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6OLªª.OªªsªªBAISAS Sunday, August 5, 2012/Ramadhan 16, 1433 AH www.omanobserver.om sªeditor@omanobserver.om

Solar superstorm menace 13 27 17 Pathan bowls India to win

A MONSTER blast of geomagnetic particles from IRFAN Pathan grabbed five wickets as India posted a
the sun could destroy 300 or more of the 2,100 20-run victory over Sri Lanka in the fifth and final One-
high-voltage transformers that are the backbone of Day International in Pallekele to win the series 4-1. The
the US electric grid. Even a few hundred destroyed paceman finished with 5-61, his second five-wicket haul
transformers could disable the entire interconnected in one-dayers, as India bowled Sri Lanka out for 274
system. There is impetus for a group of federal after scoring a challenging 294-7 in the day-night match.
agencies to look for ways to prepare for such a storm. Sri Lanka were struggling at 102-5.

Labour issues
under review
z Top priority for food security challenges
z Nod for cut in agricultural land use price
z E-government regulations to be issued
MUSCAT — The Council of In its study about the mar- text of getting their demands
Ministers, during its conven- ket and the process of employ- answered.
ing in July, addressed the ma- ment, the Council observed The Council said disinter-
jor challenges facing the la- that some youths shun private est in private sector jobs and
bour market and the issues of sector jobs, while others re- suspension of work reflect
food security, e-government frain from work in high pro- negatively on the sector and
and development projects. ductivity sites under the pre- the economy. „ Details, P4 MASSIVE expansion work in full swing at the Muscat International Airport yesterday. — Picture by Saleh al Sharji

13 shops shut for violations

MUSCAT — The Inspection
and Food Control Depart-
ments at Muscat Municipality
implemented 2,767 inspection
visits to different food outlets
during July.
The teams carried out in-
spection campaigns to food-
stuff shops and supermarkets
to check Ramadhan promo-
tional offers and observe viola-
tions of health requirements.
As a result, 13 shops were
shut down for violation of
health instructions and handed
down 210 tickets to others due
to the expiry of items and stor-
age. As many as 7,252 kilo-
grammes of foodstuff and 352
packets of items were found to
be not fit for human consump-
tion. The inspection teams
also cancelled 7 kitchen tools,
20 bottles of cosmetics and 37
shaving tools.
Foodstuff dumped during
the same period stood at 4,323
kg, including vegetables, fruits
and dairy products. — ONA
(Pictures on page 3)
Study seats to be finalised this week
MUSCAT — The Ministry of
Higher Education has urged
students to complete their reg-
istration within the given time
frame this month via Higher
Education Admission Cen-
tre. The deadline for approval
of study seats is this week
(August 5-11), and the stu-
dents are required to finalise
their registration in the institu-
tions where they are admitted
between August 5-29.
Preliminary results show
that 25,610 study seats are
available via the Higher Edu-
cation Admission Centre and
that 665 of the seats require
personal interviews and admis-
sion tests. The results indicate
that 5,971 seats are still not
claimed, 35 per cent of which
are in internal scholarships and
41 per cent in vocational train-
ing centres.
The large percentage of va-
cancies in internal scholarships
and vocational training centres
shows failure to submit proper
documents or lack of aware-
ness about the importance of
the specialisations or lack of
interest since vocational cen-
tres offer only diplomas.
The Sultan Qaboos Univer-
sity has 3,111 seats available,
colleges of applied sciences
2,303 seats, technical colleges
10,470 seats, health institutes
656 seats, Sharia Sciences In-
stitute 100 seats, vocational
training institutes 3,664 seats,
fishermen’s centres 180 seats,
external scholarships 143
seats, internal „ To page 2

Search on to
Partners in progress nab criminals
Fahmi bin Khalid al Harthy, Editor-in-Chief "Yª+ABEERª9OUSUF
MUSCAT — A combing operation is on to
FAHMIALHARTHY OMANOBSERVEROM track the three undertrials who escaped from
the Mawelah Court of Appeal, according to

T
HE Council of Ministers in its yesterday’s statement focused on a the Royal Oman Police (ROP).
number of key issues and stressed a host of important points. “All border checkposts and airports are on
The authorities have been asked to visit different wilayats more alert and the border security forces are kept on
regularly, instead of waiting in their offices for reports from their sub- the loop in connection with the escape of the
ordinates, to make sure that government departments are working to the three criminals,” a source at the Public Rela-
satisfaction of the people and government projects currently under way are tions Department, ROP, told the Observer.
proceeding expeditiously. The three detainees of Asian origin, who
Serving the people, building close, cordial and regular contacts with face multiple charges, were presented at the
them through visits to different regions to know the demands of the people courthouse in connection with a hearing,
are something whose importance cannot be overstressed. where they broke open bathroom windows
The council has also emphasised the importance of real partnership and fled, the ROP stated.
between the private sector and the government in achieving the national They were brought from the maximum se-
agenda of sustainable economic growth, economic „ To page 2 curity Sumayil Central Prison to the Mawelah
Court of Appeal with full security, „ To P2

Nato routes reopened Oman Air pact

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan yesterday
reopened a major border crossing used
to transport supplies for Nato forces in
Afghanistan, an official said, almost
two weeks after it was closed due to a
militant attack.
Sangeen Shinwari, a border of-
ficial at the Machini checkpoint, said
by phone that Nato supply trucks
crossed into Afghanistan after security
was boosted. “Twelve trucks carrying
food, medicine and other items so far
crossed the border into Afghanistan on
Saturday and three more would fol-
low,” Shinwari said.
The Torkham border crossing was
closed to Nato supplies on July 24 af-
ter Taliban attacked a convoy, killing
a driver. Nato trucks loaded in the Pa-
kistani port city of Karachi enter Af-
ghanistan either through the Torkham
crossing in the tribal area or the Cha-
man crossing in Baluchistan.
Pakistan reopened Nato supply
routes on July 2 after a seven-month
closure in protest at the killing of 24
Pakistani troops in a US attack in No-
vember. — Agencies
MUSCAT — Oman Air has renewed its res-
ervations technology agreement with Sabre
Airline Solutions. The multi-year agreement
extends a long and established partnership be-
tween Oman Air and Sabre for the technology
driving the airline’s growth and improvements
across all its customer-focused operations.
Maher Koubaa, Sabre Airline Solutions’
vice-president for the Middle East and Africa,
said: “Oman Air’s appetite for technology
gives them a competitive edge in the market
and allows them to explore new revenue op-
portunities and experiment with new products
for customers.” „ Details on page 2

Indian growth to fall Storms hit China

NEW DELHI — India’s economic
growth could slip to near six per cent
with the country facing the spectre of
its third drought in a decade, top poli-
cy-maker says.
In the last few months, the outlook
for once-booming India has worsened
with high inflation, steep interest rates,
a ballooning deficit, nosediving busi-
ness confidence, a falling currency and
now growing worry of drought.
“If we factor in that agriculture
which will not be strong... (growth)
Inside
will be closer to six per cent” for the
fiscal year to March 2013, Planning
Commission Deputy Chairman Mon-
tek Singh Ahluwalia said.
His forecast is down from the 6.5
per cent expansion India notched up
last year, and far below the close to
10 per cent expansion seen during the
past decade.
A survey released yesterday said
the weak monsoon and a deteriorating
global situation were expected to cut
growth. „ Details, P11
BEIJING — Around 867,000 people have
been evacuated from the eastern coast of Chi-
na after gales lashed the region following the
arrival of two tropical storms.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs said tropi-
cal storm Saola, which weakened from a ty-
phoon, made landfall in Fuding city in east
China’s Fujian province, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme
will send a first batch of emergency food aid
to North Korea, where a series of deluges and
a typhoon killed nearly 120 people and left
more than 84,000 others homeless last month,
the agency has said. „ See also page 15

Plastic spill on beaches — P7 Damascus retaken — P9 Floods batter India — P11 Iraq’s security hit — P12
 2
OMAN
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Study seats to be Al Barwani gets Exemplary Leader Award

finalised this week By A Staff Reporter community initiatives in Oman. Tariq is an
example of contemporary leader that focuses
Partners in
From page 1 The current period
scholarships 1,500
seats, internal schol-
arships for girls only
486 seats, social secu-
is highly significant
for higher education
study aspirants. Stu-
dents should look out
MUSCAT — Tariq Hilal al Barwani, CEO
and President of the KnowledgeOman.com,
the leading community and knowledge shar-
ing initiative in the Sultanate, has been hon-
oured with the prestigious ‘Exemplary Leader
on results.”
The awards of the highest stature are pre-
sented to individuals and institutions that
have surpassed several levels of excellence
and set an example of being a role model
progress
for the outcome of From page 1 vate sector to play a more
rity scholarships 1,470 Award’ at the Global HR Excellence 2012 through exemplary leadership. effective role within the
seats, scholarships for sorting by all means of event. The awards also recognise individuals diversification, human re-
advertising or through sources development and framework of the overall
people with limited in- Top entrepreneurs and professionals from behind the institution who are building their development process.
come 618 seats, grants the Higher Education 19 Asian countries including the Middle Institutions through leadership, innovation, employment generation
Admission Centre or for the Omani citizens. Undoubtedly, the pri-
for study abroad 101 East and Australia competed for these mul- professional excellence and industry inter- vate sector has benefited
seats and grants for via SMS or local news- ti-category awards. The award recognises face with a supreme objective of building The Council of Minister
papers. The students relies on the private sec- from the positive condi-
study within the Sul- outstanding leaders around the world whom future leaders. tions the government state
tanate 63 seats. The are urged to accept the have demonstrated excellence in people and Tariq founded KnowledgeOman.com as a tor to be strong partners in
programmes for the job- has developed to enable
total number of seats seats offered to them so organisational leadership. community organisation in 2008 and created
seekers. this sector to grow and gain
available through all that they could final- Jack Jones, Chairman of the Global HR a diverse team of local and expat community
The government has more strength as well as to
sources of higher edu- ise their registration as Excellence, said: “Tariq has demonstrated living in Oman who passionately work volun-
assured that it will open make further achievements
cation admission is soon as possible within excellent skills in creating an organisation tarily together to promote knowledge across
the doors for more joint in the trade, industrial and
32,246. the limited period. and leading a team that delivers impact to the the Sultanate.
ventures in government investment spheres. The
projects and has told the private sector has been co-
private sector to become operating with the govern-
more proactive and a real ment in nation-building.
partner in progress than re- It is time the private
maining mere suppliers. sector took a step further
The private sector com- in developing employment
panies have to go beyond opportunities for the Om-
the traditional relationship ani nationals and provided
and become an active part- them training programmes.
ner in the country’s progress On the other hand, Omani
by working together for the nationals also need to take
national agenda. their jobs more seriously
The private sector plays with commitment to pro-
a critical role in making fessionalism.
the economic diversifica- Changing jobs from one
tion programmes effective. organisation to another too
Similarly, it is important to frequently is not good for
realise that the private sec- the nation’s economy or for
tor and the public sector are the career of individuals.
on the same track; their tar- The citizens would do well
gets are common and their to stick to their jobs, con-
concerns are also common tribute professionally and
in their pursuit to achieve make it a point to upgrade
the national goals. their skill sets so as to get
Over the past 42 years, promotions.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Among other impor-
has been giving a great deal tant points, the Council
of attention to development has stressed the urgency of
in all spheres. Economic making the e-government
development has enjoyed, portal fully functional and
and still enjoys, the largest useful. Besides, the impor-
share of that attention. tant role of Public Authority
New road networks, for Consumer Protection in
ports and airports in dif- maintaining price and mar-
ferent part of the Sultanate ket stabilisation has been
have been built, and many stressed. Price of fish and
other facilities and services meat should be maintained
offered to motivate the pri- at reasonable levels.

Smuggler arrested at airport

MUSCAT — The Di-
rectorate General on
Combating Misuse
of Narcotics and Psy-
chotropic Substances
arrested at Muscat
International Airport
a woman of Asian na-
tionality on charges
of possessing narcot-
ics. The woman, who
was carrying the drugs
in her handbag, con-
fessed to the charges.
She was transferred to
the Public Prosecution
Department for further
legal action.

Search on to nab criminals

From page 1
but they managed to escape under the pretext of going to toilet,
sources said.
Some of the crimes that are said they committed were the
murder of a Chinese woman and drug dealing.
“Public is also warned of these three men and if anyone has
any information on the whereabouts of any of these criminals,
they can get in touch with the nearest police station," he further
said.

Oman Air renews Sabre pact

MUSCAT — The national carrier of the Sultanate,
Oman Air, has renewed its reservations technology
agreement with Sabre Airline Solutions.
The multi-year agreement extends a long and es-
tablished partnership between Oman Air and Sabre
for the technology driving the airline’s growth and
improvements across all its customer-focused op-
erations.
Maher Koubaa, Sabre Airline Solutions’ vice-
president for the Middle East and Africa, said:
“Oman Air’s appetite for technology gives them a
competitive edge in the market and allows them to
explore new revenue opportunities and experiment
with new products for customers”.
“Sabre’s reservations technology is one of the
industry’s most powerful revenue-generating sys-
tems and will support the airline’s drive for busi-
ness efficiencies and top customer service.”
Wayne Pearce, chief executive of Oman Air,
said: “It is important to work with the right technol-
ogy partners in such a competitive marketplace.
“Sabre’s stable and well-proven reservations
technology means we provide a trouble-free travel
experience to our passengers.
“The technology provides significant value and
return on investment, and in turn gives us the flex-
ibility to offer a widening array of other value-add-
ed services to our customers.”

THE inspection and food control departments at Muscat Municipality made 2,767 visits to different food stalls and shops last month. — ONA
OCCI hosts annual iftar gathering in Ibri
By Ali Ahmed al Riyami
MUSCAT — As part of their
annually held iftar gatherings,
the Oman Chamber of Com-
merce and Industry’s (OCCI)
Al Dhahirah branch recently
hosted an iftar gathering for
local business owners, econo-
mists, investors and officials
— including members of the
Majlis Ash’shura representing
Al Dhahira governorate — in
Ibri.
The iftar gathering provid-
ed an opportunity for members
of the community to have their
meal together, enhancing so-
cial and religious solidarity, as
well as allowing for network-
ing among fellow business as-
sociates and acquaintances.
Shortly on completion of
the iftar, the group headed to
the Sultan Qaboos Mosque,
Ibri, for their evening (Magh-
rib) prayers. This was followed
by a speech delivered by Ali
bin Saleh al Kalbani, OCCI
Board Member and Chairman
of the Al Dhahirah branch, in by the Al Dhahirah branch of
which he spoke about the in- OCCI for the region.
creased pace of activities and
programmes being carried out to serve the local community
He said that it is important
3
OMAN
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
and that there is room for all
within it, and reiterated their
new slogan for the year: “The
people of Al Dhahirah are the
Two get jail
MUSCAT — The Appeal
Court in Seeb (Criminal De-
partment) handed down a
five-year jail term to two drug
traffickers and ordered them
to pay fines of RO 3,000
each. A report led drug con-
trol squads to the first suspect,
a woman, who rented a room
in a local hotel with the inten-
tion of selling drugs. Her as-
sociate was a man who was
later nabbed during a mock
purchase of the narcotics in
the woman’s room.
investment of Al Dhahirah.”
In response to this, Shaikh
Maktoum bin Matar al Azi-
zi, member of the Majlis
Ash’shura, representing the
Dhanq province, noted that
the new slogan requires and
calls upon all residents of Al
Dhahirah governorate — from
its provinces of Ibri, Yanqul
and Dhanq — to increase and
encourage more economic
investments so as to add and
contribute to commercial, in-
dustrial, agricultural and tour-
ism related activities.
The main meal was then
served and everyone had their
dinner and continued to dis-
cuss upcoming events and
project proposals that will help
to build upon the governo-
rate’s economic development.
The Chamber’s Al Dhahirah
branch has prepared a detailed
account of the investment op-
portunities that can be availed
by investors throughout the
provinces of Ibri, Yanqul and
Dhanq.

Corporate efforts to fuel progress
™ Private sector's role highlighted in development
™ Steps to ensure balance, stability of food prices
™ Youths urged to accept jobs in any of the sectors
™ Regular assessment of directorates' performance
MUSCAT — The Council
of Ministers, during its con-
vening in July, addressed the
major challenges facing the
labour market and the issues
of food security, e-government
and development projects. In
its study of market and the
process of employment of job-
seekers, the Council observed
that some youths shun private
sector jobs, while others who
are already employed refrain
from work in high productivity
sites under the pretext of get-
ting their demands answered.
A statement issued by the
Council said that disinterest in
private sector jobs and suspen-
sion of work reflect negatively
on the sector and the economy
at large.
On its study of the Food
Security Committee’s report,
the Council stressed the im-
portance of determining the
commodities that form the
backbone of food security and
specifying the proportions of
these food items to be kept as
reserve for local consumption.
It also underscored the need
to make the prices of fish and
meat affordable to consumers.
The Council statement reads as
follows:
z In a bid to achieve further
growth and development and
provide services to every part
of this generous country, the
Council of Ministers reviewed
a number of developmental
demands of the governorates
and urged the authorities to
submit to the Council specific
programmes of the nature
of these demands in accord-
ance with requirements of
the practical assessment that
determines their priorities at
each stage whether the current
or the next plan. The Council
stressed the necessity for of-
ficials to conduct more work-
ing visits to regions to closely
view the progress of develop-
ment programmes and require-
ments of citizens to enhance
them and report to the Council
on the outcome of those meet-
ings with those concerned in
the governorates, in addition
to conducting periodic evalua-
tion of the performance of the
directorates and departments
affiliated to units in those areas
and how far they deal with the
scheduled programmes.
z Within the framework of
the Council's review of areas
of co-operation between the
Government and the private
sector and then reaching the
importance of enhancing the
partnership between the two
sides since the private sector
is a key partner in the compre- projects that meet that goal.
hensive development and is
counted on in strengthening its of the attention accorded to
role to accommodate the na- the employment sector, the
tional cadres, qualify them and
get them involved in steering
development’s wheels towards
a broader level, and since
the nature of the production
projects target recruiting more
national manpower, the Gov-
ernment will allow the private
sector to participate in these
4
OMAN
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
z Within the framework
Council has examined various
reports on job-seekers and the
progress of their recruitment in
the governmental and private
sectors as the Council’s Eco-
nomic Committee has been
tasked with crystallising the
set programmes to deal with
this issue. The Council will
continue to assess this aspect.
The Council found, through re-
viewing various reports on job-
seekers, that there is reluctance
on the part of some youths to
work in the private sector who
prefer the government sector,
which is one of the challeng-
es faced by the Government
in the recruitment process,
as well as the impact on the
march of comprehensive de-
velopment and the private sec-
tor has to rely on more expatri-
ates. So the Council calls upon
the youth to accept work in all
sectors, whether governmental
or private, knowing that there
are ongoing efforts exerted by
the Government in creating
conditions for employment in
these sectors.
z The Council examined approved reducing charges tional level and in view of the z In activating the role of
the work-interruption phenom- for agricultural land use. requirements of this important clubs and promoting patriot-
enon in some production sites z In following-up the sector, the Government will ism that binds, historically,
on the grounds that there are implementation of the approv- support it to strengthen its ca- morally and culturally, the
demands for workers, although ed projects, the Council studied pabilities to provide more do- individual to his society, the
the demands are legitimate, but the reasons for the delay in mestic and international serv- Council approved joining of
the ways used to express them awarding some projects and ices and facilities. the Sultanate’s Scientific Club
should be appropriate, which stressed the importance of z In a bid to provide and to the Clubs Society affiliated
lead to achieve benefit of all giving priority in tenders to facilitate e-Government serv- to the United Nations Educa-
parties and do not affect pro- developmental and service ices, accelerate the delivery tional, Scientific and Cultural
ductivity that might negatively projects of urgent nature. of services to the beneficiar- Organisation (Unesco).
reflect on the economy and the The Council will continue ies and to avoid duplication z Within the framework
pace of development. Demands to examine this subject with and repetition in the databases of cultural communication
are by nature taken some time to the Tender Board, which has and information, the Council with the world, the Council of
be met, when possible, and it is shown its willingness to co- of Ministers has adopted con- Ministers approved organising
what happened in many cases. operate in this area. trols for the implementation a multi-language mobile ex-
z Believing in the z Within the framework of of e-Government and circu- hibition on Oman's role in the
importance of balance and the good reputation enjoyed lated to all governmental enti- Islamic and human civilization
stability of food prices, the by Oman Air at the interna- ties. through the ages. — ONA
Council reviewed the report of
the Food Security Committee
and the actions taken by all
relevant authorities and stressed
the importance of identifying
commodities, which constitute
a necessary pillar for food
security in the Sultanate and
identifying the necessary
rate to be kept as reserve for
the domestic consumption.
The Council advised to
quickly accomplish what
the governmental authorities
are currently implementing
in respect to food security
projects within the Eighth Five-
Year Development Plan and
follow them up, emphasising
on mechanisms of market
monitoring and price control
to ensure the activation of the
Consumer Protection Law. The
Council also viewed, during its
meetings, the exerted efforts
regarding the stability of fish
and meat prices, so that they
are in the reach of citizens and
consumers with attention to
the stability of grass prices to
promote livestock.
z Within the Government's
endeavours to provide relief
to citizens, the Council

AFRICAN Union peacekeeping forces advance into Al Shabaab controlled areas of the lower Shabelle region in tanks and
Pirates attack ship, kidnap
four foreigners in Nigeria
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria
— Pirates attacked a ship be-
ing used by an oil servicing
company in the waters off
southeastern Nigeria yes-
terday, killing two Nigerian
naval guards and kidnapping
four foreigners, the Navy
and the boat’s shipping ¿rm
said.
“An oil servicing company
was attacked by gunmen. We
lost two of our men and four
expatriates were abducted, one
Malaysian, one Iranian,” Navy
spokesman Commodore Kabir
Aliyu said, adding that a Thai
and an Indonesian were also
taken.
He said the attack took
place around 33 nautical miles
off the coast of Bonny, Niger-
ia’s main oil export terminal.
Netherlands-based Sea
Trucks Group, whose boat Jas-
Hillary urges Kenya to hold fair poll
NAIROBI — US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton urged
Kenya yesterday to hold free
and fair elections and be a role
model for Africa, underlining
the need to avoid the blood-
shed and economic loss suf-
fered during the last vote ¿ve
years ago.
The general election next
March will be the ¿rst since a
disputed poll in 2007 that set
off a politically based ethnic
slaughter in which more than
1,200 people were killed.
“We urge that the nation
come together and prepare for
elections which will be a real
model for the entire world,”
Clinton told reporters in Nai-
robi. She met President Mwai
Kibaki, who is barred by law
from seeking a third term, and
Prime Minister Raila Odinga,
who leads in opinion polls in
the race to replace him.
The two were the main ri-
vals in the disputed presiden-
tial poll, when then opposition
leader Odinga accused Kibaki
of stealing the vote.
Gangs faced off with ma-
chetes and clubs, and secu-
rity forces opened ¿re on the
streets, until mediator Ko¿ lence and made Odinga prime mission, Clinton told reporters
Annan brokered a power- minister.
sharing pact between Kibaki
and Odinga that ended the vio- bers of Kenya’s election com- tance of a credible, transpar-
France to back African intervention
LORIENT — France would
back an African military inter-
vention in northern Mali, De-
fence Minister Jean-Yves Le
Drian said yesterday.
But even if he believed
such an operation was inevita-
ble — and desirable — it was
not for France to take the lead,
he added. “It is not for France
to take the military initiative in
Mali,” he told journalists dur-
ing a visit to Lorient in north-
west France.
France, he said, “wants
armoured vehicles outside Somalia’s capital Mogadishu yesterday. — Reuters
con was attacked, con¿rmed
that four of its staff had been
seized and that two other secu-
rity guards were also wounded
in the attack.
“The two remaining in-
jured security personnel are
now in Port Harcourt hospital
for treatment,” spokeswoman
Corrie van Kessel said in a
statement. “Sea Trucks Group
is making every effort to ¿nd
out where the kidnappers
are”.
Security in the Delta has
improved since militant ac-
tivity shut down nearly half
of Nigeria’s oil output around
the middle of the last decade,
thanks to an amnesty between
various militant factions and
the government.
But the situation remains
volatile and inÀamed by or-
ganised crime and local politi-
HILLARY with Kenya’s President Kibaki in Nairobi.
that in her talks with Kibaki
Before meeting with mem- she had stressed “the impor-
it to be the African forces, in
particular those of ECOWAS
(the Economic Community of
West African States) and pos-
sibly the African Union, that
take the initiative,” he said.
He said an African military
intervention in northern Mali
was “desirable and inevita-
ble.” “France will support it
and, I hope, the European Un-
ion also.”
At stake was political stabil-
ity in the south of the country
which was not yet guaranteed,
cal rivalries.
Piracy and kidnapping in
the Delta and offshore are
common, and West Africa’s
oil-rich Gulf of Guinea is
second only to the waters off
Somalia for the risk of pirate
attacks, which drives up ship-
ping insurance costs.
They are seen as more of
a criminal enterprise making
huge sums for armed gangs
than as anything political.
Nigerian pirates usually
release kidnapped crew mem-
bers after their cargo has been
looted, rather than held for
ransom.
Meanwhile, explosions
rocked parts of the northeast-
ern Nigerian city of Maiduguri
yesterday as troops engaged
suspected ¿ghters and raided
homes, residents said.
Troops from Nigeria’s
even if interim president Dion-
counda Traore had returned to
the country from Paris earlier
this week, he added.
The situation in the north
of the country was “very wor-
rying”, said Le Drian.
The hardliners who occu-
pied the vast north in the chaos
following a coup have tight-
ened control over the area, im-
posing a harsh form of law.
Among those now in power
in the north are the group An-
sar Dine (Defenders of Faith)
5
AFRICA
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
Joint Task Force who were
deployed in the city two years
ago to combat Boko Haram
have been accused of burning
homes and committing rights
violations against residents
whom they accuse of complic-
ity with Boko Haram when-
ever there is an attack blamed
on the sect.
The soldiers have denied
such accusations.
Boko Haram has killed
hundreds in an insurgency that
has been focused in Nigeria,
mainly in the north part of the
country, with attacks also oc-
curring in the country’s reli-
giously and ethnically divided
centre.
The country, Africa’s most
populous nation and largest oil
producer, is roughly divided
between two groups.
— AFP
ent, free and fair election proc-
ess.”
Hillary warned of the cost
of another botched election,
urging the government and
civil society to work together.
“On the other hand the
unrest that can result from a
disputed election has a terrible
cost both in lives lost and in
economic impact,” she said.
“The instability that fol-
lowed the last election cost the
Kenyan economy by most es-
timates more than one billion
dollars.”
Launching a seven-nation
Africa tour in Senegal on
Wednesday, Hillary urged
Africa to recommit to democ-
racy, declaring the “old ways
of governing” can no longer
work on a continent with
strong economic growth and
an increasingly empowered
citizenry.
She also met Somali Presi-
dent Shaikh Sharif Ahmed and
other Somali leaders in Nai-
robi, and will visit Malawi and
South Africa.
Clinton’s trip to Africa is
intended in part to strengthen
US security ties with allies
such as Kenya, the economic
powerhouse of eastern Africa,
in the face of growing threats
from ¿ghters. — AFP
and Al Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM).
Late last month, members
of the new regime dragged an
unmarried couple to the cen-
tre of the town of Aguelhok
for a public stoning, the ¿rst
reported execution according
to strict Sharia law since the
takeover.
“We must ... avoid (letting)
Mali become a ‘Sahelistan’...,”
Le Drian said, drawing a par-
allel with hardline forces in
Afghanistan. — AFP
Algeria local
elections on
November 29
ALGIERS — Local elec-
tions are to be held in Alge-
ria on November 29, Interior
Minister Daho Ould Kablia
announced yesterday, quoted
by Algerian radio.
“The local elections will
take place on November 29”
for 1,541 municipal coun-
cils and 48 general (wilaya)
councils, Kablia said at a fo-
rum in Algiers organised by
Liberte newspaper.
Algeria held legislative
polls in May and a presi-
dential election is sched-
uled for next year that
the incumbent, Abdelaziz
BouteÀika, is not expected
to contest.
While moderates in
neighbouring Tunisia, Mo-
rocco and in Egypt recorded
major electoral gains on the
back of the Arab Spring,
Algeria’s legal parties lost
ground in the parliamentary
polls. — AFP
Mali heading
towards
unity govt
BAMAKO — The interim
president of Mali is to con-
clude wide-ranging consul-
tations with political and
civil groups today, as the
country appears set to form
a unity government which
will forge a plan for recap-
turing the north from radical
rebels.
“We are now looking to
form a government of na-
tional unity and hope to have
one emerge in the coming
days — hopefully, by the
start of next week,” said one
political source who declined
to be named as negotiations
were still ongoing.
Political sources in
Bamako said that the govern-
ment would include various
actors, including groupings
that supported the March
coup d’etat of Captain Ama-
dou Sanogo that plunged the
capital into chaos.
An ongoing Tuareg rebel-
lion in the north, which had
begun in February, was then
able to gather steam and the
MNLA militia subsequently
captured more than half the
country.
Within weeks however,
the northern area was occu-
pied by several militias who
imposed a strict religious
doctrine and began destroy-
ing Unesco World Heritage
sites in the ancient city of
Timbuktu.
The unity government
would focus primarily on
recapturing the north and
would likely ask for the
assistance of Ecowas, the
regional West African com-
munity. Interim leader Di-
oncounda Traore has been
holding consultations since
Tuesday with a large number
of players including religious
of¿cials, political parties and
civil society groups. — dpa
Ministry of Defence
Announcement
Subject
SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF MEDICAL
EQUIPMENT FOR NICU DEPT.
‡ 7HQGHUVGRFXPHQWVDQGWHUPVPD\EHREWDLQHGRQSD\PHQWIURPWKHRI¿FHRIWKH6HFUHWDU\RIWKH7HQGHU&RPPLWWHHJDWHQRRI
MAM Camp between 0900 to 1300 hrs on the working days.
‡ Payment of Tender documents to be made by using of any Visa Electron Cards or 'Visa Credit' Cards or through Smart Card issued
from Oman Arab Bank.
Explosions rock
Nigerian city
KANO, Nigeria — Explo-
sions rocked parts of the
northeastern Nigerian city of
Maiduguri yesterday as troops
engaged suspected insurgents
and raided homes, residents
said.
The explosions, which be-
gan late on Friday, occurred
in three neighbourhoods no-
torious for attacks blamed
on the Boko Haram sect, and
residents Àed as troops went
door-to-door arresting people
suspected of complicity, they
said.
“Last night, there were
explosions in Gwange area
which went on till the late
hours and today the explo-
sions continued in Kalari and
Budum neighbourhoods,”
Modu Ari, a Budum resident,
said by phone from the city.
“Soldiers moved from
house to house arresting peo-
ple, forcing residents to Àee
their homes to escape arrest,”
said Ari, who had left his
house with his family yester-
day.
Ali Faltaye, a resident of
Kalari, said troops battled
suspected sect members in
the area, sending residents
Àeeing to avoid being caught
up in the ¿ghting or arrested
by soldiers.
Tender
No. Obtain Tender
57/2012 10 Sept. 2012
“Since morning loud ex-
plosions have been going on
in the area and soldiers have
been breaking into homes
making arrests”, Faltaye said.
Military and police au-
thorities were not available
for comment.
Troops from Nigeria’s
Joint Task Force who were
deployed in the city two years
ago to combat Boko Haram
have been accused of burn-
ing homes and committing
rights violations against resi-
dents whom they accuse of
complicity with Boko Haram
whenever there is an attack
blamed on the sect.
The soldiers have denied
such accusations.
The group has stepped up
bomb and gun attacks since
the start of Ramadhan.
Boko Haram has killed
hundreds in an insurgency
that has been focused in Ni-
geria’s mainly Muslim north,
with attacks also occurring in
the country’s religiously and
ethnically divided centre.
The country, Africa’s most
populous nation and largest
oil producer, is roughly di-
vided between a mainly north
and predominantly Christian
south. — AFP
The Ministry of Defence invites MOD
registered suppliers to participate in the
following tender:-
Last Date to
Last Date Tender
for Tender Document
Submission Price Per Copy
17 Sept. 2012 RO 64/-

