DHOFAR TOURISM - Oman Observer

SUNDAY | AUGUST 14, 2016 | DHUL QA’ADA 10, 1437 AH
VOL. 35 NO. 274 | PAGES 32 | BAISAS 200
Editor-in-Chief
www.omanobserver.om
editor@omanobserver.om
ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI
Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising
PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
TIME TO STOP BLAMING BREXIT FOR THE BRITISH PROPERTY SLOWDOWN P21
OMAN
HM greetings to
Pakistan President
MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has
sent a cable of greetings to President
Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan on
the occasion of the anniversary of his
country’s independence. In his cable,
His Majesty the Sultan expressed his
sincere greetings and best wishes to the
President, wishing him good health and
happiness and the friendly people of
Pakistan steady progress and prosperity.
GOOD VS EVIL’ AGAIN AS BOLT, GATLIN READY FOR 100M DUEL P26
BRUSSEL “FLOWER CARPET” HAS JAPANESE THEME P30
DHOFAR TOURISM
What is lacking, what is needed?
The priority is to develop tourism infrastructure so that Dhofar continues to draw tourists, especially during the khareef
FENCE
BUS The authorities provide buses for carrying
Absence of a fence has put the lives
of both adults and children at risk,
they feel. Tourists’ safety should
be top priority for the tourism
department, according to them.
visitors to the sites instead of allowing every tourist
to take his / her own car. This will help reduce traffic
and prevent chaos,”
RIO OUTING ENDS
ROAD
At some places, visitors have to walk at least
two kilometres on muddy ground to approach
their destination. That is because these places,
according to the visitors, are inaccessible
LITTERING
Oman’s Barakat al Harthi finished third
in his heat with a timing of 10.22
seconds and failed to qualify for the
semifinals of the 100 metres at the Rio
Olympics. Barakat competed in heat
six of the 100 metres competition
where Jamaica’s Yohan Blake (10.11)
and Jak Ali Harvey (10.14) of Turkey
came first and second respectively to
qualify for the semis in Rio De Janeiro.
Littering
is one
aspect the
tourism
department
should
pay
serious
attention
to, they
felt.
WORLD
More UN troops
to South Sudan
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations
Security Council authorised the
deployment of a 4,000-strong protection
force in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, as
part of the UN peacekeeping mission
and threatened an arms embargo if
the government does not cooperate.
The US-drafted resolution was adopted
with 11 votes in favour. Russia, China,
Egypt and Venezuela abstained. The
authorisation follows several days of
heavy fighting involving tanks and
helicopters in Juba last month.
REPORT ON P12
INSIDESTORIES
6
THAI AUTHORITIES HUNT
TOURIST TOWN BOMBERS
P
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE,
THE TRUMP TRAIN STALLS
P
9
THE ABSENCE OF INFORMATION IS A MAJOR
IMPEDIMENT FOR VISITORS.
“There are no more IS fighters” left
in Manbij, an SDF member said.
Kurdish television showed footage of
jubilant civilians in Manbij, including
smiling mothers who had shed their
veils and women embracing Kurdish
fighters.
One woman burned a black robe
that the group had forced residents
to wear, while men who had lived for
weeks under a shaving ban cut their
beards.
“The battle was very hard,” a Kurdish
source said, adding that the group had
laid mines in the city.
Britain-based monitor the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights
reported that several hundred of the
civilians taken from Manbij were no
longer being.
“Among the civilians taken by IS
there were people used as human shields
but also many who chose voluntarily to
leave the town due to fear of reprisals”
by the SDF, Observatory head Rami
Abdel Rahman said. SEE ALSO P13
13
YEMEN REBELS DEFY GOVT AND
CONVENE PARLIAMENT
P
WEATHER TODAY
MUSCAT
MAX: 350C
MIN: 290C
SALALAH
MAX: 260C
MIN: 230C
NIZWA
MAX: 420C
MIN: 310C
SUNRISE 05.41 AM
PRAYER TIMINGS
FAJR: 04:20
DHUHR: 12:11
ASR: 15:37
MAGHRIB: 18:40
ISHA: 20:10
wading in water at some places, some of
which are prone to flooding. Authorities must
warn them against going too close to
water, they felt.
GARBAGE BINS
Due to the shortage of waste bins, plastic
bags and water bottles are found thrown
at several tourist places. “There are very
few garbage bins, so where do we drop the
waste,” they asked.
The Ministry of Tourism recently announced the launch of a new initiative in 2017. Titled the ‘National
Tourism Strategy’, it will focus on places that have the potential to achieve a significant jump in footfalls.
IS releases hundreds of
‘human shields’ in Syria
BEIRUT: IS group have released
hundreds of civilians they used as
human shields while fleeing a crumbling
stronghold in northern Syria, but the
fate of others remained unknown on
Saturday.
The last remaining IS fighters
abandoned Manbij near the Turkish
border on Friday after a rout that the
Pentagon said showed the extremists
were “on the ropes”.
The retreat from the city which IS
captured in 2014 marked the group’s
worst defeat yet at the hands of the
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an
Arab-Kurdish alliance supported by US
air power.
Fleeing fighters took around
2,000 civilians, including women and
children, on Friday to ward off air strikes
as they headed to the IS-held frontier
town of Jarabulus, according to the SDF.
At least some of the civilians were later
released or escaped, the alliance said on
Saturday, but the whereabouts of the
rest was unknown.
WADING Many visitors have been found
A Syria Democratic Forces fighter helps civilians who were evacuated by the SDF
from an IS-controlled neighbourhood of Manbij in Syria on Saturday.
— Reuters
REPORT ON P2
PHOTO BY
ARVIND BHANDARE
Meteor shower illuminates night skies
RAY PETERSEN
NIZWA
August 13: A wet and windy afternoon
in and around Jebel Akdhar made for
pessimism among hundreds seeking a
glimpse of the Perseids Meteor Shower
on Friday night.
However, the weather cleared during
the late afternoon on the upper plateaus
of the Green Mountain, and as daylight
faded a great deal more optimism had
surfaced.
On the wadi beds, about half-way
between Jebel Akdhar, and the Alila
Resort, many people, ranging from
astronomical enthusiasts to those
simply curious, arranged themselves for
a night of stargazing.
The shower really came into its own
from midnight, as an assortment of tiny
stars with just a short ‘light-life’ or ‘flare-
The shower really came
into its own from
midnight, as an
assortment of tiny stars
with just a short ‘light-life’
or ‘flare-rate’ infrequently
caught the eye.
rate’ infrequently caught the eye.
However, the real entertainment
wasn’t to be missed, and it was a massive
comet with a white tail that seemed to
stretch hallway across the sky, that set
the tone for later.
Watchers had been advised to
concentrate on the North Eastern sky,
which was a good indication, but the
flares seemed to occur from almost all
points of the compass, though the larger
were predominantly across the North
Eastern sky from right to left.
Two in particular seemed to have
reddish-pink tails, as part of an amazing
demonstration of another natural
phenomenon here in Oman.
Watchers offered mixed opinions,
ranging from, “I’m a bit disappointed,
because I thought it would actually be a
sort of a ‘Star Wars’ kind of thing, but it
was still nice,” to, “It was amazing. It was
actually more like you were up, looking
down on this happening. Sort of like
looking for fish in a pond, and they (the
stars), always seemed to shoot across the
edge of your vision.”
TURN TO P2
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OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
TOURIST ARRIVALS GROW DOUBLE-DIGIT
POSITIVE NEWS: Revenues from tourism amounted to around $1.5 billion in 2015
VINOD NAIR
MUSCAT
August 13: Oman recorded doubledigit growth of 16 per cent in
international arrivals in 2015, a
rebound from the weaker results
in the early 2010s, according to
a 2016 report by World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO).
Oman has been also ranked eighth
in the Middle East for the world
tourism revenues 2015 with around
$1.5 billion, with UAE topping the list.
The Middle East has a share of
over four per cent in both worldwide
arrivals and receipts. Growth was
driven by intraregional demand from
member states of GCC.
International tourist arrivals in
the Middle East (up two per cent)
were estimated to have grown by
one million in 2015, increasing the
total to 53 million. The other Middle
East country to record a double digit
growth was up 12 per cent.
It may be noted that the number
of arriving passengers at Muscat
Airport has hit the 2,864,137 mark,
an increase of 18 per cent compared
to 2,428,167 arrivals during the same
period in 2015.
At Salalah Airport, traffic increased
by 13 per cent in June to 492,964
compared to 435,568 passengers in
June 2015.
Tourism flows were influenced
by three major factors in 2015: the
unusually strong exchange rate
fluctuations, the decline in the price
of oil and other commodities, and
increased global concern about safety
and security.
In 2015, slightly over half of all
overnight visitors travelled to their
destination by air (54 per cent), while
the remainder travelled by surface
transport (46 per cent) — whether by
road (39 per cent), rail (two per cent)
or water (five per cent). The trend
over time has been for air transport to
grow at a somewhat faster pace than
surface transport, thus the share of air
transport is gradually increasing.
According to Tourism Towards
2030, the number of international
tourist arrivals worldwide is expected
to increase by an average of 3.3 per
cent a year over the period 2010 to
2030
The region has consolidated the
rebound that started in 2014, when
arrivals increased by seven per cent,
following three years of decline. It
may be noted that the international
tourism receipts increased by four per
cent in real terms to $ 54 billion.
Qatar posted a four per cent
increase, making it the only country
16%
THE POWER OF
TRAVEL
8TH
Oman has
been also
ranked
eighth in
the Middle
East for
the world
tourism revenues 2015
with around
$1.5
BILLION,
with UAE
topping
the list.
3.3%
PASSENGERS
AT MUSCAT AIRPORT
18%
increase
2015
2,428,167
AT
SALALAH
AIRPORT
Oman sees 16%
growth in tourist
arrivals in 2015
13%
increase
2016
2015
2016
492,964
2,864,137 435,568
TOURISM FLOWS WERE INFLUENCED BY THREE MAJOR FACTORS IN 2015
IN 2015,
SLIGHTLY OVER
HALF OF ALL
OVERNIGHT
VISITORS TRAVELLED
TO THEIR
DESTINATION BY
increased global
concern about
safety and security
the decline in the
price of oil and
other commodities
the unusually
strong exchange
rate fluctuations
54% 46% 39%
2%
5%
SURFACE
TRANSPORT
RAIL
WATER
AIR
ROAD
According to Tourism Towards 2030, the number of
international tourist arrivals worldwide is expected to increase
by an average of 3.3 per cent a year over the period 2010 to 2030
Graphics: Raja Choudhury/Observer
Tourism flows were
influenced by three
major factors in 2015: the
unusually strong exchange
rate fluctuations, the
decline in the price of oil
and other commodities,
and increased global
concern about safety and
security.
in the region that has maintained
consistent growth for over a decade.
The region’s leading destination, Saudi
Arabia, reported a small decline of
one per cent.
Egypt reported a five per cent
decrease in arrivals in 2015 as a result
of various incidents. Jordan and
Palestine also received fewer arrivals.
The Middle East and Africa are
also expected to more than double
their number of arrivals during this
period, from 61 million to 149 million
and from 50 million to 134 million
respectively.
Europe (from 475 million to 744
million) and the Americas (from
150 million to 248 million) will grow
comparatively more slowly.
Infotainment trip to Salalah for the elderly
AMAL AL RIYAMI
NIZWA
August 13: The Omani Association
for Elderly Friends organised an
entertainment and educational trip to
Dhofar governorate on Wednesday.
All teams from the governorates,
with the exception of Al Dhahirah,
participated in the trip. A total of 66
members from the association the elders
took part in the five-day programme
prepared by Dhofar Governorate team.
The trip comprised several events
and educational activities such as
visiting places of natural attraction
and historical sites in Dhofar. It also
included participating in activities of
Salalah Tourism Festival. The association
also organised a number of training
workshops.
Naima al Kindi, Al Dakhiliyah team
manager of the Omani Association for
Elderly Friends, said: “The objective (of
the trip) was to entertain the elderly
and make them enjoy the wonderful
atmosphere in Salalah. The trip was an
opportunity for the elderly who hadn’t
visited Salalah before. It also helped
them know each other better.”
“They are happy and fascinated by
the atmosphere here. Some elderly
people had visited Salalah in the
seventies and were surprised to see the
changes now,” Naima said.
They visited the picturesque Wadi
Darbat and headed to the ancient city of
Sumhuram, where they saw the port and
some commercial vessels.
They visited an exhibition to learn
about the ancient ruins. They visited the
municipal leisure centre in the evening.
The police at the centre gave a lecture
on traffic accidents and ways to educate
children about it.
A workshop for members of the social
committee was held at the Dhofar Sports
Club on Friday. They also visited the Ittin
mountain and spent some time there.
Dhofar governorate team provided tents
for the elderly.
They also visited the Al Haffa
market, which is known for incense and
frankincense. They had special fruits and
tender coconut sold at the stalls.
On Saturday, a course was held for
members of the media committee
at Dhofar Club. They discussed
photography, shooting and problems
they face when taking photographs.
Dhofar tourism: What is lacking, what is needed?
YAHYA AL SALMANI
MUSCAT
August 13: Dhofar is a tourists’
paradise, where you get a panoramic
view of Salalah from Ittin mountains,
experience water splashes at Al
Mughsayl ‘blowholes’ or just soak in the
scenic beauty of Ayn Sahalnoot and Ayn
Jarziz.
While the southern governorate is
endowed with all the natural beauty,
it still has a long way to go in terms of
raising tourism awareness, providing
right facilities for visitors and ensuring
places remain clean and tidy.
The priority, therefore, is to develop
tourism infrastructure across the entire
governorate so that it continues to draw
tourists, especially during the khareef
season.
Regular tourists or those who recently
visited Dhofar had a few suggestions to
make to the authorities.
Having noticed some visitors
casually roaming sites such as ‘Ayn
Athoum’, which has no fence, their first
recommendation was: have a fence built
there. Absence of a fence has put the
lives of both adults and children at risk,
they feel. Safety of tourists should be top
priority for the tourism department,
according to them.
At some places, visitors have to
walk at least two kilometres on muddy
ground to approach their destination.
That is because these places, according
to the visitors, are inaccessible. Besides,
there is no proper parking facility close
to the tourist spot.
Littering is one aspect the tourism
department should pay serious attention
to, they felt. Due to the shortage of waste
bins, plastic bins and water bottles are
found thrown at several tourist places.
“There are very few garbage bins, so
where do we drop the waste,” they asked.
Some visitors suggested that the
authorities provide buses for carrying
visitors to the sites instead of allowing
every tourist to take his/her own car.
This will help reduce traffic and prevent
chaos, said some visitors.
Many visitors have been found
wading in water at some places, some of
which are prone to flooding. Authorities
must warn them against going too close
to water, they felt.
The absence of information is a
major impediment for visitors. While
the visitors are thankful to the locals for
directing them to some places, it is time
the authorities came out with booklets
that provide all information about each
place, including things like how to reach,
history, etc.
“We have not seen any leaflet
or a document that gives us more
information about tourist spots.
Sometimes we lost our way and we
had to ask locals for direction,” was a
common complaint by many visitors.
They suggesting setting up of small
tourism offices on the main roads that
hand maps and information about each
places. “Such small measures will go a
long way in improving the standard of
our tourism,” they said.
The Ministry of Tourism recently
announced the launch of a new initiative
in 2017. Titled the ‘National Tourism
Strategy’, it will focus on places that have
the potential to achieve a significant
jump in footfalls.
Perseid meteor shower illuminates skies
Arvind Bhandare
At Jabel Shams.
Baiju Jose
FROM PAGE 1
“They are so amazing,” said
another, “and we’ve sat here all night
talking about how insignificant we all
are.
It’s not scary, but it does make you
appreciate all you have, and can do.”
Nizwa resident Vishal said, “I can’t get
over how calm, and quiet it all was,”
while his wife Yesha commented that,
“the sky just seemed to get deeper,
and blacker, through the night. It was
beautiful.”
Many of those on Jabal Al
Akhdhar had actually intended to
go to Jabal Shams, where less light
pollution would offer a clearer sky,
however weather conditions there
Sharukh Salam
caused difficulties on the road, and
as it turned out, those who ventured
up the Green Mountain were well
rewarded, with one group saying
they had seen, “about eighty to a
hundred shooting stars.”
One hotel manager told the
Observer, “we heard a lot about these
stars but only in the last couple of
days, so maybe the government
might get involved if it’s going to
be a regular thing.” The only real
regret, among the watchers, was
their inability to get photos, however
as one, who had the last word said,
“They travel about three thousand
times quicker than your car, so don’t
kick yourself!”
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OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
3
Electricity sector deaths Credit to private sector up 13.1pc
to spur spot audits
WORRYING FAILURES: Regulator laments contravention of safety
rules and non-compliance with OHS requirements
CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT
August 13: The Authority for Electricity
Regulation Oman, which regulates the
Sultanate’s power sector, is intensifying
health and safety audits of production,
transmission and distribution licensees
in the wake of a rash of fatalities
reported in 2015.
A total of seven deaths, blamed on
electrocution and safety mishaps, were
brought to the attention of the Authority
for investigation last year, the regulator
said.
Lamenting the toll, the Authority
stated: “The high number of deaths
remains a concern for the Authority,
both for people working in the
electricity sector and those who come
into contact with utility assets. The
Authority is continuing its efforts to
increase awareness of the importance of
health and safety to both licensees and
contractors in order to minimise the
number of accidents that occur, and to
reduce the seriousness of any accident
that does occur.”
“The Authority conducted a number
of formal Health and Safety Audits of
Licensees and continues to conduct spot
audits,” it added in its newly released
2015 Annual Report.
Four of the seven fatalities occurred
within the licence area of Mazoon
Electricity Company, which covers
the governorates of South Al Batinah,
Dakhiliyah and North and South
Sharqiyah.
Among the victims was a linesman
who suffered burns from a flashover
incident in Al Kamil. A flashover —
also known as an arc-flash — is a short
circuit through air that flashes over from
one exposed live conductor to another
conductor or to ground. The electrician
succumbed in hospital three weeks later.
Image for
illustration only
MUSCAT: The combined balance sheet
of conventional and Islamic banks
(other depository corporations) taken
together, provides a complete overview
of the financial intermediation taking
place in the banking system in the
Sultanate. The total outstanding credit
extended by the other depository
corporations stood at RO 21.5 billion as
at the end of June 2016, a rise of 11.7 per
cent over the level witnessed a year ago.
Credit to the private sector increased by
13.1 per cent to RO 19.2 billion as at the
end of June 2016.
Of the total credit to the private
sector, the share of the household sector
(mainly under personal loans) stood at
46 per cent, closely followed by the nonfinancial corporate sector at 45.9 per
cent, financial corporations at 5.3 per
cent and other sectors the remaining 2.8
AIR
A total of seven deaths,
blamed on electrocution
and safety mishaps, were
brought to the attention
of the Authority for
investigation last year
In another incident reported in
Mazoon’s jurisdiction, a linesman
sustained fatal injuries while seeking
shelter from a sudden storm, the
Authority said. Two civilians — a
farm worker and a child — were also
electrocuted due to exposure to faulty
wiring on private premises in Musannah
and Bahla respectively.
The other three fatalities occurred
within the licence limits of the Rural
Areas Electricity Company (RAECO),
which covers remote parts of the
Sultanate falling outside of the Main
Interconnected System and Dhofar
Power System.
A linesman died after falling from a
pylon under construction in Musandam
Governorate. Elsewhere, two employees
of an Operations Contractor perished in
a vehicle crash in Dhofar Governorate.
In 2015 the Authority conducted
Health and Safety audits of RAECO
and Muscat Electricity Distribution
Company (MEDC) that sought to
review both the progress that had been
made since similar audits in 2009 and to
confirm compliance with the health and
safety requirements of their licence.
“Whilst the recent audits were
able to demonstrate that significant
improvements had been made by both
licensees, including strong commitment
from the board and executive
management, the audits identified
some worrying failures that resulted in
routine contravention of the company
safety rules and non-compliance with
Omani Occupational Health and
Safety requirement. The Authority is
following the progress made by each
company in implementing the audit
recommendations on a monthly basis,”
the regulator stressed.
MUSCAT: An Omani team has
discovered a new geological cave in
Jabal Al Akhdar in the Governorate
of Al Dakhiliyah.
It is located one and a half
kilometres from the village of
Aqabat Al Biyout in the Niyabat of
Al Jabal Al Akhdar.
This discovery is in addition to
the two caves discovered earlier.
Said bin Kalifa al Riyami, a
member of the team, said the new
cave is totally covered and has
beautiful stalactites and stalagmites
formations.
The team has measured the
dimensions of the cave and the
geological phenomena inside it.
denominated deposits) witnessed an
appreciable growth of 8.9 per cent
during the period.
Broad money supply M2 (ie M1 plus
quasi-money) stood at RO 15.55 billion
at end of June 2016, up from RO 14.76
billion a year ago, registering an increase
of 5.4 per cent during the period.
In respect of domestic interest rate
structure of conventional banks, the
weighted average interest rate on RO
deposits firmed up from 0.885 per cent
in June 2015 to 1.182 per cent in June
2016 while the weighted average RO
lending rate marginally decreased from
4.859 per cent to 4.854 per cent during
the same period.
The overnight Rial Omani domestic
inter-bank lending rate firmed up to
0.412 per cent in June 2016 from 0.131
per cent a year ago. — ONA
AMBULANCE
ROP helps airlift patient in Bahla
STAFF REPORTER
MUSCAT
August 13: Royal Oman Police (ROP)
on Saturday airlifted a patient from
a house in a hilly terrain of Jabal al
Khor Bahla to the hospital in Nizwa.
Deteriorating health prevented the
New cave found in Jabal Al Akhdar
per cent.
Total deposits registered a modest
growth of 1.8 per cent to RO 20.1 billion
as at the end of June 2016. Private
sector deposits of the banking system
registered a growth of 5.1 per cent to RO
12.9 billion as at the end of June 2016.
Sector-wise, the share of households
was 50.1 per cent of the total private
sector deposit base, followed by nonfinancial corporations at 26.7 per cent,
financial corporations at 19.8 per cent
and the other sectors at 3.4 per cent.
As at the end of June 2016, narrow
money stock (M1) when measured on
year-on-year basis, registered a marginal
fall of 0.9 per cent to RO 5.4 billion.
On the other hand, quasi-money (RO
savings and time deposits, certificates of
deposit issued by commercial banks,
margin deposits and foreign currency
patient’s travel through the rugged
roads, a helicopter from the police
aviation, equipped with a full-fledged
medical team, rushed to the residence
and airlifted the patient to the Nizwa
hospital.
Police Aviation’s air ambulance
service has been offering assistance to
transport the sick and injured person
from emergency situations to the
nearest hospitals.
Meanwhile, heavy rains that led the
wadis to overflow were reported from
across Bahla and Nizwa on Saturday.
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Dhofar rich in craft industries, homemade products
4
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
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TRADITIONAL MARKETS: Incense burners from Dhofar are unique and different from those produced among other GCC countries
SALALAH: Besides the unique
weather in Governorate of Dhofar
during Khareef “Monsoon season,”
visitors to the governorate enjoy craft
industries and handmade products
on offer at many outlets at traditional
markets.
The items on display at the various
markets in many areas in Salalah
symbolise the governorate’s rich history
and culture. Dhofar has been known
for producing many shapes of incense
burners locally called “Majmar”.
The Dhofari incense burners are
unique and different from those
produced at the GCC countries. They
are also known for their beautiful
shapes and affordable prices.
Dhofar has been known for centuries
for being a hub for frankincense trade.
ECGA approves
RO 8 million
worth credit
MUSCAT: The Board of Directors of
Export Credit Guarantee Agency (ECGA
Oman) held its 7th meeting for 2016 at
Airport Heights under the chairmanship
of Said bin Saleh al Kiyoumi, Chairman
of Oman Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (OCCI), Chairman of the Agency.
The ECGA Board approved RO 8
million worth credits including RO 4
million for local sales and RO 4 million
for Omani non-oil exports.
The Board also approved minutes
of the previous meeting and followed
up the implementation of decisions.
It also discussed several issues related
to guaranteeing exports and the
performance of the Agency.
The meeting was attended by
Hamad al Harthy, representative of
the Oman Development Bank, Fayza
al Mashrafiyah, representative of the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry and
Idrees al Hasani, representative of the
Ministry of Finance. — ONA
Food safety
conference
on Sept 21, 22
MUSCAT: An international conference
on food safety will be organised at
Oman International Exhibition Centre on
September 21 and 22.
The conference’s title will be
“Assessing and Upgrading Food Safety
Environment and Improving Food Safety
Procedures for Future in the Sultanate
of Oman”.
The first edition of the conference
aims at upgrading level of food safety
in the Sultanate according to the
international standards.
The conference will be held on the
sidelines of the Food and Hospitality
Conference, which will be held during
September 20 to 22. — ONA
There are various types of frankincense
produced in the governorate. The most
famous frankincense type is locally
called “Hojari”.
The Governorate of Dhofar is
also famous for the locally produced
incense, which is made from the most
expensive perfume. One box of incense
may be sold at more than RO 100.
Shops also display various souvenirs,
such as the Omani traditional Khanjar
“dagger,” which is used in social
gatherings and national occasions.
There is a remarkable turnout for
silverworks on display at the traditional
markets by European tourists and
visitors to the governorate. Dhofar
is also famous for the production of
certain types of turbans, locally known
as “Masar or Ghatra”.
— ONA
YOUTH CLUB, CAMP HELD
SOHAR: A youth camp was held in the youth camp complex in Sohar. It was held
at the police headquarters in Al Batinah North Governorate from August 7. The
camp tackled aspects of traffic management, narcotics and psychotropic
substances and also awareness activities and guidance in the field of traffic.
Fire, safety expo to begin from Sept 5
MUSCAT: The 2nd version of Oman
Fire, Safety and Security Exhibition
(OFSEC 2016) will be held at Oman
International Exhibition Centre from
September 5 to 7
The three-day event is organised
by Muscat Expo, in cooperation
with several government and private
agencies.
OFSEC 2016 will bring together
local and international exhibitors
who will showcase their avant-garde
solutions, specific transverse and latest
technologies, cutting edge innovations,
cost-effective products and services to
meet the requirements of governments,
businesses, industrial and commercial
entities,
aviation,
construction,
Natural and artificial pearls, precious stones, jewellery coins included
Sultanate imports RO 324m
worth jewellery in 2015
MUSCAT: The Sultanate imported
1,500 tonnes of jewellery including
natural and artificial pearls, precious
stone, semiprecious stone, precious
metals, normal coated metals, traditional
jewellery and coins during 2015. The value
of such jewellery items stood at RO 324.9
million. Data released by the National
Centre for Statistics and Information
(NCSI) pointed out that the Sultanate’s
imports of such items increased by 88.2
per cent compared to 2014 (300 tonnes
worth of RO 172.6 million).
The Sultanate’s exports (including reexport) of such items in 2015 stood at
RO 2.8 million; a decline by 90.1 per cent
compared to 2014 (722 tonnes worth of
RO 28,887,000). — ONA
infrastructure,
transportation,
manufacturing, oil and gas and utilities
sectors.
Dynamic
economic
and
infrastructure development in Oman
and the region has made the Middle
East the most vibrant safety and security
market in the world, with a growth rate
of over 10 per cent annually, since 2012,
according to a recent research by G4S.
There is a diverse demand for fire,
safety and security equipment, ranging
from the smallest of businesses to large
corporates and home-users.
OFSEC is designed to meet
needs of the local, regional and
international markets by linking
practitioners, suppliers, distributors
and manufacturers from the fire,
safety and security industry, with key
decision makers from the government
and private sectors, making it a
definitive networking platform, where
new projects and partnerships are
initiated and visionary objectives are
implemented.
This event also aims to create synergy
and strengthen the collaboration
between the authorities and the
industries. The exhibition will attract
participation from a large number of
exhibitors and representation from over
30 countries, with a slew of product and
service launches, to the trade visitors
and potential buyers from the region
and beyond. — ONA
SQU students launches
Lukman show on YouTube
TAYMORA AL GHAWI
MUSCAT
August 13: A group of students
from Sawt Al Tanmia community in
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) have
launched the Lukman YouTube show
to highlight the principles and values of
Islam.
The show has been launched in
collaboration with Al Quds Center for
Artistic Production and Distribution.
The show is a platform to improve
society through propagation of ethical
values.
Every month, there will be two
episodes of the show, each with a
duration of six to 10 minutes. Each
episode will dwell on ethics.
Majed al Yarobi, head of Sawt Al
Tanmia community, said: “We have
named it after Lukman because it is
associated with wisdom. It has been
named after Lukman al Hakeem, who
has been mentioned in the Holy Quran.”
“We believe this programme will
help showcase Omani talent and spread
the message of development for all. We
have made the content understandable
for both young and the old,” Al Yarobi
said.
o a /latenews
oman/
ate e s
oman
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
Emirates crash survivors from
Oman get luggage back
BIG RELIEF: 82 passengers on the flight, all residents from Oman, have been
told to show their boarding passes or any other proof to claim their baggage
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
August 13: Passengers on board the
Emirates plane that crash-landed in
the Dubai International Airport on
August 3 had a miraculous escape.
Since it was a matter of life and
death, the crew had instructed
passengers to leave their belongings
and jump off the plane to safety.
Now, passengers from Oman
on that ill-fated plane have been
contacted by airline authorities to
collect their baggage.
The airline has started starting
contacting the passengers — 82
passengers on the flight were
residents of Oman — to collect their
baggage from its Muscat office. They
have been told to show their boarding
passes or any other proof to claim
their baggage.
“My baggage was not found even
a week after the horrible accident,”
said Ravikumar, a Muscat resident on
board the flight from Hyderabad to
Muscat via Dubai.
“I visited the airport often to
enquire about the baggage, but would
end up in disappointment after each
visit. This time, I received a call from
the airline’s office with which we
have been in contact,” he said, while
thanking its management for its
Emirates official has
requested passengers
from Oman to collect their
valuables from the airline’s
office or from the airport
by showing necessary
travel documents.
concerns.
The carrier had earlier announced
it would pay $5,000 to each passenger
for the trauma they underwent and
another $2,000 for the loss of luggage
during the evacuation process.
“We have delivered the baggage
found onboard the EK 521 flight
which was on fire,” an EK521
representative from its Muscat office
told the Observer.
The official has requested
passengers from Oman to collect
their valuables from the airline’s
office or from the airport by showing
necessary travel documents.
In all, there were 100 passengers
from Oman on board the flight
from the south Indian city of
Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai,
hoping to be flown from Dubai
to Muscat in next few minutes.
But nearly 82 passengers had an
unaccompanied baggage, according
to the airline officials.
“Most of my valuables were
in the luggage. My educational
certificates, an expensive camera,
electronic gadgets, property and bank
documents were all inside. Losing
it would have proved costly for me,”
said another passenger who had lost
all hope of retrieving them.
Like Ravikumar, he too made
frequent visits to the airline office to
enquire about his valuables.
The plane, carrying 282 passengers
and 18 crew members, was on the
final approach on the runway when
one of its engines caught fire.
All passengers were evacuated via
slides.
Public prosecutor
orders arrests in
wheat graft case
CAIRO: Egypt’s public
prosecutor has ordered
the arrest of 13 people
for 15 days pending an
investigation into their role
in a wheat procurement
corruption scandal, judicial
sources said on Saturday.
Egypt, the world’s largest
wheat importer, has been
mired in controversy over
its wheat supplies, with
industry officials claiming
that over 2 million tonnes
of the 5 million tonnes of
wheat procured locally in
this harvest may exist only
on paper.
Egypt pays high prices
for wheat to encourage
farmers to grow it. Local
traders, the middlemen
who buy wheat from scores
of small-landholders, have
for years mixed cheaper
imported wheat into local
supplies and then claimed
the state subsidies.
On August 7, the
prosecutor said in a
statement that local wheat
suppliers had worked with
government employees to
falsely claim £621 million
Egyptian ($69.93 million)
worth of grain that did not
exist. The prosecutor had
already ordered that private
silo owners suspected of
claiming higher quantities
of wheat than they were
actually storing should be
banned from travel and have
their funds frozen.
The 13 facing arrest are
accused of profiteering,
forgery and enabling the
embezzlement of public
funds, the sources said,
without elaborating on their
role in the procurement
chain. It was not clear if any
had been arrested yet.
Suppliers delivered
221,800 tonnes of wheat
based on false documents
worth a total of 621 million
pounds and have received
£533 million for deliveries to
date, the prosecutor said in
his August 7 statement.
Egypt’s parliament
has set up a fact-finding
commission to look into
allegations of corruption in
wheat procurement.
— Reuters
5
Biden to visit Turkey on Aug 24
ANKARA: US Vice-President Joe Biden is
expected to visit Turkey later this month, the
Turkish prime minister said on Saturday.
“The American vice-president is
expected... to come to Turkey, on August
24 with the American delegation,” Binali
Yildirim told a group of journalists, according
to the website of TV channel CNN Turk.
If confirmed, the Biden visit would mark
the first time a top Western leader has visited
Turkey since the attempted putsch by a
faction within the military.
Yildirim’s comments came after Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday
that Turkey had received “positive signals”
from Washington regarding its extradition
demand.
Ankara wants the return of Pennsylvaniabased preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom it
accuses of being responsible for orchestrating
the coup alongside his movement.
Gulen denies the accusations, and the US
has asked Turkey to provide evidence which
Ankara claims it has done sending several
documents. But the prime minister appeared
Saturday to rule out any compromise on the
demand for Gulen to face trial in Turkey.
“Improving our relations with the
United States depends on the extradition of
Gulen, and on that issue there is no room
for negotiation,” Yildirim said, according to
CNN Turk.
Earlier reports had said US Secretary of
State John Kerry planned to visit Turkey on
August 24. But now the prime minister said
Kerry would come in October.
Washington however has not confirmed
these visits.
— AFP
asia
asia
Thai authorities hunt tourist town bombers
6
Landslide buries tour bus in China
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
A landslide buried a tour bus in south-eastern China on Saturday, killing one
tourist and injuring others, local authorities said. A Taiwanese woman died when
the bus carrying 23 people was hit by falling rocks and mud on a highway near
the city of Longyan in Fujian province during heavy rain on Saturday morning.
