injured pilgrims return home

SUNDAY | AUGUST 2, 2015 | SHAWWAL 16, 1436 AH
P17 ƒ…‹ϐ‹…‹ˆ”‡‡–”ƒ†‡–ƒŽ•ˆƒŽŽ•Š‘”–‘ˆϐ‹ƒŽ†‡ƒŽ
VOL. 34 NO. 261 | PAGES 32 | BAISAS 200
P31 —––‡”ϐŽ›Ǧ‹•’‹”‡†™ƒ›–‘ƒ‡•‘Žƒ”‡‡”‰›…Š‡ƒ’‡”
P28 ‹‰‡””‘ƒ”•ƒ••Š‹ƒ™ƒ…Ž‹‰•–‘
Ž‡ƒ†
Inside
Chief Executive Officer
DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI
Floods kill 27 people in Myanmar India, Bangladesh exchange enclaves Is Jeb Bush not a candidate? Editor-in-Chief
ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI
Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising
PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
www.omanobserver.om
FOLLOW US ON:
OMAN
Dialogue needed for
political solutions
AMMAN: Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah,
Minister Responsible for Foreign
Affairs, met Jordan’s Deputy Premier
and Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Expatriates Affairs Nasser Judeh on
Saturday in Amman and discussed
Jordanian-Omani relations and
challenges facing the Middle East. The
ministers discussed the situation in
Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya and were
unanimous that dialogue should prevail
to find political solutions to the crises
in the four countries which guarantee
their security and territorial safety. They
said they will pursue consultation “at all
levels, particularly as the two sides see
eye to eye on the various issues”. During
the talks, they agreed on the need for a
collective effort to fight terrorism and
terrorist organisations “that use Islam
as a cover, but they have noting to do
with Islam.” They also discussed the
Palestinian situation.
SEE P3
INSIDESTORIES
P6
CHINA WARNS OF GROWING
BORDER RISKS
P8
DEATH LOOMS AS MIGRANTS
TREK TOWARDS EUROPE
P13
EXILED YEMEN PM AND
OFFICIALS RETURN TO ADEN
WEATHER TODAY
MUSCAT
MAX: 390C
MIN: 310C
SALALAH
MAX: 270C
MIN: 240C
SUNRISE 05.35 AM
PRAYER TIMINGS
FAJR: 04:12
DHUHR: 12:12
ASR: 15:36
MAGHRIB: 18:49
ISHA: 20:19
NIZWA
MAX: 390C
MIN: 260C
[email protected]
INJURED PILGRIMS RETURN HOME
TRAGIC MOMENTS: Bodies of Saudi accident victims arrive in the Sultanate
LAKSHMI KOTHATNETH
MUSCAT
August 1: The Royal Air Force of
Oman (Rafo) aircraft arrived here on
Friday night bringing back the victims
of the bus accident, the nine deceased
and the rest of the injured pilgrims
from Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. On
board the first plane were a number
of injured and the rest of the travellers
and their families, while the second
plane carried the bodies and their
family members.
The arrival of the two aircraft
must have been a relief for the family
members who had been anxiously
waiting to see their loved ones. Adding
an element of hope was the baby
cradled in the arms of an Omani
officer walking towards the aircraft.
She landed in Muscat carried by her
family. Her young mind might heal
faster than other passengers some of
whom have pain and scar on their
bodies, while their eyes carry the
sorrow of losing nine companions in
the accident. But they are grateful for
the immediate support they received
and for the gesture from His Majesty
A RUSH TO
DONATE BLOOD
S
The injured being transported in an ambulance.
Sultan Qaboos by sending the aircraft
so they can now heal being with their
families.
The 54 Omani pilgrims were
on their way back to Oman after
performing umrah when their bus had
a collision with a truck while returning
from Mecca near Al Kharis, 120 km
away from Al Ahsa on Thursday
morning. The collision resulted in nine
deaths and minor to serious injuries to
41 passengers.
TURN TO P2
Sultanate flays killing
of Palestinian toddler
MUSCAT: Oman strongly condemned
the heinous and inhuman crime
beyond all human norms by a group of
Jewish settlers that killed a Palestinian
toddler in the occupied West Bank and
wounded four family members.
In a statement here on Saturday,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Sultanate called upon the international
community to take all necessary
measures to protect the unarmed
Palestinian people from such practices.
Meanwhile, the parents and brother
of the toddler, who was burned to death
by suspected Jewish extremists were
fighting for their lives on Saturday, as
demonstrators held a second day of
protests over the arson attack.
The firebombing of the family’s
home in the occupied West Bank
that killed 18-month-old Ali Saad
Dawabsha sparked an international
outcry over Israel’s failure to get to
Talia, the sister of Palestinian Laith
Khaldi, mourns during the funeral of her
brother near Ramallah. — AFP
grips with violence by hardline Jewish
settlers.
The child’s father, Saad, was being
treated for third-degree burns at the
Soroka hospital in southern Israel, where
a spokeswoman described his condition
as “critical”. — ONA/Agencies
SEE ALSO P13
Big Bus Tour service set for next new destination Rome
Salalah a promising destination
KAUSHALENDRA SINGH
SALALAH
August 1: The Big Bus is not only a
service but also recognition to a city as
an important tourist destination. With
its launch in Salalah on the Sultanate’s
Renaissance Day, Salalah became 18th
destination of the Big Bus Tour. Besides
Salalah the Big Bus service is available
only in 17 cities.
This was stated by Mike Lees, Big Bus
Tours General Manager of Middle East,
while commenting on the importance
of Salalah as a tourist destination.
“The destination is emerging fast and
becoming popular not only among the
Arabs but among Europeans as well,” said
Lees. “If you look at our recent operations,
Salalah is launched after New York City was launched in 2012 when Muscat was As such we have operations only in 18
and Chicago. Our next destination is declared Arab world’s Cultural Capital. cities around the world,” he said.
Rome. In Oman the first Big Bus service We believe in quality and not in quantity.
TURN TO P4
ince the news of the bus
accident in Saudi there has
been a rush in the social media
groups regarding requirement to
donate blood for the injured. The
messages from the general public
urged group members to donate
blood at the blood bank.
Usually summer is a lean period
for blood donation as college
students are on summer holidays
and others on vacations. This year
Ramadhan was also a lean period
because of the short duration
people had after breaking the fast.
The news about the death
of nine Omani pilgrims and 41
injured in a bus collision near
Al Kharis on Thursday morning
generated concern among citizens
and residents about the blood the
patients might need once back in
Oman.
The weekend saw donors
heading towards the Central Blood
Bank at Bausher.
TURN TO P2
A member
of the Rafo
team carries
a baby in
his hand
before
boarding
the plane.
2
SQUID FISHING SEASON BEGINS
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 2 l 2 0 1 5
Squid fishing season began
on Saturday in the Sultanate.
It will continue until the end
of January, 2016. Fishermen
in the Governorates of South
A’Sharqiyah, Al Wusta and Dhofar
usually go in groups do squid
fishing The catch per boat per day
is estimated to 70 to 80 kg. Most of
it is exported to Asia and Europe.
OMAN
OMAN, ALGERIA CALL FOR PEACE
Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister
Responsible for Foreign Affairs, met his
Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra
said Thursday in Algiers. Regarding
the situation in Alwai said that “Algeria
and Oman consider the humanitarian
situation in the country requires an extra
effort for our brothers in Yemen to reach
an uninterrupted truce that allows the
international community to deliver aid.
Saudi Arabia bus accident victims return home
FROM PAGE 1
Following the directions of His Majesty the Sultan, two Rafo planes left Muscat
on Friday with medical personnel, equipment and medicines to Al Ahsa to bring
back the injured and dead bodies of the accident victims.
The aircraft were equipped with medical services of the armed forces and the
injured were assisted by the medical crew on board. The medical crew consisted
of doctors and consultants in various specialities. They had on flight medical
equipment.
Dr Ahmed bin Hilal al Busaidy, Sultanate’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and
the embassy team coordinated with officials from Saudi government in following
up with the representatives of the health affairs and medical institutions at Al
Ahsa to handover diagnosis reports, evaluations, classifications of the injured and
finalising the process to repatriate the bodies to Oman. Some of the injured were
taken to hospitals in Al Ahsa, while two among them were transferred to Riyadh
by air ambulance.
The injured and their families expressed their gratitude and appreciation
for the generous gesture from His Majesty the Sultan, and the government for
the care and great attention they received and in addition to the quick action in
repatriation of the bodies and the injured to the homeland to continue treatment
in the Sultanate. They also praised the government and the people of Saudi Arabia
for the care and support received during the ordeal.
A rush to donate blood
FROM PAGE 1
When asked about a situation where there is
an increase in donors wanting to donate, Khalid
Rashid al Balushi, Head of Quality Assurance,
Department of Blood Services, said, “We have
the capacity to cope with the crowd. Donation
is required throughout the year. The hospitals
always have patients and as long as there are
patients this is a continuous mechanism.”
“It is interesting to observe that people
started coming in just knowing the need. The
community moved on their own.
There is no other source for blood other than
people donating.
The mobile blood bank was not in action
for the weekend as the summer is not the ideal
weather for it and there were no blood drives.
But people chose to come to the Central
Blood Bank on their own in the weekend.
The weekends are usually quiet because
people tend to travel outside Muscat,” added
Khalid.
For individuals who might be first time
donors, the Central Blood Bank is located in
front of the Royal Hospital in Bausher.
With regard to blood groups and the blood
groups that are scarce, Khalid said, “Usually we
take all the blood groups.
All the negative groups are rare but we do
not approach individuals unless they want to
donate.”
The Central Blood Bank works throughout
the week from 7.30 am to 8.30 pm. In addition
to the Central Blood Bank, there are 13 regional
blood banks at the reference hospitals in
governorates.
The Department of Blood Services as a
separate unit was established by the ministry in
1995 and three years later it moved into a new
independent premises at Bausher where the
central blood bank is now located.
A well-equipped laboratory and a qualified
team has helped the blood bank to maintain
highest possible standards of donor care and
donor blood screening program to ensure to
provide safe blood in an efficient manner.
There are high-performing blood banks in
different wilayats. Before the 70s, donated blood
used to be imported from abroad. Today the
culture of donating blood has deepened as seen
in the current situation where people felt the
need to come forward on their own to support
blood donation.
In an earlier interview with the Observer,
Dr Sabria Nasser al Hashmi, Director of Blood
Services in Bausher, had said that more than
52,000 units of blood are collected from donors
every year in Oman.
The Department of Blood Services has over
10,000 regular blood donors on its register.
Generally around 171 donors a day come
forward to donate one of the most precious
gifts for life. The need for blood donors grow as
population increases.
(Lakshmi Kothatneth)
OMAN
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
3
Expat population reaches
1,623,000 till June 2015
ALAWI MEETS JORDAN MINISTER
MARGINAL RISE: Majority of them are working in construction
Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, met Jordan’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Expatriates Affairs Nasser Judeh on Saturday in Amman and discussed Jordanian-Omani ties and challenges facing
the Middle East. The ministers discussed the situation in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya and were unanimous that dialogue
should prevail to find political solutions to the crises in the four countries that guarantee their security and territorial safety.
They said they will pursue consultation “at all levels, particularly as the two sides see eye to eye on the various issues”. — ONA
New Code of Corporate Governance
ensures better work environment
Muscat: Abdullah bin Salim al Salmi,
CEO of the Capital Market Authority
(CMA), said that the new Code of
Corporate Governance (CCG) includes
additional provisions that improve the
work environment, ensure accuracy
and best levels of transparency and
disclosures.
These factors are very effective in risk
and crisis management. They also play a
role in ensuring justice for all, providing
effective protection for shareholders
and enhancing confidence at Muscat
Securities Market (MSM).
He added in a statement after CMA
board’s approval of the final CCG draft
that the CMA has sent a circular to
all companies and investment funds
listed at MSM to settle their conditions
according to the provisions of the
new CCG. He pointed out that the
implementation of these rules will be
for reference for one full year except for
the provisions related to the definition
of the independent director and its
definition, which will come into force
after the expiry of the current board of
the company.
He said that CMA Board of Directors
has approved in its last meeting on July 9
the new version of the Code of Corporate
Governance, after a committee was
formed to develop the code comprising
members from all sectors, in addition to
professional to review the code in line
with the international standards and
principles.
He pointed out the approval of the
code coincided with the issuance of the
Royal Decree, which established Oman
Centre for Corporate Governance and
Sustainability. On the contents of the
new code, he explained that these are
additional rules to improve the work to
ensure accuracy and transparency.
He added that CMA always publishes
its regulations to get feedback of the
interested stakeholders.
CMA has earlier published the first
draft on its website and received many
replies that helped in developing the
new draft. “Companies now realise the
importance of abiding by governance
practices following the global financial
crisis in 2008, the policies and decision
taken after it. Governance has now
become one of the major priorities
in the policies taken to address these
challenges,” he said.
In reply to a question on the reasons
for issuing new code for corporate
governance, al-Salmi said that there
was a need to amend the code of
corporate governance to contribute
and support the economic process in
the country for sustainable economic
performance due to the direct impact
in attaining strong, transparent and
competitive economy.
— ONA
10,000 people
and 2,000
vehicles used
ferries during
holidays
MUSCAT: The National
Ferries Company (NFC)
during
the
vacations
of Eid al Fitr and the
blessed
Renaissance
Day transported 10,681
passengers and 2,429
vehicles
to
various
destinations.
The statistics issued
by NFC pointed out that
(Shanna-Masirah)
route
came in the forefront
of
destinations
that
witnessed an active tourist
movement during the
holiday period, as the two
ferries (Shanna -Jawahrat
Masirah)
transported
9,533 passengers and 2,195
vehicles. The statistics also
showed that the total ferry
trips to and from Khasab
in the Governorate of
Musandam
transported
1,148 passengers and 234
vehicles, from Port Sultan
Qaboos, Shinas Port in the
Governorate of North Al
Batinah, or Niyabat Lima
Port in the Wilayat of
Khasab. Muscat-KhasabMuscat route saw about
665 passengers, and 155
vehicles. Shinas-KhasabShinas route transported
362 passengers and 79
vehicles.
Khasab-LimaKhasab route transported
121 passengers. — ONA
MUSCAT: The total number of the
expatriate workforce in the Sultanate
reached 1,623,672 workers at the end of
last June.
This number recorded an increase
rate of 0.6 per cent compared to the
figures logged last May, which saw
1,614,545 expatriate workers.
The statistics issued by the National
Centre of Statistics and Information
(NCSI) indicated that the majority of
expatriate workers are working in the
construction sector.
They indicated that there 1,434,102
expat men and 189,570 women.
The largest number of expatriate
workforces was recorded in the private
sector.
The private sector workers reached
1,311,301 persons (30,113 women and
1,281,188 men) by the end of last June.
Such numbers constituted a 0.6 per
cent increase compared to the figures
recorded last May.
They were followed by those with the
family at 252,757 people constituting
15.6 per cent of the total expatriate
workforce recorded in the Sultanate.
The majority of them are women
who constituted 138,760 compared
to 113,997 recorded last June with an
increase rate of 0.9 per cent.
The governmental sector came
third by assimilating 59,614 expatriate
workers ( 38,917 men and 20,697
women) with a decline rate of 1.2 per
cent compared to the figures recorded
last May.
As for the economic activities; the
construction activity topped the list
with 616,432 expatriate workers.
It was followed by the wholesale
and retail trade that employs 198,377
The largest number of expatriate workers are basic and allied engineering
professionals.
expatriate workers.
The processing industry came third
with 181,607 workers.
Expatriates in the agriculture,
hunting and forestry reached 86,772
while 4.180 expatriates are in fishing.
According to the professional
groups, the basic and allied engineering
professions assimilated the largest
number of expatriate workers till the
end of June 2015.
The number of expatriates working
in these professions reached 754,789
persons with an increase date of 3.7 per
cent compared to the figures recorded
during the same period last year.
They were followed by the services
professions that assimilated 364,321
workers with an increase rate of 3.2 per
cent compared to the figures recorded
during the same period last year.
The industrial and chemical
operations’ professions and the food
industries assimilated 100,750 expatriate
workers with an increase rate of 3.7 per
cent compared to the figures recorded
during the same period last year.
The number of expatriate workers
employed as public administration
managers and business managers
reached 39,478 with an increase rate
of 3.6 per cent compared to the figures
recorded during the same period last
year.
The number of specialists in the
scientific, technical and humanitarian
affairs reached 74,424 persons with an
increase rate of 3.6 per cent. — ONA
4
omandailyobserver
OMAN
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
Salalah a promising
destination for Big Bus
OMAN SCOUTS EXPO IN JAPAN
FROM PAGE 1
Oman Scouts taking part in the 23rd World Scout Jamboree (WSJ) in Yamaguchi, Japan, organised on Saturday an exhibition on the Sultanate’s history and the civilisation.
The exhibition also includes images that reflect the history of scout and guide movement in the Sultanate and the achievements under His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the
Supreme Scout of the Sultanate. More than 32,000 scouts from 150 countries are taking part in the Jamboree. — ONA
India Social Club says ‘salam’ Dr Kalam
LAKSHMI KOTHANETH
MUSCAT
August 1: The Indian Social Club’s
Tamil Wing organised a condolence
meet for former Indian President, Dr
APJ Abdul Kalam at the Social Club
multipurpose hall in Darsait.
A video of Dr Abdul Kalam’s visit
to Muscat few years ago brought
back memories for many who had
the opportunity to meet with him
during the occasion. According to
the organisers of the four-day visit, his
most important request was to meet
students.
His interaction with the students
reminded the viewers how much he
cherished being a teacher.
The chief guest of the evening,
Gloria Gangte, Charge‘de Affairs at the
Embassy of India in the Sultanate of
Oman highlighted in her speech one
of the events of his last day, “Personally
thanking the guard who stood
throughout the journey on the road to
guard him showed his compassion and
simplicity. Out pouring of love and
affection from people across the globe
is a testimony to human values that his
life exemplified.”
Dr Satish Nambiar, the chairman of
the Indian Social Club speaking to the
Observer, said, “Death is inevitable but
when a person like Dr Abdul Kalam
passes away we always feel it is too soon.
It is a great loss. I fondly remember Dr
Kalam’s visit to Oman in 2009.
There were multiple functions and
they were mainly sessions interacting
with children — national, expatriate
and especially students with special
needs which was a special request from
him.
He attended a function of Indian
Social Club as well where he shared his
personal experiences. Like the use of
an alloy to reduce the weight of cast and
other aids that were used by children
with polio and other orthopaedic
problems. The lighter the aids the
faster the children coped. That was his
passion.”
What was the Personal lesson
learnt? “I learnt humility — humility
all the way. At no time with such a
busy schedule and so many people to
interact with did he lose his humble
attitude towards everybody. You can
only marvel.”
At the end of the video that was
presented at the function you have
Dr Abdul Kalam asking a packed
audience, majority of them students, at
Qurum City Amphitheater, “Who all
want to be a doctor?” Some students
raised their hands. “Who all want to
be Administrative officers?” And some
other students raised their hands.
“Who all want to be political
leaders?” The students giggled. “Who
all want to go to Mars?”
And all the students cheered and
raised hands. “All of you? Ok see you
all in 2030 in Mars!” The Missile Man
had won thousands of hearts again and
inspired as many that night in Muscat.
Abu Dhabi, Budapest, Dubai, Hong
Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, London,
Miami, Paris, Philadelphia, San
Francisco, Shanghai, Vienna and
Washington are the only cities where
Big Bus Tours operate.
“Next we are planning Rome. We
judge a destination not only to expand
our business, but for us
more important is the
destination’s strength as
a tourist place. We have
very strong feedback
about Salalah. We see
big tourist potential here
today and tomorrow.
And hence we are here
to market both — Big
Bus Tours and Salalah
as a tourist destination,”
said Lees (pictured).
According to Lees, khareef is the
best time to launch the service.
But the service is going to remain
in Salalah far beyond khareef, as
winter tourism has also caught the
imagination of many tourists from
European countries.
“We launch our service not to pull
back but to stay put because none of our
operations have become unsuccessful.
We launch our service on the basis
of our own surveys and those surveys
indicate very high about Salalah,” said
Lees.
Lees cited an example of Dubai
operation which was started in 2002.
“You can imagination Dubai of 2002
and Dubai in 2015. But even in 2002 we
were convinced about Dubai.”
Lees says Salalah has many features
unique which many other Middle
Eastern countries do not have. “The
vegetation, demographics, landscape
and variety are natural attraction for
tourists. The authorities are working
hard to develop infrastructure.”
He called upon tourists and residents
to avail the Big Bus
service “to enjoy the
magnificent
views
from an open-top
bus and learn about
the city’s landmarks,
historic sites and rich
cultural heritage.”
“Sit back, relax
and take in the lush
Salalah plantations as
well as mosques and
tombs of prophets. Take opportunity
to see Unesco world heritage site, a
museum, a souk and the palace.”
The tour, according to Lees, has
engaging commentary in Arabic and
English. “The tour touches major
landmarks from the iconic Clock Tower
to Sultan Qaboos Palace, as there is no
better way to explore Salalah onboard
an open-top double-decker bus.”
There are two buses which are doing
daily four tours of the city.
It also has customised excursions for
East Salalah Tour, West Salalah Tour,
East and West Salalah Tour and Rub al
Khali Tour. The origin and concluding
points of the tour is Salalah Gardens
Mall.
SUMMER SCHOOLS BEGIN
60 per cent of City
Walk Sur completed
Summer schools began on Saturday across the Sultanate. Members of the local committee visited all the centres to check on the progress of implementation. Students are
given training in English language, computers and soft skills to equip them to face challenges in the future. There will be sports, games and discussions. — ONA
MUSCAT: Al Sharqiyah Real Estate
Development
and
Investment
company , the contractor for the City
Walk Sur, said that 60 per cent of the
project scheduled for launch during
the National Day’s celebrations, has
been completed. Work at the project,
which is the first phase of Sur Gate
Project that started last year, is going
as planned. Work is underway
currently to complete the engineering,
mechanical, electrical, air conditioning
and cooling works.
— ONA
Government gives subsidy of RO 62,500 per tonne as well as exemption from the fumigation fees on exported busur dates
Tabseel a season of tradition and bountiful return
MUSCAT: Many of the Sultanate’s governorates
witnessed during the past few days the harvest
and Tabseel season of Al Mabsali and other
varieties of palm dates in an economic and social
event that is full beautiful traditions.
Tabseel of palm date is associated to one kind
of palm date called Al Mabsali.
Al Mabsali is cooked before it gets ripen (while
yellow in colour), usually called busur dates.
It is big in size and grown in the Governorate
of North Al Sharqiyah in particular and in the
Governorates of South Al Batinah and South Al
Sharqiyah.
Mohammed bin Badr al Hajri, one of the
busur dates producers in the Wilayat of Bidiya
said that Tabseel was celebrated in the past like
Eid.
Many families still observe the occasion as
part of a social legacy, which has a good economic
return for the family.
He said that the farmers sell their production
to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
which provides support to busur dates producers.
However, the farmers have started since
three years to directly export their production
and search for new markets, as the price set by not changed for many years despite the rising (ONA) that a committee was formed, comprising
the government for a tonne of busur dates has cost of production. He told Oman News Agency members from the government and producers.
The committee travelled to several countries,
including China and Indonesia to search for new
markets for Omani busur dates.
The committee found that the demand for
busur in these countries is in the form of powder
to enter in other manufacturing industries or as
dates, so the producers had to look for importers
in the Republic of India where they got better
prices than the old ones.
Mohammed bin Badr al Hajri explained that
Al Mabsali production decreased in recent years
both in terms of interest in it, or in terms of a
much influenced by factors.
He noted that the high cost of production,
the lack of options for the producers in terms
of markets, busur dates losing 60 per cent of its
weight after cooking, and the decline of busur
dates prices are of the most important obstacles,
in addition to the impact of weather factors, like
high temperatures, and plant diseases (Dubas
Bug).
On the other hand, Ahmad bin Hamad
al Harthy, Director of Busur Section at the
Commercial Affairs Department in the
Directorate-General for Trade said that the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry is exerting
efforts in the field of encouraging farmers to
direct export by providing support and facilities.
He added that the farmers wishing to direct
export can take advantage of the amount of
government subsidy of RO 62,500 per tonne, as
well as exemption from the fumigation fees on
exported busur dates.
The ministry also exerts great efforts through
the Committee of Marketing Busur Dates, which
was formed by the Minister of Commerce and
Industry.
The Committee comprises representatives of
the farmers.
The committee aims at studying foreign
markets, search for new markets and outlets for
busur export, in addition to the existing markets,
availing a direct line between farmers and traders
abroad and supporting existing farmers to direct
export.
He added that the ministry always
communicates with busur farmers and producers
to find out their challenges and try to find
appropriate solutions.
He said that 4,092 tonnes of busur dates were
exported in 2013 to India through the company
that was contracted by the ministry.
He added that exports during 2014 amounted
to about 1,165 tonnes.
— ONA
LATE NEWS
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
RALLY
ATTACK
Police seek
help to track
Lanka gunmen
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police
appealed for information on
Saturday to track down four gunmen
who opened fire at a ruling party
rally in the capital, killing a woman
and wounding 12 other people.
Several teams of detective were
assembled on Saturday, a day after
the daring attack on Finance Minister
Ravi Karunanayake’s campaign rally
for the August 17 parliamentary
elections, police spokesman Ruwan
Gunasekera said.
The minister who escaped unhurt
accused the opposition United
People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA)
of carrying out the attack, a charge
denied by the party.
“We are investigating the motive
for the attack,” the police spokesman
said adding that no arrests had been
made 24 hours after the attack in a
commercial area of the capital.
Friday’s shooting was the worst
attack against a campaign rally in the
run up to this month’s election.
The 52-year-old finance minister
is one of the most senior members
of the UNP, which backed former
president Mahinda Rajapakse’s
successor Maithripala Sirisena in
January’s presidential election.
He
had
initiated
several
investigations into alleged fraud by
members of the Rajapakse regime.
But Rajapakse’s UPFA denied any
involvement, alleging an “internal
clash” within the ruling party.
This year’s campaign had been
largely peaceful and local election
monitors expressed surprise at
Friday’s shooting.
— AFP
5
Kerry in Egypt on first leg of Mideast tour
CONFIDENCE BUILDING: Main purpose will be to allay fears some Gulf countries have about Iran after nuclear deal
CAIRO: US Secretary of State John
Kerry flew to Egypt on Saturday to
relaunch a strategic partnership with
Washington’s longtime ally, at the start
of a regional mini-tour, a correspondent
said.
He is also due in Qatar on Monday to
meet his Arab counterparts in the Gulf
to try to ease their concerns over the
Iran nuclear deal.
Kerry’s trip, which ends on August
8, will not include Israel, one of
Washington’s closest allies and a fierce
critic of the July 14 deal between the
Islamic republic and world powers.
During his stop in Cairo, Kerry is
to meet with his counterpart Sameh
Shoukri for a “strategic dialogue”
between the allies, which have had a
tumultuous relationship since Egypt’s
2011 revolution.
In late March, the United States lifted
its freeze on annual military aid of $1.3
billion to Cairo.
But Washington kept up public
condemnation of the brutal repression
by President Abdel Fattah al Sisi’s regime
of supporters of his ousted predecessor, officials is the first since 2009, and
Mohamed Mursi.
comes in the wake of an announcement
The “dialogue” between the two last week that Washington began the
AN URBAN PEDESTRIAN
People are seen at the pedestrian area in Brussels, Belgium, yesterday. Part of Brussels city centre was closed
permanently to traffic on June 29, making Europe’s second largest urban pedestrian area after Venice in what was
one of the city’s busiest boulevards. — Reuters
Greece may seek up to 24 billion euros
ATHENS: Greece may seek 24
billion euros in a first tranche of
bailout aid from international
lenders in August to prop up its
banks and repay debts falling due at
the ECB, a pro-government Greek
newspaper said in its editions.
Athens is now in talks with the
European Commission and the
International Monetary Fund to
secure up to 86 billion euros ($94.48
billion) in bailout aid. It will be its
third bailout since 2010.
Avgi newspaper, which is close
to the leftist Syriza government,
said Greek authorities expected to
conclude talks with lenders by midAugust.
The first tranche of 24.36 billion
omandailyobserver
would be used to channel 10 billion
euros as an initial recapitalisation to
Greek banks, 7.16 billion euros to
repay an emergency bridge loan, 3.2
billion euros towards Greek bonds
held by the European Central Bank
and other payments, Avgi said.
It has been estimated that
Greek banks may require up to 25
billion euros to be recapitalised, a
shortfall exacerbated by an outflow
of deposits when a stalemate with
lenders threatened Athens’ place in
the euro zone.
The flood of money leaving the
country culminated in authorities
imposing capital controls on June 29
to prevent a financial meltdown.
In exchange for funding Greece
has accepted reforms including
making
significant
pension
adjustments, increasing value added
taxes, overhauling its collective
bargaining system, and measures
to liberalise its economy and limit
public spending.
If the talks are not completed
in time, European authorities may
have to provide further temporary
financing as they did with a July
bridge loan, though Avgi said that
possibility had not been discussed
with lenders.
Meanwhile,
another
Greek
newspaper reported that Athens
had a contingency plan in the event
of being forced by creditors into a
disorderly default, which included
nationalisations and a corruption
probe targeting German companies.
Efimerida Ton Syntakton daily
said the plan — alluded to by Prime
Minister Alexis Tsipras in parliament
on Friday — was designed “to raise
the cost of rupture” for greece’s
creditors.
“In basketball terms, the
government would apply ‘pressure
defence’,” the daily said.
Citing government sources, the
newspaper said the plan included
nationalising
greece’s
gaming
monopoly OPAP — which was
privatised in 2013 — in addition to
toll proceeds from highways and the
country’s biggest bridge.
— Agencies
Stunt plane crashes in UK
LONDON: An aerobatic
stunt plane crashed close to a
car festival in north-western
England on Saturday, reports
said. There were no immediate
reports of casualties.
The plane appeared to have
crashed away from spectators
and vehicles at the CarFest
event at the Oulton Park
racing circuit in Cheshire. “I
am very sad to announce there
has been a serious air incident
at CarFest North off site,”
said organiser and celebrity
broadcaster Chris Evans.
“The emergency services
are in attendance,” Evans said
on Twitter.
Local media said two air
ambulances landed at the
crash site and left again after
about 40 minutes, while
Cheshire police said they were
investigating the crash.
— dpa
delivery of eight F-16 fighter jets to
Egypt.
In addition to military cooperation,
Kerry and Shukri are to discuss
Washington’s human rights “concerns”.
“We’ll certainly be discussing the
issue of the political environment,
human rights issues while the Secretary
is in Cairo. That is an important part
of our regular dialogue,” a US State
Department official said.
Kerry will travel on to Doha to meet
his counterparts from the six Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) member
states. The main purpose of that meeting
will be to allay fears some Gulf countries
have about Iran, following the nuclear
deal signed in Vienna.
An official in Washington said Kerry
and GCC foreign ministers will also
discuss the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
On the sidelines of the GCC
meetings, Kerry is set to meet Russian
Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov on a
number of issues, including the crisis in
Syria, the State Department said.
After Doha, Kerry will leave for
southeast Asia, where he will visit
Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.
— AFP
6
TURKEY SEEKS CLOSER TIES WITH INDONESIA
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 2 l 2 0 1 5
CHINESE ARTIST AI WEIWEI GETS FULL UK VISA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(right) said he would like to have closer
cooperation with Indonesia in the fight
against terrorism. Erdogan said he hopes
to have a more effective and efficient
mechanism to counter the scourge.
Erdogan is in Indonesia for a three-day
state visit. He met Indonesia’s President
Joko Widodo and discussed matters of
mutual concern.
ASIA
British Home Secretary Theresa May has
intervened to reverse a decision by her
officials and grant dissident Chinese artist
and free speech advocate Ai Weiwei a full sixmonth visa to enter Britain, her government
department said on Friday. On Thursday
the artist, whose passport was returned by
Chinese authorities last week four years
after it was confiscated, said Britain had
granted him only a short-stay visa.
China warns of growing
border security risks
STAR POWER
PEACE FORCE : China says it is a threat to nobody, but needs to
update outdated equipment and has to be able to defend its economy
Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and UNHCR special envoy and Hollywood actor- director Angelina Jolie Pitt
arrive at a hostel for women factory workers in the Hlaingtaryar Industrial Zone in Yangon on Saturday. — Reuters
Floods kill 27 people in Myanmar
YANGON:
Myanmar’s
president
headed to devastated rural regions
where a state of emergency was declared
after deadly monsoon rains displaced
tens of thousands of people, flooded
swathes of rice paddy and prompted
fears of dams collapsing.
Thousands were sheltered at
monasteries after rising waters triggered
by torrential rains killed at least 27
people, officials said.
Thein Sein was due to arrive on
Saturday at a military base in Sagaing
Division, a major rice growing area
where soldiers are coordinating a relief
effort after a month of rain over all but
two of Myanmar’s 14 states.
The water levels rose as high as 2.5
metres in Sagaing and 4.5 metres in
western Rakhine state, according to the
government, which on Friday declared
four regions disaster zones.
Myanmar was inundated throughout
last month and storms since July 22 have
“severely affected” between 67,000 and
110,000 people, according to the United
Nations. Though rain has stopped in
most areas, the recovery effort is a major
test for impoverished Myanmar.
The country has only basic
infrastructure and medical facilities and
is ill-equipped to deal with disasters, as
shown when Cyclone Nargis battered
the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008, killing
130,000 people.
“It’s an emergency situation we have
never faced before,” said Aung Zaw
Oo, the local transport minister for
Sagaing.”We have only two motor boats
for the rescue process.
The government plans to send more.”
Nearly 525,000 acres of farmland has
been affected, an area roughly the size
of Luxembourg, and more than 34,000
acres of paddy fields damaged, mostly
in the Sagaing, Kachin State, Bago and
Rakhine state regions, the agriculture
ministry said.
Television footage showed bridges
damaged or shaking from the strong
current of floodwater.
Cattle were drowned or seen with
only their noses poking above the flow
of water.
Local TV quoted people in Sagaing,
Shan state and Magway saying they
were worried that dams already over
their safe limit could collapse if more
rain came.
More than 150 tents were swept away
by storm winds at a camp for Muslim
Rohingyas in Rakhine, where the United
Nations refugee agency was providing
some help to a mostly stateless minority
that already lives in harsh, apartheidlike conditions.
The state’s Mrauk Oo town was
completely flooded.
“Even when food and relief goods
were airlifted by helicopters to the
flooded town, there was nowhere to
store these goods and no roads for
trucks to drive on,” the state’s Chief
Minister Maung Maung Ohn told
MRTV on Friday.
— Agencies
Philippines rebuilding
after super typhoon
not adequate, says UN
MANILA: The Philippines has not done
enough to rebuild after Super Typhoon
Haiyan, as thousands remain in shanties
without power or water for nearly two years,
a United Nations representative said on
Saturday.
Many storm survivors in the central
region have had to endure relocating to
evacuation camps up to three times since
Haiyan struck in 2013, and the sub-standard
housing leaves them vulnerable to future
typhoons, said Chaloka Beyani, UN special
rapporteur on the human rights of internally
displaced persons.
“While the government is to be
commended in terms of its immediate
responses, its attention to ensuring
sustainable durable solutions for IDPs
(internally displaced persons) remains
inadequate to date,” Beyani said in a
statement posted on the UN website. Beyani
was in the Philippines in late July to check
on the government’s handling of people
displaced by Haiyan and by fighting between
the military and Muslim rebels in the south.
