big challenge gesture. Undoubtedly, it is fair enough to offer for many young the job-seekers a priority when conferring job Omanis, both men openings. However, the number of jobs on offer is not and women. Though equal to the number of job-seekers whom have there are thousands spent years in the job hunting competition. of vacancies, the Thus, people are getting killed to get a job! Sometimes, most of the presented jobs competition among are insufficient to the job-seekers; either they job-seekers is very are disqualified or over qualified for. The job tough indeed. conditions are sometimes not suitable and ill-specified to match the specialisations of graduates. For example, some grades allocated for fresh graduates, but certain years of experience is required. How come an employer looking for a fresh graduate seek experience. In contrast, employers looking for experienced candidates, but offering low grades and unattractive packages. Such cases of job appointments are inconsistent and unjust. Accordingly, job hunters sacrifice getting a better opportunity and accept such kind of unmerited chances or keep their journey of chasing their dream jobs. Likewise, employers might return empty handed as applicants reject the offered openings because of the unappealing or unfair packages. What is really worse when it comes to recruitment is the “Scratch my back, I scratch yours” policy which is very common these days. Unfortunately, it’s happening a lot as people are becoming more materialistic and dishonest. It’s really injustice what we see very often; I wonder how they dare to deprive people from their rights to get the job and get it to those disqualified ones or they play immoral games among applicants. I’m sure they get into such dirty games out of respect to other unfortunate applicants; employers will never realise this unless they get into the shoes of those applicants. Such employers carelessly lose and sacrifice qualified and honest people for those ineligible ones who are given the rights and opportunities of others. Unfortunately, such cases are being implemented when recruiting in both government and private sectors. Dear job-seekers, never say die to challenges no matter how hard they are; what doesn’t break you, makes you strong. Have faith and confidence in yourself and grab every opportunity emerges to you with both hands. Remember that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the one you miss. It is true what Alexander Graham Bell said: “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at a news conference during a summit in Brussels. — AFP Time running out for Greece G The government’s cash balance slumped into a deficit in reek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is set to make what will likely to be the most difficult mission so far of his two the first two months of this year, according to data released months in government when he travels to Berlin tomorrow by the country’s central bank this month. Athens needs to have its new reform plans accepted by for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Tsipras’ first visit to Berlin since winning power in its European partners to secure the remaining 7.2-billionJanuary comes amid signs of growing impatience among euro tranche of its international bailout to avert a default, euro zone creditors regarding Greece’s bid to renegotiate its which would force Greece to exit the euro. “We are taking (the Greek government) at its word,” rescue package. The Greek leader’s trip follows weeks of escalating Merkel said. “We will see what comes.” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and tensions between Germany and Greece after a war of words that featured Athens’ demand that Berlin compensate the his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias, are also to meet in cash-strapped country for costs dating back to the Nazi Berlin today in an attempt to ease the tensions between their two nations ahead of Monday’s talks between Merkel occupation. Tensions were ramped up even further last week after and Tsipras. Merkel’s somewhat muted public a German TV programme broadcast stance on Greece is in contrast with the a two-year-old video of Greek Finance Greek Premier Alexis hardline position expressed by leaders of Minister Yanis Varoufakis — who was Tsipras makes his her conservative-led coalition. not in office at the time — graphically “There can be no concessions,” showing how indebted countries should first visit to Berlin on declared the parliamentary leader of give Germany the middle finger. Monday for talks with Merkel’s Christian Democrats, Volker Varoufakis insisted it was a fake — a German Chancellor Kauder this week. “Greece has to pay its claim denied by the producers of the programme. But as Monday’s meeting Angela Merkel, writes debts.” Kauder’s remarks were also a sign of with Merkel drew nearer, signs of a ANDREW MCCATHIE how the political mood in Germany has more conciliatory tone emerged from shifted against Greece, with opinion polls Athens as its government tries to lower showing a majority of voters wanting the temperature in fraught ties with the Athens to exit the euro zone. biggest European contributor to its bailout. A poll released this month by Germany’s public Merkel told the German parliament last Thursday she broadcaster ZDF showed that 52 per cent of respondents was looking forward to Tsipras’ visit to Berlin. “We will have time to talk to each other in detail and believe Greece should leave the euro zone, while only 40 per cent say that it should remain. perhaps also to argue,” she said. An overwhelming majority of Germans, 80 per cent, Tsipras, for his part, promised to draw up a new set of reforms during a late night on Thursday meeting in Brussels said that Tsipras’ left-right government was not acting “sincerely” in its dealings with European partners, while attended by Merkel and other top European leaders. However, the German chancellor said she did not expect only 11 per cent said the opposite. For many Germans, Greece is a spendthrift southern Tsipras to arrive in Berlin with the proposals. After leaving the meeting in Brussels, Tsipras said he European state that, unlike them, has failed to face up to the was now “more optimistic.” But pressure on Athens is often painful reforms needed to restructure its economy and to knock its finances into shape. mounting. Beijing’s South China Sea strategy sparks US concern C hina’s construction projects to expand small islands that it claims in the South China Sea has provoked new discussion in Washington. After several US senators in a letter expressed alarm about China’s actions earlier last week, the US State Department agreed last Friday that such action is destabilising. The senators’ letter said China has been reclaiming land in the Spratly archipelago at an “alarming scope and pace” and called on Secretary of State John Kerry and Defence Secretary Ashton Carter for a comprehensive US strategy to slow or stop the work. They wrote that China’s actions on multiple islands “are a direct challenge not only to the interests of the United States and the region, but to the entire international community.” The reclaimed land gives China the potential to expand its military reach, including in the areas of command and control and surveillance from the new land features, the senators said. The Philippines Star newspaper reported yesterday that Chinese construction work is well advanced on at least six Spratly reefs and includes ports and fuel storage depots and possibly two airstrips. Four leading Republican senators, including John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, signed the letter. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said a response to the letter would be forthcoming. “We have consistently and frequently raised with China our concerns over its large-scale land reclamation, which undermines peace and stability in the South China Sea and more broadly in the Asia- Pacific region,” Rathke said. He said that the US was strengthening its role as an Asian-Pacific power and was taking “additional concrete steps” — diplomacy, increased maritime security cooperation and support for Southeast Asian “claimants” — to support peace and stability in the South China Sea. The senators said they believed most of China’s reclamation work had been done in the past 12 months. They referred specifically to Gaven Reef, saying it had been expanded by The letter said China has been reclaiming land in the Spratly archipelago at an “alarming scope and pace” and called on John Kerry for a comprehensive strategy, notes GRETEL JOHNSTON 114,000 square metres since March 2014, and to Johnson Reef, saying it was previously a submerged feature and now stands as a 100,000-square-metre island. Fiery Cross Reef increased in size more than 11-fold since August, they said. Their letter acknowledged that other states have built on existing land masses, but said China is changing the size, structure and physical attributes of land features. “This is a qualitative change that appears designed to alter the status quo in the South China Sea,” the letter said. The senators suggested the US to suspend some cooperation with China if land reclamation activities don’t cease. The senators wrote that the reclamation complicates disputes over the archipelago and runs contrary to calls from the US and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for parties to exercise self-restraint. China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including several parts administered by its Southeast Asian neighbours. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims on the potentially oil-rich islands. China says its construction work “does not target or affect anyone,” according to the senators. A file photo shows a Chinese fishing vessel sails by Fiery Cross Reef, background, of the Spratly Islands in South China Sea. — AP ANALYSIS S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 omandailyobserver 9 Exreme-ly Entertaining: Extreme Sailing in Oman! O RAY PETERSEN [email protected] ne of the things to be appreciated about Oman is that there are a great many sporting and entertainment opportunities for the sporting and social minded among us. Since coming here we have been entertained by Tom Jones, Westlife, Jose Carreras, Bryan Adams, and most recently, the immensely talented Ed Sheeran. That’s also ignoring the many cultural performers seen on the busy Opera House schedule. My real passion though is sports, and over recent weeks even, we have seen the Trans Hajar Mountain Bike Challenge, and the road cycling Tour of Oman. Both of these significant events in their respective codes, as athletes vie for ranking points, and performances, heading towards the Rio Olympics next year. I really like my golf! Love the Ryder Cup. Like the fact that New Zealand now has a couple of golfers fulltime on the United States PGA Tour, one of whom, Danny Lee, is in the top 50 at present. Of course, we also have Lydia Ko, the number one ranked female golfer on the planet, and at just 17 years of age is in-Ko-mparable. So it was no surprise to my family when a surprise day out, with the promise of ‘doing something different,’ saw us rock up at the Almouj Golf Club last weekend. The big surprise was that it was not to play golf, caddy for me, or wait while I played golf! only a few hundred yards away was soooooooooooo It was a wee giveaway with all of the signboards and good! The colours, and livery, of the yachts, especially the hoardings, but all I got were questions such as the globally recognised Red Bull, their massive sails “What’s extreme sailing?” I would love to play golf at the Wave links, but bursting with wind as they charge around a course I can’t afford it. It’s a bit beyond my pay grade. But that is always within a stone’s throw. ‘Foiling’ on only one hull, as they get up to it definitely does appeal as a maximum speeds, which on neat little course, and of course, this occasion were in the 16designed by the iconic Greg Sure enough, the 18 knot range. You are simply (the Shark) Norman, it’s never Almouj GC was the encouraged by your sense of going to be too easy. One of the spectator venue for adventure to choose a team to amazing things to consider is support. that it is constructed on such a some of the most I chose Gazprom (Team narrow strip of land. It all looks watchable, exciting Russia) as they have a Kiwi, pretty amazing though, and I’m and intensely beautiful Phil Robertson, a Monsoon sure I’ll get around to playing it one day. Hmmm, maybe my sporting events you are Cup, single-hulled champion, as their helmsman. Meanwhile, editor would like to “shout” me ever likely to see. Sasha chose The Wave, Muscat a round? (Omansail) because they had Anyway, I digress. Sure the only female involved, dual enough, the Almouj GC was Olympic Medalist Sara Ayton the spectator venue for some of the most watchable, exciting and intensely beautiful as their tactician. Most of those around us, among sporting events you are ever likely to see. Extreme the spectators, appeared to have their loyalties firmly Sailing by name, and often by nature is just simply so established as they sported caps, polo shirts and the appealing! Perched on the foreshore, with the sleek like, identifying their allegiances. I loved it! I want more of this! I held my breath 40ft catamarans, and slick crews strutting their stuff in race one as Gazprom attacked the twin markers out in front of us, then uttered a muted oath as SAP (Denmark) with their orange and grey sail charged across, forcing Robertson to take the then unfavoured left hand side back up to the top mark. All team’s supporters would have had similar experiences throughout the day, and that’s what makes this great! Team Muscat possibly benefitted from some local knowledge to take the overall Muscat event, but were incredibly consistent, and fully deserved their result. It also appeared however that a number of these Formula One’s of the waves, have different optimum conditions, as wind changes played havoc with the efforts of some. I thought the craft were amazing, and to see them close-up in the Wave Marina, was a real eye-opener. Sasha thought the ‘yachties’ were ‘extremely fit’ and as a former “topper Class’ sailor herself, was able to appreciate the intensity of the sailing and the competition, and has made me promise to keep taking her out to sea. For me, as a former “X-Class” competitor, it was a vicarious experience. One I can easily get used to. I can think of one improvement though from the spectator’s perspective. Just how amazing would it be if we could access the telemetry, and digital overview via an app? Woooooooooo Hoooooooooooooo! MATTER OF LUCK BEN SIMON N igerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s rise to the top of his country’s ruthless political world has been described as accidental — or simply a matter of luck. The 57-year-old southern Christian — the first head of state from the oilproducing Niger Delta — was thrust into the presidency in 2010 following the death of his predecessor Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, a Muslim from the north. The mild-mannered Jonathan, often seen with his trademark fedora traditionally worn by Niger Delta natives, is from a family of canoe makers. He became a zoology lecturer and worked on environmental issues before entering politics in 1998. “I personally call him the accidental president. It was chance, good luck,” said Adewale Maja-Pearce, a Lagos-based writer and contributing columnist for the New York Times. “He was plucked from obscurity because he was considered pliable.” As for his distinctive name, his late father was quoted as saying in a biography of the president that he “called him Goodluck because although life was hard for me when he was born, I had this feeling that this boy would bring me good luck”. His mother, Eunice, said although she had a history of lengthy labour in childbirth stretching for several days, Goodluck was born in record time — the very day she went into labour. Fortune certainly seems to have favoured Jonathan as he grew older. An unconfirmed report has long circulated in local media that Jonathan, elected assistant senior prefect at his secondary school, grabbed the top post when the head prefect was expelled. His rise to the top was similarly fortuitous, becoming governor of his native Bayelsa state in 2005 after his predecessor was impeached over money-laundering charges in Britain. The night he was nominated by his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Yar’Adua’s running mate before 2007 polls, many Nigerians had never heard of Jonathan. In one of the US diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks, Jonathan purportedly acknowledged his inexperience in a meeting with the US ambassador while he served as acting president during Yar’Adua’s illness. “I was not chosen to be vice-president because I had good political experience,” Jonathan says. “There were a lot more qualified people around to be vice-president.” A magazine once described the Nigerian leader as “hardly a man to set the pulse racing”. Though calm at public appearances, Jonathan heads a nation plagued by a range of crises. Nigeria is consistently ranked as one of the world’s most corrupt nations and the north is wracked by the brutal Boko Haram insurgency. A boy wounded in one of Friday’s suicide bomb attacks lies in a hospital bed in Sanaa. — Reuters With Yemen attack, IS aims to eclipse Al Qaeda B y claiming its first attack in Yemen the IS group is seeking to exploit the chaos gripping the country and siphon support from the world’s most fearsome al Qaeda branch, analysts say. Suicide bombings at two places frequented by members of the Houthi in control of the capital killed 142 people and wounded 351 on Friday in one of the deadliest extremist attacks in Yemen’s history. IS claimed responsibility, warning it was “the tip of the iceberg” for Yemen. In contrast, the country’s al Qaeda branch, AQAP, issued a statement saying that it avoided “targeting mosques and markets” to protect “innocent people”. The carnage in Sanaa came 48 hours after IS claimed responsibility for an attack on foreign tourists at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, in which 21 people died. Experts said the extremist group may have been trying to give the impression that it could launch a coordinated, region-wide campaign of attacks. IS “demonstrated in recent weeks its ability to coordinate a vast expansion movement, first in Libya, then Tunisia, and finally Yemen,” said Jean-Pierre Filiu, professor at the Sciences-Po institute in Paris. He said the attacks suggested IS “wants to show would-be fighters its ability to strike the enemy more violently than AQAP could”. “Already, whole sections of AQAP are leaning towards IS,” he added. Yemen has descended into chaos since the 2012 ouster of longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, and security has broken down since Houthi fighters swept unopposed into the capital last year. The Houthis, allegedly supported by Saleh, surrounded the presidential palace in Sanaa, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to the south in what Yemen’s Gulf neighbours labelled an attempted coup. The militia has met fierce resistance from AQAP and tribal fighters after trying to push further into central Yemen, and clashes have left scores dead. AQAP, considered by the United States to be the network’s most dangerous franchise, was formed in 2009 and has been responsible for a string of devastating attacks on Yemeni security forces in recent years. It claimed responsibility for the bloody January 7 attack in Paris on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. But analysts say AQAP’s potency in Yemen may have diminished since the country’s descent into disarray. IS, by comparison, has expanded rapidly after seizing parts of Iraq and Syria last year, receiving pledges of fealty from various groups in Egypt and Libya, and now, allegedly, offshoots in Tunisia and Yemen. In spite of the severe rift that has formed between IS and al Qaeda’s Syria branch Al Nusra Front, AQAP last year called on people to support IS in the Middle East, seen at the time as a sign of deference from the Yemeni organisation. AQAP has also been hit by defections. Its fighters from Dhamar and Sanaa provinces claimed allegiance to IS last month with the stated intention of attacking Houthis The carnage in Sanaa came 48 hours after the IS claimed responsibility for an attack on foreign tourists at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, in which 21 people died, reports RENÉ SLAMA who are viewed by the group as heretics. “Since the Houthi militiamen took control of the capital and a good part of the country, al Qaeda lost credibility, having been unable to defend some even provinces,” said Mathieu Guidere, an expert in Islam at the University of Toulouse. IS meanwhile “has never hidden its desire to expand into (the Arabian Peninsula), and Yemen is a prime target as it is seen as the birthplace of the Arabs,” he added. Filiu warned that IS attacks in Yemen and Tunisia in the space of a few days could be just the beginning of the group’s next phase. “My hunch is that this movement (into the two countries), marked by a significant acceleration, is the precursor to the resumption of a terror campaign in Europe,” he said. Hadi said the bombings that killed were aimed at dragging the country into “chaos, violence and internal fighting”. In a letter to the families of the victims, which also included 351 wounded, he condemned the attacks as “terrorist, criminal and cowardly”. “Such heinous attacks could only be done by the enemies of life,” who want to drag Yemen into “chaos, violence and internal fighting,” said the letter released by his office late last Friday. “Extremism, represented by the armed militia, and extremism, represented by al Qaeda, are two sides of the same coin, who do not wish good and stability for Yemen and its people,” Hadi wrote. The Houthis seized Sanaa in September, and have since tightened their grip on government installations, aided by forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. But in their push to widen their control zone to the south, they faced a fierce resistance by tribes allied with Al Qaeda fighters, who are active in Yemen. 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: 24649469 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 GOODWILL MOVE Pakistan frees 57 fishing boats ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities on Saturday released 57 Indian fishing boats held for nearly a year as a goodwill gesture following a visit by New Delhi’s top diplomat to Islamabad this month. The boats, which were being held by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), were towed to the two countries’ maritime border before being taken over by Indian authorities, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “As a goodwill gesture, the government of Pakistan decided to release 57 Indian fishing boats,” the ministry said in a statement. “While the PMSA had kept the boats in good condition, it extended full support to the visiting Indian team in making the boats seaworthy after minor repairs.” Fishermen are frequently arrested along with their boats by both India and Pakistan as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined, and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be certain of their precise location. The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their terms due to poor diplomatic ties between the arch-rivals which mean fulfilling official requirements can take a long time. Recent talks between the two countries during Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahamanyam Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad were hailed as “positive and — AFP constructive”. INDIA S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 2 terrorists ‘neutralised’ in J&K GUN BATTLE ON: National highway closed; school examinations called off SRINAGAR: Two militants opened fire at an army camp in Jammu on Saturday in the second attack against security forces in two days, an army official said, adding to pressure on the government after it swore to end such violence. The attack happened on the Pathankote-Jammu National Highway, around 20 km from the police station in Kathua district where six people, including two militants, were killed in a militant attack on Friday. Kathua district is about 15 km from the border with Pakistan, which has since long been blamed for pushing militants into its part of the disputed region. A gun battle was underway but there were no army or civilian casualties, said army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta. Security agencies believe that the two militants are part of the same group that carried out the attack on Friday. “Terrorists opened fire from the road and our guard retaliated. We have cordoned the area and they are hiding in nearby bushes adjacent to the army camp,” Mehta said. The national highway has been closed and state school examinations in the district have been called off. The previous big attack in Kashmir was in December, when militants struck at an army camp in Uri, also near the border with Pakistan but further up the Kashmir valley. “If this is indeed a terrorist strike, it marks a sharp departure from past attacks. Two attacks in two days in same area of Jammu is very unusual,” Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said in a Twitter post. Meanwhile reports from New Delhi quoted the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar as saying that two terrorists who attacked an army camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district have been A security personel on alert during an encounter at Mehasar village in Jammu. — AFP “neutralised”. “I think two terrorists have been neutralised,” Parrikar said, adding that a search for more militants was still going on. Armed militants attacked the Mesar camp of the 82 armoured regiment in Samba district in the morning triggering a gunfight with the security forces. According to sources, the first terrorist was killed around 10.30 am, while the second was killed around 1 pm. The operations are continuing. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Parrikar said there were no casualties on the Indian side. Officials in Jammu, however, said a MARRIAGE WITH A DIFFERENCE Brides and grooms take part in a mass marriage ceremony in Ahmedabad. A total of 112 couples took wedding vows during the ceremony organised by a voluntary organisation. — Reuters Security agencies believe that the two militants are part of the same group that carried out the attack on Friday. No army or civilian casualities were reported pilgrim and two soldiers were injured. The minister said that “when the morale of the opponents is down, they make such attempts to boost it”. Parrikar said intelligence has improved over time and this year the security forces have killed 26 terrorists so far, with lesser number of casualties on the Indian side. “With such low loss, we inflict pain on the other side,” he said. “This is the best figure in many years. On the army side of LoC (Line of Control), exchange of fires is also low,” he said. The minister indicated these attempts show desperation on Pakistan’s side. The minister argued that since the region “is not uniform area”, terrorists could infiltrate using the nullahs, adding the water bodies make infiltration easy. — Reuters/IANS Oil distribution mechanism impacting trade: Pump owners KOLKATA: About 25,000 petrol-pump owners on Saturday complained of the growing discontent in the distribution mechanism, with fluctuating oil prices impacting their trade. “Normally, oil price changes are implemented at midnight either on 15th or 31st of every month. However, in the past instances, the price changes are happening at random dates flouting this norm. This is resulting in petrolpump owners across India incurring losses and shortage of oil supply at times,” General Secretary of West Bengal Petroleum Dealers Association (WBPDA), Saradindu Pal said here. WBPDA is part of All India Petroleum Dealers Association, an industry body representing over 25,000 petrol-pump owners in the country. He said the procuring cost of oil is becoming unstable in this process and petrol-pump owners need to be compensated. “We have written a letter to Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil to compensate oil dealers in this regard and awaiting reply,” he said. He alleged when the oil prices rise, oil public sector (PSU) companies stops the supply of oil citing various reasons but when the oil price decreases, the oil sellers “forcefully” books an order. “We demand that credit notes for purchase made three days prior to price change should be given”, he said. Pal also said the ongoing system of commission from the oil PSUs is “unrealistic and rigid”. “It must be transparent, prepared with realistic figures and must be able to effect changes without delay. All businesses in the country today operate on a percentage basis, taking care of the changes as they happen like change in wages, electricity costs, indirect taxes and cess etc except for petroleum trade”, he said. — IANS Strict law for illegal migration, agents on anvil March 21: The unscrupulous recruiting agents, involved in duping gullible jobseekers and sending them abroad with false, fictitious and illegal employment and travel documents, often leading to their arrests, may soon be left facing jail term up to five years back home for the criminal offence of “human smuggling.” Amid the frequent reports of maltreatment and exploitation of migrant workers, often due to their illegal emigration, the government is mulling a new law to make recruiting agents’ acts of sending people abroad on false, fictitious and illegal employment and travel documents as an offence of human smuggling, entailing stringent fine and punishment, including jail term. The new measure to safeguard Officials said the need the migrant workers interest has to tackle menace of been proposed in a new bill entitled unscrupulous recruitment “Draft Emigration Management Bill,” seeking to replace the over 32-year-old agencies has been felt due Emigration Act, 1983. to repeated complaints The Ministry of Overseas Indian of job-seekers facing Affairs officials said the need to tackle the menace of unscrupulous exploitation by their recruitment agencies has been felt in overseas employers or wake of repeated complaints of jobfalling on the wrong side seekers facing exploitation by their overseas employers or falling on the of the law due to illegal wrong side of the law due to their illegal migration status migration status. They said the old law, which the new draft bill seeks to replace, has failed to define “human smuggling” giving the unscrupulous recruiting agents a wide leeway to escape deterrent punishment crminalise human smuggling and for heaping miseries on job-seekers. exploitation of emigrants with stringent The draft bill, however, seeks to penalties for offences. Meerut massacre case: 16 cops acquitted NEW DELHI: Sixteen policemen were acquitted by a court here on Saturday of the charges of murder and other crimes in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case in which 42 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut city. Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal acquitted 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel of the charges dealing with murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy. The court gave them the benefit of doubt and said lack of evidence has failed to establish their identification in the case. There were 19 accused in the case. However, three of them died during the trial. The killings had allegedly occurred during riots in Meerut city when the victims were picked up from the Hashimpura Mohalla of the city by personnel of the 41st Battalion of the PAC during a search operation. The charge sheet in the case was filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Ghaziabad in 1996. The case was transferred to Delhi in September 2002 on the order of the Supreme Court following a petition by the families of the massacre victims and survivors. A sessions court here in July 2006 framed charges of murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy against all the accused. Pachauri granted anticipatory bail NEW DELHI: A court here on Saturday granted anticipatory bail to environmentalist RK Pachauri in a sexual harassment case and rejected the police plea for his custody. Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi directed Pachauri to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of like amount as he rejected Delhi Police’s plea seeking his custody and stay on the interim protection granted to him in the case. The court has earlier directed him to neither visit the premises of The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), not to leave the country without permission, not influence any witnesses in the case directly or indirectly and join the investigation whenever required by police. Pachauri, who had last month stepped down as chairperson of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has denied the allegations against him but also proceeded on leave from Teri, where he was director-general. He is facing a complaint of alleged harassment by a woman research analyst who has also lodged a police case. — IANS Bengal farmer death toll 4 New law in wake of mistreatment of workers in Mississippi labour camp R A K SINGH NEW DELHI IN BRIEF The new bill has a whole chapter, spanning three clauses from 3 to 6, dealing with the menace of “human smuggling” by recruitment agents, working for the benefit of their foreign employers. The bill defines human smuggling as “assisting, facilitating or making arrangements for a person to enter illegally into another country with the full knowledge that such entry is illegal, in order to gain financial or other material benefit”. Clauses 3 to 5 of the Bill specifically prohibit such illegal migration. The MOIA officials pointed out that the present Act provides for a punishment of maximum 1 year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 fine, while the new law seeks to enhance the jail term for unscrupulous recruitment agents and their bosses up to five years and a fine of Rs 100,000, specially when the victim of human smuggling is a child or woman. MOIA officials said the move to amend the law was mainly due to a the case of over 500 maltreated Indian workers held in labour camps by their US employers. The government apprised the Parliament last week of the case in Mississippi in 2008 in response to a query by Congress MP Jyotiraditya M Scindia. On a lawsuit, a US court has ordered the erring American firm and its Indiabased recruiter to pay damages worth $14 million to five of the workers, who had dragged the firm to the court. Earlier, over 200 fraudulent Indian firms and people involved in duping job-seekers, specially to the Middle East and Emigration-ClearanceRequired countries were penalised. KOLKATA: A potato cultivator in West Bengal’s Burdwan district died on Saturday after consuming pesticide. His family said he took the extreme step on failing to recover the cost of production. So far, four potato cultivators have committed suicide in the state this month, after a bumper production of the crop led to a steep price fall. Atul Let, a share cropper from Jamalpur in the district, died at the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital after consuming pesticide a day earlier, said a police officer. The victim’s family said he had taken a loan of around Rs 1 lakh for cultivating potatoes. Fearing that he will not able to repay it, he committed suicide. While two potato cultivators had committed suicide earlier in the month in Bhatar and Mongalkote in Burdwan, another hanged himself in Hooghly district’s Khanakul. — IANS INDIA S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 omandailyobserver 100 arrested for Bihar exam mess AS CHEATING CONTINUES: Police fire in the air to disperse large crowd helping students to copy People climb the wall of a building to help students appearing in an examination in Bihar PATNA: Cheating in the Class 10 exams continued in Bihar on Saturday, with police having to fire in the air and carry out a baton charge to disperse people who were helping students to copy. While nearly 100 people were arrested, union minister Upendra Kushwaha said the Centre will seek a report from Bihar on the cheating. No one was injured in police firing in Vaishali and Bhojpur districts, an official said. The development came just days after a photograph showing people climbing a school wall to fling answer sheets to students taking tests inside went viral and grabbed national and international headlines. Police fired in the air at an examination centre in Vaishali’s Hajipur area to disperse a large number of people helping students to copy, a police officer Sonia bid to revitalise rural base BHIWANI/KARNAL: In a bid to revitalise the rural support base of the Congress, party president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday reached out to farmers hit by crop loss due to unseasonal rain and hailstorm in Haryana, and appealed to the state government to give the farmers “right and timely compensation”. “I appeal to the government to give right and timely compensation to these farmers. That is what the government’s responsibility is,” Gandhi said during her visit to a village in Bhiwani district of Haryana. The Congress president was on a day-long visit to some of the rain-hit areas of Haryana. Along with party leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Gandhi visited around five districts, including Bhiwani, Rewari and Karnal. Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President Ashok Tanwar said that Gandhi sought to learn about the magnitude of the damage and assured the farmers that her party would raise the issue of compensation for their loss in parliament. “The farmers felt relieved by Gandhi’s visit and so did the state Congress workers who felt a renewed sense of energy within them,” Tanwar said. The visit came a day after she went to parts of Rajasthan to meet farmers affected by the inclement weather last week. The Congress has been focusing on farmers’ issues of late, with the party aggressively opposing the land acquisition bill, which it has termed antifarmer. However, the farmers pinned little hope on the high-profile visit. Dubbing Gandhi’s visit a “political stunt”, Purna Singh, village council head of Barragaon in Karnal district said: “She did lend an ear to the problems we are facing due to crop damage and assured us of putting pressure on the government for releasing compensation. But we have little hope because she is not in power.” Over 60 per cent of the standing crop has been damaged in Barragaon alone and more than 40,000 acre land was thrashed in the entire district of Karnal, the farmers said. “But not even a single official has come to take stock of the situation here,” said Bhagatram, who lost most of his ready-to-cut wheat crop. The personal involvement of Gandhi in the anti-land bill protests was visible when she wrote to activist Anna Hazare assuring that the Congress will oppose the contentious bill on all fora. — IANS said. The police action came a day after the Patna High Court directed the Bihar Police chief to deploy adequate security forces to ensure a check on cheating at examination centres. In Ara, Bhojpur’s district headquarters, police resorted to a baton charge to disperse people helping students to copy in the examination. Nearly 100 people, mostly close relatives of students, were arrested in Saharsa district for helping students copy in the exam. Over 1.4 million students are appearing in the Class 10 board examination. In a bizarre case, dozens of people — said to be family members of the students — were seen climbing the walls of an exam centre and flinging answer sheets into various rooms where their wards were writing the exam in Vaishali district. In Patna, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha said the central government has taken the reports of rampant cheating and mass copying seriously, and will seek a report from Bihar on the incidents of widespread cheating. “The central government will demand a report from Bihar in connection with reports of widespread cheating in the Class 10 exam,” Kushwaha told the media. “It appears to be a failure of the state government to check cheating,” he said. He said the Patna High Court has rightly pointed out that it was “very shameful” for Bihar Education Minister P K Shahi, who said it was not possible to hold free and fair exams. “Shahi should resign in view of the court’s observation against him,” Kushwaha said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed “pain” over the wide publicity given to the pictures showing cheating in the state, and said it had sullied the image of Bihar. “The reports of cheating in examination has given a bad name to Bihar,” he said. — IANS 11 DOYEN OF FILMS Veteran poet, lyricist Yusufali Kechery passes away KOCHI: Veteran poet and film personality Yusufali Kechery (pictured) passed away at a private hospital here on Saturday evening, said family sources. He was 80. Since the beginning of this year, Kechery’s health was deteriorating and was in the hospital for long. A poet of the modern era, he had won several awards for his poetry which include the Odakkuzhal, Kerala Sahitya Academy and Vallathol awards. He also wrote film lyrics, produced and also directed Malayalam films. A multifaceted personality, he began his career as a lawyer and also did freelance writing. Beginning his film career in the early 1970s, he wore several hats — of that of a producer, lyricist and also director. Winner of numerous film awards, he also won a National Award for a Sanskrit song written for the Malayalam film ‘Mazha’ (Rain) released in 2000. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy described Kechery’s death as a loss for the state. — IANS WELCOMING THE NEW YEAR Woman dressed in traditional attire celebrate ‘Gudhi Padwa’, the Maharashtrian new year in Mumbai. The festival marks the end of a harvest and the beginning of a new one. — AFP Mamata can’t deny ads State government urged to be vigilant against illegal activities Goa mining: stay on green clearances lifted to ‘Ganashakti’: HC KOLKATA: Observing that “political affiliation is not an impediment”, the Calcutta High Court has rejected the contentions of the Trinamool Congress government for denying advertisement to CPM Bengali mouthpiece ‘Ganashakti’. The Bengali daily had approached the Calcutta High Court in 2012 alleging discrimination claiming that the Mamata Banerjee-headed West Bengal government has refused to give any advertisement to the publication. “Political affiliation per se would not disentitle a newspaper from publishing itself. The nature of ownership of a newspaper cannot be criteria to deny advertisement by a government,” the bench of Justice Debanagsu Basak said in its order issued on February 27 but only made available now. ‘Ganashakti’ had claimed in the writ petition that advertisements were denied to the publication since May 20, 2011 after the Trinamool came in power in the state. The affidavit filed by the state government did not deny the claim, but defended its decision on the grounds that the newspaper was owned and published by the West Bengal state committee of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) and giving it ads would amount to funding a political party by the government. ‘Ganashakti’ counsel Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya argued that the newspaper was accredited by the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) and recognised by the central government’s Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) so the right to free speech was a fundamental right. — IANS PANAJI: The Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF) has formally lifted its 2012 order holding all environment clearances (EC) granted to Goa’s iron ore mines in abeyance, clearing the way for resumption of mining in Goa, while also asking the state government to be vigilant against illegal mining. The order was issued a few days after MoEF Minister of State for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar told the media in the national capital, that his ministry had resolved to lift the three-year-old abeyance order. “State government of Goa shall develop and implement a credible mechanism to regularly monitor and ensure that capping of 20 million metric tons on mining leases in State of Goa is implemented as per the directions of the Supreme Court,” the order dated March 20 reads. The order, while classifying Goa’s mining leases into three sections, indicated that 72 mining leases, were in a position to start mining operations, after obtaining required permissions from state government agencies. Eighteen other mining leases have been identified as being in proximity to forest areas, therefore requiring new forest clearances, while 22 more mining leases were in eco-sensitive areas and needed permissions from the Supreme Court, which is also hearing a petition in connection with a Rs 35,000 crore illegal mining scam. In September, 2012, Jayanthi Natarajan, the then MoEF minister in the United Progressive Alliance government had suspended Environment Clearances granted to 93 The order was issued a few days after Minister of State for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar told the media in the national capital, that his ministry had resolved to lift the three-year-old abeyance order operational mining leases at the time. Her decision had come only days after then chief minister Manohar Parrrikar had already temporarily suspended mining operations following the revelation of a Rs 35,000 crore illegal mining scam by the Justice M B Shah Commission. Goa`s mining sector has been non- operational for more than two years because of the three successive actions, which include temporary suspension of mining permission by the then Parrikar-state government, a revocation of green clearances by the Natarajanled MoEF and then a subsequent ban by the Supreme Court following the mammoth illegal mining scam. While the state government lifted the temporary suspension last year, and the Supreme Court lifted the ban in April 2014, the MoEF decision now clears the last technical hurdle vis-a-vis resumption of mining. While lifting the ban however, the apex court had fixed a cap of 20 million metric tonnes for ore extraction from Goa’s mines. The state had exported nearly 57 million tonnes of iron ore in the financial year before mining was banned. — IANS AMERICAS 12 WHITE HOUSE STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL S U N DAY l M A R C H 2 2 l 2 0 1 5 US President Barack Obama points to the shirt of actor Joe Morton, which features a drawing of Obama as a superhero, during the second-annual White House Student Film Festival in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday. WORLD Mexico gang ambush kills 11, including 5 federal police GUADALAJARA: A gang ambush on federal police in western Mexico killed five officers, three suspects and three bystanders in the deadliest day for the country’s new gendarmerie. The attack took place late on Thursday as seven vehicles carrying the paramilitary gendarmerie officers were on patrol in Ocotlan, Jalisco state, federal police said. Eight other officers were wounded, including one in serious condition in the town of 93,000 people. It was the deadliest shooting for the gendarmerie, a 5,000-strong unit modeled after European military-like police forces that President Enrique Pena Nieto launched last year to protect key economic sectors from organised crime. “We have regrettably had minor losses of one officer in some other events,” but never so many in a single attack, a federal official said. A gendarmerie commander deployed in Jalisco said the officers were checking on reports of an attack on municipal police when they were ambushed. A police statement said the officers were on patrol around 9:15 pm (0315 GMT) when a pick-up truck approached the convoy and “without uttering a word, one of the individuals pulled out a large weapon and shot at the federal agents.” The officers shot back but more gunmen arrived in about 10 other vehicles. The gendarmerie commander said the shootout lasted 30 minutes and took place on several streets. — AFP NEW YORK HOUSE FIRE Night view of the Villarrica volcano showing signs of eruption, from Pucon, some 800 km south of Santiago, on Friday. Earlier this month, in its first major eruption in 15 years, the Villarrica forced the evacuation of thousands of people amid a shower of fire and ash. 7 children die as broken heater sparks blaze Firefighters stand near the site of a home fire in the Midwood neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday. — Reuters NEW YORK: Seven children from the same family died on Saturday when their New York home was engulfed in flames after a portable cooker malfunctioned, authorities said. The so-called hot plate, which is a small electrical heating element, may have been left on to keep food warm, New York fire commissioner Daniel Nigro told a news conference. “This is the largest tragedy by fire that this city has had in seven years,” Nigro said in comments reported by The New York Times. “It’s a tragedy for this family, it’s a tragedy for this community, it’s a tragedy for the city.” Firefighters were called to the blaze in the home in the borough of Brooklyn shortly after midnight. The victims were aged between 5 and 15. A 45-year-old woman thought to be their mother and another girl, 14, escaped by jumping out of windows and were being treated in area hospitals in critical condition. “I heard a woman yelling, ‘My kids are in there. Get them out, get them out!’” a neighbour, Nate Weber, told the New York Post. Weber saw children being taken from the home on stretchers and “I knew it was bad news... I just turned away. I didn’t even want to look,” he said. The mother and the eight children were in at least five upstairs bedrooms when the fire broke out in the kitchen downstairs. “To find a house full of children that can’t be revived, I’m sure this will take its toll on our members for quite some time,” Nigro said, according to CNN. The victims were three girls aged eight, 12 and 15; and four boys aged five, six, seven and 11. — AFP US man shot after machete attack at airport WASHINGTON: New Orleans police shot a man three times at the Louis Armstrong International Airport on Friday after he attacked border agents with a machete and wasp spray, officials said. The suspect, Richard White, stormed a security check point and struck one border agent with a machete, cutting her right arm, and targeted two other agents with pesticide spray, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand told reporters. A police officer shot White three times as he tried to run away, striking him in the chest, face and thigh. Newell said White was in hospital where he remained unresponsive. The three Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents were attacked at the pre check-in line while screening boarding passes, sparking panic among travelers who scrambled as shots were fired. One passenger was injured with a graze on the arm during the incident, while others sustained minor cuts. US lawyer on rights campaign argues chimps are people too Nonhuman Rights Project President and Attorney Steven Wise poses for a photo in Vancouver, Canada. — AFP VANCOUVER: Attorney Steven Wise is on a crusade to prove that, as a matter of law, chimps are people too. For that matter, so are dolphins, elephants, gorillas and orcas. Wise made his argument at the TED Conference that wrapped up in Vancouver, Canada on Friday. “I had to invent the field of animal juris prudence,” Wise said at TED. “Coming here is implicit affirmation that people are interested in what we have to say.” Wise argued that apes, chimps, elephants and orcas are as entitled to the rights of “persons” under law as are people or corporations. Legal systems around the world have granted rights of personhood to holy scripts, companies, and even a river. “Personhood is not a biological concept, it is a public policy concept,” Wise said. “The legal system decides it; human being is not synonymous with person.” He has devoted decades to the cause, which is now making its way through courts in the US state of New York. Wise, President of the Nonhuman Rights Project, is hoping a legal tactic successful in getting a slave legally transformed from property to person in CHILE VOLCANO ERUPTS AGAIN Wise made his argument at the TED Conference that wrapped up in Vancouver, Canada on Friday. “I had to invent the field of animal juris prudence,” Wise said a historic case in Britain will do the same for chimpanzees and other animals. He will use the writ of habeas corpus, in which judges order prisoners or detainees brought before the court. Such writs, by definition, assign rights of personhood to those targeted. Members of the project found chimpanzees in abysmal conditions in several parts of the state of New York, then filed for writs of habeas corpus in respective courts to get the animals moved to a refuge. Reactions from judges have been mixed, with even sympathetic members of the bench averse to breaching the legal wall separating people from animals, according to Wise. “Even in America, no judge wants to be the first to make this leap of faith,” the animal rights champion said. Wise, author of Rattling the Cage and other works defending animal rights, has been waging this legal battle since the early 1980s. “They truly are slaves,” Wise said of chimps, bonobos and other animals proven to have feelings, memories, language, foresight and other traits considered human. “I realised there was no one looking out for their interests and they were just being exploited.” He recalled being met with hostility and ridicule early in the battle. Rival lawyers would bark when he walked into courtrooms. After decades of laying groundwork and gathering allies, Wise and his team filed an opening salvo of lawsuits in New York about two years ago. “We are going state by state, animal by animal and we are going to lose a lot before we start to win,” he said. “I expect to win, and not all that far into the future.” Victory would come in the form of a non-human animal being legally recognised as a person for some purpose, no matter how limited. “Once that wall is pierced, judges will realise that they have to make more nuanced, rational decisions,” Wise said of establishing that some animals have a right to be treated better than mere property. Wise is working with lawyers in Europe, Argentina and other parts of the world. “I think there is a tide of history and judges need to swim with it and not against it,” Wise said. “Orcas, apes, chimps and elephants should at least have the right to bodily liberty. I am not talking the entire animal kingdom, but lines have to be drawn.” The Nonhuman Rights Project is looking to hit US courts with its next case, on behalf of circus elephants, late this year. — AFP It was not clear whether White was a passenger or what his motivation was, Normand said. “We have no information at the present time... of any connection between the perpetrator and anyone here at the airport,” he said. “We don’t know whether or not this individual was a member of the travelling public, we suspect not.” White had worked as a taxi driver, had recently received his chauffeur’s licence and had “little or no criminal history,” according to Normand. Boston Globe journalist Farah Stockman was at the airport when White stormed the check point and described scenes of panic as travellers sought cover and said White body was covered in blood. “People had heard gunshots. Everyone was hiding behind chairs and in doorways. Made our way to exit. Body was lying in a pool of blood,” she posted on Twitter. “Lots of terrified people. Women crying. Someone apparently fell down and that created panic. Cops ran in, creating more panic,” she added. Stockman posted a photo of a handcuffed White on his stomach as medics treated a woman’s arm nearby. Photos elsewhere on social media showed White being taken away on a bloodied gurney. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the situation was under control after the incident and that the area where the attack occurred would re-open later on Saturday. — AFP IN BRIEF Girl tries to poison mum for taking iPhone Ali anoints Prince Charles as ‘the greatest’ WASHINGTON: Muhammad Ali hailed Britain’s Price Charles as “the greatest” on Friday as the heir to the British throne wrapped up a US tour with a visit to the boxing legend’s hometown. Charles, accompanied by his wife Camilla, fulfilled a packed schedule in the Kentucky city of Louisville that reflected his keen interest in agriculture and the environment. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were also treated to performances at a cultural festival at the city’s Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. But the warmest welcome no doubt came in the form of a letter from Ali, a Louisville native and three-time heavyweight champion widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. “We are honoured that you have come to explore, share and learn about new sustainable initiatives that are so close to your hearts,” Ali wrote to the royal couple. “As you travel back to your homeland, we hope you know how much this city respects and admires the many contributions you have made in the world. We think you are the greatest,” he added. The letter was read to Charles and Camilla by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, and posted on the Instagram account of the prince’s official resident Clarence House. Ali, 73, famously nicknamed “The Greatest,” has been battling Parkinson’s disease for years, and in December checked into hospital with a bout of pneumonia. — AFP DENVER: Police on Friday arrested a 12-year-old Colorado girl accused of trying to kill her mother twice by poisoning her with bleach for taking away her iPhone, authorities said. Boulder County Sheriff’s Commander Heidi Prentup said in a statement that the mother drank the caustic fluid on one of the two attempts, which both happened within a week this month. On March 2, the girl poured bleach into a breakfast smoothie that she had prepared for her mother, Prentup said. “Mom noticed an odor of bleach in the drink and thought her daughter had cleaned the glass prior to making the beverage and did not rinse all the bleach out,” the police statement said. The woman, who was not named by the authorities, was treated at a local hospital and released. Four days later, the girl allegedly poured bleach into a water carafe her mother kept in her bedroom. When the woman smelt bleach, she became suspicious and confronted her daughter. “This is when she learned her daughter had developed the plan to kill her for taking away her iPhone,” police said. Prentup said the mother reported the girl to police, and that investigators then gathered enough evidence to take her into custody. — Reuters Britain’s Prince Charles speaks with presenters at a display of technology at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday. Britain’s Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are on a four-day trip to the United States. — Reuters Mexican woman dies at 127: Govt agency MEXICO CITY: A woman has died at the age of 127 in western Mexico, a government agency that verified her age said on Friday. Leandra Becerra was born in the northern border state of Tamaulipas on August 31, 1887, and died on Thursday morning at her home in Zapopan in the western state of Jalisco, Mexico’s National System for Integral Family Development, or DIF, said. Becerra has not been included in lists of the world’s oldest people because she had not previously had official documentation. The DIF did not give the cause of death. Her grandson, 70-year-old Samuel Alvear, said she simply stopped breathing, having developed problems with her lungs a few months ago. He said she used to regale him with stories about the Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910, when she would make tortillas for the soldiers. “She met Pancho Villa,” he said she had told him, referring to the revolutionary general. Guadalupe Diaz, the head of the metropolitan center for the elderly in Zapopan, said Becerra had five children, who had all died, adding that by 2011, she had 161 descendents. Alvear said Becerra would be cremated on Saturday. — Reuters REGION S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 NEW HOPE omandailyobserver 13 45 dead in attacks on Syria Kurds celebrating new year Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy chairperson Pervin Buldan looks on as Turkish parliament member Sirri Sureyya Onder (R) during a gathering celebrate Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, yesterday. — AFP BEIRUT: Forty-five people, including five children, were killed in attacks on Syrian Kurds as they celebrated their new year, a monitor said Saturday, accusing the IS group of responsibility. The attacks occurred Friday in what was one of IS’s bloodiest days in Syria as the extremist group left dead more than 120 people across the warravaged country. “There are now 45 dead from last night’s attacks in Hasakeh, as most of those who were in critical condition passed away,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, updating its toll after reporting that 33 were killed. Two explosions struck as members of Syria’s Kurdish minority took part in festivities on the eve of Nowruz, the Kurdish new year, in the northeastern city of Hasakeh. “They were lighting the candles at night, and there were a lot children around,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. There was still no claim of responsibility, but Abdel Rahman said that the IS group was behind the attacks. According to him, the explosions were a few hundred metres apart from each other, with at least one of them caused by a suicide bomber inside a vehicle. Fear of additional attacks dimmed the spirit of the Nowruz celebrations in Hasakeh on Saturday. “Today is supposed to be a day about freedom, but people were afraid of celebrating,” Abdel Rahman said. Hasakeh city is under the control of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and regime forces, but IS militants have launched attacks on towns nearby. The opposition offensive has sparked fierce clashes with Kurdish militia in the province, which is strategically located along Syria’s borders with Iraq and Turkey. UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the “heinous” attacks, while the commander of the Kurdish security forces, Joan Ibrahim, said “the crime that occurred today in Hasakeh will not pass without retribution.” The IS fighters also attacked government checkpoints and positions in the central provinces of Homs and Hama on Friday, killing at least 82 members of forces loyal to the Syrian regime. Sixty-two of those deaths were in the province of Hama alone, where IS attacked regime points along a key road leading north to Aleppo. In the southern province of Daraa, regime forces struck rebel-held neighbourhoods of the town of Busra al-Sham with at least 12 barrel bombs, the Observatory reported. — AFP Fighting near Tripoli with Libya rivals in key talks CRUCIAL: The Libyan government had launched an offensive to ‘liberate’ Tripoli as ‘decisive’ talks got under way SKHIRAT, MOROCCO: UN envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon urged rival Libyan lawmakers to try to nail down a political agreement by the weekend as they began three days of “decisive” talks Friday. As the talks got under way in Morocco, the Libyan government said loyalist forces had launched an offensive to “liberate” Tripoli, seized by militia last summer. “The government salutes the operations launched by army units south of Tripoli which constitute the start of an offensive to liberate Tripoli and its suburbs,” it said on Facebook. The announcement came as the Fajr Libya militia that controls Tripoli said it had clashed with a group of gunmen FATAL ROADS 12 killed in Egyptian bus accident CAIRO: At least 12 workers were killed Saturday when their bus plunged into a canal in Giza near Cairo, the Health Ministry said. A spokesman for the ministry told Egyptian TV that 14 others were wounded. Initially, medical officials said 35 people died in the crash, which occurred in the early morning. The victims are workers at Orascom, a leading private company operating in construction and telecommunications, media reported. Footage aired by local TV stations showed rescuers hauling up the wreckage of the bus from alMaryutia Canal, west of Cairo. The bus fell off a bridge into the canal after its driver lost control due to an explosion of a front tyre, head of the nearby Al Haram district, Ismail Abdul Wahed, said. Earlier, witnesses said the accident occurred after several vehicles crashed on the road, leading the bus to veer off into the canal. Fatal road accidents are relatively common in Egypt and have often been blamed on poor driving and bad roads. It was not immediately known how many people were inside the bus. The accident occurred after several vehicles crashed on the road, leading the bus to plunge into the canal, witnesses said. Nearly 13,000 people die and 60,000 are injured every year on the country’s roads, according to official figures. — Agencies who infiltrated Aziziya, 35 kilometres south of Tripoli, and captured a number of them. Fajr Libya is an alliance of militias, including fighters, who have installed a government in Tripoli opposed to the internationally recognised legislature and cabinet based in the east. Leon deplored the latest clashes as “unacceptable” and posing “a serious threat” to reaching a political agreement at the Skhirat talks, near Rabat. “The United Nations wants to call on both political actors and military actors to stop such actions,” he said. Leon said talks over the next three days will focus on security arrangements, the creation of a national unity government and confidence- The latest clashes are ‘unacceptable’ and pose ‘a serious threat’ to reaching a political agreement.” BERNARDINO LEON UN Envoy to Libya building measures. “By Sunday, we would like to have these three documents ready and if possible, published, as already agreed (as) part of what will be a final package,” Leon said. Unrest in Libya and a deadly attack on Wednesday in neighbouring Tunisia claimed by the IS group that killed 20 tourists and a policeman “is another sign of alarm”, he said. Tunisia said the gunmen who carried out the attack on the National Bardo Museum were trained at a militant camp in Libya. “There is a sense of urgency and we believe this should be a decisive round,” Leon said, urging both sides to work in a “spirit of compromise”. The UN-mediated talks, between Hadi calls on Houthis to withdraw ADEN: Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Saturday called on the Houthi to leave the capital Sanaa and for its allied militias to quit government ministries in his first televised speech since escaping house arrest last month. Hadi urged all parties in Yemen to attend peace talks in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, but also vowed to plant the national flag in the Houthi stronghold of Saadeh, in a comment the group is likely to interpret as a call to arms. The Houthis seized Sanaa in September and then besieged Hadi’s residence in January, leading him to offer his resignation and resulting in his house arrest by the group before he escaped to Aden last month. Hadi said Yemen must return to the political situation in place before the Houthis took control of Sanaa, reinstituting its constitution and implementing the results of a national dialogue process. In his speech, he denounced the Houthis as “plotters” and said he wanted to confront sectarianism. Addressing Houthi accusations that he planned to back a southern secessionist movement, he said his flight to Aden had been intended to preserve Yemeni unity. Al Qaeda fighters captured the capital of a province in southern Yemen, killing about 20 soldiers, before they were driven out by the army late on Friday, local officials and residents said. The fighting came hours after suicide bombers killed 137 people in the national capital Sanaa, in coordinated attacks claimed by IS, an offshoot of al Qaeda that controls swathes of Syria and Iraq. Clashes also took place in the country’s north on Friday between local tribes and the Houthi militia, which controls Sanaa, illustrating the wideranging nature of Yemen’s security crisis. Yemen has been hurtling towards civil war since last year when the Houthis — advanced from their northern heartland, further undermining the country’s tenuous internal security. Western countries and Yemen’s Gulf neighbours see Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as the most dangerous Al Qaeda branch after its efforts to bomb international airliners and launch cross-border raids. AQAP fighters captured al-Houta, capital of the southern Lahj Province, on Friday but were forced to withdraw late on Friday after holding it for several hours, the officials and residents said. — Reuters the Tobruk-based parliament and the General National Congress (GNC) seated in Tripoli, were delayed for several days to allow both sides to prepare, he said. Leon has struggled to bring the rival parliaments closer together, with Morocco hosting a first round of talks on March 6. On Friday, he warned that failure to strike a deal could spell danger for Libya and the region. “It’s not only about Libya but about the region, the wider region. But Libya is today a critical case. So, something has to be done regarding terrorism,” he said. “And parties should be aware that this is the decisive movement and if they are not able to take the right decisions Libya will go back to war again and we know this is a war that nobody can win.” GNC delegation chief Mohammed Saleh al-Makhzoum, at the outset of the talks, renewed his side’s call for direct negotiations. “We hold out our hand to the other side for a direct dialogue. The Libyan question is not easy, and we need a comprehensive solution providing guarantees to the two sides,” he told reporters. His counterpart from Tobruk, Mohamed Ali Chouaib, insisted on the legitimacy of the parliament elected last June. “There is no question of discussing legitimacy. Parliament was elected in free elections held according to international norms,” he said. — AFP SELFIE ACT Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi takes a selfie with a man during a visit to the streets of southern city of Basra yesterday following a meeting with Operations Commanders to discuss tribal conflicts that took place earlier in the week. — AFP Hundreds gathered in large numbers for a mass in Tunis, lighting candles to remember the victims Tunisia arrests suspected fighters after museum attack TUNIS: Tunisian authorities have arrested more than 20 suspected militants following the Bardo museum attack when gunmen killed foreign tourists, leading to a nationwide security crackdown. Hundreds of Tunisians gathered for a mass in the cathedral in Tunis on Saturday, lighting candles to remember the victims — 20 foreign tourists and three Tunisians — in a ceremony attended by government ministers. Outside, there was a heavy police presence along the capital’s central Habib Bourguiba boulevard. Wednesday’s assault — the most deadly attack involving foreigners in Tunisia since a 2002 suicide bombing in Djerba — came at a fragile moment for a country just emerging to full democracy after its pioneering popular uprising four years ago. The government said the two gunmen had trained in fighter camps in Libya before the attack at the museum inside the heavily secured Tunisian parliament compound. Japanese, French, Polish, and Colombian visitors were among the victims. Authorities have arrested more than 20 suspected militants, including 10 believed to be directly involved in the Bardo attack, Interior Ministry IS fighters have claimed responsibility for the attack, but social media accounts tied to an Al Qaeda-affiliated group have also published details purportedly about the operation spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui said on Saturday. “There is a large-scale campaign against the extremists,” he said. The government plans to deploy the army to major cities to increase security following the shootings. IS fighters have claimed responsibility for the attack, but social media accounts tied to an Al Qaeda-affiliated group in Tunisia have also published details purportedly about the operation. Whoever was responsible, the Bardo attack illustrates how opposition militants are turning their attention to North Africa, especially in neighbouring Libya where two rival governments battle for control allowing IS to gain a foothold. The United States is increasingly worried about the growing presence of IS militants in Libya. US officials said that because of its strategic position, Libya has become a springboard for would-be fighters from across North Africa wanting to link up with IS. They could travel from there to Syria for frontline experience. Four years after a popular revolt toppled autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has completed its transition to democracy with free elections, a new constitution and compromise politics between secular and opposition parties. The country is heavily reliant on foreign tourists to its beach resorts and desert treks. — Reuters 14 EUROPE omandailyobserver S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 WAITING FOR SUPER TIDE TO STEM INFLOW Italy wants Egypt, Tunisia to rescue migrants in Mediterranean People gather to watch waves breaking on the dyke on Saturday in Wimereux, northern France, as France’s northern coast braces for “the tide of the century”. The high tide due later on Saturday is expected to be exceptional because of the effects from Friday’s solar eclipse, with predictions that it could reach as high as 14.15 metres (46 feet). — AFP French Atlantic coast braces for super tide FULL MOON IMPACT: The largest tidal ranges in the world occur in Canada tides can reach 17 metres in height MONT SAINT MICHEL: Towns on France’s North Atlantic coast braced for their first giant tide of the millennium on Saturday as the full moon and this week’s solar eclipse combined to create an ocean surge not seen since 1997. At the picturesque Mont Saint Michel island where some of the biggest tides in the world occur, visitors gathered to watch the tide disappear out of sight, exposing areas of beach and rock visible only every 18 years. The next peak tide is not due until 2033. France’s National Hydrographic Service was expecting to measure more than 14 metres (15.3 yards) between low and high water around the famous Abbey-topped rock off France’s north-west coast. Average tides in the area measure 8.7 metres. Saturday morning’s high tide was also close to peak levels as the sea rushed in from over 13 kilometres (8 miles) out, but calm weather has meant that some coastal flood preparations looked set to THINKING ABOUT NEXT MOVE Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev looks at a chess board at the venue of Women’s World Chess Championship in Sochi on Saturday. — Reuters prove unnecessary and made the phenomenon less spectacular than some had hoped. “For the ‘tide of the century’ I am a bit disappointed,” said tourist Jean-Bernard Delamarche in Saint Malo further west along the coast which also has big tides. “We came one year, we were staying at the hotel Ibis and we could not get out of the hotel because the street was flooded. But it’s true that it is impressive. “It’s almost more spectacular at low tide in the end because you will be able to walk kilometres and see some little secret beaches that will only be revealed at this moment,” said US student Noah Feingold. The lowest tide measured from the port of Granville up the coast from Mont Saint Michel was due at 3:16 pm local time (1416 GMT) with the highest at 8:10 pm. The largest tidal ranges in the world occur in Canada at the Bay of Fundy and Ungava Bay where, according to the Canadian Hydrographic service, tides can reach 17 metres in height. — AFP Asylum applicants to EU jumps 44 per cent BRUSSELS: The number of applicants for asylum to EU countries increased last year to 626,000, a surge of 44 per cent fueled by refugees from the civil war in Syria, the European Union’s statistics agency said on Friday. The overall figure for asylum applicants increased by 191,000 over the previous year, with the number of Syrians rising to 122,800 from 50,000 in 2013, Eurostat said. In 2014, Germany registered the highest number of requests, with 202,700 or 32 per cent of the total, it said. It was followed by Sweden with 81,200, or 13 per cent of the total, then Italy with 64,600 or 10 per cent, France with 62,800 or 10 per cent, and Hungary, with 42,800 or seven per cent. “It should be noted that these five member states registered different trends last year,” it added. Compared with 2013, the number of asylum applicants in 2014 more than doubled in Italy, up 143 per cent, and in Hungary, up 126 per cent. Italy has been most concerned with a wave of migrants making dangerous boat voyages across the Mediterranean, mainly from Libya. The figure increased by 60 per cent in Germany and 50 per cent in Sweden, but decreased by five per cent in France. “Compared with the population of each member state, the highest rates of registered applicants were recorded in Sweden,” it said. There were 8.4 applicants per thousand inhabitants in Sweden, well ahead of Hungary at 4.3, Austria at 3.3, Malta at 3.2, Denmark at 2.6 and Germany at 2.5. “In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Portugal, Slovakia and Romania. In 2014, there were 1.2 asylum applicants per thousand inhabitants in the EU,” it added. Syria was the main country of origin for asylum-seekers last year, followed by war-torn Afghanistan with 41,300, and poverty-stricken Kosovo, with 37,900. Out of 360,000 decisions taken by member states on asylum requests in 2014, 163,000 were positive, with the status of refugee or temporary protection granted. — Reuters Karimov faces no meaningful opposition in a vote that would see him win a five-year term Ageing Uzbek leader dances off ill-health rumours TASHKENT: Post-Soviet Uzbekistan’s strongman President Islam Karimov danced off rumours that ill-health might derail his imminent re-election bid on Saturday during Nowruz celebration marking the beginning of spring. The 77-year-old, who has controlled Uzbekistan for over two decades, has traditionally used the symbolic event held in the capital Tashkent to dispel whispers about his physical frailty, which have grown louder as he has cut down on public appearances over the President Islam Karimov (C) dances during Nowruz celebration in Tashkent. — AFP years. This Nowruz was no exception as Karimov moved energetically to traditional Uzbek melodies, at one point jogging on the spot as officials and diplomats also clapped and danced. Karimov faces no meaningful opposition in a vote scheduled for March 29 that would see him win a five-year term. “What do Uzbek people need? We need peace and well being,” Karimov told audience in a speech that was also broadcasted via state television. —AFP BRUSSELS: Italy wants Egypt and Tunisia to play a role in rescuing stricken migrant vessels in the Mediterranean, a government planning paper showed, so that survivors could be taken back to African instead of European ports. The plan, which calls for the European Union to support the proposed Egyptian and Tunisian operations, was prepared by the Italian home affairs ministry and seen by Reuters. It represents an attempt to stem the growing flow of people risking their lives to reach Europe, most of whom try to get to Italy, often on overcrowded or defective vessels. Last April Italy rescued 4,000 migrants from boats trying to reach European shores in only 48 hours in a deepening immigration crisis that is being made worse by the turmoil in Libya, which has grappled with chaos and rampant militias since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. In one of the worst such tragedies in October 2013, a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The Italian Coast Guard managed to rescue 155 survivors but more than 360 migrants drowned. Italy is already in bilateral talks on sea-rescue operations with Tunisia and Egypt, but joint diplomatic action of the EU is crucial to get them involved, the paper, said. According to the plan, Tunisian and Egyptian naval units would intervene to rescue migrants in areas close to Libya, which is the main departing point for migrants bound for Europe, but has no effective control of its territorial waters because of the ongoing conflict between its warring — Reuters factions. Smog-choked Paris forces half of cars off roads A view of the Eiffel Tower and Paris’ roofs through a haze of pollution. — AFP file picture PARIS: French authorities will on Monday put in place emergency trafficlimiting measures in Paris, as the City of Light and much of northern France suffers from a choking smog. City mayor Anne Hidalgo had asked authorities to prevent one in every two cars from taking to the capital’s streets and make all public transport temporarily free in a bid to drive down pollution. “I am delighted the state has agreed to put in place a partial driving ban on Monday, which I have been requesting for several days,” Hidalgo wrote on Saturday on Twitter. Only vehicles with number plates ending in an odd number will be allowed to drive, though exceptions exist for vehicles like taxis, electric cars and ambulances. Public transportation is to be free until at least Monday in Paris and its surrounding towns in an effort to force pollution down by coaxing drivers to give up their cars for a few days. Similar emergency measures were last implemented almost exactly a year ago — on March 17 — during a particularly bad spike in the pollution levels. On Saturday, air quality monitors predicted that concentrations of potentially dangerous particulates in the air could again go over the recommended maximum. In Paris, authorities measure the concentration of particulates with a diameter of less than 10 microns — socalled PM10 — in the air to determine pollution levels. These particulates are created by vehicles, heating and heavy industry, and include the most dangerous particles that measure less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and the blood system and can cause cancer. The safe limit for PM10 is set at 80 microgrammes per cubic metre (mcg/ m3). According to a 2011 World Health Organisation report, the planet’s most polluted city was Ahvaz in Iran with an average of 372 mcg/m3. Beijing had an average of 121 mcg/m3, while Paris was measured at 38 mcg/m3. — AFP INTERNATIONAL S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 Kerry stesses unity over N-deal MAJOR STEP: ’Substantial progress’ has been made during the latest round of talks LONDON: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday said he and counterparts from Britain, France and Germany were “united” on seeking a nuclear deal with Iran, while the Iranian president said there was “nothing that cannot be resolved”. Kerry was due to hold talks in London later with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, France’s Laurent Fabius, Germany’s FrankWalter Steinmeier and EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, in a brief stopover amid reports of disagreements over their negotiating position. The London gathering comes one day after the latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany) ended without a breakthrough. However on Saturday, Washington and Tehran both indicated that major steps had been made towards a nuclear deal. Kerry, speaking in Lausanne before heading to London, said that there had been “substantial progress”, while Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani declared separately that “an agreement is possible” and “there is nothing that cannot be resolved”. Kerry insisted world powers were “united” in their talks with Iran, amid rumours of a split with France, and United States Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a statement about the recently concluded round of negotiations with Iran in Lausanne, Switzerland. stressed he would not rush into a bad deal. “I emphasise: We are united in our goal, our approach, our resolve and our determination to ensure that Iran’s programme is entirely peaceful,” he told reporters France has expressed scepticism over the speed of a potential deal in which Iran would place its controversial nuclear programme under severe restrictions in exchange for a stage-by-stage lifting of international sanctions. Kerry sought to reassure that Washington was not trying to pressure partners into an agreement, saying “we have worked long and hard to achieve an agreement that resolves concerns on Iran’s programme.” He said Iran still has to do more to prove that it would abide by a deal and that “important gaps remain”. “The stakes are high and the issues are complicated and all interrelated,” he said. “We recognise that fundamental decisions have to be made now, and they don’t get any easier as time goes by. It’s time to make hard decisions.” Iran’s President Rouhani declared Saturday that although differences remained in nuclear talks with the West there was no issue that could not be resolved and that a deal could be done. “I believe an agreement is possible. Namibia’s new president sworn in after landslide win Hage Geingob WINDHOEK: Namibia’s new leader Hage Geingob was on Saturday sworn in as president, three months after he was elected in a landslide victory. The 73-year-old president marked his inauguration by pledging to tackle poverty among the vast desert nation’s 2.2 million population. “I am declaring war on poverty and inequality,” Geingob said in front of a packed stadium in the capital Windhoek. Geingob, leader of South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), won the November 2014 vote with 87 per cent of the vote, to become Namibia’s third democratically elected leader. Namibia, which gained independence from South Africa in 1990, after decades of German rule, delayed the inauguration to coincide with its independence day. The ceremony was attended by several