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
STOKING FEAR: The bombs, most of them detonated in twin blasts, struck key tourism hubs during a long weekend
Malaysia arrests
IS suspects for
grenade attack
HUA HIN: Thai authorities on Saturday
hunted for culprits behind a wave of
bombings targeting popular holiday
destinations, as businesses braced for the
economic fallout from the attacks on the
crucial tourism industry.
The kingdom was on edge after 11
small bombs and a series of suspected
arson attacks exploded across five
southern provinces on Thursday night
and Friday morning, killing four locals
and wounding more than 30 people —
including foreign tourists.
The bombs, most of them detonated
in twin blasts, struck key tourism hubs
during a long weekend, including the
seaside resort town of Hua Hin and the
island of Phuket.
No one has claimed responsibility
for the attacks, but police have ruled
out international terrorism and said the
campaign was an act of “local sabotage”.
They said the motive was still
unclear, but stressed the assault was not
connected to a simmering insurgency in
Thailand’s southern tip, as some analysts
have suggested.
“I can assure you that this is not
a terrorist attack or the expansion of
militants from the three southernmost
provinces,” deputy police commissioner
Ponsapat Pongcharoen told reporters.
Senior junta member and defence
minister Prawit Wongsuwan said an
arrest warrant would be issued later on
Saturday but offered no details.
In hardest-hit Hua Hin, a popular
beach resort far from the conflict
zone that was rocked by four bombs,
locals said they were fearful the town’s
mainstay tourist industry would suffer
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian
police have arrested nine
militants,
including
two
suspected of carrying out a
grenade attack, claimed by IS,
at a nightspot on the outskirts
of Kuala Lumpur in June, the
country’s police chief said on
Saturday.
A known Malaysian IS
fighter in Syria, Muhammad
Wanndy Muhammad Jedi,
had said in a posting on his
Facebook page that the group
had carried out the June 28
attack on a bar in the Puchong
neighbourhood that wounded
eight people.
If the claim was genuine it
would have been the first attack
by IS on Malaysian soil.
Inspector-General of Police
Khalid Abu Bakar said in a
statement the two men who
carried out the attack had been
caught in the northeastern state
of Kelantan, where they had
been awaiting instructions from
Wanndy to carry out further
attacks.
“Following on from their
arrest, police managed to seize
a grenade, and it was suspected
it would have been used in a
planned attack,” Khalid said.
He said two other people
had been arrested for helping to
hide the suspects.
Police had also tracked
down a suspected IS member,
whose cell had received orders
from Wanndy. — Reuters
TERRITORIAL ROW
Philippines
eyes ‘two-track’
talks with
China: envoy
MANILA: The Philippines and
China discussed setting up a “twotrack” system that would allow them
to cooperate in some areas while
separately handling “contentious
issues” such as their South China Sea
territorial dispute, a Manila envoy said
on Saturday.
Former president Fidel Ramos and
ex-interior secretary Rafael Alunan
discussed the proposal at meetings
with Chinese representatives in Hong
Kong on a trip aimed at improving
relations. Ramos, a longtime advocate
of closer ties, said the talks were “very
hospitable... very encouraging, in the
sense that we have a common interest”
in such goals as fighting global
warming.
They met with Fu Ying, chair of
the foreign affairs committee of the
National People’s Congress, China’s
communist-controlled legislature.
Alunan said both sides discussed
“encouraging track two or thinktank exchanges... where we will be
discussing contentious issues.”
“That would relieve us (of) the
burden of discussing contentious
issues because we have another group
doing that while we explore ways and
means on how to move our relations
forward,” he told reporters.
He did not say which “thinktanks” would be involved in these
issues, apparently referring to the two
countries’ territorial dispute over the
South China Sea.
When asked if they discussed a UNbacked tribunal’s ruling last month
that Beijing’s claims over most of the
South China Sea were invalid, Ramos
said “we never mentioned that.” Both
Ramos and Alunan stressed that they
were only informal envoys and that
further formal talks would be handled
by other parties.
Ramos said he discussed restoring
the previous situation where Chinese,
Filipino and even Vietnamese
fishermen freely plied their trade in
the Scarborough Shoal. — AFP
I can assure you that this is
not a terrorist attack or the
expansion of militants from
the three southernmost
provinces.
PONSAPAT PONGCHAROEN
Deputy police commissioner
People pray at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. — Reuters
just ahead of peak season.
“Hua Hin has never had a problem
like this,” Nai Amporn, the owner of a
beachside restaurant, said.
“I am afraid business will become
slow — even this morning, you can see
there are fewer people here for breakfast.
I think they have all gone home,” he
added.
Famed for its idyllic islands and
Buddhist temples, Thailand is a tourism
powerhouse and was hoping for a record
32 million visitors this year.
The sector accounts for at least 10
per cent of Thailand’s economy, which
the military government has struggled
to invigorate since its 2014 power grab.
“The confidence in tourism will
return,” Tourism Minister Kobkarn
Wattanavrangkul said on Saturday,
adding that the industry is still aiming to
reach a target revenue of of 2.4 trillion
baht ($69 billion) for 2016.
“Thailand solves problems very
quickly and always bounces back,” she
said.
Thailand’s reputation as a holidaymaker’s paradise has weathered fatal bus
and boat accidents, bouts of political
unrest and high-profile crimes against
foreigners in recent years. But the
tourists keep coming.
An August 2015 bombing at a
Bangkok shrine that killed 20 people
— mostly tourists — was followed by a
sudden drop in visitors but did not stop
the kingdom from welcoming a record
high of nearly 30 million travellers that
year.
Philippines, rebels begin
tentative peace deal
The head of the implementing panel on the peace process, Irene Santiago (2nd
L), seen with MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal (3rd R) at a hotel in Kuala
Lumpur on Saturday. — AFP
KUALA LUMPUR: Representatives
of the Philippine government and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
met on Saturday in Malaysia to mark
the launch of the Implementing Phase
of a peace agreement.
The deal, called the Mindanao
Peace Agreement, seeks to resolve a
decades-long conflict between the
Philippine government and the MILF,
who have sought a separate state in
the Bangsamoro area of the island of
Mindanao, EFE news reported.
Two of the most senior members
of the two sides present were the
Philippines’ Presidential Adviser
on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza
and MILF chairman Alhaj Murad
Ebrahim. The Malaysian government
acted as a facilitator of the launch, with
Malaysian Deputy Defence Minister
Johari Baharom and Facilitator Abdul
Ghafar Tengku Mohamed overseeing
the meet. Reaching the Implementing
Phase of the pact reportedly took years
of negotiations between the two sides.
Several
peace
efforts
and
agreements on local autonomy for
the MILF have broken down over the
years amid flare ups of violence.
Malaysia remains committed
to facilitating the peace process in
southern Philippines, Prime Minister
Najib Razak said on Saturday.
“Malaysia will remain committed
to the process for as long as is desired,”
Najib said in a statement, promising
to provide all possible assistance if
requested by Manila.
“While certainly there are
challenges ahead, I am confident that
under President Duterte’s leadership,
and with Malaysia steadfast in its
role as an honest broker, a new era
of development and prosperity in
southern Philippines can be achieved,”
he added.
Abdul Ghafar Mohamed, the
Malaysian facilitator of the peace
process, told a press conference during
the meeting that his country will
continue to provide support in the
implementing phases, including the
decommissioning of MILF forces.
— IANS
The recent bombings were aimed at
striking the vital tourism sector without
causing extensive carnage, said Anthony
Davis, a security analyst at IHS Jane’s.
“This will have a significant impact
on the tourist season in the south this
year and into early 2017, using tactics
that were clearly intended not to cause
mass casualties,” he said.
He said southern insurgents were the
only group capable of carrying out the
coordinated assault, dismissing theories
that the junta’s other political foes —
who have been under close surveillance
since the 2014 coup — were responsible.
The bombings came less than a week
after the military regime’s draft of a new
charter was approved in a referendum.
Provinces in the rural north and
northeast — strongholds of the ousted
government — rejected the junta’s
charter. So did the three southern
insurgency-wracked provinces, which
saw an uptick in bombings in the runup to the vote. — AFP
NEW LEASE OF LIFE
Rescue workers carry a survivor on a stretcher, after he was extracted from a
collapsed wall in an informal settler house, just beside the city jail building in
Manila on Saturday. Two residents were killed and nine injured when a wall
collapsed after heavy rains earlier, according to local authorities. — AFP
Chinese scientists closer to
studying Einstein’s confusion
BEIJING: Amid the intense preparations
for the launch of China’s first quantum
communication satellite, scientists hope
it can help unravel one of the strangest
phenomena in quantum physics —
quantum entanglement.
By beaming individual entangled
photons between space and ground
stations, the satellite should be
able to test whether the quantum’s
entanglement property extends over the
record-breaking distance, Xinhua news
agency reported on Saturday.
“We have the technology to
produce pairs of entangled photons
on the satellite,” said Pan Jianwei from
the Chinese Academy of Science and
chief scientist at the Chinese quantum
communication satellite project.
One photon of an entangled pair
will be beamed to a station in Qinghai
province and the other to a station in
Yunnan. The distance between the two
ground stations is about 1,200 km.
Quantum physics has a phenomenon
that so confounded Albert Einstein
that he described as “spooky action
at a distance” in 1948. — IANS
Rise of ‘politically-motivated extremism’ concerns Australia
CANBERRA: Australian security
authorities are concerned about the
rising influence of right-wing extremist
groups in the country, the media
reported on Saturday.
A number of hard-line groups, born
in 2015 as IS rose to prominence, are
being monitored by the Australian
Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian
Security Intelligence Organisation
(ASIO), Xinhua news agency reported.
The groups, such as the United
Patriots Front, Rise Up Australia and
the Australian Defence League, are
opposed to multi-culturalism.
Politically-motivated
extremism is increasing,
and it is a concern to the AFP
and its law enforcement and
national security partners
JENNIFER HURST
Police Assistant Commissioner
“Politically-motivated extremism
is increasing, and it is a concern to
the AFP and its law enforcement and
national security partners,” Jennifer
Hurst, Federal Police Assistant
Commissioner, said on Saturday.
The
increased
vigilance
in
monitoring members of the right-wing
groups was responsible for the arrest
of Phillip Galea, a self-styled “patriot”
and member of the Australian Defence
League, who was held in Melbourne in
August on terror-related charges.
Police told Melbourne’s Magistrates
Court that monitoring Galea’s phone
calls for up to three months led to
the 31-year-old man being charged
with planning a terrorist attack and
collecting material connected to an
attack.
An investigation published on
Saturday revealed that Galea and two
other members of right-wing groups
were planning an attack on members of
a radical left-wing group.
Galea’s alleged plot followed a
warning from ASIO in October 2015
that “violent rhetoric continued from
extreme right-wing and left-wing
individuals in Australia” and that the
“terrorist environment is likely to
remain fluid and will be affected by
nationalist and ethnic tensions, acts
of violence overseas and an increased
propensity and ability for violenceprone individuals to move to action”.
Members of extremist groups from
both sides of the political spectrum
clashed in Melbourne’s northern
suburbs in May, forcing riot police to
intervene and separate the groups.
Support for the conservative rightwing movement reached record highs
in Australia’s July federal election.
— IANS
subcontinent
subcontinent
i
Afghan Taliban free six
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
7
US drone kills top IS leader Hafiz Khan
PESHAWAR: The leader of IS’s branch
in Afghanistan and Pakistan was
killed in a US drone strike on July 26,
a Pentagon spokesman said on Friday
after the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan
announced the news to Reuters.
The death of Hafiz Saeed Khan is
a blow to efforts by IS to expand from
its heartlands in Syria and Iraq into
Afghanistan and Pakistan, already
crowded with extremist movements
including the Taliban and al Qaeda.
It is the second US killing of a
prominent militant in the region in
months. In May, a US drone killed
Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar
Mansour in a strike in Pakistan. Despite
that, Afghanistan’s 15-year-old war
grinds on with no clear victory in sight.
Taliban fighters have been threatening
at least two provincial capitals this
summer, in Helmand and Kunduz, and
a US government report said Afghan
forces have lost 5 per cent of territory
this year. In terms of its own territory, IS
has been largely confined to a handful
of districts in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar
province, which borders Pakistan, where
IS militants — mostly defectors from
the Taliban — are blamed for raiding
villages and government outposts.
Still, worries that IS might be
expanding its operational reach
heightened this week when the group
took credit for an attack on a Pakistani
hospital that killed at least 74 people
in the southwestern city of Quetta. A
Pakistani Taliban faction also claimed
responsibility. A few weeks earlier, IS
claimed an attack on a rally in Kabul
that killed more than 80 people.
Khan has been reported dead before.
But a claim by Afghan intelligence agents
last year that he had been killed was
never confirmed. On Friday, however,
Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal
told Reuters he had seen confirmation
from Afghan security forces.
“I can confirm that ISIS Khurasan
(Afghanistan and Pakistan) leader Hafiz
Khan along with his senior commanders
and fighters died in a US drone strike on
July 26 in Kot district of Nangharhar
province,” he said.
— Reuters
Pakistan arrests
ex-husband,
father of slain
UK woman
ISLAMABAD: The exhusband and father of a
British woman suspected to
be the victim of an “honour”
killing appeared in a
Pakistani court on Saturday
after being arrested by
police. Samia Shahid died
last month during a visit to
her family village in Punjab
province with her second
husband, Mukhtar Kazam,
claiming she was murdered
for bringing “dishonour”
on her family.
“Shahid’s ex-husband,
Muhammad Shakeel, who
was on pre-arrest bail, was
arrested along with Shahid’s
father, Muhammad Shahid,
after a local court did not
extend Shakeel’s bail,” Aqeel
Abbas, a local police official,
said. Abbas said both men
would remain in custody
for four days in Jhelum, 126
kilometres (78 miles) east
of the capital Islamabad.
Police have not charged
the men. Kazam and
Shahid, a dual BritishPakistani citizen, had been
married for two years and
were living in Dubai, police
said.
Nepal to
strengthen
safety checks
for pilots
KATHMANDU:
As
human errors have been
pointed out as a major
reason for increasing air
accidents in Nepal, the
authorities said they would
strengthen inspections for
“health and behaviour” of
crew members.
Nepal witnessed six air
accidents in the last one
year, killing 36 passengers
and crew members.
Speaking at Committee
for Good Governance
and Monitoring of Nepali
Parliament on Friday,
Sanjeev Gautam, Director
General of Civil Aviation
Authority
of
Nepal
(CAAN), said the CAAN
has decided to focus
on addressing human
behaviour issue of the crew
members, Xinhua news
agency reported.
“We don’t understand
why the pilots are repeatedly
entering clouds as it is a
violation of the standard
operating
procedure,”
Gautam said. Gautam told
the lawmakers that the
CAAN has issued a circular
to airline operators telling
them that if any pilots
were found entering into
cloud during the monsoon
season, their licenses would
be withdrawn immediately.
— IANS
Pakistani copter crew
DEAL NOT CLEAR: Crew were hostages since August 4
ISLAMABAD: Six crew members of a
Pakistani government helicopter which
crash-landed in Afghanistan’s volatile
east have been released, an official
said on Saturday, after they were taken
hostage by the Afghan Taliban.
The crew “was released in an intertribe exchange on the Pakistan-Afghan
border (and) arrived in Islamabad
today,” foreign ministry spokesman
Nafees Zakaria said in a statement.
He did not specify who had been
holding the crew hostage nor what kind
of exchange had secured their release.
All six people — five Pakistanis and
a Russian navigator — are “safe and
in good health,” he said, adding that
the helicopter belonged to the Punjab
provincial government.
A senior Pakistani official, speaking
on condition of anonymity, confirmed
the crew’s safe return.
After the August 4 crash, local
authorities in Afghanistan said that the
six-person crew had been taken hostage
by the Afghan Taliban.
Militants set the Mi-17 transport
helicopter on fire and took the crew to a
Taliban-controlled area after it made an
emergency landing in Logar province.
transport
The
Russian-made
helicopter belonging to the Punjab
provincial government was en route
from Peshawar in northwest Pakistan to
Uzbekistan for maintenance.
The crew included retired Pakistani
military officers and a Russian navigator,
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported
Militants set the Mi-17
transport helicopter on
fire and took the crew to
a Taliban-controlled area
after it made an emergency
landing in Logar province
at the time. Pakistan had sought
permission to fly a helicopter — being
sent to Russia for overhauling — over
Afghan air space.
Pakistani army chief General Raheel
Sharif said he had spoken to Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani after the crash
in a bid to secure the crew’s release.
“President Ashraf Ghani assured
all possible assistance in this regard,”
he tweeted. Kabul has long accused
Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and
continuing to nurture sanctuaries on its
soil in the hope of maintaining influence
in Afghanistan.
Analysts said it was not clear how the
Pakistan government had secured the
crew’s safe release.
“Our government is tight lipped
while the army also did not say
anything about the role of the Afghan
government,” security analyst Hasan
Askari said. The Afghan Taliban have
not commented on the conditions of
the release. “One thing is however, very
clear — that Afghan Taliban certainly
do not want to deteriorate their ties with
Pakistan,” Askari said.
Askari questioned why the MI-17
was being send to Russia for repairs
through Afghan airspace.
“It appeared to be kind of a
mysterious exercise,” he said.
The crew’s release was arranged
through a handover between tribes in
the border region, from where they were
transferred to Islamabad by helicopter,
the ministry said in a statement.
“The six member crew of Punjab
government helicopter that went
missing in Afghanistan on 4th August
2016 has been recovered and arrived in
Islamabad today,” it said.
Whereas Pakistan acknowledges
that it wields some influence with the
Afghan Taliban, it denies Afghan and
US accusations that it provides support
and sanctuary for the Afghan Taliban
and its leaders.
Pakistan says it has been a victim of
terrorism, much of it from groups based
in Afghanistan, for years.
Initial reports after the crash
had indicated that there were seven
passengers but Foreign Ministry
spokesman Nafees Zakaria said on
Saturday that it turned out there were
only six on board.
One of the seven people listed on
the flight manifest had been unwell and
decided not to fly, a ministry official said
on condition of anonymity. — Agencies
analysis
analysis
l
8
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
LEARNING THE TRAFFIC
LESSONS THE HARD WAY
ABDULAZIZ AL JAHDHAMI
aljahdhami22@gmail.com
H
aving a passive driving culture is not everybody’s favourite cup of tea as some prefer
to be called aggressive drivers.
In fact, they are not driving, but having a car racing and drifting on the roads.
It’s just awful and irritating what they do sometimes; they annoy other motorists.
Indeed it’s hurting to see such ill-mannered drivers with very immature driving
attitudes. Perhaps their mindset is being accustomed to such unacceptable attitude.
As it has been said, driving is ethics, a skill and an attitude.
Hence, of course not everyone could have it like that.
People’s ethics and attitudes not only while driving, but overall are distinctive
and differ from one person to another.
Therefore, drivers come up with various attitudes and actions on roads out of
their own beliefs, and ethics.
It’s not all that, but it’s their self-confidence and selfishness behind their negative
attitude in some cases.
Not only that, but recklessness is one of the key reasons for the drivers’ immature
and selfish behviour on roads almost every single moment of a day.
Most of the road accidents happen because of the drivers’ carelessness and not
paying full attention on the roads. Texting while driving comes on the top of the list
of hazards which drivers do while being behind the wheel.
This is extremely dangerous; doing this is like committing a suicide.
Unfortunately, sometimes it’s not only men, but women too are having such
driving attitudes.
Nowadays, lots of female motorists are competing with men on roads.
In other words, they are taking part in road battles; what a disgrace! Every now
and then, we can see a female driver having a sarcastic road show; aggressively
overtaking other drivers, over speeding, racing and doing other unethical driving
actions. The only way to stop their selfish passion of aggressive driving is to have
tough traffic rules and regulations.
Paying hundreds of rials every year during vehicle renewal is not even enough to
stop them from breaking the law and being aggressive motorists.
Some have had terrible car accidents, but that is not hard enough to teach them
a lesson; probably they need a harder one to get the message and learn it by heart!
The recently announced new traffic laws addressed in Royal Decree No 38/2016
would be the hard way for those reckless drivers to learn their lesson.
Definitely, the tough rules will make them good drivers and will undoubtedly
pay a major role in decreasing the number of daily road accidents.
Drivers will be forced to be disciplined, and are to be serious and more careful
while driving. Then roads will become safer.
The new laws indicate that fines are almost ten times the previous level aiming
to prevent road accidents and save people’s life due to reckless driving and driving
under the influence and negligence.
The new laws will come into force from September 4 and after that comes the
hard time.
For instance, currently the fine for using a mobile phone while driving is RO 35
only, but after this date that will increase to RO 300.
Those driving recklessly or dangerously or risk others’ life or put property in
danger, or overtake dangerously and in a no overtaking zone, or overtaking from
the shoulder of the road are entitled for imprisonment for not less than 10 days and
not more than two months and a fine of not less than RO 100 and not more than
RO 500, or either of these punishments.
It will also encourage drivers to stop using mobiles while driving which is seen
as the major reason for road accidents.
We all agree that these laws will result in fruitful outcomes as people will be
forced to adapt the culture of safe driving.
What’s behind latest flare-up?
MAX DELANY
S
use the incident as a pretext to start a broader war against
immering tensions between Russia and Ukraine have Ukraine. Moscow has long been accused of harbouring
soared unexpectedly in recent days after Moscow accused desires to conquer a land bridge to Crimea through
Kiev of attempting armed incursions into the Crimea Ukrainian territory.
peninsula it annexed in 2014.
But analyst Alexander Baunov from the Moscow
Ukraine has fiercely denied the allegations but the war Carnegie Centre wrote that any attempt to start a broader
of words between the two sides has sparked fears of a wider conflict “contradicts the logic” of Moscow’s recent moves
conflict as fighting drags on between Kiev and pro-Russian aimed at tamping down tensions with the West over
rebels in two other eastern regions bordering Russia.
Ukraine and convincing Europe to drop punishing
While the details of the incident remain extremely economic sanctions.
murky and with both sides making
Instead the Kremlin appears keen
claims and counter claims, here is
to gain leverage over Kiev in any
an analysis of what the latest flare up
further negotiations on a stalled peace
could mean. Russia’s security service
deal for the conflict in the east.
last Wednesday said it had thwarted Ukraine has fiercely denied
Putin said the incident made a
“terrorist attacks” in Crimea over the allegations but the war
mooted fresh round of peace talks
the weekend by Ukrainian military
next month “senseless” and blasted
of words between the two
intelligence and beaten back armed
Kiev as an unreliable partner for the
assaults. The FSB said one of its officers sides has sparked fears of
West. “Russia is clearly using what
died in a firefight while arresting a wider conflict as fighting
happened in Crimea as an attempt
to raise more sharply with the West
infiltrators and a soldier was killed in
drags on between Kiev
the idea of the Ukrainian leadership’s
further clashes.
intractability,” Baunov wrote in an
An irate President Vladimir Putin and pro-Russian rebels in
analysis last Friday.
accused Kiev of “practising terror” two other eastern regions
The FSB said Ukraine was aiming
and pledged not to let the death of the
bordering Russia.
to destabilise the situation on Crimea
servicemen go unpunished.
ahead of nationwide legislative
Ukraine’s
President
Petro
elections next month.
Poroshenko dismissed the claims
as “fantasies” aimed at providing a “pretext for the next
That has also led to allegations from some that the
military threats” and put his troops on high alert.
Russian leadership could be looking to ratchet up patriotic
Russian TV has aired footage of explosives and alleged fervour and distract from a bruising economic crisis.
Ukrainian military intelligence Evgen Panov, whom
Ukraine understands it cannot wrest back control of
Moscow says was captured and confessed to plotting Crimea from Russia through armed conflict.
attacks. Ukraine says Moscow kidnapped Panov and has
So any suggestion that this could be part of a broader
even blamed drunk Russian soldiers for the incident.
push to recapture the territory seems unfeasible. Russia has
Whatever the truth of the incident, analysts say, far said Ukraine might be trying the disrupt the tourist season
more telling is how both sides have reacted.
on the peninsula and Putin accused Kiev of attempting to
— AFP
Putin’s furious reaction fuelled fears that Russia might deflect attention from domestic woes.
Merkel returns from holiday to a host of political problems
ANDREW MCCATHIE
A
tough workload awaits Chancellor Angela
Merkel when she returns from her
summer vacation on Monday.
Since the German leader left for
vacation three weeks ago, her approval
ratings have slumped amid fears that
the refugee crisis has transformed into a
terrorist threat in the wake of two attacks
committed by refugees and linked to IS.
German economic growth has also
slowed, tensions in her conservative
political bloc have flared again, Berlin’s
fraught relations with Ankara have hit a
new low and frictions between Russia and
Ukraine have suddenly reemerged.
But the key question facing Merkel
when she returns from her annual hiking
trip in the Italian Alps is whether she will
seek a fourth term as head of Europe’s
biggest economy in next year’s national
elections. “I can imagine she will want to,”
said Manfred Guellner, head of Berlinbased pollster Forsa.
Merkel has regularly waved off
questions about her plans to stand in the
elections, saying last month: “This is not
the right point.”
Indeed, the most likely time for
Merkel’s announcement will be at her
conservative Christian Democrats’ (CDU)
annual conference in December when she
will face a vote as CDU party chief.
The chancellor was forced to break her
vacation twice due to the recent series of
violent attacks in the nation.
Together with a recent round of arrests
and counter-terrorism raids, the attacks
underlined the enormous political risks
of Merkel’s decision last year to open
Germany’s borders to refugees fleeing
wars in Africa and the Middle East.
Until the attacks, the refugee crisis had
largely disappeared from the headlines in
Germany as the nation largely absorbed
about one million refugees who arrived in
the country in 2015.
Now, however, the attacks have
reopened the national refugee debate.
Merkel has come under fire from the CDU’s
Angela Merkel’s summer
break well and truly ends on
Monday, when the German
chancellor returns to her
desk with elections looming,
new terrorism fears and rifts
within her conservative bloc.
Bavarian-based allies, the Christian Social
Union, over her handling of the asylum
seekers. An early test of Merkel’s current
political standing is likely to come next
month when voters in the capital Berlin
and the eastern state of MecklenburgVorpommern go to the polls.
The right-wing populist Alternative
for Germany (AfD) is expected to make
further gains in both elections as a result
of growing support for its anti-immigrant
programme. “Mrs Merkel has significantly
contributed to a considerable polarisation
of the population as a result of the refugee
issue, which has benefitted the AfD”, the
Social Democratic premier of eastern state
of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Erwin
Sellering, told the daily Tagesspiegel.
For the moment, the chancellor has the
strong backing of the CDU to head up the
party’s 2017 campaign.
After all, there are no party challengers
to her reign. Despite the slump in her
public approval ratings, the polls also show
that a Merkel-led CDU remains most
likely to head up the next government
after next year’s national election. Guellner
points out that Merkel and the CDU were
in worse shape in the polls in 2011, after
she mounted a dramatic U-turn in her
energy policy by abandoning her support
for atomic power following the Fukushima
nuclear disaster in Japan.
— dpa
This file photo shows German Chancellor Angela Merkel preparing to address
a press conference in Berlin.
— AFP
a a ys s
analysis
analysis
i
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
9
Learn what leaders and managers want, and be that person!
L
RAY PETERSEN
petersen_ray@hotmail.com
eadership and management are often seen as one
and the same in the eyes of most young people,
and many have difficulty making the distinction.
Let’s look at the two.
For a start, leadership can be assumed, but at
its genesis, leadership would appear to be based
upon choice. At some time, whether reluctantly or
enthusiastically, one must choose to be the leader.
At some time they must say, “Yes, I will lead!”
By the same token, when they say “No, I will
not continue to lead,” they are already walking
away from the role, and if they are to return to
leadership must choose again, and say “Yes” again.
A leader creates excitement, develops passion,
and demonstrates charisma, defined as, ‘a
compelling attractiveness and charm, that can
inspire devotion in others.’ Leadership is not
about control, but force of personality, strength of
character, and inspiration. It’s about galvanising
emotional response and exuberant celebration,
confidence, optimism and belief.
Alexander the Great once said, “I am not afraid
of an army of lions, led by a sheep, but I am always
afraid of an army of sheep, led by a lion.”
Leadership utilises the personal qualities,
knowledge, skills, and understanding of others
to create a cohesive entity that can mature within
itself and draw on the passion and enthusiasm
from without that entity, as well. Rather than
utilising processes, a leader responds to the
dynamic of the ‘life’ of that entity by enhancing
the life experiences within, in an intuitive manner.
Mother Teresa once said, “Together we can do
great things.” Now thousands of people have said
the same thing, but with her, people believed it,
and made it happen.
Planning, in a leadership role is more that of
coordination of the participants, and generally
is loose enough to reflect the required ability to
respond to the changes that evolve from positive
actions. There is direction, there is guidance,
there is supervision, but it is more in the way of
identifying the aims and objectives, and saying, “I
trust you, and your qualities, to take us there.”
Power and authority are the tools of leadership,
but you use them more often to influence the
thought processes of those you lead, rather than
to direct their actions, allowing them to say boldly,
“We did it.”
A manager has an entirely different ‘job
description’ of their own, and in fact works
within a very structured environment, governed
by policies, procedures, responsibilities, and
accountabilities. They have an obligation to
carry out, and complete the task for which they
are engaged, and is responsible for creating the
structure to ensure completion.
Steve Jobs always argued that quality was the
defining word in his management vocabulary,
insisting that “quality completion, not just
completion, should be a consistent goal,” and that,
“with quality would come consistency, leading to
even greater quality.”
They must implement the policies, and ensure
that employees respond to, and work within their
own job descriptions and responsibilities.
A manager has the right to empower those,
within his sphere of responsibility, to make
decisions, but having done so continues to have
accountability for their decisions.
In fact Bill Gates felt that while it took a brave
manager to empower those without a track
record, “the best managers empower those with
potential, and provide support, encouragement,
and a helping hand when they fall.”
Management relies upon structure, strategising,
planning, prioritising, organising, directing, and
ensuring sector and industry compliance.
It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “If I had six
hours to cut down a tree, I would spend the first
three hours sharpening my axe properly.” That’s
what I call planning and preparation!
It requires all departments and levels to be
appropriately resourced at all times in order to
sustain activity.
The great novelist Mark Twain wrote, “The
secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret
of getting started is breaking a complex task into a
number of manageable tasks, and then starting on
the first one.” In order to do so, the management
has the power to give orders and instruction, and
the right to an expectation of obedience.
A manager is unlikely to form objectives,
but is accountable for their achievement, so is
accountable for results, or, as former United States
president, Harry S Truman said, “The buck stops
here!”
Young Omani graduates, entering the
workforce have a responsibility to recognise the
difference, and to understand that there is indeed
a difference. A lack of awareness of the difference
between how they see their job, and how their
manager or supervisor sees it, are key issues,
and too few young Omanis are willing to adapt
themselves to the job description, and the job,
exhibiting a 9 to 5 mentality.
A lack of enthusiasm for the workplace, their
duties, and a sense of entitlement in employment,
are frequently identified by institutional and
organisational leaders and managers, as the
reasons why youthful Omanis must contribute
more to the work environment.
If Oman is to function effectively on the world
stage, attitudes to jobs, and work, must change.
Just simply marking time, waiting for the price
of oil to rise again is not an option.
A PHALLIC DISGRACE!
HERMAN GRECH
P
Supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.
lans to add a record-high skyscraper to Malta’s skyline are laying bare
the conflict between economic development and historic conservation
in the quaint, but overbuilt, island at the centre of the Mediterranean
Sea. Planning authorities approved on August 4 a five-tower complex,
including an unprecedented 38-floor apartment bloc, in the popular
seaside town of Sliema.
But there has been a chorus of public disapproval since then against
the latest construction lobby push.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the country’s top Catholic official,
dismissed the so-called Town Square project as a phallic opprobrium.
He protested on Twitter against “a number of temples to Priapus that
will line pockets with gold and ruin the view. Shame!”
Measuring just 316 square kilometres, Malta is one of most denselypopulated and overbuilt countries in the world. Thousands of building
applications, including for more towers, are pending approval, and
many worry that new edifices could eclipse the island’s rich history.
“We are ruining the traditional Maltese skyline for projects which
fail to take into account the brutal impact on infrastructure, traffic and
health,” said Michael Briguglio, who runs environmental organisation
Front Harsien ODZ.
A survey by newspaper Malta Today in June showed 68 per cent of
respondents saying that towers will make Malta “uglier”. Many have
turned to social media to protest against the centre-left government,
which they accuse of tweaking building regulations at the expense of
the environment. Malta’s thriving economy and low unemployment has
lured thousands of foreigners, especially Italians, to settle on the island.
The demand has helped to create a building frenzy with traditional
old houses torn down to make way for apartment blocks often
deemed tasteless.
Underlining the importance of a sector that has generated jobs,
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said high-rise buildings were an answer
to the demand for property and a means of reducing urban sprawl.
Briguglio insisted that the “super imposition” of massive projects
was risky: “We simply cannot sacrifice everything for short-term
economic gain. The government is trying to generate as much money as
possible by blowing a bubble. What if it bursts? The implications would
be devastating.” But Malta Developers’ Association president Sandro
Chetcuti said he believes “there is no bubble”, pointing out that many
of the new high-rise apartments had already been sold on plan. — dpa
— Reuters
On the national stage, the Trump train stalls
IVAN COURONNE
D
onald Trump hasn’t quite asked the dead to
vote for him, but he’s nearly there.
“I joke a lot as I say if you’re sick, if you
just got the worse prognosis that a doctor
can give you, if you’re lying in bed and you
just know you’re not going to make it — you
have to get up on November 8th and you
have to vote,” he said last Thursday.
At least nine times in the speech
to evangelical leaders in key swing
state Florida, the brash 70-year-old
billionaire — sometimes speaking in an
uncharacteristically low voice — called on
them to ensure their parishioners cast their
ballots for him.
The Republican presidential candidate is
a bit worried about his chances in November
against Hillary Clinton, and he’s not exactly
hiding it. And his team is struggling to
transform his winning primary campaign
model into an unbeatable national election
machine. During the Republican primaries,
the Manhattan real estate mogul and former
reality television star ignored the experts
and the pundits who told him to be more
“presidential,” to stop insulting his rival
and to prepare his speeches. To everyone’s
surprise, Trump’s iconoclastic strategy
worked. He was the last man standing, and
won the Republican Party’s nomination.
