Fake, substandard mobile phones flood market?

THURSDAY | JANUARY 7, 2016 | RABEE AL AWWAL 26, 1437 AH
P27 ‹–„‹–—˜‡‹Ž•Ǯ•ƒ”–ϐ‹–‡••™ƒ–…Šǯ
VOL. 35 NO. 54 | PAGES 32 | BAISAS 200
P17 –ǯ•–‹‡ˆ‘”ϐ‹•Š‹‰
P24 Š‹…Š…Ž—„™‹ŽŽŠ‹”‡
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Inside
South Korea-Japan deal stumbles No easy options for the West Merkel to get Four Freedoms medal Editor-in-Chief
ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI
Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising
PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
www.omanobserver.om
FOLLOW US ON:
editor@omanobserver.om
STRESS ON ENHANCING COOPERATION
OMAN
UNACCEPTABLE
HM greetings to
Emperor Akihito
Oman deplores attack
on Saudi Embassy
MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos
has sent a cable of greetings to
Emperor Akihito of Japan on the 27th
anniversary of his accession to throne.
In his cable, His Majesty expressed his
sincere greetings and best wishes of
good health and happiness to Emperor
Akihito and the friendly Japanese people
further progress and prosperity. His
Majesty has received a cable of thanks
from Prince Albert II of Monaco in reply
to His Majesty’s greetings cable on the
occasion of his country’s National Day.
In his cable, Prince Albert II expressed
his utmost thanks for His Majesty the
Sultan’s greetings.
magazine
Thursday
Jan. 7, 2016
page 24
Oman’s
one and
only
turtle
ranger
page 30
Scaling
Cabo
Verde's
volcanic
ridges
page 42
page 6
Ask Him
Why
Bringing beauty to canvas
His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, yesterday visited the State
Council and Majlis Ash’shura. Upon his arrival at the State Council, HH Sayyid Fahd was received by Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al
Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council, and members of the executive office and at the Majlis Ash’shura, HH Sayyid Fahd was
received by Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of Majlis Ash’shura, and members of the executive office. HH Sayyid
Fahd expressed his happiness in meeting the chairmen of State Council and Majlis Ash’shura in response to their invitation to
visit this edifice, which is one of the fruits of the blessed era for the Sultanate under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos, and spoke to them on a number of issues of interest for the citizens. REPORT ON P3
PHOTO BY MOHAMED AL RASHDI
Army searches for
‘suspicious’ men
NEW DELHI: The Indian army and
police launched a search operation on
Wednesday near Pathankot where a
weekend attack on an air force base
left seven soldiers dead, after villagers
complained about two suspicious men
in the area. The search was focused in
Gurdaspur district in the northern state
of Punjab, close to Pakistan border
and about 51 km from Pathankot. “The
local villagers informed us about two
suspicious men in army fatigues close
to the army cantonment area,” Gurpreet
Singh Toor, senior superintendent of
Gurdaspur police, said.
REPORT ON P11
INSIDESTORIES
P6
ABDUCTION WOULD BE
“BREACH” IN HONG KONG
P9
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY ADRIFT
AFTER LONG UNREST
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain cut their ties
with Tehran following attacks on Saudi
missions by Iranian protesters.
“The ministry summoned this
morning Qatar’s ambassador to Tehran
against the backdrop of attacks on
the embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia in Tehran...,” the agency quoted
Khalid Ibrahim Abdulrahman al
Hamar, the director of the Asian Affairs
Department, as saying.
Jordan also summoned Tehran’s
ambassador on Wednesday to protest
weekend attacks on Saudi missions in
Iran that set off a diplomatic crisis.
Amman expressed its “strong
condemnation” of Saturday’s attacks
by protesters on the Saudi embassy
in Tehran and its consulate in Iran’s
second city Mashhad. SEE ALSO P13
EXPENSES CUT BY 30 PER CENT
VINOD NAIR
MUSCAT
Jan. 6: The organising committee for
Muscat Festival 2016 said yesterday that
the expenditure for this year’s event has
been reduced by 30 per cent.
Most of the expenses are generally
directed
towards
infrastructure
development and the costs will be
recovered from sponsors and leasing of
stalls or spaces.
At the same time, new features such as
‘1,000 Inventions’ and Dinosaur Village
have been included this year, said Khalid
bin Mohammed al Bahram, assistant
chairman of Muscat Municipality.
This is in line with the Ministry of
Finance’s directives to reduce spending
at various government agencies, which
have been also actively pursued by the
Muscat Municipality.
The officials added that, however,
there will be no compromise on the
quality of services and programmes to
be provided at the different venues of the
Muscat Festival.
As per the details available, the entry
fees to Amerat and Naseem Garden
ANNUAL EVENT SET TO BEGIN ON JANUARY 14
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
sidelines of the press conference to
announce the event, officials from
the Muscat Festival described the
Jan. 6: The month-long annual festival celebrations as a mirror to Oman’s
of arts, culture, science, fun and
culture and tradition and that more
gastronomic delights, a podium for the than one million visitors are expected
local Omani populace to interact face
to witness the events.
The festival will also host cultural
to face with the international commune
will have a colourful start on January 14 events, including workshops, poetry
at the two major venues — Amerat Park evenings, a session on YouTube and
and Naseem Garden.
its impact on public opinion, the
Speaking to the media on the
Omani Female Pioneers in Fine Arts,
Fake, substandard mobile
phones flood market?
ZAINAB AL NASSRI
MUSCAT
P15
NO DROP IN ASYLUM SEEKERS
REACHING GERMANY
WEATHER TODAY
MAX: 250C
MIN: 170C
MUSCAT: The Sultanate yesterday
deplored the storming of the embassy of
the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in
Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad by
Iranian protesters which is a violation
of Vienna Convention for Diplomatic
Relations and international charters
and norms which stress the sanctity
of the diplomatic premises and their
protection by the host country.
A statement issued by the Foreign
Ministry said that while the Sultanate
considers this action as an ‘unacceptable
act’, it stresses the need to find new rules
which ban any form of meddling in the
domestic affairs of other countries as
this will ensure stability and peace.
Meanwhile, Qatar recalled its
ambassador to Iran on Wednesday,
state news agency QNA said, after
QUALITY INTACT: Muscat Festival to have added features at both venues
INDIA
MUSCAT
ACT
SALALAH
MAX: 290C
MIN: 210C
SUNRISE 06.50 AM
PRAYER TIMINGS
FAJR: 05:30
DHUHR: 12:18
ASR: 15:20
MAGHRIB: 17:40
ISHA: 18:55
NIZWA
MAX: 270C
MIN: 150C
Jan. 6: Fake, substandard and harmful
mobile phones have flooded the
markets in Oman prompting the
Telecommunication
Regulatory
Authority (TRA) to warn the people
against buying and using them.
“The fake mobile devices may be
hazardous to your health and inefficient
performance — buy genuine. Stay safe!”,
the TRA’s text message read.
A visit to any of the numerous
shady phone stores will reveal the fake
versions of major brands like Nokia
and Samsung. The fake ones often
have names designed to deceive the
buyers. ‘Nckia’ or ‘Nokla’ for ‘Nokia’, and
‘Samsong’ for Samsung, are common
notorious brands available.
Some of the phones come with
functions and features that even the
Fake or original?
originals do not offer! In spite of the
“loaded features”, they are cheap in
terms of price compared to original
versions.
The TRA is also expected to issue a
formal statement in this regard soon, a
TRA official said.
Fake phones are now widely sold in
mobile shops in the Sultanate and are
quite popular because of their cheap
prices. Yet, many shops sell them as
originals devices to gullible buyers. It is
only later the buyer learns that he has
been cheated when the phone begins to
malfunction.
Mohammed al Rashdi pointed out
that the impact on the health of a person
using a substandard phone is many. It is
also impossible to check if the phone is
fake or genuine by any ordinary buyer.
Fake phones, in general heat up and
cannot stand long usage. They also risk
causing a minor explosion as they often
come with low-quality battery.
Al Rashdi’s friend, Saud al Mujaini
agreed saying: “Fake phones can be
detected by their weak performance as
they usually have technical problems
right from the beginning. They also
— most of the time — don’t work or
respond to local telecommunication
networks”.
TURN TO P5
the impact of low oil prices on the
economy, a literary session on writing
historical novels and a contest titled
‘Muscat Festival in the eyes Omani
photographers.’ It will also host
specialised shows like heritage revival
with a presentation of traditional Omani
clothing, innovative fashion show and a
workshop on design and exhibition for
small and medium enterprises.
SEE ALSO P3
NUCLEAR
venues will be 200 baisa for adults and
100 baisa for children. Timings will be
between 4 and 11 pm.
Muscat
Festival,
which
was
introduced in 1998, is the biggest
cultural, entertainment and shopping
event to be held in the country.
“This is arguably the only event where
a cross-section of the communities
and families can come together under
one roof for fun. For us it is the biggest
marketplace to display and sell our
products and that’s the reason we have
been always supporting this event,
among others,” said an official of one of
the main sponsors.
A topic that has been widely discussed
in the social media is about the lack of
initiatives from corporates and retailers
to attract visitors.
It may be noted that there are
hardly any mega raffle draws, credit
and debit card promotions in Muscat
Festival. “Especially, the ones involving
automobile dealers and jewellery
merchants can offer good incentives to
attract visitors and tourists, but I hardly
see anything of that scale.” TURN TO P3
TEST
World threatens North
Korea with sanctions
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security
Council met on Wednesday for
emergency talks to condemn North
Korea after its claim of a successful
hydrogen bomb test — a shock
announcement that, if confirmed, could
raise the stakes in Pyongyang’s bid to
beef up its nuclear arsenal.
The 15-member council was
considering further sanctions against
Pyongyang over the surprise nuclear
test that UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said
was “deeply troubling” and “profoundly
destabilising for regional security.”
The test drew swift condemnation
from the international community,
including from China, the North’s
main ally, and Washington, which said
it was still studying the precise nature
of the test and vowed to “respond
appropriately.”
The announcement also triggered
scepticism, with experts suggesting
the apparent yield was far too low for a
thermonuclear device.
North Korean state television said
“the republic’s first hydrogen bomb
test” had been “successfully performed
at 10:00 am (0130 GMT).”
MORE DETAILS ON P16
2
OMAN OIL PRICE DECLINES
T H U R S DAY l J A N U A R Y 7 l 2 0 1 6
Oman oil price (March delivery)
declined to close at $30.72 on the
Dubai Mercantile Exchange on
Wednesday. A DME statement said
that the price of Oman oil declined
$1.32 from Tuesday’s price of $32.04.
The average price of Oman oil
(January delivery) has stabilised at
$42.28, thus $3.75 per barrel lower
than December delivery.
OMAN
Tech support provided to
prepare service manual
CRUCIAL WORK: Initiatives are part of the efforts by govt to
implement HM’s directives on improving performance
MUSCAT: The Civil Service Ministry
has provided technical support to
different organisations by conducting
workshops to prepare service manual,
Shaikh Khalid bin Omar al Marhoon,
Minister of Civil Service, said in a
statement to Oman News Agency on
Wednesday.
The Ministry also provided training
to a number of specialised employees
on how to prepare service manual, the
statement said. It provides continuous
technical support to the work team
in charge of preparing manuals at the
governmental organisation, the minister
pointed out in his statement.
Such initiatives are part of the efforts
made by the government to implement
the directives of His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos related to the importance of
improving governmental performance,
accelerating the implementation of the
e-government scheme to ensure quick
processing of the transactions at the
different organisations.
They are also based on the approval
provided by the Council of Ministers
to a number of proposals that aim at
developing governmental performance.
As per the proposals, each
governmental entity should have a vision
Till date 1,764
governmental services
have been surveyed at
the organisations that
prepared their manuals, the
statement added.
and mission that are in line with the
government’s own vision and mission,
ie, providing effective and efficient
governmental services. The proposals
also include developing a manual for
services for each governmental entity
that documents the e-services, give
an overview about how to apply for
this service, the documents required
to process them and the duration for
processing.
He added that as of this date, the
ministry approved 39 visions and
missions as well as 20 service manuals
for the ministries and governmental
units. The statement added that till
MSM CLOSES LOWER
date 1,764 governmental services have
been surveyed at the organisations that
prepared their manuals.
He also said that over the coming
period, the public organisations
will enlist their service manuals in
their websites and afterwards these
manuals will be linked to the e-portal
‘www.oman.om’ , supervised by the
Information Technology Authority. This
will save time and efforts of Omanis and
expatriates and facilitates benefiting
from these services.
At the end of his statement, the
Minister of Civil Service thanked
all public organisations for their
cooperation and the efforts they made
to develop governmental performance
and facilitate procedures.
He also urged the rest of the public
organisations to complete the required
manuals. — ONA
Muscat Securities Market (MSM)
general index 30 on Wednesday lost
26.6 points to close at 5,390.52 points
over its Tuesday’s close of 5,417.09
points. The trading value stood at RO
1,778,226, comprising a rise of 10.1
per cent compared to the last session,
which stood at RO 1,615,673. The
market value rose by 0.25 per cent to
reach about RO 15.83 billion.
Medals awarded for senior ROP officers
NIZWA:
Lt Gen Hassan bin
Mohsen al Shraiqi, Inspector
General of Police and Customs,
on Wednesday awarded senior
officers of the Royal Oman Police
with medals for their long service
and good conduct as part of ROP’s
annual day celebrations.
The ceremony was held at
the Sultan Qaboos Academy for
Police Sciences in the presence of a
number of senior ROP officers.
TRAFFIC SAFETY CONTEST
The Royal Oman Police will
on Sunday honour the winners of
Traffic Safety Competition 2015.
The
honouring
ceremony
will be held at the Traffic Safety
Institute under the patronage of
Mohammed bin al Zubair bin Ali,
Advisor to His Majesty the Sultan
for the Economic Planning Affairs.
— ONA
National workshop on women & child care opens
MUSCAT:
The Department of
Women and Child Health at the
Ministry of Health on Wednesday
organised a national workshop on
Women and Child Care at Al Shafaq
Club under the patronage of Dr
Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi,
Minister of Health.
The workshop included honouring
the winners of the 2015 birth-spacing
programme contest, which was
announced in December 2014.
Dr Mohammed bin Saif al Hosani,
Under-Secretary of the Ministry of
Health for Health Affairs, along with
Dr Ali bin Talib al Hinaei, UnderSecretary of the Ministry of Health
for Planning Affairs, attended the
workshop. In addition, around 160
participants from all the Governorates
of the Sultanate, as well as
representatives from the international
agencies in the Sultanate, participated
in the workshop.
Dr al Saeedi stressed in his speech
that: “Women and Child Health
is an extremely important topic.
Birth-spacing is not to reduce the
population of the Sultanate but to
maintain the health of the mother
and the child. This workshop on
Wednesday with participation from
all the health sector in the Sultanate
will concentrate on these issues
and I hope the message will reach
everybody if we want a healthy and
productive society”.
At the end of the event, the chief
guest honoured the winners. — ONA
OMAN
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
3
Sayyid Fahd stresses on enhancing cooperation
MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Fahd
bin Mahmood al Said, Deputy Prime
Minister for the Council of Ministers,
yesterday visited the State Council and
Majlis Ash’shura.
Upon his arrival at the State Council,
HH Sayyid Fahd was received by Dr
Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri,
Chairman of the State Council, and
members of the executive office and at
the Majlis Ash’shura, HH Sayyid Fahd
was received by Shaikh Khalid bin
Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of Majlis
Ash’shura, and members of the executive
office.
HH Sayyid Fahd expressed his
happiness in meeting the chairmen of
State Council and Majlis Ash’shura in
response to their invitation to visit this
edifice, which is one of the fruits of the
blessed era for the Sultanate under the
wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos, and spoke to them on a number
of issues of interest for the citizens.
He said that the Omani shura
experience has reached advanced stages
in meeting the developments of the
social and economic development of
the state, and that the government gives
top priority for the activation of the role
of the Council of Oman to enhance
national work.
He also highlighted the important
role played by the Council of Oman
in ensuring the success of the general
policies and the development plans aimed
at enhancing the Sultanate’s potentials
and achieving the public interests for the
current and future generations.
HH Sayyid Fahd stressed the
importance of enhancing joint cooperation between the government,
the Council of Oman and other public
institutions
through
consultative
meetings and exchanging views on
everything which serves the interests of
the citizens and the nation.
He also stressed the importance
of
enhancing
awareness
which
targets Omani youth who can turn
their aspirations into reality and can
contribute to the building of the nation
by diversifying sources of national
economy and maximising the gains
from the investments in various sectors
which provide more job opportunities
for nationals.
On their part, the chairmen and
members of the executive offices of
the State Council and Majlis Ash’shura
expressed their happiness over the visit
and asserted their keenness to continue
co-operation with the government
in addressing different issues in a
constructive and wise manner which
serve the interests of the country and
citizens.
They also expressed utmost thanks
and appreciation to His Majesty the
Sultan for the care accorded to these
councils and for supporting their views
and proposals which are in line with the
development witnessed by the Sultanate.
— ONA (Photo by Mohamed al Rashdi)
Muscat Fest to begin on Jan 14 Festival expenses cut by 30 per cent
FROM PAGE 1
It has been argued that some of
the Omani or Oman-based private
companies have been participating in
promotions overseas, while ignoring the
biggest event at home.
Some of the regular visitors have
been arguing that the festival needs to be
seriously revamped to enhance its stature.
“The problem is for some it is not worth
more than a visit. The entire trip has not
taken more than two hours for me.
Let us hope that the programme has
been modified this year as promised
to meet our expectations,” said Ajay
Sreekumaran, who has managed to
attend most editions so far.
“For me this is still the best event for
families and I want it to continue every
year, provided there are a good number
of sponsors. I agree money meant for
general welfare should be not spent
for such events,” said Alia, a customer
service executive.
Online admissions for Indian Schools open on January 10
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
Jan. 6: The month- long annual Muscat
Festival, that features art, culture,
science, fun and gastronomic delights,
will have a colourful start on January
14 at the two major venues — Amerat
Park and Naseem Garden.
Speaking to the media on the
sidelines of the press conference to
announce the event, officials from the
Muscat Festival described the onemonth long celebrations as a mirror
to Oman’s culture and tradition and
that more than 1 million visitors are
expected to attend the events.
“The Festival will begin at both
parks and we are expecting more than
one million visitors to the country”,
they said.
“A special village dedicated to
science, technology and knowledge
titled “1001 Inventions” along with the
Small and Medium Scale Enterprises
(SME’s) is yet another attraction at
Amerat Park this year”, Hamed al
Rasbi, said.
Amerat Park
One of the two major venues, Amerat
Park will have a Heritage Village,
The Dinosaurs Village, The Family
Village along with the participation of
11 community clubs in the Sultanate,
theatre performances of the popular
folklore bands. Also, the participation
of government institutions and service
associations is also another notable
attraction this time.
Naseem Park
Activities at the Naseem Gardens,
a place dedicated to the people
from Batinah, Muscat the people
from elsewhere, will focus on trade
exhibition, the family village and
children’s theatre besides squares and
theatre performances, fireworks shows,
the Jungle Village, the Illuminated
Village and others.
More than 1 million visitors
expected; Tour of Oman
from February 16
Cultural Events
The Festival Committee has given
due prominence to culture and heritage
activities and has divided into three
broad categories such as Intellectual,
Literary and Artistic. The speech series
begins with eminent scholars like
His Eminence Assistant Grand Mufti
of the Sultanate Shaikh Kahlan bin
Nabhan al Kharousi, who will deliver
a speech on unity of Omani society
or the intellectual tolerance. This will
be followed by lectures by a number
of highly-knowledgeable personalities
from various sectors throughout the
month.
Sporting and Beach activities
A diverse range of sporting and
beach activities will be held on par
with global standards with the mass
audience and participants in mind in
coordination with various federations
as part of the Festival.
They
include
vehicles
and
motorbikes number parade by “The
Omani Society for Cars” along with
various water sports activities by Royal
Navy Oman (RNO), Omani youth ship
Display tattoo (red helmet) of the
Royal Guard of Oman (RGO), besides
others.
Experienced paratroopers, sailing
by Oman Sail, marathon race and
other races, acrobatics and balancing
activities, comic events by clowns and
cartoon characters, rubber games for
children, and basketball games, to
name a few.
Tour of Oman
The annual Tour of Oman, one of
the most sought-after cycling event in
the world is slated from February 16 to
21.
“Tour of Oman has achieved
remarkable success in the past editions
by attracting the attention of global
sport community to the Sultanate in
general and Muscat in particular as
important stations in the sports scene
in the region”, he commented. “Tour
of Oman is a major tourism attraction
and a window to the Sultanate as
several scores of mediamen, camera
persons from across the world descend
on Oman to cover the event”.
Specialised Events
Finally, there will be some specialised
events such as the Week of Heritage
Revival which will make five nights to
revive the Omani heritage that contains
a historical collection of fashions, old
Omani jewellery aided with specialists
from all regions and governorates of
the country. Additionally, there will be
SME Expo conducted in coordination
with Public Authority for SME
Development (PASMED), exhibition
of gold jewellery and watches as part of
the Festival.
Muscat Festival started in 1998 and
has been an annual event since then.
But in 2009, it was cancelled due to fear
of some airborne viral fever and this
year’s edition is the 17th in the series.
Over the period of nearly two decades,
the Festival has proven to be more than
just a celebratory, cultural and artistic
event, or merely an entertaining forum
in which civilisations come together,
involving multilingual activities. Yet,
it is also marked by another magical
touch, with a past and present sense
spreading all over. It is a festival of all
colours. Thanks to its gaiety and warmth
of the time and place, various people
of different nationalities, blending in
continuity, as well as attraction, of the
diversity of performances and events,
are attracted.
MUSCAT: Formalities governing
admissions to Indian Schools in Oman
for the academic year 2016-2017 are
currently being finalised, the Board of
Directors said in a statement.
As in previous years, a Centralised
Admission System based on online
registrations will serve as the main
platform for processing new applications
this year as well. Online admissions for the
Academic year 2016-2017 will open on
January 10, 2016 for classes KG I to IX, it
said. “Due to the large number of parents
seeking admission for their children in
Indian Schools the demand generally
outstrips the total number of available
seats in all schools in the capital. The
Total number of students in all Indian
Schools currently stands at a staggering
45,000, with a sizeable chunk enrolled in
the six capital schools,” the BoD said.
“It is also observed from the trend that
the demand for seats is more in lower
classes from KG I to Std II. The Board
of Directors is fully aware of its social
responsibility and is doing everything
possible to augment the infrastructure,” it
further stated.
A new branch of Indian School Muscat
will start functioning from April 1, 2016
at North Ghubra where admission will
initially be given only in KG I. Children
passing out from this branch after KG II
will be provided seats in Class I in Indian
Schools in the capital area.
The first random draw will be held
in mid-March. Parents will be informed
about the school allotment and admission
dates. The vacancy status will be updated
after the first lot of admission procedures,
and waitlisted applicants will be
considered for the second draw which will
be held in the first week of April.
For further details, check out the
website: www.indianschoolsoman.com
4
OMAN
omandailyobserver
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
Oman ready for more
cooperation with Iran
SULTANATE, INDONESIA SIGN MOU
TRADE TIES: Hormuzgan offers investment opportunities
JAKARTA: The Sultanate’s Government and the Indonesian
Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
on the political consultations between the two friendly
countries in Jakarta. The MoU aims at conducting regular talks
in a bid to enhance the bilateral relations and promoting the
friendship and cooperation relations, as well as exchanging
viewpoints on regional and international issues of common
concern. The MoU was signed from the Omani side by HH
Sayyid Nizar bin al Julanda al Said, the Sultanate Ambassador
to Indonesia On behalf of Indonesia it was signed by Yuri
Octavian Thamrin, Director-General for Asia, Pacific and
African affairs at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. — ONA
Sudden no-parking fine baffles drivers
Watch out for instructions near parking lots, says Muscat Municipality
KABEER YOUSUF
MUSCAT
Jan 6:
About 20 motorists, who
parked their cars around an upcoming
shopping mall in Qurum, were in for
a rude shock on Monday as they were
ticketed by Muscat Municipality for
parking in a wrong place.
Those who parked around the mall
building next to Bank Muscat branch in
Qurum were baffled to see a no-parking
ticket fluttering under the glass wiper
when they returned to their cars after
their jobs were over.
“I was taken aback to see a parking
ticket after I left my car a few minutes
ago to attend to some work in the
building where I had parked believing
that it was not a paid-parking area”,
Salem, a sales personnel with an FMCG
company said.
It is common knowledge that
parking around most of the commercial
or residential buildings is free for
those who use the attached offices and
residences. Those who park outside the
designated parking area usually take a
parking ticket after paying BZ 50 at a
nearby parking machine and display it
on their windshield. This time, however,
scores of vehicles were fined for parking
around the same building where no
‘paid parking’ sign or a parking machine
existed.
While parking across the service
road has a paid-parking sign and a
Sultanate’s Ambassador to Iran Saud al Barwanee with the Hormuzgan Governor Jassim Jaderee in Bandar Abbas.
SAJJAD AMIRI
TEHRAN
Jan 6: The Sultanate’s Ambassador
in Iran Saud al Barwanee said that
Oman was ready to strengthen trade
and economic cooperation with Iran
through Hormuzgan province located
in the southern part of Iran and close
to the northern side of Oman.
This announcement came during
a meeting Al Barwanee had with
the Governor of Hormuzgan Jasim
Jaderee in the port of Bandar Abbas
on Saturday in a bid to explore the
possibilities of developing bilateral
cooperation between both countries
and the role of Hormuzgan province
in this regard.
Jaderee considered Hormuzgan
province as a gateway for Iran’s trade
and economy and said that Omani
investors could make use of the various
domains in the province. Jaderee
added that Hormuzgan province, due
to its potentials, is capable of playing
a significant role in the development
of trade and economy ties with Oman.
Jaderee considered the existence of
free- zones, such as Kish and Qeshm
islands, Gulf private economic zone,
port Martyr Rajaei’s complex and ships
industries, provided a wide range of
investment opportunities.
In 2004, the Omani Centre
for
Investment
Promotion
&
Development of Exports inaugurated
Sultanate of Oman’s office in Bandar
Abbas with the purpose of economic
cooperation with Iran.
Libraries opened in Ibra hospital
functional machine, this particular area,
supposed to be the reserved parking
area for building users, did not have a
board warning drivers that it was a paidparking spot.
Some of the drivers traced the Muscat
Municipality personnel on duty only to
hear that they were doing their duty and
that any complaint should be brought
to the attention of the Municipality
headquarters in Darsait.
When
contacted,
Revenue
Department at Muscat Municipality
said that the parking lot belonged to
the Municipality and not the building
owners. Hence, parking was not free.
“This particular parking lot belongs
to the Municipality and not to the
private parties, which is the case in most
of the buildings. Although there is no
signboard asking the motorists to pay,
they should make it a point to pay at
the metre and display the ticket on the
windshield”, an official at the Revenue
Department said.
The motorists were further advised
to look out for instructions near parking
lots and confirm that it is not a paid
parking lot before leaving the vehicle.
MUSCAT: Encouraged by the positive
response to the ‘Iqra’ initiative which
aims at establishing libraries, The Zubair
Corporation in association with Ibra
Hospital management, opened three
public libraries at the hospital premises.
The location for the three libraries
inside the premises was decided based
on the suggestion made by the Ibra
Hospital management.
Ibrahim
Al
Salmi,
Social
Communication Manager at The
Zubair Corporation said: “The ‘Iqra’
initiative is part of the company’s CSR
programme that is aligned with its
strategy and keenness to engage with
the community. ‘Iqra’ which is a project
of Zubair Corporation’s Social Advisory
Committee has received encouraging
response. The libraries, launched as part
of this programme in Royal Hospital,
Nizwa Hospital and Rustaq Hospital, are
running successfully. Patients, visitors
and bystanders now use the waiting time
in these hospitals by reading.”
Al Salmi added that the main aim of
the ‘Iqra’ has been to promote a reading
culture and endorse Omani literature.
“This is a community-based
programme that gives importance to
the needs of the society. We will open
libraries in more hospitals and public
buildings. We are happy that ‘Iqra’
initiative is helping to inculcate the
culture of reading as well as encourage
Omani writers. Promoting books and
writings by Omanis is a main objective
and that is why we stock libraries with
books written by them. We are happy that
the Omani community is introducing
themselves to the books authored by
local writers”, Al Salmi said.
Provision being made for rubber-floored jogging and acrylic-coated asphalt cycling tracks
Salalah will soon have a 1.6-km long walkway in Itin
KAUSHALENDRA SINGH
SALALAH
Jan 6: After the successful completion
of the first public park in Itin work on
1.6-km walkway is going on and it is
expected that the walkway would be fully
operational before the advent of Khareef
2016. The park’s location is significant
due to its proximity to the Itin Recreation
Ground where a festival is organised
every year during the Khareef season.
The construction is progressing on a
fast pace, as 60 per cent of the work has
already been done. The 1.6-km long and
100-metre wide park has two big round
plazas connected by stone paved festival
road for carnivals and exhibitions. The
plaza is made of Nizwa stone and granite.
It has rubber-floored jogging track
and acrylic-coated asphalt cycling tracks
having length and width of 1.6 km/3m
each. The pathway has several pergolas,
benches with Nizwa stone paving along
the two existing wadis and also along the
festival road.
The public facility has massive
gathering areas, attractive and traditional
garden entrance and sitting areas for
families. Since the walkway is very long,
parking areas have been developed in
different areas.
It has wide lawns, shade trees and
coconut trees inside the park. To
make it aesthetically correct, lighting
arrangement has been planned nicely
with pole lights, bollard lights, spike
lights and parking lights all over the park.
The park has a dedicated play area for
children with variety of play equipment
in three areas of the park. With the
current pace of work the work on the
park is likely to be over by March or April
this year.
The park has been so nicely designed
that it can be used as a festival venue for
traditional music, dance and carnivals.
The facility is being developed in line
with the government’s commitment to
raise tourism facilities in and around
Salalah. A committee has been set
up comprising representatives from
Ministry of Tourism, Royal Oman
Police, Dhofar Municipality and other
related authorities to ensure proper job
and monitoring thereafter.
Private sector and a committee,
The one of its kind park in Salalah with islands and grass mounts, bridges,
comprising different wings, that works
as an advisory body for tourism related would have a wide plaza area with stone steps and garden gate buildings with wide
paving. There are designed wadis (culverts) parking areas on all the entry gates.
development in and around Salalah.
