omandailyobserver

SUNDAY | MAY 22, 2016 | SHAABAN 15, 1437 AH
VOL. 35 NO. 190 | PAGES 32 | BAISAS 200
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
ENGLAND ROUT LANKA BY INNINGS AND 88 RUNS P25
NOKIA TO SHED MORE THAN 1,000 JOBS P17
OMAN
China deal to attract
$10bn investments
MUSCAT: Wang Yong, State Councillor
of the People’s Republic of China, will
begin a two-day visit to the Sultanate
on Sunday. The Chinese guest will
meet HH Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood
al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the
Council of Ministers, and officials in
the Sultanate. Yahya bin Said al Jabri,
Chairman of the Board of Directors of
the Special Economic Zone Authority at
Duqm, will lead the welcoming party.
During the visit, a usufruct agreement
will be signed to establish the ChineseOmani Industrial City in Duqm which
will attract investments to the tune of
$10 billion by 2022.
SUBCONTINENT
Aid reaches flooded
Sri Lankan capital
COLOMBO: Foreign aid began arriving
in Sri Lanka on Saturday, bringing help
to half a million people forced out of
their homes by rains and landslides
that have killed at least 71 in a week
of extreme weather wreaking havoc
in South Asia. As the heaviest rains
in a quarter of a century battered Sri
Lanka, Cyclone Roanu barrelled into the
Bangladesh coastline leaving six people
dead and forcing the evacuation of
500,000 there.
REPORT ON P7
REGION
At least 60,000 dead
in Syria prisons
BEIRUT: At least 60,000 people have
died in Syrian government prisons over
the past five years from torture or due to
dire humanitarian conditions, including a
lack of food, a monitor said on Saturday.
The head of the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights monitoring group, Rami
Abdel Rahman, said he compiled the toll
from government sources. “Since March
2011, at least 60,000 people lost their lives
to horrible conditions, notably the lack of
medication or food, in detention centres,”
Abdel Rahman said.
REPORT ON P13
INSIDESTORIES
6
CHINA WARNS WILL CUT CONTACTS
IF TAIWAN DOESN’T TOE LINE
P
THE VERY IDEA OF A PRESIDENT
TRUMP SCARES SOME
P
VENEZUELA FLEXES MILITARY
MUSCLE WITH EXERCISES
P
9
14
WEATHER TODAY
MUSCAT
MAX: 410C
MIN: 330C
SALALAH
MAX: 340C
MIN: 290C
SUNRISE 05.20 AM
PRAYER TIMINGS
FAJR: 03:54
DHUHR: 12:03
ASR: 15:24
MAGHRIB: 18:45
ISHA: 20:15
NIZWA
MAX: 410C
MIN: 280C
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TORTOISE IN A BABY STROLLER P30
20 trucks of agricultural products destroyed
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
May 21: Several tonnes of agricultural
crops were destroyed by the food safety
officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and
Agriculture for failing to produce fitness
certificate for human consumption at
the Wajaja border which separates the
Sultanate of Oman with the United Arab
Emirates (UAE).
According to a statement from the
Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture,
20 trucks of farm products exported
from Oman to the neighbouring country
were destroyed after finding pesticide
content above the permitted levels and
the expatriate drivers failed to show any
quality assurance certificate to the border
officials.
“The officials at the border asked the
drivers of the trucks to show quality
assurance certificate but they didn’t
have any, after they found the presence
of pesticides in vegetables was above
the permitted limit,” an official at the
ministry told the Observer on phone.
Later, the ministry issued a statement
based on the news which was circulated
on social media over the destruction of
vegetable consignments.
“We, the Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries would like to clarify that the
Department of Agriculture Quarantine
at the Al Wajaja border seized vegetable
shipments which were deemed noncompliant with the requirements after it
had been returned from a neighbouring
country because the persons in charge of
these shipments submitted misleading
information. They failed to declare some
types of vegetables on the application
form for quality certificate.”
Worst phase over for Oman
RESILENT: Sultanate has been prudent in its fiscal stance as no downturn seen
VINOD NAIR
MUSCAT
May 21: It may take up to two
to three years for the global oil
market to stabilise at a higher price
level and much of this will depend
on how fast the US shale producers
will go out of business, said a
leading Oman-based economist.
During an interaction with
the Observer recently, Fabio
Scacciavillani, chief economist,
Oman Investment Fund, said, oil
prices are not sustainable at below
$60 per barrel in the long run as
worldwide the demand for fuel is
increasing. “Lot of people are still
buying cars in China and in other
emerging markets as the middle
class expands.”
Scacciavillani who previously
held several key positions
including at IMF, European
Central Bank and Goldman Sachs,
added, “Unless there is a big
recession or another unforeseeable
shock that might sap global
demand, oil prices should see a
substantial, albeit gradual recovery
soon.”
Expressing cautious optimism,
Scacciavillani said for Oman the
worst phase is behind us.
This first quarter of 2016 was
Over the next three
years, the country
doesn’t have much
debt. There will be a
budget deficit this year
too, but can expect
things to change by
2018
FABIO SCACCIAVILLANI
Chief economist,
Oman Investment Fund
perhaps the most testing period,
but 2017 may see a return to
normality while the following year
(2018) will be normal year, unless
there is an unlikely scenario of
Chinese economy slowing down
or, worse, collapsing. “Then it will
be a problem not for just Oman.”
He said Oman has been prudent
in its fiscal stance and we have not
experienced a major downturn.
The Omani economy hinges
on the oil revenues that used
to fund current government
expenditures such as civil service
wages or capital expenditure on
infrastructure.
TURN TO P3
LAKSHMI KOTHANETH
MUSCAT
May 21: Marine tourism in Oman has
become an important platform for small
and medium enterprises (SMEs) with more
opportunities yet to be tapped.
Marine tourism companies held an Open
Day under the auspices of Dr Hamed Said
al Oufi, Under-Secretary for Fisheries at the
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Deputy
Chairman of Al Rafd Fund, at Marina Bander
Al Rowdha.
On the occasion a wooden dhow named
Asma was launched by the chief guest.
The Open Day was organised by the
Oman’s marine tourism companies which
operate from Marina Bandar Al Rowdha.
There are about 10 companies based at the
marina, and they said one of the main goals
of the ceremony was to express gratitude to
His Majesty’s support to these companies
through Riyada and Al Rafd Fund.
“We have seen from traditional wooden
dhows to modern vessels with new facilities
and safety issues highlighted.
TURN TO P3
LINKING
France to test EU-wide
passenger data sharing
PARIS: France will test an EU-wide passenger data
sharing system aimed at helping to detect militants
at two of its busiest airports later this month, a senior
interior ministry official said on Saturday.
The Passenger Name Record system, approved
by the European Parliament in April, will be tested
at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport and that of
southeastern Nice before the tests are extended to all
French airports, the official said.
He said the system should be “fully operational”
by the end of the year, although EU countries were
given two years to turn it into national law.
The idea is to “gradually link all the airlines”
operating in France, the official said.
Airlines participating in the tests will include
Air France, Delta Airlines, Air Transat, Etihad and
Emirates, the French daily Le Figaro reported. — AFP
SMEs take up marine
tourism successfully
Smoke reported on EgyptAir jet before crash
PARIS: An EgyptAir jet sent a series of
signals indicating that smoke had been
detected on board before it crashed
into the Mediterranean on Thursday,
France’s air accident investigation
agency said on Saturday.
A spokesman for the BEA agency
said the signals did not indicate what
caused the smoke or fire on board the
plane, which plunged into the sea with
66 people on board as it was heading
from Paris to Cairo. But they offered
the first clues as to what unfolded in the
Recovered debris of the EgyptAir jet that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea. — Reuters
moments before the crash.
AIRLINES
One aviation source said that a fire
on board would likely have generated
multiple warning signals, while a
sudden explosion may not have
generated any — though officials stress
that no scenario, including explosion,
is being ruled out.
The army published pictures on
Saturday on its official Facebook page
of the recovered items, which included
blue debris with EgyptAir markings,
seat fabric with designs in the airline’s
colours, and a yellow lifejacket.
SEE ALSO P13
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Sur marks Shaabaniyah
The Wilayat of Sur marked the Shaabaniyah (Shaaban 14), a religious
occasion observed by visits to relatives and neighbours. Children wear new
clothes and go from house to another receiving gifts, sweets and money.
Go easy on mountain demolition
GREENS SEE RED: Rampant destruction threat to environment, a nuisance in Darsait
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
May 21: Environmentalists are
worried that development sometimes
take a toll on Sultanate’s picturesque
mountains. They have urged caution
on demolishing mountains which will
affect the environment.
“Any natural setting shouldn’t be
harmed or deformed for construction
projects”, says an official at the Oman’s
Office for Conservation of the
Environment.
“But having said that, no
development is not without a price.
Every development has a price and
a nation cannot achieve its goals
of development without harming
its natural settings but finally, the
demolishing of mountains should be
moderate and not too large.”
He was referring to the massive
demolition of mountains in and
around Darsait causing irreparable
damage to the surroundings, and
inconvenience and ill health to
Darsait residents.
The mammoth, rocky
located
mountains
in Aint village
less
than
just a kilometre away from the sea
in Darsait have been flattened using
several earthmovers in order to make
buildings in this area.
Every morning, the residents are
jolted by the noise of heavy earth
moving machines breaking down
mountains and trucks waiting for
their turn to transport the piles of soil
and rocks.
“We wake up to the deafening noise
of excavators and bulldozers at early
morning and they are causing traffic
blocks besides causing a multitude of
health issues,” a resident of Darsait
said.
Another local resident aptly said
quoting a verse from Holy Quran that
mountains are the key to maintaining
a perfect eco-balance and playing
with nature would be disastrous.
“Almighty Allah has in the Holy
Quran sad that ‘the mountains are
the nails with which I have kept earth
closer’ and playing with mountains
will be calamitous.”
Underlining what the residents
and expert have said, the
Head of the
We wake up to the
deafening noise of
excavators and bulldozers
at early morning and they
are causing traffic blocks
besides causing a multitude
of health issues
A DARSAIT RESIDENT
Department of Department of
Earthquake
Monitoring
Centre
(DEQMC) at the Sultan Qaboos
University (SQU) has said meddling
around with the nature should be
avoided as much as possible.
“Any alteration to the natural
setting will have dire consequences
and one ought not play with
the nature”, Dr Issa el
Hussain, Director,
DEQMC, told the Observer.
The
merciless
mountain
demolitions are proving hazardous to
the people living in this area especially
the children. Some families said their
kids have been falling sick more often
breathing the dust from rocks.
“My three kids have been falling
sick with respiratory complaints
which I thought likely because of
climate change but a doctor suggested
that this might be due to the dust
from the mountain digging”, a mother
of three said. Besides, people are also
getting tired of the dust settling down
on washed clothes.
“I had this experience a couple of
times as I kept my washed clothes
atop the house and went for work
seeing no JCB outside. But later in
the evening, I was shocked to see the
machines at work and all my clothes
were blackened by dust,” a woman
said.
Ibra showcases heritage of horsemanship
IBRA: Many riders took part
in the traditional horse riding
and race held in Ibra on Friday.
Cheered on by the visitors
and residents
style, the
heritage of horsemanship in
the Sultanate was on display
with adventurous Omani
riders standing on their
horses backs, or on two horses
running in tandem.
Horses were decorated
with embroidered colourful
clothing known as the Numnah
that is put under the saddle to
avoid the body of the horse
getting scraped or bruised by
the friction caused against its
skin by the saddle or Za’ana.
Unlike saddles used in other
parts of the world, Omani
Za’ana has no leg stirrups. This
is challenging for the riders as
they have to use their heels to
control the horse.
— Pictures by KP Libin
Indian Defence Minister to meet Fahd today
MUSCAT: Manohar Parrikar, India’s Minister of Defence arrived here on
Friday on a three-day official visit. The minister and his accompanying
delegation were welcomed upon arrival at Muscat International Airport by
Brig Saud bin Khalifa al Hatmi, Head of Military Protocol and Public Relations
at COSAF and Indra Mani Pandey; Ambassador of India to the Sultanate
and the defence advisor of the Indian embassy in Muscat. The minister and
his delegation will meet His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said,
Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers on Sunday. — ONA
Three Indian Naval
ships reach Muscat
MUSCAT: Indian Naval Ships Deepak,
Tarkash and Delhi, under the Command
of Flag Officer Commanding Western
Fleet, Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh, will
visit Muscat from May 21 to 24.
The ships are part of Indian Navy’s
Western Naval Command, based at
Mumbai, and are on a month-long
deployment in the Gulf region to
enhance bilateral ties with friendly
regional Navies.
During the visit to Muscat, the
ships’ crew will have professional
interactions with Royal Navy of Oman
for enhancing co-operation and sharing
their experiences in naval operations,
including disaster management and
combating maritime threats of terrorism
and piracy.
Apart from professional interactions,
sports and social engagements for
the crew are also planned. There is
a historical tradition of maritime
interaction between India and Oman,
dating back to several millennia.
Indian Navy today is the largest
resident Navy in Indian Ocean Region,
The ships are part of
Indian Navy’s Western
Naval Command, based
at Mumbai, and are on a
month-long deployment in
the Gulf region to enhance
bilateral ties with friendly
regional Navies
with multi-dimensional capability,
comprising aircraft carriers, modern
ships, submarines, aircraft and marine
commandos.
A notable feature of Indian Navy’s
force structure is the fact that an
overwhelming majority of its ships are
designed and built in India.
Indian Navy has close and friendly
ties with the Navies of the Gulf region
and has been regularly exercising with
many of them.
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Summer stokes fire risks SMEs take up marine
tourism successfully
INFLAMMABLE: Care and precaution must be followed both at
establishments and homes to avoid loss of life and damage
Fabio Scacciavillani
Worst phase
over for Oman
FROM PAGE 1
Both these channels have been remarkably
resilient thanks to a clever management
of resources. The country is still
developing new oil fields, which will add
to production, to be followed by gas for
the industry coming from Iran and also
the new BP project. Over the next three
years, the country doesn’t have much debt.
“There will be a budget deficit this year too,
but can expect things to change by 2018.”
He said that several shale producers in
the US will find it increasingly hard to raise
additional debt to fund their loss making
ventures and will head for bankruptcy,
which will remove up to a couple of millions
of barrels per day out of the market.
“Shale business has been never
profitable and they got most of their
funding through loans. A year ago,
when the oil prices rebounded to $60
per barrel after touching the $40 levels,
these producers were able to consolidate
somewhat refinance their projects.”
Scacciavillani expects the crude
inventory so far built up to be exhausted
over a three-year period and preferred the
recovery process to be slow and erratic.
“If the oil prices touch $80, expectations
over further upside may induce gullible
investors to risk additional money into
unsustainable shale business.” He said the
acute phase in the context of a crisis seems
to be over and the long term equilibrium
price for major oil grades should be in the
range of $80 to $90. The cheapest deposits
are being depleted and large projects have
been put on hold. “So the next round of
supply has to come via Arctic or deep water
drilling, which is very expensive.”
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
May 21: As the temperature soars high,
chances of a fire are high, according to an
official at the Public Authority for Civil
Defence and Ambulances (PACDA).
Extreme care and precaution must be
followed both at the industrial premises
and homes to avoid loss of life, injuries
and property damage.
“Preventing fires is every individual’s
responsibility. A great amount of
care is needed to be observed during
these hot days and companies need
to focus on inculcating a culture
of safety and security among
their team members. Corporates need to
conduct continuous awareness sessions
on the fire disaster,” the PACDA officia
told the Observer.
Last week, a massive fire broke out at
a couple of warehouses of major FMCG
and furnishing companies in Misfah in
Al Amerat leading to property damage.
“The first responder should be the
private companies where they have to
be ready with precautions and remedial
measures well in advance and the
awareness should be on a regular basis”.
He said PACDA conducted routine
mock drills for all sectors of companies
and its an ongoing activity at the
Authority.
He suggested a couple of steps to be
followed by every individual at his or
her work place and home.
“First, a good housekeeping is the
need of the hour and every company
must follow the same. Keeping waste
materials and other clutter is potential
fire risk. Preventing access to exits and
emergency equipment will lead to loss
of life.”
As far as the oil companies are
concerned, he suggests oily rags have
to be kept in a covered metal container.
Sohar dump blaze put out
Muscat: The Public Authority for Civil
Defence and Ambulances has put out a
massive fire in Sohar Falaj Al Qabil area
on Saturday. “Dumped car tyres caught
fire. PACDA team were able to contain
the fire and douse it without any injuries,”
PACDA tweeted. According to a report
by the National Centre for Statistics and
Information, a fire incident is reported
every three hours in the country, and
23 per cent of them are reported from
residential areas.
This waste should be properly disposed
of on a regular basis and machinery and
other equipment should be maintained
to prevent overheating and friction
sparks.
“On the employees’ part, any
smaller electrical hazards should be
reported to the management as in
many incidents, fires were caused
by faulty wiring and malfunctioning
electrical equipment. One should never
attempt electrical repair unless he or she
is a qualified and authorised personnel.”
Also, those who use and store
chemicals, they should do so safely.
One should go through the label
and the material safety data sheet to
determine flammability and other fire
hazards. Adequate ventilation should be
provided when using and storing these
substances.
“We are mostly concerned about
the prevention part which can reduce
chances of fire as well as mitigate the
loss even after an incident,” he said.
The PACDA conducts surprise visits
and inspections at the factories and
production centres to check whether
they are well-equipped to face blaze and
mitigating losses after the incident.”
CSR spending stands at RO 4.4 million
STAFF REPORTER
MUSCAT
MAY 21: Despite a directive by the
Capital Market Authority (CMA),
several listed companies have not
provided details about their corporate
social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
According to information, 50
companies listed on the Muscat
Securities Market have not revealed
their allocation to CSR projects in the
financial reports for the 2015 fiscal year.
The CMA in 2012, while widening
the scope of the CSR, made it
mandatory that companies disclose
details of the funds allocated for
community programmes.
The allocated amount helps
in financing many CSR projects
implemented by civil society, nongovernmental and charity organisations
especially programmes related to
education, training and assisting poor
families.
At the same time, a report by Oman
News Agency reveals that a total of
RO 4.4 million were allocated by 57
companies as part of CSR initiatives and
supporting civil society and charitable
organizations for the financial year
ending December 31, 2015.
In terms of the value of amounts
allocated for CSR programmes in
2016, National Bank of Oman came
first with RO 639,000, Omantel came
second with RO 500,000, Raysut
Cement came third with RO 425,000,
Oman Oil Marketing came fourth
with RO 300,000, Renaissance Services
Company and Ooredoo Company
came fifth, each with RO 250,000,
Dhofar International Development and
Investment Company came sixth with
RO 200,000 and Bank Dhofar came
seventh with RO 120,000.
Nine companies have allocated
RO 100,000 for CSR programmes.
At the same time, Salalah Port
Services allocated RO 72,000 and
four companies allocated RO 50,000.
The average amount allocated for
community service programme is RO
2,000. Similarly, the Takaful insurance
companies urged their shareholders
to pay zakat. Takaful Oman company
said that its annual general assembly
meeting, which was held on March 22,
approved the recommendations made
by Sharia Supervisory Board for the
shareholders to pay RO 80,000 as zakat.
Izki hosts meet to study sun, planets
AMAL AL RIYAMI
NIZWA
May 21: We get great insights and
knowledge when we look at the solar
system, said Dr Saleh al Shidhani,
President of the Omani Astronomical
Society, while speaking at an
astronomical evening organised by
the Cultural Committee of Al Basra
sports team in Izki on Friday.
The event was held in collaboration
with Omani Astronomical Society at
Muneer bin al Nair Mosque under
the auspicious of Dr Shaikh Yousuf
bin Ibrahim al Serhani.
The evening began with a reading
from the Holy Quran. Later, Dr
Saleh al Shidhani spoke about
the usefulness of reflection and
meditation in enabling people to
expand their horizon of knowledge.
“When a person looks into the orbs
and meditates it increases the ability
and endurance of the human mind”,
Al Shidhani added.
He explained the benefits people
stand to gain when they look at the
larger dimensions of the creation
of the sky and the earth and how
praying five times a day is linked to
the movement of the sun.
FROM PAGE 1
Al Shidhani also spoke about the
dark space and the impact of light
on it. He explained the movement of
stars and the sun.
He also mentioned the reasons for
the difference in mid-day between
summer and winter using Stellarium,
a free open source planetarium
for your computer which shows a
realistic sky in 3D, just like what you
see with the naked eye, binoculars or
a telescope.
He also spoke about the distance of
planets from the sun and the factors
that cause seasons. Al Shidhani
concluded by appreciating the creator
of the universe.
Companies which contributed in
organising the event were honoured.
Abdullah al Rashidi, the head of
Al Basra team and the international
referee, honoured the sponsor of the
event.
Later, the participants of the event
were taken outside the mosque where
telescopes were set up to look at the
Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and some other
stars. The audience enjoyed watching
the galaxies. The Astronomical
Evening included a visual presentation
and a detailed explanation of the sun,
its components and its temperature.
Shaikh Yousuf al Serhani said: “We
were pleased with all the information
provided to us about astronomy,
galaxies, stars, planets, meteors,
meteorites, etc. The information
about movements and the distances
between the planets are all very
useful.”
He thanked the organisers for
organising the event aimed at
dissemination of science, knowledge
and progress.
Abdullah al Rashidi, said: “Today’s
event came about after we contacted
the head of the Omani Astronomical
Society and he readily agreed to
organise the event. This has enabled
the audience to watch the planets,
stars and moons.”
What we can see that is the growth
potential is very high. The infrastructure
with which the government is trying to
support, I think is the way forward.
“We, from the Rafd Fund and
Riyada, are giving full support because
this sector is run by Omanis. They
know the Muscat Governorate by heart.
They provide impressive trips and that
is why it is beginning of summer, but
their boats are full with tourists from
Oman and abroad,” Dr Al Aufi said.
The marine tourism companies are
run by former fishermen who faced
difficulties in the fishing industry but
found a new role as entrepreneurs using
their skill with the knowledge of the sea.
“We think this is an important sector
for Oman. This is an area we think
can generate a lot of opportunities for
Omanis as owners of business as well
as employees. Today we are proud to
see Omanis operating the vessels and
providing services for nationals and
tourists coming to Oman. We think
there are possibilities to find new
opportunities within this sector.
“We want to encourage more
Omanis to take up the opportunities
in this sector which will also fulfil
Oman’s vision for tourism. The
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is
building new fishing ports and they are
dedicating part of it for marine tourism.
“We are seeing interest from SMEs in
marine tourism in Salalah, Al Sharqiyah
and Musandam,” said Khalifa said al
Abri, Chief Executive Officer of Riyada.
Fahad al Farsi has been in the
business for the past 10 years and has
never looked back and the experience
has been similar for others too.
Ahmed al Lamki’s business activities
are water sports and event managed
at Bandar al Khiran. “I have even
students who come up on weekends
wanting to work. Two of our captains
came into our team first by wanting to
work as beginners and they grew with
experience and training.”
Ahmed al Masheri is starting a
new venture with the launch of the
new dhow Asma. The entrepreneurs
are experts on locations for dolphin
watching, water sports, snorkelling,
diving and sport fishing as well.
These are local fishermen, who
with the support of His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos has taken up the venture.
They have infrastructure backing of
Marina Bandar Rowdha to realise their
objective of being part of the marine
tourism industry.
This is a sustainable way of passing
on the tradition of depending on the
sea for their livelihood to the new
generation. “The significant role of
Riyada and Al Raffd fund is that of
supporting sustainable professions,”
Khalid al Haraib, Deputy CEO, Riyada.
Recently the Marina and the
Marine Tourism companies reached
a sustainable agreement on how the
companies formed by the locals should
be operated. “A proposal was submitted
to His Majesty and received his blessings
as these professions are very important
to move forward in a sustainable way
because His Majesty has a long vision
not just for tourism but involving locals
in tourism. Development is nothing
until the locals are involved in it.
“Some of these companies have been
working for a few years now, but with
Marina Bandar al Rowdha coming
into the picture we are going to see a
transition in an important way. The
livelihood of the families are going to
be enhanced as well. They are all from
the villages around this place,” said Al
Haraib. It is the knowledge of the sea
that is gaining these entrepreneurs
an upper hand. “The dolphins you
are watching now are called spinner
dolphins. You can watch them from 8
am till 12 noon. You can also rest assure
there is a lot of tuna around if you want
to try fishing,” said Fahad.
Drama lovers to pay tribute to Dostoyevsky
MUSCAT: The drama lovers in the
Sultanate of Oman is all set to pay tribute to
the legendary writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky
with a play titled Dostoyevsky Through
the Glass Window on June 3 at the Oman
Auditorium of Al Bustan Hotel.
This Malayalam play, organised by
Indian Social Club, Oman (ISC) is an
independent interpretation on the life
and times of Dostoyevsky. Divided into
seven acts with 23 scenes, the play draws
characters from one of his masterpieces
“Crime and Punishment” .
“It was a challenge to portray one of
the greatest writers of his age through
one of his acclaimed literary works to the
audience in a totally different era,” Vinod
Nair, who conceptualised and directed the
play told the Observer.
Suresh B Nair is donning the lead role as
Fyodor while Gopika Nair, class XII student
of ISD will give life to Anna. Mini Sunil,
Somasundaram, Basheer Erumeli, Deepthi
Menon, Sharath Palat, Noel, Neeraj, and
Remya Denzil play other characters.
The songs are penned by lyricist Rafeeq
Ahmed and composed by Dr Sreevalsan J
Menon. Ravishankar has sung the curtain
raiser song along with Sreelakshmi. The
mesmerising solo is sung by Rani Vinod.
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Fisheries sector prospers in Dhofar
4
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
PRODUCTION UP: Fish production in 2015 reached about 34,756 tonnes with large jack,
sardines and croaker representing the bulk
SALALAH: The Governorate of Dhofar
is located on the Arabian Sea, and it
is rich in fisheries along its coastline
stretching from the Wilayat of Dhalkout
on the west to the Niyabat of Sharbathat
to the east.
The government has given this
wealth a great deal of attention due to
the importance of fisheries sector as one
of the important pillars of the national
economy development.
The amount of fish production in
Governorate of Dhofar in 2015 reached
about 34,756 tonnes, including 17,315
tonnes of Demersal fish, 7,271 tonnes
of large Pelagic fish and 5,955 tonnes
of small Pelagic fish. Shark and ray
fish reached 1,460 tonnes. Large jack,
sardines, emperor and croaker represent
the bulk of the production.
Lobster
production
in
the
Governorate of Dhofar totalled 271
tonnes of the Sultanate’s total production,
which amounted to 416 tonnes in 2015.
Squid production for the same year
amounted to 1,520 tonnes.
The Governorate of Dhofar is famous
for its production of Abalone, which is
one of the rare marine wealth and one
of the important economic species that
abound in the Omani waters.
They are exported mostly to Asian
markets through local merchants.
The Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries sets up the fishing season for
Abalone, as well as the issuance of special
resolutions banning Abalone fishing and
trading during some years to maintain
the sustainability of this wealth that may
be exposed to extinction due to illegal
and overfishing. It was banned in 2008,
2009 and 2010 to enhance its stock.
In 2011, Abalone fishing was allowed
OMANEXPO
Shifa al Jazeera group
announces excellence award
MUSCAT: Dr K T Rabiulla, Chairman,
Shifa al Jazeera group, announced
the 17th Shifa Excellence awards.
The winners list includes Life
Time Achievement Award for
Padmabhushan Dr K J Yesudas
(singer).
The other achievement
awards will be awarded to Dr V P
Gangadharan (renowned oncologist
and philanthropist), M Jayachandran
(National Award Winning Music
Director), Saleem Ahmed (National
Award Winning film Director),
Sidhique (South Indian film actor), Dr
Seminar for civil
pension on May 24
starting from October 20, 2011 until
November 20, 2011. 149 tonnes of
Abalone were caught, which is the largest
amount of Abalone in one season.
The Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries is working on achieving
excellent development of fisheries sector
and workers in this sector through
development of policies, programmes
and mechanisms to be implemented
through the directorates-general in the
governorates.
The project to improve the quality
of fish markets in the Governorate of
Dhofar, which was carried out by the
Directorate-General of Fisheries during
2012 and 2013 maintained and qualified
fish market in Salalah by introducing a
significant change in the form of market
elements and encouraging fishermen,
sellers, fish cutters, and fish transporters
through the use of tools that ensure
the arrival of fish in high quality for
consumers.
A project is being implemented by
the Directorate-General of Fisheries
Research in the Governorate of Dhofar
to conduct a biological study and traps
for five types of commercial fisheries
that enjoy high economic value in
Governorate of Dhofar in the domestic
and overseas markets.
The Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries carried out a development
and guiding project in the Niyabat of
Al Halaniyat Islands in the Wilayat of
Shaleem and Al Halaniyat Islands. It is a
development project for agricultural and
fishery sector in Al Halaniyat Islands.
It is funded by the Agricultural and
Fisheries Development Fund at a cost of
RO 200,000 for the first stage over two
years.
The Directorate-General of Fisheries
in Governorate of Dhofar, and the
fisheries departments in the governorate
in the coastal wilayats organised many
awareness and guidance events and
activities, to raise awareness on the
importance of preservation of marine
resources through scientific lectures by
specialists of the directorate in schools
of the governorate and in the fishing
communities.
— ONA
MUSCAT: The Public Authority
for Social Insurance (PASI), in
collaboration with the GCC SecretariatGeneral, will host on May 24, Tuesday,
the 12th periodic seminar for civil
pension and social security authorities
(CPSSA), entitled “Role of Media in
Spreading Insurance Culture,” under
the patronage of Shaikh Ahmed bin
Mohammed al Nadabi, Under-Secretary
of the Ministry of Civil Service for Civil
Service Employees Affairs.
The two-day seminar aims to
promote insurance culture within the
GCC countries, strengthen cooperation
among media institutions in the
GCC social insurance and pension
establishments with the local and Gulf
media, as well as raising the profile and
culture of social insurance and pension
and emphasising the advanced stage
they reached in the media field.
The seminar also aims at cooperating
NURSING CONFERENCE HELD
MUSCAT: The Royal Hospital held a nursing conference in coincidence with the International Nurses Day under the auspices of Dr Sultan bin Yarub al Busaidy, Adviser of
the Ministry of Health for Health Affairs. The conference was attended by 200 nurses from all over the Sultanate.
The conference will stress on the importance of date palm in food production
Investment in date palm
sector conference on May 23
MUSCAT: A Conference on the
Investment in Date Palm Sector (Reality
and Prospects) will be held on May 23
under the auspices of Dr Fuad bin Jaafar
al Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and
Fisheries.
The three-day conference is organised
by the Directorate-General of Million
Date Palm Plantation Project at the
Diwan of Royal Court.
The
conference
stresses
the
importance of date palm in food
production to achieve food security.
It is strongly linked with the Arab
agriculture heritage in general and the
Omani heritage in particular. Date palm
forms the cornerstone of life in the
Sultanate in the past and present.
It also represents an inherited
cultural and heritage that constitutes an
important source of income.
The importance of date palm is
reflected on the Royal Directives of His
Majesty Sultan Qaboos to implement the
Million Date Palm Plantation Project in a
bid to enhance the importance of the date
palm and its place in the Sultanate, as
well as developing date palm cultivation
and production, improving marketing
infrastructure.
The conference aims at exchanging
expertise and information on the latest
scientific and practical achievements
and experiences in the post-harvest
transactions and high quality dates
production, in addition to dates and
other date palm products manufacturing,
methods and techniques of marketing
and encouraging investment on dates
and date palm sector.
The event will discuss investment in
with media organisations and websites
and investing them in the media of
social insurance and pension.
The seminar this year targets
employees in institutions of social
insurance and pension, labour and trade
union federations, as well as employees
in the public and private media
institutions (press, radio, television,
social media operating under the
media of civil society institutions, press
associations and trade unions), writers
and interested persons in insurance and
pension, in addition to employees in the
academic sector.
The seminar includes several
sessions on social insurance and
pension systems, including reputation
management, building of mental image
in media and across social networking
platforms, with the participation
of specialists, experts and media
professionals.
— ONA
Chinese State
Councillor on visit
PAEW to hold
conference
on May 23
MUSCAT: Oman Energy and Water
Exhibition and Conference will kick off
tomorrow, May 23, under the patronage
of Mohammed bin Salim al Toobi,
Minister of Environment and Climate
Affairs.
The three-day event is organised
by the Public Authority for Electricity
and Water (PAEW), in partnership
with Omanexpo at Oman International
Exhibition Centre.
The Oman Energy and Water
Exhibition and Conference is designed
to create a platform for stakeholders
to discuss real issues and solutions to
the energy and water challenges and
opportunities in Oman.
It will also discuss ways to improved
collaboration among local key sectors
in both public and private to share
information and to forge joint initiatives
in order to achieve a sustainable
planning for the future.
The event will be the leading force
in delivering a platform for the utilities
industry to meet, share information on
the challenges facing the industry, and
discuss solutions for Oman’s energy and
water future.
It is slated to be the industry’s
premier conference and exhibition
dedicated to the power generation,
renewable and alternative energy and
transmission and distribution, as well
as water related industries.
The Oman Energy and Water
Exhibition and Conference will also
focus on different control policies,
quality management, analysis of
the most suitable technologies, and
effective management of power and
water resources.
The conference ensures a quality
knowledge-sharing
forum
along
with an appropriate essence of
business opportunities to benefit the
organisations today.
The programme will feature
stimulating presentations, interactive
panel discussions and debates on
energy issues, policies, technologies,
strategies and best practices. — ONA
Uma Preman (social activist), Kamal
Varadoor (sports journalist), Anwar
Moidheen (journalist) and Vava Suresh
(social activist).
The award consists of a memento
and Rs 500,000 in cash. Life time
achievement award consists of a
memento and Rs one million.
The award ceremony will be
held at Muscat on December 30.
Prominent political leaders such as P
K Kunjalikutty, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan,
actor Mammootty, Dulquar Salman,
industrialist Dr Anil Pillai will be among
the guest of honours.
the date sector (Reality & Prospects) and
the modern techniques for post-harvest
transactions, in addition to highlighting
specifications of dates and their related
industries and reviewing the successful
stories in the Arab countries.
The conference will include an
exhibition to display samples of
household dates’ industries and other
types of the date palm, as well as heritage
and traditional industries based on date
palm, and heritage and old tools used in
the date palm serving. — ONA
MUSCAT: Wang Yong, State Councillor
of the People’s Republic of China will
begin a two-day visit to the Sultanate
today. The Chinese guest will meet
HH Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said,
Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of
Ministers and officials in the Sultanate.
Yahya bin Said al Jabri, Chairman
of the Board of Directors of the Special
Economic Zone Authority of Duqm
(SEZAD) will lead the welcoming party
for the guest upon his arrival at Muscat
International Airport. The Chinese State
Councillor will be accompanied by a
senior delegation comprising officials of
some Chinese companies.
The Chinese delegation will conduct
official meetings with the government
officials during their stay. — ONA
Christoph takes over as new GM
of Millennium Resort Mussanah
MUSCAT:
Christoph
Schleissing has taken charge
as the new general manager
of Millennium Resort
Mussanah. An industry
veteran, Christoph brings
with him over 28 years of
experience, innovation and
expertise in the hospitality
sector.
Under the new head, the
Millennium opened its family pool area
last week and plans are also to have a new
F&B offering, barbeque, ladies nights and
water sports activities.
Christoph says he is delighted and
honoured to join a resort with the prestige
and renown of the Millennium Resort
Mussanah. “It is a great pleasure to be a
part of this family and I look forward to
helping my team members achieve even
greater success in the future.”
For over 20 years, he had worked in
the Sultanate as the Banquet Manager
for the InterContinental Hotel Muscat.
Since then, Christoph noticed the
Sultanate’s future as a hub for tourism and
hospitality and it always remained a goal
to come back to Oman and see how it has
developed and play a role in building the
country’s future growth.
Christoph joined Millennium Resort
Mussanah in April 2016, bringing with
him over two decades of experience from
some of the world’s biggest
hospitality brands.
A veteran hotelier and
proven leader, Christoph
previously worked as GM,
Hilton Luxembourg and
the Hilton Luxor Resort
and Spa, which won more
than 20 awards during his
tenure. He also worked for
the Grand Hotel Europe in
St Petersburg, Russia, Potel Chabot, and
InterContinental Hotel and Resorts.
A graduate in Hospitality Management,
Christoph has managed some of the
largest and most important hotels and
resorts around the world including four
within the group Hilton Worldwide and
two hotels and resorts within IHG, the
InterContinental Hotels Group.
Renowned for being a highly
motivated and inspirational leader,
his results driven and personable
style of management have helped him
successfully lead multi-talented teams
all over the world and more than 20
international accolades have been
awarded to properties during his tenure.
Millennium Resort Mussanah has
consistently innovated and contributed to
the growth of tourism in Oman, bringing
professionals and developing the right
facilities to position the Sultanate as a
tourism destination of choice.
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OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
5
Indian schools excel in class 12 CBSE exams
ASWIN M
PAVITHRA R
RAMANSH G
GAYATRI M
MUSCAT: 50 per cent of total students got 90
per cent and above in Science while 71 per cent
obtained distinction in Commerce.
A total of 135 students appeared for the
exams in both the Science and Commerce
stream. Out of 77 students who appeared
in the Science stream, 35 have scored an
aggregate of more than 90 per cent and 41 out
of 58 students in Commerce stream scored an
aggregate of above 75 per cent.
In the Science Stream Gayatri Mainkar and
Karthik Girish secured 96.4 per cent and topped
the list, followed by Aswin Muraleedharan,
Jemmima Richard Gonsalves, Pavithra Ramesh
and Ramansh Goyal with 96 per cent in the
second position and Ramesh S with 95.8 per
RAMESH S
STEVE G
Muraleedharan, Jemmima Richard Gonsalves,
Ramesh S, Minhaj Azeez, Jude Geejo
Pullamkalam, Kiran Kishore Gallani, Kezia Jobel
cent in the third position.
Selvakumar, Tanusha Madhusudhan, Shanbag
The top position in the Commerce
Shivani Ganesh, Anuradha Kota and Revathy
stream has been secured by Gayathri
Balachandran (99), Mathematics: Kartik Pandit
Venkatanarayanan with 95.6 per cent, followed
(98). Individual toppers in the Commerce
by Steve George with 92.8 per cent and Aiman
Stream are as follows:
Mohamed Naim with 91.2 per cent . Top
Accountancy: Aiman Mohamed Naim,
honours in individual subjects are as follows:
Anant Deoskar, Dakshin Thomas, Salum
Physics: Kartik Pandit and Mridula Maria
Khan, Shilpa K P, Steve George, Arundhati
Jacob (98), Chemistry – Kriti Nitin Rajda and Neil
Bose, Gayathri Venkatanarayanan, Kiran
Franklin Pereira (99), Biology – Gayatri Mainkar
Anchan, Neama Hussain, Rija Kotian, Sruthi
(99), Computer Science: Ramansh Goyal,
Ravichandran and Vinain John Vincent (95),
Srinivas Thiagarajan Kashyap and Uddesh
Economics: Gayathri Venkatanarayanan (98),
Singh (97), Engineering Graphics: Aswin
Business Studies: Gayathri
ISG students shine
ISWK topper in science, commerce ISD outshines previous records
KEZIAH ELIZABETH
KISHORE KUMAR
MCWELL MELRAY
VISHAAL
UDANDARAO
ANISHA AMRATLAL
SNEHA PRASAD
MUSCAT: Indian
School Wadi Kabir
(ISWK), is the only
school to top in
both Science and
Commerce streams
in Oman in class XII
Board Examinations.