But since officially becoming the party’s
standard-bearer, at the urging of his aides,
he has given more policy-driven speeches
using a teleprompter.
But part of him visibly chafes at the
constraints, and he’s quick to go off-script
— and off-message, as evidenced by some
of his near-daily missteps in recent weeks:
over Russia, the parents of a Muslim
soldier killed in action, on guns and Hillary
Clinton, and on the IS group and President
Barack Obama.
“They would like to see it be a little bit
different, a little more modified. I don’t like
to modify. But that’s what I’ve done. We’ll see
where it takes me,” he told Time magazine
last Tuesday. Floating from one plan to the
next, Trump remains incapable of outlining
his campaign strategy. When he is asked to
do so, he says he relies on his instincts.
He stages rallies in seemingly random
locations, sometimes in states that are
unwinnable.
“The crowds we’re getting are tremendous.
So I don’t know what that indicates. But it’s
got to indicate something good,” he said.
“We’ll find out on November 8.”
Trump has a handful of stock campaign
pledges: to build a wall along the USMexico border, curb immigration, destroy
the IS group and bring industrial jobs back
to America. But winning a presidential
election historically requires more than just
catchy slogans.
Clinton’s campaign team has designed
a strategy that centres on consolidating
support among black and Hispanic voters
Donald Trump is acting as
if he is still in the more
welcoming world of the
Republican primaries, in
which 31 million people voted.
In 2012, nearly 130 million
people voted in the November
presidential election.
for the former secretary of state and first
lady, and on winning over white workingclass voters in swing states Pennsylvania and
Ohio, which could be the key to victory.
The strategy hinges on a strong grassroots
game, with local paid and volunteer
campaign workers on the ground. It also
requires a massive communications budget.
According to ABC News, the Democrat’s
campaign and her main super PAC (political
action committee) have spent nearly $93
million on television ads against just $11
million spent by outside groups backing
Trump. The Republican’s official campaign
committee has so far spent nothing on
television ads — practically unheard of in
modern campaigns.
Trump is acting as if he is still in the
more welcoming world of the Republican
primaries, in which 31 million people voted.
In 2012, nearly 130 million people voted in
the November presidential election.
So far, Trump’s expected appeal to
middle-class, middle-of-the-road voters has
not materialised, according to opinion polls.
“Preferences are substantially baked by
this point in time. There’s not much cooking
time left,” said Christopher Wlezien, a
professor of government at the University of
Texas at Austin.
Trump’s unpredictability, seen as an
advantage in terms of a possible campaign
rebound in September, “can be a good thing
and a bad thing, right? But it’s not clear it’s
been a good thing in the last two weeks,”
Wlezien said.
Not only has Trump dropped off in
the national polls (48 per cent for Clinton
against 40 per cent for Trump, according to
HuffPost Pollster), but he is also in danger
in the so-called swing states that has often
been key to Republican wins.
— AFP
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asia
i
Kejriwal reiterates demand for Delhi’s statehood
10
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
85 pilgrims leave for Kashmir Valley
A batch of 85 pilgrims left Jammu on Saturday for the Kashmir Valley to perform the
Amarnath Yatra. “The Yatris are escorted by security forces. This is the smallest batch of
yatris leaving Jammu since the Amarnath Yatra began on July 2,” a police officer said.
LEGACY: The Chief Minister says the decision to make the Lt Governor the supremo in Delhi was an insult to the people
NEW DELHI: In his first public
comments after his 10-day meditation
break, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal on Saturday reiterated his
demand for full statehood of Delhi.
Addressing a meeting to mark
unveiling of a statue of Delhi’s first Chief
Minister, Chaudhry Brahm Prakash,
Kejriwal also made an oblique criticism
of a Delhi High Court ruling that has
given Lt Governor Najeeb Jung primacy
in the affairs of the administration in the
capital.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader
Kejriwal said. “We are also fighting for
quoted the late Brahm Prakash’s son as secure statehood for Delhi.
“We are also fighting for statehood,” the rights of the people.”
saying that his father fought doggedly to
Plea in SC against Azam Khan on
Bulandshahr gang assault case
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has
been moved seeking registration of an
FIR against Uttar Pradesh Minister for
Urban Development Azam Khan for Advocate Kislay Pandey
making “outrageous” comments against
said that the petition was
the victims — the mother and her
minor daughter — of the July 29 gang filed on Friday, by the minor
assault on the highway at Bulandshahr. girl’s father, who has taken
Advocate Kislay Pandey said that
exception to Azam Khan
the petition was filed on Friday, by
the minor girl’s father, who has taken describing the assault as a
exception to Azam Khan describing the political conspiracy
gang assault as a political conspiracy at a
press conference.
The petitioner said Khan’s statement of investigation to Delhi, alleging that
was “outrageous to the victims’ local police were in collusion with the
modesty”. The petitioner — an Ola cab criminal gangs involved in the assault.
driver — has also sought the transfer
Besides, he has also urged the court
to monitor the same.
The incident took place on July
29 when the victims along with their
family members were travelling
to Shahjahanpur to attend a death
ceremony.
The petitioner has alleged that it was
a case of gang assault and dacoity as the
perpetrators of crime also took away
their cash and jewellery.
The victim’s father has alleged that
after the crime, when they contacted
police on phone, they did not respond.
The petition said that the crime took
place just one hundred yards from the
police post and despite their screaming
and shouting, no one came to their
rescue. — IANS
Why should it be that the
value of a vote in Haryana
is more than in Delhi?
This is an insult to the
people of Delhi. We too are
part of this country.
But our vote has no value
ARVIND KEJRIWAL
Delhi Chief Minister
The Chief Minister said the decision
to make the Lt Governor the supremo
in Delhi was an insult to the people of
Delhi and the choice they made in the
February 2015 assembly elections.
“Why should it be that the value of a
vote in Haryana is more than in Delhi?
This is an insult to the people of Delhi.
We too are part of this country. But our
vote has no value,” he quipped.
Underlining the development work
being done by the AAP government,
Kejriwal said that providing better
education and health facilities were the
main focus of his government.
“We are focusing more on health and
education because we feel that better
education of our children will help in the
development of our nation.”
He said the government would open
1,000 Mohalla Clinics by the end of this
year and that 100 of them were already
functional.
“We want to construct 10 big
hospitals across Delhi but the DDA
(Delhi Development Authority) is not
providing us land even though we are
ready to pay for the land,” he added.
Kejriwal said a naturopathy centre
would be opened at the Chaudhry
Brahm Prakash Ayurveda Charak
Sansthan in outer Delhi.
— IANS
NAILED MESSAGE
A student displays her nails painted in the nation’s colours and the social message, “save the girls” at a college in Mumbai on
Saturday, ahead of Independence Day on August 15. — AFP
india
da
india
i
British Minister Priti Patel calls on Modi
Pranab’s daughter names online pervert
Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of President Pranab Mukherjee, named a man who
sent her obscene messages on Facebook and vowed to fight such perverts. “It was shocking to see
such messages. And this kind of situation is being faced by thousands of women every day,” she said.
Amit Shah pays
tributes to Kakori
revolutionaries
LUCKNOW: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
President Amit Shah paid tributes to
the revolutionaries — Chandrashekhar
Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan, Ram Prasad
Bismil — at Kakori on the outskirts of the
state capital on Saturday.
He said that the sacrifices of the great
freedom fighters cannot be paid back.
After paying floral tributes to the
three revolutionaries who robbed a train
carrying money for the British treasury
in Kakori in 1925, Shah said that he will
talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to develop this place as a big tourist
attraction.
Urging the young generation
to be informed about the freedom
struggle and the supreme sacrifices
of the freedom fighters, Shah said
Uttar Pradesh has given a patriotic
government at the Centre by its
blessings, and that the BJP was yet
again looking to them to form a “doer”
government in the state.
Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to go to
polls in early 2017.
— IANS
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
11
PARTNERSHIP: Patel discusses the activities and future plans of Department for International Development in India
Patel also discusses
bilateral cooperation
in the spheres of
skill development,
infrastructure financing,
innovation, energy, and
ease of doing business
British Secretary of State for International Development speaks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi yesterday.
NEW DELHI: British Secretary of State
for International Development Priti
Patel called on Prime Minister Narendra
Modi here on Saturday and discussed
cooperation in various areas, including
skill development.
Modi congratulated Ms Patel on her
appointment as Secretary of State for
International Development in the new
KIDNEY RACKET
Five doctors get judicial
custody till August 26
MUMBAI: A court on Saturday sent
five doctors, including the CEO of L
H Hirandanani Hospital, to judicial
custody till August 26 in an illegal
kidney sale and transplant racket
here. The five — the hospital’s CEO
Sujit Chatterjee, Medical Director
Anurag Naik, Prakash Shetty,
Mukesh Shah and Mukesh Shetye —
were produced before the court after
their three-day police custody ended
on Saturday.
Public Prosecutor Sudhir Sapkal
told the court that the police
investigation were complete and
they did not require the custody of
the accused for further investigation.
Accordingly, the magistrate
ordered the five accused — arrested
on August 9 — to be remanded in
judicial custody till August 26.
Police said they had scrutinised
the bank account details and call
records of the accused-arrested
medicos and were trying to probe
how long they had been in contact
with each other and with another
accused, Brijkishore Jaiswal, the
Surat businessman who was the
intended recipient of a kidney
transplant last month.
Seeking bail for one of the
accused, Prakash Shetty, his
lawyer Abad Ponda said it must be
granted immediately as his wife
had delivered twins on Saturday
morning and produced a certificate
to the effect.
The court declined to take up the
bail plea and directed the lawyer to
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
move it on a regular hearing day and
asked police to be prepared with its
reply on August 16.
Earlier on Friday, the Dindoshi
Sessions Court rejected the
anticipatory bail application of
two other medicos from the L H
Hiranandani Hospital — Suwin
Shetty and Veena Salekar.
Police, who are probing more
suspicious transplants pertaining to
the case, have already hinted that
more arrests from the hospital were
likely.
Stunned by the revelations, the
Hiranandani Hospital on Thursday
appointed an external firm Ernst &
Young to audit all kidney transplant
cases carried out in the hospital in
the past one year.
The lid was blown off the racket
on July 14 when social worker Suresh
Gupta, some political activists and
members of a trade union stopped a
kidney transplant operation midway
since the donor and the recipient
were allegedly found to be a fake
couple — ‘husband’ Brijkishore
Jaiswal and ‘wife’ Shobha Thakur.
Since then, a total of 14 persons
have been arrested in connection
with the racket at the reputed
12-year-old
suburban
private
hospital with 240 beds.
Following the expose, the
Maharashtra Directorate of Health
Services set up a committee of
medical experts, which found
irregularities related to at least four
kidney transplant cases. — IANS
British government of Prime Minister
Theresa May, according to a statement
issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Modi recalled his successful visit
to Britain in November last year, and
appreciated the follow-up action taken
on the outcomes of the visit.
“Patel briefed the Prime Minister
on the activities and future plans
CBI registers
fresh case
against Mallya
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI) has registered
a fresh case against business tycoon
Vijay Mallya, his defunct Kingfisher
Airlines and United Breweries after
a complaint by the State Bank Of
India (SBI) in connection with a loan
default, an official said on Saturday.
The SBI filed the complaint on
behalf of consortium of 17 banks for
causing loss of Rs 6,027 crore.
“We have registered a case against
Mallya on the complaint of SBI,” a CBI
official said. “It was a lease that SBI
and its consortium of banks advanced
various credit facilities to Kingfisher
airlines,” the official said.
The official said Kingfisher Airlines
availed credit facilities of SBI as well as
various other banks during 2009-10.
In this period, the company
failed to meet financial payment
commitments.
— IANS
of Department for International
Development in India,” the statement
said.
“Patel also discussed bilateral
cooperation in the spheres of skill
development, infrastructure financing,
innovation, energy, and ease of doing
business,” it added.
On Friday, the first day of her latest
visit to India, Patel held meetings with
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and
Urban Development Minister Venkaiah
Naidu.
She said that Britain was deepening
its economic partnership with India to
deliver long-term progress. With Naidu,
she discussed ways of how Britain can
share its skills and expertise to drive
forward India’s vision for new smart
cities and boost opportunities for new
businesses. — IANS
Chinese Foreign
Minister meets
Modi, Sushma
NEW DELHI: Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi on Saturday met
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
also discussed “issues of mutual
importance” with External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj here.
“A morning for neighbourly
engagement,” External Affairs
Ministry Spokesman Vikas Swarup
tweeted after Wang called on Prime
Minister Modi.
He later met Sushma Swaraj, after
which the Indian and Chinese sides
went into delegation-level talks.
Wang on Friday met Goa Chief
Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and
reviewed the logistics and security
arrangements for Chinese President
Xi Jinping’s visit to the state in
October for the BRICS summit.
Wang was among the first foreign
ministers to be welcomed in India
after the Modi government took
office in May 2014.
— IANS
DEBRIS STAND
A young boy stands amidst the debris of demolished houses a day after Bangalore’s municipal authority, Bruhat Bengaluru
Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), brought down houses and buildings, in Bangalore. The BBMP has been on a demolition drive,
clearing illegal structures and encroachments on the basis of powers granted under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act.
Undeterred by public outcry, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed the city Municipal Corporation to go ahead
with the demolition of illegal structures on lakebeds and stormwater drains. — AFP
Omar blasts PDP MP for ‘insulting’ Kashmiris
SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and
Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
on Saturday reacted sharply to PDP MP
Muzaffar Baig’s alleged remarks at an
all-party meeting that young Kashmiris
were taking to arms for two sets of a
shirt and trouser they get in seminaries.
Abdullah accused Baig of making
“extremely dangerous and perverse”
comments about Kashmiris at the
meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi
had convened on Friday on finding ways
to defuse the tension in Kashmir.
“Not a single local young boy who has
joined militant ranks in recent months
has come out from a madrassa-based
educational background,” the National
Conference leader said in a statement.
Abdullah said some of the militants
in Kashmir have been “toppers in the
mainstream educational system while
a few were meritorious students in
professional college programmes.
“For Muzaffar Baig to suggest that
these young boys are becoming militants
for ‘two sets of kameez pyjamas’ is an
indication of his party’s mindset, of
how they look down upon the people of
Kashmir,” he said.
Abdullah said violence was
“unacceptable” but “we cannot afford
to ridicule and insult (Kashmiris) and
consequently push them further away
from the system. “Such contemptuous
remarks from PDP are augmenting the
anger and frustration in the valley and
that is a travesty,” he said.
Baig, one of the founding members
of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), on Friday blamed seminaries
for misinterpreting teachings and
provoking young Kashmiris to resort to
violence.
With three MPs in Lok Sabha and
two in Rajya Sabha, the PDP was the
only regional party from Jammu and
Kashmir that attended the all-party
meeting in Delhi. Baig said the trouble
in the valley “is a narrative of religious
extremism”, inspired by “a revival of
khilafat (caliphate) that has taken the
form” of the IS terror network.
Abdullah said the PDP should know
that the political sentiment in Kashmir
was neither about the IS nor a revival of
the khilafat.
— IANS
Every year 200,000 people need a new kidney and 100,000 need a new liver, but only three per cent of the demand for new organs is met
Only 0.08 per cent of Indians donate their organs
NEW DELHI: Only 0.08 per cent
of Indians donate their organs to the
needy as compared to 70-80 per cent of
Spaniards and Belgians, health experts
said on Saturday.
Every year 200,000 people in India
need a new kidney and 100,000 need
a new liver, but only two to three per
cent of the demand for new organs is
met, they said on the occasion of Organ
Donation Day on August 13.
The low proportion of organ donors
in Indian population can largely be
attributed to ignorance, superstition
and an absence of conducive regulatory
framework, said the experts.
promotion of the idea, India lags so almost no improvement in the situation
“It’s tragic that even after so much much in organ donation. There has been in the last couple of years,” said Ravinder
It’s tragic that even after so
much promotion of the idea,
India lags so much in organ
donation. There has been
almost no improvement
in the situation in the last
couple of years
RAVINDER MALHOTRA
Director of the Centre for Liver Transplant
and Gastrosciences at the Saroj Super
Speciality Hospital
Malhotra, Director of the Centre for
Liver Transplant and Gastrosciences at
the Saroj Super Speciality Hospital.
“Children can also be made organ
donors after parental consent.
There is a need to explain and
promote the entire concept of organ
donation more,” he said.
Malhotra said the laws need to be
changed to make them more facilitative
of organ donation.
In some Western countries, the body
of a citizen who has died goes into the
custody of the state which can then take
decisions regarding organ procurement
and donation, some doctors said.
In India, on the contrary, the consent
of the close relatives of the deceased
who pledged their organs is important,
which is negative in most cases, said P
KBhardwaj, a Delhi-based doctor.
“More people die waiting for a
transplant as availability and suitability
is less.
Anybody can be a donor; depending
on the medical condition, organs and
tissues can be donated for transplant,”
said Bhardwaj.
According to the Organ Retrieval
Banking Organisation of AIIMS-New
Delhi, a non-profit organisation, over
22,500 people across the country have
registered since 2010 to donate their
organs after their death.
— IANS
t eworld
the
o d
world
l
Zambia’s Lungu ahead in early
12
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S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
Rwanda, Congo hold bilateral talks
Rwandan President Paul Kagame (L) and Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President
Joseph Kabila talk at the Rwanda-DRC border in Rubavu after concluding bilateral
discussions. Both countries committed to mutual efforts for the revitalization of bilateral
relations including the enhancing of diplomatic relations between Rwanda and DRC.
vote results, opposition cries foul
BATTLE OF THE BALLOT: Lungu faces a stiff challenge from UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema
LUSAKA: President Edgar Lungu took
the lead over his main rival on Saturday
in early counting from Zambia’s
presidential election, but the main
opposition said some electoral officials
were colluding in favour of his party.
Lungu faces a stiff challenge from
United Party for National Development
(UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema,
who accuses him of failing to steer the
economy out of its slump after Africa’s
second-largest copper producer was hit
by weak commodity prices.
He led with 207,547 votes against
Hichilema’s 153,633 after 22 of the
country’s 156 constituencies in
Thursday’s voting had been collated, the
Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)
told a news conference also attended by
political parties.
Early results announced on Friday
from only eight constituencies had put
Hichilema ahead.
The commission has rejected UPND
charges that some of its officials were
working to manipulate results to the
advantage of Lungu’s Patriotic Front.
It said police were still investigating
a report that an ECZ official had given
his identity card on Friday to a man
who could then enter the commission’s
computer room and tamper with the
results.
The UPND renewed its calls for the
commission to remove some officials
from the election process to preserve its
credibility.
“There is a syndicate in this institution
and the syndicate is colluding to steal the
election. We are demanding that they be
There is a syndicate in this
institution and the syndicate
is colluding to steal the
election. We are demanding
that they be suspended,
resign or alternatively
stop participating in these
elections
MARTHA MUSHIPE
UPND lawyer
Electoral Commission commissioner Esau Chulu holds a press conference on the
first results for three constituencies, a day after general elections in Lusaka. — AFP
suspended, resign or alternatively stop
participating in these elections,” UPND
lawyer Martha Mushipe said.
The ECZ has also defended the
relatively slow pace in announcing
election results, saying audits were
taking longer than expected mainly due
to a large voter turnout.
As of Saturday’s count, turnout
LA smog and hot weather
cause ozone levels to spike
LOS ANGELES: High temperatures,
stagnant air and an increase in smog
have driven Los Angeles ozone
pollution to its highest level since
2009.
Ozone — a gas in smog that
triggers asthma and can cause lung
damage — has exceeded the federal
standard of 70 parts per billion in
the LA region for 93 days in 2016,
compared to 69 at this time last year.
“The weather has not been
cooperating,” said Sam Atwood,
spokesman for the South Coast Air
Quality Management District, an
area recently menaced by massive
wildfires.
One ozone spike hit an alarming
164 parts per billion, a level not
recorded since 2009, Atwood said.
He blamed the ozone increase
on high temperatures and a lack
of “atmosphere inversion” — air
movements from high to low pressure
areas that create wind and disperse
pollution.
Los Angeles is notorious for its
reliance on cars and home to two of
America’s most active ports.
The city is also surrounded by
mountains, obstructing air circulation
and contributing to the stagnation
of toxic emissions. California’s
expanding economy is also a factor,
Atwood said.
“Our region continues to grow —
we see more and more trucks on the
road servicing the ports,” he said.
Atwood did say environmental
analyses show “polluting emissions
continue to decline,” thanks to stricter
regulations, especially for large trucks.
Ports in Long Beach and Los
Angeles have also instituted measures
to favour cleaner electric power and
reduce the speed of ships.
Analysts have not measured
the impact of recent ozone spikes
on human health, but Atwood said
studies have shown that when ozone
levels increase, so do the number of
hospital admissions, especially for
asthma attacks and cardiac problems.
— AFP
was at 56.32 per cent, far above the 32
per cent recorded early last year when
Lungu narrowly won an election to fill
the vacancy left by the death of then
president Michael Sata.
If no candidate fails to win more than
50 per cent this time, Zambia will have
to hold a second round of elections.
Campaigning for this week’s vote
4,000 more UN
troops to South
Sudan capital
UNITED
NATIONS:
The
United Nations Security Council
authorised the deployment of a
4,000-strong protection force in
South Sudan’s capital, Juba, as part
of the UN peacekeeping mission and
threatened an arms embargo if the
government does not cooperate.
The US-drafted resolution was
adopted with 11 votes in favour.
Russia, China, Egypt and Venezuela
abstained.
The authorisation follows several
days of heavy fighting involving
tanks and helicopters in Juba last
month between troops loyal to
President Salva Kiir and those
backing former Vice-President Riek
Machar that raised fears of a return
to full-scale civil war in the world’s
newest nation.
The protection force of African
troops will use all means to enforce
peace in Juba and protect the airport
and other key facilities, the Council
said. — Reuters
centred on the economy, after months
of rising unemployment, mine closures,
power shortages and soaring food
prices.
Supporters of the two main parties
clashed in what is generally one of the
continent’s most stable democracies.
With emotions running high as
parties awaited results, the ECZ would
need to clearly demonstrate it was
acting to resolve complaints to retain
the confidence of the electorate, political
analyst Lee Habasonda of the University
of Zambia said.
“People are giving them the benefit
of doubt at this particular time, they
have not lost confidence in them yet but
yes, there are certain questions being
raised about their performance,” he said.
— Reuters
Billionaire posts $5,000 reward
to catch NY ice cream thieves
NEW YORK: Ice cream thieves are on the rampage in New York and one
billionaire has reached melting point. The supermarket tycoon has offered a
$5,000 reward leading to their arrests and prosecution.
John Catsimatidis, who owns the Gristedes chain of grocery stores, said
he was fed up with a ruthless gang cleaning out his freezer cases and selling
luxurious cartons to corner stores for a fraction of the price.
“It’s a nice summer reward,” he said. “Our managers have been going
through the refrigerator cases and they’re wiped out. “This gang of three to
four people comes in and puts them in large shopping bags, they distract the
manager and sell them,” he added.
The biggest single theft was around 100 to 125 tubs worth $700-800, with
stores in Manhattan the hardest hit, he said. The scam had been going on six
months, Catsimatidis complained.
The reward comes with New York in the grip of a heatwave, expected to
last through Sunday. With the humidity, it could feel as hot as 110 degrees
Fahrenheit although real temperatures will be lower. Asked whether he
thought his $5,000 reward would have an impact, the self-made tycoon
replied that maybe the corner store owner buying the ice cream would turn in
the thieves. “We’ve got to get this gang!” Catsimatidis said.
The billionaire announced the reward on Twitter, saying “ice cream bandits
are wreaking havoc on NYC supermarkets” — quoting a headline in the New
York Post tabloid. Police confirmed 250 complaints of ice cream theft and 130
arrests so far in 2016. “We are working closely with the retailers to combat the
thefts of ice cream,” a spokesman said. — AFP
Lions in West and Central
Africa form unique group
LONDON: Lions in West and Central Africa form a unique group, only
distantly related to lions in East and Southern Africa, researchers have
discovered.
All African populations are currently classified as a single subspecies
(Panthera leo leo), while the only remaining population in Asia is considered
to be distinct (Panthera leo persica), the researchers pointed out.
In this study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the biologists
gathered a genetic dataset of lion populations covering a total of 22 countries.
This included samples from each remaining lion population in West and
Central Africa, a region where lions and other wildlife are rapidly declining as a
consequence of the increasing human population.
Based on the genetic data, it was estimated that the split between the two
major groups that can be identified in the lion must have occurred 300,000
years ago. To explain what happened in their evolution, the researchers
from Leiden University in the Netherlands made a reconstruction of African
climatological history. It seems that periodic expansions of the rain forest and
the desert drove lions into isolated pockets of suitable habitat, where the
different genetic lineages originated that can still be observed today.
A general pattern is emerging that shows that many large African
savannah mammals show very similar arrangements, with unique lineages in
West and Central Africa, the study said. — IANS
WORLD’S LARGEST TRUMPET FESTIVAL
A brass band performs during the 56th annual trumpet and brass band festival in the Serbian village of Guca. A small town in
western Serbia is hosting the world’s largest trumpet festival, a raucous annual celebration of brass bands that draws crowds of
hundreds of thousands. Now in its 56th year, the Guca festival brings together dozens of Serbian bands who compete for
prestigious awards and entertain revellers in a turbocharged street party. — AFP
While Liberals supported the security law drafted by their Conservative predecessors, Trudeau campaigned on a promise to amend parts of it
Foiled attack puts spotlight on PM’s security revamp
OTTAWA: The death of a Canadian
supporter of IS who authorities said
was preparing an imminent attack has
increased calls for Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau to abandon his plan to scale
back a 2015 law that gave increased
powers to police and intelligence agents.
But those calls are unlikely to translate
into widespread public resistance to
changing the law, as long as the Liberal
government can frame it as a change
that protects civil rights, pollsters and
political analysts said on Friday.
“The Liberals have to try to not fall
into the trap of looking like they’re
weakening the legislation,” said pollster
Nik Nanos.
Aaron Driver, 24, was killed by
because the source was not authorised
police in a raid on Wednesday in a small
to speak to the media.
Ontario town after authorities received
While Liberals supported the security
“credible information of a potential
law drafted by their Conservative
terrorist threat.”
predecessors, Trudeau campaigned on
News of how close Driver came to
carrying out an attack sparked a call
a promise to amend parts of it, dubbed
from the Conservative opposition and
C-51, and increase oversight to protect
others for police and intelligence officers
Canadians’ civil liberties such as the
right to protest.
to have more power to stop would-be
“I’m guessing when you’re in
attackers.
opposition you say one thing, and
Driver was under a so-called “peace
when you are in power you might say
bond” that restricted some of his
activities. The conditions of that bond
something else. Now that the books are
were relaxed in recent months, including
open and there are full briefings, they
a requirement that he wear a monitoring
may see things a bit differently,” said Phil
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Gurski, a risk consultant and former
bracelet.
“They never should have varied the bracelet, it was over,” said an RCMP Canadian Security Intelligence Service
conditions. The second he took off that source who declined to be named analyst.
But the Liberal government will stick
to its plan on the law, said Dan Brien, a
spokesman for Public Safety Minister
Ralph Goodale.
One factor that may be motivating the
government to stand firm on changing
the law is possible legal pressure from
liberties groups.
The Canadian Civil Liberties
Association, which filed a court
challenge of C-51 in 2015, is waiting to
see what changes the government will
make before going ahead with its case,
said Sukanya Pillay, executive director
and general counsel.
“The government could lose control
if you start having court findings that
narrow your range of actions,” said Craig
Forcese, a law professor at the University
of Ottawa. “They’d better take their first
kick at the can while they can.”
Driver’s planned attack was not likely
to change Trudeau’s high poll ratings,
experts said. Trudeau has a four-year
term and a majority government, giving
him the legislative power to change
whatever he wants.
“Public opinion always changes
in the short term after you’ve had an
attack or a thwarted attack and then
after a couple months, the public has a
great capacity for amnesia,” said Nelson
Wiseman, director of the Canadian
Studies Programme at the University of
Toronto.
— Reuters
region
o
region
i
Yemen rebels defy government and convene parliament
Holi festival kicks off in Egypt
Egypt’s largest Indian colour festival Holi kicked off on Friday, introducing fun and joy for lovers of Indian
culture in the North African country. In Cairo’s Hawamdiya district, hundreds of people splashed vibrant
bright coloured powders on each other to celebrate the Egyptian version of the Holi, Xinhua reported.
Members of Yemen’s parliament attend a parliament session in the rebel-held
capital Sanaa on Saturday. — AFP
BATTLING
ADEN: The rebels convened Yemen’s
parliament on Saturday in defiance of the
internationally recognised government,
prompting condemnation from President
Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
The session in rebel-held Sanaa was
the first time parliament has convened
in almost two years, and comes after the
Houthis rejected a UN peace plan and appointed a council to run the country.
Parliamentary sources said that 91
lawmakers in the 301-member national
assembly attended the session. All voted
in favour of the council which was created last week. The Houthi rebels overran
Sanaa in September 2014 and then fought
their way into other parts of Yemen, forc-
ing Hadi and his government into exile in
Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting
the Houthis and their allies — supporters
of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh —
since March last year to shore up the Hadi
government. After Sanaa’s capture, many
parliamentarians also sought refuge in
other towns or overseas.
Political and security sources in Sanaa
said that some lawmakers were forced
to attend Saturday’s session after rebel
threats, but without elaborating.
Parliament chief Yehya al Raie, a leading figure in Saleh’s General People’s Congress party, urged all MPs “outside the
country to review their positions” and
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S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
invited them to retake their seats.
Hadi denounced the session as a “violation” of the constitution and a “crime
punishable by law”, in remarks carried by
the official sabanew.net website. “Whatever takes place at this meeting has no
legal effects and cannot be implemented,”
he said.
According to the constitution, more
than 150 lawmakers must be present for a
vote to be held. Armed rebels were inside
parliament for Saturday’s session, which
was held as coalition warplanes pounded
military targets around Sanaa, parliamentary sources said.
UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh
Ahmed has described the rebel governing
13
council as a violation of commitments to
the peace process.
Last week, he suspended UN-brokered
talks between rebels and the government.
The UN says that more than 6,400 people,
mostly civilians, have been killed in Yemen since the coalition air campaign began
in March last year.
Arab coalition air strikes have hit rebel
positions across northern Yemen as well
in as the southwestern province of Taez as
ground fighting raged on.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, said in a statement on Friday he
was “deeply alarmed by the intensification
of violence across the country”. — AFP
MILITANTS
Iraq corruption row
won’t derail Mosul
offensive: US envoy
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s offensive
to dislodge IS from its de
facto capital Mosul is on track
despite a spat between two
senior politicians over alleged
corruption in the military, the US
envoy to the coalition fighting the
militant group said.
Defence Minister Khaled al
Obeidi and parliament speaker
Salim al Jabouri recently
exchanged accusations of bribery
over defence contracts, leading
to judicial investigations and
sparking concerns that the
offensive could be delayed.
The two men are high-profile
allies of Prime Minister Haider al
Abadi, who is spearheading the
efforts to root out the IS group.
Asked about how the spat had
affected the Mosul campaign,
Brett McGurk told a news
conference in Baghdad: “We’ve
seen no impact in terms of the
overall timeline.”
The US is leading the coalition
providing air and ground support
to the Iraqi army in the war on
IS, whose forces swept through
northern and western provinces
two years ago.
The army and the elite units
that will lead the offensive are
gradually taking up positions
outside the city, from whose
Grand Mosque in 2014 IS leader
Abu Bakr al Baghdadi declared a
caliphate spanning parts of Iraq
and Syria.
Mosul is the largest urban
centre under the militants’
control,
with
a
pre-war
population of nearly 2 million.
Its fall would mark their effective
More than 3.4 million
people have already
been forced by conflict
to leave their homes,
taking refuge in areas
under control of the
government or in the
Kurdish region
defeat in Iraq, according to Abadi,
who has said he aims to retake the
city this year.
“The conditions are now
being set for the liberation of
Mosul,” said McGurk, adding the
coalition was focused on both
the military and humanitarian
dimensions of the campaign.
Once the fighting intensifies
around Mosul, up to one million
people could be driven from their
homes in northern Iraq, posing “a
massive humanitarian problem”,
the International Committee of
the Red Cross said last month.
More than 3.4 million people
have already been forced by
conflict to leave their homes
across Iraq, taking refuge in areas
under control of the government
or in the self-ruled Kurdish
region.
Mosul should be run by its
own people when the militants are
dislodged. “The philosophy here,
and it’s the government of Iraq’s
philosophy, is decentralisation,”
McGurk said. — Reuters
Women carry newborn babies while reacting after they were evacuated by the Syria Democratic Forces fighters from an IS-controlled neighbourhood of
Manbij in Aleppo Governorate. — Reuters
IS frees ‘human shields’ in Syria
THE RETREAT: Fleeing extremists took around 2,000 civilians to ward off air strikes
BEIRUT: The IS fighters have released
hundreds of civilians used as human
shields while fleeing a crumbling
stronghold in northern Syria, but the
fate of others remained unknown on
Saturday.
The last remaining IS fighters
abandoned Manbij near the Turkish
border on Friday after a rout that the
Pentagon said showed the extremists
were “on the ropes”.
The retreat from the city, which
IS captured in 2014, marked the
extremists’ worst defeat yet at the hands
of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),
an Arab-Kurdish alliance supported by
US air strikes.
Fleeing extremists took around
2,000 civilians, including women and
children, on Friday to ward off air strikes
as they headed to the IS-held frontier
town of Jarabulus, according to the SDF.
At least some of the civilians were later
released or escaped, the alliance said on
Saturday, but the whereabouts of the
rest was unknown.
“There are no more IS fighters” left
in Manbij, an SDF member said.
Kurdish television showed footage
of jubilant civilians in Manbij.
A woman burned a black robe that
the extremists had forced residents
to wear, while men who had lived for
weeks under a shaving ban cut their
beards with scissors.
“The battle was very hard,” a Kurdish
source said. “And the extremists had
laid mines” in the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, a British-based monitor,
reported that several hundred of the
civilians taken from the city were no
longer being held by IS.
“Among the civilians taken by IS
there were people used as human shields
but also many who chose voluntarily to
leave the town due to fear of reprisals”
by the SDF, Observatory head Rami
Abdel Rahman said.