The parking crisis at the Royal Hospital
Ahmed Al Falahi
dreemlife11@yahoo.com
T receive information about the hospital’s condition knowing
HE Royal Hospital
in Muscat Governo-
rate is an important
health powerhouse
not only because it is the ¿rst
referral hospital to be opened
in the Sultanate but also be-
cause it is the largest incuba-
tor of healthcare services in
the country, and as such, this
hospital should live up to the
reputation it has created in
the mindset of the people as
a signi¿cant healthcare pro-
vider capable of catering to
the needs of patients in the
best way.
My point doesn’t pertain
to the health services deliv-
ered at the hospital nor does it
have something to do with the
Adopting creative ideas and turning them into reality
I hope to see the Muscat
Municipality adopting creative
ideas and turning them to reality
on the ground, instead of keeping
them on papers. We wish that
the city of Muscat appears in the
shape we would love to see it.
We would like to give tourists’
diversified options to enjoy during
their stay in the city instead of
being confined to Muttrah souq
and the Sea Road which is devoid
of any tourism features
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer.
way the hospital staff treats
the patients. The hospital de-
serves commendation on both
aspects despite criticism on
the part of some people. Gain-
ing everybody’s satisfaction
remains an unattainable goal.
The point I am trying to make
is regarding the hospital’s
car park which has become a
topic of intensive discussion
in the media and elsewhere,
however, there has been
hitherto no response either
by the hospital’s administra-
tion, who are well aware of
the suffering of patients and
their companions, nor by the
Health Ministry of¿cials who
de¿nitely receive information
about the hospital’s condition
The hospital’s car park has become a topic of intense
discussion in the media and elsewhere, however, there
has been hitherto no response either by the hospital’s
administration, who are well aware of the suffering of patients
and their companions, nor by the officials who definitely
that many of them used to work at the hospital
knowing that many of them
used to work at the hospital.
Many suggestions were
made as to how to resolve the
problem but none was imple-
mented, while the people’s
suffering is aggravating and
only God knows when it will
end. The only initiative made
to put an end to the trouble
was that by the Muscat Mu-
nicipality when it dedicated
few parking spaces, however,
the effect was not that tangi-
ble.
Mohammed Al Rahbi
I
DEAS occasionally are
recalled one after an-
other in a free associa-
tion of what looks like a
dream. The self yearns for the
best and the most beautiful
without being able to get their
dreams ful¿lled, because the
surrounding circumstances
impose their own conditions
powerfully and sometimes
mercilessly. Available condi-
tions never furnish us with the
¿tting opportunity to achieve
the desired goals, despite hard
thinking and endeavours.
The problem has some-
thing to do with creative off-
beat thoughts that abandon
the traditional template inside
which we have been locked in
for ages. Classical frameworks
OUTLOOK 6
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
The area adjacent to the
hospital’s main entrance can
accommodate the greater part
of the administrative staff ve-
hicles if it can be exploited
as a multi-storey car park,
thereby providing hundreds
of parking spaces. The Minis-
try of Health may be lacking
the funds to construct such a
large car park, however, it is
possible to Àoat tenders for
an investment project and
once the plan it is completed
drivers should pay a nominal
should be reconsidered, giv-
ing way to novel approaches,
while retaining the authentic
features of traditional meth-
ods and mixing them with
elements of modernity. This is
the natural course of develop-
ment, adding up to elements
of the past, rather than ignor-
ing them altogether or imag-
ining virtual worlds having no
connection with reality.
Someone might say: ‘It is
easy to criticise but the real
question is whether or not your
thoughts can be executed and
under what circumstances’.
I do not ask a mechanic to
tailor a disdasha with elabo-
rate design and creativity,
likewise I don’t expect a tai-
lor to be skillful in car main-
charge for parking their cars
similar to the system imple-
mented at the car park of the
Muscat International Airport.
Without a doubt, every-
body knows for certain that
the of¿cials concerned are
aware of the problem howev-
er, waiting for better ¿nancial
conditions besides the delays
caused by bureaucracy ham-
per efforts to solve the prob-
lem.
Understandably, lack of
parking space at the Royal
tenance. Fine artists are not
required to design houses nor
are engineers required to cre-
ate paintings with the same
level of creativity as painters.
I hope to see the Muscat
Municipality adopting crea-
tive ideas and turning them to
reality on the ground, instead
of keeping them on papers. We
wish that the city of Muscat
appears in the shape we would
love to see it. We would like
to give tourists diversi¿ed op-
tions to enjoy during their stay
in the city instead of being
con¿ned to Muttrah souq and
the sea road which is devoid
of any tourism features.
I would like the newly-ap-
pointed governors — whose
concepts are unmatched
among their peers across the
world — to be genuine inno-
vators so that they will be able
to boost the level of services
and beauty in their respective
governorates, otherwise their
new designation as governors
would be nothing more than a
job title.
It is possible for the Gov-
ernors to activate stagnant
tourism in their governorates
Hospital can result in serious
consequences like the case of
the woman who delivered her
baby in the car because the
driver failed to get a parking
space.
The question is why do we
put ourselves in such embar-
rassing situations? We are
blessed with ample bounties,
not the least is the budget
surplus. So there is no need
to complicate little troubles
when the solutions are within
our reach.
and turn them into highly at-
tractive tourist destinations by
exploiting the natural beauty
that abound in Oman. What
is needed is a type of tourism
that preserves the traditional
lifestyle of local communi-
ties while spurring tourism
and consequently economic
growth.
The Ministry of Tourism
alone is incapable of creating
big successes all across the
country, therefore the need
arises for a decentralised ad-
ministrative system to curb
bureaucracy and enhance ad-
ministrative Àexibility there-
fore activating several sectors,
including tourism services.
All employees are request-
ed to make their best effort for
the sake of Oman. They have
to let go of traditional think-
ing when facing modern-
day issues. A friend of mine
told me that he saw Omanis
thronging supermarkets in a
Gulf country for Ramadhan
and Eid shopping, bene¿tting
from price differences.
If price difference really
exist then some economic re-
forms should be taken.
Life of deception!
Majid Al Suleimany
www.majidall.com
• Take care of the needy,
the disabled — those
whose hard earned income
is insuf¿cient to meet their
needs — and those whose
businesses have stalled —
and those who have lost
their jobs. — Quran 4/36
• We must learn to live
together as brothers or
we will perish together as
fools. — Martin Luther
King
• Never play with the
feelings of others because
you may win the game but
the risk is that you will
surely lose the person for a
life time. — Shakespeare.
• The weak can never
forgive. Forgiveness is the
attribute of the strong. —
Mahatma Gandhi
• It is very easy to de-
feat someone, but it is very
hard to win someone! —
Dr Abdul Kaleem
M
Y late father
always used
to say to us
that
is neither age limit nor
there
an end to learning things
in life. Even in death, he
says, when you have to lie
down on your right side
only, facing The Kaaba in
Mecca as believers! That
is as far as individual re-
spectful last rites and bur-
ial are concerned and not
in mass graves as we have
seen lately!
A — The prisoners:
I was watching this Al
Jazeera ¿lm that recounted
the story of some Arab and
Palestinian prisoners who
were detained in Israeli
jails and how they had to
adapt to a new life after
their release.
Upon release, the pris-
oners faced a number of
dif¿culties adjusting to
a new life of freedom —
albeit within an occupied
territory. They explain
their mixed feelings to
the change in society and
in the political landscape
which they experienced
upon being released from
the day-to-day monotony
of prison life.
Beyond The Walls con-
tains beautifully-¿lmed in-
terviews and novel graph-
ics to provide a moving
portrait of the interviewees
and the emotions and feel-
ings they are describing.
One of the Palestinian
is seen to remark: Noth-
ing is harsher than impris-
onment. It’s the cruellest
form of torture.
Another one says: Life
in prison is free of hypocri-
sy. We had nothing to lose.
We were ready to face any-
thing. Almost all of us were
sentenced to life imprison-
ment. I felt like a stranger
in the ‘outside world’ for a
long time. I felt a new life
was ahead of me.
The part that really was
an eye-opener to me at
least was when he said: I
felt like a stranger among
my family and friends. It
was distressing. I couldn’t
sleep. I was in a constant
state of anxiety. I was in
better intellectual and so-
cial harmony with my fel-
low detainees than with
the people outside!
A person well known
to me and an ex-peer tells
me almost the very same
things! He said to me: M,
do you know that there are
more crooks and hypo-
crites outside jail than
those inside? That includes
even family, relatives and
friends! You for sure can
trust your fellow-inmate
— than the person outside!
When I asked him point
blank what he thought of
me he just could not stop
laughing. I guess the an-
swer is in that laugh!
B — Being in debts:
One of the nicest adver-
tisements that I have seen
this Ramadhan is in one of
the UAE television chan-
nels that demonstrates
how easy it is to get into
(heavy) debts and the re-
percussions not only on
the individual but the fam-
ily members involved too.
The message and theme
is not to go for a lavish
life style that can only
spell dangers and troubles
ahead, apart from losing
your personal freedom and
movement.
The message and theme
is good but it looks only at
one side of the story — it
does not address the lack
of consideration and kind-
ness from those who are
‘after their money’!
Frankly, when it comes
to issue of money some
people, if not many, are
always hard and cruel to
their own — even if it is
beyond them to pay back
the money — even if they
wished to do so! .
Sayyiduna Abu
Hurayra (Allah be pleased
with him) narrates what
the Messenger of Allah
(PBUH) had said: Whoso-
ever gives respite to a bor-
rower who is in dif¿culty
or forgives him altogeth-
er, Allah Most High will
Give him refuge under
the shadow of His throne
on the Day when there
will be no other shadow.
(Tirmidhi 1306)
Also in the Quran: If
the debtor is in a dif¿-
culty, grant him time till
it is easy for him to repay.
But if you remit it by way
of charity, that is best for
you if you only knew. (Su-
rah al Baqarah — verse
280)
C — The jobless: She
worked for over 30 years
but now because of the
economic downturn she
has lost her job. Now un-
employed for the ¿rst time
in her life she is staying in
a shelter home for the un-
employed and the needy.
She says to the Al Jazeera
TV team in her hometown
in California: For a person
used to helping others the
most dif¿cult part for me is
to ask for help for myself!
D — The starving:
Over millions are suffer-
ing from partial starvation
— one meal a day at best
— if not going without —
though the country (India)
can produce enough food
to feed all her people. The
problem is in the distri-
bution system — where
wheat lies rotting in some
stores — instead of feed-
ing the poor, hungry and
the needy! Recent events
have been there too, of
the electricity distribution
where over 670 million
had electricity disruptions.
E — Warplanes and
tanks: If the enemy was
doing it there would have
been an uproar. But it is
the country which doing it
to its own people. Bombs
cannot distinguish between
who is loyal and who is not
— especially if they are
living in the same town.
The scared and frightened
cannot ever imagine that
this might is now being
used against them!
What more can I say
now? May Allah protect
and preserve us all from
His anger and fury. —
Amin
Take care!
 THE WORLD 7
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

HK govt criticised over

plastic spill on beaches
HONG KONG — Hundreds
of millions of potentially toxic
plastic pellets from containers
knocked off a vessel during
Hong Kong’s worst typhoon
in 13 years have washed up
on its beaches where they lay
for more than a week, activists
said yesterday.
The Hong Kong gov-
ernment estimated that 150
tonnes of the pellets may have
been spilled on its beaches,
of which a third have been
cleaned up so far.
Local media questioned the
government’s lack of public
notice about the spill, almost
two weeks after Typhoon Vin-
cente which was upgraded to
Signal 10.
It was the first time since
1999 that the city’s meteoro-
logical body had invoked its
highest measure.
In response, the government
said its marine and environ-
A VOLUNTEER holds sand mixed with plastic pellets during a clean-up of a beach during Hong Kong’s Discovery Day. mental protection departments
responded immediately after
receiving public complaints
on July 24 and 26 respectively.
Both departments are working
with the ship owner to clean
up the spill, they said in a joint
e-mail reply. The Environmen-
tal Protection Department said
water quality had not been af-
fected.
Gary Stokes, a representa-
tive for Sea Shepherd Con-
servation Society, an interna-
tional marine life conservation
non-profit and another stake-
holder in the clean-up opera-
tion, said the government had
been forthcoming with its as-
sistance.
China Petroleum and
Chemical Corp (Sinopec),
manufacturers of the pellets,
said the pellets were not toxic
or hazardous on their own.
But while the pellets are
harmless in their original state,
they absorb toxins and pollut-
ants over time and could poi-
son the food chain when ma-
rine creatures consume them.
Also known as nurdles or
mermaid tears, the tiny pellets
are widely used to make plas-
tic products.
“It looked like it snowed in
east Lamma,” said Sea Shep-
herd’s Stokes, referring to the
beaches on the eastern coast
of Lamma island, just south
of the main Hong Kong island
and around which remnants of
three 40 foot containers hold-
ing thousands of 25 kg bags
of the white-coloured pellets
were found scattered.
Recently, the worst pollu-
tion in two years smothered
Hong Kong for a second day,
prompting warnings to the old
and sick to stay indoors and
obscuring one of the world’s
most famous views.
Pollution readings were
“very high” in business and
shopping districts such as Cen-
tral, Western, Causeway Bay
and Mongkok, air monitoring
stations showed, surpassed
only once in March 2010 when
a sandstorm in northern China
covered Hong Kong in dust.
“Bad air is trapped here.
But even though external cir-
cumstances can’t blow away
the pollutants, the problem
still lies fundamentally in ve-
hicular emissions in Hong
Kong itself,” said Patrick Fung
of Clean Air Network, a local
pro-environment group.
The view of the cramped
skyscrapers of Hong Kong
Island and the Peak was ob-
scured from across the harbour
in Kowloon.
Air pollution in Hong
Kong, a former British colony
which returned to Chinese rule
in 1997, is a major source of
worry for local citizens and
foreign businesses, which in-
creasingly see it as compro-
mising the quality of life.
— Agencies

China hits back at US

over South China Sea
BEIJING — China warned
yesterday that American criti-
cism of its decision to set up
a new military garrison in
the South China Sea sent the
“wrong signal” and threatened
peace in the hotly disputed
waters.
Washington on Friday
accused Beijing of raising
tensions in the sea after it
announced last week the es-
tablishment of the tiny city of
Sansha and a garrison on an
island in the disputed Paracel
chain.
The move has infuriated
Vietnam and the Philippines
who accuse Beijing of step-
ping up harassment at sea.
But China reacted angrily
to the American intervention,
with the foreign ministry voic-
ing its “strong dissatisfaction
and opposition”, the official
Xinhua news agency reported.
In a strongly worded state-
ment, ministry spokesman
Qin Gang warned that the US
remarks had sent a “seriously
wrong signal” which could
undermine efforts aimed at
“safeguarding the peace and
stability of the South China
Sea”.
China says it controls much
of the sea, but Brunei, Malay-
sia, Taiwan, the Philippines
and Vietnam all claim por-
tions.
State Department spokes-
man Patrick Ventrell said in
a statement on Friday the US
was “concerned by the in-
crease in tensions in the South
China Sea and are monitoring
the situation closely”.
Ventrell said the estab-
lishment of the garrison and
Sansha “runs counter to col-
laborative diplomatic efforts
to resolve differences and risk
further escalating tensions in
the region”.
He also pointed to “con-
frontational rhetoric” and in-
cidents at sea, saying: “The
United States urges all parties
to take steps to lower ten-
sions.”
Also yesterday, a commen-
tary on Xinhua said the US
accusations were “groundless
and irresponsible” and urged
Washington to “draw back its
meddling hand from the South
China Sea disputes”.
The United States has ral-
lied behind Southeast Asian
nations, expanding military
ties with the Philippines and
Vietnam. In April, the first of
2,500 US Marines touched
down in Australia in a further
show of US power in Asia.
The US Senate approved
a resolution late on Thursday
that “strongly urges” all re-
gional nations to exercise self-
restraint and to refrain from
permanently inhabiting points
in the South China Sea until a
code of conduct is reached.
The resolution, sponsored
by senators from both major
parties, declared that the Unit-
ed States was committed “to
assist the nations of Southeast
Asia to remain strong and in-
dependent”.
During a 2010 visit to Vi-
etnam, Secretary of State Hil-
lary Clinton declared that the
United States had a national
interest in freedom of naviga-
tion in the South China Sea,
through which half of world
cargo passes.
The State Department
statement on Friday reiterated
that the United States has an
interest in stability and “un-
impeded lawful commerce” in
the South China Sea but that
Washington does not take a
position on rival claims.
Southeast Asian nations
faced deep divisions last
month during annual talks in
Cambodia, preventing them
from issuing a customary joint
communique and holding up
progress on reaching a code of
conduct with China.
The code of conduct would
aim to set rules to reduce the
chances of a spat over fish-
ing, shipping rights or oil and
gas exploration tipping into an
armed conflict. — AFP

Ernesto moves west in Caribbean

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Ernesto
strengthened yesterday and will soon bulk
up into a hurricane while keeping a west-
erly course in the Caribbean Sea that may
threaten Jamaica, US forecasters said.
Officials in Jamaica issued a tropi-
cal storm watch for the island as Ernesto
moved in open waters at 30 kmph on a
track that should keep it at sea until a
forecast landfall in Mexico’s Yucatan Pe-
ninsula on Wednesday.
With maximum sustained winds of
95 kmph, Ernesto yesterday was 490
km south/southwest of San Juan, Puerto
Rico, and was expected to stay south of
Jamaica, according to US hurricane fore-
casters in Miami.
“Gradual strengthening is forecast
during the next couple of days, and Er-
nesto is expected to become a hurricane
today,” the US forecasters said.
Ernesto, which did no reported dam-
age on Friday as it passed over the tiny
island of Saint Lucia, would be deemed
a hurricane if its winds reach or top 119
kph. Forecasters expect Ernesto to move
into the southern Gulf of Mexico by
Thursday, but it was too early to know
whether it could disrupt oil and gas op-
erations in the Gulf.
Separately, the US National Hurricane
Centre forecasters said another tropical
storm, called Florence, formed yesterday
in the open eastern Atlantic about 530 km
west of the southernmost Cape Verde Is-
lands.
With maximum sustained winds of
65 kmph, Florence was the sixth named
storm of the Atlantic-Caribbean hurricane
season and was expected to track westerly
before weakening next week.
August and September are usually the
most active months of the Atlantic-Carib-
bean hurricane season, which runs from
June 1 to November 30. — Reuters

Cash boosts
efforts for
shuttle
successor
WASHINGTON — Three
aerospace firms have scored
a total of $1.1 billion in Nasa
contracts to compete to build
the next spacecraft to carry
astronauts to the Interna-
tional Space Station after the
shuttle programme’s end.
The awards, announced
on Friday, went to SpaceX,
Boeing and Sierra Nevada
Corporation, and aim to sup-
port efforts to return astro-
nauts to space via US-made
transport in the next five
years. The retirement of the
US space shuttle fleet last
year left Russia as the sole
nation capable of transport-
ing astronauts to the ISS,
three at a time aboard its
Soyuz capsules.
The awards amounted
to $460 million for Boeing,
$440 million for SpaceX and
FIREFIGHTERS spray water canons as they fight to extinguish the flames $212.5 million for Sierra Ne-
in a burning apartment building in downtown Oslo yesterday. — Reuters vada, based in Colorado.
 THE PHILIPPINES/SUBCONTINENT 8
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Toll in Protests on proposed

¿reworks
blast rises
ISLAMABAD — At least
six people were killed and
several others were injured
when three buildings col-
lapsed following a massive
explosion in a ¿reworks
workshop in Multan city
yesterday.
The incident happened
around 9.40 am when ¿re
engulfed a ¿reworks work-
shop causing a huge blast.
Several nearby shops caught
¿re following the blast.
“I was going to the mar-
ket to fuel my car when I
heard a huge blast...and in a
blink, the building and two
surrounding houses (were)
razed to ground,” Basharat
Ali, an eye witness, said here
yesterday.
The injured have been
rushed to Nishtar Hospital
for emergency treatment
while others have been sent
to a major hospital.
Amir Zul¿qar, a police
of¿cer, said that six to eight
people are under the debris,
and rescuers were trying to
FIREFIGHTERS extinguish a ¿re as rescue workers clear rubble from the site of an explosion in Multan yesterday. — Reuters pull them out. — Internews
birth control law
MANILA — Philippine nuns and priests led thousands of
Catholics in a protest in Manila yesterday against a proposed
law that would provide free contraceptives in a bid to curb
population growth.
The protesters, mainly dressed in red, gathered at a Catho-
lic shrine to voice opposition to the planned legislation, which
would also encourage families to have only two children in an
effort to reduce poverty.
The proposal, which is expected to face a tough time get-
ting through parliament, has angered the inÀuential Roman
Catholic Church in the Philippines which has led opposition
and called yesterday’s protest.
Dolly Cruz, a 61-year-old pensioner, attacked the proposal
as “contrary to the laws of God”.
“God gave humans the power of reason to decide what is
right and what is wrong for themselves,” she said. Police es-
timated the crowd at about 7,000. President Benigno Aquino
has strongly backed the law, saying in a statement before the
rally that in a situation where couples “are in no position to
make an informed judgement, the state has the responsibility
to so provide”.
The Philippines annual birth rate has been steadily declin-
ing, but the government points out that some of the poorest
regions have the highest rates.
The law would use the popular government health insur-
ance fund to provide birth control pills, and other contracep-
tives for free.
It would give the poor preferential access to family plan-
ning services in state hospitals, while lessons on family plan-
ning and education would become compulsory in schools and
for couples applying for a marriage licence.
The House of Representatives, dominated by Aquino sup-
porters, is expected to pass the bill on Tuesday after failing to
do so last year.
But the Senate, parliament’s upper house, must also pass
the law and has come out strongly against it. — AFP

Journalists protest against PPP decides to make Visa scam: Court sends key
censorship in Myanmar another contempt law suspect on judicial remand
YANGON — Dozens of jour-
nalists marched in Myanmar’s
main city yesterday to protest
the suspension of two journals
amid fears of¿cials are rowing
back on pledges to ease strict
junta-era censorship laws, a
reporter said.
The Voice Weekly and The
Envoy were suspended last
week for failing to submit
stories for pre-publication
scrutiny, the chief censor said,
adding the “temporary suspen-
sion” may last for a fortnight.
The reporters, many wear-
ing black T-shirts emblazoned
with the slogan “Stop Killing
(the) Press” in Burmese and
English marched to several
sites across Yangon, including
the two publishing houses be-
hind the suspended weeklies.
StiÀing censorship was
one of the key symbols of jun-
ta-led Myanmar, where even
seemingly innocuous details
were scrubbed from public
discussion and publications
were frequently pulled for
comments deemed damaging
to the authoritarian rulers.
The government had re-
cently taken a lighter touch on
some of the less controversial
publications as part of reforms
sweeping the former army-
ruled nation, prompting some
editors to test the boundaries
of the new found freedoms.
In June Tint Swe, head of
the Press Scrutiny and Regis-
tration Department (PSRD),
said there “will be no press
scrutiny job” from the end of
that month, also insisting there
will “be no monitoring” of lo-
cal journals and magazines.
A petition by the newly-
formed press freedom com-
mittee called for an end to all
“oppressive” media laws.
“We have seven demands
which we are sending in a let-
ter to the president to remove
the oppressive laws covering
the media,” Zaw Thet Htwe, a
spokesman for the independ-
ent committee said on phone.
— AFP
ISLAMABAD — Coalition partners of Pakistani government
led by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have decided to bring ISLAMABAD — A local Previously, the court had Dream Land travel agency)
new draft of Contempt of Court (CoC) law before August 8, it Pakistani court has sent one ordered a two-day physical claiming how for around
was learnt yesterday. of the key suspects in the remand for the defendant. £7,000 he could get its man a
According to sources, the coalition partners have decided so-called UK Olympics visa The scandal came to the two-month visa and smuggle
that a new draft of the law would be tabled in the parliament scam, Abid Chaudhry, for fore after the British tabloid him into London 2012 as part
before August 8. This was decided in a meeting of coalition a 14-day judicial remand The Sun published a report of Pakistan’s Olympic squad.
partners with President Zardari in Islamabad. The meeting yesterday. of an alleged scam involving Chaudhry claims he is
was jointly chaired by the president and the prime minister. The Federal Investigative fake documents for travel
innocent and that the real
As per details, the new bill too will give protection to the Authority (FIA) presented to London, in connection culprit is Mohammad Ali
prime minister and the coalition partners have decided to meet Chaudhry, who is associated with Pakistan’s Olympic
Asad.
the future challenges jointly. Later on Friday night, Prime Min- with the Dream Land travel contingent.
The Pakistani government
ister Raja Ashraf held talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and agency, in the local court However, an investigation
discussed political situation in the country in the backdrop of yesterday. conducted by the National has registered a case
the Supreme Court’s decision on CoC law. FIA of¿cials informed Database Registration against Asad for fraud,
Meanwhile, a leading daily said Pakistan could do “without the court yesterday that Authority (Nadra) had impersonation and mis-
the headache of electing yet another short-term PM”. the passport scandal was dismissed the claims, calling declaration, and is seeing
An editorial in the Dawn said that the Contempt of Court currently being further the report a “fake scam.” his deportation from the
Act, 2012, is no more. “Always likely to have only the briefest investigated, after which The Sun said its report United Kingdom, while also
of existences, the law was gutted and then struck down in its civil judge Matiur Rahman was based on information declaring him as the main
entirety by the Supreme Court yesterday (Friday),” it said. ordered Chaudhry to be sent backed by a footage of Abid accused in the case.
— Internews on a 14-day judicial remand. Chaudhry (an agent for the — Internews

Sharp fall in bike exports

ISLAMABAD — Locally assembled Chinese bikes failed to
‘Human rights biggest
¿nd a foothold in Afghanistan mainly due to opening of new
plants and a discontinuation of duty drawback facility, sources
said on Friday.
Chinese bikes assembled in Pakistan are seen in Kandahar
challenge for Yangon’
but have been unable to grab a signi¿cant share of Afghani-
stan’s bike market since there emerged a huge demand for YANGON — Protecting hu- in the West that the once- group in the Rakhine state, ex-
used bikes. Meanwhile, a leading Japanese bike assembler in man rights is the biggest chal- pariah nation is on the path posing them to discrimination,
Pakistan was able to export a viable volume to Afghanistan, lenge facing Myanmar’s Àedg- to political and economic re- exploitation and abuses, lead-
but said its company had also been facing problems over the ling democratisation process, form since a nominal civilian ing to occasional outbreaks of
previous few months due to discontinuation of duty drawback United Nations special envoy government came to power violence.
facility, as Afghanistan Customs had stopped issuing original Tomas Ojea Quintana said following an election in No- The rape and murder of
receipts of goods exported. yesterday. vember 2010. a Buddhist Rakhine wom-
“This is hampering export, the reason given is the change Quintana completed a six- “Human rights will be the an on May 28 allegedly by
in procedures at Afghanistan Customs as they have now com- day investigation into sectar- main challenge for Myanmar’s three Muslim Rohingya men,
puterised checkposts at Torkhum as well as in Chaman”, said ian violence in the western democratisation transition,” sparked a wave of sectar-
a senior executive. Rakhine state and more than Quintana told a press confer- ian violence in the state in
Its exports to Afghanistan totalled 13,000 units in 2011-12 a year of heavy ¿ghting be- ence at Yangon International June that left at least 77 dead
and over 5,500 units in 2009-10. However in the ¿rst three tween troops and insurgents Airport prior to his departure. and up to 90,000 people dis-
months of ¿scal year 2012-13, it has only exported 1,000 units. from an ethnic minority in the The UN rapporteur called placed.
The assembler voiced his concern and said the massive de- northern Kachin state. on the Myanmar government New York-based Human
crease in exports needs to be curtailed as the economy cannot His inspection of Myan- to review its 1982 Citizens Rights Watch said the death
afford to lose such a revenue stream of foreign exchange. mar’s two trouble spots comes Act, which barred citizenship toll exceeded 90 and 100,000
MYANMAR members of the press during a rally in Yangon yesterday. — AFP — Internews at a time of growing optimism for the Rohingya minority were displaced. — dpa

Defence, interior ministers ¿red

KABUL — The Afghan parliament
dismissed the defence and interior
ministers yesterday over continued
cross-border shelling blamed on Paki-
stan, in a vote accepted in principle by
President Hamid Karzai.
Defence Minister Abdul Rahim
Wardak and Interior Minister Bismil-
lah Mohammadi were summoned by
parliament during a special session to
discuss the cross-border attacks on Af-
ghan villages. The Afghan government
blames the Pakistani army and Taliban
¿ghters.
Parliament also quizzed the two
ministers about a recent spate of assas-
sinations of top government of¿cials
and politicians.
“Afghan Interior Minister Bismillah
Mohammadi could not secure enough
votes of con¿dence. So, we have dis-
missed him from his position,” lower
house speaker Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi
said after the vote.
“Also, Major General Abdul Ra-
him Wardak, the Defence Minister,
was not able to secure enough votes
of con¿dence to keep his job and thus,
the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) has dis-
missed him from his post,” Ibrahimi
added.
“We would like His Excellency
Afghan ministers summoned by parliament during
a special session to discuss cross-border attacks
President (Karzai) to introduce eligible
¿gures as the new interior minister and
the defence minister as soon as possi-
ble,” he said.
Karzai said in a statement that the
parliament had the right to disqualify
ministers in accordance with the Af-
ghan constitution. He would decide
how to respond to their dismissal after
a National Security Council meeting
yesterday.
Although parliament has ¿red the
ministers, the ¿nal decision rests with
Karzai. The president has previously
retained ministers dismissed by parlia-
ment in an acting capacity for several
months before appointing them to a
new post. After the vote, one legislator
said parliament had dismissed the min-
isters due to the deteriorating security
situation.
“Security incidents have increased
and cross-border attacks from Pakistan
continue. The ministers have not done
enough and so it’s time for them to go,”
Habiba Danesh said.
But Wardak, who has been defence
minister since 2004, told parliament
before the vote that his army was ready
to retaliate against recent border shell-
ings if the order was given. He said ad-
ditional troops and long-range artillery
had been placed in the mountainous
border region.
Mohammadi showed legislators
pictures of rocket casings, saying,
“These rockets are only in posses-
sion of the Pakistani army and not the
Taliban.” South and east Afghanistan
share some 2,600 kilometres of bor-
der with Pakistan. The poorly marked
border between the two neighbours has
often been a topic of dispute.
The eastern border region is ex-
tremely rugged and remote and is often
used by insurgents to cross the border.
Kunar and Nuristan provinces are at the
centre of recent cross-border shellings.
More than 50 shellings hit the Afghan
side each day, of¿cials allege.
“More than 2,000 rockets and mor-
tars have been ¿red from the Pakistani
side in the last month,” said an of¿cial
in Kunar province, adding that hun-
dreds of villagers had to Àee from their
homes.
Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Nato-
led alliance have made no headway in
top-level meetings on the border issue.
Last week, the Afghan foreign min-
istry warned Pakistan’s ambassador to
Kabul that continued shelling would
further damage the fragile relationship
between the two countries. But diplo-
matic efforts have yielded few results.
“So far, we haven’t received a posi-
tive response to our diplomatic efforts
with Pakistan to stop the artillery shell-
ing and rocket attacks into Kunar and
Nuristan provinces,” said Afghan For-
eign Ministry spokesman Janan Mosa-
zai.
“This is despite the fact that we
have made it very clear to Pakistan
that continuation of these attacks in- AN American ISAF soldier from team Apache of Task Force Geronimo, 4th Platoon
jures Afghan citizens, damages Afghan Delaware of the United States Army, during a partol at Mans Kalay village in Sabari,
properties, and seriously damages our Khost district, yesterday. ISAF has noted a surge in attacks in recent months
bilateral relationship,” he said. — dpa since the start of the Taliban’s annual summer offensive. — AFP
 REGION9
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

All Damascus is
retaken: army
ALEPPO — The Syrian army advance.” tried to storm the state tel-
said yesterday it had seized In what is also a war of evision building before being
the last dissident-held dis- words, a senior government driven back by shelling, said
trict of the capital Damascus security ¿gure said “the battle the Britain-based Observa-
as insurgents in the strategic for Aleppo has not yet begun, tory.
northern city of Aleppo came and what is happening now is State media said the army
under heavy bombardment by just the appetiser.” defended the site from “mer-
dissident forces. “The main course will cenary terrorist groups.”
The army said it had retak- come later,” he warned. The violence killed at least
en the hold-out dissident dis- More than a week ago, a 67 people across Syria yester-
trict of Tadamun in Damascus, pro-government newspaper day, including at least eight in
a day after the United Nations was already proclaiming what Aleppo province, the Observ-
deplored the failure of diplo- was to be the “mother of all atory said. It said 42 civilians,
macy to end a conÀict that battles” in Aleppo. 18 soldiers and seven dissi-
has reportedly claimed more And earlier last week, a dents were killed.
than 21,000 lives in nearly 17 security of¿cial said troops On Friday, a day after UN
months. were “testing the dissidents’ and Arab League envoy Ko¿
A brigadier general who defence systems before anni- Annan resigned in frustration
refused to give his name told hilating them by carrying out over the failure of an April
journalists visiting the neigh- a surgical operation.” peace plan to take hold, Ban
bourhood of Tadamun, the The security of¿cial yes- warned world powers they
scene of heavy ¿ghting ear- terday said more reinforce- must overcome their rivalries
lier, that it has been retaken, ments had arrived and that at to put an end to a “proxy war”
A DESTROYED Syrian Army tank in Azaz, some 47 km north of Aleppo. — Reuters and that the military controls least 20,000 troops were now in Syria.
all of the capital. on the ground. And the UN General As-
“We have cleansed all the “The other side is also sembly voted overwhelm-
districts of Damascus, from sending reinforcements,” ingly to condemn the Security
Turkey military council orders retirement of held generals Al Midan to Mazzeh, from Al
Hajar Al Aswad to Qadam... to
the of¿cial added of the dis-
sidents, who claim to have
Council for its failure to act
and it condemned the Syr-
Tadamun,” said the of¿cer. seized half the city since they ian dissident for using heavy
ANKARA — Turkey’s top military council yester- This year’s YAS meeting however ended without government to roll back the military’s inÀuence in
He said it was the last dis- poured in two weeks ago. weapons.
day ordered the retirement of dozens of generals and tensions compared to last year, which witnessed the politics. sident bastion in the capital to Echoing UN chief Ban Ki- Ban said growing radi-
admirals who are currently being held on charges of shock mass resignation of the country’s top brass in But critics accuse Erdogan’s government of be retaken. Moon’s remarks on Thursday calisation and extremism had
coup plotting, the army announced on its website. a row with the government over of¿cers jailed for launching the probes as a tool to silence its opponents “There is no more pres- that violence was intensify- been predicted at the start of
Fifty-¿ve generals and admirals are required to alleged coup plots. and impose authoritarianism — charges it denies. ence of armed groups apart ing, a watchdog said July was the uprising, as had been a
retire due to a lack of vacancies in their positions and Veteran journalist Fikret Bila said the retirement The Turkish army, which sees itself as the guar- from some individuals who the deadliest month since the “proxy war, with regional and
one admiral due to his age as of September 1, the of the arrested generals and admirals was the govern- antor of Turkey’s secular principles, overthrew three are moving from one place to uprising against President international players arming
army said in an online statement. ment’s preference. earlier administrations in 1960, 1971 and 1980. another, just to prove that they Bashar al Assad erupted in one side or the other.”
Among them were 40 generals and admirals in Bila told private NTV television that some of And in 1997, it pressured Prime Minister Nec- exist,” he said. March 2011. After the General Assem-
detention in connection with several probes includ- those in custody might eventually be cleared in the mettin Erbakan, Erdogan’s political mentor, to step Fighting erupted in Da- Rami Abdel Rahman who bly vote, US Ambassador
ing the so-called Ergenekon and Sledgehammer ongoing trials “but the decision on their retirement mascus on July 15 and raged heads the Syrian Observatory Susan Rice said that, “despite
down.
cases into alleged plots to topple the government of shows they are being dismissed from the army before for several days as dissidents for Human Rights said 4,239 the continued opposition of an
The military council also appointed General Gal-
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reported the the cases are concluded.” seized several districts, forc- people, the vast majority of increasingly isolated minority,
local media, after initially putting the number at 37. The retirement orders are seen as the latest blow ip Mendi as new commander of the Second Army,
which is based in southeastern Malatya province and ing thousands of residents to them civilians, died in July, the overwhelming majority of
The jailed generals had been due for a promotion to Turkey’s beleaguered of¿cer corps which has been Àee. bringing the overall toll since UN members clearly stands
suspended at last year’s military council meeting. targeted by a series of probes in recent years into past responsible for protecting Anatolia from any threat
In Aleppo, Abdel Jabar March 2011 to more than resolutely with the Syrian
But the council yesterday said it had ordered their military interventions and coup plots. emanating from Syria, Iran or Iraq. Oqaida, commander of the 21,000. people.”
retirement instead. Hundreds of suspects, including several senior The army recently reinforced defences on the bor- Free Syrian Army there, said “The death toll is escalat- That was an allusion to
The Supreme Military Council (YAS) began retired and serving of¿cers, as well as journalists, der with conÀict-torn Syria with tanks, anti-aircraft the Salaheddin district had ing,” Abdel Rahman said. Russia and China, who voted
meeting on Wednesday to discuss promotions and lawyers and politicians, separately face trial for their missiles and other weapons. “come under the heaviest Meanwhile, explosions against the resolution and who
dismissals within the armed forces. The decisions alleged role to topple the government. The military council, which meets twice a year, bombardment since the bat- shook Aleppo as ¿ghter jets had already vetoed three Se-
were made public yesterday after being approved by The trials are widely seen as part of efforts by also promoted 29 generals and admirals to higher tle began” on July 20 but that and helicopter gunships over- curity Council resolutions on
President Abdullah Gul. the current Justice and Development Party (AKP) ranks, the army said on its website. — AFP loyalists had “not managed to Àew the city and dissidents Syria. — AFP

MP survives 48 Iranians kidnapped New UN status

bomb blast
BAGHDAD — Hamed al
Mutlak, an MP and brother
to one of Iraq’s deputy prime
ministers, said he survived a
roadside bomb attack west
of Baghdad yesterday that
wounded at least one of his
guards.
“A roadside bomb explod-
ed on the main road in Abu
Ghraib when we passed,”
Mutlak, an MP in the secu-
lar Iraqiya bloc, said, adding
that one of his bodyguards
was lightly wounded.
An interior ministry of-
¿cial con¿rmed the attack,
saying the bomb exploded
while Mutlak’s convoy
passed Al Nasr Wa al Salam
village in the Abu Ghraib
area, putting the toll at two
guards wounded.
It was unclear if the at-
tack was aimed at Mutlak
personally, or if his con-
voy was just a target of
opportunity for insurgents.
A BOY plays with an AK-47 riÀe owned by his father in Azaz, Aleppo. — Reuters — AFP
being sought
in Syrian capital RAMALLAH — The Pal-
estinians will next month
TEHRAN — A bus load of Iranians were abducted by gun- renew a bid to upgrade their
men while on a pilgrimage in Syria yesterday, Iranian media status at the United Nations,
reported, the latest in a string of kidnappings of visitors from their foreign minister said
the Islamic Republic, a country allied to President Bashar al yesterday, a move which
Assad. could strengthen their state-
The 48 Iranians, planning to visit a shrine on the outskirts hood claims after talks with
of Damascus, were kidnapped on the road from the airport, Israel stalled.
Iran’s consul general in Syria was reported as saying by state Palestinians are listed as
broadcaster IRIB. a UN observer “entity” with
“We still do not have any information about the fate of this no voting rights. They will
group of Iranian pilgrims,” Majid Kamjoo said. “The consu- ask to be made a non-mem-
lar section of the Iranian embassy in Syria is seeking to trace ber observer state at the UN
the kidnappers of the Iranian pilgrims with the co-operation of General Assembly on Sep-
Syrian of¿cials.” tember 27, Foreign Minister
Syria’s state television channel reported that “armed terror- Riyad al Malki said here.
Such status, akin to the
ist groups” had snatched the Iranians who intended to visit the
Sayyeda Zeinab Mosque, a popular pilgrimage site. Vatican’s, would be an in-
direct recognition of their
Several groups of Iranians have been abducted in Syria
claims on statehood in the
since the uprising began.
West Bank, East Jerusalem
Five Iranian engineers were kidnapped in the Àashpoint and Gaza Strip. It would al-
city of Homs in December. Iranian media said that they had all low them to join a number
been released by last month. A group of pilgrims were snatched of UN agencies, as well as
in January and another in February. Most have been released, the International Criminal
Iranian media reported. Court. The Palestinians say
Iran’s of¿cial pilgrimage organisation said it did not have Israeli settlement-building
any pilgrims in Syria because of the circumstances in the coun- has stymied prospects for a
try and that those kidnapped yesterday had organised their trip bilateral statehood deal.
privately, Iran’s Fars news agency reported. — Reuters — Reuters