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
OMAN
omandailyobserver
5
Majlis Office hails work of NCSI, reviews key issues
MUSCAT: Office of Majlis Ash’Shura
yesterday held a meeting under the
chairmanship of Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal
al Maawali, Majlis Ash’shura Chairman.
The meeting praised the work of
the National Centre for Statistics and
Information (NCSI) as a platform
to provide a broad base of statistical
data and information in various fields,
based on the principle of transparency
in receiving, collecting, analysing and
disseminating information, so as to
enhance the role of state institutions in
the development of its business in line
with the vision of the Sultanate.
The meeting also studied requests
addressed to the government, including
the ones related to the activation
of the real partnership between the
government and the private sector in
the implementation and management
of projects and service facilities, the
formation of volunteer civil teams
in all wilayats, in addition to the
issue of importing used vehicles and
motorcycles through land ports.
The meeting reviewed the inquiries
addressed to the Chairman of the
Information Technology Authority
on the completed stages of the
e-government transformation plan,
to the Minister of Transport and
Communications on the integration of
logistic services to the airport and the
port of Salalah, and the inquiry to the
Minister of Commerce and Industry
about the contribution of free zones in
the GDP.
The meeting also reviewed the
requests addressed to the Minister
of Health, the Minister of Social
Development and the Minister of
Education about health and social
services and educational services for
people with autism, in addition to the
reply of the Ministry of Transport and
Communications to the inquiries about
the expatriate labour force conditions at
NCR working at Muscat International
Airport. — ONA
Salalah Methanol Company signs
9 pacts to provide social support
SALALAH: Salalah Methanol Company
signed nine contracts on social responsibility
financed by the company to support a number
of projects and development programmes in the
governorate. The contracts were signed on the
sidelines of the annual ceremony held by the
company this evening at Crowne Plaza Salalah
Hotel under the auspices of Dr Mohammed bin
Hamad al Rumhy, Minister of Oil and Gas, in
the presence of Sayyid Mohammed bin Sultan
bin Hamoud al Busaidy, Minister of State and
Governor of Dhofar.
The 1st contract stipulated that Salalah
Methanol Company will fund scholarships
for low-income and social security families.
Under the second contract Salalah Methanol
Company will finance a training programme
in the field of craft industries. The third relates
to the financing of a programme to establish
incubators for entrepreneurs at Salalah Gardens
complex.
The 4th and 5th contracts stipulate that
Salalah Methanol Company will finance the
purchase of prosthetic devices and different
medical aids for people with special needs in the
Governorate of Dhofar, in addition to financing
the purchase of essential household needs of the
social security and low income families in the Company will finance a programme to raise the
governorate.
level of schools at the neighbouring areas of the
The 6th contract states that Salalah Methanol plant. The 7th relates to the financing of summer
Fake,
substandard
mobile
phones flood
market?
FROM PAGE 1
TRA had sometime ago
asked all companies
importing cellphones
to put a credit stamp of
quality on all products.
It also dedicated a team,
in co-operation with
government authorities,
to monitor the local
market in order to detect
fake telecommunication
devices. It also launched
a system to maintain
quality of electronic goods
to see if they conform to
international standards,
three years ago.
According to law, dealing
with non-accredited devices
is considered illegal and the
violator can be punished
according to TRA resolution
No 8/2008. Najwa Mohsen,
a saleswoman in one of the
phone shops in Muscat,
confirmed that they are
under obligation to send a
list of devices they intend
to sell at the shop to TRA to
get approval. “After quality
accreditation is checked and
we receive the clearance,
we sell the phones to our
customers”, she said.
Research has proven
the health hazard caused
by using substandard
cellphones. Fake cell
phones cause high levels of
radiation which is harmful to
health. However, there have
been some concerns that
radio frequency energy from
cell phones held close to the
head may affect brain cells.
There have been stories of
fake phones exploding in
people’s hands and causing
fires. It is with this in mind,
TRA has sent a text message
on fake and substandard
cell phones to educate the
people and warn against
buying them.
2016 sports activities in the governorate.
The 8th contract will fund the purchase
of a cooling truck for distribution of goods
to families of orphans in various wilayats of
the governorate. The 9th contract provided
for the finance of training 10 orphans at the
international IATA Diploma programme.
Awad bin Hassan al Shanfari, CEO of
Salalah Methanol, said that these contracts
reflect the true partnership between the public
and private sectors to work together, noting
that social responsibility is one of the basic
pillars of sustainable development in order to
achieve integration in economic, social and
environmental aspects. — ONA
6
AIRLINES DOES U-TURN ON SUITCASE BAN
T H U R S DAY l J A N U A R Y 7 l 2 0 1 6
URGING ANSWERS ON HK BOOKSELLERS
Less than 24 hours after telling Europebound passengers they were not allowed
to take check-in baggage because of
“unseasonably strong headwinds”,
Malaysian Airlines (MAS) did a sudden
U-turn on Wednesday. The carrier had said
it was limiting baggage to reduce weight.
But in a sudden about-face, MAS ditched
its baggage rules and said passengers
could carry the normal amount of luggage.
ASIA
Taiwan’s presidential frontrunner on
Wednesday Tsai Ing-wen urged authorities
in Hong Kong and Beijing to explain
the disappearance of five Hong Kong
booksellers feared detained by mainland
Chinese authorities. Tsai comments come
the week before a national election in
which she is tipped to unseat the Beijingfriendly ruling Kuomintang party, raising
questions over cross-strait relations.
PROVOCATIVE: The statue has proved to be an extremely potent and popular symbol, and is wrapped in clothing with the passing seasons
South Korea-Japan deal stumbles over girl statue
SEOUL: A landmark deal between South
Korea and Japan to end a decades-old
feud over wartime slaves is struggling
to overcome a diminutive but daunting
obstacle in the form of the small statue
of a teenage girl.
“I am here to defend the peace
monument,” 22-year-old Jung WooRyung defiantly declared, as she stood
guard on Tuesday beside the seated
bronze figure that was erected on the
pavement opposite the Japanese embassy
in Seoul in 2011.
Depicting a young, barefoot woman,
dressed in a traditional Korean hanbok
dress and with her fists clasped tight in
her lap, the statue is both a symbol of the
suffering endured by so-called “comfort
women” forced to work in Japanese
military brothels during World War II,
and of their struggle to extract a formal
apology and compensation from Tokyo.
Last week, Japan offered an apology
and a one-billion yen ($8.3 million)
payment to the 46 surviving Korean
comfort women under an agreement
which both countries described as “final
and irreversible”.
But the deal has triggered confusion
over the fate of the comfort woman
statue, which has now become a focus
for South Korean activists who accuse
the government of selling out to Tokyo.
FREED GRANDMA
WWII victims
fear sea dispute
blocks justice
from Japan
MANILA: A group of Philippine
“comfort women”, forced to work in
Japanese military brothels in World
War II, accused their government
on Wednesday of not doing enough
to help them secure an apology and
compensation from Japan.
South Korea and Japan last month
reached an agreement to resolve the
issue as Tokyo made an apology and
promised about one billion yen ($8.43
million) for a fund to help survivors,
though many South Koreans were
angry a deal had been made.
In a statement, the Philippine
comfort women said they feared the
South China Sea dispute with China
had distracted Manila from seeking
justice from Japan, which occupied the
Philippines from 1942-45.
“Each day that they are ignored
by their own government, any hope
of official acknowledgment and
reparations grows dimmer as the
shadows of old age and mortality cast
a dark pall on them,” lawyer Harry
Roque said in a statement.
“The victims of horrendous human
rights violations should not be used
by our government as a leverage in
its talk with Japan for support against
China over the West Philippine Sea
controversy.”
About 1,000 Philippine women
were forced into prostitution by
Japanese troops during World War II.
The protesting comfort women
belonged to a group called “Malaya
Lolas”, or freed grandmothers.
There was no immediate comment
from the foreign ministry or president’s
office.
The Philippines and Japan are
discussing the transfer of military
equipment, like surveillance planes
and patrol boats, to help strengthen
the Philippines’ capability to guard
its maritime borders as China rapidly
expands in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost all the South
China Sea, which is believed to have
huge deposits of oil and gas, and
through which about $5 trillion in
ship-borne trade passes every year,
and has been building up facilities on
the islands it controls.
— Reuters
The public is
infuriated by
Japanese attempts
to remove the statue,
but even more outraged
because it looks like the
Korean government is
collaborating
BONG YOUNG-SHIK
Research fellow
Students stage a sit-in protest against a recent agreement between South Korea and Japan near a statue (R) of a teenage girl
symbolising former ‘comfort women’ during World War II, in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul. — AFP
Japan insists the agreement included
a clear undertaking from South Korea
to remove the statue, with Japanese
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida stating
on Monday that he understood it would
be “relocated appropriately”.
But Seoul says it only promised to
look into the possibility of moving the
bronze and called in a senior Japanese
embassy official to protest what it called
Kishida’s provocative comments.
South Korea’s foreign ministry has
also stressed that because the statue was
put up by civic groups, it has no right to
order its removal.
And the group that spearheaded the
campaign to create and erect the bronze
is adamant that it isn’t going anywhere.
The statue cannot be “a condition or
means of any agreement,” the Korean
Council for the Women Drafted for
Military Slavery by Japan said in a
statement on its website.
“And the Korean government cannot
mention anything about the removal or
moving of the monument,” it added.
South Korean public sentiment about
the overall agreement is evenly divided,
but on the specific issue of the statue
passions run high, with surveys showing
up to 75 per cent of people opposed to
the slightest relocation.
Bong Young-Shik, a senior research
fellow specialising in Japan at the Asan
Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul,
said the row placed the South Korean
government in a tight spot, given the
substantial political capital it has already
expended on making the deal with
Japan.
“The issue of the wartime slaves is a
highly emotive issue in Korea and the
statue is its symbol,” Bong said.
“The public is infuriated by Japanese
attempts to remove the statue, but even
more outraged because it looks like the
Korean government is collaborating,” he
added.
The bronze figure that has stared
across the road at the Japanese embassy
for the past four years was set up with
public donations totalling 30 million
won ($25,000).
An empty chair next to the young
woman represents the victims who
have died since the war, while a shadow
engraved into the base of the statue is
that of a frail old woman — reflecting
the agony that still haunts the survivors.
The statue has proved to be an
extremely potent and popular symbol,
and is regularly wrapped in clothing
with the passing seasons — such as a
woolly hat and scarf in winter.
More than two dozen similar
monuments have been erected around
South Korea, and another dozen or so
abroad in the United States, Canada and
elsewhere.
— AFP
Junta leans on sedition Indonesia turns to China as ethnic
law to silence critics
Uighurs join would-be militants
BANGKOK: Thailand’s junta is
increasingly turning to a tough sedition
law to silence its critics, a report warned
on Wednesday, setting a dangerous
legal precedent for future governments.
At least 30 people have been charged
with sedition since a military coup in
May 2014, with most of the cases filed
in 2015, according to iLaw, an advocacy
group monitoring legal cases.
The charges, which carry up to seven
years in prison, have been brought
against peaceful anti-junta activists,
as well as those accused of spreading
rumours about alleged military
corruption on Facebook.
The sedition law — article 116 of the
Thai penal code — is being used because
it “carries a hefty punishment”, a high
bail and “falls under the jurisdiction of
the military court,” the iLaw report said.
Decisions by army tribunals can
not be appealed and rights groups say
sentences are routinely stiffer than
those handed out by civilian courts.
The junta has used special emergency
powers to pass a litany of laws to restrict
political expression since it seized
power.
The rise in sedition charges suggests
a new effort to hunt critics with standard
laws drawn from the kingdom’s criminal
code, according to rights campaigners.
The law was “very rarely” used in the
recent past, said Sunai Phasuk, Human
Rights Watch’s Thailand researcher,
cautioning that it set a “precedent” for
future governments who may want to
stifle dissent. “The interpretation of the
offence has been stretched to restrict
and criminalise peaceful political
activity that opposes, or even questions,
the conduct of the regime,” he added.
But junta spokesman Colonel
Winthai Suvaree played down the
significance of the sedition law, calling
it a “normal procedure” following a
criminal offence. — AFP
JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities
are working with their counterparts in
China to stem a flow of ethnic Uighur
seeking to join militants, the country’s
counter-terrorism chief said.
Saud Usman Nasution’s comments
come amid mounting concern in
Indonesia about possible attacks by
sympathisers of the IS group and follows
the arrest of 13 men across the island of
Java, including a Uighur with a suicidebomb vest.
The appearance among Indonesian
militant networks of Uighurs, who come
from the Xinjiang region, is likely to add
to Beijing’s concerns that exiles will
return to their homeland as experienced
and trained militants.
China says militants and separatists
operate in energy-rich Xinjiang on the
borders of central Asia, where violence
has killed hundreds in recent years.
Rights groups say much of the unrest
can be traced back to frustration at
Saud Usman Nasution, the head of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency, gestures
during an interview at his office in Bogor. — Reuters
controls over the Uighurs’ culture and
religion, and that most of those who
leave are only fleeing repression.
China denies repressing rights.
Nasution, who heads the National
Counter-Terrorism Agency, said in
an interview on Tuesday that several
Uighurs had responded to a call last
year by Santoso, Indonesia’s most highprofile backer of IS, to join his band of
fighters.
IS and human trafficking networks
helped them travel via Myanmar,
Thailand and Malaysia to Santoso’s
hideout in an equatorial jungle of
eastern Indonesia, he said. — Reuters
Associates of the publisher that specialises in selling gossipy books on Communist Party leaders have been unaccounted for
Abduction a ‘breach’ in China’s rule of Hong Kong
BEIJING: Any abduction of people from
Hong Kong to face charges elsewhere
would be an “egregious breach” of
Beijing’s promises to rule the former
British colony, Britain’s foreign secretary
said on Wednesday, amid suspicion that
several booksellers critical of China’s
leaders have been taken by mainland
agents.
Lee Bo, 65, a shareholder of Causeway
Bay Books and a British passport holder,
went missing from Hong Kong last
week, though his wife has withdrawn
a missing persons report saying he
travelled to China voluntarily.
Four other associates of the publisher
that specialises in selling gossipy
political books on China’s Communist
Party leaders have been unaccounted for
since late last year.
The disappearances, and China’s
silence, have stoked fears of mainland
Chinese authorities using shadowy
tactics that erode the “one-country, twosystems” formula under which Hong
Kong has been governed since its 1997
return to China.
The disappearances, and
China’s silence, have stoked
fears of mainland Chinese
authorities using shadowy
tactics that erode the “onecountry, two-systems”
formula under which Hong
Kong has been governed
since its 1997 return to
China.
booksellers’ whereabouts after raising
the case with Chinese and Hong Kong
officials.
“It would not be acceptable for
someone to be spirited out of Hong
Kong in order to face charges in a
different jurisdiction,” Hammond said.
Student leader Joshua Wong and other members of student group Scholarism
Such an action would be an “egregious
protest over the disappearance of booksellers outside the British consulate in Hong
Kong, China. — Reuters
breach” of the one-country, two-systems
policy, Hong Kong’s Basic Law, or miniBritish Foreign Secretary Philip a two-day visit to Beijing that there had constitution, and the 1984 Sino-British
Hammond told reporters at the end of been “no progress” on determining the Joint Declaration, which provided for
the handover of power.
“It’s an essential part of the settlement
in Hong Kong that it has its own judicial
system and it is solely responsible for
trying offences that occur in Hong
Kong,” Hammond said.
There was only speculation about the
disappearances and there was a need to
“know what has happened and who is
responsible for it”, he said.
Pressed on the issue, Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying
told a regular briefing that China
opposes “any foreign country interfering
with China’s domestic politics, or
interfering with Hong Kong affairs”.
Hong Kong Security Secretary Lai
Tung-kwok said the territory was still
awaiting a response from Chinese
authorities on the fate of the men, and
would ask again “if necessary”. On
Tuesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said
Lee “is first and foremost a Chinese
citizen” when asked if China recognises
his British passport. He warned against
“groundless speculation” but declined to
give further details.
— Reuters
SUBCONTINENT
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
7
Afghanistan battle is ongoing as US soldier killed, says Pentagon
KABUL: A US soldier was killed and
two wounded in an ongoing battle in
Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where
Afghan troops are pushing back Taliban
insurgents, the Pentagon said.
The troops had come under fire on
Tuesday while conducting a mission
with Afghan special forces in Marjah,
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook
said. “This is an ongoing situation, there
is still a fight going on in the immediate
surroundings,” he said.
Two HH-60 Pave Hawk medical
evacuation helicopters were scrambled
after the attack.
One of these turned back after taking
fire, and returned safely to its base.
The second landed at the scene but
its rotor blades were damaged after it
apparently struck a wall, Cook said.
Initial reports were that a mortar had
exploded near the helicopter.
“There are dangerous parts of
Afghanistan where the fight is still under
way, and Helmand province is one of
those places,” Cook said. “This is an
ongoing fight, and I think the events of
the last few hours highlight that.”
Afghan forces are currently fighting
to repel Taliban insurgents who seized
The unrest in Helmand,
blighted by a huge opium
harvest that helps fund the
insurgency, comes after
the Taliban briefly captured
Kunduz city in September
The Taliban offensive prompted the
first British deployment to the volatile
province in 14 months. The deployment,
in addition to a recent arrival of US
special forces in the region, comes a year
after Nato forces formally ended their
combat operations in the country.
A Taliban source said that the
insurgents had shot the helicopter
down, with all those on board killed.
The Taliban, who regularly exaggerate
large swathes of the key opium-rich battlefield claims, have in the past shot
district of Sangin in the southern down several military helicopters with
province of Helmand, a traditional small-arms fire.
stronghold of the insurgents.
In October a US F-16 was struck by
Bangladesh upholds
sentence for top leader
LONG ARM OF LAW: May be executed in months for crimes
committed during 1971 independence struggle
enemy fire in eastern Afghanistan, in
a rare case of an advanced jet fighter
coming under a Taliban-claimed attack.
In November, the insurgents attacked a
helicopter chartered by the Afghan army
that crash landed in the north, killing at
least three of those on board — including
a Moldovan crew member — and taking
others hostage.
The unrest in Helmand, blighted by a
huge opium harvest that helps fund the
insurgency, comes after the Taliban briefly
captured Kunduz city in September —
their biggest victory in 14 years of war.
US President Barack Obama in
October announced that thousands of US
troops would remain in Afghanistan past
2016, backpedaling on previous plans
to reduce the force and acknowledging
that Afghan forces are not ready to stand
alone.
An unspecified number of Afghan
troops were also wounded in the mission,
officials said.
“I think the events of the last few hours
in Afghanistan highlight the risks that the
Afghan forces are taking every single day,
and of course, the risks that the American
forces who are there assisting them are
taking as well,” Cook said. — AFP
IN BRIEF
Nepal PM to visit
India in February
KATHMANDU: Nepal Prime Minister K
P Sharma Oli will in February embark on
his first foreign visit post-assumption of
office to India, Foreign Minister Kamal
Thapa said on Wednesday, laying to rest
speculations that the leader would be
touring China first instead of India.
“Prime Minister Oli is visiting
India first,” Thapa, who is also deputy
prime minister, said at an event here.
Traditionally, Nepali PMs have made
it a point to visit India first following
their assumption of office. Only Maoist
Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’
rubbed India the wrong way when he
chose China as the first destination
of his foreign visit after taking over
as prime minister and attended the
Beijing Olympics in 2008. Thapa said
preparations were underway in both
countries for Oli’s visit. Thapa, who
has already visited India twice in the
past three months since the new
government assumed office, said Oli
will visit China after his India tour. Amid
hiccups in Nepal-India ties over the
Madhesi issue, there was speculation
in the Nepali media that Oli would pick
China for his maiden foreign visit and
“snub” a call from India. — IANS
Afghan children are reflected in water as they play on the outskirts of Herat
on Wednesday. — AFP
39 militants die in Afghan operations
KABUL: At least 39 militants were killed in the past 24 hours during military
operations in Afghanistan, the country’s defence ministry said on Wednesday. The
raids were launched by the Afghan National Army in coordination with the police and
intelligence agency in five of the country’s 34 provinces, Xinhua cited the ministry as
saying in a statement. The joint security forces also found weapons and ammunition
and defused several roadside bombs and landmines in the operations, said the
statement that provides daily operational updates. Afghan security forces have
pressed on clearing the militants in restive provinces as Taliban militants have been
attempting to take territory and consolidate their positions ahead of winter in the
central Asian country. — IANS
Pakistani Sikhs split over sale of gurdwara land to build houses
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman Nizami lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain (centre) arrives at the Supreme Court
following a review petition relating to his appeal against his death sentence in Dhaka on Wednesday. — AFP
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s highest court on
Wednesday upheld the death sentence
for the leader of the country’s largest
extremist party for crimes during its
1971 independence struggle, paving the
way for his execution within months.
The Supreme Court dismissed an
appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami,
head of the Jamaat-e-Islami party,
who was convicted of murder, rape
and orchestrating the killing of top
intellectuals when he was the leader of a
ruthless militia during the conflict. “The
court upheld the death sentence in three
out of four charges. We’re very happy,”
prosecutor Tureen Afroz told reporters.
“Most importantly, the death penalty
was upheld for the killings of the
intellectuals.”
Nizami, 72, Jamaat’s leader since
2000 and a minister in a former
coalition government of 2001-2006,
faces the gallows within months unless
his case is reviewed by the same court or
he is granted clemency by the president.
Three senior Jamaat officials and a
key leader of the main opposition have
been executed since December 2013 for
war crimes, despite global criticism of
their trials by a controversial war crimes
tribunal.
The court swiftly dismissed previous
reviews of those four opposition
leaders on death row, leading to their
execution, the latest in November last
year. Hundreds of secular protesters
who have been campaigning tirelessly
for the trials of the leaders for their roles
in the 1971 war burst into impromptu
celebrations at a square in central Dhaka
as the news of the court’s decision came.
“This verdict brings an end to the
long and painful wait for justice for the
families of the victims of the war,” Imran
Sarker, head of a secular group, said,
showing a V-sign to reporters. “We now
want his quick execution.”
Prosecutors said Nizami was the
leader of a student wing of Jamaat
during the war and turned it into the
Al Badr pro-Pakistani militia, which
killed top professors, writers, doctors
and journalists in the most gruesome
chapter of the conflict.
Their bodies were found blindfolded
with their hands tied and dumped in a
marsh on the outskirts of the capital.
The killing was carried out based on
a hit-list he ordered and the aim was
to “intellectually cripple” the fledgling
nation, they said.
Security was tight across the country
after previous convictions of the Jamaat
officials triggered the country’s deadliest
violence since independence with some
500 people killed, mainly in clashes
between extremists and police.
“We’ve stepped up security. It is
sufficient to prevent any violence,”
deputy police commissioner Maruf
Hossain Sorder said ahead of the verdict.
Following the verdict, Jamaat called
for a nationwide strike on Thursday,
saying the charges against Nizami were
“false, baseless and imaginary” and the
case was “aimed at killing” him.
“The government wants to steer the
country towards terrible conflict in a
planned way by killing Motiur Rahman
Nizami in cold blood through its own
fixed blueprint,” the party said in a
statement posted on its website, calling
him an “internationally acclaimed
scholar”.
Jamaat said Nizami would now seek
a review of the judgement. Defence
lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain told
reporters that they would decide their
next course of action after consulting
with him.
Since it was established by Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government
in 2010, the war crimes court, called
the International Crimes Tribunal,
has sentenced more than a dozen
opposition leaders for war crimes.
Rights groups have criticised the trials,
saying they fall short of global standards
and lack any international oversight.
The secular government maintains the
trials are needed to heal the wounds
of the conflict, which it says left three
million people dead.
Independent researchers put the toll
much lower. — AFP
LAHORE: The Sikh community in
Pakistani Punjab is split over the sale
of gurudwara land to build houses. On
Tuesday, a group of Sikhs from Nankana
Sahib demanded the resignation of
Siddiqul Farooq, chairman of the Evacuee
Trust Property Board, of illegally selling
canal land of Gurdwara Janam Asthan for
a housing scheme, The Nation newspaper
reported on Wednesday.
After staging a protest near the Punjab
assembly, dozens of Sikhs gathered
outside the Lahore High Court to express
solidarity with Mastan Singh, the Sikh
leader who faces trial for “anti-state
activities”. A high court division bench
on Tuesday accepted the bail petition
of Mastan Singh, a former president of
the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee (PSGPC).
In his petition, Mastan Singh accused
Sham Singh, the incumbent president
of the committee, of having a false case
registered against him. “Siddiqul Farooq
and Sham Singh joined hands with the
land mafia and illegally sold canal land
belonged to Gurdwara Janam Asthan,
Nankana Sahib, for a housing scheme,” his
counsel Anwar Zahid told the court. But
Sham Singh’s counsel Tariq Bashir Awan
argued that the investigation of the case
had been transferred to the anti-terrorism
department. A law officer urged the court
not to accept Mastan Singh’s bail plea,
saying there were serious allegations of
terrorism against him.
But after hearing both sides, a bench
headed by Justice Mazhar Iqbal Sidhu
accepted the bail request. The judge said
the prosecution would not benefit by
keeping the accused in jail. Sikhs are a
minority in Pakistan. — IANS
AFGHANISTAN LEADER IN IRAN
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meets with Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Tehran on Tuesday. — AFP
Myanmar parliament to convene on Feb 1
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (centre) and his wife Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif
ride in a buggy during a visit to The Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden in Kandy
on Wednesday. Sharif is in Sri Lanka on a two-day official visit. — AFP
YANGON: Myanmar’s new parliament
will convene next month for the first
time since the party of Aung San Suu
Kyi won an emphatic victory in elections
held two months ago.
House Speaker Shwe Mann
announced on Wednesday that
members of parliament are to hold
their first meeting on February 1 in
the political capital Nay Pyi Taw. The
legislature is dominated members of Suu
Kyi’s National League for Democracy
(NLD), the party that trounced the
military-backed Union Solidarity and
Development Party in landmark polls on
November 8.
The NLD is now in the position of
choosing the country’s president.
Suu Kyi, who spent most of two
decades under house arrest until
her release in 2010, is barred by the
constitution from holding the office.
Three candidates for president can
be nominated under Myanmar’s system:
one by the lower house, one by the upper
house and a third by the quarter of seats
across both houses that are allocated to
the military. The NLD won 77 per cent
of the vote in the election, ensuring
that the party will be able to nominate a
presidential candidate from both houses.
After the three candidates are
selected, all members of parliament cast
their ballots. The two contenders who
lost become vice-presidents.
Meanwhile, members of Suu Kyi’s
victorious pro-democracy party will take
their seats in parliament on February 1,
beginning a new era for a nation under
army rule for decades.
Suu Kyi led her National League for
Democracy to a big majority in landmark
elections in November, crowning the
struggle against almost half a century of
military rule.
In a statement parliamentary speaker
Shwe Mann announced that “all MPs
(are) to start the new parliament at 10
am on Monday February 1, 2016”. But
the new government will take office
slowly under the complex political
system -- it can only be formed after
current President Thein Sein steps down
on March 31.
The NLD-dominated legislature
replaces the incumbent one of the Union
Solidarity and Development Party, a
quasi-civilian junta spin-off that has ruled
the country since the end of outright
military rule in 2011. — Agencies
8
ANALYSIS
omandailyobserver
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
IF SAME PATTERN
HOLDS, LIKELY NOT
B
y now, a familiar pattern has emerged. Pyongyang tests a bomb or a rocket and
makes a grand declaration about its success. Quickly, others deny that they’ve
accomplished quite what they say, questioning the yield of the explosion or the
success of the launch — this time, Pyongyang stated they detonated a hydrogen
bomb — foreign experts question that claim.
The media publishes photos of South Koreans watching TV news, looking
anxious (They aren’t.) Members of the United Nations Security Council get
together and a couple of weeks later and passes a resolution condemning the test
and adding sanctions.
What might the effects of Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test be?
Internationally, though the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
draws global ire with each test, it does cement its status in an elite club: ballistic
missile and nuclear weapons technology are the preserve of very few countries.
Citizens of North Korea — and especially Pyongyang — are unsurprisingly
proud of this: after the 2013 nuclear test, many
offices knocked off early and celebrated with
India depends on
hearty amounts of food and soju.
No doubt, similar frivolities are taking wireless broadband
place today, especially since it is Kim Jong and has a very
Un’s birthday on the 8th. Whatever else they
high mobile to
may think of the their country’s policies, the
vast majority of North Koreans accept their fixed broadband
government’s position that a nuclear deterrent ratio of 4:1 and
is needed against the superpower on their
only 15.2 million
doorstep, the United States.
Meanwhile, North Korea continues to wired broadband
develop its economy, despite some significant connections, reports
challenges and missteps in 2015.
ANDRAY ABRAHAMIAN
This has helped earn its young leader
considerable grace in the eyes of his populace
and is at the heart of his domestic brand.
The nuclear programme is his father’s legacy, but Kim Jong Un came to power
talking about not only military might, but economic growth and quality of life
issues. The combination of visible improvement on the latter and the heritage of
the former has helped his image considerably. In the international arena, the test
will elicit a few responses from its neighbours.
First — though not technically a neighbour — in Washington, the appetite
for sanctions legislation or targeted actions by the US Treasury Department will
increase. Indeed, the US Congress has been working on three separate sanctions
bills in the past year, linked to human rights.
The nuclear test may increase the likelihood that the more strongly worded bills
pass. Also, as it is an election year, the multiplicity of remaining candidates will
have a chance to talk tough about North Korea, criticising past administrations,
while offering implausible solutions, if they offer any at all.
If current patterns hold, Donald Trump will say something particularly
ridiculous and everyone else will have to react.
Regardless, with IS the world’s most pressing crisis, the nuclear test keeps North
Korea on the foreign policy agenda, something that Pyongyang generally likes.
Second, Beijing’s leadership is displeased with the DPRK’s nuclear programme,
but as Pyongyang’s ally, doesn’t share Washington’s enthusiasm for pressure.
The next couple of weeks will see intense negotiations between China and
the United States on who or what to target with UN sanctions. They will quickly
agree to a Security Council resolution, but it is unlikely that they will step up
enforcement or other means of censure beyond what they did in 2013.
Moscow is likely to follow Beijing’s lead and Japan, Washington’s.
Seoul’s corporate and political classes, meanwhile, have been increasingly
interested in the past year in getting involved in North Korea’s economy again;
something largely impossible since 2010, when Seoul slapped sanctions on
Pyongyang after the sinking of a southern warship.