The students of
Indian School Wadi SHRADDHA
Kabir have come out VENKITARAMAN
with flying colours in Class 12 Board Exams
conducted by the CBSE in March 2016.
Of the 120 students of the Science stream,
Vishaal Udandarao has topped the list of
successful candidates with an aggregate
of 98 per cent followed by Kishore Kumar
Saravanan scoring 96.2 per cent in the
aggregate and Mcwell M Pereira adding
up an impressive 95.8 per cent. Vishaal
Udandarao has not only scored 100 per cent
in Chemistry and Computer Science.
Vishaal made ISWK proud by scoring
2400/2400 in the SAT exams held in 2016.
Of the 122 students of the Commerce
stream, Keziah Elizabeth Johnson stands
first with 96 per cent aggregate followed
by Shraddha Venkitaraman with 95.8
per cent in the second place. In the third
place Anisha Amratlal and Sneha Prasad
obtained an aggregate of 95 per cent . The
School Management, Principal and Staff
congratulated the students for their brilliant
results.
AISWARYA GAYATHRI
MUSCAT: Students of Indian School
Darsait proved yet again that with hard
work and dedication one can reach
great heights. In the AISSC Examination
for the year 2015-16, Grade XII students
came out with flying colours as they
successfully produced cent percent
results. Aishwarya Gayathri top scored
with 97.4 per cent in the Science stream,
Joshua Albert bagged the second
position with 95.4 per cent and Meghna
Lijo came third with 95.2 per cent .
In Commerce Stream, Vigneshwar
Arul Selvan secured the first position with
92per cent , followed by Jesbi Suja Babu
with 89.6per cent while Lino Cherian
Binoy grabbed the third position with
89.4per cent .
Out of 65 students in science stream,
52per cent students scored 80per cent
and above and in the Commerce stream
out of 64 students 48per cent students
scored 71per cent and above.
Among the subjects, Psychology
topped, scoring the school average of
94per cent while English came second
with the school average of 88.9per
cent , bettering remarkably all past
achievements.
School averages in other subjects
are: Marketing 88.1per cent , Computer
Science 83.8per cent , Multimedia & Web
Technology 82.3per cent , Chemistry
80.5 per cent , Physics 76.6per cent ,
Biology 74.1per cent , Business Studies
70.3per cent , Mathematics 68.5per cent
Economics 58per cent & Accountancy
55.5per cent .
TOP SCORERS - English: Meghna Lijo
YUSUF ALI
SALALAH: Two of Indian
School Salalah students Rubin
Jacob and Yusuf Ali secured
a perfect 100 in Chemistry
and both of them broke the
school’s previous records by
scoring 97.8 per cent and
96.8 per cent respectively in
class 12 CBSE board exams.
The school has been very
consistent in securing brilliant
results and this year too they
have done extremely well.
The concerted effort put in by
the management, principal,
staff and students helped the
students to come out with
flying colours with top scores
and distinctions.
Science: Rubin Jacob
topped the school with a
record breaking score of 489
marks (97.8 per cent ) followed
by Yusuf Ali with 484 marks
(96.8 per cent ) and Master Zaki
Abdul Cassim with 478 marks
(95.6 per cent). In the Science
Stream out of 56 students who
appeared for the class 12 exam,
46 got distinction i.e. above
75 per cent, and 10 students
secured marks between 60 per
cent and 74 per cent.
In the Commerce Stream,
Shubha topped with 476
marks (95.2 per cent) followed
by Mohammed Amir Hussain
with 459 marks (91.8 per cent
) and Master Mubasher Tariq
with 452 marks (90.4 per cent).
ZAKI ABDUL CASSIM
MUBHASHER TARIQ
In the Commerce stream, out
of 69 students, 33 students got
distinction and 27 students
secured marks between 60
and 74.
The highlights of the
results are as follows:
18 students secured more
GAYATHRI V
KARTHIK G
Venkatanarayanan (95), Informatics Practices
– Khushi Dhaval Modi and Amr Mohmed Nizar
(99) , Multimedia & Web Technology – Parvathy
Santhosh (97).
An exceptionally brilliant performance in
English was by Aamir Tufail, Karthik Girish,
Pavithra Ramesh and Ramansh Goyal who
obtained 97 per cent. In Engineering Graphics
11 students out of the 20 have scored 99
per cent which indeed is a commendable
performance.
The ISG family congratulated all the
students for their stupendous achievement.
They also expressed their gratitude to the
teachers as well as the parents of these
JEMMIMA G
students who have made the school proud.
ISM scores 16 centums
RAHUL RAJESH
VIGNESWAR
scored 97 followed by Joshua Albert with
96 marks. Besides, 67 students scored
95 marks each excelling all previous
records. 10 students, namely, Joshua
Albert, Rahul Rajesh Kumar, Sreelakshmi
Paruvayakode, Amna Nizar, Ambika
Jayasankar, RM Rajeeva Lokshanan,
Krishnamurthy D K, Joel John, Lino
Cherian Binoy & Vigneshwar Arul Selvan
scored 95 marks in Mathematics.
Aishwarya Gayathri brought laurels
to school when she scored centum
in Computer science. Apart from this
memorable feat, she has also topped in
Chemistry with 99 marks and in Biology
with 98 marks. Tanseem Khan scored 96
in Psychology.
Aishwarya Gayatri, Joshua Albert,
Rahul Rajesh Kumar, Sreelakshmi
Paruvayakode, RM Rajeeva Lokshanan &
Meghna Lijo scored 95 in Physics.
In the Commerce Stream, Aiswarya
P was the top scorer in Marketing with
99 marks. Mehar Fatima scored 95
marks in Multimedia& Web Technology.
Diya Dinesh, Vigneshwar Arul Selvan,
Aiswarya. P scored 95 in Economics.
While in Business Studies, Diya Dinesh,
Vigneshwar Arul Selvan & Aiswarya. P
became the top scorers with 95. Amil
Sajjad & Vigneshwar Arul Selvan scored
84 in Accountancy.
Dr Sridevi P Thashnath, Principal
congratulated the students, parents and
teachers on this remarkable achievement
creating history in the annals of the
school. She lauded the strenuous efforts
of all who worked as catalysts in making
school proud.
Indian School Salalah breaks previous records
RUBIN JACOB
AIMAN NAIM
MOHAMMED AMIR HUSSAIN
SHUBHA
than 90 per cent aggregate.
Two students (Master Rubin
Jacob and Master Yusuf Ali)
secured a perfect 100 in
Chemistry. Seventy eight
percent of the students got A
grades in English. The subject
toppers are as follows:
Samantha Mendonca (96
in English), Rubin Jacob (97
in Maths), Rubin Jacob (99
in Physics), Rubin Jacob and
Yusuf Ali (100 in Chemistry),
Arlyn Anto (94 in Biology),
Shubha (99 in Economics),
Shubha , Mohammed Hasnain
and Unzila Abdul Karim (95
in Business studies), Shubha
(96 in Accountancy), Shubha
(91 in Entrepreneurship),
Mohammed Amir Hussain (99
in Physical Education), Yusuf
Ali (99 in Computer Science),
Anu Susan Elias and Jane
Carolyn (99 in Informatics
Practices) and Amrita Vijay
(86 in Multimedia and Web
technology).
The students and the
teachers were happy and
proud for having accomplished
a commendable result. The
President of the School
Management Committee
(SMC), Ram Santhanam,
other members of the SMC
and the Principal T R Brown
congratulated the students
and the teachers for the
excellent results.
STUTI KAUSHIK
MRIDUL AMITKUMAR
KAVYA KARUNAKAR SHETTY
MEENACHIRAMNATHAN
MUSCAT: Indian School Muscat
exulted with prodigious toppers and
the school’s triumphant academic
performance creates glorious history
by securing centums.
Brilliance personified as 16 students
scored a whopping 100 per cent in
Sculpture, Psychology, Computer
Science, Engineering Graphics and
Chemistry. The following students
have made the school proud by
securing Centums:
In Science Stream, Mridul
Amitkumar Gupta, triumphed as the
topper with 96.6 per cent, the Second
position was earned successfully by
Reon John scoring 96.4 per cent and
the third position is shared by Arpita
Utham and Kamal Manoj scoring 96.2
per cent.
In Commerce Stream, Stuti Kaushik
scored 95.8 per cent and emerged as
the topper in the stream. Annebelle
Mariam Shaji scored 95.6 per cent and
secured the second position and the
third position was bagged by Mathangi
Narayan securing 95.4 per cent.
In Humanities, Sneha Roy
victoriously topped the stream with
96.8 per cent, followed by Adyatha Bhat
in the second position with a score of
96.4 per cent and Himanshi Kishnani
stood third by scoring 94.6 per cent.
Principal Srinivas K Naidu lauded
the students who scored 100 per cent
in various subjects and congratulated
the stream and subject toppers for their
brilliant performance. He appreciated
the Vice-Principal Deep Wilson Senior
Section, Asst Vice Principal Geeta N
Chauhan, Heads of various faculties
and the Senior Section teachers for
their dedication and unstinting hard
work in helping the students to excel
and emerge as shining academic stars.
The Vice Principal, Senior Section
Deep Wilson also conveyed his best
wishes to the toppers particularly
those who secured 100 per cent and for
bringing laurels to the school.
asia
asia
6
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
Former president Ma faces
lawsuits as immunity ends
TAIPEI: Dozens of lawsuits
brought against Former Taiwanese
President Ma Ying-jeou reopened
Saturday as his presidential
immunity lapsed after the island
swore in its new leader.
Ma left the presidential office
Friday as Tsai Ing-wen of the
Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) took the reins as the island’s
first female leader, after winning a
landslide victory in January.
Ma came to power in 2008
partly due to his “Mr Clean” image,
favoured by a public fed up with
the scandals of former DPP leader
Chen Shui-bian, who was jailed for
corruption.
However, Ma now faces his own
court battles as political rivals hurl
suits at him on a range of allegations,
including leaking political secrets
and failing to declare assets.
His departure from office means
he now faces 24 cases, according
to the Taipei District Prosecutors
Office.
“The office has been actively
taking inventory of cases relating to
president Ma that were suspended
due to immunity to criminal
prosecution,” prosecutors said in an
earlier statement.
“The investigations will restart
according to law after the president
steps down,” it said.
Local media reported on
Thursday that the High Court had
ordered a re-hearing on a request
brought by a DPP lawmaker that
Ma be prevented from leaving the
country due to the cases he faces.
That request had previously
been denied at district level.
Seemingly undeterred, a relaxed
Ma was pictured going for a
morning jog and doing push-ups in
his old neighbourhood in Taipei on
Saturday, after moving back there
from the presidential residence.
Ma took the leadership in 2008
by the biggest landslide in Taiwan’s
democratic history, but saw his
popularity plummet during his
eight-year run, with the public
unnerved by policies seen as
linking the island too closely with
rival China.
Even though Taiwan is selfgoverned after splitting with the
mainland in 1949 following a civil
war, Beijing still sees the island as
part of its territory to be reunified.
—AFP
3 killed as volcano spews searing gas
Three people were killed and four others seriously injured on Saturday
when Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province unleashed fresh
clouds of searing gas, a disaster management official said.
Beijing warns will cut contacts
if Taiwan does not toe line
TOUGH STANCE: China is suspicious of Tsai, whose party is traditionally pro-independence
BEIJING: Beijing warned Taiwan it
would cut off critical contacts with the
island if its new President Tsai Ing-wen
does not state her support for the concept
that there is only “one China”, state media
reported on Saturday.
The comments came a day after
Beijing-sceptic Tsai’s inauguration
speech, where she called for “positive
dialogue” with the Chinese mainland,
but stopped short of any compromise on
Beijing’s demands that she back its “one
China” principle.
That principle was recognised by
outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou of the
Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party, who
oversaw an eight-year rapprochement
between the former bitter rivals.
Although Taiwan is self-ruling
after splitting with the mainland in
1949 following a civil war, it has never
formally declared independence and
Beijing still sees it as part of its territory
awaiting reunification. Beijing is highly
suspicious of Tsai, whose Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) is traditionally
pro-independence and has warned her
against any attempt at a breakaway.
Taiwan’s new President Tsai Ing-wen (L) and Vice-President Chen Chien-jen (R) wave
during her inauguration ceremony in Taipei on Friday. — AFP
Beijing and Taipei have held regular,
official communications since 2014, but
that will stop unless Tsai acknowledges
the “1992 consensus”, said Ma
Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan
Affairs Office, according to a report
by the official Xinhua news service.
Complaint lodged in Okinawa over US arrest
TOKYO: Japan’s defence minister
travelled to Okinawa to lodge a formal
protest with the commander of the US
military base there on Saturday after the
arrest of a base employee linked to the
suspicious death of a local woman.
Gen Nakatani’s visit to the island
comes just days before a high-profile
trip to Japan by US President Barack
Obama.
“I deliver a strong message of regret
and at the same time make a protest,”
Nakatani told US Military Commander
Lt Gen Lawrence Nicholson, according
to public broadcaster NHK, as he
demanded the US military in Okinawa
ensure discipline among troops.
For his part Nicholson told Nakatani:
“Our heartfelt prayers and condolences
are offered to the family.”
The southern island of Okinawa was
the site of a brutal World War II battle but
is now considered a strategic linchpin
by hosting numerous US military bases
that support the two countries’ decadeslong security alliance.
Okinawan police arrested Kenneth
Franklin Shinzato on Thursday for
allegedly disposing of the woman’s body
in a weed-covered area in southern
Okinawa. The man, a US citizen and
former US Marine, who works at the
US Kadena Air Base, has reportedly
admitted to raping and killing 20-yearold Rina Shimabukuro, who had been
missing since late April.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday
People raise their fists as they shout slogans to protest against the US military presence in front of the US Kadena Air Base in
Cyatan, Okinawa prefecture, on Saturday. — AFP
expressed “outrage” after the arrest,
while Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida
summoned US ambassador Caroline
Kennedy to lodge a protest, calling the
case “very cruel and atrocious”.
Obama is due in Japan next week
for a two-day summit of Group of
Seven countries which concludes on
Friday, before venturing the same day to
Hiroshima — becoming the only sitting
Police break up anti-govt
demonstrations in cities
ASTANA: Police detained dozens of
protesters in Kazakhstan on Saturday
during small anti-government rallies in
the country’s major cities, prosecutors
said.
Opposition activists had called for
demonstrations in the Central Asian
country’s largest cities, including
Astana, Almaty and Karagandy, to
protest a controversial proposal for land
reforms that includes extending land
leases for foreigners.
Authorities had rejected all
applications to hold protests on
Saturday and cordoned off the main
squares of Almaty and Astana, while
activists called on their supporters to
protest nonetheless.
In Almaty, the country’s largest city,
some 100 people took to the streets.
Kazakhstan’s deputy prosecutor
general, Andrei Kravchenko, said that
as of Saturday, 40 people had been
arrested for organising and taking part
in these unauthorised demonstrations,
TASS news agency reported.
Kravchenko said Saturday that the
police force had worked to “prevent any
violations of the law.”
A number of journalists were briefly
detained during the protests. Kazakh
police later said that the arrests had
been a “misunderstanding,” Interfax
news agency reported.
In April demonstrators had taken
to the streets in a string of provincial
towns to protest proposed land reforms
the government says are important to
attract investment into the country.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev
earlier this month halted the proposal,
saying that “doubts had arisen in
society.”Land policy is highly politicised
in ex-Soviet Central Asia where
privatisation policies of the 1990s are
often recalled with bitterness and where
nearby China is seeking to expand its
agricultural interests. — AFP
US president to visit the world’s first
atomic bombed city.
The Hiroshima visit by Obama,
who has a record of calling for global
denuclearisation, has been well received
in Japan but the issue of the heavy US
military presence on Okinawa has long
been a periodic thorn in the side of
relations.
More than half of the 47,000 US
Australian firm names
Russia, Putin in MH17
compensation claim
SYDNEY: An Australian law firm has
filed a compensation claim against
Russia and President Vladimir Putin in
the European Court of Human Rights on
behalf of families of victims of Malaysian
Airlines Flight MH17, shot down in 2014,
media reported.
The jetliner crashed in Ukraine in
pro-Russian rebel-held territory on July
17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board,
including 28 Australians.
The aircraft, which was en route
from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was
shot down by a Russian-made surfaceto-air missile, the Dutch Safety Board
concluded in its final report late last year.
Fighting was raging in eastern
Ukraine between Russian-backed
separatists and Ukrainian government
forces when the aircraft was downed
and many Western experts and
governments blamed the rebels.
Australia’s Fairfax media reported
on Saturday that 33 next of kin were
of victims named in an application
by Sydney law firm LHD Lawyers,
representing people from Australia, New
Zealand and Malaysia. — Reuters
military personnel in the country are
stationed there, and rapes and other
crimes by service personnel have
sparked local protests in the past.
Continued crimes by American
personnel remain a potent rallying
point for Okinawans and others in
Japan who oppose the presence of the
bases on the crowded island, where
pacifist sentiment runs high. — AFP
The tacit agreement followed a 1992
meeting between Chinese officials and
the KMT which laid out the “one China”
ideology, but allowed each side its own
interpretation.
“The communications mechanism
between the two departments can
only continue if the ‘92 consensus’,
which represents the common political
foundation of the One China principle, is
adhered to,” Xinhua quoted Ma as saying.
Tsai and the DPP have never
acknowledged the consensus. In her
speech on Friday, Tsai reiterated her
previous stance of recognising the
1992 meeting took place, but did not
endorse its conclusions. Unofficial
communication mechanisms will also be
at risk, Chinese authorities said.
The Association for Relations Across
the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), a semiofficial organisation that works with
its Taiwanese counterpart, the Straits
Exchange Foundation (SEF), deals with
issues that are too legally or politically
delicate to be handled through official
government channels.
“As long as SEF receives authorisation
to confirm to ARATS the adherence
to the ‘92 consensus’... authorised
negotiations and contact between the
two organisations can be maintained,”
Xinhua quoted the head of ARATS as
saying, without giving a specific name.
— AFP
AS PREFERRED PM
Turnbull’s popularity slips
as tight election looms
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull’s popularity has
fallen, just over a month before
what is expected to a closely fought
election, a an opinion poll published
on Saturday showed.
Turnbull’s
conservative
government remained neck and neck
with the centre-left Labour Party
in the Ipsos poll, which showed the
government leading with 51 per cent
support to Labour’s 49 per cent.
However, Turnbull’s personal
popularity as preferred prime
minister fell four percentage points
to 47 per cent, which is still above
opposition leader Bill Shorten at 30
per cent.
Australians will vote on July 2 after
an unusually long 74-day campaign.
Turnbull, considered a moderate
in the conservative Liberal Party-led
coalition government, had enjoyed
high levels of popularity since he
deposed his right-wing predecessor,
Tony Abbott, in an internal party
coup in September.
“Turnbull was expecting to run
rings around Labour in this campaign
and instead Labour have him in their
sights,” said Peter Chen, a political
scientist at Sydney University.
The election comes as Australia is
trying to rebalance its economy away
from a once-in-a-generation mining
boom.
The economy, which remained
relatively unscathed by the global
financial crisis, has started to show
signs of a slowdown in recent years.
Economic issues such as tax and
the funding of education and health
care have been front and centre in the
campaign, as well as the hot-button
issue of asylum seekers and border
protection. Australia has seen a
revolving door of political leadership
in recent years.
If Turnbull loses on July 2, the
change in prime minister would be
the fifth since 2010. — Reuters
WELCOME OBAMA
Vietnamese photographer Kieu Tri Huy displays an advertising poster of his studio with images of US President Barack Obama
in Hanoi on Saturday. The poster reads, “Fast service photos.” Obama arrives in Vietnam on Sunday for a visit.— Reuters
subcontinent
subcontinent
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Foreign aid reaches flooded Colombo, 71 dead
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7
EXTREME WEATHER: Half a million people forced out of their homes by rains and landslides
COLOMBO: Foreign aid began arriving
in Sri Lanka on Saturday, bringing help to
half a million people forced out of their
homes by rains and landslides that have
killed at least 71 in a week of extreme
weather wreaking havoc in South Asia.
As the heaviest rains in a quarter of
a century battered Sri Lanka, authorities
said effects of the cyclone could still bring
more rain to Sri Lanka where flood levels
were slowly receding.
“I stayed back on the first floor of
a neighbour’s flat after my house went
underwater,” said Sri Lankan tea factory
worker Kumarage Jayamini, 62, at a
welfare centre in a Colombo suburb.
“The police and the navy persuaded
me to leave and they brought me in their
boat,” she said. “I am glad I came because
otherwise I would have been without
food or water.”
Torrential rains have deluged Sri
Lanka since last weekend, triggering huge
landslides that have buried victims in
up to 50 feet of mud and left 127 people
missing.
As aid began to arrive on a military
plane from India and a commercial
flight from Japan, Sri Lankan authorities
said their priority was now preventing
diseases such as diarrhoea, with many
areas still under water.
“We have sent a large number of
doctors and nursing staff to ensure there
is no outbreak of waterborne diseases,”
Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said.
Irrigation
Director
Prema
Hettiarachchi said only the main Kelani
river which falls to the Indian Ocean
through Colombo was still at flood level,
but that too should go down within about
three days.
“If there is no major downpour in the
next three days, the flood situation will
ease,” she said.
20 perish, scores flee as
Roanu hits Bangladesh
A navy soldier throws bottles of drinking water to a flood victim in the Kolonnawa suburb of Colombo. — AFP
Residents clung to ropes as they battled
to cross torrents of water pulsing through
the streets of the flooded capital with
some forced to take shelter in rickshaws.
The Indian government has provided
inflatable boats, outboard motors, diving
equipment, medical supplies, electricity
generators and sleeping bags, officials
said. Two Indian naval ships arrived at the
port in Colombo, while Australia and the
United States have made cash donations
to help victims.
Nearly 300,000 people were staying in
about 500 state-run relief centres, which
also marks the Buddhist holiday of Vesak,
while a further 200,000 people were
staying with friends or family.
Officials said there was a fresh
landslide in the worst-hit central district
I stayed back on the first floor
of a neighbour’s flat after my
house went underwater
KUMARAGE JAYAMINI
Tea factory worker
of Kegalle, but that no casualties were
reported because the area had been
evacuated.
The country’s influential Buddhist
clergy urged the faithful to divert at
least half of the money spent on holiday
celebrations to help flood victims.
“There are lots of people who have lost
their homes, some have only the clothes
they are wearing,” top Buddhist monk
Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana said.
“Consider this your meritorious deed
to celebrate Vesak.”
Vesak celebrations were muted
compared with previous years when the
entire city was decorated with lanterns
and coloured lights.
President Maithripala Sirisena marked
Vesak by granting an amnesty and freeing
more than 600 prisoners who had been
convicted on minor offences, his office
said.
He also called on Sri Lankans to
provide shelter and donate cash or food to
A Dutchman and an Australian die on Everest
KATHMANDU: Two foreign climbers
have died on Mount Everest, sources
at Nepal’s Tourism Ministry said on
Saturday.
“A Dutchman died yesterday and an
Australian died today,” Nima Sherpaof
expedition operators Seven Summit
Treks said.
He said the climbers had died due
to altitude sickness. Sherpa said the
bodies were at an elevation of 8,000
metres and it would be a couple of
days before they could airlift them to
Kathmandu and hand them over to
relatives, who had been informed.
They are the first fatalities on the
world’s highest peak since expeditions
resumed this year.
Everest expeditions in 2014 were
cancelled after 16 sherpas died in an
icefall avalanche. In 2015, another
“We are now working on bringing
the body from Camp 4 to base camp first
and then to Kathmandu,” Sudarshan
Prasad Dhakal, Director General of
Sherpa said the bodies
Nepal’s tourism department, said.
were at an elevation of
Around 330 climbers have
8,000 metres and it would successfully scaled Mount Everest this
be a couple of days before season after two consecutive years of
deadly disasters, but two mountaineers
they could airlift them to
have died in the past few days.
A Nepali sherpa guide perished on
Kathmandu and hand them
Thursday after he slipped and fell 6,562
over to relatives, who had feet down Mount Lhotse, the world’s
been informed
fourth-highest peak.
On the same day an Indian climber
died after falling ill while descending
from Mount Dhaulagiri, also in the
avalanche triggered by a 7.8-magnitude Himalayas.
Nepal issued 289 permits to foreign
quake killed 19 mountaineers at Everest
Base Camp,prompting the cancellation mountaineers for this year’s brief
of all trips.
spring climbing season, which runs
from mid-April to the end of May, after
two consecutive failed seasons.
Hundreds of climbers fled Everest
last year after an earthquake-triggered
avalanche at base camp killed 18
people.
Only one climber summited the
mountain in 2014 after an avalanche
killed 16 Nepali guides that year.
Since the first summit of Everest
in 1953, more than 300 people,
most of them locals, have died while
attempting to scale Everest and Lhotse,
which share the same route until Camp
3 at 7,200 metres.
Mountaineering is a major revenueearner for the Himalayan nation but
last year’s earthquake, which killed
almost 9,000 people, threatened the
future of the country’s climbing and
trekking industry. — IANS/dpa
Pakistan reluctant to issue LoA for purchase after US Congress bars subsidising the sale
Time running out for buying F-16 jets
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is left with
barely a few days to decide if it will pay
for the eight F-16 aircraft it intends to
procure from the United States from its
own kitty or else lose the opportunity
of buying the jets believed to be one of
the best fourth-generation multi-role
fighters.
“If Pakistan still desires to buy the
F-16s, it would have to issue the Letter
of Acceptance (LoA) by May 24,” a
diplomatic source said.
Pakistan has been reluctant to issue
the LoA for the purchase of the fighters
after the US Congress barred the
administration from subsidising the sale
through the Foreign Military Financing
(FMF) programme.
Under
the
initial
financing
arrangement, the US was to pay about
$430 million for the eight jets worth
$699 million from FMF funds, while
the remaining cost was to be borne by
Pakistan itself.
But, after the Congressional hold
on partially financing the deal through
FMF, Washington asked Islamabad to
foot the bill from its national resources.
Islamabad rejected the idea of fully
paying for the aircraft and refused to
make any pledge unless the restriction
on financing through FMF was lifted.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on
Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, meanwhile,
said that if the issue was not resolved
Pakistan could explore the possibility
of buying some other aircraft to meet its
requirements.
The diplomatic source said that the
opportunity to buy the F-16s could be
lost after the expiry of the offer, in case
Pakistan missed the deadline.
The cut-off date, he stressed, was
particularly important because the F-16
manufacturer Lockheed Martin was
planning to close the production line of
the aircraft at Fort Worth, Texas, by the
end of next year.
Pakistan was expected to be one of
the last two customers. The financing
row is under discussion between
Pakistan and the US, but the source was
not much optimistic about Congress
withdrawing its restriction without
Islamabad taking steps to address its
concerns. “Realistically speaking that
is unlikely to happen in four days,” he
maintained.
Congress wants Pakistan to take
action against the Haqqani network;
give assurances about ending its tactical
weapons and restricting medium-range
Shaheen III ballistic missile; and free Dr
Shakeel Afridi, who remained part of
the US hunt for Al Qaeda chief Osama
bin Laden before he was killed in a raid
by Special Forces on his Abbottabad
hideout.
Despite the continuing controversy,
positive statements have been issued
by both Pakistan’s Foreign Office and
the US State Department over the past
few days indicating their desire to move
ahead.
“Pakistan-US bilateral relationship is
much larger and broader than the F-16
issue,” FO Spokesman Nafees Zakaria
said at the weekly media briefing on
Thursday.
The statements, a diplomatic
observer believes, were meant to prevent
distraction from other big issues in the
relationship including Afghanistan,
trade and civilian assistance.
Meanwhile, Zakaria confirmed on
Saturday the May 24 deadline for LoA.
To a query, he said: “We are aware
of it. The discussions among the US
administration and Congress as well
as between Pakistan and the US are
continuing. It’s a time-consuming
process. — Internews
CHITTAGONG: Cyclone Roanu struck
the Bangladesh coast on Saturday
killing twenty people and forcing
hundreds of thousands more to flee
their homes as the storm unleashed
strong winds and heavy downpours.
Authorities took more than 500,000
people into shelters as the cyclone
made landfall just after noon local
time, packing winds as strong as 88
kilometres per hour.
“It has struck the southern coastal
areas of Barisal and Chittagong with
a wind speed of 62-88 kilometres
per hour,” Omar Faruq, a government
meteorological department official said.
“The landfall began just after noon.
It will take another three-four hours to
complete the landfall,” he added.
Several villages were inundated
on the Banshkhali coast in Chittagong
after the cyclone triggered a five-feet
storm surge, the Red Cross’s cyclone
preparedness official Ruhul Amin said.
“Thousands of villagers were forced
to flee their homes after the storm
surge flooded their villages,” he said.
It came after the peripheral wind of
the cyclone struck coastal areas early on
Saturday morning, causing widespread
devastation across the impoverished
flood victims as offers of assistance came
in from overseas.
The accommodation booking website
airbnb.com listed at least 29 places
offering free lodging for anyone affected
by the floods in Sri Lanka.
Disaster management officials said
there had been a huge outpouring of
region.
Six people perished and hundreds of
mud-and-tin houses were damaged in
two southern districts, police said.
“A mother and her young child
were killed after a landslide buried
their hillside home at Sitakundu in
Chittagong. The landslide was caused
by heavy rains,” Shah Alam, a police
inspector said, adding that another
child died in the Chittagong city.
Two others were killed in Tajmuddin
town on Bhola island in the coastal
region while a woman in her 50s died
under a flattened house in nearby
Patuakhali, police said.
Thousands of homes were being
evacuated as the cyclone bore down.
“So far we have moved more than
500,000 people to cyclone shelters,”
Reaz Ahmed, the head of Bangladesh’s
Disaster Management Department said.
Disaster authorities have shut
down sea and river ports and ordered
fishing trawlers not to go out, while the
meteorological department warned of
landslides in southeastern hill districts.
Officials said they were prepared to
move more than two million people
to nearly 4,000 cyclone shelters in the
country’s south.
sympathy for victims with donations of
food, clothing and dry rations.
Around 22 of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts
have been affected by the rains, according
to disaster officials. Almost a third of
residents have been moved from the lowlying capital, which has a population of
about 650,000. — AFP
IN BRIEF
China, Pakistan exchange greetings
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon
Hussain on Saturday exchanged greetings on the 65th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations between their countries.
China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners of co-operation, and
China-Pakistan ties have stood the test of the changing international and domestic
situations in the past 65 years, Xinhua news agency quoted Xi has saying in a
message to Hussain.
China-Pakistan relations have maintained a strong momentum and the two
countries have witnessed progress in practical cooperation and people-to-people
exchanges, he said.
Pakistan is an important partner in the Belt and Road Initiative, and the
construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will lay a solid foundation for
the shaping of a community of shared destiny for the two nations, he said.
Hussain, in his message to Xi, said: “China has always proved to be an iron
brother, steadfast friend and a reliable partner of Pakistan.”
“Our long-standing and ever-growing partnership is based on mutual respect,
trust and shared values,” he said. — IANS
Forest fires reported in Margalla Hills
ISLAMABAD: At least eight forest fires were reported in Pakistan’s Margalla Hills
over the past 15 days. The largest fire erupted on Tuesday night, and according to
some Capital Development Authority officials, the hills were still burning.
However, CDA environment member Sanaullah Aman said Tuesday’s fire was
extinguished but another fire erupted on Friday.
“Citizens’ carelessness is the main cause of the fire incidents in the hills. People
throwing cigarettes, burning matches or even locals could be involved in the fires,”
‘Dawn’ online quoted Aman as saying.
The city managers discussed the frequent fires spread over 12,605 hectares.
The CDA Chairman Maroof Afzal directed the environment wing to deploy 300
more officials to curb fire incidents in Margalla hills, a statement said.
In order to enforce effective monitoring, the number of fire pickets were
increased from 15 to 30, it said. — IANS
Sri Lanka grants amnesty to 540 prisoners
COLOMBO: A total of 540 prisoners were released on Saturday in Sri Lanka on a
presidential pardon in view of Vesak, a holy day for Buddhists all over the world.
The country’s prisons department said those released were serving time for
minor offences and included those who had been imprisoned for their failure to
pay the fines imposed by the courts, Xinhua news agency reported.
Those who are above 70 in age and who had been serving their sentences for
more than 10 years were also included in the pardon, it said.
The department said no prisoners who had been sentenced for murder and
robbery or for abusing children and women were released. — IANS
Economic growth target missed
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan missed its economic growth target for the current financial
year by a wide margin mainly because of widespread dismal performance by the
agriculture sector, a media report said on Saturday.
The gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.7 per cent against the target of 5.5
per cent, ‘Dawn’ online reported.
At a meeting on Friday of the national accounts committee comprising senior
representatives from the four provinces and regions and technical experts, the
performance of all economic sectors were added up that showed higher than
targeted growth by the industrial sector. The services sector achieved its growth
target of 5.7 per cent.
But the most worrying aspect of the year was a 0.19 per cent negative growth
by agriculture as a whole against the target of 3.9 per cent.
Cotton output led the free-fall in the agriculture sector, considered the
backbone of the national economy, as it posted a negative growth of 27 per cent.
Important crops output fell by 7.18 per cent against the target of 3.2 per cent,
while other crops fell by 6.2 per cent against the target of 4.5 per cent. — IANS
analysis
analysis
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8
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AUTHORITIES’ BURDEN,
OUR RESPONSIBILITY TOO
ABDULAZIZ AL JAHDHAMI
[email protected]
I
t’s true what has been said that one hand doesn’t clap! Likewise, government
authorities couldn’t work single-handedly as they all complement each other’s efforts.
Government organisations are doing tremendous work in serving the nation and
people as well as making Oman a safe and prosperous country.
However, collective support and cooperation of individuals and private entities to
those bodies is undoubtedly very essential too; perhaps they are in great need of our
assistance as citizens and enterprises.
Each one has to do his homework and duty professionally and responsibly so we
all have a decent life and ensure a brighter future for the generations to come!
However, ensuring peace and tranquillity is not enough if people’s life and health
is being put at risk that affect their health. It might lead to causing serious disease and
possibly death.
Unfortunately, incidents of expired food being served and stored by some food
outlets and stores are in the news every now and then. In fact, these incidents are
being reported from every corner of the country.
It’s becoming an unbearable nightmare frightening everyone living in this beloved
country. It’s really frightening and painful indeed as the numbers are awfully scary.
Everyday there is a mysterious story of unhealthy foodstuff being pumped into the
local market; expired rice and flour, rotten meat and fish, expired sweets and candies,
and the list goes on. Lot of people have been cheated into purchasing foodstuff which
is unfit for human consumption.
Many people got poisoned; others have been diagnosed with serious ailments,
while some others perhaps have died; all because of spoiled and rotten food they ate.
People got sick of this disgusting behaviour of merchants and businessmen who
are betraying the country and being unfaithful to people.
In fact what they are doing is illegal by all means; they should be punished for this.
People’s life is not neither that cheap nor a game for them to play for the sake of
making money. To be frank, people are confused what they can confidently buy and
safely eat. Almost nothing is guaranteed nowadays!
Can you believe that in the first quarter of this year, the inspection and food
control departments at Muscat Municipality has ordered closure of over 100 food
joints in various Wilayats of Muscat Governorate.
During these months, thousands of inspections were conducted on restaurants,
coffee shops and other food outlets.
The inspectors found over 850 violations for non-compliance with the
municipality’s food safety standards. Besides, more than 1,200 kg of fish, poultry and
other cooked food was destroyed after being found unfit for human consumption.
Other items were also destroyed including 1,483 cans of soft drinks, 2,064 cooking
tools and 109 kg of cosmetics.
Accordingly, the municipality’s inspection teams closed these food joints.
This only in one governorate, while thousands of violations could be found in
other parts of the country and many other violations are yet to be found in the coming
days. It’s really hurting and disappointing what’s happening in the local market every
single moment we could say, but unfortunately undiscovered yet.
The authorities concerned are sparing no effort to trace such violations.
However, inspectors and those in charge at the municipality and Public Authority
for Consumer Protection are also humans and it is difficult for them to find every
single violation in the market.
Therefore, here comes the role and responsibility of individuals to back up the
efforts of the authorities concerned to catch such violators who betray people.
We all never know when the chapter of this miserable tragedy will end so that
people can have confidence in the market. However, what we are all sure about is that
with our collective efforts and close collaboration, we could make a difference and
stop all such horrible violations.
A rebalancing act in Asia tour
ANNE K WALTERS
U
trade officials note, pointing to the elimination of tariffs such
S President Barack Obama’s trip to Asia will highlight as a 70-per-cent levy on US cars.
two nations — Vietnam and Japan — against which the
Officials have also been quick to defend the agreement
United States fought long, bloody wars, but that now against concerns it would damage US manufacturing,
serve as important US partners as Washington bolsters its including in the apparel industry, where Vietnamese goods
stand to benefit. One legacy of the war remains an arms
ties to the region.
US officials have underscored the forward-looking nature embargo and speculation has swirled about whether Obama
of the trip that begins on Monday in Vietnam, where they will lift the ban during the trip or soon afterward.
acknowledge a fraught history stemming from years of war
The US eased restrictions two years ago and the Obama
in the 1960s and 70s, and concludes on Friday with a visit administration has faced calls to lift it altogether.
to the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima,
Deputy National Security Adviser
where the US dropped an atomic bomb
Ben Rhodes said the issue is regularly
during World War II.
reviewed and is expected to be
discussed with the Vietnamese.
“Under the rebalance (to Asia)
He stressed however that the
we’ve promoted an extraordinary Obama will end a trip to Asia
relationship is “evolving” and that
reconciliation with two former enemies,” by reflecting on the atomic
rights concerns remain an
Assistant Secretary of State Daniel
bombing of Hiroshima, but human
issue. The visit will include talks with
Russel said. “You’ll see that on this visit,
as the president visits two nations with the White House insists his
Vietnamese President Tran DaiQuang,
whom we’ve fought bitter wars, that trip to Japan and Vietnam
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
we’ve now built an extraordinary record
and Communist Party head Nguyen
will be forward looking
Phu Trong. In Japan, where Obama
of cooperation and of partnership.”
will attend the Group of Seven leaders
The White House has acknowledged despite a history of war.
summit, history will be front and centre
this difficult history, with officials
as he ends the visit at the site of the US
meeting with veterans groups ahead of
nuclear bombing in Hiroshima. He is
the trip. But unlike in Japan, Obama’s
Vietnam visit does not include stops at
not expected to deliver a major speech,
but instead will reflect on the horrors
sites directly tied to the war.
Obama is the third US president to visit Vietnam since of war, the US-Japanese alliance and nuclear disarmament
which he has made a key goal of his presidency.
the war ended and relations were normalised in 1995.