Iran tests missile with Gun¿ght and car blast

new guidance system
TEHRAN — Iran has test-¿red a new, more accurate short-
range missile capable of striking land and sea targets, it said
rock central Tripoli
yesterday. TRIPOLI — A gunbattle be- He said the blast could the sides of buildings on the
“With the fourth generation of the Fateh 110, the armed tween youths allegedly com- have been caused by “¿shing corner where most of the ¿ght-
forces of our country are able to target and destroy land and sea peting for space in a market explosives” that were either in ing and the blast took place.
targets, enemy headquarters... missile seats, ammunition sites, place and a car blast rocked or thrown at the car. The windows of several
radars and other points,” Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the centre of the Libyan capi- A foreign security expert clothes shop in the area were
in quotes carried by the of¿cial Irna news agency. tal yesterday, leaving one who evaluated the site of the pockmarked by bullet holes
wounded, residents and secu- blast con¿rmed that the ex- and shopkeepers grumbled
“Using new guidance methods, target-striking systems
rity sources said. plosion appeared to have been at the damage done to their
were installed on the missiles and during the Àight test ... its
“There was a ¿ght between caused by TNT used in ¿sh- stores.
ability to hit the target without deviation was proven,” Vahidi
youths over market space,” ing. At least two vehicles
said, according to Irna.
Mohammed, a young resident “The blast appears to have parked on the commercial
“In future programmes, all future missiles built by the of Al Rashid neighbourhood been caused by gelatin,” he street had bullet holes.
Defence Ministry will be equipped with this capability,” he near Martyr’s Square, said. said, basing that assessment And at least one person, a
added. “They were shooting at on the nature of the scorch Tunisian, was wounded.
Israel has said it is considering military strikes on Iran’s each other and throwing gela- marks and the absence of a Medical of¿cials at Al Hu-
nuclear sites if the Islamic Republic does not resolve Western tin,” an easily available TNT- crater. ruq hospital said they admit-
fears it is developing atomic weapons technology, something based explosive used in ¿sh- He added that the blast ted a Tunisian, age 54, who
Tehran denies. ing, said the resident, adding did not appear to have been was wounded by shrapnel
Iran says it could hit Israel and US bases in the region if it that the ¿ghting took place at caused by a car bomb. from an explosion. He was
comes under attack. It has also threatened to block the Strait of around dawn. The shopping district bus- under anaesthesia following
Hormuz, the neck of the Gulf through which 40 per cent of the A car blast — apparently tled with activity in the morn- an operation, an AFP photog-
world’s sea-borne oil exports pass. caused by gelatin — rocked ing after the car had been rapher said.
Iran has made “robust strides” in developing its ballistic the same area. removed from the area, a jour- Al Rashid is known as one
missile capabilities, the London-based International Institute “The car, a Honda Civic, nalist said. of the rougher areas in Tripoli
for Strategic Studies (IISS) wrote in a 2010 assessment which blew up to pieces,” said a Images diffused on social and is also a hub for unli-
also said that Iran’s arsenal suffered from poor accuracy. guard stationed at the military media showed the charred re- censed market stalls selling T-
All of Tehran’s ballistic missiles would be capable of carry- police base just metres from mains of a red vehicle. shirts, jeans and suitcases. THE debris after a car bomb exploded near the of¿ces of the military
ing a nuclear payload, the IISS said. — Reuters where the blast took place. Dark scorch marks stained — AFP police in Tripoli yesterday. — Reuters

BOATMEN with their families row past water lilies in Dal Lake as it rains in Srinagar yesterday. — Reuters
Banks need to raise Rs 1.75 tn capital by 2018 GTA members sworn in
HYDERABAD — Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) Governor
D Subbarao yesterday said
the Indian banks will have to
raise an additional capital of Rs
1.6 trillion to Rs 1.75 trillion
by March 2018 to conform to
the Basel-III capital adequacy
norms.
"Our own estimate shows
that after accounting for what-
ever banks will generate by
way of internal accruals and
interest earnings, the banks
should raise an additional capi-
tal of Rs 1.6 to 1.75 trillion,"
he said while speaking on risk
management at the Centre for
Economic and Social Studies
here.
Developed by the Basel
Committee on Banking Su-
pervision, Basel-III is a set of
reform measures to consolidate
Keshubhai
quits BJP
AHMEDABAD — Former
Gujarat chief minister Kes-
hubhai Patel resigned from
the ruling Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) yesterday and is
expected to announce a new
party soon ahead of the state
assembly polls.
Announcing his decision
in Gandhinagar, Patel said
everyone is unhappy with the
way the BJP was functioning
in Gujarat. "People are un-
happy with the government
of Narendra Modi. No one
listens to the common peo-
ple, there is no sympathy for
them."
Patel and former union
minister Kanshiram Rana
sent in their resignation letters
to the party high command.
Earlier, Patel held a meeting
with Rana and another former
Gujarat chief minister, Suresh
Mehta, at his residence.
Patel, who has a large fol-
lowing in the Saurashtra re-
gion, is expected to announce
a new party today. — IANS
3 investment
zones planned
COLOMBO — India will
set up three more investment
and manufacturing zones
this month, taking the total
number of such zones in the
country to 15, union Com-
merce and Industry Minister
Anand Sharma said yester-
day.
“Three more National
Manufacturing and Invest-
ment Zones will be notified
taking the total number of
NMIZs to 15,” Sharma, who
is on an official visit to Sri
Lanka, told reporters here.
One new manufactur-
ing and investment zone
will be in Andhra Pradesh,
while two will be set up in
Karnataka, according to a
statement by the ministry of
commerce and industry.
NMIZs will be mega in-
dustrial zones with world-
class supporting infrastruc-
ture. — IANS
the regulation, supervision and
risk management of the bank-
ing sector. The reforms are
aimed at propping up the bank-
ing sector's ability to absorb
shocks arising from financial
and economic stress and im-
prove risk management.
The RBI has set a deadline
of March 2018 for Indian banks
to complete their conformation
to the Basel-III norms.
The RBI governor said the
Indian banking sector could
raise the additional capital and
pointed out that the Indian bank-
ing system as a whole raised Rs
500 billion from the market
during the last five years.
"Can public sectors banks
raise the additional capital,"
he asked while noting that 70
per cent of Indian banking is in
public sector.
BOYS play soccer on Marina beach in Chennai yesterday. — Reuters
Ramadoss, 8 others get
bail in corruption case
NEW DELHI — A Delhi
court yesterday granted bail
to former union health minis-
ter Anbumani Ramadoss and
eight other accused in a cor-
ruption case of illegally giv-
ing permission to a medical
college to admit students.
Central Bureau of Inves-
tigation (CBI) Special Judge
Talwant Singh granted bail to
all nine accused, considering
that they co-operated during
the investigation.
The court asked them to
furnish a personal bond of Rs
1 lakh each with a surety of
similar amount.
"Keeping in view that the
accused persons have co-
operated during the inves-
tigation and they were not
arrested during the investiga-
tion and the charge sheet has
Subbarao said given the
constraints of government be-
cause of fiscal deficit, it would
be difficult for the government
to infuse the additional capital.
"There will alternatives before
the government either to reduce
shareholding to 50 per cent or
change public sector banking
or restrict its expansion."
"Private banks can probably
raise the additional capital," he
said.
The RBI governor said Ba-
sel-III raised the cost of credit
when the economy needs more
credit. "The demand for credit
is going to go up. Credit GDP
ratio is something like 25 per
cent today. The banking system
has to supply the credit."
He said the demand for
credit would also go up as the
country was shifting from serv-
already been filed, and the
material relied upon by the
CBI has already been filed
in the court, all the accused
are entitled to bail on a per-
sonal bond of Rs 1 lakh with
a surety of the like amount,"
the court said.
The former health minis-
ter was facing charges of al-
legedly granting permission
to admit students to the med-
ical college which did not
have sufficient faculty mem-
bers or clinical infrastructure
to run the course.
According to the charge
sheet filed by the CBI in
April, Ramadoss abused his
official position to grant per-
mission to the Indore-based
institution to admit students
although it lacked adequate
facilities.
10 INDIA
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
ices to manufacturing sector.
"The manufacturing sector
is more credit-intensive. We
need to be focusing on manu-
facturing because you cannot
accelerate from current level of
6.5 per cent to 7,8,9 and even
10 per cent without a focus
on manufacturing. You can-
not provide jobs to hundreds
of millions of people who are
going to be released by agricul-
ture sector in the other sectors
unless you focus on manufac-
turing," he said.
The governor noted that the
world has been going through
crisis for last four years and
there are a lot of lessons emerg-
ing from it. Stating that the fi-
nancial stability is important,
Subbaro said over last four
years, they have seen financial
instability taking a devastating
The Medical Council of
India and a panel appointed
by the Supreme Court said
that the Indore-based Index
Medical College Hospital
and Research Centre (IM-
CHRC) lacked sufficient
faculty and clinical material
required as per the norms, it
said.
The court also granted
bail to Cabinet Secretariat di-
rector K V S Rao, health and
family welfare ministry sec-
tion officer Sudershan Kumar
and Safdarjung Hospital's J S
Dhupia and Dipendra Kumar
Gupta.
The court also granted bail
to former dean of IMCHRC
S K Tongia, medical director
of the college K K Saxena
and Nitin Gothwal and Pa-
wan Bhambani. — IANS
toll on growth and welfare.
"We thought that as an
emerging economy, we are
decoupled from the advanced
economies. Because of our re-
forms, financial sector being
more resilient, industrial sec-
tor growing, foreign exchange
reserves are sufficient but the
crisis has proved decoupling is
a myth."
"In a rapidly globalising
world, national and interna-
tional stability are interlinked.
If there is financial instability
anywhere in the world it will
hit you no matter how much
you protect your financial sys-
tem. We have seen the evidence
of this in our own country over
last four years how financial
sector affected by what is hap-
pening around the world," he
added. — IANS
‘Distribute
excess food’
NEW DELHI — A del-
egation of Left party lead-
ers yesterday met Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh
to demand universal distri-
bution of excess food stock
to check rising prices of es-
sential commodities.
Communist Party of In-
dia-Marxist leader Prakash
Karat, Communist Party of
India's S Sudhakar Reddy,
Forward Bloc's Debabrata
Biswas and Revolution-
ary Socialist Party's (RSP)
Abani Roy met Manmohan
Singh at his residence.
The meeting comes after
a five-day protest held by
four parties demanding food
security for all.
"Around five crore tonnes
of surplus stocks are availa-
ble in government godowns
(warehouses). These should
be distributed universally,"
said Karat. — IANS
Green signal for
mission to Mars
NEW DELHI — India's gov-
ernment has cleared plans to
put an orbital probe around
Mars next year to study the
red planet's climate and geol-
ogy, a report said yesterday.
The mission would mark
another step in India's am-
bitious space programme,
which placed a probe on the
moon three years ago and en-
visages its first manned mis-
sion in 2016.
A cabinet meeting late on
Friday approved the mission
as India aims to cement its
reputation as a serious play-
er in the space industry, the
Press Trust of India quoted
an unnamed official in the
prime minister's office as
saying.
The Indian Space Re-
search Organisation (Isro) is
expected to launch the Mars
Orbiter as early as November
next year, the semi-official
news agency said.
The unmanned Mars mis-
DARJEELING — As the
newly-elected members of the
Gorkha Territorial Administra-
tion were sworn in yesterday,
Home Minister Sushilkumar
Shinde and West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee as-
sured all kinds of support to
the newly formed autonomous
hill agency.
The Gorkha Janamukti
Morcha (GJM) on Thursday
swept the polls to the newly
formed Gorkhaland Territorial
Administration (GTA), captur-
ing all 45 seats in the Darjeel-
ing hills governing council.
"I congratulate the mem-
bers of newly formed GTA.
I assure all of you that we
will extend all kinds of sup-
port. We will give you Rs 200
crore every year for next three
years. If more money is need-
Nehru Boat Race to herald
Kerala’s new tourist season
ALAPPUZHA — They're 120
to 140 feet long, are manned
by 120 oarsmen and have at-
tracted global attention. When
they race furiously through the
backwaters here on August 11,
the snake boats will not only
vie for the Nehru Trophy —
which itself has an interesting
history — and a Rs 500,000
cash reward but also herald
the beginning of Kerala's new
tourism season.
The 16 snake-boats are the
pick of some 100-odd boats
that will be seen during the
event but they alone will be
competing for the Nehru Tro-
phy, now in its 60th edition.
The other boats will be eligible
for a different set of prizes.
Four other snake-boats will
be on display at the event, as
would, for the first time, four
dragon boats, said Tomy Pu-
likattil, one of the organisers of
the event.
"Boat races have now be-
CPM leader denied bail
By Ashraf Padanna
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
— A court in Kerala has denied
bail to senior Communist Party
of India-Marxist (CPM) leader
P Jayarajan, who was arrested
last week for the killing of a
student leader of a rival party.
First Class Judicial Magis-
trate Mujib Rahman rejected
the bail plea of the CPM Kan-
nur district secretary who
was a member of the Kerala
Legislative Assembly for two
consecutive terms, admitting
the prosecution's argument
that he would destroy evi-
dence and influence witnesses
if set free.
The magistrate remanded
him in judicial custody and
sent to the Central Prison in
Kannur after the police prob-
ing the killing of Abdul Shuk-
koor, 21, a Muslim Student
Federation (MSF) functionary,
arraigned him as an accused
sion, which will study the red
planet's atmosphere, will be
launched by an Isro rocket.
The cost of the mission,
approved by the cabinet
meeting headed by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh,
is estimated to be Rs 4-5
billion ($70-90 million), ac-
cording to an Isro official.
The reported approval of
the Indian mission comes
as the United States expects
to land tomorrow its most
advanced robotic rover to
hunt for clues about past life
and water on Earth's nearest
planetary neighbour.
India will be the sixth
country to launch a mission
to Mars after the United
States, Russia, Europe, Japan
and China.
In September 2009, In-
dia's Chandrayaan-1 lunar
probe discovered water on
the moon, boosting the coun-
try's credibility among estab-
lished space-faring nations.
ed for development, we will
give you," said Shinde at the
swearing-in ceremony.
GJM supremo Bimal Gu-
rung was sworn in as the chief
executive of the GTA.
Shinde also assured the
new administration that the
youngsters of Darjeeling will
get relaxations in physical
norms laid down for recruit-
ment to posts of constables in
central police forces.
The long-standing agita-
tion on the demand for form-
ing a separate state out of the
northern West Bengal hills has
led to loss of many lives over
the past two decades, besides
hitting hard the region's eco-
nomic mainstays of tea, tim-
ber and tourism.
On July 18 last year, a tri-
partite agreement was signed
come the most talked about
event by tourists across the
globe. The most common
question asked by tourists is
whether boat races will be hap-
pening when they visit Kerala,"
Pulikattil said.
Kerala's tourist season be-
gins in the second week of
August, peaks towards the end
of December and continues till
the end of January.
Tourism Minister A P Anil
Kumar said that boat race has
now become one of the most
popular events for tourists.
"Historically and tradition-
ally, boat races were mainly
centred in districts of Alap-
puzha, Kollam and Kottayam.
The popularity of this event
has now spread to other dis-
tricts and we are now planning
to have more boat races in dis-
tricts like Thrissur, Kozhikode
and Kannur," Kumar said.
Seeing the popularity of
the Nehru Boat Race, the state
along with young legislator T
V Rajesh and 37 others.
"My point was that the case
against him was fabricated by
political rivals to tarnish him,
which the court rejected. My
client would appeal against it
and move his bail application
in the high court on Monday,"
his lawyer B P Shasheendran
said. The HC will also con-
sider Rajesh's anticipatory bail
tomorrow.
The lawyer also argued
that the Indian Union Muslim
League (IUML) was angry at
Jayarajan for complaining to
the district police chief against
collecting money after Shuk-
koor's killing. Besides, he told
the court, Jayarajan had spo-
ken in public against the 'mafia'
model activities of K Sudhaka-
ran, the Congress lawmaker
from Kannur.
The lawyer submitted that
Jayarajan, maimed by the Hin-
du extremists in an attempt on
But the space programme
suffered a setback in Decem-
ber 2010 when a satellite
launch vehicle blew up and
fell into the Bay of Bengal
after veering from its intend-
ed flight path.
Plans for the Mars mis-
sion come as India's govern-
ment has been under pres-
sure to concentrate on other
issues such as massive power
shortages and improving the
nation's creaking roads, ports
and other infrastructure.
Earlier in the week, mon-
ster blackouts on two consec-
utive days knocked out elec-
trical power for vast swathes
of the country.
India, which kicked off
its space programme in 1963
and has developed its own
satellites and launch vehi-
cles to reduce dependence
on overseas agencies, plans
to launch its maiden manned
space flight later in the dec-
ade. — AFP
between the GJM, and the state
and central governments for
setting up a new autonomous,
elected GTA, a hill council
armed with more powers than
its predecessor, the Darjeeling
Gorkha Hill Council formed
in the late 1980s.
"You should work hard for
the development of hills, the
state government is there al-
ways with you. We will build
a university here in Darjeeling,
the hospital will also be reno-
vated here," said Banerjee.
"Whatever you have to ask
from me you can, but please
don't quarrel. We will all stay
together like one family," she
said. The process of elections
to the 45 GTA seats, held on
July 29, came to an end on
Thursday with GJM emerging
victorious. — IANS
government has extended addi-
tional financial benefits for it.
"This time the bonus given
to the oarsmen has been hiked
by 25 per cent. As a result, the
best snake-boat's team in the
race will get up to Rs 5 lakh,"
said Pulikattil.
The history of the boat race
dates to 1952 when the then
prime minister, Jawaharlal Ne-
hru, visited Kerala and a flo-
tilla of boats accompanied him
from Kottayam to Alappuzha.
An impromptu race was then
conducted in Nehru's honour
and he was so thrilled by the
performance of the oarsmen
that he jumped into one of the
boats.
On returning to Delhi, Ne-
hru donated a silver trophy
and a replica of a snake-boat
mounted on a wooden abacus
with an inscription and his sig-
nature. This is the trophy that
the winner of the snake-boat
race is awarded. — IANS
his life 14 years back, is not in
a position to conduct himself
and pressure on him could ag-
gravate his heart problems.
Pointing out that there were
157 cases of violence regis-
tered by the police in the dis-
trict after the arrest and several
police persons and their houses
were attacked, the special pub-
lic prosecutor, C K Sreedharan,
argued that his release would
escalate the violence and he
should not be given bail since
investigations were still on.
According to the remand
report submitted by the police
while producing Jayarajan in
the court, he was witness in his
hospital room to the party's lo-
cal committee chief U V Venu
giving instruction to others on
telephone that IUML workers
were detained at Keezhara,
a party stronghold, and they
should be 'handled properly".
He did nothing to save the life
of the student.

A BRIDGE built over a stream leading to the river Tawi is damaged by flash floods on the outskirts of Jammu yesterday. — Reuters
10 killed in flash floods in northern region
NEW DELHI — At least 10
people were killed and more
than 50 went missing as flash
floods and landslides hit India's
northern mountainous state of
Uttarakhand, officials and me-
dia said yesterday.
The floods came after a
cloudburst in the Uttarkashi
district swept away homes,
bridges, and a large portion of
the main highway in the region
late on Friday.
"At least seven people, in-
cluding three fire service per-
sonnel, were killed in the floods
and landslides since Friday
night," an inspector at the police
control room in Uttarkashi said
by phone.
"We also have reports of
three deaths in similar inci-
dents in the adjoining district of
Chamoli," he said.
Meanwhile, broadcaster
CNN-IBN reported that more
than 50 people were still miss-
130 landmines
recovered
RANCHI — In a joint op-
eration with paramilitary
troopers, Jharkhand Police
recovered 130 landmines
yesterday from the state's
Jharkhand's Seraikela-
Kharsawan district, police
said.
"On a tip-off, the land-
mines were recovered from
Chauka area of Seraikela-
Kharsawan district. The
landmines were planted
in a one-km area along the
roadside in a series con-
nected with wires," a po-
lice official said.
Police suspect it to be a
handiwork of the Maoist
activists, who are active in
18 of the 24 districts of the
state.
The the bomb disposal
squad was called in to de-
fuse the mines, the official
said. — IANS
Call to end
Maruti lockout
GURGAON — A group
of trade unions yesterday
demanded withdrawal of
the lockout at Maruti Su-
zuki's Manesar plant and a
CBI probe into the July 18
violence at the unit that led
to the death of a senior ex-
ecutive, and left over 100
injured.
A co-ordination com-
mittee, including four trade
unions and factory leaders,
was formed to look into the
matter. Maruti's Gurgaon
plant union leader Kuldeep
Janghu said that there could
be a conspiracy behind the
Manesar violence.
He said that an inquiry
by the special investigation
team was not enough and de-
manded a Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) probe.
Workers said that they
would meet Haryana Chief
Minister Bhupinder Singh
Hooda on Tuesday. — IANS
ing in the flood-hit areas as
disaster management personnel
braved heavy rains to carry out
rescue and relief work.
Local authorities estimated
that 2,000 people were affected,
many of whom had sought ref-
uge in government-run shelters.
Hundreds of pilgrims were also
left stranded.
With levels of the state's
Bhagirathi and Ganga rivers on
the rise and the regional weather
bureau forecasting heavy rains
until today, local agencies were
placed on high alert.
Meanwhile, the Srinagar-
Jammu highway was closed
yesterday following landslides
in Ramban sector.
“Heavy rains triggered land-
slides in the Ramban sector of
the Srinagar-Jammu road Sat-
urday morning,” a senior police
officer said.
“The vehicular movement
on the over 300-km long road
A PHOTOGRAPHER lifts a fake tiger used as a prop at the Table Top tourist destination at Saputara, some 400 km from
Ahmedabad, yesterday. The one-month long ‘Saputara Monsoon Festival’, Gujarat’s only hill station, began yesterday.
Plea in apex court seeks review
of quashing FIR against Maya
NEW DELHI — The su-
preme Court yesterday was
moved seeking the review of
its judgement quashing the
first information report (FIR)
registered by the CBI against
former Uttar Pradesh chief
minister Mayawati in an ille-
gal assets case in 2003.
Pointing to the errors in
the verdict quashing the FIR
in the case against Mayawati,
Kamlesh Verma, an intervener
in the case, sought the review
of the decision.
Verma said that he moved
court because the Central Bu-
reau of Investigation (CBI)
had made it known that they
were not exercising the op-
tion.
The apex court bench of
Justice P Sathasivam and Jus-
tice Dipak Misra on July 6
quashed the CBI FIR against
Mayawati holding that the
has been stopped for safety of
passengers and vehicles. At-
tempts are on to clear the road,”
the officer said.
“Intending travellers are
advised to contact the traffic
control rooms in Srinagar and
Jammu before undertaking the
journey,” he added.
All essential supplies to the
valley, including petroleum
products, cooking gas, food-
stuffs and other commodi-
ties, are brought into Kashmir
along the Jammu-Srinagar
highway.
Meanwhile, hundreds of
vehicles were stranded on the
Manali-Rohtang Pass highway
due to massive landslides trig-
gered by a cloudburst near pic-
turesque resort of Manali, an
official said yesterday. No casu-
alties was reported.
“The highway has been
blocked at a number of places.
Work has been on to reopen it,”
"impugned FIR is without
jurisdiction and any investiga-
tion pursuant thereto is illegal
and liable to be quashed, ac-
cordingly quashed".
The court upheld Maya-
wati's contention that the FIR
filed against her by the CBI
was malafide and the misread-
ing of the apex court's orders
in the Taj corridor Case.
Mayawati wanted to devel-
op the Taj corridor, an 80-acre
wasteland sandwiched be-
tween the Taj Mahal and Agra
Fort, as a commercial hub and
amusement park.
But as archaeologists did
not clear the project, the apex
court ordered its suspension in
2003.
Verma, who has moved the
court seeking the review of its
July 6 verdict, was an inter-
vener in the appeal filed by the
Mayawati seeking the quash-
11 INDIA
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
Deputy Commissioner Amitabh
Awasthi said on phone.
He said a cloudburst occurred
in the Rohtang tunnel area near
Dhundi, 25 km from Manali,
around 10 pm on Friday, dam-
aging two balley bridges near
Palchan and Dhundi villages.
“The bridges and some por-
tion of the highway between
Palchan and Dhundi have been
washed away. The total loss to
property is estimated Rs 6-7
crore,” he added.
Awasthi said more than 150
vehicles have been stranded on
the highway. “All the passen-
gers are safe and it would take
two to three days to restore the
traffic between the Manali and
the Rohtang Pass.”
Ved Thakur, president of
gram panchayat of Shanag, the
village near the disaster spot,
said locals are working with the
administration in the relief op-
eration.
ing of the FIR by the CBI.
He contended that the court
had not considered that once
the investigating agency had
filed the chargesheet then any
challenge to it was rendered
redundant.
"Public policy required
that even if there was some
technical flaw in the investiga-
tion, the same could not have
been given precedence over
the overwhelming evidence
collected by the CBI against
Mayawati," Verma said in his
review petition.
"When it was not the case
of the petitioner (Mayawati)
that no offence is made out
of the evidence collected by
the CBI, this court could not
have simply let the accused go
scot-free, thus rendering the
evidence nothing more than
bundles of waste paper," the
petition said. — IANS.
Rescue workers said more
than 80 hutments of the Border
Roads Organisation (BRO), an
inter-services organisation un-
der the defence ministry, were
washed away.
Even the BRO machinery,
which is deployed for the con-
struction of the Rohtang tunnel,
was damaged.
Over 350 BRO person-
nel and experts from Germany
and Austria have been working
round the clock to construct the
8.8 km horseshoe shaped Ro-
htang tunnel. The work began
in June 2010.
Cloudbursts are a common
occurrence in India's mountain-
ous states during the country's
monsoon season between June
and September.
More than 400 people have
died during the current mon-
soon season across India, ac-
cording to the federal Home
Ministry. — Agencies
Blasts: Chavan
examines probe
PUNE — Maharashtra Chief
Minister Prithviraj Chavan
reviewed here yesterday the
investigations into the serial
bomb blasts which rocked
the city three days ago.
Chavan, who visited the
city for the first time since
the four low-intensity blasts
on Wednesday evening in
which one person was in-
jured, held discussions with
police officials and the in-
vestigating agencies.
"I cannot comment any-
thing on the matter as the
investigations are still under
way," Chavan said after the
meeting.
The chief minister's re-
view came two days after
state's Home Minister R R
Patil visited the spots of the
blasts on the busy Junglee
Maharaj Road.
Union Home Minister
Sushilkumar Shinde would
visit Pune to assess the situa-
tion arising out of the blasts.
Growth seen lower
as rains play truant
NEW DELHI — India's eco-
nomic growth could slip to
near six per cent this year with
the country facing the spectre
of its third drought in a decade,
a top government policymaker
says.
In the last few months, the
outlook for once-booming In-
dia has worsened with high
inflation, steep interest rates, a
ballooning deficit, nosediving
business confidence, a falling
currency and now growing
worry of drought.
"If we factor in that agricul-
ture which will not be strong ...
(growth) will be closer to six
per cent" for the fiscal year to
March 2013, Planning Com-
mission Deputy Chairman
Montek Singh Ahluwalia told
reporters in New Delhi.
His forecast, delivered
on Friday, is down from the
6.5 per cent expansion India
notched up last year, and far
below the close to 10 per cent
expansion seen during a good
part of the past decade.
Forex reserves
up by $1.31 bn
MUMBAI — India's foreign
exchange (forex) reserves
grew by $1.31 billion to
$288.64 billion for the week
ended July 27, 2012, Re-
serve Bank of India (RBI)
data showed. The forex had
earlier risen by $589 million
to $287.34 billion for the
week ended July 20, 2012.
The country's forex re-
serves had declined by
$872.7 million in the week
ended July 13, 2012.
Foreign currency assets,
the biggest component of
the forex reserves kitty, in-
creased by $1.29 billion to
$256.39 billion for the week
under review, according to
weekly statistical supple-
ment released by the RBI.
The foreign currency as-
sets had risen by $565.5 mil-
lion to $255.10 billion for
the week ended June 20.
Goa extends ban on fishing
PANAJI — In order to en-
sure that fish continues to be
available in the quintessential
Goan thali (plate), it has now
been decided to extend the
ban on fishing in Goa's sea
waters to 70-75 days, as the
government steps up effort to
stave off a fish famine.
Goa Chief Minister Parri-
kar said that fishermen, who
use traditional means to har-
vest fish, could be compen-
sated by the state government
for not being allowed to enter
into the sea during the pro-
posed extended ban period,
which currently is 45 days.
"To maintain the fish catch,
a minimum of 70-75 days to-
tal fishing ban will have to
be maintained. We can also
give the traditional fishermen
compensation in order not to
go out to sea," Parrikar said,
adding that it was imperative
to maintain the carrying ca-
Court: can’t deny education to
students on bonafide mistakes
NEW DELHI — The Delhi
High Court has ruled that
students should neither be de-
prived of their right to educa-
tion on bonafide mistakes nor
penalised to the extent that
their admission is cancelled.
Bonafide mistakes of
students while submitting
entrance form online can be
ignored, said the court, partic-
ularly if the students belonged
to areas where proper compu-
ter and Internet facilities were
unavailable, and more so
when they had secured a seat
in the entrance exam.
Justice G S Sistani, allow-
ing a student from Haryana
to join the National Institute
of Technology (NIT), has
observed that bonafide mis-
take of the student cannot be
penalised to the extent that
the admission granted to him
should be cancelled.
It comes as private econo-
mists also pare their growth es-
timates for Asia's third-largest
economy, citing concern about
"deficient" monsoon rains that
sweep India from June to Sep-
tember.
A survey of economists and
industry leaders by the Associ-
ated Chambers of Commerce
and Industry of India, released
yesterday, said the weak mon-
soon and a deteriorating global
situation were expected to cut
growth to between 6 and 6.3
per cent.
The projections are far be-
low the 7.6 per cent expansion
initially seen in the Congress-
led government's March budg-
et and the 6.5 per cent growth
forecast by India's central bank
earlier in the week.
While around six per cent
growth is still much faster
than most other nations, the
left-leaning government says
much more rapid expansion is
needed to lift hundreds of mil-
lions of Indians out of crush-
‘Definition of SMEs
may require change’
COLOMBO — The Indian
government may change
the definition of small and
medium enterprises (SME)
to facilitate investments
from Swedish furniture gi-
ant IKEA, Commerce and
Industry Minister Anand
Sharma said yesterday.
"Definition of SME may
require change," Sharma,
who is on an official visit
to Sri Lanka, told reporters
when asked whether the gov-
ernment would tweak policy
to facilitate investments from
IKEA.
IKEA is the world's larg-
est furniture maker and has
announced $1.9 billion in-
vestment for opening 25 re-
tail stores in India.
However, the Swedish
firm has been pressing for
changes in regulation be-
pacity of the seas off Goa and
stave off fish famine.
Parrikar has also warned
that the unit of the Indian
Coast Guard (ICG) stationed
in Goa would be used to en-
sure that trawlers from the
neighbouring states of Karna-
taka and Maharashtra do not
fish in the state's already fish-
depleted waters.
Currently, Goa bans fish-
ing from June 15 to July 31
for a period of 45 days. But
the ban applies only to heavy
duty mechanised fishing,
while traditional fishermen
are still allowed to venture
out into the sea.
According to the state gov-
ernment's Economic Survey
(ES) report, the state's fish
haul has reduced drastically
from 1.03 lakh tonnes in 2005
to 80,680 tonnes in 2009 from
a peak of a whopping 9.9 lakh
tonnes in 2004-05.
The court's observation
came while hearing a plea
filed by Rohit Yadav who,
while applying online for
AIEEE 2012 (All India En-
gineering Entrance Examina-
tion) conducted by the CBSE
(Central Board of Secondary
Education) filled up the wrong
date of birth mistakenly.
Yadav, after clearing
AIEEE, secured a seat in NIT.
But the institute denied him
admission citing variance in
date of birth.
The court, passing the or-
der, said: "Having regard to
the facts of this case, I am of
the view that on account of
the bonafide mistake of the
petitioner (Yadav), the peti-
tioner cannot be penalised to
the extent that the admission
granted to him should be can-
celled".
The court observed that
ing poverty.
The weather office has
forecast the rains will be "15
per cent deficient" during the
monsoon period which would
spell drought.
A countrywide drought
is declared if rainfall drops
below 90 per cent of average
annual levels. In 2009 and in
2002, India was hit by drought,
bringing misery to farmers and
driving up food prices.
Already "the drought in
Maharashtra is the worst in last
20 years, the Gujarat drought
is the worst in last 25 years and
the Karnataka drought is the
worst in last 40 years," Rural
Development Minister Jairam
Ramesh said.
Farming's contribution to
gross domestic product has
fallen from 50 per cent in the
1950s to some 15 per cent but
remains key by supporting 700
million rural Indians and fuel-
ling demand for everything
from TVs to motorcycles and
gold. — AFP
fore the actual investment is
made. It has called for change
in definition of SMEs.
Under the current norm,
firms with an investment of
upto $1 million are consid-
ered SMEs.
If IKEA opens its store in
India, it will be required to
source a particular amount
of materials from small and
medium enterprises.
The Swedish firm argues
that once it starts sourcing
from an SME, the profit and
size of those firms might
grow rapidly and as a result
it might not be considered an
SME.
Sharma said the Depart-
ment of Industrial Policy
and Promotion (DIPP) was
working on the issue and
would bring more clarity on
it soon. — IANS
"With the total fish pro-
duction in the state crossing
maximum sustainable yield
(MSY), there is a need to re-
strict the fishing efforts in the
coastal waters of the state,"
the report stated.
"With the fish and fishing
product decreasing day by
day, all efforts are being made
to provide the infrastructure
needed at the landing centres
so as to minimise the port har-
vest losses," it adds.
Leading marine biologist
Baban Ingole, a chief scien-
tist at the Goa-based National
Institute of Oceanography
(NIO), has warned that a
combination of the state's
burgeoning fishing trawler
industry, pollution and cli-
mate change was resulting in
the fish being driven off the
Goa coast, resulting in a fish
famine in the entire region.
— IANS
"on account of this mistake to
debar him would amount to
travesty of justice".
"The petitioner had no
intention to mislead the NIT
or gain any unfair advantage.
The certificate from CBSE
is a genuine document. Thus
the petitioner cannot be de-
barred," the order said.
Justice Sistani mentioned
that students from villages
that do not get continuous
electricity cannot be deprived
of their right to education.
"The court cannot lose
track of the fact that Delhi is
not India. There are lakhs of
students in rural areas, like
the petitioner herein, who
have the potential, and the
students from rural back-
ground are not less intelligent
than the students from afflu-
ent background," the court
said. — IANS
 ANALYSIS/OPINION 12
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

A secret SYRIAN SITUATION

war on
media UN inaction to
By Mauricio Weibel stop violence
T
HE dictatorship
of Augusto By J T Nguyen for the CIA to clandestinely
Pinochet (1973- assist Syria's opposition,

K
1990) systematically OFI Annan's resig- this would not impede the
spied on foreign media nation last week as political process because, in
correspondents in Chile. international envoy fact, there is none at present.
Previously unpublished to Syria has underlined the The UN General
documents from the United Nations failure to stop Assembly, a sort of
secret services and several the conÀict in Syria. legislature for the UN,
ministries establish that the On the day that the UN blamed the Security Council
1973-90 military regime General Assembly, impatient for the failure in Syria as it
watched over the reporting with the unrestrained met last Friday to vote on a
on Chile by journalists from escalation of the conÀict, second resolution this year
around the world. They blamed the Security Council to condemn the violence. Its
reveal yet another layer for inaction, diplomats president, Nassir Abdulaziz
of Pinochet's dictatorial reÀected the growing sense al Nasser, said the Council's
rule, under which tens of of doom over Syria. failure hurt UN credibility.
thousands were killed, UN Secretary-General "The deadlock in the
imprisoned and tortured. Ban Ki-Moon warned Security Council sends the
A single memorandum that Syria faces the "grim wrong signals to all parties
of November 2, 1976 possibility of long-term civil in the Syrian conÀict," Al
mentions as many as 761 war," which he called an Nasser said.
correspondents from the "avoidable... catastrophe" Ban told the assembly
United States, Germany, had the Syrian government that he was discussing with
Japan, the Netherlands, listened to demands for the Arab League a successor
Argentina, Brazil and Israel reform in 2011. to Annan who, he said, had
whose work was to be French Ambassador been spurned by the Syrian
observed. Gerard Araud, president parties, and "the sharp
"When I returned to SUPPORTERS of Anna Hazare wave national Àags at the India Gate in New Delhi on Thursday. — Reuters of the Security Council in differences in the Security
Chile, the secret services August, was asked last Friday Council... made Annan's
knew everything I had been if Annan's resignation was work more dif¿cult."
doing outside the country,"
said Carlos Dorat, a former
correspondent in Chile and
former vice-president of
the Foreign Correspondents
Association in the South
American country.
No end to India’s woes
By Amulya Ganguli been marked by welcome initiatives
the result of UN inability.
"Unfortunately yes, you
can draw a conclusion from
that decision," he said.
"The Council had been
blocked by three vetoes from
Russia and China when it
Russia and China, which
vetoed three UN Security
Council resolutions on Syria
in the past year, joined 12
countries that voted against
the resolution in the General
Assembly. The resolution
Dorat lived until 1984 in in setting up the National Investiga- tried to promote a political passed 133-12, with 31

England, where he studied
and was active in the
Chilean exile community.
The former secretary-
general of the Chilean
Presidency, general Hernan
Mejares, warned in 1975
about the reporting of
correspondents for the US
networks CBS and NBC.
"All the background
leads to the belief that their
purpose would be to work
on a feature on Chile that is
deliberately unfavourable,"
Mejares told foreign
minister Patricio Carvajal.
However, Mejares
further noted that banning
their entry to the country
would prompt "negative
reactions" and should
therefore be avoided.
In order to combat the
"international campaign
against Chile," the head
of the secret service,
general Manuel Contreras,
distributed in late 1976 to
Chilean embassies around
the world 600 positive
pro¿les of Pinochet which
described him as "soldier
and statesman."
Contreras also proposed
in June 1975 the so-called
Plan Epsilon, in order to
neutralise international
reports on human rights
violations in Chile.
A
S if low growth, high inÀation
and a poor monsoon were not
enough trouble for the Indian
government headed by Manmohan
Singh, it faced further problems with
an outbreak of ethnic and communal
violence in Asom, massive power cuts
on two successive days and a series
of bomb blasts in Pune, which were
evidently the handiwork of a terrorist
group. Mercifully, the blasts' intensity
was low key and so only one person
was injured.
The violence in Asom was a throw-
back to the communal and parochial
clashes of the 1980s when the state was
in the throes of an agitation. Although it
was at the time directed mainly against
the illegal immigrants.
While the inÀux of the Bengali-
speaking peasants from the east into
Asom is a century-old process, it ac-
quired a communal overtone in the
1980s because of the growth of the
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) inÀu-
ence on the middle class Assamese.
This time, it is the Bodo tribals who
have clashed with the immigrants. As
the violence continued for several days,
claiming more than 40 lives, the centre
came under attack from the Congress's
own chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, for
not responding quickly enough to his
request for sending the army.
Subsequently, when the then
home minister, P Chidambaram, vis-
ited the relief camps, he was booed.
Chidambaram has since become the
¿nance minister, but the episode is evi-
dently a blot on the capabilities of the
Even as Asom simmered
down, there was no respite
for the government with
power blackouts in most of
the country and followed
by Anna’s agitation
centre, already under attack for a long
time for policy paralysis.
But, even as Asom simmered down,
there was no respite for the Manmohan
Singh government since northern, east-
ern and north-eastern India experienced
prolonged periods of blackouts because
of the tripping of the power lines. The
outage was said to have been caused by
the overdrawing of power by several
states, mainly Uttar Pradesh, which has
denied the charge.
But the plunge into darkness also
underlined the yawning gap between
demand and supply, pointing to a fail-
ure to build up installed capacity, which
portends ill for the future.
The indignation caused by darkened
homes, stalled long-distance and metro
trains, disruption of hospital services
and other hardships was accentuated
by the almost immediate "promotion"
of the Power Minister, Sushilkumar
Shinde, to the powerful home ministry.
Since the seemingly unwarranted
elevation denoted to most people the
rewarding of loyalty at the expense of
merit, the step further undermined the
government's position. To make mat-
ters worse, Shinde, who is a Dalit, lost
no time in playing identity politics by
heaping praise on the Nehru-Gandhi
family, which, he said, "has always tak-
en care of the welfare of the backward
castes" and that the "Dalits can always
take bigger responsibility".
The future will show whether
Shinde can live up to this claim, but
what his observation con¿rms is that
he looks to the Congress's ¿rst family
for his upward mobility rather than to
the prime minister.
He is fortunate that he is succeed-
ing Chidambaram, whose tenure in
the home ministry (after the stint of
Shivraj Patil, to quote Wikileaks) has
tion Agency (NIA) and the National
Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC)
although the latter has been stalled by
non-Congress states on the ground that
it violates the federal concept.
The Pune bomb blasts have been
seen as a reminder by the terrorists to
the new home minister that they have
not faded away after the Mumbai may-
hem of November 26, 2008, and the
German bakery blasts in Pune of Febru-
ary 13, 2010. After his forgettable spell
at the power ministry, and the fact that
his name cropped up in relation to the
Adarsh housing society scam, Shinde
is beginning what is undoubtedly his
most important assignment till now.
The changes in the home and ¿-
nance ministries have been neces-
sitated by the elevation of the former
¿nance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, to
the president's post. It is possible that
Chidambaram's assumption of the ¿-
nance portfolio will be welcomed by
the investors.
But it is too early to say how effec-
tive he will be in reviving the "animal
spirits" in the business environment, as
promised by Manmohan Singh during
the few days he acted as ¿nance minis-
ter after Mukherjee stepped down.
After Asom, Pune and the power
failures, the only good news for the
government is Anna Hazare's decision
to call off the fasts of his own and some
of his colleagues. The tepid response to
his agitation may have persuaded Anna
not only to end the fasts but even to an-
nounce the decision that his movement
will assume a political colour.
process to put an end to the
conÀict," Araud said in the
transcript of an interview
released by the French
mission to the UN.
Annan was not supported
by the divided council, now
"deadlocked" on Syria, Araud
noted.
Annan's resignation
takes effect on August
31. Diplomats said that
diplomacy may be put
on hold until a capable
replacement is found.
But there is no certainty
the momentum generated
by Annan's six-point plan in
April could be relaunched,
given the escalation of
violence.
"For the moment, let's be
clear, there is no diplomacy,
no political process in Syria,"
Araud said.
France, the United
States, Britain, Germany
and Portugal — the Western
nations in the 15-nation
Council — have been
stopped by Russia and China
in their efforts to promote
a political process and
implement Annan's six-
point plan, which included a
cease¿re.
Araud said that if
Washington implements a
reported authorisation by
US President Barack Obama
abstentions.
The resolution strongly
condemned the continued
and widespread violence in
Syria and called for a Syria-
led political transition in
Damascus.
Following a stormy
closed-door meeting late last
Thursday, Council members
appeared to be inclined to
terminate the mandate of the
UN Supervision Mission in
Syria (UNSMIS) when it
expires on August 20. The
remaining 150 UN observers,
down from 300 a month
ago, had been severely
restrained in their tasks by
the intensi¿ed ¿ghting.
The UN may opt for
a some kind of presence
in Syria following the
departure of the observers,
in order to assist delivery
of humanitarian supplies to
more than 2 million Syrians
affected by the conÀict.
"Beyond that (after
UNSMIS), it will be up to the
Security Council to decide,"
said Herve Ladsous, the
chief of UN peacekeeping
operations.
Meanwhile, the
International Committee
of the Red Cross appealed
to all parties in the conÀict
to respect international
humanitarian law.