They have — perhaps belated — begun to worry that they have ceded too
much influence to China in the past half-decade.
Ultimately, except in technical terms, this nuclear test is largely a status-quo
event. Kim Jong Un’s domestic position is cemented further.
Beijing continues to be frustrated by its ally, Seoul by its lack of influence.
Washington’s options are also limited, but its response is the most unknown:
will it extend its own sanctions regime just a little or push more broadly than it
has before? Whether a more robust response will increase the punitive impact on
North Korea is another question yet.
If the pattern holds, probably not.
No easy options for the West
W
estern nations agree military action must be taken soon decisive militarily,” he said.
to combat the growing threat of the IS group in conflictBefore any military action is taken, Libya needs a
wracked Libya, but analysts say there are no easy options.
political solution to unite its rival factions.
Air strikes by an international coalition helped rebel
“Without it, another Western military intervention
forces to overthrow Libyan ruler Moamer Gaddafi in 2011, would condemn the country to instability for at least a
but they have not been enough to dislodge IS from Syria decade, with a government that would have the appearance
and Iraq. And would any Nato country be prepared to send of a puppet of the West,” he said.
troops into the vast desert country?
Analysts say a key issue is how Libya’s many armed
“IS has clearly established a foothold in Libya, and it’s factions would react to Western military action.
a matter of growing concern for the United Kingdom
Five years ago, many Libyans warmly welcomed
and other Nato countries, so it (military intervention) Western air strikes in the euphoria of the revolt that
is certainly possible,” Malcolm Chalmers of the ended Gaddafi’s four decades in power. But in 2016, it
London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) is a very different picture.
think-tank said.
The influence of the militants has grown, as has
“The question is what the scale and
nationalist sentiment among the armed
nature of an intervention might be, and
groups.
Libya offers a direct
that will depend very much on how the
Italy, the former colonial power which
route to Europe
threat develops over the next month.”
still has substantial economic interests in
IS has around 3,000 fighters in Libya,
Libya, said last month it was prepared to
for militants who
according to a French diplomatic source.
lead an international force in the country,
could hide among
Fighting has raged the past two days
providing that a unity government asks
migrants crossing the for it to be there.
between IS fighters and Libyan forces
as the militants pushed on the country’s
But Nicola Latorre, the head of the
Mediterranean,
crucial coastal oil terminals. The West
Italian Senate’s defence committee,
writes HERVÉ BAR
fears that they could seize control of oil
ruled out “any military intervention to
production as they have done in large
wage war”.
parts of Iraq and Syria.
“It would be a fatal mistake to allow IS
The other fear is that Libya offers a direct yet to say that Libya had been invaded by the West,” he said,
dangerous route to Europe for militants who could saying the aim of any action would be to guarantee the
hide among migrants crossing the Mediterranean from security of a new government and train the army.
the Libyan coast.
Speaking after rival Libyan politicians signed a deal on
Militants have also used Libya as a springboard for
December 17 to form a unity government, British Defence
attacks across the border in Tunisia, including at the capital’s Secretary Michael Fallon said up to 1,000 British special
National Bardo Museum and a beach resort, killing a total
forces could be among approximately 6,000 European
of 60 people, all but one of them foreign tourists.
and US soldiers who could take part in offensives to
Patrick Hamzaideh, a French former diplomat who was halt IS’s advance.
based in Libya, said Western intervention “would probably
But the deal is already under pressure because it does
take the form of bombing from the air”. He thinks action by not have unanimous backing from Libya’s two rival
ground troops is unlikely.
parliaments, one based in the eastern city of Tobruk and
“But both options are a bad idea. They would not be the other in the capital Tripoli.
Afghan Taliban seek leverage in ‘dangerous’ winter surge
T
he Afghan Taliban have launched an
unprecedented winter surge that points to
a desire for an upper hand in peace talks,
analysts say, while some suggest rogue
elements may be bolstering the effort to
derail overtures by Pakistan to India.
Taliban fighting normally quiets down
in winter months with the insurgents
resting ahead of an annual spring offensive,
but this year has seen a series of fierce
attacks — many focused on Kabul in
recent weeks, including three in the capital
since last Friday.
Some say the ongoing fighting is a bid
by Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour
to consolidate his position ahead of fourway talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan,
the US and China slated for next week,
a precursor to a revived peace dialogue
between Kabul and the insurgents.
Ahmed Rashid, a leading expert on
the Afghan Taliban, said Mansour was
tightening his grip on power through
the high-profile attacks, after a shootout
between rival insurgent commanders in
Pakistan in December left him wounded.
“We’ve never had such a winter offensive
before from the Taliban. That winter is
going to roll into a continuous springsummer offensive,” he said.
“That is looking very dangerous.
Mansour is consolidating his position. If
he’s seen as a military success they will
remain loyal to him.
“Military success also de-legitimises the
anti-Mansour faction that is emerging,” he
said, referring to the recent formation of a
splinter group challenging his rule.
“The insurgents are trying to show to
the world that they have presence in the
country and get more concession in the
peace talks,” said Dawlat Waziri, a defence
ministry spokesman.
But Pakistan — seen as one of the
few countries with influence over the
insurgents — is also playing a role, regional
analysts said.
“The Taliban do not have the authority
to decide on peace talks, they are controlled
by others,” said Zalmay Wardak, a Kabulbased military analyst, referring to Pakistan.
In recent years Pakistan has officially
re-oriented its Afghan policy, disavowing
the use of surrogate fighters such as the
Taliban to achieve its foreign policy goals in
Afghanistan.
The ongoing fighting is
a bid by Taliban leader
Mullah Akhtar Mansour to
consolidate his position
ahead of four-way peace
talks slated for next week,
notes ISSAM AHMED
Islamabad and Delhi recently agreed to
relaunch peace talks and Indian premier
Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to
Pakistan in December, the first by an Indian
prime minister in 11 years, immediately
after his first tour of Kabul.
But two spectacular attacks on Indian
interests since the weekend — a 25-hour
siege on India’s mission in the northern
Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif that ended
on Monday, and a bloody weekend assault
on an air base in India — could signal the
desire of elements within the powerful
Pakistani military to scupper peace efforts
between the two countries, one analyst
suggested. Observers in Pakistan believe
it is nearly impossible that the prime
minister would have been allowed to hold
a breakthrough meeting with his Indian
counterpart last month without the consent
of the army, widely understood to dictate
foreign and security policy.
But Khadim Hussain, a political analyst
based in the Pakistani city of Peshawar,
said the attack on the air base along with a
Taliban surge in Afghanistan indicated that
elements of the Pakistani military were not
on board with the negotiations.
“The attack in India and the surge in
attacks in Afghanistan could be seen as
a joint strategy,” he said, clarifying that it
was unclear whether such decisions were
sanctioned at the highest levels.
A file picture shows Afghan Taliban fighters listening to Mullah Mohammad
Rasool Akhund (unseen), in the western province of Farah.
— AFP
ANALYSIS
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
9
British security under fire after militant slips away
S
ix weeks after a British militant who is suspected of
being an IS executioner slipped out of the country,
police sent a letter asking him to surrender his
passport, a security bungle that has drawn criticism
from opposition lawmakers.
Though the masked militant who was shown
directing the killing of five men in an IS propaganda
video has not been officially identified, media
including the BBC and the Daily Telegraph have
named him as Siddhartha Dhar, a Londoner who
once sold inflatable bouncy castle toys.
Dhar, 32, left Britain for Syria in September
2014 while on police bail after his arrest on
suspicion of belonging to a banned group and
encouraging terrorism.
“The system has failed because it allowed him
to abscond to Syria,” Andy Burnham, the home
affairs spokesman for the opposition Labour Party,
said in parliament on Tuesday.
“Even if the correct procedures were followed, I
have evidence that they were far too weak,” he said.
Britain’s independent reviewer of terrorism
laws said the main failing in the Dhar case was
not asking him to hand over his travel papers
immediately.
Burnham cited a police letter to Dhar dated
November 7, 2014 setting out bail conditions,
including surrendering his passport, that was sent
six weeks after the militant had left Britain.
has so far shown no sign of decreasing and the
In the letter, Dhar, who was said to have fled United States has called for better cross-Atlantic
with his pregnant wife and four children, was information sharing to prevent attacks.
urged to contact police.
The identity of the militant in the IS film has
Dhar turned up in Syria two weeks after the stoked intense speculation because it revived
letter was sent brandishing a gun and a baby and memories of “John”, another British militant who
taunting Britain for its “shoddy” security that was shown in IS videos beheading US and British
allowed him to “breeze” into
hostages.
Syria. Concerns over the ease
John,
unmasked
as
with which a man suspected
Londoner
Mohammed
Dhar turned up in
of terrorism offences could flee
Emwazi, was killed by a joint
Syria after the letter
Britain add to worries about
US-British missile strike in
was sent brandishing
the unhindered travel within
November.
Europe of the militants behind
British Home Secretary
a gun and a baby and
the November 13 Paris attacks
(interior minister) Theresa
taunting Britain for its May, who refused to comment
which killed 130 people.
“shoddy” security that on speculation about the
Abdelhamid
Abaaoud,
suspected mastermind behind
allowed him to “breeze” identity of the Englishthe Paris attacks, had also
accented militant in the
into Syria, reports
mocked European frontier
IS video, said Britain had
GUY FAULCONBRIDGE
controls and boasted how easy
tightened exit controls.
it was for him to move between
“They are now taking place
Syria to his Belgian homeland
at the various ports of exit
and the rest of Europe.
and in a variety of ways, according to how the
Since the Paris attacks, the European Union has information about someone’s exit is being held,”
stepped up checks on its citizens travelling abroad she said.
and is seeking more data on passenger travel.
She added that the decision on whether to place
Still, the flow of foreign fighters to Syria a suspect on police bail was an operational matter.
Syria has become the pre-eminent global
incubator for a new generation of militants after
groups more than doubled their recruitment
of foreign fighters to as many as 31,000 over the
past 18 months, former senior British intelligence
official Richard Barrett said last month.
In the chaos of Syria’s civil war, most foreign
fighters end up in militant groups including IS,
which uses an extreme interpretation of religion
to justify attacks on its foes and impose repressive
rule in swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq that
it has captured.
According to Barrett, now senior vice-president
of the Soufan Group, a New York intelligence
consultancy, foreign fighters come from Tunisia
and the former Soviet Union, while about 5,000
have travelled from the European Union.
Britain says about 800 UK citizens have
travelled to Syria and about half have returned,
though some have also perished in the war, putting
a strain on the police and security forces who are
tasked with monitoring the militants.
British media, citing voice experts, say the
voice on the IS video sounds like recordings
of Abu Rumaysah, born Siddharta Dhar to a
London Hindu family, who for many years gave
speeches and interviews as a prominent figure in
the group Al Muhajiroun.
GO IT WITH FLOW!
MARIUS ZAHARIA
B
People watch the funeral of Palestinian Ahmad Kawazbeh killed by the Israeli security forces on Tuesday in the West Bank village of Sae’er.
ond investors following the euro zone money trail this year may end up
in an unexpected place — Slovakia. The European Central Bank is set to
buy more Slovakian bonds in 2016 than the government plans to issue,
ING says. That could make the country’s bond market the most attractive
euro zone destination, regardless of its credit-worthiness and economic
performance.
Expected flows — or known demand versus known supply — have
become increasingly relevant in setting asset prices in the past year. In
some cases, it trumps more conventional “fundamentals” like economic
growth, the stock of debt or budget deficits.
That is because market activity is generally getting thinner, or more
“illiquid” because of central bank bond-buying schemes, algorithmbased computerised trading and regulation that limits banks’ marketmaking ability. The known, or expected activity, is thus a larger part of
overall activity than it was in the past.
Expected flows into an asset, if favourable, are also considered a
potential cushion against the adverse effects of lower liquidity. Those
effects can be considerable.
A sudden sell-off last year in benchmark German Bunds took 10-year
yields from zero to 1 per cent in only about a month without a significant
shift in the economic outlook.
A simple way to gauge expected flows in euro zone bonds is to look at
the demand from the European Central Bank, which is buying 60 billion
euros of assets a month, and compare it with the supply of new debt from
governments.
In its effort to boost growth and lift inflation from near-zero, the ECB
is set to buy Slovak bonds worth 128 per cent of the country’s expected
gross debt issuance this year, according to ING estimates.
That’s more than it will buy from any other regular euro zone
sovereign bond issuer. Based on rules that bond purchases need to reflect
the country’s contribution to the ECB’s capital, the ECB is expected to buy
5.8 billion euros of Slovakia’s bonds this year.
But the country is only expected to issue 4.5 billion euros of new debt.
The only other country where the ECB’s quantitative easing
programme is set to buy more bonds than the government plans to sell
in 2016, if only by a hair, is The Netherlands, where gross debt issuance is
falling sharply this year.
That ratio of slightly more than 100 per cent is, however, a significant
shift from last year’s 49 per cent for The Netherlands, which, according to
ING, should mean that Dutch bonds are a good bet for this year.
— Reuters
Palestinian Authority adrift after a long unrest
T
hree months into a wave of violence
some have likened to a new uprising, the
Palestinian Authority has found itself adrift
and increasingly out of touch with frustrated
youths behind the unrest, analysts say.
There is even speculation of an eventual
collapse of the PA, the governing authority
set up under the 1990s Oslo accords that were
meant to lead to a final peace deal.
“Young people see no political horizon
and suffer from economic crisis and
unemployment,” with nearly half jobless
compared with more than 27 per cent of the
overall population, said Ghassan Khatib, vicepresident of Birzeit University near Ramallah
and a former Palestinian cabinet minister.
Young Palestinians see little hope of an
independent state more than two decades
after the Oslo accords — and many do not
feel president Mahmud Abbas represents
their concerns.
They have come of age as Israeli settlement
building has continued and with their own
political leadership deeply fractured. In
a recent poll, two-thirds of Palestinians
said they believed a new armed intifada
would serve “national interests” better than
negotiations.
Security coordination between the
Palestinian Authority and Israel has at the
same time been maintained, an arrangement
some analysts say is vital for Abbas to keep
hardliners who oppose him in check.
Palestinian elections have not been held
in a decade due to the bitter split between
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and
Abbas’s Fatah, based in the occupied West
Bank. Abbas’s mandate expired in 2009 but
he remains in office because there have been
no polls.
The Palestinian parliament last met
in 2007, following a general election the
previous year won by Hamas.
“The leaders are incapable of satisfying
their (young Palestinians’) political and
economic demands,” said Khatib.
He said Palestinian politics “is at an
impasse and incapable of reinventing itself.”
The unrest has seen violent protests as well
as a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and carramming attacks against Israelis. Violence
since the start of October has claimed the
lives of 139 people on the Palestinian side,
as well as 22 Israelis, an American and an
Eritrean.
Many of the Palestinians were killed while
carrying out attacks, while others were shot
dead by Israeli security forces during clashes.
A large portion of the attackers have been
young people, including teenagers.
In the early stages of the unrest, PA
security forces allowed crowds to approach
checkpoints, where they protested and
clashed with Israeli security forces.
“Since then, they have increased their
presence,” said Seif al Islam Daghlas of the
Birzeit student council.
“Especially when US Secretary of State
John Kerry came (in November), we saw
Palestinian security was now stopping our
protests.”
Such an intervention could be seen
recently when PA security forces in
plainclothes violently dispersed protesters
moving towards an Israeli checkpoint on the
There is even speculation
of an eventual collapse of
the PA, the governing authority
set up under the 1990s Oslo
accords that were meant to
lead to a final peace deal,
reports SARAH BENHAIDA
outskirts of Ramallah.
They also detained journalists and
confiscated equipment, AFP journalists
witnessed.
Kerry’s visit and other international
efforts have failed to restore calm, and the
US secretary of state even warned in early
December about the potential repercussions
of a Palestinian Authority collapse.
“Without the PA security forces, the IDF
(Israel Defence Forces) could be forced to
deploy tens of thousands of soldiers to the
West Bank indefinitely to fill the void,” Kerry
said.
“Are Israelis prepared for the consequences
this would have for their children and
grandchildren who serve in the IDF when
the inevitable friction leads to confrontation
and violence?”
Israel’s government has also reportedly
held discussions on the possibility of the PA
falling apart.
For Mohammed Shtayyeh, a high-ranking
Fatah member and Palestine Liberation
Organisation official, the collapse of the
PA, which remains heavily dependent on
international aid, would mean little.
More than 60 per cent of the West Bank is
already under complete Israeli control.
“Should Israel cause it to collapse by
imposing more restrictions, we will not shed
a tear because at the end of the day the true
head of the West Bank is the Israeli military
governor,” he said, referring to the Israeli
defence ministry unit that manages civilian
affairs in the Palestinian territories.
Where the unrest will lead is a constant
topic of debate among both Israelis and
Palestinians.
Khalil Shikaki, whose Palestinian Centre
for Policy and Survey Research conducted
the poll showing growing frustration among
Palestinians, said the situation was tenuous.
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10
omandailyobserver
INDIA
AIR QUALITY: The ban is an attempt to thin the toxic blanket of smog settled over the city
High Court challenges Delhi to
show car ban cuts smog
NEW DELHI: A court on Wednesday
challenged the Delhi city government to
prove that its restrictions on cars were
improving air quality in the world’s most
polluted capital.
The Delhi high court said a trial
ban, that allows most private cars to use
the roads only on alternate days, was
causing inconvenience to the public due
to inadequate public transport.
With pollution levels still running at
10 times the international safe limits, it
ordered the government to submit data
for January 1-7 by Friday so the impact
of the ban could be assessed.
The Delhi government launched the
trial ban last Friday in an attempt to thin
the toxic blanket of smog that has settled
over the city.
“In these six days you must have
collected data related to pollution level,
we think it’s sufficient for you,” the
bench of Judges G. Rohini and Jayant
Nath said, according to the Press Trust
of India news agency.
“You will have to think about the
inconvenience caused to public at large,”
the judges said, responding to a handful
of petitions against the scheme.
Air quality, which traditionally
worsens in winter as the cooler air traps
pollutants and people start lighting
fires, remains poor despite the trial
restrictions which are due to last 15 days.
Environmentalists, however, say it
would be unrealistic to expect a rapid
improvement and attribute the smog
to low winds and a fall in daytime
temperatures.
The Delhi government defended the
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
Cabinet approves proposal
for Hybrid Annuity
NEW DELHI: The union cabinet on
Wednesday approved a proposal for
taking up Hybrid Annuity based Public
Private Partnership (PPP) model under
Namami Gange Programme that aims
to reform the wastewater sector in the
country.
“Hybrid Annuity based PPP
model will now be adopted to ensure
performance, efficiency, viability and
sustainability,” an official statement said
here.
“In this model, a part of the capital
investment (up to 40 per cent) will
be paid by government through
construction linked milestones and
the balance through an annuity over
the contract duration upto 20 years,” it
added.
The decision was taken at the union
cabinet meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
Keeping in view the specialized
nature of this model and to scale it
up in future on sustainable basis, the
government is establishing a Special
Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to plan,
structure, procure concessionaires,
monitor implementation of such PPP
projects and develop market for treated
waste water through appropriate policy
advocacy under overall guidance of
National Mission for Clean Ganga
(NMCG). The SPV will be established
under the Indian Companies Act 2013
for providing required governance
framework and enabling functional
autonomy.
The SPV would enter into a Tripartite
Memorandum of Agreement (MoA)
with participating state governments
and concerned Urban Local Bodies
(ULBs) for taking up individual
projects.
These MoAs will aim at introducing
reforms and regulatory measures for
recovery of user charges on Polluters
Pay principle, restrictions on usage of
ground and fresh water for non-potable
purposes through stricter monitoring
and guidelines that promote reuse of
treated wastewater. — IANS
India keen to develop
trade with neighbours
scheme, saying it had helped decongest
the city’s clogged roads and resulted in
less pollution from cars.
“We have increased the frequency
of the metro, increased the number of
buses, people are carpooling...
all of Delhi has come together
to support this campaign,” the city’s
transport minister Gopal Rai told news
channels after the court order.
“Vehicular pollution, which is the
most harmful of PM 2.5, has come
down significantly in the interior part of
Delhi,” he said.
PM2.5 refers to microscopic particles
that penetrate deep into the lungs and
are particularly harmful to health.
India’s state-run System of Air
Quality Weather Forecasting and
Research showed PM 2.5 concentrations
at a “very unhealthy” 272 level on
Wednesday and advised against going
FOGGY WINTER REHEARSAL
outside.
It recorded Delhi’s PM 2.5
concentration hovering between “very
poor” and “severe” levels since January
1, with Monday’s reading spiking to
280, well above the World Health
Organization safe limit of 25.
A 2014 WHO survey of more than
1,600 cities ranked Delhi as the most
polluted, partly because of the 8.5
million vehicles on its roads. — AFP
Govt open to
all pilot project
experimentation
Soldiers take part in the rehearsal for the Republic Day parade on a foggy winter morning in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The country will celebrate its annual Republic Day on January 26.— Reuters
NEW DELHI: Communications and
IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said
that the government is open to all pilot
projects for experimentation in India.
“As a minister I am open to all the
pilot projects for experimentations.
All the new technology projects
should be given equal opportunity
for exploration,” the minister said in
a seminar organised by the National
Institute of Communication Finance
on spectrum management.
Asked whether the government
is ready to provide airwaves to the
players for pilot projects, he said: “The
decision of spectrum allocation will
be taken after we finally approve their
experimentation results.” Last month,
Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai met
Prasad during his visit, and had reached
agreement with the government for
its research and development project,
Loon, which is aimed at providing
Internet connectivity.
— IANS
SRIMANTAPUR: India is keen to
develop trade and economy besides
people-to-people relations with all its
neighbours, including Bangladesh,
union Commerce and Industry Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman (pictured) said
here on Wednesday.
“The Indian government led by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
is keen to develop all types of
connectivities with all neighbouring
countries, including Bangladesh, to
boost trade, economy and peopleto-people relations,” Sitharaman said
after inaugurating the Integrated
Development Complex (IDC) at
Srimantapur in western Tripura along
the border with Bangladesh.
“India would construct a bridge
over the Feni river to connect the
northeastern state of Tripura with the
Chittagong international sea port in
southeast Bangladesh to accelerate
trade, economy besides connectivity,”
she said.
Sitharaman said she would talk
to External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj and Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley to sanction Rs.101 crore to build
the bridge at the earliest.
“After construction of the bridge,
Tripura would become the gateway to
northeast India and southeast Asian
countries,” she said.
“The government has taken steps
to develop road, rail, water and air
connectivity with the neighbouring
countries. With good physical linkages,
India wants to further develop all
types of relations with the adjoining
countries,” she said.
Tripura’s industries and commerce
department director V.G. Jenner said
the IDC at Srimantapur, about 50 km
south of Agartala, has been developed
India would construct a
bridge over the Feni river
to connect the northeastern
state of Tripura with the
Chittagong international
sea port in southeast
Bangladesh to accelerate
trade, economy besides
connectivity
at a cost of Rs.16 crore provided by the
union commerce and industry ministry.
The IDC earlier functioned as a
Land Customs Station (LCS) and an
important trading point between India
and Bangladesh.
Tripura currently has seven LCSs
functional along the India-Bangladesh
border.
The IDC, built on 2.86 acres of
land, is a miniature Integrated Check
Post being constructed by India along
Bangladesh and Myanmar border to
boost trade and business.
— IANS
Rahul’s articulation of issues against the government since his return from over two months’ sabbatical has enthused the party workers
2016 may see new alignments, Rahul Gandhi’s elevation
NE DELHI: The new year promises to
be politically significant with elections
in four major states, Rahul Gandhi’s
possible elevation as Congress president
and would see political fallouts from
legal cases involving some top leaders.
The Bharatiya Janata Party will seek
to regain its political momentum after
setbacks it suffered last year in the Delhi
and Bihar assembly polls.
The year is crucial for the Congress as
two of the four major states going to the
polls are ruled by the party.
New political alignments are
expected to emerge as both national
and state parties will maximise their
electoral prospects in the assembly polls
in Assam, Kerala (both ruled by the
Congress), Tamil Nadu (AIADMK) and
West Bengal (Trinamool Congress), as
also the union territory of Puducherry
(AIADMK). The polls, which would be
held in the first half of the year, will have
national ramifications.
The tussle between the Narendra
Modi government and the Congress,
which last year blocked some key
legislation, including the Goods and
Services Tax bill, has not thawed and
is expected to continue in the coming
months.
The Aam Aadmi Party and the
Congress are likely to keep exerting
pressure on the government over the
alleged irregularities in DDCA.
The Congress is also expected to keep
up its attack on the government over
“vendetta politics”. Both the BJP and the
Congress will go through the process of
electing their new presidents.
While Amit Shah is set to continue
at the helm in the BJP, there is a strong
possibility of Congress vice president
Rahul Gandhi taking over the reins of
the party from his mother Sonia Gandhi.
While the Congress had debated
While Amit Shah is set to
continue at the helm in
the BJP, there is a strong
possibility of Congress vice
president Rahul Gandhi
taking over the reins of the
party from his mother Sonia
Gandhi.
the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s elevation
last year also, there appears greater
convergence now on the view that he
should take over the leadership mantle.
Rahul Gandhi’s articulation of issues
against the government since his return
from over two months’ sabbatical last
year has enthused the party workers.
Party sources said he could be
elevated as the culmination of the
organisational election process in the
party or during a proposed meeting of
the All India Congress Committee.
The party is also likely to see an
organisational reshuffle.
Though the Congress tasted success
in Bihar as a junior ally to the Janata DalUnited and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the
challenges for the party are momentous.
It has finished third or fourth in all
the assembly polls held since its debacle
in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
It faces tough challenge in all four
major states going to the polls this year.
In Assam, the Congress faces a
challenge from growing BJP and has
left the decision on alliances to Chief
Minister Tarun Gogoi who has led the
party to three successive victories in the
assembly polls.
There is speculation about the
Bodoland People’s Front, an erstwhile
Congress ally, tying up with the BJP.
The Congress is likely to go in for
alliances in Tamil Nadu and West
Bengal, where it is not among the
leading players.
In Kerala, the Congress-led United
Democratic Front has to tackle antiincumbency, contain the growth of
the BJP and contend with the Left
Democratic Front, its main rival.
The assembly polls are crucial for the
Communist Party of India-Marxist and
other Left parties which are now out of
power in their erstwhile strongholds of
Kerala and West Bengal.
— IANS
INDIA
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
Operations continue; focus on NIA probe
SECURITY LAPSE: Every inch of the Air Force Station (AFS) was being thoroughly scanned
PATHANKOT: Combing operations
continued on Wednesday to sanitise
the Pathankot Air Force base in Punjab
even as the NIA formed various teams
to probe the terrorist attack on the
high-security defence facility.
Sources in the Indian Air Force (IAF)
said that every inch of the Air Force
Station (AFS) was being thoroughly
scanned.
The focus on Wednesday was on
the investigation by the National
Investigation Agency (NIA) into
the entire terrorist attack, including
any lapses by the police and security
agencies.
The combat operation ended
on Tuesday with Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar announcing that six
terrorists were killed. Seven security
personnel, including an officer of the
National Security Guards (NSG), were
killed in the attack.
Parrikar admitted to “gaps” which
led to “security lapses” at the air base.
The role of the Punjab Police
Superintendent of Police Salwinder
Singh, who claimed he was abducted
by the terrorists who attacked the
Pathankot air base, was put under the
scanner on Tuesday evening, as a team
of NIA officials questioned him at his
Police personnel stand alert near the airforce base in Pathankot. — AFP
residence in Gurdaspur.
The SP will be questioned by
NIA and Punjab Police officials on
Wednesday also, along with his cook
Madan Gopal and businessman friend
Rajesh Verma.
All three alleged that they were
abducted by the terrorists in his vehicle
The police superintendent, who was
transferred from here last week only,
had earlier claimed that he, along with
Verma and the cook, were stopped
and abducted by 4-5 heavily armed
terrorists near Kolia village, 25 km from
Pathankot, on the night of December
31.
Under fire and suspicion about the
entire incident, Salwinder Singh told
the media on Tuesday: “My information
was 100 per cent true. There is no doubt
about it. I informed senior officers
immediately. I don’t know why the
delay took place.”
However, the investigators are
looking at Salwinder’s claims with
suspicions due to inconsistencies in
claims of the SP and his two companions
who were abducted.
The police officer has said his car was
stopped around 11.30 pm on Thursday
(December 31), while the attack began
early on Saturday (January 2). — IANS
Modi government failed to protect country: Congress
NEW DELHI: The Congress on
Wednesday attacked Prime Minister
Narendra Modi over the terrorist attack
on the Pathankot air force base and said
the government had failed to protect
the country.
“The Modi government has failed to
protect the country. If this government
continues like this, then instead of
‘achhe din’, it looks like we may lose our
country to terrorists,” Congress leader
and former home minister Sushil
Kumar Shinde told the media.
“Modiji used to say UPA ministers
served ‘biriyani’ to Pakistan, what now?
He himself went to meet (Pakistan
Goa gets foreign tourists,
vulnerable to attack
PANAJI: Goa was vulnerable to a terror
attack, especially because it attracts
foreign tourists, Director General of
Police TN Mohan said on Wednesday.
“Terror-wise, Goa is vulnerable. We
are getting foreign tourists, they could
be targets,” Mohan told reporters on the
sidelines of a police event.
“Goa is a popular tourist destination.
We are prepared for this. We have our
ATS (Anti Terrorism Squad). We have
IRBs (India Reserve Battalion), which is
deployed especially during season. And
we work on the basis of intelligence
provided to us by intelligence agencies.”
Goa attracts more than three million
tourists annually, half a million of who
are foreigners.
Asked about the death of security
personnel at the Pathankot air base in
Punjab, Mohan said: “Collateral damage
happens because they (terrorists) come
ready to get killed. Therefore, a certain
level of damage is obvious,” he said.
“Wherever such an incident
happens, damage will happen. That is
because those who are intruding come
prepared for death. Collateral damage
cannot be ruled out in any act of terror,”
he added. — IANS
Prime Minister) Nawaz Sharif.
What did he discuss there? Were
there any press releases? We are in the
dark about what they discussed,” he
said.
He also said that the NDA
government should send a clear signal
to Pakistan that terrorist attacks will
not be tolerated.
“India can be a friend of Pakistan
but that country should take action
against terrorism,” he said.
Shinde also said that whenever
there was a Bharatiya Janata Party
government at the centre, instances of
terrorism go up.
“In 1999, IC-184 hijack happened.