“It’s an opportunity to I think focus the world’s attention
He will likely avoid the tricky optics of predecessors Bill
Clinton and George W Bush, whose lack of military service on the need to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and
seek a world without them,” Rhodes said.
in the conflict was a matter of public debate.
The White House has been very clear that Obama will
Obama will have his eye not on the past but on a future
relationship under girded by a 12-nation trade agreement not apologise for the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima
spearheaded by his administration.
and Nagasaki, even while acknowledging a special
The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreed upon last year responsibility by the US as the only nation ever to have
would open Vietnam’s growing markets to US goods, US used a nuclear weapon.
On Brexit, many British youth ask: What’s in it for me?
WILLIAM JAMES
S
aim Chowdhury is the kind of Briton
keeping pro-Europeans awake at night
with five weeks to go before a referendum
on EU membership: young, educated and
supportive of the economic arguments for
staying in, he doesn’t plan to vote.
With public opinion divided down the
middle on the issue, Chowdhury is one of
millions that ‘In’ campaigners fear may not
bother to vote, which could tip the balance
towards Britain leaving the European
Union. It’s not as if the stakes aren’t high.
Leaving the EU would throw Britain’s
trade, security and global leadership role
into question; staying in could shackle it to
a bloc struggling to manage crises on many
levels, including mass migration.
But for Chowdhury and his friends,
business management students chatting
about deadlines outside Manchester
Metropolitan University, those concerns
don’t quite penetrate the bubble of student
life. “You know it’s not like we don’t care, it’s
just that we’re not thinking about it right
now. If it’s not affecting us now, why would
we do anything about it?” said Chowdhury.
The apathy extends far beyond the
student community, meaning that getting
people into the polling booth is one of the
biggest challenges for the “In” campaign,
especially given the enthusiasm of their
eurosceptic rivals who want to get out.
“There are plenty of ‘quiet remainers’
who on balance think we should stay in the
European Union, but they have no great
passion for the European Union,” said James
McGrory, spokesman for the “Stronger In”
campaign. “There are people on the other
side of the argument who have spent their
lives wanting this — it’s a massive, massive
deal for them.”
As a result, the campaign is piling its
resources into increasing turnout on June
23, especially among the young.
Polls show younger voters are more
pro-European than older generations: 56
per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds would vote
to remain in the EU, compared with 33 per
cent of those aged over 55, according to
Polls show younger voters
are more pro-European than
older generations: 56 per
cent of 18- to 34-year-olds
would vote to remain in the
EU, compared with 33 per
cent of those aged over 55.
polling firm Opinium.
“They are a group of people for whom
less persuasion is needed because they’re
pretty much on our side of the argument,”
McGrory said. Unfortunately for the ‘Ins’,
young Britons tend not to vote.
An estimated 43 per cent of 18- to
24-year-olds took part in last year’s national
election, far below the overall turnout of
66 per cent and consistent with previous
elections, where turnout in that age bracket
has been below average since at least 1964.
One of the campaign’s prime targets is
university campuses, which offer a high
concentration of people who fit the profile
of a likely EU supporter: the right age, welleducated, with an international outlook
and eyeing their future careers.
To reach the country’s 1.8 million
university population, the ‘In’ campaign
last month held a “Brighter Futures In” bus
tour of campuses, meeting with student
activists and training them how to spread
the message to their peers.
Asked how they thought staying in the
EU would affect them, Chowdhury and
his friends reinforce the idea that students
instinctively reach conclusions that match
those promoted by ‘In’ campaigners.
Thinking out loud, they reason that
leaving would limit opportunities for their
generation to work overseas and deprive
businesses of skilled foreign labour.
A woman hands out leaflets campaigning to stay in Europe for the Brexit vote
in London, Britain, on Saturday.
— Reuters
a a ys s
analysis
analysis
i
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
9
Performance, remittances, and a ticklish question
T
RAY PETERSEN
[email protected]
here is a lot to talk about this week, but of course
the best news is the continued climb back ‘into the
black’ so to speak, of crude oil prices.
Brent crude is trading at $49.40 as I write, and
trending upwards.
What does this mean to Oman? Well, it doesn’t
mean that the streets are paved with gold, but it
does mean that some of the anxieties, the doom and
gloom, can be set aside for now, as the Sultanate’s
balance of payments improves.
I say ‘set aside’ because the one positive
consequence of the oil price crisis is that the
entire population has become more aware of the
financial necessities and the need for discretion in
sustainable infrastructural development.
The knee-jerk reactions of some key players,
who did not hold their nerve sufficiently in the
most austere of times, may now be measured, and
some will be found wanting.
It’s no secret that a number in both the public
and private sectors, over-reacted, and delayed
scheduled payment causing severe inconvenience
on a ‘trickle down’ basis. “Don’t pay Peter” doesn’t
work, because he then, “can’t pay Paul.”
Oman is a country with, for now, significant
natural resources, which provide national wealth
and a standard of living that should be sustainable.
Other countries without oil and gas resources,
and such a small population to support, would give
their ‘eye-teeth’ for a fraction of that wealth, so why
don’t the books balance?
One answer is that there are too many expatriates
in Oman, and with few exceptions, too many of
those do not spend their income inside the country.
Most send most of their money, or most of it,
home! So every month, there is an absolute flood of
money from Oman.
The most recently available figures are from the
Central Bank of Oman in 2014, and showed that
RO 3.96 billion, or $10 billion, a staggering amount,
to be transferred in remittances.
That’s way too much going out, for nothing
coming in! Probably about 50 days of the country’s
revenue!
At the same time, we have significant numbers
of Omanis out of work.
So why don’t we get them working? Mohammad
bin Salim al Busaidy, Majlis Ash’shura member,
presented a report on Omanisation to the Majlis
on Tuesday, and it said (in part), “The Omani
workforce is showing lack of interest in lower
positions in the private sector because they find
the jobs to be tedious along with low wages and
incentives.” Really?
The reality of life, around the world today, is that
many people, most in fact, work in low paid, tedious
and boring jobs, at least until you demonstrate
a work ethic, an attitude to work, an ability to
work as part of a team, a level of performance,
and a reliability, that will get you promoted to a
role where you can continue to demonstrate your
unique skills.
Why don’t you stop walking on eggshells where
the young people are concerned? The longer such
attitudes are perpetuated, the harder it will be to
erase them.
The issue with too many young people is the
sense of entitlement.
Of course, it’s a global phenomenon that the
young people all want the best phones, best clothes,
best cars, before they have earned them.
Put that down to social media I guess, but the
reality is, that for those you need money, for money
you need a job, and for that job, you need to get out
of bed every day and work! Then, eventually, you
will end up where you want to be.
Inshallah.
Maybe there are not enough Omanis in
supervisory and leadership roles in Oman, however
this is in the private sector, and even Omani
investors will not want someone at the helm of their
operation who is not capable of doing the job.
It’s clear, if an Omani does prove capable,
they will be rightly favoured in any employment
decision.
Of course, the public sector has a demonstratively
greater Omani proportion of leadership and
supervision, but does the public sector perform as
well as the private sector? I suspect not.
However, this is also a global occurrence.
We only have to look back to the British comedy
series, “Yes Minister,” which mercilessly lampooned
the UK Civil Service, and it was just too close for
comfort.
Look too at the “featherbedding” in the United
Nations and European Union bureaucracies,
which have intolerable levels of expenditure,
for ridiculous purposes.
One last thing.
The Majlis Ash’shura was advised (March 26)
that Oman Sail was funded to the tune of RO 14
million, during the 2013-14 financial year.
In a country where sailing is only the passion
and pastime of an elite few? Fair enough, Oman
Sail, has achieved high international sports
(yachting) prominence, but what have they
actually achieved for Oman? 14 million? That’s an
awful lot of jobs isn’t it?
DATA WITH A SOUL
BELINDA GOLDSMITH
D
Supporters of Donald Trump try to photograph and greet Trump during a fundraising event in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.
ata, once the domain of geeks, is being put at the centre of women’s
rights by campaigners arguing current statistics are biased and need to
have “soul” that reflects women’s real lives.
While the 193 UN member states last year agreed a new set of 17
global goals aiming to end inequality and extreme poverty by 2030,
campaigners are finding more and more holes in official data to track
where and which women and girls need help.
The need for better data — which can be used to assess needs,
monitor progress and hold governments to account — emerged as a key
theme at Women Deliver, the world’s largest women’s rights and health
conference in a decade. Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, led the charge when it came to faulting current data
for being biased and failing to show the real challenges facing millions
of women who are often invisible in statistics.
“We cannot know what to do for women and where to invest to have
the greatest return unless we have good data... and we really don’t have
the data we need,” Gates said.
“We cannot close the gender gap without closing the data gap,” she
told Women Deliver, attended by more than 5,500 participants from
over 160 countries, as she unveiled an $80 million, three-year initiative
to boost data collection. While the lack of information on women is
not new, the problem has been highlighted by growing pressure on
governments to show progress in improving the lives of women and
girls under the UN’s new global goals.
A 2014 report by Data2X, a multi-partner initiative housed at
the United Nations Foundation, identified 28 key data gaps related
to women and girls in five areas: health, education, economic
opportunities, political participation, and security.
Better data is seen as key for accountability, a major buzzword in
the development world particularly since UN members agreed the new
Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint to direct government
policies over the next 15 years. Leaders of organisations working to
improve the lives of women and girls said a lack of information about
key issues was as a major hurdle towards getting better services and
investment.
Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, Chief Executive of child rights
organisation Plan International, cited as an example the massive data
gap when it came to recording the number of girls aged under the age
of 15 who gave birth each year.
— Reuters
The very idea of a President Trump scares some
SIMON CAMERON-MOORE
D
onald Trump’s “isolationist” foreign policy
pronouncements are feeding insecurity in
some Asian nations fearful of China’s growing
power, and risk emboldening nationalists and
authoritarians in the region.
The real estate developer, who is very close
to securing the Republican nomination for
November’s presidential election, has with
undiplomatic abandon challenged much of
the status quo in US-Asia relations.
Overall, his comments have sounded like
a death knell for the “pivot to Asia” strategy
adopted by President Barack Obama five
years ago.
Trump has said US allies like Japan and
South Korea should pay more towards
their defence, warned he could withdraw
US troops from bases in Japan, and mulled
whether Japan and South Korea should
have their own nuclear arms. Last week he
said he is willing to talk to North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un, which would represent a
major shift in US policy.
In a television interview last Friday,
Trump said that while he was open to talks,
he “would never go to North Korea.”
Trump has also threatened to rein in
China’s big trade surplus with the United
States, saying he will threaten to impose
heavy duties on Chinese goods.
And Trump says he will rip up and then
renegotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a
trade pact agreed to by the US, Japan, and 10
other countries in February.
Furthermore, Trump’s call for a ban on
some groups entering the United States risks
undermining moderate leaders in countries
like Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and
Bangladesh.
“If he becomes president and adopts his
own version of foreign policy, the US will
cease to be a Pacific power.
That’s the end result,” said Kunihiko
Miyake, a former Japanese diplomat, who
served in both Beijing and Baghdad.
“It’s not that we would adopt ‘Japan First,’
but if the US leaves, there will be a vacuum
and China will try to fill it,” said Miyake,
research director at the Canon Institute for
Global Studies. “It’s a survival issue for all
allies of the United States.”
Trump could, of course, lose the election
to the likely Democratic candidate, Hillary
Clinton, who is well known by many Asia
policymakers. And if he is elected he could
act much differently in office.
But Asian diplomats and policy advisers
say that initial impressions count.
Trump’s idea of making Japan and South
Korea pay up rather than enjoy a cheaper ride
under the US security umbrella sent shudders
through Tokyo and Seoul.
Trump reiterated his stance on Friday.
“They have a lot of money, both of those
nations,” he said, pointing to Japan’s auto sales
and South Korea’s electronics industry. “We
have to get reimbursed.”
In addition, his comments about the
Trump has said US allies
like Japan and South Korea
should pay more towards their
defence, warned he could
withdraw US troops from bases
in Japan, and mulled whether
Japan and South Korea should
have their own nuclear arms.
possibility of a local nuclear deterrent fanned
fears among Asian diplomats that the world
could become an even more dangerous place.
“It is here that Trump is most scary,” Lalit
Mansingh, a former Indian ambassador to
Washington, said in New Delhi, though he
also noted it may be “just election rhetoric...
Japan’s nationalist-led government has
already boosted defence spending and has
reinterpreted its pacifist constitution to allow
its military to come to the aid of allies under
attack even if Japan itself if not attacked, a
major shift in Japan’s post-war security stance.
“His position is causing anxiety, especially
in East Asia,” said a senior lawmaker in
Japan’s ruling coalition. “It is really hard to
comprehend because conservatives have
supported a stronger military presence and
more engagement.”
Mansingh said he expects China to test the
foreign policy resolve of whoever occupies the
White House next, and the South China Sea
looms as one of the most likely flashpoints.
Tensions over China’s land-building
and installations on islets in the disputed
waters flared on Tuesday, when two Chinese
warplanes carried out what the Pentagon
called an “unsafe” intercept of a US military
reconnaissance aircraft.
“They’re building a massive fortress in the
South China Sea. They’re not supposed to be
doing that,” Trump said, without saying what
he would do about it.
At least, according to Mansingh,
China’s leaders and Trump shared the
mentality of dealmakers, which could help
settle diplomatic wrangles before they
get out of hand.
Jia Qingguo, an adviser to China’s
government on foreign affairs, said Trump
sounds like an “isolationist” who doesn’t
want the United States to become too active
internationally.
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india
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d
10
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
Some sectors under stress: Rajan
Even though the economy is in the midst of recovery, there is still work to be done as some
sectors are experiencing stress, said RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan on Saturday. “Some
sectors are doing quite well while some are experiencing stress and they still need some
pick up — most obviously the agriculture sector which faced two successive droughts.”
DIGITAL WORLD: Modi encourages the Apple CEO to help the global community to cope with the challenges of cyber crime
Modi, Cook discuss plans to manufacture in India
I urge you to have a look
at the new feature ‘My
Network’ that empowers
you to contribute on lively
and enriching forums where
you can share your ideas and
deliberate with others.
NARENDRA MODI
Prime Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks with Apple CEO Tim Cook with the launching of an updated version of the ‘Narendra Modi
Mobile App’ in New Delhi.
NEW DELHI: In a fresh insight into
Apple’s future plans for India, CEO Tim
Cook discussed with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi the possibilities of
manufacturing and retailing in the
country as the two met here on Saturday.
On his part, Modi explained his
Digital India initiative and identified
its three key objectives as e-education,
health and increasing farmers’ incomes.
“Modi sought support from Apple
in these objectives,” a statement from
Prime Minister’s Office said.
During the meeting, Cook, 55,
appreciated the breadth of young
talent in India, saying the “youth have
significant skills which Apple would like
to tap”.
He mentioned the immense potential
for “app-development” that exists in
the country and elaborated on the Map
Development Centre that Apple is
Congolese man killed in
New Delhi, one arrested
NEW DELHI: A Congolese man who
taught foreign languages here was
beaten to death by three young men
following a quarrel over the hiring of an
auto-rickshaw, police said on Saturday.
One of the alleged killers has been
arrested.
Masonda Ketada Olivier, 29, bled
to death after being beaten close to
midnight on Friday near Kishangarh
village in south Delhi. Some people
who witnessed the altercation tried to
save the African but failed.
Olivier was hit on the head with
a stone, leading to his death, a police
officer said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police
Ishwar Singh said Olivier tried to hire an
auto-rickshaw to go to South Extension
in south Delhi where he lived. He had
been living in Delhi for some years.
As he was negotiating the fare, the
three accused — Mobin Azad Saifi,
Mukesh and Prakash — came by and
insisted on travelling in the same autorickshaw.
This triggered a quarrel.
“A brawl ensued and the victim was
mercilessly beaten up. He was hit on his
head with a stone, after which he started
bleeding profusely.”
Passers-by informed the police who
shifted the victim to the Jaiprakash
Narayan Trauma Centre where doctors
declared him brought dead.
Police said Saifi, previously involved
in a criminal case, had been arrested.
Mukesh and Prakash were on the
run.
The officer said Mukesh was involved
in a cheating case. Prakash is a driver.
“All the accused reside in (south Delhi’s)
Mehrauli and Chhatarpur areas.”
The accused also roughed up at
least four people who tried to save the
victim. — IANS
setting up in Hyderabad.
Hailing Modi’s initiatives in “ease of
doing business”, Cook also launched an
updated version of the “Narendra Modi
Mobile App”.
In an exchange of tweets later, the two
praised each other.
“Thank you @tim_cook! Friends,
welcome and happy volunteering. Your
views and efforts are always enriching,”
Modi tweeted.
Cook
replied:
“Thanks
@
narendramodi for a great meeting.
Already looking forward to next visit to
India. Best wishes on the app!”
“I am delighted to share that Tim
Cook launched an updated version of
the ‘Narendra Modi Mobile App’. Thank
you, Cook,” said Modi in his tweet.
“I urge you to have a look at the new
feature ‘My Network’ that empowers you
to contribute on lively and enriching
forums where you can share your ideas
and deliberate with others. You will also
enjoy the daily tasks on the app,” the
prime minister added.
They also deliberated on issues
regarding cyber security and data
encryption.
Modi encouraged Cook to help the
global community to cope with the
challenges of cyber crime.
In an interview with an Indian TV
channel on Friday, Cook asserted that
Obama to host PM at
the White House
WASHINGTON: President Barack
Obama will host Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at the White House
on June 7, as the pair try to flesh out
nascent trade and security ties.
White House press secretary
Josh Earnest said Modi’s visit would
“highlight the deepening of the USIndia relationship in key areas since
the president’s visit to New Delhi in
January 2015.” “The President looks
forward to discussing progress made on
our climate change and clean energy
partnership, security and defence
cooperation, and economic growth
priorities.”
This will be Modi’s second White
House visit since his Hindu nationalist
party won a sweeping victory in 2014
polls.
Obama has assiduously courted the
Indian premier, cultivating a strategic
relationship seen as a counterweight to
an increasingly assertive China.
It has been a dramatic
transformation for a man who in 2005
he was looking at India holistically and
Apple was “here for the next thousand
years” — a comment that was hailed by
Communications Minister Ravi Shankar
Prasad at an event later.
“I complement Apple chief executive
for a public commitment of one
DEEP WATER
was denied a visa to the United States
on human rights grounds.
He had served as chief minister in
his home state of Gujarat, when antiMuslim riots killed hundreds.
But turning Obama and Modi’s warm
words into concrete agreement has
proven difficult. A proposed bilateral
investment treaty has languished for
years, as New Delhi has taken a tough
negotiating line.
Talks have been stalled over several
issues, including the lack of protection
for foreign firms in disputes with the
Indian government.
“I think there is a reasonable chance
we will see the leaders re-commit to
engaging in BIT negotiations,” said Rick
Rossow of the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies, predicting limited
progress.
India’s economy is rapidly growing,
but poverty remains pervasive and
foreign investment has lagged behind
China, Brazil and even advanced
economies like Ireland.
— AFP
thousand years in India. We are ready to
work together,” Prasad said.
Cook also met Sunil Mittal, chairman
of Bharti Airtel, one of India’s leading
telecommunication companies which
was the first to launch 4G and set to offer
the service countrywide. — IANS
IN BRIEF
Air India starts
discount fares
scheme
Fishermen Mashiar Shaikh (bottom) is lowered into a well to fetch water, as colleague Ismail Shaikh looks on, in the centre of
the parched Chandola Lake in Ahmedabad. The fishermen draw water from the well with a motor pump to keep their fish
alive. — AFP
The administration made special arrangements for the security and safety of the devotees and medical emergencies
Simhastha Kumbh ends with final sacred bath
UJJAIN: The final sacred bath of the
month-long Simhastha Kumbh started
on Saturday morning with ascetics
belonging to the Juna Akhara first taking
a dip in the Kshipra river in this district
of Madhya Pradesh.
The end of the bathing ritual on
Saturday will conclude the religious
festival which had started on April 22.
The sacred bath started as early as 3
am with the Naga sadhus — the Shaivite
ascetics with their bodies smeared in ash
and uncut knotted hair — leaving their
encampments for the ghat of Kshipra
that was allotted to them.
Their march to the bathing ghat was
conducted with ostentatious ceremony,
also featuring palanquins and horses.
As other Akharas took their turns for
the elaborate ceremonies of going for
the holy dip, the roads to Kshipra were
A devotee carries his disabled friend after taking a
choc-a-bloc with sadhus.
holy dip in the waters of the river Shipra during
An Akhara is an order of sadhus
the Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Ujjain. — Reuters
— ascetics or renunciates — who view
themselves as defending Dharma.
a historical coincidence that members pinpricking each other — had their in a sea of humanity availing itself of
religious rewards on the last day of the
Narendra Giri, the president of the of Shaiv and Vaishnav Akharas sacred baths at the same time.
Ujjain was also awash on Saturday Kumbh.
All India Akhara Council, said it was — traditional rivals and prone to
Six pilgrims killed
in Madhya Pradesh
SHIVPURI: Six persons were killed
when their jeep collided with a truck
while returning from Ujjain’s Simhastha
Kumbh Mela on Saturday.
Nine others were injured in the
accident that occurred near Kulhari
village on the Agra-Mumbai National
Highway.
The victims hailed from Gorakhpur
district of Uttar Pradesh and were on
their way home from Ujjain.
Kolaras Sub-Divisional Officer
C K Arya told reporters that the injured
were admitted in a hospital.
The administration made special
arrangements for the security and
safety of the devotees and medical
emergencies.
Each Akhara was provided with
an ambulance along with medical and
paramedical staff, Chief Medical Officer
N K Trivedi said. — IANS
NEW DELHI: To lure more flyers
national passenger carrier Air India
on Saturday offered a new discount
scheme, with fares starting from Rs
1,499 (all inclusive).
According to the airline, the ‘Super
Sale’ scheme offers passengers tickets
at attractive fares starting from Rs
1,499 (all inclusive) on its domestic
network.
The sale period for the offer is
from May 21-25, 2016, the national
passenger carrier said in its official
account at the micro-blogging
website Twitter.
Further, the airline said that the
offer would be applicable for the
travel period between July 1 and
September 30.
According to industry insiders,
airlines offer special fares not just
to stimulate demand, but also to
increase load factors during the lean
seasons.
Pinarayi Vijayan
to be sworn-in
CM on May 25
T H I RU VA NA N T HA P U R A M :
Pinarayi Vijayan would be swornin as Kerala’s 22nd chief minister on
May 25, in the state capital.
The CPM led Left Democratic
Front (LDF) won the polls on
Thursday by winning 91 seats in the
140 member Kerala Assembly.
The date was confirmed by Vijayan
on Saturday meeting veteran party
colleague V S Achuthanandan along
with CPM state secretary Kodiyeri
Balakrishnan.
“ He (Achuthanandan) has been a
chief minister from our party in the
past and hence came to meet him. As
things stand now, we have decided
to have the swearing-in of the new
government on May 25 at the Central
Stadium, here,” said Vijayan.
Vijayan was elected to lead his
party at a meeting of his party
leadership on Friday.
— IANS
india
da
Srinagar records hottest day of season
A woman puts pottery items into a basket and passes it to another family member
before putting it for sale in the market on the outskirts of Srinagar. Srinagar, the
summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded the hottest day of the season on
Saturday as temperature touched 41.7 degrees Celsius in Jammu, officials said.
india
i
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
DEADLY: Overloading, poor road conditions cause the accidents
BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
24 killed in Himachal
Pradesh road accidents
Devotees gather at the entrance to The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya on
Saturday, as they celebrate the birth anniversary of Buddha. — AFP
SHIMLA: At least 24 people were killed
in two road accidents in Himachal
Pradesh, police said on Saturday. In both
the accidents, the vehicles in which the
victims were travelling fell into gorges.
Kinnaur Superintendent of Police
Khushal Sharma said that 14 people
were travelling in a Mahindra Bolero
Camper vehicle when it fell into the
gorge near Chota Kamba in Nichar
tehsil of Kinnaur district on Friday
night, killing 13 of them.
The victims were returning after
dropping a newlywed woman to her
marital house, he said.
The lone survivor jumped out of the
vehicle to escape death.
According to police, the vehicle was
overloaded. Most victims belonged to
Bada Kamba village, located near the
accident spot.
In the second accident on Saturday, a
Himachal Road Transport Corporation
bus with 29 passengers fell into a 150feet deep gorge near Bajroli bridge
on the Sainj-Chopal road in Shimla
district, killing 11 people and injuring
21 others, Sub-Divisional Magistrate M
R Bhardwaj said.
The ill-fated bus was going from state
capital Shimla to Tharoch in Chopal.
Practitioners of politics of hatred
REINSTATED
can take away power, not ideology Rajeev Kumar
back as Kolkata
police chief
NEW DELHI: Indirectly attacking the
BJP, Congress President Sonia Gandhi
on Saturday said the practitioners of
“politics of hatred” may have deprived
the party of political power, but they
can’t take away from it the ideology that
unites India.
Her statement was in the context of
the Bharatiya Janata Party’s resounding
victory in Assam, ending 15 years of
Congress rule.
“People practicing the politics of
hatred may have deprived us of power,
but they can’t snatch the ideology
of Rajiv Gandhi that had united
everybody,” Sonia said, speaking at an
event organised by the Indian Youth
Congress to mark the 25th death
anniversary of her husband.
“Rajiv Gandhi did a lot and took
many significant steps for ensuring
peace in Assam, Mizoram and
Darjeeling. He had viewed India as a
front-runner in the world economics,”
Gandhi said of her husband.
Rajiv Gandhi had brought the
information technology revolution and
gave the power of voting to 18-year-old
youths, she said.
“Changes in politics and society that
we boast of today were initiated by Rajiv
Gandhi who wanted to transform the
lives of the poor by means of science
Rajiv Gandhi did a lot and
took many significant steps
for ensuring peace in Assam,
Mizoram and Darjeeling.
He had viewed India as a
front-runner in the world
economics
SONIA GANDHI
Congress president
and technology,” Sonia said.
“Rajiv is not there today, but he will
always reside within us. The steps taken
by him have helped India raise its head
high,” she added.
— IANS
KOLKATA: Senior IPS officer Rajeev
Kumar, who was removed as the
Kolkata Police Commissioner by the
Election Commission during the West
Bengal assembly polls, was reinstated
to the post, a state government official
said on Saturday.
The move to reinstate Kumar as the
Kolkata Police Commissioner comes
two days after the Mamata Banerjeeled Trinamool Congress stormed
back to power, winning 211 of the 294
assembly seats.
Following directions by the Election
Commission, Kumar was replaced by
Soumen Mitra on April 12.
Mitra will now be taking over as the
Additional Director General, Training.
Kumar’s removal had come
following persistent calls by the
opposition parties alleging he was
working in favour of the ruling
Trinamool.
Trinamool Chief Minister Banerjee
had repeatedly attacked the poll panel
for transferring a host of police officers,
including Kumar, during the six-stage
assembly polls. — IANS
Volunteers and medical personnel place an injured bus passenger onto a trolley at
The Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla on Saturday, after a bus
fell into a gorge in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. — AFP
The victims included the bus
conductor and the driver, who probably
failed to negotiate a hairpin bend, an
eyewitness said.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh
visited the Indira Gandhi Medical
College and Hospital here to inquire
about the well being of the injured.
Seventeen people, including three
women, were killed and 23 others
injured when a private bus carrying 50
passengers fell into a gorge in Chamba
district on May 20.
The bus was on its way from Sanghni
to Dalhousie when the accident
occurred.
Leader of Opposition and BJP leader
Prem Kumar Dhumal blamed the
frequent road accidents on poor road
condition. — IANS
11
Delhi girl first
in CBSE class
12 exams
NEW DELHI: Girls outclassed boys
as Sukriti Gupta of Delhi and Palak
Goyal of Haryana bagged the first and
second positions in the Central Board
of Secondary Education (CBSE) class
12 results declared on Saturday.
With an overall pass percentage
of 88.58, girls performed better
compared to the boys’ 78.85.
The pass per centage for boys in
2015 was 81.59 per cent, while it was
90.87 per cent for girls.
According to a CBSE press release,
83.05 per cent students cleared the
examination this year against 82 per
cent last year.
Thiruvananthapuram
recorded
the highest pass per centage of 97.61,
followed by Chennai at 92.63 per cent.
Over 10 lakh students had appeared
in the examinations that began on
March 1 and concluded on April 22.
Sukriti Gupta of Montfort School
in west Delhi secured 99.4 per cent
marks to top the exams.
Gupta, a science stream student,
scored full marks in Physics and
Chemistry and got 99 out of 100 in
English, Mathematics and Computer
Science each.
She aggregated 497 out of 500.
About 2.38 per cent more
candidates had registered for the
examinations this year compared with
the last year. — IANS
Jayalalithaa meets TN governor,
stakes claim; swearing-in on Monday
CHENNAI:
AIADMK general
secretary and Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa on Saturday met Governor
K Rosaiah and formally staked claim
to form the next government in the
state.
She will be sworn in as chief
minister for a second term at noon
on May 23 at the Madras University
Centenary Auditorium here.
An official statement issued by the
governor’s principal secretary said
Jayalalithaa met Rosaiah at the Raj
Bhavan here and gave him a copy of
the resolution passed by the party’s
newly elected legislators electing her
as AIADMK legislative party leader.
As Rosaiah invited her to form the
next government, Jayalalithaa gave
him a list of 29 legislators who can
be appointed as ministers in the state
cabinet.
The proposed ministers and their
portfolios are: J Jayalalithaa, Chief
Minister, (portfolios of public, IAS,
IPS, Indian Forest Service, general
administration, district revenue
officers, police and home).
O. Panneerselvam, minister for
finance; Dindugal C Srinivasan,
minister for forests; Edapaddi K
Palaniswami, minister for public
works, highways and minor ports;
Sellur K Raju, minister for cooperation
and labour; P Thangamani, minister
for electricity, prohibition and excise;
S P Velumani, minister for municipal
administration, rural development
and implementation of special
programmes; and D Jayakumar,
minister for fisheries.
Others are C Ve. Shanmugam,
minister for law, courts and prisons;
K P Anbazhagan, minister for higher
education; V Saroja, minister for
social welfare; K C Karuppannan,
minister for environment; M C
Sampath, minister for industries;
R Kamaraj, minister for food, civil
supplies and Hindu religions and
charitable endowments; and O S
Manian, minister for handlooms and
textiles;
The list includes Udumalai
Radhakrishnan, minister for housing
and urban development; C Vijaya
Baskar, minister for health and family
welfare; S P Shanmuganathan, minister
for milk and dairy development; R
Duraikannu, minister for agriculture
and animal husbandry; K Kadambur
Raju, minister for information and
publicity; R B Udhayakumar, minister
for revenue; and K T Rajenthra Balaji,
minister for rural industries.
Others on the list are K C
Veeramani, minister for commercial
taxes; P Benjamin, minister for
school education, sports and youth
welfare; Vellamandi N Natarajan,
minister for tourism; S Valarmathi,
minister for backward classes and
minorities welfare; V M Rajalakshmi,
minister for adi dravider and
tribal welfare; M Manikandan,
minister for information technology;
and M R Vijayabaskar, minister for
transport. — IANS
The forest department is conducting a census of the elephants and reviving the green corridors to help migration of animals across the border
Animals in parched Indian Terai migrate to greener Nepal
NEW DELHI: They are migrating en
masse — elephants, swamp deer, tigers
and leopards — from the Indian Terai
region into forests of Nepal.
A severe drought on the Indian side
is forcing these animals to cross over, in
search of water and food.
While the Indian Terai region is
reeling under water scarcity, it’s much
better in the forests of Nepal where it
rained in April, thus prompting these
animals to migrate.
There were heavy unseasonal rains in
the area on Friday but experts said this
does not materially alter the situation.
“Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve got
revived due to rains in April.
For the last few weeks these animals
are coming from the Indian forests,
attracted by food and water here,” Babu
Ram Lamichhane, research officer at the
National Trust for Nature Conservation,
Chitwan district, Nepal said.
“However, this migration is limited
due to the narrow green corridors with
broken connectivity across the forests of
India and Nepal,” he added.
“Forests of Nepal was also hit by
the drought. But it rained in April and
the grasses grew. This has attracted the
animals for food, water and shelter,”
Savita from the World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF) Nepal said.
Migrations have been observed in
the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) which is
spread over 49,500 square-km.
It is home to 86 species of mammals,
over 600 species of birds, 47 species of
reptiles and amphibians, 126 species of
fishes and over 80 lakh human beings.
Wildlife researchers have observed
migration of animals from the
Dudhwa Tiger Reserve — which
includes Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary,
Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and
Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in India — to
An herd of deer is
seen crossing the
Indian Terai region.
the food- and water-rich Shuklaphanta
Wildlife Reserve and Bardiya National
Park in Nepal.
The major green corridors supporting
this migration in the region include
Dudhwa-Laldhadi Green Corridor
that connects with Shuklaphanta;
Lagga-Bagga Biological Corridor that
connects Pilibhit to Shuklaphanta;
and Kartaniaghat-Khata Corridor
and Boom-Brahmadev Corridor that
connect Shuklaphanta and Nandhaur
Wildlife Sancturay in Uttarakhand.
However, due to the uneasy nature
of these narrow corridors, broken
connectivity and human intrusion, the
migration of animals is limited, and
often leads to man-animal conflict.
“An elephant was found dead in April
with multiple wounds. It was migrating
through Dudhwa-Laldhadi Green
Corridor, the most busy route in the
region,” Lamichhane said.
On the Indian side too the officials
are concerned about the man-animal
conflict.
Due to drought, the tigers and
leopards often enter human settlements
in search of food and water, or the
sugarcane fields through fringe forests,
mostly with their cubs.
Rice cultivation in Terai region
during summer also leads to attacks by
the tigers.
However, these incidents have been
controlled, reducing the number of
attacks from 12 in the summer of 201415 to just two in 2015-16 till April-end.
“We hope the animals don’t cross
over to the human settlements. Luckily,
there was no major man-animal conflict
in the area, except when a leopard
was cornered by some villagers near
Kartaniaghat,” Sunil Choudhry, Director
of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, said.
According to the Indian forest
officials, more than 100 elephants had
settled permanently in the Dudhwa
National Park.
But due to the drought, the they keep
migrating in search of food and water.
The forest department is conducting
a census of the elephants and reviving
the green corridors in the region to help
migration of animals across the border,
Choudhry informed.
“Rhinos from Katarniaghat are also
moving frequently towards the Bardiya
National Park using the KartaniaghatKhata Corridor. But this migration
is frequent and not static. They often
migrate and have marked their turf in
about five square-km of area close to the
corridor,” a forest official said. — IANS
t eworld
the
o d
world
l
Somalia urged
12
N Korea proposes military talks with South
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
North Korea wants its military to meet with that of South Korea for “honest and candid”
talks aimed at reducing military tensions between the arch-rivals. The talks could take
place at the end of May or beginning of June, according to a statement from North
Korea’s Defence Ministry on Saturday, carried by state media.
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
LIFE AMID PUDDLES
to speed up
vote process
CALL TO ACT: Country is due to elect a new
parliament, which will pick the president
NAIROBI: The UN Security Council
and Western donors have urged
Somalia’s parliament to speed up
approval of new election rules to
ensure an August vote is held on
time, saying delays put recovery from
conflict at risk.
Somalia, slowly rebuilding after
decades of violence and still battling
an insurgency, is due to elect a new
parliament, whose members will in
turn pick the president.
“The United States is increasingly
concerned about delays in the 2016
Somali electoral process,” the US
State Department said on Friday,
adding the “legitimacy of Somali
federal institutions” depended on a
transparent and timely transition. It
urged parliament “to act swiftly” to
enact the new rules.
The process to be approved by the
outgoing parliament falls short of oneperson-one-vote, which diplomats say
would be too tough to stage because
of the insurgency. But the process will
expand the number of people picking
the lawmakers.
In 2012, just 135 elders selected
members of the lower house. Under the
new rules, 13,750 people from across
federal states will chose 275 members
of the lower house. A new 54-seat
upper house will also be created to
represent the states.
The European Union, another
major donor, said a parliamentary
failure to act quickly “will jeopardise
the Somali political process and set
Somalia several years back.”
A delegation UN Security Council
diplomats echoed the comments in
talks with Somali leaders in Mogadishu
this week.
Egypt’s UN Ambassador, Abdellattif
Aboulatta, told a news conference in
Nairobi on Friday that the delegation
had urged Somali officials to approve
the process “as soon as possible.”
Privately, diplomats have said
the election process might slip by
a few weeks, but it must maintain
momentum because any political
vacuum could be exploited by al
Shabaab extremists or clan warlords
who tore the nation apart in the 1990s.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud,
who was elected in 2012, is expected to
run again.
Several corruption scandals have
frustrated donors. Officials say they
have worked hard to respond to
criticisms.
The new election process aims to
consolidate a federal structure, which
includes recently created regional
states in a nation where politics is still
largely driven by clan loyalties.
But the government of Somaliland,
a self-declared independent state in the
north, will not take part in the election
process although seats will be allocated
on its behalf, diplomats and officials
say. — Reuters
A woman holding an umbrella walks in a flooded field during heavy rainfall at a makeshift camp for refugees and migrants at the Greek-Macedonian border near the
village of Idomeni, Greece, on Saturday. — Reuters
Gun-wielding man shot at near White House
WASHINGTON: A US Secret Service
agent shot a man who brandished a
gun near the White House on Friday
while President Barack Obama was
out golfing, and the man was taken to
a hospital in critical condition, officials
said.
The Secret Service, which protects
the president and his family, briefly
locked down the White House as a
precaution, and Vice-President Joe
Biden was secured within the White
House complex during the lockdown, a
Laws would limit farm size, allow state expropriation
White House spokeswoman said.
Authorities later said there appeared
to be no link to terrorism. The shooting
took place just off 17th and E streets,
near what is known as the South Lawn
outside the home and offices of the
president.
A man carrying a gun approached
a checkpoint when uniformed Secret
Service officers ordered him to stop and
drop the weapon, the Secret Service said
in a statement.
“When the subject failed to comply
A farmer inspects the soil ahead of planting at a maize field in Wesselsbron, a small
maize farming town in the Free State province of S Africa. — Reuters file picture
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK: South
Africa’s government is planning to
impose limits on farm sizes to free up
parcels of land to hand over to blacks,
a minister said on Saturday, giving an
insight into the workings of a divisive
redistribution scheme.
Gugile Nkwinti, the minister of rural
development and land reform, said
the government was planning to set a
range of limits — from a 1,000-hectare
(2,470-acre) “small-scale” farm, up to
the largest allowed, at 12,000 hectares.
“If you are a small-scale farm and
have 1,400 HA, we will buy the 400,
and leave you with your 1,000. We will
buy the extra and redistribute it to black
people,” the minister said.
South Africa’s ruling African
National Congress (ANC), facing local
elections in August, has promised to
speed up plans to redistribute land
which remains predominantly in white
hands two decades after the end of
apartheid.