The SDF launched an assault in May
on Manbij, on a key extremists supply
route between the Turkish border and
IS’s de facto Syrian capital Raqa.
The extremists, who have suffered a
string of losses in Syria and Iraq, have
often staged mass abductions when
they come under pressure to relinquish
territory they hold.
IS has also booby-trapped cars and
carried out suicide bombings to slow
advances by their opponents.
SDF forces captured Manbij on
August 6 but had continued to battle
pockets of extremists in parts of the
town.
According to the Observatory,
437 civilians, including more than 100
children, were killed in the battle for
Manbij and surrounding territory.
Around 300 SDF fighters died, along
with more than 1,000 extremists, it said.
Pentagon deputy press secretary
Gordon Trowbridge said on Friday that
IS “is clearly on the ropes”.
“It has lost the centre of Manbij, it
has lost control of Manbij,” he said.
Since fighting for Manbij began, USled strikes have taken out more than 50
of IS’s heavy weapons and destroyed
more than 600 fortified fighting
positions, Trowbridge said.
But the job of clearing the city will
be complicated after the extremists left
behind hundreds of mines and booby
traps, he added.
On Friday Russian and Syrian jets
pounded rebel positions in and around
second city Aleppo.
The raids came despite a pledge
by Russia to observe a three-hour
daily ceasefire in Aleppo to allow for
humanitarian aid deliveries. — AFP
Russia and the United States say they are discussing how to reduce violence in the country before any negotiations
Rebels’ Aleppo gains improve our negotiating hand: oppn
BEIRUT: Rebel gains which have
broken a Syrian government siege in
the city of Aleppo will strengthen the
opposition’s hand should a new round
of peace talks go ahead, an opposition
negotiator said.
Bassma Kodmani, a member and
spokeswoman of the opposition High
Negotiations Committee (HNC), said
Damascus and Moscow had to recognise
that last week’s advance in Aleppo had
changed the facts on the ground.
“Before this offensive (the Russians)
believed they could bring us to their
negotiating table and impose a national
unity government with Assad remaining
in power,” she said in an interview.
“The message from the ground was:
we are not going to let this happen. You
do not strangle and suffocate a whole
city and use it to impose your view of
what a political solution should be,” she
added. “I think it has given a little bit
more leverage to the opposition.”
An August 1 deadline for establishing
a transitional authority for Syria that
would lead to elections in 18 months
has come and gone, but United Nations
envoy Staffan de Mistura said he now
hopes to reconvene talks in late August.
Russia and the United States say they are
discussing how to reduce violence in the
country before any negotiations.
Kodmani said a deal was as remote
as ever. “We are nowhere close to even
drawing what a political transition
should look like,” she said.
Kodmani said the HNC still wants
a political solution, but the plight of
those in bombarded eastern Aleppo had
compelled moderate rebels to cooperate
with more radical groups in breaking the
Bassma Kodmani, a senior Syrian
National Council official.
— Reuters
siege. “There was no reaction from the
international community (to the siege)...
the whole world was watching in silence
what was going on,” she said.
The HNC is pressing for the
restoration of a ‘cessation of hostilities’
Kodmani said the HNC still
wants a political solution,
but the plight of those in
bombarded eastern Aleppo
had compelled moderate
rebels to cooperate with
more radical groups in
breaking the siege
deal brokered in February by
Washington and Moscow, but which
collapsed due to the escalating violence
centred on Aleppo.
“We wanted to see a restoration
of the cessation of hostilities because
that would allow (the HNC) and the
opposition to immediately see that
the moderate groups can organise life,
communities and security,” Kodmani
said.
“The more radical groups would be
marginalised because their value resides
in their firepower. Instead what we saw
was exactly the opposite... the moderate
groups (were left) with no choice but to
join forces with those who can, together,
lead an offensive of some significance.”
By far the rebels’ biggest coordinated
assault since the conflict began in 2011,
the Aleppo offensive united around
6,000-8,000 fighters from disparate
groups.
The HNC will present in the next
couple of weeks its detailed vision
for a political transition, but Assad’s
government is not willing to negotiate,
Kodmani said.
“We need a lot of heavy lifting
between Russia, the US, the UN and
other players... On the regime side we
have not seen so far any willingness
to engage in good faith, so at the
moment I think intensive international
consultations need to take place.”
Although some food has entered in
recent days, eastern Aleppo continues to
suffer heavy air strikes.
Russia said on Wednesday that daily
three-hour ceasefires would be declared
to allow deliveries of aid supplies, but
there has been no let up in the air strikes.
Kodmani said this move, like
the Russian offer two weeks ago of
‘humanitarian corridors’ for people
to leave the city, was a cynical and
unilateral move which was not discussed
with opposition groups. — Reuters
americas
americas
14
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
Historic leader Fidel Castro turns
90 in Cuba, lambasts the US
MEMORIES: Castro went on to reminisce about his youth as a child on the family plantation
Cuba went into overdrive
this month honouring the
retired “El Comandante”
who spearheaded its 1959
revolution and built a
Communist-run state on
the doorstep of the United
States
A woman walking past a billboard of Cuban President Fidel Castro in Havana, Cuba, in this file photo. — AFP
HAVANA: Fidel Castro thanked Cubans
for their tributes to mark his 90th
birthday on Saturday in a meandering
column carried by state-run media in
which the iconic leftist revolutionary
also lambasted old foe United States.
Cuba went into overdrive this month
honouring the retired “El Comandante”
who spearheaded its 1959 revolution
and built a Communist-run state on
the doorstep of the United States,
surviving what it says were hundreds of
assassination attempts along the way.
Thousands danced to Latin beats
along Havana’s curving seafront
Malecon boulevard throughout the
night from Friday to Saturday.
It was a giant street party in his
honour, with a live band playing “Happy
Birthday” on the stroke of midnight and
fireworks exploding on the other side of
the bay.
“I want to express my most profound
gratitude for the shows of respect, the
greetings and gifts I have received the
days, which give me the strength to
reciprocate through ideas,” Castro wrote
in the opinion piece.
Castro, who handed power to his
younger brother Raul in 2008 due to
poor health, went on to reminisce
about his youth as a child on the family
US campus assault in
spotlight again after
Colorado case
LOS ANGELES: Another campus
assault victim in the United States
has spoken out to denounce what
she said is lenient punishment for
her attacker, bringing the issue to
the forefront again after a Stanford
University case that ignited a
firestorm.
Assault is epidemic on American
campuses, with a 2015 Brown
University studying finding that
more than one in every six women
are assaulted during their first
year at college while too drunk
or incapacitated to fend off their
attacker.
On
Wednesday,
former
University of Colorado student
Austin James Wilkerson, 22, was
sentenced to two years in jail and 20
years to life on probation after being
convicted of assaulting a drunk
classmate.
The two-year sentence is on a
work-release basis, meaning he can
leave jail during the day to work or
attend school.
Wilkerson was convicted of
assaulting the then-freshman after a
party on March 15, 2014.
In a statement that was read
in court and published by various
US media outlets, the unidentified
woman detailed the ways her
life has been “ruined socially,
psychologically, academically and
financially.”
She said she has attempted
suicide and suffers from nightmares
and panic attacks.
“Although I did have to relive the
trauma multiple times, I would go
through this process all over again,”
the woman said in a statement on
Friday released by prosecutors.
“Our goal has been to have the
attacker not perpetrate again, which
hopefully won’t happen even with
plantation in the eastern village of Biran,
in particular about his father who died
before the revolution.
“He suffered quite a bit,” Castro wrote.
“Of his three male children, the second
and third were absent and distant, both
fulfilling their duty in revolutionary
activities.”
Even back then, Fidel wrote, he knew
Raul should replace him if anything
should happen to him, in particular
if the United States succeeded in its
attempts to kill him. “I almost laughed
about the Machiavellian plans of the US
presidents,” he wrote.
True to form, Castro went on to
lambast Barack Obama, this time for the
US president’s speech in May when he
visited Hiroshima, site of the world’s first
atomic bombing at the end of World
War Two.
“He lacked the words to ask for
forgiveness for the killings of hundreds
of thousands of people,” Castro wrote.
In his last opinion piece, in March,
the “Historic Leader” accused Obama of
sweet-talking the Cuban people during
his visit to the island — the first by a US
leader in 88 years — and of ignoring the
accomplishments of Communist rule.
Raul’s
most
broadly
feted
accomplishment since taking power
has been implementing a detente with
the United States after a half century of
frozen confrontation.
Considered more pragmatic, the
younger Castro also introduced marketstyle reforms to invigorate the statedominated economy and increased
personal freedoms, such as the right to
travel abroad.
— Reuters
Zetas gang leader
rearrested in Mexico
MEXICO: Mexican police have
rearrested a top member of the violent
Zetas drug gang who was freed last year,
officials said on Friday.
Federal officers detained Luis Reyes
Enriquez, known as “Z12”, one of the
founders of the cartel.
The group is considered to be one
of the forces behind a wave of deadly
violence in Mexico.
Reyes was freed by a judge last year
after eight years in jail on organised
crime charges.
He has now been rearrested more
than a year later after another judge
reversed the decision, officials said.
“He is considered a causer of violence
and responsible for transferring
drugs in the states of Nuevo Leon and
Tamaulipas,” federal police anti-drugs
chief Juan Carlos Silva told the media in
a press conference.
— AFP
US ELECTION
Clinton releases tax
return, blasts Trump
for not doing so
WASHINGTON: Democratic White
House candidate Hillary Clinton
released her 2015 tax return on
Friday and criticised her Republican
rival Donald Trump for bucking a
long-standing tradition by failing to
do the same.
Clinton and her husband Bill,
the former president, reported $10.6
million in income for 2015.
They paid $3.6 million in federal
income tax, according to the
document, which was posted on her
campaign website.
Over the course of their careers,
the Clintons have published all of
their tax returns since 1977.
Democrats repeatedly point to
this as evidence of transparency on
the part of the power couple.
Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine
also released his returns for the past
10 years on Friday.
“Donald Trump is hiding behind
fake excuses and backtracking on
his previous promises to release
his tax returns,” Clinton campaign
communications director Jennifer
Palmieri said. “What is he trying to
hide?”
Trump has so far declined to
release his, arguing that his tax
returns for the past several years are
being audited.
The real estate mogul’s campaign
said that Clinton’s move to release
her tax returns “is nothing more
than an attempt at distraction and
misdirection.”
Trump senior communications
adviser Jason Miller said in a
statement that Americans would
rather see deleted e-mails from
Clinton’s private server, Clinton
Foundation records and transcripts
of speeches she gave to Wall Street
business people.
“We want to see the records the
night of Benghazi that explain why
Secretary Clinton didn’t send in
reinforcements as soon as the attack
had begun,” he said of the 2012
assault on the US consulate in Libya
that killed four Americans, including
the ambassador.
Democrats hint that by not
releasing his tax returns, Trump may
be trying to hide that he pays little
to no tax, makes less money than he
claims or gives a negligible amount to
charity.
Trump, 70, presented the
Federal Election Commission with
a mandatory personal financial
disclosure form in May and says this
is enough.
That document gave only an
estimate of Trump’s assets, liabilities
and income.
Trump has said he is worth more
than $10 billion, but no one has been
able to confirm this independently.
Forbes magazine estimates Trump
is worth less than half that — $4.5
billion.
The New York Times reported
that Trump had likely benefited
from tax breaks available to real
estate developers in past years, as
in 1978 and 1979, when he paid no
federal income tax at all, according to
documents he made public in 1981
when applying for a casino licence in
— AFP
New Jersey.
US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton smiles as she is
introduced at Futuramic Tool & Engineering in Warren, Michigan. — Reuters
Queues of thousands of people are common, and riots and looting are a daily occurrence
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office
booking photo of Austin James
Wilkerson. — Reuters
the light sentence,” she said.
“I get to tell my story and not keep
it bottled up. Other brave survivors’
eerily familiar stories have inspired
me to share my story that assault
isn’t always a stranger in the bushes.”
Judge Patrick Butler, who
presided over the case, said he
“struggled, to be quite frank, with
the idea of ‘Do I put him in prison?’”
Another assault survivor, a
2015 graduate of the University of
Colorado, slammed the judge in an
open letter published on Thursday.
“Your sentence was not handed
down in a vacuum. It sends a message
to every person in this country that
assault isn’t a serious, punishable
offense,” Chandler McCorkle wrote.
“Your sentence tells young men
that as long as they are white, show
an inkling of remorse for their crime,
and behave themselves during trial,
they too can assault with impunity
without fear of true repercussion.”
Chandler McCorkle said her
attacker, “a handsome, athletic,
16-year-old,” was sentenced to five
years of probation, a curfew and
therapy.
— AFP
Venezuelans cross reopened border
to Colombia for food, medicine
SAN ANTONIO: Thousands of
Venezuelans were welcomed to
Colombia by a military band early on
Saturday morning as the two countries’
borders were officially reopened after
being closed by Venezuela a year ago.
Some people had travelled across
Venezuela to queue overnight hoping to
cross to buy food and other basics that
are in short supply in Venezuela, which
is steeped in an economic crisis.
“I came with my family to do
some shopping because we can’t find
anything to eat,” said Wilmary Salcedo,
a 17-year-old engineering student who
had travelled some 500 miles from the
central city of Maracay hoping for rice,
sugar and cooking oil.
Venezuela’s stores lack the most basic
foods and medicines.
Queues of hundreds and even
thousands of people are common, and
riots and looting are a daily occurrence.
Venezuela’s
President
Maduro
abruptly closed the border last August
hoping, he said, to protect his country
from smugglers and paramilitaries.
We’re interested in a new
beginning in economic and
commercial relations with
all of Colombia’s productive
sectors
NICOLAS MADURO
Venezuela President
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro gestures while he speaks next to Colombia’s
President Juan Manuel Santos during their meeting at Macagua Hydroelectric
compound in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela last week. — Reuters
Critics saw the action as a stunt to
shift attention from worsening domestic
problems. Maduro announced the
reopening on Thursday, alongside his
Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel
Santos.
“We’re interested in a new beginning
in economic and commercial relations
with all of Colombia’s productive
sectors,” Maduro said on Thursday.
Santos said it would be a “gradual”
reopening. Five border crossings will
be open to pedestrians during the day
from 6 am to 9 pm local time (1100
to 0200 GMT). A representative from
Colombia’s foreign ministry said 5,000
people had crossed in the first two hours.
The border has for years been a
hotbed of smuggling of everything from
price-controlled toothpaste and pasta to
illegal drugs and weapons.
Maduro blamed Colombians, among
others, for the country’s crisis and the
closure strained relations between the
South American neighbours.
Many people continued to cross the
border over the past year using dirt
paths, shallow river crossings and by
paying officials. — Reuters
eu ope
eur
europe
UK to match EU funds,
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
HARLEY FEST
15
farm sops after Brexit
$5.8 BILLION GAP: New guarantee over funding comes as Britain
faces the looming prospect of a recession following exit from EU
Bikers ride their motorcycles along the central Nevsky avenue during the Harley Days Festival in Saint Petersburg,
on Saturday. — AFP
Man with knife,
flammable
liquid injures 6
on Swiss train
ZURICH: A man armed with a
knife and flammable fluid injured
six people in an attack on a Swiss
train on Saturday, St Gallen cantonal police said.
A police statement said the
assailant was a 27-year-old Swiss
citizen and that he was also injured in the incident and hsopitalised, as were his six victims
— three adults, two 17-year-olds
and a child aged 6 — with stab
and burn wounds.
It did not spell out whether
the man was under arrest or provide any information on a possible motive for the attack, but did
say a criminal inquiry was under
way.
“According to current information a 27-year-old Swiss man
poured out a flammable liquid.
He was also armed with at
least one knife. The liquid caught
fire,” the statement said.
The attack occurred at 2:20
pm (1220 GMT) as the train
neared the Salez station on a trip
between Buchs and Sennwald in
St Gallen, a canton in the northeast of the Alpine republic, the
police statement said.
Among the injured is a child
of six. There was no immediate
information as to motive or background.
Three rescue helicopters are at
the scene. A major police operation is under way.
Several dozen passengers were
on board at the time of the attack.
Apart from the child, a girl
and a boy, both 17, two women
aged 34 and 43, and a man aged
50 were hurt.
It was the first attack of its
kind in Switzerland in recent
memory.
There have been a string of
assaults on the public in neighbouring France and Germany,
as well as Belgium, over the past
18 months, most of which were
claimed by the Islamic State militant group and killed more than
250 people.
— Agencies
Merkel to urge chiefs of
big firms to hire refugees
Chancellor Angela Merkel with a refugee in Berlin. — Reuters file picture
BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel
has invited executives from some of
Germany’s biggest listed companies to
attend a summit next month where she
will urge them to hire more refugees, the
newspaper Bild reported on Saturday.
More than one million migrants
flooded into Germany last year, and
the government wants to get as many
as possible into the job market, which
would reduce their dependence on
the state and compensate for labour
shortages as the workforce ages.
Merkel will push reluctant German
companies to offer more traineeships
and position to refugees, Bild reported.
Large companies have been criticized
for doing little to help integrate the
refugees into the thriving job market.
Companies say most of the new
arrivals lack the German language skills
and the education required for a job.
Engineering
giant
Siemens,
chemicals group Evonik , carmakers
Opel and VW and utility RWE will
share with Merkel the results of pilot
projects with refugees, Bild said.
Merkel’s office declined to confirm
Bild’s report, which said the meeting
at the chancellery will take place on
September 14.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
reported a month ago that the 30 biggest
DAX-listed companies had until June
employed only 54 refugees, including
50 who were hired by logistics provider
Deutsche Post.
Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel last
month urged large companies to do
more for refugees, saying their efforts
pale in comparison to the Mittelstand,
the small and medium-size companies
considered the backbone of Europe’s
biggest economy.
More than 1.1 million migrants
arrived in Germany last year, mostly
refugees fleeing conflicts in Syria,
Afghanistan and Iraq.
Taking part in the so-called “Us
together” initiative are, among others,
electronics manufacturer Siemens;
carmakers Volkswagen,Daimler and
Opel; fashion designer Hugo Boss; and
Deutsche Bank.
While anti-immigrant sentiment
has risen off the back of fears that the
new arrivals are stretching resources
and overwhelming the job market, the
companies “see the long-term potential
that migration opens up in Germany,”
according to a statement on the “Us
together”website.
The participants “want to play a
positive role in societal change and
contribute to a climate in Germany of
openness and mutual understanding,”
it said.
Projects already underway include
mentor programmes, digital start up
support and language courses.
The chancellor has been under
pressure to alleviate the financial
and administrative burden on local
authorities after more than 1 million
refugees and migrants entered the
country since the start of 2015 under
her open-door refugee policy.
In July, her government passed a
package of integration measures to get
migrants learning German and open up
avenues into the work place for them.
— Agencies
LONDON: Britain will fill a gap of as
much as £4.5 billion ($5.8 billion) in
funding for agriculture, universities
and its regions that will open up when
Britain leaves the European Union,
finance minister Philip Hammond said.
Scientists, farmers and others who
got EU funding were facing uncertainty
after Britain voted on June 23 to quit the
EU.
Hammond reassured them on
Saturday that the British government
would pick up the tab.
The new guarantee over funding
comes as Britain faces the looming
prospect of a recession following the
Brexit vote.
Companies are expected to put off
investment and consumers to cut their
spending as Britain and the EU work
out their new relationship.
Hammond told reporters that
Britain needs about £4.5 billion year to
fill the gap left by the end of EU funding,
although Britain’s actual exit date may
be some way off.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said
she will not start the two-year process of
leaving this year.
“We
recognise
that
many
organisations across the UK which
are in receipt of EU funding, or expect
to start receiving funding, want
reassurance about the flow of funding
they will receive,” Hammond said in
a statement. According to Full Fact,
an independent fact-checking agency,
the British government paid about
£13 billion to the EU last year, after its
automatic rebate, and got back £4.5
billion in funding.
“Clearly if we stopped making
According to fact-checking agency, the British government paid about £13 billion
to the EU last year, after its automatic rebate, and got back £4.5 billion in funding.
contributions to the European Union
there will be money available to
be invested in our own economy,”
Hammond said when reporters asked
about Britain’s funding arrangements
after Britain’s departure from the EU.
Britain’s opposition Labour Party
said Hammond had made the right
move in giving the guarantees but
added that it was important for the
government to also ensure that Britain
remained a member of the European
Investment Bank.
The EIB, a provider of long-term
financing on favourable terms to
projects that support growth in the bloc,
in 2015 invested 7.8 billion euros ($8.7
billion) in Britain in transport, water
and other projects.
Hammond’s funding guarantee,
which covered structural and investment
funds and Horizon research funding,
was also welcomed by organisations
representing recipients of EU funding
and by the employer organisation, the
British Chambers of Commerce.
“I hope that this short-term certainty
will help to deliver longer-term
confidence and this is exactly what
farm businesses need now,” said Meurig
Raymond, the president of the National
Farmers’ Union.
The Royal Society, a London-based
group of scientists, said the reassurance
on EU grants would help Britain-based
research continue to attract the best
talent.
“Today’s announcement sends a
strong message that Britain remains
open and collaborative,” Royal Society
president Venki Ramakrishnan said.
Hammond said projects signed
before Britain’s Autumn Statement
financial update will continue to be
funded by Britain after it formally leaves
the EU and the UK would match the
current level of agricultural funding
until 2020.
— AFP
Sweden’s youngest-ever minister
resigns over drunken driving
STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s youngest ever cabinet
minister, who came to the country as a refugee from
Bosnia, announced her resignation on Saturday after
being caught driving under the influence of alcohol.
Aida Hadzialic, 29, minister for secondary and adult
education, revealed that she had been stopped by police
in the southern city of Malmo and tests showed she had
an alcohol level of 0.2 grammes per litre of blood — just
the level considered an offence in Sweden.
“That was the biggest mistake of my life...I will take
responsibility. I announce my intention to resign from
my ministerial post,” an emotional Hadzialic told a press
conference at government headquarters in Stockholm.
“I understand that a lot of people are disappointed in
me. And I am angry with myself, and certainly I deeply
regret it,” said the young politician seen as the future of
the Social Democrat party.
Hadzialic was born in Bosnia and immigrated to
Sweden at the age of five, in 1992, with her parents fleeing
the war in the Balkans.
She became involved in the Social Democrats youth
movement in high school and went on to be elected a
municipal councillor at age 23.
Then in 2014 at 27 she became the youngest ever
government minister in Sweden’s history.
She is not the only politician to have to drop out since
Sweden’s political left returned to power two years ago.
Deputy premier and environment minister Asa
Romson from the Green party resigned in May after
Aida Hadzialic
a series of gaffes, the last being to describe the 2001
terrorist attacks in the United States as “the accidents of
September 11”.
Housing Minister Mehmet Kaplan, of Turkish origin,
had to step down in April after comparing Israelis to the
Nazis, and Mona Sahlin, the national coordinator for
protecting democracy against violent extremism, was
forced to resign in May after media revealed that she had
made false income declarations for her bodyguard to
help him obtain bank loans. — AFP
ITALY TO SEEK NEW EU DEAL TO KEEP ECONOMY ON TRACK
ROME: Italy is to seek a new deal with
the European Union to allow it to kickstart its stalling economy with an expansionary 2017 budget, a government minister said on Saturday.
Economic Development Minister
Carlo Calenda’s comments came three
months after Rome was granted “unprecedented” leeway over its 2016 budget and
warned by the European Commission
that it should be tightening fiscal policy
next year.
Calenda spoke out after data published on Friday showed the Italian economy failed to grow between the first and
second quarters of this year, suggesting a
sluggish recovery which began last year
has stalled.
Analysts say the government will now
have to revise downwards its forecasts of
growth of 1.2 per cent for this year and
1.4 per cent in 2017, with knock-on effects on its deficit reduction plans. “The
Treasury will present updated figures in
Analysts say the government
will now have to revise
downwards its forecasts of
growth of 1.2 per cent for
this year and 1.4 per cent in
2017, with knock-on effects
on its deficit reduction plans
September. I can’t hide the fact that the
room for manoeuvre is tight,” Calenda
told Turin daily La Stampa.
“We are discussing with Europe
how to address the absolute necessity of
boosting public and private investment.”
Calenda implied that could mean allowing the 2017 budget deficit to run
higher than previously planned, possibly
up to the three percent of GDP ceiling
enshrined in the eurozone’s rules.
The Commission has set Italy a defi-
cit target of 1.8 per cent for 2017, arguing
that kind of adjustment is necessary to
reverse the upward trend in the country’s
huge debt, which hit a record of just under 2.25 trillion euros ($2.51 trillion) in
June. “We intend to respect the rules but
we are also fighting to change them,” Calenda said. “The unbreachable limit is the
debt, which cannot increase.”
“We have already obtained a lot of
flexibility, we intend to ask for more, the
maximum possible, but always within
the rules.” Other Italian newspapers were
unanimous Saturday in predicting that
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would defy
Brussels by presenting an expansionary
budget in mid-October.
The youthful premier’s popularity has
waned of late and he has staked his future
on a constitutional reform referendum
scheduled to take place in November.
Renzi has vowed to quit if he loses the
vote on plans to streamline Italy’s parliament and electoral system.
— AFP
world
o dinpictures
p ctu es
panorama
16
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
RHYTHM OF FUN: Revellers during a street dance parade in Zurich, Switzerland. — Reuters
HEALING TOUCH: Children try to push an injured and weak dolphin back into the water after
it washed ashore during bad weather and high tide on a beach in Cilacap, Central Java,
Indonesia. — AFP
FLY AWAY: Volunteers watch flamingo chicks being released to the Odiel marshes,
in Huelva, southwestern Spain, during a tagging and control operation of flamingo
chicks to monitor the evolution of the species. Around 407 flamingo chicks were
tagged and measured before being released to the marshes. — AFP
RINGS OF COLOUR: A girl blows soap bubbles in the early morning hours after
the Perseid meteor shower in Ramon Crater near the town of Mitzpe Ramon,
southern Israel. — Reuters
TRIBUTE TO A NATION BUILDER: Artists give final touches to a painting with the
image of Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah ahead of Independence Day
celebrations in Karachi. — AFP
HONEYMOON ON A BALLOON: Chinese couple Chloe Wang (L) and Cheng Lee celebrate their honeymoon at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in Bristol,
Britain. — Reuters
SUNDAY | AUGUST 14, 2016 | DHUL QA’ADA 10, 1437 AH
business
SAN FRANCISCO TECH SURGE BOOSTS COSTS IN BUILDING BOOM P20
IS AN EVER-GROWING GDP FOR A COUNTRY REALISTIC? P21
$10.7 bn Sino-Oman Industrial
City construction begins in Duqm
CONRAD PRABHU
MUSCAT
Aug 13: Initial groundwork has commenced on the
site of the Sino-Oman Industrial City, an ambitious
planned at an estimated cost of $10.7 billion at the
Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Duqm on the
Sultanate’s Wusta coast.
Chinese
contractor
Duqm
Ningxia
Construction Company is currently involved in
the preparation of the sprawling site that will house
a plethora of heavy, medium and light industries,
as well as host substantial tourist, commercial and
healthcare components.
A team of officials from Duqm Ningxia
Construction is currently based at the SEZ to
help oversee the development of roads, office and
residential facilities, as well as structures to house
light industries and small and medium businesses.
These initial facilities will serve as a steppingstone for the phased development of the mammoth
scheme planned over the next several years,
according to a report in Duqm Economist, a
quarterly newsletter published by the Duqm SEZ
Authority (SEZAD).
In May, the Authority inked a landmark deal
with Oman Wan Fang LLC, which represents a
consortium of six private Chinese corporations, for
the establishment of a new investment hub within
the SEZ. Dubbed the ‘Sino-Oman Industrial City’,
the venture is envisaged as a dedicated industrial
park within the SEZ.
Covering an area of 1,172 hectares — the single
largest parcel of land leased to a developer — the
City will be home to Duqm’s second oil refinery,
which with a world-scale processing capacity of
230,000 barrels per day (bpd), will be similar in
size to the $6 billion Duqm Refinery currently
under construction in another part of the SEZ.
Also envisaged alongside the Chinese-led refinery
venture is a gigantic petrochemicals complex.
Heavy industrial zone planned at the Sino-Oman Industrial City.
Initial elements of the basic
infrastructure and support facilities
that fall within the developer’s remit
will be ready by the end of 2017.
Outlining his plans for the progressive
development of the Industrial City, Ali Shah —
Chairman of Wan Fang Oman LLC, said the
company was in talks with the Ministry of Oil
and Gas to secure the gas requirements of some of
the heavy petrochemical and industrial ventures
envisioned at the park.
“Heavy industries will require a great deal
of energy for the production of petrochemicals
derivatives, aromatics, methanol, and so on, (the
feedstock for which) we will provide through the
establishment of a refinery in the SEZ. There are
talks between us and the Ministry of Oil and Gas in
this regard,” the newsletter quoted Shah as stating.
Also driving the demand for gas as fuel and
feedstock will be a number of gas-based industries,
including a steel mill, aluminium smelter, tyre
manufacturing factory, magnesium plant, urea
scheme, and factories manufacturing cement,
building materials and glazed glass — part of a
portfolio of 35 substantial industrial investments
planned at the park.
Elsewhere within the Sino-Oman Industrial
City, the developer plans to set up a Light and
Medium Industries Zone earmarked for, among
other investments, assembly plants, automotive
assembly units, halal foods processing, logistics
based ventures, and e-commerce units, solar-based
equipment, car batteries, oil and gas tools, bicycle
assembly units, apparel production facilities and so
on.
Initial elements of the basic infrastructure and
support facilities that fall within the developer’s
remit will be ready by the end of 2017, Shah added.
Firms which exceed air and water pollution standards would be fined on a daily basis
China to use tougher environmental
standards to tackle capacity glut
BEIJING: China will use the stricter enforcement
of environmental, safety and energy efficiency
standards as well as tougher credit controls to help
fight against overcapacity in key industrial sectors,
the government said.
The world’s second-largest economy has
identified overcapacity as one of its key challenges
and it has already pledged mass closures in the steel
and coal sectors, but it has so far fallen behind on
its targets.
The Ministry of Industry and Information said
in a draft policy document published on its website
(www.miit.gov.cn) it would “normalize the stricter
implementation and enforcement of mandatory
standards” to tackle overcapacity in sectors such
as steel, coal, cement, glassmaking and aluminium.
It would implement a “differential credit” policy
that would allow lenders to extend loans to help
firms restructure while cutting off funding for
poorly performing enterprises targeted for closure.
Firms that fail to comply with new energy
efficiency targets would be given six months to
rectify and would be closed if they fail to make
progress. Those that continue to exceed air and
water pollution standards would be fined on a daily
An employee works at a steel factory in Dalian, Liaoning Province. — Reuters
basis and in serious cases ordered to shut.
It said authorities would cut off power and
water supplies, and even demolish the equipment
of firms that fail to meet environmental and safety
standards. Facilities could also be sealed off to
prevent them from going back into operation.
The ministry also repeated a previous pledge to
implement differential and punitive power pricing
policies to force firms to toe the line.
Beijing is concerned that some local
governments have not been acting with enough
urgency when it comes to dealing with overcapacity
problems. On Thursday, the state planning agency
singled out regions such as Inner Mongolia, Fujian
and Guangxi for failing to make progress.
— Reuters
www.omanobserver.om
editor@omanobserver.om
NEW METHOD DISCOVERED TO CONVERT CO2 INTO ELECTRICITY P24
Indian exports fall 6.84pc in July
NEW DELHI: India’s merchandise
exports in July fell 6.84 per cent to $21.69
billion compared to $23.28 billion in the
corresponding month of 2015, official data
showed.
The country’s imports in July fell 19.03 per
cent to $29.45 billion, compared with $36.37
billion in the same month last year.
Consequently, the trade deficit for AprilJuly also declined to $27 billion against
$45.98 billion in April-July of 2015-16.
“Non-petroleum exports in July 2016 are
valued at $19.19 billion against $20.09 billion
in July 2015, a decrease of 4.46 per cent,” a
Commerce Ministry statement here said.
Cumulatively, for the April-July, exports
were down 3.62 per cent in dollar terms at
$87 billion, against $90.27 billion over the
same period last year.
Cumulative imports for April-July were
worth more than $114 billion, which was a
16.33 per cent fall from $ 136.25 billion worth
recorded for the same period a year ago.
Lower global crude prices meant oil
imports during the month under review
declined by 28.10 per cent to $ 6.82 billion
from $9.49 billion in the corresponding
month of last year.
For April-July, crude oil imports
plummeted by 25.01 per cent at $25.67 billion
from $34.22 billion in the corresponding
period last year. — IANS
omaninternational
business
b
i Bank Muscat Chip and PIN debit
18
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
United Ajyal Majan unveils
new real estate brand Wujha
MUSCAT: Celebrating the blessedness
of the Forty-six National Day of the
Sultanate and with our beloved country
is witnessing a prospering growth in
all sectors of life; United Ajyal Majan
LLC has launched (a new brand in the
domain of the real estate development in
a modern way in order to get along with
the requirements of this era, where this
launching came in the name of) Wujha
for Real Estate Development (which
sells units of luxurious apartments and
shops, the CEO of the company Haza’a
bin Salem Almardouf Alsa’adi on this
launching gave the following declaration:
We are glad today to launch our
new marketing brand reflecting the
phase of the real estate development
that Oman is witnessing. Our vision
translates our commitment to deliver
residential and commercial projects to
be destinations for a better life taking
into our consideration offering premium
residential apartments with high quality
standards to achieve the highest levels
of our customers’ satisfaction which
will make the process of the acquisition
much easier via banking financing or
internally through the company. Wujha
enjoys an excellent record track of
various projects starting with Bait Mohra
Project at Amerat then Dar Alqamar at
Mwalih South and Lubana at Southren
Mu’baleyah (The Company will launch
also at the beginning of August 2016
AlIrfan Pear Project located at Ghala
Heights away 10 minutes from the
International Muscat Airport in addition
to several many residential projects while
its execution will extend to June 2017.
Wujha thrives to satisfy the customers’
needs through its website www.wujha.
com and its free number 80033666
to ensure answering any of their
inquires. We hope that Allah will effect
reconciliation upon us to achieve all of
our ambitions and aspiring in the real
estate development domain participating
in serving the Sultanate of Oman
dedicatedly side by side in favour of our
honourable country.