Aside from falling short of safety
standards, the wood-and-tin “bunkhouses”
also leave women and girls vulnerable to
sexual abuse and early pregnancy, Beyani
said. The box-like shanties also rob the storm
survivors of their “privacy and dignity” as
they struggle to rebuild their lives, he said.
Haiyan, the most powerful storm ever
recorded to hit land, wiped out entire
communities and left 7,350 dead or missing
when it struck the impoverished central
islands in November 2013.
Roughly 2,000 families remain in the
bunkhouses as well as in palm-thatch
temporary homes, said Social Welfare
Secretary Corazon Soliman.
The government aims to move 70 per cent
of the 2,000 into permanent concrete homes
by year-end, she said. “We are aware of the
need to fast-track the permanent shelters, but
there are constraints,” Soliman said.
Soliman said the lack of power and
running water in some areas was due to local
governments’ unpaid utility bills. An increase
in land prices also delayed the construction
of permanent homes as land owners cashed
in on government demand, she said.
President Benigno Aquino has budgeted
160 billion pesos ($3.6 billion) to rebuild
after Haiyan, considered as one of the major
tests of his six-year term that will end in
June next year. The Philippines is one of the
world’s most disaster-prone countries, at risk
from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and an
— AFP
average 20 typhoons yearly.
BEIJING: China’s military warned on
Saturday on its founding anniversary
of growing risks along its borders,
including in the disputed waters of the
South and East China Seas.
The Chinese military, the world’s
largest, has embarked upon an
ambitious modernisation programme
in recent years.
That, along with rising defence
spending, has jangled nerves around the
region.
China says it is a threat to nobody,
but needs to update outdated equipment
and has to be able to defend what is now
the world’s second largest economy.
In a front page editorial, the official
People’s Liberation Army Daily said
the world was facing unprecedented
changes.
“The situation surrounding our
country is generally stable, but the risks
and challenges are extremely severe, and
the possibility of chaos and war on our
doorstep has increased,” it said.
“The maritime security environment
is more complicated, and the
undercurrents in the East and South
China Seas have been gushing up,” the
paper wrote.
China has become increasingly
assertive in its dispute with Japan over
a group of uninhabited islets in the East
China Sea, while in the South China Sea
it has been reclaiming land in waters
where Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan,
Malaysia and Brunei all have competing
claims. China also looks warily at
threats from extremists in countries
like Afghanistan, the possibility of war
on the Korean peninsula, instability on
the border with Myanmar and India,
and the festering question of the status
of self-ruled Taiwan. “The mission of
protecting national unity, territorial
integrity and development interests is
difficult and strenuous,” the paper said.
In a separate piece, the paper quoted
Defence Minister Chang Wanquan
as saying China was committed to
being a force for peace, but would not
The situation surrounding our country is generally
stable, but the risks and challenges are extremely
severe, and the possibility of chaos and war on our
doorstep has increased... The maritime security
environment is more complicated, and the undercurrents in
the East and South China Seas have been gushing up
compromise on core principles like
Taiwan.
“We will uphold the principle that
people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait
are one family and go down the path
of peaceful development of relations
(but will) resolutely oppose and hold
back the plots of Taiwan independence
separatists,” Chang said.
China claims Taiwan as its own and
has never renounced the use of force to
bring it under its control.
Defeated Nationalist forces withdrew
to the island after loosing a civil war
with the Communists in 1949.
China’s military has also been dealing
with a deep-rooted corruption problem,
and this week announced another
former senior officer, Guo Boxiong,
would be prosecuted for graft.
The party’s official People’s Daily said
that these cases had “blacked the name”
of the military, but that they were not
representative of the loyalty and bravery
of the broad mass of service personnel.
— Reuters
PLEASING GODS
People walk down the slope of Mount Bromo after attending the Kasada Festival in Probolinggo, Indonesia’s East Java province, on Saturday. Worshippers
throw offerings such as livestock and crops into the volcanic crater of Mount Bromo to give thanks to the Hindu gods for ensuring their safety and prosperity.
— Reuters
SUBCONTINENT
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
Taliban deny reports
of Haqqani death
omandailyobserver
7
A DESERTED LOOK
CHALLENGES: New leader urges unity in ranks in first message
KABUL: The Taliban on Saturday
denied reports of the death of the
founder of Haqqani network, its allied
militant group blamed for some of the
deadliest attacks in Afghanistan.
Some Pakistani media reported the
death of Jalaluddin Haqqani, said to
be in his 70s, on Friday when his son
Sirajuddin was announced as one of the
deputy chiefs of the Taliban following
the death of its longtime leader Mullah
Omar.
“Some media outlets spread reports
about the death of Jalaluddin Haqqani,”
the Taliban said in a statement posted
on their website.
“This claim has no basis. Haqqani
was ill before but he has been blessed
with good health for a prolonged period
now and has no troubles currently.”
Haqqani’s family also rejected
rumours of his death, according to
an Afghan Taliban commander who
spoke from an undisclosed location in
northwestern Pakistan.
“I talked to his grandson (who is
somewhere in eastern Afghanistan) and
he completely rejected rumours of his
death,” the commander said.
“‘My grandfather is alive, I talked to
him last week. He was weak and sick but
alive and in good spirits’, he told me.”
The Afghan Taliban named Mullah
Akhtar Mansour as their new chief on
Friday, a historic power transition that
raises hopes a more moderate leadership
will pave the way for peace talks despite
divisions within insurgent ranks.
The Taliban also announced his
deputies — Sirajuddin, who has a $10
million US bounty on his head, and
Haibatullah Akhundzada, former head
We should all work
to preserve unity.
Division in our ranks
will only please our
enemies, and cause further
problems for us
MULLAH AKHTAR MANSOUR
New Taliban leader
of the Taliban courts.
Formed 30 years ago to counter the
Soviet invasion in the 80s, the Haqqani
network is militarily the most capable
and most dangerous of the Taliban
factions.
The group was blamed for some of
the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan,
including the Indian Embassy bombing
and the attack on Kabul Serena Hotel in
2008, and the 2009 coordinated attacks
on the Afghan justice ministry.
The group is present both in its
stronghold in eastern Afghanistan
and in the tribal districts of North
Waziristan in Pakistan’s northwest along
the Afghan border.
During the last decade, Jalaluddin
vanished from the front and transferred
the management of his empire to his
son, Sirajuddin. Washington designates
both father and son as “global terrorists”.
Meanwhile, the new Taliban leader
Mullah Akhtar Mansour called for
unity in the movement in his first
audio message since becoming head of
the group that faces deepening splits
following the death of longtime chief
Mullah Omar.
Barely a few hours after Mansour’s
appointment was announced on Friday,
powerful rivals within the fractious
Taliban questioned the selection
process, saying it was rushed and even
biased.
Mansour’s comments are apparently
aimed at fending off the emerging risk
of the group splintering into factions at
a time when there is growing discord
over the direction of peace talks with the
Afghan government.
“We should all work to preserve
unity. Division in our ranks will only
please our enemies, and cause further
problems for us,” Mansour said in the
audio recording posted on the Taliban
website.
The 33-minute recording was
released from an undisclosed location
and the sound of a crying baby was
briefly heard in the background.
In his speech, Mansour also implored
Taliban cadres to continue waging
their 14-year insurgency and be wary
of foreign propaganda to sow disunity
within the group.
Mansour faces staunch internal
resistance from some members of the
Taliban’s ruling council, the Quetta
Shura, who accuse Pakistan of hijacking
the movement.
Mansour also has powerful rivals
within the Taliban who are strongly
opposed to peace talks with the Afghan
government and some are unhappy
at the thought he may have deceived
them for more than a year about Omar’s
death.
“A large majority in the powerful
Quetta Shura are opposed to Mansour’s
selection,” said Jawed Kohistani, a Kabulbased military analyst. — Agencies
A Pakistani man walks past closed shops in a market during a strike by traders in Peshawar on Saturday. The business
community is observing a nationwide shutter-down strike against the imposition of 0.3 per cent withholding tax on banking
transactions by the Federal Board of Revenue.
— AFP
8
ANALYSIS
omandailyobserver
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
NEED REFRESHING
SUMMER BREAK
ABDULAZIZ AL JAHDHAMI
[email protected]
A
s summer is still scorching here, it’s basically well-known as the perfect timing for
a long break. Everyone has to have a refreshing and energising break and summer
is the most preferred season for many. It’s a good time to stop over after the long
hectic work and busy day-to-day life in the first half of the year. Usually, summer
is the right time for almost everybody as people are trying their best to beat the
heat and escape the burning weather at this time of the year.
Summer is the much-awaited holiday season; mostly for families as it coincides
with school holidays too, so parents can enjoy the break with their children. It’s an
ideal holiday time for everyone then. Getting the whole family together for a long
summer break is never a bad idea at all! It would be definitely very refreshing and
stimulating for each and everyone in the family.
It’s very natural for every human being that one’s need a break in life every
now and then; no matter how busy people are. We all need to be away from the
everyday’s life hustle and bustle and break our
daily routine which sometimes makes us just
Summer is the
like a controlled machine. Though, machines
undergo a regular maintenance schedule and much-awaited
a breakdown even. A short break would be holiday season;
always a creditable advantage for us to refresh
mostly for families
our memories, recharge our body’s power and
as it coincides with
stimulate our spirits and interests.
Generally, the summer season brings bright school holidays too,
and longer days that mirror the different
so parents can enjoy
aspects of nature’s beauty. Basically, each part of
the world is distinguished with special natural, the break with their
historical and cultural characteristics as well children. It’s an
as other plus points that make summer more
ideal holiday time
enjoyable there. For this reason, there would
be no excuse for people, but to enjoy summer for everyone.
in a way or another that could refreshes them.
Summer is always offering a wide range of
enjoyment options for people to meet their desires and amuse themselves in.
Accordingly, people’s plans to enjoy the season differ based on their interests
and budgets as two key factors to sufficiently plan the holiday. Some might be
more interested in enjoying their time with the family through special tourism
programmes. They prefer to tour around the different tourist destinations within
the country. Those are more into internal tourism; it could be their interest to
enjoy their holiday the easy way. Else, it might be their limited budget that restricts
them from flying abroad for holiday.
On the other hand, budget might be not a problem for those who would never
enjoy their summer holiday without being away of their country for awhile. Such
people prefer to spend their summer holiday or part of it in an external tourist
destination. For them, external tourism is more refreshing as well as bringing the
real thrill of enjoying the holiday. It is true as we sometimes need to think out
of the box; we need to get out of the place to get our minds and spirits more
refreshed.
As people are different on the way they think and behave; they are also different
on the way they see and enjoy life. Each one of us has his/her own perception
of life and what it means to everyone. What matters is that we should live the
moment, enjoy life and take the experience. We have to live the moment with all
its lessons. As Mahatma Gandhi said: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn
as if you were to live forever.”
In abide to enjoy life, we should balance between the life’s necessities and
having a break is a significant one. It’s as important for us as maintenance for
machines. You never know that health breakdown might happen to people due to
excessive hard work, life stress and work pressure. Just give yourself a break and
experience the difference in your feelings, spirit and memory. Have a refreshing
summer break!
Is Turkey cashing on war?
T
urkey looks increasingly likely to face an early election as its option, offering an opportunity for the AKP to regain its
air strikes against Kurdish militants in Iraq and IS in Syria parliamentary majority and govern alone.
If the party were to win two thirds of the seats, it could
stir nationalist sentiment and coalition talks make little
also change the constitution and fulfil Erdogan’s ambition
apparent progress.
The Nato member launched near-simultaneous of creating a more powerful executive presidency.
The AKP has been holding initial talks with the main
bombing campaigns in Iraq and Syria a week ago, opening
up conflict on two fronts as the ruling AK Party tries to find secularist opposition CHP, the second biggest party
in parliament, but those discussions are due to end on
a junior coalition partner.
The AK Party founded by President Tayyip Erdogan lost Monday and there has been little sign of concrete progress.
“You’ve got to form the coalition in your mind first. We
its overall majority in June elections after over 10 years in
power. The military action against Kurdistan Workers Party can see that there is no coalition with CHP in the minds of
(PKK) camps in northern Iraq has cheered the national AKP,” one senior official from the CHP said.
Senior AKP officials said the party would conduct a
opposition MHP, long opposed to a peace process with
the Kurdish militants and raised the possibility it could survey of public opinion between August 1 and 10 and
decide on the basis of that whether to
support an albeit short-lived minority
press ahead with coalition efforts or move
AKP government.
Turkey launched
towards an early election.
Last Friday, Turkish warplanes
campaigns in Iraq
“If these surveys point to a single party
scrambled from the southeastern
government, we can expect coalition
Diyarbakir air base and again struck
and Syria, opening
talks to be ended. Then we will call for
PKK targets in northern Iraq, CNN Turk
up conflict on two
an early election,” one of the officials
television reported, in the eighth wave
fronts as AKP tries to said, speaking on condition of anonymity
of attacks since the campaign began last
week. Speaking to journalists travelling
find a partner, writes because of the sensitivity of the issue.
“But if there’s a different picture, we
with him on a trip to Asia, Erdogan
ORHAN COSKUN
can expect one of the two alternatives,
warned of what he saw as the dangers of
CHP or MHP. Nobody should overlook
fragile coalitions and extolled the virtues
the possibility of a coalition with MHP.”
of single-party rule.
The MHP has previously indicated it does not want to
“If we see a positive result from coalition talks, fine. If
not, we should immediately appeal to the national will and share power with the AKP.
But the prospect of the collapse of the Kurdish peace
let the nation decide so that we save ourselves from the
current situation,” he was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet process could prompt it to agree at least to a short-lived
deal leading to a new election. AKP officials say they may
newspaper.
“What I am against is a permanent minority meet their MHP counterparts next week.
“If the peace process is terminated and our other
government. A minority government on the condition that
it will take the country to elections is perfectly possible,” he conditions are met, we would make whatever sacrifice is
said, adding that such a government could be formed with necessary,” MHP leader Devlet Bahceli told reporters.
Braving nationalist anger, Erdogan introduced tentative
outside support from at least one opposition party.
Turkey’s parties have until August 23 to agree a working reforms on Kurdish rights and in 2012 opened negotiations
to try to end a PKK insurgency that has killed 40,000 people
government or Erdogan could call a new election.
Critics of the president see a fresh vote as his preferred since 1984.
Death looms as African migrants trek towards Europe
B
ashir walks through the dusty streets of
Agadez, an important commercial hub in
northern Niger. Bashir is a trader, but he
doesn’t deal in goods. He traffics migrants
across the Sahara.
Bashir, who spoke on condition
of anonymity, describes himself as a
middleman, who arranges transportation
to Libya or Algeria from where migrants
continue their arduous and dangerous
journey across the ocean, mostly to Italy
or Spain. In Agadez, Niger’s gateway to
the Sahara desert, thousands of migrants
arrive each year from poor nations in
West Africa, including Gambia, Burkina
Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast
and Mauritania, where half or more of the
population live on less than $1.25 per day.
Authorities in Niger estimate that
between 40,000 and 80,000 migrants
passed through the country in 2014 and
expect up to 120,000 people to migrate
through Niger this year.
From Agadez, migrants board trucks
that take them on a three- to four-day
journey across the Sahara.
To get a seat, middlemen like Bashir
negotiate the price with the drivers.
It’s a well-oiled system feeding off the
desperation of the poor.
No migrant will be able to leave
Agadez without having paid his dues to a
middleman or trafficker.
It costs between $175-260 to get on a
pick-up truck to Libya, says Bashir. The
price includes his own cut of 20 per cent.
There is also a slightly cheaper option:
travelling on the roof of a heavy-duty lorry.
But that is a lot riskier because the
journey takes much longer and keeps
people exposed to the hot, unrelenting
sun. The big trucks are usually old and
often break down, which Bashir says, is
like a death sentence.
“There is no water. People die of thirst,”
the trafficker explains.
“There are so many who die in the
wilderness,” confirms Kollo Abdul Rashid,
who leads advocacy group Renewal and
Innovation (CRI), which assists migrants
to obtain travel documents in Agadez.
“We regularly find dead bodies in the
desert without documents. Without being
able to identify them, we cannot even
inform their families of their deaths,”
Rashid adds.
Hundreds of migrants die
each year on the treacherous
journey to Europe. But
desperation is greater than
fear. In the Sahel, the human
trafficking trade continues to
flourish, notes ALI ABDOU
But many migrants don’t even get that
far. As soon as they run out of money, they
are stuck in transit hubs like Agadez for
months, sometimes years.
They live under perilous conditions
until they earn enough money to continue
the journey.
Some live in rows of shabby houses
rented out by traffickers, where dozens of
migrants have to share one room.
Others stay in transit centres managed
by international aid organisations.
“They leave without knowing how
long it will take them or what kind of
difficulties they might encounter,” says
International Organisation for Migration
(IOM) communications manager Paloma
Cassasseca in Agadez.
By the time they arrive in Agadez, most
have woken up to the harsh reality that
traffickers and middlemen will literally sell
their lives for a few dollars.
At least every third migrant who
passes through Agadez has experienced
physical abuse, threats, theft of identity
papers, withholding wages or restriction
of movement, according to Cassasseca.
Merkeba Drame, who is in his 30s,
has lived for more than three months
in a “ghetto” in the town’s Misrata
neighbourhood — named after the
city on Libya’s coast from where boats
leave for Europe.
Migrants who managed to get past roadblocks set up by French gendarmes inside the
Eurotunnel site walk to reach Britain, in Coquelles near Calais, northern France.
— AFP
ANALYSIS
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
9
Will Oman be next to deregulate petrol prices?
T
RAY PETERSEN
[email protected]
he neighbouring government of the United
Arab Emirates, through its Minister of Energy,
Said al Mazroui, has announced that from
August 1, fuel prices will be de-regulated as
that nation seeks to move away from subsidised
petrol and diesel.
The reality is, that this is almost certain
to be a forerunner to similar moves within
Oman, as this government seeks to balance
its fiscal activities, and proceed its plans for
continued infrastructural and social support
and development programmes.
Only those with their heads in the sand
would advocate the retention of subsidised
fuel prices, especially given the current global
pricing situation, and its impact upon the
Sultanate.
Al Mazroui did, surprise however, stating
that they were looking at, “Those countries that
are doing well are making sound policies and
moving towards sustainable growth rather than
an unreal subsidised economy.”
Well.
Europe is in turmoil, thanks to the profligacy its teeth,’ but is subject to global whims and
of the government and people of Greece, and influences too great to allow its own financial
the growing cost of maintaining the European policies to mature.
And finally, Vladimir Putin’s ‘bearish’ policies
Union infrastructure.
Africa is turbulent on every front, from the ensure Russia has effectively isolated itself from
much of the world.
IS inspired horrors of the
are the ‘sound’
Northern and Central regions,
The reality is, that this andSo where
‘sustainable’
fiscal
to 24 per cent unemployment
is almost certain to be models?
in South Africa.
It is appropriate that
The US cannot balance
a forerunner to similar
subsidies should be removed,
its books, and faces growing
moves within Oman, and we must face the facts
budget deficits every year,
as the government
that the subsidies were
while its South American
put in place, correctly and
neighbours
remain
as
seeks to balance its
benevolently at the time,
politically and economically
fiscal activities, and
originally to ensure that
volatile as ever.
proceed its plans for
people could move around
China is facing its own
in order to take advantage
economic pressures currently,
social support.
of
work
opportunities,
which are amazing given its
and to maintain the family
production profile.
South East Asia remains nervous, financially interaction that is important to the Omani
culture.
and politically.
The fact is that two things have happened.
Australasia is ‘hanging on by the skin of
The subsidies are now so great, that they are
affecting our ability to budget effectively.
The population has moved forward, and is
now capable of rationalising its motor vehicle
and petrol use, in such a manner as to effectively
balance their demands on petrol and diesel use,
so as not to suffer financially.
Any removal of petrol subsidies should,
however, take place over an extended period in
order to minimise their impact.
These would be the actions of a responsible
government, committed to delivering quality
services where they are most required in the
community.
The stark reality is that the removal of
government subsidies must happen in order to
allow effective budgeting in order to maintain
health and education, and to continue to develop
tourism, infrastructure, and commercial
opportunities.
The UAE has been the first to ‘blink,’ so to
speak, and in reality, that will probably set the
Omani government on a similar course.
PROTECTIVE EDGE
TRISTAN MARTIN
A
Tribal people shift their belongings during an operation to demolish their neighbourhood in Islamabad.
bout two weeks into last year’s conflict in Gaza, Palestinian photographer
Jehad Saftawi began to tire of venturing into the city every day to take
images of the wreckage. He decided instead to set up a video camera
showing the Gaza skyline in his apartment, and livestream the footage,
so that viewers could see for themselves.
For several weeks, Saftawi became one of hundreds of Gazans to
document the impact of “Operation Protective Edge”, launched by
Israel in response to rockets and mortar bombs fired by Hamas and
other groups out of Gaza into Israel.
“When we started the idea to have a livestream, we were not asking
to achieve anything. We were just searching for any channel, for any
way to the world, to make them understand (the situation) Gaza people
are living in,” Saftawi, 24, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a
Skype interview.
In the 50-day war, Israeli air strikes and shelling hammered the
densely populated Gaza Strip, causing widespread destruction of homes
and schools. More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed, mostly civilians,
while Israel put the number of its dead at 67 soldiers and six civilians.
A year on, Amnesty International says evidence collected by Saftawi
and others during one of the most controversial episodes of the conflict
shows that Israeli forces carried out war crimes in retaliation for the
capture of an Israeli soldier.
The global human rights group has been working with Forensic
Architecture, a research team based at Goldsmiths, University of
London, to piece together what happened on August 1, 2014, when an
Israeli air and artillery bombardment killed 150 people in a few hours.
The events unfolded just as a three-day ceasefire was supposed to
come into force. Emerging from a tunnel inside Gaza, Hamas fighters
ambushed three Israeli soldiers, killing two and seizing the third, Hadar
Goldin. To rescue the soldier — dead or alive — and ensure Hamas
could not use him as a hostage, the Israeli army invoked the “Hannibal
directive”, an order compelling units to do everything they can to
recover an abducted comrade.
What ensued was a furious assault on a confined area on the eastern
edge of Rafah, the largest city in southern Gaza.
“There is strong evidence that Israeli forces committed war crimes in
their relentless and massive bombardment of residential areas of Rafah
in order to foil the capture of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, displaying a
shocking disregard for civilian lives,” said Philip Luther, Director of
Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa programme.
“They carried out a series of disproportionate or otherwise
indiscriminate attacks, which they have completely failed to investigate
independently,” he said in a statement.
— AFP
Slum demolition drive exposes housing crisis
A
shrak Khan wore a defeated expression as he
surveyed the brownish-grey shanty homes
of his neighbourhood on the outskirts of
Islamabad, his house marking the border
between those still standing and others now
reduced to rubble.
The 45-year-old fruit vendor and
his family have lived in the slum since
moving from the Swabi district of northwest
Pakistan in the mid-1980s, but they are now
among more than 15,000 people facing
summary eviction.
“I have no idea what to do, where to go,”
he said, surrounded by his four tall teenage
sons. “We are Pakistanis here but we have no
rights,” he added, pulling out his ID card to
drive the point home.
With no water supply, electricity or
sewage, the 2,000 homes that formed the
“Afghan Basti” slum in Islamabad have long
stood in stark contrast to the rest of Pakistan’s
green and largely pristine capital.
Situated on the edge of the city, the
neighbourhood is now at the heart of a battle
over housing rights for the poor versus a
drive by city authorities to get rid of “illegal”
settlements.
Activists say authorities have launched
an
ethnic-based
smear
campaign
against residents to try to force them out, and
dozens have been arrested for resisting the
bulldozers — some of them charged under
anti-terror laws.
“The Islamabad High Court has given
us directions to remove all the illegal slums
and we are carrying out operations across
the city,” Ramzan Sajid, a spokesman for the
Capital Development Authority, said at the
site, over the rumbling of cranes, bulldozers
and tractors.
To Islamabad’s bureaucrats and their
many supporters among the city’s middle
and upper classes, this slum and others like it
are a haven for criminal gangs and supposed
“Afghan” militants.
Their very existence is seen a blot on the
landscape of the capital and testimony to the
lawlessness that is rampant in some parts of
Pakistan, an under-developed giant of 200
million people. But planning experts say they
point to a wider crisis facing the country’s
poor as land prices in Pakistani cities have
sky-rocketed, with family homes in parts of
the capital now costing as much as in some
cities of Western Europe.
Arif Hasan, widely considered Pakistan’s
foremost urban planner, blamed much of
the rise on speculation by developers, while
urbanisation, infrastructure expansion and
a recent economic revival have also helped
push up prices.
“Land is the new gold,” said Hasan, adding
that at least 30 per cent of Pakistan’s urban
population can only afford to live in areas
considered “slums” or “katchi abadis”.
“You cannot have a city like Islamabad
without having a sizeable area for affordable
low-income housing,” he said. “It is
irresponsible at best and criminal at worst.”
Designed by Greek architect Constantinos
Apostolou Doxiadis, Islamabad was founded
in 1960 to house the newly independent
country’s bureaucrats.
Its wide boulevards and grid design set
it apart from most South Asian cities, but
also mean it offers little accommodation for
the lower-classes who work as labourers or
Situated on the edge of
Islamabad, the neighbourhood
is now at the heart of a battle
over housing rights for the poor
versus a drive by authorities to
get rid of ‘illegal’ settlements,
reports ISSAM AHMED
domestic servants for the well-to-do.
Political activist Aasim Sajjad Akhtar said
the poor were being unfairly penalised for
not having the wealth or power to influence
officials and claimed authorities were running
a smear campaign against slum residents,
most ethnic Pashtuns who have escaped
unrest in the northwest and tribal areas.
“They chose to demonise and criminalise
the residents, calling them crooks and
terrorists. They use their Pashtun ethnicity to
create the idea they are terror sympathisers.”
Authorities have rejected such accusations
in the past.
Residents say they are law-abiding citizens
who want to get on with their lives in peace.
“I was born here, I grew up here. How
can I see my house being demolished for no
apparent reason today?” asked Nasir Khan, a
32-year-old who like many in the area makes
a living as a fruit seller for a monthly income
of about $100.
While it was largely ignored by the city’s
authorities for decades, Afghan Basti was
nevertheless a functioning community, with
shops, mosques and even five schools funded
by non-profit organisations.
Many of the first to move to the slum in
the mid-1980s had spent nearly three decades
improving their houses, using solar panels to
generate electricity and digging their own
wells and sewage systems.
Most will now be left with nothing,
however. Pakistan has laws guaranteeing
resettlement or compensation for displaced
residents of katchi abadis, but CDA
spokesman Sajid said these did not apply as
the land had already been sold.
“There is no alternative plan or
compensation plan. These people have no
right to this land,” he said.
Residents said they would have no option
but to move to another unoccupied area of
the city if forced from their houses.
ESTABLISHED ON 15 NOVEMBER 1981
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Dr Ibrahim bin Ahmed al Kindi
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili
HEAD OFFICE
ADVERTISING
Tel: 24649444, 24649450,
24649451, 24604563, 24699437
Fax: 24699643
AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. Box 3303,
P.C. 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman
Tel: SWITCHBOARD: 24649444
DIRECT: 24649430/24649437/24649401
Fax: 24649434
SALALAH OFFICE
Tel: 23292633
Fax: 23293909
NIZWA OFFICE
Tel: 25411099
P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611
Website: omanobserver.om
DISTRIBUTION AGENT
Al OMANEYA for Distribution & Marketing, P.O. Box 974,
P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
Tel: 24649351/24649360
Fax: 24649379
e-mail: [email protected]
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising
P.O. Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
[email protected]
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these pages are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer.
10
INDIA
omandailyobserver
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
India, Bangladesh exchange enclaves
HISTORIC: Some 50,000 people will now become part of the countries that surround their homes
DASHIAR CHHARA, Bangladesh:
Jubilant crowds celebrated on Saturday
as Bangladesh and India swapped tiny
islands of land, ending one of the world’s
most intractable border disputes that has
kept thousands in limbo for nearly seven
decades.
As the clock struck one minute past
midnight (1801 GMT Friday), thousands
of people who have been living without
schools, clinics or power for a generation
erupted in cheers of celebration for their
new citizenship.
“We have been in the dark for 68
years,” said Russel Khandaker, 20, as
he danced with friends in the Dashiar
Chhara enclave, which belonged to India
but has now became part of Bangladesh.
“We’ve finally seen the light,” he said.
A total of 162 tiny islands of land
— 111 in Bangladesh and 51 in India
— were officially handed over to the
countries surrounding them on Saturday
Novel technology
developed for
water filtration
NEW YORK: An Indian American
researcher has developed a selfassembling synthetic membrane that
may aid in better gas separation, water
purification, drug delivery and DNA
recognition.
This membrane is composed of
lipids — fat molecules — and proteinappended molecules that form water
channels that transfer water at the
rate of natural membranes, and selfassembles into two-dimensional
structures with parallel channels.
“Nature does things very efficiently
and transport proteins are amazing
machines present in biological
membranes. They have functions
that are hard to replicate in synthetic
systems,” said Manish Kumar, assistant
professor of chemical engineering at
Pennsylvania State University.
The researchers developed a
second-generation synthetic water
channel that improves on earlier
attempts to mimic aquaporins —
natural water channel proteins —
by being more stable and easier to
manufacture. — IANS
after Dhaka and New Delhi struck a
border agreement in June.
The land-swap means some 50,000
people who have been living in the
isolated enclaves since 1947 will now
become part of the countries that
surround their homes.
In Dashiar Chhara, thousands of
people defied monsoon rains to celebrate,
marching through rain-soaked muddy
roads singing the Bangladeshi national
anthem and shouting: “My country, your
country. Bangladesh! Bangladesh!”
Others lit 68 candles to mark the
end of “68 years of endless pain and
indignity”.
Sharifa Akter, 20, held a candle in
her hand and smiled. “I can now fulfil
my dream of being a top government
bureaucrat,” she said.
“We’re now human beings with full
human rights,” said Maidul Islam, 18, of
the handover.
Officials from Bangladesh and India
hoisted their respective national flags
over their new territories on Saturday
morning in formal ceremonies.
“We sang the national anthem as
we raised the Bangladesh flags at 6:00
am (0000 GMT) in all 111 enclaves that
are now part of Bangladesh territory,”
said Shafiqul Islam, chief government
administrator in northern district of
Debiganj.
Islam said the Bangladesh government
would now roll out a “fast-track master
plan” to develop the enclaves. The plan
includes building new roads, schools,
power lines and clinics.
In West Bengal state’s Mashaldanga
enclave, the main site for celebrations on
Bangladeshi officials raise the national
the Indian side, residents who for decades
flag and sing the national anthem
lived as Bangladeshis in the foreign land
following the exchange of border
but opted for Indian citizenship under
enclaves between India and Bangladesh,
at Dashiarchhara enclave in the Kurigram the deal rallied with torches, burst fire
crackers and hoisted the Indian flag to
District, yesterday. — AFP
celebrate their “freedom”.
“We have waited so long for this
moment,” said a jubilant resident, Tapas
Das. Local ruling politician Rabi Ghosh
said his government’s priority is to reach
out to his new compatriots and to see
their children go to schools and sick get
treated at hospitals.
“By December we will ensure all
villages are connected with roads,
electricity and drinking water,” Ghosh
said.
The enclaves date back to
ownership arrangements made centuries
ago between local princes.
The parcels of land survived partition
of the subcontinent in 1947 after British
rule, and Bangladesh’s 1971 war of
independence with Pakistan.
Bangladesh endorsed a deal with
India in 1974 in a bid to dissolve the
pockets, but India only signed a final
agreement in June when Prime Minister
Narendra Modi visited Dhaka. — AFP
UMBRELLA MOSAIC FOR AWARENESS
Rs 50,000 crore
earmarked
for 100 smart
cities: Naidu
NEW DELHI: Union minister
M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday
said Rs 50,000 crore have been
earmarked by the government to
develop 100 smart cities in the
country, adding that each selected
city would get central assistance of
Rs.100 crore per year for five years.
Naidu, the union urban
development minister, was speaking
at an international seminar
on sustainable and inclusive
urban development organised
by NITI (National Institute for
Transforming India) Aayog, the
Institute for Human Development
(IHD) and Department of Urban
and Regional Planning of the
University of Florida here.
“Special emphasis will be given
to citizen participation while
developing these smart cities.
To recast the urban landscape
of the country and make lives of
urban people comfortable is the
— IANS
need of the hour.”
CBI raids
jailed Bihar
legislator’s
residence
Students form an ‘awareness ribbon’ as they hold more than 2,500 umbrellas and create an umbrella mosaic on a beach in Mumbai on Friday. The feat by students from
over 40 city colleges was an attempt to set a new record for the largest umbrella mosaic record with the aim to support cancer survivors and spread awareness of their
emotional trauma and the daily insensitivities they endure. — AFP
Shutdown for AIIMS enters 2nd day Special status for
JAMMU: Protesters on Saturday
clashed with police here as the three-day
protest shutdown called for setting up
an AIIMS in the Jammu region entered
its second day.
A police officer said activists of the
coordination committee clashed with
police in Jewal Chowk and Parade areas
of Jammu city.
“Police resorted to a mild Lathicharge in Jewal Chowk and Parade area
IN BRIEF
to disperse protesters who were stopping
traffic in these areas,” the officer said.
Shops, other business establishments,
educational institutions and public
transport remained closed in Jammu
city because of the shutdown call.
Government offices, banks and post
offices, however, functioned normally in
the city though with reduced attendance
because of non-availability of public
transport in the city.
Skeletal public transport operated on
the outskirts while some three wheelers
also moved on the city roads today.
The coordination committee of local
traders, industrialists, lawyers and civil
society members headed by Abhinav
Sharma, president of the Jammu Bar
Association, has called for a three-day
shutdown in Jammu to mount pressure
on the government for setting up an
AIIMS in Jammu region.
— IANS
MUSIC LAUNCH
Bollywood actresses Divya Dutta (L) and Hrishitta Bhatt (R) pose with actor Gulshan Grover (C) during the music launch of
Hindi Film ‘CHEHERE’ directed by Rohit Kaushik in Mumbai late Friday. — AFP
Bihar to be key
assembly poll plank
PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar’s Janata Dal-United (JD-U)
will rake up the issue of centre’s denial
of special status to the state as one of
the top agendas to counter BJP in the
upcoming state elections, several party
leaders said.
They said this will become a hot topic
in the run up to the elections, scheduled
for later this year and will be used as an
effective means to counter the Bharatiya
Janata Party-led NDA in the state.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has again exposed his double standards
and his government’s apathy for Bihar’s
development.
We will rake this issue during the
poll campaign,” JD-U state president
Vashsisht Narain Singh said.
Modi remained silent over the
demand during his public meeting in
Muzaffarpur last month.
He ignored Nitish Kumar’s demand
and instead promised a special package
of more than Rs.50,000 crore to the
state for its development.
Socio-political
analyst
Soroor
Ahmed said the BJP would find it
difficult to counter Nitish Kumar’s
demand. “Modi has given another
issue in the hands of Nitish Kumar
after (Rashtriya Janata Dal chief) Lalu
Prasad’s demand to make public the
caste-based census,” he said.
JD-U leader Neeraj Kumar said
Modi, during last Lok Sabha polls,
promised a special package but he is yet
to fulfil it. “Modi has made a promise
only to give special package of more
than Rs.50,000 crore to Bihar.
But there is nothing new in it,” he
said.
He said BJP leaders in Bihar had
promised the people that the state
will be accorded special status if Modi
became the prime minister.
The JD-U has reiterated time and
again that special category status is a
must for the development of a backward
state like Bihar.