Some economists and farming
Several black communities
had land claims on the
2-million hectare Kruger
Park because they were
removed after the Native
Land Act of 1913, which
consigned South Africa’s
black majority to 13 per cent
of the country’s territory
groups have said the proposals could
hit investment and production at a
time when South Africa is emerging
from a major drought — pointing to
the economic damage linked to farm
seizures in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
They have also complained about a
lack of clarity on how it will all work.
20s walked to a gate of the White House
holding a silver-coloured gun pointed at
the ground, said Brett Polivka, a 26-yearold visitor from Texas who was near the
south side of the White House.
“A couple officers drew their guns,
went right at him and within two or
three seconds we heard a gunshot,”
Polivka said. The Secret Service, which
also guards other top dignitaries, said
all those under its protection were safe,
but it did not say if Obama’s family was
home at the time. — Reuters
AROUND THE GLOBE
Nigeria beefs up security after attacks
South Africa to limit farm sizes
to speed land redistribution
Setting out the farm size limits
and specifically linking them to the
redistribution scheme may further
alarm owners, particularly of smaller
plots.
But the government says the
redistribution process needs to be
accelerated, to rectify past wrongs and
provide opportunities to the previously
excluded, and has repeatedly said it
will stick to the law and not follow
Zimbabwe’s example.
“In South Africa you have a
concentration of land ownership in the
hands of a few people. That is something
we have to correct,” Nkwinti said before
a ceremony in Kruger National Park
where President Jacob Zuma handed
over 84 million rand ($5.4 million) in
compensation to black communities
evicted decades ago.
Experts estimate about 8 million
hectares of farmland have been
transferred to black owners since the
end of apartheid, 8 to 10 per cent of the
land in white hands in 1994 and only a
third of the ANC’s long-running 30 per
cent target.
The party has said it will speed up
the process with a bill going through
parliament allowing the state to
expropriate land without the owner’s
consent.
Several black communities had land
claims on the 2-million hectare Kruger
Park because they were removed after
the Native Land Act of 1913, which
consigned South Africa’s black majority
to 13 per cent of the country’s territory.
But the government wants to keep
the Kruger, a major tourist draw and
home to many animal species, intact,
so its policy is to compensate those
with claims on it through cash instead
of allowing them to resettle in the park’s
boundaries. — Reuters
with the verbal commands, he was shot
once by a Secret Service agent and taken
into custody,” the statement said.
The man was taken to hospital
in critical condition, the District of
Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical
Services Department said. Authorities
said they were investigating the motive.
“At this time, based on a preliminary
investigation, there is no known nexus
to terrorism,” security agencies said in a
joint statement.
A man who appeared to be in his mid-
DR Congo oppn
figure Katumbi
leaves for S Africa
LUBUMBASHI: Powerful Democratic
Republic of Congo opposition figure
Moise Katumbi, who has said he will
run for the presidency, left the country
for South Africa.
Katumbi, who is seeking medical
care and faces a trial at home for
threatening state security, left aboard
a plane on Friday from Lubumbashi,
an AFP correspondent said, just hours
after the DR Congo authorities said he
was free to travel abroad.
Congolese Justice Minister Alexis
Thambwe Mwamba said earlier that
Katumbi “asked for conditional release
covered by a medical certificate saying
he needed appropriate care abroad.
The prosecutor agreed to the request
and authorised his departure.”
Katumbi arrived at the airport
by ambulance which drove straight
up to a waiting plane. According to
airport sources he was accompanied
by his wife and a doctor on his way to
Johannesburg.
His entourage say he was injured
during clashes between police
and thousands of his supporters in
Lubumbashi on May 13.
His detractors accuse him of
feigning medical problems.
The 51-year-old businessman is
President Joseph Kabila’s leading rival
for the country’s top job after recently
announcing plans to stand against the
long-serving head of state.
Immediately after that, judicial
authorities opened an inquiry on May
4 alleging that Katumbi had hired
foreign mercenaries.
Katumbi has denied the allegations
as “grotesque lies” and said the case,
which followed the arrest of four of his
bodyguards, including an American,
was politically motivated. — AFP
ABUJA: President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security to be stepped up in
Nigeria’s oil-producing south, after a spate of attacks blamed on local militants that he
said threatened the economy. Buhari on Friday met senior executives of the AngloDutch oil group Shell, whose Nigerian subsidiary has been targeted in recent months
by a group calling itself the Niger Delta Avengers.
The group wants a fairer share of oil revenue for local people and wants a
government amnesty programme that brought similar unrest to an end in 2009 to
be continued. A statement from Buhari’s office said Nigeria’s naval chief had been
ordered “to reorganise and strengthen the military joint task force (JTF) in the Niger
Delta to deal effectively with the resurgence of militancy and the sabotage of oil
installations”.
JTF operations “were also being enhanced with increased support and cooperation
from the United States and Europe in the areas of training, intelligence, equipment and
logistics”, it added. “We have to be very serious with the situation in the Niger Delta
because it threatens the national economy,” Buhari told Shell’s upstream head Andrew
Brown. “I assure you that everything possible will be done to protect personnel and oil
assets in the region.” Nigeria has recently lost its status as Africa’s leading oil producer
to Angola because of the cut in output from sabotage, attacks and leaks. — AFP
Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
(L) and his son Nikolai (C) during a private audience at the Vatican on
Saturday. — Reuters
Tanzanian president sacks minister
DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania’s president has sacked his home affairs minister after he
turned up to parliament and answered questions while under the influence of alcohol,
the presidency said late on Friday.
President John Magufuli, who took office in November, has promised to tackle
corruption and inefficiency in government. He has sacked several senior officials for
graft and cut spending he deemed wasteful, such as scrapping official Christmas cards.
Charles Kitwanga is the first minister to be fired since the cabinet’s appointment.
Analysts said his sacking came as a surprise as he was widely viewed as being close to
Magufuli.
The presidential State House said in a statement Kitwanga was sacked after he
“turned up drunk to parliament and responded to a question directed to the Ministry
of Home Affairs while being in a drunken state.” It did not say when the episode took
place. Kitwanga had previously faced calls to quit before the incident by lawmakers
who criticised his handling of the ministry. Kitwanga could not immediately be
reached for comment. — Reuters
region
o
region
i
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
13
Search teams hunt for EgyptAir’s black boxes
DISASTER: The plane carrying 66 passengers plunged into the Mediterranean early Thursday while flying from Paris to Cairo
CAIRO: Search teams scoured the
Mediterranean Saturday for more
wreckage and the black boxes from
EgyptAir flight MS804 for clues on why
the plane plummeted and turned full
circle before disappearing off radar.
An EgyptAir official said the search
was focused on finding the bodies of
the passengers and the Airbus A320’s
flight recorders, which will stop emitting
a signal in a month when the batteries
run out.
The plane carrying 66 passengers
plunged into the Mediterranean early
Thursday while flying from Paris to
Cairo.
The disaster comes just seven months
after the bombing of a Russian passenger
jet by the IS group over Egypt’s Sinai
peninsula in October that killed all 224
people on board.
Families of the passengers on the
EgyptAir flight gathered at a hotel near
Cairo airport after meeting airline
officials as they struggled to come to
terms with the catastrophe.
“They haven’t died yet. No one
knows. We’re asking for God’s mercy,”
said a woman in her 50s whose daughter
had been on board.
On Saturday, EgyptAir Holding
Company chairman Safwat Moslem
said that the priority was finding the
passengers’ remains and the black boxes.
“The families want the bodies. That is
Recovered debris of the EgyptAir jet that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea are
seen in this still image taken from video on Saturday. — Reuters
what concerns us. The army is working
on this. This is what we are focusing on,”
he said.
French investigators met their
Egyptian counterparts in Cairo, while a
French patrol boat carrying equipment
capable of tracing the plane’s black boxes
was expected on Sunday or Monday.
The plane disappeared between
the Greek island of Karpathos and the
Egyptian coast in the early hours of
Thursday, without its crew sending a
distress signal.
It had turned sharply twice before
plunging 22,000 feet and vanishing
from radar screens, said Greek Defence
Minister Panos Kammenos.
The Wall Street Journal and CNN
cited unnamed sources as saying the
plane’s computer systems sent warning
messages indicating smoke in the nose
of the aircraft just before air traffic
controllers lost contact.
The messages indicated intense smoke
in the front portion of the plane. The
error warnings also indicated that the
flight control computer malfunctioned,
the Journal report said.
At least 60,000 dead in Syria
govt prisons: monitor
BEIRUT: At least 60,000 people have
died in Syrian government prisons over
the past five years from torture or due to
dire humanitarian conditions, including
a lack of food, a monitor said Saturday.
The head of the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights monitoring group,
Rami Abdel Rahman, said he compiled
the toll from government sources.
“Since March 2011, at least 60,000
people lost their lives to torture or to
horrible conditions, notably the lack of
medication or food, in regime detention
centres,” Abdel Rahman said.
He said the highest number of deaths
had been recorded in the infamous
Saydnaya prison as well as detention
centres run by Syria’s notorious air force
intelligence and state security forces.
Thousands of prisoners are held
in the military-run Saydnaya prison,
one of the country’s largest detention
centre located 30 kilometres north of
Damascus.
Rights groups have accused Syria’s
Since March 2011, at least
60,000 people lost their
lives to torture or to horrible
conditions, notably the lack
of medication or food, in
regime detention centres
RAMI ABDEL RAHMAN
Head of Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights
government of systematically using
torture and inhumane practices in its
detention centres.
A UN probe in February accused
the Syrian government of a policy of
“extermination” in its jails.
The Britain-based Observatory says
it has compiled a list of 14,456 names
— including 110 children — who have
died in government prisons.
According to Abdel Rahman,
government forces have arrested a total
of 500,000 people since Syria’s conflict
erupted in 2011.
While some have been released
and others died, the whereabouts
of thousands of detainees remain
unknown.
Abdel Rahman also said that “several
thousand people” have died while being
held by rebel groups and extremist
factions like the IS.
In early 2014, a regime defector
calling himself “Caesar” smuggled
out of Syria some 55,000 photographs
depicting the tortured and abused
bodies of around 11,000 people who had
reportedly died in Syrian jails during the
first two years of the conflict.
Earlier this month, the UN special
envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura named
Eva Svoboda to oversee progress on the
issue of detainees. — AFP
It said the information was
insufficient to determine whether the
plane was brought down by a bomb or
other causes. Philip Baum, the editor
of Aviation Security International
Magazine, told the BBC that technical
failure could not be ruled out.
“There was smoke reported in the
aircraft lavatory, then smoke in the
avionics bay, and over a period of three
minutes the aircraft’s systems shut
down,” he said.
“That’s starting to indicate that it
probably wasn’t a hijack, it probably
wasn’t a struggle in the cockpit, it’s more
likely a fire on board. Now whether that
was a technical fire, a short circuit, or
whether it was because a bomb went off
on board, we don’t know.”
Greek
civil
aviation
chief
Constantinos Litzerakos said the pilot
had mentioned no problem in his last
communication.
“The flight controllers contacted the
pilot at a height of 37,000 feet... he did
not mention a problem,” he said.
Personal belongings and parts of
the Airbus A320 were spotted by teams
searching the sea off Egypt’s northern
coast about 290 kilometres from the city
of Alexandria, the military said.
Kammenos said the teams, which
include multinational aircraft and ships,
had found “a body part, two seats and
one or more items of luggage”. — AFP
the streets to demand reforms.
His supporters confronted the
security forces and broke into the Green
Zone, a sprawling fortified district in
central Baghdad that hosts most of the
country’s top institutions.
A small group managed to storm
Prime Minister Haider al Abadi’s office.
They quickly pulled out.
The protesters faced a barrage of tear
gas fire and generally stiffer resistance
than three weeks earlier, when they
broke into the Green Zone for the first
time and stormed parliament.
Security and medical officials also
said at least 57 people were wounded in
Jean-Marc Ayrault, at a press conference
on Saturday in Paris. — AFP
“I strongly emphasised the desire
of the French authorities to tell the
entire truth about what happened,”
he said. “It’s a legitimate and essential
expectation for all the families.”
The meeting took place “in a climate
of intense emotion and great dignity,”
Ayrault added.
Crash investigators briefed the
relatives on what is known so far and
the procedures for establishing the
cause.
“Methods and procedures for
identifying the victims” were also
explained to the families, Ayrault said.
— AFP
Egyptians fish on the seaside on Saturday in the coastal Egyptian city of Alexandria. — AFP
2 Iraqi protesters killed during demos
An Iraqi child, wearing a military fatigue, flashes the sign of victory during the funeral
of the anti-government protesters on Saturday in the capital Baghdad. — AFP
PARIS: French Foreign Minister
Jean-Marc Ayrault said Saturday
that no theory on the cause of the
EgyptAir crash has been ruled out,
after revelations of smoke in the cabin
minutes before the disaster.
“At this time... all theories are being
examined and none is favoured,” he told
a news conference after meeting with
around 100 relatives of passengers who
were aboard the doomed A320 that left
Paris early Thursday for Cairo with 66
people aboard.
“The reports circulating here and
there, which by the way are sometimes
contradictory, give rise too often to
nearly definitive conclusions,” Ayrault
said, warning of the “painful tension”
caused to the families of the victims.
“Finding the plane is of course the
priority, along with finding the black
boxes to analyse them, which will allow
us to answer legitimate questions,” he
said, referring to the voice and flight
data recorders.
France’s “dual goal” is to offer
“solidarity with the families but also
transparency... on the circumstances
of this plane’s disappearance,” said the
foreign minister, who was joined by
Egypt’s ambassador to France at the
meeting with the family members.
AWAITING A CATCH
Friday saw the worst eruption of violence since Sadr ordered his followers to take to the streets
BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces killed at
least two protesters while defending
Baghdad’s Green Zone, officials said
on Saturday, as the troubled country’s
leaders warned against further
escalation.
The two supporters of Moqtada
al Sadr were the first casualties of the
months-old protest movement started
by the young cleric to push for political
change.
They were interred in the holy city
of Najaf, which is home to the world’s
largest cemetery where millions of
people are buried.
“The victims were buried... in Wadi
al Salam (Valley of Peace) cemetery,”
said Sheikh Imad alKaabi, an official in
the Sadr Movement. During the funeral,
a relative of one of the deceased accused
the state of using excessive force.
“Peaceful protesters were exposed
to the fire of live and rubber bullets and
tear gas,” said the man, who gave his
name as Abu Mohammed.
Friday saw the worst eruption of
violence since Sadr, the scion of an
influential clerical family from Najaf,
ordered his many followers to take to
No theories ruled out on crash
after smoke report: Paris
Friday’s unrest, during which forces also
used water cannons and sound bombs
against protesters, some of whom threw
rocks and other debris.
Security forces also fired live rounds
during the demonstration, mostly into
the air, but officials said at least two
protesters had died of bullet wounds.
Abadi reacted to the latest breach by
saying that “storming state institutions...
cannot be accepted”, but added that he
supports the “demands of the peaceful
protesters”.
Sadr vowed Friday that “peaceful
protests” would continue, warning that
“the revolution will take another form” if
there are attempts to block them.
Abadi has made several attempts to
push through reforms aimed at curbing
corruption and spending since he took
the country’s top job in 2014.
His latest plan was to replace the
current government of party-affiliated
ministers with a cabinet of technocrats.
But he has faced resistance from key
players, including within his own party,
who are reluctant to give on a system of
patronage that is the very source of their
power. — AFP
IN BRIEF
Benghazi attack report next month
WASHINGTON: The US House panel investigating the 2012 Benghazi attack that
killed Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans will
release its report on the incident in the next month, the congressman leading the
inquiry told MSNBC on Friday.
Representative Trey Gowdy, who is in charge of the two-year-old investigation
in the House of Representatives, told MSNBC the committee’s report would be
finished and released before Republican and Democratic political parties hold
conventions in July to nominate candidates for the 2016 presidential elections.
“We’re going to get the report out. It’ll be in the next month,” Gowdy told
MSNBC in an interview, adding that he had wanted to finish the investigation
last summer but hadn’t been able to get all the documents he needed from the
administration.
“I can’t stop an investigation because an executive branch agency won’t give
me documents, and we’re still owed documents,” Gowdy said, adding the report
would say “what we’re missing” and which agencies hadn’t reported fully.
The Republican-led panel has been criticized for allowing the investigation to
drag on for so long and accused of politicizing the incident. — Reuters
Iran calls for ‘more concrete’ US action
TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign minister Saturday said the United States must take
concrete steps to encourage investors to engage with Tehran, a day after Western
powers said they back legal business with Iran.
“More serious and concrete actions must be taken by the US in this regard,”
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a news conference with his New
Zealand counterpart Murray McCully.
“Obstacles in the past decade on economic cooperations between Iran and
other countries were created due to hostile American policies and sanctions,” he
said, according to the website of state television.
International sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear programme were lifted under
the nuclear deal signed last year and implemented in January.
On Friday, a joint statement by the United States, the European Union, France,
Britain and Germany said foreign banks and businesses should not hold back from
conducting legal business with Iran.
“We will not stand in the way of permitted business activity with Iran,” the said in
the statement released after talks in Brussels. — AFP
americas
americas
14
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
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Trump rallies gun owners with
fiery anti-Clinton rhetoric
LOUISVILLE: Republican presidential
candidate Donald Trump assured
gun owners he would protect their
constitutional right to bear arms and
eliminate gun-free zones if elected,
accusing Democrat Hillary Clinton of
wanting to weaken gun rights.
Trump, who will almost certainly be
the Republican presidential nominee,
picked up the endorsement of the
National Rifle Association, a politically
powerful lobbying group which claims
more than 4 million members.
Trump’s remarks at the NRA’s national
convention in Louisville, Kentucky, were
not a surprise, but they could solidify
his status among conservatives who see
protecting the US Constitution’s Second
Amendment as a top priority.
Trump also planned to meet on
Monday with US Senator Bob Corker of
Tennessee, a source close to the Trump
campaign said. The two are expected to
consult on foreign policy.
The source said Corker remains on
Trump’s list of potential vice-presidential
running mates.
Clinton, who is close to clinching
the Democratic Party’s nomination for
the November 8 election, has vowed
to take on the gun lobby and expand
gun control measures to include
comprehensive background checks for
gun buyers, including at open-air gun
shows and online.
Trump, who is trying to unite the
Republican Party behind him after a
brutal primary battle, accused Clinton,
a former secretary of state to President
Barack Obama, of wanting to end the
2nd Amendment, which says in part
that the people’s right to keep and bear
VOTE SWING: Trump picked up the endorsement of the NRA, a
powerful lobbying group which claims more than 4 million members
Republican presidential
candidate Donald Trump
attends the National Rifle
Association’s NRA-ILA
Leadership Forum during
their annual meeting in
Louisville. — Reuters
arms “shall not be infringed.”
“Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the
Second Amendment, not change it; she
wants to abolish it,” Trump said.
Clinton campaign senior policy
adviser Maya Harris said Trump is
peddling falsehoods and denounced
“Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories.”
She said Clinton believes there are
“common-sense steps we can take at
the federal level to keep guns out of the
hands of criminals” while protecting the
Second Amendment.
Trump told the NRA he would
eliminate gun-free zones imposed
in some areas, noting that the 2015
shooting deaths of four US Marines
at an armed forces recruiting centre in
Chattanooga, Tennessee, took place in a
gun-free zone.
“The Second Amendment is on the
ballot in November,” he said.
“The only way to save our Second
Amendment is to vote for a person you
know: Donald Trump.”
The NRA’s convention took place on
the same day that a man brandished a
gun at a checkpoint near the White
House in Washington and was shot and
wounded by a law enforcement officer.
The New York billionaire’s NRA
speech was another step in his drive to
make more conservatives comfortable
with his candidacy.
Earlier this week, he released a list of
11 potential Supreme Court nominees
who are conservative jurists, a step wellreceived on the right.
Many conservatives, who had backed
other Republican candidates in the 2016
race, worry that Trump is a closet liberal
on many issues.
But Chris Cox, Executive Director
of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative
Action, said it was time for them to get
over their qualms about the 69-year-old
candidate.
“If your preferred candidate is out of
the race, it’s time to get over it,” Cox told
the NRA audience.
“Are there valid arguments in favour
of some over others? Sure. Will any of it
matter if Hillary wins in November? Not
one bit,” he added.
— Reuters
Mexico to extradite drug
boss ‘El Chapo’ to US
MEXICO CITY: Mexico approved
the extradition of drug lord Joaquin
“El Chapo” Guzman to the United
States after receiving guarantees he
would not face the death penalty,
and the kinkgpin’s lawyers vowed to
block the move.
Juan Pablo Badillo, one of
Guzman’s lawyers, said he would
file “many” legal challenges in the
coming days, which could delay the
drug lord’s eventual extradition for
weeks.
Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug
cartel, was the world’s most wanted
drug kingpin until his capture in
January, six months after he broke
out of a high-security penitentiary
in central Mexico through a milelong tunnel burrowed right up into
his cell.
Mexico’s foreign ministry said
he would face charges including
drug trafficking, money laundering
and murder in US federal courts in
California and Texas.
The ministry said it was given
“sufficient guarantees” by the US
government that Guzman would not
be executed. It was not immediately
clear where Guzman would be sent
in the United States.
A US Justice Department official
confirmed that the United States had
agreed not to seek the death penalty,
but declined to discuss any further
details about the case or what the
department will do pending a
Guzman appeal.
Asked whether he would file legal
challenges on behalf of Guzman,
Badillo said: “Of course. Five, 10,
whatever is necessary.”
Guzman’s escape last year was a
major embarrassment to President
Enrique Pena Nieto, who entered
office amid a bloody war between
the government and drug cartels
launched by his predecessor.
back
Pena
Nieto
dialed
cooperation with the United States
after taking office in 2013, but soon
after Guzman’s recapture in January
he said he had taken steps to ensure
the kingpin would be extradited as
soon as possible.
— Reuters
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman (L) is
escorted by soldiers during a
presentation at the Navy’s airstrip
in Mexico City. — Reuters
Solar Impulse leaves Oklahoma for Dayton US monitoring 279 pregnant
WASHINGTON: An experimental,
solar-powered aircraft took off from
Tulsa in the midwestern US state of
Oklahoma early on Saturday, kicking off
the latest phase of its record-breaking
quest to circle the globe without
consuming a drop of fuel.
Swiss
businessman
Andre
Borschberg, who has teamed up with
adventurer Bertrand Piccard for the
Solar Impulse 2 project, piloted the
flight expected to last about 18 hours.
The plane, which aims to promote
clean energy technologies, departed
at 4:22 am (0922 GMT) from Tulsa
International Airport and was due to
land at Dayton International Airport,
Ohio, hours later, at 11:00 pm (0300
GMT Sunday), project organisers said.
“The flight is part of the attempt
to achieve the first ever RoundThe-World Solar Flight, the goal of
which is to demonstrate how modern
women with possible Zika cases
clean technologies can achieve the
impossible,” they said in a statement.
“Watching Si2 silently lift off is
beautiful. Science fiction in reality!” a
logbook comment said on the project’s
website. The journey kicked off in Abu
Dhabi on March 9, 2015.
Thanks to an inflatable mobile
hangar, which can be packed up quickly
and transported, Solar Impulse 2 can be
sheltered at a variety of locations.
The aircraft was grounded in July
when its batteries were damaged
halfway through its 21,700-mile
circumnavigation of the globe.
— AFP
WASHINGTON: US health officials
said that they are monitoring 279
pregnant women in the United States
and Puerto Rico that may be infected
with the Zika virus.
Of that number, 157 live in the 50
US states and Washington DC, while
the other 122 live in Puerto Rico,
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said.
All have “laboratory evidence of
possible Zika virus infection,” the CDC
said.
The new figure appears to be a
dramatic jump from the 110 pregnant
women with confirmed Zika cases that
the CDC reported as of May 11.
But officials say the figures are not
comparable, as a new reporting system
is being used.
Experts agree that the mosquitoborne Zika virus is behind a surge in
cases of the birth defect microcephaly
— babies born with abnormally small
heads and brains — after their mothers
were infected with the virus.
In Brazil, 1,271 babies have been
born with unusually small heads and
deformed brains since the outbreak of
Zika began there last year.
The virus, which usually triggers only
mild, flu-like symptoms but can also
cause the rare but serious neurological
disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome, is
mainly spread by two species of Aedes
mosquito but has also been shown to
transmit through sexual contact.
The CDC is now using two separate
registries to track pregnant women
residing in the United States and all
territories, as Puerto Rico is keeping
separate records.
“Both of these systems include
pregnant women with any laboratory
evidence of possible Zika virus infection,
with or without symptoms,” said Denise
Jamieson, the co-leader on the CDC’s
Pregnancy and Birth Defects Team, part
of its Zika Virus Response Team.
“We’ve learned a lot in the last four
months,” said Margaret Honein, a top
official at the CDC’s National Center
for Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities.
— AFP
The two days of drills are aimed at showing the leftist government’s readiness to confront any internal or foreign threat
Venezuela flexes military muscle with exercises
CARACAS: Venezuela launched what it
called its biggest-ever military exercises
as unpopular President Nicolas Maduro
sought to display his grip on power amid
an economic meltdown and a push to
vote him out of office.
The two days of drills were aimed
at showing his leftist government’s
readiness to confront any internal or
foreign threat.
They were especially intended as a
warning to the United States, which last
year designated Venezuela a danger to
its national security, and which Maduro
blames for most of the ills he is facing.
Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30MK2
strike jets and other aircraft flew over
various parts of Venezuela at the start of
the drills, state television showed.
Tanks and troops were also shown.
The president this week imposed a
60-day state of emergency giving extra
powers to police and soldiers.
But for many Venezuelans, whose
daily life now involves waiting for hours
to buy scarce food and basic goods, the
manoeuvres and state of emergency
were irrelevant.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” said Michael
Leal, a 34-year-old store manager
in Chacao, a middle-class Caracas
neighbourhood dotted with shuttered
shop fronts.
He blamed the government, not
external forces, for the parlous state of
Venezuela’s economy — decimated by
recession and hyperinflation, and made
worse by severe electricity rationing.
“We can’t breathe,” Leal said.
He and many others have signed a
petition demanding a recall referendum
to oust Maduro, heir to the late Hugo
Chavez’s “socialist revolution.”
The opposition says 1.8 million
signatures were collected and accuses
electoral authorities of stalling in
validating the petition.
Protest marches were held on
justify a coup d’etat or a foreign
intervention,” he told supporters on
Thursday.
He claimed it had “very little support.”
Yet 70 per cent of Venezuelans want
a change of government, according to
recent polls.
“We need the opportunity of a new
government,” said Kevin Jaimes, a
21-year-old auto parts salesman lining
up with 200 people outside a pharmacy
in the hope of purchasing subsidised
hygiene products.
There have been some reports of
looting in Venezuela in recent weeks.
On Thursday, residents of the
central city of Valencia said shops were
pillaged, but that was not confirmed by
An opposition supporter shouts at Venezuelan National Guards during clashes at a
authorities.
rally to demand a referendum to remove President Maduro in Caracas. — AFP
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles
Wednesday across the country to press
Maduro says the petition is filled with told the BBC that if rank-and-file
for the vote.
fraudulent signatures.
soldiers stopped following Maduro,
The one in Caracas was blocked by
“This referendum aims to generate there would be a “military uprising,” but
police firing tear gas.
conditions to stir up the streets and added: “I don’t want to say if the odds are
high or low.”
Late on Thursday, the Supreme Court
declared Maduro’s state of emergency
decree constitutional, overruling the
opposition-controlled congress, which
had voted this week to reject it.
A trio of foreign mediators — former
leaders of Spain, Panama and the
Dominican Republic — are in Caracas
striving to arrange a dialogue between
the government and the opposition to
ease the political strife.
But their leader, former Spanish
prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero, warned the path would be “a
long, hard and difficult” one, with no
guarantee of success.
Launched on Thursday, the
process already appeared stymied by
intransigence on both sides over the
recall referendum.
Chile, Argentina and Uruguay
appealed on Friday for an “effective
political dialogue” to take hold. — AFP
eu ope
eur
europe
Renzi launches crucial referendum campaign
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
ROME: Prime Minister Matteo Renzi
launched his campaign on Saturday to win
an October referendum on constitutional
reform, staking his political future on
an attempt to finally give Italy stable
governments.
Recent opinion polls suggest the
electorate will reject his proposal to
streamline the parliamentary system
and strip Italy’s regions of some of their
decision-making powers.
The 41-year-old prime minister has said
he will stand down if he loses, a gamble that
could usher in a new era of political chaos
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: Italy’s political future on line
and revive market turbulence in the euro
zone’s third-largest economy. “We want
to make clear that this reform is not just
about one person, rather it is a reform that
will give Italy a bit of hope for the future,”
Renzi said in a speech to supporters in the
northern city of Bergamo.
“Do you want Italy to carry on as it is
now, or do you want to give it a future?”
The reform, which was approved by
parliament last month after almost two
IN BRIEF
Madrid court allows
pro-Catalan flags at cup final
MADRID: A court in Madrid on Friday lifted a ban on
Barcelonafans flying pro-Catalan independence flags at
Sunday’s Spanish Cupfinal against Sevilla.
Barcelona had appealed a decision by the government’s
representative in Madrid to ban the use of separatist flags at the
Copa del Reyfinal.
An administrative court has now overruled the ruling
to allow the ‘Estelada’ flag for the game at Madrid’s Vicente
Calderon stadium. Following the government decision, Catalan
nationalist organisations said they would hand Barcelona fans
10,000 Scotland flags.
Scotland voted in a referendum to stay in the United
Kingdom in 2014, but the Spanish government has refused
Catalonia a similar referendum. Spanish champions Barcelona
had issued a statement on Wednesday claiming the ban on the
flags was “an attack on the freedom of expression.” — dpa
Brother of Brussels suicide
bomber set for Rio Olympics
BRUSSELS: Mourad Laachraoui, the brother of one of the
Brussels suicide bombers, has won gold at the European
Taekwondo Championships and is now set to compete for
Belgium at the Olympic Games in Brazil.
Older brother Najim, 24, was one of two suicide bombers
who blew himself up at Brussels Airport on March 22. The
attacks, including another suicide bomber on the city’s metro,
killed 32 people.
Mourad, aged 21, is listed among Belgium’s 185-strong
squad bound for the games in Rio De Janeiro starting on Aug. 5,
where he will compete in the Under-58 kilogramme category.
On Friday, Mourad won gold in the Under-54kg in Montreux,
Switzerland, the Flemish taekwondo federation dubbing him
“Europe’s king of the lightweights” in a tweet.
In a news conference two days after the attacks, Mourad
said his brother was a nice, intelligent boy and had given no
signs of being radicalised before he left for Syria in 2013 and
broke all contact with his family. — Reuters
Lithuania grants political
asylum to Kremlin critic
WARSAW: EU member Lithuania said it had granted political
asylum to Kremlin critic Irina Kalmykova, who fled Russia to
avoid imprisonment over anti-government protests.
“She was granted international protection and refugee
status because she faces danger in her homeland,” Lithuania’s
Deputy Interior Minister Elvinas Jankevicius said but declined
to elaborate.
Human rights activists have repeatedly accused Russian
President Vladimir Putin of seeking to stamp out all visible
dissent. The small liberal opposition often must choose
between exile or repression, they add.
Kalmykova said she was charged with violating public rallies
regulations, facing up to five years in prison, and was worried
that authorities may open another criminal case against her.
“So I tried to leave, with my 14-year-old son, first through
Belarus, but it did not work, then we crossed on foot to
Ukraine, in January, leaving all our belongings behind,” she
said. — AFP
Bookmakers cut odds of UK ‘In’
vote in EU poll to shortest so far
LONDON: Two major bookmakers are offering the
shortest odds to date for Britain staying in the European
Union, with the cash staked on the referendum result
overwhelmingly backing a “remain” result.
William Hill and Ladbrokes cut their odds on Britain
remaining in the European Union to 1/6, meaning
gamblers would get only one pound ($1.45) in profit for
every 6 pounds wagered if Britons vote to stay in the EU.
As polls have given sharply different pictures of public
opinion, many investors are watching betting odds closely.
Odds have consistently indicated a high probability of an
“In” result in the June 23 referendum.
William Hill said its odds reflected an 85 per cent
chance of a “remain” vote, up from 83 per cent on Friday.
Ladbrokes, which removes the margin it takes on bets
from its calculations, pointed to a 79 per cent chance - up
from 66 per cent a month ago.
“The Brexit rally of a few weeks ago seems a distant
memory. It’s significant that so many people are prepared
to back remain despite the short odds,” Ladbrokes
spokesman Alex Donohue said in a statement.
Some 90 per cent of the cash staked in Ladbrokes’
referendum bets have sided with Britain staying in the
EU. Wiliam Hill said 80 per cent of the money gambled
was for “remain”, although most of the individual bets
backed a Brexit. — Reuters
years of fierce debate, effectively abolishes
the upper house Senate as an elected
chamber and sharply restricts its ability to
veto legislation.
Under the current system, the upper
and lower houses of parliament have equal
powers and critics say this is one of the
reasons why Italy has had 63 governments
since World War Two, none of them strong
enough to survive a full five-year term.
Opponents say the proposed change
would strip away democratic checks and
balances that were put in place after World
War Two to prevent the rise of another
political strongman like the fascist leader
Benito Mussolini.
All the main opposition parties are set
to campaign for a ‘No’ vote. “Dear Renzi,
you will be unemployed come October,”
wrote Renato Brunetta, parliamentary
head of the once-dominant Forza Italia
(Go Italy!) party, on his Facebook page.
Italy has one of the biggest public debt
burdens in Europe, at 133 per cent of gross
domestic product, and renewed political
turmoil could reignite investor doubts
about its sustainability, which in turn
could raise new doubts about the euro
zone. “Italy’s political risk right now does
not appear on the radar of markets. The
story may change over the next months,”
analysts at Deutsche Bank said in a note to
clients last week.
“The October referendum on the
Senate reform is crucial.”
Opinion polls in April suggested
15
Renzi would win a clear majority, but a
survey carried out this month for RAI
state television said 54 per cent of people
planned to vote ‘no’. If Renzi loses and
sticks to his pledge to quit, Italy will be in
political limbo. A recent electoral reform
was related only to the lower house, in
the expectation that the Senate would be
removed from the political equation.
That would make a swift general
election extremely hard to stage and mean
that a new government would probably
have to take office to enact yet another
overhaul of the voting system. — Reuters
world
o dinpictures
p ctu es
panorama
Three man-eating Nile crocodiles found in Florida
16
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
NEW YORK: At least three man-eating
Nile crocodiles that can grow to 18
feet long and weigh as much as a small
car have been found living in the US
Sunshine State of Florida, DNA tests have
confirmed.
Nile crocodiles, Crocodylus niloticus,
were responsible for at least 480 attacks
on people and 123 fatalities in Africa
between 2010 and 2014.
In Florida, the invasive crocodiles
were captured between 2000 and 2014,
leading the University of Florida scientists
to analyse their DNA, study their diet and
one of the animal’s growth.
Scientists verified the animals were Nile
crocodiles linked to native populations in
South Africa, and confirmed the species
can survive in Florida — and potentially
thrive, said Kenneth Krysko, herpetology
collections manager at the Florida
Museum of Natural History.
In other words, there likely are more,
the researchers said.
“The odds that the few of us who study
Florida reptiles have found all of the Nile
crocs out there is probably unlikely,”
said Krysko, co-author of the study
published in the ‘Journal of Herpetological
Conservation and Biology’.
“We know that they can survive in the
Florida wilderness for numerous years,
we know that they grow quickly here and
we know their behaviour in their native
One of the three Nile crocodiles found in a Florida swamp. They can grow up to 18
feet long.
The researchers do not know how
the deadly crocodiles got introduced in
Florida.
DNA analysis revealed the three
Scientists verified the
similar-size Nile crocodiles were
animals were Nile crocodiles genetically identical, suggesting they
linked to native populations were introduced via the same source,
but Krysko said the source has not been
in South Africa, and
confirmed.
confirmed the species can
The researchers, however, noted that
survive in Florida — and
over the last decade, large groups of Nile
crocodiles have been imported from
potentially thrive
South Africa and Madagascar for display
at places like Disney’s Animal Kingdom
range, and there is no reason to suggest and to supply Florida’s flourishing pet
that would change here in Florida,” trade, with the latter being the most likely
introduction pathway. — IANS
Krysko noted.
Algae converts
sunlight into
cheap drugs
LONDON: A team of scientists has
genetically modified microalgae to
produce valuable chemicals to be used
in drugs for deadly diseases like cancer
by harnessing energy from the sun.
According to researchers, the
method basically allows sunlight being
transformed into everything ranging
from chemotherapy or bioplastics
to valuable flavour and fragrance
compounds.
“Our study shows that it is possible
to optimise the enzymatic processes
in the cells using only sunlight,
water and carbon dioxide (CO2)
by growing them in transparent
plastic bags in a greenhouse,” said
Thiyagarajan Gnanasekaran, postdoctoral researcher at University of
Copenhagen in Denmark.
The method can be run sustainably
and may also pave way for an efficient,
inexpensive and environmentally
friendly process of producing a variety
of chemicals, such as pharmaceutical
compounds.
“The idea is that we hijack a
portion of the energy produced by the
microalgae from their photosynthetic
systems. By redirecting that energy
to a genetically modified part of the
cell capable of producing various
complex chemical materials, we
induce the light driven biosynthesis of
these compounds,” added Agnieszka
Janina Zygadlo Nielsen, postdoctoral researcher at University of
Copenhagen in Denmark.
The findings are detailed in the
journal ‘Metabolic Engineering’.
However, the team noted that the
microalgae use much of the harnessed
sunlight to keep their own metabolic
processes running.
— IANS
Jacket that lets
you control
smartphones
NEW YORK: Google and denim
jeans company Levi’s have developed
a new jacket that lets users interact
with their smartphones by swiping at
the garment in various ways, a media
report said.
Called the ‘Commuter Trucker
Jacket’, the garment is aimed at cyclists
who may be too busy riding and
concentrating on their surroundings
to reach into their pockets and fiddle
with their phones, ‘Forbes’ reported
citing Paul Dillinger, company head of
global product innovation.
The jacket is apparently waterproof
- except for a detachable electronic
smart tag that activates a wireless
connection between the clothing and
a mobile device.
“If you get this thing dirty, you
put it in the washing machine,” said
Dillinger during Google’s annual
developer conference in Mountain
View, California, this week.
The garment is powered by
Google’s Project Jacquard technology
developed by the Internet giant’s
Advanced Technology and Projects
Group. — IANS
TOY BOATS: Radio controlled sailboats sail in the Conservatory Water in Central
Park in New York City. — Reuters
SAY CHEESE: A boy poses for a picture during birth anniversary celebrations of
Buddha in Kathmandu, Nepal. — Reuters
YOUNG PIONEERS: Schoolchildren, who are members of a pro-government
Young Pioneer movement, take part in a meeting at the Victory square in Minsk,
Belarus. — Reuters
FINAL DRAW: A performer dressed as Euro 2016 mascot Super Victor, attends the
final draw of the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament in Paris. — AFP
SUNDAY | MAY 22, 2016 | SHAABAN 15, 1437 AH
business
BANK MUSCAT WINS BEST BANK IN OMAN AWARD BY WUAB P18
*
INBRIEF
Nokia to shed more
than 1,000 jobs
HELSINKI: Mobile phone giant Nokia is
to cut more than 1,000 jobs in Finland,
the company announced, as part of costcutting measures following its merger
with Alcatel-Lucent.