The then foreign minister accompanied
terrorists to Kandahar and released
them. During NDA-I, there were
hijackings, attacks on Red Fort, Jammu
and Kashmir assembly and parliament.
Whenever BJP comes to power,
terrorism increases,” he said. — IANS
SMOKED FISH
Fish are smoked for several hours beside the fire in the rural village of Umladkhur. — Reuters
The movable and immovable assets of the three companies will be disposed of according to government policy
Closure of three HMT companies approved
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee
on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on
Wednesday approved the closure of
three Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT)
companies — HMT Watches, HMT
Chinar Watches and HMT Bearings.
“With a cash assistance of Rs 427.48
crore, the three loss making subsidiaries
of HMT Ltd namely HMT Watches
Ltd, HMT Chinar Watches Ltd, HMT
Bearings Ltd, will attain closure
after separation of about a thousand
employees through attractive VRS/VSS
and settlement of their dues,” the CCEA
said in a statement.
The employees will receive Voluntary
Retirement Schemes at 2007 pay-scales.
The movable and immovable assets
of the three companies will be disposed
of according to government policy, the
statement added.
Of the 31 Central Public Sector
Enterprises (CPSE) operating in
manufacturing,
consultancy
and
contracting services, only 12 are making
profits while the remaining 19 are
incurring losses.
Each and every loss making CPSE
is appraised and assessed to check the
feasibility of revival and return to profit
by the department of heavy industries.
A view of Hindustan Machine Tools factory in Kochi.
“As a part of this exercise, the loss
making CPSEs having the potential of chronically sick are disinvested or closed to employees,” the statement said.
turnaround are revived and those found down after payment of due compensation
State-run diversified manufacturing
company HMT posted a stand-alone loss
of Rs 24.25 crore in Q2 2015-16.
The watch subsidiary of HMT, with
1,004 employees, has two factories in
Bengaluru, one at Tumkur, 70 km from
Bengaluru, and another at Ranibagh.
The Chinar unit, with 31 employees,
has a defunct factory at Srinagar in
Kashmir and an assembly unit at Jammu,
while the bearing arm has 56 employees.
In October 2015, during the German
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s state visit to
India, HMT was one of the five Indian
companies which forged collaboration
with German companies. HMT inked an
agreement with Fraunhofer in the field
of machine tools. — IANS
11
IN BRIEF
Amit Jogi
suspended for
six years
RAIPUR: Congress on Wednesday
suspended its legislator Amit Jogi,
son of former chief minister Ajit Jogi,
for six years over his alleged role in
fixing the Antagarh by-election in
2014.
Chhattisgarh Congress chief
Bhupesh Baghel said the party has
acted and now it was Bharatiya Janata
Party’s turn to act against those who
were involved in the “murder of
democracy” in Antagarh.
Addressing mediapersons after
suspension in Raipur, Amit Jogi said:
“I am hurt, the decision to expel
me without proving the allegations
against me, is biased and unfair,”
he said. “I will exercise my right to
appeal under rule 8 of article 9 of
party’s Constitution. I have full faith
in party’s leadership,” he added.
The Congress had earlier issued
notice to Amit Jogi over reported
purported
conversations
that
suggested that financial inducement
was offered to the party candidate to
make him withdraw from the fray in
the by-poll to Anantgarh assembly
seat in 2014.
The party had also demanded
resignation of Chief Minister Raman
Singh and a probe into the issue by a
Supreme Court judge.
Policeman
accidentally
shoots himself
NEW DELHI: A 32-year-old Delhi
Police constable with the antiterrorist unit died after a bullet
accidentally fired from his own AK47 assault rifle pierced his jaw here
on Wednesday morning during a
raid conducted by his unit to arrest
a criminal, police said.
Anand Khatri, who was
transferred to the Special Cell
around two months ago from the
traffic police, suffered the injury
around 5.40 am in Rohini Sector 21
during the raid carried out to arrest
Ashok alias Sonu Pandit, a member
of the Ravinder Bholu gang.
Ashok was reportedly involved
in half a dozen cases of murder,
robbery and other crime. The
30-year-old Ashok, who carried a
bounty of Rs 20,000 on his arrest,
was arrested.
“Khatri
accidentally
shot
himself with his own AK-47 rifle.
He was rushed to a hospital where
he was declared dead,” Special
Commissioner of Police Arvind
Deep said.
“Khatri lost control while scaling
down a wall of the building which
was raided by a team of our officers.
Aamir still
Incredible India
ambassador
NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar
Aamir Khan is still the brand
ambassador of Incredible India, the
government said on Wednesday.
The tourism ministry issued the
clarification following reports in a
section of the media that Aamir had
been removed as the ambassador of
the campaign aimed at promoting
tourism in the country.
“In response to certain news
reports, about Aamir Khan, the
ministry of tourism clarifies there is
no change in the stand of the ministry
in this matter,” the statement read.
The ministry said it had a
contractual agreement with creative
agency McCann Worldgroup to
produce a social awareness campaign
and this featured Aamir, one of
Bollywood’s most popular names.
The
actor-producer
came
under criticism in November
after his comments on “growing
despondency” in India. — IANS
12
PAKISTAN EXPELS BANGLADESH DIPLOMAT
T H U R S DAY l J A N U A R Y 7 l 2 0 1 6
Pakistan has asked Bangladesh to withdraw
one of its diplomats from Islamabad,
Dhaka said, in apparent retaliation after
the expulsion of a Pakistani envoy who
allegedly funded an extremist on trial for
espionage. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary
Shahidul Haque said Islamabad had asked
Dhaka to recall senior diplomat Moushumi
Rahman (left) from its high commission in
the Pakistani capital within 48 hours.
WORLD
Coca-Cola blames ad agency for map
showing Crimea as part of Russia
MOSCOW/KIEV: US drinks firm
Coca-Cola on Wednesday blamed a
marketing agency for a map used in
an online advertising campaign that
showed Crimea to be part of Russia and
which drew protests and threats of a
boycott from angry Ukrainians.
Russia annexed the peninsula
from Ukraine in March 2014, leading
to condemnation from Western
governments which imposed sanctions
on Russia in response. Only a handful
of countries have recognised Crimea’s
incorporation into Russia.
In a statement on Wednesday,
Coca-Cola said: “We, as a company,
don’t support any political movements.
The company has removed the post
and apologises for the situation that
occurred.”
Coca-Cola said that the map,
which appeared on December 30 on
Coca-Cola’s page on VKontakte, a
Russian social networking site similar
to Facebook, had been changed by an
advertising agency without Coca-Cola’s
approval.
Furious Ukrainians took to social
MAO STATUE SETS OFF WAVE OF CRITICISM
A huge statue of modern China’s founder
Mao Zedong built in the province of Henan
has caused an outcry on social media.
The 37-metre-high statue of the former
chairman of the Communist Party of China
cost around 3 million yuan (426,000 euros),
according to media reports. Social media
users criticised the project, noting that the
province of Henan was the epicentre of a
famine that caused millions of deaths.
Turkey’s Erdogan calls for
action against opposition
TROUBLED: The Kurdish region has sunk into its worst violence
People gather outside a Coca-Cola promotional tent in central Kiev. — Reuters
media to vent their anger against CocaCola, and some threatened to boycott
the company’s products.
Ukraine’s embassy in the United
States said in a statement on its
Facebook page that it had expressed
concerns to the company and to the US
State Department.
“The Embassy emphasised that
Coca-Cola’s actions violate the official
US position condemning Russia’s illegal
occupation of Crimea, which is and has
always been an integral part of Ukraine,”
the statement said.
Coca-Cola is not the only
multinational company to have
inadvertently faced embarrassment
recently because of the festering tensions
between Russians and Ukrainians.
Google said on Tuesday that
problems experienced by some users
in translating terms into Russian from
Ukrainian using Google Translate were
the result of errors in its automated
algorithms, Russian agency RBC
reported.
— Reuters
COCONUT BIRDHOUSE
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Tayyip
Erdogan said on Wednesday some
lawmakers and local mayors from the
pro-Kurdish opposition were behaving
like members of a terrorist organisation
and renewed his call for legal action
against them.
The
predominantly
Kurdish
southeast has sunk into its worst
violence since the 1990s after a two-year
ceasefire between Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) militants, who are fighting
for greater autonomy, and the state
collapsed last July.
Erdogan and the government accuse
the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic
Party (HDP), parliament’s third-biggest
grouping, of being an extension of the
PKK.
The HDP says it is opposed to
violence and wants a peaceful solution
for Turkey’s Kurds.
“In Turkey there is no Kurdish
issue but a terrorism issue. All ethnic
minorities have problems of their own
and we have always tried to solve these,”
Erdogan said in a speech to elected
neighbourhood administrators.
More Kurdish politicians were
likely to be prosecuted, he said, urging
the authorities to treat them on equal
terms as members of the PKK, deemed
a terrorist group by Turkey, the United
States and the European Union.
“I believe parliament and the
judiciary are obliged to act against
lawmakers who behave like members
of the terrorist organisation,” he said,
Turkish riot police stand guard outside the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party
(DBP) headquarters in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.— Reuters
although he said he was opposed to
closing political parties down.
“Titles like lawmaker, mayor or
head of a party can’t save anyone from
being held accountable before the law
if they have sided with the terrorist
organisation.”
Clashes have intensified in recent
days as a large-scale military campaign
entered its fourth week.
Residents have complained the
operations are indiscriminate and that
round-the-clock curfews have left even
the sick unable to get to hospital.
Turkish tanks on hills around Cizre,
a town bordering Iraq which has seen
some of the heaviest fighting, pounded
targets inside the city on Wednesday
as dozens of people including children
left with bags and luggage, Reuters TV
footage showed.
Authorities say the military campaign
is targeting PKK militants not civilians,
and that it was launched in response to
attacks on the security forces.
A soldier died from his injuries on
Wednesday after coming under attack
by militants in the province of Sirnak.
A police officer was wounded in a
bomb attack elsewhere in the province.
Erdogan urged parliament to lift the
immunity of politicians with suspected
links to militants after a prosecutor
launched an investigation into HDP
co-head Selahattin Demirtas, a call he
repeated on Wednesday.
— Reuters
AROUND THE GLOBE
Regime, rebel fire kills 20 in Damascus
A Eurasian blue tit sits on a coconut shell serving as a birdhouse on Wednesday in Essen, western Germany.— AFP
Ouattara promises to reduce poverty and calls for ethnic reconciliation
Ivory Coast’s president seeks
‘more efficient’ government
ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast’s President
Alassane Ouattara (pictured) accepted
the resignation of his government on
Wednesday and prepared to select a new
administration in a sign of his political
strength after a landslide election
victory.
It is common practice in the region
for re-elected leaders to start afresh
rather than reshuffling their previous
government.
Ouattara promised to reduce poverty
and has called for ethnic and political
reconciliation after a decade of political
crisis.
He was elected to a second five-year
term in October with nearly 84 per cent
of the vote in a poll intended to resolve
almost a decade of crisis, capped by a
civil war in 2011.
Ivory Coast is French-speaking
Africa’s largest economy and the world’s
top cocoa grower, but many of its people
complain that they have not shared in
wealth generated by economic growth
rates of around 9 per cent in each of the
past three years.
While more jobs are available and the
minimum salary has increased, the cost
of living remains high.
Shortly after his election in October,
Ouattara promised the benefits of the
boom would be shared more widely, and
a poverty reduction plan was announced
in December reconciliation.
“We have started a new mandate
that must mark a new departure in the
direction of state affairs,” Ouattara said
in a meeting attended by the media on
Wednesday.
“The establishment of a new
government will have better coherence
as a goal so the government can be more
efficient.” The new government will be
announced next Wednesday, spokesman
Bruno Kone told journalists.— Reuters
Benin politicians
criticise PM’s bid
for presidency
COTONOU: A group of politicians
and union leaders in Benin say they
are opposed to Prime Minister Lionel
Zinsou standing for the presidency,
claiming he was “parachuted in” by
former colonial power France.
Zinsou, a Franco-Beninese
financier, quit last year as head of one
of Europe’s biggest investment funds
to become prime minister of the tiny
west African nation in a move that
surprised many.
In November, he was named
candidate for outgoing President
Thomas Boni Yayi’s Cowry Forces for
an Emerging Benin (FCBE) party at
elections on February 28.
A coalition of political and union
figures on Tuesday claimed there
was a plot to “impose” Zinsou as a
candidate and demanded France
explain itself.
Zinsou, 61, spent most of his career
in France where he notably served
as current Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius’ speechwriter when he was
prime minister.
He is the nephew of former Benin
president Emile Derlin Zinsou but
his detractors still say he has little
understanding of Benin and has not
spent much time in the country.
Government spokesman
Alassani Tigri described the claims
as “unacceptable” and said they
appealed to “hatred, racism, fear and
intolerance”.
“Our compatriot linked to these
comments is a Benin citizen through
and through. No law of the land
excludes his run for the presidency,”
he said in a statement. — AFP
DAMASCUS: Government and rebel bombardment killed at least 20 civilians and
wounded dozens in the Syrian capital and a nearby opposition bastion on Wednesday,
state media and a monitoring group said.
Mortar rounds fired from the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region onto residential
areas of Damascus left eight civilians dead and 23 wounded, the official SANA news
agency reported.
The attack came after the regime fired rockets onto the Eastern Ghouta town of
Douma earlier in the day, killing five civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights, a British-based monitor.
Eastern Ghouta, which is largely controlled by the Jaish rebel group, is regularly
bombarded by government forces.
Seven other civilians, including a child, were later killed in government air strikes on
the nearby towns of Hazzeh and Zamalka, the Observatory said.
The monitor also gave the same toll as state media for the attack on Damascus and
said some of the wounded there were in critical condition.
More than 260,000 people have been killed since Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011
with protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s government. — AFP
Costumed children attend the traditional Epiphany parade in Warsaw on
Wednesday. — AFP
Germany investigates gangs linked to assaults
BERLIN: German police is investigating whether the mass assaults committed in
Cologne on New Year’s Eve are linked to a North African crime gang that has been
known to them for more than 18 months.
Dusseldorf police confirmed that a special unit named “Casablanca”was
investigating 2,000 individuals involved in a Dusseldorf-based organised crime
network and that it has been working with Cologne police to determine whether it
may be behind the recent assaults.
No arrests have been made for the crimes that have stunned Germany.
Police said on Wednesday that it was investigating three suspects, but refused to
elaborate.
Five men taken into custody on Sunday were later found to have committed
unrelated crimes.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has strongly criticised the police for its failure
to bring the events on New Year’s Eve under control.
More details about that night began to emerge on Wednesday after false reports of
1,000 suspects circulated widely the day before. — dpa
REGION
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
IRAN-SAUDI ROW AFFECT OPEC UNITY
BLOW: Escalating diplomatic crisis makes searching for new compromise on oil prices more difficult
PARIS: Escalating diplomatic tensions
between Iran and Saudi Arabia have
added fresh strains on OPEC’s unity,
further dimming prospects of a
production cut needed to raise rockbottom oil prices, experts said.
The cartel that produces a third of
the world’s oil used to restrain output to
maintain prices, but it abruptly shifted
gears in 2014 as Saudi Arabia moved to
squeeze out new high-cost competition,
in particular from US shale producers.
The consequence has been crude oil
prices tumbling some 60 per cent since
mid-2014, falling below $40 (37 euros).
Crafting a new way forward has
become yet tougher since Saudi Arabia
executed prominent cleric Nimr al Nimr
at the weekend, triggering a sectarian
standoff with Iran.
“What’s happening at the moment
between Iran and Saudi Arabia makes
searching for a compromise even more
difficult,” said Francis Perrin, president of
Strategy and Energy Policy publications.
Gulf countries, led by top OPEC
producer Saudi Arabia, refuse to cut
production unless the oil-producing
states that are not members of the group
agree to do the same.
A cut would likely help prices climb.
Though the Saudis have thus far had
their way, this unbending stance has
been financially painful for the 13 OPEC
nations, including Algeria, Venezuela
and Nigeria, which draw most of their
revenues from black gold.
For its part, Iran, the other pillar of
OPEC, has no intention of curbing its
production with the lifting of Western
sanctions just on the horizon, which
would allow it to resume crude oil
exports.
“OPEC has no policy at the moment
as it’s everyone for themselves,” said Ole
Hansen, a Saxo Bank analyst.
“In the short term, there is no
chance of an agreement within OPEC
regarding production, and assuming
there was some small chance, it has
disappeared with the current crisis in
relations between Saudi Arabia and
Iran,” said Pierre Terzian, head of the
Petrostrategies weekly.
In addition to their political and
religious rivalries, the two Middle
Eastern powerhouses are also clashing
over their share of the oil market.
From Iran’s perspective, “it would
be fair” for other OPEC members,
including Saudi Arabia, to “cut their
production in 2016 to make some room
(for Iran) without pushing prices down
further,” said Perrin.
However, in Riyadh “additional
revenue means Iran will have a greater
capacity to be a nuisance,” in the region,
Perrin added.
On top of that, the kingdom, which
has been overtaken in production by the
United States, has not given a second’s
thought to cutting its output.
At the end of December, Saudi Oil
Minister Ali al Naimi said “we no longer
limit production.
— AFP
League to mull
Palestinian
bid for UNSC
PLIGHT OF THE PALESTINIANS
RAMALLAH: An Arab League
meeting in Egyptian capital Cairo will
next week discuss a Palestinian bid for
a place on the UN Security Council
(UNSC), a senior official said.
Arab foreign ministers are likely
to attend the meeting, Saeb Erekat,
secretary general of Palestine
Liberation Organisation (PLO) said.
The meeting will also tackle the
latest developments in the Palestinian
territories and the current violent
tensions between the Israelis and the
Palestinians, Erekat said.
Erekat, who is currently in Cairo,
on Tuesday met Arab League chief
Nabil al Arabi and Egyptian Foreign
Minister Sameh Shoukry.
The Arabs and Egypt support the
Palestinian bid to the UN Security
Council, he added. Also, Palestinian
Foreign Minister Reyad al Malki is
visiting France as part of ongoing
efforts to lobby for the Palestinian
bid to the UN for full recognition of
a Palestinian state. The Palestinian
moves come as a current wave of
violence between the Palestinians
and Israel has killed more than 120
Palestinians and 21 Israelis since it
broke out in October last year.
The violence started in East
Jerusalem, triggered by increasing
visits of Israelis to the Al Aqsa Mosque
compound.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al Jaafari (L) and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif hold a press
conference in Tehran on Wednesday.
— AFP
Iraq offers to mediate between Saudi and Iran
BAGHDAD: Iraq dispatched its foreign
minister to Tehran on Wednesday with
an offer to mediate in an escalating
feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran,
reflecting Baghdad’s fears that new
sectarian conflict could unravel its
campaign against IS.
Saudi Arabia’s execution of dissident
Nimr al Nimr on Saturday has inflamed
sectarian anger across the Middle East,
infuriating Iran.
After demonstrators sacked the
Saudi embassy in Iran, Riyadh and
some of its allies cut off diplomatic ties
A Palestinian child plays with a chicken in Beit Lahia town, in the northern Gaza
Strip.
— AFP
with Tehran.
Iraq, where the government is
urgently trying to reach out to minority
as it seeks to retake territory controlled
by IS militants, is particularly vulnerable
to any upsurge in anger between the
sects.
Powerful Iran-backed Shi’ite militia
called on Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar
al Abadi to shut a Saudi embassy
that reopened only last month after
decades of strained ties.
Thousands rallied in central
Baghdad on Wednesday chanting
slogans against the Saudis.
Abadi sent Foreign Minister Ibrahim
al Jaafari to Tehran to help defuse the
crisis.
Speaking with his Iranian
counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif,
Jaafari said the row could have “wideranging repercussions”.
“We have solid relations with the
Islamic Republic (Iran)... and also we
have relations with our Arab brothers
and therefore we cannot stay silent in
this crisis,” Jaafari told the joint press
conference in Tehran. — Reuters
13
Five oil tanks
now on fire at
Libyan ports
after clashes
BENGHAZI: Fires caused by fighting
between IS militants and guards near
Libya’s biggest oil ports have spread
to five oil storage tanks that were still
burning on Wednesday, a guards
spokesman said.
Ali al Hassi said the Petroleum
Facilities Guards were in control of
Es Sider and Ras Lanuf ports, but that
clashes continued.
At least nine guards were killed
and more than 40 injured in fighting
around the perimeter of the area
on Monday and Tuesday. Hassi said
guards had recovered bodies of 30 IS
fighters, and had also captured two
military tanks and other vehicles from
the militants.
Four of the fires are at Es Sider and
one at Ras Lanuf. Two blazes were
triggered by shelling from IS, and fire
had spread to three more, Hassi said.
Mohamed al Manfi, an oil official
in eastern Libya, said each of the four
oil tanks was estimated to contain
420,000 to 460,000 barrels of oil.
Es Sider and Ras Lanuf have been
closed since December 2014.
They are located between the city of
Sirte, which is controlled by IS, and the
eastern city of Benghazi. Libya is split
between political factions and armed
groups competing for power and for
the country’s oil wealth, four years
after the revolution. — Reuters
UN: Civilian deaths continued in
Yemen as ceasefire unravels
SANAA/NEW YORK: At least 81
civilians died and 109 were injured in
Yemen during December as a ceasefire
that began in the middle of the month
quickly unraveled, the United Nations
reported.
The UN said that 62 of the civilian
deaths in December were caused by
air strikes by the Arab coalition that is
fighting against Houthi rebels in the
country.
The total civilian death toll between
March, when the coalition began air
strikes, and the end of December stands
at 2,975 with over 5,300 people injured.
The UN also warned that it had received
reports of cluster bombs being used by
coalition forces.
Meanwhile, two provincial governors
loyal to Yemen’s President Abd Rabu
Mansour Hadi survived a suicide attack
on their convoy in Hadi’s temporary
capital, Aden, on Tuesday.
Aden Governor Aidarous Zubeidi’s
bodyguard died in the attack, which
came less than a month after his
predecessor was killed in a car bombing
claimed by the IS extremist group.
There was no immediate claim of
responsibility for Tuesday’s attack.
Local militias allied to Hadi and
backed by Gulf forces recaptured Aden
from the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in
July, but the government has struggled
to impose its control.
Yemeni blind and disabled people protest after the centre for the blind was
reportedly destroyed by coalition air strikes in Sanaa on Wednesday.
IS fighters have claimed several
deadly attacks in Aden. Al Qaeda
fighters, who control a large area
of south-eastern Yemen, are also
present in the city. On Monday, Hadi
inspected Aden’s seaport, Yemen’s main
commercial port, after a newly formed
official security force gained control of
it from local militiamen who had been
refusing to hand it over.
Elsewhere in Yemen, intense air
strikes have been reported in the last
few days in an apparent stepping-up of
the Saudi-led air campaign against the
Houthis.
— AFP
A school for blind children and
adults in the capital Sanaa was hit
overnight in one of the strikes, injuring
four students, its director said.
On Saturday, the coalition against the
rebels announced the end of a ceasefire
that had had little effect on the ground.
The rebels continue to claim regular
attacks on Saudi Arabia’s border posts,
and front lines in the centre of the
country have barely changed in months.
The conflict is taking a massive toll
on the civilian population of what was
already one of the poorest countries in
the Arab world. — dpa
Under the terms, Turkey can only block Russian naval shipping if war is declared or if it feels under an imminent threat of war
Despite tensions, Russia’s ‘Syria Express’ sails by Istanbul
ISTANBUL: It’s an occasional but
regular sighting in Istanbul. Out of the
mist on the Bosphorus that divides
Europe and Asia looms the hulk of a
Russian warship purposefully making
its way to the Mediterranean.
Most likely the ship is part of
Moscow’s so-called “Syria Express”, a
key supply line for naval deliveries from
its Black Sea ports to military operations
backing the regime of President Bashar
al Assad in Syria.
Dozens of Russian warships, auxiliary
naval cargo ships and sometimes even
submarines have passed through the
Bosphorus Strait, northbound and
southbound.
Every month since Russia stepped
up operations inside Syria last year,
according to maritime experts.
But the sight of a Russian warship in
Istanbul is striking given that Moscow
and Ankara are experiencing their worst
relations since the end of the Cold War
after the shooting down of a Russian
warplane by Turkish jets on the Syrian
border on November 24.
The two countries back opposing
sides in Syria’s almost five-year civil war,
with Russia the key supporter of the
Damascus regime while Turkey argues
that the ouster of Assad is essential to
solving the Syrian crisis.
Analysts say that Turkey is bound by
the 1936 Montreux Convention on the
Dardanelles and Bosphorus, a treaty that
gives Ankara full control over the two
Straits while committing it to allowing
the free passage of naval traffic from The Russian Navy landing ship Minsk sets sail in the Bosphorus, on its way to
Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul on Wednesday. — Reuters
Black Sea littoral states.
Under its terms, Turkey can only
block Russian naval shipping if war is
declared or if it feels under an imminent
threat of war.
“Since there is no declared war
between these two countries it is not
possible for Turkey to close the Straits
to Russian warships,” said Cem Devrim
Yaylali, Istanbul-based Turkish naval
expert and editor of the Bosphorus
Naval News website.
He said that even “in the worst days
of the Cold War” — pitting NATO
member Turkey against the Soviet
Union — Ankara and Moscow both
observed the treaty.
Mikhail Voitenko, Russian maritime
expert and editor of the Maritime
Bulletin website, said that the supplies
delivered via the Bosphorus were a
“lifeline” for the Syria campaign.
“Without the Syrian Express, the
Syrian campaign would choke in days
or weeks.” The ships come from Russia’s
Black Sea naval port or its Sevastapol
base in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula
annexed by Moscow in 2014 in a move
opposed by much of the international
community including Turkey.
After entering the Black Sea mouth
of the Bosphorus, they sail through the
iconic waterway in full view, passing
famous landmarks like the Ottoman-era
Dolmabahce and Topkapi Palaces.
They then sail across the Sea of
Marmara before passing through the
Dardanelles and turning south towards
the Mediterranean coast of Syria and
Russia’s naval base at Tartus, its only
such facility outside the ex-USSR.
14
AMERICAS
omandailyobserver
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
IN BRIEF
AH1N1 death
of migrant
alarms Panama
PANAMA CITY: A Cuban migrant’s
death from the AH1N1 influenza
virus has alarmed authorities in
Panama, where nearly 1,000 other
Cubans are stranded near the border
with Costa Rica, according to an
official.
The country’s health ministry
said the 53-year-old Cuban man was
taken to a hospital near the border
on Saturday and died the next day of
“severe respiratory problems” linked
to the virus.
Two other Cubans admitted at the
same time with similar symptoms
were said to be doing well under
special supervision.
Authorities were now examining
sanitary conditions for the hundreds
of Cuban stuck on the border, which
Costa Rica has closed to them since
December 19.
They have started vaccinations
and say they are ready to contain any
outbreak of the flu strain.
Nearly 8,000 other Cubans are
currently in Costa Rica, stranded
there by Nicaragua’s decision midNovember to likewise prevent them
passing through its territory on their
way to the United States.
US scientists
develop highly
efficient biofuel
NEW YORK: Scientists at a US
university have created a highly
efficient biomaterial that catalyses the
formation of hydrogen — one half
of splitting H2O to make hydrogen
and oxygen for fuelling cheap and
efficient cars that run on water.
“Essentially, we’ve taken a virus’s
ability to self-assemble myriad genetic
building blocks and incorporated
a very fragile and sensitive enzyme
with the remarkable property of
taking in protons and spitting out
hydrogen gas,” said study author
Trevor Douglas, the Earl Blough
professor of chemistry at the Indiana
University (IU). “The end result is
a virus-like particle that behaves
the same as a highly sophisticated
material that catalyses the production
of hydrogen,” Douglas added.
The genetic material used to
create the enzyme, hydrogenase, is
produced by two genes from the
common bacteria Escherichia coli,
inserted inside the protective capsid
using methods previously developed
by these IU scientists.
The genes, hyaA and hyaB, are
two genes in E coli that encode key
subunits of the hydrogenase enzyme.
Central America
records 17,422
murders in 2015
SAN
SALVADOR:
Central
America’s
so-called
Northern
Triangle — Guatemala, El Salvador
and Honduras — recorded a total
17,422 murders in 2015, 11 per cent
higher than for 2014, according to
preliminary police tallies.
The figures released this week
confirmed the region’s reputation for
the worst homicide rates in the world
outside of war zones, driven by gangs
that wage vicious turf battles and seek
to exert brutal control over citizens.
The everyday danger of violent
death has helped push many residents
in those countries to try to emigrate
to the United States.
“The rising death tally in the
Northern Triangle is shameful and
clearly shows that the social conflict
is major and needs regional efforts to
confront it,” a Salvadoran analyst and
university professor, Roberto Canas,
said.
According to the police numbers,
El Salvador was the country mainly
responsible for the Northern Triangle
increase.
SANDERS VOW:
BREAK UP LARGEST BANKS
WALL STREET
REFORM: Vermont
senator urges
increased penalties
for financial fraud
US Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
— Reuters
WASHINGTON: US Democratic
presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
warned on Tuesday that financialsector greed was “destroying the fabric
of our nation” and said the starting
point of any Wall Street reform effort
is breaking up “too big to fail” banks.
“If a bank is too big to fail, it is too
big to exist; when it comes to Wall Street
reform, that must be our bottom line,”
Sanders said in a blistering speech.
He said allowing banks that are
too big is essentially providing them
with a “free insurance policy” to make
risky investments knowing the US
government will prevent their collapse.
The US senator from Vermont — an
independent and a democratic socialist
popular with the Democratic Party’s
populist wing — gave his speech at a
theatre near New York’s Times Square,
just “a few subway stops away from the
epicentre of the global financial crisis,”
as his campaign put it.
Sanders also called for structural
reforms to the Federal Reserve, making
credit rating agencies nonprofit entities,
and a tax on speculative investments.
He urged increased penalties for
financial fraud or malfeasance by
institutions, calling fraud the business
model of Wall Street.
His remarks were laced with direct
and indirect criticisms of the policies
and track record of primary campaign
front-runner Hillary Clinton, whose
constituency when she was a US
senator from New York included the
financial industry.
The former secretary of state,
however, has taken a tougher stance
against Wall Street as a presidential
candidate.
Clinton, Sanders and former
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley
Trump questions
rival Cruz’s
Canadian birth
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders delivers a major policy
address on Wall Street reform in New York. — AFP
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets supporters at a
campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa. — Reuters
are vying to face the Republican
nominee in the November 2016
election.