regional leaders including President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, President Ian Khama of Botswana and President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe who has close ties with Namibia. Geingob admitted in 2012 that the wealth of the uranium rich country was controlled by 10 per cent of the population. He replaces Hifikepunye Pohamba, also of SWAPO, who served the country for ten years. Before his election, Geingob served as Namibia’s prime minister. Outgoing president Pohamba said he looked back with satisfaction because his government had achieved many of its national development goals during his term in office. “There are still many socio-economic challenges facing our people, especially the youth, women and vulnerable sections of our population. Two of the most pressing are poverty and unemployment,” he said. — AFP Thousands in Georgia march call for govt to step down TBILISI: Tens of thousands of Georgians joined a protest rally Saturday in the exSoviet republic’s capital Tbilisi to demand the government’s resignation, claimed it has mishandled the battered economy. Protesters packed Tbilisi’s central Freedom Square after being called onto the streets by exiled former president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM), before marching towards the State Chancellery building, the seat of government. They carried Georgian flags and placards demanding the government step down. Saakashvili addressed the rally by video link from Brussels as the cheering crowd chanted his name. “We are united by our shared task to liberate Georgia from the government which destroys our country,” Saakashvili said in an emotional address. “We will get Georgia back on a right track. We will win,” he added. Saakashvili’s UNM party has accused the ruling Georgian Dream coalition government of mishandling the tiny Caucasus country’s economy that, during the last two years, saw growth slowdown, a 30-per cent currency devaluation, and rising inflation and unem Saakashvili addressed the rally by video link from Brussels as the cheering crowd chanted his name ployment. Georgian Dream, assembled by former prime minister and billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, came to power in 2012 and ended a decade-long rule of staunchly pro-Western Saakashvili and his UNM party. Ivanishvili stepped down in November 2013 to make way for his longtime ally Irakli Garibashvili, but is widely believed to still call the shots. Scores of former top Saakashvili officials have been arrested over the last two years for alleged wrongdoing, prompting warnings from the West over selective justice and persecution of political opponents. Accused by prosecutors of abuse of power, Saakashvili, 47, lives in a self-imposed exile in Kiev were he has served, since February, as an aide to Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko. — AFP There is nothing that cannot be resolved and the other party must make its final decision for this,” the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying. “In this round of negotiations (in Lausanne), there were differences on some issues,” Rouhani said, noting that “common views emerged that can be the basis of a final agreement.” However he admitted: “Some points of disagreement persist.” On Friday, Iran and the US announced that Lausanne talks would resume on Wednesday or Thursday. That leaves the two sides less than a week to meet a March 31 deadline for agreeing the outlines of a nuclear deal they hope will end a 12-year standoff. The Guardian newspaper, citing diplomats at the talks, said Washington had proposed a scheme for a phased lifting of UN sanctions against Tehran in return for Iranian action to limit its nuclear programme — but Paris only wanted a symbolic easing of the measures. “The Americans are ready for an agreement that is far from the goals that were initially set,” a source close to the negotiations said. The complex deal on the table, due to be finalised by July, is aimed at convincing the world that Iran will not build nuclear weapons under the guise of its ongoing civilian programme. — AFP omandailyobserver 15 UN warns of food shortages in Vanuatu SYDNEY: Sixteen deaths have been confirmed from the worst cyclone to hit the island nation of Vanuatu, the United Nations said Saturday, as it warned that food and water reserves will not last more than a few weeks. A rapid assessment of 22 islands in the archipelago showed 166,000 people were affected by Tropical Cyclone Pam, the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said. It reported extensive damage to food crops. The devastation of coconut and banana plantations would have a significant longterm impact, the agency said. “Food is planned to be distributed to 162,000 people by 26 March,” it said. Each household will receive a food package that will include 25 kilogrammes of rice, five cans of meat and 10 packets of noodles, with the rations are meant to last 15 days, the UN said. Food has already been distributed to 11,800 households, it said. The cluster of dozens of islands was hardest hit by the worst storm on record in the region one week ago. Winds in excess of 250 kilometres per hour and heavy rain that caused flooding destroyed much of the infrastructure in the capital Port Vila and elsewhere. The UN office said 3,995 people were being housed in 39 evacuation centres, while 65,000 were identified in need of temporary shelter. The country’s biggest aid donor, Australia, on Friday sent a naval ship to assist with reconnaissance and to transport supplies to outlying islands. “Around 166,000 people, more than half A women carries a bunch of bananas she found on the banks of the Noai river, 70 kilometres north of Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila after Cyclone Pam ripped through the island nation. — AFP of Vanuatu’s population, have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Pam on 22 islands,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a situation report. “Food stocks and water reserves are being exhausted and will not last more than a couple of weeks across the affected islands.” The agency said the confirmed death toll had risen to 16, as aid workers were able to reach new areas, with completed assessments covering 15 islands. Aid agencies have stressed that potable water, food, shelter and health were a priority in the aftermath of the storm which hit late on March 13. The latest assessment found damage to food crops was extensive. “Coconut and banana plantations have been particularly devastated, which will have significant longer-term impact,” OCHA said, noting that most people living on the outer — dpa islands grow their own food. SUNDAY | MARCH 22, 2015 | P18 P19 P20 Inside Sohar Aluminium honours 2014 achievers Prices for India’s start-ups soar Microsoft unveils Internet-ready Nokia 215 FOLLOW US ON: www.omanobserver.om [email protected] SCOPE: The tenders cover landfills for wastes, superficial sanitary drainage system and levelling of 180 hectares dedicated for heavy industries SEZAD awards RO 22.3m contracts for new projects BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT March 21: The Tender Committee of the Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm (SEZAD) has awarded contracts totalling RO 22.3 million for the implementation of a number of projects, including landfills for hazardous and non-hazardous wastes, sanitary drainage system, and the levelling of 180 hectares earmarked for heavy industries. The contracts were announced at the second meeting of the Tender Committee chaired by Ahmed bin Hassan al Dheeb, who is also Member of the SEZAD Board. The landfill project includes the design and construction of integrated hazardous and non-hazardous wastes storage and treatment facilities. The project comes within the efforts made by SEZAD to reduce the negative effects on the environment. The project is also in line with the efforts made by the Sultanate to limit the negative health and environmental effects caused by the traditional landfills. It also aims at providing environmentfriendly landfills that can handle different types of wastes safety and meet the constant growth in volumes of waste resulting from the construction activities and population growth. The the wastes that will be generated from The committee also awarded a project project is expected to efficiently handle the industries hosted at SEZAD. to set up Danjrat channels located at the north areas in Duqm master plan. The construction of the 11 km long channel aims at discharging the superficial rain water at the sea. The channel will be designed in a way to ensure having the required slope that will help the channel discharge the superficial rain water in the sea very efficiently and smoothly. The project is part of a series of projects that include protection dams, main and sub discharge channels with varying capacities. The aim of these channels is to collect rain water and discharging them safely through suitable streams for the expected volumes of rain. The project will provide protection for the front-line infrastructure at Duqm Port and at the heavy industries complex. It will also ensure safe disposal of rain water without causing any damage to the companies operating in the zone. SEZAD Tender Committee also awarded the sixth package of the levelling and superficial water discharge for the logistic area in Duqm port. The scope of the project covers the levelling of the lands on the main road to Duqm including digging and filling as per the project plans. The contractor should ensure that all electricity, water and communication lines at the project area are not harmed by the digging and filling works. 18 omandailyobserver OMAN S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 Omasco marks year of Business Excellence at Conference 2015 Sohar Aluminium honours staff BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT March 21: Oman Marketing and Services Company (Omasco) a leading trading, property and financial services company in Oman with key activities in automotive, marine, electronics, projects and engineering and industrial products recently held a special “Conference 2015 – A year of Business Excellence’ for its employees at ShangriLa’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa. The aim of the event was to share the vision of the company with the employees and empower them with knowledge on the company’s strategy for the year ahead. Over 300 employees from across the Sultanate came together to explore the culture of the organisation which endeavours to provide a value based customer experience with an engaged workforce. As part of this conference, Omasco launched its innovative ‘Afkari’ programme which is a think-tank for employees across all the Omasco business units. Employees are encouraged to think about what is best for the company and to put forward their ideas to enhance Omasco to even greater heights. The programme, which translates to ‘My Ideas’ in English, encourages innovation from within and will ensure the continued success of the company. This forum was also used to recognise and honour individuals who have been with Omasco for over 30 years for their long term association. Commenting on the event, Hussain al Lawati, Managing Director, Omasco said, “Omasco’s mission is at the forefront of every team members mind. The principles of choice, value and engagement comes together to achieve this”. He went on to say, “We have a lot of talent in house and we want to encourage them to actively participate in the success of the business.” Delegates who attended the conference included Len Hunt, President , Al Futtaim Automotive, Colin Cordery, Regional Managing Director and Sandeep Ajgonkar, Regional General Manager, After Sales. Omasco has focused plans for 2015 and is geared to achieve very competitive results. It has the best team in place to help it to reach its goals. Large German presence at trade fair BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT March 21: More than 10 German companies specialising in the manufacture of, among other things, construction and woodworking machinery, concrete block making systems, solar equipment, and flame retardants, are due to take part in this year’s edition of The Big Show, which will be held at Oman International Exhibition Centre from March 30 to April 2, 2015. Their presence at the 4-day annual event is backed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA). Taking part are Breuer & Schmitz Gmbh & Co (manufacturers of building hardware), Erkat Spezialmaschinen und Service (manufacturers of hydraulic drum cutter attachments for excavators), Eurobend (suppliers of wire and rebar processing machinery), Frima (semi and fully automatic plants for concrete block production and paving), Top Werk Group (machines and equipment for the building materials industry), MASA (machinery for the building materials industry), MEA Water Management (linear drainage systems), Oventrop (manufacturers of valves and controls for building services), Prinzing-Pfeiffer (modular programme for the production of precast concrete elements), SRSchindler (machines for the production and surface refinement of pavers, tiles, wall stones etc), Sunset Energietechnik (solar systems), Trevira (flame retardants polyester fibres and yarns), WASA (fibreglass production boards), and Zenith Emden (pallet machinery) Also in attendance will be representatives of the German Industry and Commerce Office Oman (AHK) and NUMOV. March 21: Sohar Aluminium (SA) recently held its annual ceremony ‘Mumtaz’ to recognize the efforts of its employees, and reward them for contributing to the company’s achievements in 2014. The event, which was attended by Said Mohammed al Masoudi, CEO of SA, SA Executive Committee (ExCo), Managers as well as employees who work across different departments, highlighted some of the major achievement made in 2014. Addressing the gathering, Said al Masoudi said: “Our People’s Passion for Excellence plays a key role in achieving our vision to Be the Best, embodying the values we live by. Knowing that our business can only be as good as our people, we dedicate our success to them.” “Through competitive benefits, continuous competency improvements, strong internal communications and wide business literacy we seek to achieve the best business outcomes, and sustain our position as the Employer of Choice,” Al Masoudi continued. Sohar Aluminium fosters an environment that encourages working and celebrating success together as teams thus leading to an excellent and highly efficient workforce that continues to achieve new milestones. The Sohar Aluminium Mumtaz Scheme is an example of the harmonious synergy between its workforce and management, in that staff who demonstrate outstanding achievements beyond their call of duty within the company or their communities are recognised. At the event Sohar Aluminium ExCo also announced the launch of its revamped Employee Recognition scheme now called ‘Mumtaz Club’. The Mumtaz Club has been tailored to fit SA’s culture and is made to be more dynamic giving a chance to all employees to take part in it. This new scheme has been the result of many months of preparation that focused on ensuring that a recognition scheme brings back value to the team as well as rewards individual excellence. A committee was formed to listen and observe what motivates the employees to contribute to the success of the business. This resulted in revamping the employee recognition scheme and amplifying its impact. BUSINESS ALERT Genesis earns Kiplinger’s 2015 Best Value Award MUSCAT: The Genesis — premium series from Hyundai, won the Best New/Redesigned Car in the Kiplinger’s Personal Finance annual Best Value Awards at the 2015 Washington Auto Show. Kiplinger’s took a comprehensive review of hundreds of vehicles and revealed the best values on the newest models. Kiplinger’s buyer’s guide sorts the 2015 models by price and category, ranking them for performance, safety and value. For nine decades, the Kiplinger organisation has led the way in personal finance and business forecasting in the US. The Kiplinger Letter, launched in 1923, remains the longest continuously published newsletter in the United States. In 1947, Kiplinger created the first personal finance magazine in the USA and has been delivering sound, unbiased advice on personal finance and business in clear, concise language. The 2015 Genesis — a premium sedan that has been designed to set new standards in its class — is the first Hyundai to feature the brand’s Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design concept, while also boasting significantly enhanced driving performance and state-of-the-art technologies such as a Head-Up Display, Smart Trunk function and Autonomous Emergency Braking. The 2015 Genesis has already been celebrated for its sleek styling, recently receiving the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Product Design Award for 2014. . BP Oman organises beach clean-up WITH the support of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO), BP Oman staff participated in a beach cleanup initiative at Al Athaiba beach. This initiative comes under BP’s commitment to conserve the beauty of Oman and enhance its environmental status. Dave Campbell, Chief Operating Officer says, ‘We have worked extensively with the Government of Oman to make sure that we manage all the environmental impacts of our operations and we will continue to do this. Not only that, we are also aiming to spread the awareness among different spectrums of the society to help keep Oman beaches beautiful. BP Oman is committed to its role as a responsible citizen and has been an active member of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO). A few years ago, BP Oman implemented a Waste Recycling Scheme in its offices as part of its commitment to preserve the Omani environment. Through this initiative, BP Oman aims to engage staff into working together to do their community part and raise health and environmental awareness. Reducing the amount of waste and promoting recycling in everyday life is one of the key things BP is trying to embed. Nadir al Rawahi, Drilling Engineer says, ‘I feel proud that I have made an impact and I am looking forward to take part on similar initiatives. ’ The staff disposed approximately 750 kg of waste including construction waste, drinking cans, bottles and plastic bags, collected from the sea front areas. McDonald’s introduces new mango Pineapple juice MCDONALD’S Oman has introduced the all-new Minute Maid Mango Pineapple juice to its beverage lineup. This tasty tropical fusion joins McDonald’s muchloved apple, orange, tropical flavours for the ultimate refreshing experience. Ali K Daud, Development Licensee and President of McDonald’s Oman said: “We are very pleased to offer this refreshing new treat to our customers just in time for the warmer months of spring and summer. McDonald’s is committed to continuously offering a variety of flavours that meet our customers evolving tastes, and introducing new products that keep our menu fresh and exciting.” The Mango Pineapple juice will be available at McDonald’s for a limited time only. OMAN/INTERNATIONAL S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 omandailyobserver 19 2nd GCC Supply Chain & Logistics Conference, April 13-16: Al Bustan Palace – A Ritz Carlton Hotel Supply chains are backbone of international trade I mproving only two key components of trade facilitation — border administration and transport and communications infrastructure — would lead to an increase of some $2.6 trillion (4.7 per cent) in global GDP and $1.6 trillion (14.5 per cent) in global trade, according to The World Bank. The UN international financial institution made the assertion in the fourth edition of ‘Connecting to Compete: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy’. The recently published report features the Logistics Performance Index (LPI), which the World Bank has produced every two years since 2007. The LPI measures the on-the-ground efficiency of trade supply chains, or logistics performance. Oman is ranked 59th among 160 countries surveyed in the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) for the year 2014. Germany was ranked first, followed by the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Singapore, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, United States and Japan. According to The World Bank study, a complete worldwide tariff elimination would only add a further $400 billion (0.7 per cent) to global GDP, or $1.1 trillion (10.1 per cent) to global trade. The figure illustrates that reducing supply chain barriers has a larger effect than removing tariffs. This holds even in the scenario of a more modest improvement in trade facilitation, in which all countries raised their performance halfway to regional best practice (as opposed to halfway to international best practice—that is, Singapore in the first scenario). “What lies at the heart of the large increases in GDP after trade facilitation reforms? Reductions in supply chain trade barriers improve the efficiency of the movement of goods, thus recovering resources otherwise wasted. By contrast, most tariff reductions reallocate resources, capturing only the more modest inefficiency created by the tax,” Tim Sebastian to moderate conference The legendary Tim Sebastian, founder and chairman of the Doha Debates, will moderate 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. Tim was previously a BBC foreign correspondent, based in Warsaw, Moscow and Washington, and has reported for BBC Television from more than 25 countries over a 30year period. He is perhaps best known for being the first host of the BBC’s flagship interview programme Hardtalk — for which he was twice named Interviewer of the Year by the Royal Television Society. Sebastian has also won the Society’s Television Journalist of the Year award, as well as a British Academy award for contributions to factual television. He holds a BA in modern languages from Oxford University the report stresses. A joint foreword by Jeffrey D Lewis [Director Economic Policy, Debt and Trade Department — Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network (PREM), The World Bank Group] and Jose Luis Irigoyen [Director for the Transport, Water, Information and Communications Technologies, and Infrastructure Finance Department Sustainable Development Network (SDN), The World Bank Group] stated: “Supply chains are the backbone of international trade and commerce. Their logistics encompasses freight transportation, warehousing, border clearance, payment systems, and increasingly many other functions outsourced by producers and merchants to dedicated service providers. The importance of good logistics performance for economic growth, diversification, and poverty reduction is now firmly established. “Although logistics is performed mainly by private operators, it has become a public policy concern of national governments and regional and international organisations. Supply chains are a complex sequence of coordinated activities. The performance of the whole depends on such government interventions as infrastructure, logistics services provision, and cross-border trade facilitation,” they noted. According to the report, gains in GDP associated with trade facilitation would occur in all regions of the globe, though concentrated in those with the greatest improvements. In the more ambitious scenario, these include Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of Central and West Asia. Gains from tariff elimination would accrue disproportionately to the Russian Federation, China, and a few other countries. Improving logistics performance is at the core of the economic growth and competitiveness agenda, says The World Bank. Policymakers globally recognise the logistics sector as one OEPPA, publisher of Oman Daily Observer and Oman Arabic, is the Strategic Media Partner. A special publication titled ‘Oman Logistics’ will be launched in conjunction with the event. For advertising queries, drop a mail at: omanlogistics2015@ gmail.com of their key pillars for development. Trade powerhouses in Europe like the Netherlands1 or in developing countries like Vietnam or Indonesia2 see seamless and sustainable logistics as an engine of growth and of integration with global value chains. SOARING IMPACT Indeed, inefficient logistics raises the costs of trading and reduces the potential for global integration. This is a hefty burden for developing countries trying to compete in the global marketplace. Since 2007, the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) has been informing the U Investors fret over exit as prices for India’s start-ups soar A Ships wait to be loaded at the Port of Los Angeles in Long Beach, California. US exporters and multinational companies are beginning to feel the pain from a dollar that has hit its highest level in 12 years. — AFP Convergex. “If you run a US multinational company, or own its shares, ‘King Dollar’ is proving to be a bit of a tyrant.” Colas pointed out that analysts are slicing their earnings forecasts for listed companies. They now predict an average 1.9 per cent fall in revenue for the third quarter this year, compared to predictions of a 1.7 per cent rise just two months ago. “No company hedges for revenues so the impact on sales growth will be fully visible,” Colas said. Yet so far the strong greenback has only had a modest impact on the overall economy, in part because of the very strengths that underpin its surge. “The US economy looks pretty good... That’s driving a lot of investment in the US as a bit of a safe haven,” noted Chad debate on the role of logistics for growth and the policies to support it in such areas as infrastructure, service provision, and cross-border trade facilitation. The results of Connecting to Compete 2014 point to Germany as the best performing country with an LPI score of 4.12, and Somalia as the worst with 1.77 (on a scale of 1 to 5). (Germany was also the best performer over 2007– 14) A slightly converging trend from previous LPI surveys in 2007, 2010 and 2012 is also found in 2014, with lower performing countries improving their overall LPI scores more than higher performing countries. The modest convergence since 2007 is explained by a perceived improvement in trade supporting infrastructure in lowand middle income countries — and to a lesser extent in their logistics services and customs and border management. This perceived improvement attests to the success of developing countries in closing the transport infrastructure gap with high-income countries. E-COMMERCE Strong dollar no disaster for economy S exporters and multinational companies are beginning to feel the pain from a dollar that has hit its highest level in 12 years. But analysts say the greenback’s sharp climb will only slightly slow the overall US economy. From farm exporters to the chemicals industry, the moaning is growing more audible about losing competitiveness to competitors in Europe, Brazil and elsewhere. On Wall Street, companies like IBM, Kimberly-Clark, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Caterpillar have all blamed slower earnings on the currency. Earlier this week software giant Oracle said revenues in its most recent quarter, at $9.3 billion, were 6 per cent lower than they would have been if the dollar had held steady. In the past year, the dollar has soared 32 per cent against the euro, 39 per cent against Brazil’s real, 18 per cent on the yen, 16 per cent on the Canadian dollar, and 13 per cent against the pound. Overall, against a trade-weighted basket of currencies, the rise has been 20 per cent. For US export rivals, that is a strong gain in their competitiveness. It gives, for instance, farmers in Brazil and Canada big advantages. “It has an especially large impact on the wheat and cotton sectors, where we export half of the crops or pretty close to it,” said Richard Pottorff of farm industry specialists Doane Advisory Services. Steve Meyer of Iowa-based consultant Paragon Economics says US pork and chicken exporters are beginning to feel the pain. “Any time the value of the dollar goes up it makes our products more expensive.” The problem is mounting as well on Wall Street, said Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at the brokerage and is the author of eight novels and two nonfiction titles. Conference partners Working closely with Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communications in the organisation of the 2nd GCCSCL Conference & Exhibition is the Oman Logistics & Supply Chain Association (OLSCA), a non-profit grouping of professionals hailing from all sections of the logistics and supply chain industry in the Sultanate. Well-known event’s management firm Al Nimr Expo & Conferences is providing operational support to the Ministry in putting together a world-class conference