India’s Allahabad Bank posts loss in Q1
India’s government owned lender Allahabad Bank reported a net loss of Rs 5.64 billion
for the first quarter ended on June 30 as compared to a net profit of Rs 1.46 billion in the
year-ago period. The bank’s gross NPA in absolute term rose by a 140.5 per cent year-onyear to Rs 192.08 billion from Rs 79.87 billion in the same period last year.
card reaches 1m customers
MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial
services provider in the Sultanate, hosted a
ceremony to mark the distribution of one million
Chip and PIN debit cards featuring advanced
security for day-to-day payments and cash
withdrawals.
Packed with an array of features and benefits, the
new card is designed to make everyday purchases
and payments easier. Offering greater flexibility
and convenience, the card provides access to the
bank’s largest network of branches, ATMs and
CDMs across Oman.
The innovative chip-based cards provide
additional security for transactions through
Personal Identification Number (PIN). The
initiative heralding the future cards in Oman is
in line with the Omani government’s ambitious
eGovernment project. The cards are in conformity
with international standards and reflect the bank’s
commitment to ensure convenience and security
for all card transactions.
While new customers directly receive the Chip
& PIN card, all Bank Muscat debit cardholders will
automatically migrate to the new card at the time
of renewal. With the new technology, cardholders
are required to enter a four digit PIN, known only
to them, instead of signature to verify payments
at terminals that are Chip and PIN compliant.
Cardholders must enter their PIN as in ATM
transactions to use the cards at PoS terminals.
The attractive features of the card include
payment convenience, facilitating shopping
NBC, Riyada incubated companies
explore tourism opportunities
BUSINESS REPORTER
MUSCAT
Aug 13: As part of the monthly ‘Reyooq’
initiative, the National Business Centre
(NBC), which falls under the umbrella of
the Public Establishment for Industrial
Estates (PEIE), recently hosted Maitha bint
Saif al Mahrouqi, Under-Secretary at the
Ministry of Tourism, at a discussion forum
for incubated companies and SMEs.
The Under-Secretary highlighted the
investment opportunities available for
SMEs in the Sultanate and explained how
these SMEs can take advantage of the
Sultanate’s tourism strategy that aims to
create significant job opportunities. This
will eventually contribute to developing the
national economy and advancing the SMEs
in the industrial sector, she said.
The event also highlighted the vision of
NBC, which aims to become the premier
platform for Omani entrepreneurs by
providing business development support and
guidance, training and mentoring, access to
markets and industry experts and state-ofthe-art, fully equipped, office space, meeting
rooms and presentation facilities.
Mulkie al Hashmi, Marketing Director at
NBC, also highlighted the objectives of NBC,
which comprise facilitating and supporting
the growth of bankable ideas into successful
businesses; building entrepreneurial skills
through dedicated and focused training,
coaching and mentoring; and providing
business support facilities from office space,
administrative support, financial support
and consultancy services that are crucial in
ensuring the success and survival of new
ventures.
The Reyooq initiative consists of
monthly visits to high profile companies
and factories in the Sultanate, organised by
NBC in cooperation with Riyada to meet
with the CEOs and decision-makers of
these institutions. The incubated companies
at NBC shall get acquainted with various
opportunities available for the entrepreneurs
from these visits.
Beleaguered pound risks more pain
amid raft of post-Brexit data
LONDON: Pound traders may have more
reasons to fret next week amid economic
reports that will show the true extent of the
fallout from the UK’s decision to exit the
European Union.
Sterling, already this year’s worst
performing major currency, could come
under further strain as reports on inflation,
retail sales and unemployment benefit claims
provide more detail on how the UK economy
is faring after the referendum. The pound has
been one of the most obvious causalities of
Brexit, undergoing its worst-ever day when
the result became clear, while losses deepened
in the last week in the wake of the Bank of
England’s decision to cut interest rates and
boost its stimulus plan. “The risks are to the
downside in the data,” said Jeremy Stretch,
head of foreign-exchange strategy at Canadian
Imperial Bank of Commerce in London.
“It’s going to be a case of another week of a
challenging backdrop for sterling.”
Sterling has dropped more than 13 per cent
since Britons opted to leave the EU, and fell
below $1.30 this week for the first time since
July, approaching the three-decade low of
$1.2798 reached in the wake of the vote. It has
already surpassed its post-Brexit low against
the euro, sliding to its lowest since August
2013 on Friday.
While surveys since June 23 have shown
contractions in construction, manufacturing
and services, next week’s figures will provide
more concrete evidence of the vote’s impact
on the economy. The data is forecast by
economists to show jobless claims increased
in July, while retail sales barely grew.
The pound slid 1.2 per cent this week to
$1.2920 as of 5.55 pm London time on Friday,
after touching $1.2909, the lowest since July
11. It slid 1.9 per cent to 86.44 pence per
euro, after touching 86.53 pence. The latest
move lower in the pound has been driven
by the Bank of England, which last week cut
interest rates to a record-low and restarted its
quantitative easing plan.
The BoE’s buying got off to a rocky start this
week as an operation on Tuesday saw it fail to
receive enough offers for longer-term bonds.
The purchases will resume on Monday, with
the following day’s buying of debt due in more
than fifteen years likely to be closely watched
for more signs of scarcity. — Bloomberg
at millions of retail outlets across the world.
Customers enjoy cash withdrawal from ATMs
within and outside Oman. With global acceptance,
the card provides easy access to bank account
across millions of ATMs and retail outlets all over
the world.
Using the card, customers can shop on the
Internet with confidence as the card is protected
with the additional Verified by Visa (VbV) security.
Customers also receive alerts on mobile phones for
transactions made using the card. Cardholders
can avail this service by registering their mobile
number with the bank. The services available for
cardholders include 24-hour Call Centre support,
convenience of phone banking and Internet
banking 24x7.
Time and again, Bank Muscat launches novel
campaigns and promotions that continuously
enhance value as well as create unique opportunities
that enrich life for cardholders.
Bank Muscat cards, which spell convenience
and security, is the preferred mode of payment
in Oman. The wide range of Bank Muscat cards
provide a secure option to pay for a host of dayto-day transactions at shopping malls, restaurants
or holiday abroad. Embedded with the electronic
chip, the cards ensure maximum protection and
peace of mind.
BUSINESS ALERT
Ford Motor Company debuts world’s
first mobile wind tunnel for quieter cars
MUSCAT: Ford Motor Company has
long pioneered vehicles that have been
rewarding for customers. Be it technology,
safety or even design for that matter, Ford
vehicles are an absolute delight to own.
Recently Ford has realised its consumers
desire quieter vehicles — it forms a leading
purchase consideration among those
looking for a new car. So Ford has come up
with a better way to make its vehicles even
quieter.
The world’s first fully mobile
aeroacoustic wind tunnel is an innovative, patent-pending test system that allows for sources of
unwanted wind noise in early production vehicles to be identified faster and solutions developed sooner.
In the end, customers drive away in cars designed with a quiet interior that’s so essential to delivering a
refined vehicle experience.
Ford’s new wind tunnel debuts at Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan — joining a growing fleet of
mobile testing facilities including three environmental evaluation chambers. Full-sized aerodynamics
labs, such as Ford’s main wind tunnel in Allen Park, Michigan, are outfitted with the latest in sensitive
measuring and analysis equipment. These office building-sized facilities are specialised for advanced
aerodynamic and aeroacoustic development work on future models, with each facility costing about
$50 million. Due to the specialised instruments and cost, running time for these machines is precious.
Ford’s new mobile wind tunnel costs a fraction of what a full-sized lab costs. Because testing requires
only a steady stream of highway-speed wind, many of the large and sensitive instruments of a full aero
lab aren’t required. But high-tech, in-cabin sensors like the Aachen head and Noise Vision can still be
used. With an on-site wind noise facility, Ford factories can pull more sample vehicles directly from the
line and test them with no delay — eliminating the time and complexity of shipping vehicles back and
forth across the country.
In Oman, Ford vehicles are marketed by Arabian Car Marketing Co LLC.
OLX Oman witnessing an
exponential growth
MAKING an impactful entry since its launch 12
months ago, OLX Oman witnessed an exponential
growth in the first half of 2016. OLX Oman, the
leading online classifieds platform in the Sultanate
has compiled an extensive report for the period
in between January and June 2016 that reflects
how well it has been received by the market.
OLX believes in observing utmost transparency
in all its operations and undertakes to regularly
publish facts and figures pertaining to consumer
search patterns, demand and supply behaviours as
well as the most frequent items sought out for on
OLX Oman in a variety of categories. The growing
popularity of the platform is a credible proof of its
success in the Oman market and the confidence
the people have placed on it.
When comparing the figures from July to
December 2015 to January to June 2016, the
number of monthly active users grew by 30 per
cent while the number of visits to the OLX Oman
platform escalated by as much as 72 per cent.
Furthermore, there was a steep 98 per cent growth
in total number of listings across all categories. On
average, a visitor to the platform was estimated to
spend 10 minutes on it. Ascertaining the extensive
reach the platform claimed to have, each listing
received an average of 23 inquiries per listing
across all categories.
A popularly searched category, OLX Oman cars
section saw enormous growth ultimately standing
at a figure that reflected a 138 per cent growth
in the number of listings for cars in the period
January to June 2016 as compared to the last six
months of 2015 (July to December 2015). Each
listing in this category generated an average of 23
inquiries.
The most searched car brands on OLX Oman
for the period had Toyota being searched the
maximum number of times reflecting a search
figure of 1,596,392, followed by Nissan with
619,142 and Lexus with 475,010 searches.
The most listed brands for sale followed a
similar hierarchy with Toyota having as many as
25,300 ads. Nissan had 14,933 ads and was closely
followed by Lexus with 13,321 ads. The 3 most
popular brands in terms of demand and supply on
OLX Oman undoubtedly showed Toyota, Nissan
and Lexus at the top.
international
business
siness
Weak US retail sales and inflation
Reliance Capital reports first quarter profit
India’s Reliance Capital Ltd said on Saturday it closed the first quarter of the current fiscal with
a consolidated net profit of Rs 2.07 billion. The company, part of the Anil Ambani-led Reliance
Group, said it has logged a consolidated net profit of Rs 2.07 billion for the quarter ended June
30, 2016 up from Rs 2.01 billion posted for the quarter ended June 30, 2015.
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
19
India’s retail inflation
stays
above
RBI
target
data dim prospect of Fed rate hike
WASHINGTON: US retail sales
were unexpectedly flat in July as
Americans cut back on discretionary
spending, pointing to a moderation
in consumption that could temper
expectations of a sharp pickup in
economic growth in the third quarter.
Other data on Friday showed that
producer prices recorded their biggest
drop in nearly a year in July amid
declining costs for services and energy
goods. Cooling consumer spending
and tame inflation suggest the Federal
Reserve will probably not raise interest
rates anytime soon despite a robust
labour market.
“Fed members are afraid to come out
from under their rocks until growth is
sustainably solid and inflation in, near
or at their target, and today’s reports
don’t provide them with any comfort
that will happen soon,” said Joel Naroff,
chief economist at Naroff Economic
Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania.
July’s unchanged retail sales reading
followed an upwardly revised 0.8 per
cent increase in June, the Commerce
Department said. Retail sales in June
were previously reported to have
increased 0.6 per cent. Sales rose 2.3 per
cent from a year ago.
Motor vehicle sales increased 1.1
per cent last month. Rising demand for
autos is pulling spending away from
discretionary items, including sporting
goods, whose sales in July suffered their
biggest drop since January 2015.
Excluding automobiles, gasoline,
building materials and food services,
retail sales were also unchanged last
month after rising 0.5 per cent in
June. These so-called core retail sales
correspond most closely with the
consumer spending component of gross
domestic product.
Economists had forecast overall retail
Shoppers are seen in an American Eagle Outfitters retail store in Manhattan, New York. — Reuters
sales rising 0.4 per cent and core sales
climbing 0.3 per cent last month. Some
cautioned against reading too much into
the July data, citing a labour market that
is at or near full employment, and said The growth of online
they expected sales to bounce back in retailing is having impacts
August.
“You have had two months of very on the broader economy.
strong job growth. It just seems very odd For one, construction of
that spending would be weak. I will wait
shopping centres and other
for the revisions before declaring July
retail spending means anything more commercial structures
than random volatility,” said Steve Blitz, obviously has suffered
chief economist at M Science in New
MICHAEL FEROLI,
York. US Treasuries were trading higher
Economist
at JPMorgan
on the data, while the dollar fell against
a basket of currencies. US stocks were
little changed as the impact of rising oil as they continued to grab market share
prices offset the weak data. There was from traditional retailers.
Macy’s said on Thursday it would
another jump in online sales last month
close an additional 100 stores as it
tries to turn around its business after
six quarters of falling sales. Like other
department stores, Macy’s has been
squeezed by stiff competition from
online retailers such as Amazon.com.
“The growth of online retailing is
having impacts on the broader economy.
For one, construction of shopping
centres and other commercial structures
obviously has suffered,” said Michael
Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan in
New York.
Separately, the Labour Department
said its producer price index for final
demand dropped 0.4 per cent last
month, the first decline since March
and the largest since September 2015. It
increased 0.5 per cent in June.
— Reuters
IMF warns on China’s mid-term economic stability
BEIJING: China must take “urgent”
action to reform its economy or risk
“permanently lower growth”, the
International Monetary Fund said in a
report, citing mounting corporate debt
as a major concern.
While near-term growth prospects
remain good, Beijing’s failure to move
on long-promised reforms is raising the
chances of a medium-term hard landing
in the world’s second-largest economy, it
said.
China is seeking to restructure its
economy to make the spending power
of its nearly 1.4 billion people a key
driver for growth, instead of massive
government investment and cheap
exports.
But the transition has caused growth
to sputter. The Asian giant’s economy
expanded at 6.7 per cent in the AprilJune period, the same as the first three
months of the year and slowing from 6.9
per cent in 2015 — its weakest annual
rate in a quarter of a century.
“China’s economic transition will
continue to be complex, challenging and
potentially bumpy, against the backdrop
of heightened downside risks and
eroding buffers,” the IMF report said.
“Vulnerabilities are still rising on
a dangerous trajectory and fiscal and
foreign exchange buffers, while still
adequate, are eroding,” it said.
Resource misallocation, corporate
debt, excess capacity and financial
opacity were major problems that
needed to be addressed, it specified.
“While the challenges are still
manageable, urgent action is needed to
ensure they remain so,” it added.
While Beijing has made verbal
pledges to tackle such issues, it has not
followed through in practice, the report
noted, saying that “government policy
and pronouncements seem to alternate
between prioritising reform and growth”.
The report cited growing corporate
debt as a particular concern.
Excluding the financial sector, it
stood at around 120 per cent of GDP in
2015, estimates in the IMF document
said, projecting it could grow by more
than 20 points by 2021.
A June report by the China Academy
of Social Sciences put the figure even
higher, saying it could have already
reached 156 per cent back in 2014.
The IMF said that in the midterm, failure to move would “add
to vulnerabilities, worsen resource
misallocation, and lead to permanently
lower growth”.
Beijing has no time to lose, the
Washington-based institution said,
recommending that “progress should be
kick-started in the next few months.”
— AFP
NEW DELHI: Soaring food prices in
July kept India’s headline inflation above
the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) nearterm target, underscoring the challenge
facing the next central bank governor.
Consumer prices rose at a fasterthan-expected pace to 6.07 per cent last
month from a year ago, up from June’s
5.77 per cent annual gain, government
data showed. Economists surveyed by
Reuters had expected retail inflation to
come in at 5.90 per cent.
It is the fourth straight reading above
the RBI’s target of 5 per cent by March
2017.
At his last monetary policy review on
Tuesday, Central Bank Chief Raghuram
Rajan left key interest rates unchanged,
flagging upside risks to the inflation
target.
The former International Monetary
Fund chief economist is due to step
down as RBI governor on September
4, after a three-year term, to return to
academia.
While Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s government has yet to pick
a successor, it has bound the next
governor with Rajan’s retail inflation
target of 4 per cent, with a band of 2
per cent on either side, for the next five
years.
Retail food prices surged 8.35 per
cent year-on-year last month, much
faster than a 7.79 per cent annual
increase in June.
Above-average monsoon rains this
summer have raised hopes of a boost
to farm output and an ensuing drop in
food inflation. Already, there are signs
vegetable prices are edging down.
However, the outlook for core
inflation remains uncertain due to a
shrinking output gap and an expected
pickup in demand-driven price
pressures, following full implementation
of a major hike in government salaries
and pensions.
Pay hikes are also expected to make
it tougher for Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley achieve the fiscal deficit target of
3.5 per cent of GDP in the current fiscal
year. Jaitley told lawmakers on Friday
he would need more money to cover
the payout.
A looser fiscal stance could boost
inflationary expectations, economists
warn, as the government pays higher
wages and keeps capital investment
high in the hope that private sector
activity will then pick up.
“The central bank faces a difficult
task in meeting its inflation targets,”
said Shilan Shah, India economist at
Capital Economics. — Reuters
Exports, consumption boost
German economy in Q2
FRANKFURT: Expanding exports
and domestic consumption pushed
Germany’s economy — Europe’s biggest
— to grow slightly faster than expected
between April and June, preliminary
data showed.
With a 0.4 per cent increase in
calendar — and seasonally-adjusted
terms, gross domestic product (GDP)
grew slightly slower than the previous
quarter’s 0.7 per cent, a statement from
federal statistics office Destatis said.
That was twice as fast as analysts
surveyed by Factset had predicted.
“Compared with the previous
quarter, positive impulses came from
the trade surplus. Preliminary estimates
showed exports increased compared
with the first quarter of 2016,” the
statisticians said.
“Private consumption spending
and state consumption spending also
bolstered growth,” the statement went
on.
Compared with the same period in
2015, the economy showed growth of
3.1 per cent — “stronger than at any
time in the past five years”, Destatis said.
But there were some weaker spots in
the overall picture.
“Growth was slowed by weak net
investment, especially in facilities
and construction, where less was
invested after a strong first quarter,” the
statisticians said.
ING Diba bank’s Carsten Brzeski
said “the current recovery is clearly
running on its very last leg,” pointing
to weak investments which he argues
are unlikely to return to healthy levels
given the shock of the UK’s vote to quite
the European Union, as well as fears of
a wider global slowdown.
Domestic
consumption
alone
without investment will not be able to
maintain growth indefinitely, Brzeski
said. But Holger Schmieding, an analyst
at Berenberg bank, said: “Germany’s
economic position continues to look
strong.”
He pointed to “solid domestic
fundamentals, a buoyant labour
market, rising real incomes, a modest
fiscal stimulus and excellent financing
conditions,” which he believes would
help Germany weather the fallout from
Brexit. — AFP
Project was shelved as Brazil slid into recession z Original idea was to have rail link ready for Olympics z Brazil, China to discuss project next month
China wants to revive Brazil high-speed train project
BRASILIA: Chinese firms are pushing
to revive an $11 billion high-speed-train
project to link Brazil’s two largest cities,
shelved after the South American nation
descended into recession and political
turmoil, three sources familiar with the
talks said.
China’s ambassador to Brasilia told
interim President Michel Temer on
Wednesday that Chinese train builders
and operators want to participate in
Brazil’s biggest ever infrastructure
project, delayed repeatedly because of
doubts about its viability and concession
models, the sources said.
Temer was invited to ride the highspeed train connecting Shanghai and
Hangzhou next month during a G20
summit when he will discuss the project
in bilateral talks with Chinese President
Xi Jinping, a Brazilian presidential aide
said.
“The Chinese are working hard to
revive the project,” said the aide, who
asked for anonymity because he was not
allowed to speak publicly. “Brazil is not
convinced yet, but is supportive of the
idea.”
A spokesman with the Chinese
embassy in Brasilia said he did not know
the content of the discussions between
Temer and ambassador Li Jinzhang. Li
did not immediately respond to email
requests for comment.
Temer’s press office declined to
comment.
The project linking business hub Sao
Paulo with Rio de Janeiro was seen as a
big step in Brazil’s quest to join the club
of developed nations when it was first
proposed in 2010, when the economy
was booming.
The original plan was to have the
high-speed rail link ready in time for the
Olympics, now under way in Rio.
In 2013, the government delayed a
tender for the project for the third time
because of lack of interest as builders
complained about the concession model.
When the economy started to sour in
2014 and then President Dilma Rousseff
faced a rebellion of her allies in Congress
the project was forgotten, seen as too
expensive and difficult to carry through.
Now with its economy mired in
recession, Brazil would have to rely
on private companies to finance the
ambitious project that is likely to cost
more than the $11 billion once estimated
by the government, said Temer’s aide and
another government official involved in
the discussions.
As initially envisaged, the government
planned to use state-run banks to partly
finance the construction of the 400-km
(250-mile) railway.
The high-speed railway was the
pet project of Rousseff, who was
suspended from office in May pending
an impeachment trial in the Senate
over accusations she doctored the fiscal
accounts to bolster her re-election
chances in 2014.
Her vice-president Temer took
over with the promise of pulling the
economy out of what could be its worst
ever recession with a mix of market-
friendly policies that include the sale of
infrastructure concessions.
Chinese companies interested in
the bullet train include China Railway
Construction Corp Ltd, a Brazilian
government official said.
The company could not be
immediately reached for comment.
Chinese companies believe the
project is economically viable, but want
the Brazilian government to propose a
new concession model before making a
final decision, a Chinese official familiar
with the discussion said on condition of
anonymity.
Major railway players such as
France’s Alstom, Spain’s Construcciones
y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA and
German’s Siemens AG were interested
in the original project, Brazilian officials
said at the time. — Reuters
international
business
b
i
Jet Airways Q1 net profit plunges 53pc
20
San Francisco tech surge boosts
costs in building boom
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S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
India’s Jet Airways reported a decline of 53.47 per cent in its stand-alone net
profit for the first quarter of the current fiscal. According to the company’s
regulatory filing to the BSE, its stand-alone net profit stood at Rs 1.03 billion
from Rs 2.21 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal.
Carl Icahn could
pull some levers
with Delek
LIAM DENNING
n case you hadn’t heard that times are tough in
the oil-refining business, Carl Icahn is apparently
out shopping.
Shares in Delek US Holdings, a Midwestern
independent refining and marketing firm, jumped 9
per cent on Friday after a report in the New York Post
speculating that rival CVR Energy is considering
a bid. Icahn owns about 80 per cent of CVR and is
reportedly also building a stake in Delek.
It certainly smells like M&A is in the air. Delek’s
stock price has collapsed; even with Friday’s jump,
it’s less than half where it was just a year ago.
The shift of the glut in crude oil into a glut of
refined products has hurt all refiners. Delek has also
been hit by the closing of the gap between onshore
US crude prices and global benchmarks such as
Brent, taking away a nice cost advantage for its
inland refineries.
US refining margins look like a bust through
the rest of the year, at least. Delek’s own CEO, Ezra
Uzi Yemin, said as much on the second-quarter
earnings call, seeing recovery in 2017 instead. So
consolidation would be a natural outcome.
That’s even more so in Delek’s case, because
it could do with just consolidating itself. It owns
a 48 per cent stake in Alon USA Energy, acquired
in May 2015. That deal, designed to give Delek
diversification and a stepping stone to future growth,
has instead hung over it as a cloud of uncertainty and
a persistent reminder of the perils of bad timing. The
mostly stock deal was struck at a ratio of about 0.45
Delek shares per Alon share — which turned out to
be pretty close to the low point for last year.
That said, the ratio has now come back virtually
to where it was at the time of the original deal, so
the chances of a full buyout using at least some stock
could be back in the cards.
Delek also owns 61 per cent of a master limited
partnership, Delek Logistics Partners, a pipelines
and storage business. Like most MLPs, its stock
collapsed in the past year as access to capital to
fund acquisitions of assets from its parent tightened
sharply. Assuming capital re-opens at some point, it
offers an option for selling more assets from Delek
to its subsidiary to raise cash for paying off debt and
growing the business.
An added bonus is that Delek’s marketing assets
could somewhat mitigate the curse of Renewable
Identification Numbers, or RINs. These are a
regulatory rabbit hole for the refining sector. The
short story is that standalone refiners’ profits are
getting hit hard by the charges they pay to meet the
federal government’s mandates on blending ethanol
into gasoline.
By way of illustration, here’s what CVR’s CEO
John Lipinski had to say on the topic during the
company’s latest earnings call:
I’m going to go through and repeat what I said
on the earlier call about our view and my view on
RINs. And so buckle your seatbelts, here we go. RINs
continue to be an egregious tax on CVR Refining
and have become their single largest operating
expense exceeding labour, maintenance, and energy
cost. This year, RINs were roughly double the cost
of our labour. Since 2013, CVR Refining has spent
nearly $500 million on RINs.
That $500 million he mentioned equates to about
45 per cent of CVR Refining’s operating profit over
the same period, according to data compiled by
Bloomberg. So you can see why he’s a tad exercised.
For CVR, therefore, Delek would represent not
merely a bet on refining margins recovering, but also
a set of levers to be pulled by cleaning up the current
structure and putting the two companies together to
help deal with the downturn.
For Icahn, who took a majority stake in CVR via a
hostile deal in 2012, it could offer a way to claw back
some lost value. He hasn’t done too badly. Figures
compiled by Bloomberg imply he’s received more
than $1.5 billion in dividends from CVR since the
deal (you’ll no doubt be surprised to hear that the
company’s payouts leaped after Icahn took control).
That isn’t far short of the $1.7 billion check his fund
cut for that deal.
Still, having paid $30 a share at that time and
initially putting CVR up for sale, Icahn, like any
other investor in the refining sector, has seen huge
paper gains burn away in a flash. — Bloomberg
I
F
or real estate developers
such as Jeff Peterson, losing
construction workers who can
hang drywall, install plumbing
and pour concrete in the San
Francisco Bay area has become
routine.
“Guys are literally going to jobs and
saying to the concrete crew, ‘Hey, what
are you making per hour?’” said Peterson,
a purchasing director at Trumark Cos, a
San Ramon, California-based developer of
residential real estate. “‘We’ll pay you $2, $3,
$4 more to come work for us.’ It’s driving up
the labour costs quickly.”
With San Francisco in the midst of an
office and condominium construction boom
to accommodate the technology industry and
its workers, real estate companies are vying
for crews to finish projects in a tight labour
market. That’s contributing to soaring costs
that are leading residential developers to
focus on high-end properties, exacerbating
an affordability crisis in one of the mostexpensive US housing markets.
“Everybody’s fighting for the same labour
force,” said Sean Keighran, President of the
Residential Builders Association of San
Francisco. “There’s so much work going on. I
would say this is a new high-water mark for
work activity in San Francisco in decades,
perhaps ever.”
Builders are extending a construction
surge begun after the last recession. There’s 10
million square feet (930,000 square metres) of
San Francisco office space that’s been built, in
progress or about to start construction in this
decade through 2018, the most since the 1980s,
according to brokerage CBRE Group Inc.
T
he top two US solar
manufacturers are shifting
away from the biggest
domestic market because
utilities aren’t signing as
many deals to buy electricity
from their giant power plants.
SunPower Corp the No 2 US panelmaker,
said it’s turning its attention to rooftop power,
while First Solar Inc, the biggest producer,
now expects more of its growth to come from
selling panels to other companies.
The two companies built some of the
biggest solar farms in the world, projects that
would never have been completed unless
utilities had agreed to buy the power. Because
of a shift in tax policy at the end of 2015, those
power-plant deals are slowing, which may
drag down results.
“Certainly 2017 will be a difficult year in
power plants,” SunPower Chief Executive
Officer Tom Werner said on a conference
call last week. “The power plant market is
unlikely to improve in America in the next
few quarters. It will in time.”
The culprit is the federal investment tax
credit, which for years has been one of the
biggest drivers of the US solar industry. It was
scheduled to expire at the end of this year,
but got an unexpected five-year extension
in December. To qualify, construction must
begin before the deadline, so developers need
to line up a power-purchase agreement, or
PPA, many months before that.
No Rush
While the solar industry was pleased, the
timing made things tricky. There was a surge
of contracts signed in 2015 as companies
rushed to meet the earlier deadline. Now
there’s no rush, and developers’ pipelines have
been depleted.
About 8 gigawatts of big solar farms will
go into operation in the US this year, almost
double the 4.4 gigawatts in 2015, according to
With San Francisco in the midst of an office and condominium
construction boom to accommodate the technology industry and its
workers, real estate companies are vying for crews to finish projects
in a tight labour market. That’s contributing to soaring costs that
are leading residential developers to focus on high-end properties.
Thirteen condo projects were completed in
San Francisco last year, the most since 2008,
and an additional 73 have been proposed or
approved for building, according to research
firm Polaris Pacific. Construction of rental
apartments has also surged, particularly for
high-end towers.
The increasing supply of homes has started
to ease some price pressures in San Francisco.
The median price of a condo rose less than
1 per cent in the second quarter from a year
earlier, according to Paragon Real Estate
Group, and apartment landlords have warned
that a flood of new units is limiting rent
growth. But rising expenses for developers
mean they are hemmed in to building for the
relatively wealthy at a time when lower-priced
homes are in high demand.
COST JUSTIFICATION
Fierce competition for labour is combining
with high land prices to increase costs — a
phenomenon that’s happening across the
country, according to Kermit Baker, Chief
Economist for the American Institute of
Architects, which projects a 5.8 per cent
increase in US construction spending this
year. Other expenses, including borrowing
costs and construction materials, have
remained stable, he said.
“It’s very difficult to justify a project that
has affordable rents or affordable sales prices
given the large sunk costs that a developer is
going to have on a project,” Baker said. “It’s
much more feasible to build at the upper end
of the market, and that’s where the activity has
been the last two to three years.”
The issue has already become a problem in
Manhattan, where rising land prices spurred
developers to focus on ultra-luxury condo
towers that now have units piling up on the
market.
LOCAL CHALLENGES
In San Francisco, costs are particularly
high because access to the city is constrained
by bridges and congested highways, making
it difficult for contractors to come from
outside the city, said Gregg Nelson, Trumark’s
co-founder. There’s also a shortage of
skilled workers who can handle large-scale
commercial projects, he said, estimating that
direct building expenses have increased 50
per cent to 60 per cent since 2012.
The result is that developers are forced
to build luxury homes, Nelson said. His
company, which has four San Francisco
condo projects, has to project revenue of
$1,400 to $1,600 per square foot to get a loan
underwritten.
“Because the costs are higher, you can’t
deliver product at an affordable price in those
markets,” he said.
That’s another blow to affordability for the
Bay Area, where the median home price has
surged 88 per cent in five years to $712,000,
according to CoreLogic Inc. In San Francisco,
it’s much higher — $1.17 million as of June.
Building of single-family homes in the region,
while rising, has been far below growth in
jobs.
BASE PRICES
The average base price for new singlefamily homes in the area jumped 10 per cent
in the first quarter to $856,000, a reflection
of soaring demand and rising land prices,
according to research firm Metrostudy.
Builders face increasing development fees
and requirements from local governments,
along with higher construction costs, Greg
Gross, the company’s regional director, said
in an email. Homebuilders “have no other
choice than to pass along these increases to
the consumer,” he said.
Nationally, homebuilding jobs that are
advertised but unfilled are at their highest
level since 2006, the peak of the last real estate
boom, said Robert Dietz, Chief Economist of
the National Association of Home Builders.
“We’re clearly not in a housing boom like
we were back then, but there’s an increasingly
large number of builders and developers who
are having trouble filling jobs,” he said. “That
is causing construction wages to rise.”
— Bloomberg
Solar manufacturers pivot away
from big US utility plants
Bloomberg New Energy Finance. That’s the
legacy of deals signed in the past. And with
utility contracts scarce now, that will slip 11
per cent to 7.1 gigawatts in 2017.
“Because the tax credit got extended —
which of course was a good thing — there’s
less of an urgency for utility customers to
sign contracts,” Pavel Molchanov, an analyst
at Raymond James Financial Inc, said in
an interview. The utility solar market will
eventually recover, driven by state cleanenergy requirements, global efforts to
curb carbon emissions and, in the US, the
investment tax credit.
“What is currently a headwind could
well become a tailwind in the not-so-distant
future,” Molchanov said.
More immediately, SunPower said it
expects to lose as much as $175 million this
year, a shift from May when it forecast net
income of as much as $50 million, largely
because demand for utility-scale solar projects
is slowing and competition is dragging
down panel prices. The company is closing a
manufacturing plant in the Philippines and
plans to fire 15 per cent of his workforce while
shifting focus to the rooftop market, where it
expects “sustained strong industry growth,”
Werner said on the call.
In contrast, the utility segment “did not
have enough legacy PPAs to cover the year,”
he said. “That was part of the re-guide and
that became clear as we got into the second
quarter.”
With utilities holding off on power
contracts, prices are coming down, according
to First Solar CEO Mark Widmar, who was
elevated from chief financial officer July 1.
“We’re seeing a lot of very aggressive
pricing behaviour in the market,” he said on
a conference call on August 4. First Solar
reduced the number of employees dedicated
to the utility market and shifted capital
expenditures to improving the panels that it
sells other developers, an effort that’s expected
to boost profit margins.
First Solar has been signing contracts for
US projects that will be built in 2018 and
2019, and has no plans to exit the US utilityscale market, Steve Krum, a spokesman, said
in an email on Thursday.
First Solar has said it’s seeking to expand
in other markets and said on Thursday it
had won contracts to supply 160 megawatts
of panels to two utility projects in Turkey.
On Wednesday the company announced it
had completed two plants with a total of 130
megawatts of capacity in India.
The company gets about 70 per cent of
its sales from developing big solar farms for
utilities, with the rest coming from providing
panels to other developers. By 2019 that ratio
will be reversed, former CEO Jim Hughes said
in April.
“Utilities seem to be in a wait-and-see
mode,” said Hugh Bromley, a solar analyst
with New Energy Finance. — Bloomberg
p
pers
p
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*Is an ever-growing GDP for a country realistic?
ECONOMIC GROWTH
STEFANO VIRGILLI
stefanovirgilli@gmail.com
T
he term of ‘indefinite’
expresses a process
that lasts for an
unknown length of
time. To predict what
would happen in that
unspecified time can be challenging, but
certainly not impossible. In recent years,
a lot of questions have been raised about
the duration of the economy growth.
The development of the countries is
not on the same level. I have travelled
in a lot of countries in variety of
continents and there are times when the
differences are more than visible. My
understanding about the economies in
the less developed countries is that the
progress that has been made is shaping
the economy, at times slowly, but they
have managed to come in the right
trajectory after all. Especially in Africa.