It pointed out that Bihar’s per capita
income, investments and electricity
consumption are the lowest in the
country and it also lags in all human
resource indices. The Raghuram
Rajan Committee report had in 2013
identified Bihar as one of the “least
developed”. The chief minister had then
described the committee’s report as a
victory for Bihar.
The committee suggested splitting
states into three categories and
subsumed the previous special category
criteria for providing special assistance
to poorer states. “The demand for
special status is the right of 10.5 crore
people of the state and the next polls
will be an opportunity to give a befitting
reply to political forces which scuttled
the demand,” Nitish Kumar said.
Bihar would take at least 25 years to
touch the national average of economic
growth without special category status,
he added. — IANS
PATNA: A CBI team raided the
official residence of Bihar’s jailed
ruling Janata Dal-United legislator
Anant Singh here on Saturday,
police said.
“A team of CBI from Delhi raided
the official residence of Anant
Singh, who is currently lodged in
Patna’s Beur jail in connection with
a kidnapping-cum-murder case,” a
district police official said.
The CBI team interrogated
Singh in jail before they raided his
official residence, he added.
Patna Senior Superintendent
of Police Vikas Vaibhav provided
assistance to the CBI team after it
sought cooperation of local police
for raiding Singh’s residence.
CBI raided Singh’s residence
in connection with an ongoing
probe into alleged irregularities in
awarding contracts and an extortion
racket being run by locals in
connivance with influential people
at Barh Super Thermal Power
Station, Vaibhav said. — IANS
Fight to
continue for
special status
to Andhra
HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister N Chandrababu
Naidu on Saturday said TDP would
continue its struggle till the central
government accords special status
to the state. Addressing a meeting
of Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
in Vijayawada, he said Andhra
Pradesh’s case for special status
was different. He stated this a day
after the central government made
it clear that there is no question of
according special status to any new
state in the present circumstances.
Union Minister of State
for Statistics and Programme
Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh
said on Friday that no state will
be given special status. The TDP
chief, however, said the minister’s
statement was based on the report
of the 14th Finance Commission.
“This does not apply to Andhra
Pradesh as it’s an entirely different
case,” Naidu said.
The chief minister said the state
was not divided by the previous
UPA government in an equitable
manner.
He said justice was not done to
Andhra Pradesh and hence special
status was being sought.
— IANS
INDIA
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
11
SWITCHING ALLIANCE: 8 Congress MLAs joined the coalition government throwing the political landscape into a state of flux
Congress set to take action against Nagaland MLAs
NEW DELHI: Even as the budget
session of the Nagaland assembly is on,
the Congress leadership in the capital is
all set to take action “very soon” against
all its eight MLAs who have joined the
state’s Democratic Alliance of Nagaland
(DAN) coalition government of which
the BJP is a part.
“The Congress high command is
holding consultations with legal experts
and will take action against these MLAs
very soon,” party general secretary in
charge of Nagaland, V. Narayanasamy,
said, adding that all options were being
considered.
In May, all eight Congress MLAs — S
I Jamir, Tokheho Yepthomi, Apok Jamir,
Hukavi Zhimomi, Imti Wabang, Imti
Kumzuk Longkumar, Ishak Konyak and
Khekaho — joined the Nagaland People’s
Front (NPF)-led DAN government
throwing the political landscape into a
INFRASTRUCTURE
Expressway to
link Mumbai
with Nagpur
MUMBAI:
The
Maharashtra
government has announced an
expressway project to connect capital
Mumbai with its second capital
Nagpur. Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis informed the state assembly
that the 800-km long expressway will
traverse from Mumbai through GhotiAurangabad-Amravati and touch
Nagpur in Vidarbha.
“The new expressway will cost
around Rs.30,000 crore and will be
completed by 2019,” Fadnavis said on
Friday. It will slash the travel time from
the current 15 hours to just 10 hours
between Mumbai - India’s commercial
and glamour capital, and Nagpur - the
orange capital, situated 860 km apart
in central India.
This decision will benefit the people
of Vidarbha, Marathwada and north
Maharashtra, besides Mumbai, and
was in line with the Bharatiya Janata
Party-Shiv Sena government’s efforts
to take development to the remotest
parts of the state, he added.
Like the Mumbai-Pune expressway,
the new Mumbai-Nagpur expressway
would also have controlled access —
implying toll taxes — and in the first
phase will have four lanes, which
would be later increased to six lanes.
“It will have other sophisticated
features like an optical fibre network,
CCTV, wifi coverage and other
facilities making it a ‘communication
super expressway’ in the real sense,”
Fadnavis said.
— IANS
state of flux.
S.I. Jamir and Apok Jamir also happen
to be the brother and son respectively
of former Congress chief minister and
current Governor of Odisha, S C Jamir.
While Tokheho Yepthomi was
made minister for public health and
engineering, S.I Jamir holds cabinet rank
as advisor to chief minister and Imti
Kumzuk Longkumar was made deputy
speaker of the assembly. The other
five MLAs were made parliamentary
secretaries.
The sequence of events unfolded from
February this year when then Nagaland
Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC)
president S I Jamir and then Congress
Legislature Party (CLP) leader Tokheho
Yepthomi briefed party president Sonia
Gandhi that they would like to join
the government of Chief Minister T.R.
Zeliang.
“The party president said that she had
no problem in them joining the DAN
government provided the BJP was not a
part of it,” explained Narayanasamy.
The two state leaders then informed
Zeliang that the Congress high
command has approved of them joining
his government provided the BJP was
not a part of it.
In April, a “political affairs
committee” of the party’s state unit
passed a resolution approving the MLAs’
bid to join the government.
But party members raised objections
saying that such a resolution can only be
passed by the executive committee and
not by any political affairs committee.
“You see, the resolution was not
unanimous and the party was split on
the issue,” Narayanasamy said.
On May 5, Gandhi appointed K.
Therie as the NPCC president and the
V. NARAYANASAMY
Party general secretary in charge of
Nagaland
very next day the latter issued a directive
to the MLAs not to join the DAN
government.
According to Narayanasamy, on
May 7, a press statement was also issued
saying that the MLAs have been directed
by the Congress president not to join
the DAN government “as we cannot be
on the same side as that of a communal
party like BJP”.The very next day, the
eight MLAs were inducted into the
government.
“I, as party general secretary,
immediately suspended them and issued
a show-cause notice,” Narayanasamy
said.
So what was their response? “They
said that to solve the Naga political
issue, the chief minister has proposed
an all-party government and that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi had given an
assurance (in December last year) that
the Naga issue would be solved within
18 months.
They also said that in case the party
leaders felt that they have violated the
party directive, they were sorry,” the
Congress general secretary said.
Narayanasamy then sent a rejoinder
saying that the MLAs’ act of joining the
Rain, waterlogging cripple Kolkata
KOLKATA: Several parts of Kolkata
were waterlogged following heavy
overnight rain owing to a depression
over Bay of Bengal caused by cyclone
Komen, officials said on Saturday.
The Met Office recorded 117.4 mm
of rainfall till 8.30 am on Saturday.
“Spells of rain and thundershowers
are expected during the day,” a Met
official said.
While people waded through kneedeep water, public transport refused to
ply in various parts of the city.
Slum-dwellers near Kankurgachi
and Ultadanga in east Kolkata battled
the inclement weather with layers of
tarpaulin sheets and plastics woven
around their huts but the inundation
has left them in dire straits.
“Even if we protect the roof by layers
of plastics, water enters in due to the
rains,” a dweller in Duttabad slum near
Kankurgachi said.
Water-logging also forced members
of many family residing on the ground
floor in duplexes to move up to the
upper storeys.
“When I woke up this morning
(Saturday), water had reached up to the
foot of my bed.
I have decided to shift to the upper
floor,” C. Talukdar, a senior citizen
residing in Salt Lake here, said.
Meanwhile, the death count in
West Bengal flood has gone up to 39,
with many areas in six districts still
water-logged, Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee.
The chief minister said stretches in
Burdwan, Birbhum, Hooghly, Howrah,
North 24 Parganas and South 24
Parganas districts were submerged.
The situation has started to improve
in rain-affected areas of Rajasthan as no
heavy rainfall was recorded in the state
People wade through the waters of flooded national highway on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. At least 26 people have
been killed in the flood-like situation caused by torrential monsoon rains in some parts of Gujarat, local media
reported earlier. — Reuters
in the past 24 hours, officials said.
“Situation in Jalore district, which
has been worst affected due to heavy
rainfall has started to improve.
There is no water logging in
Sanchore that was the most affected.
However there still is around 2-3
feet water in 4-5 villages in the district
and we hope that everything would
be in control in next 1-2 days,” a
senior district administration official
said.
Pacheco is also being probed for money laundering
Convicted Goa MLA wants
pardon because of hypertension!
PANAJI: An ailing grandmother, three
trauma-prone minor children, concern
for constituents and hypertension
are some of the grounds which could
have “convinced” the BJP-led Goa
government to pardon convicted
legislator Francisco Pacheco.
The Bharatiya Janata Partyled coalition government in an
unprecedented and unanimous decision
on Wednesday resolved to grant pardon
to Pacheco, a former archives and
archaeology minister, who is currently
serving a six-month sentence in an
assault case.
The cabinet decision now awaits the
assent of Goa Governor Mridula Sinha,
under section 161 of the Constitution,
which grants her the power to pardon
suspend, remit or commute sentences
in certain cases.
The cabinet note in possession
of IANS in which Chief Secretary R
K Srivastava summarises the list of
The party president
said that she had
no problem in them
joining the DAN
government provided the
BJP was not a part of it
grounds mentioned by Pacheco in his
petition to the cabinet, one of which lists
an ailing grandmother.
“That he has an aged mother who is
more than 89 years of age and is having
multiple health complications and has
undergone a number of surgeries in the
recent past and she requires constant
care and aid.
He being the only made adult
member in the house and his long
absence has caused undue hardships
to his mother whose health has stated
deteriorating,” the note said.
Another reason listed by Pacheco
for his pardon is that he has had a
conviction-free record in the past
and therefore he “may be allowed
to perform his public duties of his
constituency”. While Pacheco may not
have been convicted earlier, but the
variety of crimes Pacheco has been
accused committing in the past, is rich
in diversity.
Pacheco, a legislator from Nuvem
assembly constituency, is currently
being tried for a wide range of criminal
cases which include culpable homicide,
bigamy, assault and extortion.
Pacheco is also being probed for
illegal trafficking and money laundering
by the US government’s Bureau of
Diplomatic Security (BDS) and was
questioned by the Central Bureau of
Investigation in this regard in 2010.
Pacheco, who used to regularly
alternate between ultra posh bikes
like the Harley Davidson and a luxury
SUVs like Hummer as his preferred
rides to the Goa legislative assembly,
has also justified his need for pardon
because “he is a patient of hypertension
and high blood pressure and requires
frequent medical supervision and is on
medication for the past three years”.
The legislator has also used the mental
health of his children to justify his need
for pardon.
— IANS
Army columns and National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
teams rescued few marooned people in
Sanchore areas.
Situation is also improving in Mount
Abu, the only hill station in the desert
state, cut off for almost three-four days
as the road link was damaged due to
landslides after heavy downpour.
Some of the tourists stranded in the
famous tourist spot were evacuated
under police and relief department
supervision.
The district administration has
requested the tourists not to travel to
Mount Abu for at least a week as traffic
movement will remain hampered due
to land slides.
Similarly, flood-like situations had
been reported from Sirohi, Barmer and
Jodhpur districts.
However in these areas too situation
is fast returning to normalcy.
— IANS
government was not acceptable and “as a
matter of principle, the Congress and the
BJP cannot sit in the same government”.
“We also said that though you are
suspended from the party, you are still
Congressmen and you have to oppose
the government on the floor of the
house,” he said.
The party also issued a three-line
whip on this basis to the eight MLAs a
week before the ongoing budget session
of the assembly that started on July 21.
However, there has been no reply to
the latest whip.
“We are now consulting legal experts
on whether to move the speaker and
disqualify them from the assembly
or to expel them from the party,”
Narayanasamy said.
“We will take a decision within a very
short period.”
— IANS
DCW writes
to Delhi police
chief on crimes
against women
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Commission
for Women (DCW) on Saturday wrote
to Delhi Police Commissioner B S
Bassi seeking information about the
number of complaints of crime against
women.
In the letter, DCW chief Swati
Maliwal sought information on the
number of complaints, including that
of rape and molestation in the city,
especially in the Anand Parbat area.
A young girl, Meenkashi, 19, was
killed after she objected to a man who
allegedly abused her.
“It is the mandate of the DCW
to monitor the safety, security and
interest of women in Delhi.
In light of Meenakshi murder
case and the increasing rate of crime
against women in the state, we wish
to undertake a study on women
safety in Delhi and come up with
recommendations for the central
government, state government and
Delhi police,” she wrote in her letter.
“We request you (Bassi) to provide
the details of number of complaints
of crime against women in the city,
especially in the Anand Parbat area
and if they got the police protection by
Delhi Police,” she wrote.
She also asked for cases in which
FIRs were registered and sought the
details of unsafe areas for women.
She has demanded the list of police
stations in which the highest number
of complaints of crime against women
were reported in 2014-15. In addition,
Maliwal wanted to know the strength
of the police force in Delhi and the
number of women in it.
— IANS
Fate of two Indians kidnapped in Libya unknown
HYDERABAD : The families of the
two Indians kidnapped in Libya are
worried over their safety as there is
no information about their wellbeing.
Though two others hailing from
Karnataka were released on Friday,
there is still no official word about
the two Telugu men reportedly in the
captivity of the IS.
Though Sridevi, a member of
Balram Kishan’s family received a
SMS on Friday from one of those
released that all are safe, the relatives
are anxious as there has been no
further information. Balram Kishan
hails from Hyderabad.
The family of T Gopikrishna, who
is from Srikakulam district of Andhra
Pradesh, also lives in Hyderabad.
The four Indians, all teachers at
University of Sirte, were returning to
India via Tripoli and Tunis on July 29
when they were detained at a check
point, 50 km from Sirte. Externals
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said
late on Friday that two of them
hailing from Karnataka were
released.
She had said efforts were on to
secure the release of two others.
Gopikrishna has been teaching
computer science at Jufra branch of
the university since 2007 whereas
Balram has been teaching English at
the same university since 2011.
A relative holds up a photograph of Balaram, who is thought to have been
abducted in Libya, at his residence in Hyderabad. — AFP
Kalyani, wife of Gopikrishna, said
he spoke to her on Wednesday over
phone and informed that he is
coming home via Tunis.
The couple has two children
Jhanvi (10) and Eshwar (4).Balram
and Sridevi, a lecturer at a private
college in Hyderabad, have two sons
Vijaybhaskar (19), a B Tech student at
IIT Kharagpur and Madhusudhan
(12). Andhra Pradesh’s minister for
NRI affairs Palle Raghunath Reddy
said the state government was
making efforts with the help of the
Indian government and Libya to
secure release of Gopikrishna.
He said efforts were also being
made to contact the officials of
Indian embassy in Tripoli.
— IANS
12
TUTU TO REMAIN IN HOSPITAL
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 2 l 2 0 1 5
South African archbishop Desmond
Tutu will remain in hospital in Cape
Town “for another few days” despite
making good progress, his foundation
announced on Saturday, four days after
he was hospitalised with a recurring
infection. The 83-year-old Nobel peace
laureate underwent a “small investigative
procedure” on Friday night to determine
the status of the infection.
WORLD
Hillary, Bill Clinton report total
income of $140 m since 2007
VAST WEALTH: In 2013, Clintons delivered six-figure speeches that reaped nearly $23 million
WASHINGTON:
Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
and her husband, former president
Bill Clinton, have reported income
approaching $140 million over the last
eight years, providing evidence of the
vast wealth they have accumulated.
Their tax records showed that in 2013,
the Clinton duo delivered six-figure
speeches that reaped nearly $23 million.
Clinton, the front-runner in the race for
the Democratic presidential nomination
in 2016, released her family’s tax returns
from 2007 to 2014.
The Clinton camp said the release
was in keeping with a commitment
for transparency. Hillary Clinton is
struggling to overcome questions about
her honesty that have arisen from a
controversy over her use of a private
email server for official business as
secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
A Quinnipiac University poll this
week said 57 per cent of voters see
Clinton as not honest and trustworthy.
The Clintons’ adjusted gross income
over the period was just shy of $140
million. With deductions factored in,
their taxable income was about $111
million. She said they paid $43.9 million
in federal taxes and made almost $15
million in charitable contributions over
the period.
All but about $200,000 of the money
they gave as charity was distributed
through the Clinton Family Foundation,
which is distinct from the better-
Clinton given
clean bill
of health
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the National Urban
League’s conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. — Reuters
known Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton
Foundation. The family foundation
provides charitable donations to a host
of organisations.
For example, in 2014, the Clintons
put $3 million into the family foundation
but separately gave $2,500 to St.
Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church,
$20,000 to the First United Methodist
Church, and $200 to Bill Clinton’s high
school graduating class.
In a statement accompanying her
tax records, Clinton said she and her
husband paid an effective federal tax
rate of 35.7 per cent last year and that the
rate went up to 45.8 per cent when state
and local taxes were figured in.
“We’ve come a long way from my days
going door-to-door for the Children’s
Defence Fund and earning $16,450 as
a young law professor in Arkansas, and
we owe it to the opportunities America
provides,” she said.
The Clintons’ vast wealth, built on his
reputation as former president and her
resume as a former secretary of state, has
become an issue in a 2016 presidential
race that has focused on how to reduce
income inequality.
“Those at the top have to pay their
fair share,” she said, noting she has called
for closing the so-called carried interest
loophole that wealthy financiers use to
pay a lower tax rate. — Reuters
The filing also reveals the gilded roster of Bush’s top donors
WASHINGTON:
Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary
Clinton is healthy and “fit to
serve” with no lingering effects
from a 2012 concussion that
caused a health scare when she
was secretary of state, her personal
physician said on Friday.
The Clinton campaign released
a statement from her doctor, Lisa
Bardack of Mount Kisco, New
York, that detailed the health
status of Clinton, the front-runner
to represent the Democratic Party
in the November 2016 presidential
election.
It said she takes blood thinners
daily to guard against blood clots
that have arisen on three occasions,
in 1998, 2009 and 2012, and suffers
from hypothyroidism.
One of the questions about the
67-year-old Clinton’s health has
been whether she had completely
recovered from a concussion
suffered when she fainted in
December 2012. — Reuters
With its $103 million haul,
the Super PAC has smashed
the fundraising totals of
every other candidate,
making Bush the clear
leader in the money race,
though not the polls, for the
November 2016 election.
his campaign to a Super PAC raising
potentially corrupting and unlimited
sums of money from special interests
and wealthy donors,” said Paul S Ryan,
senior counsel with the Campaign Legal
Center, which has filed complaints with
both the Federal Election Commission
and the Department of Justice.
As Reuters has written, the FEC, by
the admission of its own Democratic
commissioners, has been rendered
ineffectual by partisan gridlock. And
the DOJ is unlikely to take up the issue
during a campaign season, department
sources have said.
Bush campaign spokeswoman Kristy
Campbell said, in an emailed statement:
“Governor bush has taken a conservative
approach to all of his political activities
and has and will continue to comply
with all campaign finance laws and
requirements.”
— Reuters
Judge suspends US
extradition order for
fugitive Guzman
MEXICO CITY: A Mexican judge
temporarily suspended a US extradition
order on Friday for the fugitive drug
lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman even
though the federal attorney general’s
office had approved it a day earlier. No
reason was given for the suspension.
Guzman, one of the world’s most
notorious drug traffickers, broke out
of a maximum security prison earlier
this month, escaping in a tunnel built
right under his cell. The United States
requested Guzman’s extradition on
June 25, just a couple weeks before his
escape, but Mexican officials said in
January that Guzman would not be
handed over because he must first serve
time in his home country.
Guzman is wanted by US authorities
for a variety of criminal charges
including cocaine smuggling and
money laundering, and the failure to
extradite him has been heavily criticised
by the government’s critics since the jail
break.
This month’s dramatic prison break
was Guzman’s second since a previous
2001 escape. After eluding capture for
13 years, Guzman was arrested in his
native Sinaloa state in February 2014.
Lawyers working on behalf of
Guzman had already sought to nullify
the extradition order, which could only
be executed if Guzman is recaptured.
A ruling on the request by
Guzman’s lawyers is set for August 26.
Meanwhile, an approval ratings for
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto
have fallen to a new low, a newspaper
Guzman, one of the world’s
most notorious drug
traffickers, broke out of a
maximum security prison
earlier this month, escaping
in a tunnel built right under
his cell.
poll showed on Friday amid a weak
economy and after the escape of the
country’s most notorious criminal from
a maximum-security prison.
A July e-mail survey of 1,200 people
by daily newspaper Reforma showed
Peña Nieto’s approval ratings had
dropped to 34 per cent from 39 per cent
in March. The rating was the worst in
a Reforma poll since he took office in
December 2012.
The survey was conducted after
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman broke out
of prison on July 11 for a second time,
escaping in a tunnel built right under
his cell. The jail break by Guzman, who
appeared to have had assistance from
prison staff, increased pressure on Peña
Nieto to do more to curb corruption
and the influence of violent drug gangs.
The president’s ratings had already
been battered in the past year due to
criticism over the disappearance and
apparent murder of 43 trainee teachers,
suspected extra-judicial killings by the
army and conflict-of-interest scandals.
— Reuters
Trotsky’s house for sale in Istanbul
Merkel to run for
4th term in 2017:
Der Spiegel
Republican presidential candidate and former Florida governor Jeb Bush speaks at
the National Urban League’s conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. — Reuters
Eleven Colombian
military personnel were
killed on Friday when
their transport plane
suffered motor failure and
crashed in the northern
province of Cesar, killing
all on board, according to
a statement from the Air
Force.
AROUND THE GLOBE
Bush not a candidate? Super
PAC spending reveals otherwise
NEW YORK: The first report of
Republican presidential candidate Jeb
Bush’s Super PAC, made public on
Friday, reveals for the first time, election
lawyers say, just how much the group,
Right to Rise, functioned as a kind of
shadow campaign for Bush.
The group shelled out $5.4 million
from January through June for all the
workaday line items, from travel to
catering to political consulting, that
have traditionally been paid for by
candidates’ campaign committees.
The Super PAC’s filing also reveals
the gilded roster of Bush’s top donors,
a formidable collection of some of the
world’s most powerful and influential
billionaires and GOP grandees, such as
Coral Gables resident and private equity
king Miguel Fernandez, who, with $3
million, was Bush’s top donor.
San Franciscans William Oberndorf
and Helen Schwab each gave about $1.5
million and 20 other people gave at least
$1 million apiece.
With its $103 million haul, the Super
PAC has smashed the fundraising totals
of every other candidate, making Bush
the clear leader in the money race,
though not the polls, for the November
2016 election.
The dramatic shift in spending
patterns, campaign finance lawyers
say, is the starkest sign yet of a new
order in money in politics, one no
longer dominated by small-dollar
bundlers beholden to federal campaign
finance regulations but rather by a new,
anything-goes era featuring largely
unregulated Super PACs and the
billionaires, looking to influence US
policy, who fund them.
It is indicative of a new playbook
for how parties nominate, and pay for,
their candidates. “These new numbers
show how Jeb Bush has outsourced
11 COLOMBIA ARMY MEN DIE IN PLANE CRASH
BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel,
who has ruled Germany since 2005,
has decided to run for a fourth term
and has started planning her 2017
re-election campaign, according to an
unsourced report on Saturday in Der
Spiegel news magazine.
A spokeswoman for Merkel’s
Christian Democrat (CDU) party
declined to comment on the report.
The chancellor is on a hiking
holiday in the Alps. Merkel, who
turned 61 on July 17, has not made
any public comments about whether
she would run for a fourth term,
although she did hint in a speech in
Cologne last year she would stand
again.
Merkel, who has guided Europe’s
biggest economy through the 2008
financial crisis and euro zone turmoil,
regularly ranks as one of Germany’s
most popular leaders, which is
unusual for a sitting chancellor.
There are no term limits in
Germany and the last CDU chancellor,
Helmut Kohl, ruled for 16 years before
losing his bid for a fifth term in 1998
to Gerhard Schroeder of the Social
Democrats (SPD). Neither were as
popular among voters as Merkel.
In a country that cherishes stability
after the Weimar Republic’s chaos
contributed to Hitler’s rise, Merkel is
only the eighth post-war chancellor.
Her CDU has no obvious successor.
“Merkel has evidently decided to
run again in 2017,” the newsweekly
Der Spiegel wrote, news to cheer her
conservative party that depends on
her popularity to hold the chancellery
after suffering a string of state
election defeats. — Reuters
ISTANBUL: It has 18 rooms, five bathrooms and is spectacularly located on an
island off Istanbul. And all the more, it was once the refuge of the exiled Russian
revolutionary Leon Trotsky. This one-and-a-half century old grand pile could also
be yours, after it was put on sale. The asking price — a mere $4.4 million (4.0 million
euros). Turkish media this week first noted that a standard sales notice had been put
out by local estate agents for the property, which was said to have three floors and a
total area of 3,600 square metres (38,750 square feet). The building is on the island of
Buyukada off Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara, one of the four Princes Islands that are
popular day trips by ferry from the city centre.
The island has traditionally been a place of refuge for exiles, intellectuals, as well as
Istanbul’s Christian minorities.
Trotsky, one of the great idealogues of the revolution and the founder of the
Red Army, came to Buyukada first in 1929 after being expelled from the USSR by
Joseph Stalin. He stayed several years before continuing his exile elsewhere and was
ultimately murdered in Mexico in 1940.
“It’s actually not the first time there has been an attempt to sell this house but noone wants it,” an estate agent on Buyukada said asking not to be named. — AFP
Jack Allsop-Smith (R) aged 7 celebrates with his hen “Cooked it” after winning
the World Hen Racing Championships in Bonsall, Britain, yesterday. — Reuters
Country legend Lynn Anderson dead
LOS ANGELES: Grammy-winning country legend Lynn Anderson, who sprang to
international stardom with her 1970s classic hit Rose Garden, has died at the age of 67,
US news reports said on Saturday.
Anderson died on Thursday of a heart attack at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville
after being admitted for pneumonia, publicist Mark Logsdon told CNN.
Anderson had a string of other hits to become the biggest singer in country music
of her era, before going on to moderate success as an actress.
But it was for (I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden that she will be most fondly
remembered, topping the charts in countries across the world.
The song’s namesake album held the title of the best-selling country LP by a solo
female artist from 1971 until Shania Twain broke its record in 1997, Rolling Stone
magazine said. It was that which earned the blonde-haired Anderson, born in Grand
Forks, North Dakota to songwriter parents, her Grammy.
The country world mourned the death of one of its finest with singer Dolly Parton
leading the tributes. — AFP
REGION
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
13
Exiled Yemen PM and officials return to Aden
BACK TO HOMELAND: The task will be to restore normality and public services to a city battered by four months of ferocious combat
ADEN: Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled
Bahah flew into the devastated port of
Aden from Saudi exile on Saturday, two
weeks after loyalist forces ousted rebels
from the city, an airport source said.
He was followed by several more
officials, whose task will be to restore
normality and public services to a city
battered by four months of ferocious
combat.
Bahah, who is also vice president
of the internationally recognised
government, fled into exile with
President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi
and the rest of his team earlier this year
when the rebels entered Aden, their last
refuge.
Yemen has been rocked by fighting
between the Huthi rebels and Hadi
loyalists, who have received air support
from a coalition.
The United Nations say the war has
killed nearly 4,000 people, half of them
civilians, while 80 percent of the 21
million population is in need of aid and
protection.
On Monday, a humanitarian pause
declared by the coalition went into effect
but it collapsed the next day.
An airport source said Bahah arrived
on a Saudi military plane, becoming the
highest-ranking official to return to the
city since the government announced its
liberation in mid-July.
Bahah promised in an arrival
statement that “normal life” would
return to a “liberated Aden” and that he
would be visiting people wounded in the
fighting.
Sources close to the prime minister
said he would spend a few hours in
Aden before leaving for an undisclosed
destination.
Several government officials also
arrived in Aden on a separate plane
from Saudi Arabia, said Human Rights
Yemen’s Vice President Khaled Bahah (C) talks to reporters upon his arrival at Aden
airport yesterday. — Reuters
Minister Ezzedine al-Isbahi.
He said they would supervise work
underway to reopen public buildings,
including the resumption of broadcast
FRUITS OF LABOUR
Protests over poor services spread across Iraq
Iraqis shout slogans and hold
placards asking to turn off water
heaters during a demonstration to
demand a solution to the longrunning problem of salty tap water
yesterday in the southern Iraqi city of
Basra. — AFP
the governor himself.
“The local government is always
promising improved water and
electricity but they are liars and no
longer have any credibility,” Tareq said.
“The temperature is 54 degrees
(Celsius -- or 129 Fahrenheit) in central
Basra right now... the Basra people are
very angry at their rulers.”
Raad Jassim, an employee at the
South Oil Co, said Basra residents were
increasingly frustrated at their region’s
inability to capitalise on its massive
oil wealth. “Basra is feeding Iraq; it is
bankrolling the country, and we do
not even have water that is suitable for
livestock,” the 36-year-old said.
There have been demonstrations in
other Iraqi cities, including in the city of
Karbala on Saturday. — AFP
BENGHAZI: Seven Libyan soldiers
were killed IS militants stormed a
checkpoint manned by forces loyal
to the official government, military
officials said.
Five soldiers were killed on Friday
and 15 have been missing since the
IS fighters attacked the checkpoint
outside the eastern town of Ajdabiya,
near the oil port of Bregaattack, one
military official said. Two more soldiers
were killed when the government sent
reinforcements.
Five were wounded. “Fighting
is continuing some 100 kilometers
outside Ajdabiya,” one official said.
IS claimed responsibility for the
attack in a statement on social media,
saying it had captured ammunition
and military equipment.
IS
has exploited a growing
security vacuum in Libya, where two
governments and parliaments are
fighting for control four years after the
toppling of Muammar Gaddafi.
The official prime minister has
been based in the east, working with
his cabinet out of hotels, since the
capital, Tripoli, was seized by a rival
group that set up its own government.
Both sides command loose coalitions
of former anti-Gaddafi rebels.
After Gaddafi’s ouster, the various
factions split along political, regional
and tribal lines. Militants loyal to IS,
the group which has seized much
of Syria and Iraq, has built up a
large presence in Sirte, to the west of
Ajdabiya. — Reuters
Turkish F-16s destroyed 65 targets of the PKK including shelters and arms depots
North Iraq urges PKK to leave as strike toll rises
ISTANBUL: Turkey has killed 260
Kurdish militants in a week-long air
offensive on targets in northern Iraq,
official media claimed Saturday, as
regional Iraqi authorities said it was time
the rebels pulled out due to growing
concern over the civilian toll.
Ankara has launched a two-pronged
“anti-terror” offensive against IS in Syria
and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
militants after a wave of attacks inside
the country.
But so far the bombardments have
focused far more on the Kurdish rebels
and a report by the official Anatolia
agency of 260 alleged PKK militants
killed was the first concrete indication of
the scale of the casualties.
In the latest air strikes on Friday, 28
Turkish F-16s destroyed 65 targets of
the PKK including shelters and arms
depots, Anatolia said.
The heaviest air strikes were on
Thursday, when 80 Turkish aircraft hit
100 targets of the PKK, Anatolia added.
Without citing its sources, Anatolia
city to homes devastated by the fighting.
Government forces were pressing
an advance Saturday north and east
of Aden to dislodge rebels who are
still entrenched in the Lahj and Abyan
provinces, officials and witnesses said.
Coalition warplanes carried out
stepped up raids late Friday and early
Saturday against rebels holed up in
the strategic Al-Anad airbase in Lahj
province, military sources said.
Strikes also targeted the southeastern
province of Taez, where fighting killed
47 rebels and five pro-government
forces, they added.
Meanwhile, witnesses reported that
coalition warplanes also bombarded the
province of Mareb east of Sanaa and the
rebel stronghold of Saada in the north
on Saturday.
The rebels and their allies remain
in control of the capital Sanaa and large
swathes of the country. — AFP
Seven Libyan
soldiers killed
in clashes
with IS
Residents harvest wheat in Houla, South Lebanon, yesterday. — Reuters
BASRA, Iraq: Hundreds of Iraqis
demonstrated on Saturday over the
poor quality of water in the southern
city of Basra, as protests demanding
better services from the government
spread across the country.
Around 500 people, waving
banners and Iraqi flags, protested
in front of the governor’s office to
demand a solution to the long-running
problem of salty tap water. “We
demand the dismissal of the governor
and of the provincial council; the time
has come for Basra’s people to get their
rights,” said Ziyad Tareq, a 24-year-old
student.
When the governor’s deputy
went out to hear their demands,
demonstrators pelted him with plastic
water bottles and insisted on seeing
at the state television and radio, and
restoration of services in the battered
city The interior and transport ministers
toured parts of Aden in mid-July during
a brief visit to assess the damage from
the fighting. They also looked at ways
to fully reopen the ports and airport to
allow the delivery of desperately needed
relief supplies.
The head of the Red Crescent in
Aden, Ahmed Mansur, said the charity
had received food aid from the United
Arab Emirates and was able to hand
out 20,000 rations to residents of three
neighbourhoods.
Yemen depends
on imports for most of its supplies,
including food, medicine and fuel.
More than 10 million are struggling
to obtain food and water, the UN says.
An AFP correspondent who toured
Aden said authorities have managed to
partially reopen main roads in the city
after removing debris from the war,
including burned out military vehicles
and cars. Residents have also ventured
outdoors to take stock of the damage.
some returning from other areas of the
Selahattin Demirtas, co-leader of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP),
speaks during a press conference in Istanbul on Friday. — AFP
said that among those wounded was
Nurettin Demirtas, the brother of
the leader of pro-Kurdish Peoples’
Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin
Demirtas.
“Up until now 260 terrorists have
been rendered ineffective (killed) and
380-400 terrorists have been identified
as injured,” Anatolia said.
Demirtas openly acknowledges that
his elder brother Nurettin had gone to
the Kandil Mountain in northern Iraq
where the PKK’s military headquarters
are based.
But he said on Sunday he could not
confirm the Anatolia report as Nurettin
was no longer at Kandil Mountain. He
is “resisting IS on behalf of the people,”
said Demirtas, without giving further
details. The PKK’s relations with the
autonomous Iraqi Kurdish authorities in
Arbil have been beset by tensions, while
Iraqi Kurds have expanded economic
cooperation and relations with Turkey.
The office of the region’s president
Massud Barzani said in a statement on
Saturday that the PKK rebels should
move out of the region to prevent
civilian casualties.
“The PKK must keep the battlefield
away from the Kurdistan region in order
for civilians not to become victims of
this war,” it said. Iraqi Kurdish officials
said on Saturday six people had been
killed in a pre-dawn strike by Turkish
war planes on the village of Zarkel
and there have been reports of civilian
casualties. — AFP
Relatives of Palestinian youth Laith al Khaldi mourn during his funeral near the
West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday. Al Khaldi died on Saturday at a West Bank
hospital following a clash with Israeli troops near Ramallah, Palestinian hospital
officials said. — Reuters
Slain toddler’s parents,
brother fighting for lives
JALAZON REFUGEE CAMP: The
parents and brother of a Palestinian
toddler burned to death by suspected
Jewish extremists were fighting for their
lives on Saturday, as protests over the
arson attack entered a second day.
The firebombing of the family’s
home in the occupied West Bank,
which killed 18-month-old Ali Saad
Dawabsha, sparked an international
outcry over Israel’s failure to get to
grips with violence by hardline Jewish
settlers. The child’s father, Saad, was
being treated for third-degree burns at
the Soroka hospital in southern Israel,
where a spokeswoman described his
condition as “critical”.