and companion exhibition. Moutray, the chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers. Economists say that the economy’s low dependence on exports also works to its benefit, in this case. Exports make up around 10 per cent of gross domestic product, whereas in a country like Germany, they are 50 per cent, noted Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS. And with domestic consumption the primary driver of growth, the stronger dollar means lower import prices and so, potentially, more spending power for American families. “If you look at the economy as a whole, the damage is fairly limited,” Behravesh said. But if the dollar continues to climb, the pain could mount. A surprisingly dovish Federal Reserve cited the strong dollar’s impact on exports for its downgrade of growth forecasts on Wednesday. That send the dollar sinking four cents to $1.101 against the euro, for example. But by Thursday it was back to $1.0665 and experts expect more strengthening in the coming weeks, heading toward euro parity. “This headwind is going to be with us for a while, this is not temporary,” said Moutray. “Manufacturers are going to need to find ways to compete.” Behravesh, though, notes that the dollar has swung much more sharply in the past, and the economy survived just fine. “Our experience in the US is that, periods of dollar strength are typically followed by periods of dollar weakness,” said Behravesh. — AFP s billions of dollars flow into India’s booming online economy, some investors are beginning to fret that soaring valuations could hamper market listings and limit their options when it comes to turning paper profits into cash. India’s rising number of smartphone users, cheaper Internet costs and a vast middle class have turned it into one of the hottest markets for investors such as Singaporean wealth fund Temasek Holdings, venture capitalists Accel Partners and Japan’s SoftBank Corp. But several advisers and particularly later stage investors say they are concerned that optimistic estimates and already sky-high prices implied by privately sold stakes could make initial public offerings hard to pull off. “Public markets will have a completely different perception to the excitement in the private market,” said a banker with an Indian firm, which advises investors in the online sector. “Investors are now taking a pause and asking if these valuations will stand the scrutiny of stock markets.” Investors have pumped $4.5 billion into the Indian Internet space in the 13 months to February, with online marketplaces Flipkart and Snapdeal getting almost 60 per cent of the funding since 2007, according to Morgan Stanley. Analysts value Flipkart, India’s biggest e-commerce company, at around $11 billion. That would amount to roughly three times estimates of their gross merchandise volume (GMV), or the value of goods they sell. Snapdeal CEO Kunal Bahl said his company is currently valued at slightly over $5 billion and is expected to end the financial year with $3 billion in GMVs. By comparison, e-commerce veteran Ebay trades at roughly equal to its GMV, according to its website. Flipkart did not respond to an email and call seeking comment. Three of the leading brick and mortar retailers in the country — Future Retail, Shoppers Stop and Pantaloons Fashion and Retail — only manage a combined valuation of less than $1.5 billion, according to Reuters Data. “Valuations are obviously quite high,” said Raja Lahiri, a partner at advisory firm Grant Thornton in India. “If you are a late-stage investor, then the exit and return risks become higher... The risks are always on exits.” — Reuters 20 omandailyobserver TECHNOLOGY AVIATION S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 OS AeroMobil self-flying cars by 2017 AEROMOBIL may be ahead of its time, but it announced that it’s launching a flying car in 2017 and a self-flying car within the next decade. During SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, Texas last week, AeroMobil CEO Juraj Vaculik provided more details about his five-year-old startup and its ambitions to move the daily commute into the clouds. “[Self-driving] technology is coming to the car, but as an autopilot, it’s already there,” Vaculik said in an interview. “There are already systems for taking off and landing automatically. These two technologies can work together.” Transit has turned into a prison system that incarcerates commuters in traffic, in bad infrastructure and in airports, says the AeroMobile CEO. “We need another revolution, we need a revolution in personal transportation,” Vaculik stated during the music and arts festival. Yet while technology may exist to make it happen the revolution may not come quick because of the costs, Vaculik concedes. AeroMobil’s flying car prototype is described by its maker as a “Ferrari with wings” and its prospective customers as “wealthy supercar buyers.” But with all tech that lives a full and meaningful life, the price point eventually comes down. For the price of self-flying cars to drop far enough for everyone to enjoy, the technology will first need to rise above merely serving as a hobby for the super rich. Advances in self-driving cars will help flying cars move closer to real-world adoption and the two modes of transit may find success in the same model. But right now self-driving, autonomous vehicles remain at prices that are too high for the majority of the motoring public. Google’s vision of self-driving cars may predict exactly how the world will move from points A, B and C. The search engine company expects a decline in individual car ownership and a rise in ridesharing. With driverless cars and self-flying vehicles, the speeds and efficiency at which they travel would drastically decrease the need for parking and economise driving through ridesharing, according to remarks from Google co-founder Sergey Brin at last year’s KV Summit. Autonomous vehicles could become like buses and subways, excepted they’d be much more plentiful, he believes. Windows 10 to launch this summer MICROSOFT has inched closer to announcing an official release date for Windows 10. The new operating system (OS), which is currently in a public preview release, “will launch in 190 countries and 111 languages around the world this summer,” according to the company. Executive Vice-President Terry Meyerson, who runs the Windows division, made the announcement at the WinHEC conference in Shenzhen, China, last week. In a separate interview, Meyerson said that the company plans to deliver free Windows 10 upgrades to all customers, even those running pirated versions of Windows. “We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10,” Meyerson said. Microsoft is promising to decrease the disk requirements, via compression technology, by as much as 45 per cent, which means expanded room for data as well as a substantial revamp of its recovery image process. As one report notes the disk storage change has been long in coming. In addition to tapping more efficient compression, Microsoft is eliminating recovery images that typically gobble up big space. That move alone could free up between 4 GB and 12 GB. When compared to Windows 8.1, Windows 10 will require 6.6GB less room. In addition, Microsoft is striving to reduce crapware as well as make reinstall a quicker process with a new refresh and reset approach. “We are also redesigning Windows’ refresh and reset functionalities to no longer use a separate recovery image (often pre-installed by manufacturers today) in order to bring Windows devices back to a pristine state,” states Microsoft in a blog about its Windows 10 changes. One of the biggest changes though will be the elimination of having to use passwords for account and security features. Microsoft is reportedly tapping biometric authentication technology for Windows 10 on mobile devices. Called Windows Hello, the technology will rely on user ID verification and use a fingerprint, facial recognition or fingerprint to open apps, access specific online features or connect with enterprise content. The goal, according to Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s corporate VP of operating systems, is to make the OS more convenient for users and safer as a system. Microsoft is also pulling in Passport to Windows 10, a much more secure sign-in technology for admins, app makers and website owners. “There is no shared password stored on [Microsoft’s] servers for a hacker to potentially compromise,’’ explained Belfiore. TABLET BlackBerry introduces new high security tablet BLACKBERRY said it was launching a high-security tablet, developed with International Business Machines and Samsung Electronics Seeking to extend its range of secure mobile devices, BlackBerry said it was launching a high-security tablet, developed with International Business Machines and Samsung Electronics. The SecuTABLET, based on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and being presented by BlackBerry unit Secusmart at tech fair CeBIT 2015 in Germany, reflects the Canadian company’s stress on secure connections for governments and businesses as it seeks to preserve a niche market after a drubbing in recent years at the hands of emerging smartphone makers such as Apple. “Security is ingrained in every part of BlackBerry’s portfolio, which includes voice and data encryption solutions,” said Dr Hans-Christoph Quelle, Chief Executive Officer of Secusmart GmbH, in a statement on the new device. The device was undergoing certification by the German Federal Office for Information Security for secure rating, the statement said, adding that the new tablet used the same security technology as the Secusmart Security Card. “Working alongside IBM and Samsung, we have added the last link in the chain of the Federal Security Network. Subject to certification of the SecuTABLET, German government agencies will have a new way to access BlackBerry’s most secure and complete communications network in the world,” Quelle said. AUTOMOBILE TwinPower Turbo engine makes the new MINI ‘fun’ The new MINI Cooper S was launched in India at a driving event held at Aamby Valley, Pune last week. The new MINI Cooper S boasts increased power and enhanced driving thrills with a formidable beast under its shining bonnet: the new MINI TwinPower Turbo engine, which offers an entirely new understanding of driving dynamics. The all India ex-showroom price of the new MINI Cooper S is Rs 34,65,000. Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India said, “MINI never stops to surprise you. Just when you thought we could not possibly make the new MINI any more exciting, we did exactly that. MINIs have always had a knack for speed and agility and the new MINI Cooper S takes that passion even further. SMARTPHONE Microsoft launches affordable Internet-ready Nokia 215 MICROSOFT seems to still have a few Nokia phones up its sleeves (at least feature phones), as the company has announced the affordable Internet-ready Nokia 215 and Nokia 215 Dual SIM. The Redmond giant has revealed that both the Nokia 215 and Nokia 215 Dual SIM will be initially rolled out in Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe in the first quarter. Both the handsets will be available in “select markets” at just $29 (In India at Rs 1,838 approximately) before taxes and subsidies. This makes it perfectly suited for first-time mobile phone buyers or as a secondary phone for just about anyone. The Nokia 215 and Nokia 215 Dual SIM share common specifications except that the latter also features dual-SIM support. Both the handsets support Micro-SIM. Both the phones features a 2.4-inch QVGA (240x320 pixels) LCD display offering a pixel density of 166ppi. They supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 32GB). The handsets pack an 1100mAh removable battery. The Nokia 215 can offer a standby time of up to 29 days and up to 20 hours of talk time on 2G networks. The Nokia 215 Dual SIM, on the other hand, offers up to 21 days of standby time and can deliver up to 20 hours of talk time on 2G networks. Both the handsets sport a 0.3-megapixel fixed-focus camera and run on Series 30+ operating system. Connectivity options on the handsets include Bluetooth 3.0, GPRS, and Micro-USB. The Nokia 215 and Nokia 215 Dual SIM come with Opera Mini Browser and Bing Search. The handsets pack a built-in torchlight and also include stereo FM radio. Both the feature phones will be available in a choice of colours, namely — Bright Green, Black and White. LEISURE S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 omandailyobserver 21 Online Editor’s Choice CARTOONS 1 ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset 7 8 10 11 14 16 17 19 21 CALVIN AND HOBBES 22 by Bill Watterson 23 26 28 29 30 31 32 33 1 2 GARFIELD by Jim Davis 3 4 5 6 8 9 12 13 15 STONE SOUP CRYPTIC PUZZLE ACROSS Without the cash, it’s tough getting promoted (4,2) Young, possibly nude and needing fresh gear (5,3) Oak apple, say, is good for everybody (4) As involved when there are holes in the plot? (6) Sound line of approach to an assault (6) Still backward in being matey (3) They’re highly likely to have sloping sides (5) Behind the right auricle (4) A summer record for drink (5) He pretends wild fear about a shock ending (5) Having branches in glandular medicine (5) The schoolgirl coped without a piano (4) She stood high, just about upright (5) Catch in possession of cannabis (3) He’s in stable employment (6) Trouble in motels (6) Casually, less than solidly (4) They give one roundness of vision (8) Executing a cut with a swing, wildly (6) DOWN Watch that horse (6) With much sliding to and fro, could it be red raw? (6) To be attractive, turn up with £50 (4) The real gear? (7) Alan’s terribly nosy! (5) Disliked Americans possibly getting physical (5) Painter who came to a sticky end in Goa (4) Leased with some little trouble (3) It can show an inclination to be generous (3) Can he see rising evil? (5) Could they be sued about the finish of a book? (5) 4 5 6 8 9 12 13 15 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 CR O SSW O R D 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 Rouse to make money (5) Crush in a major uprising (3) Guided in a suitable direction (3) Mere fan, perhaps, not a committed lover (4,3) Some rising liabilities can mean trouble (3) Naïve, apt to start crying if let? (6) Serve with honour to the very end (4) Seeing someone ascertaining the age of things (6) A girl’s bloomers (5) It’s hard to be a saintly swimmer (5) Seem agreeable to no good end (3) Fail to notice an instance of inaccuracy (4) EASY PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Robber (6) THURSDAY’S CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, A-M-bit 6, Solve 9, Salad-in 10, Brood 11, Clink 12, Silky 13, Romance 15, Has 17, E-W-Ôer 18, Basalt 19, Gully 20, G-a-RN-et 22, Sign 24, Nee 25, Don-ated 26, S-t-aid 27, Bijou 28, A-corn 29, Crack-le 30, Flake 31, Free-d. DOWN: 2, Marrow 3, I-so-bar 4, TaD 5, Mar-i-e 6, Sickbay 7, Only 8, Venial 12, Sco-U-t 13, Reign 14, Met-re 15, H-AB-it 16, Stand 18, Blood 19, Gesture 21, Aerial 22, Saucer 23, George 25, Ditch 26, Sock 28, Alf. 7 8 10 11 14 16 17 19 21 22 23 26 28 29 30 31 32 33 Predecessor (8) Gemstone (4) Designate (6) Bawdy (6) Employ (3) Strong winds (5) Gaelic (4) Claw (5) Fed up (5) Disgusting (5) Plunder (4) Yielded (5) Faucet (3) Wore away (6) Sturdy (6) Minerals (4) Juicy (8) Religious festival (6) DOWN 1 Horse’s headgear (6) 2 Dethrone (6) 3 Story (4) THURSDAY’S EASY SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Sweat 6, Steep 9, Decline 10, Bison 11, Onion 12, Avert 13, Retitle 15, Sip 17, Odes 18, Deduce 19, Regal 20, Matter 22, Teal 24, Sty 25, Reports 26, Aided 27, React 28, Rapid 29, Habitat 30, Steel 31, Women. DOWN: 2, Waited 3, Adonis 4, Ten 5, Slave 6, Snorkel 7, Tent 8, Erotic 12, Alter 13, Rooms 14, Testy 15, Super 16, Peals 18, Dated 19, Recital 21, Attest 22, Tomato 23, Attire 25, Remit 26, Ache 28, Raw. 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: A plan which you considered practicable and financially viable may be out of the question as a solo enterprise. You may now need to consider ways and means of attracting capital in order to get your project off the ground during the coming years. Minor deity (7) Take unlawfully (5) Pokes (5) Burden (4) Devoured (3) Prohibit (3) Slowly (5) European capital (5) Oarsman (5) Baby (3) Guided (3) Plague (7) Provided food (3) Tags (6) Work (4) Wobble (6) Stringed instrument (5) Extinguish (5) Hill (3) Flower (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 ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO VIRGO March 21April 20 April 21May 20 May 21June 21 June 22July 21 July 22August 21 August 22September 22 A sudden change in your work may take you completely by surprise, but you will manage it more successfully than if you had the time to think about it beforehand. Some good friends are planning a treat for you in recognition of your many kindnesses and for being willing to give help without question whenever it is needed. A white lie you must tell to spare somebody’s feelings is entirely justified. The plain truth may hurt the person concerned without actually helping matters. Don’t let a dormant tendency to gossip get the better of you. There is not much satisfaction in it and it may cause some untold harm to the subject of the rumours. Through your anxiety to mix only with people of importance, you have missed the chance to meet some very pleasant and interesting people. Widen your horizons while opportunity is there. Don’t try to start something when you know beforehand that it would be beyond your present powers. You would only lose money and invite adverse criticism. LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES September 23October 22 October 23November 21 November 22December 21 December 22January 20 January 21February 19 February 20March 20 A friendship with a person of the opposite sex may result from regular attendance at evening classes. Mutual interests can make for a binding relationship. Today should see you achieving your current objectives. Don’t let anticipated future setbacks worry you, your present good luck will continue for a long time. If you are sure of your judgement when it comes to a far-reaching decision, don’t waste time asking too many outsiders for their opinion. By avoiding arguments and sticking firmly to your conviction, you will be able to persuade a stubborn person to see your point of view. An unfortunate remark made without thought could lead to a regrettable misunderstanding unless you take the trouble to explain your error. If you take more advantage of a labour saving device you will have more time to devote to your personal interests. You deserve to develop your hobby. 22 CLASSIFIEDS omandailyobserver S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 For Sale 2 PRIME Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton pertrol tank each working at the moment in Al Maha. Price RO 35,000,000 each. 97000155 or 92688692. QURUM BEACH ····· 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) ····· 23, 886 sq mtrs agriculture land with water well in Al Salwa, Barka, RO 260,000,000. 99333479 or 95215360. ····· 3 FLOOR building in Muttrah behind police, generating income of RO 18,000,000 annually, neat and well maintained. Built on 197 sq m land. 2 tailor shops ϐ ϐǡʹͲǡͲͲͲǡͲͲͲǤ 99333479 or 95215360. ····· 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 ····· 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. ····· 3 BEDROOM house at Betras Zanzibar RO 90,000. Contact Owner: 99348943. ····· 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. ····· For Sale/Rent ȍ͵ VILLAS for sale/ rents Ȁ ), ȋȀϐ rent/ Al Khuwair) (Flats for rent/Wadi Kabir).96596348. ····· CLASSIFIED SECTION RUWI : 24785668 Situation Vacant Situation Wanted Situation Want- HARDWARE and Networking Technician with 6 years experience, familiar with Security System and Cabling. seeks suitable placement. Contact: 96365220 ····· ACCOUNTANT, A well experienced Indian ····· male, M Com, having INDIAN male, 9+ years more than 20 years experience in hard core experience in accounting ϐ Sales and Customer GCC looking for a job Service, having driving as an accountant or licence from Dubai and Oman. Looking for better accounts manager in Oman. Presently in opportunity in Oman. India and ready to join Experience in various immediately. Contact: industries, shipping, 99087175 banking, (PPE), safety ····· products. Preffering for Sales, Documentation INDIAN male, 6 years and Operations, experience in purchase/ Customer Services. procurement in Oman Contact: 97132608. & GCC. Currently on remmiejoseph78@gmail. visit visa, looking for a suitable placement. com Please contact ····· 92967443 ····· EGYPTIAN Chemist with 6 years experience ENGINEERING/ Technical CNC operator ϐ cum programmer, ϐ Indian, 25 years with chemistry and 3 years experience in physics department. India looking for suitable Contact: 98832095, placement. Presently on 00201114640946. visit visa 98284058, e-mail: zoomaman88@ 93105901, e-mail: gmail.com rahul4ramesh@gmail. com ····· REQUIRED Salesman cum Hardware Engineer for Computer Shop at Ruwi with minimum 2 years experience. E-mail: strns1@gmail. com 98825805/ 98825806. ····· INDIAN male, 27 years, Electronics & Instrumentation Engineer, with 5 years experience in Oman on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95483064, e-mail: nishanthkarottu@ hotmail.com. Situation Vacant 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]. ····· NEW International School in Oman begins in Sept 2015. The announced vacancies are as follows: 1. Principal, 2, Early Years & Foundation Stage and Cambrdige Primary Teachers (Homeroom and Co-teachers), 3. Operational Manager, 4. Parents Relationship Manager, 5. Admission Manager. Please submit a resume/CV and open letters of references to: [email protected] [email protected]. kw or contact us on: 0069555789779/ 0096894665998. Situation Vacant VACANCY — Light driver (1), Heavy driver (1), and a diploma holder in Civil Engineering. Interested in the vacancies may call . 97299373. REQUIRED family driver with valid Omani driving licence. Accommodation will be provided. 92230282. ····· ····· 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. ····· REQUIRED Salesman ϐ ǡ must have experience ϐ licence. Contact: alkhatwa2009@hotmail. com 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] ····· ····· FILIPINA Housemaid, with release required for a family in Medinat Al Alam. 24704994, 99238012. ····· ····· Guest House Situation Vacant CIVIL Engineer min 4 yrs experience. Send CV: [email protected] 99194949. ····· SYRIAN Mashavi Cook and Moroccan Lady Cook for Qurum Beach Hotel.24704994 or 99238012. HOTEL24564070. ····· Services 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. ····· MAINTENANCE: 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. ····· WE need HSE personal, Salesman and Electrical Supervisor with Omani Driving licence. Apply to: grandmuscat@yahoo. com Contact No: 00968 95714746. 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. ····· ····· ····· WANTED: 1. A/C Mechanic; 2. Electrician plumber; 3. Computer headwear Tec. Contact No. 99447257/ 97014234 mansur75@ hotmail.co.uk. ····· 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 22, 2015 [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] Driving School SALIM al Ghilani's Institution for teaching driving (automatic gear) in A'Seeb and Al Khoudh. Contact: 96160828, 92896279. ····· Supply of Pesticides, Gel (Cockroaches), Public Health chemicals, Agriculture chemicals, Snake repellent, Rodent baits and other insect repellent from Agropharm Ltd UK. PROFESSIONALS in Pest Control Service, Bedbug Treatment, Rodent Treatment, Snake Treatment and Termite Treatment (Pre and Post Construction). Tel: 24787606 / 24787503 Fax: 24787607 E-mail: [email protected] P. O. Box: 565, Wadi Kabir, Postal Code: 117, SULTANATE OF OMAN FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: Tel : 99425598, 96050000, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, 99379133, For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Or visit: www.islamfact.com Good News AHAD 2000 for rent car. 93203481, 93204595. FOR back or neck pain/ discomfort due to injury, illness, stress or computer overuse; let us help you restore your body & get you back on track. For more information contact our coordinators at: 22094265. ····· Car for Sale BMW 745i, 2002, silver with black, very good condition, good price. 99328280. ····· YARIS, 2010, manual, white, 134,000 km, RO 2,300/- 98423154. ····· 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. ····· LINCOLN Navigator 4WD, 1998, grey, 335,000 km, RO 1,600/96417989. ····· ····· 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. ····· AUTO REPAIR CENTRE Available on UNBEATABLE prices CAR FOR SALE As-is-where-is the condition. Vehicles can be inspected from Sunday 3.30pm and 6.00pm at OIG Head Office Building, Wattayah. Telephone toll free 80076900. Interested parties may submit quotation in a Sealed envelope with payment of RO 50 which will be reimbursed. Reimbursed conditions apply. ARE you looking for a voyage with your family on a legacyboat, including buffet? Only with RO 15/-. For more info@ alainaintourism. com 92808636. Sale and Buy OFFICE & Household furniture and electronics items. 99834373, 97102699. ····· 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. ····· All Cartridges also available on UNBEATABLE prices AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung Cartridges also available (ROP approved Grade A Workshop) Ruwi: 24792-792 [email protected] 2 BEDROOMS, 2 baths and hall apartment for rent in Al Wattayah, behind Honda Showroom. 99428161 (Owner). GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! For Rent ····· AN apartment located near Al Ghubra Centre is for rent at RO 280. The flat consists of 1 bedroom and a living room. 95548774. ····· 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. ····· Lost TANFEER AHMED has lost Pakistani passport No FK 1162341. Finder please handover to ROP. ····· CLASSIFIED SECTION: 1510 Printer RO 11.000 only HP Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all types of Cars and Heavy vehicles COMPUTER SUPPLIES For Rent Tourism ····· Rent a Car al-haditha centre GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! al-haditha LLC PEST CONTROL OMAN CO. LLC. GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! Rent-A-Car SHOP for rent, 200 sq m in Maabela Industrial. Call: 97314122, 99349878. ····· For Rent NEW flat for rent at South Mabellah, 3 rooms with 3 toilets, spacious hall, kitchen and store. 95458433. ····· A 735 Sq M store in Bausher, Al Misfah Industrial is offered for rent. The premise is built in accordance to high standards. 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For lease long & short term 95950012, 99331181. ····· 1 BEDROOM, 2 bedroom + showroom, 18 November road, Al Athaiba. 999565364, 99617786. ····· G FLOOR, 2 bedroom flat, near Indian School, Wadi Kabir, 1st April, RO 300 monthly. 93801805. ····· VILLA in Al Ansab consists of 6 bedrooms, 6 toilets and a large kitchen is for rent at RO 700/-. 99363504. ····· ONE B/R flats in Madinat Al Alam for executives/ small family. 99238012/ 24704994. ····· FULLY licenced restaurant in Qurum Beach Hotel. 