Once the world’s top mobile
phone maker, Finland’s Nokia has been
crushed by Samsung and Apple in the
smartphone and tablet market in recent
years, but earlier this month said it was
returning to the fiercely competitive
field.
Nokia last month said it expected
some 1,300 jobs to go in Finland, but the
number announced in a statement was
slightly lower, at 1,032. The company is
targeting 900 million euros ($1 billion)
of savings per year starting in 2018
and further redundancies are expected
around the world. — AFP
India’s forex reserves
down marginally
CHENNAI: India’s foreign exchange
reserves went down marginally be $970
million to $361 billion as on May 13, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said.
The reserves stood at $361.02 billion
as on May 13, against $361.99 billion
as on May 6. On May 13, the foreign
currency assets stood at $337.04
billion, gold $20.04 billion, special
drawing rights $1.50 billion and the
reserve position with the IMF stood at
$2.43 billion. On the other hand, the
foreign exchange reserves as on May 6,
comprised foreign currency assets that
stood at $337.99 billion, gold at $20.04
billion and special drawing rights at
$1.51 billion. — IANS
Pakistan misses
growth target
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan missed
its economic growth target for
the current financial year by a
wide margin mainly because of
widespread dismal performance by
the agriculture sector, a media report
said on Saturday. The gross domestic
product (GDP) grew by 4.7 per cent
against the target of 5.5 per cent,
Dawn online reported.
At a meeting of the national
accounts committee comprising
senior representatives from the four
provinces and regions and technical
experts, the performance of all
economic sectors were added up that
showed higher than targeted growth
by the industrial sector. Services
sector achieved its growth target of
5.7 per cent. — IANS
RICHEST LITHIUM NATION RISKS BEING LEFT BEHIND P20
www.omanobserver.om
[email protected]
CHILDREN‘S BRAINS‚ LIGHT UP‘ AT SOUND OF MUM‘S VOICE P24
Al Mazunah Free Zone inks 21 pacts in Q1
BUSINESS REPORTER
MUSCAT
May 21: Al Mazunah Free Zone continues
to attract strong investment interest with
as contracts signed with as many as 21
companies during the first quarter of
this year, according to Hilal bin Hamad
al Hasani (pictured), Chief Executive
Officer of the Public Establishment for
Industrial Estates (PEIE) and Chairman
of Al Mazunah Free Zone Committee.
With the new signings, the total
number of multinational companies
setting up operations in Al Mazunah
Free Zone now exceeds 75, Al Hasani
said. In addition, there are more than
25 investment applications that are
currently under study. The free zone has
seen significant increase in commercial
traffic during the first quarter of 2016 as
the number of incoming and outgoing
vehicles from Al Mazunah Free Zone
exceeds 11,000 vehicles,” he pointed out.
Nearly 13,000 tonnes of goods were
handled via the free zone during the same
period and the volume of trade exchange
surpassed $150 million in value.
Al Hasani noted that this commercial
movement has a positive impact on the
rest of the economic sectors. “Import
operations through the Omani ports
With the new signings,
the total number of
multinational companies
setting up operations in Al
Mazunah Free Zone now
exceeds 75.
have resulted in significant development
and have eventually enhanced the
activity of Oman’s transport sector,” he
added.
Al Hasani emphasised that the
commercial movement in the free zone
provides job opportunities and business
prospects for the youth of Al Mazunah
Free Zone. “Some of these youngster
have commenced their private projects
in the field of customs clearance, goods
handling and goods movements in
addition to Sanad offices.
“PEIE undertakes constant efforts to
underscore the vision of PEIE which is
to enhance the Sultanate’s position as a
leading regional centre of manufacturing,
ICT, innovation and entrepreneurship
India says will sign Iran
port contract tomorrow
NEW DELHI: India will on Monday
sign a commercial contract with Iran to
build and run a strategic port on Iran’s
southern coast, the Indian government
said, to help it gain a foothold in Iran
and win access to central Asia and
Afghanistan.
Talks to build the Chabahar Port
have been on for years but since the
scaling back of Western sanctions
against Iran, India has pushed hard for
the project so it doesn’t lose out to other
such as China, who are keen to invest.
The deal under which India will
develop two terminals and cargo berths
at Chabahar, on the Sea of Oman,
will be signed during a visit by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi (pictured) to
Iran beginning on Sunday.
The trilateral agreement on Monday
between Iran, India and Afghanistan
will be inked in the presence of Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani, Prime
Minister Modi and Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani who would attend a
ceremony to break the ground to
develop Chabahar Port infrastructure.
Gopal Baglay, a foreign ministry
official in charge of Iranian ties, said
India would make an initial investment
of more than $200 million in the port,
of which India’s Exim Bank would
provide a credit line of $150 million.
“The focus of the trip is connectivity
and infrastructure,” he told reporters.
India is blocked from land access
to Afghanistan and through it to the
central Asia countries because of
opposition from Pakistan, which sees
India’s expansive diplomacy in the
region as a threat.
Baglay said India, Afghanistan and
Iran would separately sign an agreement
to set up a trade and transport corridor
during Modi’s trip that will have
Chabahar as the hub.
Road and rail links are to be built
so that landlocked Afghanistan can get
access to the Iranian port as an alternate
to the Pakistani port of Karachi.
“The trilateral agreement will be a
game changer for regional connectivity
especially for Afghanistan which can
find an assured and reliable alternate
access to India via sea,” Baglay said.
Chabahar is about 100 km (60
miles) from Pakistan’s Gwadar seaport
which China is developing as part of a
$46 billion China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor.
The Chinese project, coming on top
of investments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
and the Maldives raised disquiet in India
about China’s expanding reach in the
region and prompted faster movement
on the Iranian project. “A major flaw
in India’s current policy towards Iran
has been the lack of implementation of
signed agreements,” said Meena Singh
Roy, an expert on India’s ties with Iran
at the Institute for Defence Studies and
Analyses.
— Reuters
excellence,
and
its mission is to
attract industrial
and
investments
provide continued
support, through
regionally
and
globally competitive
strategies, good infrastructure, value
adding services, and easy governmental
processes,” the CEO noted.
Al Mazunah Free Zone was
established under Royal Decree no.
103/2005 to be under the management of
PEIE. The zone is currently completing
necessary infrastructure work in line
with the international standards of the
free zones.
The strategic location of Al Mazunah
Free Zone on the border of the Sultanate
of Oman and Yemen makes it the Gulf
gateway for transit trade to Yemen
and Eastern Africa. Al Mazunah
Free Zone aims to attract local and
international investments to increase
the volume of trade exchange, attract
advanced technologies, and create job
opportunities.
Major services have been completed
in the recent period in Al Mazunah
Free Zone including the road network
linking the free zone with neighbouring
cities and markets, in addition to
communication, electricity, water and
sewage services.
General incentives are offered to
the investors as per the Free Zones
Law promulgated by Royal Decree
56/2002 including 30 years of tax free
operations, customs’ exemption, 100 per
cent foreign ownership, no minimum
capital requirement; Omanisation ratio
in the free zone is only 10 per cent, in
addition to facilitation of procedures for
non-GCC investors to obtain visa and
residency permits.
Al Mazunah Free Zone also offers
several incentives including easy access
of individuals and investors to the
free zone without entry visa required
for Yemenis; Yemenis can work in Al
Mazunah Free Zone without a working
visa; in addition to its strategic location
close to the Yemeni border, among other
incentives of benefit for the investors.
oman/international
business
b
i
Bank Muscat wins Best Bank
18
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
HSBC to shut down 21 branches in India
HSBC announced closure of its 21 retail branches in India to reshape its
business around digital capabilities. The decision was taken as a part of the
strategic review of its retail banking and wealth management (RBWM)
business in India, the company said in a statement.
in Oman award by WUAB
MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship
financial services provider in the Sultanate,
has won the Best Bank in Oman award by
the World Union of Arab Bankers (WUAB).
AbdulRazak Ali Issa, Chief Executive,
received the prestigious award in recognition
of outstanding contributions to the banking
sector in Oman and the Arab region, at
the high profile award ceremony held in
Lebanon.
AbdulRazak Ali Issa, said: “Time and
again, the performance of Bank Muscat
has been lauded by the global banking
community and we are delighted to receive
yet another endorsement from WUAB
reflecting the consistency of performance
and the innovative strategies which have
cemented the bank’s reputation in a tough
market. Year on year, the bank adopts new
initiatives to stretch its operational excellence.
The WUAB deserves appreciation and
commendation for the vision and strategy
to showcase the role of Arab banks and
cadres, besides highlighting the standards of
professionalism that we have achieved in our
banking activities carried out in accordance
with international norms, standards and
practices.”
As the flagship bank with a fast-growing
network, Bank Muscat aims to deliver
reliable, dynamic and innovative banking
services. The bank draws on its expertise
to provide customers with the best banking
products and services. The bank is endowed
with a deep understanding of customer
needs, offering expertise and financial
guidance at all levels. A multi-award winning
organisation, Bank Muscat holds the rare
distinction of being consistently voted the
‘Best Bank in Oman’ by all leading local,
regional and global institutions.
Bank Muscat posted a net profit of RO
43.8 million for the three months ended
on March 31, 2016, compared to RO 43.3
million reported for the same period in
2015, an increase of 1.1 per cent.
Net Loans and advances from
conventional operation increased by 6.9 per
cent to RO 6,917 million as on March 31,
2016, as against RO 6,472 million as on March
31, 2015. Customer deposits, including CDs
from the conventional operations increased
by 7 per cent to RO 6,974 million as on
March 31, 2016, as against RO 6,519 million
as on March 31, 2015.
Islamic financing receivables amounted
to RO 665 million as on March 31, 2016,
compared to RO 432 million as on March
31, 2015. Islamic Banking customer deposits
amounted to RO 678 million as on March 31
2016 compared to RO 308 million as at 31,
March 2015.
WUAB is the sister organisation of
the Union of Arab Banks (UAB), serving
as an ideal platform for communication,
networking, and information sharing,
thus reinforcing the Arab banking and
finance industry. WUAB aims at weaving a
network among Arab bankers and finance
professionals along with their foreign
counterparts to give a strategic depth to the
Arab banking industry by strengthening
relations with the international markets and
enhancing the position of the Arab banking
and financial industries worldwide.
Freeport quits oil IPO as sale plan thwarted
SANTIAGO: Freeport-McMoRan Inc’s
failed attempt to offload its energy business
has culminated in the copper miner
withdrawing its registration to sell shares in
the unit.
“At this time the company has
determined not to proceed with the
initial public offering contemplated by the
registration statement,” the Phoenix-based
said in a filing on Friday.
Freeport, which bet on energy with
a debt-fueled acquisition just ahead of a
downturn in crude prices, is folding the
stand-alone oil and natural gas unit back
into the company and cutting a quarter of
the energy workforce.
Amid a financial crisis in the energy
industry spurred by oil’s more than 50 per
cent slump from a mid-2014 peak, Freeport
couldn’t find a buyer for the entire oil and
gas unit. As it scales back the business,
the company continues to try to sell some
assets, it said last month when reporting a
sixth straight quarterly loss.
Freeport expects to take a $40 million
charge in the second quarter related to
job cuts and restructuring of the energy
operations. Last week, the company said
it would pay Noble Corp more than half
a billion dollars not to use a pair of its
drillships.
The copper producer invested heavily
in the oil and gas sector in 2013 with the
acquisition of McMoRan Exploration
Co and Plains Exploration & Production
Co. To reduce debt incurred in that deal,
Freeport is selling stakes in some of its
profitable mines.
Freeport spokesman Eric Kinneberg
didn’t immediately respond to requests for
comment on the company’s energy asset
sale plans.
— Bloomberg
BankDhofar receives OER Top 20
Omani companies award
MUSCAT: Celebrating its resounding
success and highlighting its continuous
support of nationwide business initiatives,
BankDhofar has been recognised as one of
the Sultanate’s most successful companies at
the OER Business Summit.
The award was received by Abdul Hakeem
Omar al Ojaili, Acting CEO of BankDhofar,
during OER Business Summit and Top 20
Awards that was held at Grand Hyatt Muscat
under the auspices of Dr Rasheed bin Al
Safi al Huraibi, Chairman of Oman Tender
Board, and was attended by Ahmed Saleh
al Marhoon, Director-General of Muscat
Securities Market. The event brought
together CEO’s and senior executives from
the top listed companies on Muscat Security
Market (MSM), business leaders from
privately owned and joint stock companies,
as well as senior government officials, invited
guests and keynote speakers from regional
and international organisations.
Upon receiving the award, BankDhofar’s
Acting CEO Abdul Hakeem Omar al Ojaili
said: “We are very delighted to have been
recognised among the top performing firms
in Oman. This reiterates BankDhofar’s
commitment to excel and grow in all business
areas, contribute to the development of the
country’s economy and meet the aspirations
of all internal and external stakeholders.”
The OER Top 20 Awards is an annual
event that aims to honour companies that
excel in various financial arenas like revenue
BUSINESS ALERT
SBA opens exclusive 3S facility in Khasab
MUSCAT: As part of their network
expansion plan in Oman, Suhail Bahwan
Automobiles (SBA) has opened an exclusive
3S (sales, service and spare parts) facility
in Khasab dedicated to Nissan’s esteemed
customers.
A trusted one-stop solution for Nissan
patrons, the Khasab facility is committed to
offering world-class sales, services and spare
parts to its valued patrons.
Assuring every customer purchasing a
Nissan vehicle of top class after sales service, SBA’s Khasab facility guarantees the advantage of factory
trained experts.
A senior official of SBA said, “Nissan patrons always experience great service, professionalism and
a personal touch whichever part of Oman they buy the vehicle from. We wanted to extend the facility
to the customers in Khasab in the Musandam governorate. For every customer purchasing a Nissan
vehicle, it is the beginning of a fulfilling experience as Nissan’s top class after sales service makes sure
every customer is happy and satisfied.”
Ford 2016 World’s Most
Ethical Companies
FORD Motor Company has been recognised
as one of the world’s most ethical companies by
Ethisphere Institute, a leading think tank dedicated
to the advancement of best practices in business
ethics, social responsibility, anticorruption and
sustainability.
This marks the seventh consecutive year
Ethisphere Institute has named Ford a World’s
Most Ethical Company.
Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining
and advancing the standards of ethical business
practices, honours companies with top ratings in
five categories — ethics and compliance, corporate
citizenship and responsibilities, culture of ethics,
governance and leadership and reputation.
For decades, Ford has recognised the
importance of strong corporate citizenship and
how that ties to success and building the company’s
reputation. More than half of respondents to the
2016 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient said they
learn more about a company before deciding to do
business with them. More than one-third decided
not to do business with a company if they perceive
the business has a negative reputation.
Ford vehicles are known the world over for
their exceptional safety, luxury and unsurpassed
technological superiority.
In Oman, Ford vehicles are brought to you by
Arabian Car Marketing Co LLC.
50 new reasons to visit The Manhattan Fish Market
The Manhattan Fish Market, an integral part of the
Golden Spoon Group known for its exotic variety
of seafood delicacies, has recently launched its
new generation menu with 50 new additions of
appetisers and entrees.
In an evening of fun and food, the new menu was
unveiled by Saad al Balushi, Managing Director,
Golden Spoon Group. “We are thrilled to introduce
the new menu. At The Manhattan FISH MARKET,
it is our constant endeavour to introduce new
dishes keeping in mind the evolving preferences of
the diners. We have added variety to ensure a delicious and exciting dining experience to our regular
patrons while at the same time attracting new customers”, Saad said addressing the media.
He elaborated: “The new menu features more than 50 new items, prepared in five different cooking
methods. There is a wide choice to have the seafood grilled, baked, fried, poached or flamed. Flaming
is our restaurant’s signature method: the dishes are flamed before being served in front of the guests. It
is an exciting sight as well sharpening one’s taste buds. Our all cooking methods actually create great
tastes for our customers to relish. We are also launching a brand new Manhattan Junior Menu with a
delectable range of creative dishes created only for kids.
Renna Mobile launches 4G
service for all its customers
RENNA Mobile has launched the latest and fastest
Internet Access 4G Service for all its customers.
Conveying happiness on the launch occasion
of 4G services, Raed Haddadin, CEO, Renna
Mobile said, “We are delighted to offer the latest
4G technology of Internet access to all our
customers. As we know the technology handles
mobile Internet more capably, allowing faster and
consistent mobile Internet connectivity. We are
always committed to serve our customers at the
best possible means in terms of either technology
or in terms of affordable Internet offerings.”
Haddadin also explained, “Any Renna Mobile
customer is having 4G enabled handset can avail
this service. At most our customer needs to switch
off and then switch on his handset for 4G service.
Renna Mobile customers do not need to pay any
rental or any extra charges for the 4G Service. The
amazing speed and efficiency of 4G technology,
will give an enhanced experience to our Renna
Customers.”
He added, “Launch of 4G service clubbed with
our Internet offerings and promotions, makes the
most affordable — high speed Internet solution for
customers”
Renna Mobile already has the varied Internet
offers and promotions to fit customers’ behaviour
and budgets. While it offers the lowest entry point
for Internet bundles in Oman, it also provides a
great price/data ratio in the market.
TSC’s third winner of `7 Cars in 7 Weeks’ campaign
The award reiterates
BankDhofar’s commitment to
excel in all business areas.
and financial performance, weight in the
market and overall business growth. Every
year, Oman’s 20 largest listed companies on
the Muscat Securities Market (MSM) receive
the coveted OER Top 20 awards, celebrating
their success and excellence throughout the
year.
“We at BankDhofar have directed all
our efforts and resources towards leading
the Omani banking industry in all business
areas, working constantly to provide the
best customer experience through creative
financial solutions, tailored products and
innovative services. We have intensified
our effort to further expand our business
operations and continued to follow best
international banking practices,” added Al
Ojaili.
Reaffirming its position as a leading bank
in the Sultanate, BankDhofar continues
to provide the best customer experience,
innovative products and creative services
that are custom-made to meet the needs and
requirements of customers.
YET another lucky winner
takes home a brand new
Chevrolet Cruze as part
of The Sultan Centre’s
‘Win 7 Cars in 7 Weeks’
campaign. TSC congratulates
Haitham Shames al Hadi
who drove home the third
Chevrolet Cruze of this
year’s promotion. There are
four more such cars to be
won every Thursday as part
of TSC’s 19th Anniversary
celebrations. Customers can
enter for a chance to win on
any purchase worth RO 10 at any TSC store in the Sultanate. Well, what are you waiting for? Rush over
to your nearest TSC! That next lucky draw could win you the keys to your dream car!
omaninternational
business
siness
Japan’s Mitsui ramps up presence in Oman
SpiceJet’s Q4 net profit up 225 per cent
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
India’s budget passenger carrier SpiceJet reported a rise of 225.09 per cent
in its net profit for the fourth quarter of 2015-16. According to the low cost
carrier, its net profit stood at Rs 730 million for the quarter ended on March
31, 2016, from Rs 220.5 million in the corresponding quarter of 2014-15.
CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT
Artist’s rendition of the Ibri power project.
May 21: Japanese conglomerate Mitsui
& Co’s investment in Oman’s largest
power scheme effectively marks a
significant upscaling of its activities in
the Sultanate.
As a 51 per cent equity partner in the
consortium developing the 3,219 MW
Ibri/Sohar-3 power projects, Mitsui is
set to make a substantial contribution
to the Sultanate’s power sector — a
move that a high-level official says
is consistent with Mitsui’s long-term
commitment to Oman’s development.
Total investment in the Ibri/Sohar-3
power scheme is estimated at $2.3
billion.
“We are proud to have contributed to
the continuous economic development
of this wonderful country, and would
very much like to maintain and further
strengthen the excellent relationship
we have established over these many
years through our several activities
including the infrastructure, oil & gas,
and chemical business,” said Yoshio
Kometani, Chief Operating Officer of
Mitsui & Co.
“Through
our
trading
and
investment activities, we have been
fortunate to steadily develop our
STAKE
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
The Ibri/Sohar-3 scheme
represents Mitsui’s second
major investment in Oman’s
predominantly privatised
electricity sector.
business in Oman. This marks our
36th year in the country,” he stated at a
ceremony at which project agreements
were inked last week.
As Managing Member of the
consortium, Mitsui will bring its
formidable know-how in power
generation — having already delivered
a staggering 41 gigawatts of capacity
globally — to Oman’s landmark power
scheme, said Kometani.
BUY
CIC ends talks with
Yum Brands over
China business
BEIJING: A consortium that includes sovereign wealth fund
China Investment Corp (CIC) and US buyout firm KKR & Co has
ended discussions to buy a stake in Yum Brands Inc’s China unit,
according to people familiar with the matter.
Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands, owner of the Pizza
Hut and KFC fast-food chains, has been looking to spin off its
7,205 China restaurants by the end of 2016, amid pressure from
activist investor Corvex Management, whose founder, Keith
Meister, is on Yum’s board.
One of the main sticking points was the CIC consortium’s
desire to have majority control in the China business,
something Yum would not entertain because of the negative
tax implications on proceeds, the people said.
CIC’s consortium also had concerns around achieving the
investment returns it desires in a capital-intensive business
amid a slowing Chinese economy, the people added, asking not
to be identified because the negotiations were confidential.
“Our board is fully committed to maximising shareholder
value, and we are making great progress towards the
separation of our China business by year-end and at the same
time returning significant capital to our shareholders,” a Yum
spokeswoman said.
“Our China business is a large, unique and valuable asset ...
We’re confident that, as a well-capitalised, standalone public
company, it will have a long runway for continued growth,” she
added.
KKR declined to comment, while CIC did not respond to a
request for comment.
Separately, Yum unveiled a $4.2 billion share buyback and
declared a quarterly dividend of 46 cents per share. The move
follows its previous commitment to return $6.2 billion of capital
to shareholders before the planned separation of its China
business. — Reuters
The Ibri/Sohar-3 scheme represents
Mitsui’s second major investment
in Oman’s predominantly privatised
electricity sector.
Last year, a consortium that included
the Tokyo headquartered international
behemoth was a mandate to develop a
new Independent Power Project (IPP)
in Salalah.
Salalah-2, as the new power project
is referred to, is currently under
construction at a cost of around $620
million. The 445MW gas fired power
plant will be brought into operation
before the summer of 2018. Together
with the existing 273 MW Dhofar
Power Plant that the consortium
acquired as part of the bid, the project
will contribute a combined capacity
of 718MW to the Salalah grid when
Salalah-2 comes on stream.
Mitsui is already a major player
in Oman’s upstream energy sector.
Through its subsidiary Mitsui E&P
Middle East, the giant has interests in
four oil and gas blocks — 3, 4, 9 and
27 — which together account for 10
per cent of Oman’s total oil production.
Additionally, Mitsui has equity stakes
in the Sultanate’s three-train gas
liquefaction plant in Sur, owned by
Oman LNG and Qalhat LNG.
Late last year, the joint venture of
GS Engineering & Construction and
Mitsui & Co Ltd was named the winner
of Package 3 of the mammoth $6 billion
Liwa Plastics project currently under
development by Orpic in Sohar.
The contract “further strengthens
our contribution in all phases of the
hydrocarbon value chain, in one of
the most important and friendliest
countries for Japan,” Kometani added.
US, Japan disagreement on yen
moves overshadows G7 meeting
SENDAI: The United States issued
a fresh warning to Japan against
intervening in currency markets
on Saturday as the two countries’
differences over foreign exchange
overshadowed a Group of 7
finance leaders’ gathering in the
Asian nation.
Japan and the United States
are at logger-heads over currency
policy with Washington saying
Tokyo has no justification to
intervene in the market to stem
yen gains, given the currency’s
moves remain “orderly”.
The rift was on full show at the
G7 finance leaders’ meeting in
Sendai, northeastern Japan, with
US. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew
saying he did not consider current
yen moves as “disorderly” after a
bilateral meeting with his Japanese
counterpart.
“It’s important that the G7 has
an agreement not only to refrain
from competitive devaluations,
but to communicate so that we
don’t surprise each other,” Lew
told reporters on Saturday. “It’s a
pretty high bar to have disorderly
(currency) conditions.
Japanese Finance Minister Taro
Aso said there was no “heated
debate” on the yen with Lew, and
that it was natural for countries
to have differences in how they
see exchange-rate moves. But the
meeting with Lew did not stop
him from issuing verbal warnings
to markets against pushing up the
yen too much.
“I told (Lew) that recent
Participants of the G7 finance ministers and central bankers hold their first session at the G7 finance ministers
and central bankers meeting in Sendai. — Reuters
currency moves were one-sided
and speculative,” Aso said in a news
conference on Saturday, adding
that the yen’s gains in the past few
weeks have been disorderly.
While Aso said his
G7 counterparts reaffirmed the
importance of exchange-rate
stability, Japan received no public
endorsements from other G7
members for intervention to
contain “one-sided” yen rises.
“There is a consensus that
monetary policy is well-adapted
and there are no big discrepancies
in currencies, so there is no need
to intervene,” French Finance
Minister Michel Sapin told
reporters after the two-day G7
gathering concluded on Saturday.
As years of aggressive money
printing stretch the limits of
monetary policy, the G7 policy
response to anaemic inflation
and subdued growth has become
increasingly splintered.
G7 leaders called for a mix of
monetary, fiscal and structural
policies to boost demand but left it
to each country to decide its own
policy priorities — dashing Japan’s
calls for more aggressive joint fiscal
action.
Germany has shown no signs of
responding to calls from Japan and
the United States to boost fiscal
spending.
“The most important are
structural reforms... there are more
and more (in the G7) recognizing
that structural reforms are
crucial,” German Finance Minister
Wolfgang Schaeuble said at a
briefing in Sendai.
Lew also urged Japan to keep
fiscal policy loose, warning that
proceeding with a scheduled
sales tax hike next year could be
damaging to its economy unless it
was mitigated by additional fiscal
spending.
“Obviously Japan has to make
its own judgment on the course to
take. But the critical consideration
has to be not to put drag on the
economy,” Lew said on Saturday.
While Aso has publicly warned
of intervention after the yen’s
recent rise to 18-month highs,
some economic policymakers
have signalled that they are not too
worried the yen will derail a fragile
economic recovery. — Reuters
19
Shell, Exxon seen
as oil majors
most exposed to
Nigeria violence
LONDON: Royal Dutch Shell
Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp are
the international oil companies
most exposed to the explosion
of violence in the Niger River
delta that has cut Nigeria’s
output and fuelled a rally in
global crude prices, according to
Rystad Energy.
Shell and Exxon have the
most production in vulnerable
parts of the oil-rich region
— onshore or near the coast,
according to Per Magnus
Nysveen, senior partner and
head of analysis at the Oslobased consultant. Shell is losing
almost all of the 50,000 barrels
a day it pumped in the delta
last year, he said. That’s about
a quarter of its output in the
country. Exxon pumped 145,000
barrels a day last year — about
half its Nigeria total — from
shallow-water fields that could
also be targeted, Nysveen said.
The delta has been rocked
by attacks since February that
have cut Nigeria’s output to
the lowest in almost three
decades. A previous outbreak
of violence abated in 2009 after
the then government offered
pardons and monthly stipends
to fighters willing to disarm.
President Muhammadu Buhari
has reduced those payments as
part of an anti-corruption drive,
leading militants, now calling
themselves The Niger Delta
Avengers, to retaliate.
In February, Shell declared
force majeure — a legal clause
that allows it to stop shipments
without breaching contracts
— after militants blew up a
pipeline feeding the Forcados
terminal, which typically exports
about 200,000 barrels a day
from multiple producers. Shell’s
deepwater Bonga field hasn’t
been affected by the attacks.
Qua Iboe
Exxon’s Qua Iboe terminal,
which handled 342,000 barrels
a day last year, may also face
disruptions because of its
vulnerable onshore location or if
fields that supply it come under
attack, Nysveen said.
“There is a risk that these
avengers will now start to be
more active,” in the shallow
waters which is “a little outside
the area where they’re normally
operating,” Nysveen said by
phone.
Exxon didn’t immediately
reply to a request for comment.
Qua Iboe grade crude
production is ongoing, the
company said.
“We continue to monitor
the security situation in our
operating areas in the Niger
Delta and are taking all possible
steps to ensure the safety of
staff and contractors,” a Shell
spokesman in Nigeria said by
e-mail. “We do not wish to go
into details. Our operations are
continuing.”
— Bloomberg
Unsold US retail inventory a challenge after dismal earnings season
CHICAGO: A pile-up of unsold
inventory across US retail chains is
likely to squeeze profits further as
stores struggle to make up for a weak
first quarter marred by weak sales and
share declines.
Moving the stale stock of mostly
clothes, accessories and electronics is
likely to lead to bigger discounts and
steeper markdowns, which in turn
would reduce chances for a swift profit
rebound.
Tepid consumer demand for small
discretionary purchases is likely to
compound the problem, analysts said.
Disappointing sales by some of
the biggest retailers including Target
Corp, Macy’s Inc, JC Penney and Kohl’s
Corp are likely to lead to even more
promotions and discounts to woo
customers Target’s shares fell to a 52week low on Wednesday after its sales
missed estimates.
Macy’s stock fell as much as 15 per
cent on Wednesday after it reported a
drop in sales and cut guidance.
Target Chief Executive Brian
Cornell, speaking after the company
released its earnings, cautioned
investors about the impact of the stock
build-up.
“Many of our competitors are sitting
on meaningful excess inventory, which
we expect will extend the very intense
promotional environment into the
months ahead,” he said.
According to a report by analytics
firm Dynamic Action, retailers sold 4
A man and woman carry shopping bags near Herald Square in the Manhattan
borough of New York. — Reuters
per cent fewer items at full price in the
first quarter than a year ago, while the
percentage of promotional products
ordered online jumped 63 per cent.
Such orders reached a record high
in March, when they soared 86 per cent
from a year ago, the report said.
The jostling to sell excess inventory
over the next three months could hit
sales growth, said Brian Yarbrough,
an analyst with financial services firm
Edward Jones.
“Right now retailers have started
cutting back on deliveries for the third
and fourth quarter,” he said, referring
to new inventory orders.
That could leave them understocked
for the end of the year, when most
retailers make as much as 40 per cent
of their annual sales, he said.
Some retailers might be able to
avoid slashing prices.
The world’s largest retailer, WalMart Stores Inc, bucked the trend and
posted surprisingly higher sales on
Thursday as lower-income consumers
spent more.
That should mean Wal-Mart sold
much of the stock earmarked for the
quarter, easing the pressure to offer steep
promotions and discounts, analysts
said. Other bright spots included home
improvement chains like Home Depot
and Lowe’s Companies Inc, which have
benefited from a housing recovery;
and off-price apparel retailers like TJX
Cos, which offer low-priced branded
apparel and accessories. — Reuters
international
business
b
i
20
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
India’s first monorail in red by Rs 1.59 bn
India’s first monorail here become an unviable venture notching a loss of Rs 1.59 billion in the
past 26 months, besides a cost escalation of Rs 2.2 billion since the project was conceptualised,
an RTI query has revealed on Friday. The first phase of the monorail between Chembur-Wadala
opened on February 2, 2014 and till March 2016, saw 10.2 million commuters travel on it.
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
Richest lithium nation risks being left behind
TESLA BOOM: Demand for lithium is soaring as Tesla Motors prepares to start production of its mass-market Model 3 battery-powered car
SANTIAGO: The electric-car revolution
is here and Chile is looking to ramp up
production of the lithium the industry
needs for batteries. Or it would be,
but for a bitter dispute between the
government and the former son-in-law
of a military dictator.
After Chile’s government moved to
withdraw its licence to exploit one of the
world’s largest deposits, Soc Quimica
& Minera de Chile SA opted to invest
in a lithium project across the Andes
in Argentina and is trying to block a
project by Albemarle Corp in Chile.
SQM is controlled by Julio Ponce, the
former husband of the late dictator
Augusto Pinochet’s daughter.
Demand for lithium is soaring
as Tesla Motors Inc prepares to start
production of its mass-market Model
3 battery-powered car and Chevrolet
prepares an all-electric “Volt”. The soft,
silver-white metal is also used in cell
phones.
As of last year, Chile held 54 per cent
of the world’s known lithium reserves,
almost all of it in brine underneath the
vast salt flats of the Atacama desert.
For now though, it’s neighbouring
Argentina that looks to be moving faster
to capture surging demand, rather than
the normally investor-friendly Chile.
New Argentine President Mauricio
Macri has removed currency and capital
controls and a mineral export tax to lure
investment.
Losing Ground
“This bickering and this back
and forth in Chile is detrimental” to
production, said Chris Berry, president
of research firm House Mountain
Partners LLC and editor of the
As of last year, Chile held
54 pc of the world’s known
lithium reserves, almost all
of it in brine underneath the
vast salt flats of the Atacama
desert. For now though, it’s
neighbouring Argentina that
looks to be moving faster to
capture surging demand.
Disruptive Discoveries newsletter. At the
same time “the political climate in other
parts of the world is changing — and the
case in point is Argentina.”
Sales from SQM’s lithium operations
rose 62 per cent in the first quarter
as prices surged. The metal and its
derivatives accounted for 41 per cent
of gross profit, the mining company
reported on Wednesday, up from 19 per
cent a year earlier.
Government
agency
Corfo,
which is legally the owner of mining
concessions that SQM exploits in the
Salar de Atacama salt-flat, is seeking
to rescind the rights, alleging the
company has underpaid. SQM said
the accusations are unfounded and
subsequently announced a joint venture
in neighbouring Argentina which is
targeting production of 40,000 metric
tonnes per year of lithium carbonate by
2019.
Rival Challenge
That’s not all the company is doing
A worker walks near an evaporation pool where lithium bicarbonate is isolated from salt brine during the process of lithium
production at the Uyuni Salt Flats in Uyuni, Bolivia. — Bloomberg
amid its spat with the Chilean state. In
April, SQM said it will seek to block an
expansion project by rival Albemarle
in Chile, citing concern that the
operation will have a bearing on its own
environmental procedures.
Corfo had announced a 27-year
contract with the Baton Rouge-based
Albemarle in February to expand
production in exchange for a royalty
of about 40 per cent of sales. The state
agency declined to comment. SQM
didn’t respond an email with questions.
The dispute between SQM and the
government doesn’t come out of the blue.
In 2012, an auction that awarded SQM
rights to produce an additional 100,000
tons of lithium was annulled after a
review discovered that the company
failed to meet all requirements.
And controversies continue. The
company has fired its CEO for an illegal
campaign — financing scandal that has
tainted almost all the country’s political
parties. At the same time, Julio Ponce
is fighting in courts a fine of about
$70 million imposed by the securities
regulator for illegal trading in shares of
SQM’s holding companies.
Inviting Bids
The series of quarrels has led Ponce to
hire a unit of Itau Unibanco Holding SA
to invite bids for his controlling stake in
one of those holding companies.
As Chile bickers, Argentina may
surpass it in the next few years as a
lithium producer.
Australia’s Orocobre Ltd, with backing
from Toyota Motor Corp, produced
2,232 tonnes in the first quarter from its
Salar de Olaroz in northern Argentina
and is expected to reach full capacity
in September. Admiralty Resources NL
is in the pre-production phase at the
Salar de Rincon, Galaxy Resources Ltd
is developing the Sal de Vida salt-bed
project and Lithium Americas Corp
is working with SQM on the Cauchari
venture, according to a presentation
from the Argentine government. SQM
agreed to pay $25 million to Lithium
Americas for 50 per cent of that project,
which will begin construction in 2017.
Strategic Industry
Prices for lithium carbonate at 99.5
per cent purity in China more than
tripled in the last 12 months to 168,000
yuan (about $26,000) per tonne from
49,000 yuan, according to Asian Metal,
as the government subsidizes electric
buses to help clean-up smog levels. While
prices are falling in China, elsewhere in
the world they will continue to climb,
Citigroup said in a report. In 2015, Chile
produced about 35 per cent of global
lithium output totalling 200,000 tonnes,
according to estimates from consultancy
Stormcrow Capital Ltd.
It’s not as if Chile doesn’t recognize the
potential for lithium. The government
has declared it a strategic industry,
which means that it won’t hand out
concessions to private miners but rather
invite companies to form partnerships
with state companies such as copper
miner Codelco. But those projects will
take time to get online, according to
Berry.
“The market is growing, but supply
isn’t going to stand still and wait for
SQM and the Chilean government to
iron out their differences,” Stormcrow
President Jon Hykawy said by email.
— Bloomberg
Corn production in Russia will rise from 13.2 million tonnes this season
Dollar rally is biggest
Top wheat exporter Russia targeting since January as Fed
corn as it rises to record
stokes divergence
LONDON: After overtaking the US as the world’s
largest wheat exporter, Russia is becoming a bigger
part of the corn market with expectations for a
record crop.
Russian farmers will boost production to 13.7
million metric tonnes in the season starting in
October, an all-time high, according to Moscowbased consultant SovEcon. While the nation’s corn
shipments are still a fraction of those in the US or
Brazil, they’re forecast to beat those of barley for
the first time this season, making it Russia’s No 2
export crop.
Farmers in Russia are expanding corn output
due to high domestic demand from the livestock
industry and better profitability, said Dmitry Rylko,
Director at the Institute for Agricultural Market
Studies. Output more than quadrupled in the past
decade, helping the country extend its supremacy
in grain markets that saw it overtake the US as the
world’s top wheat shipper.
“Russia is not yet a powerhouse in corn, but
it’s becoming more significant,” said Swithun Still,
Director of Morges, Swizterland-based Solaris
Commodities SA, the largest trader of Russian
corn. “Five years ago, it had an insignificant export
program. It’s gone from basically nothing to
outpacing barley on exports.”
Record output this season has already helped
make Russia the world’s fifth-largest exporter,
displacing the European Union, where drought
damaged the crop, USDA data showed.
Production Surge
Corn production in Russia
will rise from 13.2 million tonnes this
season as planted area expands 7.1 per
cent to 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres),
said Andrey Sizov Jr, SovEcon’s Managing
Director.
Growers are also expanding corn plantings as
the crop is less politically sensitive than wheat,
Sizov said. Russia has repeatedly intervened in
wheat markets by banning exports to safeguard
domestic supplies and more recently introduced
an export tax on the grain. The
levy, which took effect in July,
will probably be extended to next
season as the Russia says it sees
no reason to lift it.
“Wheat is flour, flour is bread
and bread is a socially important
issue for countries like Russia and Ukraine,”
Sizov said. “Farmers began to
realize more and more that
Corn is easy to produce and input
costs are lower. Russian farmers
grow a non-genetically modified
variety and that is also attracting
buyers. Growers are also expanding
corn plantings as the crop is less
politically sensitive than wheat.
wheat became a sensitive crop.”
Corn is easy to produce and input costs are
lower, according to Solaris. Russian farmers grow
a non-genetically modified variety and that is also
attracting buyers, Still said. Earlier this year, India
tendered to buy corn in the nation’s biggest purchase
in
decades.
One of the
conditions:
the corn had to
be
non-GMO. Turkey and
South Korea are the biggest
buyers of the Russian grain.