Mother Riham and four-year-old
brother Ahmed were being treated at
Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv,
where a spokeswoman described their
condition as life-threatening.
The family’s small brick and cement
home in the village of Duma was gutted
by fire, and a Jewish Star of David was
spray-painted on a wall.
Palestinian protesters took to the
streets across the West Bank, including
Israeli-annexed
east
Jerusalem,
triggering clashes with the Israeli army.
On Saturday, dozens of Palestinians
were clashing with Israeli forces at the
Jalazon refugee camp, where the funeral
of Laith Khaldi had taken place.
Khaldi, 16, was shot by Israeli
soldiers on Friday after throwing a
Molotov cocktail, the army said.
Hundreds participated in his funeral,
with some men firing in the air with
automatic rifles as the body was being
taken from the mosque to the cemetery.
A military spokeswoman said some 50
Palestinians were throwing stones and
fire bombs at Israeli forces at Jalazon,
who were using riot dispersal means
against them.
On Saturday morning, Palestinians
and Jewish settlers clashed near Kusra
in the northern West Bank, trading
volleys of stones until the Israeli army
declared the area a closed military zone.
— AFP
Syrian army pushes back
rebels near govt heartland
BEIRUT: Nearly 40 government and
opposition fighters have been killed
as Syrian regime forces pushed rebels
back from an area bordering President
Bashar al Assad’s heartland, a monitor
said on Saturday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said at least 20 regime forces and
19 rebels from the Army of Conquest
alliance had been killed in 24 hours of
clashes in Hama province’s Sahl al Ghab
region.
The area borders Latakia province, a
bastion of support for Assad and home
to his ancestral village.
Earlier this week, the rebel alliance,
which includes Al Qaeda affiliate Al
Nusra Front, began a major offensive
in the area, taking around 17 strategic
hilltops and other positions, including
a power plant. The Britain-based
Observatory said on Saturday that
regime forces had retaken around seven
of those positions, including the power
plant. Syria’s official SANA news agency
said “dozens of terrorists” had been
killed and that troops had captured
several villages after “intensifying
operations in the area.”
The rebel advance in Hama put a
string of villages at risk.
Elsewhere, the Observatory said
25 Syrian rebels, including three senior
commanders, were killed in a failed
attack on a makeshift army base outside
the northern city of Aleppo.
Nine regime forces were also killed
in fighting that erupted after several
rebel groups launched the attack late
Friday.
— AFP
14
omandailyobserver
EUROPE
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
Wing part arrives at French lab
for probe into MH370 link
MYSTERY: If confirmed, the discovery would mark the first breakthrough in the case
Members of the emergency services attend the scene of a plane crash at a car
park next to Blackbushe Airport, in Hampshire, southern England, yesterday. — AFP
Bin Laden kin killed
in UK plane crash
LONDON: Members of Osama bin
Laden’s family were among four people
who died when a private jet crashed
in Britain, Saudi Arabia’s embassy in
London said on Saturday.
The Saudi-registered plane ploughed
into a car auction site and burst into
flames in southern England on Friday.
While the embassy did not comment
on the identities of the dead, a source
close to the family speaking to AFP and
Saudi media indicated that they were
Bin Laden’s stepmother Raja Hashim,
his sister Sanaa, the sister’s husband
Zuhair Hashem, and a Jordanian pilot.
Local police said three passengers
and the pilot died when the Phenom
300 jet attempted to land at Blackbushe
Airport in Hampshire.
The Saudi ambassador “offered
his condolences to the sons of the
late Mohammed bin Laden and their
relations for the grave incident of the
crash of the plane carrying members
of the family at Blackbushe airport,”
a statement posted on the embassy’s
Twitter account said.
The embassy also said it would work
with British authorities to investigate
the incident and repatriate the bodies
for burial in Saudi Arabia.
Osama bin Laden’s father
Mohammed was a construction
magnate and his numerous relatives
constitute a prominent family with
wide-ranging business interests.
Mohammed bin Laden himself died
in a plane crash in Saudi Arabia in 1967.
His son Osama, the late leader of the
Al Qaeda militant network, was shot
dead by US special forces in Pakistan
in 2011.
Footage of the aftermath of Friday’s
crash showed plumes of black smoke
rising into the sky and several cars on
fire in the outdoor area of British Car
Auctions, where vehicles were parked
awaiting sale.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority
of Civil Aviation said in a statement on
Friday that the plane was registered in
the Gulf state and that it would work
with British investigators to determine
the cause of the crash. — AFP
PARIS: A piece of Boeing 777 wreckage
washed up on an Indian Ocean island
and suspected to belong to missing
flight MH370 arrived on Saturday at a
French laboratory for analysis.
If confirmed as being from the
doomed Malaysia Airlines flight,
the discovery would mark the first
breakthrough in a case that has baffled
aviation experts for 16 months.
The convoy containing the twometre wing part was escorted by
police overland from Paris to the
defence ministry laboratory near the
southwestern city of Toulouse, encased
in a wooden crate.
The part, identified as a flaperon,
was flown earlier to the mainland from
the French island of La Reunion, where
it was found on a beach in the town of
Saint Andre earlier this week. From
Paris’ Orly airport, it was driven south
by road, arriving at the laboratory at
about 5.30 pm (1530 GMT).
MH370 disappeared on March 8,
2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to
Beijing with 239 people on board.
Malaysian and French experts will
Police officers escort an airport vehicle transporting what is believed to be debris
from a Boeing 777 plane that washed up on the Reunion Island, at Roland Garros
airport in Saint-Marie on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion. — AFP
begin their analysis of the part on
Wednesday, as well as fragments of a
suitcase discovered nearby, according to
an informed source.
On Saturday, a few hundred people
attended a mass in Saint Andre in
remembrance of the victims, a few
hundred metres from the spot where the
flaperon was found on Wednesday.
“I believe that we are moving closer
to solving the mystery of MH370.
This could be the convincing evidence
that MH370 went down in the Indian
Ocean,” Malaysia’s deputy transport
minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said.
US aerospace giant Boeing said in a
statement on Friday that it would send
a technical team to France to study
the plane part. Some warn that one
small piece of plane debris is unlikely
to completely clear up one of aviation’s
greatest puzzles.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister
Warren Truss said while the part “could
be a very important piece of evidence”,
using reverse modelling to determine
more precisely where the debris
may have drifted from was “almost
impossible”.
MH370 was one of only three Boeing
777s to have been involved in major
incidents, along with the downing of
flight MH17 over Ukraine last year
and the Asiana Airlines crash at San
Francisco airport in 2013 that left three
dead. Photographs showing the wing
component bearing the part number
“657BB” proved it was from a Boeing
777, Aziz said.
On La Reunion, where a clean-up
crew discovered the wreckage and the
suitcase, members of the same team
on Friday discovered a detergent bottle
with Indonesian markings and a bottle
of Chinese-branded mineral water,
which they took to police. Most of the
victims, 153, were Chinese and seven
were from Indonesia. — AFP
10-KILOMETRE-LONG TRAFFIC JAM
Over 300,000 seek asylum
in Germany this year so far
BERLIN: Germany has hosted
more than 300,000 asylum seekers
since the start of the year, said
the daily Die Welt on Saturday, as
Berlin prepares for a record influx
of refugees in 2015.
According to the conservative
newspaper, which cited details of
a telephone conference between
the interior ministers of German
states, “302,415 asylum seekers have
already been registered” this year.
This figure is higher than the
one given by the Federal Office for
Migrants and Refugees (BAMF)
which recorded 258,000 current
requests. According to Die Welt,
this is because the state figures have
not yet been picked up at federal
level and have therefore not been
considered by the BAMF.
Germany’s states, which are
redistributing asylum seekers on the
basis of their capacity to do so, have
repeatedly sounded alarms and
called for greater federal aid to cope
with the influx. The refugees’ office
had initially been expecting 450,000
asylum seekers in 2015 but had to
revise this forecast upwards to an
unprecedented 500,000 people. In
2014, Germany received more than
202,000 asylum requests, or 60 per
cent more than in 2013.
And
according
to
Der
Tagesspiegel newspaper, unofficial
“internal numbers” at the BAMF
suggest as many as 600,000 asylum
applicants in 2015. On Friday,
BAMF President Manfred Schmidt
reported a “record” monthly
influx in July, with 79,000 asylum
seekers, mostly from Syria, Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Because of its good economic
health, Germany has become the
leading destination in Europe for
migrants. — AFP
Vehicles travelling south wait in what local radio said was a more than 10-kilometre traffic jam on the northern side of the 17 kilometre-long St Gotthard Tunnel near the
central Swiss village of Wassen yesterday. — Reuters
Labour Party local groups endorse left-winger for leader
LONDON:
Britain’s opposition
Labour Party moved a step closer to
selecting a leader from its left wing
on Saturday, after surprise contender
Jeremy Corbyn received the backing of
more local party groups than any other
candidate.
Reeling from its worst election
defeat in decades, the party is seeking
a successor to Ed Miliband, who stood
down as leader after Prime Minister
David
Cameron’s
Conservatives
confounded predictions by winning a
outright election victory in May.
The contest so far has been
dominated by the unexpected
popularity of Corbyn, who has been
a member of parliament since 1983
and at 66 is two decades older than his
rivals.
A longstanding campaigner on
issues such as poverty and nuclear
disarmament, he opposed the Iraq
war and has called for swathes of the
economy to be renationalised and
praised Karl Marx, author of ‘The
Communist Manifesto’.
Corbyn had received endorsements Jeremy Corbyn is seen speaking on the
from 152 local Labour Party groups BBC’s Andrew Marr Show in London
and the backing of Britain’s biggest recently. — Reuters
trade unions by a Friday deadline,
figures released by the party showed.
That put him well ahead of the
next most popular candidate, Andy
Burnham, who was endorsed by 111
local parties.
While the endorsements do not
count towards the final result, due on
September 12, they are an indicator
of how grassroots members may be
planning to vote.
“They count for something,” said
Steven Fielding, Director of the Centre
for British Politics at Nottingham
University. — Reuters
A spokesman for Eurotunnel has said there was much less disruption since reinforcements arrived to bolster 300-strong police contingent
Migrant bids to reach Britain sharply down: French cops
CALAIS:
French police said on
Saturday some 300 migrants in Calais
attempted to reach Britain via the crossChannel tunnel overnight, a significant
drop from previous nights as the security
presence is beefed up.
Overnight on Thursday French
authorities faced more than 1,000
attempts by migrants camped out in
the port of Calais to reach the Channel
tunnel overnight.
France has sent 120 additional police
officers to the northern port city to stem
the crisis, as the number of deaths since
June reached 10.
A spokesman for Eurotunnel has
said there was “much less disruption”
since the reinforcements arrived to
bolster the 300-strong police contingent
already stationed in the city. At least
four coaches of riot police were guarding
the entrance to the tunnel on Friday.
The situation appears to have calmed
in recent days, after migrants made more
than 2,000 daily attempts to breach the
defences earlier in the week.
Late on Friday the first attempts
under cover of the gathering darkness
began at around 9:00 pm (1900 GMT)
when a group managed to access the
embarkment lanes before being chased
off by police.
At around 2:00 am on Saturday
some 150 migrants were escorted back
A protester demonstrates in solidarity of migrants in Calais, in Folkestone, Britain,
yesterday. — Reuters
towards Calais. In such cases the vast
majority seeking to get over to Britain
will just hide away again and await
another chance to sneak over.
One man died in the early hours
of Wednesday, apparently crushed
by a lorry as he tried to make it into
the tunnel. “I didn’t make it into the
station this time... It was very difficult,
there was much more security than on
previous days,” said 20-year-old Reza
from Afghanistan, rubbing his eyes after
a short night’s sleep as he stepped out of
his tent.
“We didn’t have a chance last night.
There were too many policemen, even
more than before,” said Baby, 27, from
Eritrea, who has been camping out in
Calais for more than two years.
Teski, a 29-year-old Eritrean who
has twice been escorted out of the
Eurotunnel approach area, said that even
if someone manages to sneak aboard
a train they cannot be sure of getting
across the Channel.
A police source said that, while
the reinforcements had helped, “the
pressure of the migrants is still there”
and the “situation remains difficult to
deal with”. Around 3,000 people from
countries that also include Syria are
waiting in Calais as they try to cross
into Britain illegally by clambering onto
lorries and trains. — AFP
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
An Indian schoolchild, has his face painted as a tiger, at a park in Bangalore yesterday, during
an awarness programme about the endangered tiger species. International Tiger Day which
came into being at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010, is held annually on July 29, to
give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers and it is both an awareness day and a
celebration of tigers. — AFP
PANORAMA
omandailyobserver
15
Fireworks light up the sky during a fireworks festival in Tokyo yesterday. Some 15,000 fireworks were launched during the festival. — AFP
An amusement
ride is seen at the
Midi Fair, one of
the oldest summer
events in Brussels,
Belgium. — Reuters
Japanese youths play with water guns during the Water Run at a park in Chiba, suburb of Tokyo yesterday. Some 12,000
people will take part in the two-day event to enjoy the hot summer. — AFP
Belarus soldiers of airborne forces perform as they celebrate the Paratroopers’ Day in Minsk yesterday. — AFP
(ABOVE) Swiss
President Simonetta
Sommaruga (L)
arrives for her
speech during
Swiss national
holiday celebrations
at the Ruetli
meadows in central
Switzerland
yesterday. — Reuters
A cosplayer posing during
the China Joy fair in
Shanghai. The gamer fair
China Joy (China Digital
Entertainment Expo &
Conference) hosts a
Cosplay Carnival and
around 600 companies
show their latest games and
game related products.
— AFP
Storm troopers, Darth Vader and R2-D2 pose in front of the new Star Wars Nebuta float (R) featuring Rey, Kylo Ren and BB-8 during the eve
of the Nebuta summer festival in Aomori city, Aomori prefecture yesterday. Four Star Wars Nebuta floats were introduced to commemorate
the Star Wars series new movie, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” which will show in worldwide from December this year. — AFP
SUNDAY | AUGUST 2, 2015 | SHAWWAL 16, 1436 AH
P18
P19
P21
Inside
Ooredoo launches innovative promotion US wage growth brakes in Q2 In rural China, shoppers go online FOLLOW US ON:
www.omanobserver.om
[email protected]
Power firms told to cut system losses to 9pc by 2017
OPTIMISATION: Technical and non-technical losses averaged 11.5 per cent in Oman last year
CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT
Aug 1: The Authority for Electricity
Regulation Oman has urged electricity
firms to improve the efficiency of
power distribution and supply in their
respective jurisdictions aimed at cutting
system losses to 9 per cent by the year
2017.
The target specifically applies to the
three principal distribution companies
(Muscat
Electricity
Distribution
Company, Majan Electricity Company,
and Mazoon Electricity Company)
systems in Oman. With MIS losses now
at 11.6 per cent (around 13 percentage
points lower than the pre-restructuring
level), further losses reductions are
expected to occur at a lower rate. The
Authority has set new losses targets
for the MIS (distribution companies)
as part of their price controls that (if
achieved) would result in total MIS
system losses of around 9 per cent by
2017,” the Authority stated in its newly
released 2014 Annual Report.
According to experts, technical losses
occur naturally and consist mainly of
that together make up the Main
Interconnected System (MIS) covering
much of the northern half of the
Sultanate. Technical and non-technical
losses reported across the MIS amounted
to 11.6 per cent of total electricity supply
in 2014 which, the sector regulator now
wants pared down to 9 per cent within
the next two years.
“Transmission, Distribution and
Supply losses are a key performance
indicator of efficiency and the Authority
is pleased to note the continuing
downward trend in losses across all three
Bitcoin exchange chief held in Japan
TOKYO: Japanese police on Saturday
arrested Mark Karpeles, head of the
MtGox Bitcoin exchange, after a
series of fraud allegations lead to its
spectacular collapse and hammered the
digital currency’s reputation.
A spokesman for the Tokyo Police
said France-born Karpeles, 30, was
suspected of manipulating data on the
exchange’s computer system in 2013 to
falsely create about $1.0 million. Earlier
on Saturday, Kyodo News and other
Japanese media said police were also
investigating his possible involvement
in the 2014 disappearance of nearly $390
million worth of the virtual currency, at
current exchange rates.
It was not immediately clear if there
would be more charges against Karpeles,
who reportedly denied the allegations.
The global virtual currency
community was shaken by the shuttering
of MtGox, which froze withdrawals in
early 2014 because of what the firm said
was a bug in the software underpinning
Bitcoins that allowed hackers to pilfer
them. On Saturday, local media, citing
police, said investigators suspect
Karpeles knew details about the
missing Bitcoins which were reportedly
transferred to an account controlled by
him — without notifying depositors.
The top-selling Yomiuri newspaper
also said police suspect that Karpeles
repeatedly transferred clients’ Bitcoins
into his own account for speculative
trading. The exchange — which once
boasted of handling around 80 per cent
of global Bitcoin transactions — filed
for bankruptcy protection soon after the
cyber-money went missing, admitting it
had lost 850,000 coins worth 48 billion
yen ($387 million). They were worth
about $480 million at the time of the
disappearance.
— AFP
TPP seeks market access for exports with one-size-fits-all standards
Pacific Rim free trade talks
fall short of final deal
LAHAINA: Pacific Rim trade ministers
failed to clinch a deal to free up trade
between a dozen nations after a dispute
flared up over auto trade between Japan
and North America, New Zealand dug
in over dairy trade and no agreement
was reached on monopoly periods for
next-generation drugs.
Trade ministers from the 12
nations negotiating the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, which would stretch from
Japan to Chile and cover 40 per cent of
the world economy, fell just short of a
deal at talks on the Hawaiian island of
Maui but were confident an agreement
was within reach.
“The undergrowth has been cleared
away in the course of this meeting in a
manner that I would say is streets ahead
of any of the other ministerial meetings
that we have had,” New Zealand Trade
Minister Tim Groser said.
“You can see clearly that there are
one or two really hard issues, and one of
them is dairy.”
Australian Trade Minister Andrew
Robb said the problem lay with the “big
four” economies of the United States,
Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari (L) and US Trade Rep Michael Fromam
participate in a press conference in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. — Reuters
Canada, Japan and Mexico. ‘‘The sad
thing is, 98 per cent is concluded,” he
said.
Failure to seal the agreement is a
setback for US President Barack Obama,
given the trade pact’s stance as the
economic arm of the administration’s
pivot to Asia and an opportunity to
balance out China’s influence in the
region.
The talks, which drew about 650
negotiators, 150 journalists and
hundreds of stakeholders, had been
billed as the last chance to get a deal
in time to pass the US Congress this
year, before 2016 presidential elections
muddy the waters.
The TPP seeks to meld bilateral
questions of market access for exports
with one-size-fits-all standards on
issues ranging from workers’ rights to
environmental protection and dispute
settlement between governments and
— Reuters
foreign investors.
power dissipation in electricity system
components such as transmission and
distribution lines, transformers, and
measurement systems. Non-technical
losses are caused by actions external to
the power system and consist primarily
of non-payment by customers, errors
in accounting and record-keeping, and
other such factors.
Taking into account technical and
non-technical losses reported in the
Salalah System, supplying Dhofar
Governorate, as well as across the Rural
TURN TO P19
18
omandailyobserver
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
Ooredoo welcomes visitors to Salalah China factory growth unexpectedly stalls
Tourism Festival with inspiring offers
MUSCAT: As part of its continued
efforts to deliver greater value to new and
existing customers, Ooredoo recently
launched an innovative promotion to
enable prepaid users visiting this year’s
Salalah Tourism Festival to share more
of their holiday with friends and family
back home. The Ooredoo Visitor Line
will provide residents and tourists
to the Sultanate with cost efficient,
convenient, and reliable services during
the Khareef season. Prepaid users
signing up to the new Visitor Line will
also get the opportunity to take
advantage of Ooredoo’s ‘More’ packages
to give them great value during their
stay.
This new offer will give tourists in
Oman everything they need to stay
connected with 1GB of data, 60 minutes
talk time, and 60 local and international
SMSs. Customers can enjoy instant
access to apps such as Snapchat,
Whatsapp and Instagram. Tourists
can also benefit from all other existing
prepaid offers, including More Internet,
More International and More Credit,
to give them extra value on data, call
minutes or credit.
Feras al Shaikh, Director of
Consumer Sales at Ooredoo said: “With
more than 1.8 million visitors from
all over the world expected to travel
to Salalah this year, Ooredoo decided
to take the initiative and introduce an
offer tailored to meeting and satisfying
their needs. Keeping the Sultanate’s
guests in touch with loved ones was
our aspiration, which was designed to
provide users with maximum comfort
and convenience during their stay.
This is our way of welcoming them to
Khareef and Oman.”
“Providing our customers with the
highest levels of connectivity is what our
More products are all about; delivering a
competitive package exceptional service
with unrivalled performance and
reliability. This promotion will inspire
users to talk more, connect more, and
share more with family and friends no
matter where they are in the world” said
Feras.
As the main sponsor of the Salalah
Tourism Festival, Ooredoo has
constructed a state-of-the-art two-story
stand at the festival grounds that will
enable them to service twice the amount
of customers from last year. Ooredoo
had also deployed additional 2G, 3G+
and 4G sites in preparation for Khareef
giving visitors superior coverage, high
speed data and voice quality at all times.
For more information visit any of the
31 Ooredoo stores located across the
Sultanate or go to www.ooredoo.om
BUSINESS ALERT
Benefits-packed Toyota pick-ups
MUSCAT: Toyota Pick-ups are the all-time favourites in Oman. Be it the Land
Cruiser pick-up or the Hilux, the name is enough to inspire confidence. Superior
Toyota technology builds in quality, dependability and value for money —
including a high resale value even after years of use.
Now, these trusted Toyota workhorses are made available with the Toyota’s
‘Extra Large Benefits! Extra Large Happiness!’ campaign. A host of modelspecific benefits are building up the Biggest Excitement...
For Land Cruiser Pick-up (LC70) customers, 1000 litres of fuel (petrol or
diesel as applicable) and Registration is being offered as a part of the campaign.
In lieu of the above, customers can choose to avail of a Cash Gift of RO 175.
To every Hilux (4x2) customer, 1st year of Insurance (Oman only) is being
offered as a part of the campaign. In lieu of the above, the customer can choose to
avail of a Cash Gift of RO 300. In the case of the Hilux (4x4), 1,000 litres of fuel
(petrol or diesel as applicable) and Registration is being offered as a part of the
campaign. In lieu of this, customers can choose to avail of a Cash Gift of RO 175.
And there is more... Every Toyota customer gets a Gift Voucher and a chance
to take part in an amazing raffle which has nine units of All-New 2016 Camry
GL Executive as a part of the campaign. This exciting campaign began on June 7,
2015 and will run until August 5, 2015. Benefits are applicable for all purchases
except those made by Government Organisations & Ministries.
Weekly raffle draws have started from June 14 and will be held until August
9, 2015, on all Sundays, except July 19, 2015. Customers will be eligible for
raffle only upon taking delivery of the vehicle during the campaign period after
completing necessary formalities and not against booking.
“The campaign has made the pickups irresistible,” exclaims an enthusiast,
“The question now is... which one to choose…”
Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-up is the vehicle of choice for those who wish to
successfully take on demanding conditions. The Land Cruiser Pick-up not only
looks impressive, it offers legendary quality & reliability... and is built to last.
The Hilux is no less a legend in Oman. With ruggedness that delivers unfailing
all-terrain performance, Hilux has carved out a niche for itself. “It is easy to own,
easy to run and easy to resell — even after years of rough use,” assert its proud
owners.
Allo acquires new vehicle fleet for sales team
ALLO, the market leading International Calling Service from Integrated
Telecommunications Oman SAOC (TeO), recently acquired a fleet of new
vehicles for its sales team. The company decided to purchase 5 Hyundai Velosters
for its sales staff and plans to purchase another 5 cars of the same make for its
expanding sales team. The cars have been specially designed and branded in Allo
colours of purple and blue to give them an iconic look.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening the brand’s presence in the market with
the branded cars as well as rewarding the sales team for their efforts in increasing
BEIJING: Growth at China’s big
manufacturing companies unexpectedly
stalled in July as demand at home and
abroad weakened, an official survey
showed on Saturday, reinforcing views
that the economy needs more stimulus
as it faces fresh risks from a stock
market slump.
The official Purchasing Managers’
Index (PMI) stood at 50.0 in July,
compared to the previous month’s 50.2.
The 50-point mark separates growth
from contraction on a monthly basis.
Analysts polled by Reuters had
predicted another tepid reading of 50.2,
pointing to expansion, albeit a sluggish
one.
However, both export and domestic
orders shrank for the large firms
covered by the survey, and in response
they continued to cut jobs.
It did not mention any impact from a
savage 30 per cent drop in stock markets
since mid-June, though analysts said
wild price swings could hit consumer
and business confidence and investment
decisions, adding pressure on the
already cooling economy.
“It warrants more concrete policy
measures to stabilise the real economy.
Perhaps the funds used to prop
up the share market could be used
to support the real economy,” ANZ
the reach and distribution of Allo products across the Sultanate. The Allo sales
team in their new cars will soon join the entourage of Allo vehicles travelling
across the country on a Roadshow promoting the brand and engaging customers
and participants through various activities.
The management of TeO handed the cars over to the sales team prior to the
Eid holidays as an Eid gift in appreciation of their efforts since the brand’s launch.
Darren Tong, CFO at TeO, commented at the hand-over ceremony: “At TeO, we
believe in supporting our staff with the best tools and equipment, especially our
on-ground staff who work tirelessly to achieve the TeO vision of building the
region’s leading integrated telecommunications company. We have a dynamic,
young Omani sales team who have achieved a great deal in terms of reaching
our distribution and coverage targets over the last many months. These new
vehicles are an initiative from the management to reward and thank them for
their unending support and hard work. We especially selected the Velosters for
this purpose as the cars have a very stylish and fun feel to them that reflects our
brand’s image and are also a hot favourite among Oman’s youth”.
Ali al Maamari, Sales Manager at TeO, expressed his gratitude towards the
management and remarked: “We are delighted at having these sporty vehicles
in our fleet and they will definitely help us in creating brand recognition for
Allo as these cars travel around the country and help us in the sales process. We
have a very young and hard-working sales team at TeO and this gesture from the
management will go a long way towards motivating them to keep performing
well. We are constantly looking for new members to join our team and this is just
one of many examples for potential employees to see how the management at
TeO seeks to reward and encourage our staff members and make TeO an enviable
place to work at”.
Bomberg unveils Bolt-68 Camo,1968 Camo
BOMBERG,
the
popular
Swiss
watch brand known
for
its
notable
and
exceptional
timepieces,
has
produced a line
extension
of
their
best-selling
collection — the
Bolt-68. Launched at
the Basel Fair, Bolt-68
was welcomed with
raving enthusiasm
and soon became
the major collection of Bomberg with its patented bayonet system that turns the
exclusive timepiece into a unique masculine pocket watch.
This summer, Bomberg has proposed a new version of the Bolt-68 — the
Bolt-68 Camo. Inspired by the aesthetics of nature, the Bolt-68 Camo features an
unusual dial and strap imprinted with a camouflage motif. It is available in two
colours, khaki and blue, and truly reflects the masculine and authentic identity of
the timepiece. The sweep-second hand in the centre comes in bright yellow and
is a striking contrast to the camouflage motif of the dial. The watch also features
a round case of gun PVD (stainless steel) with knurling finishing on the sides.
These distinctive elements reinforce the unconventional design of the Bolt-68
Camo.
Like all new Bolt-68 collections, the Bolt-68 Camo too comes with a
medallion and a chain also in gun PVD. Also available in Quartz Chronograph,
the collections are meticulously sculpted as if they were a real piece of art.
The 1968 Camo is the iconic model of Bomberg and represents the roots
of the brand. Symbolizing an era of great change and innovation, the 1968 is
characterised by an atypical and unconventional design.
The camouflage pattern and colours are also proposed in the 1968 collection.
The model features the crown and push buttons located at 12 o’clock position with
an asymmetrical case. It comes in attractive colours like black/grey; blue / beige/
orange.
Dharmesh A Khimji, Managing Director of Mistal, said, “Bomberg is a
newcomer to the highly competitive world of horology and within a very short
span of time it has become a very popular brand. Known for their uncommon
style, muscular design and a classy standout, these collections are sure to receive
an amazing response from watch aficionados in Oman.”
The Bomberg collections are available in Oman through their sole distributors
Mistal. A part of Ajit Khimji Group, Mistal is the ultimate luxury watch and
jewellery boutique in the Sultanate that showcases some of the finest and
luxurious watch brands in the world. Mistal showrooms at Sabco Commercial
Centre, Qurum, and its flagship store at Darsait provide a world-class premium
experience to customers.
Employees work along a production line of a textile factory in Suzhou. — Reuters
economists Li-Gang Liu and Louis Lam
said in a research note.
ANZ maintained its forecast that
the central bank will cut interest rates
by another 25 basis points (bps) this
quarter and reduce banks’ reserve
requirements by 50 bps by year-end.
The government has rolled out a
flurry of steps since last year to try to put
a floor beneath
sputtering
e c o n o m i c
growth, including
accelerating
i n f r a s t r u c tu re
s p e n d i n g
and
repeated
reductions
in
interest rates and banks’ reserve ratio.
But growth is still expected to
moderate this year to around 7 per cent,
the slowest in a quarter of a century.
The statistics bureau said the weaker
reading was partly due to the weather,
as hot temperatures and heavy rain led
some firms to reduce production and
carry out maintenance. — Reuters
Geely sponsors Al Rahla reality
programme on Oman TV
GEELY — the leading
and fast
growing
Chinese automotive
brand in Oman and
the flagship brand
of
Towell
Auto
Centre — sponsored
the
reality
TV
programme — Al
Rahla on Oman TV.
Produced by the
prolific
Lebanese
director
and
producer Bassem Christo, Al Rahla was a Ramadhan special programme that
gained popularity among viewers.
Riyadh Ali Sultan, General Manager, TAC comments: “We were privileged to
be associated with Al Rahla, the flagship programme of Oman TV. It was a reality
competition show in which the participants had to answer general knowledge
questions and the winners were awarded exciting prices. We gave 8 Geely
Emgrand 7 cars as prizes to the winners during the course of this show. We hope
the winners would enjoy their Emgrand 7s. Geely as a brand has established its
credibility with its quality and efficiency and is extremely popular due to its state
of art features and reasonable pricing”.
Geely a Fortune 500 Company are also the owners of international brands like
Volvo Cars, London Taxi, Emerald Automotive and Australia’s DSI transmission
systems. From the design concept to the manufacturing, all Geely models have
been developed in accordance with European standards by European and
Chinese designers.
By bringing the Geely range to the Sultanate, TAC has reinforced its
commitment to provide high-quality products and services to its customers in
Oman. With a network of 11 showrooms, 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets
spread across Oman, TAC is one of the leading automobile distributors in the
region.
Mazda6 and CX-5 earn best-in-segment
accolades in JD Power APEAL survey
THE 2016 Mazda6
and CX-5 have
won the JD Power
APEAL (Automotive
Performance,
Execution
and
Layout) award in
their
respective
segments. The US
based APEAL award
evaluates
vehicles
with a thorough
survey covering what
customers think of their new vehicles after the first 90 days of ownership. The
APEAL respondents express their opinion on automobile’s engine, transmission,
handling, brakes, comfort, cooling, sound system and several other aspects.
A senior spokesperson of Towell Auto Centre (TAC), the sole distributors
of Mazda range of vehicles in Oman, comments: “In the automotive industry,
Mazda6 and CX-5 have been liked for their style and features. But the biggest
achievement for any automotive brand is the praise from the consumers who
purchase and live with the vehicles. In that metric, both the Mazda models have
truly excelled with their new and improved technologies, premium materials and
enhanced style”.
“In Oman, Mazda6 is the #Headturner that has achieved a high degree of
customer satisfaction due to its dynamic performance and pure driving pleasure.
Mazda CX-5 also is a celebrity model full of innovative features and advanced
technology with a global production of 1 million units. Both these models give
their owners full advantages of Mazda’s innovative SKYACTIV technology and
KODO — Soul of Motion design theme”, the spokesperson adds.
With a network of 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman,
TAC is the only Mazda distributor in the world to win the Mazda Customer
Service award five years in a row. With 98.2 per cent parts deliverability, TAC also
offers quick, efficient service with genuine parts available for all models and have
highly trained staff who pride in their quality of service.
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
US wage growth
brakes in Q2
omandailyobserver
19
MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET
0600RQWKO\7UDGLQJ%XOOHWLQ)RU
5HJXODU0DUNHW
6HFXULW\1DPH
,6,1
A woman walks past a “Now Hiring” sign as she leaves the Urban Outfitters store at
Quincy Market in Boston, Massachusetts. — Reuters
WASHINGTON: US labour costs in the
second quarter recorded their smallest
increase in 33 years as workers earned
less in commissions and bonuses, in
what appeared to be a temporary wage
growth setback against the backdrop of
diminishing labour market slack.
The surprisingly smaller rise
reported by the Labour Department on
Friday did little to temper expectations
that the Federal Reserve is set to raise
interest rates later this year.
The job market is fast approaching
full employment.
“Labour market fundamentals are
improving, job openings are at record
highs, and slack on a steady downtrend.
This is precisely how the Fed
will interpret this report, even if the
numbers here are atrocious,” said Eric
Green, chief economist at TD Securities
in New York.
The Employment Cost Index, the
broadest measure of labour costs, edged
up 0.2 per cent in the second quarter,
the Labour Department said.
That was the smallest gain since the
series started in the second quarter of
1982 and followed a 0.7 per cent rise in
the first quarter.
The weakness in compensation was
concentrated in sales, information and
wholesale trade, occupations where
workers are likely to receive incentive
pay. Commissions and bonuses helped
lift worker compensation at the start
of the year. Excluding commissions,
compensation was up 0.6 per cent in
both the first and second quarters,
according to TD Securities.
Economists had forecast the
employment cost index, widely viewed
by policymakers and economists as
one of the better measures of labour
market slack, rising 0.6 per cent in the
second quarter. At 5.3 per cent, the
unemployment rate is close to the 5.0
per cent to 5.2 per cent range that most
Fed officials consider consistent with
full employment.
That tightening of the labour
market, which is expected to eventually
translate into faster wage growth, has
helped to hold consumer sentiment at
lofty levels over the past eight months.
— Reuters
Power firms told to cut system
losses to 9pc by 2017
FROM P17
Areas Electricity Company (RAECO),
covering areas that fall outside of the
MIS and Salalah grids, system losses
amounted to 11.5 per cent of total
units entering electricity systems in
the Sultanate in 2014, representing an
improvement over the losses of 12.7 per
cent recorded in 2013.
Significantly, system losses have been
on the downtrend since 2005, when the
electricity sector was fully restructured.
Losses within the Main Interconnected
System, which accounts for the lion’s
share of consumers in the Sultanate,
declined from a pre-structuring peak of
24.6 per cent in 2004 to 19.1 per cent
in 2009. Last year, technical and nontechnical losses slumped to 11.6 per
cent — the lowest to date.
System losses in the MIS are
projected to ease further to 10.7 per
cent in 2015, with efforts under way
to achieve the regulator’s target of 9
per cent in 2017. The Salalah grid also
posted gains in reducing system losses
to 12.2 per cent in 2014, down from 14.1
per cent in 2013. The best performer
was Rural Areas Electricity Company
(RAECO), which slashed system losses
to 9.2 per cent in 2014, down from 10.8
per cent a year earlier.
System losses represent an economic
loss, which the Authority continues to
successfully address through initiatives
and measures designed to spur
electricity companies into optimising
the efficiency of transmission,
distribution and supply.