Sanders and Clinton have tussled
over the best way to curb the risky
behaviour on Wall Street that caused
the 2008 financial crisis and triggered
the worst US economic slump since the
Argentina moves to
increase options
ahead of debt talks
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina has
swapped $16 billion in notes held
by the central bank for fresh dollardenominated bonds, the government
said on Wednesday as the country
moves to bolster reserves and
strengthen its hand against creditors
suing over defaulted debt.
Long-awaited negotiations with a
group of New York hedge funds that
sued in the US courts for full repayment
of defaulted sovereign bonds are set to
start in the days ahead.
The central bank also is talking with
investment banks about a financing
deal of up to $7 billion, another part of
its push to shore up reserves left thin by
previous President Cristina Fernandez.
Free-spending
interventionist
Fernandez was succeeded last month
by Mauricio Macri, who is opening
the economy. “The notes had to be
transferred into bonds before they could
be sold as a way of increasing central
bank reserves,” said Fausto Spotorno, an
economist with local consultancy OGF.
“The central bank could also try to
use the bonds as collateral for a loan,
at least in the local market and perhaps
with the international investment
banks,” Spotorno said.
The hedge funds, known as
“holdouts” for having rejected the
roughly 70 per cent repayment cuts
offered in Argentina’s 2005 and 2010
bond restructurings, are expected to
fight any bank loan deal until their suit
Argentine central bank
swaps $16 billion
notes in fresh dollardenominated bonds
is settled.
The case has dragged on for years
while Fernandez refused to negotiate
with funds she dismissed as “vultures,”
hamstringing Argentina’s finances by
keeping it locked out of the global bond
market.
The debt saga started with a 2002
crisis that threw millions of middleclass Argentines into poverty.
Many were helped by the generous
welfare spending of Fernandez, who
ruled from 2007 until last month.
But her interventionist policies took
a toll in the form of wide deficits, low
reserves and high inflation.
Banks involved in the financing talks
include HSBC Holdings Plc, JPMorgan
Chase & Co, Goldman Sachs Group
Inc, Deutsche Bank AG and Citigroup
Inc , according to sources familiar with
the negotiations.
Macri won the November election
on promises of rejuvenating the
economy by opening local markets
after years of strict currency and trade
controls.
His policies sparked a pre-Christmas
one-day currency drop of 26.6 per cent.
Great Depression.
Sanders favours breaking up toobig-to-fail banks and reinstating a
version of the Glass-Steagall Act, a
Depression-era law that prohibited
commercial banks from engaging in
investment banking activities.
— Reuters
RAINY
WASHINGTON:
Republican
presidential front-runner Donald
Trump has waded back into the
topic of eligibility for the US
presidency, telling the Washington
Post that rival Ted Cruz could run
into trouble if he won the party’s
nomination because he was born
in Canada.
Trump,
the
real-estate
billionaire,
had
previously
demanded that President Barack
Obama prove he was born in the
US. He appeared to re-enter that
“birther” arena with his latest
comments, which were published
on Tuesday.
Trump
dominated
the
Republican pack in a recent
Reuters/Ipsos national poll, but
Cruz leads the field in Iowa, the
first state to hold its presidential
nominating contest next month
ahead of the November 2016
election. Trump told the Post he
was not attacking Cruz, simply
repeating chatter he had heard
about Cruz’s birthplace.
But he said it could cause
problems, including potential
court challenges. “Republicans are
going to have to ask themselves the
question: ‘Do we want a candidate
who could be tied up in court for
two years?’ That’d be a big problem,”
Trump was quoted as saying in an
interview with the Post.”You don’t
‘Grand Warlock’
predicts
Trump defeat
MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s famed
“Grand Warlock” has predicted that
US presidential hopeful Donald
Trump will fail to reach the White
House — but the tycoon shouldn’t
worry too much: the forecaster
often gets things wrong.
With his tarot cards, whitebearded Antonio Vazquez also saw
fugitive Mexican drug lord Joaquin
“El Chapo” Guzman getting killed
and Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro falling from power.
Despite his spotty record,
Vazquez has attracted a gaggle of
journalists every year to hear his
predictions, which he has made for
the past two decades.
Vazquez, who wrongly foresaw
US President Barack Obama losing
his re-election bid in 2012, delved
into American politics again this
year. — AFP
want to be running and have that
kind of thing over your head.”
Presidents must be “naturalborn citizens” under the US
Constitution. Cruz was born in
Calgary, Alberta, but his mother
was a US citizen, which he says
meets the requirements to run.
— Reuters
DAYS
FIRST MAJOR EL NINO
STORM HITS CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES: The first major El
Nino storm of the season battered
southern California on Tuesday,
bringing heavy rain to the droughtstricken region and causing flooding
and mudslides in some areas.
The National Weather Service said
1.42 inches (3.6 cm) of rain fell at the
Los Angeles airport, breaking the old
record of 1.32 (3.4 cm) set in 1979.
Heavy rain was also reported in
other parts of the state, forcing several
roads to shut down and prompting
flash flood warnings and power
outages. Although the rain eased
by late afternoon, forecasters said
more thunderstorms were expected
on Wednesday and Thursday, and
possibly Friday.
The National Weather Service said
a flash flood warning remained in
effect through the evening Tuesday
for the San Diego region and other
coastal communities where residents
in low-lying areas were urged to move
to higher ground.
Several El Nino storms are expected
to hit California in the coming weeks,
but experts warn that the rainfall
will not be enough to help the region
recover from a historic drought.
El Nino is the name given to a
weather pattern associated with a
sustained period of warming in the
central and eastern tropical Pacific
which can spark deadly and costly
climate extremes. — AFP
Tourists wearing ponchos stand in the rain in Hollywood, California. An El Ninostrengthened storm brought widespread rain to drought-stricken California on
Tuesday, triggering flooding that clogged roadways, and authorities warned
residents about possible mud slides. — Reuters
A driver climbs out of a window of his car after driving onto a flooded road in Van
Nuys, California. — Reuters
EUROPE
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
Merkel to get
top medal
for handling
EU crises
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
speaks with German Family Minister
Manuela Schwesig on their arrival for
the weekly cabinet meeting on
Wednesday. — AFP
AMSTERDAM: German Chancellor
Angela Merkel will receive the
International Four Freedoms Medal
for her handling of several crises in
Europe.
“In the current migrant and refugee
crisis Merkel is committed to Europe’s
humanitarian duty to protect those
fleeing war and conflict in the Middle
East, Africa and Asia,” according to
a press release issued on Wednesday
from the Roosevelt Foundation.
She also played a crucial role
in managing the financial crisis in
the European Union and led the
negotiations to reach a diplomatic
solution in the Ukrainian crisis.
The International Four Freedoms
Medal is presented to men, women and
organizations dedicated to freedom of
speech, freedom of religion,freedom
from want and freedom from fear.
The values are derived from a
speech by former US President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941.
Previous award winners include
former US Presidents Harry S Truman
and Jimmy Carter as well as former
South African President Nelson
Mandela.
— dpa
FAVOURITE DESTINATION: Official says 3,200 refugees reaching the country daily
Still no drop in asylum seekers
reaching Germany, Berlin says
BRUSSELS: Germany has seen no drop
in the number of people arriving and
seeking asylum despite EU efforts to
confront a migration crisis, the deputy
interior minister said on Wednesday,
blaming a lack of controls at Europe’s
borders.
More than a million people fleeing
the Middle East and Africa arrived in
Europe in 2015.
Denmark began 2016 by imposing
checks on its border this week,
prompting the EU to call Germany,
Denmark and Sweden to a meeting in
Brussels.
Germany has been one of the most
seriously affected EU member states.
Sources in Berlin said on Wednesday
the country registered some 1.09 million
asylum seekers last year.
“We had an average influx of 3,200
refugees per day arriving in Germany,
and the numbers are not declining in
the last days,” Ole Schroeder, the deputy
German minister, told a briefing in
Brussels. “Our problem at the moment
in Europe is that we do not have a
functioning border control system,
especially at the Greece-Turkey border,”
Schroeder said.
The European Union is counting on
Turkey to help reduce the number of
migrants entering the bloc following
a deal between Brussels and Ankara
late last year for Turkey to absorb more
people fleeing Syria’s civil war.
Schroeder was speaking after
meeting with EU migration chief
Dimitris Avramopoulos and with
Danish and Swedish officials to discuss
temporary border controls after
Denmark implemented spot checks on
its border, raising new concerns about
WINTER IN FRANCE
Italy: World paying price of ‘war on terror’
consequences of what was supposed
to be a lightning war to eliminate the
terrorist threat,” the minister wrote in a
letter to Corriere della Sera.
Gentiloni was responding to a front
page editorial in the influential daily
which suggested Italy had erred by
rebuffing France’s call on its allies to join
an intensified anti-IS bombing campaign
after the Paris attacks and by emphasising
non-military efforts to weaken the
groups. “I am not aware of any French
request that Italy did not respond to,”
Gentiloni wrote. — AFP
British opposition leader sacks dissenters
LONDON: Britain’s opposition Labour
leader Jeremy Corbyn has sacked his EU
policy chief for disloyalty and moved
his pro-nuclear defence spokeswoman
to another job in an attempt to tighten
control over his rebellious parliamentary
party.
Corbyn, a veteran left-wing activist,
was overwhelmingly elected party
leader last year after tapping into a desire
for change among grass-roots party
members, including many new, younger
recruits. But his four-month tenure has
deepened divisions between him and
several of Labour’s leading lawmakers.
Members of his “shadow cabinet”,
The tents of migrants are seen at the statue of the Place de la Republique in Paris on Wednesday. — Reuters
the durability of the EU’s passport-free
Schengen area.
Germany, Denmark and Sweden
all said that they wanted to safeguard
the Schengen zone but that effective
controls on Europe’s external borders,
as well as other agreed measures, were
necessary.
The European Commission, which
has sought to help forge an EU migration
policy since the death of hundreds of
migrants in the Mediterranean last
April, underscored the limited progress
so far.
Of the 160,000 migrants that EU
governments have agreed to relocate
from Italy and Greece to other parts of
the Union, only 272 people have been
moved so far, it said on Wednesday.
Three centres for screening of
migrants in Italy and Greece, known
as hotspots, are operational, below the
OLE SCHROEDER,
Deputy German Minister target of 11, though Italy is due to add
two more early this year, it added.
Our problem at the
moment in Europe is
that we do not have
a functioning border control
system, especially at the
Greece-Turkey border
15
Denmark plans
to impose ID
checks on rail,
bus operators
BRUSSELS:
Copenhagen
is
considering identity checks for those
entering Denmark by mass transport,
the country’s migration minister
said Wednesday — a move that
would compel German rail and bus
companies to check IDs.
Sweden imposed a similar measure
on Denmark at the start of the week,
in an effort to control the number of
migrants reaching that country via its
Scandinavian neighbour.
Hours
later,
Copenhagen
temporarily reintroduced identity
checks on its border with Germany,
the only country with which it shares
a land border.
The three countries are members
of Europe’s Schengen border-freezone,
which is being put to the test by an
influx of migrants and asylum seekers.
More than 1 million people reached
the continent last year, with many
fleeing war and conflict in countries
such as Syria.
Germany and Sweden are among
the most common destinations for
people arriving in the European
Union, with Denmark also feeling the
pressure.
“We don’t wish to be the final
destination for thousands and
thousands of asylum seekers,” said
Danish migration Minister Inger
Stojberg, after talks in Brussels with
Swedish and German officials.
“We are... monitoring the situation
hour by hour and, if necessary,we will
put the carrier liability into force,” she
said of the plans to impose checks on
passengers to Denmark, noting that it
could happen with “very short notice.”
Since early September, some 91,000
refugees have arrived in Denmarkfrom
Germany, of whom 13,000 applied for
asylum.
— dpa
Salmond to host radio phone-in show
People participate in a sack race at a shopping centre in Paris on the first day of
the winter sales in France on Wednesday. — Reuters
ROME: Italian Foreign Minister Paolo
Gentiloni says the world is still paying
the price of a misguided ‘war on terror’
launched by the United States in reaction
to the 9/11 2001 attacks on its soil.
In a defence of Italy’s decision not
to actively participate in the current
bombing campaign against the so-called
IS group in Iraq and Syria, Gentiloni
argued on Wednesday that defeating
terrorism would take more than a
generation to achieve and that military
action could only play a limited role.
“We are still paying, after 15 years, the
omandailyobserver
who hold portfolios mirroring those
in government, had openly disagreed
with him over foreign and defence
policy — something that has hobbled
the party’s ability to challenge the ruling
Conservatives.
Labour said Emily Thornberry
would replace Maria Eagle as defence
spokeswoman.
Eagle was in favour of renewing
Britain’s nuclear-armed Trident submarine
programme, putting her at odds with
Corbyn who has argued that the more
than 100 billion-pound ($147 billion)price
tag to replace the country’s deterrent
could be better used. — Reuters
LONDON: Former Scottish first
minister Alex Salmond on Wednesday
vowed to “shoot from the hip” as it was
announced he would host a weekly
radio phone-in beginning next week.
“I am looking forward to discussing
all of the issues and taking calls from
every corner of these islands,” the
former leader of the Scottish National
Party (SNP) said ahead of his debut on
LBC, a London-based national talk and
phone-in radio station.
“When I was first minister of
Scotland, there were times when I
had to bite my tongue. However, now
unburdened from office, I can shoot
straight from the hip,” he added.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader
Jackson Carlaw said that the current
SNP leader and First Minister Nicola
Sturgeon “will be listening from behind
the sofa in fear of what embarrassment
her predecessor can now cause.”
The first half-hour show will be aired
on January 13, with LBC promising that
“no topic will be off limits”.
Salmond quit as first minister and
SNP leader after his party failed to gain
independence for Scotland in a 2014
referendum.
However, he sits in the House of
Commons in London after being
elected as member for the Scottish
constituency of Gordon in last year’s
general election.
“Alex Salmond is one of the most
outspoken
and
straight-talking
politicians, with in-depth knowledge
of Westminster and Scottish politics,
and we look forward to him joining our
powerful line-up this year,” said LBC Scottish member of parliament and former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond reacting
managing editor James Rea.
— AFP as he arrives to attend the State Opening of Parliament in central London. — AFP
The industrial action also hampered French and German high-speed train services
Two-day rail strike hampers train
services in Belgium and beyond
BRUSSELS: Rail operations in southern
Belgium were severely restricted on
Wednesday due to a 48-hour strike that
also interrupted train services to and
from neighbouring France, Germany
and Britain.
The industrial action was called
by trade unions in Belgium’s Frenchspeaking region of Wallonia, where
just 15 per cent of trains were operating
on the main routes early Wednesday,
according to the RTBF broadcaster.
By contrast, 68 per cent of trains
were running in the northern, Dutchspeaking, region of Flanders, RTBF
reported.
There are deep divisions between the
two parts of the country.
The strike, which began at 10 pm
(2100 GMT) on Tuesday, also affected
international services to and from
Belgium operated by Thalys between
French and German high-speed train
services.
The CSC-Transcom and CGSPCheminots trade unions organized the
strike in protest against a government
plan to modernize Belgian railway
operations, which they say will lead to
job losses, budget cuts and a dismantling
of railway infrastructure.
Trade unionists demonstrated late
Tuesday at Brussels’ international train
station, denouncing budgetary cuts
and underlining the need fora “strong,
accessible and high-quality” railway,
Belga wrote.
But Mobility Minister Jaqueline
Galant defended the government’s plans
A pedestrian walks on a platform during a two-day rail strike at a railway station in
central Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday. — Reuters
on Wednesday, stressing that the aim
Paris and the German city of Cologne, as
Eurostar trains were only running was to “rectify anomalies” and ensure
well as Eurostar connections to France between London and the French city of the quality of the service and not to
and Britain, the SNCB railway company Lille, the operator announced.
change the status of railway workers, —
wrote on its website.
The industrial action also hampered dpa
16
omandailyobserver
NORTH KOREA BOMB TEST
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
A-BOMB Vs H-BOMB
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
PARIS: North Korea said it had successfully
tested a miniature hydrogen bomb, which if
confirmed, would place it among a small group
of countries with such dangerous weapons.
The world’s nuclear arsenals have typically
comprised two types of warheads: atomic
bombs (A-bombs) such as those dropped
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and much more
powerful hydrogen, or thermonuclear bombs
(H-bombs).
A third category of “enhanced radiation” (ER)
warheads, once dubbed “neutron bombs” was
THE A-BOMB
Atomic bombs work on the principle of nuclear
fission, where energy is released by splitting atoms
of enriched uranium or plutonium encased in the
warhead.
The first test of an A-bomb took place in
July 1945 in New Mexico, United States, and
immediately demonstrated the new weapon’s
awesome power.
Hiroshima was destroyed by one A-bomb with
a uranium-fuel warhead that had the power of 15
kilotons (0.015 megaton). Nagasaki was destroyed
three days later by a plutonium A-bomb of similar
power, 17 kilotons, or the equivalent of 17,000
tons of TNT. The Soviet Union tested its first atomic
bomb in August 1949 in the desert of Kazakhstan.
developed using the thermonuclear principle,
but they are not considered to be widely
deployed at present.
WHO HAS NUCLEAR WEAPONS?
Britain, France, China, Russia and the United
States, the five permanent members of the
UN Security Council, officially have nuclear
weapons.
India and Pakistan also have nuclear
weapons along with Israel, which maintains a
policy of nuclear ambiguity, and North Korea is
known to have carried out tests.
If North Korea masters the technology
needed to produce miniature warheads, it
could conceivably use them to arm ballistic
missiles able to reach neighbours in Asia and
possibly the United States.
THE H-BOMB
The hydrogen, or thermonuclear bomb works on
the principle of fusion of two nuclei, and generates
temperatures similar to those found at the sun’s
core. When an H-bomb is detonated, chemical,
nuclear and thermonuclear explosions succeed
each other within milliseconds.
The nuclear explosion triggers a huge increase
in temperature that in turn provokes the nuclear
fusion. The first US test of an H-bomb was on
November 1, 1952 in the Marshall Islands, a chain
in the Pacific Ocean.
A year later the Soviet Union tested its own
H-bomb, and the largest blast to date took place
on October 30, 1961, when the Soviet “Tsar Bomba”
exploded in the Arctic with a force of 57 megatons.
ER WARHEADS
They are based on the thermonuclear principle of the H-bomb, but are designed to generate more radiation than energy, thus targeting people while limiting damage to buildings, bridges, and other infrastructures. The warhead was developed to stop tanks and
other armoured vehicles by killing or incapacitating their crews.
PRIDE AND POWER: Pyongyang
announced test soon after
5.1 magnitude quake detected
N KOREA
CLAIMS
DETONATED
+˨%20%
SEOUL: North Korea said it successfully
tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear
bomb on Wednesday, claiming a
significant advance in its strike capability
and setting off alarm bells in Japan and
South Korea.
The test, the fourth time the isolated
state has exploded a nuclear device, was
ordered by young leader Kim Jong Un
and successfully conducted at 10:00 am
local time (0130 GMT), North Korea’s
official KCNA news agency said.
“Let the world look up to the strong,
self-reliant nuclear-armed state,” Kim
wrote in what North Korean state TV
displayed as a handwritten note.
South Korean intelligence officials
and several analysts questioned whether
Wednesday’s explosion was indeed a
full-fledged test of a hydrogen device.
But the reported nuclear test drew
condemnation abroad, including from
China and Russia, North Korea’s two
main allies.
China expressed “resolute opposition”
and said it would lodge a protest with
Pyongyang.
No countries were given advance
warning of a nuclear test, South Korea’s
People watch a
news report on
North Korea’s
first hydrogen
bomb test at a
railroad station
in Seoul on
Wednesday.
— AFP
intelligence service said, according
to lawmakers briefed by intelligence
officials.
In previous such tests, Pyongyang
had notified China, Russia and the
United States beforehand, they said.
While a fourth nuclear test had been
long expected, the claim that it was a
hydrogen device, much more powerful
than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise,
as did the timing.
It ensures that North Korea will be
a key topic during the US presidential
campaign, and Republican candidate
Marco Rubio blamed North Korea’s
nuclear activities on President Barack
Obama’s “failed” foreign policy.
Rubio’s rival Donald Trump said the
onus was on China to solve what he
called the North Korean “problem”, and
if it did not, the United States “should
make trade very difficult for China.”
North Korea has long coveted
from
diplomatic
recognition
Washington, but sees its nuclear deterrent
as crucial to ensuring the survival of its
third-generation dictatorship.
“With Iran being off the table, the
North Koreans have placed themselves at
the top of the foreign policy agenda as far
as nation-states who present a threat to
the US”, said Michael Madden, an expert
on the country’s secretive leadership.
The device had a yield of about 6 kilotonnes, according to the office of a South
Korean lawmaker on the parliamentary
intelligence committee — roughly the
same size as the North’s last test, which
was equivalent to 6-7 kilo-tonnes of
TNT.
“Given the scale, it is hard to believe
this is a real hydrogen bomb,” said Yang
Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea
Defence and Security Forum.
“They could have tested some middle
stage kind (of device) between an
A-bomb and H-bomb, but unless they
come up with any clear evidence, it is
difficult to trust their claim.”
Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who
is president of Ploughshares Fund, a
global security organisation, said North
Korea may have mixed a hydrogen
isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb.
“Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they
could claim it is a hydrogen bomb,” he
said.”But it is not a true fusion bomb
capable of the massive multi-megaton
yields these bombs produce”.
The United States Geological Survey
reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that
South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles)
from the Punggye-ri site where the
North has conducted nuclear tests in the
past.
— Reuters
THURSDAY | JANUARY 7, 2016 | RABEE AL AWWAL 26, 1437 AH
P18
P19
P20
Inside
Wage gap linked to depression Lizards trained to avoid eating toxic toads Time for bhajan music to be recognised FOLLOW US ON:
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editor@omanobserver.om
IT’S TIME FOR FISHING
ABDUL RAZAK IS A LECTURER IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
AT SUR COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCES. BUT MORE THAN
AN ACADEMIC IN STUDENT CIRCLES OF THE CAMPUS, HE
IS POPULAR AMONG FISHING ENTHUSIASTS AROUND THE
HARBOUR. FOR MANY OF THE EXPATS GATHERING NEAR THE
HARBOUR, HE IS THE CONNOISSEUR WHO INSPIRES THEM
FOR FISHING AS A THRILLING HOBBY
Abdul Razak with his son
Q PRADEEP KUMAR A V
I
t is low tide. Time is set to go home, the
day’s catch was a handful; two medium
sized emperor fish (sharis) and a
bunch of small mackerels. Looking
ahead of the blue water dancing along
the glistening sunlight, Abdul Razak
started winding up his fishing line.
Many other fishers are still trying their luck on
the harbour, which is a full-time angling location
for expats and local hobbyists mostly during the
off-days. A young boy came near Razak and
enquired about his fishing rod. He took it in
hand and had a try. Razak was about to caution
him on casting it. The boy’s eyes were lustrous
seeing an ease of the line getting swirled back
and winding up on the reel. “Sadeeq (friend) it’s
really cool, I may buy a similar one very soon.”
Hearing his words Razak enquired whether
he is interested in fishing, “Yes,” he said, “for
some time…I wanted to try.”
“You should try it for sure, it’s interesting, you
will enjoy…”
Razak’s words are encouraging. He continued
packing back his fishing essentials.
Razak is a lecturer in Business Management at
Sur College of Applied Sciences. But more than
an academic in student circles of the campus, he
is popular among fishing enthusiasts around the
harbour. For many of the expats gathering near
the harbour, he is the connoisseur who inspires
them for fishing as a thrilling hobby. Apart from
hook and throw business, fishing is a serious
hobby for Razak.
At times, he goes to Masira Island driving
long distances to try different types of catch.
He began to enjoy this hobby since his
childhood days when he was in Malaysia. His
father was also a fishing enthusiast. And when
he moved to the United States for higher studies
he carried the hobby trying luck in waters there,
mostly in lakes and rivers of Iowa. Angling is a
serious business over there. One needs
to pay minimum licence fees
to the park authorities
and they allow
fishing only
in certain
months of the year. Caution, its not all fish
caught is for keeping, in case they are smaller in
size, one need to release them back to the waters.
He dived on to memories while narrating stories
of fishing Carp, Pike, Wall Eye and Catfish in his
Iowa days. In contrast to the US experience, he
says, fishing for hobby needs no licence in Oman.
Essentially, authorities can impose certain
licence fees for all and even rent out equipment
on hourly basis to entertain tourists who enjoy
angling. Besides that they should impose ‘catch
and release’ regulations for small fish.
The bigger pleasure for an angler is to feel
the jerk on arms when the fish takes the hook.
Impatience is the enemy of any beginner fisher
to fight with. Also, one requires concentration
and should maintain silent observation of the
surroundings to see that one is able to hook fish
at the right moment.
Popular as a well-liked outdoor recreation,
fishing is an everyday stress reliever from the
daily work environment. On an elementary level
one can start angling with a basic fishing rod and
reel. Primary art is to learn the knots. Making a
knot to tie the hook is different from joining two
broken line ends.
The sharpened, curved metal bit, as the shape
indicates, a fishing hook is one of the most
dangerous weapons in use, so handle with care!
Our gestures should show enough attention
to handle it carefully. Especially when kids are
around.
Choosing the right timing and appropriate
location for angling can reduce uncertainty of
the catch. Moon phases and tidal variations
also play a key role in the luck. Identifying bait
is also important. One should gain some basic
understanding of possible baits for the common
fish families in the nearby sea.
Along with the rod and reel, a detailed
checklist for fishing includes baits, scissors, rags,
knife, different hooks, lead sinkers (weights) and
an icebox.
Anyone who starts with this hobby
should feel that catching
a fish is equally
important
as
learning some
life lessons.
18
omandailyobserver
SPOTLIGHT
ANOUSHKA
performs at
ROHM today
MOHAMMED AL BALUSHI
morwared@hotmail.com
Youth and leadership
D
THE PERFORMANCE BY
INDIA’S SITAR VIRTUOSO AT
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE MUSCAT IS
IMPORTANT IN ITSELF AS A WORLDCLASS MUSIC RECITAL AND ALSO AS
ROHM’S FIRST CONCERT FOR SOLO
SITAR. WITH THIS UNIQUE CONCERT,
THE ROHM CELEBRATES AN ICONIC
INSTRUMENT THAT FLOURISHED
IN THE MUGHAL COURTS OF
INDIA IN THE 16TH AND 17TH
CENTURIES.
O
ne of the leading figures in World
Music today, sitar player and
composer Anoushka Shankar will
perform at the Royal Opera House
Muscat on Thursday at 7 pm. Her
performance at the ROHM is
important in itself as a world-class music recital and
also as the Royal Opera House’s first concert for solo
sitar. With this unique concert, the ROHM celebrates
an iconic instrument that flourished in the Mughal
courts of India in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Anoushka Shankar was thoroughly schooled in
Indian classical music. From the age of 9 Anoushka
studied exclusively under the guidance of her father
and guru, the legendary sitarist and composer Ravi
Shankar (1920-2012). She made her professional début
at the age of 13 and has since performed in prestigious
venues such as Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall.
Anoushka has championed her father’s orchestral
works in recitals with the world’s leading orchestras
under conductors such as Zubin Mehta.
Before the age of 20 Anoushka had recorded three
classical sitar albums with Angel/EMI and received the
first of her four Grammy nominations. A gifted and
visionary musician, she was the first Indian woman
as well as the youngest ever nominee in the Grammy
World Music category.
In her twenties, when Anoushka was established
as one of the world’s foremost classical sitar players,
she began to compose, exploring fertile ground in
the crossover between Indian music and a variety of
external genres including Western classical music,
flamenco, jazz, and electronic music.
Anoushka has collaborated in recordings with
a diverse range of musicians with luminaries such
as Sting, Joshua Bell and Herbie Hancock. She has
subtly incorporated traditional Indian sounds into a
panorama of contemporary music styles, bringing the
ancient spiritual roots of her music to today’s global
spectrum of audiences.
ROHM’s sitar concert is one of the seven world
music concerts this season. Highlights still to come are
the renowned African singer Salif Keifa with his golden
voice on January 28; The Silk Road theatrical dance
show by the Syrian company, Ornina on February 25
and 26; TROY, An Anatolian Legend on April 1 and 2;
and China’s Golden Dragon Acrobats on May 24 and
25 this year.
SPORT
ISM TEAMS SHINE AT CBSE NATIONAL ATHLETIC MEET
I
ndian School Muscat students did exceptionally
well in the 20th CBSE National Athletic Meet
held from December 26 to 30 at N H Goel World
School, Raipur, India. Over 150,000 athletes
from the CBSE affiliated schools in India and the
Gulf countries, who had qualified for the Nationals
at various cluster athletic meets conducted in various
locations, competed in this meet.
In under 19 boys’ category Alfred Menezes, Jeryl
Jacob, Mohammad Hisham, and Mohammed Ali Iqbal
and in under 16 girls’ category Bernice Thambiraja,
Anoushka Punja, Jennifer Catherine and Anakha
Anil made the school proud, defeating the strong
contenders of the meet and bringing home the silver
medals in 4x100 metres Relay Race and making it a
reason for double exhilaration.
This 20th National Meet becomes exceptionally
significant for ISM as the team experiences great
joy and pride of having obtained the unique training of coach Johns Abraham, the total number of
credit of winning athletic medals in all the CBSE medals in the CBSE National Athletic Meet has grown
National Athletic Meets held so far in different to 99.
venues across India. Under the supervision and
Principal Srinivas K Naidu, Senior Vice
W
omen who earn less than their
male counterparts despite having
equivalent education and workexperience are more likely to suffer
from depression and anxiety disorder as compared to
men, says a study.
“Our results show that some of the gender
disparities in depression and anxiety may be due to the
effects of structural gender inequality in the workforce
and beyond,” said lead author Jonathan Platt from
Columbia University in the US.
“The social processes that sort women into certain
jobs, compensate them less than equivalent male
counterparts, and create gender disparities in domestic
oes age matter in leadership? What should be the minimum and
maximum age to remain in the leadership? Can the youth lead?
Will leaders retire one day from leading? “I don’t think the youth
can lead because they are not matured”, said Dr Aba Bagr. However, proper
definition for being ‘matured’ did not emerge in the discussion. It has already
been agreed by many intellectuals and writers that leadership is a process.
Since it is a process, the youth can rightly be a part of this. Not necessarily,
the lead role should be in politics. The youth can be engaged in changing
the education system for better and encourage all youth for better education.