Some of the countries are still facing
serious political and cultural problems.
For example Uganda, where the current
political issues are expected to affect the
country to attain an average economic
expansion of 5 per cent against the 7 per
cent in the period from 1990 to 2000. It
is expected the growth to expand in the
next couple of years due to investments
and infrastructure projects. India is
a fast growing economy with average
growth of 7 to 8 per cent. Meaning that
eventually — in a few decades — all
world countries will reach that stage
in their development when the gross
domestic product per person will start
to progress more slowly and will be
expressed in the average numbers of
today’s most developed countries.
The questions that arise from that
situation is what will happen with the
GDP in the longest run? Will it continue
to grow forever, or will no longer
progress within future generations? And
if the first one is the case, then is it even
realistic?
There is always two sides in each
discussion. Sometimes, those sides can
have mild or more extreme view to the
problem. There is a belief that many
people support and it is connected with
the further innovation of technology.
According to that theory, the growth
will become a rule and not an exception.
One of the reasons that can guarantee
the constant growth is technology
development.
In the developed countries like USA
and other countries in Western Europe,
the noted growth was approximately 2
per cent before the great financial crisis
that lasted for two years and ended in
2010. Since then, the growth has been
very slow and even insignificant.
When I analyse the one side of the
discussion — which is the pessimistic
one represented by Robert Gordon, an
economist at Northwestern University,
described solemnly in his book The Rise
and Fall of American Growth — I come
to the conclusion that it might (note:
might) be the more realistic side of the
discussion. Based on the fact that, in the
long run, the economy growth in the
developed countries is approximately 2
per cent income per capita, the income
will double within a generation. On the
other hand, the 10 per cent growth of the
economies in East Asia will be doubled
in every seven or eight years. And within
the person’s lifetime, the income will
double multiple times.
According to Gordon, after a while,
the growth will start to slow. And the
conclusion concerning this theory leads
to the point where the economy will
eventually face a period of stagnation.
This is supported by the claim that within
time the person’s output will be roughly
equal to the person’s productivity. It will
be created immovable growth because of
the proportion between the inputs and
the outputs. For example, the growth
in population can be 3 per cent, and
in order to get a constant output per
person, the capital and output are also
supposed to grow 3 per cent. Another
claim is that the growth of the previous
century was the biggest because of the
inventions that changed the world and
can never be repeated. They increased
the productivity dramatically which
is not the case with the inventions that
followed.
On the contrary, the technologybased growth, supported by many
economists and based on couple of
counter arguments on the first theory,
makes me wonder about the overall
future of the humanity. One of the two
It is always good to be
optimistic about the future
and the progress we can
expect. When thought
within centuries, the GDP
growth might not sound
that realistic.
strongest counter-argument is that
the stabilization in the growth is just
temporary, and the new technology will
bring even bigger development in the
years to come. The artificial intelligence,
cars that drive by themselves and so on,
are the potential productivity movers.
The second counter-argument is the
unknown path of future technological
development. It can never be predicted
where this new technological era would
lead us. So, this theory, in the longest run
might (read: might) sound even more
realistic.
Even if there is quite time left until
most of the country’s development reach
their full potential, we cannot but notice
the absurd in this issue. It is always good
to be optimistic about the future and the
progress we can expect. When thought
within centuries, the GDP growth
might not sound that realistic. But if the
economy stops growing it will mean that
the humanity has reached its highest
potential and then faced stagnation. In
the long run, surely, there will be cycles
of growth and stagnation that will affect
different regions or countries at different
times.
*Taking on Tesla: China’s WM Motor *Time to stop blaming
EV CHALLENGE
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
sees mass market electric cars
I
t remains more promise than
product, but the electric
vehicle (EV) sector is drawing
more talent from mainstream
automakers which are reluctant
to go full tilt at the new technology.
Making the jump can mean better
pay and pioneering opportunities.
One Chinese-backed start-up with
around 900 employees, for example, has
a $15 million monthly payroll, according
to a person close to the company.
One such ‘defector’ is Freeman Shen,
who quit Chinese carmaker Geely two
years ago to launch WM Motor, an EV
start-up that aims to compete with Tesla
Motors in China, the world’s biggest
autos market and one that encourages
the new technology through policy and
subsidies.
While other Chinese EV startups including LeSee, NextEV, Future
Mobility and Qiantu Motor are mostly
backed by big Internet groups such as
Alibaba and Tencent, Shanghai-based
WM Motor’s funding, in the “billions of
yuan”, is from Chinese investors, but not
technology tycoons or venture capital
funds, says Shen.
He declined to say who the money
has come from.
Shen, 46, has two decades of
experience in the United States and
China, with BorgWarner, Fiat and Geely,
which in 2010 bought Swedish car brand
Volvo.
He aims to make smart, connected
electric battery cars, betting on ordinary
drivers in China’s big cities wanting
more affordable EVs.
He plans to go straight for this mass
market rather than follow Tesla in first
building a high profile super all-electric
battery sports car.
“Building a fancy car to impress
people is actually fairly easy as long as
you’re willing to spend the money,” Shen
says. ‘‘The most challenging part is mass
Brexit for the British
property slowdown
U
Employees of WM Motor Technology Co, Ltd work at their office in Shanghai, China. — Reuters
production — coming up with a car
everybody can buy, with high quality
but at a significantly lower cost.”
Shen reckons he has around a 5-year
window of opportunity to establish WM
Motor in China, while Beijing offers
incentives and policy support for EVs.
“I don’t think traditional car
companies are doing well selling
cars, especially with their customer
experience.
With smart, connected cars, I believe
I can change that,” says Shen, who has an
engineering Masters from University of
California at Los Angeles.
“We’re not a traditional car company.
We see ourselves as a service
company,” he says, while acknowledging
that friends, family and former
colleagues “all think I’m nuts” for
starting a new auto brand from scratch.
Advocates, including Shen, see
smart, connected EVs revolutionizing
the car industry, with today’s often-idle
cars replaced by smart cars that can be
leased out when not needed or shared
as part of a city fleet, and which tell the
owner when the oil needs changing or a
While Chinese EV start-ups
including LeSee, NextEV,
Future Mobility and Qiantu
Motor are mostly backed
by big Internet groups such
as Alibaba and Tencent,
Shanghai-based WM Motor’s
funding, in the ‘billions
of yuan’, is from Chinese
investors.
service is due.
“What’s important for these emerging
EV companies... is the potential change
in customer experience, if they can
transform the way the car fits into our
lives,” says James Chao, Asia-Pacific
managing director at consultant IHS.
“Creation of an entire ecosystem
enabled by fast mobile Internet
location-based
connectivity,
intelligence... will be critical.”
ONLINE SALES: The emergence
of China’s EV start-ups does not yet
signal any major related technology
breakthroughs.
Shen is actually turning to a German
firm’s tech team he acquired for battery,
motor control and other technologies.
The innovation of WM Motor and
others is more in creating new business
models for personal transportation.
Shen was tight-lipped, but three
individuals close to WM Motor said he
wants to sell cars primarily online, with
a limited number of showrooms.
Customer test drives would likely
be contracted out to a third party, and
various car dealers with excess service
capacity would carry out maintenance
and repairs.
WM Motor plans to build an
assembly plant, most likely in Zhejiang
province, and launch three models,
starting in 2018.
It plans to nearly double its workforce
to around 600 this year in China and
Germany, where it is working on around
two dozen prototype cars. — Reuters
nless you’ve been living in a cave this year and the Brexit vote
passed you by, you’d have seen the air coming out of Britain’s
property bubble.
Price growth is stalling — the lowest in three years,
according to figures released on Thursday — and the number of
transactions is on track to be its lowest since the financial crisis of 2008.
In London, the picture’s even worse. Prices are falling already.
For those who lay the blame squarely at the feet of Brexit (or who
believe that London’s status as a global financial hub will help it rebound)
don’t forget that real estate booms are running out of steam in other
countries, too. UBS expects Swiss house prices to fall for the first time
in 17 years in 2016, largely because they’ve become un-affordable. The
bank’s Swiss real estate bubble
index fell in both the first and
second quarters this year.
Those expecting London
prices to stabilize must be
hoping that the UK is more
of a defensive market than
Switzerland.
That
looks
optimistic. Remember that
London
already
looked
stretched before the Brexit vote. First-time buyers have to pay more than
10 times their annual earnings for a property, according to mortgage
lender Nationwide. That’s the highest in more than three decades and
about twice the level nationally.
Think about that for a minute: London house prices could fall by half
and still only be in line with the rest of the country in terms of affordability.
This isn’t a bubble that can be inflated forever by mortgage lending
— at least according to Moody’s, which expects Brexit to contribute to a
broad slowdown in house purchases and new loans.
And it’s not just residential property suffering. London offices
face a chill too. On Thursday, developer Derwent cut its rental growth
expectations to between 1 and 5 per cent this year, down from 5 to 8 per
cent. It said a development in the Paddington district could be delayed if
demand for office space deteriorates.
Yes, there’s evidence suggesting the decline will be manageable, for
now. Supply is constrained. The pound’s fall since the Brexit vote makes
UK property cheaper for foreigners. Crucially, borrowing costs are going
down, and interest rates are at a record low.
But if other financial hubs are seeing a slowdown in the real-estate boom
at a time of falling and even negative rates, it becomes harder to blame
Brexit — and harder to see a way out of a correction, however manageable.
Bricks and mortar just aren’t what they used to be. — Bloomberg
SUNDAY l AUGUST 14, 2016 l DHUL QA’ADA 10, 1437 AH
editor@omanobserver.om
www.omanobserver.om
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Š—„”ƒǡˆƒ‹Ž›
”‘‘ǡƒ‹–…Š‡ƒ†͵–‘‹Ž‡–•Ǥ ‘Ž›Ǥͻʹͻ͸͹ͺͷ͵Ǥ
ͻͳʹ͵ͻͳͳͻǤ
·····
ʹ™‹–Š
·····
–‘‹Ž‡–•ǡ‘‡•‹––‹‰”‘‘™‹–Š
‡™ƒ’ƒ”–‡–ˆ‘”
–‘‹Ž‡–Ǥ‘–ƒ…–Ǥͻͻ͵ͺͲ͵Ͷ͸ͷǤ
”‡–‹Ž—”—‡ƒ”
·····
‹ƒƒŽƒŠƒŽǤ‘–ƒ…–Ǥ
ʹˆŽƒ–‹Ž
Š—„”ƒ
ͻͶ͸͸Ͷ͸͵ͷǡͻͷͺͷͲ͵ͶͷǤ
‡ƒ”ƒ‹Žͳͺ‘˜‡„‡”
·····
–”‡‡–ǡ͵͵Ͳ‘–ŠŽ›Ǥ
ͻͻ͵͵͵Ͷ͹ͻ‘”ͻͷʹͳͷ͵͸ͲǤ
ˆ—”‹•Š‡†ʹ
·····
ƒ’ƒ”–‡–‹ŽŠ—™ƒ‹”
͵͵™‹–Š’”‹˜ƒ–‡‡–”ƒ…‡Ǥ
ǧƒ†
ͻͻͺͶʹͻͻʹǤͳͲƒǦ͸’
•’ƒ…‹‘—•ϐŽƒ–‹‘—–ŠŽ
ƒƒ„‡Žƒ…‘•‹•–•‘ˆ͵
·····
„‡†”‘‘•ǡ•‹––‹‰”‘‘ƒ†
ˆ—”‹•Š‡†ʹƬ͵
–‘‹Ž‡–•ˆ‘”‡ƒ…Š”‘‘Ϊ•‹––‹‰
ˆŽƒ–•ƒ–ƒ—•Š‡”Ȅ‡ƒ”
”‘‘ƒ†‹–…Š‡…Ž‘•‡–‘
–Žƒ•‘•’‹–ƒŽǤ
™ƒ–‡”•‘—”…‡Ǥͻͻ͹ͲͲͻͲͺǤ
ͻͻ͵ͶͺͶͻ͵Ȁͻ͵ʹͲͲͶʹͶȀ
·····
ʹͶͷͲʹʹͷͶǤ
·····
ƒ’ƒ”–‡–…‘•‹•–•‘ˆ
–™‘„‡†”‘‘•ǡ–™‘–‘‹Ž‡–•ǡ
ƒ‹–…Š‡ƒ†ƒŽ‹˜‹‰”‘‘
‹•‘ˆˆ‡”‡†ˆ‘””‡–‹‹†ƒ„Ǥ
ͻͻͶͷͷ͵ͻ͹ǡͻͻͳͺͳͻʹͻǤ
‹‘”–ŠŽƒ‹Ž
…‘•‹•–•‘ˆͶ„‡†”‘‘•™‹–Š
–‘‹Ž‡–•ˆ‘”‡ƒ…Šǡ•‹––‹‰
”‘‘ƒ†‹–…Š‡Ǥ
ͻͻ͹ͲͲͻͲͺǤ
·····
·····
CLASSIFIED SECTION:
ȍ͵
VILLASˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡Ȁ
”‡–•
KABIR/AL
Ȍǡ
ȋŠ‘’•Ȁ‘ˆϐ‹…‡•
ˆ‘””‡–ȀŽ
Š—™ƒ‹”Ȍ
ȋŽƒ–•ˆ‘””‡–Ȁ
ƒ†‹ƒ„‹”ȌǤ
ͻ͸ͷͻ͸͵ͶͺǤ
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
For Rent
NEW ˆŽƒ–•ˆ‘””‡–ƒ–
ƒ”•ƒ‹–‡ƒ”–‘‹‹•–”›
‘ˆ’‘”–•ǡ—–ƒœƒ”‡ƒǤ
Š‡ˆŽƒ–•‹…Ž—†‡•ǣ
™ ͳŽ‹˜‹‰”‘‘
™ ʹ„‡†”‘‘
™ ‹–…Š‡
™ ͵‘‹Ž‡–•
™
˜‡”›”‘‘™‹–Š•’Ž‹–
Ȁ
™
‹‰Š“—ƒŽ‹–›ϐ‹‹•Š‹‰
‡–’‡”ϐŽƒ–‹•
͵ͶͲȀǦǤ–‡”‡•–‡†
…ƒ†‹†ƒ–‡•’Ž‡ƒ•‡
…‘–ƒ…–ǣͻʹʹʹͷͷʹ͵Ǥ
·····
For Sale/Rent
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
SPECIAL Rates on
New Cars & 4 WDs
PEST CONTROL
OMAN CO. LLC.
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
Rent a Car
NEW ˆŽƒ–ˆ‘””‡–‹Žƒ™ƒŽ‡Š
‘—–Šǡ͵„‡†”‘‘•ƒŽŽƒ”‡™‹–Š
ƒ‹”Ǧ…‘†‹–‹‘ǡ͵„ƒ–Š”‘‘•ǡŠƒŽŽǡ
‹–…Š‡ǡ•–‘”‡ƒ†„ƒŽ…‘›Ǥ
ͻͺͷ͹ͷͳͷ͹Ǥ
·····
Accommodation Available
ϐŽƒ–ƒ–Žƒ‹Ž‘”–Šǡ
ʹʹͷȋŽ‡…–”‹…‹–›ǡ™ƒ–‡”
‹…Ž—•‹˜‡Ȍ
ƒ†–™‘ϐŽƒ–•ƒ–
‡ˆƒ‹ʹͲͲƒ†ʹͷͲ
”‡•’‡…–‹˜‡Ž›ǤŽŽϐŽƒ–•ƒ”‡™‹–Š
•’Ž‹–ȀǤͻͻ͵͸Ͳ͸ͺͷǤ
·····
•Š‘’™‹–ŠƒŽŽ
‡“—‹’‡–‹‘—–ŠŽƒ‹Ž
‡ƒ”ƒ‹ŽŽ™ƒ‹”…Š‘‘ŽǤ
ͻͻͶ͸ͻͻͲͲǤ
·····
ˆ‘”•‡†ƒ–‹˜‡
‹˜‡•–‡–‹ƒŽƒŽƒŠ
‹–”‘†—…‡•–Š‡„‡•–’”‹…‡
ƒ†—–‹Ž‹–‹‡•ǡˆ‘””‡–ǣ—’‡”
ˆ—”‹•Š‡†ϐŽƒ–•ǡ†ƒ‹Ž›ǡ‘–ŠŽ›
ƒ†›‡ƒ”Ž›ǤͻͺͲ͵ͷͳ͵ͷȀ
ͻ͸ͳ͹͹͵ͲͶȀͻͳ͹ͺͺͻͻͻǤ
·····
ͳƬʹˆŽƒ–•ˆ‘””‡–ƒ–
—™‹ƒ†ŽŠ‘—†ŠǤ
ͻ͵ͻͻͶͶͲʹǡͻ͵ͻͻͶͶͲ͵ǡ
ʹͶͺ͵Ͷ͸ͶͶǤ
·····
ˆ‘””‡–‹ƒŽƒŽƒŠ
—”‘’‡ƒ†‡•‹‰ǡˆƒ”˜‹‡™ǡ
‰‘‘†•‹–—ƒ–‹‘‹–Š‡…‡–”‡‡ƒ”
–Š‡•‡ƒǡ‡™ϐŽƒ–•ǤͻʹͳͺͳͷʹͶ
Šƒ–•’’Ǥ
·····
ϐŽ‘‘”Š‘—•‡‹Žƒ‹Ž
ƒ†ʹˆ”‘ƒ˜‡—•…ƒ–ǡ
…‘–ƒ‹•Ͷ„‡†”‘‘•ǡŽ‹˜‹‰
”‘‘ǡƒ‹–…Š‡ƒ†ʹ–‘‹Ž‡–•ǡ
͵ͲͲǤͻͻͲ͹͹͹ʹʹǤ
·····
ˆ‘””‡–‹‘”–ŠŽƒ‹Ž
…‘•‹•–•‘ˆͶ„‡†”‘‘•™‹–Š
–‘‹Ž‡–•ˆ‘”‡ƒ…Š”‘‘ΪƒŒŽ‹•Ǥ
ͻͻ͹͸ͲͻͲͺ
ƒ†‘ˆ͸ͲǡͲͲͲ
•“ƒ––Š‡’—„Ž‹…”‘ƒ†™‹–Š‘
™‡ŽŽǤͻͶ͵ͺͲͲͲʹǤ
·····
ƒ–ŽŠ—™ƒ‹”‡ƒ”
ƒǤͻͻ͵ʹʹ͵ͶͶǤ
˜‹ŽŽƒƒ–Ȁ—Ž–ƒ
ƒ„‘‘•”‘ƒ†ϐŽƒ–•ƒ–ŽŠ—™ƒ‹”
ȋȀȌǡƒ†ƒŽŒƒ—™‹Ǥ
ͻ͹ͳ͸͹ͺͶ͸Ǥ
·····
·····
Ali al Maashari: 99639264 ali.almashari@omandaily.om
Mohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 m.alrahdi86@yahoo.com
·····
—‹‰ƒ–‘”
™Š‘…ƒŠƒ†Ž‡ƒŽŽ
–›’‡•‘ˆˆ—‹‰ƒ–‹‘
•‡”˜‹…‡•ˆ‘”ƒ”‡’—–‡†
”ƒ†‹‰‘’ƒ›‹
—•…ƒ–ǤŠ‘—Ž†Šƒ˜‡
”‡Ž‡˜ƒ–‡†—…ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ
“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘ǡ
…‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡•ǡ
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹
ˆ—‹‰ƒ–‹‘•‡”˜‹…‡ǡ
‰‘‘†…‘Ǧ‘”†‹ƒ–‹‘
•‹ŽŽ•ƒ†Šƒ˜‹‰
†”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡Ǥ
–‡”‡•–‡†…ƒ†‹†ƒ–‡•
ƒ›ˆ‘”™ƒ”†–Š‡‹”
™‹–Š…‘’‹‡•
‘ˆ‡†—…ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ
…‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡•ƒ†™‘”
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡™‹–Š‹ͳͲ
†ƒ›•–‘ǣƒŽƒ”‘‘Œ̷
‘ƒ–‡ŽǤ‡–Ǥ‘
·····
FREE
INFORMATION
ABOUT ISLAM
If you would like
to know more
about
Islam, please
call:
Tel : 99425598,
99250777,
99353988,
99253818,
99341395,
99379133,
For ladies:
99415818,
99321360, 99730723
Or visit:
www.iicoman.om
www.islamfact.com
ͻͶͷͲͳͳ͸͸
DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590
c ass fieds
classi
eds
CLASSIFIEDS
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
Situation Vacant
URGENTLY required
experienced MEP
Engineers and
Estimators. Contact
95229608,
93214092 or
gulfemaar@gmail.com
·····
REQUIRED 3-5
years experienced
ƒ”‡–‹‰Ȁ•ƒŽ‡•
engineer for a well
reputed company in
Oil & Gas sector. GCC
experience and driving
licence preferred.
Please send CV to
hroman007@gmail.
com
·····
FEMALE Maths teacher
required for primary
level in a private school,
with minimum 3 years
experience and ILETS.
Contact 99353961.
·····
THE White Pearl
Enterprises urgently need
experienced beautician
lady & henna artist for a
beauty salon in Bausher.
They should be honest
and hardworking. Limas
Beauty Centre. If you
are interested, please
99350707 or 99250707.
·····
WANTED expat with
at least a diploma in
ƒ……‘—–‹‰‘”ϐ‹ƒ…‡
with at least 3 years
of experience in a
construction company
working in GCC. To apply
email your CV to: abdullah.
alhinai86@gmail.com
·····
URGENTLY required
Building Technician.
98111363.
·····
URGENTLY required
Expatriate Heavy Duty
Drivers, JCB Operators
with valid Omani
licence. Send your CV to
gdsoman@gdsoman.com.
Contact: 99890076,
93894018, Fax: 24590866.
·····
SUBCONTRACTORS
required: SME contractors
interested in telecom side
— civil and underground
telephone cable laying
work — may contact Mr
S Ravi 99424605 or
Mr Sayed.99358733
of National Telephone
Services Co LLC.
LOOKING for Indian
female marketing with
journalistic, advertising
and media background.
93946622, ali.
matani2@gmail.com
·····
A NEW medical complex
in Izki required medical
staff:
- 2 General doctors.
- 1 Specialist
obstetrician and
gynaecologist.
- 2 Paediatrician and
specialist.
- 1 Dermatologist.
- 1 Spec phys
otorhinolaryngology.
- 2 X-Ray technicians.
- 2 LAB technicians.
- 2 Pharmacists.
94359172.
·····
REQUIRED Marketing/
PR Manager for a
modern restaurant group
‹ƒǤ”‘ϐ‹…‹‡–‹
Illustrator and Photoshop.
Charismatic, Proactive,
…”‡ƒ–‹˜‡ƒ†ϐŽ‡š‹„Ž‡Ǥ
š…‡ŽŽ‡–™”‹–‹‰Ȁ
editing skills. Degree
in relevant area. Fluent
in English. Send CV to
marketingpr2016@gmail.
com
·····
A LEADING international
…‘’ƒ›‹–Š‡ϐ‹‡Ž†‘ˆ
information technology
headquarter in Ruwi
seeks an Omani female
(secretary) holder
of general diploma
…‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‡ƒ†ƒ”‡•‹†‡–
of Wilayat Muttrah.
The CV is emailed to
rm.allawaty@gmail.com
·····
PRIVATE medical centre
in Mudhaibi requires
females physicians
in the following
specialties: Obstetrics
and gynaecology 1,
Dermatologists &
Cosmetologist 1, Dentist
1, Pharmacist 1, Nurses
3 93553245.
·····
Rent/Investment
INDUSTRIAL land in
Rusayil, suitable for all
industrial work and
business99323957,
95490842.
·····
·····
A REPUTED building
material showroom in Al
Khuwair is looking for
general manager with
minimum experience of
ͳͲ›‡ƒ”•‹–Š‡•ƒ‡ϐ‹‡Ž†Ǥ
Kindly 91408823 for
interview appointment
·····
HIGH Pressure Trading
ǡ›†”‘ϐŽ‘™ǡŽ‘‘‹‰
for Accounts Clerk and
PRO with one or two
years experience in Sohar
kindly send your CV with
‡š’‡…–‡†•ƒŽƒ”›ƒ–ǣƒŽœ—Žϐ‹̷
eim.ae
·····
OMANI public relation
manager/ marketing
manager required for an
‘ˆϐ‹…‡‹–Šƒ‹„ƒǤ—ŽŽ–‹‡
job. Omani citizens with
Š‡ƒŽ–Š…ƒ”‡“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘
or marketing experience
only need to apply with
English CV and photo to:
arabhealth@alhakkim.com
·····
Services
Manpower
WE provide cleaning and
loading staff. MODERN
SPARKLE LLC. +968
95367541.
·····
FRIENDS MANPOWER:
Filipino housemaids
and all kinds of workers.
ʹͶͶͺͻʹ͸ͺ‡ŽǣȀƒšǣ
24478153, 92462496.
·····
·····
AL SUMRI AC
maintenance. We are
ready to repair and
install all types of
Air-Conditioner within
Muscat Governorate.
94301888.
·····
AZOOZ House of
truest
Providing all type
of workers skill and
unskilled from Filipino,
Sri Lanka, India and
Bangladesh. Email:
deing651@hotmai.
com ͻͷ͵͵ͲʹͲͻȀ
24831448.
·····
Lost
MD Ashkor Ali has lost
Bangladeshi passport No
AC 6040037. Finder please
handover to ROP.
OMAN experienced
Indian Lawyer, (35) BA,
Arabic, LLB, MBA. Knows
English, Arabic. Looking
for suitable position in
Ž‡‰ƒŽϐ‹”‘”…‘’ƒ›Ǥ
Presently working as
a legal adviser. NOC
available. 97351649.
E-mail: advocatesharaf@
gmail.com
·····
QUANTITY Surveyor, Sri
Lankan, male 25 years,
B Tech HND QS (Civil &
MEP), Auto-CAD, with
5 years experience,
looking for a suitable
placement. 92032632.
haseebmursaleen@gmail.com
·····
I OFFER my services
‹ϐ‹ƒ…‡Ȁƒ……‘—–•
department. I have 5 years
of expereince and driving
licence also, Pakistani.
98124903, email:
bilalattariacca@gmail.com
Situation Wanted
LOOKING for suitable
placement, Indian female,
Master in computer
application with 11 years
of experience in data
warehousing, Teradata
and date modelling
looking for suitable
placement in Muscat.
91192543. E-mail:
priyakthomas@gmail.com
·····
·····
AZOOZ House of
truest
Providing domestic
servant, cook and
babysitters, from
Filipino, Sri Lanka,
India and Bangladesh.
ͻͷ͵͵ͲʹͲͻȀ
24831448.
CIVIL engineer, project
manager having 14 years
expereince. 11 years in
ƒǡǡϐ‹†‹……‘–”ƒ…–
management experience,
indepedently handling
civil works, familiar with
Oman regulations, looking
for senior level position.
AUTOCAD Civil Draftsman,
Release available, can join
immediately. 98826815. having experience in road
projects. Preparing plan
·····
ƒ†’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡ǡǧ and
structural drawings. E-mail:
CERTIFIED public
casper_c100@yahoo.com
accountant (Filipino male, 94034544.
27-year-old) with four
·····
years experience, seeking
’Žƒ…‡‡–‹ƒ……‘—–‹‰Ȁ
INDIAN male, 29 years,
audit, currently on visit.
BSc graduate with Omani
94959606, email:
driving licence and 7 years
czesar.42@gmail.com
of sales experience in home
appliances, IT products,
·····
‘„‹Ž‡ƒ†–”ƒˆϐ‹…•ƒˆ‡–›
INDIAN male, senior
equipment. Currently
logistics in-charge, 20
working on employment
years experience with
visa, NOC available, seeking
Oil & Gas products,
for suitable placement
immediately. 97890607,
Omani driving licence,
ashrafambar@gmail.com
NOC available. Anil
Sampat 95370652,
·····
anilsampat3@gmail.com
AN MBA with more than 10
·····
years of sales & marketing
experience in Gulf and 1.6
AD AGENCY background
Ȅ”–‹”‡…–‘”Ȁ”
”ƒ’Š‹… years in Oman in electronics
& appliances division.
Designer seeks job.
Having Omani driving
Branding and print media
licence, NOC available.
with NOC. Please contact
91298641
96148101
·····
·····
·····
MARBLE polishing &
crystalisation, building
…Ž‡ƒ‹‰ϐŽ‘‘”ǡϐŽ‘‘”
polishing, carpet, sofa
shampooing, pest
control, anti termite,
•Š‹ϐ‹–‹‰ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡Ǥ
99504275.
·····
MAINTENANCE: 1.
AC Maintenance &
Servicing; 2. Fridge,
Washing Machine &
Dish washer repairing;
3. Painting & cleaning
services; 4. Electrical
& Plumbing Carpentry
work. Contact:
99447257, 97014234,
24504281.
·····
WE offer you the
Business Services:
Maintenance of
buildings and villas for
paint and carpentry and
decoration works and
installation of material
water proof and cleaning
services building
management and leasing
of real estate (Out motto
is to provide quality
in all our business).
Muscat Renaissance
Development
and Investment.
99070093.
·····
PROVIDES all kinds
of legal works, LLC
registration, agreements,
contracts. Takes all kinds
of cases of companies.
97351649.
·····
QURUM BEACH
HOTEL24564070.
·····
Situation Wanted
INDIAN female, 24
years, MBA (Finance and
HR), B.Com (Computer
Application), currently
on family visa, looking
for suitable placement
in Admin, HR or Finance.
Contact: 93839846,
e-mail: abniesunny92@
gmail.com
·····
20 YEARS experienced
ǡŽ‡…–”‹…ƒŽ‰‹‡‡”Ȁ
project manager.
Experience in GIS
substation, EHV, MV, LV
system and oil & gas and
infrastructure projects.
NOC available. Oman
ȀǤ97928445, t.siva.
rao16@gmail.com.
·····
INDIAN, male, BE in
Electrical and electronics
with Post Graduate
Diploma in Power
Systems (Transmission
and distribution), seeks
placement. Presently in
Oman on visit. Contact
94669679. E-mail:
prsabarish@gmail.com
INDIAN male, rich
experience in Oman
as personal assistant
‡š‡…—–‹˜‡•‡…”‡–ƒ”›Ȁ
ƒ†Ȁ„—•‹‡••†‡˜Ǥƒ••–
with Oman licence and
release. 99168054.
·····
·····
·····
INDIAN male graduate
Civil Engineer from
Muscat college, holding 2
years employment visa
ƒ†Ȁǡ•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡
placement. Contact
99315714.
TALENTED engineer,
Indian, male 24
years, BTech-EEE,
AutoCAD, E-CAD,
seeking for a good job
opportunity, ready
to join immediately.
ͻʹͻͲ͹ͻͺ͵Ȁͻͻ͵Ͷ͸ͷͶ͸ǡ
ƒϐŽƒŠƒŽƒ–Š‹Ž̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
URGENTLY REQUIRED
A reputed Group requires following construction
workers with local release for visa transfer.
a) Carpenter -2 nos.
b) Mason - 5 nos.
c) Steel Fixer - 3 nos.
d) Helper - 5 nos.
e) Tile Mason - 5 nos.
Companies willing to release unwanted workers
may also write to: recruitment.irtcc@gmail.com
or call: 91 70 86 07
LOOKING for job. Electrical
Engineer from India having
INDIAN male, age 25,
5 years of experience in the
looking for suitable
ϐ‹‡Ž†‘ˆ•ƒŽ‡•ǡƒ”‡–‹‰ǡ
placement in sales and
brand management, business
marketing. Having 2 years development and also
of Indian experience.
having experience on events
Contact 97939084,
and exhibitions. Currently
97351786. E-mail:
in Muscat on family visit
mohammedusr126@gmail.com visa. Abhishek Ganguly.
91912078, ganguly1508@
·····
gmail.com
INDIAN male, B.Tech
·····
(ECE) MBA (HR), 2 years
of experience CCNA, CCNP
SAFETY ‘ˆϐ‹…‡”ǡƒ‹•–ƒ‹
and hands on practice on
male, 28 years, having 3
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science//technology
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b
i
24
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
Apple adds 12.9-inch iPad Pro to online store
Apple has added the 12.9-inch iPad Pro to its official refurbished online store, as it usually does for
products that reach certain points in their lifetime. The massive tablet was launched into the market
10 months ago. By adding the 12.9-inch iPad Pro to the refurbished store, interested customers will be
able to acquire units at discounted prices that can lead to savings of up to $160.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
CARBON CAPTURING
New method discovered to
convert CO2 into electricity
RESEARCHERS from Cornell University have
developed a new carbon capture method that
not only converts carbon dioxide into useful
components but also creates electricity with the
help of oxygen.
In a study published in the journal Science
Advances, Lynden Archer and Wajdi al Sadat
detailed the development of an aluminium-carbon
dioxide power cell assisted by oxygen that utilises
electrochemical reactions in sequestering and
converting carbon dioxide and creating electricity.
The power cell uses aluminium as the anode
while carbon dioxide and oxygen were mixed to
become the cathode. Aluminium was the perfect
choice for the anode because it is abundant in
supply, safer to use than other metals and lower in
cost than sodium and lithium while still offering
energy density comparable to lithium.
Most carbon-capture systems in place today
typically capture carbon in solids or fluids, which
are then depressurised or heated to release carbon
dioxide. The gas is then compressed before being
Intel to buy start-up
Nervana System to
add cloud service
transported either for reuse in industries or to be
sequestered below the ground.
According to Archer, their study presents a
possible shift in the usual practice of capturing
carbon, adding that simply devising a carboncapture method that generates electricity as well is
in itself important.
The researchers reported that the power cell they
came up with is capable of generating 13 ampere
hours for every gram of porous carbon in the
cathode, with a 1.4-volt discharge potential.
DEEP learning start-up Nervana has become Intel’s latest acquisition
target, in a deal that signals the microprocessor company’s move
deeper into the territory of artificial intelligence.
While Intel has yet to release official figures, a source familiar with
the acquisition says the agreement could be worth more than $400
million, Recode reports.
Nervana is known for its advancement of AI through a combination
of neuroscience, computer engineering and machine learning. The
startup believes AI “will be the foundation of the next revolution in
computing” as it rivals human performance — and Intel shares this
belief.