Greek stock market
to reopen tomorrow
ATHENS: Senior EU-IMF auditors
held their first meetings with Greek
ministers to finalise a new three-year
bailout as the Athens stock market
prepares to reopen after being shut
down for over a month by the debt
crisis.
Greece’s main stock exchange in
Athens will resume operations on
Monday that were halted on June 26
as the crisis-hit government imposed
capital controls, a finance ministry
source said.
And as the bailout talks got under
way, the International Monetary Fund
set its terms saying it would only join
a “comprehensive” financial rescue
programme that included debt relief
and economic reforms.
“In order to ensure medium-term
sustainability, there is a need for difficult
decisions on both sides... difficult
decisions in Greece regarding reforms,
and difficult decisions among Greece’s
European partners about debt relief,” a
9ROXPH
senior IMF official said.
The European Union agreed that
this position was “fully compatible”
with its own agenda on a Greek bailout
that could be worth up to 86 billion
euros ($94 billion).
The EU aims to conclude
negotiations for a third bailout “with
the expertise of the IMF, and then to
consider debt measures later in the
year,” said European Commission
spokeswoman Mina Andreeva. — AFP
7UDGHV
+LJK
/RZ
&ORVH
3U
3UHY
&ORVH
'LII
'LII
25
/DVW
3U
/DVW
2IIHU
/DVW%LG
6HFXULW\&DS
3DU
9DOXH
OM0000002440
AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING
6,052,315
867,842
453
0.159
0.124
0.148
0.121
22.314
0.027
0.148
0.145
0.136
13,320,000
0.100
OM0000002028
GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS
5,433,362
1,454,222
401
0.278
0.232
0.268
0.230
16.522
0.038
0.267
0.270
0.267
5,628,000
0.100
OM0000004925
AL BATINAH POWER
3,368,963
722,436
215
0.230
0.197
0.230
0.198
16.162
0.032
0.230
0.230
0.225
155,224,109
0.100
OM0000004933
AL SUWADI POWER
3,225,009
682,946
176
0.230
0.196
0.230
0.198
16.162
0.032
0.230
0.230
0.225
164,313,458
0.100
OM0000001772
AL ANWAR HOLDING
55,192,383
12,581,867
3,030
0.243
0.196
0.224
0.200
12.000
0.024
0.225
0.225
0.224
33,616,800
0.100
OM0000003398
BANK SOHAR
12,494,590
2,460,852
314
0.206
0.185
0.206
0.185
11.351
0.021
0.206
0.210
0.206
296,936,640
0.100
OM0000003661
VOLTAMP ENERGY
398,256
178,983
95
0.480
0.410
0.470
0.430
9.302
0.040
0.442
0.470
0.442
28,435,000
0.100
OM0000001087
OMAN UNITED INSURANCE
7,051,325
2,216,743
460
0.324
0.260
0.312
0.289
7.958
0.023
0.318
0.318
0.316
31,200,000
0.100
OM0000001483
NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN
3,113,172
1,060,940
141
0.360
0.332
0.358
0.336
6.548
0.022
0.346
0.356
0.346
479,974,270
0.100
OM0000004768
AL MADINA TAKAFUL
3,701,661
348,456
278
0.098
0.087
0.093
0.088
5.682
0.005
0.093
0.093
0.092
16,275,000
0.100
OM0000004669
SHARQIYAH DESALINATION
7,182
27,593
10
3.930
3.700
3.930
3.750
4.800
0.180
3.930
4.050
3.900
38,436,249
1.000
OM0000003968
OOREDOO
4,541,357
3,554,857
411
0.812
0.760
0.804
0.772
4.145
0.032
0.804
0.804
0.800
523,359,161
0.100
OM0000004248
SMN POWER HOLDING
26,310
19,162
4
0.732
0.704
0.728
0.704
3.409
0.024
0.732
0.772
0.728
145,334,717
0.100
OM0000002648
NATIONAL FINANCE
121,556
18,393
2
0.152
0.148
0.152
0.149
2.013
0.003
0.152
0.160
0.145
40,010,734
0.100
OM0000001160
NATIONAL GAS
2,121,308
790,806
258
0.394
0.350
0.360
0.354
1.695
0.006
0.360
0.360
0.358
18,000,000
0.100
OM0000002366
AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING
2,734,049
348,789
242
0.135
0.119
0.122
0.120
1.667
0.002
0.122
0.121
0.117
3,660,000
0.100
OM0000003026
OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION
2,059,974
3,591,731
446
1.760
1.725
1.760
1.735
1.441
0.025
1.760
1.760
1.750
1,320,000,000
0.100
OM0000002200
AHLI BANK
4,046,078
828,119
41
0.224
0.200
0.218
0.215
1.395
0.003
0.218
0.218
0.203
310,657,879
0.100
OM0000001533
OMINVEST
1,028,331
493,663
13
0.496
0.480
0.484
0.480
0.833
0.004
0.488
0.000
0.488
179,281,973
0.100
OM0000001517
HSBC BANK OMAN
2,981,619
403,844
49
0.138
0.132
0.134
0.133
0.752
0.001
0.134
0.134
0.131
268,041,914
0.100
OM0000002796
BANK MUSCAT
16,311,884
9,159,712
743
0.582
0.550
0.554
0.550
0.727
0.004
0.554
0.554
0.552
1,269,669,719
0.100
OM0000001707
OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY
464,385
1,064,720
46
2.300
2.270
2.280
2.270
0.441
0.010
2.290
2.320
2.300
204,516,000
0.100
OM0000005005
ALMAHA CERAMICS
284,265
158,660
214
0.566
0.548
0.560
0.558
0.358
0.002
0.560
0.562
0.560
29,400,000
0.100
OM0000002549
BANK DHOFAR
417,766
116,783
20
0.283
0.270
0.281
0.280
0.357
0.001
0.270
0.280
0.253
434,068,721
0.100
OM0000001095
DHOFAR INSURANCE
0
0
0
0.210
0.210
0.210
0.210
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
42,000,000
0.100
OM0000001822
UNITED POWER
17,490
27,255
14
1.570
1.555
1.560
1.560
0.000
0.000
1.560
1.715
1.500
3,120,000
1.000
14,504
21,683
4
1.495
1.495
1.495
1.495
0.000
0.000
1.495
0.000
1.470
72,003,781
0.100
0
0
0
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
3,000,000
1.000
0.100
OM0000001889
SALALAH MILLS
OM0000002143
UNITED POWER-PREF SHARES
OM0000002275
SHELL OMAN MARKETING
527,970
1,055,940
6
2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
0.000
0.000
2.000
2.050
1.950
190,000,000
OM0000002341
OMAN CHLORINE
0
0
0
0.530
0.530
0.530
0.530
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.530
0.000
34,376,133
0.100
OM0000002374
UNITED FINANCE
717,546
105,685
38
0.150
0.145
0.146
0.146
0.000
0.000
0.147
0.147
0.143
45,371,681
0.100
OM0000002523
AL JAZEERA SERVICES PREF SHARE
0
0
0
0.550
0.550
0.550
0.550
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
27,782,093
0.100
OM0000002572
OMAN OIL MARKETING
0
0
0
2.230
2.230
2.230
2.230
0.000
0.000
0.000
2.230
0.000
136,643,250
0.100
OM0000002614
ONIC. HOLDING
284,340
136,479
30
0.480
0.476
0.480
0.480
0.000
0.000
0.480
0.480
0.440
83,243,160
0.100
OM0000002804
ASAFFA FOODS
362,163
311,460
3
0.860
0.860
0.860
0.860
0.000
0.000
0.860
0.000
0.776
103,200,000
0.100
OM0000002846
GULF INV. SER. PREF SHARES
0
0
0
0.115
0.115
0.115
0.115
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.126
0.000
10,509,940
0.100
OM0000003125
GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT
0
0
0
0.119
0.119
0.119
0.119
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.125
0.110
23,800,000
0.100
OM0000003539
GALFAR ENGINEERING-PREFERED.S
0
0
0
0.394
0.394
0.394
0.394
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
49,342,590
0.100
OM0000003711
SOHAR POWER
9,930
3,688
11
0.380
0.342
0.380
0.380
0.000
0.000
0.342
0.376
0.000
83,983,800
0.100
OM0000001509
DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD.
21,313
10,001
10
0.470
0.462
0.470
0.472
-0.424
-0.002
0.470
0.470
0.454
115,808,000
0.100
OM0000003000
ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR.
88,270
189,127
15
2.195
2.100
2.175
2.190
-0.685
-0.015
2.175
2.300
0.000
150,075,000
0.100
OM0000003224
RENAISSANCE SERVICES
1,735,463
487,409
183
0.289
0.274
0.278
0.280
-0.714
-0.002
0.278
0.280
0.278
78,422,258
0.100
OM0000003521
GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON.
11,118,655
1,434,880
705
0.137
0.119
0.121
0.122
-0.820
-0.001
0.121
0.121
0.120
35,087,657
0.100
OM0000003141
ACWA POWER BARKA
266,509
222,220
5
0.840
0.832
0.832
0.840
-0.952
-0.008
0.832
0.000
0.832
133,120,000
0.100
OM0000001418
RAYSUT CEMENT
84,463
126,756
33
1.520
1.480
1.500
1.520
-1.316
-0.020
1.480
1.500
1.460
300,000,000
0.100
OM0000003281
TAAGEER FINANCE
27,438
4,004
9
0.146
0.144
0.146
0.148
-1.351
-0.002
0.146
0.155
0.146
37,024,140
0.100
OM0000001749
OMAN CEMENT
1,452,272
757,272
42
0.524
0.512
0.520
0.528
-1.515
-0.008
0.520
0.520
0.514
172,053,809
0.100
OM0000002226
AL JAZEERA SERVICES
OM0000001681
OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING
OM0000001319
NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS
187,340
51,842
23
0.282
0.270
0.270
0.280
-3.571
-0.010
0.270
0.270
0.265
9,064,292
0.100
OM0000002820
GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES
5,413,512
762,983
303
0.146
0.130
0.131
0.136
-3.676
-0.005
0.133
0.134
0.133
7,708,461
0.100
OM0000002176
AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS
2,565,858
603,343
114
0.240
0.230
0.230
0.240
-4.167
-0.010
0.230
0.230
0.225
28,726,531
0.100
OM0000004735
SEMBCORP SALALAH
14,848
36,977
16
2.570
2.450
2.450
2.580
-5.039
-0.130
2.450
2.520
2.460
233,870,128
1.000
OM0000001962
AL MADINA INVESTMENT
2,915,357
202,390
221
0.075
0.066
0.067
0.071
-5.634
-0.004
0.067
0.068
0.067
13,879,143
0.100
OM0000002168
AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES
3,251,799
1,330,225
151
0.424
0.404
0.404
0.430
-6.047
-0.026
0.404
0.404
0.400
119,670,328
0.100
OM0000001525
OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE
4,496,810
969,104
368
0.225
0.206
0.216
0.236
-8.475
-0.020
0.213
0.216
0.213
43,200,000
0.100
OM0000001145
PORT SERVICES CORPORATION
278,055
54,130
43
0.205
0.184
0.190
0.215
-11.628
-0.025
0.190
0.190
0.186
18,057,600
0.100
&ORVH
3U
3UHY
&ORVH
6XP
315,185
115,057
30
0.370
0.364
0.364
0.370
-1.622
-0.006
0.364
0.364
0.360
22,278,355
0.100
18,178,783
2,200,782
619
0.125
0.111
0.112
0.116
-3.448
-0.004
0.112
0.114
0.112
13,650,000
0.100
7KLUG0DUNHW
6HFXULW\1DPH
,6,1
9ROXPH
7XUQRYHU
7UDGHV
+LJK
/RZ
'LII
'LII
25
/DVW
3U
/DVW
2IIHU
/DVW%LG
6HFXULW\&DS
3DU
9DOXH
OM0000001459
AL-OULA COMPANY
0
0
0
0.530
0.530
0.530
0.530
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
2,703,000
1.000
OM0000001814
OMAN INT. MARKETING
0
0
0
0.518
0.518
0.518
0.518
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
259,000
1.000
OM0000002010
OMAN FOODS INTERNATIONAL
0
0
0
0.476
0.476
0.476
0.476
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.476
0.000
952,000
1.000
OM0000002119
DHOFAR FISHERIES AND FOOD IND.
0
0
0
1.280
1.280
1.280
1.280
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
3,251,200
1.000
OM0000002192
OMANI EURO FOODS INDUSTRIES
0
0
0
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
2,000,000
1.000
OM0000002259
ABRASIVES MANUFACTURING
0
0
0
0.050
0.050
0.050
0.050
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
50,000
1.000
/RZ
&ORVH
3U
3UHY
&ORVH
'LII
'LII
25
/DVW
3U
/DVW
2IIHU
/DVW%LG
6HFXULW\&DS
3DU
9DOXH
6XP
%RQGV0DUNHW
6HFXULW\1DPH
,6,1
OM0000004602
BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5
OM0000000485
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 37 TH
9ROXPH
7XUQRYHU
7UDGHV
+LJK
903,152
97,880
14
0.110
0.102
0.110
0.108
1.852
0.002
0.108
0.110
0.106
33,302,402
0.100
0
0
0
100.000
100.000
100.000
100.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
100,000,000
100.000
OM0000000535
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 39TH
0
0
0
100.000
100.000
100.000
100.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
150,000,000
100.000
OM0000000543
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 40TH
0
0
0
113.800
113.800
113.800
113.800
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
113,800,000
100.000
100.000
OM0000000550
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 41 ST
0
0
0
100.000
100.000
100.000
100.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
100,000,000
OM0000000568
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 42 ED
0
0
0
100.000
100.000
100.000
100.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
80,000,000
100.000
OM0000000576
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 43 RD
0
0
0
103.670
103.670
103.670
103.670
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
103,670,000
100.000
OM0000000584
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 44 TH
0
0
0
104.885
104.885
104.885
104.885
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
104,885,000
100.000
OM0000000592
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 45 TH
0
0
0
104.195
104.195
104.195
104.195
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
208,390,000
100.000
OM0000000600
GOVERNMENT BONDS ISSUE 46 TH
OM0000003810
BANK MUSCAT SUBORDINATED BONDS
OM0000004016
0
0
0
100.000
100.000
100.000
100.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
200,000,000
100.000
101,900
106,995
2
1.050
1.050
1.050
1.050
0.000
0.000
1.050
1.055
0.000
78,750,000
1.000
AHLI BANK UNSECURED.SUB. BONDS
0
0
0
1.065
1.065
1.065
1.065
0.000
0.000
0.000
1.065
0.000
37,275,000
1.000
OM0000004396
AL OMANIYA FIN.SER .BONDS 4
0
0
0
0.103
0.103
0.103
0.103
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
4,120,000
0.100
OM0000004487
RENAISSANCE SERVICES BONDS3.75
1,014,668
147,125
10
0.145
0.144
0.145
0.145
0.000
0.000
0.145
0.160
0.000
61,355,543
0.100
OM0000004610
MUSCAT FINANCE BONDS 4.5
0
0
0
1.010
1.010
1.010
1.010
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
7,070,000
1.000
OM0000004982
AL OMANIYA FIN. CONV. BONDS 5
0
0
0
0.100
0.100
0.100
0.100
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
1,674,802
0.100
OM0000005955
AL OMANIYA FIN. CONV. BONDS 6
OM0000004867
BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5
OM0000005971
B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5
OM0000004628
BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5
6XP
People walk through the lobby of the
Athens Stock Exchange in Athens. — AFP
7XUQRYHU
0
0
0
0.100
0.100
0.100
0.100
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
1,837,430
0.100
222,376
22,643
21
0.105
0.101
0.101
0.102
-0.980
-0.001
0.101
0.102
0.101
32,283,910
0.100
9,983,539
986,826
95
0.099
0.095
0.098
0.099
-1.010
-0.001
0.098
0.100
0.098
31,767,838
0.100
32,248
2,337
8
0.102
0.070
0.071
0.103
-31.068
-0.032
0.091
0.102
0.091
5,076,500
0.100
0RQWKO\6XPPDU\
7UDGHG9ROXPH
7RWDO7XUQRYHU
7UDGHV
0DUNHW&DS
6HF7UDGHG
8S
'RZQ
(TXDO
313,497,658
72,095,740
18,215
15,197,495,827
73
33
24
16
'LII
'LII
*URXS
%X\
9ROXPH
%X\
9DOXH
6HOO
9ROXPH
6HOO
9DOXH
,QGHFLHV
1DWLRQDOLWLHV7UDGLQJ
,QGH[
+LJK
/RZ
9DOXH
3UHY
9DOXH
MSM30 Index
6,593.470
6,402.540
6,558.180
6,424.600
133.58
2.08 %
OMANIS
79.86 %
75.45 %
83.55 %
78.95 %
Financial Index
8,169.430
7,729.170
8,021.050
7,740.250
280.80
3.63 %
GCC
10.83 %
10.17 %
6.32 %
8.28 %
Industrial Index
8,406.750
8,276.090
8,292.770
8,329.730
-36.96
-0.44 %
ARABS
2.46 %
1.72 %
2.16 %
1.81 %
Services Index
3,543.960
3,435.190
3,525.420
3,468.000
57.42
1.66 %
OTHERS
6.82 %
12.59 %
7.94 %
10.95 %
MSM SHARIAH INDEX
994.300
985.170
993.370
992.570
0.80
0.08 %
20
ONLINE
omandailyobserver
PERSPECTIVE
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
SHOPPING
In rural China, shoppers go online with a little help
“We don’t know when our
rural e-commerce operations
will become profitable, but
there’s value in what we’re
doing, there’s consumer
demand.”
C
heng Yonghao left
his village in central
Henan
province
almost 20 years ago,
not expecting to
return.
He’s now back home, and this week
opened a village store to help locals shop
online.
Cheng is just one of an army of local
recruits who are part of Alibaba Group’s
big bet on rural e-commerce as China’s
Internet giants invest billions in outpost
service hubs to tap a market twice the
size of the United States.
E-commerce
growth
in
the
countryside now outpaces that in major
cities, though fewer than one tenth
of online purchases made on Alibaba
platforms were shipped to rural areas in
the first quarter of this year.
Alibaba estimates the potential
market at 460 billion yuan ($74 billion)
by next year. Rival JD.com also says that
developing rural e-commerce is a key
strategy this year.
While the rewards are enticing, few
are making money yet.
“We don’t know when our rural
e-commerce operations will become
profitable, but there’s value in what we’re
doing, there’s consumer demand,” Gao
Hongbing, director of Alibaba’s research
arm, told reporters earlier this month.
TRAIN THE TRAINER: Before it
can reap the rewards, Alibaba is having
to teach a rural population - which tends
to be older, poorer and less comfortable
with technology — how to browse and
buy. That’s where Cheng and the others
come in.
Alibaba has been on a recruitment
A customer shops at an Alibaba rural service centre in Jinjia village, Tonglu, Zhejiang province, China. E-commerce growth in the countryside now outpaces that in major
cities, though fewer than one tenth of online purchases made on Alibaba platforms were shipped to rural areas in the first quarter of this year.
— Reuters
drive to find and train local ‘partners’,
who set up service centres in their home
villages, helping locals shop online.
Partners — mostly younger, educated,
and more familiar with navigating
websites like Taobao, Alibaba’s online
emporium — go through a written
exam, computer test and interview.
More than 1,000 applied for one
batch of 50 jobs, said one applicant from
Henan. Training takes place at local
government business offices over 2-3
days in groups of around four dozen.
Trainees are asked about their
aspirations and how they can reach their
potential.
“My dreams aren’t that big,” said
Cheng, 29. ‘‘I just want to live in the
countryside and give back to the people
there so they can have the same quality
of life as people in cities.”
Having some of its surplus of
university graduates return to the
countryside also fits government policy
for developing the rural economy.
“Some are university students, others
have spent a couple of years working
in cities and want to come home, some
have been working in the village all
along,” said Xing Guanjie, who trained
with Cheng. ‘‘You’ve got all kinds, but
almost everyone is between 20 and 35
years old.”
ACQUISITION
Training also covers Alibaba’s
corporate values and history; how to
choose where to set up shop, open a
Taobao account, operate at village level,
and match products to consumers.
“There’s pressure for us to go out and
promote the company,” said Zhu Ling,
25, who runs a service centre in Zhejiang
province. ‘‘But it’s difficult as I know
most people here and they’re sceptical
of my motives.” Alibaba declined to say
how many partners it has trained, but it
has said it plans more than 100,000 rural
service centres.
SHIFTING LANDSCAPE: There
are signs the rural retail landscape is
shifting.
“I’m planning on retiring early, it’s
getting too tough to do business here,”
said Chen Tiehua, 45, who runs a lighting
store in Zhejiang’s Tonglu county. ‘‘A lot
of my friends who run small businesses
face the same problem: we can’t compete
against e-commerce.”
A half-hour’s drive away, villagers
in Yuzhao fetch packages and check on
orders at a Taobao service centre — little
more than a dusty computer and wallmounted TV in a corner of the village
general store.
“I tell people to buy whatever’s
ranked highest in terms of sales,” said
Zhu, scrolling through recent orders that
include a child’s bike, underwear, phone
data packages, industrial gloves and a
tent. ‘‘They often just want to buy the
cheapest, but I tell them not to,” she said,
adding some villagers worry that online
shopping is a scam or that products
ordered online won’t be as good as those
bought in the store.
Zhu said she makes around 1,000
yuan ($161) from Taobao sales each
month.
— Reuters
FINANCIAL MUSCLE
Failed FT bid shows Axel Springer caught Nokia’s result ‘far
between tradition and ambition
above expectations’
A
xel Springer’s failure
to clinch a deal to buy
the Financial Times
lengthens a line of
setbacks in a decadeold quest by Germany’s biggest news
publisher to expand abroad.
Once again, cautious bidding
practices cost it the prize, revealing a
complex dynamic within the familycontrolled company, which is best
known for its Bild tabloid but which
calls itself a digital powerhouse with
international potential.
The last-minute loss to Japan’s Nikkei
of a newspaper Axel Springer had
coveted for years was clearly a blow to
its management, but for some investors
it was a relief, and not just in hindsight.
“Worse than not expanding
internationally would be Springer
overpaying for an asset,” one top
10 investor said. “In that respect,
shareholders gave a clear signal last
week.”
Axel Springer shares dropped two
per cent on reports it was bidding for the
FT, but recovered that loss and ended
the day higher after the company said it
would not buy it last Thursday.
Japan’s Nikkei bought the premier
business newspaper for $1.3 billion
(1.18 billion euros) from Pearson, just
100 million euros more than Springer
was prepared to spend, according to a
person familiar with the talks.
The company declined to comment.
Springer CEO Mathias Doepfner,
a former journalist at Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung and editor-in-chief
at Die Welt, had long expressed the wish
to buy a big English-language title.
Two people familiar with the talks
said ultimately, the price was too high for
a company with a market capitalisation
of 5 billion euros, a conservative bidding
strategy and aversion to debt.
Financial prudence has been key ever
since Doepfner was appointed in 2002
by Friede Springer, widow of founder
Axel who built the company in West
Berlin soon after World War Two.
“Doepfner doesn’t do anything he has
not first calculated, so he was reluctant
to counter the higher bid,” one person
F
familiar with the talks said.
FAMILY TIES: The 72-year-old
Friede is a hands-on shareholder and
vice-chair of the supervisory board,
who sees it as her task to protect the
legacy of her late husband, according
to German media, and is very close to
Doepfner.
Their relationship is described by
some Axel Springer insiders as like
mother and son.
In 2012, she gave Springer shares
worth almost 74 million euros ($82
million) to Doepfner, at the time 2 per
cent of all outstanding shares.
Doepfner now owns 3.1 per cent of
the firm.
Friede’s involvement dates back to
the 1980s, when she inherited about a
quarter of Axel Springer shares.
The Springer family’s former nanny
who had become the publisher’s fifth
wife had to fight her corner with other,
German media elite shareholders
including mogul Leo Kirch and the
Burda family.
After buying out other shareholders
and taking control of the publisher,
Friede vowed she would never put
herself in such a position again, a former
Cautious bidding practices
cost it the prize, revealing a
complex dynamic within the
family-controlled company,
which is best known for its
Bild tabloid but which calls
itself a digital powerhouse
with international potential.
Axel Springer worker said.
When Doepfner took over, he had
three key strategies: first bring the
company back on track after years
of internal unrest and operational
setbacks, then make the transition from
print to digital and after that expand
internationally.
But flirtations with global media
brands have so far remained just that.
Last year, Springer walked away from
buying US publisher Forbes, which was
sold to an Asian investor consortium
in a deal that valued the prestigious
company at $475 million.
A decade ago, it looked at British
titles the Daily Telegraph or the Daily
Express but soon backed out.
Earlier this month Springer was
reported to be discussing a possible
tie-up with German broadcaster
ProSiebenSat.1, which is about twice the
size of Axel Springer.
But a day later Springer issued a
statement saying Friede would not
give up control, and on Wednesday,
ProSiebenSat.1 and Axel Springer
announced a project for digital startups but said they had no further tie-up
plans.
Springer shares rose 1.5 per cent and
those of ProSiebenSat.1 were up 1.9
per cent, outperforming a 0.2 per cent
weaker German midcap index and very
close to the high they hit when news of
the tie-up broke.
Instead of buying a trophy title, Axel
Springer has taken stakes in financial
blog Business Insider and US youth news
site Mic.com, and is a co-owner of the
European edition of Politico.
In the first quarter, such digital
products, especially classified ads,
accounted for more than 60 per cent
of company sales and almost threequarters of core profit.
— Reuters
innish telecom group Nokia reported on Thursday that its
network equipment business had significantly improved sales
and profitability in the second quarter, sending its share price
soaring more than seven per cent.
The company reported group sales increased nine per cent compared
with the same period last year, to 3.2 billion euros ($3.5 billion).
“I am particularly pleased by Nokia Networks, which rebounded
dramatically from its tough start to the year,” Nokia’s Chief Executive
Rajeev Suri said in a media conference call.
The group’s second quarter attributable net profit was down to 347
million euros, compared with 2.5 billion euros last year, the drop resulting
from discontinued operations. Nokia’s Devices and Services unit — the
unprofitable handset business — whose sale to Microsoft in 2013 was
finalised in April 2014, contributed
to net profit in the second quarter
2014.
Operating profit meanwhile
almost doubled to 508 million euros
in Q2, compared with 284 million
euros last year. “The result was very
solid, far above my expectations.
Particularly positive was that the
profit margins of the network
business recovered back to good
levels after a weak first quarter,”
analyst Mikael Rautanen of Finnish
equity research firm Inderes said.
Despite
recent
media
speculation of German carmakers
seeking to acquire Nokia’s HERE
unit for its mapping and location
system activities, the company did An outside view of Finnish telecom
group Nokia headquarters in Espoo,
not reveal any details of ongoing
Finland. — AFP
negotiations.
“I would like to reiterate that our
goal is to find the best possible solution for Nokia and its shareholders,
and for HERE and its employees and customers,” Suri said.
Rautanen estimates that while HERE’s share of Nokia’s profits is
relatively small, the sale would have a positive impact on Nokia’s balance
sheet.
“It would boost the company’s financial muscles so to speak,” he said.
In mid-April Nokia struck a 15.6 billion euro deal to buy its rival AlcatelLucent to create the world’s biggest supplier of mobile phone network
equipment. Suri said on Thursday Nokia expects to finalise the deal in
the first half of 2016.
“Both of our companies are cooperating with all remaining authorities
to close the deal as quickly as possible,” he said. In Paris on Thursday,
Alcatel-Lucent announced it had reduced its second quarter losses to 54
million euros compared with 298 million during the same period last year.
“As for the future, much depends on how the merger with AlcatelLucent pulls off. How do they manage to merge the different organisations
and cultures, how the clients and the employees will react,” Rautanen
added.
— AFP
TECHNOLOGY
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
CAMERA
omandailyobserver
AVIATION
Nokia reveals Ozo, a futuristic new
camera, for filming virtual reality
FINNISH telecoms equipment maker Nokia
unveiled last week its new virtual-reality camera for
professional film-makers and content creators.
“We’re thrilled to introduce Ozo to the content
creation world, and to define a completely new
category of virtual reality capture and playback
solutions,” Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia
Technologies, said in a statement.
The ball-shaped gadget captures 3D footage for
content creation for devices such as the increasingly
popular headsets that let users immerse themselves
in virtual games.
Nokia was the world’s top mobile phone maker
between 1998 and 2011 but, after failing to respond
to the rapid rise of smartphones, the Finnish
company sold its handset unit to Microsoft in 2014.
Since then the company has concentrated on its
network infrastructure business.
Now Nokia Technologies, the company’s
advanced technology and licensing business, is
eying a comeback to devices with its new camera.
But in mid-July the company announced it was
looking at reentering the mobile phone market by
striking a licensing deal with another firm by the
end of 2016.
Nokia said the Ozo camera has eight
synchronised sensors and will capture spatial audio
through eight integrated microphones.
The device is being developed at the company’-s
facilities in Tampere, Finland. Nokia said the
camera will be manufactured in Finland, without
specifying where. The first cameras could be rolled
out by the end of the year.
GADGET
Lumos smart bicycle helmet boasts brake lights
BIKING at night, especially on roads, can be
downright dangerous. Every year, more than 49,000
cyclists are seriously injured in the United States
alone — a large number of them as a result of a
collision with a motorist. And although there have
been several innovations geared towards making
riding in the dark safer, a new helmet from one
Boston-based startup may be the most clever yet.
As a way to draw the attention of traffic, Lumos is
equipped with wirelessly-controlled turn signal
indicators and brake lights that automatically
illuminate as speed is decreased.
The front of the helmet is equipped with series of
14 ultra-bright white LEDs, enabling them to be seen
much more clearly than typical bike-mounted units.
What’s more, 16 red LED are arranged in the back to
form a triangle — a commonly used warning symbol
on the road. An accelerometer embedded inside the
helmet is able to detect whenever a cyclist is braking,
which instantly turns the rear triangle solid and
intensifies in brightness, just like a car.
Turn signals work a little different. Instead of
raising an arm for a manual and hard-to-see hand
signal, the way that many drivers do during the
night, Lumos displays left and right turn signals via a
wireless remote attached to the bicycle’s handle bars.
The water-resistant helmet is currently available in
two colours — charcoal black and pearl white —
and comes with an integrated battery, which can be
recharged via micro-USB.
Amazon plans drone
superhighway in the sky
WHILE US regulations are extremely limiting for Amazon’s hopes to
use drones to deliver packages in the future, the company has begun
laying out its plans for how drones will be used.
The blueprint for an air-traffic system will essentially see zones in
which drones would be allowed to operate. The drones would have to
fly at low altitude and must agree to be tracked.
The proposal by Amazon is very similar to ideas offered by
Google and Nasa itself. The plans essentially show a ‘superhighway’
for drones in the sky, in which all drones would have to fly different
altitudes depending on their speed and would all have the ability to
communicate and avoid other drones in the sky.
The fast lane for drones would be between 200 and 400 feet above
ground, and this would be reserved for quick-moving drones going
long distances. Under 200 feet would be designated for slower, local
drones. There would also be
‘no fly zones,’ which would
be above 400 feet and
anywhere near airports.
While some commercial
drone operators have
pushed for the ability to fly
larger UAVs above 400 feet,
Amazon is not entertaining
that idea for now.
The team at Nasa is heading up the effort to create a drone airtraffic system, currently being called Unmanned Aerial System Traffic
Management. Over 100 companies have said they would like to take
part in Nasa’s efforts, and around 14 companies have even signed
agreements to partner with the agency. These companies include the
likes of Google, Amazon and Verizon.
According to Amazon, drones need to have the equivalent of flight
plans and be able to communicate with each other in order to avoid
collisions with each other and with traditional aircraft.
Commercial aircraft have a central command centre governed
by the Federal Aviation Administration, and according to Amazon’s
vision for the future, drones would have a similar control network.
Drones would also be able to communicate with each other to avoid
collision. Access to layers of the traffic system would be offered based
on the drone’s ability to communicate with the drone’s pilot, the
control network and other drones.
‘Everyone can have access to the airspace,’ said Amazon Prime Air
head Gur Kimchi in an interview with The Verge. ‘It doesn’t matter if
you’re a hobbyist or a corporation. If you’ve got the right equipment,
you can fly.’ This communication would also help drones be able to
get out of the way of larger aircraft.
AUTOMOBILE
Mazda launches all-new
2016 MX-5 Miata
Mazda has finally launched its first shipment of the all-new 2016 Mazda MX-5
Miata two-seater roadsters, a highly-anticipated vehicle that is the fourth
generation in its product line. The 2016 MX-5 offers three models for customers
to choose from; the Sport model with a starting price of $24,915; the Club model
with a starting price of $28,600; and the Grand Touring model with a starting
price of $30,065. While the Grand Touring Model would be the most compliant
one for long-distance trips, the Club model would be a better fit for drivers
looking to throw the 2016 MX-5 into corners, according to SlashGear. The Club
model is also the only model that offers a $3,400 Club Brembo/BBS Package,
which dresses up the 2016 MX-5 with Brembo-made front brakes, 17-inch dark
alloy wheels by BBS, extensions to the side sill and a rear bumper skirt.
SMARTPHONE
OnePlus unveils the OnePlus 2, featuring Snapdragon 810
ONEPLUS has taken the wraps off of the
OnePlus 2, the highly anticipated successor
to the OnePlus One smartphone.
The device is aptly being hailed as the
‘lagship killer,’ offering specs that might be
found on any flagship device for a much
lower cost.
The device was launched through a
specially designed virtual reality app,
allowing users to experience the launch of
the OnePlus 2 through Google Cardboard or
21
another smartphone virtual reality headset.
The OnePlus 2 is exactly what users
would expect from an upgraded version of
the OnePlus One. It features the same basic
design as its predecessor, however it takes
things to the next level with things like an
updated processor. While the OnePlus One
featured a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801,
OnePlus is offering Qualcomm’s flagship
64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor in the
OnePlus 2. Coupled with a huge 4GB of
RAM, the OnePlus 2 is a real powerhouse
of a smartphone, and should have plenty of
gusto for the power users among us.
Apart from processing, the device
includes an updated battery, coming in at
3,300 mAh, compared to the One’s 3,100
mAh battery. While the battery is better, the
display has remained the same, at 1,080p.
This, however, means that a bigger battery
will translate into a longer battery life rather
than the ability to power a better display.
The camera has also been improved
in the new device. While it offers a 13MP
sensor, like the One, it adds optical
image stabilisation, or OIS, which should
significantly reduce blurriness.
Interestingly enough, OnePlus has opted
to give the OnePlus 2 a USB-C port rather
than a micro-USB port. This is the new
USB standard, and allows users to plug in
their cable without having to worry about
rotation.
22
LEISURE/CLASSIFIEDS
omandailyobserver
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
For Sale
USED portacabin (5
Nos) for sale. Interested
parties may contact Mr
Arif on GSM No
99259157/ 92332088 at
NTS Ghala Camp for
inspection. Sealed offers
should be submitted on
or before 17.03.2015.
DELUXE fast food
restaurant in Prime
location in Muscat.
99363883.
·····
RESIDENTIAL
commercial plot at
Seeb Souq (first line on
the main road) area
·····
309m2 No. 157, open
RESIDENTIAL land in Al
corner from four sides.
Hajir - Wilayat Al Amerat
Permit for ground
- square (3) plot No. (219),
floor + 3 levels +
area of 600 square metre
penthouse. Final Price
price RO 6800.
280,000 OMR (approx.
94056332/ 24702522.
900 OMR per metre).
·····
94056332/
24702522.
RESIDENTIAL land in
Lost
MUHAMMAD Farhan
has lost Pakistani
passport No KH229807.