Wave of attacks shatters Iraqi security

By W G Dunlop

A
WAVE of brazen at-
tacks killed dozens of
Iraqi soldiers, police
and anti-Qaeda ¿ghters in re-
cent days, but security forces
say it pales in comparison with
the worst years of violence in
the country.
At least 49 security forces
personnel have been killed
and 39 wounded in at least 18
separate shootings and bomb-
ings since July 31, and some
security forces positions in
Baghdad remain strikingly ex-
posed to attack.
Most of the violence target-
ed police or army patrols and
checkpoints, though some at-
tacks were against more heav-
ily guarded facilities.
Gunmen attempted to use
bombs to breach a prison gate
in Taji, north of Baghdad, last
Wednesday, and employed
similar tactics on the anti-ter-
rorism directorate in the capi-
tal the day before, which the
Interior Ministry said was an
attempt to free inmates.
While security forces were
killed, the attackers appar-
ently failed to free any of the
detainees. Though there has
been a heavy toll from the
attacks, members of the se-
curity forces in Baghdad said
they have been through worse.
Death tolls for some months in
The security situation in Iraq is
now much better compared to 2007
or before. Death toll in 2006, 2007
and 2008 reached more than 1,000,
according to some of¿cial ¿gures,
which by comparison put the July
2012 toll at only 325
2006, 2007 and 2008 reached is much better compared to Despite the increased at-
more than 1,000 people killed, 2007 or before," a 33-year-old tacks against security forces,
according to of¿cial ¿gures, federal policeman at a nearby some of their positions in
which by comparison put the store said. Baghdad remain woefully ex-
July 2012 toll at 325. "The terrorists are trying to posed.
"There is not any fear, be- cause gaps in the security forc- One federal police check-
cause we lived through the es," said the policeman, who point on a road to the anti-
hardest days in 2004 and 2005 joined the force eight years terrorism directorate, which
and 2006, which was when we ago, adding that "we do not was attacked just days before,
had the most violence, and at- have any fear or concern, and consisted of a line of junk IRAQI police forces stand guard at a checkpoint in central Baghdad yesterday. — AFP
tacks were 80 per cent more we are stronger than them." spanning the street — a pile of and at least one colleague body armour were outside the on various forums said the weak in the eyes of the peo-
than what is happening now," And Iraqi army Sergeant tyres, a plastic chair weighted were escaping the blistering entrance. group would begin targeting ple." “When civilians think
said a 28-year-old who has Ahmed Hussein, a 30-year-old with a stone, a small metal ta- heat inside an air-conditioned Only a dirty, Àuttering judges and prosecutors, and that the police can’t protect
been in the federal police for who said he joined the mili- ble, and a coil of barbed wire shelter made of a makeshift Iraqi Àag in a metal stand kept try to help its prisoners break them, they turn to other groups
seven years. tary eight years ago, insisted strung with plastic bags and roof covering the area between watch over the street. out of jails. for support,” Drake said.
"The security situation that "terrorism never shakes other trash. two concrete blast walls. The attacks on security When asked about the at- The attacks are ultimately
now is much better than in me, and the recent attacks do The position, which offered A blanket covered the en- forces come after an Al Qae- tacks on security forces, John “likely aiming at polarising
past years, when we were not plant any fear or confusion almost no cover, was manned trance, keeping cool air in, but da's front group said in July Drake, a security analyst with communities, which puts pres-
never able to go out wearing among the security members." by just two policemen, only blocking the view out. Two that it was launching a "new AKE Group, said by e-mail sure on the security forces and
military uniforms," said the "The aim of striking the one of whom had a riÀe. riÀes leaned against a wall in- military campaign aimed at that "they may be focusing may eventually lead to a rise
policeman. security forces is targeting the At a guard post a few side, but other key equipment recovering territory." their efforts on the security in support for these groups,”
"The security situation now country," Hussein said. blocks away, the policeman including a helmet, boots and An earlier message posted forces to make them seem he said.
 ANALYSIS/OPINION 13
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Statehood
support
attempt
T
HE Palestinian Au-
thority is to host its
¿rst meeting of the
Palestine committee of the
Non-Aligned Movement in
Ramallah today, aimed at
garnering support for their
bid for statehood, Palestini-
an Foreign Minister Riyad al
Malki announced yesterday.
NAM is a group of states
which say they are not for-
mally aligned with or against
any major world power bloc,
or the West.
It has some 120 mem-
bers, mostly in Africa and
the Middle East, besides in
Asia and South America,
and is sympathetic to the
Palestinian cause.
Al Malki said the meet-
ing, requested by the Pal-
estinian Authority, was to
introduce NAM members
to the Palestinian situation
and to ask for their support,
should they ask to become
a non-member state in the
United Nations General As-
sembly.
“The meeting aims to
stress the right of our people
and leadership to hold con-
Games mask London tensions
ferences on our land and to
support our struggle to end
Solar superstorm
could kill millions
By Deborah Zabarenko
There is
U
S weather has been lousy this year, with
droughts, heat and killer storms. But a
solar superstorm could be far worse.
disagreement on
A monster blast of geomagnetic particles
from the sun could destroy 300 or more of the how costly the
2,100 high-voltage transformers that are the
backbone of the US electric grid, according damage would be,
to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
Even a few hundred destroyed transformers
could disable the entire interconnected sys-
but experts in the
tem. There is impetus for a group of federal
agencies to look for ways to prepare for such
US Government
a storm this year as the sun moves into an ac-
tive period called solar maximum, expected to
and industry
peak in 2013.
US experts estimate as much as a seven per acknowledge it is a
cent chance of a superstorm in the next decade,
which seems a slight risk, but the effects would complex problem
be so wide-ranging — akin to a major meteor-
ite strike — that it has drawn of¿cial concern.
Power blackouts can cause chaos, as they
requiring a
A DANCER performs during an interval at Horse Guards Parade during the Olympic Games yesterday. — Reuters
did brieÀy in India when more than 600 mil-
lion people lost electricity for hours on two
co-ordinated
consecutive days in July. However, the kind of
long-duration outage that might happen in the solution
case of a massive solar storm would have more
profound and costly effects.
There is disagreement on how costly the
damage would be, but experts in the US gov-
million people in the United States could be af-
fected. Andres said the death toll could run into
the millions in the worst-case scenario.
By Anne-Laure Mondesert different,” he said. “But I don’t think any- ernment and industry acknowledge it is a com-
one should pretend that just because we Other countries besides the United States
plex problem requiring a co-ordinated solution. would feel the impact of a solar superstorm
have a summer that goes well, the prob-
People are watching A report by the NAS estimated that about 365

the occupation and settle-
ments and establish our in-
dependent state with East Je-
rusalem as its capital,” said
Al Malki.
The Palestine Committee
meeting in Ramallah com-
prises the foreign ministers
of 13 NAM member states,
headed by Egypt.
Malki said it was prob-
lematic to invite foreign
ministers of countries that
do not have diplomatic rela-
tions with Israel, since they
would have to pass through
Israeli crossings to reach
Ramallah.
It was therefore decided
— in apparent agreement
with Israel — to Ày the
heads of the delegations in
a helicopter from Jordan
straight to Ramallah to avoid
contact with the Israelis.
The meeting is to open
with an address by Pales-
tinian President Mahmud
Abbas, and will conclude
with what Malki called the
Ramallah Declaration — ex-
pected to support Palestinian
membership of the General
Assembly.
The Ramallah Declara-
tion is to be introduced as
an of¿cial document at the
upcoming NAM conference
scheduled in Tehran later
this month.
The Palestinians say Is-
raeli settlement-building on
occupied West Bank land
has stymied prospects for a
bilateral statehood deal.
— dpa
A
YEAR after riots engulfed Lon-
don and spread to other English
cities, the buzz around the Olym-
pics is sweeping the capital, but with re-
cession hammering the poorest London-
ers the threat of unrest lingers.
In Tottenham, the multicultural north
London district where the unrest ¿rst
erupted after police shot dead a young
black suspect last August 4, the main road
still bears some of the scars of last year’s
violence.
Houses and shops are still being re-
built, while signs proclaim the local may-
or’s promise to boost activities for young-
sters, clean up the streets and pump £4
million into local jobs. “They’re rebuild-
ing the shops, but apart from that noth-
ing’s changed,” said 18-year-old Tamzin
as she waited for a bus.
The trainee actress said she did not
take part in last summer’s wave of loot-
ing and arson in which ¿ve people were
killed and property worth millions of
pounds was destroyed.
But she added that she understood the
frustrations of some of those who did.
“A lot of them did it because they’d
had enough. No one cares about them,”
she said. “We must get them paid jobs.”
Tottenham was rocked by riots before,
when racial tensions spilled over into
¿erce violence in 1985, and the unem-
ployment rate there remains among the
highest in London. Many people fear an-
other Àare-up could come at any time.
“The situation is fragile, and I think
it remains fragile across the whole coun-
try,” warned Tottenham lawmaker David
Lammy, who has written a book titled Out
of the Ashes: Britain after the riots.
“Unemployment has got worse in Tot-
tenham,” he said. “Austerity is biting this
year, it’s biting people’s bene¿ts and it’s
biting our youth services.”
But he voiced hope at plans to regen-
lems have gone away.
“I wouldn’t predict that we won’t see
the Games and they rioting again over the next ¿ve or six
are being inspired years.” Tim Newburn, professor of crimi-
nology at the London School of Econom-
and entertained, so ics, also warned that the capital could
slide back into violence.
I do think that this
“Riots are always unpredictable,” said
Newburn, whose team interviewed 270
summer things are people who joined the unrest in London,
different. But I don’t Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool
for a study on why it happened.
think anyone should Newburn said the rioters shared “a
sense of marginalisation and exclusion”
pretend that just as well as anger towards the police, and
he blamed authorities for not engaging
because we have a more positively with young people.
summer that goes Prime Minister David Cameron,
meanwhile, blamed “the moral collapse
well, the problems of society” and promised “zero tolerance”
for troublemakers.
have gone away. I More than 4,500 people have been ar-
rested for their role in the London riots
wouldn’t predict that and more than 2,900 prosecuted, accord-
we won’t see rioting ing to the latest police ¿gures.
Across the country, nearly 1,300 peo-
again over the next ple have been sentenced to prison terms
averaging 17 months. As of mid-June,
¿ve or six years half of them had been released.
As for the incident which triggered
the riots, the circumstances surrounding
erate the district, and welcomed the deci- the police shooting of 29-year-old Mark
sion by Premier League football club Tot- Duggan remain disputed.
tenham Hotspur to drop its bid to move On Thursday, the eve of the ¿rst an-
from its nearby home into the Olympic niversary of his death, the father-of-four’s
Stadium after the Games. family said they had still not received a
The Olympics have boosted the city’s full explanation of how he died.
morale, Lammy said, but he believes Brit- “Thirty-one police of¿cers surrounded
ain has failed to tackle the root causes of Mark and he was shot twice — why?”
the riots — poverty, bad parenting, obses- Duggan’s mother Pam said. “One of the
sive consumerism and a plethora of other last things my partner, Mark’s dad, said
social ills. before he died a few weeks ago was that
“People are watching the Games and he wanted justice for his son.” A provi-
they are being inspired and entertained, sional date for an inquest into Duggan’s
so I do think that this summer things are death has been set for January 2013.
high-voltage transformers in the continental
United States are at risk of failure or permanent
damage requiring replacement in the event of a
solar superstorm.
Replacements might not be available for a
year or more, and the cost of damage in the
¿rst year after a storm could be as high as $2
trillion, the report said. The most vulnerable
areas are the eastern one-third of the country,
from the Midwest to the East Coast, and the
Northwest, as far east as Montana and Wyo-
ming and as far south as California.
The national grid was built over decades
to get energy at the lowest price from where
it is generated to where it is used. A solar su-
perstorm has the capacity to bring that network
down, the academy’s report said.
“Historically large storms have a potential
to cause power grid blackouts and transformer
damage of unprecedented proportions, long-
term blackouts and lengthy restoration times,
and chronic shortages for multiple years are
possible,” the report said.
Richard Andres, an energy and environ-
mental security expert at the military’s Na-
tional Defense University (NDU), is helping to
co-ordinate an interagency group to deal with
the problem. The failure of the national power
grid could be disastrous, he said.
In a worst-case scenario, commerce would
almost instantly cease, he said, noting he was
speaking for himself and not the US Govern-
ment. Water and fuel, which depend on elec-
tric pumps, would stop Àowing in most cities
within hours, modern communications would
end and mechanised transport would stall.
Back-up generators for hospitals, the mili-
tary and other critical facilities would be vul-
nerable if they depended on diesel or natural
gas, which also rely on pipelines for resupply.
Law and order might break down if the outage
was prolonged, as of¿cers might leave their
posts to protect their own families, Andres
said.
The academy report said more than 130
if it hit their electric power systems, but the
US power grid is so large and interconnected
that any major strike could have catastrophic
results.
The only way to deal with this kind of
threat, Andres said by telephone, is to involve
the White House, Congress, private industry,
the Pentagon and agencies ranging from the
Department of Homeland Security to Nasa and
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration. This group has been meeting at NDU
since last year to tackle this problem.
Many of these agencies already have con-
sidered this type of outage, but not because of
an attack from the sun. The US national se-
curity community has been worried about an
enemy high altitude nuclear burst that could
do roughly the same thing: generate an electro-
magnetic pulse that fried the power grid.
About three or four times in the 11-year
solar cycle, the sun hurls a chunk of its atmos-
phere into space big enough to have an impact
on humans, said Bill Murtagh, an expert on
space weather at the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration.
Civilization deals well with ordinary solar
storms, when the sun blasts charged particles
that can affect power grids, satellite navigation,
radio transmissions and some airplane routes.
Such storms in January and March caused few
problems, Murtagh said.
Of greater concern are severe solar storms
that bombard Earth with magnetised particles
that could damage giant transformers so thor-
oughly that they would be impossible to restart.
Two such monster storms occurred in 1859 and
1921. Neither was catastrophic, mostly because
society was not as dependent on electricity and
the US electric grid was not the sophisticated,
interconnected network it is now.
The US Geological Survey suggested a six
per cent to seven per cent chance of an 1859-
type solar storm in the next 10 years, Murtagh
said. The coming solar maximum does not
increase this probability, though solar storms
could be more frequent.

Asean path to economic union muddied by sea rift Drop in Sindh voters
By Neil Chatterjee just like what happened to the South
China Sea.”
At the Phnom Penh meeting of
alarms politicians
D
ISCORD in Southeast Asia

over how to deal with Bei-
jing’s claims in the South
China Sea comes as the region strug-
gles to overcome competing national
interests and form a European Union-
style economic community by 2015.
Political leaders and of¿cials say
the row may not directly affect plans
by the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean) for the economic in-
tegration of countries ranging from
wealthy Singapore to impoverished
Myanmar.
But what doesn’t help is China’s
growing investment in the bloc’s
poorer members, which critics say
gives it inÀuence that it has effec-
tively used to block a uni¿ed Asean
stance in the South China Sea dis-
pute. The South China Sea, which
stretches from China to Indonesia
and from Vietnam to the Philippines,
lies atop what are believed to be rich
reserves of oil and gas.
“It’s not going to hold progress
(on integration) hostage,” Asean
Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan
told diplomats in Jakarta, referring to
a recent meeting in Cambodia, where
rifts over the South China Sea pre-
vented the group’s foreign ministers
from issuing a communiqué for the
¿rst time in its history.
“It is an early warning sign... this
will not be the last.”
Southeast Asia is a hot destination
for investors seeking returns that are
drying up in Europe, still to recover
in the United States and slowing in
the rest of Asia.
Estimated net Àows into offshore
Asean funds stood at $1.4 billion in
2012 through June, according to data
reported until July 10. By compari-
son, China and India offshore funds
saw net outÀows worth $1.6 billion
and $185 million respectively.
Investors have high hopes for
plans by the 10-member Asean for a
single market and production base for
a combined economy of $2 trillion,
with free movement of goods, serv-
ices, investment and skilled labour
among 600 million people.
While there is consensus in Asean
for economic union, the group strug-
gles with political differences ranging
from a land border dispute between
Thailand and Cambodia to a cultural
spat between Malaysia and Indone-
sia. The most destructive is the in-
ability to deal with claims by four of
its members, and China and Taiwan,
in the South China Sea.
Since only some elements of the
economic plan will be in place by
2015, such as zero tariffs, more de-
veloped members may have to push
on with integration in a two-tier mod-
el, just as the European Union did,
leaving the others at risk of missing
out on regional investment.
Asean’s older and more developed
members are Singapore, Malaysia,
Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia
and Brunei. Vietnam, Laos, Cambo-
dia and Myanmar joined later.
The two-tier model could leave
fringe members further exposed to
inÀuence from China — and the
United States — as they seek inÀu-
ence through investment and diplo-
macy in a “Great Game” played out
in the tropics.
China is already the top investor
in Cambodia and Myanmar and is
catching up with investment by Eu-
rope, Japan and the United States in
the region overall.
“The difference is that China is
giving something that Cambodia
needs, while Asean is promising
something that is abstract,” said Ale-
ksius Jemadu, dean of the school of
political and social sciences at Pelita
Harapan University in Jakarta.
“Asean countries will act based
more on their domestic needs ...
When this community is built we
can’t expect them to be in unison,
foreign ministers, some diplomats
said Cambodia blocked the South
China Sea dispute being put on the
agenda at China’s behest. Cambodian
diplomats in turn accused the Philip-
pines and Vietnam of trying to hijack
the meeting.
China has maintained it wants to
deal with the issue bilaterally.
The Philippines has said it de-
plored Asean’s failure to address the
row and criticised Cambodia for its
handling of the issue.
Cambodia had GDP per capita
of $900 in 2011 and foreign direct
investment (FDI) of $800 million in
2010, according to World Bank ¿g-
ures. That compares to Singapore’s
$46,241 per capita and $39 billion in
FDI.
The China Daily has said Bei-
jing’s investment in Cambodia from
1994 until 2011 was $8.8 billion.
Even without the economic and
political differences, a lack of capac-
ity among some of Asean’s members
is making it hard to implement eco-
nomic agreements.
Completion of measures towards
a single market in its 2010-2011
phase was only 49 per cent overall,
according to Asean’s latest scorecard,
with reform lagging in food and ag-
riculture.
“Early achievements were based
on low hanging fruit... The process
of transposing regional commitments
into national laws is the biggest (chal-
lenge),” said Subash Pillai, Asean’s
director of market integration.
E
XPRESSING concern over a massive decline in the
number of Sindh voters in the newly released electoral
rolls, political parties look up to the election commis-
sion to explain factors behind the sudden drop of over 1.1 mil-
lion registered voters in the province.
The total number of voters in Sindh in 2007 was 19,539,510
and in the new electoral rolls, their number stood at 18,432,877.
This means some 1,106,633 voters are no more part of the new
electoral rolls.
The ruling coalition — the Pakistan People’s Party, Mutta-
hida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party, Pakistan Mus-
lim League-Functional and PML-Q — as well as the Jamaat-
i-Islami, which currently has no representation in the Sindh
Assembly, are equally perturbed over the reduction of a large
number of voters in the new electoral rolls.
A couple of these parties even see conspiracies in the mas-
sive reduction of voters in the province.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who is PPP
provincial president, said that his party had serious reserva-
tions over the reduction of voters in Sindh in the computerised
electoral rolls.
He said that the number of voters in Sindh should have been
increased over the years. He said that a committee had been
constituted at the provincial level to review the new voters’ list
and the election commission was also approached for review-
ing the electoral rolls. MQM leader Raza Haroon said that the
Muttahida would condemn deletion of even a single legitimate
voter from the electoral rolls. “The reduction of voters in Sindh
is indeed a matter of concern, but at present we are reviewing
the new voters’ list.”
PML-F leader Jam Madad Ali opined that the election com-
mission should take prompt notice of the reduction of voters in
Sindh and take meaningful steps to rectify the situation.
PML-Q leader Haleem Adil Shaikh believed that the reduc-
tion of voters mainly from the interior of Sindh would widen
the gulf between urban and rural areas.
“We were not satis¿ed when the election commission had
started the process and today the decrease in the number of
voters proved that our reservations were based on facts.”
— Internews
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OMAN DAILY Observer z SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

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Sulaiman Awlad Thani: 95181747 DIRECT: 24649594 - FAX : 24649590 CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIED SECTION: Ali al Maashari: 99639264
e-mail: classified@omandaily.om
Continued on P-15
 THE WORLD/CLASSIFIEDS 15
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

N Korea Àoods kill 169; many missing Sudan, S Sudan reach

SEOUL — Floods which hit
parts of North Korea in re-
cent weeks killed 169 people
and left 400 missing, the state
news agency said yesterday,
sharply updating earlier casu-
alty ¿gures.
It said the Àoods and tor-
rential rain between late June
and the end of July also made
212,200 people homeless and
washed away or inundated
65,280 hectares of cropland.
United Nations agencies
have visited the worst-hit ar-
eas to assess aid needs and
the World Food Programme
(WFP) is sending an initial
shipment of emergency food
aid.
The country suffered a
famine in the 1990s that killed
hundreds of thousands and
still struggles to feed its people
even in normal times.
UN agencies estimated
last autumn that three million
people would need food aid
this year even before this sum-
mer’s deluge.
More than 8,600 houses
were destroyed and another
43,770 swamped, and more
than 1,400 schools, hospitals
and factories collapsed, the
news agency said.
Of¿cial media had previ-
ously reported 119 deaths,
with 84,000 people made
homeless and 45,370 hectares
of farmland damaged.
The WFP said its initial as-
sistance would provide victims
with an initial ration of 400
grams of maize a day for 14
days, after the UN assessment
mission found considerable
damage to maize, soybean and
rice ¿elds.
The mission has said im-
mediate food aid is needed
for residents of the worst-hit
counties, such as Anju and
Songchon in South Pyon-
gan province and Chonnae in
Kangwon province.
It also stressed that tens of
thousands of families urgently
need clean drinking water to
prevent disease.
Wells had been contami-
nated by overÀowing latrines,
creating a high risk of a diar-
rhoea outbreak, while Àoods
had damaged water sources
and pumping stations.
Citing government ¿gures,
the UN mission said about
50,000 families would need
puri¿cation tablets or other
help to secure clean water.
The UN children’s fund
Unicef has ordered 10 million
tablets along with other mate-
rials. Drugs and IV Àuids were
also badly needed.
The assessment mission
said on Thursday a hospital in
Chonnae county had already
seen a fourfold rise in diar-
rhoea cases.
“In general, unless... needs
are addressed, rapid increase
in diarrhoea, skin infection and
respiratory infections could
occur,” it said in a report.
Outdated and inef¿cient ag-
ricultural practices, along with
a shortage of fertiliser and di-
version of food to the military,
have contributed to the annual
food shortages.
The mountainous North is
also short of arable land.
But widespread deforesta-
tion, partly to clear land for
crops, has made the impover-
ished nation increasingly prone
to serious Àooding which ends
up washing away the harvest.
In February the United
States reached a deal to offer
the North 240,000 tonnes of
food in return for a freeze on
nuclear and missile tests.
But the plan was scrapped
after Pyongyang’s failed rocket
launch in April, seen by the US
and its allies as an attempted
ballistic missile test. — AFP
oil deal on transit fees
ADDIS ABABA — Sudan
and South Sudan have reached
a deal on oil transit fees, but
Khartoum said it would be im-
plemented only after the issue
of border security had been re-
solved, dampening hopes of a
quick resumption of southern
oil exports through the north.
The oil agreement, an-
nounced yesterday, was a big
step towards ending hostili-
ties between the neighbours,
which came close to war in
April when ¿ghting worsened
along their shared border, cre-
ated when the south seceded
in July last year.
The two sides, deeply mis-
trustful of each other, have
often not implemented previ-
ous agreements and still need
to mark their 1,800 kilometre
border and resolve charges
both have made of supporting
rebels in the other’s territory.
The UN Security Council
had given the African neigh-
bours until Thursday to re-
solve all conÀicts left over
from South Sudan’s secession
a year ago under a 2005 peace
agreement.
Landlocked South Sudan
threw both economies into
turmoil when it shut down its
output of 350,000 barrels a
day in January after failing to
agree on a transit fee with Su-
dan, which started seizing oil
to make up for what it called
unpaid fees.
African Union mediator
Thabo Mbeki said the neigh-
bours had now agreed on how
much South Sudan should pay
to export its oil through north-
ern pipelines. He gave no de-
tails.
“It’s an (oil) agreement
about all of the matters. The
issues that were outstanding
were charges for transporta-
tion, for processing, transit,”
Mbeki, the former South Afri-
can president, told reporters.
“What will remain (now)...
is to then discuss the steps as
to when the oil companies
should be asked to prepare for
the resumption of production
and export,” Mbeki said.
He gave no time frame,
saying only the parties had
until September 22 to resolve
border security and other con-
Àicts.
Sudan con¿rmed an oil
deal had been reached but reit-
erated that security talks need-
ed to resume after Ramadhan
ended at the end of August,
the state news agency Suna
reported.
“Both sided reached under-
standings regarding oil which
are considered acceptable...
(but) the (oil) agreement does
not ful¿l the ambitions of
both sides,” Sudanese delega-
tion spokesman Mutrif Siddig
said. “Its implementation will
start after understandings on
security issues.”
Oil industry sources have
said restarting oil production
could take six months or long-
er as the pipelines have been
¿lled with water to avoid gel-
ling and some wells were not
closed properly.
Mbeki’s announcement
was a surprise as the South’s
top negotiator, Pagan Amum,
had just said that Sudan was
still demanding a high oil
transit fee.
In an indication of the mis-
trust between the arch-foes
Amum, speaking just before
Mbeki, said that Khartoum
was trying to “impose very
exorbitant transit fees.”
Both sides had made con-
cessions in the past few days.
Juba had last said it was will-
ing to pay $9.10 and $7.26
per barrel to use two pipelines
crossing Sudan, as well as a
$3.2 billion package to com-
pensate Sudan for the loss of
most of its oil reserves to the
South. It had previously of-
fered $2.6 billion. — AFP

S ITUATION WANTED
ITUATIO
ACCOUNTS Manager, M
Com, Indian male, 21
years wide experience in
accounts and finance in
Muscat seeks job change.
Contact: 92785207.
INDIAN, 47 yrs looking
for a job as watchman/Àats
security with visa. Now
on visit. Call  94075808
Moorthy
30 years, Indian male
PGDBA-operations,
having 8 years
experience in sales co-
ordinator and logistics
looking for suitable
placement. Contact  92439941. E-mail:
92337137
Mailing Address: OBSERVER CLASSIFIEDS SECTION, P.O. Box 974, Muscat, P.C. 100
Location: OEPPA HEAD OFFICE, Medinat Al Alam,
Near Ministry of Information  24649 593, 594, 594, 595, 596, 597
& OEPPA Ruwi Office, Next to Dhofar Bldg, Behind Ruwi Police Station  24785668
SITUATION WANTED
HR manager/ INDIAN female, 25 years, INDIAN driver (BCom)
administration manager B Tech (electronics & with own car, looking for
with 25 years experience communication) 2 years of trip basis or part-time job.
in Oman. Contact experience as lecturer, Contact: 92581644.
92719485. seeks suitable position in
technical/nontechnical/
teaching. 99805368. INDIAN female, BBA in
CHARTERED Accountant, Finance available for
Indian male with 1 year immediate placement
Gulf experience seeks EXPERIENCE with more under finance/ banking/
suitable placement. than 15 years in Accounts back office/ accounts/
Contact: 92416051. & Finance, looking for a administration.
suitable placement. Ready 95910427.
to join on immediately.  CV e-mail: cvmailsmr@
FINANCE Manager, 15 97309276
years + experience in
project financing, EXPERIENCED MEP
Engineer (diploma)
management accounts, ACCA (UK) Female, 26
looking for suitable
ERP, finalisation, cost years old with 5 years
placement in oil & gas
control, financial analysis, experience is seeking
feasibility study, business accounts, audit, finance field. 93782685.
development etc. roles in Oman.
sidrashamsuddin@gmail.
georaji9@hotmail.com. com Contact: 94025276. A 3D Animator and
Modelor cum Graphic
Designer looking for job
currently on visit visa in
Muscat. Fluent in English
and Urdu languages.
Please contact:
 96658544.
INDIAN male secretary
having more than 10 years
experience in Oman, seeks
placement. 98663977.
30 YEARS Indian male
PGDBA operations,
having 8 years experience
in sales co-ordinator and
logistics looking for
suitable placement.
92337137.
EXECUTIVE Secretary/
PA/HR Assistant, looking
for a suitable placement.
 95128596.
12 YEARS experience,
male candidate, as medical
secretary, in medical
records management, and
of¿ce administration,
looking for a suitable
placement. Good
knowledge in MS Of¿ce,
Windows OS and the
Internet. Contact:
 97893716, 95727612.
30+YEARS experienced
MEP department
manager worked
with contractors and
consultants and have good
experience in bidding/
planning/procurement/
engineering/installation
and commissioning,
seeks suitable placement,
presently working in UAE,
have worked in Oman and
Qatar. Please contact for
gmail.com99321626.
INDIAN female graduate
+ INDIAN male, logistics
in-charge, 4 years
experience in Oil & Gas
sector, Oman; and 9 years
in Dubai, seeks suitable
placement. 96976133/
92882081. E-mail:
reji_nm@yahoo.com;
lijirajiv@yahoo.com
INDIAN male, BCom
graduate, 10 years Oman
experience in
Administration and
Accounts seeks suitable
placement. Can join
immediately. Contact:
93989230.
INDIAN male 22 years,
B Tech in electronics &
communication, having
5 months experience in
CCTV con¿guration,
looking for job, please
contact: 92533114.
INDIAN male, BTech,
Computer Engineer with
experience as asst system
Eng — Diploma in
Oracle-10G, Database
Administration, and Java.
Good knowledge in ASP.
NET, C, C++, MS Office,
Photoshop, on visit visa
looking for suitable
placement in software,
networking, IT sales.
Contact:
97638112/93937141.
E-mail: getrenji@gmail
SITUATION WANTED
GENERAL manager, BE A SYRIAN electronics 8 YEARS experienced Sri
civil, 22 years experience engineer (automation Lankan houseboy looking
in Oman since 1995 is control) with a CCNA for gardening, ironing,
looking for suitable plus. Contact: 97618698 cleaning job. Contact:
opening in reputed e-mail: alaashawwa@ 99085573, 99085574.
construction company. hotmail.com
Contact: 94006761.
SEEKING vacant job for
SOFTWARE engineer, store manager, retailing
SENIOR Accountant, B Tech, 4 years experience working experience in
Indian male, B Com, in Java, J2ee, struts. Look- Saudi Arabia, 6 years. .
PGDCA, 11 years ing for a suitable place- Contact: 93473367
experience in accounts up ment. 96200984 e-mail: E-mail: Asifthatan@gmail.
to finalisation and MIS shiljyrajan@gmail.com. com.
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with Tally, MS Office &
ERP systems. 5 years PETROLEUM Engineer M-TECH Project Manager,
experience in Oman, can — Ram Haridas — 12 years experience in
join immediately. Contact: Masters graduate from project/people
95593273. University of NSW, management, design,
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Australian experience in with valid Oman driving
INDIAN male masters oil and gas field licence, seeks suitable
degree in IT, MCSE, operations, on visit visa placement in Muscat.
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seeks suitable placement. Please contact: gmail.com
+968 24833874 or
Contact: 99059728.
e-mail: ramharidaas@
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INDIAN male, looking experience in secretarial/
for a vacancy of a recrea- of¿ce assistance/
tion manager/supervisor AN Egyptian male on a documentation jobs, Gulf
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15 years of experience as purchasing officer in a computer with ability to
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gym trainer and 2 years multitask jobs and good
of experience as rec- as a supervisor, with 4 communication skills in
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97093993 and have Emirati driving for immediate joining,
licence, seeks suitable
presently on visit visa.
placement. Contact: Contact 93464456.
96987787.
INDIAN male, 8 years
experience, BSc
(chemistry), MBA, BIG store management
INDIAN male, 32 years
presently working as
‘Steel Foreman’ having
and accounts, 6 years
business development experience and in food
manager in India, seeks 7 years Gulf experience companies marketing as
suitable placement. in well reputed company sales officer, 7 years
working as cutting,
Contact: +919995026711 experience. Other abilities:
e-mail: ajitlal24@gmail. bending and ¿xing team leading accounting,
supervision of steel.
com salesmanship, showroom
Seeking immediately management, as purchaser.
placement in well reputed
94086932.
company. Contact
INDIAN female, 22 years 94105072.
BTech (IT) with SAP
ABAP certified C++ Java.
Looking for suitable
placement, now on visit
LOOKING job in retailing
and outdoor sales, 2½
CLASSIFIED
visa and staying with
parents. Release date:
years experience in Qatar
market, Qatar valid D/L
SECTION
11-07-12 one week.
holder. Contact:
Contact: 93214845
97420506 E-mail:
e-mail: kcthambi@yahoo.
shirumck@gmail.com and RUWI:
com.
shiru_mck@yahoo.co.in 24785668
 INFORMATION/LEISURE 16 SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