24704994. ····· RUWI : 24785668 Behind Royal Oman Police, Adjacent to Dhofar Building Ali al Maashari: 99639264 [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Mohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 [email protected] DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590 24 omandailyobserver OMAN S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 Nissan XTERRA 2015 ‘Desert Challenge’ a huge success N issan’s 2015 ‘ D e s e r t Challenge’ for XTERRA customers was held in association with Guide Oman which proved to be a unique experience for all participants as the two-day initiative was a perfect platform to demonstrate XTERRA’s superior offroad capability and performance in the rugged and challenging tracks of Wahiba sands. The aim of this challenge was to interact with customers and provide a platform for XTERRA owners to get-together and experience a fun filled and adventurous weekend. The convoy was flagged off from the Nissan showroom in Qurum with over 40 vehicles and around 100 enthusiastic XTERRA owners along with their families and Nissan officials participated in the Desert Challenge. The convoy took the old Sur road through Ibra to reach their destination which was the Al Raha Desert Camp at the Rimal al Sharqiya (Wahiba Sands). Customers were given a unique experience at the desert as a campfire with live Arabic music was also arranged along with a delectable dinner spread. A senior SBA official commented, “The Nissan XTERRA has proved to be the perfect vehicle for such a desert challenge activity because of its reliability and versatility in such terrains. The XTERRA’s dual capability to deliver in challenging conditions and also city-drive was amply demonstrated through this initiative.” The SBA Official further said, “The purpose of this trip was to experience off-roading capabilities of XTERRA as the vehicle is known for adventure and our endeavour is to encourage people to enjoy the outdoors, go on adventures and understand the great capability of Nissan 4X4 vehicles.” Today the XTERRA has become an extremely popular wheeling platform that continues to collect an enthusiast following. These SUV’s have gained a respectable attention from the market. Given the XTERRA’s popularity, the Nissan XTERRA community thought it was only fitting that a Desert Challenge event should take place. The event coordinators at Guide Oman said, “The trip was a great success, thanks to the brilliant response of the XTERRA on an arduous terrain like the Rimal al Sharqiya. It was amazing to see such a huge turnout of people, from different nationalities, coming together to traverse this challenging terrain. We are very proud of every one of them, some of whom had never been to the desert before, let alone cross it. We are looking forward to running this event again and we hope to see a steady growth in participation from XTERRA drivers in the next crossings.” Nissan Oman strives to achieve pioneering success through its services and activities offered to its valued customers. Through a relentless pursuit of excellence and adopting aggressive marketing style with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, backing it up with strong after-sales service network across the Sultanate, Nissan Oman has built a name on trust, superior customer services and value for money. Nissan Oman boasts of a niche premium clientele comprising of leading corporate houses and businesses, international businessmen and tourists visiting the Sultanate of Oman and thus, the promise of Nissan XTERRA is to allow a broad but discerning car buying audience and tourists visiting the city to ‘experience lavishness’. Many of XTERRA’s technologies have never been seen in cars of this class before, reflecting its aspirational and upscale SUV positioning. Comfort and convenience of XTERRA Standard interior features include sporty reclining front bucket seats, footrest, dual front and rear 20-ounce cup holders, power windows, The Nissan XTERRA offers drivers today a long list of advanced technological features including a booming sound system and Bluetooth Hands-free phone system. Today the Nissan XTERRA has the technology to keep drivers rocking and talking no matter where the trail takes. power locks, power mirrors, remote keyless entry and cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls. It also comes with driver seat height adjustment and lumbar support. Taking into consideration driver comfort and convenience. Unique NissanConnectSM feature of XTERRA NissanConnectSM uses handsfree technology, smartphone, and the Nissan’s display screen to help customers stay in touch with the outside world from inside their vehicle. It’s loaded with features and compatibility with a growing list of apps that allows customers play music, keep tabs on social network, and navigate any city like a local. Once logged in, customers have to connect to Nissan through Bluetooth® or the USB port. The Quick Start Guide helps to select from a list of supported apps, and NissanConnectSM automatically installs them. Striking exterior features XTERRA’s signature exterior styling features include large flared fenders, a versatile roof rack with latchable lid and a rear bumper design with side steps for easy access to the roof rack. It also offers a large, powerful looking hood and headlights and Nissan SUV-style angled strut grille. The vehicle also features Chrome ORVM and Fr fog lamps. The new XTERRA looks good on the road with its enhanced styling that includes a roof rail with attachments and side step. The XTERRA also features a youth style dashboard, shift on the fly — 4WD System, Navigation, Rearview camera, a steering switch for Bluetooth, Audio and Cruise controls. XTERRA long wheelbase gives a smooth ride and ample interior room, yet overall length is highly manageable due to the short front overhang — helping to enhance manoeuvrability in off-road hill climbing and trail situations. The new XTERRA is also known for its other key elements that include 6” Off Road Wheel, Bilstein Shock For the first time Nissan has created an exclusive platform to nurture and hone driving skills of SUV owners in Oman. Also this is first of its kind off-roading experience wherein auto enthusiasts and SUV owners will be invited at the specially created off-road test-track. Under supervision of experienced trainers the participants will be taught the basics of off-road driving. Absorber, Off Road tyre 265/75R16 OWL BFGoodrich, 6 speakers, the steering wheel comes with audio and cruise controls, Bluetooth hands free phone and AUX-in and lastly a rear diff lock. XTERRA versatile cargo area is highlighted by an available Easy Clean cargo surface and a total of 10 cargo area utility hooks — six on the floor/ sides and four on the ceiling. There’s also an available built-in first-aid kit and space to securely carry jugs up to a one-gallon size. Underneath its unique exterior design, every XTERRA features a fully boxed, all-steel ladder frame and a rugged suspension featuring a steel double-wishbone front suspension and solid axle leaf spring rear suspension, with stabiliser bars front and rear. Two advanced transmissions are offered with the XTERRA. An available electronically controlled 5-speed automatic transmission with an emphasis on acceleration, fuel economy and shift quality, or a 6-speed manual transmission tuned for driving performance and fuel economy. Other driveline components include engine speed-sensitive powerassisted rack-and-pinion steering and 4-wheel vented disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD). Wheel and tire packages include 16-inch steel wheels. The XTERRA Off-Road models feature new 6-spoke 16-inch machine-finished aluminium-alloy wheels. The Nissan XTERRA offers drivers today a long list of advanced technological features including a booming sound system and Bluetooth Hands-free phone system. Today the Nissan XTERRA has the technology to keep drivers rocking and talking no matter where the trail takes. XTERRA offers unrivalled offroad capability — tested at the Nissan’s 4x4 Adventure Park The Adventure Park is built at the Oman Automobile Association to address auto enthusiasts across interest levels and skill sets through multitude of engagement opportunities and promote the spirit of driving a Nissan SUV safely on the roads. For the first time Nissan has created this exclusive platform to nurture and hone driving skills of SUV owners in Oman. Also this is first of its kind off-roading experience wherein auto enthusiasts and SUV owners will be invited at the specially created off road test-track. Under supervision of experienced trainers the participants will be taught the basics of off-road driving. XTERRA’s performance at the 4x4 Adventure Park has been impeccable as the vehicle tops the list of safe manoeuvrability and enhanced driving techniques like cornering, braking etc. Cruising comfortably on the highways, conquering desert dunes with ease, or manoeuvring through the city at rush hour, Nissan XTERRA offers unrivalled off-road capability and on road handling. Safety and security XTERRA’s list of safety features and equipment includes Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dualstage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant classification sensors and 3-point front/rear seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, tire pressure warning system and adjustable upper anchors. SBA is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman. With a national network of more than 19 showrooms, 22 Service centres and 35 Spare Parts outlets, SBA has further built upon its legacy of trust, excellent customer service and providing value for money to each of its customers. For more local information you can visit the following website: www. nissanoman.com Or call Nissan Toll free 80050011 for a test drive of the Nissan XTERRA today! SUNDAY | MARCH 22, 2015 | JUMADA AL THANIA 1, 1436 AH RECORD-BREAKING GUPTILL SEES NEW ZEALAND INTO SEMIFINALS BEST QUOTE I’m still not really sure what happened today. It hasn’t sunk in yet. — MARTIN GUPTILL INEW ZEALAND BATSMAN, AFTER SCORING A RECORD 237 TO POWER THE CO-HOSTS INTO THE WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS. BEST BATTING 237 Martin Guptill for New Zealand against West Indies BEST BOWLING 4-44 Trent Boult for New Zealand against West Indies. WELLINGTON: Martin Guptill’s record-shattering double century and Trent Boult’s four-wicket haul sent New Zealand sailing into the World Cup semifinals as they trounced the West Indies by 143 runs on Saturday. Guptill, dropped on four by Marlon Samuels, finished on 237 not out, the highest individual score in World Cup history and the second largest one-day international innings of all time, as he led New Zealand to 393 for six in their 50 overs at Wellington Stadium. Boult backed up the opening batsman’s feat by taking four for 44 to move to the top of the tournament wicket-takers list with 19 as the West Indies folded for 250 in the 31st over. The kept up with the required run rate, reaching 200 in the 25th over, but by then they were already seven wickets down. Chris Gayle, shrugging off the effects of a long-standing back injury, cracked 61 off 33 balls, including eight of the 31 sixes in the match as batsmen on both sides plundered the short boundaries. New Zealand will now play South Africa in the first semifinal at Auckland’s Eden Park on Tuesday, with fellow co-hosts Australia facing defending champions India in Sydney two days later. McCULLUM SETBACK New Zealand, favourites for Saturday’s match after emerging unbeaten from pool play, had a rocky start when regular batting hero, captain and opener Brendon McCullum, fell cheaply for 12. But Guptill, coming into form late in the tournament, took up the challenge as he blasted his second successive century after scoring 105 against Bangladesh in New Zealand’s concluding pool match. He chewed up the West Indies attack, hitting 24 fours and 11 sixes from 163 deliveries faced as he overtook the previous best World ‘Two Toes’ Guptill races to World Cup record 237 WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Martin Guptill hit the highest ever World Cup score of 237 not out against the West Indies in the quarterfinals on Saturday, the second highest ODI individual total of all time. The 28-year-old opener’s total surpassed the previous World Cup best of 215 made by the West Indies’ Chris Gayle against Zimbabwe at Canberra last month. Guptill, dropped on four by Marlon Samuels, faced 163 balls as he hit 24 fours and 11 sixes, one of them a 110-metre rocket that landed on the roof of Wellington’s Westpac Stadium. His innings was also the second-highest individual score in the 3,643 match history of oneday internationals, behind Rohit Sharma’s 264 for India against Sri Lanka at Kolkata last year. It is all the more remarkable because Guptill’s left foot was maimed in a forklift accident when he was a teenager, resulting in the loss of three toes and almost ending his career before it had begun. “It’s a pretty cool feeling to be fair, but the job’s only half done,” Guptill said after his stunning innings helped New Zealand to 393 for six after they won the toss and elected to bat. The Aucklander, who scored a century in New Zealand’s previous match against Bangladesh, said he had to ignore the pressure of playing a knockout match in front of his home fans. “Obviously there is pressure when you walk in to bat but you’ve just got to try to put it out of your mind and watch the ball as well as you can, “That’s what I tried to do today, I’m just lucky it paid off.” It was just the sixth double century in an ODI, as Guptill became the fifth batsman to reach the landmark -- Sharma has two one-day international double centuries to his credit. Guptill’s innings also saw him break his own record for the highest ODI score by a New Zealander, which had stood at 189 not out and was set against England at Southampton in 2013. Cup score of 215 set by Gayle earlier in this tournament against Zimbabwe. In all one-day internationals, Guptill’s unbeaten 237 is second only to Rohit Sharma’s 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata last year, and broke his own New Zealand record of 189 not out scored against England in 2013. Following the fall of McCullum, Guptill featured in a 62-run partnership with Kane Williamson (33) and then added a significant 143 in 135 balls with Ross Taylor (42) for the third wicket. In the closing charge, Guptill and Grant Elliott (27) took 19 balls to add a further 55, as New Zealand posted 153 runs in the final 10 overs to further deflate the West Indies after McCullum won the toss and opted to bat. Jerome Taylor, who had Guptill dropped in this first over, returned the best figures for the West Indies with three for 71, while Andre Russell took two for 96. Boult was on the money in his first over when he bowled Johnson Charles for three with his second delivery. He followed-up with the wickets of Lendl Simmons (12), Samuels (27) and Denesh Ramdin (nought) to have four for 18 after five overs. Gayle was in a particularly ferocious mood, belting spinner Daniel Vettori out of the attack after one over which cost 21 runs. In one two-over spell by Tim Southee, Gayle and Samuels hit 33 runs, leaving New Zealand’s senior paceman to finish with the less-thanimpressive figures of two for 82. The 36-year-old Vettori broke the Gayle-Samuels partnership when he flung his 1.91 metre (6ft 3in) frame into the air to save a six and pull off a remarkable one-handed catch on the boundary. Adam Milne, like Southee and Boult, was also expensive but had the satisfaction of bowling Gayle. — AFP West Indies pay price for inconsistency, says Holder WELLINGTON: West Indies have their own inconsistencies to blame for being bundled out of the World Cup in the quarterfinals, captain Jason Holder said following their 143-run trouncing by New Zealand. The class of 2015 fell well short of the standards set by proud West Indies teams of the past which have twice won the World Cup. They were the last team to qualify for the play-offs and in their first sudden-death match in Wellington on Saturday they were all out for 250 in the 31st over after New Zealand had posted an imposing 393 for six. The New Zealand innings was set up by a remarkable World Cup record 237 not out by Martin Guptill, the second highest ODI score ever, but Holder said that would not have happened under a better West Indies side. “It was obviously a good innings. He took the game away from us. But we put him down early and we had a few half chances which we could probably have taken,” Holder said after seeing Marlon Samuels drop Guptill when the opener had made just four. “I think we need to respond a little bit better when we’re bowling at the death. We didn’t really land our yorkers and we paid for it.” — AFP SCOREBOARD New Zealand’s Martin Guptill plays a shot during the World Cup quarterfinal at the Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington. — AFP NEW ZEALAND M Guptill (not out) -------------------------------- 237 B McCullum c Holder b Taylor ------------------12 K Williamson c Gayle b Russell ----------------33 R Taylor (run out)--------------------------------------42 C Anderson c Gayle b Russell -------------------15 G Elliott lbw Taylor -----------------------------------27 L Ronchi c Benn b Taylor-----------------------------9 D Vettori (not out) --------------------------------------8 Extras (LB-2, W-7, NB-1) --------------------------10 Total: (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) ------------ 393 Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-89, 3-232, 4-278, 5-333, 6-365. Bowling: Taylor 7-0-71-3, Holder 8-0-76-0, Benn 10-1-66-0, Russell 10-0-96-2, Sammy 8-0-38-0, Samuels 7-0-44-0. WEST INDIES C Gayle b Milne ---------------------------------------61 J Charles b Boult----------------------------------------3 L Simmons c Guptill b Boult---------------------12 M Samuels c Vettori b Boult ---------------------27 D Ramdin lbw Boult-----------------------------------0 J Carter b Vettori --------------------------------------32 D Sammy c Ronchi b Anderson ----------------27 A Russell b Southee ---------------------------------20 J Holder c Anderson b Vettori ------------------42 J Taylor c Guptill b Southee----------------------11 S Benn (not out) -----------------------------------------9 Extras (W-6) ----------------------------------------------6 Total (all out, 30.3 overs) ---------------- 250 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-27, 3-80, 4-80, 5-120, 6-166, 7-173, 8-201, 9-221. Bowling: Southee 8-1-82-2, Boult 10-344-4, Vettori 6.3-0-58-2, Milne 4-0-42-1, Anderson 2-0-24-1. S U N DAY M A R C H 2 2 l 2 0 1 5 26 iN BRIEFS McCullum hails ‘sublime’ Guptill knock WELLINGTON: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum acclaimed opener Martin Guptill’s World Cup record 237 not out against West Indies on Saturday as one of the best ever seen in one-day cricket. The co-hosts overwhelmed the twice former champions by 143 runs in the final quarter-final at the Wellington Regional Stadium to set up a semi-final against South Africa in Auckland on Tuesday. “Sublime, just sublime,” McCullum said at the victory presentation. “I will never forget it. The innings we witnessed is probably one of the best we have seen in this format. “We wanted to make a real statement on the back of Gup’s innings and that’s what we did with the ball and in the field. We will celebrate Gup’s success, the team’s success and then turn our attention to the semi-final. “It’s pretty hard to compare eras but certainly among the teams I have played in, this is the best. No disrespect to the legends of the past but I am pretty happy with the current team.” West Indies captain Jason Holder said Guptill, who was dropped on four from the third ball of the match, had played brilliantly. “A set batman on that pitch is dangerous. Having said that we didn’t bowl our yorkers well,” he added. Guptill said his innings had not quite sunk in yet. “The boys will have a few drinks tonight and I’ll probably hear all about it. In the last 10 overs it was swing from the hip and I was lucky to get a few out of the middle,” he said. — Reuters New Zealand calm about ease of West Indies win New Zealand’s Tim Southee (fourth right) celebrates bowling out West Indies’ Andre Russell in their World Cup quarterfinal in Wellington. WELLINGTON: New Zealand matchwinners Martin Guptill and Trent Boult downplayed the ease with which they rolled the West Indies on Saturday as they switched attention to their World Cup semi-final against South Africa. Guptill’s World Cup record 237 not out propelled New Zealand to 393 for six in their quarter-final against the West Indies who fell apart in the face of Boult’s four for 44 and were all out for 250. The 143-run victory put New Zealand into the semi-finals for the seventh time where they will meet South Africa with neither side having ever made the final. Guptill said he was proud of what he achieved “and hopefully we can win another game and then another one after that.” Boult was reluctant to criticise the performance of the West Indies, who have been inconsistent throughout the tournament, but said he expected South Africa would be a step up when they meet in Auckland on Tuesday. “We knew they (West Indies) have had their troubles but we knew they would be competitive. They’ve virtually got 11 match winners in their team,” Boult said, overlooking New Zealand’s thumping victory with more than 19 overs to spare. “Now we can focus on the South Africans and they’re going to be as equal a challenge if not better. “We will scout them and prepare for that game like we have for every other one, and set the game plan down and give it our best on Tuesday.” — AFP FEBRUARY 14 TO MARCH 29 Pakistan’s Misbah backs India against Australia ADELAIDE: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq believes India will start as favourites in Thursday’s World Cup semi-final against Australia because of spin-friendly conditions at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Misbah, whose side lost to Australia by six wickets in a quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval on Friday, said the tournament co-hosts will rue being without a quality spinner in their last four clash. “Playing in Sydney they will miss a good spinner,” said the 40-year-old Misbah, whose oneday international career ended after Friday’s defeat by Australia. “That could be the difference, because spinners have had a lot of success in Sydney and Imran Tahir did well the other day. Pakistani captain Misbah-ul Haq looks on at the end of the World Cup quarterfinal in Adelaide. — AFP So that could be a problem for Australia. “They might just be in trouble there, although it will be a tough game because both sides are playing good cricket.” Leg-spinner Tahir collected four for 26 and fellow slow bowler JP Duminy took three for 29, including a hat-trick, as South Africa bowled out Sri Lanka for just 133 to win Wednesday’s quarterfinal at the SCG by nine wickets. But the bat dominated the ball in previous World Cup games at the venue, with Australia piling up 376 for nine against Sri Lanka and South Africa smashing 408 for five off the West Indies’ attack. Defending champions India have been on a roll with seven straight wins, defying the form book after going through a winless Test and ODI tour of Australia prior to the tournament. Australia captain Michael Clarke conceded playing India in a semi-final would be a challenge, but disagreed with Misbah that spin would be the crucial factor at the SCG. “I don’t think a ball spun in our game against Sri Lanka,” Clarke said. “It will all depend on what type of wicket gets prepared. If there is a bit of grass on it, that will certainly help our fast bowlers. — AFP De Kock emerges from the ‘dark spaces’ SYDNEY: Quinton de Kock’s return to form in South Africa’s World Cup quarterfinal rout of Sri Lanka was one of the most pleasing aspects of a convincing victory for the Proteas, not least for the talented 22-yearold batsman himself. No one doubts the lefthanded opener’s talent but producing your best under pressure at the World Cup is an entirely different matter, as the players who have taken part in South Africa’s previous campaigns will attest. De Kock opened his World Cup with backto-back innings of seven against Zimbabwe and India and the runs failed to come against West Indies, Ireland, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates either. Going into the quarter-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground, he had accumulated just 53 from six innings and both coach Russell Domingo and skipper AB de Villiers were subject to questions over the value of retaining him. On Wednesday, de Kock repaid their faith with a couple of excellent catches behind the stumps and then an unbeaten 78 off 57 balls, punching the ball through gaps in the field with alacrity and sealing the victory with his 12th four. — Reuters South Africa’s Quinton de Kock hits a boundary to win the World Cup quarterfinal against Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). — Reuters Pakistan pin hopes on struggling next generation ADELAIDE: Pakistan will pin their hopes on the next generation after their World Cup campaign ended with a quarter-final exit to Australia but with departing skipper Misbahul-Haq warning the team is not up to international scratch. Pakistan, the 1992 champions, lost their first two matches to India and the West Indies before staging a comeback with four consecutive wins to earn a berth in the quarter-finals. But Pakistan went down by six wickets against Australia in Adelaide, a defeat which critics argue exposed the weaknesses of the players and system. None of Pakistan’s younger batsmen — Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Sohaib Maqsood — could match the guile of 40-year-old Misbah who was the main run-getter with 350 in seven matches. “It’s necessary that the younger batsmen take responsibility,” said Misbah, who quit ODI cricket after Friday’s defeat. “They are talented players but maybe they were not made responsible enough to help the team.” Akmal is the most talented of them all but he failed to turn his full potential into performances, scoring only 164 runs in seven innings. His dismissal on Saturday, giving a simple catch to Aaron Finch off parttimer Glenn Maxwell, highlighted his shortcomings. Shehzad managed 222 at the tournament while Maqsood scored 124 in five innings. “If our cricket is to match international standards then our youngsters have to work hard,” said Misbah. “They are the best performers in domestic cricket so they have to take the mantle from us. “Besides batting, fitness and fielding are two key areas where our players have to work very hard because they are not up to international standards,” said TEAM TALK Australia’s batsmen Shane Watson (centre) and Glenn Maxwell celebrate their victory as Pakistani players walk off the field in the World Cup quarterfinal at the Adelaide Oval. — AFP Misbah. Pakistan’s preparations for the World Cup were badly hit by the suspension of ace spinner Saeed Ajmal for an illegal bowling action and injuries to pacemen Umar Gul and Junaid Khan and spinning all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez (also suspended for his action). Former captain Wasim Akram said the system is so faulty that there are no back-ups. “When Ajmal and Junaid were out, we did not have back-up bowlers and that hit Pakistan badly,” said Wasim. “Until and unless we put our house in order we are not going to stand up and be counted against top teams like Australia, India and South Africa.” The return of Junaid and possibly of Mohammad Aamir, who started playing domestic cricket last week after his fiveyear ban for spot-fixing was relaxed, will strengthen the bowling. But it’s the batting woes that need attention, a problem Misbah hoped would be solved sooner rather than later. “Maybe the lack of international exposure was hurting the batsmen so I have suggested to the Pakistan Cricket Board that they arrange more and more cricket for these youngsters because batsmen can only get better with exposure,” said Misbah. Pakistan’s most pressing task will be to pick up a new captain for the one-day team. Hafeez would be one contender as is Shehzad but both have their problems of their own. Hafeez’s bowling action was deemed illegal in November while Shehzad has a history of disciplinary problems. Former captain Shoaib Malik and senior batsman Younis Khan have also shown desire to lead Pakistan’s oneday team but the PCB last year said it wanted a young leader to follow Misbah. “I think Pakistan should start building a team for the next World Cup now,” said Misbah. — AFP AUSSIE AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND NEW COACH Simmons named as new Windies coach ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda: Former international Phil Simmons was named the new head coach of the West Indies Friday, just hours before the team tackled New Zealand for a place in the World Cup semifinals. The 51-year-old signed a three-year deal with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Simmons coached Ireland at the World Cup and during his eight-year spell he took the non-Test playing nation to three World Cups and four World Twenty20 appearances. “West Indies have a tremendous history and prestige in the game, and I am honoured to have been given this opportunity to be head coach,” said Simmons whose Ireland side defeated the West Indies in the World Cup pool stage. “There is an abundance of young talent coming through the ranks and to be able to assist with the development of the future playing talent in the West Indies is fantastic. “I can’t wait to begin and I am looking forward to starting work with the players.” “I am excited to be beginning this new chapter in my coaching career and to have the opportunity to create a winning culture.” The Trinidadian played 26 Tests and 143 one-day Internationals for West Indies between 1987 and 1999. His first assignment will be leading the West Indies into a home series against England next month. The West Indies, who eventually pipped Ireland for a quarter-final place at the World Cup on run-rate, are being coached at the tournament by Stuart Williams and Andre Coley with ex-captain Richie Richardson as manager. “We are thrilled with the appointment of Phil and we believe he is the right individual for our team and our region