Finder please handover
to ROP.
····
JAMAL has lost
Bangladeshi passport
No B1601229. Finder
please handover
to ROP.
····
1
6
9
10
11
12
13
15
17
18
19
20
22
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
In general, hungrily eat a piece
of meat (5)
Works in an art medium at the
West End (5)
It’s unchangeably spotted (7)
On which to rest various tools
(5)
‘Enry’s dropped it! (5)
As a thinker, Brian’s confused (5)
Consume drink for sustenance
(7)
Teacher is backed to the bitter
end (3)
Be devout, please (4)
Princely place for a motor race
(6)
Rosie’s willowy form (5)
With their monkey tricks,
they’re mostly little devils! (6)
Girl’s name for a river (4)
He’s taken to be thankless! (3)
Soluble in pairs? (7)
Emphatically cheerful (5)
Puce jumpers (5)
Agreement to entitlement (5)
Misled by a courtly lord, indeed!
(7)
Shots at goal? (5)
The elegance one is in the
position to show (5)
DOWN
2 Travelling around in company
with players? (2,4)
3 Is such a disk apt to fail? (6)
4 In some elections, one can be
caught (3)
5 Wear for fun? (5)
6 He has his own gate to the
Tower (7)
7 Mythical creator of nothing but
noise? (4)
8 Acidic reference to milk (6)
12 Point to women’s underwear as
meaning money (5)
13 That eerie old Star Trek
character (5)
14 Michael’s plain potential as an
Driving School
For Sale/Rent
Driving school for
(Male and Female)
Darsait Branch
24781123
Al Ghubra Branch
24399951.
Al Khoudh Branch
24536348.
Sohar Branch
26844412.
·····
ȍ͵
VILLAS for sale/
rents KABIR/AL
),
ȋŠ‘’•Ȁ‘ˆϐ‹…‡•ˆ‘”
rent/ Al Khuwair)
(Flats for rent/
Wadi Kabir).
ͻ͸ͷͻ͸͵ͶͺǤ
Yanqul, Bowirdah area,
first line on the main
road. No 79. Area 37,947
m2 the land is near
Yanqul, Buraimi, Sohar
and Ibri crossroad.
Preliminary approval for
division into 51 plots
including 8 commercial
and 43 residential. In the
process of transferring it
into one commercial plot.
Price 240,000 OMR.
Approx. 6 OMR per
metre. 94056332/
24702522.
·····
·····
7
8
12
13
14
15
16
18
19
21
22
23
25
26
28
CR O S S W OR D
·····
LAND (Residence) in
Qantab - Muscat
governorate (first row on
the beach) 303 m2 number 413, final price
280,000 (900 Omani Rial
per square metre).
94056332/ 24702522.
·····
PRIME location in Shatti
Qurum for Sale. Ideal for
restaurant/ Coffee Shop/
Fast Food. 97890657/
96426312. E-mail: tess29.
[email protected]
Dash (4)
Delighted (6)
Log (5)
Consignment (5)
Oarsman (5)
Broaden (5)
Dissuade (5)
Brings up (5)
Many (7)
Character (6)
Sullen (6)
Continue (6)
Transparent (5)
Sack (4)
Wager (3)
EASY PUZZLE
ACROSS
1 Thing of value (5)
6 Commotion (5)
9 Of marriage (7)
10
11
12
13
15
17
18
19
20
22
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
2
3
4
5
6
Append (5)
Navigation aid (5)
Ship’s room (5)
Thief (7)
Marry (3)
Plant (4)
Dwell (6)
Drain (5)
Smart (6)
Lake (4)
Pronoun (3)
Singer (7)
Touches (5)
Step (5)
Petty officer (5)
Damages extensively (7)
Fish basket (5)
Principle (5)
·····
·····
HONDA City 2005
manual golden
maintained at Honda,
in excellent condition,
152,500 km, regn valid
till 21.5.2016. Contact.
93201507.
·····
by Brian Basset
CALVIN AND HOBBES
by Bill Watterson
DOWN: 1, Pit-H-y 2, Fearful 4, Oily
5, Chap-el 6, Hosed 7, Ven-us 9, Neo
12, Altered 14, Tan 16, Pu-t it 17,
P-art-y 19, Muppets 20, Least 21,
T-re-ad 23, Guarded 24, Ke-y ma-n
25, Ova 27, H-OK-um 28, Rasps 30,
Gen-i.e. 32, Stir 33, Led.
THURSDAY’S EASY SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 3, Treat 8, Super 10, Nitre
11, Men 12, Waist 13, Imperil 15,
Wafer 18, Fat 19, Denote 21, Fighter
22, Halt 23, Bell 24, Trainer 26, Spires
29, Rod 31, Siren 32, Detects 34,
Fumed 35, Vat 36, Tower 37, Sinew
38, Realm.
DOWN: 1, Rummy 2, Benefit 4, Real
5, Answer 6, Titan 7, Greet 9, Pep 12,
Withers 14, Rag 16, Foyer 17, Reels
19, Desired 20, Chess 21, Flair 23,
Bedevil 24, Tenure 25, Not 27, Pilot
28, Refer 30, Otter 32, Deal 33, Can.
DOWN
Wicked (6)
Come out (6)
Duty (3)
Currency unit (5)
Sailor (7)
Health Services Department
Muttrah . . . . . . . 24797602
Quriyat . . . . . . . 24845001 . . . . 24845003
SQH, Salalah. . . 23211555 . . . . 23211151
Police. . . . . . . . . 24603988 . . . . 24603980
Al Nahda . . . . . . 24831255 . . . . 24837800
Ibn Sina. . . . . . . 24876322 . . . . 24877361
Nizwa. . . . . . . . . 25439361 . . . . 25425033
Al Rustaq. . . . . . 26875055 . . . . 26877186
Samayil . . . . . . . 25350055 . . . . 25350022
Izki . . . . . . . . . . . 25340033 . . . . 25340033
‘YO UR STARS ‘
INDIAN male, 28 years
wanted opportunity in
IT Certified in redhat
linux (RHCE) and
oracle DBA, have 3
years of hand on
experience in
Networking, Clisco
routers and swithces,
Outlook, S/W
Installations.
Contact 95406864.
E-mail: saad.m.ali79@
gmail.com
Car for Sale
ACROSS: 3, Bot-c-h 8, Fine-D 10,
H-oles 11, Tea 12, Alias 13, Shortly
15, Pe-p up 18, Fat 19, Medusa 21,
Tuneful 22, Ear-L 23, GI-ft. 24, Keep
out 26, Sh-ar-ed 29, Eva 31, To-DA-y
32, Starlet 34, S-muts 35, Den 36,
Cuppa 37, Media 38, Snore.
Hospital. . . . . Board . . . . . . . Emergency
Royal . . . . . . . 24599000 . . . 24590491
A personal
matter, which
has caused you
a lot of trouble
lately, will be
solved in the
coming year
without loss
of self-respect
or damage
of other
people’s pride.
A puzzling
financial aspect
may occur in
your desire to
keep abreast
of the changing
money market
and agreements
may have to be
re-negotiated.
Buttercup Rent A
Car
AMAZING OFFERS
y Rent a car for 10
days and get an
extra free day.
y 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.
ADAM @ HOME
GARFIELD
by Jim Davis
STONE SOUP
Hospitals
IF IT’S YOUR
BIRTHDAY:
Situation Wanted
CARTOONS
THURSDAY’S CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
actor (5)
15 More reliable system for
collecting fares (5)
16 Out West, can you get some
oranges from it? (5)
18 Cluttered as an eating place? (5)
19 Disagrees with what a model
does at work (7)
21 The curative specialist conducts
her round part of Ealing (6)
22 As a Liberal, I had nothing but
psychic energy (6)
23 Things going awry in the dark
(6)
25 Not a soft word, being audible
(5)
26 Is she pretty stony? (4)
28 The stuff of drama? (3)
Car For Rent
by Jan Eliot
Haima . . . . . . . . 23436013 . . . . 23436055
Sohar . . . . . . . . . 26840022 . . . . 26840099
Al Buraimi. . . . . 25650855 . . . . 25652319
Sur . . . . . . . . . . . 25440244 . . . . 25461373
Tanam . . . . . . . . 25499011 . . . . 25499033
Masirah . . . . . . . 25404018 . . . . 25404018
Ibra. . . . . . . . . . . 25470533 . . . . 25470535
Adam. . . . . . . . . 25434167 . . . . 25434055
Bidiya . . . . . . . . 25483535 . . . . 25483535
Ibri . . . . . . . . . . . 25491011 . . . . 25491990
Saham . . . . . . . . 26854427 . . . . 26855148
Khasab . . . . . . . 26830187 . . . . 26830187
Daba . . . . . . . . . 26836443 . . . . 26836443
Bukha . . . . . . . . 26828397 . . . . 26828397
Sinaw. . . . . . . . . 25474338
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
July 22August 21
August 22September 22
September 23October 22
October 23November 21
November 22December 21
December 22January 20
A close friendship could develop
with a person born under ARIES but
be very careful not to strike a false
note by saying the wrong thing at the
first meeting.
An unfriendly act by a person
you trusted may break up a relationship that has meant a great
deal to you. Try to find out why
he acted that way.
An unexpected demand on your
financial resources may require you
to review the plans you have made
for the future.
An occasional lapse from your If you want to master a task A temporary misunderstanding
rather stringent diet could not do which you haven’t done before must not be allowed to spoil an
otherwise important relationany harm just as long as you don’t don’t put it off any longer and ship. Make an effort to find the
cause and a cure.
make a habit of it.
keep at it until it is finished.
AQUARIUS
PISCES
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
January 21February 19
February 20March 20
March 21April 20
April 21May 20
May 21June 21
June 22July 21
The improvement in health of a
member of the family will give
you grounds for hope of an early
recovery. You must make sure
he does not try to resume his
normal life too soon.
By apologising too profusely for a
slight
indiscretion
you
were guilty of, you will give
it an importance
it hardly
deserves.
Co-operation with your
partner will bind you more closely
together than if you each place too
much reliance on your individual efforts.
An unexpected invitation will
solve your problem of how to
spend the weekend.
It may
mean a visit to a town some miles
away.
Warn a careless youngster that negligence can cause as much arm as
deliberate damage, and try to make
him adopt a more responsible attitude.
If you cannot afford to leave your
job at the moment, you must avoid
complaining about the conditions.
The time will soon be right for
looking for another job.
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
Services
Situation Vacant
HOTEL Manager
is required for
Hotel Apartments
in Al Sharqiyah
Governorate,
Al Kamil W’al
ƒϐ‹‘—–Šǡ–‘
support our
growth plans we
are creating new
Hotel Apartments
Manager role. The
ideal candidate
will have:
- Minimum 5
years experience
in the hospitality
trade,
- A strong
track record
in successfully
managing and
- motivating
teams delivered
by high service.
99376050.
E-mail:
khatim7575@
icloud.com
·····
SALES Manager of
Medical Device, GCC
experience, driving
licence, preferably
pharmaceutical
based. e-mail: info@
khalidmedicalsupplies.
com 24540056.
·····
BIOMEDICAL
Technician, with
sales experience in
medical devices, GCC
experience, driving
licence. e-mail: info@
khalidmedicalsupplies.
com 24540056.
·····
REQUIRED for Ras al
Hamra Recreation
Centre the following
staff:1. Accountant
(Omani Nationals), 2.
Accountant
(Expatriate) .
Candidates having
requisite qualification
and experience please
send CV by e-mail to:
[email protected].
om or Fax to No.
24832193.
·····
A SPECIALIST in
maintaining swimming
pools. Attractive salary.
99807771.
·····
Buying
USED household and
office furniture and
electronics
items99834373,
96642500.
·····
Guest House
QURUM BEACH
HOTEL24564070.
·····
VACANCY lab
technician for
inquiry or send CV.
24571094. Fax:
24571097. E-mail:
zmczahara@yahoo.
com
·····
Good News
AYURVEDIC
Treatment, Yoga
Massage &
slimming. Web
address: www.
siddhayur.com
92504980/
24475280.
·····
Umrah/Haj
AL Hikmani for
HAJ and UMRAH
— With a host of
services including
the following:
Hiring luxurious
coaches, arranging
weekly trips,
preparing visas
for expats at costeffective price,
including transport,
housing, meals
and visits to shrine
locations. Land and
air trips weekly.
99311310,
24566016,
99361982,
99707248,
99322124.
·····
Required
INDIAN Building
Materials Salesman
holding required
experience.
97299373.
·····
REQUIRED Indian
Heavy licence driver.
97299373.
·····
REPUTED engineering
consultancy firm in
Muscat looking for
following placement:
1. Omani Secretary
(Female)
2. Autocad Technician
(Omani female)
3. Civil Engineer: Min 5
years experience
having driving licence
4. Electrical Engineer
degree/diploma, min
3 years experience.
E-mail: alfurjar06@
gmail.com/ hope4u99@
icloud.com
·····
SUBCONTRACTORS
required: SME
contractors interested
in telecom side — civil
and underground
telephone cable laying
work — may contact Mr
S Ravi 99424605 or
Mr Sayed .99358733
of National Telephone
Services Co LLC
·····
If you would like to
know more about
Islam, please call:
Tel : 99425598, 96050000,
99353988, 99253818,
99341395, 99379133, For
ladies: 99415818,
99321360, 99730723
Or visit:
www.islamfact.com
DRINKING WATER
TANKERS
™ 10,000 Gallons
™ 5,000 Gallons
Daily, contract &
Lease 94449372,
96114982.
·····
WE offer you the
Business Services:
Maintenance of buildings
and villas for paint
and carpentry and
decoration works and
installation of material
water proof and cleaning
services building
management and leasing
of real estate (Out motto
is to provide quality
in all our business).
Muscat Renaissance
Development and
Investment.99070093.
·····
ONE STOP SHOP
BUSINESS SERVICES
Public relation Services
(PRO), Auditing,
Formation New
Companies, Foreign
Investors Visa, Legal
Services. Contact Saleh:
96723485.
·····
MAINTENANCE: 1.
A/C Maintenance &
Servicing; 2. Fridge,
Washing Machine &
Dish washer repairing;
3. Painting & cleaning
services; 4. Electrical
& Plumbing Carpentry
work. Contact:
99447257, 97014234,
24504281.
·····
Situation Wanted
Dolphin
Watching Tour.
Every Day 8 am
and 10 am. For
booking
94110088/
91162534. E-mail:
coraloceantours@
gmail.com Web:
www.
coraloceantours.
com
·····
RUWI :
24785668
Behind Royal
Oman Police
Adjacent
to Dhofar
Building,
Ruwi
·····
FREE INFORMATION
ABOUT ISLAM
Tours
CLASSIFIED
SECTION
1. AC maintenance
and servicing.
2. Fridge, washing
machine and dish
washer repairing.
3. Painting and
cleaning services. 4.
Electrical, plumbing
and carpentry
work 97014234,
99447257,
24504281.
Situation Wanted
INDIAN CA, (Finance
Manager) more than
8 years experience
(Oman, UAE and
India) in accounts,
ƒ—†‹–ϐ‹ƒ…‡ǡ
seeking a suitable
senior position in
Muscat, can join
immediately, NOC
available. Contact:
98707434. E-mail:
casmart007@gmail.
com.
Situation Wanted
PAKISTANI looking
for job. 4 years
experience in Oman,
Omani driving licence.
Contact 95683735,
95495003.
·····
INDIAN male,
mechanical
engineering, 2
years experience
in fabrication and
erection of heavy
structures as a
project engineer now
on visit visa seeks
suitable placement.
92151818. E-mail:
krishnakumarkkq@
gmail.com
EXPERIENCED Graphic
Designer, worked for
magazines and other
publications. Done
Bachelor of Computer
Application, familiar
with C, C++, Java, VB,
vb.net, HTML, XHTML,
·····
Php, IndesignCS3, CS4,
CS5, CS6, Illustrator CS5,
DBMS, Tally and CSS.
INDIAN male, 25 years
Looking for immediate
MBA having 2 years
·····
opening.92927187.
experience in finance
B TECH in Civil
accounting. Looking for
Engineering, female, 22 · · · · ·
admin and account job,
years, Indian, fresher,
CIVIL engineer diploma currently on visit visa.
seeks suitable
with 5 years experience 97483234. E-mail:
placement. Presently on in building construction [email protected].
family visit visa. Please
Can join immediately.
Oman and four years
contact 95079256.
Pakistan, total 9 years
E-mail: silpasnair2000@ experience in building
·····
gmail.com
construction looking
for a job, NOC available. CIVIL Engineer with
·····
7 years experience in
Contact 91615472/
building construction.
96681065.
ACCOUNTANT, Indian
Looking for a job.
·····
male, MCom holder
Currently working
with two years,
in Oman based
ȍȎ1 year
working experience in
construction company.
Kerala. Seeking suitable experience, complete
NOC available.
schooling in Muscat
job in the field of
Contact 97199475/
needs job in Software/
accounting. Contact
91785244..
Networking/ Java/ Web
99463120/
Design or Marketing.
96947500. E-mail:
·····
Contact 97136248/
mohamedshafikks@
99313821. E-mail:
gmail.com
antony_sany@
rediffmail.com
·····
·····
MANAGER, young
Indian male MBA
OMANI, who has
around 6 years
experience in human
experience in UAE, India resources and public
and Oman (including
relations, of more than
Multi-National
8 years, (HR) and (PRO).
Company) expert in
92265302.
handling all kinds of
·····
Business operations of
an organisation. NOC
CIVIL engineer diploma,
available. Contact
5 years experience in
92700670.
building construction
[email protected]
Oman, driving licence
Oman. 95419648.
·····
ACCOUNTANT, B.Com
graduate, 23 years,
male, having one year
experience in auditing/
accounting and having
knowledge in Tally,
seeks suitable position.
Contact 94733824,
95769355.
BE computer science,
Indian male, looking for
suitable job in the field
of software or in
information technology
having good knowledge
in Java, ASP Net, MSSLL,
MS word. Contact
91986191.
dileep2468.a@gmail.
com
·····
·····
·····
RUWI
: 24785668
Behind Royal Oman
Police Adjacent to
Dhofar Building,
Ruwi
23
Situation Wanted
B TECH mechanical
engineer, Indian, one
year experience in
HVAC (MEP), available
in Muscat on visit
visa, seeks suitable
placement. Contact
93670280, Email:
[email protected]
·····
MALE 25, B.Com with
3.5 years experience
in IT administration
good knowledge of
computer MS word,
Excel, Powerpoint,
Outlook, Photoshop and
Quickbooks. On family
visit visa till October 5,
looking for job in IT/
administration. Contact
91298960. E-mail:
usman.ali786@hotmail.
com
INDIAN, ACA, ACMA and
ACS qualified with rich
experience in finance
and account, more than
14 years in Gulf, seeks
suitable opening.
95591523.
[email protected]
·····
INDIAN female, MCom
with 9 years of work
experience in Admin
and HR in a reputed
international oil
exploration company.
Seeks suitable
placement in Muscat
NOC available.
99242841.
·····
CSIT Computer
Engineering B-Tech
presently working as
a Network & System
Engineer Having
excellent experience
looking for a placement
968 91006851
Mohd Nadeem
Ullah Khan. E-mail:
nadeemkhan126@
yahoo.com
INDIAN male 25 years,
BSc graduate
currently working as
supervisor. Valid
driving licence.
Knows English, Hindi
and Malayalam.
Seeks suitable
placement as sales
ƒ†ƒ”‡–‹‰ϐ‹‡Ž†Ǥ
Good communications
skills. Knows Tally
ERPQ MS word, MS
Excel and powerpoint.
NOC available. Contact
98730659. E-mail:
[email protected]
·····
·····
·····
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
ƒ”•ˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡
‘””‡–
‘„ƒ’’Ž‹…ƒ–‹‘
Šƒ”‹‰”‡•‹†‡…‡
”ƒ•’‘”–…ƒ”•
‡ƒŽ•–ƒ–‡ȋ•ƒŽ‡Ǧ
”‡–Ǧ‹˜‡•–‡–•
Ȉ ƒŒŒƒ†”ƒ
Ȉ •‡†ˆ—”‹–—”‡ˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡
Ȉ ƒ—…Š…‡”‡‘‹‡•‘ˆȋ”‡•–ƒ—”ƒ–•Ǧ
•Š‘’•Ǧ…Ž‹‹…•Ȍ
Ȉ ‘„ƒ†•
Ȉ ‡ƒ…Š‹‰†”‹˜‹‰
Ȉ ‘—•‡•…Ž‡ƒ‹‰Ǧ•‡”˜‹…‡•ƒ†’‡•–
…‘–”‘Ž
For information, please call:
99841230-95919344
92721879 - 99639264
Tel: 24649597, Fax: 24649590
BankMuscat account: 0397003776610011
Bank Dhofar account: 01040141195001
E-mail: [email protected]
SUNDAY l AUGUST 2, 2015 l SHAWWAL 16, 1436 AH
[email protected]
www.omanobserver.om
RENTING & LEASING
Tours and Airport Transfer
Tel: 24582663
GSM: 95859497,
Fax: 24582664,
[email protected]
Manpower
ILYA MANPOWER:
We provide Filipino
housemaids and
all skilled workers.
22050086/
96087664. E-mail:
ilyamanpower@gmail.
com.
Supply
of
Pesticides,
Gel (Cockroaches),
Public Health
chemicals,
Agriculture
chemicals,
Snake repellent, Rodent
baits
and
other insect
repellent from
Agropharm
Ltd UK.
PROFESSIONALS
in Pest Control Service,
Bedbug Treatment, Rodent
Treatment, Snake Treatment
and Termite Treatment
(Pre and Post Construction).
·····
KHALIFA
Al-Sinani Manpower
— labourers &
housemaid from
Indonesia, Kenya,
Uganda and other
countries. Al Suwaiq.
To communicate
26713500,
26713600.
·····
For Rent
FLAT for rent in
Maabela 3 master
rooms.
96088926.
FOR RENT
E-mail: [email protected]
OFFICE SPACE — 660 sq metres
on one floor at Al Ghubra
House Building, behind Porsche
Showroom, opposite Bangladesh
School.
P. O. Box: 565, Wadi Kabir,
Postal Code: 117,
SULTANATE OF OMAN
FOR ENQUIRIES:
Please Call: 99310269 OR 99344304
Tel: 24787606 / 24787503
Fax: 24787607
For Rent
FLATS and commercial
offices of large areas
for rent, on the
main street at Al
Athaiba area, in
front of Al Sahwa
Towers. Call Adil
97016442.
·····
FOR rent industrial
area land with all
facilities in Rusayl.
Contact 92702891,
95490842.
·····
A GROUND floor
apartment with
separate enterance
and wall and a
parking lot for two
cars, located in
Murtafaat (3) is
offered for rent. The
apartment consists of
2 bedrooms + toilet +
big kitchen, sitting
room + majlis.
99373897.
HOUSE for rent at Al
Wadi al Kabir — 3
bedrooms + sitting
room + living area
with attached
bathrooms.
Apartment for rent
in Darsait, 3
bedrooms with
attached bathrooms.
Contact
99459342.
·····
FULLY furnished 3
BHK accommodation
with all spacious
rooms in a villa at
Darsait near ISD.
95265289/
96048422.
·····
FLATS for rent in Al
Khuwair, Al Hail, Wadi
Kabir, Al Falaj, MBD
and Muttrah.
99119699/
95250300/
24813002.
·····
·····
·····
·····
RO 10.800 only
All Cartridge also
available
on UNBEATABLE prices
AII HP, Epson, Canon,
Lexmark, Samsung
Cartridges also available
[email protected]
·····
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
For Rent
2 STOREY villa
encompasses 2 majlis
along with toilets, 2
living rooms and 3
bedrooms along with
toilets and located in a
nearby place in
Maabela supplied
with water
service. Contact
99357404.
APARTMENTS in a
new building in Al
Hamriya (bedroom +
dining room + living
room + kitchen +
toilet) Price RO 240.
94056333/
24702522.
Printer
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
RUWI : 24785668 Behind Royal Oman Police
HOUSING complex
consist of 4 new villas
spacious with high
quality materials in Al
Qurum, with car
parks inside and out,
each villa consists of 4
floors (Basement,
ground first and
penthouse), all villas
has 8 bedrooms + 2
sitting + 2 living + 1
dinning + 1 large
kitchen + preparation
kitchen, over looking
the beach and
Crowne Plaza.
Monthly cost of rent
RO 2,900 per villa.
94056332/
24702522.
·····
HP1510
Ruwi: 24792-792
·····
FRIENDS
MANPOWER: Filipino
housemaids and all
kinds of workers.
24489268 Tel:/Fax:
24478153, 92462496.
Available on UNBEATABLE prices
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
SPECIAL Rates on
New Cars & 4 WDs
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
PEST CONTROL
OMAN CO. LLC.
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
Rent a Car
For Rent
TWO flats consisting
of two rooms, majlis
and kitchen. The two
flats, located on Al
Sadd Street, opposite
to the new
Commercial District.
95318234.
·····
GROUND + mezzanine
floor, suitable for A
grade restaurant, next
to Pizza Hut, MBD.
24714625,
94460790.
·····
·····
2 BEDROOM flat in Al
Ghubra near Oman Oil
18 November Street,
RO 330 monthly.
99333479 or
95215360.
·····
RUWI : 24785668
Behind Royal Oman
Police Adjacent to
Dhofar Building, Ruwi
CLASSIFIED SECTION:
2) SIX bedroom
twin villa, Athaiba
near Health Centre.
99207840.
·····
FLATS in a new
residential building in
Al Hamriya. AC, 1
room + small hall +
kitchen + 1 toilet, RO
190. Contact.
94056333,
24702522.
CLASSIFIED
SECTION
ͳȎnew
executive flats in Al
Khuwair opposite
Grand Mall. Each,
three bedrooms,
maid’s room,
laundry sitting,
dining and large
family hall. Parking,
security system and
elevator. Pent house
gives splendid view
of Al Khuwair.
For Rent
2 FLOOR house at Al
Hail North. Each floor:
3 bedrooms, 3
bathrooms, kitchen,
store, 1 sitting room.
92133551,
95067585
·····
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.
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.
·····
A FLAT for rent in Al
Ghubrah North,
adjoined to Masjid
A’Safa — outstanding
location. The flat after
the crossroad of the
Indian School towards
Al Athaiba. The flat,
which is on the first
floor, consists of 2 vast
rooms — each with its
toilets, wide/big
majlis/living room
with attached toilet.
The area and floor of
the building is clean
and luxurious. Only for
families. Price: 350/-.
99343996.
LUXURIOUS
residential complex of
new and big 4 villas
with high quality
finishing, located in Al
Qurum. The complex
has in-and outhousing parking. Each
villa has 4 floors
(basement, lands, first
+ upper floor). Each
has 8 bedrooms, two
living rooms, dining
room, large kitchen
subordinate kitchen, 8
toilets and annex). The
complex overlooks the
sea and Crown Plaza
Hotel. Rent is RO 2,900
per month.
94056332/
24702522.
·····
·····
FLATS and shops.
93009999.
AIR-CONDITIONED
flats for families only
in Al Khuwair 33
93371020
6 B/R villa in Al
Ghubra; 1 & 2 B/R
flats in
Wattaya99776071,
95893495.
FLATS in Al Ghubra,
2 bedrooms, hall, near
Indian School, Way No.
4039, building No.
4250. Contact
99341138,
98003444.
·····
·····
·····
·····
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.
·····
SEMI furnished 2 & 3
BHK flats at Bausher near Atlas Hospital.
99348493/
93200424/
24502254.
·····
Ali al Maashari: 99639264 [email protected]
Mohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 [email protected]
·····
FLATS and
commercial offices of
large areas for rent,
on the main street at
Al Athaiba area, in
front of Al Sahwa
Towers. .
·····
For Rent
FLATS for rent at
Darsait near to
Ministry of Sports
interested candidates
please contact:
92225523.
·····
AN apartment consists
of two bedrooms, two
toilets, a kitchen and a
living room is offered
for rent in Sidab
99455397,
99181929.
·····
94501166
DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590
SUNDAY | AUGUST 2, 2015 | SHAWWAL 16, 1436 AH
P26
P27
P28
Inside
Brazil’s Fred tested positive during Copa Arsenal seek title proof against Chelsea Wie drops out as Pettersen sets pace FOLLOW US ON:
SPORT BRIEFS
‘Falcao can play as
dual striker’
LONDON: Chelsea manager Jose
Mourinho said he could adopt a
two-pronged attack with Colombian
Radamel Falcao offering more options
for the coming season after joining on
loan from Monaco.
Falcao struggled to impress during
a similar spell at Manchester United last
season, but Mourinho has great faith in
a player who will wear the number nine
shirt for Chelsea.
Diego Costa shouldered most of the
striking burden last season as a lone
striker in a 4-2-3-1 system, but laboured
after an explosive start. Loic Remy offers
pace and width but Falcao, Mourinho
believes, could play in tandem with
either. Falcao only joined up with his
new team-mates in New York where
Chelsea drew 2-2 with Barca in a friendly.
But Mourinho has already seen
enough to believe he can make a big
impact at Stamford Bridge. “In the last 20
minutes against Barcelona (in last week’s
friendly we played with Loic Remy and
Falcao,” Mourinho said.
— Reuters
Defending champ
Isner enters semis
ATLANTA: Top-seeded John Isner kept
his bid for a third straight ATP Atlanta
Open crown on track on Friday, booking
a semifinal clash with fellow American
Denis Kudla.
Isner needed one hour and 21
minutes to get past Lithuanian Ricardas
Berankis 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
A day after his 33-ace outburst
against Radek Stepanek, Isner blasted
19 aces and converted his lone break
chance against Berankis.
He booked a first career meeting
against Kudla, a qualifier who defeated
Israel’s Dudi Sela 7-5, 6-0.
The other semifinal will pit fifthseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis
against seventh-seeded Gilles Muller
of Luxembourg. Baghdatis upended
second-seeded Canadian Vasek Pospisil
6-4, 7-6 (7/5) to reach his third semifinal
of the season, while Muller dispatched
Japan’s Go Soeda 7-5, 6-1.
Isner said he was expecting a tough
match against Kudla.
— AFP
www.omanobserver.om
[email protected]
England call up Plunkett, Footitt
INJURY SCARE: Pacer Anderson suffered a side strain, which puts him out of fourth Test
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom:
England have added pace bowlers Liam
Plunkett and Mark Footitt to a 14man squad announced on Saturday for
next week’s fourth Ashes Test against
Australia at Trent Bridge.
Yorkshire quick Plunkett, who played
the last of his 13 Tests against India in
July 2014, and uncapped Derbyshire
left-armer Footitt were included after
spearhead James Anderson was ruled
out with a side injury suffered during
England’s eight-wicket win in the third
Test at Edgbaston that put them 2-1 up
in the five-match Ashes series.
“With James Anderson missing
this Test through injury and some
concerns over Mark Wood’s workload
in the build-up to the last Test, we felt
that bringing in two extra bowlers in
Liam Plunkett and Mark Footitt was
necessary,” said national selector James
Whitaker in an England and Wales
Cricket Board statement.
Anderson, England’s most successful
Test bowler with 413 wickets, took an
Ashes-best six for 47 in the first innings
at Birmingham’s Edgbaston ground.
But Australia’s second innings saw
Anderson suffer a side strain which
means he won’t be in the team when the
fourth Test begins across the Midlands at
Nottingham’s Trent Bridge on Thursday.
As well as calling up Plunkett — who
might have played for England earlier
in the season but for being dropped for
disciplinary reasons by Yorkshire and
has since taken just five wickets in two
matches — and Footitt, England have
also retained Durham fast bowler Mark
Wood in their squad.
Wood missed the Edgbaston victory
with an ankle injury, his absence paving
the way for the recalled Steven Finn to
take a Test-best six for 79 in Australia’s
second innings in what was the
Middlesex fast bowler’s first match at
this level since 2013.
“The reports on Wood are positive
at this stage and we are hopeful he’ll
be available for selection on Thursday,”
Whitaker added.
Footitt’s inclusion came after
the 29-year-old took 82 wickets at
a miserly average of just over 19
apiece for Derbyshire in the Second
Division of England’s first-class County
Championship last season.
His performances saw him called up
Alastair
Cook
England
sequence gives
Aussies hope
England’s Steven Finn celebrates the wicket of Australia’s Peter Nevill during the third Ashes Test in Edgbaston. — Reuters
into England’s pre-Ashes training camp
in Spain and England having seen the
impact made by Australia’s Mitchell
Johnson, would like to have the variation
of a left-arm quick in their attack.
But Footitt may have to wait for his
chance behind Wood and Plunkett.
INCONSISTENT
Meanwhile opener Adam Lyth was
set to keep his place, despite averaging
just 12 this series, after England decided
against calling up any more specialist
batsmen.
“The performance at Edgbaston this
week was very encouraging, and it is
important we build on that next week at
Trent Bridge,” said Whitaker.
Doing just that could prove a
challenge to an England side who are
officially the most inconsistent Test
side of all time, having followed each of
their three wins prior to their success at
Edgbaston with a defeat since drawing
their series opener against the West
Indies in Antigua in April.
If they can follow-up a win at
Edgbaston that was completed in under
three days with victory at Trent Bridge,
England would regain the Ashes with a
match to spare.
But should their current trend
continue, England will find themselves
all square at 2-2 heading into the series
finale at The Oval.
Trevor Bayliss, England’s recentlyinstalled Australian coach, said: “The
way the boys are playing at the moment
is very good.”
“Obviously the challenge is to play
as well two games in a row,” the former
Sri Lanka and New South Wales coach,
speaking before the fourth Test squad
was announced, added.
“Apart from the three or four
ENGLAND TEST RESULTS
START DATE, VENUE
Apr 13, Antigua:
Apr 21, Grenada:
May 01, Barbados:
May 21, Lord’s:
May 29, Headingley:
Jul 08, Cardiff:
Jul 16, Lord’s:
Jul 29, Edgbaston:
OPPONENT
v WIS
v WIS
v WIS
v NZL
v NZL
v AUS
v AUS
v AUS
RESULT
Drawn
Won 9 wkts
Lost 5 wkts
Won 124 runs
Lost 199 runs
Won 169 runs
Lost 405 runs
Won 8 wkts
Brazil’s Cunha claims 25km open
water title, Ruffini wins men’s event
Heavy rain washes
out third day’s play
DHAKA: No play was possible for the
second consecutive day in the second
and final Test between Bangladesh
and South Africa as heavy rain
washed out the entire third day’s play
on Saturday.
Heavy downpours ruined the
entire second day’s play on Friday
leaving the hosts on 246 for eight
after opting to bat first at Mirpur’s
Shere Bangla National Stadium.
The weather also intervened in
the drawn first test in Chittagong
with only 221 overs bowled as rain
curtailed play on the second and
third days before washing out the last
two days.
Bangladesh are unlikely to mind a
drawn series against opponents who
sit eight places above them at the top
of Test rankings.
— Reuters
experienced boys in this team, we have
got a reasonably young team.”
England’s win at Edgbaston was
all the more impressive given their
mammoth 405-run loss to Australia in
the second Test at Lord’s.
“It’s a good sign they’re able to put
that behind them, put it down to a bad
performance, and they were very honest
in the changing room afterwards,” said
Bayliss.
— AFP
England fourth Test squad: Adam
Lyth (Yorkshire), Alastair Cook (Essex,
capt), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Joe
Root (Yorkshire), Jonny Bairstow
(Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham),
Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wkt), Moeen
Ali (Worcestershire), Stuart Broad
(Nottinghamshire),
Mark
Wood
(Durham), Steven Finn (Middlesex),
Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Mark Footitt
(Derbyshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire).