FLIGHT SCHEDULE PHARMACIES

PHARM MUSEUMS IN OMAN R OYAL O MAN P OLICE
ARRIVALS
ALSS — SUNDAY
S DEPARTURES
24-HOUR SERVICE FAISAL BIN ALI AL SAID EMERGENCY 9 9 9 9
Flight No Aircraft om / Via
From STA Flight No Aircraft To / Via STD MUSEUM,
BA072 B777 Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001
Al Hashar ph
ph, Ruwi 24783334 DG of Passports & Residency, 24569603
WY614 B737-8 Dubai 0005 Tel: 24641650 DG of Customs, 24714626
AI986 A321 Bombay-Ahmedabad 0005
WY648
WY682
B737-8
B737-8
Kuwait
Riyadh
0015
0015 WY113 A330-300 Frankfurt 0045 Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542 MUSEUM OF OMANI HERITAGE, Traffic offences, 24510227/228
WY717 B737-8 Zanzibar-Dar-es-Salaam 0015 9W539 B737-8 Bombay 0045 ROP Public Relations, 24569270
WY648 B737-8 Kuwait 0015 KQ318 B737-8 Nairobi 0050 Al Sarooj, 24695536 Tel: 24600946
WY253 B737-8 Madras 0115 Consumer Complaints Cell, 24817013
WY824 A330-200 Kuala Lumpur 0100
WY601 B737-7 Dubai 0115 CHILDREN’S SCIENCE MUSEUM.
NL771
IX141
B737-2
B737-8
Peshawar
Amritsar
0130
0140 WY217 B737-8 Trivandrum 0115 Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601 Tel: 24605368
Muscat Governorate Headquarters, 24560021
PK223 A310 Sialkot-Peshawar 0230 WY237 B737-8 Hyderabad 0120 Muscat, 24736611
KU677 A320 Kuwait-Dubai 0230 WY223 B737-8 Cochin 0120 Ruwi, 24702850 NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, Wattayah, 24677990
QR170 A320 Doha 0315 WY631 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0120
WY261 B737-8 Lucknow 0125 Tel: 24641374 Ruwi, 24701099
EY384 A320 Abu Dhabi 0350
WY661 E175AR Doha 0130 DAY DUTY
EK866 B777 Dubai 0355 NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289
FZ041 B737-8 Dubai 0415 WY241 B737-8 Delhi 0130 Muttrah, 24712211
GF560 E190 Bahrain 0425 WY201 B737-8 Bombay 0130 Muscat Al Badiya 24425024
9W529 B737-8 Trivandrum 0130 SULTAN’S ARMED FORCES Bausher, 24600099
RJ600 A319 Amman 0505
WY662 E175AR Doha 0700 WY123 A330-300 Munich 0200 Al Kawakib 24830343 MUSEUM, Tel: 24312646 Al Amerat, 24875999
WY141 A330-200 Malpensa 0200
WY114 A330-200 Frankfurt 0725
WY273 B737-8 Jaipur 0205 Al Riyami 24835912 CURRENCY MUSEUM, Qurayat, 24845555
FZ043 B737-8 Dubai 0740
NL668 B737-2 Sialkot 0215 Majan 24596664 A’Seeb, 24420099
WY632 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0800 Tel: 24796102
IX816 B737-8 Abu Dhabi-Mangalore 0220
WY602 B737-7 Dubai 0800
WY914 B737-8 Salalah 0800
WY133 A330-200 Paris 0230 Sur Badr al Samaa MUSCAT GATE MUSEUM, Al-Athaiba, 24521099
WY335 B737-8 Kathmandu 0235
WY202 B737-8 Bombay 0800 PK224 A310 Peshawar-Sialkot 0330 25546112 Tel: 24739005. AI-Khodh, 24425012
NL669 B737-2 Sialkot 0830 FZ042 B737-8 Dubai 0500
WY274 B737-8 Jaipur 0840 Buraimi Yass 25653855 Directorate of the University Security,
WY238 B737-8 Hyderabad 0850
EK867 B777 Dubai 0500 OMANI-FRENCH MUSEUM (Bait 24513999
WY102 A330-300 London Heathrow 0900
EY385 A320 Abu Dhabi 0525 Ibri Al Huda 25692604 Fransa), Tel: 24736613
KU678 A320 Dubai-Kuwait 0540 Directorate of Traffic Muscat, 24567898
WY254 B737-8 Madras 0920 QR171 A320 Doha 0550 Nizwa Al Qalaa 25431666
WY262 B737-8 Lucknow 0920 GF561 E190 Bahrain 0700
BAIT AL ZUBAIR, Tel: 24736688 Al Batinah Headquarters, 26840096
WY218 B737-8 Trivandrum 0925 WY3301 ATR42 Mukhaizna 0715
Salalah Scientific 23298095
WY224 B737-8 Cochin 0925 BAIT A’NAMAN, Tel: 24641300 Al Rustaq Division, 26875099
EK862 B777 Dubai 0930
RJ601 A319 Amman 0715 Sohar Badr al Samaa
QR166 A321 Doha 0950
WY603 E175AR Dubai 0800 SOHAR FORT MUSEUM. Al Dakhiliyah, 25425099
FZ044 B737-8 Dubai 0820 26846660
G9113 A320 Sharjah 0955 WY315 B737-8 Chittagong 0900 Tel: 26844758 Nizwa Division, 25425099
EY382 A320 Abu Dhabi 1000
9W530 B737-8 Trivandrum 1045
NL772 B737-2 Peshawar 0930 NIGHT DUTY Samayil Division, 25350099
WY373 B737-8 Colombo 1000 NAHKAL FORT, Tel: 26781384
WY3302 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1045 WY297 B737-8 Calicut 1005 Al Sharqiyah Headquarters, 25545070
IX549 B737-8 Trivandrum 1050 BAIT AL MAKHAM. Tel: 24641300
WY604 E175AR Dubai 1100
WY815 A330-200 Bangkok 1010 Muscat Seeb 24420294 Ibra Division, 25570100
WY283 B737-8 Bangalore 1015
WY336 B737-8 Kathmandu 1140 WY323 B737-8 Karachi 1020 Starcare 24557222 BAIT ADAM MUSEUM, QURUM, Al Dhahirah Headquarters, 25650099
GF562 E190 Bahrain 1235 WY605 B737-8 Dubai 1030
IX337 B737-8 Calicut 1255 Badr al Samaa Tel: 24605033, 24605013 Al Buraimi Division, 25650199
WY917 ATR42 Khasab 1030
WY918 ATR42 Khasab 1315 Ibri Division, 25689099
WY606 B737-8 Dubai 1330
WY923 B737-8 Salalah 1035 24799760 OIL AND GAS EXHIBITION
G9114 A320 Sharjah 1035
WY924 B737-8 Salalah 1440 WY203 B737-8 Bombay 1040 Muscat 24497264 CENTRE AND PLANETARIUM, Al Wusta Headquarters, 23436099
WY324 B737-8 Karachi 1440 EK863 B777 Dubai 1045 Tel: 24677834. Haima Division, 23436211
WY3304 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1445 EY383 A320 Abu Dhabi 1050 Sur Ibn al Yafei 25542267
MP097 B747F Amsterdam 1600 QR167 A321 Doha 1055 Buraimi Al Shamsi 25650452 PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24675542. Special Task Force, 24560088
WY654 E175AR Bahrain 1615 WY3303 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1115
WY204 B737-8 Bombay 1655 9W533 B737-8 Cochin 1145 Ibri Muscat 25689216 AQUARIUM at the Marine Science Coastguard Headquarters, 24714888
WY638 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 1655 IX554 B737-8 Cochin-Trivandrum 1150
Rustaq Masalhi 26877687 and Fisheries Centre (located next to Dhofar Governorate Headquarters, 23234599
QR164 A321 Doha 1735 WY653 E175AR Bahrain 1215
WY823 A330-300 Kuala Lumpur 1300 Marina Bandar Rowdha, Sidab). Salalah Police Station, 23290099
WY608 B737-8 Dubai 1740 Barka Balqees 26884541
WY298 B737-8 Calicut 1750 WY423 B737-8 Beirut-Amman 1310 Thamrait Division, 23279099
WY664 B737-7 Doha 1800 WY405 B737-8 Cairo 1310 Samayil Samayil 25350653 SALALAH MUSEUM, Tel: 23294549
WY284 B737-8 Bangalore 1800 GF563 E190 Bahrain 1315 Musandam Governorate Headquarters,
WY663 B737-7 Doha 1330 Nizwa Al Hadhfa 25431650 CULTURAL CENTRE, 26730299
GF564 A319 Bahrain 1810
WY3306 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1845 WY637 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 1345 Salalah Dhofar International Tel: 23294549.
IX350 B737-8 Calicut 1355 Khasab Division, 26731502
TG507 A330 Bangkok-Karachi 1900
G9117 A320 Sharjah 1905
WY101 A330-300 London Heathrow 1400 23288101 SUR MARITIME MUSEUM,
WY607 B737-8 Dubai 1440 ROP websites: www.rop.gov.om, www.ropoman.
WY374 B737-8 Colombo 1905 WY3305 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1515 Ibra Al Bawaraq 25572556 Tel: 24541466.
WY316 B737-8 Chittagong 1910 WY671 B737-8 Jeddah 1540 net and
WY620 E175AR Dubai 2020 WY619 E175AR Dubai 1715
Sohar Al Rawaei 26844277 BAIT AL BARANDA, Tel: 24714262. e-mail: ropnet@omantel.net.om
FZ047 B737-8 Dubai 2020 MP097 B747F Sharjah-Hong Kong 1800
WY124 A330-300 Munich 2030 WY615 B737-8 Dubai 1805
WY142 A330-200 Malpensa 2040 QR165 A321 Doha 1840
KL449
WY134
A330
A330-200
Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi
Paris
2045
2045
GF565
WY685
A319
B737-8
Bahrain
Dammam
1855
1905
KHOULA HOSPITAL VISITING HOURS OTHER HOSPITALS
AI973 A320 Delhi 2125 WY647 B737-8 Kuwait 1905
BA073 B777 London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi 2130 WY681 B737-8 Riyadh 1910 Private & Other Wards Hospital . . . .Board . . . . . Emer- Sohar . . . . . .26840022 . . 26840099
WY616 B737-8 Dubai 2145 WY667 B737-7 Doha 1910 gency Al Buraimi . . .25650855 . . 25652319
AI907 A319 Madras 2200 WY655 E175AR Bahrain 1915 Working Days: 16:00-18:00. Weekends & Public Royal. . . . . . .24599000 . . 24590491 Sur . . . . . . . .25440244 . . 25461373
G9118 A320 Sharjah 1945
LH618
QR168
A340
A320
Frankfurt-Abu Dhabi
Doha
2215
2235 TG508 A330 Karachi-Bangkok 2005 Holidays: 10:-12:00, 16:00-18:00 Health Services Department Tanam. . . . . .25499011 . . 25499033
EY388 A320 Abu Dhabi 2235 WY927 B737-8 Salalah 2010 Muttrah . . . . .24797602 Masirah. . . . .25404018 . . 25404018
LX242 A330 Zurich-Dubai 2235 WY635
WY623
B737-8
ATR42
Abu Dhabi
Al Ain
2015
2015
ICU Quriyat . . . . .24845001 . . 24845003 Ibra . . . . . . . .25470533 . . 25470535
GF566 B737-7 Bahrain 2250
WY624 ATR42 Al Ain 2305 WY613 B737-7 Dubai 2045 Working Days: 16:00-17:00. Weekends & Public SQH, Salalah 23211555 . . 23211151 Adam . . . . . .25434167 . . 25434055
FZ048 B737-8 Dubai 2105 Police . . . . . .24603988 . . 24603980
WY656
WY668
E175AR
B737-7
Bahrain
Doha
2305
2310
KL450 A330 Abu Dhabi-Amsterdam 2200 Holidays: 16:00-17:00 Al Nahda. . . .24831255 . . 24837800 Bidiya . . . . . .25483535 . . 25483535
WY817 A330-300 Bangkok 2205 Ibri. . . . . . . . .25491011 . . 25491990
AI985 A321 Ahmedabad-Bombay 2310 WY913 B737-8 Salalah 2245 Ibn Sina . . . .24876322 . . 24877361
WY672 B737-8 Jeddah 2315 AI908 A319 Madras 2300 Special Care Baby Unit Nizwa . . . . . .25439361 . . 25425033 Saham . . . . .26854427 . . 26855148
WY636 B737-8 Abu Dhabi 2315 Khasab . . . . .26830187 . . 26830187
WY686 B737-8 Dammam 2320
AI974
EY381
A320
A320
Delhi
Abu Dhabi
2310
2325
Working Days: Parents may visit at any time. Al Rustaq . . .26875055 . . 26877186
Sumayil. . . . .25350055 . . 25350022 Dibba . . . . . .26836443 . . 26836443
WY423
9W534
B737-8
B737-8
Beirut-Amman
Cochin
2325
2330
LX243
QR169
A330
A320
Dubai-Zurich
Doha
2335
2335
Weekends & Public Holidays: Parents may visit Izki . . . . . . . .25340033 . . 25340033 Burkha . . . . .26828397 . . 26828397
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QUOTATIONS FOR TODAY ‘ YOUR STARS ‘ CRYPTIC PUZZLE

ACROSS CROSSWORD
12
13
Faint (3)
Musical instrument (5)
IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY: Thanks to unexpected circumstances, in the coming year you will establish a social 15 Original (5)
1 Work desultorily in 18 In front (5)
Don’t aim for success if you want it; contact, which will play a large part in your activities. You will be able to build upon your happy family life, and your ceramics? (6)
new interests will benefit the whole family. Any additional expenditure will be minimal. 19 Flipper (3)
just do what you love and believe in, 7 One burning to start 20 Free (3)
and it will come naturally. shooting? (4,4) 21 Vie (7)
LEO SAGITTARIUS ARIES
— David Frost 8 Funny sort of fence! 22 Dance (3)
(July 22-August 21) (November 22- (March 21-April 20)
There is a very impor- December 21) Be patient with an (2-2) 23 Delay (6)
tant meeting on the Due to a lack of co-op- older relation whose 10 Twisted by a twin boy 24 Depend (4)
Every charitable act is a stepping cards for you, at which you must (6)
eration on the part of a colleague memory tends to be faulty at times. 25 Mass of fine particles
stone towards heaven. try to discourage too much general you may have to tackle a job on Certain facts are likely to be re- 11 From whom a Spaniard (6)
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pportant
ortant points you wish to raise. credit for your efforts. pretend to be interested. 14 A very high limit! (3) 27 Comedian (5)
VIRGO TAURUS 16 Slopes specially for 28 Animal’s coat (3)
(August 22- Sept 22) CAPRICORN prams (5)
(April 21-May 20) 30 Do as told (4)
CINEMA Nostalgic memories (December
22-January 20) Your self-discipline 17 Not so much of it! (4)
will be provoked today and principles have 19 In terrible dread, showed YESTERDAY’S
FILM INFORMATION when talking to someone who has A full social life should
not make you neglect a friend who stood you in good stead up to now, courage (5) CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS
recently visited a favourite place 21 Was this king half-way
www.citycinemaoman.net is a great deal alone. Try to include and you must stick to them even ACROSS: 1, Smash (hit)
of yours and is full of interesting Anglo Saxon? (5)
him in some of your activities. though you are tempted to deviate 6, Bar-bs 9, M-us-ical 10,
news for you. 22 There’s simply too much
AL BAHJA CINEMA: LIBRA
from the occasionally. G-R-ain 11, Raise 12, Heirs
AQUARIUS beyond it (5)
24540856, 24540855. (September 23- (January 21-Feb 19) GEMINI 13, Righted 15, Pro 17,
October 22) (May 21-June 21) 23 Machine used by Only 18, School 19, B-rook
AL NASR CINEMA: Follow up a good first learners on the
Discuss a proposed impression you made You will be entrusted 8 It’s heard repeatedly in 30 Dad’s half year tax? (4) 20, Assert 22, Derv 24, Les
24831358, 24831809 (after 3pm) enterprise with some experienced with a delicate assign- motorway (4) suspicious circumstances
on a person whose high opinion of EASY PUZZLE 25, Rev.-Erie 26, Hated 27,
AL SHATTI PLAZA: people before taking a chance of ment, which you feel you cannot 26 Kid Mr Gore, that’s all! (4) Dalek 28, Bilko 29, Remo-
you could be important and very
24607360, 24692656 (after 2pm) losing your investment. You can- handle alone. Teamwork with the (5) 9 At the end of the day, he ACROSS Val 30, Peter 31, Aside.
useful for the future.
not afford to speculate at the mo- right assistant will see you through 28 Favouring a loud choral gives a cry (3) 1 Divulge (6) DOWN: 2, Me-RL-in 3,
STARS CINEMA: ment. PISCES the job withou
without a hitch. piece (3) 12 Chap left at the end of 7 Out of date (8) Smithy 4, Hun 5, Fired 6,
24791641, 24792360 SCORPIO (February 20- CANCER 29 When I’m gone, the road (3) 8 Taps (4) B-a-rr-ack 7, Alas 8, Bistro
(October 23-Nov 21) March 20) (June 22-July 21) perhaps, you can make a
It would be better to 13 When the wrong pair’s 10 Subsides (6) 12, He-art 13, Roy-Al 14,
If you feel that a By planning economy name (6)
M AJLIS A’SHURA tell a white lie than to stick to the obviously not right! (5) 11 Infer (6) Glass 15, Power 16, Olive
tradesman is over- on just one single item 30 It’s a conductor’s place
charging you ask him what exactly whole truth and hurt someone’s of regular expenditure you will not 15 Send dotty Dora round 14 Colour (3) 18, Sol-E-d 19, Breaker 21,
A DDRESSES his charges are. It is very difficult feelings. If the truth comes out, deprive yourself of any necessity
to show dislike for the with half of it! (5) 16 Sacks (5) Se-Nat-e 22, D-evils 23, Ri-
piano (6) 18 Not seaside place, but it 17 Cooking fat (4) Sk-ed 25, Resow 26, Here
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20 A much less than
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Let fall (4)
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ACROSS: 1, Harsh 6, Rinse
and the Majlis’s ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset 33 The degree to which one 21 In London, a very short 9, Teacher 10, Scorn 11,
28 Charge (3)
can give a divorced distance to the eastern Filly 12, Fumes 13, Dossier
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spouse shelter (6) 15, Ton 17, Eras 18, Feline
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Ministry: www.omanet.om
Oman TV:
www.oman-tv.gov.om ACROSS 20 Wicked (3)
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29 Deer (4)
octm-folk.gov.om 9 Mouthful (3)
30 Quote (4)
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31 Equality (3)
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22 Illuminated (3)
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23 Broadcast (3)
(Sat-Wed); 10.00 News Headlines; 10.02 Piano; 24 Change (4)
23, Tool 25, Grit 26, Rated
11.00 Instrumental Music; 11.30 Light Classical 28, God 30, Reflect 33,
25 Paradise (4)
Music; 12.00 News Headlines; 12.02 Artist of the Anew 35, Late 36, Gamin
28 Determine (6)
38, Exuded 39, Newest
Day (June); 12.07 Mid Day Edition - June; 02.30 STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot 30 Inexpensive (5)
40, Melee.
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33 Acid (4) DOWN: 1, Screw 2, Order
04.00 News Headlines; 04.02 Omanesque (Laxmi);
34 Vase (3) 3, Lee 4, Erased 5, Ever 6,
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35 Soar (5)
Premium League (Murtadha) Live; 08.00 News Portion 14, Error 16, Con-
36 Valley (4)
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(Repeat); 12.00 Selector Part 2 (Repeat); 12.40 DOWN 5 Grave (7) 15 Novel (3) 28, Gazed 29, Debut 31,
News Summary; 12.45 The Holy Quran; 01.00 1 Dishearten (6) 6 Trampled (4) 17 Cover (3) Eager 32, Teeth 34, Wade
National Anthem, Close Down. 2 Journalist (8) 7 Manufactured (4) 19 Loneliness (8) 36, Gem 37, Nee.
 17 SPORT
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Pathan bowls India to victory New Zealand struggling

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka —
Irfan Pathan grabbed five
wickets as India posted a 20-
run victory over Sri Lanka in
the fifth and final one-day in-
ternational here yesterday to
win the series 4-1.
The paceman finished with
5-61, his second five-wicket
haul in one-dayers, as India
bowled Sri Lanka out for 274
after scoring a challenging
294-7 in the day-night match.
Sri Lanka were strug-
gling at 102-5 before Lahiru
Thirimanne (77) and Jeevan
Mendis (72) gave India some
anxious moments with a 102-
run stand for the sixth wicket.
Thirimanne hit three sixes
and five fours in his career-
best knock before he was run
out, and then Pathan removed
Thisara Perera (18) and well-
set Mendis in the same over.
Mendis cracked six fours
in his maiden half-century in
one-day internationals.
India earlier put in an im-
pressive batting performance,
with opener Gautam Gambhir
(88), middle-order batsman
Manoj Tiwary (65) and skip-
per Mahendra Singh Dhoni
GAUTAM Gambhir plays a shot against Sri Lanka. (58) all making half-centuries.
Fast bowlers Lasith Malin-
ga (3-64) and Nuwan Pradeep
(2-63) were the main wicket-
takers for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka
and India will clash in a one-
off Twenty20 international at
the same venue on Tuesday.
SCOREBOARD
India
Gambhir c Malinga
b Senanayake ................88
Rahane lbw Perera .........................9
Kohli lbw Pradeep........................23
Sharma b Pradeep ..........................4
Tiwary c Perera b Malinga ...........65
Raina c Thirimanne b Malinga.......0
Dhoni c Chandimal b Malinga .....58
Pathan (not out) ............................29
Ashwin (not out) ............................2
Extras: (lb-10, w-6).......................6
Total: (for seven wickets;
50 overs)..........................294
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-77, 3-87,
4-197, 5-197, 6-213, 7-290.
Bowling: Malinga 10-0-64-3 (w-1),
Perera 10-0-53-1 (w-4), Mathews
5-0-29-0, Pradeep 10-0-63-2, Sena-
nayake 10-0-50-1 (w-1), Mendis
5-0-25-0.
Sri Lanka
Tharanga c Rahane b Pathan ........31
Dilshan c Zaheer b Pathan .............0
Thirimanne run out ......................77
Chandimal lbw Dinda ....................8
Mathews run out ..........................13
Kapugedara lbw Zaheer .................9
Mendis c Dhoni b Pathan .............72
Perera c Kohli b Pathan................18
Senanayake b Pathan......................7
L Malinga c Raina b Dinda ..........10
IRFAN Pathan celebrates
taking the wicket of Mendis.
Pradeep (not out) ............................0
Extras: (b-2, lb-14, w-13) ...........29
Total: (all out; 45.4 overs) .........274
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-61, 3-74,
4-89, 5-102, 6-204, 7-252, 8-256,
9-266.
Bowling: Zaheer 9-1-53-1 (w-8),
Pathan 10-0-61-5 (w-5), Dinda 7.4-
0-55-2, Kohli 1-0-3-0, Ashwin 9-0-
37-0, Sharma 6-0-23-0, Raina 2-0-
12-0, Tiwary 1-0-14-0. — AFP
as Windies fight back
KINGSTON, Jamaica — West
Indies, looking to win their
series 2-0, thanked a pair of
morning wickets from Nars-
ingh Deonarine and Tino Best
to leave New Zealand strug-
gling to establish a strong lead
on the third day of their second
Test in Kingston. The Kiwis
had been 110 ahead overnight
at 59 for 2 but by lunch they
were hanging on grimly at 109
for 7, a lead of 160.
Best struck twice in the
same over as the tourists served
up some erratic batting — rath-
er as had the hosts on Friday,
when the Kiwis bowled them
out for 209 — 123 of which
went to Marlon Samuels.Part
time off-spinner Deonarine-
and Best were in fine fettle as
they whittled down the middle
order.
After seeing off openers
Martin Guptill and BJ Watling
Best had Neil Wagner caught
for six in the 32nd over and
two balls later had skipper Ross
Taylor removed in similar vein
as wicketkeeper Denesh Ram-
MARLON Samuels ... fine
century
din took the catch.
Deonarine was at it again as
he had Brendon McCullum of-
fer a bat-pad catch to forward
short leg on 19 before also
claiming Williamson's scalp
as he drove to Darren Sammy.
Earlier Marlon Samuels struck
a fine century for West Indies
on the second day on Friday.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand first innings 260
West Indies first innings (over-
night 62 for three at lunch)
M Samuels c Wagner
b Bracewell ............ 123
S Chanderpaul c Taylor
b Southee.............. 9
N Deonarine c van Wyk b Boult ... 0
D Ramdin c Williamson
b Wagner ................... 15
D Sammy lbw Southee................ 32
S Narine c Guptill b Bracewell ..... 1
K Roach c Guptill b Bracewell ..... 0
T Best (not out) ............................. 0
Extras: (lb-4, w-2)........................ 6
Total: (all out, 64.3 overs) ........ 209
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-17, 3-53,
4-82, 5-83, 6-113, 7-162,
8-177, 9-183, 10-209
Bowling: Boult 17-2-58-3,
Bracewell 15.3-3-46-3 (w-1),
Southee 19-5-70-2, Wagner 10-3-
24-2, Williamson 3-0-7-0
New Zealand 2nd innings
M Guptill lbw Deonarine ........... 42
B Watling lbw Deonarine ........... 11
N Wagner c Ramdin b Best .......... 6
B McCullum c Fudadin
b Deonarine .......... 19
R Taylor c Ramdin b Best ............ 0
K Williamson c Sammy
b Deonarine ........... 8
D Brownlie (not out) ............. 12
C van Wyk c Chanderpaul
b Narine..................... 5
D Bracewell (not out)................... 0
Extras: (lb-1, w-1, nb-4) 6
Total: (7 wickets; 51 overs) ...... 109
Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-56, 3-80,
4-80, 5-85, 6-98, 7-105
Bowling: Roach 12- 3-34-0, Best
9-2-22-2, Sammy 6-2-19-0, Narine
7-0-12-1, Deonarine 17-6-21-4.

Pietersen leads England rally with magnificent century

From Andy Jalil
at Headingley
LEEDS – With the main focus
of the sporting public on the
Olympic Games down south
in London, the northern city of
Leeds too had much entertain-
ment to offer and it came from
the bat of Kevin Pietersen in
the second Test. In imperious
form he dominated the play on
the second day, registering his
21st Test century and bringing
up 7,000 Test runs in the proc-
ess. It was an extraordinary
innings which saw him in su-
preme form and which brought
out the best in him.
South Africa had no answer
to his aggression as he went
from strength to strength tak-
ing control of the game. He
made the tourists’ strong bowl-
ing attack look totally innocu-
ous, forcing them almost into
a state of disarray. By stumps
he had helped England to 351
for 5 and trailing by 68 on the
first innings and remaining un-
beaten with 149 from 212 balls
of which he hit 22 fours and a
six.
England resumed their first
innings on 48 without loss
and lost the wicket of Alastair
Cook within half an hour of
the start of play. The ball from
Vernon Philander pitched on
just about the leg stump and
moved across the left hander
to pin him right in front. It was
a waste of an England review
to have gone to the third um-
pire. Andrew Strauss, on 19
overnight took his score to 32
with a lovely drive to the extra
cover boundary off Philander
just before rain stopped play
for an hour and a half during
which lunch was taken with
England on 80 for one.
With playing time extended
owing to rain, only seven overs
were reduced and South Africa
wasted little time in striking
again.
After just four overs, dur-
ing which only five runs were
scored, the second England
wicket went with Dale Steyn
having Strauss, on 37 from 106
balls, caught behind. Bowling
from round the wicket, Steyn
brought the ball into the left
hander and Strauss edged it
playing from the crease.
The stand between Jonathan
Trott and Pietersen seemed to
be progressing well although
Trott’s shots were somewhat
tentative at times. His drive to
the wide mid-wicket boundary
off Morne Morkel looked good
but the next four came off the
shoulder of the bat and another
was edged to third man which
would have gone into the
hands of third slip had there
been one. Pietersen, however,
batted with authority, playing
his shots with confidence.
He was joined by Test
debutant James Taylor with
whom he added 147 for the
fifth wicket. It would have
been a satisfying debut for 22-
year-old Taylor who contrib-
uted 34 patiently in two and a
half hours and learnt much in
watching his senior partner.
From the start of his in-
nings Pietersen played freely
opening his account with pull
for four off Steyn whom he
powerfully hit later as if with
disdain to the extra cover
boundary to take his score to
28. Meanwhile England lost
Trott after the third wicket had
put on 57. Trott edged Steyn
to first slip playing at an away
swing without moving his feet.
His 35 runs had come in two
hours and England were 142
for three. Pietersen took his
score to 42, flicking Steyn to
mid-wicket.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa, first innings 419
England first innings (overnight
48-0)
A Strauss c De Villiers b Steyn ...37
A Cook lbw b Philander ..............24
J Trott c Smith b Steyn ................35
K Pietersen (not out) .................149
I Bell c Smith b Kallis .................11
J Taylor b Morkel ........................34
M Prior (not out) .........................20
Extras: (b-5, lb-16, nb-6, w-14) .41
Total: (5 wkts, 105 overs) 351
Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-85, 3-142,
4-173, 5-320
Bowling: Morkel 27-9-70-1, Phi-
lander 25-9-63-1, Steyn 24-6-92-2,
Kallis 12-3-34-1, Imran Tahir 16-0-
66-0

Loeb wins in Furyk maintains leads at Firestone

Finland for
the third time
JYVASKYLA, Fin-
land — Citroen’s
world champion Se-
bastien Loeb won
the Rally of Finland
for the third time in
his record-breaking
career yesterday to
stretch his overall lead
in the standings.
The Frenchman,
chasing his ninth cham-
pionship in a row, fin-
ished ahead of local fa-
vourite and team-mate
Mikko Hirvonen with
another Finn, Ford's
Jari-Matti Latvala, in
third place.
Loeb finished the
final stage 6.1 seconds
ahead of Hirvonen.
Latvala was a further
28.9 adrift.
Norway’s Petter
Solberg was fourth in
a Ford.
The victory was
Loeb’s sixth in eight
races this season and
he led from start to
finish. — Reuters
Big win for
Akron, Ohio — Jim Furyk fired
a four-under 66 to maintain his
two-shot lead at the halfway
stage of the WGC-Bridgestone
Invitational on Friday while
Tiger Woods is off to his worst
start in four months.
Furyk reached 11-under
129 and has a two-shot lead
over Spain's Rafael Cabrera-
Bello, who shot a five-under
65 on Friday at the Firestone
Country Club course.
"I thought it was key to
get off to a nice start and see
some putts go in," Furyk said.
"I made a good birdie putt at
two, and saw some birdies go
in on the front nine, good putt
Young Stars, Mobile Plus Qurum Waikato Chiefs
and Ahmed Mohsin Trad win
MUSCAT — Young Stars, Plus Qurum beat Karwan for maiden title
Mobile Plus Qurum and
Ahmed Mohsin Trad posted
victories in the second round
of the Ramadhan softball
cricket tournament organised
by the Pakistan Social Club at
the PSM ground on Friday.
While Young Stars had
an easy seven-wicket vic-
tory over Marala XI, Mobile
at nine, and off to the races."
Cabrera-Bello is alone at
nine-under 131. Former Brit-
ish Open champ Louis Oost-
huizen also had a 65 in round
two and is alone in third at
eight under.
Jason Dufner shot a four-
under 66, good for fourth at
seven under par. Seven-time
winner Woods had a difficult
day. He shot a two-over 72
and is tied for 44th, 13 shots
back of Furyk.
Woods has had good
success at this event for most
of his career but has stum-
bled on this course the last
two times he played here and
crush Sharks
Int’l by six wickets. Ahmed
Mohsin Trad thrashed Oman
Engineering by nine wickets.
Brief scores: Marala XI 107
for 8 in eight overs lost to Young
Stars 108 for three. Karwan Int’l
86 in eight overs lost to Mobile Plus
Qurum 87 for 4 in six overs. Oman
Engineering 105 in eight overs lost
to Ahmed Mohsin Trading 106 for
one wicket in 7.1 overs.
needs to get his putting turned
around to avoid another dis-
mal score at Firestone.
His two-over 142 is his
highest 36-hole score to par
since his three-over 145 start
at the Masters. "I get in these
little spells where it's hot or
cold," Woods said.
"It’ll be nice to relax a lit-
tle bit this afternoon," said
Furyk, who has not won since
his 2010 Tour Championship
victory. "I think the wind is
supposed to pick up a little bit.
If it gets breezy and the greens
get faster, this place will show
a little bit more teeth than
we've seen so far." — AFP
HAMILTON, New Zealand
— The Waikato Chiefs
powered to their first ever
Super Rugby title yesterday
with a sparkling 37-6 win
over the travel-weary Sharks
in Hamilton.
The Chiefs lived up to
their billing as the most en-
tertaining side in this sea-
son's championship and also
outshone the hardworking

ISC Kachi
Wing
SATYAM
MUSCAT — ISC Kachi
Wing defeated Wonderfull
Trade by nine wickets in the
Al Turki/NMC Cup cricket
tournament organised by the
Oman Indo-Pak Friends at
the Al Rifa ground on Friday.
Brief scores: Wonderfull Trade
72 for 7 in 8 overs (Liaqat 30, Ma-
hek 2/3, Brijesh 2/12) lost to ISC
Kachi Wing 76 for 1 in 6.3 overs
(Satyam 34 n.o.,Viren 19 n.o.).
MoM: Satyam of ISC Kachi Wing.
In another match, Stars Light
beat Century CC by 10 wkts.
Brief scores: Century CC 39 for
9 in 8 over (Zaheer 10, Usman 2/5,
Shamas 2/9) los to Stars Light 42
for no loss in 2.5 overs (Faisal 29
n.o. Adnan Ilyas 10 n.o). MoM:
Faisal from Stars Light..
Coastal, Star Light and
Century reach quarters
MUSCAT — Coastal upset
Assarain while Asad XI, Star
Light and Century advanced
to the quarterfinal by beating
Shapqadar XI, Muscat War-
rior and Mobile Plus respec-
tively in the FRiENDi Cup.
Brief scores: Coastal XI 68/2
(Saleem 16) beat Assarain 63/2
SALEEM of Coastal XI.
(Waseem 44); Asad XI 66/5 (Ba-
ber 19) beat Shapqadar XI 57/7;
Star Light 69/7 (Imran 17, Shams
14) beat Muscat Warrior 38 all out
and Century 53/7 (Sahil 24) beat
Mobile Plus 52/6.
Saleem (Coastal XI), Ameer
(Asad XI), Shams (Star Light) and
Sahil (Century CC) were declared
man of the match.
South African forwards to
bury memories of their fi-
nal humiliation to the Bulls
three years ago.
The Chiefs made light
of difficult conditions at
Waikato Stadium and led
through tries by Tim Nanai-
Williams, Kane Thompson
and Lelia Masaga before
Sonny Bill Williams marked
his farewell appearance with
his side's fourth and final ef-
fort. The Chiefs become the
sixth winners in 17 seasons
of Super Rugby competi-
tion, while the Sharks sim-
ply looked drained by a third
straight play-off away from
home and have now lost all
four of their final appear-
ances.
The Sharks shocked the
Queensland Reds in a play-
off and overcame the Storm-
ers. "The boys were getting
up in their faces," Chiefs
captain Craig Clarke said.
“We've got a heap of pride in
our defence. We talked about
not giving over and keeping
them to no tries. “This is
awesome." — Reuters
 18
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Brazil, Mexico and Japan into men’s semis