Leaders make a difference. It has been witnessed that changes have been
made in the world by many different people. Leaders always do things in
different ways and bring different results, and from those results the way of
living and thinking change. Can the youth lead or not? If the meaning of
leadership is about a process, then it can be said that the youth can lead.
In fact, they sometimes can lead better and bring great revolution. If the
youth follow traditional education, they may not be in the leading position.
Traditional system should be broken, and then someone can bring changes
and positive revolutions.
Many of us even are not familiar with the name ‘Mark Elliot Zuckerberg’
and some of us have difficulty in pronouncing it too. The fact is that he is the
one who introduced Facebook at the age of 19. He is the one who became
billionaire at the age of 23. As of December 2015 his personal wealth was
estimated to be around $ 46 billion. When we talk about leadership that
brings in changes, how many positive changes leaders like Obama have
brought about? What would be the number of Obama’s followers worldwide
and, for that matter, any other leader in the world? Not really too many.
In the third quarter of 2015, there were around 1.55 billion monthly active
users of Facebook. Can’t Zuckerberg, despite being so young, be considered
a revolutionary leader in the world of technology? To become a good leader
in the 21st century one is required to have courage, creativity and smartness.
Most of youths of today have them.
Most people of the current generation use Twitter, an online social media
forum, as a means of communication and an avenue to exchange opinions.
How many of us really know about its founders? One of the co-founders
was Jack Dorsey who founded the Twitter in 2006 and at that period he
was around 30 years of age. As of May 2015 Twitter had around 500 million
users. Is this not a change brought about by a youth? Today, Jack Dorsey is
ranked 11th among the richest Americans under age of 40 and 92nd richest
in technology.
Today, the leadership is not about poetic words and delivering speeches
on stage. It is beyond those things. The ‘Y’ generation has become more
intelligent, smart and creative. It means that the youth somehow can lead
better as they seek for needs and solutions rather than greed and excuses.
Is not the leadership about changes as well? Today, the main source of
information online is Google. Is it not? Who were behind introducing this
online service? One of them was Lawrence ‘Larry’ Page. He was around
the age of 25 at the time when Google was founded in 1998. He has gone
through this process after enrolling for a computer science PhD programme
at Stanford University.
Is it not true that leading is about changing someone’s life and style of
living? Most of the changes have been made by those youths who have
really contributed positively towards changing the way of life of most people
worldwide.
GAMING
Local gamers to take part in first
RB Player One Event tonight
O
Principal Deep Wilson and the entire ISM fraternity
congratulated the participants, their coach and
the Physical Education Department on this
accomplishment.
Wage gap linked to greater depression among women
RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT
AMONG WOMEN WHOSE
INCOME WAS LOWER THAN
THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS, THE
ODDS OF MAJOR DEPRESSION
WERE NEARLY 2.5 TIMES
HIGHER THAN MEN
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
labour have material and psychosocial consequences,”
Platt added.
The researchers found that among women whose
income was lower than their male counterparts, the
odds of major depression were nearly 2.5 times higher
than men; but among women whose income equalled
or exceeded their male counterparts, their odds of
depression were no different than men.
Where women’s incomes were lower than their
male counterparts, their odds of anxiety disorder were
more than four times higher. The findings are based on
data from a 2001-2002 US population-representative
sample of 22,581 working adults ages 30-65.
The researchers referred to the norms, expectations,
and opportunities surrounding the types of jobs
women occupy and the way those jobs are valued and
compensated relative to men.
“If women internalise these negative experiences
as reflective of inferior merit, rather than the result
of discrimination, they may be at increased risk for
depression and anxiety disorders,” Platt explained.
The study was published online in the journal Social
Science & Medicine. — IANS
nline gamers across Oman went head-to-head for five days during the
Red Bull Player One online qualification stage from December 18 to 22
for a chance to compete in a live Final tonight at VOX Cinemas, City
Centre Muscat.
Players battled in a real time strategy game, which challenges in-game heroes
across a variety of battlefields, maps and game modes. Only the top 16 gamers
made it through to the live Final to play one-on-one matches.
Players must move quickly, plan their attack and outwit their opponent,
avoiding their special skills, and then plan every move. Without the support of the
team, gamers cannot rely on support elsewhere; it is every player for themselves.
First prize will be a gaming PC equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX950
graphics card and runners up will receive a GTX950 card to add to speed and
power to their existing gaming rig.
Taking about the upcoming first time event, Chantelle Tavid, Regional
Marketing Manager, NVIDIA Middle East said: “We are delighted to expand
E-Sports in the Middle East on a professional and organised Level.”
The free for public event is being held in partnership with Omantel, Oman
Ministry of Tourism, VOX Cinemas, Power League Gaming, NVIDIA Middle
East, Hi Fm Muscat, Hala FM and See Muscat.
LIFESTYLE
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
19
NIZAR AL MUSALMY
nizar.nmh.musalmy@gmail.com
MY DAD IS MY HERO
F
ADIEU TO A TRADITION
Florida Indian tribe’s last alligator wrestler bows out
Q KERRY SHERIDAN
O
ON THE FINAL SUNDAY OF
2015, THE LAST REMAINING
MICCOSUKEE INDIAN IN THE
CENTURY-OLD TRADITION
OF WRESTLING ALLIGATORS
DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO STEP
DOWN, LEAVING NO SUCCESSORS
IN SIGHT AMONG THE TRIBE OF
AROUND 600 PEOPLE
Rocky Jim, Jr in action
n billboards across the Florida
Everglades, a burly Native
American man pries open an
alligator’s mouth, pressing his face
dangerously close to the reptile’s
80 glinting teeth. “Adventures
Await,” the ads promise, as motorists whiz by.
The man’s name is Rocky Jim, Jr, a 44-year-old
Miccosukee Indian who has been wrestling alligators
for 31 years, entertaining countless tourists from a
sand pit and pond beneath a chickee hut along the
Tamiami Trail, a two-lane road linking Miami to the
port city of Tampa.
But on the final Sunday of 2015, the last remaining
Miccosukee Indian in the century-old tradition of
wrestling alligators decided it was time to step down,
leaving no successors in sight among the tribe of
around 600 people.
The end came just minutes into the 1 o’clock show,
when Jim coaxed the alligator’s mouth open by gently
tapping its snout, then placed his hand inside.
The move is perilous only if something touches the
alligator’s palate — a drop of sweat, a grain of sand —
causing the jaw to reflexively snap shut.
While pulling out his hand, he rotated it slightly
and accidentally grazed a tooth.
The feeling was like “a door slamming on your
hand. With sharp teeth,” Jim said in an interview later.
But in the moment, as he looked down at his palm
and forearm encased in the alligator’s jaw, he had only
one thought: “Don’t shake.”
“If it shakes, my hand is going to go with it,” he said,
describing the thrashing motion alligators use to slice
up fresh meat, much the same way as sharks.
“Its natural instinct is to do that,” said Jim, who had
been bitten several times before.
Alligator wrestling is considered a Native American
tradition, first popularised in the early 1900s by a white
man, Henry Coppinger, Jr, the US-born son of Irish
immigrants, according to historian Patsy West.
Coppinger himself wrestled alligators, and recruited
natives — who lived alongside the reptiles and hunted
them — to perform, too.
Paying crowds flocked to see men climb on
alligators’ backs, open their jaws and flip them over
— with the effect of making them go limp for a few
minutes.
But today, the tradition is waning.
Animal rights group have criticised the shows,
casino revenue rather than alligator tourism often
provides cash flow for native tribes, and Indian youths
are increasingly turning to careers in modern society.
“The skills are not as common as they once were,”
said author and anthropologist Brent Weisman.
Some native alligator wrestlers still remain among
the larger Seminole tribe of some 2,000 people, which
shares a historical connection to the Miccosukees.
Those that remain “have decided to do it very
deliberately, not for a tourist attraction as it once was,
but as a way of keeping traditional Seminole culture
alive,” Weisman said.
Jim was 13 when he learned to handle alligators
from his father, Rocky Jim, Sr They would go out in the
canals of the Everglades in search of turtles, and the
elder would demonstrate how to move the creatures
away without hurting them, or getting hurt.
“Just see how they are moving and how they are
going to react,” Jim recalled his father saying. “Just read
their body language.”
Jim was in his 30s when the tribe asked him to
perform at the Indian Village, a tourist stop that
sells crafts, offers airboat rides and hearty foods like
pumpkin fry bread and catfish. He agreed.
Far from a punch-out, smack-down event as the
name “alligator wrestling” might imply, Jim became
famous for pulling wild, hissing alligators heavier than
his own 125-kilogram frame out of the water by their
tails, then tip-toeing around them, stroking them,
tapping them, even getting close enough to touch his
nose to the snouts of the most aggressive among them.
His secret?
“We just respect them,” he said.
When he first saw Jim perform, Pharaoh Gayles,
a 25-year-old wrestler of Puerto Rican, AfricanAmerican and Seminole descent, “thought he was a
little bit crazy.”
But he watched, and learned.
“He just really knows what he is doing and he has an
understanding of the animal.”
Recently, arthritis in his knee began to slow Jim
down, and he cut back to part-time.
But this winter, an annual festival beckoned. He
performed five shows on the first day, as Gayles knelt
in the pit with him and narrated for the audiences.
Driving home that evening to his home in a Miami
suburb, Jim saw a shadow of a man by the side of the
road. A couple of yards later, an owl flew in front of
him.
“For us, an owl means somebody will pass, and a
shadow is the same thing, so when they are together it
is a bad thing,” Jim said.
The next day, the alligator bit him.
Fortunately, the animal did not thrash. Gayles
helped open its jaws, which left Jim with seven
puncture wounds, and his mind made up to retire.
“I was just really waiting for the right time. I guess
this was the right time,” he said.
For Gus Batista, who wrestles alligators on a
Seminole reservation, Jim “has been a big partaker in
this beautiful art” and “has earned the right to bow out
honourably.”
And while Jim’s absence leaves a void, he has
already begun teaching his 13-year-old son to catch
baby alligators — not necessarily to make it his trade,
but to keep a tribal tradition alive. — AFP
or the whole of this week, I have been arriving home late, tired and
stressed — too exhausted that no one would miss noticing. In one of
the days, as I walked in the house, I found the mother of junior waiting
with the children and all of a sudden supper was served. We ate in silence,
and once done, I got up, went to the bedroom and shut the door behind me.
The next morning, I got out of the bedroom ready for the new day. I
found junior in the seating room finishing his homework. When he saw me,
he asked, “Dad, you are so quiet. Are you fine?” Since he was finishing his
school work, I just responded “I am fine” and went into the dining room
where his mother had set the table with delicious tasting crunchy rolled-in
crushed corn flakes. On one side of the table, there was bread cut into stars
then filled with sliced bananas, topped with cinnamon and toasted almonds.
She also served strawberries, honeydew melon, blackberry jam, tea and
orange juice. One thing about the mother of Junior, especially when it comes
to meals, is that everything gets neatly laid out and well arranged. You almost
seemingly do not have to ask for help to reach out to any serving.
I came out of that dining room feeling fresh. I washed my hands and
mouth, started singing while wiping my mouth with a tissue paper. I joked
and smiled at junior. He too smiled back, stood aside and pointed at me
saying “Now you are dad.” I was astonished by his statement and asked him
what he meant by it. He elaborated in his usual charismatic style saying
“you are always cheerful, fun loving and joyful. The whole of this week you
have been so quiet and tense, I became so worried”. The word “worried”
bothered me much. I was concerned that my son would torment himself
with disturbing thoughts so I pursued this conversation and it turns out
that when I am not in my usual self, he gets scared that whatever is wrong
threatens his sense of security and I happen to be at the centre of him feeling
safe. I came to understand from him that I am his hero. I did not know how
deeply ingrained this feeling was, until that morning. He shared how he feels
that I am the only one who truly supports him, encourages him to pursue his
interests even if they would lead to a dead end.
I was deeply moved by this feeling. I mean, I know that as a parent, it is
my obligation to be there for my child, but to know in specific terms what
my son needs from me at this very moment in time is an enormous and
outstanding sensation. I was in fact given to understand that I am actually
making a very valuable contribution in my son’s life. Not just right in the
sense of the words but doing what actually makes a difference to him. As a
learning, I also realised that my stability affects him, and even then, having
got this far, we have become one tight unit.
The father-child relationship is the defining factor of fatherhood role.
Fathers who are able to develop into responsible parents are able to create a
number of significant benefits for their children. Men grow into fathers and
fathering is a very important stage in the development of children. One of
the greatest gifts you can give to your child is being the greatest role model
he has ever witnessed.
CONSERVATION
Australian giant monitor lizards
trained to avoid eating toxic toads
A
ustralian scientists on Wednesday said they had devised an “innovative
method of conservation” through feeding giant monitor lizards small
cane toads so they won’t be killed by larger-sized amphibians.
Cane toads, an invasive species from Central and South America that were
introduced to Australia in 1935, are so toxic they can kill predators that try to eat
them and are continuing to spread across northern Australia at an estimated 40-60
kilometres a year.
Scientists have said the spread of the cane toads — which an Australian
university study found numbered about 200 million on the island continent —
was causing catastrophic population declines in predators.
But researchers from the University of Sydney said they were able to teach freeranging goannas in the Kimberley wilderness in northwestern Australia to avoid
eating the toxic toads about to invade the remote floodplain.
The scientists offered small, non-lethal cane toads to the wild yellow-spotted
monitors — which have experienced a 90 per cent plunge in population following
toad invasions — with further trials confirming “just one or two toad meals were
enough to convince a goanna not to eat another toad”.
The goannas quickly learnt to avoid the adult cane toads in the wild after being
exposed to the younger, smaller toads.
“After training, giant monitor lizards, known as goannas, survived when the
toads arrived, whereas untrained lizards were immediately killed,” lead researcher
Georgia Ward-Fear said of the study, which was published on Wednesday in the
Biology Letters journal.
“Our study provides the proof of principle required to set the framework for an
innovative method of conservation,” the researchers added in their paper.
“Releasing small toads, then, can offer a simple landscape-scale method to
conserve wildlife populations, by giving native predators an opportunity to learn
rather than die.
“Our study provides the first real evidence that this strategy is realistic.”
ENTERTAINMENT
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
20
TINSELTOWN
Selena Gomez wanted
to become slimmer
MELANGE
OF GENRES
S
inger Selena Gomez says because she
wanted to slim down, she “didn’t
want to eat anything” after performing
at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show
last year.
The 23-year-old star was one
of the musical acts at the event
last year and admits being on
the runway alongside the likes of
Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Lily
Aldridge and Candice Swanepoel
made her want a better body,
she has said in an interview to
Rolling Stones magazine, reports
femalefirst.co.uk.
“It makes you want to work out and
not eat anything. I did feel really short,
but it was really fun,” she said.
However, the “Same old love” singer didn’t
have too much to worry about because she knew there was no “pressure” on
her performance because she wasn’t the main focus of the show.
“The pressure wasn’t all on me. It was great to be able to dance with these
beautiful women,” she added.
Chalk n Duster
Q SANDEEP SHARMA
Chauranga
BOLLYWOOD’S SLATE
FOR THE FIRST MONTH
OF 2016 ITSELF TELLS
THE MYRIAD SHADES
OF CINEMA WHICH WILL
ENTERTAIN AND ENGAGE
AUDIENCES THIS YEAR.
THERE’S A BOUQUET OF
COMMERCIAL AS WELL
AS CONTENT-ORIENTED
FILMS IN THE FIRST
QUARTER OF 2016,
WHICH TRADE PUNDITS
HOPE WILL NOT JUST
RAKE IN THE MOOLAH
AT THE BOX OFFICE, BUT
WILL GIVE THE YEAR A
‘BRIGHT’ AND ‘BIG’ START
W
“
azir” and “Chauranga”;
“Ghayal Once Again” and
“Chalk n Duster”; “Airlift”
and “Kyaa Kool Hain Hum
3” — Bollywood’s slate for
the first month of 2016 itself
tells the myriad shades of cinema which will entertain and
engage audiences this year.
There’s a bouquet of commercial as well as contentoriented films in the first quarter of 2016, which trade pundits
hope will not just rake in the moolah at the box office, but will
give the year a “bright” and “big” start.
In fact, there’s hope that the movie exibition industry
will mint bigger business this year as compared to 2015 as
almost 20 big tickets movies, including those from Amitabh
Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar,
Salman Khan and two from Shah Rukh Khan, said Amit
Sharma, managing director, Miraj Cinemas.
Right from megastar Amitabh Bachchan to Akshay
Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Sunny Deol, Priyanka Chopra, Manoj
Bajpayee, Ritesh Deshmukh, R Madhavan, Sunny Leone,
Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif — these names
will add their magic to the silver screen in the first quarter
itself, with films of different genres.
“To start off, January is looking quite promising. In terms
of first quarter, whatever releases we have in front of us, we
definitely see variety in genres right from a niche film like
‘Chauranga’ to action thriller ‘Ghayal Once Again’ and adult
comedy ‘Maastizade’. Than ‘Saala Khadoos’ is a sports drama
film. “Also, in February we have romantic films like ‘Sanam
Re’ and ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’, biopic like ‘Neerja’ and a strong
undercurrent film like ‘Bollywood Diaries’. Then in March
there is ‘Jai Gangaajal’ and ‘Great Grand Masti’,” Girish Johar
of Zee Studios said.
Mumbai-based trade expert Rajesh Thadani believes there
are various films “which look commercially viable” in this
leap year.
“The first quarter slate looks good as compared to last year,
but obviously we have to wait and watch what better comes
out (through the year),” Thadani said; while Devang Sampat,
business head — Strategy, Cinepolis, pointed out that as
Wazir
compared to three mainstream movies last January, 2016 has
five of them.
The year 2015 proved to be lucky for Salman Khan as both
“Bajrangi Bhaijaan” and “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” did well at
the box office. This year, he will be seen in “Sultan”, which will
clash on Eid with “Raees”, starring Shah Rukh, who first has
an April release of “Fan”. Also, Aamir, who was missing from
action in 2015, will return to the silver screen with “Dangal”.
Asked about number of films expected to cross Rs 100 crore
mark, Thadani pointed out that as there is a big film releasing
every Friday in the first quarter, most films “won’t have a long
run in theatres to make big figures due to competition”.
“But films with strong content will be appreciated,”
Thadani said.
Sampat added: “Good content is lined up throughout the
year. Two weeks is a good time for a big release to prove its
mettle. If the content is good, then it can run for further five
to six weeks like ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ and ‘Bajrangi
Bhaijaan’.”
Another interesting factor in the 2016 lineup is the increase
in number of films based on real-life incidents and biopics
like “Airlift”, “Neerja”, “Aligarh”, “Azhar”, “Udta Punjab”, “M S
Dhoni: The Untold Story” and “Dangal”.
“All these films are quite different from each other. People
talked about in these films have big stories and history behind
them. If the films are properly mounted and well-made,
people would definitely look forward to them,” Johar said.
So far, the year looks promising. But whether they set the
cash registers ringing or touch a chord in the audiences’ heart,
remains to be seen. — IANS
R
A
ctress Natalie Dormer thinks actors
should look “quirky and imperfect”.
The “Game of Thrones” star insists
there shouldn’t be pressure on people
of her profession to look flawless
because they need to be “real”, reports
femalefirst.co.uk.
“Actors are not models. We have
to be real people and look quirky
and imperfect. Telling stories is a
celebration of human nature, which
means you’re not perfect inside
or outside,” Dormer told Fashion
magazine.
Talking about gender disparity
in showbiz, the 33-year-old said
inequality only stops being an issue
when what is seen on screen reflects the
fact that women comprise almost 50 per cent
of the population.
“We need art in this medium of cinema and TV that reflects that — full
stop. When we aren’t talking about gender anymore, we’ve achieved equality.
But we still have to talk about inequality until that happens,” she said.
Leonardo DiCaprio and
Kelly Rohrbach part ways
A
Khloe Kardashian
slams Scott Disick
eality TV star Khloe Kardashian
slammed her sister Kourtney
Kardashian’s former boyfriend Scott
Disick following the broadcast of an episode
of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians”.
The January 3 episode of the show saw
Disick weep as he apologised to his former
partner and her sisters for his actions, which
caused her to finally call time on their nineyear relationship three months prior.
His apology saw him also reveal that he
felt suicidal when they split in the summer,
after reports of his cheating with a former
girlfriend emerged.
Actors aren’t perfect, says
Natalie Dormer
But Khloe, 30, was having none of it, and
took to Twitter to air her views on the 32-yearold’s behaviour, reports dailymail.co.uk.
“I was literally speechless when Scott
walked in #KUWTK. I hate people who play
victim. Take accountability people. Own your
actions,” Khloe wrote on Twitter.
She continued, referring to her notable
glare during the episode: “My stare down is
mean.”
“Why am I the only one talking?! Lol I’m
just noticing that no one said anything but me.
Ha! I guess when you date one of us you date
all of us,” she added.
ctor Leonardo
DiCaprio has
split from his model
girlfriend
Kelly
Rohrbach.
“They have been
broken up for a few
months now,” the
source close to the
pair said, reports
people.com.
Despite
the
breakup,
both
DiCaprio
and
Rohrbach don’t hold a grudge against each other.
“They are very friendly and it’s super amicable,” added the source.
The source explained that their busy schedules contributed to the
separation.
“They are both so busy and he’s got a big movie coming out and she’s one
of the biggest supermodels in the world,” revealed the source, before saying
that there’s no love affair involved.
“There is no other person in the picture,” the source added.
INTERVIEW
Time for bhajan music to be recognised: Grammy-nominated Madi Das
Q SAHANA GHOSH
F
or Madi Das, scoring a Grammy
nomination for his album of
bhajans “Bhakti Without Borders”
alongside the likes of singing
sensation Taylor Swift and rapper Kendrick
Lamar, is a “completely strange” feeling.
But Das, who spent eight years learning
kirtans and bhajans in India, believes it’s
time the genre gets its due recognition as an
important tradition.
“It is completely strange, yes (to be
featured as a nominee alongside Taylor
Swift and others). But also, this music has so
much more history than pop or R&B. This
music has been around for centuries; so is
it not time for it to be recognised as a rich
and important tradition?” wondered Das, a
former Hollywood entertainment executive
now working in the Australian film and TV
industry.
“Bhakti Without Borders” is the debut
album from Das who grew up in the
Vaishnava tradition of Bhakti yoga.
Up for Best New Age Album (a category
of non-Christian sacred music) for the 58th
Annual Grammy Awards to be announced
next month, the record marks only the
third time that a kirtan album has been
nominated; the emerging genre has never
won yet.
Featuring 11 bhajans, it is produced by
well-known kirtan artist Dave Stringer. Das
sings a duet with a different female vocalist
on each track.
“I describe my music as world music with
sacred origins, like the Hindu equivalent
of gospel music,” Das said in an e-mail
interview from Melbourne.
Born in Germany to an American mother
and German father, Das’s upbringing was an
assimilation of different music genres.
At the age of seven, he went to a boarding
school in India (in Vrindavan and Mayapur).
He spent eight years learning kirtans and
bhajans and becoming fluent in Hindi. He
subsequently lived in Ireland, where he was
exposed to traditional Celtic music. Film
school brought him to the US.
It is this mixture of Irish and Indian
music that comes through in his album.
Western music influences in the US added
to his repertoire to create a blend of country
and eastern sounds in the album.
But what about the tag of ‘hippie music’
that is often shoved on western artistes who
pick up such spiritual sounds?
“Perhaps because the first influences of
Indian music integrating into the West harks
back to the Beatles and Ravi Shankar, which
took place during the hippie explosion, there
is a tendency to categorise it like that... and
indeed there are still some strong hippie
influences in some practitioners of modern
kirtan,” Das conceded.
But he also acknowledges there is also a
“growing movement of authentic western
artistes who have taken the time to study
and learn the eastern traditions”.
“And they are now creating something
that has strong foundational roots in the
East while still adding the more commercial
broad strokes appeal to people who like
Western music,” Das explained.
At the moment, the popularity of kirtan
music is “exploding” in the US what with
bhakti festivals, radio shows and retreats,
said Das, adding everyone can enjoy the
music.
“If we can enjoy each other’s music
regardless of faith or culture, perhaps we
can gain some understanding and empathy
for each other... then that will put an end to
intolerance,” he signed off. — IANS
SPORT
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
DERON’S THREE-POINTER SEALS IT FOR DALLLAS
21
REBUILDING TRUST
Coe sets out
road-map to
‘restore trust’
Dallas Mavericks guard Deron Williams (8) makes a game winning three-point shot during the second overtime against the Sacramento Kings at the American Airlines Centre. — USA Today Sports
Butler leads Bulls to fifth straight victory
DOUBLE OVERTIME: Williams‘s three-pointer from the corner at the buzzer lifted the Mavericks over the Kings
LOS ANGELES: Jimmy Butler scored
32 points as the Chicago Bulls stretched
their winning streak to a season-high
five games with a 117-106 victory over
the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
The Bulls opened the first quarter on a
10-0 run and never trailed, despite the
Bucks pulling to within one point twice
in the game in front of a crowd of 21,600
at the United Centre arena.
Butler, who was coming off a
42-point performance against Toronto
on Sunday, continued to have the hot
hand on Tuesday. He scored 12 points
in the first quarter and had 20 points by
half-time.
Butler shot 11-of-21 from the field,
eight-of-eight from the free-throw line
and dished out 10 assists on the night.
“I am used to playing with talent,
USA Basketball, the select team. The
way Jimmy is playing now is unreal
and it is fun to watch,” said Bulls guard
Derrick Rose.
The Bulls improved to 21-12 on the
season and have scored 100-plus points
in their last eight games.
Butler said they have started to really
believe in each other. “We got a real
good team,” said Butler. “But if we don’t
play for one another, don’t stick together,
we’re not a really good team.”
The Bucks have struggled away from
home all season and dropped to 5-16 on
the road. They also lost at home to the
San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
Bulls centre Pau Gasol had 26 points, 11
rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Rose, who had missed the previous three
games with right hamstring tendinitis,
returned to score 16 points on eightof-17 shooting and six assists.
Forward Taj Gibson finished with 11
points, 14 rebounds and six blocks and
forward Nikola Mirotic added 14 points
in the win.
The Bucks twice pulled to within just
a single point. The final time occurred
when they got to 90-89 with just under a
minute left in the third quarter.
The Bulls closed the quarter on a 5-0
run and then out-scored the Bucks 23-17
in the fourth quarter. Bucks guard Khris
Middleton scored a team-high 26 points,
while guard Michael Carter-Williams
finished with 20 points and 12 assists.
KNICKS HOLD ON FOR WIN
Guard Arron Afflalo and forward
Carmelo Anthony each scored 23
points as the New York Knicks beat the
Atlanta Hawks 107-101. The Knicks
nailed down the win with 18 seconds
remaining, when Jose Calderon scored
on a driving lay-up.
They allowed the Hawks to get within
two points after building a 16-point lead
earlier in the contest. The Knicks have
now won two straight and three of their
last four.
Afflalo, who scored 38 against the
Hawks on Sunday, shot nine-for-16,
including two-for-two on threepointers. He added seven rebounds and
four assists.
Anthony made eight-of-22 with 11
rebounds and seven assists. Forward
Kristaps Porzingis scored 17 points
and added 11 rebounds, while Derrick
Williams scored 15 off the bench.
MAVS PREVAIL IN DOUBLE OT
Deron Williams rattled in a three
pointer from the corner at the buzzer
to lift the Dallas Mavericks to a 117116 win over the Sacramento Kings in
double overtime.
Williams game winner capped an 8-0
run for the Mavs at American Airlines
Centre. The Mavericks ended a two-
game losing streak and beat the Kings
for the 22nd straight time in Dallas.
CURRY AGGRAVATES LEG INJURY
Guard Klay Thompson scored 36
points and Stephen Curry tallied 17
before heading to the locker room with
a recurring leg injury as the Golden State
Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers
109-88.
The reigning league MVP Curry took
another blow in the third quarter on
Tuesday on his sore left leg that kept him
out of two games last week. He missed
all of the fourth quarter on Tuesday.
Los Angeles star Kobe Bryant missed
his third consecutive game with a sore
right shoulder. The Lakers also had their
three-game win streak halted. — AFP
NBA RESULTS
NY Knicks bt Atlanta 107-101
Chicago bt Milwaukee 117-106
Dallas bt Sacramento 117-116 (OT)
Golden State bt LA Lakers 109-88
PARIS: IAAF president Sebastian
Coe on Tuesday set out his roadmap
to “restore trust” in scandal-mired
athletics, expressing his desire to
transform track and field into a
clean sport attractive to a younger
population.
Athletics has been shaken to
its core since Coe took over from
Lamine Diack after the Beijing world
championships in August.
Russia was provisionally suspended
from track and field over accusations
of “state-sponsored” doping as the
IAAF scrambled to salvage the sport’s
credibility just nine months out from
the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Diack remains under French police
investigation for corruption linked to
doping cover-ups in world athletics.
With that in mind, Coe said his
road-map “recognises problems in two
distinct areas, in the governing body
and in the sport itself, the consequence
of which has been a breakdown of
trust in athletics”.
“In addressing these problems, the
road-map importantly identifies the
need for separate solutions.
“To rebuild confidence, the
IAAF must become an accountable,
responsible
and
responsive
organisation, while the sport must
adopt a values-based culture where
future athletes learn from clean
athletes, coaches and officials.”
Coe said: “Be under no illusion
about how seriously I take these issues.
I am president of an international
federation which is under serious
investigations and I represent a sport
under intense scrutiny. My vision is to
have a sport that attracts more young
people. The average age of those
watching track and field is 55 years
old. This is not sustainable.”
“The key to making that vision a
reality is creating a sport that people
once more trust in. Athletics must be
a sport that athletes, fans, sponsors,
media and parents alike know is safe to
compete in on a level playing field and
one in which clean effort is rewarded and
celebrated,” Coe said. Steps to be taken,
the Briton said, include establishing
“lines of responsibility” within the IAAF
and a forensic review of operations
and finance. There will be greater
accountability and vetting of IAAF
officials and more transparency and
communication from the independent
IAAF Ethics Board. — AFP
22
SPORT
omandailyobserver
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
FRANCE’S NINE-TIME WORLD RALLY CHAMPION’S
SENSATIONAL DAKAR RALLY DEBUT CONTINUED WHEN HE
TOPPED THE PODIUM FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO DAYS
SAN SALVADOR DE JUJUY,
Argentina:
Sebastien
Loeb’s
sensational Dakar Rally debut
continued on Tuesday when he
topped the podium for the second
time in two days with victory in
the third stage of the gruelling twoweek rally-raid.