Export Forecasts
Russian corn exports will
rise 7.1 per cent next season
after surging 31 per cent a year
earlier, USDA data showed. Barley
shipments are estimated to fall
25 per cent this season to
4 million tonnes and
stagnate the next, it
showed.
The nation is following the footsteps of
neighbouring Ukraine, where corn is now a bigger
crop than wheat, SovEcon’s Sizov said. Ukraine’s
corn production overtook wheat in 2011-12 and
is estimated to be almost 4 million tonnes bigger
this season, USDA data showed. “Corn production
is quite likely to be growing faster than wheat,” he
said. “I won’t be surprised to see wheat production
stagnating in Russia in the medium-term while
corn will continue to grow.”
— Bloomberg
A stripe of one dollar notes travel through a large examining packaging equipment
machine after receiving a $100 currency strap at the US Bureau of Engraving and
Printing in Washington, DC, US.
NEW YORK: The dollar extended its
biggest advance since January to a third
week as traders weighed the possibility
of tighter monetary policy in the US
against stimulus in Japan and other major
economies.
The US currency has rallied since the
minutes of the Fed’s most recent meeting
prompted traders to add to bets on a June
rate hike. The move was also spurred
by Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko
Kuroda reiterating that he’s ready to add
to stimulus if necessary. Japan used a
meeting of finance chiefs from the world’s
major industrialized nations to warn of
the economic risks from sharp swings in
the yen, even as the US made clear that
currency markets remain calm.
The greenback surged for the past three
weeks in its longest run of gains since
January as traders renewed expectations
for the US central bank to raise borrowing
costs. The currency’s rebound snapped
three months of losses, during which
markets questioned the Fed’s ability to
tighten monetary policy amid a softening
global growth outlook.
“The definition of divergence has
really changed,” said Steven Englander,
New York-based global head of Groupof-10 currency strategy at Citigroup Inc,
the world’s biggest currency trader. “Last
year, we thought divergence was four
hikes a year for the Fed, now it’s like two
hikes, maybe,” he said in an interview on
Bloomberg Television. He expects the
dollar to strengthen when the Fed raises
rates.
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index,
which tracks the US currency versus 10
major counterparts, gained 0.8 per cent
this week as of 5 pm in New York, adding
to the 2.3 per cent advance in the past
two weeks. The dollar rose 0.2 per cent to
110.15 yen on Friday and slipped 0.2 per
cent to $1.1224 per euro.
The yield premium offered by twoyear US Treasury notes over equivalent
Japanese government bonds surged to the
highest since the 2008 financial crisis.
Hedge funds and other large
speculators reduced bets against the dollar
to a net 10,653 in the week ending on May
17, according to data from the Commodity
Futures Trading Commission show.
Investors turned bearish on the greenback
for the first time since 2014 last month.
— Bloomberg
p
pers
p
pective
business
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
21
*Age of abundance: Building a profitable business
BUSINESS IDEA
STEFANO VIRGILLI
[email protected]
A
s much as it sounds
ridiculous,
people
continuously pay for
space they never use.
The Americans are
well-known for their
hoarding obsession. At the beginning,
the storage facilities were used in — as
Ronald Havner, Chief Executive of selfstorage giant Public Storage calls — cases
of the four Ds: Death, Divorce, Disaster
and Dislocation. Today, 50 per cent of
the Americans use self-storage to put
their extra belongings that will probably
never use in the future. Every year the
numbers are growing. According to the
Self-Storage Association, the US had
“48,500 mini-warehouse facilities last
year.” The amount of self-storage space
in the US is estimated to nearly 2.3
billion square feet. That is more than
enough to store every man, woman and
child in the country.
Even if the average size of American
people’s home has nearly doubled, they
still lease storage facilities because they
cannot bear to get rid of their old stuff.
Derek Naylor, president of the consultant
group Storage Marketing Solutions finds
the problem in the following: “Human
laziness has always been a big friend
of self-storage operators. Because once
they’re in, nobody likes to spend all
day moving their stuff out of storage.
As long as they can afford it, and feel
psychologically that they can afford it,
they’ll leave that stuff in there forever.”
But today “there are people who are
watching their credit-card bills closer
than before.”
According to Naylor, “They’re really
paying attention to the stuff they’re
storing and realizing that it’s probably
not worth $100 a month to keep.”
It is obvious that the age of abundance
is not over yet — even if many people
decided to spend their money on buying
something more practical — so the
question is how to build a profitable
business from it?
If you are considering to open your
facility, do not just jump on the market
before researching your options and
creating a proper analyze and strategy.
There are some key traces you need to
follow before developing your own selfstorage facility. Remember, your goal is
not just opening a facility, your goal is
opening a facility that will lease.
First of all, when deciding if a parcel
is made for storage success, make sure to
look for the advantages that are optimal
Business opportunities are
all around us. If your decision
is positive make sure that
is based on all the previous
calculations and analyses
rather than your intuition.
for the clients. Within the process,
never forget to think and put yourself
in a role of a consumer. The first factor
to consider is visibility and the second
one is high traffic area. Your clients will
always use a facility that is convenient
to their lifestyle. Make sure you choose
a facility that is easily visible from the
highway or is located on a street that
has at least 15,000 ADT (average daily
traffic).
Statistics show that approximately
85 per cent of the self-storage facilities
persist on the market because they are
located in high traffic area. Then, check
if the facility you have chosen is located
in an area that has the potential to grow.
Build your facility in the place where
the demand for storage facilities is more
than one.
That way, you are going to insure
yourself from competitors and that will
give you an instant chance for growth.
Second of all, define your market.
This is one of the most important
steps. In order to do that, mark your
location on a map. You can use tools
such as Google Earth Pro. Then draw
a simple 3-mile radius around your
location and make your calculations.
If your calculations show that around
the 3-mile radius are populated around
100,000 and counting, you are dealing
with primary market. Everything less
than 75,000 people in a 5-mile radius
counts as a secondary market. Even
lesser, 30,000 people in 7 to 10 miles
represents a rural market. If you aim for
the highest result, aim for the primary
market. Some of the useful information
that will give you a better view on the
market and show you with what kind
of population you will be dealing with
is demographic information. Instead of
relying on a variety of growth formulas,
you can simply rely on postal counts.
They measure the amount of people that
receive mail at one address.
After defining your market,
determine your net demand. It will help
you understand where the demand is
spread. Do not forget the competition.
Find any useful information that will
make you be in advantage by making a
full competitor analysis.
Finally, go on the field and explore
the market. Take pictures, ask questions,
collect information and take a closer
look at the facilities. That will be
enough to make your decision. Business
opportunities are all around us. If your
decision is positive make sure that is
based on all the previous calculations
and analyses rather than your intuition.
*Supplier industry questions Tesla’s *Fed has something
PRODUCTION TARGET
RATE HIKE
to prove to dubious
traders across Wall St
goals for Model 3 output
I
n the past three months, Tesla
has told suppliers the company
was doubling its original
production projections to
100,000 Model 3s in 2017
and 400,000 in 2018, several
supplier industry executives familiar
with the plans said.
Details on Model 3 production
projections have not been reported
previously, and Tesla did not break out
target volumes for the Model 3.
Tesla has taken 373,000 orders for
the Model 3 — which has a starting
price of $35,000, about half its Model S
— and has said it would begin customer
deliveries in late 2017. But it has made
no promises, and, on earlier models,
customers waited months for delivery.
Citing “tremendous demand,” Chief
Executive Elon Musk told analysts on
an April call that the company planned
to boost total production, including the
existing Model S and Model X crossover,
to 500,000 in 2018 — two years earlier
than its original target and a 10-fold
increase over the 50,000 vehicles it made
in 2015.
Musk said Tesla told suppliers to
prepare for Model 3 production tests in
July 2017, a goal he acknowledged may
be unrealistic for some.
But he said the “aggressive” target was
necessary to reach production goals.
“Now, will we actually be able to
achieve volume production on July
1 next year? Of course not,” he told
analysts.
“The reason is that even if 99 per cent
of the internally produced items and
supplier items are available on July 1, we
still cannot produce the car because you
cannot produce a car that is missing 1
per cent of its components,” he said.
Musk said the Model 3’s simpler
design, new production hires and
enthusiastic suppliers would help the
I
A Tesla Model 3 sedan, its first car aimed at the mass market, is displayed during its launch in Hawthorne, California. — Reuters
file photo
company make its goals.
He said Tesla would drop suppliers
that could not meet deadlines and
would bring more parts production
in-house than traditional automakers
typically do.
He did not specify how much or
which parts.
“It’s very important for us to have the
ability to produce almost any part on the
car at will because it alleviates risk with
suppliers,” Musk told analysts.
Industry experts said Tesla’s new
goals were extraordinary and raised
doubts it could meet them.
The handful of North American
auto plants capable of building 500,000
vehicles a year are all run by automakers
with decades of experience, they said.
Tesla continues to have delivery
delays for its Model X SUV.
Its Model S also missed delivery
targets when launched.
SPEEDING
UP
ASSEMBLY:
One complication is that Tesla has
not finalized the Model 3 design
Under ideal conditions,
automakers have launched
new assembly lines in 18
months, but they typically
take two to three years after
the first tooling and supply
contracts are signed.
and specifications, said automaking
consultants and supply executives
who asked not to be identified because
Tesla prohibits them from disclosing
contract details. Musk has said the
Model 3 design and engineering would
be complete in June, 13 months ahead of
the planned production start-up.
Under ideal conditions, automakers
have launched new assembly lines in
18 months, but they typically take two
to three years after the first tooling and
supply contracts are signed, several
manufacturing consultants said.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, for
example, is converting a Sterling
Heights, Michigan sedan plant to make
300,000 Ram 1500 pick-ups a year, a 50
per cent increase in capacity.
“FCA already has the talent and the
money, and the underlying machinery
is already installed in the plant,” said
one longtime supply sales executive.
‘‘They’re aiming to be up and running
in 2018, so they have two years — and
suppliers are wondering if they’ll make
that deadline.”
Tesla says the Model 3 features
6,000 to 7,000 unique components,
fewer than the typical automobile with
a combustion engine and the Model S,
which has more than 8,000 parts.
The company still is soliciting bids
for parts and machinery, according
to representatives from several of
companies that have received them,
as well as industry consultants who
monitor such bids. — Reuters
t’s hard to fault investors for being complacent when the Federal
Reserve says it’s on the brink of raising interest rates again.
Policy makers have been delivering that message since the
start of last year, only to later back off when the data showed they
overestimated the strength of the US economy. This scenario is playing out
again in global markets. Even after the Fed’s minutes on Wednesday sent a
strong signal that an increase may come as soon as June, the bond market
is only pricing in a 28 per cent chance of that happening.
“The Fed and other central banks can get hawkish trying to manipulate
the direction of rates, but the market says we don’t believe you,” said
Steve Major, the London-based head of fixed-income research at HSBC
Holdings Plc, which is one of the 23 primary dealers of US government
securities that trade with the Fed. “Structural headwinds to growth and
the international backdrop are
limitations on how far US rates
can go.” While minutes from the
Fed’s April meeting indicated
policy makers considered a rate
hike likely next month if the
economy continued to improve,
investors see plenty of obstacles.
A referendum in Britain on June
23 will decide whether the country remains a member of the European
Union. Growth momentum in China is fading following a credit-fuelled
rebound earlier this year and the dollar is rising again.
Some money managers are saying it’s time for traders to start pricing
back in the Fed. DoubleLine Capital’s Jeffrey Gundlach said on Thursday
that the central bank is signalling economic data are sufficiently robust to
warrant a rate increase. Rick Rieder, Chief Investment Officer of global
fixed income at BlackRock Inc, said officials will likely wait until July to
gauge the outcome and implications of the British referendum.
So far, the markets have been right to call the Fed’s bluff. The Fed
officials have cut their median forecast for the long-term fed fund rates to
3.25 per cent, from as high as 4.25 per cent in 2012.
Policy makers have been pushing investors to prepare for rate increases
for more than a year, but only delivered one. At 0.89 per cent, two-year
Treasury yields are lower than in December when the policy makers raised
benchmark borrowing costs from near zero for the first time since 2006.
To the disappointment of policy makers, the US economy is unable to
keep the growth momentum as it did in previous rate-tightening cycles.
It barely expanded in the first quarter, increasing at an annual rate of 0.5
per cent. While the unemployment rate has dropped below 5 per cent,
inflation remains below the Fed’s 2 per cent goal.
“The economy lacks enough oomph for the Fed to act decisively,”
Christopher Low, Chief Economist at FTN Financial, wrote in a note to
clients on Thursday. — Bloomberg
SUNDAY l MAY 22, 2016 l SHAABAN 15, 1437 AH
[email protected]
www.omanobserver.om
RENTING & LEASING
Tours and Airport Transfer
Tel: 24582663
GSM: 95859497,
Fax: 24582664,
[email protected]
·····
RENT a car daily or
yearly. 91169990.
·····
For Rent
DELUXE villa at
Supply
of
Pesticides,
Gel (Cockroaches),
Public Health
chemicals,
Agriculture
chemicals,
Snake repellent, Rodent
baits
and
other insect
repellent from
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Ltd UK.
PROFESSIONALS
in Pest Control Service,
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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
M/Qaboos. Flats
at Walja and Al
Khuwair, Industrial
Sohar. 24815404,
CLASSIFIED SECTION
Ruwi : 24785668 Behind Royal
Oman Police, Adjacent to
Dhofar Building
Car For Rent
Buttercup
Rent A Car
AMAZING OFFERS
€ Rent a car for 10 days
and get an extra free
day.
€ Rent for one month
and get 5 days free.
All the cars are 2016
brand new special prices
for public departments,
companies and longterm contracts.
972494490.
·····
Al Shorooq Car Rent
location opposite to
Al Nahda Hospital.
99222617.
·····
Guest House
QURUM BEACH
HOTEL24564070.
·····
Umrah/Haj
For Sale/Rent
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
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
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price, including
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meals and visits to
shrine locations.
Land and air
trips weekly.
99311310,
24566016,
99361982,
99707248,
99322124.
Available on UNBEATABLE prices
HP2130
3 in 1 Printer
RO 10.900 only
All Cartridges also
available
on UNBEATABLE prices
AII HP, Epson, Canon,
Lexmark, Samsung
Cartridges also available
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
SPECIAL Rates on
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PEST CONTROL
OMAN CO. LLC.
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Rent a Car
ȍ͵
VILLAS for sale/
rents WADI
KABIR/AL
KHUWAIR),
ȋŠ‘’•Ȁ‘ˆϐ‹…‡•
for rent/ Al
Khuwair)
(Flats for rent/
Wadi Kabir).
ͻ͸ͷͻ͸͵ͶͺǤ
·····
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
Ruwi: 24792-792
[email protected]
·····
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
97167846
·····
A VERY big villa in North
Al Ghubra, close to Chedi
Hotel and Oman Oil pump
station. It contains 8
bedrooms, majlis and 9
toilets at RO 1,300 a
month. 96581137.
·····
APARTMENTS for rent:
1. First apartment: four
rooms, four toilets, big
living room and big
kitchen.
2. Second apartment:
four rooms, four toilets,
big living room and big
kitchen.
PS: water and electricity
bills on the owner charges.
Contact 99459204.
·····
FLAT for rent with
air-conditioner, two
bedrooms, sitting
room, medium-sized
sitting room, two toilets
and kitchen near the
healthcare centre of North
Al Ghubra at RO 330.
95548774.
·····
Al Watheeqah Real
Estate Services
FLATS, ‘ˆϐ‹…‡•ƒ†
showrooms for rent in
Al Khuwair, Bausher, Al
Mawaleh and Al Khoudh.
91281822.
·····
FULLY furnished 2 BR
apartment in Al Khuwair
33 with private entrance.
99842992. 10 am - 6 pm
For Rent
NEW flats for rent at
Darsait near to Ministry
of Sports, Mumtaz area.
The flats includes:
™ 1 living room
™ 2 bedroom
™ Kitchen
™ 3 Toilets
™
Every room with split
A/C
™
‹‰Š“—ƒŽ‹–›ϐ‹‹•Š‹‰
‡–’‡”ϐŽƒ–‹•
RO 340/-. Interested
candidates please
contact: 92225523.
·····
VILLA for rent in Al Qurum.
Flat for rent in Rimal Gallria
in Bausher. Villa for rent in
Maabela 99830331.
·····
1) 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroom,
kitchen, living room, store
with split unit Air
conditioner in Ruwi Rex
road.
2) Basement 580 square
metre (new building).
Contact. 99833369.
·····
FLATS for rent in
Al Khuwair, Al Hail,
Wadi Kabir, Al Falaj,
MBD and Muttrah.
99119699/ 95250300/
24813002.
For Rent
A FLAT in South Al
Maabela consists of 3
bedrooms with toilets
for each room + sitting
room and kitchen with
air-condition. The flat is
near a public water
surce and in excellent
location. 99700408.
·····
SHOWROOM in Al
Khoudh Market for rent.
94887300.
·····
ǧfloor house behind
German University of
Technology in Halban is
offered for rent. The house
contains 4 bedrooms, living
room, a kitchen and 3 toilets.
91239119.
·····
2 BEDROOM flat in Al
Ghubra near Oman Oil 18
November Street, RO 330
monthly. 99333479 or
95215360.
·····
2 FLOOR house at Al Hail
North. Each floor: 3
bedrooms, 3 bathrooms,
kitchen, store, 1 sitting
room. 92133551,
95067585
·····
SINGLE bedroom
ϐŽƒ–ǡŽŠ—™ƒ‹”ƒ†
Al Ghubra, family only.
92967853.
VILLA in Al Mawaleh (5),
5 rooms + toilets + majlis
and family living room.
92880977.
ELFAYED for sedative
investment in Salalah
introduces the best price
and utilities, for rent:
—’‡”ˆ—”‹•Š‡†ϐŽƒ–•ǡ
daily, monthly and yearly.
98035135/ 96177304/
91788999.
·····
·····
·····
·····
·····
For Rent
FLAT for rent in Maabela
3 master rooms.
96088926.
VILLA for rent in North Al
Hail consists of 4 bedrooms
with toilets for each room +
majlis. 99760908
·····
·····
APARTMENT and
2 BEDROOMS with
toilets, one sitting room
with toilet. Contact.
993803465.
shops for rent in Al
Mawaleh near Al Bayan
Hotel. 99387455/
·····
AN apartment consists of
two bedrooms, two toilets,
a kitchen and a living room
is offered for rent in Sidab.
99455397, 99181929.
·····
SEMI furnished 2 & 3 BHK
flats at Bausher — near
Atlas Hospital.
99348493/ 93200424/
24502254.
·····
2-STOREY villa in South Al
Maabela consists of majlis, 4
bedrooms with toilets for
each + 2 sitting rooms and
kitchen, located near a
public water source. Contact
999700908
·····
·····
CLASSIFIED SECTION:
HOUSE for rent 7 bedrooms,
2 kitchens and 2 bathrooms.
99457845/99343340.
·····
A COFFEE shop with all
equipment in South Al Hail
near Hail Al Awamir School.
99469900.
ONE ϐŽ‘‘”Š‘—•‡‹Žƒ‹Ž
and 2km from Wave Muscat,
contains 4 bedrooms, living
room, a kitchen and 2 toilets,
RO 300. 99077722.
·····
·····
FOR RENT AND
INVESTMENT: LAND
industrial shops in
Rusayl. 99323957,
95490842
TWO „‡†”‘‘ϐŽƒ–™‹–Š…ƒ”
parking at Qurum PDO road
nearer to CCC. 99203954.
·····
ǧand
•’ƒ…‹‘—•ϐŽƒ–‹‘—–ŠŽ
Maabela consists of 3
bedrooms, sitting room
and toilets for each room
+ sitting room and kitchen
close to water source.
99700908.
1BHK & 2 BHK flats for rent
at Ruwi and Al Khoudh.
93994402, 93994403,
24834644.
·····
FLAT for rent in Qurum PDO,
3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms,
living room and kitchen.
96655506.
·····
NEW villa in Al Khoudh 6 is
offered for rent. The premise
comprises 6 bedrooms,
male majlis, female
majlis, a split unit airconditioned family living
room and 8 toilets.
99668686.
FLATS for rent in Salalah
european design, farm view,
good situation in the centre
‡ƒ”–Š‡•‡ƒǡ‡™ϐŽƒ–•Ǥ
92181524 WhatsApp.
·····
·····
92461818.
For Rent
CLASSIFIED SECTION
RUWI
: 24785668
Behind Royal Oman
Police, Adjacent to
Dhofar Building, Ruwi.
·····
·····
A FLAT in North Al Hail
consists of 4 bedrooms with
toilets for each, sitting room
and kitchen. 99700908.
·····
NEW building in Maabela
Industrial Area available
for rent. Corner location for
showroom, hypermarket
‘”„ƒǤ
”‘—†ϐŽ‘‘”ǡͳ•–
ƒ†ʹ†ϐŽ‘‘”•ƒ”‡‘’‡Ǥ
99323030
·····
Ali al Maashari: 99639264 [email protected]
Mohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 [email protected]
AN ƒ‹”Ǧ…‘†‹–‹‘ϐŽƒ–‘ˆ
two bedrooms + majlis +
medium sitting room + two
toilets and kitchen, close to
North Al Ghubrah Health
Centre is offered for rent at
RO 330. 95548774.
A PREMISE consists of a
2-storey villa, 5 rooms, 2
majlis and 2 aprtments.
ƒ…ŠϐŽƒ–Šƒ•͵”‘‘•
and majlis in South Al
Maabailah. Priority is for
companies. 99420140.
·····
·····
NEW SHOWROOM INDUSTRIAL AREA
FOR RENT 3000 m2
(12 Shops for each 85 m2)
At the back have
covered area 1800 m2
In Sohar Falaj Alouhi
Contact:
99446446
92758353
Required
CERTIFIED Fumigator
who can handle all
types of fumigation
services for a reputed
Trading Company in
Muscat. Should have
relevant educational
“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘ǡ
…‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡•ǡ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡
in fumigation service,
good co-ordination
skills and having
driving licence.
Interested candidates
may forward their
CV with copies of
‡†—…ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ…‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡•
and work experience
within 10 days to:
almarooj@omnatel.
net.om
·····
FREE
INFORMATION
ABOUT ISLAM
If you would like
to know more
about
Islam, please
call:
Tel : 99425598,
99250777,
99353988,
99253818,
99341395,
99379133, For
ladies: 99415818,
99321360, 99730723
Or visit:
www.11coman.om
www.islamfact.com
94501166
DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590
c ass fieds
classi
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CLASSIFIEDS
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
Situation Vacant
required
experienced MEP
Engineers and
Estimators. Contact
ͻͷʹʹͻ͸Ͳͺǡͻ͵ʹͳͶͲͻʹ
or [email protected]
·····
A Bilingual
Sales Executive, with 3
to 4 years experience &
†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡ǤŠ‘—Ž†„‡
dynamic and capable of
planning sales forecast,
…ƒŽŽ•ƒ†”‡’‘”–•ǤŽ—‡…›
‹”ƒ„‹…—•–Ǥƒ‹Ž
to [email protected]
·····
a Hairdresser
+ Make-up + Threading
+ waxing +facial.
ͻͲ͸Ͷ͹͵ʹʹǤ
Ȁ
ȀƒŽ‡•
š‡…—–‹˜‡
required
ͷǦ͸›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡‡†
‹ƒȀ
responsible for
ƒ”‡–‹‰Ƭ•ƒŽ‡•
with driving licence.
ͻͲͳͺͺͳʹͲǡ‡ƒ‹Žǣ
ranjitmehta009@
gmail.com.
·····
LOOKING for investor
or experienced
civil engineer for a
construction, maintenance
& landscaping company.
‡”‹‘—•’‡‘’Ž‡…‘–ƒ…–Ǥ
ͻ͵ͻͶ͸͸ʹʹǤ
·····
OMANI public relation
manager/ marketing
manager required for an
NOW hiring a Ticketing
‘ˆϐ‹…‡‹–Šƒ‹„ƒǤ—ŽŽ–‹‡
Operator.—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘ǣ
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ƒ˜‹‰ͷ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡
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and above in operating
‘”ƒ”‡–‹‰‡š’‡”‡‹…‡
a server, having an IATA
‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡ǡŠƒ˜‹‰ƒƒ‹ only need to apply with
‡‰Ž‹•Šƒ†’Š‘–‘–‘ǣ
†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡ǤǦƒ‹Žǣ
ƒ”ƒ„Š‡ƒŽ–Š̷ƒŽŠƒ‹Ǥ…‘
‘ǣ––ʹͲͲͲ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
·····
·····
General
manager and other
related staff for a new
Š‘–‡Ž‹—”—Ǥ‡†
with photograph and copies
‘ˆ…‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡•Ǥ Ǧƒ‹Žǣ
“ŠŠʹͲͳ͸̷‘—–Ž‘‘Ǥ…‘
·····
Marketing/
PR Manager for a modern
restaurant group in Oman.
”‘ϐ‹…‹‡–‹ŽŽ—•–”ƒ–‘”ƒ†
Photoshop. Charismatic,
Proactive, creative and
ϐŽ‡š‹„Ž‡Ǥš…‡ŽŽ‡–™”‹–‹‰Ȁ
‡†‹–‹‰•‹ŽŽ•Ǥ‡‰”‡‡
‹”‡Ž‡˜ƒ–ƒ”‡ƒǤŽ—‡–
‹‰Ž‹•ŠǤ ‡†–‘
ƒ”‡–‹‰’”ʹͲͳ͸̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
com
·····
”‡“—‹”‡†
Expatriate Heavy Duty
Drivers, JCB Operators
with valid Omani licence.
‡†›‘—”–‘‰†•‘ƒ̷
‰†•‘ƒǤ…‘Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
ͻͻͺͻͲͲ͹͸ǡͻ͵ͺͻͶͲͳͺǡ
ƒšǣʹͶͷͻͲͺ͸͸Ǥ
·····
SUBCONTRACTORS
”‡“—‹”‡†ǣ…‘–”ƒ…–‘”•
interested in telecom side
— civil and underground
telephone cable laying
™‘”Ȅƒ›…‘–ƒ…–”
ƒ˜‹ͻͻͶʹͶ͸Ͳͷ‘”
”ƒ›‡†Ǥ99358733
of National Telephone
‡”˜‹…‡•‘Ǥ
·····
specialised
‹’‡•–…‘–”‘Ž•‡‡•–‘
hire Omani chartered
accountants and
receptionists with a
…‘ƒ†‹‰Ž‹•Š
language. ͻͻͲͳͷʹͳͺǤ
·····
JOB opportunity in
engineering consultancy
‘ˆϐ‹…‡ˆ‘”ǣ
- Architect engineer
- Civil/ structural
engineer
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engineer
š’‡”‹‡…‡ǣ͵›‡ƒ”•
ƒ†‘”‡ǡ‡Ǧƒ‹Ž–‘ǣ
[email protected]
·····
Services
Situation Wanted
ƒŽ—•–ƒ‰„ƒŽ
ƒŽ‘ƒ›œƒ„‡ƒ—–›
ƒ†•‹…ƒ”‡‹—•…ƒ–
Chinese Beauty Center
‹‘Šƒ”„”ƒ…Š
professional technician
15 years performance
treatement for Acne
”‡‘˜‡ǡ•‹–”‡ƒ–‡–
•’‘–”‡‘˜‡ǡ•‹
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™”‹Ž‡ǡ„‘†›”‡ŽƒšǤ
‘Šƒ”Ž‘…ƒ–‹‘ǣƒŽƒŒŽ
ƒ„ƒ‹Ž•ƒ‡ƒ‘ˆ
Beirut. ͻʹͲ͹ʹͻͳͷǡ
ʹ͸ͺͶͷ͵Ͷ͵Ǥ
experienced
†‹ƒƒ™›‡”ǡȋ͵ͷȌ
ǡ”ƒ„‹…ǡǡǤ
‘™•‰Ž‹•Šǡ”ƒ„‹…Ǥ
‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
’‘•‹–‹‘‹Ž‡‰ƒŽϐ‹”
or company. Presently
™‘”‹‰ƒ•ƒŽ‡‰ƒŽ
adviser. NOC available.
ͻ͹͵ͷͳ͸ͶͻǤǦƒ‹Žǣ
[email protected]
·····
·····
1. AC maintenance and
servicing.
2. ”‹†‰‡ǡ™ƒ•Š‹‰
machine and dish
washer repairing.
3. Painting and
cleaning services. 4.
Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽǡ’Ž—„‹‰
and carpentry
™‘”ͻ͹ͲͳͶʹ͵Ͷǡ
ͻͻͶͶ͹ʹͷ͹ǡʹͶͷͲͶʹͺͳǤ
·····
Pressure Trading
ǡ›†”‘ϐŽ‘™ǡ
Ž‘‘‹‰ for Accounts Clerk
and PRO with one or two
›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹‘Šƒ”
‹†Ž›•‡†›‘—”™‹–Š
‡š’‡…–‡†•ƒŽƒ”›ƒ–ǣƒŽœ—Žϐ‹̷
eim.ae
ǣͳǤ
ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡Ƭ‡”˜‹…‹‰Ǣ
ʹǤ”‹†‰‡ǡƒ•Š‹‰
ƒ…Š‹‡Ƭ‹•Š™ƒ•Š‡”
”‡’ƒ‹”‹‰Ǣ͵Ǥƒ‹–‹‰
Ƭ…Ž‡ƒ‹‰•‡”˜‹…‡•ǢͶǤ
Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽƬŽ—„‹‰
ƒ”’‡–”›™‘”Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ
ͻͻͶͶ͹ʹͷ͹ǡͻ͹ͲͳͶʹ͵Ͷǡ
ʹͶͷͲͶʹͺͳǤ
·····
·····
medical complex in
œ‹”‡“—‹”‡†‡†‹…ƒŽ•–ƒˆˆǣ
Ǧ ʹGeneral doctors.
Ǧ ͳSpecialist
obstetrician and
gynaecologist.
Ǧ ʹPaediatrician and
specialist.
Ǧ ͳDermatologist.
Ǧ ͳSpec phys
otorhinolaryngology.
Ǧ ʹX-Ray technicians.
Ǧ ʹLAB technicians.
Ǧ ʹPharmacists.
ͻͶ͵ͷͻͳ͹ʹǤ
‘ˆˆ‡”›‘—–Š‡—•‹‡••
‡”˜‹…‡•ǣƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡
of buildings and villas
for paint and carpentry
ƒ††‡…‘”ƒ–‹‘™‘”•
and installation of
material water proof and
cleaning services building
management and leasing
of real estate (Out motto
is to provide quality in
ƒŽŽ‘—”„—•‹‡••ȌǤ—•…ƒ–
‡ƒ‹••ƒ…‡‡˜‡Ž‘’‡–
and Investment.
99070093.
·····
·····
international
…‘’ƒ›‹–Š‡ϐ‹‡Ž†‘ˆ
information technology
Š‡ƒ†“—ƒ”–‡”‹—™‹
•‡‡•ƒƒ‹ˆ‡ƒŽ‡
(secretary) holder of
‰‡‡”ƒŽ†‹’Ž‘ƒ…‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡
and a resident of Wilayat
—––”ƒŠǤŠ‡‹•‡ƒ‹Ž‡†
to [email protected]
ƒŽŽ‹†•
‘ˆŽ‡‰ƒŽ™‘”•ǡ
registration, agreements,
…‘–”ƒ…–•Ǥƒ‡•ƒŽŽ‹†•
of cases of companies.
ͻ͹͵ͷͳ͸ͶͻǤ
Situation Wanted
ȋȌǡȋƒƒ†ƒȌǡ
‹ƒ…‡ƒƒ‰‡”ǡʹʹ
years in Oman. Available
with release. Call
ͻͳ͵ͲʹͻͲ͸
·····
INDIAN female BTech
‘’—–‡”…‹‡…‡™‹–Š͵
›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ•‡‡‹‰
ˆ—ŽŽǦ–‹‡Œ‘„‹•—’’‘”–ǡ
–‡ƒ…Š‹‰ǡǤ95933507,
ͻ͹Ͷͺͷͻͻ͹ǡ‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ
[email protected]
·····
INDIAN female (30 years
ȋǡǤȌŠƒ˜‹‰͸›‡ƒ”•
of teaching experience in
•…Š‘‘Ž•‹†‹ƒǤ‡ŽŽ
versed with electronics
devices teaching. Good
…‘’—–‡”‘™Ž‡†‰‡Ǥ
Present on visit visa.
‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡Œ‘„Ǥ
Contact 97135319,
‡Ǧƒ‹ŽǣǤŽ—…›ͳ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
com
·····
ƒŽ‡ʹ͸›‡ƒ”•
ȋȌ•’‡…‹ƒŽ‹•‡†‹
ƒ”‡–‹‰ǡŠƒ˜‹‰ʹ›‡ƒ”•
heavy equipment sales
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡Ǥƒ˜‹‰
†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡Ǥ‘‘‹‰
for suitable job in Oman
ͻͺͶ͵ͺͲͳͺǡ‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ
ŠƒŒƒƒˆ–ƒ„̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
INDIAN male BCA,
having 1 year 3 months
experience as senior
computer operator,
•‡‡‹‰•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
placement. Currently on
visit. ͻͳ͹Ͷͺͷͻͷǡ‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ
[email protected]
·····
L„—‹Ž†‹‰
ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡‹†™ƒ”ƒ†
Ƭ‘–•–ǤͻͶ͸ͳͶͶ͹ͻǤ
,
experienced Quantity
—”˜‡›‘”™‹–Šƒ…Š‡Ž‘”ǯ•
‡‰”‡‡ˆ”‘Š‡ˆϐ‹‡Ž†
ƒŽŽƒ‹˜‡”•‹–›ǡ
Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
posit. Currently in Oman
on a visit and available
for interview. Contact
ͻͳͳͺ͹͸͹ͻǡͻ͵͸Ͳ͸ͳ͸ʹǤ
[email protected]
·····
·····
Manpower
Situation Wanted
provide cleaning and
loading staff. MODERN
SPARKLE LLC. Ϊͻ͸ͺ
ͻͷ͵͸͹ͷͶͳǤ
INDIAN, ƒŽ‡ǡ‹
Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽƒ†‡Ž‡…–”‘‹…•
with Post Graduate
Diploma in Power
›•–‡•ȋ”ƒ•‹••‹‘
ƒ††‹•–”‹„—–‹‘Ȍǡ•‡‡•
placement. Presently in
Oman on visit. Contact
ͻͶ͸͸ͻ͸͹ͻǤǦƒ‹Žǣ
[email protected]
·····
YOUNGƒ‹•–ƒ‹ƒŽ‡ǡ
ʹʹ›‡ƒ”•ǡǡ…‘’—–‡”
designer, accountant,
‘™‹‰‘”ƒŽ”ƒ™ǡ
’ƒ‰‡ǡ—„Ž‹•Š‡”ǡ
’”‡•‡–Ž›‹ƒǡ•‡‡•
job. ͻͶͺͷͲʹͲͻ
·····
Ȁtelecom
technician, Indian male,
ʹ͹›‡ƒ”•‘Ž†ǡ†‹’Ž‘ƒ‹
electronics engg, 7 years
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹‡Ž‡…–”‘‹…•Ȁ
telecom industry, presently
™‘”‹‰‹†‹ƒǤ‘‘‹‰
for a job in Oman.
99087175.
·····
analyst 8 years
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ…
‰‡‘‹ˆ‘”ƒ–‹…••‡‡•
suitable placement
in telecommucation,
construction, utility
mapping, oil and gas,
cartography and survey
presently on visit visa.
ͻʹͻͷʹͶͺ͸ǡͻʹͷʹ͹ͺͻ͹Ǥ
·····
INDIANȋƒŽ‡ȌŠƒ˜‹‰
ͳ͹Ϊ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹
”ƒ†‹‰Ƭ‡ƒŽ–Š…ƒ”‡
•‡‡‹‰•‡‹‘”’‘•‹–‹‘‹
Accounts (11 years GCC
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡Ȍ…—””‡–Ž›
on resident Visa (NOC
ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡Ȍƒ†Šƒ•ƒ˜ƒŽ‹†
Omani driving licence.
Contact ͻͳ͵͵ͷͲʹ͸Ǣ
•—ƒ”–’̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
·····
FRIENDS MANPOWER:
‹Ž‹’‹‘Š‘—•‡ƒ‹†•
ƒ†ƒŽŽ‹†•‘ˆ™‘”‡”•Ǥ
ʹͶͶͺͻʹ͸ͺ‡ŽǣȀƒšǣ
ʹͶͶ͹ͺͳͷ͵ǡͻʹͶ͸ʹͶͻ͸Ǥ
·····
ŽǦ‹ƒ‹ƒ’‘™‡”
— labourers & housemaid
from Indonesia, Kenya, Uganda
ƒ†‘–Š‡”…‘—–”‹‡•ǤŽ—™ƒ‹“Ǥ
To communicate ʹ͸͹ͳ͵ͷͲͲǡ
ʹ͸͹ͳ͵͸ͲͲǤ
·····
Announcement
driver required
ͻͻ͵͵ʹͶ͸͵Ǥ
Ȁfull time home base
business unlimited income.
ͻͻͺ͸ͺ͵͵ͲȀͻͻͺͶͺͺ͵ͳǤ
·····
·····
required
Building Technician.
ͻͺͳͳͳ͵͸͵Ǥ
For Sale
·····
reputed media
…‘’ƒ›Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ
professional translator
ȋ”ƒ„‹…Ƭ‰Ž‹•ŠȌǤ
ͻ͵ͻͶ͸͸ʹʹǡ‡ƒ‹ŽǣƒŽ‹Ǥ
ƒ–ƒ‹ʹ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
LLC company with catering
licence including fully
equipment restaurant and
͸™‘”‡”•‹ȋƒŽƒŒƒŽŠ‹Ǧ
‘Šƒ”ȌǤͻͷͷʹ͹ͷʹͳǤ
·····
·····
·····
·····
CIVIL ‰‹‡‡”ȋ‡…ŠȌ
†‹ƒƒŽ‡ǡʹ͵›‡ƒ”•
having 1 year experience
in building and road
construction with good
…‘—‹…ƒ–‹‘•‹ŽŽƒ†
•‘ˆ–™ƒ”‡‘™Ž‡†‰‡ȋ—–‘
ǡ͵•ƒšǡ
”‘ǡ”‹ƒ˜‡”ƒƬ
ˆϐ‹…‡ȌŽ‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
position available on visit
visa. Contact ͻͻͷͷʹͻ͸͵ǡ
Ǧƒ‹Žǣ–Šƒ•ŠʹͺͷͲ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
com
·····
driver has
ƒ‹Ž‹…‡…‡Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ
Driver job. 91088455.
·····
LOOKING for suitable
placement, Indian female,
ƒ•–‡”‹…‘’—–‡”
application with 11 years
of epxereince in data
warehousing, Teradata
and date modeling
Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
’Žƒ…‡‡–‹—•…ƒ–Ǥ
ͻͳͳͻʹͷͶ͵ǤǦƒ‹Žǣ
’”‹›ƒ–Š‘ƒ•̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
AUTOCAD Civil Draftsman,
having experience in road
projects. Preparing plan
ƒ†’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡ǡǧ and
•–”—…–—”ƒŽ†”ƒ™‹‰•ǤǦƒ‹Žǣ
[email protected]
94034544.