In fact, machine learning
may prove to be even more
revolutionary than cloud
computing. Jason Waxman,
VP for Intel, predicts people
will soon be moving from
devices that simply connect
to the Internet to devices that
connect and talk with each other. One of Intel’s challenges so far has
been to bring AI on to its chips, in data centres and the mass market.
With Nervana’s suite of technology soon becoming part of Intel’s
portfolio, the chipmaker can now venture into creating more stable
and more powerful processors that run AI on board. Some 97 per
cent of servers that currently support machine learning workloads,
for example, is already powered by Intel processors.
“The Intel Xeon processor E5 family is the most widely deployed
processor for deep learning inference,” notes Diane Bryant, EVP and
General Manager of Intel‘s Data Center Group. On the other hand,
the Xeon Phi processor offers the “scalable performance needed for
deep learning training.”
In purchasing Nervana, Intel will be able to leverage Nervana‘s
Engine and silicon expertise as it sharpens the Intel Xeon and Intel
Xeon Phi processors’ deep learning abilities even further.
“Nervana intends to continue all existing development efforts,
including the Nervana Neon deep learning framework, Nervana deep
learning platform, and the Nervana Engine deep learning hardware,”
says Naveen Rao, CEO and cofounder of Nervana.
CAMERA
Octospot action camera is waterproof to 200 metres
IF you’re into extreme sports, especially scuba diving,
then you’ll love the Octospot waterproof action camera,
which is the first ever to be designed specifically with
scuba divers in mind.
Octospot has the capacity to record over two hours
of footage, is made from aerospace aluminium that
is waterproof at up to 200m/656 ft, and can easily be
operated with diving gloves. In addition, it senses
temperature, depth, and time and combines this data
in a dive log that can be displayed in a layer on top of
the footage.
The Snap-Record function allows the diver to share
that experience via social media with a single click. No
matter the conditions, crystal clear waters and sunny
skies or murky deep sea dives, thanks to the depth
controlled auto white balance and app controlled preprogrammable settings, photos and footage turn out
true to tone without fumbling through settings and
filters during the dive. These features combined with
electronic image stabilisation, high dynamic range, and
lens distortion correction make it the ultimate diving
companion.
“We wanted to focus on divers and give them the
ultimate action camera specifically for diving. This
goal has had a tremendous impact on the decision
process along the way. It is not about adding the newest
technology. It is about how we combine it in an intuitive
design with diving specific functionalities”, says Martin
Holmberg, Octospot CEO.
AUTOMOBILE
Mazda announces global debut
of refined 2017 Mazda6
MAZDA North America has announced the global debut of the 2017 Mazda6,
which brings a number of new features to the midsize sedan. The Japanese
carmaker has been producing the Mazda6 since 2002. The car looks good, is
loaded with tech and safety equipment and it‘s great to drive but there is still
room for more improvements.
The 2017 Mazda6 looks stylish and sporty and Mazda has not made a lot of
changes to the exteriors of the car apart from the slightly reshaped side mirrors.
Customers will now have an extra Machine Gray Metallic color option for the
sedan.
Mazda claims that the Mazda6 is one of the most engaging models and offers
one of the best handling in its segment. The 2017 Mazda6 raises the standard
with the company‘s new G-Vectoring Control (GVC) in North America.
SMARTPHONE
Galaxy On5, On7 2016 models get certified by TENAA
THE 2016 models of the Samsung Galaxy
On5 and Galaxy On7 have received
certification from TENAA, suggesting the
devices will launch soon. The listing also
sheds light on the specs and features of the
upcoming handsets.
The TENAA listing that points to the 2016
models of what are possibly the rumoured
Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7 smartphones,
carrying model numbers SM-G5700 and
SM-G6100, respectively.
The listing shares not only the specs
of the impending handsets, but also their
designs. The photos of the two models hint
at a metal body for both devices, which will
be a departure from the plastic body of the
devices released under the Galaxy On series
so far. The budget offerings from Samsung
have a volume rocker on the top right corner
and the images show off a mysteriouslooking open slot on the left side.
The Galaxy On5 is the smaller of the
two impending Samsung smartphones and
will supposedly weigh 142 g (5 ounces) and
measure 142.8 x 69.6 x 8.1 mm (5.62 x 2.74
x 0.32 inches).
According to the TENAA listing, the
Samsung Galaxy On5 (2016) will sport a
5-inch TFT display with a resolution of
1,280 x 720 pixels. The smartphone will be
powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 617
processor, which is clocked at 1.5 GHz. The
device will also house Adreno 405 GPU and
3 GB of RAM.
The listing suggests that the Samsung
Galaxy On7 (2016) will sport a bigger 5.5inch TFT display with a resolution of 1,920 x
1,080 pixels. The smartphone will be powered
by an octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor,
which is clocked at 2 GHz. The device will
also house Adreno 506 GPU and 3 GB of
RAM. Like its sibling, the Galaxy On7 will
also boast a 13-megapixel primary camera
and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
SUNDAY | AUGUST 14, 2016 | DHUL QA’ADA 10, 1437 AH
sport
‘GOOD VS EVIL’ AGAIN AS BOLT AND GATLIN GET READY TO CLASH P26
Rio Games
MEDALS TABLE
1
USA
21
14
17
52
2
CHN
13
10
15
38
3
GBR
8
10
6
24
4
JPN
7
3
14
24
5
AUS
6
6
7
19
6
GER
6
4
2
12
7
KOR
6
3
4
13
8
RUS
5
9
8
22
9
FRA
5
7
5
17
10 HUN
5
3
3
11
11
ITA
4
7
4
15
12
ESP
3
0
2
5
13 NZL
2
6
0
8
14
CAN
2
2
6
10
15 KAZ
2
2
3
7
15 NED
2
2
3
7
17
THA
2
1
1
4
18 CRO
2
1
0
3
19 SUI
2
0
1
3
20 PRK
1
2
2
5
21
SWE
1
2
1
4
22 BRA
1
1
2
4
22 ROU
1
1
2
4
24 BEL
1
1
1
3
24 SLO
1
1
1
3
26 COL
1
1
0
2
26 SVK
1
1
0
2
26 VIE
1
1
0
2
29 CZE
1
0
2
3
29 POL
1
0
2
3
29 TPE
1
0
2
3
32 ETH
1
0
1
2
32 GRE
1
0
1
2
34 ARG
1
0
0
1
34 FIJ
1
0
0
1
34 IOA
1
0
0
1
34 IRI
1
0
0
1
34 KOS
1
0
0
1
34 SIN
1
0
0
1
40 RSA
0
4
1
5
41
DEN
0
2
2
4
42 UKR
0
2
1
3
43 AZE
0
2
0
2
43 INA
0
2
0
2
45 CUB
0
1
1
2
45 GEO
0
1
1
2
45 LTU
0
1
1
2
48 BLR
0
1
0
1
48 IRL
0
1
0
1
48 KEN
0
1
0
1
48 MAS
0
1
0
1
48 MGL
0
1
0
1
48 PHI
0
1
0
1
48 TUR
0
1
0
1
www.omanobserver.om
editor@omanobserver.om
FIVE STAND OUT STARS FROM RIO WEEK ONE P27
YOUNIS LEADS PAKISTAN TO HUGE FIRST INNINGS LEAD P27
SCHOOLING STUNS PHELPS FOR
SINGAPORE’S FIRST GAMES GOLD
Singapore’s Schooling Joseph competes to win the
Men’s 100m Butterfly Final at the Olympic Aquatics
Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. — AFP
J
oseph Schooling sensationally upset
Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly
on Friday to seize Singapore’s first
ever Olympic gold medal at the Rio
Games.
The 21-year-old Asian champion denied
Olympic icon Phelps a fourth straight victory
in the event, leading from start to finish to
win in an Olympic record of 50.39sec.
Phelps, sixth at the turn, couldn’t pull
off one of his trademark comebacks, but he
had plenty of company on the second step
of the podium as his longtime rival Laszlo
Cseh of Hungary and South African Chad le
Clos both matched his time of 51.14sec in an
astonishing three-way tie for silver.
The only other three-way tie for Games
silver came back in 1968, in the women’s
speedskating 500m.
“It’s wild,” said Phelps. “Chad and I have
had some races over the last four years and
Laszlo and I-I can’t even remember when I
first raced him... so it’s kind of special and a
decent way to finish my last individual race.”
The tie with Phelps was the closest
Cseh has come to the US star in Olympic
competition. In three prior Games the
Hungarian had claimed five medals, all silver
or bronze in races won by Phelps.
Phelps’s rivalry with Le Close blossomed
more recently, at the 2012 London Games
where the South African beat Phelps in the
200m butterfly only to fall to him in the 100m
fly.
Singapore swimmer Joseph Schooling (right) poses with Michael Phelps during a training
camp in Singapore in this 2008 photo released by the Schooling family. — Reuters
Victory in Friday’s fly would have given
Phelps a 14th individual Olympic title, but
Schooling was too strong.
He punched the water and bellowed as
Phelps swam over to congratulate him.
“He said ‘good job, that was a great race’,”
Schooling said. “I told him to go four more
years and he said ‘No way.’
“Hopefully he changes his mind. That was
fun. I like racing Michael.”
Phelps, 31, insists he won’t be back for
a sixth Olympics. But after winning four
golds so far in Rio — in the 4x100m free and
4x200m free relays, the 200m butterfly and
the 200m individual medley -- he’ll have a
shot at one more -- it would be his 23rd -- on
Saturday in the 4x100m medley relay.
Schooling, meanwhile, was absorbing the
enormity of his first.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m full of
emotions now,” he said. “I don’t know what
to believe, whether I actually did it or I’m still
preparing my race.”
Phelps may have been beaten, but the
United States raked in plenty of gold on the
penultimate night of action at the Olympic
Comeback king already looking at Tokyo
M
oments after becoming
the first male swimmer
to win an Olympic gold
in the same event 16
years apart, 35-year-old Anthony Ervin
said he would look to make the United
States swimming team for the 2020
Tokyo Games.
He may have been joking. Or maybe
not.
Ervin won his first gold in the
50-metres freestyle at the 2000 Sydney
Olympics in a dead heat with compatriot
Gary Hall Jr, before leaving the sport to
pursue a love of rock music.
He even sold his gold medal to raise
money for the victims of the 2004 Asian
tsunami.
With his arms cloaked in tattoos, of margins, edging out defending
Ervin — now the oldest man on the US champion France’s Florent Manaudou,
swimming team — returned to claim a by 0.01 seconds.
While Manaudou — 10 years his
second title on Friday by the narrowest
“I’m gonna try to make the team, of
course,” he told reporters. “I like being in
an environment where I can try to swim
to the best of my potential and I don’t
think that my age should limit me with
that.”
While the most successful Olympian
of all time, 31-year-old US swimmer
Michael Phelps, insisted repeatedly he
would not return in 2020, Ervin had no
such qualms.
He said he had never thought of
retirement despite finishing fifth in the
50 metres freestyle at the 2012 Games
in London. “Keeping going was an easy
decision. I was enjoying what I was
doing, so why stop,” he said.
“It’s been an incredible journey to
junior — said he was looking forward to think that after 16 years, I’m back on
some time away from swimming, Ervin the podium at the Olympic games. But
was considering another Olympic tilt in I credit it to the love and support of my
Tokyo.
people, my family.” — Reuters
Aquatics Centre.
WORLD RECORD FOR LEDECKY
Katie Ledecky obliterated the field and
her own world record in winning the 800m
freestyle in 8min 04.79sec.
The 19-year-old is the first Olympian
since Debbie Meyer in 1968 to win the 200m,
400m and 800m free titles in one Games.
“The goal was 8:05 or better so I hit all
my goals right on the nose this week,” said
Ledecky, who improved the previous record
of 8:06.68 she set in January.
She finished almost half a length in front of
her closest rivals, silver medallist Jazz Carlin
of Britain (8:16.17) and bronze medallist
Boglarka Kapas of Hungary (8:16.37).
American Anthony Ervin won gold in the
men’s 50m free — 16 years after tying for gold
in the same event in Sydney with teammate
Gary Hall jr. Defending champion Florent
Manaudou of France was quick off the blocks
but Ervin and teammate Nathan Adrian were
close behind and Ervin powered into the wall
to beat the Frenchman with a time of 21.40 to
21.41. Adrian was third in 21.49.
American Maya DiRado denied
Hungarian Katinka Hosszu a recordequalling fourth individual gold in a 200m
backstroke thriller.
Hosszu, who set a world record in
winning 400m medley gold then added the
100m backstroke and 200m medley titles, led
through the first 150 meters, with DiRado
clinging to her shoulder.
— AFP
DiRado bows out with backstroke gold
M
aya DiRado of the United
States won the women’s 200
metres backstroke in her
final race before quitting swimming
on Friday, coming from behind to
deny Katinka Hosszu a fourth
gold medal at the Rio
Olympics.
The American
reeled in the
Lady’
‘Iron
from Hungary
in the last 50
metres,
the
pair swimming
neck and neck in
adjacent lanes before
DiRado touched first to
win by six-hundredths of a
second. Canada’s Hilary Caldwell won
bronze. For DiRado, who is leaving the
sport to take up a job in management
consultancy, it was the perfect way to
exit after a week in which she has now
won two gold medals, one silver and
one bronze.
“It’s indescribable. That is just pure
joy and surprise and excitement,” she
said. “That was my last race ever and I
just won a gold medal.” She spent
part of the day emailing her
new employers to take
care of the formalities
before starting work
on September 9, but
far from being a
distraction it served
to help her.
“I read through,
like, how to do expense
reports, which was nice
to kind of take my mind
off the final tonight.” Hosszu
blamed her loss on a poor final touch
but said she was pleased with her week’s
work, having won three golds after
leaving with no medals at all from three
previous Olympics.
— Reuters
German canoe coach critical
GATLIN
1 1
’
L
I
V
E
D
O
9.74
O
G‘
USA
WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIPS
9.80
l
e
u
d
BOLT
JAMAICA
BEST TIME
9.58
2 0 1 5
9.88
2 0 1 6
O LY M P I C G A M E S
2
WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIPS
3
2 0 0 9
K
Quotes of the day from Rio
“We
We learned tthat chemistry is
not
ot an exact science.”
sc nce.”
- Games spokesman
spoke man Mario
Andrada as org
organisers
nisers struggl
struggle
too turn the green
gre n diving pool
back to blue
“The whole venue smells like
somebody has fart.”
- German diver Stephan Feck
passes judgement on the diving
venue
“My doping is my training, my
doping is Jesus -- otherwise I’m
crystal clear.”
- Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana
shrugs off speculation after her
10,000m world record
“I’m not going four more years.”
- Michael Phelps promises not
to launch a comeback for Tokyo
2020
Katie Ledecky of USA (centre), Boglarka Kapas of Hungary and Jazmin Carlin (GBR) of Britain pose with
their medals. — Reuters
left before the session tonight,” Ledecky said.
“I’ve really looked up to Debbie and all the
women freestyle swimmers on the US team in
general,” Ledecky said. “We have a great history
2 0 1 6
BEST TIME
JUNE11
Usain
JULY 3
GOLD
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0
10
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o
f
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a
e
r
ta lin
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SILVER
1 2
Ledecky wins women’s 800m
freestyle gold in world record
atie Ledecky obliterated the field and
her own world record in winning the
800m freestyle at the Rio Olympics on
Friday, uniting the 200m, 400m and
800m titles for the first time since 1968.
The 19-year-old American, who also won the
4x200m relay for four golds overall, touched in
8min 04.79sec, beating the previous record of
8:06.68 she set in Austin, Texas, on January 17 of
this year.
Ledecky, who shot to prominence with her
surprise victory in the 800m free in London four
years ago, touched almost half a length in front of
her closest rivals — silver medallist Jazz Carlin of
Britain (8:16.17) and bronze medallist Boglarka
Kapas of Hungary (8:16.37).
“I just wanted to lay it all out there,” Ledecky
said. “It was my last swim here at the Olympics, the
pinnacle of our sport, and I have to wait another
four years to have that moment. I just wanted to
enjoy it all and put my very best swim out there.”
Ledecky joined compatriots Janet Evans and
Brooke Bennett as the only swimmers to win this
event at two Olympics and now owns the top 11
times ever in the event.
Her dominant performance in Rio also included
silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
She is the first Olympian to take the 200m,
400m and 800m gold at one Games since another
US teenager, Debbie Meyer, achieved the feat at
Mexico City in 1968 — the year the 800m was
added to the programme.
“I’m so proud to be part of history,” Ledecky
said, revealing that Meyer, a big fan, had been
texting her mother, Mary Gen, during the week.
“She sent like a good luck video to my mom
who forwarded it to me and I saw it right before I
O LY M P I C G A M E S
BRONZE
Justin
GOLD
who booked his ticket to
Rio with the fastest 100m time in the world this year last
month, 9.80sec.
Gatlin may find it hard to escape the opprobium
however if he defeats Bolt on Sunday to deny a fairytale
swansong for the sport’s greatest showman.
Bolt is aiming to sign off a majestic Olympic career by
successfully defending his triple crown of 100m, 200m
and 4x100m titles for a third straight Olympics.
The 29-year-old has endured a frustrating season,
repeatedly bothered by a hamstring problem that has
required extensive treatment and forced him to cut short
his appearance at Jamaica’s trials in Kingston in July.
However he appeared in relaxed mood on Monday
at his first press conference since arriving in Brazil,
shimmying with scantily-clad samba dancers and wisecracking with journalists.
Even when asked about his sport’s year of shame,
inated with Russia barred from the
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what I do, I eenjoy
The likeliest challenge to Bolt and Gatlin
could come from the next generation of
d by Trayvon Bromell of the
th
he
sprinters led
United Statess and France’s Jimmy Vicaut.
21, has the world’s second fastestt
Bromell, 21,
this year (9.84) whie Vicaut, 24,
100m time this
d fastest (9.86).
has the third
— AFP
GOLD
T
he battle to be crowned world’s fastest
man takes centre stage at the Rio
Olympics on Sunday with Usain Bolt
facing another showdown with Justin
Gatlin where the image of athletics on
the line.
n
Twelve months ago, when Bolt vanquished Gatlin in
the World Championship 100m final, many suggested thee
Jamaican sprint king had “saved” his sport from a bruisingg
reputational body blow.
The prospect of 2004 Olympic champion Gatlin —
o
twice found guilty of doping during his career — was too
much to stomach for many in athletics.
et
Yet the notion that Bolt’s victory in Beijing had set
track and field on a road to redemption turned out to bee
woefully premature.
In the 12 months since, athletics has been left reelingg
rs
by a corruption scandal involving top-level administrators
and revelations over Russian doping that plunged thee
sport into the worst crisis in its history.
It means that Sunday’s 100m final at Rio de Janeiro’s’s
T
Olympic Stadium, set for 10.25pm local time (0125 GMT
Monday) will inevitably once more be framed as a battlee
of “good versus evil” — Bolt vs Gatlin.
In a global audience of hundreds of millions, manyy
cs
fans, including International Association of Athletics
h
Federations chief Sebastian Coe, may be tempted to watch
through their fingers.
r,
Gatlin, 34, wearily rejects a narrative he sees as unfair,
d,
adamant that his story is far more nuanced than the bald,
oft-applied label — “two-time dope cheat” — implies.
His first doping suspension in 2001 arose from the usee
d
of a drug to treat attention deficit disorder that he had
been prescribed since childhood.
The US panel hearing that case found he “was
certainly not a doper.”
A second positive in 2006 — for
excessive levels of testosterone — was
more problematical.
Gatlin blamed the results on
sabotage by a therapist but was banned
for eight years, later reduced to four on
appeal.
Hurt by ‘villain’ tag “It’s hurtful, it’s hurtful to be looked
at as a villain because that’s not how I
portray myself, that’s not how my
son portrays me or my
family,” said
Gatlin,
GOLD
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
vs
26
Germany’s canoe slalom coach Stefan Henze is still in
critical condition some 24 hours after a car crash near the Rio
Olympic park, team officials said on Saturday.
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
and I think we’re making a lot of new history this
week. “Hopefully we’ll inspire people through the
years down the road when somebody’s breaking
my records.” —AFP
“We played a bunch of cowards.”
- USA goalkeeper Hope Solo isn’t
in the mood for sportsmanship
after defeat to Sweden
“Most of the time I listen to
music related to our leaders.”
- North Korea’s Rim Jong-Sim
reveals her choice of music
“We are going out now. I’ll be
hungover tomorrow.”
- British cyclist Bradley Wiggins
gets ready to celebrate men’s
team pursuit gold
Drysdale wins single sculls
Defending champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand
beat Croatia’s Damir Martin in a photo-finish to win
gold in the men’s single sculls at the Olympic rowing
regatta on Saturday.
Last-gasp Carter
wins shot gold
to deny Adams
M
ore gold and more
mature He said his body
ached, his legs hurt and
he felt tired, but Michael Phelps
still went out of the Olympics in
spectacular style with four golds
and a silver in a week — 22
golds in a five-Olympics career
— and still one more title likely
on Saturday.
The Chinese medicinal
practice of ‘cupping’ which left
red circle marks on his body was
the only apparent sign that at
31, Phelps is slowing down, and
then barely.
His victories in the 4x100m
free and 4x200m free relays,
200m butterfly and 200m
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N D AY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
27
Biles rekindles
Kim’s memories
of Comaneci
individual medley were all clear.
The man who won eight
golds at Beijing in 2008
has always come across as
something of a medal machine.
But Phelps has also shown his
more mature side in Rio. Being
in a three-way dead heat for
silver in the 100m on Friday was
“kind of cool”.
“My body is in pain, my
legs are hurting,” said Phelps
after a crushing 200m fly win. “I
think the biggest thing for me
through the meet so far is I’ve
been able to kind of finish how I
wanted to,” added the American,
who has insisted there will be
no sixth Olympics.
P
Michelle Carter of USA celebrates after winning gold.
— Reuters
RIO DE JANEIRO: American Michelle Carter saved the
best throw of her career for her final attempt to snatch the
Olympic shot put gold out of the hands of Valerie Adams
and shatter the New Zealander’s dreams of a third successive
title on Friday.
Adams, who would have become the first woman to win
three straight Olympic titles in an individual
athletics event, looked to have one hand on the
medal with the only throw over 20 metres and
only Carter and herself left to go in the final round.
Carter stepped into the ring for the sixth and final time,
though, and launched the shot further than any American
woman had before to take
the lead with a heave of
20.63 metres.
Knowing Adams was
still to throw, Carter
would only allowed herself
a discreet double thumbsup in celebration and she
watched on nervously
Carter stepped
as Adams managed only
into the ring for
20.39 with the final throw
the sixth and final
of the tournament.
Adams’ second throw
time, though and
earned her silver, the same
launched the shot
medal she received initially
in London four years
further than any
ago before Belarusian
American woman
Nadzeya Ostapchuk was
had before to take
stripped of the title for a
doping offence.
the lead with a
Carter, who added
heave of 20.63
the Olympic gold to the
metres
world indoor title she
won in Portland this year,
looked close to tears as she
was hugged by her fellow
finalists with Adams
among the first to embrace her.
Anita Marton won the bronze with her final throw of
19.87, a Hungarian national record.
Adams has dominated her event for much of the last
decade and in Moscow in 2013 became the first woman
to win four consecutive individual titles at the world
championships.
Knee, elbow and shoulder operations in the last 12
months cost her the chance to go for five in Beijing last year
and she only slowly moved back towards her once dominant
form again this year.
World champion Christina Schwanitz of Germany had
only two legal throws in the final round and finished sixth.
— Reuters
int-sized but up with the greats, Simone
Biles lived up to her star billing as the
gymnastics dynamo put herself on track
for a record five gold medals in Rio by winning
the all-around title after helping the United
States to defend their team title.
The 1.45m (4ft 9ins) Texan with a big smile
gave a powerful display of gravity-defying
tumbling and acrobatics to add the Olympic
all-around crown to the three world titles
she holds. She is unbeaten in the individual
event since 2013. If Biles takes the vault, beam
and floor over coming days she will have
won more gold at one Games than any other
woman, overtaking Soviet gymnast Larissa
Latynina (1956), Czech Vera Caslavska (1968)
and Romanian Ecaterina Szabo (1984), who
have all won four.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll just go on lockdown at
my house. It won’t be exactly normal, but we’ll
make it as normal as possible,” said 19-year-old
Biles of how she will cope with her fame on
her return home.
Gold medal winner Simone Biles of the US and silver medal
winning countrywoman Alexandra Raisman celebrate.
— Reuters
WITH THE RIO OLYMPICS AT THE
HALFWAY MARK, HERE ARE FIVE
SPORTING STARS WHO LEFT
THEIR MARK ON THE FIRST WEEK
OF COMPETITION WITH THEIR
RECORDS, STYLE AND COURAGE
H
eroine defies racist taunts Rafaela
Silva, who was brought up in Rio’s
notorious City of God favela, was
called a “monkey” after being disqualified
from the London Olympics in 2012. Four
years on, Brazil is hosting the Games and
the 57kg category judoka is the heroine
as the country’s first and only gold medal
of the opening week of competition.
“People taunted me, they said I was
a monkey and my place was in a cage.
But I proved my place is in sport and in
judo,” said the gritty 24-year-old who
has spoken forcefully about racism in
her country whilst she is in the Olympic
headlines. Her sporting skill also deserves
attention. She beat world number one
Sumiya Dorjsuren of
Mongolia to take the
title and prove
that Brazil is a
world force in
women’s judo
even if the
country does
not always
treasure
them.
T
he capital of rugby sevens The South Pacific sevens
rugby players came to Rio as favourites but no one
expected them to trounce Britain 43-7 in such devastating
fashion in the final as the sport made its Olympic debut.
Sevens may come from Britain but Fiji has become its capital.
The speed and passing of captain Osea Kolinisau and his
team blew away all-comers and they saved the best for last.
T
he best is yet to come America’s
newest star wrote her name in lights
by uniting the 200m, 400m and 800m
freestyle for the first time since 1968 —
winning two of the races in world-record
time. Ledecky, 19, has four gold medals
overall including the 4x200m freestyle
relay, plus silver from the 4x100m free.
The most extraordinary stat for
Ledecky is that she has never lost an
individual final at a world championships
or Olympics, compiling nine world titles
before she has even reached her twenties.
She burst onto the scene at the 2012
London Olympics, when she won the
800m at just 15. And she has confirmed
every ounce of her promise with her feats
in Rio, which include world records in the
400m and 800m.
“I just wanted to lay it all out there,”
Ledecky said after Friday’s 800m race. “It
was my last swim here at the Olympics,
the pinnacle of our sport, and I have
to wait another four years to have that
moment.” Ominously for her competitors,
Ledecky may be reaching her peak for
Tokyo 2020.
World Rugby believes that Fiji and even the teams that trailed
them will bring in new adepts and hopefully a permanent
Olympic status. Fiji reckons the country’s first ever gold medal
will bring sporting glory and tourists and investment to a poor
country of 900,000 people.
Ironically, Fiji is especially hailing the work of coach Ben
Ryan to lift the side in recent years. He of course is British.
RIO DE JANEIRO: Simone Biles standing on the top of the
all-around podium in Rio rekindled memories for former
Soviet gymnastics great Nellie Kim, a winner of three gold
in Montreal 1976, but forever in the shadow of the legendary
Nadia Comaneci.
Romania’s Comaneci famously became the first gymnast
to score a perfect 10 in Montreal forty years ago, but the
lesser known Kim also reached perfection in the same
Games when she also achieved the mythical mark twice.
Comaneci won a total of nine medals — five gold — at
the 1976 and 1980 Olympics, with Kim winning six — five
in gold — in the same two Games.
The camaraderie between Biles and US team-mate Aly
Raisman as they stood on the podium after going one-two
in the all-around was refreshing for 59-year-old Kim, whose
memories are of a time when rival gymnasts were not free
to speak.
“The women’s competition was spectacular, I was almost
crying watching these girls how emotional they were,” Kim
said in an interview with AFP.
“We didn’t (speak), you know Soviet Socialist Bloc, Soviet
people shouldn’t talk to other people. Number one, we didn’t
know languages and number two, they said ‘you better focus
on what you’re doing, try not to contact especially Western
Bloc people’.”
“And Nadia didn’t have any interest in talking to anybody,”
she laughs.
“She was 14, I was already 18, so it’s different, we didn’t
even have a lot in common
to talk about.
“The first time we
talked was in Moscow
1980 when we were both
standing on the pedestal
sharing floor exercise gold
and we were like ‘I’m tired,
we’re tired? it’s time to go’.”
Comaneci had gotten
her perfect 10 on the very
first night of competition,
on uneven bars. She would
receive seven perfect 10s
at the 1976 Olympics.
Comaneci won three
We didn’t speak,
gold medals at those
Games — the all-around,
you know Soviet
uneven bars and balance
Socialist Bloc,
beam.
Soviet people
Kim, who placed
second in the all-around,
shouldn’t talk
would also win three gold
to other people.
— one as a member of the
Number one,
dominant Soviet women’s
team and two individual
we didn’t know
on the vault and floor.
languages and two
Olympic heroes Despite her thoughts
we were asked to
of what could have been,
focus on the game
Kim holds mostly positive
memories of her summer
NELLIE KIM
Former Soviet gymnast
of ‘76.
It was a revelation for the
18-year-old girl, born in Shurab in far-flung Tajikistan to a
Sakhalin Korean father and a Tartar mother.
“A beautiful city, cheerful and welcoming for Olympic
Games, smiling faces, TV which was making a movie
about Heroes of the Olympic Games in Montreal, and I was
selected to be one of those heroes. It wasn’t just the Olympics
for me, it also to see the city to meet some families, to visit
their houses.”
She suffered “burnout” and “psychological stress” in the
days before the Games, saying that she probably peaked at
the wrong time.
But she nevertheless got the first of her two perfect 10 the
day after Comaneci.
“I didn’t expect to be so perfect. I said ‘Wow’. It was an
appreciation of a new skill which I performed, nobody did it
before. I felt rewarded by the judges for what I had done. It
was a good feeling.”
She and Comaneci both live in the United States now and
“keep in touch”.
“We have a lot respect for each other. I can’t say we’re
close friends, but we have a nice relationship. We talk to each
other and share family things.”
Their crossed paths again in Rio.
“My daughter was sitting with her, we took a picture with
my grandson, it was nice picture for us, nice memories.”
Despite being regarded as gymnastics legend, Comaneci
does not have an active role in the sport.
— AFP
football
ootba /cricket
/c c et
sport
28
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
EPL: Snodgrass netted the winner in the second half as Hull became the first team to defeat a holding team in the opening match since 1989
Hull stun champions Leicester City in opener
LONDON: Leicester’s Premier League
title defence got off to an embarrassing
start as the champions crashed to 2-1
defeat at troubled Hull in the season
opener on Saturday.
Just three months after their
astonishing title triumph, Claudio
Ranieri’s side were brought back down
to earth by a team whose preparations
for the new campaign were marred by
the resignation of manager Steve Bruce
and their failure to sign a single player.
Adama Diomande gave Hull a firsthalf lead before Riyad Mahrez brought
Leicester level with a penalty shortly
after the interval.
Robert Snodgrass drove in the
winner 12 minutes into the second half
as a team in crisis on and off the pitch
became the first to beat the defending
English champions on opening day since
Manchester United defeated Arsenal in
1989. Hull have approached the season
in a state of turmoil, with no permanent
manager following Bruce’s resignation
on July 22, and a thin squad stretched to
its limits by injuries.
Caretaker manager Mike Phelan
went into the game with just 13 fit senior
players, and named a substitutes’ bench
consisting largely of untried youngsters,
including three teenagers.
Hull’s supporters have blamed
owners Assem and Ehad Allam for a
lack of investment in the squad, and
graffiti calling for them to sell the club
was found daubed on the outer walls of
the stadium on Saturday morning.
As stewards hastily tried to paint over
the vandalism before kick-off, supporters
gathered outside to display banners and
chant for the Allams to leave.
Hull City’s Robert Snodgrass celebrates
scoring their second goal. — Reuters
Leicester were sharper for the
A Chinese consortium, led by
businessmen Dai Yongge and Hawken opening 30 minutes, but were unable to
Xi Liu, has expressed an interest in capitalise on the chances they created,
buying the club, and its key figures with Jamie Vardy a particular culprit.
Thwarted were at the match to watch the Premier
Vardy, who scored 24 league goals
League season begin.
last season, miskicked horribly after new
signing Ahmed Musa had darted down
the left to roll the ball back to him 16
yards from goal.
After Danny Drinkwater had screwed
wide from Mahrez’s inviting right-wing
cut-back, Vardy was then thwarted by
some dogged Hull defending.
Christian Fuchs got clear after
playing a one-two with Musa and, when
goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic raced out to
block, the ball ran loose to Vardy — but
Jake Livermore threw his body in the
way of the shot.
Vardy, part of the England team
beaten in the last 16 by Iceland at Euro
2016, then skied an easy chance after
Musa had dashed past the flat-footed
Curtis Davies. Hull rode the pressure,
though, and took the lead in the second
minute of first-half stoppage time.
Kasper Schmeichel clawed out Davies’
near-post header from a Snodgrass
corner, but Diomande’s overhead kick
flew into the net.
Leicester responded immediately
after half-time, winning a penalty
within 20 seconds of the restart as Tom
Huddlestone was judged to have clipped
Demarai Gray inside the area.
Television replays suggested the
contact may have been outside the area,
but Mahrez sent Jakupovic the wrong
way with a cool spot-kick.
However, spluttering Leicester were
only level for 10 minutes.
Ahmed Elmohamady was quick to
intercept a Schmeichel throw, and raced
down the right to create space for a cross
that Danny Simpson half-cleared, before
Snodgrass drove in the loose ball.
Ranieri’s response was to throw on
Shinji Okazaki and Daniel Amartey in
a bid to find an equaliser, and Mahrez
almost delivered with a 25-yard freekick that Jakupovic shovelled away.
Snodgrass almost caught out
Schmeichel with a free-kick from wide
out on the right, which the goalkeeper
had to beat away at his near post. By the
time the match entered its closing stages,
the Hull fans were singing ‘Can’t Help
Falling In Love With You’ and chanting
‘We are top of the league’.