at this time, so we want to welcome him back home,” said WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead. — AFP BYTE Australia expecting a very different India SYDNEY: Australia skipper Michael Clarke expects to face a very different India in next week’s World Cup semifinal from the team they hammered in a test series and beat comfortably in a one-day international in January. Co-hosts Australia reached the last four with a six-wicket victory over Pakistan at Adelaide Oval on Friday to set up the meeting with the reigning champions at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) next Thursday. India have won all seven matches on their way to the semi-finals and, with a bowling attack unrecognisable from the rabble who contested the test series, will be surging with confidence. “I think they’re obviously playing a lot better than they were throughout the start of the summer,” Clarke told reporters in Adelaide. “I said that leading into the World Cup, that I thought India were going to be an extremely tough team to beat obviously because they’re a very good team but (also) because they’ve spent so much time in Australia they know the conditions quite well. “The game on Thursday is going to certainly be a challenge, and we’re definitely going to have to be at our best to beat them.” Australia lost their only pool match against their co-hosts in New Zealand and their familiarity with home conditions is a considerable advantage in their quest for a fifth world title. India have been Down Under since November, though, and have been improving gradually under the guidance of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “I think MS Dhoni deserves a lot of credit the way he’s been able to turn things around as the leader, as the captain,” Clarke added. “They’re playing some really good cricket, there’s no doubt about it. We look forward to that challenge. We’ve got some time now to recover and make sure we’re fresh and then obviously train and prepare. “Our attitude will be exactly the same as it was leading up to this game. Thursday becomes our World Cup final. We look forward to it.” If there was any perceived weakness in the Australia squad for the tournament it was the selection of Xavier Doherty as the frontline spinner. While the SCG has a tradition for offering something for spin bowlers, Clarke said that was not always the case at his home ground and he was in any case “extremely satisfied” with his spinning options. — Reuters Australian cricketers Glenn Maxwell (left) and captain Michael Clarke celebrate the wicket of Pakistani captain Misbah-ul Haq during the World Cup quarterfinal in Adelaide. — AFP SPORT S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 omandailyobserver 27 UPSET WIN: The Canadian blasted 19 aces, hammered a series of thunderous forehands and saved three match points to stun Nadal Party crasher Raonic in first Indian Wells semi INDIAN WELLS, UNITED STATES: Milos Raonic crashed the Big Four party on Friday with a hard-fought three-set win over world No 3 Rafael Nadal to reach the Indian Wells ATP Masters semifinals. Canada’s Raonic beat Nadal for the first time. He blasted 19 aces, hammered a series of thunderous forehands and saved three match points to upset the Spaniard 4-6, 7-6 (12/10), 7-5 and set up a semifinal clash with Roger Federer. The 24-year-old’s shocking win over nine-time French Open champ Nadal spoils what could have been a semifinal lineup that featured each of the top four seeds as world No 1 Novak Djokovic and fourth seed Andy Murray had already punched their tickets. “You just want to prove people wrong in that sense,” Raonic said of being the spoiler. “It has some good feel to it.” Raonic had lost five prior matches against the swashbuckling Spaniard and said he had to forget about who he was playing against and just figure out what he had to do to play each point better. He said the key to beating Nadal was to “not get too caught up in the person you’re playing and respect them, but not give them too much overwhelming respect where it affects your tennis. ‘KIND OF PEACE’ “I think when you have knowledge, when you have an understanding, it gives you some kind of peace,” he said. Friday’s matchup was a classic contrast in style with the hard-serving Raonic going up against the tricky lefthander who runs down every ball and can turn defence into offence. But Nadal’s defence wasn’t good enough as Raonic blasted 48 winners and broke Nadal once in the crucial 11th game of the third set, setting the table for himself to serve for the match. Four-time champ Federer turned in a textbook performance in just over an hour showing no mercy with a 6-4, 6-0 win over pesky Czech Tomas Berdych in a quarterfinal match that took just 68 minutes. Federer, who has a 15-1 record this season on the ATP Tour, remained on course for an unprecedented fifth Indian Wells title after winning previously here in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2012. Raonic and Federer met for the first time in 2012 here in Indian Wells with Federer winning in three sets 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4. Federer is 8-1 in his career against Raonic, but the youngster is showing signs of figuring out what it takes to win on the big stage. “It’s having a better match judgement of when to sort of step up, when you can sort of hold back,” Raonic said. “It gives you some kind of calm during a match that you can really believe and understand what you need to do to find the solutions.” Fourth seed Murray advanced on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Spain’s Feliciano Lopez, booking a showdown with defending champion Djokovic, who advanced by walkover when Bernard Tomic withdrew Milos Raonic during his quarterfinal match against Rafael Nadal in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. — USA Today Sports from their scheduled quarterfinal on Thursday. Djokovic will be well rested on record against Murray. is playing with plenty of confidence right the past. He will be totally fresh as well and if I can keep that level up and for a and ready for the semis,” he said. sustained period on Saturday, I’ll have a Saturday after getting an extra day’s rest But Murray has had some of his now. and aiming to improve his 16-8 career biggest career wins against Djokovic and “He’s played extremely well here in “But I feel like I played well this week chance.” — AFP Ibrahimovic treble lifts PSG to the top PARIS: Zlatan Ibrahimovic put his recent disciplinary problems behind him by bagging a hat-trick to give Paris Saint-Germain a 3-1 victory over Lorient on Friday night. The big Swede was banned for one Champions League match on Thursday for his sending off against Chelsea last week, while he also faces a possible domestic ban for a foul-mouthed outburst following PSG’s 3-2 defeat at Bordeaux last week in which he insulted both the referee and France. But he was the champions’ hero as they went top, temporarily at least, with a hard-earned win over strugglers Lorient. In truth, the game should have resembled a rugby score before Jordan Ayew equalised for the visitors at the Parc des Princes midway through the second half but Ibrahimovic came to the Paris rescue with two goals in the final eight minutes. PSG went into the break a goal to the good but it could have been so much more as they carved open a hopelessly flawed offside trap. Time and again, PSG’s forwards got in behind the Lorient backline and only some poor finishing, notably from Ezequiel Lavezzi, spared the visitors’ blushes. Inside two minutes Edinson Cavani had sprung the trap but his first time left-footed volley lacked power and goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte got down quickly to save. Just a minute later, Ibrahimovic was in behind the defence, only to be LIGUE 1 Lorient’s Lamine Kone (centre) vies with Paris Saint-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic (second left) during the French L1 match at the Parc des Princes stadium, in Paris. — AFP clattered by a reckless challenge from Lecomte. Lecomte was booked and Ibrahimovic dispatched the penalty low to the goalkeeper’s right, although straight afterwards he limped off to receive treatment on his ankle, which twisted badly under Lecomte’s challenge. Lavezzi was the next to beat the offside trap from Javier Pastore’s dinked through ball but the forward’s shot hit Lecomte’s leg. Ibrahimovic had rejoined the fray by now and he was left waving his arms in frustration after right-back Gregory Van Der Wiel escaped into acres of space down the right, only for his cross to be cut out by Lamine Kone with Ibrahimovic and Cavani queueing up at the back post for an easy finish. Pastore’s vision opened up Lorient again on 24 minutes but from a tight angle, Ibrahimovic’s shot was parried behind by Lecomte. The Swedish star then put Lavezzi clean through again with a sublime back-flick, but the former Napoli forward wastefully sliced his shot into the side-netting on the half hour. PROFLIGACY Cavani tried to catch out Lecomte at the start of the second half but his speculative lob from 40 yards dipped just over. Lavezzi then failed to turn in a driven cross from Maxwell at the near post as his profligacy continued. Cavani bent a free-kick just wide as PSG continued to toil in their attempts to kill the game. And they paid for those misses as halfway through the second period, out of nothing, Ayew rifled a shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards. And four minutes later Ayew was left unmarked at a corner to fire in a volley that had goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu beaten, only for his Italian compatriot Marco Verratti to head off the line. Chances were coming thick and fast as Lecomte tipped a Pastore volley around the post before blocking Ibrahimovic’s close range backheel with his chest. PSG were given a lifeline, though, as Kone dived in on Pastore in the box. The contact seemed minimal but it was reckless in the extreme and the referee pointed to the spot for a second time, Ibrahimovic sending Lecomte the wrong way this time. Lecomte still had time to make a reaction save to deny substitute Adrien Rabiot before Ibrahimovic sealed the win in injury time following a defensive mistake. — AFP QATAR 2022 European leagues threaten legal action BARCELONA: Europe’s top leagues could launch legal action against Fifa over the decision to move the 2022 Qatar World Cup to later in the year, according to French league President Frederic Thiriez. At a meeting in Barcelona on Saturday, the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) adopted a resolution slamming the decision to move the competition from its traditional dates in June and July to November and December in order to combat the searing heat in the Middle East. “The EPFL is ready to support any legal actions that the individual leagues may take in this respect in the near future,” said Thiriez. “The EPFL is very disappointed with the decision of the Fifa ExCo, who decided to move the World Cup to November and December in 2022. This is seriously damaging to the European leagues, both from a sporting and a financial point of view. “This decision raises serious questions about the motivations of many involved in the decision-making process and further demonstrated the lack of good governance within the national football governing bodies.” World governing body Fifa announced on Friday that it will triple the amount paid to clubs who release their players for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to $209 million. However, Thiriez said that the EPFL has to look out for the interests of all clubs, with the vast majority of the compensation promised going to only the top clubs in a few leagues. “The EPFL has the responsiblity to protect the interests of all clubs, including those that do not release players for the national associations’ competitions,” he said. “Today the interests of those clubs are not protected.” The English Premier League, meanwhile, declared on Saturday that it was “very disappointed” by the decision to change the dates of the 2022 tournament. “While we remain very disappointed with the process and the outcome for deciding the timing of the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022, at least we now have fixed dates to work with,” the league said in a statement. “The Premier League’s sole focus now is ensuring that the impact on our season is as limited as possible. This means there is still some discussion and accommodation required over call-up periods, international dates and other competition organisers’ schedules.” Serena withdrew moments before her scheduled semifinal match on Friday night with a knee-injury ending her campaign at Indian Wells Williams’ injury dashes hope of storybook ending INDIAN WELLS, UNITED STATES: Serena Williams pulled out of her Indian Wells semifinal on Friday, 14 years after her sister Venus withdrew at the same stage to spark a fan uproar that led to a Williams boycott of the event. Serena withdrew moments before her scheduled semifinal match on Friday night with a right knee injury, ending her hopes for a storybook finish after she made the decision several months ago to finally return to the joint WTA and ATP tournament. Ironically, Venus also pulled out of her semifinal match in 2001 with a knee injury. Serena strode out onto the court to deliver the news in person on Friday to the Tennis Garden fans, who had just watched Jelena Jankovic beat Sabine Lisicki in the first women’s semifinal. “A couple of days ago at my practice I injured my knee,” Williams told the crowd. “Today it was a struggle to walk.” Unlike 14 years ago when she was heckled and booed in the final against Kim Clijsters, the crowd stood and applauded Serena as she spoke. There were one or two scattered boos, but they were drowned out by the loud cheering. Serena said she had an MRI scan and doctors told her she suffered a strain in her quadriceps tendon. She tried treating it with an anti-inflammation injection but it didn’t feel better Serena said. “I was just on the practice court two days ago and everything was going good,” she said. “I went for a serve and just felt a super sharp pain in my knee.” Asked why she couldn’t play through the pain, Serena said she didn’t want to risk a long-term injury. “When you get to a level of pain where you are at nine or a 10 or even an eight, you don’t want to push it because you can actually make it a lot worse,” she said. “Weighing all that together it just wasn’t a good opportunity for me to play. That being said I think probably five out of 10 matches I play injured.” In 2001, Venus Williams pulled out of a highly anticipated semifinal clash with her sister at the last minute with a knee injury. Serena said on Friday she didn’t see the irony in it. “I don’t make anything of it. I feel that was 14 years ago and this is now. I did the best I could at this event and I am really happy to have put a lot of that behind me,” Serena said. The 2001 controversy began with Venus’ semifinal withdrawal and then carried over into the final the next day when Serena beat Kim Clijsters to win her second Indian Wells crown. Because most of the fans had already taken their seats for the sisters’ semifinal, many reacted in anger, booing the announcement, and then Serena was heckled and booed the next day in the final. Venus, who attended the final match with her father Richard, was also jeered by fans who thought the sisters just didn’t want to play each other. Serena denied that in an interview last week, saying she “has had nothing but integrity my whole career.” — AFP 28 SPORT omandailyobserver S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL: The Northern Irishman had a streak of five birdies in his 66 that moved him to eight-under-par Hoffmann leads by three, McIlroy lurking NEW YORK: Overnight leader Morgan Hoffmann maintained his sublime form to take a three-shot lead at the halfway mark of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Friday as Rory McIlroy and defending champion Matt Every moved into contention. Hoffmann followed his opening 66 with a sizzling seven-under-par 65 for a 13-under-par total of 131 at Bay Hill. “It’s been fun out there. Just kind of being pretty mellow and trying to hit the middle of greens,” said Hoffmann, a former junior ice hockey player and Oklahoma State University golfer ranked 137th in the world. Every had five birdies in a row from the fourth hole on his way to a 66 that vaulted him into second place at 134, a total matched by afternoon starters Harris English (66) and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who birdied his last four holes for another 66. One shot further back was Ben Martin, who shot a 67 for 135. World number one McIlroy also had a streak of five birdies in his 66 that moved him to eight under par for the tournament alongside Sweden’s David Lingmerth (67), Australia’s Matt Jones (65) and South Korean Danny Lee, who fired a bogey-free 64. McIlroy, who next month would complete a career Grand Slam with a Masters win, started the day at the 10th and began his birdie blitz at the second hole. A bogey on his penultimate hole dropped him to 136. “I probably wasn’t quite as consistent tee to green as I was yesterday,” said McIlroy, who shot an opening 70. “But the putter is a great equaliser. “Was good to see some putts dropping, considering yesterday nothing really dropped for me,” added the Northern Irishman, who took 34 putts in the first round. Hoffmann had his own birdie binge, sinking four in a row from the third after a bogey on the first and registered a blistering five-under 31 on the front nine. The 25-year-old Hoffmann finished with three birdies and a bogey on the homeward half. “I feel great,” said Hoffmann, adding that he did not feel pressured as he seeks his first PGA Tour title. “I’m trying not to think about it. I know it will come eventually. If this is the week, so be it.” — Reuters Rory McIlroy tees off on the 16th during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. — USA TODAY Sports Nadeem dazzles in Assarain ‘A’ victory MUSCAT: Man of the Match Muhammad Nadeem with 62 runs (99b, 2x6 an 3x4) and 3 for 24 off 10 overs including 3 maidens with the ball steered Assarain ‘A’ to a massive 150 run win against a hapless National Youth Development Team (NYDT) 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 NYDT sent the top 3 batsmen of Assarain ‘A’ with 49 runs on the board off 8 overs before an excellent 149 run fourth wicket partnership between Nadeem and Ram Kumar 77 (98b, 3x6 and 8x4) helped the score to 271 for the loss of 9 wickets off their quota of 50 overs. Opening batsman Arun Poulose chipped in with 25 (18b, 4x4). Mohammed Ali Akbar al Balushi was the pick of the bowlers ending with figures of 3 for 30 off 10 overs with support from Sufyan Mahmood and Wasim Ismail al Balushi claiming 2 wickets each conceding 54 and 85 runs respective off 10 overs each. Set a target of 272 for victory NYDT lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 121 off 43.5 overs. Major contributors were Sufyan Mahmood 30 (62b, 1x6 and 3x4) and Syed Muntazir 22 (59b, 3x4). Brief scores:Assarain ‘A’: 271/ 9 off 50 overs (Ram Kumar 77, Muhammad Nadeem 62, Arun Poulose 25; Mohammed Ali Akbar al Balushi 3-30, Sufyan Mahmood 2-54, Wasim Ismail al Balushi 2-85) bt NYDT: 121 all out off 43.5 overs (Sufyan Mahmood 30; Muhammad Nadeem 3-24, VS Shiju 2-19, Ahmad Raza 2-19, Zeeshan Maqsood 2-25) Points:Assarain ‘A’: 5 points (8 Games – 30 points) and NYDT: 0. LPGA 13.4 overs (Khalid Moosa 4-13) Points: MARH: - 2 points (8 Games – 7 points) and Al Daam International: 0 (8 Games – 7 Points) LOCAL CRICKET RASHID, TAIMUR STAR FOR TRUST OILFIELD In a ‘J’ Division T20 match played in the morning at the adjoining Ground No 4 at Al Amerat, openers Khuram Rashid 73 (41b, 13x4) and Taimur Khan 62 (40b, 7x4) put together 121 runs off 11 overs to help Trust Oilfield Strikers reach a massive 207 for 9 wickets off the 20 stipulated overs. Waleed Moula Bakhsh bowled brilliantly to end with figures of 4 for 52 off 4 overs. Brief scores:Trust Oilfield Strikers: 207/9 off 20 overs (Khuram Rashid 73, Taimur Khan 62, Tushar Verma 34; Waleed Moula Bakhsh 4-52, Yahya Maula Bakhsh 2-6) bt OCT Al Nahdha: 104/8 off 20 overs (Hassan al Balushi 40 n.o.; Neil Paily 2-12, Kamran Farooq 2-16) Points: Trust Oilfield Strikers: 2 points (8 Games – 10 points) and OCT Al Nahdha: 0 (8 Games – 1 point). Muhammad Nadeem (left) poses with Ram Kumar. out off 19.4 overs (Shameer Thaha 2-17, Muhammed Mudassar 2-19, Darwish Ellickal 2-25, Laiju Jose 2-27) Points: Landscape Architecture: 2 points (7 Games – 10 points) and Carillion Alawi: 0 (7 Games – 5 Points) HUAWEI TROUNCE BAHIHI HEXA In an afternoon ‘G’ Division T20 match played at the same venue Huawei trounced a 10 man Bahihi Hexa team by 8 wickets. Winning the toss and electing to bat Bahihi Hexa scored 152 for the loss of 5 wickets at the end of the 20th over. Huawei got to their target scoring 154 for 2 wickets off 13.2 overs thanks to an unbeaten 72 (43b, 14x4) from opening batsman Prasanna Srinivasan. MUDASSAR SPARKLES Muhammad Mudassar opening the batting scored a brilliant 84 (62b, 1x6 and 11x4) and thereafter grabbed 2 wickets conceding 19 runs off 2 overs to help Landscape Architecture record a 21 run win against Carillion Alawi. The Enhance sponsored ‘E’ Division T20 match was played in the morning session at the Municipality Ground No 3 at Al Amerat. MOOSA SHINES WITH BALL Khalid Moosa with bowling figures of 4 for 13 off 4 overs bowled Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan (MARH) to an easy 98 run win against Al Daam International Brief scores:Bahihi Hexa: 152/5 off 20 overs (Aslam in an ‘F’ Division T20 match played in Khan 32 n.o., Arjun Pradeep 29, Rakesh 26; Syed Mujtaba 2-23, Nadir Ali Hashmi 2-35) lt to Huawei: the afternoon at the same venue. Brief scores:Landscape Architecture: 176/3 off 20 overs (Muhammad Mudassar 84, Prasad Peruli 36, Darwish Ellickal 34 n.o.) bt Carillion Alawi: 152 all Brief scores:MARH: 157/9 off 20 overs (Mohammed Ayaz 49, Lindo Johnson 33 n.o.; Biju Krishnan 3-19, Umesh 3-20) bt Al Daam International: 59 all out off 154/2 off 13.2 overs (Prasanna Srinivasan 72 n.o., Umar Zaman 32, Karthikeyan Jayachandran 25 n.o.) Points: Huawei: 2 points (7 Games – 7 points) and Bahihi Hexa: 0 (7 Games – 8 points) NEWS Jang grabs lead at delayed Founders Cup PHOENIX: Only nightfall could slow down South Korea’s Jang Ha-Na, who had seven birdies in 11 holes on Friday to seize the lead when darkness halted the second round of the LPGA Founders Cup. Jang was 11-under for the tournament, inching ahead of clubhouse leader Kim Hyo-Joo, who carded a three-under 69 in the second round for a 10-under total of 134. Stacy Lewis, who led by one when the first round was completed earlier on Friday, managed a one-under 71 in the second round to share third place on nine-under 135. Kim Kaufman, who was three-under par through 12 holes of her second round at Wildfire Golf Club was also nine-under for the tournament. France’s Karine Icher (70) and South Koreans Lee Mi-Hyang (66) and Lee Il-Hee (67) were tied for fifth on eightunder 136. Defending champion Karrie Webb posted a second-round 70 to head a group of four players to complete two rounds at seven-under 137. Seven more players, including world number one Lydia Ko, were still on the course at seven-under when play was halted. New Zealand’s Ko held a share of the clubhouse lead when the firstround was suspended on Thursday night. The tournament had fallen behind because of a four-hour weather ‘I made nine birdies — it’s always hard to follow that. And I knew that going into it that it was going to be tough. I didn’t do too much different other than I just got on the wrong side of the hole.. still under par’ delay on Thursday morning. Ko was overtaken by Lewis, who had nine birdies in her eight-under firstround effort. Lewis said she couldn’t be too disappointed that she didn’t continue that torrid pace in her second round. “I made nine birdies — it’s always hard to follow that,” she said. “And I knew that going into it that it was going to be tough. “I didn’t do too much different other than I just got on the wrong side of the hole... still under par. So I mean, I’m right there.” For clubhouse leader Kim, it was a long day. She played the last 12 holes of a first-round 65, then had four birdies and one bogey in her second-round 69. “Last night I was worried about doing 30 holes,” said Kim, but added it wasn’t as difficult as she had feared. — AFP Portuguese star Ronaldo’s production has dropped to nine in 14 matches in the new year, only three of those from open play in the La Liga Messi renews Ronaldo rivalry in battle to be world’s best Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (right) reacts next to team-mate Ivan Rakitic during their training session at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi near Barcelona. — Reuters MADRID: Lionel Messi can take his record tally for Barcelona to a stunning 400 goals when the Catalans face Real Madrid in one of the biggest matches in world football on Sunday. Here, AFP sports compares the Argentine’s stats with his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the quest to be La Liga’s top dog. MESSI LEADS IN LA LIGA In early January, Barcelona and Messi appeared to be mired in a crisis after losing at Real Sociedad, whilst Ronaldo picked up his third career Ballon d’Or. In less than three months the tables have turned significantly as Messi has stormed ahead of Ronaldo in the race to be La Liga’s top scorer with 20 goals in his last 17 games. Ronaldo’s production has dropped to nine in 14 matches in the new year, only three of those from open play in La Liga. Messi now has 32 La Liga goals this season to Ronaldo’s 30. THE CHAMPIONS OF CHAMPIONS At least in goalscoring terms, the story has been different in the Champions League as Ronaldo rescued Madrid with three goals in an unexpectedly tight 5-4 aggregate win over Schalke to reach the quarterfinals. Messi’s weaved his magic as Barca dismissed Manchester City in midweek, but was unusually wasteful in front of goal and also missed a penalty in the first leg. Ronaldo’s treble saw him move level with Messi on 75 Champions League goals and set a new all-time record for goals in European competitions with 78. MESSI KING OF THE CLASICO It is Messi who leads the way in the scoring charts in the history of one of the biggest fixtures in world football. The 27-year-old has struck 21 times in 29 meetings with Madrid, including two hattricks. It is Messi who leads the scoring charts in the history of one of the biggest fixtures in world football. The 27-yearold has struck 21 times in 29 meetings with Madrid, including two hat-tricks Ronaldo is joint fourth on the all-time list, tied with Madrid legends Ferenc Puskas and Francisco Gento and Barca’s Cesar Rodriguez with 14 goals in 22 Clasicos. 400-CLUB BECKONS FOR MESSI A third career hat-trick against Madrid for Messi would also see him reach 400 goals for Barca in all competitions. Messi currently has 397 goals in 464 official games for the Blaugrana to go with his 45 strikes in 97 caps for Argentina. Ronaldo is edging closer to 500 career club goals as he has found the net 468 times with Madrid, Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon in 726 appearances. The Madeira-born star also has a marginally better international record with 52 in 118 caps to make him Portugal’s alltime leading scorer. LEADERS OF THE FRONTLINES Ronaldo and Messi just form part of their sides’ star-studded, three-pronged attacks. Madrid’s “BBC” front three of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Ronaldo have amassed 77 goals and 42 assists this season with respected transfer website transfermarkt.com valuing the trio at 250 million euros. Barca’s South American triumvirate of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez are fractionally ahead in the stats with 82 goals and 47 assists between them and in value at an estimated 260 million euros. — AFP ENTERTAINMENT S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 omandailyobserver ‘SHAUN THE SHEEP’ 29 TINSELTOWN ‘Home’ made JLo modelled on silent emotional movie star THE RECEPTION FOR “SHAUN THE SHEEP”, WHICH STARTED OUT AS A CHILDREN’S TV ANIMATION IN BRITAIN UNDER GOLESZOWSKI, HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY SINCE IT STARTED ITS WORLDWIDE RELEASE LAST MONTH A s the studio behind the “Wallace and Gromit” movies herds its “Shaun the Sheep” into cinemas worldwide, the directors revealed that they modelled their fluffy protagonist on silent-movie star Buster Keaton — and also that they are not sorry to see parts of their stop-frame works go digital. Richard Goleszowski and Mark Burton, the brains behind Aardman Animations’ latest stop-frame, nodialogue feature film, made the remarks in Paris ahead of a new exhibition in the French capital showcasing the studio’s work. “Buster Keaton was always a model for us for Shaun,” said Goleszowski (who directs under the professional name Richard Starzak). “I had a picture of Buster Keaton pinned on the studio door just to remind the animators that they didn’t have to make (it), bleat too much, or be too physical,” he said. Charlie Chaplin’s silent films also added inspiration for Shaun’s new sidekick in the movie: a streetwise, and “dentally challenged”, dog named Slip. “One of the things you note from Charlie Chaplin films is that there’s often a little orphan girl character, and so we thought ‘Well, let’s do an Aardman version of that’. And so we created Slip, and she sort of acts as Shaun’s guide in the big city,” said Burton. 