·····
INDIAN male, B.Tech
ȋȌȋȌǡʹ›‡ƒ”•
of experience CCNA, CCNP
and hands on practice on
ǡǡŽ‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”
suitable job, presently on
employment visa, release
ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡Ǥ‘–ƒ…–‡ƒ‹Žǣ
[email protected]
95584814
·····
ʹ͸›‡ƒ”•ǡ†‹ƒƒŽ‡
accountant, 5 years
experience need a good
position, has visit visa,
“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘ǡǤ‘Ϊ
…‘’—–‡”„ƒ•‹…ΪƒŽŽ›ǡ
P.9. ͻͻͲͳʹ͸͸͹ȀͻͺͶ͹͹ͷ͵͸Ǥ
·····
ƒŽ‡ǡͳʹ›‡ƒ”•
experience in printing
and advt production and
ƒ”‡–‹‰ǡ•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
placement. ͻʹͻ͹ʹͺͻͺǤ
·····
ˆ‡ƒŽ‡ǡ…
Š‡‹•–”›ǡ†ǡŽ‘‘‹‰
for suitable position
‹‡†—…ƒ–‹‘Ȁ–”ƒ‹‹‰
industry. Communication
93779378
·····
INDIAN female with nearly
10 years of experience
in administration and
ǡ•‡‡‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
placement. NOC available.
ͻͻʹͶʹͺͶͳǤ
· · · ··
INDIAN Commerce graduate
™‹–Š‹ƒ…‡ǡŠƒ˜‹‰
ͻ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡•‡‡•
suitable placement. Contact
ͲͲͻ͸ͺͻ͵͸ͷͷͲ͹ͻǡ
ͲͲͻͳͻͻͳ͸͵ͳ͹ͻͶ͸
·····
INDIANƒŽ‡ǡʹͻ›‡ƒ”•ǡ
…‰”ƒ†—ƒ–‡™‹–Šƒ‹
driving licence and 7 years
of sales experience in home
appliances, IT products,
‘„‹Ž‡ƒ†–”ƒˆϐ‹…•ƒˆ‡–›
equipment. Currently
™‘”‹‰‘‡’Ž‘›‡–
˜‹•ƒǡƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡ǡ•‡‡‹‰
for suitable placement
immediately. ͻ͹ͺͻͲ͸Ͳ͹Ǥ
ƒ‹Žǣƒ•Š”ƒˆƒ„ƒ”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
com
·····
ʹͲ years experience
in Oman as Personal
••‹•–ƒ–Ȁˆϐ‹…‡ƒƒ‰‡”Ȁ
†‹‹•–”ƒ–‘”Ȁ‘‡”…‹ƒŽ
š‡…—–‹˜‡ǡ•‡‡•Œ‘„
…Šƒ‰‡Ǥ‡Ž‡ƒ•‡ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡Ǥ
ͻͻͳ͸ͺͲͷͶ
·····
INDIAN female BTech civil
engineer with 3 years
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡Ǥƒ˜‹‰•‘—†
‘™Ž‡†‰‡‘ˆ‡˜‹––ƒ†
software on family visa.
‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’‘•–Ǥ
ͻͶͷ͵͹͸͵ͺǤ
™‹–Š‘”‡–ŠƒͳͲ
›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ•ƒŽ‡•Ƭƒ”‡–‹‰
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹
—Žˆƒ†ͳǤ͸
years in Oman in electronics
& appliances division.
ƒ˜‹‰ƒ‹†”‹˜‹‰
licence, NOC available.
ͻͳʹͻͺ͸Ͷͳ
·····
·····
INDIAN ƒŽ‡ǡʹ͵›‡ƒ”•
PG Dip in Petroleum
‰‹‡‡”‹‰ƒ†Ǥ‡…Š‹
‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ‰‹‡‡”‹‰
‘Ž†‹‰†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡ǡ
•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’Žƒ…‡‡–
immediately. ͻͷͺͺͲͳʹ͹ǡ
ͻͷͲͺͶͻͲͷǡ˜‹Œ‹–Šʹͷ͹͵Ͷͷͻ̷
gmail.com
·····
Plant Operator,
ͳͷ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹
ƒ†ƒ–ƒ”ǡ•‡‡•‹‡†‹ƒ–‡
placement in Oman. Contact
ˆ‘”†‡–ƒ‹Ž•ǣͻͻʹ͸ͶʹͻͶ
‘ŠƒƒǤ
For Sale
3 experienced
ƒ‹•–ƒ‹†”‹˜‡”Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”
a job. ͻͷ͹͹͸͵ʹͲǤ
·····
INDIAN graduate civil
‡‰‹‡‡”ˆ”‘—•…ƒ–
‘ŽŽ‡‰‡‹ʹͲͳͷ™‹–ŠȀǡ
•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’Žƒ…‡‡–
with employment visa.
ͻ͵ͳʹͳͷͲͷǤ
·····
CIVIL engineer & forman
experience 5 years, diploma,
Oman driving licence.
ͻ͵ͺ͸͸ͺ͹͹Ǥ
·····
·····
ƒ”‡–‹‰ƒ†ϐ‹ƒ…‡ǡ
Indian female, 10 years
business and IT experience
‹•ƒŽ‡•ƒ†ƒ”‡–‹‰ǡ
consulting, product
management rules in
„ƒ‹‰ƒ†•—•–ƒ‹ƒ„‹Ž‹–›
currently on visit visa,
Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡Ǥ
95431357.
‰‹‡‡”
•‡‡‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ…ƒ”‡‡”ǣƒ†›
‡Šƒ‹ŽǡƒŽ‡ǡʹ͸ǡ‰›’–‹ƒǤ
‘ͳͲͷ͹ʹ͹ʹͷ͹Ǥƒ‹
Driving licence. 4 years
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǤͳǤʹ›‡ƒ”•‹
ƒ–ƒ”ȋ‹–‡Ȁˆϐ‹…‡ǦȀ
‡•‹‰ȌǤŽ—‡–‹‰Ž‹•ŠǤ
‡˜‹––”—…–—”ƒŽʹͲͳͷ
ȋ‡”–‹ϐ‹‡†’”‘ˆ‡••‹‘ƒŽȌǤ
‘„‘––”—…–—”ƒŽƒŽ›•‹•
Professional. AutoCAD,
”‹ƒ˜‡”ƒǤ͸Ǥͻ͵͸ͻͻͳ͹ͶǤ
Ǧƒ‹Žǣˆ̴‡Šƒ‹Ž̷›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ
com
·····
LOOKING ˆ‘”Œ‘„ǤŽ‡…–”‹…ƒŽ
‰‹‡‡”ˆ”‘†‹ƒŠƒ˜‹‰
5 years of experience in the
ϐ‹‡Ž†‘ˆ•ƒŽ‡•ǡƒ”‡–‹‰ǡ
brand management,
business development and
also having experience on
events and exhibitions.
—””‡–Ž›‹—•…ƒ–‘
ˆƒ‹Ž›˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǤ„Š‹•Š‡
Ganguly. ͻͳͻͳʹͲ͹ͺǤ
Ǧƒ‹Žǣ‰ƒ‰—Ž›ͳͷͲͺ̷
gmail.com
·····
23
·····
ƒŽ‡ǡʹʹ›‡ƒ”•ǡ
mechanical engineer,
ˆ”‡•Š‡”ǡŽ‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”
a placement in any
‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽϐ‹‡Ž†Ǥ‘–ƒ…–
ͻͷͲʹͲͲͶͶǤ
·····
SHOP FOR SALE
Tiles & sanitary wares
•Š‘™”‘‘ǡ—•–ƒ“
ƒƒ‹›ƒȋ„‡ˆ‘”‡
ƒ„”‡‡Š‘™”‘‘ȌǤ
97844477, 97844474.
·····
ƒ‡”ǡͳǡ͸ͲͲ
gallon Volvo, 1987.
ͻʹͺ͵͸͹͹ͶǤ
·····
•ƒŽ‡ǣš–”ƒ˜ƒ‰ƒ–
and furnished residences
for female students in Al
Š—™ƒ‹”ǡŽƒ™ƒŽ‡Šƒ†
Al Khoudh along with all
assets. ͻͻͲͲͳ͵͵ʹǤ
·····
TWO properties for sale
at
ͳȎSalalah Urban Plot
‘Ǥ͹ǦͶͶǦͲͲ͸ǦͲ͸Ǧͻͻͷǡ
‡•‹†‡–‹ƒŽǡ”‡ƒ͹ʹ͸
sqm.
ʹȌAbu Nakheel,ƒ”ƒ
ȋ‡ƒ”ƒ•‡‡
ƒ”†‡Ȍ
Ž‘–‘Ǥ͵ǦͲͶǦͲͲʹǦ
ͲͳǦͲ͵ͳǡ‰”‹…—Ž–—”ƒŽǡ
”‡ƒʹͻǡʹͲ͹•“Ǥ
‹†Ž›…‘–ƒ…–ǣ
”Ǥ„ƒ”ƒˆƒ›
‘Š†ƒˆƒ›Ǥ‘„‹Ž‡
No ͻͻ͵Ͷ͸ʹ͸ͷǤ
’”‡ˆ‡””‡†–‹‡ǣͺƒ
–‘ʹ’Ǥ
ƒŽ‡ǡʹ͵›‡ƒ”•ǡ
graduate with computer
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science//technology
business
b
i
24
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
Google Home to challenge Amazon Echo
Google last week unveiled a virtual home assistant device that brings together the Internet titan‘s
strengths to challenge Amazon Echo. Google Home, about the size of a stout vase, will hit the market
later this year, vice president of product management Mario Queiroz promised at the opening
of the Internet giant‘s annual developers conference in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View.
KIDS BEHAVIOUR
GADGET
Children‘s brains ‘light up‘ at
sound of mother‘s voice
New floating speaker
has a very Zen design
YOUR mother’s soothing voice may do far more
than you’d expect, a new study suggests.
Researchers from the Stanford University School
of Medicine discovered that for little kids, hearing
their mother’s voice actually activates and lights up
many different regions in the brain.
These regions are involved in reward processing,
emotions, facial recognition and detection of what
is subjectively relevant, the study said.
This incredible neurological reaction, however,
was reserved for mum’s voice alone. Kids’ brain
regions were more affected by the voice of their
mothers than by voices of other women, scientists
said.
Daniel Abrams, one of the authors of the study
and an instructor in behavioural sciences at the
university, said most of our language, emotional,
and social processes are learned by listening to our
mothers. Despite this, scientists did not understand
how the brain arranges itself around the sound
source.
But with the results of the new study, Abrams
said they did not realize that the voice of a mother
would have such quick access to so many different
brain regions.
Decades of research have shown that kids favour
their mum’s voice over others.
In a classic study, scientists found that babies
sucked harder on a pacifier whenever they heard
the sound of their mother’s voice, compared to the
voice of other women.
In 2014, a pacifier-activated music player (PAM),
which plays the mother’s voice when the baby sucks
correctly, proved that it could help babies feed
themselves the right way. Babies who used PAM
eventually ate twice as fast as the babies who did
not use the device.
Until now, the science behind this preference has
not been identified.
‘Nobody had really looked at the brain circuits
that might be engaged,’ said Professor Vinod
Menon, senior author of the study.
Menon said he and his colleagues wanted to
know whether it was just the voice-selective areas
and auditory regions that respond differently or
whether there was something more in the aspects
of emotional reactivity.
The research team then examined 24 kids who
were aged 7 to 12 years old. All kids had IQs of at
least 80, had no developmental disorders, and were
raised by their biological mums.
Parents of the participants had to answer a
questionnaire about their child’s ability to relate and
interact with others.
A MINIMALISTIC-LOOKING wireless speaker, which has as its
design philosophy the paradoxical ‘‘missing design,’’ is poised to lure
consumers. Meet Gravity.
The ‘floating’ wireless speaker from Meizu, the Chinese company
that also makes smartphones such as the M3 Note, is designed to
appeal to one’s inner Zen.
The Gravity does not float in the literal sense of the term, but gives
the impression that it is floating mid-air thanks to the translucent
stand, which has an integrated display. The Gravity speaker is
compatible with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and will be Meizu’s first
product release in the US.
‘Gravity is a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi and bluetooth speaker. It
combines a stunning visual design with sophisticated technology
that ensures easy connectivity and hi-fi sound quality. Minimal,
essential, and unique, Gravity is truly the first of its kind,’ notes the
company. ‘Gravity brings
you and your home
artistic peace and a sense
of inner peace.’
Currently,
the
company has launched a
crowdfunding campaign
on Indiegogo to raise
adequate funds for the
wireless speaker.
The Gravity wireless speaker has a cantilever design developed
by Hironao Tsuboi, a Japanese designer. The body of the speaker is
made from aluminium and the display is from clear acrylic. What’s
more, it is also dust proof.
The clear base of the device acts like a prism and uses what the
company calls the ‘Half Mirror’ technology. The display comes across
as if it is floating atop the speaker and shows off the album and track
information.
The speaker has built-in support for DLNA and AirPlay. It also
has integration with music-streaming services like TuneIn, Spotify,
Last.fm and SoundCloud, a 70HZ to 20KHz frequency range and a
20-Watt bass.
The Gravity wireless speaker from Meizu will start shipping in
the US in December. The retail price for the device is $249, but the
pledging support for the Indiegogo campaign will get you the speaker
on preorder for $199 or $169 for the first 200 backers. Alternately,
two units can be had by pledging $349 for the first 300 backers.
STREAMING
Twitter testing Periscope live-streaming on Android
TWITTER set out to gain the lost ground in the
streaming race with rival companies, and to do so it has
integrated Periscope with its proprietary mobile app.
The move comes as a (rather late) response to
Facebook’s push for on the spot live video, which can be
easily enabled through the streaming tab found in the
mobile Facebook app.
Twitter announced that a pilot program is running
where select users of Twitter for Android will get access
to ‘Go Live,’ a button in the main app that allows them
to instantly start streaming via Periscope.
Should you have the Periscope app installed,
clicking ‘Go Live’ in the Twitter app will lead you to the
streaming app. Users who do not have Periscope will
be redirected to the Google Play Store, where they can
download the live-streaming app.
‘Over time, all users will have the ability to start a
Periscope broadcast from Twitter,’ the company said.
Twitter purchased Periscope in 2015 and followed
its long-standing policy of giving its apps a great degree
of independence from the parent platform. This also
applies to Vine and other apps the microblogging
company bought and manages from a safe distance.
However, seeing how video content is gaining great
traction in social media, and looking at Facebook‘s
success in wielding it, Twitter needs to make a bold
move. Integration with Periscope might be such an
action.
CONTACTLESS PAYMENT
Android Pay lands in the UK,
more countries to follow
ANDROID Pay just rolled out to UK, and Google says that more countries are
in tow for the service.
Google first dipped into mobile payments with Google Wallet, back in 2011.
Android Pay arrived later, making use of near field communication (NFC) to
deliver payment information from an Android phone to a contactless terminal.
Apple set the tone for NFC payments by launching Apple Pay in 2014 and
sealed the deal with a number of important banks. In September 2015, Google
parent company Alphabet rebranded its service to increase its market share.
After a long wait, Android Pay is now finally available in the UK.
Android Pay users from the UK need to have a MasterCard or Visa credit or
debit card in order to tap into the service. On its official blog, Google published
a list of supported financial institutions that play nice with the service.
SMARTPHONE
Sony Xperia XA Ultra sports 6-inch screen, 16 MP camera
IT’S official — the Sony Xperia XA Ultra
is the new moniker of the Xperia C6 Ultra,
and it’s packing in a huge 6-inch display and
possibly one of the best front-facing cameras
for selfies.
To start things off, this news is in line with
reports about Sony focusing solely on the
Xperia X roster, pulling the plug on Xperia C
and Xperia M after it killed off the Xperia Z
series back in February.
Moving on to the nitty-gritty details, it
houses a MediaTek MT6755 — also known
as the Helio P10 — octa-core 2.0 GHz
processor along with 3 GB worth of RAM
under the hood. Storage-wise, it has 16 GB
of internal space that can be expanded up to
200 GB via a microSD card.
As mentioned earlier, it sports an endto-end 6-inch screen, much like the Xperia
XA but bigger, and it pushes out a higher
definition of 1,080 x 1,920. Out of the box,
it runs on Android Marshmallow — as it
should, really.
Keeping the lights on is a 2,700 mAh
battery pack that Sony claims to be capable
of lasting up to two days on a single charge,
and on top of that, it features quick-charging
support to boot.
Touted as a smartphone that can capture
‘exceptional selfies even when the sun goes
down,’ it’s fitted with a 16 MP front snapper
with Sony Exmor R for mobile sensor, front
flash, optical image stabilisation, autofocus,
88-degree wide-angle lens and both HDR
and low-light photos support.
“Xperia XA Ultra boasts an advanced
selfie cam for perfect poses, day or night.
With 16 megapixels and Sony‘s renowned
low-light sensors you get sharp, bright, blurfree shots every time,” Sony says.
The main camera isn’t left out either, as
it boasts a 21.5 MP shooter that uses HDR
imaging, hybrid autofocus and auto-scene
recognition, to name a few.
SUNDAY | MAY 22, 2016 | SHAABAN 15, 1437 AH
sport
DHONI FIREWORKS POWER RPS TO CLOSING WIN P26
SPORT BRIEFS
Watford appoint
Mazzarri as coach
LONDON: Watford have named former
Inter Milan coach Walter Mazzarri as
their new head coach, the Hornets
announced on Saturday.
The Italian takes over from Quique
Sanchez Flores, who left Vicarage Road
after just one year in charge, on a threeyear deal.
Spaniard Flores led the side to a 13thplaced finish in their first season back in
the Premier League since 2007 and also
reached the FA Cup semifinals, where
they lost to Crystal Palace.
Mazzarri has also managed
Fiorentina, Reggina and Napoli in a
15-year coaching career, but has been
without a club since he left the San Siro
in 2014. — AFP
Totti staying at
Roma: Club director
ROME: Iconic Roma captain Francesco
Totti will stay at the capital outfit for a
24th season, the club’s general manager
Mauro Baldissoni said in a television
interview on Friday.
A one-club player with 600 league
appearances, the veteran playmaker
has had a tense relationship with coach
Luciano Spalletti in recent times and
speculation had been rife the player
would be forced out.
“Francesco will continue to play at
Roma and as you all know we want to
keep him as part of the Roma family
for a long time,” he said on the club’s inhouse TV channel.
Totti’s hopes of earning a final year’s
deal were boosted late in the season
when he came off the bench to score
late, crucial goals for Roma as they
finished third in Serie A. — AFP
Benfica clinch
double with
League Cup win
LISBON: Benfica beat Maritimo 6-2 in
the Portuguese League Cup final in
Coimbra on Friday, less than a week
after also sealing a third straight
league title.
It was also the Lisbon outfit’s third
consecutive League Cup win, and
the match itself was a repeat of last
year’s final. The season culminates
on Sunday with the Portuguese Cup
final between Porto and Sporting
— AFP
Braga.
www.omanobserver.om
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MCILROY TAKES AIM AT WILLETT AT IRISH OPEN P28
BOLT GLIDES TO EASY 100M WIN IN OSTRAVA P27
Omani sailors gear up for Tour de France
FRENCH CHALLENGE: Ali al Balushi and Abdul Rahman al Mashari of MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail are all excited
HARIDEV PUSHPARAJ
MUSCAT
May 21: Ahead of their forthcoming
Tour de France a la Voile (TDFV) events
in France, Omani crew members Ali al
Balushi and Abdul Rahman al Mashari
of Sultanate of Oman’s flagship MOD70
Musandam-Oman Sail team spoke
to the Oman Observer in an exclusive
interview.
Ali has been sailing for almost six
years now and recounted his personal
journey.
“Well first of all I joined Oman Sail
in 2010. I was an instructor in Bandar al
Rowdha. It’s been six years almost. I have
been sailing in different kind of boats
like keel boat, Trimaran, Catamaran etc.
This event (France) is a big challenge.
I’ve been at this event before. I know
what kind of race we are going to have.
It’ll be big and the team is ready for it,’’
he added.
Abdul Rahman spoke about how he
came into the Oman Sail set up as well.
“I joined Oman Sail in 2011, started
with the small boat in Bandar al Rowdha.
Then joined another boat F18. After
which I sailed the MOD-70, trimaran
and keel boat.
Talking about his first introduction
to the TDFV in 2010, the 25-year-old Ali
spoke about the challenges then.
“The first TDF for Oman Sail was
quite an experience. We had three
Omanis and four expats in the group. It
was a big event and I learnt from that.
Now its five years. Last year we haven’t
competed. So it’s another big challenge. I
Abdul Rahman Al Mashari
Ali al Balushi
am learning many things and getting the
opportunity of competing with some of
the top sailors in the world.’’
For Abdul Rahman, who is going to
be competing for the first time, optimism Yes, it will be a big challenge.
was the catchword. “I want to win in this Some of the best sailors will
race,’’ said the shy 26-year-old.
be there. We have a lot to
Having started with the Farr 30 in
2010 at the TDFV, Ali delves into the learn from them. We have
intricacies of the class.
the experience too of six
“It is different from this boat Diam
24, which is a keel boat of 30 footer. In years. The team is happy and
the Farr 30, we could have more crew the spirit is very good. So
that can have seven people on board and
we have to keep focus and
it can be used for inshore and offshore
which is like small races and then days everything will be all right
and miles in the sea.’’
Ali went on adding about the
differences between the Farr 30 and the sails. It helps you with speed,’’ he said.
M34 class. “M34 is quite similar to Farr
Talking about the TDFV, Ali spoke
30. Although, there is difference in the about the preparation and events.
“We have been training since March,
when we were in France for two weeks
and competed in an event in which we
came third. We have to improve the
team and get used to the weather and
look to be in the top 5.”
Elaborating on what they will gain
from the experience of competing at
the TDFV, Ali said: “Yes, it will be a big
challenge. Some of the best sailors will
be there. We have a lot to learn from
them. We have the experience too of six
years. The team is happy and the spirit is
very good. So we have to keep focus and
everything will be all right,’’ he added.
Fitness will be a key element and Ali
emphasised on this aspect.
“We train everyday. Go to the seas,
train with teams, speed tests, who’s faster
and slower, work on the sails,’’ he added.
The Normandy Sailing week on May
28th will be the first event and will act
as the last preparation before the TDFV.
Most of the good sailors will be there.
Team is excited about it. We are in the
right way and good shape.
Importantly, Ali spoke about the
pride of representing Oman in a
prestigious event such as the TDFV.
“It is something huge for me and
Abdul Rahman. Lots of people will
be watching and following us. So it’s
a dream for us and our main goal is to
represent and lift the flag in the sky. It’s
a dream for us. We are going there to do
it,’’ he added.
Ali is excited about his future plans
as well. “We have plans. My main goal
is to be the best sailor in Oman and just
learn sailing and try different boats and
one day we will get there and be the best
sailors in the world.”
Anderson finishes with match figures of 10 for 45 as the visitors, following on, were all out for 119 in their second innings
England rout Lanka by innings and 88 runs
LEEDS, United Kingdom: England
routed Sri Lanka by an innings and 88
runs on the third day of the first Test at
Headingley on Saturday with fast bowler
James Anderson taking 10 wickets in the
match.
Sri Lanka, following on, were
dismissed for 119 in their second
innings as England went 1-0 up in the
three-match series.
Anderson finished with match
figures of 10 for 45.
England, who lost the toss, made
298 in a first innings featuring Jonathan
Bairstow’s 140 on his Yorkshire home
ground and a Test-best 86 from opener
Alex Hales.
Sri Lanka in reply were shot out for
91, with Anderson taking five for 16 and
Stuart Broad four for 21 in an innings
that was wrapped up inside 37 overs.
England captain Alastair Cook
enforced the follow-on and Sri Lanka
promptly collapsed again, with only
Kusal Mendis (53) offering much
resistance.
Sri Lanka, 116 for seven at tea on
Saturday, lost their last three wickets in
England’s James Anderson celebrates dismissing Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis during
the third day of the first Test at Headingley. — Reuters
nine balls after the break, with Anderson
ending the match when be bowled last
man Nuwan Pradeep.
The series continues with the second
Test at Chester-le-Street starting on
Friday.
Anderson, England’s all-time leading
Test wicket-taker, took the wicket of
Kusal Mendis, who rode his luck to
make 53 -- an innings where he gave
four chances.
At tea, Lahiru Thirimanne was 15
not out and Dushmantha Chameera
nought not out, with more bad weather
seemingly Sri Lanka’s lone hope of
avoiding going 1-0 down in this threeTest series.
Sri Lanka resumed Saturday on one
without loss.
The overcast conditions that greeted
Sri Lanka were similar to those in which
they collapsed on Friday when they
were undone by the new ball-pairing
of Anderson and Stuart Broad (four
for 21), ably supported by wicketkeeper Jonathan Bairstow, who held five
catches to add to the 140 he made on
his Yorkshire home ground in England’s
first innings 298.
Dimuth Karunaratne avoided a pair
on Saturday but fell for seven when
caught head-high by Bairstow after
the left-hander got an outside edge to
a near-unplayable Anderson ball that
bounced and cut away off the seam.
The same combination then
accounted for Kaushal Silva (14).
Either side of the wickets, Mendis,
who like Karunaratne made a firstinnings duck, drove both Anderson and
fast bowler Steven Finn for well-struck
fours.
But he was fortunate on 23 when a
hard edge off Anderson went through
the hands of leaping third slip James
Vince.
Mendis was reprieved again on 29
when he edged Finn only for a diving
Bairstow, in a rare blemish this match, to
drop the low one-handed catch.
And off what turned out to be the
last ball before lunch, Mendis should
have been out for 47 when he edged a
seemingly comfortable chance off Broad
to third slip only for Vince to again put
him down.
Rain stopped play for more than two
hours and when the match resumed,
England captain Alastair Cook brought
on off-spinner Moeen Ali.
His second ball saw Mendis get a thin
glance, with Bairstow failing to hold the
difficult legside chance. — AFP
BRIEF SCORES: England 1st Innings 298 (J Bairstow
140, A Hales 86; D Shanaka 3-46, D Chameera 3-64)
Sri Lanka 1st Innings 91 (J Anderson 5-16, S Broad
4-21)
Sri Lanka 2nd Innings 119 (K Mendis 53; J Anderson
5-29, S Finn 3-26).
c cket
cri
et
sport
26
Dhoni’s six helps RPS finish seventh
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
ANKUR DHAWAN
IPL REPORTER
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Indian Premier League
(IPL) prides itself in romantic finishes and MS
Dhoni rolled back the years, plundering 23 off the
last over to take Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) over
the line against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). Dhoni’s
magnificent assault on Axar Patel, included a last
ball six, which is the number of runs RPS required
to win.
Axar was a curious choice to bowl the final over,
considering Dhoni’s indubitable prowess against
spin and especially, with Kyle Abbott and Rishi
Dhawan both available. As a result RPS ended the
season in seventh place, one better than KXIP who
finished last.
Dhoni reflected on the match and the season
stating, “it was a fantastic game, if we were alive
this was the kind of game you would want to win
to get into the knockouts. Looking back, we started
well and ended well. We were never completely
outplayed which gives us the confidence that we can
do better next year.”
In a stiff run-chase of 173, RPS stuttered
regularly after Ajinkya Rahane and Usman Khawaja
squandered promising starts.
Rahane (19) was strangled down the leg-side by
Sandeep Sharma, who was effective again with the
new ball. While Khawaja (30) slog-swept Gurkeerat
Singh Mann down deep mid-wicket’s throat.
Gurkeerat backed up an impressive half-century,
with two crucial wickets. Saurabh Tiwary was his
second victim.
RPS struggled to string together partnerships of
note till Dhoni and Thisara Perera joined hands for
the sixth-wicket, adding 58 in just 29 balls. Perera’s
contribution to that of was a quick fire 23. He took a
special liking to Kyle Abbott, picking 16 runs off one
of his overs. After his dismissal Dhoni took charge
of the situation.
He farmed the strike in the last two overs,
refusing to run singles but as a result missing out
on possible twos as well. However, he found the
boundary at opportune moments, hitting three sixes
and two fours in the last ten balls.
Earlier, KXIP rode on fifties from Murali Vijay
and Gurkeerat to post a competitive 172 for seven. It
was Vijay’s fourth fifty in eight matches since taking
over captaincy from David Miller and Gurkeerat’s
maiden IPL fifty.
Ravichandran Ashwin, however, brought RPS
back in the match with four-wicket haul, easily his
best performance of the season.
Rising Pune Supergiants
captain MS Dhoni plays a
shot during the Indian
Premier League match
against Kings XI Punjab
held at the ACA-VDCA
Stadium, Visakhapatnam.
— IPL
BRIEF SCORES: Kings XI Punjab 172 for seven in 20 overs (Murali
Vijay 59, Gurkeerat Singh Mann 51, Ravichandran Ashwin 4 for 34)
lost to Rising Pune Supergiants 173 for 6 in 20 overs (MS Dhoni 64*,
Usman Khawaja 30, Gurkeerat Singh Mann 2 for 15) by four wickets
0
IPL 2016 POINTS TABLE
Pos
Team
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
N/R
Net RR
Pts
1
SRH
13
8
5
0
0
+0.355
16
2
GL
13
8
5
0
0
-0.479
16
3
RCB
13
7
6
0
0
+0.930
14
4
KKR
13
7
6
0
0
+0.022
14
5
MI
13
7
6
0
0
-0.082
14
6
DD
13
7
6
0
0
-0.102
14
7
RPS
14
5
9
0
0
+0.015
10
8
KXIP
14
4
10
0
0
-0.646
8
Number of times Delhi
Daredevils played same
eleven in two consecutive
matches in IPL 2016. They
had a different eleven in all
13 matches!
1
Number of batsmen who
went past 20 out of seven
who moved in to double
ÀJXUHVIRUWKH6XQULVHUV
3
Gayle sparks
another
controversy
LONDON: West Indies’
swashbuckling batsman Chris
Gayle has sparked yet another
sexism row after making lewd
comments to a female sports
journalist during an interview.
The West Indies star earlier
was fined $10,000 by Australia
Twenty20 Big Bash team
Melbourne Renegades in
January after an infamous “Don’t
blush, baby” live TV interview
with Channel Ten reporter Mel
McLaughlin after asking her out
for a drink.
The 36-year-old spoke
to Charlotte Edwardes in an
article published by the Times
magazine. He is currently playing
for Royal Challengers Bangalore
in the Indian Premier League.
At one point in the interview
Gayle - who recently celebrated
the arrival of a baby girl called
Blush with his partner Tash - told
Edwardes that he has “a very,
very big bat, the biggest in the
wooooorld”.
He then added, “You think
you could lift it? You’d need two
hand,” reports The Daily Mail.
According to the article, Gayle
asked Edwardes how many black
men she has “had” and wants
to know if she has ever had a
threesome. “I bet you have. Tell
me,” he is reported to have said.
Edwardes also alleged the
Jamaican made comments about
whether she dyes her hair, while
lowering his eyes downwards
suggestively.
Gayle also answered
questions on sex, female equality
and homophobia during the
interaction.
“Women should please their
man. When he comes home, food
is on the table. Serious. You ask
your husband what he likes and
then you make it,” he said.
But he also claimed, “Women
should have equality and they
do have equality. They have
more than equality. Women can
do what they want. Jamaican
women are very vocal. They will
let you know what time is it, for
sure.”
Edwardes also broached the
topic of homophobia with the
West Indies star, who responded
by stating that people should be
able to be who they want to be.
— IANS
CONSISTENT WARNER
14
1465
1XPEHURIWLPHVFKDVLQJ
sides won off last ball of
the match in IPL2016. The
other two such wins were
achieved by Gujarat Lions.
Number of runouts effected by
Delhi Daredevils
in IPL 2016- six of
them have been
direct run-outs.
162.00
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FRPSDULVRQVHDPHUVWRRNZLFNHWVDQDYHUDJHRIDQG
HFRQRP\RI
Runs added by David Warner and
6KLNKDU'KDZDQIRUWKHÀUVWZLFNHW
²PRVWE\DQ\RSHQLQJSDLULQ,3/
The pair went ahead of Gautam
Gambhir – Robin Uthappa pair, who
KDYHDWDOO\RIUXQVIURP
matches.
7
1XPEHURIÀIWLHVPDGHE\'DYLG
Warner in IPL 2016. He also had seven
ÀIW\SOXVVFRUHVLQHGLWLRQ
PDNLQJKLPWKHRQO\SOD\HUWRGRVRLQ
two editions of IPL.
Delhi Daredevils ride on Karun Nair’s unbeaten 83 to successfully chase the moderate target of 159 set by Sunrisers Hyderabad
DD’s play-off dreams alive with 6-wicket win over SRH
RAIPUR: Riding on Karun Nair’s
unbeaten 83, Delhi Daredevils not only
beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets
but also kept themselves in the hunt for
the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh
International Cricket Stadium here on
Friday.
Nair, who was dropped on 51 by
Hyderabad skipper David Warner, made
the opportunity count as his 59-ball
knock guided the team home in what
turned out to be a nail-biting affair. His
innings was laced with eight hits to the
fence and three over it.
Chasing 159, Delhi got off to a
poor start losing in-form Quinton de
Kock (2) cheaply as incoming batsman
Nair and opener Rishabh Pant found
the going tough against Hyderabad’s
disciplined bowling attack to reach 37 in
the powerplay.
Left-arm pacer Barinder Sran, who
replaced injured Ashish Nehra in the
playing XI, gave Sunrisers the perfect
start by taking the key wicket of the
South African stumper in the very
second over.
Nair and Pant batted sensibly to put
on 73 runs for the second wicket before
a silly mix-up in the 12th over accounted
for the southpaw’s run out for a 26-ball
32 which included three hits to the fence.
Nair, who was joined by South
African Jean-Paul Duminy, then went
on to score his third half-century of the
season before David Warner dropped
him off Sran.
Karun Nair of Delhi Daredevils celebrates their win against Sunrisers Hyderabad
Duminy, who also got a life on 17 during the Indian Premier League match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh
when Bhuvneswar Kumar dropped a International Cricket Stadium, Naya Raipur, India. — IPL
sitter at sweeper cover off Mustafizur
Rahman, however, failed to make the
opportunity count as Warner made no
mistake this time around to latch on to
the top edge off Sran.
Nair, who put on 35 runs for the third
wicket with Duminy, started to break the
shackles as the 24-year-old blasted Sran
for two mammoth sixes in the same over.
West Indian power-hitter Carlos
Brathwaite, who joined the Rajasthan
batsman, was unlucky to perish for a
seven-ball 10 off a brilliant flying catch
by Sran at third man boundary off
Rahman.
Needing 16 off the last 10 balls, young
Sanju Samson joined Nair and the duo
completed the formalities in style, with
Nair hitting consecutive boundaries to
seal the deal in the hosts’ favour.
For the visitors, Sran and Rahman
were the pick of the bowlers picking two
and one wicket respectively.
Earlier, Warner headlined with a
fine 73-run knock to pull Sunrisers
Hyderabad to 158-7 in their 20 overs.
Hyderabad got off to a decent start
after Delhi skipper Zaheer Khan sent
them in.
The opening partnership of Shikhar
Dhawan and Warner took the score to a
promising 46 in six overs.
Warner scored bulk of the runs,
receiving most of the strike. He
eventually hit eight fours and a six in his
56-ball knock. — IANS
BRIEF SCORES: Sunrisers Hyderabad 158-7 (David
Warner 73, Moises Henriques 18, Carlos Brathwaite
2-27) vs Delhi Daredevils 161-4 (Karun Nair 83,
Rishabh Pant 32, Barinder Sran 2-34)
athletics/football
Ozil named best player of year at Arsenal
German playmaker Mesut Ozil has been named Footballer of the Year at capital club Arsenal.
Ozil, 27, scored six goals and made 19 assists this season in the English Premier League (EPL),
in which the Gunners finished in second place, their best finish since 2005. Ozil won the
award on Friday. He created 146 chances this season, more than any other player.
sport
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
27
BREASTSTROKE SPECIALIST
Fina lifts Efimova
meldonium ban:
Russian coach
Yuliya
Efimova
BOLT GLIDES
TO EASY WIN
IN OSTRAVA
LITTLE COMPETITION: The Jamaican ran 9.98 to finish 0.23 ahead of Ramon Gittens of Barbados
PRAGUE: Sprint king Usain Bolt ramped
up his preparations for the Rio Olympics by
pulling away to post a time below 10 seconds
in the 100 metres at the Ostrava Golden Spike
meeting.
The Jamaican, making his second start this
season, faced little competition in his annual
trip to the Czech event as he ran 9.98 to finish
0.23 ahead of Ramon Gittens of Barbados.
American Olympic decathlon champion
Ashton Eaton pulled out of what would have
been their first head-to-head meeting after
feeling tightness in his leg during the long
jump.
Coming out of lane four, Bolt began slowly
but took control midway through the race,
showing little sign of the discomfort he showed
in winning the 100m in 10.05 seconds in the
Cayman Invitational this month in his first
event of the season. He had received treatment
in Germany on his hamstring before travelling
to the Czech Republic.
“I am happy I got under 10 seconds,” he told
Czech TV after achieving the target he had set
himself before the race.
career, Bolt is aiming for an unprecedented
threepeat at the Rio Games in August where he
will defend his 100, 200 and 4x100 relay titles.
Eaton, a decathlon world record holder
who is also set to defend his title in Rio, was
due to take on Bolt for he first time but decided
against running after the long jump.
Czech Radek Juska won the event with a
distance of 7.92 metres. Eaton finished third,
having recorded 7.55 after completing only
two jumps.
Paralympic champion Markus Rehm,
nicknamed “Blade Jumper”, reached 8.13. The
2012 Paralympics gold medallist and 2014
German long jump champion hopes to become
the second athlete with a carbon fibre running
blade to compete in the Olympics after South
Africa’s Oscar Pistorius in 2012.
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, Barbados’ Ramos Gittens and Lesotho’s Mosito Lehata compete in the
In the men’s pole vault, France’s world
men’s 100m race at IAAF Ostrava Golden Spike athletics championship in Ostrava, Czech
record holder and Olympic champion Renaud
Republic. — Reuters
Lavillenie won with his season’s best of 5.83m.
“I had no problems. I didn’t feel my
Bolt, the 100 and 200 world record holder,
On Thursday, Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk
hamstrings today. That means the doctor did a is preparing for Jamaica’s Olympic trials from won the women’s hammer throw, smashing
great job as always. I am always happy when I June 30 to July 3 in Kingston.
the meeting record by almost half a metre with
come out of a race injury free.”
As he approaches the end of his Olympic a throw of 78.54. — Reuters
The Atletico Madrid forward has enjoyed his best ever goal-scoring season with 32 goals
‘Griezmann one of the world’s top 3’
MADRID: Atletico Madrid coach Diego
Simeone hailed star forward Antoine
Griezmann as “one of the best three
players in the world” as Atletico prepare
to face local rivals Real Madrid in next
Saturday’s Champions League final.
Griezmann has enjoyed his best ever
goal-scoring season with 32 goals in all
competitions.