— AFP
Younis leads Pakistan to huge first innings lead Kumar puts India in
command against WI
FROM ANDY JALIL AT KIA OVAL
LONDON
August 13: A century of great
distinction from Younis Khan,
spanning seven-and-a half hours —
during which he dominated the play
for the first two sessions on the third
day of the fourth Test, took Pakistan
to a massive first innings lead of 214 at
being dismissed at tea for 542. During
his fifth Test double century, he passed
his previous highest score against
England of 173 and took his Test
aggregate to 9,456 runs, the highest for
a Pakistan batsman.
Earlier, England had to wait for an
hour-and-a-half before claiming the
first wicket of the day, while Pakistan
had moved on to 397 for seven. Sarfraz
Ahmed, who was on 17 when the
tourists resumed their first innings on
340 for six, had patiently reached 44 in
nearly two hours when he edged Chris
Woakes behind the stumps. Younis
had been even more watchful and had
added just 27 to his overnight score of
101 during that period.
The stand for the eighth wicket
was worth 77 as Pakistan continued
to slowly increase their lead going
into lunch on 417 for seven. England
claimed their next wicket in the fifth
over after the break with the stumping
of Wahab Riaz who was content to
make 4 from 32 balls while letting his
senior partner get on with the scoring
and taking his personal score to 160.
Younis increased the rate of scoring
and went after the bowling during the
ninth wicket stand. He progressed to
182 with the most exquisite drive to
the cover boundary off Stuart Broad
and entered the nineties with a six off
Pakistan’s Younis Khan in
action. — Reuters
Moeen dragging the ball from outside
off stump to deposit over wide midwicket. With singles, he took his score
to 195 and then unleashed a mighty six
off Moeen again over wide mid-wicket
to reach a brilliant double hundred.
Mohammad Amir got off the mark
with a six off Moeen in the same over
that saw Younis to two hundred and
cost Moeen 15 from the over. The fifty
of the stand came from 67 balls with
Younis’ contribution being 43 and
Pakistan score reached 500 from 805
balls. Amir too scored merrily, hitting
Woakes for four before neatly cutting
Root to the boundary to reach 30.
England were finally relieved when
James Anderson in his third over back
to bowl — not having bowled after the
first hour’s play — trapped Younis leg
before. The batsman asked for a review
of the decision and replay showed the
ball might have clipped leg stump at
best, it was so marginal. It had been a
great innings during which he faced
308 balls, hitting 31 fours and four
sixes.
Just about on the stroke of tea,
Pakistan were dismissed with Sohail
Khan held at mid-on by Broad off Steve
Finn who finished with three for 110
and Woakes had three for 82. Amir
remained not out with 39, his highest
Test score which helped to boost the
Pakistan total on an excellent pitch for
batting.
SCOREBOARD
England first innings: .............................. 328
Pakistan first innings (O/n: 340-6):
S Aslam lbw Broad ....................................................3
Az Ali c Bairstow b Ali ............................................. 49
Y Shah c Root b Finn .............................................. 26
A Shafiq c Broad b Finn........................................ 109
Y Khan (batting)................................................... 147
Misbah-ul-Haq c Hales b Woakes .......................... 15
I Ahmed c Ali b Woakes ............................................4
S Ahmed c Bairstow b Woakes............................... 44
W Riaz (not out) ........................................................1
Extras (B-10, LB-5, NB-2, W-2) ...................... 19
Total (for 7 wkts, 117 overs) ..................... 417
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-52, 3-127, 4-277, 5-316,
6-320, 7-397.
Bowling: J Anderson 25-9-68-0, S Broad 24-5-78-1,
S Finn 25-1-95-2, C Woakes 25-8-64-3, M Ali 17-0-921, J Root 1-0-5-0.
ST LUCIA: A devastating spell of swing
bowling by Bhuvneshwar Kumar put
India in command on the fourth day of
the third test against West Indies in St
Lucia on Friday.
Kumar ripped through the middle
order and tail, moving the second new
ball both ways through the air and off
the seam to pick up five wickets at the
Darren Sammy Stadium in Gros Islet.
Playing his first test in 19 months,
he took five for 33 in 23.4 overs as West
Indies lost their last seven wickets for
23 runs to be all out for 225 in the first
innings.
India then reached 157 for three
by the close of play, 285 runs ahead,
leaving captain Virat Kohli to ponder
the best time to declare on the final day
on Saturday.
All of Kumar’s dismissals were
achieved with quality deliveries, three
caught in the slips, one bowled and one
lbw.
“That was a spell of consistent, highquality swing bowling,” said former
West Indies player Jeffrey Dujon on
television commentary.
“He gave all the batsmen trouble,
swung it in, swung it out, set up Marlon
Samuels beautifully and really didn’t
move too much from that tight offstump line.”
Samuels was perhaps Kumar’s most
prized scalp, out for 48 when he was
beaten by an inswinger that he chopped
on to his stumps.
One run earlier Jermaine Blackwood
was caught at second slip off Kumar
for 20. Opener Kraigg Brathwaite topscored for West Indies with 64.
Kohli went cheaply in India’s
second innings, trapped lbw by Miguel
Cummins for four after making just
three in the first knock.
Ajinkya Rahane (51) and Rohit
Sharma (41) were unbeaten at stumps.
India lead the four-test series 1-0.
— Reuters
SCOREBOARD
India first innings: ..................................353
West Indies first innings (O/n: 107/1):
K Brathwaite c Saha b Ashwin...............................64
L Johnson (run out) ..............................................23
D Bravo c Jadeja b I Sharma .................................29
M Samuels b Kumar .............................................48
J Blackwood c Kohli b Kumar ...............................20
R Chase c Rahane b Jadeja .....................................2
S Dowrich c Dhawan b Kumar...............................18
J Holder lbw Kumar................................................2
A Joseph c Rahul b Kumar ......................................0
M Cummins c Saha b Ashwin .................................0
S Gabriel (not out) ..................................................0
Extras (B-13, LB-2, W-2, NB-2) ...............................19
Total (all out, 103.4 overs) .......................225
Fall of wicket: 1-59, 2-129, 3-135, 4-202, 5-203,
6-205, 7-212, 8-212, 9-221.
Bowling: B Kumar 23.4-10-33-5, M Shami 17-3-580, R Ashwin 26-7-52-2, I Sharma 13-2-40-1, R Jadeja
24-9-27-1.
India second innings:
L Rahul c Brathwaite b Cummins..........................28
S Dhawan lbw Chase ............................................26
V Kohli lbw Cummins .............................................4
A Rahane (batting)................................................51
R Sharma (batting) ...............................................41
Extras (B-1, LB-1, NB-5).................................7
Total (For 3 wkts, 39 overs).......................157
Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-58, 3-72.
De Silva leads SL fightback with maiden ton
COLOMBO: Dhananjaya de Silva
hit a maiden century and combined
with Dinesh Chandimal to resurrect
Sri Lanka’s innings after a poor start
against Australia on the opening day
of the third and final test on Saturday.
Sri Lanka, who have an unassailable
2-0 lead in the three-match series,
won the toss and opted to bat but were
reduced to 26 for five, bringing De
Silva and Chandimal together at the
crease.
For close to the next 74 overs in the
day, Australia could not separate the
pair as they added 188 for the sixth
wicket with the hosts reaching 214 for
five at the close, with De Silva 116 not
out and Chandimal unbeaten on 64.
Left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc,
the most successful bowler in the
series, was at his devastating best
in the morning and picked up three
wickets, taking his tally for the series
to 20. Captain Steve Smith introduced
off-spinner Nathan Lyon in the sixth
over with the pitch at the Sinhalese
Sports Club Ground already providing
some assistance to the spinners and
was rewarded with two wickets.
Starc, bowling with pace and
accuracy, sent back Sri Lanka’s
faltering opening batsmen, with
Kaushal Silva falling for a duck and
Dimuth Karunaratne (seven) getting
out to the same bowler for all five
times in the series.
SCOREBOARD
Sri Lanka first innings:
K Silva c Smith b Starc............................................. 0
D Karunaratne b Starc ............................................. 7
K Perera c Smith b Lyon ........................................ 16
K Mendis c Smith b Starc ........................................ 1
A Mathews c Starc b Lyon........................................ 1
D Chandimal (batting) .......................................... 64
D de Silva (batting) ............................................. 116
Extras (B-4, LB-5) ......................................... 9
Total (for 5 wkts, 90 overs) ....................... 214
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-21, 3-23, 4-24, 5-26.
Bowling: M Starc 18-7-47-3, J Hazlewood 11-3-270, N Lyon 34-9-72-2, J Holland 21-5-34-0, M Marsh
5-0-20-0, S Smith 1-0-5-0.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (centre) celebrates with Ajinkya Rahane (right) of India after
taking five West Indies wickets for 33 runs during day 4 of the third Test at Darren
Sammy National Cricket Stadium Gros Islet, St Lucia. — AFP
international
East Germany closes border
On this day in 1961, East Germany closed the border between the eastern and
western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants’ attempts to escape to the West. The
walls demolition officially began on June 13, 1990 and was completed in 1992.
*
infocus
Drought
ravages
Lesotho as
water is
exported
to South
Africa
F
or farmer Mohlakoane Molise, the view of the
enormous Katse dam from his smallholding
high in the mountains of Lesotho taunts him
daily.
His country is suffering through its worst
drought in 35 years, but the vast and vital water
reserves remain out of reach, destined instead for export to
neighbouring South Africa.
“I am very angry about that water, because it could benefit
us, we could use it to water the crops when there is a drought.
But that’s not happening,” the 65-year-old widower said.
Kneeling in front of his round, thatch-roofed hut, he
sorted through his maize, examining each grain, one-by-one.
The operation didn’t take long. His total annual harvest
filled just two large sacks, in place of the usual dozen.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the
2016 harvest for Lesotho’s primary crop maize is estimated at
25,000 tonnes, a dramatic drop from last year’s 78,000-tonne
haul.
Instead, the mountainous kingdom — entirely landlocked
by South Africa — must import food from its larger
neighbour.
*
features
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
29
In Sephareng, the village tap has run dry for
months. Residents must instead make their way
up the mountain — a good half-hour walk along
a rocky trail — to a communal pump.
But it too has been hit by the drought after the El Nino
weather phenomenon wreaked havoc on the region’s rainfall
patterns, and maize prices have sky-rocketed by 60 per cent
in the last year.
According to the United Nations, 40 million people across
southern Africa risk malnutrition by next year’s harvest.
“From September, we’ll have nothing left and we’ll struggle
to buy maize from the shop,” said Molise.
Below, the immense dark blue of the dam stood out in
stark contrast to the bare, brown mountains.
‘IT’S LIKE DESERT’
The valley here was flooded in the nineties to make way for
Katse. The deal: hydroelectricity for impoverished Lesotho in
exchange for a reliable water supply to the bustling cities of
Johannesburg and Pretoria.
“There were fields around the river before the dam was
built, and there were trees, but they are covered by water,” said
Molise.
“Since the dam is here, it’s difficult to get water. The crops
are very poor, even the grazing land. It’s like a desert.”
In Sephareng, the village tap has run dry for months.
Residents must instead make their way up the mountain — a
good half-hour walk along a rocky trail — to a communal
pump. There, a feeble trickle of water fills their buckets, while
their cows and donkeys drink from the small puddles left
behind by a vanishing stream.
For its part, Africa’s second-largest dam is fulfilling its
mandate, despite the drought.
“The level today is about 63.4 per cent, which is quite low,”
said Tatuku Maseatile, Katse Acting Branch Manager for the
Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA).
“We are still able to meet our annual targets in terms of
both generation and water transfer.”
From his office high up on the soaring dam wall, he had an
unparallelled view of the waters below.
“I do think people are benefiting from the dam,” he said,
ticking the projects off: a water supply system, construction
jobs, two industrial fishing projects, schools.
“And roads in the mountains, tarred roads brought by the
project — another direct spin-off — and a clinic built and
transferred to the government.”
DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES
Along those tarred roads, women trudged uphill for hours
to reach the clinic for the WFP’s monthly food distribution.
“We give them four packs each,” explained Mamakase
Grace Sello, 21, a nutrition student interning with the WFP.
“It’s for lactating or pregnant mothers, and infants below
the age of two. But we know that often the whole family eats
some, including the fathers, even if they should not. The
nutrients are for the babies.”
In a country where the overwhelming majority of families
depend on their own crops for food and where nearly a
quarter of the population is affected by Aids, charities are
predicting disastrous consequences by next year’s harvest.
Earlier this year, the Lesotho government declared the
drought a natural disaster.
“I’ve never seen a drought like this,” said shepherd
Ntoaesele Mashongoane, 32.
“This drought is really terrible, especially for the pregnant
sheep. They don’t have enough grass and there’s no water.”
His flock moved down the steep mountainsides to the
water’s edge for a drink — a small consolation — and the
deep blue of the dam reflected the skies above, not a raindrop
in sight. — AFP
crossword
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
1 The morning part sets the
limits or scope (5)
6 Light opera composer
seemingly short of a meal (5)
9 Is probably too big to stick a
pin in (7)
10 It’ll give you a cushy time in
Division 1 (5)
11 It has a coast with many a
stormy bay (5)
12 Nosy toper accepting refusal
(5)
13 Plant used in making tuna pie
(7)
15 Took a rest day? (3)
17 Responsibility for making an
unsound start? (4)
18 Sailor with an eye for a drink
(6)
19 Continental name for a nail?
(5)
20 Credit a juvenile game with
being snappy (6)
22 Bigheaded fool, but a good
swimmer (4)
24 Is bound to be reduced to ash
(3)
25 It’s golden but not sound (7)
26 Great power is only a
possibility (5)
27 A certain amount of nicotine
is possibly medicinal! (5)
28 It’s truly hard to say when one
is sozzled (5)
29 So tries, maybe, to manage
military ventures (7)
30 Legendary character rapidly
going round the bend (5)
31 Put off shifting Fred out East
(5)
DOWN
2 Amid some chaps, she needs
help! (6)
3 In myth, too high a flier (6)
4 Vessel or nutcracker (3)
5 Cockney friend in the Orient
(5)
6 Was he wise to be alone one
day? (7)
7 Some opportunist activity by a
military outfit! (4)
8 Occasion for remuneration (6)
12 It’s foolish to be so close to the
striker (5)
13 A letter or two just outside the
door (5)
14 African port or island next to
“4 Down” (5)
15 Burden jointly shared by
chairmen (5)
16 Short cut from Battersea (5)
18 Flier having a couple of halves
help her spell “panorama” (6)
22 When a busy type has to sum
up, it can be confusing (6)
23 Even a minor collision can
mean trouble! (6)
25 Tries to get heated up in a
vessel (5)
26 Maiden lady in a state (4)
28 Like a naval ensign, this
admiral is a flier! (3)
EASY PUZZLE
ACROSS
1 Collision (5)
6 Orderly pile (5)
9 Less refined (7)
10 Frighten (5)
11 Circular (5)
12 Custom (5)
13 Failed student (7)
15 Mountain (3)
17 Unoccupied (4)
18 Dairy product (6)
19 Filaments (5)
20 Greek islander (6)
22 Secure (4)
24 Possessive pronoun (3)
25 Invented (7)
at the Turk’s Head (5)
26 Sacked (5)
19 For fruit, a price cut to
27 Greek dish (5)
nothing on Tuesday! (7)
21 Being Spanish, she needs pa to 28 Talk (5)
29 Obedient (7)
30 Brimless cap (5)
31 At no time (5)
DOWN
2 Album (6)
3 Abrade (6)
4 Garden tool (3)
5 Large (5)
6 Grave (7)
7 Horse’s gait (4)
8 Taper (6)
12 Mortal (5)
13 Discard (5)
14 Senior (5)
15 Book of maps (5)
16 Snooped (5)
18 Rear (5)
19 Fish (7)
21 Esteem (6)
22 Easy (6)
23 Woman (6)
25 Material (5)
26 Die away (4)
28 Star (3)
THURSDAY’S CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 3, Stiff 8, Pupil 10,
R-aces 11, Sad 12, Druid 13,
Girdles 15, Deb-u-t 18, L-e.g. 19,
Ra-d-ish 21, Hearsay 22, Lied 23,
A-LP-s 24, Serials 26, B-RU-tes
29, Dig 31, Super 32, Al-leg-ed
34, Newly 35, Rue 36, Ten-on 37,
Jimmy 38, Redye.
DOWN: 1, Mus-ic 2, Fiddled 4,
Tars 5, F-r-I-d.-ay 6, FADED 7,
Menus 9, Par 12, Degre-es 14,
Lea 16, B-ills 17, These 19, Rapidly 20, C-L-ubs 21, Het up 23,
Alger-I-A 24, S-ere-NE 25, Ail
27, Ruler 28, Tenor 30, Te-Ems
32, All-y 33, Gum.
THURSDAY’S EASY
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 3, Stage 8, Pacts 10,
Angle 11, Boa 12, Sport 13,
Testate 15, Refer 18, USA 19,
Berate 21, Dessert 22, Oars 23,
Mail 24, Recital 26, Eroded 29,
Sag 31, Depot 32, Debited 34,
Tired 35, Cab 36, River 37, Later
38, Decry.
DOWN: 1, Caber 2, Statues 4,
Tape 5, Garret 6, Enter 7, Fleet 9,
Cos 12, Stashed 14, Ass 16, Fatal
17, Reply 19, Braised 20, Hoped
21, Droop 23, Magical 24, Retire
25, Tab 27, Resin 28, Doted 30,
Rebel 32, Dear 33, Tat.
international
features
30
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U ST 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
Pakistan’s National Anthem
This day in 1954, Radio Pakistan broadcasted the “Qaumī Tarāna”, the national
anthem of Pakistan for the first time. Meaning ‘The Sacred Land,’ Qaumī Tarāna, the
music was composed by the Pakistani musician and composer, Ahmad G Chagla in
1949 and reflected his background in both eastern and western music.
globalpulse
Brussel “flower carpet” has
Japanese theme
H
undreds of thousands of begonias and dahlias will emblazon
the Grand Place in Brussels this weekend for its 20th “Flower
Carpet” display, which this year has a Japanese theme.
A Japanese crane, a bird that symbolizes good fortune
and longevity in Asian culture, flies across a wild landscape and Koi carp
seem to swim among the blossoms delicately laid out on the picturesque
15th-century square.
“The patterns and symbols of the flower carpet express happiness and
peace,” said Fujie Suzuki, one of the lead designers.
Some 600,000 flowers have been assembled in the 75 metre-long and
24 metre-wide display, and will remain in place until Monday.
Around 100 workers and volunteers contributed to creating the flower
carpet, a biennial event. Some picked blooms from fields in the north of
Belgium as fast as 600 an hour each. Others gathered at the Grand Place in
the early hours of Friday to lay out the blossoms according to a template.
— Reuters
Missing for a century,
Hunt for Nazi ‘gold train’
resumes in Poland
Singapore-born manatees
T
re-settle in Caribbean
T
wo Singapore-born manatees which were flown halfway
around the world this week under a programme to restore
Caribbean populations of the endangered sea cows are
settling in well in Guadeloupe, their carers said.
The giant, slow-moving, whiskered herbivores became
extinct in the French overseas territory in the early 20th
century.
Kai, seven, and Junior, six, were both born and bred at Singapore Zoo.
On Monday, the two were flown 19,600 kilometres (12,200 miles) to their
new tropical home, where the gentle sloth-like male mammals received a
rapturous welcome.
Guadeloupe National Park said on Thursday the pair, who were regularly
sprayed with water during their 34-hour journey in open-top crates, were
“doing well” after their voyage.
“The first signs are positive,” one of their minders said.
“They are starting to interact with their carers and to feed and keep
hydrated,” he told reporters.
The new arrivals, who weigh between 500 kilogrammes and 700 kg
(1,100 and 1,540 pounds), were released into Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin,
a 15,000-hectare (37,000-acre) protected bay, where they are expecting
company shortly.
Over the next five years they will be joined by 13 other manatees supplied
by zoos around the world, 10 of which will be female.
Any offspring from the group will be released into the wild.
Kai and Junior’s arrival is the culmination of a decade-long effort to
reintroduce the aquatic giants behind mermaid myths — perhaps because
they rise out of the water and can turn their heads — that hit several snags
along the way.
The first specimens had been expected to arrive from Brazil in 2014 but
Brazil backed out of the agreement in 2015, leaving Guadeloupe high and
dry.
Known locally as “maman d’lo” or mother of the sea, West Indian
manatees were an important part of the French territory’s ecology before
being hunted to extinction in the early 1900s.
A mammal that can grow to up to 4.5 metres (15 feet) in length, the
species inhabits warm coastal waters, mangrove swamps and estuaries where
it grazes on plants.
The manatee is listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for
Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Discussion of the repopulation programme started in 2007 and included
educating the Guadeloupe public about the animals, US-based project
consultant Ray Ball said.
“You can’t reintroduce an animal species to a country if the people don’t
want it,” he said.
CASTING NET WIDE
Kai and Junior, whose ancestors came from across the Caribbean in
Guyana, were donated by Singapore Zoo.
“We never thought we’d have to go that far for them,” Herve Magnin, head
of the heritage department at Guadeloupe National Park said.
Relief over their arrival was palpable in Guadeloupe, which had feared
any further delays to starting the programme would jeopardise 3.5 million
euros ($3.9 million) in funding from the European Union, the project’s main
backer.
Magnin said the delays in getting the manatees to Guadeloupe had also
made it a battle to keep people involved in project “Life Sirenia” motivated.
“We needed animals,” he said
Guadeloupe is now in discussions with Mexico, Guyana and Colombia on
receiving other manatees in the coming months.
The national park’s director, Maurice Anselme, said the aim was to have a
broad selection of specimens “to avoid inbreeding and have a healthy herd.”
— AFP
reasure hunters on Friday relaunched their search for a lost Nazi
gold train allegedly loaded with loot and buried in southwestern
Poland, despite there being no scientific evidence it exists.
“The train isn’t a needle in a haystack, if it’s there, we’ll find
it,” project spokesman Andrzej Gaik said. The story sparked a global media
frenzy last August when two men claimed to have discovered an armoured
Nazi-era train using ground-penetrating radar near the city of Walbrzych.
At the time, Piotr Koper, a Pole, and German national Andreas Richter
said they had discovered several train carriages measuring a total of 98
metres (320 feet) which were buried some eight to nine metres (26 to 28
foot) underground.
They said they believed the contents were mostly weapon prototypes,
though local legend spoke of artwork, jewels and gold stolen by the Nazis.
The Nazis made prisoners of war dig a network of tunnels in the area,
and some locals have claimed the Germans tried to spirit the gold away
as Russia’s Red Army closed in. But so far there has been little to back up
the claims, with geologists from Krakow’s prestigious AGH University
of Science and Technology finding no evidence for the train’s existence
during tests run in December.
Professor Janusz Madej said at the time he was “100 percent sure there is
no train... maybe a tunnel” based on magnetic, gravimetric and geo-radar
studies. Digging starts Tuesday It has done little to dampen the treasure
hunters’ enthusiasm.
“Even if we find a tunnel, that’ll also be a success. The train could be
hidden in it,” Gaik said. As the search began, Koper said he hoped to have
answers within a week. “It should all be clear by Thursday” next week, he
told Poland’s TVP public news channel as his team began clearing the area
of vegetation.
He said they would sweep the area with geo-radar on Monday before
diggers move in on Tuesday. “We’ll dig down six metres in three areas
along a 100-metre stretch of the old railway tracks,” Gaik said. News about
the alleged discovery of the gold train made headlines around the globe
last year, triggering an influx of treasure hunters to the site. The intrigue
has been further fuelled by the site’s proximity to a massive network of
secret underground tunnels built by the Nazis, some of which are around
the massive Ksiaz Castle where legend has it the Third Reich stashed looted
valuables. — AFP
Chinese couple dangle from
suspension bridge for wedding
A
Chinese couple marked their wedding day in their own special
way — by dangling underneath a glass bottom suspension
bridge overlooking a gorge.
Bride Jiang Huizhu and groom Zhou Wenlong wed on
Tuesday, Chinese Valentine’s Day, and descended onto a small platform
attached to a bridge 180m (590 ft) above ground in Shiniuzhai National
Geological Park in Hunan Province for the occasion.
They lay on their backs on the platform, posing for celebratory photos
amid the lush scenery.
“(It’s to) challenge ourselves... We’d like to celebrate the festival in a
special way,” the bride said. — Reuters
insideOman
Walt Disney releases Bambi
On this day in 1942, Walt Disney’s fifth full-length animated film, Bambi, was
released to theatres. Although it lost money at the box office on its first release, it
is currently viewed as a classed and recouped considerable amount in its subsequent re-issues.
@ localscenes
features
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
S U N DAY l A U G U S T 1 4 l 2 0 1 6
31
Photos by Yelena Glukhovtseva
A unique element of the Hathmeen, is the technically simple
division of the falaj water at the town crossroads, where the
falaj water is divided in three different directions, by a simple
channelling process, with the water divided by volume, in order
that the village gets 20 per cent and the government farms get 80
per cent of that which flows to the western side of the road.
Q RAY PETERSEN
B
irkat Al Mouz, roughly interpreted as ‘Banana Pools,’ or
‘Banana Lake Palms,’ is a tidy, progressive little township in
the heart of the Dakhiliyah Governorate, and lies at the foot
of the mighty Jabal Al Akhdhar, or the Green Mountain. It
is experiencing a real construction boom at present, and
is becoming quite the little service location for tourism,
construction and education with the University of Nizwa Initial Campus a
significant contributor to the town in so many ways.
Thousands of tourists and visitors, local and international, probably only
see this lovely little town as somewhere to stop for petrol before driving
up the mountain, or maybe know it as the site of the Initial Campus of
the University of Nizwa. “Blink and you’ll miss it,” is a frequently heard
comment in respect of a township that has grown enormously over the last
five years. However, its proximity to the mountain, the ‘Old Town,’ and the
nearby Wadi Muaiden offer very good reasons to linger.
One building that does draw your attention, adjacent to the junction
road to the mountain, is a well restored Omani Fort, known as the Bait Al
Radaida Fort, which is currently undergoing refurbishment. Part of that
refurbishment includes re-opening as a museum of traditional small arms,
which is quite ironic really, when you consider that Jabal Al Akhdhar was
the site of an armed uprising in the 1950’s. It is also intended that local
handcrafts, traditional souvenir items and a cafeteria will all be included in
the refurbished fort.
The very prominent Falaj Al Hathmeen, which runs through the fort, will
have its channels and water-drawing facilities, further developed to allow
tourists a form of interactive falaj experience. The falaj originates 2.4 kms
away from the fort, at a 21-metre-deep underground well, and emerges only
about 100 metres from the fort, runs through it, and continuing through
another 6 kms of channels alongside houses, through and around a large
number of farms, making it second only in length to the giant Falaj Daris, in
Nizwa. Because there is no other significant aflaj, above the Hathmeen, the
flow of water remains fresh, clear and very cool.
Nearby, and adjacent again to the falaj, stands an immaculately refurbished
mosque of the same name as the fort. The Radaida Mosque is a small but
important mosque to the local community, provides a convenient place of
worship for travellers either to and from Jabal Akhdhar, and for those who
patronize the falaj. Therefore, the Hathmeen Falaj, the Al Radaida Fort, and
the nearby Radaida Mosque, are all inextricably linked.
Khamis al Dughishi, the Wakeel, explained that all three of them were
either inaugurated, or constructed, in the 17th century by the local Imam.
Dughishi was appointed to the position in 2004, when he followed his
grandfather into the position, and he is on call, so to speak, at all times. “I
have an assistant, and can get technical staff if I need them,” he said, “but if
urgent action is required, then I am the responsible person.”
He takes pride in the fact that he knows every water user, for every
minute, of every hour, within every day of each nine-day supply cycle.
Close to the fort however, the falaj has been covered in, as, regretfully
according to Dughishi, “Many of the younger generation had no care
or respect for the traditions and other users of the falaj, which relies
on considerate and planned use, so from the source, to the main
channels beyond the fort and mosque, the previously open section
was covered to prevent such misuse. Now the first users are again
guaranteed beautiful clean and clear water.”
A unique element of the Hathmeen, is the technically simple
division of the falaj water at the town crossroads, where the
falaj water is divided in three different directions, by a simple
channelling process, with the water divided by volume, in order
that the village gets 20 per cent and the government farms get
80 per cent of that which flows to the western side of the road.
The other 50 per cent is channelled under the road to the
eastern side of the road, and is also divided into community,
and government water rights.
The Hathmeen is also unique in its very active
cooperative formation, with the falaj having ownership
of a number of adjacent retail premises and farms.
Dughishi explained that, “these provide income, which
ensures a high level of maintenance and supervision of
the falaj, and it also demonstrates active community
involvement.” It’s clear that a viable business plan
is in place for the falaj, thus ensuring its retention
as a valuable community resource, and a unique
heritage site.
The Wakeel himself is an immaculately
presented ‘gentleman,’ with an excellent
command of the English language. His
knowledge of, care for, passion for and
efficient management of, this little corner of
the Dakhiliyah Governorate, make Khamis
al Dughishi admired, and a wonderful
ambassador for his personal and
professional skills.
A fort, a mosque and a falaj:
Inseparable in
Dakhiliyah
sharedthoughts
Beautiful Venice
SAYEH WOODMAN
sayehwoodman@outlook.com
Venice is a picturesque montage of
classic art, immortal beauty, Victorian
sophistication and a seamless
architectural heritage that draws
hordes of tourists to the city that
basks in the glow of timeless love and
romance.
I
f mazes and working out puzzles is your thing — then Venice is a destination
must. I was so excited and appreciative to finally visit Venice. Aged 33,
I finally got to go to apart of Italy! Can’t believe I’ve waited so long. It’s
definitely a place worth visiting, and not only was it great to experience
Italian culture but it was a wonderful city to engulf other cultures too, with
all the visitors you meet on your journey through the streets, getting lost and
eating and dining at restaurants besides the Gondolas.
I would honestly say 2 nights is long enough. OK, so it’s a trek really, if you’re just
travelling on a short break from Muscat — maybe incorporate it and use it as a stop
over place.
It truly is a postcard of beauty, showing off Italian art, culture, history and you can
view the masterpieces of Renaissance architecture along with vintage administrative
buildings and homes and markets. Not only is it a romantic place, but families would
enjoy a few days here too. However, it really isn’t for young children or toddlers. The
winding streets and numerous bridges will grate on you, with carrying the buggy up
and down the steps.
If you want to travel on the Grand Canal, it really doesn’t have to be expensive. You
don’t need to travel on the Gondola — setting you back 80 Euros for an hour. Take
a Vaporetto (traditional boat) and experience the grandeur and often-documented
beauty of the enchanting canal of Venice. Or even better, get a water taxi to take you
to lots of places. They have different tickets to buy. We got the 24 hour ticket, which
allowes you to travel as much as you like, when you like, for only 20 Euros! Bargain!
St Mark’s Square is the epicentre of tourist activity in Venice and is a landmark
location for housing the foremost church and citadel in the city. The Basilica features a
Byzantine relief moulded in gold and embellished with expensive stones. The Square
has several street-side cafes and the Archaeological Museum. It can be pretty pricey
to enjoy food here, for example a club sandwich will set you back a minimum of 18
Euros, but to soak up the beautiful atmosphere, sights and sounds, I think it’s worth
every penny. To listen and watch the string quartet or live music playing, just for you
is totally worth spending the money. On this square you can also visit the Bell Tower,
an imposing 97 metre architectural marvel erected in the mid 9th century. You can
move on to the Clock Tower, another magnificent structure (located in San Marco)
dominating the skyline of Venice. The structure was constructed in 15th century and
sports intricate bronze figures.
Visit Accademia — The gallery traces exquisite art pieces from the 14th century
going up to the era of modern art. Also it’s worth a quick look — the Murano Glass
Factory, if you haven’t got time for this though, then there are many shops you can
visit in the city centre that has products to buy and mini displays to show how its done.
Rialto, a destination that plays to a largely tourist population. It had a fabulous fruit
and vegetable market back in the 11th Century, though it doesn’t exist today, it has left
its spirit and bustling appeal intact.
Move to Palazzo Ducale, which has a nice marble Gothic structure that is the
residence of the elected dukes. The mammoth edifice is a crown on Venice’s landscape
and looks magnificent during sunset.
Now, I know this might sound ridiculous, but when my mate said bring your bikini
so we can go to the beach — I thought she was kidding! I didn’t realize Venice had
a beach! Make a trip to the swanky Lido Island, a 12 kilometre stretch of fine sand,
featuring a host of activities like tennis, golf, horse riding, clay pigeon shooting and
other recreational and entertainment attractions.
We did all this in two and a half days… with time to relax on the beach and enjoy
good food and beverages. Venice is a picturesque montage of classic art, immortal
beauty, Victorian sophistication and a seamless architectural heritage that draws
hordes of tourists to the city that basks in the glow of timeless love and romance. Just
stunning darling.
SUNDAY | AUGUST 14, 2016 | DHUL QA’ADA 10, 1437 AH
www.omanobserver.om
editor@omanobserver.om
A fort, a mosque and a falaj:
Inseparable in
Dakhiliyah
Thousands of tourists and visitors, local and international, probably only
see Nizwa as a place to stop for petrol before driving up the mountain
but there’s more to this lovely little township than that. Check out some
interesting features this lovely little town has been hiding... P31
@editor’spick
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CREAMSICLE DAY
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In an emotionless utopia, two people fall in
love when they regain their feelings from a
mysterious disease, causing tensions
between them and their society.
Have you seen this movie?
With 5 as the highest and 1 as the lowest,
how would you rate this film? Send us your
review at social@omanobserver.om and get
a chance to see your feedback on this spot
next week.
Flood-affected residents travel by boat in the Kyangyi Dauk township of the
Irrawaddy region on August 12, 2016. Myanmar’s Department of Relief and
Resettlement reports 419,330 people have been affected by floodings in five
regions and the two states of Mon and Kachin with five deaths from the period of
July to August 9, 2016. — AFP
Despite being so well-known, there
are those that have never had one! If
you haven’t tried this yet, make one.
Just mix together fruit juice and
vanilla ice cream into a large bowl.
Then add milk slowly and carefully,
while continuing to mix. Finally, pour
this mixture into small paper cups.
Put them into your freezer, and once
they are partially frozen, push in
Popsicle sticks or lollipop sticks into
them and carefully replace them back
inside the freezer. Once frozen solid,
peel off the paper cups and enjoy
your homemade Creamsicle!
— daysoftheyear.com