100 per cent positive reviews The reception for “Shaun the Sheep”, which started out as a children’s TV animation in Britain under Goleszowski, has been extraordinary since it started its worldwide release last month. Rottentomatoes.com, which aggregates reviews, ranks it at 100 per cent positive, with critics praising its high technical quality and generous humour. The Australian movie blog Film Ink said, “It serves as a sweet antidote to the slick, computer-animated family entertainment of the now”. The movie’s co-directors (also its writers) appear thrilled their ovine work has found a place in the sun away from Aardman’s star duo. “Wallace and Gromit cast a very big shadow,” admitted Goleszowski. While he looked forward to a likely “Shaun” movie sequel, he also hinted that the two Aardman franchises’ “paths might cross again”. Part of what makes Aardman’s films distinctive is the very Britishness of them: the prominence of cardigans, scones, politeness and preoccupation with the weather, for instance. But the men behind Shaun said that was merely the DNA of the studio’s work and not a conscious put-on. “We just do what we do and what makes us laugh. And people tell us it’s very British. And we like that. But we don’t know what that is necessarily,” said Burton. “We do put in our own culture,” said Goleszowski, but added: “I don’t think people are necessarily buying into the Britishness, they’re buying into the quality of the story, and the Britishness comes with it because that’s what we are.” — AFP Kelly Osbourne defies doctors Ashley Judd pens violence essay S A inger Kelly Osbourne is defying doctors’ orders by exercising as she is determined to “stay in shape”. The 30-year-old wears a back brace after suffering a bout of pneumonia last year and though she has been told not to exert herself, she does a bit of it to stay fit, reports femalefirst.co.uk. “I’ve had pneumonia and was having back pain so now I wear this all the time,” Closer magazine quoted Osbourne as saying. “I’ve been told by doctors not to work out but I’m naughty and I still exercise a bit anyway — I want to stay in shape,” she added. Osbourne, who usually does three sessions of interval training a week, is desperate for her pain to go away so she can shed the brace and get back to her “regular” routine. She said: “I just want to be well again so I can exercise properly and get back to my regular lifestyle.” ctress Ashley Judd has written a powerful and moving essay, condemning online threats of abuse and violence, after she was trolled for posting her views on a university basketball game. The 46-year-old received abusive messages, including rape threats, after she claimed on Tw-itter that the University of Arkansas were “playing dirty” when they took on her old college, the University of Kentucky, on Sunday. That’s what has led to her penning her disgust over the incident, reports femalefirst.co.uk. The essay, entitled “Forget Your Team: Your Online Violence Toward Girls and Women”, enlivens Judd’s own experience of abuse and incest as a youngster and the nine-year journey to recovery that followed. In a piece published on MIC.com, she wrote: “The volume of hatred that exploded at me in response was staggering. H er role as a woman who loses her child in animated film “Home”, made singer Jennifer Lopez emotional. The 45-year-old, who has seven-year-old twins, confessed that while she found it easy to relate to the feelings a mother would have if she were to lose her child, it was also an emotionally draining experience, reports femalefirst.co.uk. The singer, who has lent vocals to the upcoming animated film, said: “It was almost too easy for me to do this voice for the movie, it is a small part but it’s about being distraught trying to find her child. “It was easy for me to think about how that would feel. So I was super emotional through it all.” The “On the Floor” hitmaker, who would be playing a mother named Lucy who gets separated from her young daughter, admitted that she found it exciting to work in a film which her children will be able to watch. Jamie Foxx denies dating Katie Holmes A ctor Jamie Foxx has shot down rumours of dating actress Katie Holmes. The actor denied relationship claims when he was filmed in Westlake, US this week by a website TMZ, reports mirror.co.uk. “Come on, you guys have been trying to make that stick for three years,” he said. The actress and Foxx sparked romance rumours last year after they were spotted getting cosy at a number of events. He went on to explain that the duo had been working on an “animation project” together. “We’re working on that, that’s all it is,” he said. Holmes, who split from her husband and actor Tom Cruise in 2012 after five years of marriage, hasn’t been officially with anyone since. EXHIBITION New York celebrates ‘Mad Men’ end in style Q JENNIE MATTHEW “M A secretary’s desk at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce ad Men” captured the style and drive of New York’s finest — and drunkest — 1960s ad men, enthralling viewers with tales of their creative genius and tortured infidelities. That vivid depiction of a bygone Manhattan won millions of fans around the world, dozens of accolades and turned previously under-the-radar actors into household names since its debut in 2007. With the final seven episodes to start airing on cable network AMC on April 5, fans in the Big Apple can indulge in cut-price liquid lunches and visit a beautifully curated exhibition about the hit television series. On Monday, AMC will unveil a “commemorative sculpture” outside the Time and Life Building, fictional home to Sterling Cooper and Partners, the advertising firm at the heart of the show. Jon Hamm — Don Draper himself — and co-stars Elisabeth Moss, January Jones and Christina Hendricks will attend, and the statue will remain on display in the plaza through the summer, the network said. The Museum of the Moving Image has mounted an exhibition of sets, costumes and hundreds of props, and offers a fascinating glimpse of how creator Matthew Weiner turned an idea into a series. It runs until June 14, but curator Barbara Miller said it was already “tremendously popular.” The museum said the opening weekend saw nearly 2,000 visitors each day — more than double its regular attendance. “It’s bringing new audiences here that are either ‘Mad Men’ fans or just intrigued by hearing about it. So it’s been great,” said Miller. Visitors can step into Don’s office in all its 1960s glamour, and his and Betty Draper’s colonial-style kitchen — so true to life that even the cheese grater appears stained by years of use. ‘Million dollar question’ Among more than 30 costumes on display is the black dress worn by Don’s secretary-turned-new wife Megan to sing “Zou Bisou Bisou” and some of the hourglass attire that has made Hendricks an international love symbol. Screens broadcast clips from the series, showing the objects on display as they appeared on celluloid. “It’s the million dollar question — what makes a fantastic television show or movie fantastic,” Miller said. “I think that the visual style of the series is beautiful and it’s very attractive to people and it’s sort of like the candy that gets people involved and it’s very satisfying. “But I think all of that without the strong story structure and the compelling characters, I don’t know that would have been enough to sustain a series through seven successful seasons.” Other exhibition highlights are journal entries that Weiner made in the 1990s — 15 years before the series came to television. The “Mad Men” writers’ room has also been partially reconstructed, featuring the conference table and chairs, trucked over from Los Angeles where the team met daily to prep storylines. — AFP 30 LIFESTYLE omandailyobserver S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 VIDEOCONFERENCING to enrich learning experience The marriage day Q HASAN KAMOONPURI A new trend in recent times in several Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Oman is that they are using videoconferencing (VC) technology to provide more enriching learning experiences to students. In doing so, they’re bringing top experts from faraway places into their virtual classrooms, and also reviving the concept of distance education. In a chat with Oman Observer, Prof SL Gupta, Dean, Waljat College of Applied Sciences, who has put in place a VC facility on the campus, says “It’s been a while since videoconferencing has been in education.” Its results are surfacing now. Videoconferencing is good a way of sharing resources between different universities across the borders in different continents, he adds. The use of videoconferencing — not pre-recorded lectures — is catching up fast not only in Oman but in several GCC educational centres, as it allows online courses, and not webcam video, which is static and is designed to show just one person. Videoconferencing involves higher-quality cameras, larger lenses, and faster compression for sending the video signal, allowing for two-way interaction. It’s a concept often found in the boardroom and now making a foray in classrooms in order to further refine higher education. Videoconferencing makes the experience similar to a face-to-face I class. Students go to the same videooutfitted classroom every day and sit around a table, but on one wall, instead of a blackboard, there’s a screen showing the teacher and the students at the other campus, says a student of Majan College. There are also computers at the back of the room equipped with cameras, so students can do pair work with their counterparts at the other university. The HEIs are also introducing tablets and touch-screens, which allow the teacher to demonstrate scripts and share them with both classrooms, and they use document cameras so students can submit written work in real time. Several colleges in Oman have already seen videoconference seminars VIDEOCONFERENCING MAKES THE EXPERIENCE SIMILAR TO A FACE-TOFACE CLASS. STUDENTS GO TO THE SAME VIDEOOUTFITTED CLASSROOM, THERE’S A SCREEN SHOWING THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENTS AT THE OTHER CAMPUS run successfully, and have recently upped the ante in the realm of two-way distance education. Videoconferencing is a cost effective way to conduct a meeting between two or more participants in different continents by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data, explains a lecturer of Middle East College, Students who have attended VC classroom lectures say videoconferencing is blurring the differences between traditional and virtual teaching and learning. Thanks to VC tools, teaching and learning continues to expand beyond the boundaries of the university campus. Musical Journey to mark Oman-India ties (From left to right) Mohammed Rafi al Balushi, Amita, Shekar, Haider Naqvi, Murali and Swapna T o mark 60 years of Omani-India diplomatic ties, Talent Hunters Oman is organising the fourth edition of its popular ‘Musical Journey’, which this time around focuses on the theme of romance. Musical Journey IV is a musical concert featuring Omani and resident expatriates artistes. The event will be held at Al Falaj Hotel, Ruwi, on April 4, 2015. According to Dr Sanjay Dalal, Found and Director of Talent Hunters Oman, preparations for the concert began in SAYEH WOODMAN [email protected] January with the selection of ‘evergreen duets’ of Hindi films. Talented singers have since been hard at work in hopes of delivering an unforgettable evening of music. A number of couples who have completed 50 years of marriage will also be feted on the occasion. To enliven the event, the performances will be complemented by choreographed dances and video projections, said Dr Sateja Dalal, Coodinator. “Costumes and hair styling will match the original theme. We have also requested music lovers to come wearing costumes befitting the theme of romance,” she added. The parade of singers includes Mohammed Rafi al Balushi — runnerup in Muscat Idol 2006, and Jihad al Raisi, finalist at Khafeef Youth Icon 2014, who had recently recorded his own album of Bollywood music. Also taking part are: Shekar — Muscat Idol 2006 winner; Nishant — Muscat Youth Icon 2014 winner, Akhilesh — Muscat Idol Teen Sensation 2008 runner-up, Megna — Muscat Youth Icon 2014 Singing runnerup, and Muscat Idol finalists Haider Naqvi, Sarfaraz, Aishwarya and Shraddha. Others artistes are Swapna — professional singer and teacher, Vineet — ghazal composer and singer, Rose, Murali, Deepak and Amita. The show begins at 7 pm, although gates open at 5.30 pm. Entry is by invitation only. For passes, write to: [email protected] was honoured to be invited to a wonderful wedding that shared culture and experience during this week. It’s truly amazing how our beliefs, traditions and religion can make a day so delightful when it comes together, in marriage. A day full of love, celebrating love and how that love blossoms and grows bigger from each day forward of when you get wed. Not just talking about getting bigger by having a family, but how through thick and thin, those testing times, a marriage is a pretty awesome commitment, a dedication to each other. I didn’t get to experience and celebrate an Omani wedding during my time in Oman, which I deeply regret. I did get to see lots of amazing photos of friends that had got married and heard about the traditions. Wow, the attire of the bride and groom and the decorations also blew me away. Over the top and just powerful. So, what’s the difference between a British and Omani wedding, other than sharing the vows and committing to each other, well there’s quite a lot. The dresses are very Cinderella like and full of sparkle in Oman. There are these options for a British wedding, but there’s loads of other styles and understated dresses. One tradition that most brides adhere to is the short poem or rhyme for what they wear during their wedding day... the bride should wear something old, something blue, and definitely not being seen by the groom in her wedding dress before the ceremony, which is quite common in other parts of the world. The bride and groom shouldn’t see each other the night before the wedding. In some countries it’s even known for the day or week before. As this will bring bad luck to the marriage. Also the bride looking in the mirror twice before she leaves on the day, on the way to the aisle, is seen as bad luck. There’s so many dos and don’ts, it’s hard to keep up with them all! Once the wedding service is completed, and the bride and groom share their vows and sign their commitment to each other, there is usually a toast followed by a wedding breakfast. A celebration meal where everyone eats and continues to be merry. The cutting of the cake is done here too, along with the speeches. The first dance, well it’s crucial that the bride and groom start off dancing together then the others joins in. With time changing and situations progression, certain traditions and beliefs unfortunately get dismissed now, due to the next generation wanting to do things differently. To be fair the list is endless on traditions and values on how things should be and shouldn’t be. I believe that as long as you are happy and your wedding day meets everything you want it to be, then it should be the perfect day. Too many couples and families get trapped into what should happen and stress about unnecessary things, when actually the day is about celebrating and sharing love. For those planning on getting married... here’s a little rhyme of the days that are seen to be best to be married... take it or leave it! Monday for wealth Tuesday for health Wednesday the best day of all Thursday for losses Friday for crosses Saturday for no luck at all! Sunday, peace and rest! So whatever day is your lucky day... may you all live happily married. Park Inn hotels to take part in Earth Hour 2015 HEALTH TIPS Antioxidant that backs up liver during crisis L ike a generator kicking in when the power fails, an antioxidant system acts as a back up to help sustain the liver when other systems are missing or compromised, researchers have discovered. The newly found system, reported in the journal Nature Communications, is fuelled by methionine, an amino acid that cannot be manufactured in the body and does not come from herbal teas or supplements, People get it only by eating protein. Methionine is found in high levels in eggs, meat, fish, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds and cereal grains. “This is an important finding,” said Ed Schmidt, professor at the Montana State University. “It tells us about humans and all living things. It is an alternative way to maintain the balance you need in your cells to be alive,” Schmidt added. Some vitamins and supplements act as antioxidants, Schmidt said. They help protect cells from the damage that can lead to ageing, cancers and inflammatory diseases. To investigate further, Schmidt’s lab generated mice whose livers lacked key components of two known natural systems in liver cells: the thioredoxin and glutathione systems. The mice were not robust. They were on the brink of failure, Schmidt said. And yet they survived. Pursuing the mystery, the researchers found the third antioxidant system and said it has broad implications for health issues in humans. “Methionine, a sulphur-containing amino acid that is required in our diet so our cells can make proteins, is also a potent, but previously unrecognised antioxidant that, unlike any other antioxidant tested to date, can sustain the liver when the two other systems are absent or compromised,” Schmidt added. — IANS T he Park Inn by Radisson Muscat and Park Inn by Radisson Hotel & Residence Duqm will participate in Earth Hour 2015 which is a united call for environmental action around the world. Cities in 92 countries shut off their lights for one hour on March 28 to observe Earth Hour, an annual event geared at showing support for taking action on climate change issues. In-house guests at both hotels have been given the option of participating by switching off the power in their rooms from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. In the rest of the hotels, only essential lighting will be kept on with high-level signage even switched off. Diners will have their meals by candlelight during that hour. In-house guests will be invited to spend that time at the Sama Terrazza rooftop by candlelight. Meanwhile at the Park Inn Duqm, guests will be invited to spend their time under the stars at the Pool lounge. “This annual activity helps us to raise awareness on climate change with our guests, employees and the community. A small activity that can make a big impact to the world!” said Rabih Zein, General Manager. CULTURE S U N DAY MARCH 22 l 2015 omandailyobserver 31 The power of a TRAGIC GENIUS Q MAURICE GENT G aetano Donizetti was a composer with both immense passion and drive, which has won him a unique place both in the history of opera and music. The exquisite beauty of his lyrics were heard at the Royal Opera House Muscat last week and the sheer lyricism of the music and the singing will make it an occasion that will linger forever in the minds of those who truly love music. The occasion was a visit by the Foundation of the Teatro Communale Di Bologna, Italy to perform one of the world’s best known operas, Don Pasquale. The performers sang to a fully packed audience, who relished this performance of one of the world’s best known and cherished operas. It was composed late in life and is rich in emotional appearance, the work of a man, who must have been aware he probably did not have time to live. The role of Don Pasquale was played by Ruggero Raimondi, famed for his interpretation of Figaro in Mozart’s Marriage of Fifgaro and many other leading roles. He has also appeared as Faust and Attila the Hun, not a singer to shy away from the most difficult challenge. In his role as Don Pasquale he had the role of a man nearing the end of his life, when he was summoning up his powers for the last time when in fact there was much energy left in his mind, body and spirit. The soprano lead Roberta Canzian was trained at conservatories both in Milan and Venice. In addition she has a Music Degree from the University of Venice. Clearly the Foundation from the Teatro Communale had sent their very top team. It also included as Conductor, Guiseppe La Malla, whose experience in this role goes back over ten years. Very important to note was that this Muscat performance was also graced by Ruggero Raimond, world famous for his performances in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and many other star roles. The audience was gripped throughout the performance well aware they were listening to superb, world class voices, who were clearly enjoying their performance. In one sense it was a performance of equals with both artists and audience enjoying a high quality performance enjoyed by all present. Young children in the audience were keen to stay to the end and join in the cheering. Donizetti was a child of extreme poverty. His father was a porter in a pawn broker shop and his mother a weaver. He was enrolled in a free music school and fortunately got by chance the opportunity to achieve a well deserved immortality. One of the few advantages of an era that saw great riches and deplorable poverty was that remarkable talent could sometimes triumph and achieve fame. — PHOTOS BY KHALID AL BUSAIDI, ROHM Donizetti was at least recognised as a composer of importance and great merit in the last four to five years of his life. He obtained a job for six months a year at the Austrian Court, giving him an opportunity to work on Don Pasquale, which was to confirm his fame as a great composer. Don Pasquale, first performed in Paris, was an immediate and much trumpeted success in the world of music. But further decline of his condition was swift and he was soon to be returned to a family, who cared for him as he became increasingly disabled in mind and body. Don Pasquale was thus an important work in that it underscored the genius of Donizetti as a major musical genius before the days of darkness and death swiftly followed. Pompeii Villa of Mysteries opens in Italy Q ELLA IDE P A general view shows the Roman Villa of the Mysteries (Villa dei Misteri). — AFP ompeii’s sumptuous, fresco-adorned Villa of Mysteries reopened fully to the public on Friday after two years of painstaking restoration, as Italy promised an era of ruin and decay at the ancient city was over. The villa is just one of dozens of houses, shops and streets at the complex which have suffered from years of bad weather and wear, and UNESCO had warned Italy the site risked being struck off its heritage list. The ministry released extracts from a recent UNESCO report which praised the “profound change in the behaviour” of those in charge of maintaining Pompeii. Dionysus frescos The Villa of Mysteries is renowned for its burnt orange and red wall-paintings depicting an initiation into the secret cult of Dionysus, the god of wine. It is one of the few homes to have survived the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD pretty much intact, and features a series of fine dining and party rooms as well as a wine-press, indicating the Roman owner was wealthy. A plaster of Paris cast of one of the bodies discovered under the volcanic debris inside the villa is on display. The restoration project, which began in May 2013, was carried out in sections to allow parts of the villa to stay open, and focused on reversing damage caused during the 1930s when wax was used to cover and preserve the frescoes. The site was closed entirely for the last three months to allow repairs to its mosaic floor. The giant eruption devastated Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago but the ash and rock helped preserve many buildings almost in their original state, as well as the curled-up corpses of victims. — AFP SUNDAY | M A R C H 2 2 l 2 0 1 5 P29 P31 P30 Inside New York celebrates ‘Mad Men’ end Antioxidant that backs up liver crisis ‘Home’ made JLo emotional FOLLOW US ON: www.omanobserver.om [email protected] The world of Japanese artist Nara W hen the quake-tsunami disaster devastated Japan’s northeast in March 2011, killing thousands and sparking a nuclear crisis that is still wreaking misery today, it also swept away the inspiration of one of Japan’s most famous contemporary artists, Yoshitomo Nara. Known best for his deceptively simple, almost cartoon-like canvasses featuring sometimes sinister images of young girls and animals, the 55-year-old was so devastated by the destruction wreaked on his home region he found himself unable to paint. Four years later, in his largest show in Asia outside Japan at Hong Kong’s Art Basel exhibition, his latest works focus on death and the impermanence of life. The title piece, “Life is Only One,” features his trademark innocent young girl — this time holding a skull. Arriving in Hong Kong to open the show, Nara talked to AFP about the impact of the disaster on Japan’s art scene, his plans to visit Lapland and a pair of Spock ears given to him by the late Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy. Q: How did the Fukushima disaster affect you on a personal level? “It made me feel helpless. I live 100 kilometres from the Fukushima power plant and I was born in Hirosaki, Aomori Yoshitomo Nara prefecture (north of the disaster zone), where my mother still lives. People told me to run away to escape from the place but I preferred to stay there to try to help. But I felt helpless as an artist, and as someone from the northeast area, like my art can’t really do anything for people. “For a while I couldn’t really focus on painting. In about six months I did one painting, when I would normally do more than 10. Instead, I started to make sculptures. I wanted to use my hands to touch something and make a mark. I went back to Aichi (Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music in Nagakute, his alma mater) where I felt more comfortable: it was a kind of rehabilitation.” Q: How did the disaster impact Japanese art more broadly? “Part of Japan’s history was lost. There was a very famous place for making traditional Japanese ceramics where everything was destroyed. All the kilns were broken — very, very old tra- ditional kilns that no one will make again — and ceramics I had made myself were all destroyed. There were lots of museums that had very good collections of traditional works which were destroyed as well. “But it’s not just art that was lost: a lot of people lost the images of their families. If you have lost all of your albums and videos so you can no longer see your grandpa or grandma, or your parents — compared with the loss of culture or art, it’s more sad to lose something like that.” Q: You have said before you don’t like social media, but you use it a lot. What do you think of it? “For me, social media has limitations. On it I only show the part I want to show people — there are so many things I don’t show. Maybe you think I’m a very open, very cool person, but I’m not! So many people want to look at me, to know me, on social media I can positively choose what I want to show.” Q: Do you have a favourite among your works? “There’s not a particular artwork that I prefer, it’s more about what I went through when I painted that work. Artworks don’t just come from one thing or one particular incident, it’s like layers of the past.(In my early works) I put lots of different elements in the painting, which I thought was more clear. Now I paint only one thing and it can explain everything.” Q: What do you plan to do next? “Next I want to go on a trip to paint. My goal is not just to be an artist but to travel, and to continue to travel as an artist. I’d like to go to Lapland. I like the reindeer and I come from the north, so I like the landscape: full of snow, white.” Q: You knew the late Leonard Nimoy and he once gave you some Spock ears. What will you do with them? Just pray. (Leonard) was a very kindly nice person. He also had a childish heart: when he invited me to his house for dinner you could see toy trains on tracks running along the walls. — AFP
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