However, the French international
has been particularly effective in the
Champions League as his double
against Barcelona in the quarterfinals
and vital away goal at Bayern Munich
in the last four allowed Atletico to upset
the odds and reach a second final in
three seasons.
“He has worked very hard, pushed
himself and knows how to listen,”
Simeone said on Saturday.
“The best way to improve in any job
is to listen. Without doubt he is one of
the best three players in the world.”
Griezmann also netted the winner
when Atletico last met Real back in
February.
However, he insisted Atletico’s run
to the final will mean little if they don’t
finally land the trophy.
“It’s nice (to hear compliments), but
the truth is I try to do my best in every
training session and my team-mates
and the coaching staff help me be at this
level,” said Griezmann.
“Just because we have beaten Bayern
or Barca doesn’t mean we will win this
match.
“It doesn’t guarantee anything. We
Atletico Madrid’s French forward Antoine Griezmann trains during the club’s Open
Media Day at Wanda Complex training grounds in Majadahonda. — AFP
have to give everything we have.”
Griezmann also played down the
impact that a two-week layoff since the
end of the Spanish league season could
have on both sides.
“To play in the final of the Champions
League is a dream.
“Now we have to prepare well, we
have had two weeks and we have another
week still to prepare.
“I don’t feel the pressure. I know
there is a lot of waiting, but that doesn’t
bother me. I try not to overthink things
and that is one of my strengths.”
The majority of the stars will be on
Real’s side as Atletico aim to avenge
their defeat in agonising fashion in
the final two years ago by winning the
competition for the first time in Milan
next weekend.
Simeone’s men were on course for
victory in Lisbon until Sergio Ramos
headed Real level deep into injury time
and Los Blancos ran out 4-1 winners
after extra-time. Yet, despite the
presence of three-time World Player of
the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s
most expensive player in Gareth Bale
and the likes of Karim Benzema and
Luka Modric, Simeone expects the Real
to play on the counter-attack.
“In the Champions League that is
clearly the route they have chosen,”
added Simeone.
“I expect an opponent that will wait
for their opportunity. The presence of
Casemiro in midfield has given them
a lot of power defensively and in the
Champions League they have played on
the counter-attack.”
Real’s route to the final has been
a much easier one on paper than
Atletico’s treacherous course past Dutch
champions PSV before dumping out
Barca and Bayern.
Los Blancos brushed aside Roma
before squeezing past Wolfsburg and
Manchester City.
However, Simeone also reserved
praise for how Zinedine Zidane has
revived Real’s fortunes since taking over
as coach from the sacked Rafael Benitez
in January.
“He has recovered the confidence,
intensity and the speed of their attack,”
added the Argentine.
“He has a more concrete style to
make the most of the three strikers,” the
coach said.
“To get to a Champions League final
is an important demonstration of his
work.” — AFP
MOSCOW: Swimming’s world governing body
Fina has lifted the provisional suspension on world
champion breaststroke specialist Yuliya Efimova, the
head coach of the Russian national team said on Friday.
Efimova was handed a provisional ban in March
after testing positive for the banned drug meldonium.
“The provisional suspension has been lifted, I
can confirm that information,” head coach Sergei
Kolmogorov told R-Sport news agency. “Fina still has
to make a Final decision on Efimova’s case, but I think
everything is moving in the right direction.”
The 24-year-old, who won a bronze medal in the
200-metre breaststroke at the 2012 London Games and
who is current 100m breastroke champion, conceded
she had taken meldonium for medical reasons before
the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada) ban on the
drug came into effect on January 1.
Jon Rudd, the coach of Ruta Meilutyte who was
second behind Efimova in the 100m at the world
championships, was dismayed by the decision.
“Fina have declared through various people in high
office they have a zero tolerance when it comes to drug
offences,” he said on the sidelines of the European
championships in London.
“That is the rhetoric, they have said it clearly and
loudly and they have said it quite often.”
“Then today, you get something... there is no extra
information to go with the decision, I see something
today and so does the world, that doesn’t stand
anywhere near that statement.”
Efimova, who had been suspended for 16 months
and stripped of five European titles after testing
positive for an anabolic steroid in 2013, could face a
lifetime ban if found guilty of a second career doping
code violation.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said earlier
on Friday that all Russian athletes who had tested
positive for meldonium — except Efimova and tennis
star Maria Sharapova — had been exonerated.
Russia meanwhile is working to overturn a ban by
the International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) that could see its track and field stars sidelined
from the Rio Olympics in August. The IAAF will rule
on Russia’s participation in Rio at an extraordinary
Council meeting in Vienna next month. — AFP
go f/local
golf
/ oca
sport
28
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
Mary Kom fails to qualify for Rio Games
Indian boxing icon MC Mary Kom will not be able to represent India at the Rio Olympics
after she faltered in the World Boxing Championships’ second round in Kazakhstan capital
of Astana on Saturday. Olympic 2012 bronze medallist Mary, competing in the flyweight
category (51 kg) lost 0-2 to Germany’s Azize Nimani.
CLOSING IN ON: McIlroy added a two under par 70 to his opening score of 67 to move within a shot of the leaders Willett and Warren
McIlroy
takes
aim at
Willett
DUBLIN: Tournament host Rory McIlroy will
need to curb the challenge of Masters champion
Danny Willett if he’s to capture a first Irish Open
title after ending the second day at the K Club one
shot off the lead.
McIlroy added a second round two under par
70 to his opening score of 67 to move within a shot
of the leading duo of Willett and Scotland’s Marc
Warren, who signed for a 66.
Willett has bounced back from missing the cut
in last week’s Players Championship adding a 71 to
his opening score of 65 as the Englishman seeks to
win for a third occasion this season.
Willett had moved to nine under par with
back-to-back birdies at his 13th and 14th holes but
then dropped the fourth shot of his round at his
16th to fall back into a tie with Warren who had
finished his round ahead of the Augusta National
champion.
“A 71 is not too bad as it was pretty steady,
but then scrappy at times,” said Willett. “The golf
course is tricky, as there is a lot of crosswinds while
the rough is a little bit juicy so the key is hitting
fairways, and if you don’t, you find yourself out of
position and you’re going to have to get up-anddown for par.
“I did drop a couple of silly shots out there, but
eight under par is not too bad, I’m tied for the lead
and in a good position heading into the weekend.”
In contrast, Warren has not been in position for
victory since capturing the 2014 Denmark Open
title, and his fourth Tour title.
Warren’s score is his lowest in some six months
and the first occasion in 10 events this year,
including six where he has missed the halfway but,
where the 35-year-old will have strung together
back-to-back four round showings.
McIlroy is confident he’s finally turned around
an indifferent season as he seeks a first success since
last November in capturing the European Tour
season-ending DP World Tour Championship in
Dubai.
The current world number three grabbed five
birdies in his round of 70 and none better
than holing a 30-footer at his last.
FRUSTRATION
However, McIlroy also
posted three bogeys
and something he
says he needs to
eradicate if he’s to
win for a first time
as a professional in
Ireland.
“There was still a
little bit of frustration
out there as I felt I could have been better today,”
he said.
“But if you look at the leaderboard I’m only one
shot off the lead. I have a couple of rounds under
par but then it would have been nice to shoot
something in the 60s but I felt I controlled my
game pretty well.
“I made a few more mistakes today, and it
was pretty tricky with the wins but then a 70 is as
decent score.
“And with my tournament host cap on, it’s great
to see Danny up there. I was very pleased that he
committed to come and play.
“Anytime you have a current Major champion
up there near the top of the leaderboard, always
makes for a better tournament.”
England’s Matthew Southgate recorded a 69 to
move into third spot at five under par
And Scotland’s PGA Tour based Russell Knox
has fellow Jacksonville resident David Lingmerth
to thank after cracking the face of his driver during
an opening round of 75.
Lingmerth, who like Knox has joined the
European Tour in the goal of qualifying for the
European Ryder Cup team, loaned Knox one of his
back-up drivers as the Scot had arrived in Ireland
with just the one driver. The driver Knox cracked
was the same club he used to capture last year’s
WGC — HSBC Champions event in China.
Knox used the Swede’s borrowed driver to
match Warren’s score of a 66, and the best scores
of the day, to move to three under par.
“I may have to now buy David a bottle of single
malt but then I may not be giving back his driver
if I keep hitting it so well, as I hit four to five really
good ones out there today,” said Knox. — AFP
Al Nahdha, Kairali and
NBO emerge champions
MUSCAT: Al Nahdha, Kairali and
Hussain Fahdhil Partners (HFP)
clinched the senior, intermediate and
junior titles in the Oman Cricket
knockout tournament.
In senior division knockout final
sponsored by Khimji Ramdas, Al
Nahdha beat NYDT by 23 runs at the
Municipality 1 ground on May 20.
Batting first, Al Nahdha managed
180-7 in 20 overs with Sayyad Raza
scoring 41. Jaspreet Singh claimed 3
wickets for NYDT.
In reply, NYDT scored 157-3 in 20
overs and fell short. All the Al Nahdha
bowlers were economical and restricted
NYDT successfully.
Senior champions Al Nahdha.
Brief scores: Al Nahdha 180-7 in 20 overs
(Sayyad Raza 41; Jaspreet Singh 4-26-3) bt NYDT
157-3 in 20 overs (Majid Hussain 46); Champions:
Al Nahdha
KAIRALI CLINCH TITLE
In ‘Intermediate’ division knockout
Intermediate champions Kairali Restaurant.
final sponsored by Khimji Ramdas,
Kairali defeated Global Money Exchange
(GME) by 35 runs at the Municipality 2
ground.
Batting first, Kairali managed 2038 in 20 overs. Akbar Shaikh (54) and
Praveen Kumar (55) were the main
scorers. Amal Raj claimed 3 wickets for
GME.
In reply, GME scored 168-9 in 20
overs. Amal Raj top-scored with 59 in Junior champions NBO.
vain.
Akbar Shaikh claimed four wickets
sponsored by Khimji Ramdas, NBO
In reply, NBO scored 121-2 in 16.4
for Kairali to clinch the championship.
Brief scores: Kairali 203-8 in 20 overs (Akbar thrashed Hussain Fahdhil Partners overs. Manhas Kapoor top-scored with
Shaikh 54, Praveen Kumar 55; Amal Raj 4-26-3) bt (HFP) by 8 wickets at the Municipality 43 not out to enable the comfortable
GME 168-9 in 20 overs (Amal Raj 59; Akbar Shaikh 3 ground.
championship win.
4-23-4); Champions: Kairali
Batting first, HFP were all out for 120 Brief scores: HFP 120 all out in 18.5 overs
(Sreeraj 31; Zaheer Abbas 4-24-3) lost to NBO
NBO TAKE JUNIOR CROWN
in 18.5 overs. Sreeraj S scored 31. Zaheer 121-2 in 16.4 overs (Manhas Kapoor 43 n.o.);
Champions: NBO
In ‘Junior’ division knockout final Abbas claimed 3 wickets for NBO.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy plays his second shot at
the 10th hole during the second round of Irish Open at
The K Club, County Kildare, Ireland. — Reuters
Ryu storms to one-shot lead at
Kingsmill low-scoring round
LOS ANGELES: South Korea’s Ryu Soyeon, propelled by six birdies in her first
nine holes, seized a one-stroke lead after
Friday’s second round of the Kingsmill
Championship
in
Williamsburg,
Virginia.
Seeking her fourth LPGA victory,
the 2011 US Women’s Open champion
fired a seven-under-par 64 on the
River Course at Kingsmill Resort after
engaging in a low-scoring fest with her
playing competitor Stacy Lewis.
Ryu, who has recorded three top-10s
in nine starts on the LPGA Tour this
season without notching a win, racked
up eight birdies and a lone bogey to post
a seven-under total of 135.
American world number four Lewis
was a further stroke back after carding
a five-birdie 66, ending the day level
with first-round leader Mika Miyazato
of Japan (71) and South Korean Amy
Yang (67).
“It’s really fun to play with someone
consistently making birdies,” Ryu told
reporters after a mutually inspirational
round in the company of Lewis. “Also
we’re not really competing with each
other, we’re just really supportive of
each other.
“Even when we have a bad shot, we
keep talking to the ball, ‘stay there’ or
just ‘keep up’. It was really fun to play
with Stacy.”
Ryu, who has not triumphed on the
LPGA Tour since the 2014 Canadian
Pacific Women’s Open, said she had
gained confidence in recent weeks after
making a few swing changes earlier in
the year.
“Since Hawaii (last month’s Lotte
Championship in Honolulu), I have
really played really well,” said the
25-year-old Korean. “I always feel I’m
ready to play well, I’m ready to win a
South Korea’s
Ryu So-yeon,
was propelled
by six birdies in
her first nine
holes.
tournament, but (before) I couldn’t get
enough confidence.
“That was the reason why I couldn’t
really finish well. These days, what
I’m really focused on is getting back
my confidence. I really enjoy this
tournament ... I can do this. I’m just
going to keep talking to myself like
that.”
Defending champion Minjee Lee
of Australia will head into Saturday’s
third round just two strokes off the pace
after carding a 71 on Friday, with New
Zealand’s world number one Lydia Ko a
further four shots back, after a 68.
— Reuters
LEADING SECOND ROUND SCORES
(par 71, USA unless noted):
135 - Ryu So-Yeon (KOR) 71-64
136 - Stacy Lewis 70-66, Amy Yang (KOR) 69-67,
Mika Miyazato (JPN) 65-71
137 - Jessica Korda 69-68, Amelia Lewis 69-68,
Caroline Masson (GER) 67-70, Minjee Lee (AUS) 66-71
138 - Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) 69-69, Ryann O’Toole
69-69, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 68-70, Tiffany Joh 6870, Gerina Piller 67-71
139 - Alejandra Llaneza (MEX) 70-69, Mo Martin 7069, Su Oh (AUS) 69-70, Austin Ernst 68-71, Laetitia
Beck (ISR) 67-72, Kim Sei-Young 67-72, Moriya
Jutanugarn (THA) 67-72, Pornanong Phatlum (THA)
67-72, Brittany Lincicome 66-73
140 - Karrie Webb (AUS) 73-67, Lee-Anne Pace (RSA)
73-67, Perrine Delacour (FRA) 73-67, Lindy Duncan
72-68, Laura Davies (ENG) 72-68, Sandra Changkija
71-69, Sakura Yokomine (JPN) 71-69, Anna Nordqvist
(SWE) 70-70, Amy Anderson 70-70, Azahara Munoz
(ESP) 69-71, Hur Mi-Jung (KOR) 69-71, Meena Lee
(KOR) 68-72, Sandra Gal (GER) 67-73
insideOman
features
The Wrights granted patent on flying-machine
This day in 1906, the Wright brothers are granted US patent number 821,393 for their
“Flying-Machine”. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, Orville
and Wilbur Wright were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing
powered flight possible.
@ profile
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
29
Ahmed Abou-Zahra: Born in
Egypt, he is the son of an actor,
so was born into an artistic
environment, but credits much
of his earliest motivation in
music to his uncle, a musician. As
a result, he grew up in a cultured
environment that included
numerous Cairo Opera House
visits, and inspired, he began
playing the piano at the age of 6
years.
A cultured man of the
performing arts
Q RAY PETERSEN
I
n this series of articles, which focus on the
contributions of expatriates to Omani society, I
have been privileged to meet some extraordinary
individuals, but Egyptian born Ahmed AbouZahra, has a diversity of background, character and
ambition that are unique. “As a Muslim, I appreciate
not only what God has given us,” he said, “But the beauty in
our world and lives. Music is a catalyst for awakening us all to
the beauty around us.”
Born in Egypt, he is the son of an actor, so was born into
an artistic environment, but credits much of his earliest
motivation in music to his uncle, a musician. As a result, he
grew up in a cultured environment that included numerous
Cairo Opera House visits, and inspired, he began playing the
piano at the age of 6 years. When he was 11 he was mortified
when his father sold that piano, in an effort to divert his son
towards a more reliable career. Abou-Zahra’s piano playing
was extremely limited for some time, but his love for the piano
was not.
“Many people don’t realize,” he said, ‘‘That in the 1960’s
the entertainment industry in Egypt was the second highest
earner in the country. This was mainly through a booming
movie industry, but Cairo was the artistic capital of the Middle
East, and a major global force.” Unfortunately, he reflected,
war and conflict have riven his home country since then, and
*
only limited cultural opportunities remain.
At 16 though, on his own initiative, a determined AbouZahra had obtained a scholarship to the Tchaikovsky
Conservatory in Moscow where he found the study
challenging, but rewarding. He found life in Russia more
difficult however as the 50-70 degrees temperature swing hit
him hard. He recalled though an upside of his time in Moscow,
was that he managed to purchase an “amazing music library
collection for ‘peanuts!’”
His return home saw him obtain his Music Degree at the
Cairo Conservatoire. “I was very lucky, or blessed,” he said,
“As I was then accepted to the famed Frieburg School of
Music in Germany, which numbers James Avery and Tibor
Szasz among its alma mater. “One musical consequence of
the intense study, was that I recognized classical music not
as a genre,” he explained, “But as containing all genres, and
my particular loves for jazz elements and Hungarian folk
music, have become integral in my own interpretations of the
masters.”
A significant influence upon the musical direction AbouZahra was to take, emerged in the form of Andras Schiff,
the noted Hungarian concert pianist and conductor, a
contemporary of the famed Gyorgy Kurtag. Schiff is recognized
as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of Bach, Beethoven,
Schuman and Schubert, so when he took the youngster under
his wing it’s no wonder those composers have formed a legacy,
a musical starting point, for the young Egyptian.
Still counting Schiff as a teacher and friend, he
counts himself fortunate to have the support of such
a true gentleman. He counts also noted composer
Joseph Horovitz, and the enigmatic and reclusive Sviotoslav
Richter among those who continue to influence his music.
“Both of these will influence music long after we are gone,” he
said, “and Richter in particular, has influenced concert pianists
so much. Did you know he would play in near darkness, so the
audience would concentrate on the music?”
Abou-Zahra mused for a moment and then, with a smile
added, “I’m sorry, when I talk about my music, I should be
saying our music, and our interpretations, because I can
barely imagine making music without my other half.” He was,
of course, referring to his beautiful Hungarian wife, Nora
Emody, with whom he formed the Horus Piano Duo in 1997.
“We were pianists first,” said Abou-Zahra, “Then, a duet, and
I like to think the music bringing us together was God’s work,
and love followed, much as night follows day.”
One of the reasons that the two have a shared love of the
‘quatre main,’ or duet, form of piano, is that they feel they are
more able to reflect the intentions of the classical composers, as
many of the masters would actually create four-handed piano
arrangements as a progression towards orchestration of their
music. Abou-Zahra explained that, “It was easier for them to
put two pianists at one piano, than to find, and pay for I guess,
a small orchestra, while they worked on their arrangements.”
Ahmed Abou-Zahra is quite a character. He is proud of his
faith and radiates a certainty of purpose that in itself,
makes him a charming individual. He is very well spoken,
is articulate and urbane. This, then would explain his easy
familiarity with those engaged at the highest diplomatic levels,
with ambassadors, ministers, and also prominent business
identities within the Sultanate.
His work, whether it be in performance arts promotions
with his Arabesque International Company, or making music,
is a major part of his life, and he speaks with the passion of a
zealot. “Maybe I am a missionary?” he queried, “Or maybe I
am just the most enthusiastic of enthusiasts? But I believe in
the power of music.”
Yet, throughout our interview recently, I was reminded
constantly of someone who in many ways, still has that same
enthusiasm and courage of the youngster who just wanted
to play the piano, of someone who maybe can’t believe how
fortunate he is to have an equally talented wife, and two
prodigiously talented daughters, and someone fortunate
to bathe daily in the cultured music, the influences and
interpretations, of the greatest musical masters of all time, as
his ‘day job!’
I may not know my Bach from my Beethoven, my Schubert
from my Schumann, but I can rest somewhat easier knowing
that our expatriate tapestry, here in Oman, has someone who
does. (Photos by Yelena Glukhovtseva)
crossword
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
1 At the circus, it’s a great
plaything (3,3)
7 Get a rule properly ordered
(8)
8 Statesman’s pet duck (4)
10 You can count on a bus having
electricity inside (6)
11 Disorderly region? Pretend it
doesn’t exist! (6)
14 Member of the French Foreign
Legion (3)
16 Courses found punishing by
bad learners (5)
17 Half-hearted manuscript for
charity (4)
19 The beast turned up with the
money (5)
21 He can take a break from his
job (5)
22 They get me won round (5)
23 Try to interview at the
weekend (4)
26 Tale of ultimate passion and
wild love (5)
28 Girl in a million? (3)
29 Not fit to turn north to Elba,
possibly (6)
30 How the RAF ace needs
bottle! (6)
31 Attention of the heated,
heartless kind? (4)
32 Where, aboard ship, an animal
will get old? (8)
33 Maybe a bee has to fly around
weakly (6)
DOWN
1 The fruit of crookedness? (6)
2 Possibly caters for very small
quantities (6)
3 Experts in training up roses
(4)
4 He’s apt to catch something
and chuck it (7)
5 Possibly streaky writer? (5)
6 Dogs used by Speke (5)
8 Being sedated is some medical
matter (4)
9 Short haul vessel? (3)
12 There’s nothing in lining up
(3)
13 It’s about Eve, an official (5)
15 It’s accepted a damaged tank
holds very little water! (5)
18 The little monkey’s sour
answer (5)
(3)
19 Charlie takes mother up the
21 In a nautical connection, a
river (3)
20 Chaps who show me the way
solid post (7)
22 It catches insects world wide
(3)
23 To a Frenchman, a half dose
will bring “calm” (6)
24 What granddad might have
been surprised to say (4)
25 Maybe Len gets a key out
eagerly (6)
26 One tending to close down
just to make sure (5)
27 Saves breaking up vessels (5)
28 She has the master key (3)
30 He’ll cook some spinach
efficiently (4)
EASY PUZZLE
ACROSS
1 Loved (6)
7 Sportsmen (8)
8 Wound’s mark (4)
10 Consent (6)
11 Front (6)
14 Peculiar (3)
16 Accepted (5)
17 Appointment (4)
19 Might (5)
21 Cringe (5)
22 Satisfied (5)
23 Merriment (4)
26 Exterior (5)
28 Beer (3)
29 Savage (6)
30 European country (6)
31 Hire (4)
32 Synopsis (8)
33 Thick oil (6)
DOWN
1 Scared (6)
2 Draw back (6)
3 Challenge (4)
4 Smoked herring (7)
5 Cut of meat (5)
6 Pale (5)
8 Northern Briton (4)
9 Append (3)
12 Vehicle (3)
13 Tennis score (5)
15 Inferior (5)
18 Foretell (5)
19 Kitty (3)
20 Marry (3)
21 Type of seed (7)
22 Ready (3)
23 Quick look (6)
24 Fasting period (4)
25 Come out (6)
26 Fat (5)
27 Melodies (5)
28 Plural of is (3)
30 Amphibian (4)
THURSDAY’S CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, S-he-et 6, Brush 9,
Locally 10, Sa-L-ve 11, Odium
12, Dan-t-e 13, Ferried 15, Ton
17, On-U.S. 18, Senora 19, Finer
20, Albert 22, P-ale 24, Lay 25,
Sno-ozed 26, Revue 27, Ag-low
28, Ha-L-ve 29, Lazarus 30,
Oddly 31, Thine.
DOWN: 2, H-E-aven 3, Elvers
4, To-E 5, Sal-AD 6, Blotter 7,
Ry.-de 8, Stupor 12, DE-bit 13,
Fo-Cal. 14, Ru-G-by 15, To-pa-z
16, Naked 18, Se-in-e 19, Freeway 21, L-a-gg-ed 22, Pot-ash
23, Leaven 25, Sugar 26, Roll 28,
Hut.
THURSDAY’S EASY
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Trust 6, Muggy 9,
Caravan 10, Sport 11, Rival 12,
Habit 13, Caramel 15, Eel 17,
Atom 18, Valise 19, Stool 20,
Arenas 22, Seer 24, Led 25, Alsoran 26, Merge 27, Carol 28, Haste
29, Polemic 30, Alley 31, Decry.
DOWN: 2, Repeat 3, Scream 4,
Tat 5, Banal 6, Marital 7, Unit 8,
Grapes 12, Heats 13, Canal 14,
Rowed 15, Eider 16, Learn 18,
Voile 19, Saveloy 21, Recall 22,
Solace 23, Easter 25, Agree 26,
Mope 28, Hid.
international
oman
@
30
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
Completion of Rome’s Trevi Fountain
This day in 1762, the Trevi Fountain in Rome was officially completed and
inaugurated by Pope Clemens XIII. Designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi
and completed by Pietro Bracci, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city
and one of the most famous fountains in the world.
humaninterest
Tortoise in a baby
stroller, a novelty
even for New Yorkers
N
ew York City is filled with oddities that can surprise even the most die-hard
New Yorkers and when Henry the tortoise turned up in a stroller in Central
Park this week for his daily outing it turned more than a few heads.
The 17 pound (7.7 kg) sulcata tortoise is the pet of 24-year-old Amanda
Green who lives in the Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan. He led a reclusive existence
until Green took to Craigslist to advertise for a tortoise walker.
New Yorkers are accustomed to dog walkers but no so much tortoise walkers, so
Green expected only a few responses.
Instead, the listing went viral and hundreds of people from all over the world applied
for the $10-an-hour job.
“Just like a person who has a dog would hire a dog walker, I figured why not a tortoise
walker?” Green said in an interview with Reuters TV.
“It took on a life of its own... I heard from about 500,” said Green, a copywriter for a
style and beauty website.
The job went to Amalia McCallister, who has experience from having worked in a pet
store.
“You honestly do have to keep your eye on him,” McCallister said, describing the job
as fun and not too taxing. “I could, maybe, read a book, but you’ve got to make sure he
doesn’t eat the wrong thing.”
Sulcata tortoises are native to north central Africa but they adapt well to different
environments. Land-dwelling reptiles with a shell, they are mainly herbivores. Henry,
who is taken to the park by stroller and then allowed to roam free, particularly likes
dandelions and grass.
He has amassed an online fanbase with more than 5,000 Instagram followers and
nearly 300 likes on Facebook for his profile: “The Notortoise BIG”. The profile’s name is a
play on the stage name used by the late rapper Christopher Wallace, who called himself
Biggie Smalls and The Notorious B.I.G.
Green adopted Henry a couple of years ago from a woman who was unable to manage
her growing family and the tortoise. She said Henry is friendly and curious but needs lots
of attention.
Green said she knows that Henry will one day outgrow her apartment. Male sulcata
tortoises can reach a length of more than 30 inches (76 cm) and tip the scales at up to 200
pounds (90 kg).
“Am I going to somehow get a backyard in New York City?” Green asked. “These
animals do need exercise so it is really great that I have a walker now.” — Reuters
@ sharedthoughts
@ photoexhibit
Photography show opens in
London with big ambition
SAYEH WOODMAN
[email protected]
It’s the sign of the
times when we cry
Y
ou know you are getting old when you make
strange noises whilst hauling your body off
the sofa or when you start to moan about
people leaving lights on around the house
(guilty on both counts).
Age creeps up on you like a thief in
the night and before you know it, you hear your voice, but
recognize your father or mother’s words coming out of your
mouth.
Little things start to annoy you; bits of toast in the
margarine tub, the ‘youth’ of today as we like to call it when
we get older, and anything to do with politics, the education
system, money, traffic, in fact pretty much anything to do
with day-to-day life!
You start driving all over the area in an effort to save a
penny on a litre of petrol, ok so this isn’t the case in Muscat,
but perhaps driving everywhere to find the best deal on a car
or that piece of furniture you wanted to fill in that corner
space of your lounge.
You begin watching TV shows that just a few years ago
you would have dismissed as drivel; Antiques Roadshow,
Countryfile and anything to do with baking. Again, that’s a
typically British thing — to watch TV, I found that I hardly
watched TV in Muscat, because I was always out and about,
but perhaps you spend longer in the supermarkets, reading
the back of packets for nutritional information?
When you get older, collecting becomes a habit; for some
it’s watches, magazines, for others it’s screws or other small
items that you will pop in your tool box and never ever use,
despite your protestations to the contrary. It’s nice to keep
hold onto memories and to become a hoarder.
I use the excuse of, it’s nice for my daughter to see what
Age creeps up on you like a thief in the night
and before you know it, you hear your voice, but
recognize your father or mother’s words coming out
of your mouth.
A
major photography show opened in London on
Thursday featuring a special exhibition on leading
war photographer Don McCullin, plus works by
established figures like Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Photo London at Somerset House runs until Sunday
and offers collectors the chance to snap up major works by
photographers from around the world.
Founded last year, Photo London features 85 top galleries
and has big ambitions of eventually rivalling events like Paris
Photo, a fair held in the French capital.
“We plan to make Photo London the best photography fair
in the world — not the biggest, but the best,” said co-founder
Michael Benson.
The exhibition of Briton McCullin’s work will include
black and white shots of London in the 1960s plus pictures
of Lebanese refugee camps in 1982 and sectarian conflict in
Northern Ireland.
Other events during the show include appearances
by some of the world’s leading photographers including
McCullin, Mary McCartney and Martin Parr.
While Photo London’s founders want to build up the event
on the world stage, the event is also a chance to develop the
local market... Collectors in Britain are generally seen as more
interested in painting, sculpture and installation art.
“There are collectors, but we need more photography
collectors,” said James Hyman, Director of the James Hyman
Gallery in London.
“Paris is very well established. London still needs to gain
its international audience.”
Hyman added: “The strongest markets are New York and
Paris.”
“Audiences are very different (in London and Paris),”
explained Bernard Utudjian, Director of the Polaris Gallery
in Paris.
“Last year, many English collectors told me they were
discovering contemporary photography.”
The fair this year is welcoming galleries from a range of
cities from around the world including Paris, New York,
Zurich, Vienna, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Dubai and Tehran.
— AFP
treasures I have kept for her. I rally against old age as much as
I can. I try to stay up to date with music and film although I do
now have a wider appreciation of “the racket” that my parents
all too often mentioned whilst I was trying to watch Top of
The Pops! I even try to go out and last the night! Not sure if it’s
an age thing or a parent thing, maybe a mixture of both. But
when the clock strikes 11 pm, I want to be at home, in PJ’s and
cuddled up in bed.
When I do last longer on a night out, this is very rare; I feel it
necessary to post something up on Facebook. I’m also the sad
one at the bar, which asks for a cup of coffee, or even yes, even
sadder, a cup of hot chocolate with floating marshmallows!
I guess nothing makes you feel your age more though,
than the loss of a cultural icon; someone you connected to in
your youth. The likes of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston,
to name a few, this year, the death of Prince stopped me in
my tracks.
It was like a punch to the solar plexus, a sick joke; it
couldn’t be true could it? I am sure many people felt the same
way when Bowie died and 2016 has certainly not been kind to
the idols of our youth.
It might seem ridiculous to some to mourn the loss of
these iconic performers; we didn’t know them, but we feel like
we did through their music; music which helped us through
the good times and the bad.
We don’t cry because we knew them, we cry because they
held the soundtrack to moments to remember in our life. It’s
a good release to cry, whenever you’re on your own or with
people around you. The worst thing you can do is bottling it
up and inside. The older you get, the more tearful you get,
whether you’re a man or a woman.
FACT! Apparently gossip has it: Keeping tears in can
create wrinkles.
So the next time you cry, and have that emotional moment,
release it. I was also told the older you get, the more gullible
you get!
international
Ceylon becomes Sri Lanka
This day in 1972, Ceylon adopts a new constitution, thus becoming a Republic,
changes its name to Sri Lanka, and joins the Commonwealth of Nations. Sri
Lanka’s commercial capital and largest city is Colombo.
@ discoverhistory
features
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l M AY 2 2 l 2 0 1 6
31
Next stop on Rome’s new underground:
Hadrian’s barracks
F
rescoed barracks which once housed the cavalry of the Emperor Hadrian’s bodyguard
have returned to light 19 centuries on, during excavations for a new underground train
line in Rome.
In a find hailed as “unique” by archaeologists, weapons rooms, dormitories, kitchens
and stables where some of ancient Rome’s crack troops once lodged now lie open to the
sky near the Colosseum, where the “Amba Aradam” stop of the Metro C line is being dug.
Uncovering broken pots, Roman coins or that archaeological staple, a series of low walls, is all
in a day’s work for head engineer Andrea Sciotti, particularly near the ancient forums and gladiator
battling ground and training schools.
“But this time, the effect was different. The emotion crept up upon us,” he said over the noise of
concrete-mixers and drills, marvelling at the excellent state of preservation of the vast site which
covers 900 square metres (9,700 square feet).
Work here is steaming ahead to create the first “archaeological station” in Rome, which Francesco
Prosperetti, the capital’s superintendent of archaeology, hopes will outdo other impressive metro
“museums” from Athens to Naples, Porto and Vienna.
“We will keep as much of the site as possible in the future station so that, when you’re on your way
to catch a train, you can look down on it all and enjoy the view,” said Sciotti.
The digs for Rome’s much-needed third metro line, which will connect 30 stations in the touristheavy Eternal City, began in 2007 but have been delayed repeatedly by the discovery of buried
artefacts and it is not expected to be fully open before 2021.
— ‘Unique discovery’ —
“The challenge will be to create a space which will speak of Rome’s underground to those on the
move,” Prosperetti said.
Amid the diggers and scaffolding lie the remains of 39 rooms of barracks where hundreds of
soldiers — the so-called “equites singulares augusti”, one of the elite corps of the Praetorian Guard —
were housed during the 2nd century AD.
Archaeologists also found a collective grave on the site, where they have so far unearthed 13 adult
skeletons and a bronze bracelet.
The cavalry guard, which escorted the Roman emperor whenever he left the city, were so fierce
they were used by successive leaders to quash unruly mobs in street battles and boost military
campaigns abroad.
Black and white mosaics decorate the barracks floors, and frescoes in Pompeian red can be seen on
some of the remaining walls.
“When the call came they left their rooms, went along a corridor to the weapons room to collect
their arms and headed off to where they were needed,” said archaeologist Rossella Rea, describing the
ruins as a “unique discovery”.
The find brings the total number of known military garrisons in the area to five, with one of the
most important resting under the nearby Saint John Lateran basilica, the pope’s seat in Rome.
“In ancient times, this area was the Campus Martius, where, during the months of February and
March, ceremonies and festivities were organised in honour of Mars, the god of war,” Rea said.
While Romans celebrated with chariot races, dances and feasts in the street, the cavalry slept six
to a room, ready to be called at any minute to seize their swords and shields, decorated with their
emblem, the scorpion and saddle up. — AFP
@ travelnotes
Matatu or commuter bus: Kenya style
T
urn on the bass, yeah!” shouts Dennis, conductor and
ticket tout on board the Brain Freeze, an eardrumbursting tricked-out Nairobi bus studded with blue neon
lights.
This commuter bus, or matatu as it is known in Kenya, is like a
nightclub rushing down the jam-packed streets of the east African
capital.
Deafening music pumps from countless loudspeakers fitted
into the vehicle, while clips of skimpily-dressed girls in music
videos flash across flat-screen television screens.
And among the 30 passengers there’s neither a grey hair nor a
balding head to be seen.
“It’s like a club, this matatu is really cool,” says Mary Nicola, a
20-year-old student with long, bright red braids.
By night the Brain Freeze is still more striking, its mobile
sound and light show winning approval on Facebook pages
dedicated to customised matatus.
Brain Freeze has only been on the road for a few weeks but it is
already making an impression.
Around 90 per cent of Nairobi’s commuters use a matatu daily.
Competition for customers is fierce and a pimped ride can make
all the difference.
For some, spray-painted matatus like the Brain Freeze are a
glamorous stage on which to display social status, interests and
what’s cool.
Matatus are named after Manchester United footballers, Alicia
Keys, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and Pope Francis.
— Nice Paint —
On the Brain Freeze, no detail is left to chance: wheel rims and
headlights are metallic blue, the radiator grille is stretched out like
a snowplough and at the rear a string of red lights illuminate when
the bus brakes.
All in all, it cost seven million shillings ($70,000; 61,000 euros)
to buy and customise. The owners were anxious to attract a large
audience of the young and hyper-connected, so they put a trailer
online showing the bus being redesigned.
“This matatu is fashionable,” says Casper, another tout,
sunglasses on his nose. He smiles and steals a sidelong glance at
Nicola. “If good-looking girls come here, other young people want
to come.”
Kennedy Aina, a 22-year-old student with four thick silver
chains around his neck, fits the Brain Freeze’s target audience.
“The matatu was here when I was done with my class, it has
Wi-Fi and it’s quick,” he says.
Arriving at its destination in a neighbourhood east of Nairobi,
Brain Freeze stops a few metres from “Rolling Stone” which, like
the 1960s and ‘70s era it pays homage to, is showing its age, its
once-pristine white paint marked by the years.
Nearby “Wayne Rooney” pulls past Brain Freeze. “Nice paint!”
shouts Rooney’s admiring tout, leaning dangerously out of his
matatu’s doorless entrance as it roars away.
— Bob Marley pictures —
Nearby, in a warehouse whose roof is riddled with holes, the
smell of fresh paint assaults the nose, but Roy “The Great” Mungai
— a much-in-demand matatu artist — is unfazed as he adds the
finishing touches to a new Rastafarian-themed bus.
The green, yellow and red exterior is adorned with an image of
former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie while inside are pictures
of reggae icon Bob Marley beneath a ceiling decorated with old
vinyl records.
Nearby, “Gucci” is ready to go and its owner, Chris Nsungu, is
delighted.
“Tomorrow, it will slide along the road!” he says.
Another day, another newly customised matatu, and for Brain
Freeze and the rest the competition just got a little tougher. — AFP
SUNDAY | MAY 22, 2016 | SHAABAN 15, 1437 AH
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Next stop on Rome’s new underground:
Hadrian’s barracks
In a find hailed as ‘unique’ by archaeologists, weapon rooms, dormitories, kitchens and stables —
frescoed barracks that once housed the cavalry of the Emperor Hadrian’s bodyguards, now lie open
to the sky near the Colosseum. The next time you’re in the Eternal City, this might just be your next
metro stop... P31
@editor’spick
watchamovie
nowshowing
energysector
KING LIAR
OMAN ENERGY & WATER EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE
Sathyanarayanan, an impulsive liar, is
trying to win over Anjali, a wannabe
model. While cooking up various
stories to get close to her, he meets
fashion icon Anand Varma, who
decides to use Satyan’s craftiness for a
bigger purpose.
Have you seen this movie?
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lowest, how would you rate this film?
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week.
aroundtown
A surfer rides a wave in Varazze on May 15 during a day of high swell due to
strong winds in north Mediterranean sea. — AFP
Oman Energy & Water Exhibition &
Conference is a 3-day event held from May
23- 25, 2016 at the Oman International
Exhibition Centre in Muscat.
This event showcases products like power
generation, transmission, diagnostic
equipment, monitoring & control,
automation & control system, energy
management and energy storage system.
It will also showcase pumps, pipelines,
water treatment chemicals, dewatering
equipment, waterproofing products, fibre
glass products, manhole covers among
others that are necessary in air & water
management.