BIRMINGHAM: Australia may have
lost the third Ashes Test by eight
wickets inside three days at Edgbaston
on Friday, but England’s extraordinary
inconsistency should give them hope
of squaring the five-match series at
Trent Bridge next week.
Since drawing their series opener
against the West Indies at Antigua in
April, England’s next seven Tests have
seen them alternate between winning
and losing.
England captain Alastair Cook’s
team have been unable to string two
Test wins together in 2015.
While they head across the
Midlands 2-1 up in the Ashes, they
do so knowing they will be without
James Anderson, their all-time leading
wicket-taker, after the Lancashire
seamer was ruled out of the fourth
Test at Trent Bridge with a side
injury suffered at Edgbaston. The
one possible downside for Australia
— looking to win their first Ashes
campaign in Britain for 14 years — is
that if the current trend is maintained,
England will win the series 3-2.
No wonder that Cook told an
Edgbaston news conference after
Friday’s victory: “If the sequence
carries on for nine (Tests), I’ll be
happy.”
— AFP
Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil celebrates after coming in first in the women’s 25km open
water swimming final at the 16th Fina World Championships in Kazan.
— AFP
KAZAN, Russia: Brazil’s Ana
Marcela Cunha won the women’s 25
kilometre world championship open
water title on Saturday, raising the
prospect of a potential gold in home
waters at next year’s Rio Olympics.
Cunha, who had coloured the
sides of her hair purple, backed up
her 10km open water bronze earlier
in the week by touching first after 5
hours 13 minutes 47.3 seconds on the
Kazanka River.
The 23-year-old, who won
the 2011 world title, battled with
Hungary’s Anna Olasz throughout,
but coasted clear on the final lap.
The Hungarian posted 5:14:13.4
to win silver and German Angela
Maurer took bronze.
“One year away from the Olympics,
the results of this championship give
me motivation to train more and
more,” Cunha told reporters.
The men’s 25km open water race
Gold medallist Simone Ruffini of Italy
celebrates on the podium. — AFP
proved a far tighter affair as Italy’s
Simone Ruffini edged out Alex Meyer
of the United States in a sprint finish.
Ruffini, a European silver medallist
in the team event, recorded 4:53:10.7
to finish 4.4 seconds ahead of Meyer.
“The rain did not impede,” Ruffini
said. “I won the gold medal, that
means that the weather was alright”.
The Italian then unravelled a
written proposal on the medal
podium asking to marry his
girlfriend, who was watching from
the stands.
Two years ago in Barcelona,
Germany’s Thomas Lurz became the
first male swimmer to win a gold
medal in every open water discipline.
But his retirement in May paved
the way for a changing of the guard
after the all-conquering long-distance
specialist finished his career with 12
world golds.
Six different nations won world
titles from the seven events in Kazan.
The United States finished top of
the medal table after claiming two
golds.
Haley Anderson won the women’s
5km race and Jordan Wilimovsky
prevailed in the 10km.
— Reuters
26
omandailyobserver
SPORT
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
SWIMMING WORLDS: Between them, the pair won 10 gold medals as teenagers at the Barcelona world championships two years ago
‘Veterans’ Ledecky, Franklin lead US charge
KAZAN, Russia: Neither has yet
turned 21, yet Missy Franklin and Katie
Ledecky are the ‘veterans’ spearheading
the USA’s quest for world championship
gold medals when the swimming section
starts on Sunday.
Between them, the pair won 10 golds
as teenagers at the Barcelona world
championships two years ago and they
come to Kazan leading the USA’s medal
charge a year away from the Rio de
Janeiro Olympic Games.
With superstar Michael Phelps
absent in Kazan after last year’s drinkdriving conviction, the golden girls are
set to shine for America.
“They’re two of the best athletes
the world has ever seen,” said the USA
women’s head coach Dave Salo.
“They are our really young ‘veterans’.
Katie only graduated from high school a
few weeks ago.”
Having left Barcelona with six gold
medals two years ago, Franklin, 20,
will be swimming in the 100 and 200m
freestyle, plus the backstroke over the
same two distances, and is sure to feature
in the relays.
Ledecky, still only 18, has set herself a
punishing schedule of racing in the 200,
400, 800 and 1,500m freestyle, plus the
relays. Both are set to be in action on
Sunday with Ledecky racing in the 400m
freestyle heats before the pair could help
the USA team in the 4x100m freestyle
relay.
MORE RECORDS IN KAZAN?
Ledecky set world records over the
800m and 1,500m freestyle in Barcelona,
then bettered both last year.
She also set a new record in the 400m
at the Pan-Pacific Games last August,
Missy Franklin
but refuses to put herself under pressure
in Kazan by predicting a medal haul.
“I don’t like to set time targets or
goals, if I win and that’s a world record,
then great,” she said.
“I am just looking forward to getting
up and racing, but I don’t think it’s good
to get caught up in the records.”
But Salo promptly turned up the heat
by predicting the teenager will send
more freestyle world records tumbling.
“We’re convinced Katie will do her
best times here... and they just happen
to be world records,” he said with a grin.
As the US trials were held last year,
Franklin comes into Kazan as an
unknown quantity after failing to win
any of her five events at her only pre-
Lehmann ready to be patient with Clarke
BIRMINGHAM, UK: Australia coach
Darren Lehmann has said captain
Michael Clarke will get as “long as he
needs” to come out of his batting slump.
Scores of 10 and three during
Australia eight-wicket defeat by England
in the third Test at Edgbaston — a result
that saw the tourists go 2-1 behind in
the five-match Ashes campaign, left
Clarke with a meagre series aggregate of
94 runs in six innings at an average of
under 19.
Following a match that was all over
inside three days of a scheduled five,
Clarke confronted his own failings by
suggesting Australia were playing with
10 men.
Clarke, who for much of his career
had enjoyed a Test average of over 50
— the mark of an all-time great — is
averaging a mere 18.80 this Ashes.
Indeed his average slipped to below
50 after this test for the first time in three
years.
And having been plagued by a
longstanding back complaint, as well
as more recent hamstring trouble, there
has been speculation this could be the
34-year-old’s last tour.
But Lehmann believes the class that
has seen Clarke score 28 Test hundreds
has not deserted his skipper.
“He’ll get as long as he needs, he’s
captain,” Lehmann said after Friday’s
quickfire defeat.
“We’re not going to panic, that’s for
sure,” the former Australia batsman
added.
“But he’s got to play well.”
Adam Voges, however, is unlikely to
Australia’s Michael Clarke (left) talks with former Australian player Shane Warne after England won the third Ashes Test against
Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
— AFP
receive similarly unequivocal backing
ahead of next week’s fourth Test at Trent
Bridge.
For all that he scored a debut hundred
in the West Indies recently and has vast
experience of English conditions due
to time spent playing county cricket,
the 35-year-old Voges’s average for the
Ashes after three Tests stands at 14.60.
Now his place could well be in
jeopardy when on-tour selector Rodney
Marsh and Lehmann come to pick their
side for Trent Bridge.
“Adam would be disappointed, like
the other players are,” said Lehmann.
“It’s a disappointing game for us and
we’ve just got to cop the criticism we cop
and get back on and work out what the
best XI is to win the next Test match.”
‘WE ALL LOVE HADDS’
Meanwhile Lehmann said leaving
out Brad Haddin from the team that
played at Edgbaston was the hardest
decision of his career, amid accusations
it made a mockery of Australia’s ‘family
first’ policy.
— AFP
worlds warm-up meet in Santa Clara in
June.
But the owner of a perpetually sunny
disposition, Franklin takes it in her
stride with her trademark smile.
“I was thrilled with Barcelona, that
KAZAN
went almost perfectly,” she said.
“I’m trying not think about that, I’m
not swimming to get a medal here or a
record, I’m just swimming to be the best
I can be.”
A back injury at last August’s PanPacific Games tested Franklin’s mental
strength, but she still finished with a
gold, two silvers and a bronze.
“I got a lot of motivation from that.
It was the first big road bump of my
career,” she said.
“I had an unbelievable amount of
help. Our staff helped me out a lot, I
wouldn’t have been able to walk if it
wasn’t for them.”
TRIPLE WORLD CHAMPION
Franklin has clear memories of the
200m freestyle final in Barcelona, which
she won having pushed all the way by
world record-holder Federica Pellegrini
of Italy.
It promises to be a battle royal when
the Kazan heats start in that event on
Tuesday with both Americans and the
Italian involved.
“It was one of my favourite races of
the whole 2013 meet, I remember just
taking it out hard, because I knew she
was going to bring it back hard at the
end,” reminisced Franklin.
“The whole of the last 25 metres I
just saw her coming back at me, I was
thinking ‘oh my god’, it was the most
painful thing ever.”
There was a reminder of how young
the pair are when a journalist shouted
“got your driving licence yet, Katie?”,
which made the triple world champion
blush.
“I’m still working on it,” she replied.
— AFP
NEWS
Van der Burgh shakes
off shoulder woes
KAZAN, Russia: South Africa’s
Olympic 100m breaststroke champion
Cameron van der Burgh is ready to
prove his shoulder injury woes are
behind him as he battles for world
championships gold in Kazan.
The 27-year-old is back to his best
and ready to race following a break to
allow a troublesome shoulder injury to
recover from wear-and-tear at the end
of last season.
He will be racing in the 50m, 100m
and 200m breaststroke, as well as the
medley relay for South Africa in Russia.
His decision to race the 200m, an
Olympic event a year from the Rio de
Janeiro games, proves he has fallen back
in love with the sport after a difficult
period — both in and out of the pool.
“The main thing this year is to get
back on track again,” he said.
“After my shoulder injury, there was
a period where I wasn’t enjoying the
sport as much, I had a bit of a postOlympic depression if we can call it
that.
“I finished the end of last year
injured and since then I have been able
to get that right by taking some time off.
“I am happy with the progress and
I have been able to train properly this
year. I’m feeling good and excited to
race.
“I am glad I am back in action and
I have a love for the sport and to race
again with the shoulder feeling good.
“I just want to lay it all on the line
and give my best performance.”
Australia’s Christian Sprenger and
Great Britain Adam’s Peaty — who
has broken the South African’s 50m
and 100m world records and beat him
into silver in the 2014 Commonwealth
Games over 100m — are amongst his
rivals.
Having medalled at all of the last five
world championships, Van der Burgh
is experienced enough to focus only on
his own performance when he starts
his Kazan campaign in Sunday’s 100m
breaststoke heats.
Peaty has posted the world’s fastest
time this year over both the 50m and
100m while Sprenger is the reignig
world 100m breaststroke champion,
but Van der Bergh knows better than to
worry about his rivals.
RIVALS COME AND GO
“I have had a lot of rivals over the
years, they seem to change every year,”
he said.
“When I started swimming it was
the likes of Brendan Hansen, Alexander
Dale Oen, then it was Sprenger now it’s
Peaty, so I never pay too much attention
to that. If I am just focused on trying to
be beat Peaty then maybe another name
like (Great Britain’s) Ross Murdoch or
someone can come up and surprise
you, like Peaty did last year.” — AFP
Brazil midfielder Fred tests positive for banned substance
SAO PAULO: Brazil midfielder Fred
tested positive for the banned substance
hydrochlorothiazide during the JuneJuly Copa America, the Brazilian
Football Confederation (CBF) said on
Friday.
The 22-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk
player denied using the substance,
which is a diuretic.
“I have never used any illicit
substance,” he said in a statement. “I
trust in my innocence and I am going to
prove it to the proper authorities. I have
a clean career and I have everyone’s
support.”
A surprise choice for the squad,
Fred started Brazil’s first two games,
a 2-1 win over Peru and a 1-0 loss to
Colombia.
However, he was dropped for
the third match, a 2-1 win against
Venezuela, and also missed the quarterfinal penalty shootout defeat by
Paraguay.
In a confusing statement, the CBF
said they had sent organisers a list of
the medicines Brazil was taking to
the tournament and that the banned
substance was not on it.
However, they did not say whether
Fred could have taken it without the
authorisation of the team doctor and
they gave the player only qualified
backing.
“The medical department is on hand
for the competent authorities with the
player’s medical forms and documents
if they are required,” the CBF statement
said.
“We stand with the player and, if
needed, his advisers and lawyers can
offer more explanations.”
Shakhtar included Fred in the
lineup for their Champions League
third qualifying round first-leg tie at
Fenerbahce on Tuesday despite being
advised by UEFA not play him.
Fenerbahce lodged a protest with by
European soccer’s governing body after
the game, which ended 0-0.
UEFA is investigating the matter and
will announce a decision on Monday,
according to a letter from the ruling
body published on Fenerbahce’s website
(www.fenerbahce.org).
The sides are due to meet in the
second leg on Wednesday with the
winners advancing to the playoff round
for a place in the group stage of the
lucrative tournament.
— Reuters
Fred
SPORT
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
EPL: Clubs outside the top six will aim to avoid relegation which will be more important than ever
TWO TO
27
TANGO
Predictable EPL excitement begins
LONDON: England’s Premier
League is undoubtedly one of the
most exciting in world football but
as it embarks on its 24th season on
August 8 is it also becoming one of
the most predictable?
Last term only Newcastle United
and Everton, both of whom dropped
down the table, moved more than
four places either way, while two
of the three promoted clubs went
straight back down.
Clubs outside the top six will
aim to avoid relegation which will
be more important than ever with
a lucrative three-year domestic
television deal, worth over five
billion pounds ($7.77 billion),
starting in 12 months’ time.
Overseas TV rights will add half
as much again, making the struggle
to stay up intense.
While the usual suspects are
expected to contest the title,
however, none of them have
managed to win it for two years
in a row since Manchester United
completed a hat-trick in 2009 under
Alex Ferguson.
Since the Scot retired in 2013,
the Old Trafford club have not been
in serious contention to add to their
record 20 championships, finishing success, and during the close season
seventh and fourth.
Louis Van Gaal has continued to
They have spent vast amounts of revamp his squad.
money in that time, with only mixed
Germany
captain
Bastian
Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich
and Southampton’s Frenchman
Morgan Schneiderlin will improve
the midfield options and allow the
Charlton’s records as record scorer
for England and United.
He will be more interested in
whether United have regained the
title from Chelsea, who led the table
from the third match of last season
and finished eight points clear of
the previous season’s champions
Manchester City.
On the day in May that Jose
Mourinho’s side made sure they
could not be caught, television
pundit and former United defender
Gary Neville told viewers, “the rest
are absolutely miles behind this
Chelsea team”.
United, City, Arsenal and
Liverpool will all believe they have
reduced the gap after a transfer
window in which the champions
have so far been comparatively
quiet. Other than bringing in Asmir
Begovic from Stoke to replace Petr
Cech as second-choice goalkeeper,
Mourinho’s only notable signing
has been Colombia striker Radamel
Falcao, who failed to live up to his
reputation at United last season.
He impressed Chelsea’s captain
John Terry when scoring a hat-trick
against the London club for Atletico
Madrid in the 2012 UEFA Super
Dutchman to use Wayne Rooney in Cup final and, like United, they
his best position, further forward.
have now taken him on loan from
By the end of the season Rooney Monaco, while hoping for a better
should have overtaken Bobby return. — Reuters
Chelsea must be
more unpredictable,
says Mourinho
LONDON: Chelsea must add a new dimension
to their brand of football if the champions are to
mount a strong defence of the Premier League
title they won in some comfort last season, said
manager Jose Mourinho.
The Stamford Bridge club finished eight points
clear of second-placed Manchester City in May
but Mourinho said his players had to continue to
evolve and could not afford to simply stand still.
“We are trying to add new qualities to our game
to improve what we did in the past,” the Portuguese
told reporters during Chelsea’s pre-season tour of
the United States.
“We are trying to be a little more unpredictable
because opponents know us well and we want to go
to the season with high motivation.
“The title cannot give us bad things, it can only
give us good things. The good things are confidence
and motivation for more,” said Mourinho.
Chelsea played a free-flowing style in the first
half of last season but when injuries, suspensions
and loss of form kicked in after Christmas they
started to adopt a more cautious, pragmatic
approach in order to grind out results.
Mourinho’s men have been big spenders in the
past but they have been almost frugal with their
close-season expenditure compared to Manchester
City, Manchester United and Liverpool and
Mourinho said it would be a “great challenge” to
try and retain the title. — Reuters
Manchester City’s David Silva (left) celebrates with
Raheem Sterling after scoring against Vietnam’s
national team during a friendly match at My Dinh
stadium in Hanoi.
— Reuters
Man City
hoping Sterling
proves a sound
investment
LONDON: Demonised as a caricature of the highlypaid modern-day footballer whose ego dwarfs his talent,
Raheem Sterling will have few fans when the Premier
League begins next weekend.
Unless, of course, you support Manchester City
who made the 20-year-old forward the most expensive
English player in history when they paid a fee of up to
£49 million ($76.31 million)to end his increasingly toxic
relationship with Liverpool.
City have been relatively restrained during the
transfer window but the signing of Sterling, described by
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers as the best young
player in Europe, could prove to be a sound investment
by Manuel Pellegrini.
Splashing such a fortune on a player yet to score a
Champions League goal, let alone win any silverware,
and still far from a polished diamond, appears bold.
Yet Sterling offers City a spark they lacked last season
when they trailed in behind Chelsea in the Premier
League title race and under-achieved again in the
Champions League.
With Sergio Aguero expected to play as a lone striker
this season, Sterling’s head-spinning pace and dribbling
will compliment an attacking midfield boasting the
vision and craft of David Silva and Samir Nasri and the
power of Yaya Toure.
Surrounded by players of such international pedigree
Sterling will not be the focal point he was last season at
Liverpool, despite the huge price tag, so with a fresh start
and the right attitude, his boots should do the talking.
“He has a lot of things we didn’t have in our squad,”
Pellegrini said. “He has a lot of pace and I am sure in the
future he will demonstrate why we paid so much money
for him.”
If Sterling clicks into gear and hits the form that
almost helped Liverpool to the 2013-14 title and briefly lit
up England’s World Cup campaign in Brazil, Pellegrini’s
faith will be fully justified.
The snipers will be taking aim if things do not go to
plan though, especially after a trophy-less season last
time out when points were surrendered too easily against
clubs who ended up being relegated, allowing Chelsea to
cruise home. Trumping Jose Mourinho and regaining
the Premier League is Pellegrini’s priority but he also
talks about going “a stage” further in the Champions
League after falling in the round of 16 in 2014-15 — their
best, albeit modest, showing to date. — Reuters
Wenger’s team finished last season at a gallop, winning 20 of their final 26 games in all competitions and retaining the FA Cup against Villa
Arsenal seek title proof in encounter against Chelsea
LONDON: Arsenal’s readiness to
mount a sustained title challenge in
2015-16 will be tested at Wembley on
Sunday when they face Premier League
champions Chelsea in the Community
Shield.
Arsene Wenger’s team finished last
season at a gallop, winning 20 of their
final 26 games in all competitions and
retaining the FA Cup by swamping
Aston Villa 4-0 in a one-sided final.
They have carried that momentum
into pre-season, winning all four of their
matches, and having finally addressed
their longstanding goalkeeper problem
by signing Petr Cech from Chelsea,
optimism is abundant.
“We want to win the league, of course
we do,” midfielder Jack Wilshere told the
Arsenal website ahead of the English
football season’s traditional opening
fixture.
“We feel we’ve been together a few
years now, we’ve brought in world-class
players who have had time to settle,
we’ve added a world-class ‘keeper with
all of his experience — he’s been there
and he’s done it; he’s won everything
— so we really feel we’re in a strong
position.”
Arsenal will be wary of false dawns,
having dispatched then-champions
Manchester City 3-0 in last season’s
Community Shield, only to finish 12
points below Chelsea in the title race.
But Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho
appears to consider them genuine
contenders, if the comments he has
launched in the direction of the Emirates
Stadium in recent weeks are anything to
go by. Citing the arrivals of Mesut Ozil Arsenal’s Gabriel Paulista celebrates after winning the Emirates cup with Santi
and Alexis Sanchez, Mourinho claimed Cazorla and Mikel Arteta. — Reuters
that anyone who totted up Arsenal’s
transfer expenditure over the past few
years would be in for a “surprise” and
said that they were “more than ready” to
challenge for the title.
Wenger, whose tetchy relationship
with Mourinho spilled over into a
touchline scuffle at Stamford Bridge last
season, responded in sanguine fashion.
“I think what you want is not to
listen too much to what people say,” said
the Frenchman, who has not beaten
Mourinho in 13 attempts. “Because
sometimes in the same week I get two
different reproaches: one, I don’t spend
enough and one, too much.”
SANCHEZ, WELBECK OUT
With the experienced Cech
between the posts, Arsenal look much
more robust defensively, the Czech
international having been allowed
to join a major rival due to his close
relationship with Chelsea owner Roman
Abramovich. Cech, 33, spent 11 hugely
successful years at Chelsea before being
dislodged by Thibaut Courtois last
season, winning four league titles and
the 2012 Champions League, and former
team-mate Branislav Ivanovic has urged
the club’s fans not to jeer him.
“I hope they will give respect to him
because he deserves it,” the Serbian
defender told the Evening Standard
newspaper. “For 90 minutes the fans will
support us. For sure, they will be on our
side. Before and after the game, I hope
and I’m sure they will give Petr respect.”
To date, Cech is the only new player
that Arsenal have signed, but they
announced on Friday that forward Theo
Walcott and midfielder Santi Cazorla
have penned new contracts. — AFP
28
SPORT
omandailyobserver
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
SWIFT PLAY: Woods, on a two-year win drought, fired a 66 to stand in a pack of nine players sharing fifth on 134
Tiger roars as Ishikawa clings to PGA lead
GAINESVILLE, United States: Japan’s
Ryo Ishikawa birdied the last three holes
to grab a one-stroke lead on Friday at
the PGA Quicken Loans National, while
long-struggling Tiger Woods roared
into contention.
Ishikawa had four birdies and four
bogeys in the first 13 holes but closed
with authority to post a three-under
par 68 and stand on 11-under 131,
one stroke ahead of Americans Rickie
Fowler and Kevin Chappell and two
atop Sweden’s David Lingmerth.
“I’m looking forward to the next two
days,” said Ishikawa, seeking his first US
PGA win in his 116th start. “I’m not sure
what the victory number will be. My
goal this weekend is 15-, 16-under.”
Tournament host Woods, a 14time Major champion on a two-year
win drought due to injuries and swing
changes, fired a 66 to stand in a pack of
nine players sharing fifth on 134.
“I’m in a good spot,” Woods said. “I’m
looking forward to the weekend. I’m
looking forward to getting after it.”
Ishikawa, who made his first US holein-one in shooting a 63 on Thursday,
nearly added another at the par-3 16th,
his 9-iron from 15 yards landing two
inches from the cup. “It was a great
moment,” Ishikawa said.
The 23-year-old world number 203
added a 13-foot birdie putt at 17 and
dropped a 31-foot birdie putt at 18 to
grab the lead alone after two rounds for
the first time in a PGA event.
“Surprise putt but that was a nice
finish,” Ishikawa said. “It wasn’t a great
round through 15 holes but it was a great
three shots.”
Woods, who has slid to 266th in
world rankings, sank a 36-foot birdie
putt at the par-5 eighth, his penultimate
hole.
“That was a bit lucky but I’ll take it,”
Woods said. “I putted pretty aggressively.
I felt very comfortable hitting the putts.”
Woods has 79 career PGA titles,
three shy of Sam Snead’s all-time record,
but has not won a title since the 2013
World Golf Championships Bridgestone
invitational and has not won a major
Actually it got me
going a little bit.
Got me kick started
a little bit. Got me a
little fired up. Got me a little
more focused
TIGER WOODS,
US golf player
going and we’ll have some fun over the
weekend.”
Fowler also birdied the last three
holes in a round of 65, giving him seven
birdies on the day. “When the putter gets
going, (confidence) is about as high as
it can be,” Fowler said. “Put myself in a
great position.”
Lingmerth, who also shot 65, won
his first PGA title in June, defeating
England’s Justin Rose in a playoff to
capture the Memorial.
“That win definitely boosted my
confidence,” Lingmerth said.
“Now I feel like I play a bit more
relaxed and there’s no pressure from
anywhere. Don’t think I’ve done
anything special, just staying in the
game.”
The group on 134 includes Woods,
fellow Americans Pat Perez, Charles
Howell, Brice Garnett, Jason Bohn
and Jimmy Walker plus New Zealand’s
Games officials voted for Beijing over the winter wonderland offer from Kazakhstan’s Almaty
OPEN
Wie drops out
as Pettersen sets
pace at windy
Turnberry
David Lee, England’s Greg Owen and
South Korean Kim Whee.
— AFP
TURNBERRY, Scotland: Norway’s
Suzann Pettersen surged two strokes
clear of the field while world number
17 Michelle Wie of the US pulled
out with a sore ankle in the Women’s
British Open second round on Friday.
Pettersen, ranked sixth in the
world, overcame a strong breeze at the
Turnberry links to shoot a three-underpar 69 for a seven-under tally of 137.
“They were very tough conditions,
the ball is going nowhere,” the 34-yearold told reporters. “Par is a very good
score today. “I felt I was in 100 per
cent control of the ball, the flight, the
spin, everything you need to do in
conditions like this,” said Pettersen
who is chasing the third Major
championship of her career.
World number two Lydia Ko of
New Zealand carded a 73 to share
second place on 139 with South
Korean pair Ryu So-yeon (72) and Ko
Jin-young (71) and Taiwan’s Teresa
Lu (71). “It was really difficult,” said
18-year-old Kiwi Ko. “The wind...was
definitely a totally different direction
to what it was yesterday so the course
was kind of like playing a new course.”
South Korea’s world number one
Park In-bee was five strokes off the
pace after returning a 73. — Reuters
LEADING SECOND ROUND SCORES
(par-71, USA unless noted):
131 - Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) 63-68
132 - Rickie Fowler 67-65, Kevin Chappell 64-68
133 - David Lingmerth (SWE) 68-65
134 - Pat Perez 67-67, Greg Owen (ENG) 66-68,
Charles Howell 67-67, Tiger Woods 68-66, Jimmy
Walker 71-63, Kim Whee (KOR) 68-66, Brice Garnett
69-65, Jason Bohn 67-67, Danny Lee (NZL) 67-67
135 - Ollie Schniederjans 66-69
136 - Russell Knox (SCO) 69-67, Steven Bowditch
(AUS) 68-68, Justin Leonard 64-72, Retief Goosen
(RSA) 63-73
137 - Ricky Barnes 69-68, Cameron Tringale 6869, John Huh 70-67, John Peterson 67-70, Adam
Hadwin (CAN) 67-70, Nick Taylor (CAN) 68-69, Justin
Rose (ENG) 66-71, Justin Thomas 66-71, Gonzalo
Fernandez-Castano (ESP) 66-71, Arjun Atwal (IND)
66-71, Michael Putnam 71-66, Aaron Baddeley (AUS)
69-68, Mark Wilson 68-69, Harris English 70-67, KJ
Choi (KOR) 69-68, Jonathan Randolph 69-68
LEADING SECOND ROUND SCORES
137 - Suzann Pettersen (NOR) 68 69
139 - Ryu So Yeon (KOR) 67 72, Teresa Lu (TPE) 68
71, Ko Jin young (KOR) 68 71, Lydia Ko (NZL) 66 73
140 - Mika Miyazato (JPN) 68 72
141 - Anna Nordqvist (SWE) 69 72, Lee Minjee
(AUS) 69 72
142 - Park Inbee (KOR) 69 73
143 - Nicole Broch Larsen (DEN) 69 74, Christina
Kim (USA) 71 72, Kim Hyo Joo (KOR) 65 78,
Melissa Reid (ENG) 73 70, Cristie Kerr (USA) 66 77
144 - Yani Tseng (TPE) 72 72, Yoo Sun Young (KOR)
71 73, Misuzu Narita (JPN) 69 75, Alison Walshe
(USA) 70 74, Julieta Granada (PAR) 70 74
145 - Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 71 74, Lee Mi
Hyang (KOR) 70 75, Amy Yang (KOR) 69 76, Maria
Mcbride (SWE) 79 66, Lee Jung Min (KOR) 70 75,
Amy Boulden (WAL) 71 74, Gwladys Nocera (FRA)
70 75, Jennifer Song (USA) 71 74, Jenny Shin
(USA) 71 74, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 68 77, Stacy
Lewis (USA) 70 75, Feng Shanshan (CHN) 71 74
Ryo Ishikawa hits his second shot on the 11th
hole in the second round. — USA Today Sports
since the 2008 US Open.
Woods flubbed his tee shot at the
par-5 14th hole, a sad 161-yard effort
that led to a bogey but prodded him to
six birdies from there.
“Actually it got me going a little bit,”
Woods said. “Got me kick started a little
bit. Got me a little fired up. Got me a
little more focused.”
Fowler, coming off wins at the Players
Championship in May and the Scottish
Open three weeks ago, welcomes Woods
being in contention.
“It’s great to see him back on the front
page of the leaderboard,” Fowler said.
“Sounds like he has started to feel better
about his game and felt good out there.
Hopefully he can get out there and get it
BRITISH
LOCAL FLAVOUR
No snow no problem for China’s might
capital and events an hour away at two mountain
ranges.
BROWN, BROWN, BROWN
With little snow on the Yanqing and Zhangjiakou
ranges, these Games will be “brown, brown, brown”
one senior IOC member said, and will depend on
man-made snow.
‘Keeping it Real’ had been the Kazakhs’ motto, a
cheeky dig at Beijing’s reliance on artificial snow.
In Almaty, though, Kazakhs reacted to losing with a
mixture of disappointment and relief.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled for
26 years, had said the Games would “make the names
of Kazakhstan and Almaty ring out across the world”.
Lawyer Ruslan Dzhusungaliyev, a 45-year-old
Almaty resident, said on his Facebook page: “Hooray!
The Olympics will be held in China, and our budget
will not be plundered.”
The IOC membership did keep it real, though, and
this meant following the money and a tried-and-tested
Olympic city.
Beijing’s victorious bid team were euphoric, with
Wang declaring a historic day. “This day will go down
in history,” he told reporters. “The first time in Olympic
history that a city will host both a summer and a winter
Olympics. In 120 years this is unprecedented. We are
overwhelmed.”
But back home the response was a little more
muted with little of the public displays of joy which
had greeted the decision to award the 2008 Summer
Games to Beijing.
By selecting Beijing, the IOC also appeared willing
to accept what looks certain to be a seven-year barrage
of questions and criticism over China’s human rights
record.
HIGHER, FASTER, STRONGER
Human Rights Watch, which was highly critical of
both China and Kazakhstan during the bid process, was
quick to voice its displeasure. “The Olympic motto of
‘higher, faster, and stronger’ is a perfect description of
the Chinese government’s assault on civil society: more
peaceful activists detained in record time, subject to
far harsher treatment,” HRW’s China director Sophie
Richardson said.
— Reuters
The Chinese capital becomes the first city to be awarded both the summer and winter Games.
Yanquin
Future
railway line
A budget of 1.55 billion
for the organising committee
5 billion
set aside for a high speed train
(estimate)
Advantages
2008 Games sites to be used
Access to winter sports facilities
for 300 million Chinese
to be developed
Concerns raised
BEIJING
The lack of natural snow
The use of artificial snow,
the depletion of water reserves,
the impact on the environment
Population: 11.5 million
Source: IOC
MUSCAT: Omani international
judge Abdel Moneim bin Khamis
was appointed as a top judge in the
open water 25km event at the Fina
Swimming World Championships now
underway at the Russian city of Kazan.
The world championship will
continue till August 9.
The Omani official serves as a board
member and chairs the competition
committee and Omani referees
federation for swimming.
He is also a member of Technical
Committee for Open Water Swimming
in Asian and international level.
Summer cricket classes begin
ng
Cu
rli
Investment required:
1.51 billion
BEIJING
25 km
ge
The cost (in dollars)
12 sites for the competition
6 existing (4 from the 2008 Games)
3 already planned
3 to be built from scratch
Zhangjiakou
Lu
Sk Spe
at ed
in
g
Sh
or
tT
ra
ck
F
Sk ig
at ur
in e
g
Sk
el
et
on
Bo
bs
le
ig
h
Olympic Village
nt
ry
Co N
m or
bi d
n ic
Sk ed
iJ
um
pi
ng
Fr
ee
sk styl
iin e
g
Sn
ow
bo
ar
d
Ho
ck Ice
ey
in
g
Existing
sc
ou
ki
os
Cr
in
es
Bi
a
th
lo
n
Site to be built
Abdel Moneim officiates at Swimming
World Championships in Kazan
MUSCAT: The Al Khuwair Cricket Academy near Holiday Inn Al Khuwair is open
after holidays for classes. The timings for summer cricket classes are Sunday and
Tuesday from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. For more details contact Oman national cricket
team assistant coach Mazhar Saleem Khan on 92537990 and Muhammed Ali on
99568949.
Beijing to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games
Al
p
KUALA LUMPUR: The snow will be fake, but the very
real financial muscle China boasts proved decisive on
Friday when Beijing won the right to host the 2022
Winter Olympics.
Games officials meeting in Kuala Lumpur voted
for the Chinese capital over the lure of a winter
wonderland offering from Kazakhstan’s Almaty, in a
clear sign that the International Olympic Committee is
craving solidity and security after a series of problems
and headaches.
While Rio scrambles to make up lost time in
its building for the 2016 Olympics, and Tokyo is
embroiled in a stadium drama the allure of a megacity
with a cast-iron financial guarantee proved irresistible.
That Beijing will deliver what Chinese President
Xi Jinping is calling “excellent and extraordinary
Games” is without doubt, and IOC members voted
for that security. “It’s symbolic and it is a measure of
confidence,” former IOC president Jacques Rogge said.
“It’s a good day for the Olympics.”
Not all shared his enthusiasm.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch group
declared “in choosing China to host another Games,
the IOC has tripped on a major human rights hurdle.”
Beyond the slopes, it was a good day for sports
equipment and apparel manufacturers who will now
gain exposure to China’s hundreds of millions of
aspirational middle classes.
Beijing mayor and bid leader Wang Anshun
dangled the prospect of 300 million new converts.
“We will leverage this success to popularise and
develop winter sport in China,” Wang told reporters.
The enormous cost of the sporting spectacle —
Russia’s Sochi games cost a record $51 billion — weighs
increasingly heavily.
Stockholm, Krakow in Poland and Oslo all pulled
out in the course of the bidding.
Vice-president Craig Reedie said the IOC had
chosen certainty in China. “We know how the Chinese
work. There is a familiarity.”
It was a close-run thing, though, with the Chinese
winning by 44 votes to 40 -- just two voters’ difference.
Many were charmed by Almaty’s promise of a
picture postcard event blanketed in snow in the former
Soviet state.
The Kazakh offering was an intimate one, with no
venue more than 35 km from the Olympic Village.
By contrast, Beijing’s winning bid features
repurposed 2008 Summer Olympic venues in the
Hurley’s father found safe
GAINESVILLE,
United
States:
Willard Hurley Jnr, the father of US
PGA Tour player Billy Hurley, was
located and is safe after going missing
for 12 days, the younger Hurley and his
family confirmed on Friday.
The news came three days after
Hurley, playing in this week’s Quicken
Loans National, pleaded for help from
media and the public to find his father,
who lives in Leesburg, Virginia.
“My dad has been found. He’s safe.
He’s alive. He’s in Texas,” Hurley said
after his second round Friday. “We don’t
know what comes next at this point. We
just want to say thank you very much
for helping us find him, the public, the
law enforcement, all the media. We
can’t express how thankful we are.”
Hurley’s father, a 61-year-old retired
police officer, drove off in his truck on
July 19 with some clothes and cash.
Hurley had no idea why he vanished.