France’s nine-time world rally
champion, driving a Peugeot,
clocked 2hr 9min 39sec over 190km
between the Argentinian towns
of Termas de Rio Hondo and San
Salvador de Jujuy to consolidate his
place atop the overall standings.
Mini-driving
defending
champion Nasser al Attiyah of Qatar
sits in fifth place overall, 6min 50sec
adrift of Loeb, and just behind the
Mini of Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen,
Loeb’s former WRC rival who is also
making his race debut.
“It seems that the times will be
very close between the drivers,” said
the 41-year-old Loeb, adding that
the desert stages would be a real
test.”
“I pushed hard and I had a good
stage with no mistakes. Everything
is ok at the moment.”
Loeb, who has been racing in the
World Touring Car Championship
since effectively retiring from WRC
rallying after the last of his nine
consecutive world titles in 2012,
added: “For the moment, for sure,
I’m enjoying it. It has been two good
days for me.”
“The car is going very well. I
DAKAR RESULTS
STAGE THREE
P DRIVER, CO-DRIVER
1 Loeb (FRA), Elena (MCO)
OVERALL RESULTS
CAR
TIME
P DRIVER, CO-DRIVER
-
-
00:01:25
-
2 De Villiers (ZAF), Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota
06:06:45
00:05:03
-
3 De Villiers (ZAF), Zitzewitz (DEU)
Toyota
02:11:41
00:02:02
-
3 Peterhansel (FRA), Cottret (FRA) Peugeot 06:06:57
00:05:15
-
4 Sainz (ESP), Cruz (ESP)
Peugeot 02:12:02
00:02:23
00:01:00
4 Hirvonen (FIN), Perin (FRA)
Mini
06:07:34
00:05:52
-
02:12:28
00:02:49
-
5 Al Attiyah (QAT), Baumel (FRA)
Mini
06:08:21
00:06:39
00:01:00
6 Peterhansel (FRA), Cottret (FRA) Peugeot 02:12:31
00:02:52
-
6 Poulter (ZAF), Howie (ZAF)
Toyota
06:08:25
00:06:43
-
7 Poulter (ZAF), Howie (ZAF)
Toyota
02:12:42
00:03:03
-
7 Ten Brinke (NLD), Colsoul (BEL)
Toyota
06:10:24
00:08:42
-
8 Ten Brinke (NLD), Colsoul (BEL)
Toyota
02:13:28
00:03:49
-
8 Vasilyev (RUS), Zhiltsov (RUS)
Toyota
06:11:37
00:09:55
00:01:00
9 AlRajhi (SAU), Gottschalk (DEU)
Toyota
02:14:33
00:04:54
-
9 Despres (FRA), Castera (FRA)
Peugeot 06:12:29
00:10:47
00:01:00
10 Despres (FRA), Castera (FRA)
Peugeot 02:15:26
00:05:47
-
10 Sainz (ESP), Cruz (ESP)
Peugeot 06:15:02
00:13:20
00:01:00
11 Vasilyev (RUS), Zhiltsov (RUS)
Toyota
02:15:52
00:06:13
-
11 Spataro (ARG), Lozada (ARG)
Renault 06:15:55
00:14:13
00:01:00
12 Terranova (ARG), Graue (ARG)
Mini
02:16:01
00:06:22
-
12 Prokop (CZE), Tomanek (CZE)
Toyota
06:16:23
00:14:41
00:01:00
13 Roma (ESP), Haro Bravo (ESP)
Mini
02:16:16
00:06:37
-
13 AlRajhi (SAU), Gottschalk (DEU)
Toyota
06:17:44
00:16:02
00:05:00
14 Spataro (ARG), Lozada (ARG)
Renault 02:16:56
00:07:17
-
14 Przygonski (POL), Rudnitski (BLR)
Mini
06:26:36
00:24:54
-
15 Prokop (CZE), Tomanek (CZE)
Toyota
02:18:51
00:09:12
-
15 Malysz (POL), Panseri (FRA)
Mini
06:28:46
00:27:04
-
16 Pons (ESP), Torlaschi (ARG)
Ford
02:19:25
00:09:46
-
16 Hunt (GBR), Schulz (DEU)
Mini
06:29:06
00:27:24
00:03:00
17 Gordon (USA), Walch (USA)
Gordini
02:20:07
00:10:28
00:01:00
17 Van Loon (NLD), Rosegaar (NLD)
Mini
06:31:19
00:29:37
-
Mini
02:21:49
00:12:10
-
Renault 06:32:56
00:31:14
-
19 Dabrowski (POL), Czachaor (POL) Toyota
20 Lavieille (FRA), Polato (FRA)
1 Loeb (FRA), Elena (MCO)
Peugeot 06:01:42
VARIATION PENALTY
02:11:04
18 Przygonski (POL), Rudnitski (BLR)
-
TIME
Mini
Mini
-
CAR
2 Al Attiyah (QAT), Baumel (FRA)
5 Hirvonen (FIN), Perin (FRA)
Peugeot 02:09:39
VARIATION PENALTY
18 Lavieille (FRA), Polato (FRA)
02:22:20
00:12:41
-
19 Lopez (ARG), Lafuente (URY)
Renault 02:22:27
00:12:48
-
20 Dabrowski (POL), Czachor (POL)
have a good feeling with the car. It’s
performing well so at the moment
I’m enjoying it,” said the Frenchman,
who spent his illustrious WRC
career at the wheel of a Citroen.
“At the moment we are on
tracks...so I’ve got a good feeling
on this type of road. But when we
go to the desert it will be different,
with long and hot stages. That is
something that I don’t know very
well, so we will see.”
“We will continue for the
moment and I’ll try to do my best
and we’ll see where we are in a few
days,” said Loeb, accompanied by
long-time co-driver and fellow
rally-raid novice Daniel Elena.
Argentina’s Kevin Benavides,
on a Honda, won the motorcycle
section of the stage, shortened
because of bad weather, after the
initial winner Joan Barreda Bort
was handed a one-minute penalty
for speeding.
That bumped the Spanish Honda
rider down to fifth on the stage,
with Portugal’s Paulo Goncalves
Mini
06:33:17
00:31:35
-
Toyota
06:33:29
00:31:47
-
(Honda) and Frenchman Antoine
Meo (KTM) moving up to second
and third respectively.
On Monday, Loeb won his
first Dakar Rally stage, the 387km
run between Villa Carlos Paz and
Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina.
At the wheel of a Peugeot the
41-year-old Frenchman took 3
hours 45mins and 46sec to complete
the second stage, which had been
shortened due to a section being
badly effected by heavy overnight
rain.
“It was tricky out there and I’m
happy we came through okay. I’m a
little surprised to have clocked the
best time of the day,” said Loeb.
“We got lucky on a muddy
section where several others ran
into trouble. The car is good, up to
the job, especially on these narrow
winding roads.”
“We’ll be first out tomorrow
(Tuesday) and that’ll make things
easier for us.”
Stephane Peterhansel, a 50-yearold Frenchman, also in a Peugeot
and a multiple Dakar winner, came
in second some 2min 30sec adrift.
Russia’s Vladimir Vasilyev in a
Toyota was third while 2015 winner
the Qatari Nasser al Attiyah racing a
Mini was 4min 18sec off Loeb’s pace
after getting a flat tyre.
Another Mini driver Mikko
Hirvonen, a former world rally rival
of Loeb’s, also did well on Monday,
racing home in fifth and trailing
Loeb in the overall by 3min 05sec.
The 2014 winner, Spain’s Nani
Roma could only scramble home in
40th and a full 46 minutes back after
getting stuck in mud. Argentina’s
Orlando Terranova got bogged
down in the same place and lost a
half hour on the race leaders.
The race is something of a leap in
the dark for Loeb, who dominated
the world rally championship
during his long collaboration with
Citroen.
— AFP
SPORT
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7l 2016
omandailyobserver
England survive late SA onslaught
RECORD
23
BAT
WEATHER PLAYS: The visitors withstood an SA fightback to draw the match and keep up their 1-0 lead
South Africa’s Dane Piedt bowls during the second Test against England in Cape Town, South Africa. — Reuters
CAPE TOWN: Poor weather brought
a limp end to a compelling second
Test as England survived a final day
onslaught from South Africa to draw
the match and keep up their 1-0 lead
in the series.
England were 159 for six in their
second innings, with Jonny Bairstow
(30) and Moeen Ali (10) unbeaten,
before drizzle and bad light halted play
soon after tea on Wednesday.
South Africa’s quick bowlers made
inroads in the morning to offer the
likelihood of a remarkable comefrom-behind victory after England
had dominated the opening two days
to amass 629 for six declared in their
first innings.
South Africa clawed back over the
next two days, keeping England in the
field on hot, energy-sapping days as
they slowly regained a foothold and
eventually declared just two runs short
of the visitors’ total.
A four-wicket burst before lunch
on Wednesday suddenly offered
the tantalising possibility of a result
and two more in the second session
brought South Africa even closer to
scuttling out England before chasing
down a modest target.
But dogged resistance from
Bairstow and Ali, in an unbroken
43-run partnership, and the gloomy
weather dashed South Africa’s hopes of
pulling off a remarkable victory.
England started the day on 16-0 in
their second innings, with a lead of 18
runs, but captain Alastair Cook was
strangled down the leg side and caught
by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock off
Kagiso Rabada’s bowling with just the
eighth ball of the morning. He went
for eight with England having added a
single to their overnight total.
REPRIEVE
Alex Hales (5) was then snagged
by a brilliant diving one-handed
catch from Chris Morris at slip to give
Morne Morkel a deserved wicket after
some fiery bowling.
Joe Root was caught in the slips by
AB de Villiers off Morkel on 17 but
television replays showed the bowler
had stepped over the line.
But England’s top-ranked batsman
failed to capitalise on the reprieve
and scored 12 more runs before being
bowled by Morris to leave England on
55-3.
Nick Compton (15) fell 10 minutes
before lunch after playing straight to
Faf du Plessis at short mid-wicket as
he became the first of three victims for
Dane Piedt.
After the interval, the off spinner
dismissed Ben Stokes, caught at deep
square leg for 26, and James Taylor,
who got a nasty bounce up onto his
gloves and was caught by Temba
Bavuma at short leg for 27.
The third Test will be at the
Wanderers in Johannesburg from
January 14-18. England won the first
Test in Durban by 241 runs. — Reuters
SCOREBOARD
England first innings 629-6 dec
South Africa first innings 627-7 dec
England, second innings (overnight 16-0)
A Cook c De Kock b Rabada ------------------------------- 8
A Hales c Morris b Morkel ---------------------------------5
N Compton c Du Plessis b Piedt --------------------- 15
J Root b Morris ----------------------------------------------- 29
J Taylor c Bavuma b Piedt ------------------------------- 27
B Stokes c Morkel b Piedt-------------------------------- 26
J Bairstow not out ------------------------------------------ 30
M Ali not out -------------------------------------------------- 10
Extras (lb4, nb5) ---------------------------------------------- 9
Total (6 wkts, 65 overs) 159
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-19, 3-55, 4-85, 5-115,
6-116
Bowling: Morkel 16-7-26-1, Rabada 13-2-57-1,
Morris 12-4-24-1, Piedt 18-8-38-3, Elgar 6-2-10-0
AMLA QUITS AS SOUTH AFRICA TEST CAPTAIN
CAPE TOWN: Hashim Amla said on
Wednesday he was stepping aside as South
Africa’s cricket Test captain with immediate
effect, a day after a double century rescued
his country from possible defeat in the second
Test against England.
The 32-year-old made the surprise
announcement just minutes after the Test at
Newlands ended in a draw and after Amla
had led a fight back to haul his team from a
precarious position. AB de Villiers will take
over as captain for the last two Tests against
England. “Naturally this decision is not an easy
one but the more I think about it the more I
believe I can be of greater value to the Proteas
as a fully focused batsman and senior player
at this time or rebuilding our team,” he told
reporters on Wednesday.
“I am deeply grateful and privileged to
have been the Test captain and I wish to
thank Cricket South Africa for the honour of
captaining my country. It was enjoyable and
indeed a great learning experience. “I kind of
felt someone else could do a better job. I made
my decision two weeks before the first Test
against England,” Amla added.
The Durban-born batsman, who made
his debut against India in 2004, is a veteran
of 90-Tests and has scored over 7,000 runs in
the longest format of the sport. “We respect
Hashim’s decision and the manner in which he
thought about it and then communicated with
me,” Cricket South Africa chief executive officer
Haroon Lorgat said. “He still has a huge role to
play in shaping the success of our team without
the need for a leadership title. He is just that
type of a person and we are very fortunate to
have him in our stable.” — Reuters
South Africa’s Hashim Amla
slides to field the ball during
the first day’s play in the first
Test against England at
Kingsmead Stadium in
Durban. — AFP
Schoolboy Pranav Dhanawade, 15, gestures as he
poses next to the scoreboard during an inter-school
cricket tournament in Mumbai, India. — AFP
Dhanawade gets
MCA scholarship
after run feast
MUMBAI: A day after Mumbai school cricketer
Pranav Dhanawade scored a world record of 1,009 not
out in an HT Bhandari Cup Under-16 inter-school
tournament match, the Mumbai Cricket Association
(MCA) announced a scholarship of Rs 10,000 per
month for the 15-year-old.
Pranav’s epic 323-ball knock consisted of a
staggering 59 sixes and 129 fours. His team, KC Gandhi
High School, declared their innings at 1,465 for 6 with
Pranav remaining
unbeaten at 1,009. Batting legend
He batted for Sachin Tendulkar,
395 minutes and
India ODI skipper
had a strike rate
of 312.38. The Mahendra Singh
youngster broke a Dhoni, batsman
16-year-old record
Ajinkya Rahane and
after
surpassing
652 on Monday, veteran spinner
thus taking over the Harbhajan Singh
reins of the highest
congratulated
individual
score
(including minor the boy for his
cricket) from AEJ stupendous effort
Collins of England.
“Honour abl e
president Sharad Pawar, on behalf of the Mumbai
Cricket Association, has announced a scholarship of
Rs 10,000 per month to Mr Pranav Dhanawade for
scoring a World Record 1009 runs in a single innings,”
the MCA said in a release on Wednesday.
On Monday, the teenager also crossed Prithvi
Shaw’s record of 546 runs scored two years ago in a
Harris Shield match, an innings that had previously
been the highest individual score in any form of
cricket in India.
“The said scholarship will be paid for a period of five
years commencing from January 2016 to December
2021. The Association will monitor the cricketing and
educational activities of Pranav Dhanawade for the
said period,” the MCA release said.
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, India limitedovers skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, star batsman
Ajinkya Rahane and veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh
on Tuesday congratulated the boy for his stupendous
effort.
— IANS
The 25-year-old left-arm quick had surgery on ankle spurs after sustaining a stress fracture in his foot during the first day-night Test against NZ
Australia’s Starc writes off World Twenty20 chances
Mitchell Starc will miss Australia’s one-day series against India,
February’s two-Test series in New Zealand and is not even certain he
will be fit to play in the Indian Premier League in April and May. — IANS
SYDNEY: Fast bowler Mitchell Starc has
all but written off his chances of making a
faster-than-expected recovery from ankle
surgery and playing a part in Australia’s bid
for a first World Twenty20 title.
The 25-year-old left-arm quick had
surgery on ankle spurs after sustaining
a stress fracture in his foot during the
inaugural day-night Test against New
Zealand in November.
Starc, the player of the tournament
at last year’s 50-overs World Cup, was
always an outside shot to make the March
11-April 3 World Twenty20 in India due to
the estimated recuperation period and he
was unable to offer a better prognosis on
Wednesday.
“It’s very unlikely,” he told reporters at
the Sydney Cricket Ground. “Everything
would have to go perfectly to be any chance.
I won’t know until I can start doing some
stuff on it.”
“I don’t want to rush it. I want to make
sure it’s 100 per cent because I’ve rushed
back before and been dropped after a game.”
“I’ve played probably non-stop for two
years and the silver lining is I get to give
the body a bit of a break and rebuild that
strength. Make sure everything is 100 per
cent before I go again.”
Starc said the operation had gone well
but it would be a while before he was
bowling in excess of 150 kilometres per
hour as he did in the second Test against
New Zealand in Perth in November, when
one delivery was clocked at 160 kph.
“Everything had felt great on that day,
so I think it just comes back to the rhythm
‘I’ve played probably nonstop for two years and the
silver lining is I get to give
the body a bit of a break and
rebuild that strength. Make
sure everything is 100 per cent
before I go again’
and smoothness in my action on any given
day,” said Starc, sporting a ‘moon boot’ to
stabilise the injured joint.
“It’s going to take a while to get back to
my bowling workload and get that rhythm
back after spending some time out.”
“It always takes some time to get that
pace back. You obviously are not going to
bowl at full pace soon as you come back, it
takes a bit of time, so I’m not sure how it’s
going to go.”
Starc will miss Australia’s one-day series
against India, February’s two-Test series in
New Zealand and is not even certain he will
be fit to play in the Indian Premier League
in April and May. It was probably modesty,
however, that led him to question whether
Australia’s main strike bowler would not
ease straight back into the national side
once he was fit again.
“I don’t think you can ever say 100 per
cent that you’ve cemented a spot,” he said.
“I’m still going to have to work my butt
off when I get back to bowling to get my
spot back. But I’d like to think in the last 1012 months I’ve come a long way in all forms
of cricket.”
— Reuters
THURSDAY | JANUARY 7, 2016 | RABEE AL AWWAL 26, 1437 AH
P21
P22
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Inside
Coe sets out roadmap to ‘restore trust’ Amla quits as South Africa Test captain Starc writes off World T20 chances FOLLOW US ON:
SPORT BRIEFS
Fifa judges extend
Valcke suspension
ZURICH: Fifa ethics judges agreed on
Wednesday to extend secretary general
Jerome Valcke’s temporary suspension
for 45 more days, after investigators
urged them to take more time to
weigh corruption allegations against
the organisation’s former second-incommand.
“The adjudicatory chamber of the
Ethics Committee chaired by Mr HansJoachim Eckert has decided to extend
the suspension of Mr Jerome Valcke by
45 days,” it said in a statement.
“The extension of the suspension
starts from today,” it added.
Valcke’s initial suspension began in
mid-September and officially expired at
midnight. The investigatory chamber of
Fifa’s ethics committee had called for the
extension on Tuesday, requesting more
time for evaluating the evidence against
Valcke. Ultimately, they said, they want
to see the suspended secretary general
banned from football for nine years.
The 55-year-old Frenchman was also
told to pay a fine of $99,000. — AFP
New allegations
against Gayle
SYDNEY: The storm surrounding star
cricketer Chris Gayle over an attempt to
flirt with an Australian presenter on live
TV intensified on Wednesday as new
allegations about his behaviour towards
women emerged.
More female journalists aired
complaints against the West Indian after
he was fined US$7,000 on Tuesday for
his approach to Network Ten reporter
Mel McLaughlin. Gayle apologised and
tried to brush off the exchange with
McLaughlin as a harmless joke.
His team, the Melbourne Renegades,
played down calls for sterner action and
said their star signing would play again
in the Big Bash League on Saturday.
But Fox Sports reporter Neroli
Meadows branded the Jamaican a
“creep”. “He does this constantly,” she
said. She said Gayle came on to her
during a 2011 interview saying, “Sorry, I
was totally distracted by your pretty face
— could you repeat the question?”
Nine News reporter Yvonne Sampson
said Gayle had also asked her on a
date after watching her carry out an
interview. — AFP
Double washout
blights Sydney Test
SYDNEY: A second consecutive day’s
play was washed out on Wednesday
consigning the third AustraliaWest Indies Test to an unwelcome
postscript in Australian cricket.
Play was abandoned at lunch
on the rain-sodden fourth day at
the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)
amid forecasts the downpour would
continue for the rest of the day.
The weather has now claimed
the third and fourth days of the
forlorn Sydney Test, making a draw
inevitable.
It is only the fifth time in Australia
that two consecutive days of play
have been lost to rain, and the first
time in almost 26 years. — AFP
www.omanobserver.om
editor@omanobserver.om
WHICH EPL CLUB WILL HIRE GUARDIOLA?
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola speaks during a press conference in Muenchen, Germany. Guardiola has admitted he wants to manage in the English Premier League (EPL) in his first press conference
since announcing he will leave the Bundesliga giants at the end of the season. — AFP
P
EP GUARDIOLA’S announcement that the Premier
League
will
be
his
destination after he leaves
Bayern Munich in May has sent a
ripple of excitement through English
football. “I have several offers from
England, but have not yet committed
myself,” the 44-year-old former Barcelona
coach told a press conference on Tuesday.
An assessment on which club are most
likely to secure Guardiola’s much coveted
services.
MANCHESTER CITY
It is an open secret that City
have been preparing the ground for
Guardiola’s arrival for several years and
they are the strong favourites to appoint
him, The Times even describing the move
as “almost certain”. City’s owner Sheikh
Mansour sees in Guardiola a coach
capable of bringing dazzling football
to the Etihad Stadium and, crucially,
helping the club make a long-awaited
breakthrough in the Champions League.
Despite huge investment over the last
seven years, which has yielded two
Premier League titles, City are yet to
progress beyond the last 16 in Europe’s
elite competition. City’s hierarchy is
custom-made for Guardiola to slot into,
with chief executive Ferran Soriano and
director of football Txiki Beguiristain
having both worked alongside him
during his staggeringly successful time
at Barcelona. City’s current manager,
Manuel Pellegrini, has become resigned
to the situation and admitted recently:
“Some day he’ll come here.”
CHELSEA
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
is another long-term Guardiola
admirer and is thought to have made
unsuccessful attempts to lure him to
Stamford Bridge in the past. With Guus
Hiddink currently in charge on an interim
basis following the dismissal of Jose
Mourinho, Chelsea are in search of a new
manager and the thought of Guardiola
taking over a squad shaped by his former
Real Madrid nemesis is a tantalising one.
A cultured man, Guardiola cited a desire
to sample “new restaurants” as one of
the reasons behind his decision to leave
Munich and he will find more of those
in London than Manchester. But he is
believed to harbour concerns about
TEAMS FOR TOUR OF OMAN
Frenchman Stojkovic signs
contract with OPL’s Al Nasr
SPORTS REPORTER
MUSCAT
Jan. 6: Omantel Professional
League (OPL) club Al Nasr
has signed a contract with the
French football coach Dragan
Stojkovic.
Stojković will replace the
Belgian coach Luc Emile and
his Tunisian assistant Hatim
Balhushan who signed a contract
with Al Mereikh of Sudan.
The new coach, who
arrived at Salalah Airport on
Wednesday, is expected to go
on tough mission with his new
team especially their clash
with derby rivals Dhofar in the
last 16 of HM Cup coming up
on January 14. Al Nasr Club’s
fans and administration pin
their hope on the new coach to
lead the team to victories and
trophies thanks to his excellent
experience in coaching several
Arab and European teams.
Stojković warded the J League
Manager of the Year in Japan for
coaching Grampus in 2010 after
he led them to club to their first J
The new coach, who
arrived at Salalah
Airport on Wednesday,
will have a tough start
with Al Nasr taking on
derby rivals Dhofar in
the last 16 of HM Cup
on January 14
League title.
Stojković has stated that he
had learnt a lot about football
from former manager Arsène
Wenger, who had led the club
to their previous best showing
in 1995 when they finished
runners-up and Emperor’s
Cup champions, and had kept
regular contact with him, with
Wenger giving him advice and
congratulating him on the club’s
success.
Stojković has been named by
Wenger as the person he would
like to take over Arsenal when
he has gone stating “Our ideas
are the same and we both strive
for perfect football.”
Abramovich’s propensity for hiring and
firing, and would also prefer to join a
club expected to qualify for next season’s
Champions League. Chelsea are currently
13 points below the Champions League
places in the Premier League after a
dismal season to date.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Louis van Gaal’s position as United
manager appears to be slightly more
secure after a flurry of speculation about
his future over the Christmas period.
United’s board is believed to favour
giving the experienced Dutchman time
to turn things around and feels that
in assistant manager Ryan Giggs, his
long-term successor is already in the Old
Trafford dug-out. But another prolonged
slump will leave Van Gaal vulnerable and
Guardiola, a football romantic, is said to be
attracted by the idea of restoring United to
the heights of the Alex Ferguson era.
ARSENAL
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
has given no indication that he is
contemplating leaving, but he is now
in his 20th year at the club and should
his side end their 12-year wait for a
Premier League title this season — they
top the table with 18 games remaining
— the 66-year-old could see it as an
opportunity to bow out on top. Wenger’s
squad is configured to play the kind of
sharp, passing football that Guardiola
loves and the Catalan has spoken
admiringly of Arsenal in the past, saying
that they “always play in a good style”.
Joining Arsenal would also present the
chance to live and work in London,
which is thought to appeal to Guardiola’s
wife, Cristina Serra. Guardiola himself
enjoys city living, notably spending time
in New York during his sabbatical year
after leaving Barcelona in 2012. — AFP
EIGHTEEN CYCLING TEAMS HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO TAKE PART IN THE 7TH
EDITION OF THE TOUR OF OMAN (FEBRUARY,16-21, 2016).
AUSTRALIA
Drapac Professional Cycling
BELGIUM
Etixx-Quick Step
Topsport Vlaabderen - Baloise
Wanty Groupe Gobert
DENMARK
Cult Energy-Stolting Group
FRANCE
AG2R La Mondiale
Fortuneo Vital Concept
KAZAKHSTAN
Astana Pro Team
NETHERLANDS
Team Lotto NL-Jumbo
Roompot-Oranje Peloton
POLAND
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
RUSSIA
Katusha
GERMANY
Team Giant Alpecin
Bora - Argon 18
SOUTH AFRICA
Team Dimension Data
ITALY
Lampre-Merida
UNITED STATES
BMC Racing Team
United Healthcare Pro Cycling
THURSDAY | JANUARY 7, 2016 | RABEE AL AWWAL 26, 1437 AH
P27
P26
P27
Inside
UK services growth slows in December US auto sales reach new high in 2015, shows data Wanda plans $2.3 bn investment in hospitals FOLLOW US ON:
www.omanobserver.om
editor@omanobserver.om
MSM30 Index companies Oil prices decline to 11-year low
to see revenue fall in Q4
SAMUEL KUTTY
MUSCAT
Jan 6: The revenue of MSM30 Index
companies,
excluding
investment
holding, for the fourth quarter of 2015
is estimated to decline by 2.6 per cent
year over year and 3.2 per cent quarter
on quarter to RO 881.264 million.
While index earnings for the period
excluding investment holding is
projected to be at RO 132.981 million,
reporting an increase of 1.6 per cent on
year over year and a decline of 17.4 per
cent on sequential basis.
“The decline is amid estimated lower
demand, subdued investment sector
performance and also on seasonality
among the services sector companies”,
says research report by Gulf Baader
Capital Markets analysts.
At the same time, the report estimates
that the full year total revenue of MSM
companies,
including
investment
Holdings, is expected to be at RO 3.72
billion, an increase of 1.9 per cent year
over year, while the earnings of MSM30
companies is estimated to decline by
0.7 per cent year over year to RO 633.8
million. For the banking sector, the
report expects to see relative weakness in
its performance during the period amid
tightened market liquidity, possibility
of increase in funding costs, slowdown
in credit off‐take along with estimated
increase in non-performing loans.
“We estimate the sector to report weak
performance on a sequential basis with
the banks taking cautious view and in
turn increasing their provisioning levels.
We anticipate overall cost of risk of Omani
banks to increase in the fourth quarter
and further in 2016”, the report opines.
Banking sector earnings for the final
quarter of 2015 is estimated to increase
by 6.2 per cent year over year and decline
by 12.6 per cent quarter on quarter to RO
77.5 million. The industrial sector also is
likely to continue the tepid performance
during final quarter, the report says,
adding “further impact to be seen over
the coming quarters”. TURN TO P27
LONDON: Oil fell to its lowest in
more than 11 years on Wednesday,
down around 2 per cent, as the row
between Saudi Arabia and Iran was
seen extinguishing any chance of
major producers cooperating to cut
production in the face of mounting
global over supply.
“There are rising stockpiles and the
tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia
make any deal on production unlikely,”
said Michael Hewson, head of strategy
at CMC Markets.
Global Brent crude benchmarks
were at $35.75 a barrel at 0856 GMT,
down 67 cents or 1.9 per cent from their
previous settlement, their lowest since
2004.
US crude futures were down 46
cents at $35.51 per barrel after already
slipping 79 cents the previous day. Oil
has slumped from above $115 in June
2014 as shale oil from the United States
has flooded the market.
— Reuters
26
omandailyobserver
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
BankDhofar successfully UK services growth slows in December
closes $250m term loan
The relapse in the
MUSCAT: BankDhofar has announced
the successful closing of a $250 million,
three-year term loan facility where Bank
ABC, BNP Paribas, Commerzbank
AG, Credit Agricole Corporate and
Investment Bank, HSBC Bank Middle
East Limited and National Bank of Abu
Dhabi PJSC acted as the Mandated
Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners.
Kamal Hassan Murazza, Chief
Wholesale Banking Officer of
BankDhofar (pictured), said: “The
facility will be used to finance largescale projects of national importance.
The
facility
demonstrates
the
confidence global markets have in the
financial strength of BankDhofar and
the stability of the Omani banking
sector.”
Bashir al Subhi, AGM Treasury and
Financial Institutions of BankDhofar
thanked the arrangers for their
confidence and support that led to the
success of this facility. “This Facility
is an outstanding success by several
measures: the size, the pricing and the
diverse lender group that comprised
of leading banks. The trust bestowed
on us by prominent international and
regional banks underpins our position
as a leading bank in Oman,” he said.
LONDON: Growth in Britain’s
dominant services industry slowed
slightly in December, suggesting the
economy expanded only modestly ahead
of a new year in which it faces significant
risks, a closely watched survey showed
on Wednesday.
British economic growth slid to its
joint-weakest in nearly three years in
the three months to September, and
financial data company Markit said
its December survey of purchasing
managers pointed to only a marginally
faster expansion in late 2015.
The Markit/CIPS UK services
purchasing managers’ index edged
down to 55.5 last month from 55.9
in November, broadly in line with
economists’ forecasts in a Reuters poll,
while a broader composite measure
dipped to a three-month low.
Markit lowered its estimate of
fourth-quarter GDP growth to 0.5 per
cent from 0.6 per cent a month ago,
which compares with a sub-par 0.4 per
cent recorded in the third quarter of
2015.