LONDON — Gold medal
favourites Brazil twice came
from behind to beat Honduras
3-2 with a penalty from Ney-
mar and two from Leandro
Damiao to clinch their place
in the semifinals of the men's
Olympic soccer tournament
yesterday.
They will face the winners
of the last quarterfinal to be
played between Britain and
South Korea who meet at Car-
diff, while Mexico will face
Japan in the other semifinal.
Mexico survived a fight-
back from Senegal in a thrill-
ing match that delighted a
crowd of almost 82,000 at
Wembley who saw Senegal
come from 2-0 down to level
at 2-2 before two defensive
errors allowed Mexico to win
4-2 in extra time.
Japan also made it to the
last four with a 3-0 win over
Egypt that pulled another
huge crowd of 70,000 at Old
Trafford.
Both semifinals will be
SENEGAL’S Moussa Konate (right) challenges Mexico’s Jorge Enriquez (left) and Darvin Chavez for the ball in the played on Tuesday with Mex-
quarterfinal match at Wembley Stadium in London, yesterday. — AFP ico facing Japan at Wembley
and Brazil playing their game
at Old Trafford.
STUNNING VOLLEY
Brazil, chasing their first
ever Olympic soccer gold,
fell behind when Mario Mar-
tinez scored with a stunning
curling, dipping volley after
11 minutes, but Honduras
were reduced to 10 men when
Wilmer Crisanto was sent off
for two swift yellow cards in
the first half.
Leandro Damiao equalised
when three Honduras defend-
ers failed to clear in front of
goal eight minutes before the
break, but the underdogs un-
expectedly went back in front
after 48 minutes when Roger
Espinoza found the net with a
soft, low angled shot.
Neymar brought Brazil
back into the game with a
50th minute penalty before
Leandro Damiao made it 3-2
10 minutes later with a well
placed shot.
MORE THRILLS
There was even more goals
at Wembley were Mexico, 2-0
up midway through the sec-
ond half, were pegged back
to 2-2 by Senegal before Gio-
vani Dos Santos and substitute
Hector Herrera scored in extra
time to put Mexico into the
last four for the first time since
they hosted the Olympics in
1968 and lost to Japan in the
bronze medal match.
With just over an hour
played Mexico appeared to
be cruising into the last four,
leading 2-0 up after a header
from Jose Enriquez and a sec-
ond from Javier Aquino who
pounced on a loose ball in the
area and rifled it home.
Senegal, so impressive in
the group stage, were never
out of contention though and
after plenty of chances of their
own pulled one back when
tournament top scorer Moussa
Konate headed home after 69
minutes.
It was his and Senegal's
fifth goal of the tournament,
but seven minutes later sub-
stitute Ibrahima Balde joined
him on the score-sheet when
he thundered in an unstop-
pable header to pull Senegal
level.
Japan also made it through
to the last four for the first time
since 1968 after keeping a
fourth consecutive clean sheet
with a 3-0 win over Egypt.
The north African side
were reduced to 10 men in the
41st minute at Old Trafford
in Manchester, where 70,000
fans turned up for the often
maligned men's Olympic soc-
cer tournament.
Japan won with goals
from Kensuke Nagai after
14 minutes and late headers
from Maya Yoshida and Yuki
Otsu. — Reuters

Russia cagers
Li wins all-China battle for gold, Saina takes bronze beat Spain
LONDON — China's Li Xuerui survived semifinal and then grinding down gallant Li, born in the Yangtze River port of in battle of
two ferocious comebacks by her top- world No 1 Wang Yihan in front of an en- Chongqing, marched to an 8-3 lead in the
seeded compatriot Wang Yihan to seal the thralled crowd at Wembley Arena. decider but was reeled in to 17-17. unbeatens
women's singles badminton gold at the "I think it was extremely cruel for my Both appeared to tire in the final
London Games yesterday, capping her two team-mates to be disqualified because points, but it was Wang who broke down LONDON — Russia roared
fairytale rise to the pinnacle of the sport. it's extremely difficult for any athlete to first as she netted a regulation smash to back from a 20-2 deficit
Li had never imagined she would force compete at the Olympics," Li added. hand Li the momentum. to beat Spain 77-74 after a
her way onto China's peerless badminton "Having said that, China has done Li took the chance with both hands, crucial free throw miss by
team but a 30-game winning streak in well, winning both the mixed doubles blasting a smash down the line to bring Pao Gasol, seizing the upper
the lead-up to the tournament won her a and the singles and we should share that up three match points and then sealing the hand for a critical seeding
spot. with them." match when Wang netted a volley. advantage at the Olympic
"Just being selected for China means BATTERED CREDIBILITY men's basketball tournament
That gave China their second gold
something," the soft-spoken 21-year-old China's credibility took a beating over yesterday.
medal for the tournament after Zhang
told reporters after upsetting the world the scandal but Li and Wang did their bit The victory between the
Nan and Zhao Yunlei thrashed second- previously unbeaten teams
champion 21-15, 21-23, 21-17. to restore the team's pride by playing out
seeded compatriots Xu Chen and Ma Jin of Group 'B' gave Russia
"To be honest it's still like I am dream- a 78-minute classic.
ing at the moment but looking back, it re- Li raised her arms in triumph after 21-11, 21-17 to win the mixed doubles on (4-0) the inside track with
ally was my hard work that got me on the forcing an error to seal the match and ac- Friday. one preliminary round left to
team." knowledged ecstatic Chinese fans with an India's Saina Nehwal celebrated her win the group and ensure a
Li, like the rest of her team-mates, has army salute. The vanquished Wang tried country's first Olympic badminton medal path to a possible gold medal
shown remarkable composure to shrug off to smile but grimly held back tears as she after she won the bronze medal decider game against the defending
a match-fixing scandal that threatened to stood next to the beaming Li on the po- when China's Wang Xin retired with a United States.
derail the Chinese juggernaut and resulted dium. knee injury when leading 21-18, 1-0. The see-saw struggle
in the expulsion of their world champion Li appeared to have Wang beaten in Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei secured came down to the last sec-
doubles pair Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli. the second game as she brought up two China's third gold medal when they beat onds.
Instead, Li seems to have gone from match points, but her Shanghai-born op- Japan's Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa Gasol went to the foul
strength to strength, thrashing second- ponent saved both to take the match to a 21-10, 25-23 to win the women's doubles GOLD medallist China’s Li Xuerui, silver medallist compatriot Wang Yihan (left) and line for two shots with Spain
seeded countrywoman Wang Xin in the decider. final. — Reuters bronze winner India’s Saina Nehwal pose at the badminton victory ceremony. — Reuters trailing 75-73 and 5.3 sec-
onds left on the clock.
After a Russia timeout to
TODAY'S SCHEDULE
Athletics: (1000) Women's marathon; (1800) Women's
Britain take two rowing gold in 20 minutes give the Los Angeles Lakers
NBA All-Star time to ponder
his task, Gasol hit the back
rim and missed his first at-
400m hurdles 1st rd; (1805) Men's high jump qualification DORNEY, England — British row- line but were left disconsolate when Britain powered off the start in rowed through the favourites to win tempt. After making the
rd; (1835) Women's triple jump final; (1845) Men's 100m ing won two Olympic gold medals Denmark came through them in the the men's four final which had been the lightweight women's double by a second the world's second-
semifinals; (1915) Men's 1,500m semifinals; (1920) Men's in 20 minutes yesterday when the final metres of a 2,000 metre course. dubbed an "Ashes" clash on a par length. ranked Spaniards trailed
hammer final; (1940) Men's 400m semifinals; (2010) men's four beat fierce rivals Aus- Drama then followed as an ex- with the cricketing rivalry between The duo looked to be in utter dis- 75-74.
Women's 400m final; (2025) Men's 3,000m steeplechase tralia and the women's lightweight hausted Hunter had to be carried out the two countries. They took an belief as they crossed the line and Russia's Vitaliy Fridzon
final; (2050) Men's 100m final double shocked even themselves to of his boat to lie almost unconscious early lead against the normally fast- needed confirmation from the big was fouled immediately
Badminton: (0800) Men's singles bronze medal match, take the title in thrilling scenes on on the ground before Britain's most starting Australians and then clung screen before they hugged each oth- after the inbound pass and
men's doubles bronze medal match; (1200) Men's singles Dorney Lake. successful rower Steve Redgrave left on to the finish. er and stood up in the boat to accept made his two shots from the
final, men's doubles final Confirming their position as the his position providing punditry for The commanding performance the applause. charity stripe for the final to-
Basketball: Women's preliminary round: (0800) France strongest rowing nation in the world, the BBC to pull Hunter to his feet followed days of tough talking from The Czech Republic's Miroslava tal. He led all scorers with 24
v Russia (Group 'B'); (1015) Angola v Czech Republic the British team then looked like and walk him up and down the pon- the Australian boat and gave Britain Knapkova won the last final of the points.
(Group 'A'); (1330) Canada v Australia (Group 'B'); (1545) they would make it three out of three toon. a fourth consecutive win in the men's day in the women's single scull in There was still 4.8 sec-
China v United States (Group 'A'); (1900) Croatia v Turkey when the lightweight men's double Despite the disappointment, the four. The win by just over a second one of the most dominant perform- onds left when Spain in-
(Group 'A'); (2115) Great Britain v Brazil (Group 'B') stormed off the start to lead for the haul of four gold medals, two silver also denied Drew Ginn the chance ances of the regatta. Denmark's un- bounded, but the ball came
Beach Volleyball: (1700) Women's quarterfinals majority of their final. and three bronze medals won by the to become the first Australian to win heralded Fie Udby Erichsen took to Marc Gasol in the back-
Boxing: (1230) Last 16 — women's 51 kg, 60 kg, 75 kg; With 30,000 ecstatic fans scream- British rowing team make the Lon- gold in four Olympic Games. silver and Australia's Kim Crow the court and he was not able to
(1930) Quarterfinals — men's 56 kg, 91 kg ing the popular duo on, Mark Hunt- don 2012 Games the most successful Twenty minutes later, Kather- bronze, to add to the silver she won set up a desperation shot for
Track Cycling: (0900) Men's Omnium (individual pursuit, er and Zac Purchase sprinted for the Olympics for the British squad. ine Copeland and Sophie Hosking in the double on Friday. — Reuters Spain (3-1). — Reuters
scratch, time-trial), qualification; Women's sprint — last 32
and last 16 women; Men's sprint — quarterfinals
Equestrian: (1000) Jumping individual 2nd qualifier,
jumping team round 1
Fencing: (0800-1400) Men's team foil
Artistic Gymnastics: (1300) Apparatus finals: men's floor
Ruthless Serena crushes Sharapova for singles gold
exercise final, women's vault final, men's pommel horse favourite and brilliant serving prise semifinalist after beating
final. and heavy groundstrokes saw former Wimbledon champion
Weightlifting: (1430) Women's +75 kg final her to a dominant victory. Petra Kvitova.
Handball: Women 1st rd: (0830) Sweden v South Korea Sharapova finally got a Frenchmen Julien Benne-
(Group 'B'); (1015) Brazil v Angola (Group 'A'); (1330) game on the board at 6-0, 3-1 teau and Richard Gasquet won
Montenegro v Russia (Group 'A'); (1515) Croatia v Great and had two chances to break the men's doubles bronze with
Britain (Group 'A'); (1830) Norway v Spain (Group 'B'); back in the next game but Wil- a 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 victory over
(2015) Denmark v France (Group 'B') liams shut her out. David Ferrer and Feliciano
Hockey: Men 1st rd: (0730) New-Zealand v Belgium "I've never played better on Lopez of Spain.
(Group 'B'); (0945) Pakistan v South Africa (Group 'A'); Centre Court," Williams said. LEANDER-SANIA OUT
(1245) India v South Korea (Group 'B'); (1500) Nether- "I've won everything. Now I Leander Paes and Sania
lands v Germany (Group 'B'); (1800) Great Britain v Aus- can go to Disneyworld." Mirza's dreams of a mixed
tralia (Group 'A'); (2015) Argentina v Spain (Group 'A') Sharapova admitted there doubles medal at the London
Greco-Roman Wrestling: (1200) 55 kg, 74 kg was little she could have done Olympics were shattered yes-
Synchronised Swimming: (1400) Duets (technical rou- to change things. terday as they lost 7-5, 7-6
tine) "Obviously you want to (7/5) to Belarusian top seeds
Diving: (1800) Women's 3m springboard final win when you're in a final but Max Mirnyi and Victoria
Tennis: (1100) Bronze medal matches men's singles, wom- she just played a lot better than Azarenka.
en's doubles; mixed doubles final; (1300) Men's singles me today," she said. "She was Paes and Mirza were hop-
final, women's doubles too powerful. She got confi- ing for a shock win on Wim-
Table Tennis: (0900) Men's team quarterfinals; (1800) dence from Wimbledon and bledon's Court 12 which
Women's team semifinals she was on fire." would have put them into the
SERENA Williams of the US returns the ball to Russia’s Maria Sharapova during their gold medal match yesterday. "It means a lot (to win a semifinals and within touching
Shooting: (0800) 50m pistol men's qualification, trap men's
LONDON — American Serena four Grand Slam titles and the is the only player in history to see how happy I am. I don't medal). To win a medal as distance of the podium.
qualification
Williams filled the only hole in Olympic gold in her career. win singles and doubles at all know what to do." a first-time Olympian is an But the duo bowed out at the
Sailing: (1100) Women's RS:X, 470 opening series, Men's
her resume as she demolished American twins Bob and four Grand Slam titles and at World No 3 Sharapova, amazing accomplishment." quarterfinal stage, in a match
49er, RS:X opening series; (1200) Men's Star final; (1300)
Russia's Maria Sharapova 6-0, Mike Bryan completed a ca- the Olympics. who won the French Open Belarus picked up their first which had been postponed due
Men's Finn final
6-1 to win the gold medal in reer golden slam of their own "I didn't think I would be in June for her fourth Grand ever tennis medal as world to bad light on Friday evening
Volleyball: Women 1st rd: (0830) Algeria v Czech Re-
the women's singles at Wim- as they beat France's Jo-Wil- this happy," said Williams, Slam title, also had the chance No 1 Victoria Azarenka beat with the Belarusians leading
public (Pool 'A'); (1030) China v South Korea (Pool 'B'); another Russian, Maria Ki- 7-5, 2-3.
bledon yesterday. fried Tsonga and Michael Llo- who could barely stand still to complete a golden career
(1345) Great Britain v Japan (Pool 'A'); (1545) Italy v Rus- rilenko, 6-3, 6-4 to win the All of India's tennis com-
The fourth-ranked Ameri- dra 6-4, 7-6 to win the men's before being presented with but was helpless in the face of
sia (Pool 'A'); (1900) United States v Turkey (Pool 'B'); bronze. petitors have now been elimi-
can turned in an utterly ruth- doubles. the gold medal. the Williams onslaught.
(2100) Brazil v Serbia (Pool 'B') Hammered by Williams nated from the Games. Paes
less performance to crush the Williams roared as she hit "I'm so pumped, oh my Having won the Wimble-
Water Polo: Women's quarterfinals: (1350) 2A v 3B; in the semifinal, Azarenka has a singles bronze medal
Russian and become only the her 10th ace to clinch victory gosh, I got the gold. I didn't don title less than a month ago
(1510) 3A v 2B; (1800) 1A v 4B; (1920) 4A v 1B. (All second woman — after Ger- before leaping up and down think it could be better than and not lost to Sharapova since recovered her poise to see from the Atlanta Olympics in
times GMT) — AFP many's Steffi Graf — to win all in the middle of the court. She winning Wimbledon but you 2004, Williams was the strong off Kirilenko, who was a sur- 1996. — dpa
 19 SPORT
OMAN DAILY Observer
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Bolt cruises after stutter, Pistorius joy

USAIN Bolt (centre) of Jamaica runs on his way to winning his 100m heat round 1 during the London 2012 Olympic
Games at the Olympic Stadium yesterday. — Reuters
LONDON — The London
Games finally got a fleeting
glimpse of the world's fast-
est man Usain Bolt yesterday
as the Olympic 100 metres
champion enjoyed nothing
more than a light canter after a
sloppy start to safely reach the
semifinals.
The leading protagonists
for today's blue riband show-
down, including world cham-
pion Yohan Blake, Jamaican
compatriot Asafa Powell and
Americans Justin Gatlin and
Tyson Gay all enjoyed a com-
fortable passage.
On a track described by the
stadium's PA as a "magic car-
pet", Bolt stumbled slightly at
the start but still barely broke
sweat on a sunny morning for
the second day of track and
field action.
"I made a bad step. I stum-
bled a bit. I'm glad it happened
now," the Jamaican said after
easing home in 10.09 seconds
in the fourth heat.
Bolt shared the stage with
South Africa's "Blade Run-
ner", Oscar Pistorius, who be-
came the first double amputee
to compete on the track at an
Olympic Games.
Pistorius, who wears car-
bon fibre prosthetic blades
after being born without a fib-
ula in both legs, qualified for
the 400m semifinals to huge
cheers with a season's best of
45.44 seconds.
British hopes of a gold-
tinged evening grew when Jes-
sica Ennis stretched her lead in
the heptathlon with just the
800 metres remaining.
OMAN’S Barakat al Harthy (right), Justin Gatlin (centre) of the US and Trinidad and
Tobago’s Rondel Sorrillo run in heat 2 during round 1 of the men’s 100m heats at the
Games yesterday. Gatlin topped with 9.97 seconds to the next round while Barakat
finished seventh out of eight in 10.41 seconds. — Reuters
Bolt entered the arena well
wrapped up in beanie hat and
hooded top as he went through
some stretching routines, half-
heartedly acknowledging the
crowd before touching knuck-
les with the official behind his
starting block.
The Jamaican, disqualified
for false-starting in the world
final in Daegu, South Korea,
last year and entering these
Games with doubts over his
fitness, said he was "running
well" and his training had been
"great".
The semifinals and final are
today.
Blake looked in good form
by clocking 10.0, as did 2004
Olympic champion Gatlin
(9.97) who was one of two
runners to dip under 10 sec-
onds. American Ryan Bailey
signalled that he will be in the
medals shake-up by dashing to
9.88, the fastest of the day.
Former world champion
Kim Collins was a surprise
absentee from the heats with
local media reporting that the
St Kitts & Nevis runner had
fallen out with his country's
officials over a visit from his
wife.
The 2003 world champion
hinted as much yesterday
when he tweeted: "Even men
in prison get their wives to
visit. 6 athletes and 9 officials.
That ain't enough to make
some people happy. Omg."
POSTER GIRL
Britain's track poster girl
Ennis remained on course to be
crowned Olympic heptathlon
champion after consolidating
her overnight lead following
the morning's long jump and
javelin.
Ennis, who missed the
Beijing Games through injury,
holds a 188-point lead over
Lithuanian Austra Skujyte and
has the gold medal firmly in
sight.
Ennis has 5,971 points to
Skujyte's 5,783 with Ukraine's
Lyudmyla Yosypenko (5,701)
in the bronze medal position.
While Ennis appears in-
spired by the fervent home
support, Pistorius revelled in
the roars of another 80,000
crowd.
"I was so nervous this morn-
ing," the 25-year-old said.
"Thanks to everyone for
showing their support. I didn't
know whether to cry. I had a
mixture of emotions. It was
the most amazing experience...
I saw the South African flag.
I've run so much in the UK it
feels like my second home."
World 400 champion Kira-
ni James breezed through but
Olympic champion LaShawn
Merritt was the biggest casual-
ty of morning qualifying with
the American, who had been
suffering from a hamstring
injury coming into the Games,
pulling up in his heat.
Merritt, who appeared
on the track with a heavily
strapped left thigh, served a
21-month suspension after a
positive doping test for using
of an over-the-counter male
enhancement product in 2010
which contained a banned sub-
stance. — Reuters

MEDAL TALLY Chen gives China first ever 20 km walk gold

Country G S B T
LONDON — Chen Ding won China's the bronze medalist in the event four years as he rejoined the chasing group.
United States 24 11 14 49
first ever men's Olympic 20 kilometres ago, and Indian Kolothum Thodi Irfan. Moulinet's trot for glory was brought
China 23 16 11 50
walk title and first ever medal in the event However, in a lively race Frenchman to a halt as he was swallowed up and then
Great Britain 11 7 8 26
South Korea 9 2 5 16
here yesterday coming home in a time of Bertrand Moulinet emerged from the dropped from the pack, with the new rab-
France 8 6 8 22
1hr 18 min 46 sec. pack to open up a sizeable lead while Hef- bit being Chen.
Germany 5 9 6 20
The 19-year-old beat home Guate- fernan crept back into medal contention In the final kilometres Chen and Wang
Italy 5 5 3 13 malan Erick Barrondo, who gave his were involved in a battle for the honours
North Korea 4 0 1 5 country their first ever Olympic medal in with Russian duo Borchin and Vladimir
Kazakhstan 4 0 0 4 any sport, while another Chinese walker, Kanaykin as well as the tenacious Ber-
Russian Fedn 3 13 9 25 Wang Zhen, was third. rondo.
Netherlands 3 1 4 8 Defending champion Valeriy Borchin Colombian world bronze medalist
South Africa 3 1 0 4 of Russia collapsed and lay distressed Luis Fernando Lopez's dreams of an-
New Zealand 3 0 4 7 against a barrier within two kilometres other major medal were shattered as he
Japan 2 9 11 22 of the finish while he was in fourth place received his third and final warning; he
Cuba 2 2 1 5 and had to be stretchered away by medi- turned disbelievingly to the official ask-
Hungary 2 1 2 5 cal staff. ing for clarification and got the confirma-
Poland 2 1 1 4 Japan's Asian champion Yusuke tion he was dreading.
Ukraine 2 0 4 6 Suzuki set the early pace and opened a Kanaykin too suffered the same fate
Australia 1 10 6 17 decent gap on the pack which was headed shortly afterwards, leaving four to contest
Romania 1 4 2 7 by Irish veteran Robert Heffernan. the medals.
Canada 1 2 6 9 However, a burst from Wang ap- Chen made the decisive break with
Belarus 1 2 3 6 proaching the halfway mark firstly split just two kilometres remaining while Ber-
Denmark 1 2 2 5 the pack apart and then reeled in Suzuki, rondo shook off the attentions of Wang,
Czech Rep 1 2 1 4 who paid for his over-enthusiasm by which earned the 21-year-old a big hug
Brazil 1 1 4 6 dropping steadily down the field. GOLD medallist China’s Chen Ding from the coach at the end, and Borchin's
Slovenia 1 0 2 3 Wang led a breakaway group of 10 waves at the men’s 20 km race walk challenge for the medals came to its dis-
Ethiopia 1 0 0 1 including Chen, Australia's Jarred Talent, victory ceremony. — Reuters tressing conclusion. — AFP
Georgia 1 0 0 1
Lithuania 1 0 0 1

IOC provisionally bans Colombian, Brazil rower out

Switzerland 1 0 0 1
Venezuela 1 0 0 1
Mexico 0 3 1 4
Sweden 0 3 0 3
LONDON — Colombian Several other athletes have carried out in Brazil on July 12 and ejected," he said. "At
Spain 0 2 1 3
400 metres runner Diego Pal- been confirmed as positive by by the International Rowing this stage it is a pretty low
Colombia 0 2 1 3
omeque Echevarria has been their own federations. Federation (Fisa), the Brazil- number."
Slovakia 0 1 3 4
India 0 1 2 3
temporarily banned from the Palomeque, scheduled to ian Olympic Committee said. On Friday, Moroccan
Serbia 0 1 1 2
London Games following a compete yesterday, had pro- Russian track cyclist Victo- middle-distance runner Amine
Norway 0 1 1 2 positive test for testosterone, vided a urine sample on 26 ria Baranova, who has already Laalou was thrown out of the
Indonesia 0 1 1 2 the International Olympic July in London that tested been sent home, has been of- Games after his team con-
Mongolia 0 1 1 2 Committee said yesterday. positive for testosterone of ex- ficially expelled following a firmed he had failed a doping
Kenya 0 1 1 2 Brazilian female rower ogenous origin. July 24 positive test for testo- test in July.
Belgium 0 1 1 2 Kissya Cataldo da Costa has "Upon receipt of the re- sterone in Belarus. Uzbek gymnast Luiza Gal-
Croatia 0 1 0 1 also been expelled from the sults of the B sample analysis, The 22-year-old Baranova, iulina and Albanian weight-
Thailand 0 1 0 1 Olympics for failing a dope a final decision will be pro- ranked two in the world in kei- lifter Hysen Pulaku have also
Chinese Taipei 0 1 0 1 test for EPO prior to the start nounced by the Disciplinary rin, was a medal contender in been expelled by the IOC while
Egypt 0 1 0 1 of the official Olympic period, Commission," the IOC said in London. St Kitts and Nevis sprinter
Guatemala 0 1 0 1 a Brazilian rowing team offi- a statement. "I do not think this chang- Tameka Williams admitted to
Greece 0 0 2 2 cial told reporters. Should the second sample es where we are at all," IOC taking a banned substance and
Azerbaijan 0 0 1 1 The 18-year-old Palom- also come back positive, Pal- spokesman Mark Adams told was told by her Olympic team
Hong Kong 0 0 1 1 eque is the fourth athlete to omeque faces a possible two- reporters when asked whether to return home.
Iran 0 0 1 1 have been officially suspend- year suspension as a first-time the latest positive tests were There were 20 proven
Qatar 0 0 1 1 ed, provisionally or perma- offender. showing a wider use of banned cases of doping at the Beijing
Uzbekistan 0 0 1 1 nently, from the Games since Kissya, 30, tested posi- substances at the Games than Games four years ago, includ-
Singapore 0 0 1 1
the start of the Olympic period tive for performance-boosting expected. ing six horses, down from 26
Moldova 0 0 1 1
on July 16. EPO in a pre-competition test "Cheats are being caught cases in Athens in 2004.

Spirig wins gold in photo finish
NICOLA Spirig (right) of Switzerland wins the women’s triathlon final at the London 2012 Olympic Games at Hyde
Park yesterday. Lisa Norden (left) of Sweden took the silver. — Reuters
LONDON — Swiss Nicola
Spirig won the gold medal
in the London 2012 women's
triathlon in the sport's first
photo-finish at the Olympics
yesterday.
After a ferocious sprint fin-
ish in Hyde Park, both Spirig
and Lisa Norden of Sweden
were given the same time of
one hour 59 minutes 48 sec-
onds.
The judges examined the
photographic evidence and
said Spirig's winning margin
was less than 15 centimetres.
Two seconds back, Erin
Densham of Australia won the
bronze medal, having been in
contention for gold until the
final 200 metres.
"I had a feeling but I wasn't
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
really sure," the 30-year-old
Spirig said when asked if she
knew she had won the gold
medal. "I really needed an of-
ficial to tell me. It took a few
minutes and those minutes
were really hard."
Fourth was Sarah Groff of
the United States, in two hours
dead, while British world
champion Helen Jenkins was
fifth, 19 seconds further back.
The swimming, cycling and
running course took in some
of the British capital's most
famous landmarks, including
Buckingham Palace.
It began with a 1.5 km
swim in the Serpentine lake
in Hyde Park on a day cold
enough, with a water tempera-
ture of less than 20 degrees
Celsius, to allow the women
to wear wetsuits.
The wetsuits assisted the
weaker swimmers and led to
almost half the field of 56 start-
ers, including the pre-race fa-
vourites, forming a lead group
on the 43 km cycle phase.
London's roads, wet from
overnight rain, claimed some
early casualties including Aus-
tralia's Emma Moffatt, the 2008
Olympic bronze medal-winner,
who was involved in a five-
woman crash on the first lap.
Vicky Holland, in the Brit-
ish team as a domestic to help
Jenkins' cause, was brought
down in the incident, leaving
her unable to assist the favour-
ite. "I was here to do every-
thing I could to help Helen and
I wasn't able to help her," Hol-
land said. "It was like a wait-
ing game, which is not what
we wanted."
On the 10 km run, over four
laps around the park, strong
pace-setting by Densham and
Jenkins whittled down the
challengers until, into the final
lap, five remained in conten-
tion.
Jenkins was the first to
crack, to the shock of the huge
crowd. Going into the final
straight beside the lake, Spirig,
sixth in Beijing four years ago,
launched a surge for home.
Only Norden could keep
with her, throwing herself
across the line in a late but
ultimately unsuccessful lunge
for gold. — Reuters

Even at half-price, Facebook faces trouble
WASHINGTON — Facebook
shares have lost nearly half
their value since a highly-
touted public offering in May,
but it's still not a bargain for
some.
Facebook in the past week
dropped below $20 a share for
IMF approves $2 billion loan for Jordan
WASHINGTON — The In-
ternational Monetary Fund
last night issued a $2 billion
loan for Jordan to steady the
country's battered economy
and protect it from external
"shocks" in the region.
The IMF executive board
approved the three-year loan,
making $385.35 million im-
mediately available, the fund
said in a statement.
The remaining amount will
be phased in, subject to quar-
terly reviews of the economy's
performance under the so-
called Stand-By Arrangement.
The IMF noted that the
loan, requested by the Jordani-
an authorities, represents "ex-
ceptional access" to the fund's
resources, amounting to 800
per cent of Jordan's financial
commitment to the institution.
Flanked by a circle of insta-
bility, Jordan has been ravaged
Fired Barclays trader draws scrutiny in Libor
NEW YORK — A 30-year-
old former Barclays Plc swaps
trader in New York, who was
fired from the bank in 2010, is
among those drawing scrutiny
from prosecutors in the deep-
ening scandal over the manip-
ulation of global benchmark
interest rates.
US prosecutors in Wash-
ington, DC are looking at
Ryan Reich's activities while
at Barclays between August
2006 and March 2010, said
several people familiar with
the situation, who declined to
be identified because the bid-
rigging investigation is ongo-
ing.
Reich, now a portfolio
manager with New York-
based hedge fund WCG Man-
agement, was dismissed from
Barclays for allegedly sending
inappropriate e-mails seeking
internal bank information, ac-
cording to two sources famil-
iar with the situation.
One of those sources, who
used to work for the bank,
said the information Reich
sought concerned how the Li-
bor benchmark rate was going
to be priced, information that
could have been useful for his
trading positions.
Reached by telephone on
Friday, Reich declined to com-
ment. A spokeswoman at the
Nawras launches mobile broadband
NAWRAS, Oman’s customer friendly communications provider
has introduced a new weekly mobile broadband Internet plan
for Nawras Mousbak prepaid customers. For only 500 baisas,
customers using a smartphone can now enjoy unmatched value
with 50MB of data and 50 SMS for an entire week. z Page 22
the first time since its $38 of-
fering price in May.
On Friday, the stock re-
bounded five per cent to $21.09
but remains down a hefty 44.5
per cent.
There is some fear that
shares could take another hit
by spluttering natural gas sup-
plies from revolutionary Egypt
and a flood of refugees cross-
ing the border from war-torn
Syria.
In addition, large financ-
ing needs to protect consum-
ers from the increase in energy
prices in 2011 were further
deepened in 2012 by the need
to provide housing and medi-
cal services to refugees from
Syria.
"The Jordanian authorities
have developed an economic
programme focused on achiev-
ing fiscal and external sustain-
ability in a socially acceptable
manner, while strengthening
growth prospects," IMF man-
aging director Christine
Lagarde said in the statement.
"The programme envis-
ages supporting confidence as
well as strong medium-term
consolidation in the fiscal and
US Department of Justice did
not return phone calls or e-
mails seeking comment.
Libor, the London inter-
bank offered rate, is used to set
rates on trillions of dollars of
contracts for everything from
home mortgages to credit
cards. The investigation has
embroiled banks on both sides
of the Atlantic and involves
yen and euro rates as well as
those for the dollar.
Lawyers familiar with the
investigation say federal pros-
ecutors continue to reach out
to individuals to gauge inter-
est in co-operating or taking
pleas. They said prosecutors
Sunday, August 5, 2012
in mid-August after the expi-
ration of a "lockup," a 90-day
period after the IPO during
which insiders are barred from
selling.
Michael Comeau of the fi-
nancial website Minyanville
says 268 million shares could
energy sectors."
The IMF said that Jorda-
nian authorities intend to cut
the country's deficit by about
six per cent of gross domestic
are expected to begin making
decisions on charging individ-
uals late this month or in early
September.
Indeed, many of the traders
under scrutiny do not believe
they did anything wrong be-
cause their employers and reg-
ulators had some awareness
of their activities, the lawyers
said. Information released by
the New York Fed shows that
bank regulators in the United
States and Europe knew some
banks were submitting low Li-
bor bids during the financial
crisis to make institutions ap-
pear healthier than they were.
A person familiar with Re-
come onto the market, in ad-
dition to the 460 million that
are already floated. And more
will become available later this
year.
"I'm fixated on the 268
million shares that hit in two
weeks," he said. "Will there
be enough buyers to satisfy the
new supply?"
Comeau said analyst’s full-
year earnings estimates on
Facebook "are actually coming
down" from 51 cents per share
to 49 cents.
"Declining earnings es-
timates are usually a nega-
tive indicator for momentum
stocks," he added.
Facebook underwhelmed
the market in July when it re-
ported its first earnings as a
public company, barely meet-
ing estimates for earnings per
share and delivering disap-
pointing revenue growth.
The results showed growth
for Facebook in overall rev-
enue, operating profits and the
number of users — which in-
creased to 955 million by the
end of the quarter.
product during the programme.
The energy-poor country has
expressed concerns that cuts
in natural gas supplies from
Egypt could cost the kingdom
ich's dismissal from Barclays
said that the young trader, who
joined Barclays just two years
after graduating from Princ-
eton University, was directed
by his supervisors to send the
e-mails and they were aware
of everything he was doing.
The person, who did not
want to be identified, said the
practice of sending e-mails to
gather information on future
Libor pricing went back to the
1990s at Barclays, long before
Reich joined the firm.
"This was systemic at
Barclays," said the person.
Barclays declined to com-
ment.
‘THE Ramadhan Carnival’, launched by Nissan Oman from
the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles along with LuLu
Hypermarket to make Ramadhan moments unique and special
for families across Oman, has been a great hit with lots of
families flocking to the venues across Muscat. z Page 23
But the company indicated
in a regulatory filing that as
many as 83 million accounts
may come from dubious sourc-
es — duplicate accounts, pages
for pets and those designed to
send spam.
Trip Chowdhry at Global
Equities Research, who has
consistently said Facebook
was overpriced, said the com-
pany may be a victim of its
own success.
"Everybody's on Facebook.
Your parents are on Facebook.
Your neighbours are on
Facebook," he said.
"So what do people do?
They create fake IDs or they
go hang out somewhere else.
People are reducing their en-
gagement on Facebook."
Chowdhry said it remains
unclear if Facebook can "tran-
scend" the current generation
of users, or will be replaced by
something else.
Additionally, he said there
is "a lot of uncertainty" about
the expiration allowing insid-
ers to sell, adding the stock is
still not a bargain.
more than $2 billion in 2012.
The IMF also announced it
was opening a "precautionary"
$6.2 billion line of credit for
Morocco to protect the econo-
Reich was a part of a low-
profile New York trading
desk at Barclays that is now
increasingly in focus as pros-
ecutors and regulators extend
their investigation of the Li-
bor scandal, which began to
come to light in 2008. In June,
Barclays paid a $453 million
penalty to authorities in the
United States and the UK to
settle allegations some of its
traders colluded with people
at other banks to manipulate
Libor.
In the United States, fed-
eral authorities and regulators
are focusing on the activities
of the Barclays desk on which
Reich worked. It traded US
Treasury and US dollar and
Canadian dollar interest rate
swaps.
Reuters previously reported
that Jay Merchant, one of that
desk's top traders, who in 2009
served as head of US dollar
swaps trading, is being scruti-
nised by federal authorities as
well. Merchant moved to UBS
in late 2009 to run that firm's
swaps desk.
Ritankar "Ronti" Pal, who
Merchant reported to and who
had overseen all of the desk's
trading since 2006, recently
left Barclays, according to
people familiar with the mat-
ter. — Reuters
Nissan’s Ramadhan Carnival
"The stock is reflecting that
the company can grow 80 to 90
per cent year-over-year, which
is impossible," he said.
Larry Chiagouris, a profes-
sor of marketing at Pace Uni-
versity, said Facebook has yet
to define its strategy for long-
term growth and profits.
Chiagouris said founder
Mark Zuckerberg's mantra that
he wants to "help every per-
son stay connected" and "be a
great social experience" is too
fuzzy.
"That is not focused
enough," he said.
"They probably expanded
too quickly without articu-
lating their mission. From a
profit-making perspective,
Facebook has kind of lost its
way."
Chiagouris said most im-
portant for him is that market-
ers are cool to expanding the
use of the Facebook platform.
"The large marketers know
exactly how many people are
clicking on the ads and to what
degree that is helping market-
ing," he said.
my from external shocks.
"The Moroccan authori-
ties have stated that they... do
not intend to draw on the line,
unless Morocco experiences
actual balance of payments
needs from a deterioration of
external conditions," the IMF
said in a statement.
Known as the Precaution-
ary and Liquidity Line, the
financing is the latest version
of a credit line launched in
2010 amid the global financial
crisis, available for countries
with sound economic policies.
"The PLL will allow the au-
thorities to continue with their
home-grown reform agenda
aimed at achieving rapid and
inclusive economic growth,
while providing them with a
useful insurance against exter-
nal shocks," the Washington-
based institution said. — AFP
"Facebook has yet to prove
it is a good return on invest-
ment."
Lou Kerner of the Social
Internet Fund remains upbeat
on Facebook, saying it will re-
bound similar to Amazon after
the dot-com bubble burst over
a decade ago.
"The lesson I learned from
the last bubble is you have to
separate what the market is
doing from the fundamentals
of the business," Kerner said.
"And the fundamentals at
Facebook continue to be posi-
tive."
One of Facebook's prob-
lems, he said, is that it has "too
many customers" especially
on the mobile Internet, but that
the company will find a way
to leverage that massive user
base."
"I think it's turned into a
'show me' stock," he said. "As
soon as Facebook shows it
can meaningfully monetise its
mobile users I think you'll see
the shorts (short-sellers) cover
and people lining up to buy."
— AFP
Dollar dips
NEW YORK — The dollar
slid against other major cur-
rencies except the yen, after
an upbeat US jobs report
suggested resilience in the
slow-growing economy and
encouraged risk taking.
The European currency
also climbed against the
Japanese unit, rising to 97.30
yen from 95.26 yen last
week, while the dollar inched
up to 78.59 yen from 78.22
yen. Markets surged higher
on official data showing the
United States added 163,000
jobs in July. — AFP
US to raise
$5bn from
AIG stock sale
WASHINGTON — The US
Treasury Department said on
Friday it expects to raise $5
billion from its sale of Amer-
ican International Group
stock, cutting the govern-
ment's stake in the bailed-out
insurer to 55 per cent.
The sale, which would
bring a profit of about $300
million to the US Treasury,
comes as President Barack
Obama campaigns for a
second term and has been
forced to defend his admin-
istration's decision to use
taxpayer money to prop
up companies during the
crisis.
The Treasury Department
priced the offering at $30.50
a share, six per cent above
the $28.72 price needed for
the US government to break
even on its investment in the
insurer.
AIG intends to buy up to
$3 billion of the offering.
The government has al-
ready sold three tranches in
AIG above the break even
price, putting Treasury on
track to make a profit when
it exits the insurer.
Treasury has said it will
not sell below the break even
level.
The sale of 163.9 million
shares of AIG stock will re-
duce the government's hold-
ing in the insurer to 55 per
cent from 61 per cent. The
offering is expected to close
next week.
The insurer received
multiple bailouts under both
the Obama and Bush admin-
istrations, with the govern-
ment pledging as much as
$182 billion in aid. After
the latest sale, the Treasury's
investment in AIG will be
about $25 billion.
 22
OMAN SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Nawras launches weekly mobile broadband plan for prepaid customers

By A Staff Reporter
MUSCAT — Nawras, Oman’s
customer friendly communica-
tions provider has introduced a new
weekly mobile broadband Internet
plan for Nawras Mousbak prepaid
customers. For only 500 baisas,
customers using a smartphone can
now enjoy unmatched value with
50MB of data and 50 SMS for an
entire week.
“This package is ideal for our
light data usage customers who
prefer to use mobile broadband
on their handsets for chat applica-
tions to get closer to their family
and friends,” said Musab Nasser al
Haddabi,(pictured) Nawras Mobile
Broadband Internet Manager. “We broadband packages can be used
listen to our customers and under- with a smartphone, tablet, modem
stand their needs then design serv- or dongle and start from a one-day
ices that match their usage styles. In prepaid plan with 1GB for just one
this case, the result is a simple, has- Omani rial.
sle free plan that offers great value There is also a 2GB monthly
for money and is easy to use.” plan RO 9 and the most popular and
Al Haddabi explained, “Broad- in demand Nawras Internet bundle
band is the future of communica- of 500MB is only three Omani
tions and is becoming increasingly Rials.
popular in our daily lives. This Mobile broadband Internet al-
package is also a great way for lows customers to browse the web,
new customers to explore the excit- read and respond to e-mails and
ing world of mobile Internet with check social networks while on the
Nawras.” go. To select any of these data bun-
The 50MB mobile broadband dles, customers simply dial *141#
package is the latest addition to the and then follow the instructions.
wide range of data plans provided tomers. Tailored to suit different The subscription fee will be de-
for Nawras Mousbak prepaid cus- needs and budgets, Nawras mobile ducted from the credit balance.