“It’s all speculation,” he said. “At this
point we’re not going to speculate about
what’s going on.”
Hurley said he had a hint something
was going on with his father when
television cameras began covering his
round.
— AFP
ENTERTAINMENT
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
Was not allowed to watch
commercial films: Konkona
‘MY MOTHER DID NOT ALLOW ME TO WATCH COMMERCIAL HINDI OR BENGALI FILMS. MY
SENSIBILITIES LIE WITH MORE MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD SENSIBLE KIND OF CINEMA’
C
ritically acclaimed actress Konkona Sen Sharma says her
“middle-of-the-road” sensibilities on movies come from the
fact that as a child, she was not allowed to watch commercial
entertainers either in Hindi or her Bengali.
The daughter of celebrated film-maker Aparna Sen,
Konkona said: “I did not really grow up watching commercial
Hindi films or Bengali films. My mother did not allow me to watch it. So, I have
always watched different kind of films and my sensibilities lie with, I think, more
middle-of-the-road sensible kind of cinema anyway.
“So that I think reflects in my films as well.”
Konkana, who has impressed cinema-goers with her low-on-glamour and
high-on-performance roles in movies like ‘15 Park Avenue’, ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’,
‘Omkara’, ‘Page 3’ and ‘Wake Up Sid’, will next be seen in ‘Gour Hari Dastaan —
The Freedom File’.
A biopic on freedom fighter Gour Hari Das, the movie will see Konkona
portraying the role of Lakshmi Das, the wife of Gour Hari Das.
“It was quite a challenge,” she said, and added: “Lakshmi Das is double my age,
she has been a loyal supporting wife, especially when people were not believing
Das-ji, ridiculed him thinking that he was a fraud... the building society people,
the government of course was not supportive of him... she has always been a loyal
supporter.”
Getting into the character was not so difficult for Konkana because “the script
was very well written” and since the team had met the real life people on whom
the film is based.
“We interacted with them, they even came to the sets, so one got a feel of the
characters. It was like the script was coming alive... it was also very well-researched.”
Also, shooting with a cast of National Film Award winners was “great” for
her.
“It is a great cast, so shooting was fun. Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey,
Saurabh Shukla, Tannishtha Chatterjee...one knew the people since
we have worked together before and known each other socially
otherwise, so it was fun.”
‘Gour Hari Dastaan — The Freedom File’ was screened
at London Indian Film festival, New York Indian Film
Festival, Venice Film Festival and has already won an
award at Extravagant India Film Festival in Paris.
How important and effective is the ‘international
return stamp’ for a film’s publicity?
“To a certain extent, the international return
stamp does work. After all, these films are niche
films... after all neither do they have the budget
to do the marketing in such way that it reaches
everybody, and have very little publicity. — IANS
Naomi gets 6 months’ suspended sentence
M
odel Naomi Campbell has been found guilty of
assault after being accused of scratching the eye of a
paparazzo photographer who took photographs of
her and her former boyfriend while she was on a holiday.
The 45-year-old model hit Gaetano Di Giovanni with her
handbag after he photographed her walking through the Sicilian
island of Lipar with Russian billionaire Vladimir Doronin in 2009,
reports dailymail.co.uk.
She was convicted of assault by a Sicilian court on Friday and
received a six months suspended prison sentence.
The alleged attack occurred in August 2009 when the British
supermodel and her then partner Doronin moored took their
yacht off the island to visit the local town after spending a few
days in St Tropez.Campbell realised Di Giovanni had taken several
photographs as she walked through the narrow streets with the
Russian billionaire and attacked him with her handbag.
She scratched one of his eyes and Di Giovanni needed medical
treatment following the incident and took three days to recover,
the court heard.“I had just started taking some shots of her and I
did not expect such a violent reaction,” Di Giovanni said in 2013,
when Campbell was ordered to stand trial.
The model reached an agreement with the photographer
and he withdrew the charges. But prosecutor Francesco Massara
ordered the trial to go ahead in the public interest because of the
gravity of the charges against her, Italy’s national news agency
Ansa said. He said it was in the public interest because of the
serious nature of the charges.
Campbell now intends to appeal the decision, according to
E! News. Her lawyer Guido Carlo Alleva said: ‘We are appealing the
ruling surrounding the 2009 incident. Due to the ongoing legal
process, we cannot discuss the matter further at this time.”
The supermodel has become well known for her fiery temper
during her 30-year career.
She was ordered to attend anger-management classes in 1998
after striking her personal assistant with a mobile phone.
— IANS
LEGAL BATTLE
Judge keeps door open for Katy to buy convent
A
US judge kept the door open
for pop star Katy Perry to buy a
former LA convent at the centre
of an unholy real estate battle, although
a final decision remains on hold.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge
James Chalfant ruled against the sale of
the ex-nunnery to a restaurant owner
who has been fighting the ‘I Kissed A
Girl’ songstress for the right to buy the
property.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that
the sale was improper and invalid,”
Chalfant said in the latest twist in the
legal battle. “It was a bad deal,” he added.
But the judge did not rule on whether
the Archdiocese of Los Angeles can sell
the property to Perry for $14.5 million.
He also said restaurant owner Dana
Hollister can remain in possession
of the grounds pending a September
15 hearing on whether she, Perry or
someone else can best maintain the
buildings and provide the best benefits
for the nuns.
Hollister was ordered to pay $25,000
a month rent in the meantime. She has
not been living on the property but
has a caretaker there. She also cannot
sell, lease or modify the property in the
interim. The pop singer wants to turn
the former convent into her home. The
The LA convent with Katy Perry (inset) at the centre of an unholy real estate battle
sprawling hillside Italianate complex
valued at $15 million is situated near
the hip Los Angeles neighbourhood of
Silver Lake.
But two nuns are having none of
it. In a legal salvo last week, the two
sisters challenged the authority of the
archdiocese to sell the property.
The motion accused the archdiocese
of unilaterally changing the bylaws of
the convent, known as the California
Institute of the Sisters of the Most Holy
and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
The suit said that two of the five
remaining sisters, who range in age
from 77 to 88, were chosen to have
“sole authority to amend the institute’s
bylaws, elect officers and sell the assets
of the institute.”
Perry has visited the nuns, reportedly
singing for them and telling them that
she hopes to live on the property with
her mother and grandmother.
But the two nuns remain opposed to
the sale to Perry, who grew up in a bornagain Protestant Christian household
but has become a sex symbol.
Sister Rita Callanan, 77, recently told
the ‘Los Angeles Times’ that she found
Perry’s videos online and “if it’s all right
to say, I wasn’t happy with any of it.”
— AFP
omandailyobserver
29
TINSELTOWN
Big B calls Kangana
talented, wonderful
M
egastar Amitabh
Bachchan
has
praised actress
Kangana Ranaut and has
called the ‘Queen’ actress
“talented and wonderful”.
The ‘Shamitabh’ actor,
who will share screen space
with Kangana in a Rajkumar
Hirani-directed commercial,
posted on Twitter: “At work
at last with the wonder
called Kangana Ranaut... She
be so good... And talented
and wonderful.”
The 72-year-old, who
had earlier sent her flowers
and a note praising her
performance in ‘Queen’,
even posted a photograph of
himself with the actress.
Also praising director
Rajkumar Hirani, Big B
wrote: “And the other
wonder Raju Hirani on set
in making!”
Big B, who is seen
sporting a fake full beard
look for the advertisement,
said even though sticking a
beard is a “curse”, the “end
result and the camera makes
it believable”.
Martha Hunt ‘looks up’ to
Aldridge
M
odel Martha Hunt
(pictured) says she
“looks up” to Lily Aldridge
as she juggles being a mother
and model.
Hunt said: “I really look up
to her; she’s a good role model
for me. She’s a mum and this
super-successful model, and
she also has this great sense of
style. Also, she’s really kind.
Every time I hang out with
her, I like her more.
Her first runway work
was in 2007, at Paris Fashion
Week where she walked for
Issey Miyake. In 2009, she
was on the cover of ‘Vogue
China’ and ‘Harper’s Bazaar’,
‘GQ’, ‘Revue des Modes’, ‘V’,
‘Glamour Germany’ and
‘Muse’. She has walked for
Tracy Reese, J Mendel, Wayne
and Rebecca Taylor
“The Victoria’s Secret
Angels have to support
one another. It’s this weird
microcosm that we’re in
together, so we have to be
there for one another,” reports
femalefirst.co.uk.
Reese ‘swaps clothes’ with
daughter
A
ctress Reese Witherspoon
has revealed she regularly
“swaps clothes” with her 15-yearold daughter Ava.
Asked what she’s allowed to
wear from her daughter’s closet,
Witherspoon told people.com:
“Anything she wants to wear.
She and I just swap clothes. She’s
got great taste. I love to see the
way she has her own sense of
style. She’s a young woman and
is really developing her sense of
what she wants to look like.”
Their similar sense of style has
been the basis of many shopping
trips recently, with Witherspoon
and Ava, who she has with exhusband Ryan Phillippe, unable
to resist trips to their favourite
stores.
She added: “We actually both
love the same hats, that’s what’s
funny. And we both love makeup. We go to Sephora maybe way
too much. Ridiculous. But it’s
fun — it’s great to have a girl and
get to go shopping together and
buy makeup and stuff... “I really
trust and value her opinion, she’s a very smart young woman and she helps
me make a lot of decisions.” — IANS
30
omandailyobserver
LIFESTYLE
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
SAYEH WOODMAN
[email protected]
A wedding and funeral
the same week!
O
Looking beyond cash to shop
A DEEPLY INGRAINED
MISTRUST OF CREDIT HAS
LONG KEPT CASH KING IN
GERMANY, WHERE THE
AVERAGE CITIZEN CARRIES
$113 IN THEIR POCKET
Q MARIE JULIEN
T
ourists and business travellers
visiting Germany are often surprised
when they reach to pay for their
goods, metro tickets or even a large
restaurant bill that their credit cards
are not welcome.
Habits, however, are slowly changing in Europe’s
top economy, as younger consumers leapfrog from
cash to convenient electronic forms of payment.
A deeply ingrained mistrust of credit has long
kept cash king in Germany, where the average citizen
carries 103 euros ($113) in their pocket.
“Cards have long been the most costly means of
payment for merchants while cash transactions cost
them almost nothing,” Ulrich Binneboessel of the HDE
retail sector federation said, explaining the reluctance
to accept credit cards.
More than half of the amount spent in Germany
on private purchases, 53 per cent, is paid in cash,
according to a study by the Bundesbank central bank
— one of the highest rates for an advanced economy.
In terms of the number of transactions, the figure
hovers at 79 per cent despite the fact that nearly all
Germans have debit cards, which are much more
widely accepted by vendors.
A third of those polled said they only paid in cash,
far more than in other Western countries, with the rate
particularly high among pensioners.
One among them, who asked to be identified only
as Reinhard, always carries money and knows exactly
how much he has on him at any point in time.
“In a shop, I think it’s a waste of time to pay any
other way but with cash,” he said.
Reinhard, who lives in the western state of Hesse,
said he is afraid he will be charged too much and
discover it only when he receives the bill in the mail,
and is wary of hackers and identity thieves who prey
on cardholders.
Security and privacy are high priorities among
Germans, who tend to be more conservative
consumers with a strong aversion to debt. The vestigial
trauma from 1920s-era hyperinflation which helped
usher in the Nazi era still colours the national thinking.
“Consumers in Germany have little desire to
experiment,” said Carl-Ludwig Thiele, a Bundesbank
board member.
But “changes in how people pay are coming, stepby-step”.
In a revolutionary move by German standards,
discount retailers Lidl and Aldi started accepting Visa
and MasterCard this month, after electronics chains
Media Markt and Saturn took the same decision in late
May.
And from the autumn, Media Markt and Saturn
customers will be able to check themselves out at the
till by scanning their cards or mobile phones.
“It is no longer relevant to talk today of Germany
as a country of cash payers. Perhaps the Germans just
need a little longer than others to be convinced of
the benefits of the new payment systems,” said Horst
Rueter of research institute EHI in the western city of
Cologne.
Buyers who came of age in the Internet era are
rapidly embracing a world without cash, with 20 per
cent of German 14 to 29-year olds already paying
using their smartphones, according to a survey by the
high-tech industry federation Bitkom.
“With the technical possibilities now available,
coins and notes are an anachronism,” Peter Bofinger,
one of five Wise Men experts advising the German
government on economic policy, told ‘Der Spiegel’
news magazine.
Beyond the benefits to consumers, he said, less cash
would improve efficiency and make it easier to combat
money laundering and other financial crimes.
However, reassurance about the safety of payment
methods and a ceiling on costs are crucial because “the
willingness of consumers to pay for payment services
is extremely low,” said Thiele.
The EU this month passed a regulation capping fees
on payments made with debit and credit cards, which
should also spur their use.
“The trend towards less cash will continue, although
this will be a continuous and slow process,” Rueter said.
Cash will only cover less than half the payments in
the “medium term”, the Bundesbank said.
For its defenders, cash offers a kind of freedom.
Three in four Germans said they would object to
merchants refusing cash in the future, according to a
survey by polling group YouGov.
“Each country has its own way of paying,” Rueter
said, based on “a mixture of cultural specificity, specific
needs and common sense” which can evolve with time.
Germany, for example, stopped using cheques
about 15 years ago, calling them obsolete.
— AFP
RESEARCH
Prosthetic knee that mimics walking to be tested
R
esearchers at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) have designed a prosthetic
knee that mimics normal walking motion —
and after successful initial results its prototype will be
tested in India.
The team has built the prototype of a prosthetic
knee that generates a torque profile similar to that
of able-bodied knees, using only simple mechanical
elements like springs and dampers.
They prototype will be tested in India, where about
230,000 above-knee amputees currently live.
The invention has the potential to revolutionise
the prosthetic limb industry as good prosthetics cost
several thousand dollars.
For instance, a top-of-the-line prosthetic — that
incorporates microprocessors which work with onboard gyroscopes, accelerometers, and hydraulics to
enable a person walk with a normal gait — can cost
around $50,000.
Amos Winter, an assistant professor of mechanical
engineering at MIT, said his team has developed
a passive, low-tech prosthetic knee that performs
nearly as well as high-end prosthetics, at a fraction of
the cost.
“If we can make a knee that delivers similar
performance to a $50,000 knee for a few hundred
dollars, that’s a game-changer,” said Winter.
“In places like India, there’s still stigma associated
with this disability. They may be less likely to get a job
or get married. People want to be incognito if they
can,” he added.
Most amputees in developing countries wear
passive prostheses — simple, cheap designs with no
moving parts.
“When you see people walk in them, they have a
pretty distinctive limp,” Winter said.
In part, that’s because passive prostheses do not
adjust the amount of torque exerted as a person walks.
For instance, in normal walking, the knee flexes
slightly, just before the foot pushes off the ground —
a shift in torque that keeps a person’s centre of mass
steady.
In contrast, a stiff, unbending prosthetic knee
would cause a person to bob up and down with each
step.
The researchers used the measurements to calculate
a torque profile — the amount of torque generated by
the knee during normal walking.
“Our challenge was, how do you tune the torque
profile to get able-bodied motion, with a passive
prosthetic knee,” Winter explained.
“This was a quick prototype, but so far, we are seeing
good indicators of natural gait,” Winter said.
The
finding
was
reported
in
IEEE
Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation
Engineering.
— IANS
ne wedding and one funeral in the same week — you only hear and
see this kind of thing in the movies, right?
Unfortunately, in my world it came off the screen and became a
reality. It felt quite bizarre. Surreal to say the least. I wasn’t sure whether to be
happy or sad. The wedding was first as well, so when people shed tears at the
wedding, you didn’t know if they were tears of joy or sadness, as to what was
to come later on in the week. Have you ever experienced such a whirlwind, a
roller-coaster of emotions in one week? Peculiar to say the least.
One thing I never experienced in Oman, perhaps a good thing mind you,
was a funeral. In fact, I never got to know or understand the process of such
mourning. I hadn’t seen cemeteries like here in England. I was told that a
pile of stones or rocks on top of one other represents a grave in Oman. On
one boat trip that I went out on — it was also pointed out that there was a
cemetery, but not one that I was used too. It was this small part of an island
that you could only get to really via boat, and it had lots of piles of stones. But
no headstones with names on or dates or words from loved ones. Or flowers.
It was quite derelict.
Its amazing how different cultures celebrate different occasions. I wish I
had engaged more with such events while in Muscat. As I’ve mentioned
previously, I had opportunities to go to weddings, but because of
circumstances I never went. Maybe I wouldn’t be so clueless now! If anyone
would like to enlighten me about such events, I would love to know the
process of such rituals. Though it’s a bit of a morbid topic, the not so happy
subject of losing loved ones; it should be shared and learned about. As the
story goes here, people get together to celebrate the life of lost ones by sharing
words about their life at a ceremony, before saying goodbye and having a
burial or cremation. Flowers are showcased and brought as gifts, and then an
afternoon tea and a get-together occurs afterwards. The cemetery is a place
to go to still feel connected with the lost one, where you can go and visit them
to talk and share moments.
So this week not only has it been an emotional week for myself, but also
for my wardrobe! Quite a contrast in what to wear, as I get out my glittery
shoes and flowery colourful dress, this was soon taken off and replaced with
my black hat and suit jacket and dark make-up. But on the positive side of
things, such events do bring you together, and you see people that you may
not see as often as you should.
May you all will live happily ever after, those starting out on their new
journey and those that have left the current journey they are on for a new
one.
HEALTHFILE
New therapy against cancer
A
n innovative immunological therapy that attacks carcinogenic cells in
humans by increasing the body’s anti-tumour response was presented in
Santiago city in Chile.
The therapy is in the pre-clinical stage and its creator, Claudio Acuna, a
researcher at the University of Santiago, has said the therapy will soon be patented
in the United States, Xinhua news agency reported.
Acuna said the aim “is to generate a vaccine for people who already are showing
signs of cancer which will allow them to improve their immunological response
against tumours. We do not expect to reverse the cancer but offer an alternative”.
“We need to wait for patents approval before progressing to the other stages.
Our project is focused on improving the quality of life of the patients in the
long term and to generate a therapy that is supplementary to the conventional
treatments.”
This new method could decrease global medical care costs by 70 per cent in
comparison with similar therapies.
“This immunotherapy is available for a wide spectrum of patients with breast,
skin, lung, colon, and prostate cancer in the advanced stages,” Acuna said.
“It will not have any side-effects and in terms of cost, once it’s marketed, it will
not cost more than $750.”
Every year, more than 10 million people in the world are diagnosed with new
cases of cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2012, 8.2
million people died from the disease.
GET SOBER WITH THIS SOCIAL APP: If you are struggling with alcoholism or
other forms of addictions, here comes a smartphone app that aims to help by
connecting you to a social network of sober people.
Named Sober Grid, the app has a public news feed where users can post
messages about their struggles and successes with sobriety.
It also offers a messaging platform and other features similar to what are
available on popular social networking platforms like Facebook.
“It shows people’s profiles and how far away they are. It also allows people to
remain anonymous,” the company said in blog post.
“Generally speaking, Sober Grid is a tool that can help you connect to other
sober people and get the help you need when you need it where you need it. For
tech savv-y people or people who like to explore new technologies, this is a fun
avenue to explore,” it added. — IANS
SPOTLIGHT
S U N DAY
AUGUST 2 l 2015
omandailyobserver
31
SHORT TAKES
One-third of Milky Way stars
have changed orbits: Study
N
early a third of the stars in our own galaxy have dramatically changed
their obits, say scientists who have created a new map of the Milky Way.
“In our modern world, many people move far away from their birth
places, sometimes halfway around the world,” said lead author of the study Michael
Hayden from New Mexico State University in the US.
“Now we are finding the same is true of stars in our galaxy — about 30 per cent
of the stars in our galaxy have travelled a long way from where they were born,”
Hayden noted. Evidence of stellar migration had previously been seen in stars
near the Sun, but the new study is the first clear evidence that migration occurs
throughout the galaxy, the researchers noted.
To build the new map of the Milky Way, the scientists used the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey (SDSS) telescope’s Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Explorer
(APOGEE) spectrograph to observe 100,000 stars during a four-year period.
The key to creating and interpreting this map of the galaxy is measuring the
elements in the atmosphere of each star.
“From the chemical composition of a star, we can learn its ancestry and life
history,” Hayden noted.
The chemical information comes from spectra, which are detailed measurements
of how much light the star gives off at different wavelengths.
Spectra show prominent lines that correspond to elements and compounds.
Astronomers can tell what a star is made of by reading these spectral lines.
The fascinating journey of water
WATER COULD SUSTAIN ON
OUR YOUNG PLANET BECAUSE
ITS TEMPERATURE WAS
JUST RIGHT TO KEEP INTACT
THE VAST LIQUID OCEANS
AND WATER VAPOUR IN THE
ATMOSPHERE THAT WE SEE
TODAY
Q NISHANT ARORA
W
onder where the water you
just gulped down came
from? The tap, the office
water dispenser, under the
earth or from the sky? Well,
it actually landed on Earth
from space some four billion years ago — covering an
unknown journey of hundreds of millions of miles —
to finally reach your kitchen.
In his quest to find about water, Alok Jha, a former
reporter with the ‘Guardian’, takes the reader on a
voyage trying to unravel the journey that a simple
molecule — made from two atoms of hydrogen and
one of oxygen — undertook in the blackness of space.
There can be no life without water. At least, no
complex life as we know it. Water is the life force, the
medium for sustenance and the basis for the myriad
variety of life forms on this planet we call our home.
But some of our knowledge about water may have
been incomplete.
In fact, the water cycle that you drew in your school
notebook was never complete. Jha wonders who
actually came up with the idea that the Earth’s oceans
and rivers were connected via the clouds.
But what is crystal clear is that the water bodies
that exist today were made by bombardment of ‘waterfilled’ asteroids and comets in the formative years of
the Earth, facilitated by its position in the solar system
(that makes it a habitable zone). Movement of plate
tectonics and volcanoes eruptions too helped.
Water could sustain on our young planet because
its temperature was just right to keep intact the vast
liquid oceans and water vapour in the atmosphere that
we see today.
To delve further into the deep, Jha, currently the
science correspondent for ITV News, takes us on a
dual journey.
Part of a group of oceanographers and other
scientists on a recent and exclusive water expedition to
Antarctica, he takes us through the ice fields, icebergs
and world-shaping weather systems of the southern
ocean.
In a parallel scientific voyage, he describes the
origins of water after the Big Bang, through the
beginning of life on Earth and the shaping of our
civilisations as the water slowly formed our oceans and
filled the aquifers beneath our feet.
Apart from the outside world, water is what keeps
us alive from within too.
An average 70-kg person has 42 litres of water
inside his body interacting with various molecules in a
powerhouse of chemical reactions that lets him or her
read, play, work, sleep and pray.
What is life if not water?
“Life is a self-sustained chemical system capable of
undergoing Darwinian evolution,” Nasa says. But this
elegant definition is incomplete without water being
part of it.
The book comes at a right time when Nasa and
other global science institutions are scanning the
universe for any signs of life — of water in any form
that may have given rise to life.
The ingredients of water in us and around us existed
in the first few million years after the Big Bang and
they will persist long after life on Earth ends.
The distant future of water would be like this:
In around one billion years, a quarter of the world’s
oceans will have been absorbed into the mantle.
The Sun’s luminosity will steadily increase and, by
the time it is 10 per cent brighter than it is today, the
surface temperature of the Earth will be an average of
47 degrees Celsius.
“The greenhouse conditions will make life
unbearable for the most part and the highest parts of
the atmosphere, the stratosphere, will contain even
more water. Sunlight hitting this part of the atmosphere
will split water atoms, allowing the free hydrogen to
escape the Earth,” Jha writes.
Over the following 100,000 years, the world’s seas
will disappear.
Water will still sit in pools on the surface as it is
released from inside the Earth, and there might be
some small lakes at the poles.
Eventually, by the time the Sun has run out of
hydrogen fuel in five billion years, any remaining water
on the Earth’s surface would have been driven away by
the extreme temperatures.
“Disassociated into its constituent elements, all the
water we have ever known will be atoms, floating in the
blackness of space and the clock will come full circle,”
Jha concludes.
So, the next time when you hold a glass of water,
remember this: it did come from the heavens and your
life depends on it.
— IANS
Hayden and his colleagues used APOGEE data to map the relative amounts
of 15 separate elements, including carbon, silicon, and iron for stars all over the
galaxy.
What they found surprised them — up to 30 per cent of stars had compositions
indicating that they were formed in parts of the galaxy far from their current
positions. This discovery was published in ‘The Astrophysical Journal’. — IANS
Insect-sized robot can jump on water
E
ver
fancied
walking
on
water?
Well,
now a robot can jump
on it, literally.
Researchers from
Harvard
University
have built an insectsized robot that mimics
the way that water
striders jump on water.
By observing water striders using high-speed cameras, the scientists noticed that the
insects do not simply push down on the water, but gradually accelerate their legs so as not
to break the surface tension. The striders also sweep their legs inward before each jump,
to maximise the amount of time they touch the surface, which increases the force of their
pushes.
As described in a paper published in ‘Science’, the researchers used these principles to
develop an ultra light robot with a 2 cm long body inspired by origami.
Its 5 cm long wire legs are curved at the tips like a real water strider’s and coated with a
material that repels water. A flea-inspired jumping system called a torque reversal catapult,
launches the robot from the surface of the water up to 14.2 cm in the air, which is similar
to water striders.
At the moment, the strider-bot can only jump once, and cannot land upright.
“Looking at nature is a good starting point to improving robot systems because they
have already optimised their behaviour through millions of years of evolution,” said co-lead
author Je-sung Koh from Harvard University. Koh said that they would like to build upon
this design to develop a robot that can not only jump on the water, but that could also swim
and perform other complex tasks.
— IANS
INCREASED EFFICIENCY
Butterfly-inspired way to make solar energy cheaper
M
imicking the v-shaped
posture adopted by a
butterfly species to heat up
its flight muscles before take-off, the
amount of power produced by solar
panels can increase by almost 50 per
cent, a study led by an Indian-origin
scientist has found.
Increased efficiency of solar energy
production with the new technique
could also lower its cost.
“Biomimicry
in
engineering
is not new. However, this truly
multidisciplinary research shows
pathways to develop low cost solar
power that have not been done before,”
said study lead author Tapas Mallick,
professor at University of Exeter in
Britain.
The Cabbage White butterflies
are known to take flight before other
butterflies on cloudy days — which
limit how quickly the insects can use the
energy from the sun to heat their flight
muscles.
This ability is thought to be due to the
THE CABBAGE WHITE
BUTTERFLIES ARE
KNOWN TO TAKE
FLIGHT BEFORE OTHER
BUTTERFLIES ON CLOUDY
DAYS, WHICH LIMIT
HOW QUICKLY THE
INSECTS CAN USE THE
ENERGY FROM THE SUN
TO HEAT THEIR FLIGHT
MUSCLES
v-shaped posturing they adopt on such
days to maximise the concentration of
solar energy onto their thorax, which
allows for flight.
Furthermore, specific sub-structures
of the butterflies’ wings allow the light
from the sun to be reflected most
efficiently, ensuring that the flight
muscles are warmed to an optimal
temperature as quickly as possible.
The team of scientists therefore
investigated how to replicate the wings
to develop a new, lightweight reflective
material that could be used in solar
energy production.
The scientists found that the optimal
angle by which the butterfly should hold
its wings to increase temperature to its
body was around 17 degrees, which
increased the temperature by 7.3 degrees
Centigrade compared to when held flat.
They also showed that by replicating
the simple mono-layer of scale cells
found in the butterfly wings in solar
energy producers, they could vastly
improve the power-to-weight rations
of future solar concentrators, making
them significantly lighter and so more
efficient.
The study was published in the
journal ‘Scientific Reports’.
— IANS
SUNDAY | AUGUST 2, 2015 | SHAWWAL 16, 1436 AH
P29
P30
P31
Inside
Door open for Katy to buy convent Looking beyond cash to shop The fascinating journey of water FOLLOW US ON:
www.omanobserver.om
[email protected]
Men’s hair
do through
the years
The Beatles, four Liverpool lads also changed the hairdressing of millions
Q RAY PETERSEN
oung Omani men, in particular,
are fastidious about their
hair, and facial appearance.
Quite simply, the number of
hairdressers, or barber shops,
throughout Oman is staggering,
and must surely be one of the highest per capita
throughout the world. Hairdressing for men, in
fact has very solid historical origins in the Middle
East, and is chronicled as far back as 3500 years
ago.
The Assyrian civilisation, the power base of
which was established in today’s Northern Iraq,
were the first true hair stylists, and cutting and
layering was an obsession among the well-to-do.
The hair may have been oiled, perfumed, even
tinted and heated iron bars were used to curl hair
for special occasions in a forerunner to today’s
curling irons.
In ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians were
extremely vain about the colour of their hair,
and were almost ashamed of grey hair. By way of
contrast, juveniles of the line of Osiris, or Horus’
line, would have their heads shaven, except for a
small curl of hair to one side of their head which
was known as the lock of youth, or ‘Horus’ Lock.
The ancient Greeks would usually have their
hair cut short, but rarely shaven, and unless
they were soldiers would grow a beard. Julius
Caesar created a fashion trend by wearing a
laurel crown to hide his greying hair, beginning
a trend that would last for centuries. Meantime,
another famous Roman Emperor, Nero, initiated
sideburns by allowing his hair to curl luxuriously
at the side of his face.
During the 7th century, with civilisations
spreading their wings more, and sharing cultural
exchanges, longer hair became more fashionable
in the East and Asia, with men letting their hair
grow long enough to braid it. At the same time
Japan and China presented the tightly pulled
back style, with a highly shaven forehead, and
tightly tied, sometimes braided hair.
The American Indians brought us the
Mohawk style, with almost every tribe having
its own individual style reflecting their tribal
origins. Some only had a fringe around the edge
of their heads known as a tonsure, while others
had variations on the braiding theme. The Navajo
and Pueblo Indians would twist, rather than braid
their hair rather than cut it, and would often end
The powdered wig, seen here, is still used today
as a legal adornment
Today’s male is very ‘hair aware’ and well
groomed
Y
THE ASSYRIAN CIVILISATION,
THE POWER BASE OF WHICH
WAS ESTABLISHED IN TODAY’S
NORTHERN IRAQ, WERE THE FIRST
TRUE HAIR STYLISTS, AND CUTTING
AND LAYERING WAS AN OBSESSION
AMONG THE WELL-TO-DO
shortish styles favoured, and most would slick
back their hair with macassar oil or bay rum.
This look maintained its popularity and with the
advent of movies everyone wanted to be Rudolf
Valentino or Douglas Fairbanks Jr, and copied
their clean, sharp styles.
In the 1950s, men’s hair styles took off. The DA
styles of James Dean and Elvis Presley became de
rigueur, sideburns became popular again, as did
the pompadour. A decade later and the Afro, a
la Micheal Jackson, in a statement of support for
African-Americans. Long, shaggy hair (Beatles,
Rolling Stones and the like) completed a shortlived rejection of glamour, grooming, and the
Vietnam War as young Americans in particular
sought to establish a free, uninhibited look.
The 70s and 80s produced a ‘weird and
wonderful’ though completely impractical phase
of presentation initially through the manicured
and blow-dried Bee Gees look, ‘punk rock,’
Johnny Rotten and David Bowie style spiked,
dyed, and sometimes even fluorescent cuts.
Micheal Jackson was again to the fore, follically,
as he promoted a ‘wet-look’ processed afro look,
called a ‘jheri-curl,’ which was trendy, but difficult
and impractical.
up with waist length hair.
Then, in pre-medieval Europe dominant
leaders of society, and on the battlefield were
remarkably small, and short people, so they often
created very full styles, cuts and enhancements to
make themselves appear taller in a style called a
pompadour. Medieval hair styles themselves were
very structured, and quite severe as the continent
descended into generation after generation of
religion inspired conflict. Now, hair became a
‘badge’ of one’s religious beliefs, with the Pope,
Gregory VII in 1073 even banning beards and
moustaches.
Renaissance Europe saw the popularity of hair
dyes to achieve a ‘blonde’ or ‘sun-bleached’ look,
using bleaches, saffron, and dyes made from
onion skin. Frances the First of France in 1558
singed his hair with a torch, and to make him feel
more comfortable his courtiers all cut their own
beards, moustaches and hair similarly short, and
the look ‘stuck!’
The 17th century saw the advent of wigs for
men of the type which are seen today in many
societies courthouses by judges and lawyers.
Louis XIII of France,who was prematurely bald
in 1624 made long, flowing wigs fashionable, but
within 50 years the fashion changed to shorter,
and often white fittings called perukes, or
periwigs. Gentlemen would often ‘powder’ them
for an even more dignified look!
The Victorian era though, from 1837
onwards, saw a move towards a more refined and
This Japanese style became popular
altogether more romantic gentleman, with clean, with the warrior class
Since those days, the ‘preppy,’ a sharp, clean,
shorter cut look has fought back, and the man in
the street is likely to be much more aware of, and
careful about, their hair styling and appearance.
In the Middle East, according to the hair care
industry (Euromonitor, 2011), desalinated water
use leads to accelerated hair loss, popularising
hair loss prevention shampoos, while a generally
youthful population has seen colorant products
also increase quite dramatically.
Noting the demand for male hair products
such as shampoos, colorants, gels, and antidandruff products, global giants such as Unilever
report a vigorous market in the Middle East,
while the herbal remedies giant Himalaya is also
bullish about current and future prospects. It’s
a significant market financially too, as Statista
(2014) reports male grooming sales in the USA
will in 2015 for the first time, top $20 billion.
Men around the world don’t use their sister’s
shampoo once a month any more, and the
male hair care market is now substantial as hair
care it seems is here to stay. It seems also that
those young Omani men who line up at their
barber shop,or hairdresser every week may be
trendsetters of global fashion.
The Egyptian lock of youth, known as
the Horus Lock
LONG-LASTING BENEFITS
Exercise during teens reaps long-term benefits for women
Q PATRICIA REANEY
P
laying team sports and exercising
during adolescence can have longlasting benefits for women and may
even reduce their risk of dying from cancer
and other causes later in life, a new study
showed.
Researchers who analysed how often
women exercised while in their teens found
that being active for just 1.3 hours a week
had a positive impact as they got older.
“The main finding is that exercise during
adolescence is associated with a reduced
risk of mortality, or death, in middle aged
to older women,” Sarah J Nechuta, an
assistant professor of medicine at Vanderbilt
Epidemiology Center and VanderbiltIngram Cancer Center in Nashville, said in
an interview.
Women who were physically active in
their teens had a 16 per cent lower risk
of dying from cancer and a 15 per cent
decreased risk of death from all causes,
according to the study.
“Our results support the importance
of promoting exercise participation in
adolescence,” said Nechuta, “and highlight
the critical need for the initiation of disease
prevention early in life.”
The findings, which are published in the
journal ‘Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &
Prevention’ are based on data from a study of
75,000 women from Shanghai, China led by
Wei Zheng at the Vanderbilt Epidemiology
Centre.
Although the findings were based on
data on women in China, the benefits of
exercising during the teen years could be
applicable to all women.
“It general, there is no reason to believe
that exercise participation would differ in
the effect on women in general regardless of
where they live,” Nechuta said.
Women in the study were aged between
40 to 70 years old when they were recruited
from 1996 to 2000. They were interviewed
about lifestyle factors and how much they
exercised during their teens. — Reuters
WOMEN WHO WERE
PHYSICALLY ACTIVE IN THEIR
TEENS HAD A 16 PER CENT
LOWER RISK OF DYING FROM
CANCER AND A 15 PER CENT
DECREASED RISK OF DEATH
FROM ALL CAUSES