Yokohama’s ‘Gold Rush’ a huge success
MUSCAT — Yokohama's Gold Rush campaign which ended recently was a huge suc-
cess. Yokohama recently announced the third round of winners in the monthly raffle
draw of the Yokohama Gold Rush scheme. Naoki Ando, General Manager — Yoko-
hama Rubber Company was present at the draw.
The scheme which lasted from April to July evoked great excitement and interest
amongst the customers in Oman. The Yokohama Gold Rush scheme offered customers
a unique chance of winning 120 gold prizes, one all-new 2012 Ford Focus which is
the Grand Raffle and loads of RO 5 shopping vouchers from Lulu. All this, over and
above the satisfaction of driving on the finest Japanese quality tyres. During the 2012
Gold Rush period, customers who have purchased Yokohama passenger car/light com-
mercial radial/van/4x4 tyre from an authorised Yokohama showroom, dealer outlet can
now look forward to the results of the final Grand Raffle draw on August 15 where the
lucky winner will get a chance to win the all-new 2012 Ford Focus.
Yokohama's Gold Rush campaign has grown in popularity year after year. Besides
the appeal of high value prizes, customers prefer Yokohama for exceptional qualities
like uncompromising safety, exceptional comfort and durability. Yokohama tyres are
ideally designed to meet the demanding operating conditions of Oman. Yokohama’s
state-of-the-art technology ensures top-notch safety and reliable performance.
Today’s customers insist on Yokohama for another all-important reason — safety.
Yokohama tyres have won global acceptance as ‘safe’ tyres which are engineered to of-
fer excellent road grip and comfortable smooth drive, in addition to extended tyre life.
Yokohama Rubber Company, Japan is among the world’s leading tyre manufactur-
ers, enjoying the status of a technology leader in the global tyre industry. Yokohama
tyres are engineered to provide firm road grip, maximum stability and silent, smooth
ride over vastly varied terrain and operating conditions. Manufactured at one of the
world’s largest and the most advanced facilities of its kind, the tyres are also torture-
tested at D-PARC, one of the most challenging test tracks in the world, to ensure maxi-
mum safety. In Oman, the Saud Bahwan Group markets Yokohama Tyres with a na-
tionwide network of 45 branches and 475 dealers.
How Kia proves its mettle
BUSINESS ALERT
to be unsafe or behave in unpredictable ways. It further adds to the trust people have
in Kia cars keep them and the passengers safe.
Reliable International Automotive, the distributor for Kia in Oman provides a
rewarding ownership experience for customers. Excellent product attributes and un-
matched 18 facilities easily ensure their absolute satisfaction, every mile of the way.
No wonder then that Reliable International Automotive has been ranked amongst
the top Kia distributors worldwide and has been honoured with prestigious accolades
including the Kia 'Dealer of the Year' award; Kia 'Distributor of Distinction' award,
'Family Like Care' Service award and the 'Zenith Club' award for excellent perform-
ance. The prestigious 'Kia Award for Overall Excellence and Outstanding Performance'
amongst Kia distributors worldwide was bestowed most deservingly.
Ahlibank trains staff on Islamic Banking
AHLIBANK’S soon to be launched Al Hilal Islamic Banking Services conducted a
training programme for the new joiners. The objective of the Islamic banking training
courses is to equip the staff of Al Hilal Islamic Banking services with the knowledge
and experience of Sharia principles, models and structures which will be used by the
bank. Commenting on the various training initiatives Said al Hamdani AGM Head of
Human Resources said “A well equipped and knowledgeable workforce is vital for
successful operations, we always strive to provide the best possible service to our cus-
tomers and it’s vital that the staff members dealing with them have substantial knowl-
edge about Sharia principles, models and structures.”
Al Hilal Islamic banking services will offer a vast variety of Sharia compliant
banking solutions to different regions of the Sultanate through an initial network of 6
branches. “We have been preparing in ernest for the launch of Al Hilal Islamic Bank-
ing services, since the royal directives of His Majesty the bank has been rigorously
working around the clock to insure that our Islamic Banking Services will be a pioneer
in the field in Oman. We had 21 staff members who achieved Islamic Bankers certi-
fication at the start of 2011 and now we have over 40 certified Islamic bankers in our
ranks.” Added Said al Hamdani.
Abdullah al Jabry, Deputy General Manager Heading Al Hilal Islamic Banking
Services who was also present at the training session added “One of the unique and
salient characteristics of Islamic banking is the integration of ethical and moral values
with the banking operation. The ethical and moral consideration of Islamic banks can-
not be detached and their behaviour should be consistent with the moral and ethical
standards laid down by the Islamic Sharia. We have made this characteristic a central
pillar in all our products and services and our aim is to provide a service which show-
cases truth and transparency in banking.”
MHD Automotive announces festive offer
the ultimate gaming experience along with a gift hamper on every purchase.
A range of 2013 models and select 2012 models of Suzuki are on offer to suit a
varied budget that includes the ‘Kizashi’ — a vehicle endowed with distinctive looks
and elegance that is a total new generation car.
‘Kizashi’ has a class leading engine power (195- bhp/gross) equipped with loads
of safety features such as 6 airbags, ABS+EBD+BA, hill hold control and ESP and
convenience features like Keyless Push Start System, Tiptronic/ CVT, Dual Zone Auto
Air-conditioning system with rear vents, 17-inch sport alloy wheels, modern audio
systems with dashboard centre speaker, USB/i-pod, MP3 and WMA compatibility. Of
Japanese origin, the ‘Kizashi’ is true value for money.
Suzuki offers service intervals of 10,000 km and multiples on its entire range as an
added value for the convenience of their customers.
Kizashi ‘Premium’ is an absolute delight for retail customers as well as fleet cus-
tomers and is a huge success due to its contemporary add-on features such as electric
sunroof, cruise control system, leathered upholstery + door trims + steering wheel +
armrests + CVT shift knob, 18-inch sport alloy wheels, 10-way power seats with 3-po-
sition memory system, four-way co-passenger power seat, parking sensors (front and
rear), fog lamps, Rockford Fosgate audio system with additional sub-woofer, boot-lid
spoiler, auto levelling HID headlamps with washers, auto rain sensor wipers, sport
front bumper and side-sill, to name a few.
The quality automobiles of Suzuki celebrating its centenary, combined with the
reliability of Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan and Co LLC, the exclusive distributors for
Suzuki vehicles in Oman, assures and delivers performance at all times, delighting its
esteemed retail and fleet customers across Oman.
Bank Sohar credit card promotion
BANK Sohar’s credit card holders are in for an irresistible promotion this summer
that offers customers the chance to win 100 per cent cash back daily on their transac-
tions. Entitled “The 100 per cent cash back promotion”, this innovative scheme will
be on offer from August to October 30, 2012. The scheme is the latest in a series of
promotional activities rolled out by Bank Sohar to fulfil its commitment in providing
customers with unique and innovative experiences.
For every Point of Sale (POS) or Internet transaction of RO 30 and above, the
credit card holder is entitled to a chance to win 100 per cent cash back — subject to a
maximum of RO 300 — of a particular transaction. Each transaction of a minimum of
RO 30 gives the card holder one chance to enter the draw in order to avail the 100 per
cent daily cash back prize. Winnings are paid directly into the lucky customer’s credit
card account.
The promotion covers the use of Bank Sohar credit cards through various transac-
tion mediums including Point-of-Sale and online Internet transactions. The offer is also
valid against transactions executed with the use of Classic, Gold, Platinum and Internet
card variants. Commenting on Bank Sohar’s new scheme, Khalfan al Tal’ey, DGM-
Retail Banking said: “This is indeed a great opportunity for Bank Sohar customers to
make the most of their credit cards. Our credit card products offer unmatched value
in the form of features, benefits and rewards. Added to this is the element of conven-
ience and security that comes with these cards. Whilst existing card holders can look
forward to three months of excitement simply by swiping their cards, it also provides
those without a card a splendid opportunity to sign up and be part of this promotion
and many more to come”. “Our bouquet of products and services come with a wealth
of benefits, including travel insurance, purchase protection, zero lost card liability, free
priority pass and online shopping security via verified by Visa. Together with our best-
in-class services, this latest promotion will add to the appeal of Bank Sohar credit cards
as among the most sought-after in the country,” added Al Tal’ey.

Mazda’s daily Ramadhan raffle winner

WHEN car manufacturers boast about their vehicles' prowess, one often wonders;
'How do they know?' and 'Can they prove it?'
In fact, Kia understands this reaction quite well. “Its natural,” replies the Kia spokes-
person, “People do want to know the basis of the claim. Which is why Kia has invested
in its ‘proving grounds,’ — a term for the special tracks where we put our cars to the
test against extreme and unpredictable conditions, at different speeds and with differ-
ent passenger loads. I am happy to tell our customers that the people who put your Kia
together know precisely what it will stand up to — whether it is strange weather, crazy
terrain, bumpy roads, and even certain types of collisions. Your Kia has been driven
through a multitude of road and environmental conditions at our sophisticated testing
facilities.” Kia's proving grounds put vehicles through an exhausting array of tests at
various speeds and under diverse road conditions. These testing grounds cover an area
of 4,940 acres and are located in South Korea at Kia's Namyang R&D Center and
Kia’s Hwasung plant. In addition, Kia's sprawling 4,329 acres testing area is located
in California’s Mohave Desert.
Some of Kia's most notable Proving Grounds are located in Hwasung and Namyang
in Korea, “Our Hwasung proving ground, which is adjacent to our factory that cur-
rently produces the Cerato (Forte), Optima, Sorento, Borrego (Mohave) and Cadenza
was completed in 1993 and features 16 test drive tracks,” explains the spokesperson.
Opened in 1995, the proving ground at our Namyang R&D Center is of international
standards and features no less than 34 roads including a Belgian road, and a high-speed
track that is 4.5 km long. In all, the site features a total road length of 70 km.
The California Proving Ground is located 100 miles north of Los Angeles in the
Mojave Desert. This facility boasts an impressive total road length of 116 km and top
speed of 250 km/h. Constructed with a total investment of $60 million, the test site is
approximately 10 times the size of the proving ground at Namyang R&D Center and is
the third largest in the US operated by a foreign automaker. Eight test roads combine
to form a total length of 116 km. The longest track is the 10.4 km oval, a three-lane
high speed track which allows a top speed of up to 250 km/h. The facility supports
high-speed and endurance tests, and also include a 2 million square foot Vehicle Dy-
namics Area (VDA); 2.75-mile winding track; 3.3-mile hill road; and various special
surface roads constructed to duplicate US highways. The proving ground also includes
a 30,000 square-foot office complex for its 50+ staff members.
This proving ground is used to conduct a diverse range of automotive performance
tests that include High-speed track tests, very old roads tests, low friction (slippery)
road tests, dust tunnel tests, artificially recreated roads — (pebbly/cracked/wavy/ as-
phalt/long wave pitch and high-speed roadways). Additional tests include wind-tunnel,
electromagnetic wave, heavy rain/snow and extreme temperatures.
In sum, Kia's proving grounds take the guess-work out of how cars will hold up and
help to make sure that no manufacturing defects or design miscalculations will cause it
THE Automotive Division of Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC is celebrating the holy
month of Ramadhan in its true spirit. The sole importers for Jaguar and Land Rover
vehicles in the Sultanate of Oman, MHD LLC have announced a range of festive offers
for the benefits of its customers during the holy month of Ramadhan and beyond.
The offers on the Jaguar range of premium vehicles include free service for 3 years
or 48,000 km for the Jaguar XF 3.0-litre/3-year or 72,000 km for Jaguar XF 5.0-litre
while the Jaguar XJ is available with free service — 3 years or 48,000 km. Free regis-
tration is also available for these vehicles.
The Land Rover range of premium SUV’s is also available with a plethora of offers
including free one-year Comprehensive insurance + Apple iPad3 4G 16GB for the
Range Rover Evoque. Free Apple iPad3 4G 32GB for the Range Rover Sport. Free
one-year comprehensive insurance + free service for 3 years/72,000 kms + Apple iPad
4G 16GB for the Land Rover LR4 and free Land Rover merchandise along with the
Land Rover LR2.
The automotive division also organised an Iftaar party for its valued customers and
business associates on the July 30 at the Crowne Plaza Muscat which was attended by
over 300 guests. Senior members of the sales and after-sales teams from the company
welcomed all the guests and broke the fast along with them after Maghrib.
Ramadhan offer on Suzuki Kizashi
DURING the month of Ramadhan, Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan and Co LLC is of-
fering Suzuki vehicles with value-added benefits that include free insurance for Oman
and UAE, free registration, free comprehensive service for 2 years / 40,000 km and
attractive prices on all models. An added attraction is a complimentary X-Box 360 for
MAZDA Oman has announced Adnan al Farsi as the first winner of their daily Ra-
madhan Raffle Draw held at the Towell Auto Centre (TAC) headquarters in Athaiba.
Adnan al Farsi has bought himself a swanky new Mazda3 Hatchback under Mazda’s
Ramadhan offer and has won himself the uber cool Samsung Galaxy SIII.
Packed with new and exciting offers Mazda’s Ramadhan promotion — ‘Get more
than you wished for with your Mazda’ this Ramadhan provides exceptional offers and
gifts that further enhance the overall driving experience of the Mazda. To avail of the
Mazda Ramadhan promotion, buy a Mazda during the offer period and drive home with
free vehicle registration, free service up to 100,000 kms, an assured buyback value of
50.55 per cent, and a special Ramadhan gift. Moreover, by buying a Mazda during the
course of the Ramadhan offer, one can win a Samsung Galaxy SIII in Mazda’s daily
Ramadhan raffle, just like Adnan al Farsi!
That’s not all; on buying the CX9 GT ALT or Mazda6 2.5L one will also get a
striking free In-car Entertainment System, or Bluetooth with Rear Parking Sensors
respectively; absolutely free. This offer is valid until September 30, 2012. All Mazda
showrooms will be open from Saturday to Thursday from 9am to 1:30pm and 4:30pm
to 11:30pm; and on Friday from 4:30pm to 11:30pm during Ramadhan.
Mazda consistently tries to exceed the expectations of their customer’s wants and
needs, through customer aimed benefits and promotions, and a constant effort towards
better service and customer satisfaction. Towell Auto Centre provides service to all
models of Mazda and makes owning a Mazda extra pleasant with its efficient after
sales service and quick response time. With a network of 11 showrooms, 16 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.

Nissan Ramadhan Carnival a huge hit
By A Staff Reporter
MUSCAT — ‘The Ramadhan
Carnival’, launched by Nis-
san Oman from the house of
Suhail Bahwan Automobiles
along with LuLu Hypermarket
to make Ramadhan moments
unique and special for families
across Oman, has been a great
hit with lots of families along
with kids flocking to the ven-
ues across Muscat.
The first of its kind cam-
paign, the Ramadhan Carnival
is being held every Wednes-
day through Friday from 8 pm
to 12 am at select branches
of LuLu Hypermarket. The
recently held carnival at the
Darsait and Bausher branches
was a sure hit among shop-
pers and it showcased a tan-
S&P affirms New Zealand AA sovereign rating
WELLINGTON — Ratings
agency Standard and Poor's
reaffirmed New Zealand's AA
rating with a stable outlook,
but warned there might be
renewed pressure if the coun-
try's external debt levels were
to deteriorate further.
A year after S&P cut New
Zealand's ratings a notch, it
said the current level was ap-
propriate given the economy's
outlook, fiscal strength, and
the strength of its banks, which
countered the threats from
high external debt and vulner-
able commodity markets.
"The stable outlook bal-
ances the stabilisation we ex-
pect between the government's
debt profile over the medium
term and the risks associated
talising array of learning, fun
and excitement suited to the
interests of every member of
the family.
The carnival is suited
mainly for families with kids,
as officials at Nissan Oman
designed a fun and memora-
ble night out packed with ac-
tivities. It is during Ramadhan
that families get an opportuni-
ty to enjoy shopping and out-
ings till late night and keeping
that in mind, Nissan Oman has
exclusively designed a car-
nival night out for families at
selected branches of LuLu Hy-
permarkets.
Interested shoppers while
shopping at the lavish ex-
panse of LuLu can make a
pit stop at the ongoing Ram-
adhan Carnival where Nissan
with the country's high exter-
nal debt," said S&P sovereign
analyst Kyran Curry.
He said the government's
finances had been hit by the
global slowdown and the costs
of the February 2011 earth-
quake which hit the second
biggest city, Christchurch, ex-
acerbated the impact of a do-
mestic recession.
The government's finances,
which have been in deficit
since 2009, were expected to
return to surplus in 2015, as
forecast in the May budget,
with the debt burden peaking
around that time before head-
ing lower.
The centre-right govern-
ment has made a return to
budget surplus by 2014/15 an
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL
has showcased their exclusive
Ramadhan schemes and of-
fers and two of their stylish
cars, the all-new Micra and the
smart Nissan Sunny are also at
display and available for test
drive.
It does not stop there, cus-
tomers can take a test drive of
the two cars where they will
have a designated Nissan of-
ficial to assist and guide them
through the aesthetics of the
two cars. Kids on the other
hand can enjoy the ongoing
activities at the Ramadhan
Carnival like magic show and
face painting.
To make the affair even
more attractive for kids, a fun
and friendly joker is there at
all times to keep them enter-
tained. If that’s not enough,
economic and political pri-
ority, and in May unveiled a
budget with no new spending,
cost cutting, asset sales and
moves to close tax loopholes.
Finance Minister Bill Eng-
lish said the S&P statement
backed the government's tight
fiscal management.
"This... confirms New Zea-
land is heading in the right
direction — and it is better
placed than many other coun-
tries," he said in a statement.
Financial markets were un-
moved by the S&P statement.
But S&P said New Zea-
land's high external debt lev-
els, much of which is private
bank borrowing, would weigh
on the economy, and if it were
to worsen could prompt inves-
TEL: 24601003, 24600586 • FAX: 24600736
23
then avail their exclusive Ra-
madhan Jackpot scheme which
is constantly announced by an
emcee.
Valued customers can be
part of the ongoing carnival
and enquire about the Nis-
san Jackpot scheme which
includes a host of luxury gifts
and unlimited benefits that will
make purchasing and owning
a Nissan model convenient
and exciting. If customers plan
on buying any of the prestig-
ious Nissan models from their
prestigious line-up of Sedans,
SUVs, Crossovers and LCV
range, they will be entitled to
free insurance, free registra-
tion; six years extended war-
ranty and easy financing that
include a loan term up to eight
years with attractive inter-
tors to shift out of NZ dollar
assets, and put pressure on rat-
ings. "Downward pressure on
the New Zealand ratings could
emerge if New Zealand's ex-
ternal position continues to
deteriorate," Curry said, add-
ing that higher public savings
were needed to keep the coun-
try's current account deficit
under control.
It noted that households
were cutting their debt and
saving more, and an independ-
ent monetary policy and float-
ing currency, as well as the po-
sition of the mainly Australian
owned local banks, which are
among the world's strongest,
were positives.
New Zealand's current ac-
count deficit widened to 4.8
• WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com
est rates (available on certain
models).
Customers also get an op-
portunity to receive a scratch
and win coupon with every
purchase which guarantees
two assured gifts.
The gifts include either a
chance to win free service of
the car up to a lifetime or a
chance to win a high value gift
item from a range of luxury
products like LED TV, Black-
Berry Curve, Galaxy Tab, CD
player and Philips blender.
Speaking on the success
of the Ramadhan Carnival,
a Nissan Oman official said,
“We received a huge response
from the carnival that was held
at the Darsait and Bausher
branches and it is an instant hit
amongst shoppers for various
reasons.”
“Families can now enjoy
their shopping time as kids
can be dropped off at the car-
nival venue where they are
kept engaged with series of
magic shows and an entertain-
ing joker. On the other hand,
car aficionados are thronging
to the venue to enquire about
their favourite Nissan models
and if they choose to buy a
Nissan Sunny or the new Nis-
san Micra, they get an oppor-
tunity for a test drive that very
moment. We hope to receive
the same kind of response
from the carnival that will be
held at the Barka and Nizwa
branches of LuLu Hypermar-
kets. This is a first of its kind
campaign in Oman which has
been a huge hit amongst buy-
ers and we hope to offer them
more of such firsts in the near
future”.
per cent of GDP in the year to
March 31, as the trade surplus
narrowed, and is expected to
worsen as the economy gains
momentum, stoking import
demand and delivering higher
profits to foreign investors.
Conversely the country's
ratings might be eventually
boosted by current account
surpluses, higher export earn-
ings, reduced debt, and higher
public savings. Last Septem-
ber, Standard & Poor's and
Fitch cut New Zealand's rank-
ing by one notch within hours
of each other over concerns
about its growing foreign
debt. The third major agency
Moody's has left New Zealand
as one of only nine AAA-rated
economies. — AFP
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
BIZ BRIEFS
P&G quarterly profit jumps 45pc
NEW YORK — Procter and Gamble, the
US consumer products giant, posted a
sharp rise in earnings for its fiscal fourth
quarter, boosted by the sale of its snacks
business.
P&G said net profit rose 45 per cent
from the year-ago quarter to $3.6 billion.
The sale of its Pringles potato-chip
business to The Kellogg Company for $2.7
billion in an all-cash transaction added a
net gain of 48 cents per share, P&G said.
Excluding one-time items, earnings per
share were 82 cents in the April-June quar-
ter, well above the average analyst estimate of 77 cents. Net sales fell 1 per cent to $20.2
billion, slightly missing expectations of $20.3 billion.
P&G, the maker of Gillette razors, Tide laundry detergent, Crest toothpaste and other
consumer products, said the decline was primarily due to a negative foreign exchange impact,
which reduced sales by four per cent. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based company, which has a pres-
ence in about 180 countries, has been battling rising commodity costs and a stronger dollar.
Sales growth increased in four of the company's five business segments compared with
a year ago. "Despite a difficult macro environment, we see significant opportunities for top-
and bottom-line growth," said chief executive Bob McDonald in a statement.
"We enter fiscal 2013 with very strong developing market momentum, strengthened plans
on our core developed market business, and with the benefit of a $10 billion cost-savings
programme, which is well under way," he said.
For its first fiscal quarter, from July to September, P&G predicted earnings per share of 83
cents to 91 cents and net sales growth down as much as six per cent.
"A major driver of the lower first-quarter EPS outlook is foreign exchange, which is fore-
cast to reduce net earnings by five to six per cent versus the prior year," it said.
The company said it will repurchase $4 billion in P&G stock during the fiscal year.
Virgin Atlantic swings to full-year loss
LONDON — British airline Virgin Atlan-
tic swung to a full-year loss as higher fuel
costs and tough economic conditions took
their toll, it said.
The carrier, founded by serial entre-
preneur Richard Branson, posted a pretax
operating loss of £80.2 million ($124.5
million) in the year to the end of Febru-
ary compared to a profit of £18.5 million
in 2010/11.
The airline, part owned by Singapore
Airlines, said revenues grew 3 per cent to
£2.74 billion though fuel costs rose a third. Virgin's passenger numbers rose 2 per cent to 5.4
million during the year and its load factor — a measure of how full its planes were — came
in at 78 per cent.
"In an incredibly challenging market, we have managed to grow top line revenues and fly
more customers than last year," the airline's chief executive Steve Ridgway said.
"However, with the prevailing uncertainty in the economy, sky high fuel prices and a 25
per cent hike in our air passenger duty fees, converting this sales growth into profit has not
been possible." The airline, which is due to take delivery of six new Airbus A330 planes in the
coming months, said it had made an encouraging start to its new financial year.
Rival British Airways, part of the IAG group, posted an operating profit of 13 million
euros in the six months to the end of June.
SilkAir places $4.9bn order with Boeing
SINGAPORE — SilkAir, the regional
wing of Singapore Airlines (SIA), said it
would buy 54 new Boeing planes in a deal
worth $4.9 billion, with an option to buy
a further 14 aircraft. The airline said the
order is the largest in its history and "re-
mains subject to the negotiation of a final
purchase agreement". SilkAir said the firm
orders will cover 23 Boeing 737-800s and
31 Boeing 737 MAX 8s. The deal for the
54 aircraft is worth $4.9 billion based on
Boeing's current list prices.
The B737-800 is the best selling variant of Boeing's popular next generation family of
single-aisle aircraft, and the 737 MAX is currently in development. "Deliveries are due to
begin in 2014 and continue to 2021, by which time the airline's fleet will have more than
doubled in size," the carrier said.
SilkAir currently operates 21 Airbus A319s and A320s, with three more A320s due for de-
livery by the end of 2013. It said the new orders will cater for both growth and fleet renewal.
"We continue to see very strong growth within the region and these new aircraft will position
SilkAir well," said SilkAir chief executive Marvin Tan.
"They will enable us to spread our wings to even more destinations and increase capacity
on existing routes, contributing to the overall SIA Group network," he added.
"The selection of the B737 follows detailed evaluations and extensive negotiations with
both Airbus and Boeing." SilkAir is a wholly owned subsidiary of SIA and flies to popular
holiday destinations in the Asia Pacific region. SIA also has a long-haul budget carrier called
Scoot and owns nearly 33 per cent in low-cost carrier Tiger Airways.
Japan’s ANA posts small Q1 net profit
TOKYO — Japan's All Nippon Airways
(ANA) posted a net profit of 668 million
yen ($8.55 million) in its fiscal first quar-
ter to June, reversing a year-earlier loss,
thanks to increased travel demand.
The carrier's sales rose 12.5 per cent
from a year ago to 343.19 billion yen as
the Japanese economy continued its recov-
ery from last year's quake-tsunami disaster,
while the stronger yen made overseas trips
cheaper. In the fiscal first quarter last year,
ANA logged a group operating loss of 8.1
billion yen amid tumbling passenger num-
bers in the aftermath of the March 11 disasters and meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear plant. Cost cutting and a recovery in international travel demand helped the nation's
second-largest airline post a record operating profit of $1.2 billion in the fiscal year ended in
March.
ANA said international flight sales rose more than 20 per cent on year in the latest quarter.
While the surging value of the yen has hurt the nation's manufacturers it has had a positive
effect on airlines as Japanese tourists' spending power increases.
"Travel demand for international passengers as well as visits to Japan, which were badly
damaged by the disaster last year, steadily recovered," the company said in a statement.
Domestic flight revenue rose nearly 11 per cent, it added.
But the airline also warned it was "facing a number of headwinds in the shape of a slowing
world economy, the growing government debt crisis in Europe and increased competition".
UK’s Xcite Energy says CEO to retire
LONDON — British oil company Xcite
Energy Ltd said Chief Executive Richard
Smith would retire and that it promoted
Chief Financial Officer Rupert Cole as the
new CEO, among several other manage-
ment changes it made.
Cole will continue to maintain overall
responsibility for the strategic financing
of the company and the associated exter-
nal relationships, North Sea-focused Xcite
said in a statement.
Stephen Kew, currently exploration
and development director, will be the new
chief operating officer. Jon Dale has been appointed as finance director of Xcite Energy Re-
sources Ltd, the company's operating subsidiary through which it holds interests in three
licence blocks in the UK North Sea.
Separately, the company said the 9/03b-7 well at its Bentley oil field in the North Sea had
been producing at a stabilised rate of about 3,200 barrels per day with no associated basic
sediments or water. The Bentley field is estimated to be holding 116 million barrels of oil,
according to Xcite's latest annual report.
Shares in the company, which have fallen about 15 per cent since the beginning of this
year, closed at 75.25 pence last week on the London Stock Exchange.
 24
OMAN/THE WORLD SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Spain to see 102bn

euro savings

MADRID — Spain will study In June, Spain secured a be affected.

new measures being planned
by the European Central Bank
to ease the euro zone debt cri-
sis before deciding whether to
use them, Prime Minister Mar-
iano Rajoy said yesterday.
"I want to know what these
measures are to see if they are
adequate. Then I will take the
best decision for the general
interest of the Spanish peo-
ple," Rajoy told a rare news
conference.
"I have not yet made any
decision. We still don't know
exactly what is being planned.
We can't act irresponsibly,"
he said, of what would be a
momentous decision for both
Spain and the whole euro zone
project.
ECB head Mario Draghi
said on Thursday the central
bank could intervene directly
in the bond markets — and for
as long as needed — so as to
bring down euro zone borrow-
ing costs but this was contin-
gent on government support
and subject to conditions.
Draghi also said the ECB
might consider additional
measures to calm markets
which have driven borrow-
ing costs for Italy and Spain
back near to levels that forced
Greece, Ireland and Portugal
to seek massive bailouts.
100 billion euro ($123 billion)
credit line from the European
Union for its stricken banking
sector but investors fear that
with its borrowing costs ris-
ing, it may in the end need a
full bailout.
Rajoy defended his con-
servative government's record,
recalling that it has reformed
the country's strict labour
laws, liberalised the transport
sector and restructured the fi-
nancial sector since taking of-
fice in December.
He recognised that Spain
had depended too much on
borrowings in the past and
now had to pay the price in
higher interest rates, noting
that Draghi's plan to intervene
on the bond markets was "an
important change."
Separately, the government
said it planned savings of 102
billion euros ($125 billion) by
2014 as it stepped up efforts
to balance the strained public
finances and bring them back
into line with EU norms.
The savings include 65
billion euros of tax hikes and
spending cuts contained in a
July austerity package, with
35 billion euros to come from
a hike in sales taxes while
the public sector, the regions,
health and education will all
In July, Brussels gave
Spain an extra year to 2014
to balance its books, saying
it must bring down the public
deficit — the shortfall between
spending and revenues — to
6.3 per cent of gross domestic
product this year from 8.9 per
cent in 2011, when it badly
missed its 6 per cent target.
For 2013, the deficit target
is 4.5 per cent and then 2.8 per
cent in 2014, taking it back
below the EU limit of 3 per
cent.
In Brussels, the European
Commission said it welcomed
the “adoption of Spain’s mul-
ti-annual budget plan.... We
expect the plan to fully under-
pin (the) targets.”
Rajoy conceded that the
cutbacks needed to meet the
targets “are not nice measures,
these are not popular meas-
ures. We do not promise mira-
cles. It is a huge task but not
an impossible task.
“You may not be in agree-
ment with some of the meas-
ures but nobody can say that
the government has not made
decisions,” he added.
Despite market pressure to
reduce spending further, Ra-
joy said he had “no intention
to lower pensions next year,”
based on current data. — AFP

Judge scolds Samsung, says

let patent trial proceed
SAN JOSE — The judge in a massive smart-
phone patent dispute reprimanded Samsung
yesterday for releasing excluded evidence but
denied a bid by Apple to order a verdict in the
case.
Judge Lucy Koh expressed irritation with
Samsung's release to the media of documents
she had ruled were not to be viewed by the jury
in the trial over patent infringement involving
the iPhone and other mobile devices.
Koh said Samsung lawyers "were on notice
that the possibility of a jury taint was real," and
scolded them for "a wilful attempt to propagate
that evidence they knew had been excluded."
But she rejected Apple's request for addi-
tional sanctions or to order a verdict in favour
of the Silicon Valley firm.
She polled the jurors, asking if they had
read any press coverage. One said he read a
headline online, but did not read any articles.
The others said they had read nothing.
"I will not let any theatrics or sideshows
distract us from what we are here to do, which
is to fairly hear this case," said Koh. when Samsung launched its Galaxy tablet
Apple said in court documents released on computer, alleged to be a copy of the iPad.
Thursday that "Samsung and its counsel have He said his reaction was “they’ve done it
engaged in bad faith litigation misconduct by again, they’re just going to copy our entire
attempting to prejudice the jury" by releasing product line.”
documents suggesting Samsung was working Another prominent Apple executive on the
on its own smartphone before the iPhone was stand on Friday was Scott Forstall, who built
released. the super-secret team that created the iPhone.
"Samsung was not allowed to tell the jury “We wanted to build something great with-
the full story and show the pre-iPhone design... out anyone else finding out what we were do-
in development at Samsung in 2006, before the ing and leaking it,” he testified.
iPhone," said the statement from the South Ko- The user interface features Apple is suing
rean firm. Samsung over — like double-tapping to navi-
As testimony resumed, Apple's senior gate a web page — were not small things, For-
vice-president of worldwide marketing, Philip stall told the jury.
Schiller, said he was stunned by copying un- “I personally dedicated years of my life to
dertaken by the South Korean electronics gi- this, as did hundreds of people on this team,”
ant. he said.
Schiller said Apple had spent more than
Jurors on Tuesday began hearing the big-
$1 billion marketing iPhones and iPads since
gest US patent trial in decades, with billions at
2008, in a campaign that presents the "product
stake for the tech giants.
as a hero."
The goal was to instil products with a high Apple is seeking more than $2.5 billion in
"lust factor," said Schiller. the case accusing the South Korean firm of in-
When Samsung came out with its Galaxy fringing on designs and other patents from the
line of smartphones similar to the iPhone, iPhone and iPad maker.
Schiller testified that he was "shocked" and This is one of several cases in courts around
that the copying created problems for his mar- the world involving the two electronics giants
keting team. in the hottest part of the tech sector — tablet
"When someone comes up with a product computers and smartphones.
that copies that design and copies (our) mar- While the results so far have been mixed
keting, customers get confused about whose in courts in Europe and Australia, Samsung
product is whose," said Schiller. is clearly on the defensive in the US case.
Schiller said he was “even more shocked” — AFP
 SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Reflections on Islam
Righteousness is key to Islamic teachings
By Dr Syed Bashir
Ahmad Kashmiri

HE Shaikh Ahmed al Khalili,
Grand Mufti of the Sultanate
Fair economic system
I
SLAM targets developing
of a righteous human be-
ing so as to qualify him
with worthiness of being the
vicegerent of Allah, the Crea-
tor, on the earth — the high-
est adornment of honour with
which Allah graced the human
being.
Human being was created
in the best form and to him was
subjugated all that is in the
universe; angels were made

E
CONOMY is the backbone of life and
people’s social, political, intellectual
and cultural concerns, among other
aspects of life, are pinned to the economy.
The Almighty made money the force that
forms the foundation of livelihood activi-
ties. Despite that, economy has to be put in
the right legitimate framework in terms of
Sharia, so that it would not impact the hu-
manity of a person.
Economy has to be managed according to
the Sharia method as defined by the Quran.
When the Industrial Revolution emerged
in the world (1750-1850), this was accom-
panied by the emergence of a social caste
system where the poor class was oppressed.
Another revolution, that of the Proletariat,
erupted, and this mechanism led to the start
of communist revolutions which promised
a paradise for the poor, but, instead, impov-
erished both the poor and the rich. At best
these revolutions equated people in depriva-
tion and humanity suffered for a long time
until the failure of this system.
Communism had to again give way to its
adversary, capitalism, and plead for rescue.
The problem also lies in injustice caused by
the caste system of capitalism. Communism
cannot find a solution in capitalism.
But the Islamic system is a middle
course, a fair system that gives individu-
als their rights. The poor are regarded with
mercy by the rich. They are not looked down
upon with contempt, but they live in contact
with the rich in a social mix.
The Almighty ordained the zakat to be
part of a Muslim’s faith (one of the five pil-
lars of faith). Apart from zakat, the poor find
solace through this system of mercy, which
also links stronger faith with charity from a
Muslim’s most beloved financial earnings to
the relatives, the orphans, the destitute, the
bankrupt traveller, the homeless and the en-
slaved ones seeking freedom.
These alms or extra ways of giving to the
needy (and be receiving reward by spiritual
promotion into the grades of devoutness) are
different from zakat because zakat is a reli-
gious obligation to be honoured in prescribed
quotas from a Muslim’s money linked to pe-
riods of maturity of funds (one year).
Assistance other than zakat becomes ob-
ligatory, even against little amounts of mon-
ey or food, when people are in urgent need.
Scholars said that, if one owns nothing but
a loaf of bread which he/she does not need
but knows that another person is hungry, the
owner of that loaf of bread has to give it to
the needy. This is the system of Islam which
narrows the gap between the classes. This
middle course does not deprive an individual
from his/her property, but sets ethical regu-
lations that consider the interests of others,
too. It develops human links between those
who have and those who do not have.
to prostate to him in respect;
he is the one who besides all
divine favours and honours,
was equipped with character-
istics that distinguished him
from the rank of animals and
other creatures.
To Islam, such a righteous
human being is the founda-
tion of a righteous family, of
a righteous society, of a right-
eous nation and of a righteous
mankind. "Personal integrity
must lead to a wholeness of
character in which narrow
partisanship can be banished
without curbing individual
freedom of thought. Man's
many-sided nature must be
developed, with special re-
gard to aspects in which our
world today may be reckoned
backward — the moral and
spiritual potentialities that
distinguish men from beasts."
Faith and Conviction
In Islam the human being
— before any other consid-
eration — is an entity of faith
and belief, the one who, in his
deliberation, is cognisant of
his own being and conscious
about the world around him.
He is not like a diabolic wild
plant that emerges without
anyone having sown it; the
universe around him has not
emerged on its own without
a designer having designed it
and a creator having created
it. He is conscious that he has
a Lord, Who created him, then
molded him proportionately
and then shaped him precise-
ly, Who taught him the ex-
pression, Who endowed him
with the intellect and the will,
Who sent His messengers to
him, Who revealed His guid-
ance for him, Who established
the evidence for him and de-
fined to him the purpose of
the existence and the path to
salvation.
"Not without purpose did
We create heaven and earth
and all between! that were
the thought of Unbelievers!
but woe to the Unbeliev-
ers because of the Fire (of
Hell)! Shall We treat those
who believe and work deeds
of righteousness, the same
as those who do mischief on
earth? Shall We treat those
who guard against evil, the
same as those who turn aside
from the right?" (Al-Qurān,
38:27-28)
Devotion and Piety
Human being of Islam,
similarly, is the human be-
ing of devotion and worship.
He knows that the universe
around him has been created
for him, but in turn he himself
was created for the servitude
of Allah alone. This knowl-
edge unfolds to him the pur-
pose of his life and the secret
of his existence on the earth.
Worship and servitude of
Allah — who has no partners
— is the objective of all his
objectives. He has been cre-
ated for this purpose and for
this very purpose, everything
existing in the universe, has
been subjugated to him. Al-
lah, the Omnipotent, says:
"I have only created Jinns
and men, that they may serve
Me. No Sustenance do I re-
quire of them, nor do I re-
quire that they should feed
Me. For God is He Who gives
(all) Sustenance,- Lord of
Power,- Steadfast (forever)."
Al-Qurān 51:64)
The creatures serve each
other — each of the species
serves some other specie or
species; solid bodies serve
the plants, plants serve the
animals and animals serve the
humankind. Who then, does
the human being — the finest
creature - serve?
The Muslim who complies
with this divine mission is
loved by Allah — for being
obedient to Him by submit-
ting to His commands, for ab-
staining from His prohibitions
and for making His fear and
piety his prime objectives of
his existence.
Devotion to Allah, before
anything else, is manifested
through establishment of the
major practices of worship
that Islam has made obligato-
ry and are considered to be its
pillars. These are the regular
obligatory prayers, fasting the
month of Ramadhan, the man-
datory charity (Zakāt) and pil-
grimage to Mecca (Haj), and
are complimented by remem-
brance, glorification, venera-
tion and exaltation of Allah,
supplication to Him and reci-
tation of his book, the Glori-
ous Qurān.
The Muslim remembers
In Islam the human being — before
any other consideration — is
an entity of faith and belief, the
one who, in his deliberation, is
cognisant of his own being
and conscious about the
world around him
his Lord all the time and in
every situation and deed; he
remembers Him while eating
and drinking, upon going to
sleep and upon waking up,
in mornings and in evenings,
upon setting out on journey
and upon return, upon wear-
ing his clothes, and upon rid-
ing his conveyance; he does
not forget remembrance of
Allah, the Exalted.
"Men who celebrate the
praises of God, standing, sit-
ting, and lying down on their
sides." (Al-Qurān, 3:191)
If followers of other re-
ligions worship their gods
merely once in a week, the
Muslim has to observe his
appointments with his Lord
through five mandatory
prayers each day. Moreover,
he is ever in touch with Him
through voluntary supereroga-
tory prayers, constant remem-
brance, supplications and by
seeking His forgiveness and
blessings.
"O ye who believe! Cel-
ebrate the praises of God,
and do this often; And glorify
Him morning and evening."
(Al-Qurān, 33:41-42)
Thus in brief, the Muslim
can enjoy the distinction of all
his life being an integral part
of the uninterrupted precision
guided system of worship,
provided he truly adheres to
the course of Allah and aims
at His gratification.
Noble Character
The Muslim — besides be-
ing a being of faith and belief,
and devotion and worship — is
a being of an upright character
and noble deeds. He embod-
ies purity with all its denota-
tions, and exemplifies virtues
of justice, mercy and altruism.
He has taken the Messenger
of Allah, peace be upon him,
as his moral compass for him
having been sent by Allah to
perfect the nobility of charac-
ter and to personify the apex
of morality.
From this greatest guide of
humankind in all times, he ob-
tains prudence and guidance,
and follows the right path of
his ideal role model; from
him, he acquires his noble
character so as to be nearest
possible to him on the Day of
Judgment.
Thus having chastened
himself by continuous train-
ing, struggle and self-moni-
toring, he triumphs over his
negative temptations and
cravings, to be transformed
from “soul certainly prone
to evil” to attain the state of
“self-reproaching spirit”.
“By the Soul, and the pro-
portion and order given to it;
And its enlightenment as to
its wrong and its right; - Tru-
ly he succeeds that purifies it,
And he fails that corrupts it!”
(Al-Qurān, 91:7-10)
This unceasing toil entitles
him to ultimate success of
having his piety triumph over
the lewdness of his soul and
thereby scale to attain the sta-
tus of “the serene soul” well
pleased and well-pleasing to
Him!
“O (thou) soul, in (com-
plete) rest and satisfac-
tion! Come back thou to thy
Lord,- well pleased (thyself),
and well-pleasing unto Him!
Enter thou, then, among My
devotees! Yea, enter thou My
Heaven!” (Al-Qurān, 89:27-
30)
Islam teaches that good
character and noble attitude
are the requisites of the belief
and exigencies of faith, just
as they are the innate fruits of
faithful worship.
If worship does not bear
the fruits of nobleness and
righteousness, it underlines
nothing but fakeness of wor-
ship.
The benevolent Messenger
enlightens us about inevitabil-
ity of existence of faith in the
form of morals, noble deeds
and virtues — for example
in two of his luminous com-
mandments, he says:
“He who believes in Al-
lah and in the day of judg-
ment, must brace the bond
of kinship; he who believes
in Allah and in the day of
judgment, must not harm his
neighbour; he who believes
in Allah and in the day of
judgment, must utter good or
maintain silence.”
“Faith comprises of
seventy-plus branches; the
highest of these branches is
(declaration of faith) ‘there
is no god, but the one and
only Allah’ and the lowest of
these branches is removing
of a harmful thing from the
road; modesty is one of these
branches.”
The obligatory canonical
acts of worship must lead to
purification of the soul, so
that these acts can bear fruits
of virtues and purge vices —
exactly as the glorious Qurān
has beckoned to this. About
the regular prayers (Salāt), it
says: “Prayer restrains from
shameful and unjust deeds”
(Al-Qurān, 29:45) “Of their
goods, take alms, that so thou
mightest purify and sanctify
them” (Al-Qurān, 9:7-103)
“Fasting is prescribed to
you as it was prescribed to
those before you, that ye may
(learn) self-restraint” (Al
Qurān, 2:183)
Many Hadeeth, narrated
by al Bukhāri compliment the
same spirit: “Whoever does
not give up uttering untruth
and acting on it, Allah is in
no need of him giving up
food and drink”.
“Many faster gains noth-
ing from his fasting except
hunger, and many a person
standing (to pray) by night
does not gain anything from
his standing (to pray) except
loss of sleep.”
(Dr. Syed Bashir Ahmad
Kashmiri, College of Arts
& Sciences, University of
Nizwa)

Auspicious Daily Supplication

16th Day of Ramadhan:
Oh! Allah, on this day, grant me compatibility
with the good, keep me away from patching up
with the evil, lead me in it, by Your mercy, to the
permanent abode, by Your Godship,
Oh! The God of the Worlds

Palestinians gather near the Dome of the Rock (R), on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary in Jerusalem’s Old City. — Reuters Pakistani Muslims offer prayers at the Data Darbar mosque in Lahore. — AFP
 RAMADHAN 26 SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

Body, mind and soul RAMADHAN TIMINGS — MUSCAT

July/ Ramadhan Fajr Sunrise Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha
T HIRD week of Ramadhan
and it is a lot of activities August 1433 AH (am) (am) (pm) (pm) Iftar (pm) (pm)
on 90.4 FM, Radio Sultanate
of Oman. Body, Mind and
On The Aug 5 16 04:16 05:38 12:18 03:42 06:53 08:10
Soul has been a regular
programme for more than ten Airwaves Aug 6
Aug 7
17
18
04:17
04:17
05:39
05:39
12:18
12:18
03:42
03:42
06:52
06:52
08:09
08:08
years. During the first two
Aug 8 19 04:18 05:39 12:18 03:42 06:51 08:07
weeks we have been reflecting By Lakshmi Kothaneth
on chapters from Body, Mind Aug 9 20 04:19 05:40 12:18 03:42 06:50 08:06
and Soul. That means the lkairwaves@gmail.com Aug 10 21 04:19 05:40 12:17 03:43 06:50 08:06
Aug 11 22 04:20 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:49 08:05
month of Ramadhan being with people who have faith. It Aug 12 23 04:20 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:48 08:04
divided into three parts — the seems like a chain reaction.
RAMADHAN OFFER first part mercy, the second Is it only some time we
Aug 13
Aug 14
24
25
04:21
04:22
05:41
05:42
12:17
12:17
03:43
03:43
06:47
06:47
08:03
08:02
COINCIDING with the Month of Ramadhan, the Observer has come up again with an attractive contest
for forgiveness and the third need to take for us to con-
for salvation. Forgiveness template that makes the dif- Aug 15 26 04:22 05:42 12:17 03:43 06:46 08:01
for its esteemed readers. All that the participants need to do is to fill in the coupons which will be featured
daily in the Observer throughout the Month. PARTICIPANTS SHOULD SEND ALL THE COUPONS IN seemed to be having a ference. Time is precious yet Aug 16 27 04:23 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:45 08:00
ONE BUNCH to the Oman Daily Observer, Post Box 974, PC 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Contestants special significance with our we fill our days with activities Aug 17 28 04:23 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:44 07:59
can send in any number of entries but no photocopies are allowed. Many valuable prizes are on offer. listeners, whether it is about that do not give us any returns. Aug 18 29 04:24 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:44 07:58
Winners will be decided in a draw. asking forgiveness or giving Perhaps it is the lifestyle of the
Note: Employees of Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising and their close relatives are
forgiveness. generation we are part of. Aug 19 (30) 04:25 05:44 12:16 03:42 06:43 07:57
NOT eligible to take part in this contest. Aug 20 04:25 05:44 12:16 03:42 06:42 07:56
Sheikh Khalfan al Esry, the Would the youngsters be
Islamic scholar who engages explained the importance
us on these deep reflections, of dedicating a few minutes
everyday between 1.30 and daily to ourselves just to con- TIMING IN OTHER REGIONS AS COMPARED TO MUSCAT
2.30pm and repeated from 9 to template?
10pm, explained how we ben- Sheikh Khalfan points out Area Sunrise Sunset Sohar +8 +4
efit when we forgive others. that the importance of time as (min) (min) Shinas +10 +4
But the key issue is we have to a resource can be one of the Adam +1 +5
16 forgive unconditionally. That
is when we can forget and
highest because this is one
thing we can never regain.
Ras Al Hadd
Al Ashkhara
Sur
–8
–9
–7
–4
–2
–3
Bahla
Liwa
Wadi Hibi
+3
+9
+8
+5
+5
+6
start all over again fresh. Once it is gone it is gone for- Wadi Bani Khalid –5 –2 Mahout –5 +7
How many of us still hold ever. The medical field has Qurayyat –3 –2 Qarn Al Alam –2 +7
onto past memories that are been investing in great deal to Jaalan –7 –1 Ibri/Yanqul +7 +7
painful that result in us stag- advance the facilities for the Al Kamil –6 –1 Mahdha +11 +11
Bidiya –4 0 Dhank +8 +8
nating and not moving for- benefit of our health. Yet no
Ibra –3 0 Fahoud +5 +9
ward. But there must be so one has been able to bring us Bid Bid +1 +1 Al Buraimi +11 +9
much more that is meant for back lost time. Samayil +1 +1 Ras Madraka –7 +10
us in life but we miss all these But the hope is this state- Barka +2 +1 Al Duqm –5 +10
opportunities just because we ment — ‘It’s never too late.’ It Nakhl +2 +1 Al Khuwair +11 +12
are looking the other way. is never too late to realise the Al Mudhaibi –1 +2 Haima +1 +15
Yet again one of our listeners time management of our life, Al Musana +3 +2 Al Jazir –2 +16
had asked what is that would but to think a little more about Izki +1 +3 Al Halaniyat –2 +20
Saiq +2 +3 Maqshan +6 +21
keep us in a positive mode the universe and the mira-
Al Rustaq +1 +2 Marmool +2 +22
even when we are being chal- cles that surround us, most of Al Awabi +4 +5 Mirbat +2 +26
lenged. The answer was hope. which we take for granted. Al Hamra +5 +3 Taqa/Al Mamura +4 +28
Hope is a beautiful gift and From this week on wards Al Khaburah +6 +3 Thamrait +6 +28
the best part of it is that we are we will be taking live calls for Musandam +14 +3 Salalah/Raysut +5 +29
all gifted with it. It is only the questions to Sheikh Khalfan Masirah –8 +4 Rakhyout +5 +30
realisation that differs in us. Al Esry in the programme be- Nizwa/Manah +2 +4 Sarfait/Dalkout +8 +33
Yet again hope is prominent tween 1.30 and 2.30 pm. Saham +7 +4 Habrout +11 +34
 RAMADHAN 27 SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

PEOPLE’S
PLATFORM
Iftar events bring people together
I
FTAR (breaking of the fast)
The prayer leaders in their ser- The Prophet (peace be upon and import substitution approach
gatherings at different mosques
mons and speeches emphasise the him) said paradise lies at the feet to development. Oman’s economic
in Oman and other countries
importance of Islam’s shared vi- of your mother. He said the best diversification programme as de-
are an incredibly spiritual experi-
sion among Muslims. They define among you are those who are best fined in the Vision 2020 is also in-
ence where shared values of Islam
what Islam stands for so everyone with their wives. spiring and pushing the country to
such as unity, solidarity, charity,
has ownership. For example, Is- Islam allows the woman to take greater development.
and mutual love come to the fore
lam advocates financial, moral and up decision making positions, to — Abdul Razaq
in a big way. People sit close to
intellectual support for needy as vote in elections and be elected Editor: Indeed economic plan-
each other, break the fast together,
well as oppressed people in differ- by voters, own and invest her own ning is a pre-requisite for the
eat the dinner together and offer
ent parts of the world. They define property, work outside, and pur- success of the diversification pro-
prayers together, thus cementing what binds Muslims together. sue higher education. Islam frees grammes. The GDP is on the rise
Muslim unity and solidarity. The importance of prayer lead- her from the joint family or from because Oman’s economy has been
Oman is dotted with mosque ers’ involvement in developing a attending to her husband’s male expanding and growing in all sec-
and at every mosque and office shared vision, urging Muslims to relatives. tors.
arrangements for Iftar have been make decisions consistent with the — Safia
made. Omani as well as expatri- vision, and promoting accountabil- Omanisation in
ate Muslims daily attend iftar and Editor: Women’s rights in Islam
ity for actions is very important. are well protected. Oman presents private sector
prayers.

Generally the iftar includes
various types of fruits, dates,
juices, yogurt, bread and water.
During this month, people includ-
ing old and young compete with
one another to serve the faithful at
T
Shared values of Islam are at the a model in this respect. Omani
heart of unity and solidarity amng HE National Manpower Em-
women are active in all fields of ployment Index shows that
world Muslims. human endeavour.
— Omar 1,126 citizens received jobs
Editor: All Islamic events bring Oman’s GDP at in private sector establishments in
people together, cement unity and one week, (July 27-August 1).
RO 7.37 billion This is very good news. Omani
solidarity and promote peace in

the time of iftar both as volunteers
and as donors of funds. The youth
volunteers play a commendable
role by extending various services
to the fasting people at different
mosques.
Basically, iftar banquets bring
people together, develop goodwill
in society and cement unity and
solidarity among people. Those
who regularly pray in mosques
make new friends in the pious
and righteous environment of the
mosque and these friendships pros-
per over time in that people coop-
erate with one another in promot-
ing good values and preventing the
evil. These friendships are built on
shared values of Islam and mutual
love and understanding.
society. The month of Ramadhan in
particular promotes these healthy
trends.
Women’s rights
I
N this month of Ramadhan, it is
befitting to talk about women’s
rights. Islam guarantees complete
freedom of expression, movement
and activity, trade and investment to
women. But in some countries, the
woman is not always allowed these
rights in practice and therefore it is
appropriate to enact laws in the light
of Shari’ah (Islamic law) to make
sure that she gets her due. Full face
veil, for example, is not binding in
Islam and is not commonly found
in Muslim countries.
Islam gives her rights to di-
I
T was heartening to read in your
newspaper that the Sultanate’s
Gross Domestic Product GDP at
the end of March this year stood at
RO 7. 371 billion compared to RO
6.198.6 billion at the end of March
2011.
Similarly, the non-oil exports
of the country are on the increase.
The reason is simple. The authori-
ties have been trying hard to ex-
vorce, and to be socially active. itually rich and socially active life. “Qawwam”, which means “protec- pand the industrial sector and have
Islam grants her a balanced, spir- The Glorious Quran says men are tor and maintainer” of women. been pursuing an export promotion
Do you have a word of appreciation for any services you received? Or suggestions for improvement? Observer is giving
you an opportunity to rant or rave about anything and everything around you: Please write to:
Tel: 24649451, Fax: 24649469; e-mail: observerfeatures@gmail.com
citizens deserve more jobs in the
private sector because the public
sector has employed maximum
number of the nationals.
Another point which is very
important is that more and more
Omani citizens must be encour-
aged to join media organisations of
the country.
In recent times, one can see
Omanis in the media centres but
more training programmes are
needed to ensure that they also join
English media organisations.
— Suhail Ahmed
Editor: Indeed greater repre-
sentation of the Omani nationals
in media organisations is very im-
portant. This calls for more train-
ing programmes.

Fasting, diabetes Loneliness, living alone tied to shorter lifespan Writing in the Archives
HEALTHY
FOODS
and diet of Internal Medicine, the re-
searchers speculate that in
people under 80, living alone

M
USLIMS who could signal psychological and By Mini Padikkal
fast during social problems like job strain
Ramadhan or loneliness. In contrast, very
must abstain from eat- old people who live on their
ing, drinking, sensual
pleasures, use of oral
medications, and smok-
own may be healthier and
more independent than those
who don’t. Garlic the Great
G
Whatever the explanation,
ing (smoking is un- ARLIC is the original crime fighter! It battles vil-
Bhatt said cardiologists should
healthy and one should lains inside and outside the body from vampires
routinely ask their patients if
stop completely) from to the dreaded ‘evil eye’ to common cold. All of
they live alone.
predawn to after sunset; us consume many harmful chemicals and toxins with our
“If the answer is yes, that
however, there are no re- food. If we eat garlic daily, it expels toxins from our body
might be a red flag and they
strictions on food or flu- through pores of skin.
should make sure the pa-
id intake between sunset Garlic is one of nature’s wonder drugs, for the heart
tients have a way to get their
and dawn. whether taken as food or pills. The bulb is packed with
medicine regularly,” he said.
By Ali Said Ali al Mandhry Most people con- at least four hundred chemicals, including many antioxi-
Meanwhile, patients living
sume two meals per day dants, that guard cells from damage, protect arteries, pro-
solo should think twice before
during this month, one after sunset, referred to in Arabic mote blood flow, and retard aging. Garlic contains dozens
ignoring changes that might be
as iftar (breaking of the fast meal), and the other before of therapeutic compounds. These are the most important:
a sign of health problems.
dawn, referred to as suhur (predawn). Allin, Allicin, Ajoene, Sulfur containing Amino Acids,
“Many times people just
What happens to your body during fasting? Organic Sulfide Compounds. All these therapeutic com-
adapt to their circumstances,”
Food is the fuel for our body and we need this fuel pounds have a
he said. “Perhaps just lower
for energy, to help our body grow and repair itself, and very important
your threshold a little bit and
to keep warm. roles in cholester-
realise it’s better to call (the
Usually your body enters into a fasting state eight or ol lowering and
doctor) than not to call.”
so hours after the last meal. Your body will initially use clot prevention.
But that might not be the

P
stored sources of glucose (from food intake) and then Garlic blocks
EOPLE with heart dis- doctor’s office or emergency were 45 or older, from multi- whole story, he acknowl-
later in the fast it will break down body fat to use as the blood platelets
ease who live alone tend room if they are not looking ple countries across the globe. edged.
next source of energy. from sticking to
to die sooner than those well.” Over the four years the “Other mechanisms by
Using your body’s fat stores as an energy source can, each other or the
sharing their home with oth- Earlier research has yielded study lasted, 7.7 per cent of which living alone could in-
in the long run, help to reduce your cholesterol levels and walls of arteries
ers, a new study shows. mixed conclusions, but studies participants younger than 65 crease cardiac risk have to do
blood pressure as well as your weight. Losing weight, , the first step to
Although the reasons for have linked social isolation who lived on their own died, with possible social isolation
particularly if you are overweight, can also lead to better artery clogging.
the gap are still murky, lead to everything from heart at- compared to just 5.7 per cent and loneliness, and these are
control of diabetes. Garlic chemicals
researcher Dr Deepak Bhatt tacks to weakened immune of those who didn’t live alone. more challenging to fix,” Bhatt
have a range of
Ramadhan tips for diabetics and others: said access to regular medi- systems. The gap was smaller for said. Indeed, another report
talents: as cho-
1. It is common practice that the intake of food rich in car- cine might be involved. Bhatt, of Harvard Medical people age 66 to 80, but it published along with Bhatt’s
lesterol reducers, anticoagulants, blood pressure reducers,
bohydrates and saturated fats rises during Ramadhan. “Patients living alone may School in Boston, and his col- remained statistically reliable shows older people who felt
and anti-inflammatory agents. Some research suggests
Continue a varied and balanced diet. Maintaining a have more difficulty getting leagues focused specifically even after accounting for age, lonely had more difficulty per-
that garlic behaves much like class of prescription blood
healthy diet is important for everyone (regardless of their medications refilled and on people with known heart sex, employment, ethnicity forming basic tasks of daily
pressure drugs called angiotensin — converting enzymes.
Ramadhan), but it is vital for people with diabetes. taking them regularly,” Bhatt disease or at very high risk for and country. The living situa- living and died younger than
Garlic has also been found to have beta blocker activity
2. It is important for diabetics (both type 1 and 2) that said. “They also don’t have it. They included more than tion of those over 80, however, those who didn’t feel alone.
by decreasing the strength and frequency of vascular mus-
you consult and speak to your diabetes healthcare team anyone at home to call the 44,000 people, all of whom wasn’t tied to death rates. — Reuters Health
cle contractions. Beta –blockers are well known heart and
beforehand if you are planning to fast. Your diabetes blood pressure drugs.
healthcare team may advise you to change the time, There are studies indicate that garlic can kill bacteria
type or dose of medication to ensure your blood glu-
cose levels are well controlled throughout the fasting Clue to why women live longer discovered Too much salt and can act as an effective anti bacterial agent. The amount
of allicin produced in one clove of garlic after chopping

A
period.
3. If you are diabetic, ensure that you check your blood GENETIC clue to
glucose levels more often. why women outlive
4. Remember to use less oil in cooking and avoid fried men has been found in
food and prefer grilling and baking. This practice and a study of fruit flies by British
the choice of cooking method should apply throughout
the year.
researchers.
The research, published in
the journal Current Biology,
5. When you break the fast, only have small quantities of
sugary and fatty foods such as dates, sweets, samosas, show that a set of DNA inher-
as too many can make you gain weight. Then include ited from the mother can be
more slowly absorbed foods that have a lower glycae- harmful to males and speed up
mic index such as, rice, pitta bread and chapattis. male ageing, Xinhua reported
6. Drink as much water and/or some (not excessive) fruit on Friday.
juices as possible between iftar and bedtime so that Researchers from Lancas-
your body may adjust fluid levels in time and to avoid ter University said the results
dehydration and formation of kidney stones. point to numerous mutations
7. At suhur (do not overeat) eat slow-digesting foods so within mitochondrial DNA
that the food lasts longer making you less hungry. that affect how long males
These are known as complex carbohydrates, foods live, and speed at which they
that contain grains and seeds like barely, wheat, oats, age.
millet, semolina, beans, lentils, whole meal flour and Mitochondrial DNA, which
unpolished rice. is found in many species, in-
Refined or simple carbohydrates (ie sugary food: cluding human, is inherited
cakes, pudding etc), especially at suhur, should be avoid- through the mother only.
ed for both diabetics and non-diabetics. Otherwise the So there is no evolution
body produces too much insulin causing the blood glu- pressure from the male side
cose to drop, resulting in hypoglycaemia, which could to sieve out those mutations
be serious. that are just harmful to male,
researchers said after carrying
Don’t use diabetic foods or drinks — they offer no
experiments with fruit flies.
benefit to people with diabetes. They will still affect
The unaffected females
your blood glucose levels and they contain just as much
will continue to pass on those
fat and calories.
mutations to their sons.
— The author is a retired PDO Head of Medical
The accumulation of those
Laboratory and ex-editor of PDO Health Newsletter
mutations could eventually
lead to the difference of lon-
gevity between male and fe-
male. That theory was named
“Mother’s Curse” by some
researchers.
“We show that Mother’s
Curse is much broader in its
effects on male life history
than previously envisaged, re-
sulting in the build-up of mu-
tations that cause males to age
faster, and live shorter lives
than females,” said David
Clancy of Lancaster Univer-
sity.
He said these findings offer
a new and compelling expla-
nation to one of life’s greatest
puzzles — why the female
of many species, including
humans, live longer than the
males.
Generally women outlive
men by about five to six years.
By age 85 there are roughly
six women to every four men
and by age 100 the ration is
more than two to one.
may damage was found to be effective against killing vancomycin resist-
ant Enterococci and methicillin — resistant staphylococcus
blood vessels aureus. Phyto chemicals in this wonderful bulb attributed
to protecting your body from harm, such as allicin, a bacte-
ria killer, saponin, a cholesterol soaker; and coumaric acid,
E ATING a high-salt
diet for several years
may damage blood vessels
a cancer fighter, to name a few.
You can also try garlic juice if you don’t feel like eating
your meals and always feel filled up. It can stimulates your
— increasing your risk
appetite and makes you feel hungry. Trying it on you or
of developing high blood
your family members is a good idea if anyone complains
pressure, according to
of low appetite.
research reported in the
Research found that garlic may help to boost the birth
American Heart Association
weight of babies and decrease preeclampsia and complica-
journal Circulation.
tions at birth.
People with this type of
Garlic is available in powder, flakes and oil form, as
blood vessel damage who
well as chopped and pureed versions. Always store garlic
eat a high-salt diet are more
in a cool, dark place — do not refrigerate! Peeling, crush-
likely to develop hyperten-
ing and cutting garlic increase the number and variety of
sion, or high blood pressure.
active compounds including an enzyme called allinase that
This research hints at the
produce diallyl disulphide. Don’t cook with it right away!
presence of a “sodium am-
Scientist recommended waiting 15 minutes between peel-
plification loop” in which
ing and cooking garlic to allow the allinase reaction to oc-
eating too much salt for a
cur. Do light cooking — long cooking destroys its benefi-
long time damages blood cial compounds. If you don’t like garlic breath, or reject
vessels, leading to a greater fresh garlic for other reasons, take garlic supplement. You
chance of developing high can chew some parsley leaves after a garlic meal that may
blood pressure if the high- reduce any mouth odour.
salt diet is continued. Valued as a health-protector for thousands of years, gar-
The study’s results “add
lic bulbs are very useful to our health. Consuming garlic
to the considerable evidence
in any form every day keeps you healthy and fit. It is good
that a diet heavy on salt is
for your heart and reduces the chances of heart disease to
closely linked to high blood
a great extent.
pressure,” said John For-
(The writer is a dietician at Atlas star Medical Centre,
man, MD, lead author of the
Al Khuwair, Muscat.)
study.

Bright colours adorn Egyptian streets during Ramadhan
By Ra’al al Jardaniya
E
GYPTIAN people
are keen to add a joy-
ful atmosphere before
Ramadhan starts, every street
and home in Egypt prepares
to celebrate this month well in
advance. Some of the manifes-
tations of celebrations are the
flags and colourful lights with
their different shapes. Shops,
cafes and homes are well lit
Women’s exhibition by bank muscat concludes
T
HE recently concluded
two-day women’s ex-
hibition, held at bank
muscat head office, was a
big success. The exhibition
was part of the 2nd ‘Layali al
Khair’ (Ramadhan Evenings)
of the bank.
All the participants make
Thalassery Muslim Welfare Association organised an iftar gathering and Zakat collection at Muscat Tower, Wadi Kabir.
Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising; P.O. Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman; Tel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 Š Fax: 24699643 Š Website: omanobserver.om
Š e-mail: editor@omanobserver.om Š Salalah Office: Tel: 23292633, Fax: 23293909 Š Nizwa Office: Tel: 25411099, P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611 Š ADVERTISING: AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. Box 3303,
Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: SWITCHBOARD: 24649444, DIRECT: 24649430/24649437/24649401, Fax: 24649434 Š DISTRIBUTION AGENT: AL OMANEYA FOR DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING,
up with Ramadhan lanterns,
which are an expression of the
bright colours of this month,
according to Mustafa Abdul
Gawad, Head of Press and
Information Office in the Em-
bassy of Arab Republic Egypt,
in Muscat.
The (Ramadhan lantern)
is one of the most important
aspects of the celebration. It
is one of the features of this
month in Egypt, where all chil-
their living working from
home, and bank muscat has
offered a public platform to
exhibit their wares. Visitors
were able to pick and choose
from the products in 26 stalls,
including abayas, jalabiyas,
accessories, home decoration,
food stuff and much more.
Chief Executive Officer DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI. Editor-in-Chief FAHMI BIN KHALID AL HARTHY
P.O. Box 974, P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: 24649351/24649360, Fax: 24649379, subscribe@omandaily.om
dren buy it to revive the nights
of the fasting month and to
sing its famous heritage songs.
The main dishes which dis-
tinguish Egyptian food is Al
Mahashi, red and white meat,
in addition to the vegetables
and dry fruits which are local-
ly named as Khushaf. On the
other hand some of the tradi-
tional dishes like as Al Kush-
ari have disappeared from the
scene during Ramadhan. The
The exhibition turned out
to be an exciting event for the
whole family. The Kids Zone
engaged the children while
their parents shopped. Carrom
board games for men, henna
painting for women, and a
raffle draw also added to the
fun. A festive atmosphere was
Printers and Publishers OMAN ESTABLISHMENT FOR PRESS, PUBLICATION AND ADVERTISING
RAMADHAN 28
sweets which most Egyptians
prefer to eat during this season
are Basbosah, Kunafa and Ruz
Blaban. Ruz blaban is rice that
is mixed with some sugar and
other flavours.
As in other Arab countries
mosques in Egypt are crowd-
ed with people coming in for
prayers, especially during Al
Traweeh. The crowd of devo-
tees extend to almost one-
and-a-half kilometres outside
created to the delight of all the
visitors, while Al Wisal radio
channel interviewed organis-
ers, participants and visitors to
get their on-the-spot feedback
of the event.
Aliya al Balushiya, Events
and Sponsorships, bank mus-
cat, commented: “We are
pleased to see such an enthu-
siastic response to the bank’s
initiative. More than 150 visi-
tors turned up on the first day,
alone! Many Omani women
showcased their products for
the first time and already want
to do so again.” She continued,
“We would like to thank Amal
Jawad Sultan, the visitors, the
bank muscat team and all the
participants for making this
event a big success. We shall
certainly consider doing simi-
lar events in the future.”
bank muscat organises and
supports similar events for
Omani women to encourage
vocational and employment
opportunities; and support
these women to become fi-
nancially independent and self
sustainable.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012
the mosque and the numbers
could easily cross over one
million.
Egyptian nights are spent
more in worship. Usually,
Egyptian people spend the last
days of Ramadhan in mosques
worshiping after breaking
their fasting till Al Sahoor
starts. The Ministry of Awqaf
and Islamic holy sites have
organised and sponsored these
holy nights in Jordan also. The Some of the manifestations of the celebrations in
Ramadhan tents are open for
all those who want to break Egypt are the flags and colourful lights with their
their fast, including the gener- different shapes. Shops, cafes and homes are well
al public and foreigners. These
tents are named “Al Rahman”
and it is made for those who
lit up with Ramadhan lanterns, which are an ex-
live far away from their fami-
lies and relatives.
pression of the bright colours of this month
Sahoor in Egypt has its
main dish as well, called AL
Fool, which is made from
cheese and eggs and is the
main course of Egyptian sa-
hoor along with Tamiyah,
which causes a lot of thirst.
People also go around vis-
iting relatives and neighbours
during the Ramadhan nights
in order to strengthen and ex-
pand their social relations and
the links between members of
the community. On the first
day of Ramadhan usually the
Egyptians gather at the house
of their grandparents for
breaking their fast and praying
together.
They also have a habit of
having iftar or sahoor in res-
taurants as a kind of socialis-
ing with friends and relatives
and stay out till midnight.
Children celebrate Qaranqasho
at Bait Al Zubair Museum
T
HOUSANDS of
children and fami-
lies from different
areas of Muscat attended a
special Qaranqasho event
at the Bait Al Zubair Mu-
seum, on the 14th evening
of the blessed month of
Ramadhan (August 3rd in
the Gregorian calendar)
and enjoyed a fun filled
evening.
Commenting on the
evening’s activities, a staff
member of the museum,
Musa’b al Jabri, explained,
“The Qaranqasho evening
kicked off with children
receiving gift bags full of
goodies to eat and play
with. We distributed more
than 1,500 gift bags and re-
ceived over 2,000 people,
so next year we will have
to arrange more gifts.
“The children then had
their faces painted in a myr-
iad of butterflies, snakes,
flowers, henna designs,
and superhero characters.
Habibi the Turtle was also
there, from Shangri-La’s
Barr Al Jissah Resort and
Spa, for the kids to meet. A
traditional band from Sidab
performed special songs
and the whole place was
alive with their rhythmic
music and dance.”
He went on to express
his appreciation by saying,
“We would like to thank
all our team and the event
would not have been pos-
sible without the support
of the Zubair Corporation
and our generous sponsors
at the Zubair Automotive
Group, Zubair Furnishing,
Zubair Electric, TBWA/
Zeenah, Larsen and Toubro
Oman, Larsen and Toubro
Electromech, Infocomm,
Oman Oil Industry Sup-
plies and Services, Oman
Sweets, Business Interna-
tional Group, Oasis Water,
and Shangri-La’s Barr Al
Jissah Resort and Spa.”
To visit Bait Al Zubair
Museum and learn more
about Oman’s rich cultural
history during Ramadhan
the timings are from Sat-
urday to Thursday from
9.30am to 2.30pm. To get
more information about
Bait Al Zubair events and
activities visit them on
Facebook www.facebook.
com/bait.alzubair.museum
and Twitter: @Bait_AlZu-
bair.