“The relapse in the services PMI
adds to evidence showing the recovery
lost further momentum towards the end
of 2015,” Pantheon Macroeconomics
chief UK economist Samuel Tombs said.
Financial markets showed little
reaction to the news, which left Britain
still in a better position than most of its
euro zone peers.
Despite recent downward revisions
to its growth numbers for 2015, Britain
is expected to have headed the pack
of major economies. But it has relied
heavily on the services industry for
growth, frustrating hopes for a more
balanced recovery.
“The services sector remained the
key driver of the UK’s economic upturn
... (but) a rosy outlook is by no means
assured,” Markit’s chief UK economist
Chris Williamson said.
services PMI adds to
evidence showing
the recovery lost
further momentum towards
the end of 2015
SAMUEL TOMBS
Pantheon Macroeconomics chief
A solid measure of new business was
offset by the weakest pace of job creation
in the sector since July, while long-term
expectations for business activity among
firms were the lowest since 2013.
Williamson said factors such as
government spending cuts, a potential
interest rate hike, uncertainty about the
global economy and the prospect of a
referendum on Britain’s membership of
the European Union posed “significant
downside risks” to economic growth
this year.
The Bank of England is expected to
raise interest rates in the second quarter
of 2016, according to a Reuters poll of
economists. But with inflation close
to zero and earnings growth sluggish,
it may find this difficult and financial
markets only price in a move around the
end of the year.
Input prices and prices charged
rose marginally in December, the PMI
survey showed, but were both below
long-run averages.
Separate figures from the British
Retail Consortium, also released
on Wednesday, showed shop prices
in December were 2 per cent lower
than a year earlier, almost matching
November’s joint-record 2.1 per cent
decline.
— Reuters
BUSINESS ALERT
Orpic gold sponsor of 3rd Oman Plast 2016
efficient performance and utmost safety. It is an ideal vehicle for those discerning
customers who are looking for a sporty SUV that gives more space along with
a driving pleasure that maybe compromised or even absent in a bigger vehicle.
Mazda CX-9 delivers on the Zoom-Zoom experience and its smooth 3.7 litre
V6 engine offers versatility and legendary Mazda handling. 2016 has arrived and
in this present global economic scenario, we might be faced with tough choices.
Choosing the CX-9 would certainly not be one of them”.
The Mazda CX-9 is available in Classic & Luxury variants and comes with
sporty 20-inch alloy wheels. Some of its class leading features are: premium
leather seats with electronic driver seat control, dynamic stability control, rear
vehicle monitoring system, active adaptive front light system, daytime running
lights, lane departure warning system, forward obstruction warning system, high
beam control system, xenon light, sunroof, rear view camera, smart entry system,
BOSE speakers, among many others.
With a network of 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman,
TAC is the only Mazda distributor in the world to win the Mazda Customer
Service award for five times in a row. With 98.2 per cent parts deliverability, TAC
MUSCAT: Orpic recently sponsored and participated in the ‘3rd Oman Plast also offers quick, efficient service with genuine parts available for all models and
2016’ held at Oman International Exhibition Centre. The exhibition drew large have highly trained staff who pride in their quality of service.
gathering from the international plastics, rubber, chemicals and printing and
packaging industry. Held under the patronage of Hilal bin Hamad al Hasani,
CEO, Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), the exhibition which
had more than 100 exhibitors provided excellent trade and business opportunities
TO mark an exciting new year, Ooredoo has launched its
to both exhibitors and visitors.
Dr Hilal al Hinai, GM — Corporate Support Services, Orpic, stated, “Orpic upgraded Shahry Business Packs to deliver more value than
believes in supporting initiatives that are unique and provide further value to ever before. Tailor made for Oman’s business community;
our business. At the 3rd Oman Plast in Muscat, visitors were introduced to the the bundles now offer more data to allow customers to stay
latest technology and machinery for the production of plastics, rubber, and connected longer for exactly the same price. What’s more,
packaging and petro chemicals. It also offered a platform in which experts from Ooredoo is still offering business customers a chance to
the industry met and exchanged ideas on latest developments. We are happy to get up to four months’ free subscription if they sign-up
before the end of January. The increased data quotas will
have participated in this event.”
also be provided for all existing customers on all Shahry
Business Packs by default, so thousands of business customers will get this benefit
starting this month.
The upgraded packs include more data on all plans, and for customers who
opt for the flagship Shahry Business Pack 30, there will now be 4 GB of data, 1,000
THE Nissan Altima, which
minutes of calling to any network in Oman, 2,000 SMS and 2,000 CompanyNet
breaks new ground for the
minutes as well as 1GB of GCC roaming data through Musafir and 30 roaming
mid-size
sedan
segment
minutes within the GCC every month. This means that any customer signing up
is hands-down the most
for Shahry Business Pack 30 during the month of January will get an amazing 400
engaging vehicle in its class.
per cent of the value of their spend, in terms of included benefits, over the length
And if you’ve never driven an
of their contract.
Altima before, get ready to
Said al Shanfari, Director of Business Marketing at Ooredoo (pictured), said,
have your notion of a mid-size
“Since their launch in 2013, our Shahry Business Packs have set the standard in
sedan redefined.
the B2B market by providing all-in-one cost effective mobile bundles. Our aim
Remote engine starter in
is to meet the changing needs of Oman’s burgeoning entrepreneurial community
Mid and Top Grades: Nissan
and today, we are proud to be raising the bar even higher. We understand that
vehicles are known to offer
customers need more and more data, so we are providing them with what they
smoother ride comfort, more
need, at no extra cost, to make sure that their businesses remains competitive and
refinement and benchmark
that business owners are able to plan with confidence for the year ahead.”
fit and finish, while delivering
He added, “Change is inevitable in our industry and as the data-driven era of
breathtaking performance and road-holding. Their ‘multi-dimensional telecommunications progresses, we promise to continue leading the market by
performance’ means the driver can enjoy the full depth of a Nissan’s capabilities offering innovative and value-added products and services that will ensure our
whether navigating the corners of a winding mountain road, cruising on a customers have what they want, when they want it, hassle and stress-free.”
motorway or even travelling in an urban environment.
The Altima comes with the Nissan Intelligent Key® that allows the owners to
drive in comfort and style regardless of the rising temperatures of the Sultanate.
The Nissan Intelligent Key® allows drivers with a tap of a button on the door
handle or trunk to unlock them, while the keys stay inside a pocket or purse.
Drivers can start a car from up to 60 metres away with the Remote Engine Start IN the context of its continued endeavours to empower
System. This convenient solution lets drivers cool down the vehicle before it’s qualified Omanis to assume executive roles, Al Hassan
time to get in, provided they set the climate control functions when they step out. Engineering Company SAOG has announced the
With vehicles facing the brunt of the heat in this part of the world; drivers are appointment of Adil Darwish Yousef al Lawati as
faced with extreme driving conditions. By using the remote engine starter, drivers General Manager-Projects, reporting to the CEO, Steve
can get the car engine running and activate the cooling before they step inside. Scott.
Adil has over two decades of extensive and diverse
That gives them the opportunity to stay indoors in the cool until the car is ready
to drive. This can be particularly handy if drivers have young children and babies, work experience in the oil & gas business. He holds
a distinction in Bachelor of Science (Mechanical
or anyone else that is very sensitive to extreme temperatures.
Standard Tire Pressure Monitoring System: smart technologies are designed Engineering) from the University Of Arizona, Tucson,
to help monitor conditions like a warning to let the driver know about straying Arizona, USA.
His last assignment was with Tebodin & Partner LLC where he worked for
lane, or a system that helps ensure they are travelling on properly inflated tires.
8 years and prior to that he worked as a Director — Major Contracts Division.
Before joining Tebodin, Adil worked in Petroleum Development Oman (PDO)
where he started his career and worked on various assignments for 19 years
which includes a stint with Shell Exploration & Production UK in Aberdeen for
3 years. During his tenure with PDO, he worked on various assignments starting
MAZDA CX-9 — the only seven-passenger All Wheel Drive SUV within the from construction, through facilities/process/concept engineer to head process/
Mazda range — has captivated the hearts of Omani and expats alike with its concept engineering and subsequently Head — Project Engineering South &
luxurious design, advanced features and evolved automotive technology. One of North. His last assignment before leaving PDO was as Fahud Steam Project
the most preferred cars in its segment, the CX-9 has made luxury truly affordable Manager.
as it is available in Oman at the unbelievable starting price of RO 10,900 only.
Towell Auto Centre (TAC) is the sole distributor of Mazda range of cars and is
‘JUST Test Drive a Kia & Win a Trip to Australia’ stated an innovative & exciting
committed to enhance the popularity of this remarkable vehicle.
A senior spokesperson of TAC comments: “Mazda CX-9 is a complete value roadshow campaign from Kia, bringing droves of people even closer to its popular
package. It offers a great combination of premium features, class leading comfort, models. The roadshow campaign ended on December 12, 2015 and the Grand
Ooredoo upgrades its Shahry Business
Packs to give customers unbeatable value
Redefined 2016 Nissan Altima
comes with advanced features
Al Hassan Engineering appoints Adil al
Lawati as General Manager-Projects
Mazda CX-9 — luxurious design and
complete value package
Excellent response greets Kia roadshow
Raffle for “Trip to Australia” was held on December 15, 2015.
“The response to our roadshow campaign was very enthusiastic,” the Kia
spokesperson confirmed and added that apart from the Australia trip, there were
many other exciting prizes such as Apple iPad Air, Samsung Tab, Wrist Watches,
Microwaves, Bluetooth speaker, Power Bank & Kia souvenirs.
Kia’s much awaited annual “Kia on Tour” roadshow went around Oman
covering Salalah (Gardens Mall), Nizwa (Lulu Hypermarket), Avenues Mall —
Muscat & Sohar (Safeer Mall). The latest Kia models were made available for testdrive at all the venues.
Visitors also participated in a ‘Kia QR code Contest’ at the roadshow venues
or at the showrooms for a chance to a Samsung S5 Mini phone. Participants just
needed to scan the QR codes & answer 3 simple questions correctly to be able to
win Samsung S5 Mini phone.
Simultaneously, there was another Kia Quiz contest running on Kia Oman
Facebook page, where one needed to just answer 3 simple questions correctly to
win Online Roumaan vouchers, up to RO 60 every week.
Kia’s range of vehicles has built a strong reputation for embracing some of
the most advanced technologies and luxury. Thus allowing customers the
privilege of indulging in the future while living in the present. Many of Kia’s classleading features and technologies have been the subject of inspiration for many
automobile manufacturers eager to enjoy a fan base as vast as Kia.
Reliable International Automotive (RIA), the distributor for Kia in Oman
provides a rewarding ownership experience for customers.
Diamonds collections at Al Felaij Jewellers
AL FELAIJ Jewellers continues its
tradition to provide its customers
the best sales promotion offers at the
end of the year. From December 1
onwards, Al Felaij Jewellers is offering
sales discounts of 50 per cent on all
diamond jewelleries. Over the years, Al
Felaij Jewellers has offered its customers
unique designs and collections of
diamond jewellery. All collections
including the new designs are on
50 per cent sale for a great value for
everyone. Treat your loved ones with
their favourite diamond jewellery this
holiday.
New REDTAG store opens in Al Athaiba
MARKING the end of a successful year, REDTAG, the value fashion and home
lifestyle brand has opened a new store at Al Athaiba, to cater to the needs of its
customers in neighbouring areas.
Commenting on the launch, Shehbaz Shaikh, Chief Retail Officer at REDTAG
said, “We are proud to launch our seventh store in the Sultanate of Oman.
Our steady expansion is a result of the popularity the brand is gaining among
customers in the Sultanate.
Out of a total of the brand’s over 170 stores across the Middle East, seven
are currently in Oman, with a large presence in other countries including KSA,
Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, UAE,
Uzbekistan and Yemen.
INTERNATIONAL
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
omandailyobserver
27
US auto sales reach new high in 2015, shows data
SOARING DEMANDS: The boom comes after sales collapsed to lows not seen in decades in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis
CHICAGO: US auto sales touched
a new high in 2015 as easy credit, hot
new vehicles and strong consumer
confidence pushed sales slightly above
the record set in 2000, industry data
showed. Some 17.47 million vehicles
were sold in the United States last year,
nearly 70,000 more than the record set
15 years earlier, according to Autodata.
Sales were up six per cent from the
16.52 million vehicles registered in 2014.
The boom comes after sales collapsed
to lows not seen in decades in the
wake of the 2008 financial crisis which
knocked General Motors and Chrysler
into bankruptcy.
That downturn accelerated muchneeded restructuring at the Detroit
Three carmakers, which began racking
in record profits when the economy
improved and sales started climbing
again.
The good times are expected to keep
on rolling in 2016. “The US economy
continues to expand and the most
important factors that drive demand for
new vehicles are in place, so we expect to
see a second consecutive year of record
industry sales in 2016,” said Mustafa
Mohatarem, GM’s chief economist.
“The single most important pieces
are the ongoing gains in employment
and the growth in personal income.
When you add in lower energy prices,
it’s easy to see why consumer spending
is strong.”
Total industry sales rose nine per cent
in December, to 1.64 million vehicles,
according to Autodata.
The results come days before
carmakers are set to reveal a host of new
products at the Detroit auto show, where
the mood is expected to be exuberant.
“It’s truly remarkable that the auto
industry is finishing off its best year
ever just six years after the depths of the
Great Recession,” said Jessica Caldwell,
an analyst with the automotive website
Edmunds.com.
While easy credit terms and low gas
prices are making it easier for consumers
to buy or lease new cars, Caldwell said
the attractiveness of product offerings is
sealing the deal.
“If you’re buying a new car today,
you’re getting a safer, more fuel-efficient
and more technologically packed vehicle
than ever before,” she said in a statement.
“Automakers are doing a great job giving
the people what they want in a new car.”
Nearly every major carmaker shared
in the gains.
But embattled German automaker
Volkswagen bucked the trend as sales
Twitter mulling 10,000
characters: Report
WASHINGTON: Twitter’s 140 character
limit on tweets has long frustrated and
challenged its most verbose users. Now
the company could offer a solution,
according to tech news website re/code:
the 10,000 character tweet, which could
be available as soon as March.
Re/code reported that Twitter has
been studying how to allow users to
say more, after restricting them to 140
characters for 10 years.
That limit was based on the capacity
of the original messaging software
used, and though frustrating for many,
unleashed a tidal wave of ultra-concise
commentary across the web.
Now every day more than 300 million
regular Twitter users send hundreds of
millions of messages — news reports,
personal updates, advertisements,
political pitches, photos and videos and,
most often, just witty and innocuous
comments.
Re/code says the company already
allows 10,000 characters in a commercial
product called Direct Messages, so the
technology is no longer a barrier. The
company is testing a version that would
still only display 140 characters in a
message, but carry much more, and a
reader would have to click on the tweet
to see the rest.
The move is a part of Twitter’s efforts
to expand its user base and advertising
sales and other sources of income.
Twitter continued to lose money
over the first three quarters of last year.
In October it reported a third quarter
loss of $132 million, on a disappointing
11 per cent year-on-year increase in
regular users to 320 million.
Twitter itself had no comment on
the report on Tuesday, but users were
not entirely enthusiastic about the
possible new limit. “140 characters is not
NEARLY enough to express my outrage
that Twitter is raising the character limit
to 10,000,” tweeted writer Brian Phillips
in 111 characters.
“Twitter really going hard after those
stubborn 300 million people who don’t
hate it yet,” quipped Rusty Foster in just
87 characters. Investors also did not take
to the idea: Twitter shares were down 2.5
per cent to $21.99 after the report. — AFP
Fred Diaz, Senior Vice-President for Sales & Marketing for Nissan US introduces the new 2016 Nissan Sentra during the Los
Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California. — Reuters file photo
were hit by a massive pollution-cheating
scandal.
VW sales fell nine per cent to 30,956
in December and were down five per
cent in 2015 at 349,400 vehicles. The
results were nonetheless better than the
25 per cent drop registered in November
after VW stopped selling diesel-engine
vehicles shown to have been equipped
for years with software that intentionally
Fitbit unveils ‘smart fitness watch’
LAS VEGAS: Fitbit has unveiled its
“smart fitness watch,” aiming to get into
the growing smartwatch segment with
upgraded fitness tracking features.
But the company’s share price
plunged amid disappointment over its
prospects for keeping pace with rivals
like Apple Watch.
The company, which leads the
wearable tech market with its wristworn trackers but is being challenged by
the rise of smartwatches from Apple and
others, said its $199 Fitbit Blaze watch
was available for pre-order and would
be in retail stores globally in the coming
months. Speaking at an unveiling ahead
of the Consumer Electronics Show in
Las Vegas, Fitbit chief executive and cofounder James Park said the new device
“strikes a balance between fitness and
style.”
The Blaze contains a module that can
be linked with smartphones running
Apple, Android or Windows systems
and removed to snap into different
bands for workouts, the office or nights
on the town, Park said.
It will also allow for notifications of
calls, text and calendar alerts, and can
control music playing from a phone. It
also features a high-resolution colour
display and a battery that can last up
to five days. “It puts fitness first and
has the right set of features that don’t
overwhelm the user,” he told the news
conference.
Fitbit led the global market for
wearable tech devices in the third
The company, which
leads the wearable
tech market with
its wrist-worn
trackers but is being
challenged by the
rise of smartwatches
from Apple and
others, said its $199
Fitbit Blaze watch
was available for
pre-order and would
be in retail stores
globally in the
coming months.
The new FitBit Blaze is seen at a press conference on CES Press Day in Las Vegas,
Nevada ahead of the CES 2016 Consumer Electronics Show. — AFP
quarter with a 22.2 per cent market
share and unit sales of 4.7 million,
according to research firm IDC. But
many analysts expect Apple to take
the lead in the sector with its new
smartwatch that connects to iPhones
and also has fitness-tracking features.
Fitbit shares plunged 18 per cent on
apparent disappointment the company
fell short in its strategy of countering
Apple and other rivals. Also weighing
on Fitbit was a launch by Under Armour
Home Retail said approach undervalued the group and its prospects, advising investors to take no action
UK’s Home Retail spurns Sainsbury’s bid
LONDON:
Sainsbury’s,
Britain’s
second-biggest supermarket chain,
made a takeover approach for Home
Retail in November but was rejected by
the owner of Argos and the Homebase
do-it-yourself chain and is considering
its next step.
The approach is a bold gambit by
Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe to reduce
its reliance on food sales when the wider
British supermarket industry is being
hammered by the growth of German
discounters Aldi and Lidl in a brutal
price war.
Sainsbury’s did not disclose the
value of its proposal but said on Tuesday
that it had approached Home Retail’s
board about a possible cash and shares
offer for the group, which had a market
capitalisation of £804 million ($1.18
billion) before news of the spurned
proposal emerged.
Home Retail said the approach
undervalued the group and its prospects,
advising investors to take no action.
Shares in Home Retail, Britain’s
biggest household goods retailer,
jumped 41 per cent to 139.5 pence on
the news, while Sainsbury’s shares fell
5.2 per cent to 242.6 pence on concerns
over the cost and implications of the
potential acquisition, giving it a market
capitalisation of £4.7 billion.
Home Retail warned on its profit
outlook in October and its share price
had more than halved over the past year
before Tuesday. Analysts at Jefferies, in
a note titled “Genius or Madness?”, said
subverted clean-air regulations.
“As we look towards 2016, we
are committed to rebuilding trust in
the brand and would like to thank
our customers and dealers for their
continued patience and loyalty,” said
Mark McNabb, chief operating officer
for Volkswagen of America.
GM sales rose six per cent in
December to 290,230 vehicles while
total 2015 sales for the largest US
automaker were up five per cent at 3.1
million vehicles. Ford sales were up eight
per cent in December at 239,242 and
rose five per cent in 2015 to 2.6 million
vehicles. Fiat Chrysler sales jumped 13
per cent in December to 217,527 while
2015 sales were up seven per cent at 2.2
million vehicles.
Toyota sales increased 11 per cent in
December to 238,350 and were up five
per cent in 2015 at 2.5 million. Both
of the Japanese automaker’s brands
— Toyota and Lexus — posted recordbreaking December sales while its
Corolla, RAV4 and Highlander vehicles
smashed records for the year.
“2015 was a standout year for the auto
industry,” Bill Fay, general manager for
the Toyota division, said in a statement.
Honda sales rose 10 per cent in
December to 150,893 and were up three
per cent for the year at 1.5 million.
Nissan posted an eight per cent
gain in December at 139,300 while its
2015 sales rose seven per cent to 1.4
million.
— AFP
that Coupe’s move could be construed in
two ways.
“Either this is a sign of a lack of
confidence in prospects for the core
(grocery) business or a positive step
in anticipating how the customer
journey will develop in a multichannel world,” they said. Sainsbury’s
said it is now considering its position
and, under British takeover rules, has
until February 2 to make a firm offer.
Sainsbury’s has shown greater resilience
to the discounters than its rivals among
the so-called Big Four, Tesco, Asda and
Morrisons.
It used to own Homebase before it
sold the business in 2000 for almost £1
billion and said a deal with Home Retail
would enable the two groups to optimise
their store space, sell Argos goods
through Sainsbury’s and Sainsbury’s
products through Argos, making cost
savings in the process.
The two companies have been
working together over the past year, with
Sainsbury’s trialing Argos concessions
in its stores. Plans for Homebase, now
owned by Home Retail, are less clear.
“There would undoubtedly be
substantial cost savings from putting
Sainsbury’s and Home Retail together
and I can certainly see how Argos could
enhance Sainsbury’s non-food offering,”
said one major institutional shareholder
in both companies.
“What I am less clear on is what
Sainsbury’s could add in an Argos or
Homebase store.”
— Reuters
of a suite of connected fitness devices.
Sterne Agee analyst Rob Cihra said
the new watch is “not likely enough” to
boost Fitbit against its rivals.
The analyst said in a research note
the new smartwatch appears to be a
“fashionable (Fitbit) Charge fitness
band” which “offers a much smaller
fraction of the functionality (of rivals),
as a not-so-smart watch with limited
apps platform play.”
“We see the company still needing
to prove it can build out a sustainable
software and services platform that
goes beyond simply selling devices,”
the analyst said. IDC analyst Ramon
Llamas said Fitbit shares may have been
unfairly punished by the news.
Llamas said that it appears that “a
modular smartwatch does not appeal to
a lot of people” but that Fitbit still has
the opportunity to improve its offerings
and expand its large user base.
“I think (Blaze) is unfairly being
compared to Apple Watch,” he said.
“But there are still a lot of oars in the
ocean to pull Fitbit forward.” Under
Armour meanwhile announced its
“Connected Fitness product portfolio”
which may grab market share from
Fitbit. The Baltimore-based group
announced its UA Band designed to be
worn all-day, every day to track daily
activity, workouts and sleep, a compact
heart rate monitor which can measure
workout intensity and a connected
scale that enables weight and body fat
percentage readings.
“For 20 years, Under Armour has
changed the way athletes dress and now
we will change the way athletes live,”
said Kevin Plank, founder and CEO, in
a statement.
“We are taking connected Fitness to
another level. With the HealthBox suite
of products being introduced, athletes
will be empowered with the information
to make better decisions and ultimately
enrich their lives in a way that’s never
been done before.”
— AFP
MSM30 Index companies
FROM PAGE 25
The expected fiscal consolidation
and subsidy reform measures in the
form of increase in fuel and utilities
costs to have negative impact on the
performance of Industrial sector
companies during 2016, which needs to
be watched out.
“During the quarter under review,
the estimated decline in capital
expenditures by regional governments
adjusting to the prevailing low oil price
environment to have an impact on the
performance of construction, building
materials and allied sectors, under the
industry sector”, the report points out.
Industry sector earnings for the
fourth quarter is estimated to decline by
17 per cent year over year and increase
44 per cent quarter on quarter due to
low base impact. It may be recalled that
impact was evident during the third
quarter due to Ramadhan and summer
season.
“We do estimate stress in the fourth
quarter performance from construction
and building material sector companies
on the back of economic slowdown, this
could have further impact in 2016 also”,
says the report.
Meanwhile, the services sector
earnings are estimated to decline by
0.7 per cent year over year and ‐31.1
per cent on quarter on quarter amid
estimated losses from Renaissance and
utilities sector companies due to winter
offseason tariff.
Ooredoo Oman and Oil Marketing
companies are expected to report
improved earnings growth during the
quarter.
Ooredoo is estimated to report
stronger earnings growth sequentially
amid improvement in operating
performance and market share gains.
Omantel earnings are estimated to
increase on prevailing low base, while
operating performance to reveal stable
trend, points out the report.
30
LEISURE/CLASSIFIEDS
omandailyobserver
For Sale
Situation Wanted
DELUXE fast food
restaurant in Prime
location in Muscat.
99363883.
quality PVC
windows and wood
doors. 97333357/
24544119.
·····
·····
LEADEN and Black
4WD Lincoln Navigator
1998 is for sale. Valid
till 25.12.2015, good
condition, 200,000 km,
RO 1,600. 94056332.
·····
AUTOMOTIVE
batteries for sale
in bulk. Contact
24794657
·····
RESTAURANT
in an excellent
location in Salalah
with equipment
and workers.
93397812.
·····
USED portacabin
(5 Nos) for sale.
Interested parties
may contact Mr
Arif on GSM No
99259157/ 92332088
at NTS Ghala Camp
for inspection.
Sealed offers should
be submitted on or
before 17.03.2015.
·····
PRIME location in
Shatti Al Qurum
for Sale. Ideal for
restaurant/ Coffee
Shop/ Fast Food.
97890657/
96426312. E-mail:
tess29.cayman29@
gmail.com
·····
Situation Wanted
ͳȎ
behind GUtech is
offered for sale. The
land enjoys a permit
for twin-villa.
INDIAN male, 26 years
accountant, 3 years
experience in Oman
with Omani driving
licence, NOC available
seeking for suitable
position. 94282980.
E-mail: msjob4578@
gmail.com
AMERICAN CPA, CMA,
with MBA, MCom, 15
years experience - India
and GCC, accounting,
ƒ—†‹–‹‰ǡϐ‹ƒ…‡ƒ†
costing, seeking suitable
position in Muscat.
91595436. E-mail:
msvarghese79@gmail.
com
·····
LOOKING for driving
job experience 3 years.
95776320.
INDIAN male, B com,
looking for accounts,
‘ˆϐ‹…‡‡Žƒ”‹‡ƒŽ™‘”ƒ†
sales job now in visit
visa. 98295161.
·····
·····
·····
·····
·····
·····
2 years in sultanate of · · · · ·
Oman, Iraqi nationality
having Oman driving
FOR RENT
licence. 95525594.
E-mail: bash_ze@
2 BEDROOM villa
yahoo.com
ƒ–—––”ƒŠǡ‹Žƒ–Ž
·····
Zahiah. 99377249.
BRANDED well
ƒ‹–ƒ‹‡†‘—•‡Š‘Ž†
items for immediate
sale at throw away
price 99047440
2) A LAND is for sale
in Al Maabela 8 owner.
95959166.
·····
INDIAN male,
B.Tech E&I, 10 years
experience in sales,
procurement & business
·····
development, 6 years
Oman experience in
CIVIL engineer (13)
oil & gas sectors, seeks
placement, Omani
years experience in
constructions and sites D/L, NOC available.
97233074.
managment included
MBA marketing and
ϐ‹ƒƒ…‡ǡ†‹ƒ
female, 10 years
business and IT
experience in sales
and marketing,
consulting, product
management
rales in banking
and sustainability
currently on visit visa,
looking for suitable
’”‡ϐ‹Ž‡Ǥ95431357.
·····
·····
DOUBLE bedroom
†‡Ž—š‡ϐŽƒ–ƒ†ͳͲͲͲ
m2 showroom Al
Ansab near Park.
99639102.
CALVIN AND HOBBES
GARFIELD
STONE SOUP
AN industrial
land of 200 sqm
is offered for rent
or investment.
99329217.
·····
accomodation
in Al Khuwair.
99560808.
·····
A 2 STOREY villa in
south Al Maabela
consists of a sitting
room, 4 bedrooms with
toilets + two sitting
rooms and kitchen,
located in strategic
place and close to a
public water source
is offered for rent.
99700908.
ANNOUNCEMENT
FLATS for rent in
Darsait Coast number
for building 100.
99374616.
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 LAP technicians.
- 2 Pharmacists.
94359172.
WE Binu Varghese
(name of father as per
the passport, holder
of Indian Passport
No G7360288) and
Iby Issac (name of
mother as per the
passport holder of
Indian Passport No
K7834593) having
permanent address
in Alummoottic
Vadakkethk,
Kadampanad PO,
Pathanamthitta
Kerala -691552
(complete postal
address in India) and
presently residing
at the following
address in Tarif PB
No 476 PC No 321
Sultanate of Oman,
hereby solemnly
affirm and declare
to change the name
of our child Miss/
Master Jusbin Binu
Varghese (name as
per passport) holder
of Indian Passport
No J9912094 date
of issue 14.11.2011
issued at Trivandrum.
The name of our child
will be henceforth
known as Joel Binu
Varghese (new
name) for all purpose.
Any objection
towards change of
name of our minor
child may please be
communicated to
Embassy of India,
Muscat, Diplomatic
Quarters, Al Khuwair,
P Box No 1727, Postal
Code 112, Ruwi,
Sultanate of Oman.
by Bill Watterson
by Jim Davis
by Jan Eliot
·····
LOST
SUBIR Nazer Al Islam
has lost Bangladeshi
passport No E0964711.
Finder please handover
to ROP.
·····
·····
·····
·····
ʹϐŽƒ–•™‹–ŠȀ•
at Ruwi MBD Area, Way
No 3526, Pizza Muscat
Building. 99333110/
24814853.
RAFIQ Al Islam has lost
Bangladeshi passport
No AE7114212. Finder
please handover to ROP.
·····
·····
·····
Bijom has lost
Bangladeshi passport
No BA016507. Finder
please handover to ROP.
VILLA in Al Mawalih
(5), 5 rooms + toilets +
majlis and family living
room. 92880977.
·····
2 BED ROOM ϐŽƒ–ǣ
1. Mumtaz Area new RO
350/-.
2. Wadi Kabir RO 250/-.
·····
FAMILY sharing Wadi
Kabir, 3 BR + hall + 2
Bath, covered parking.
99336206.
·····
by Brian Basset
GREAT chance! valuable
land for rent (area =
7000 sq.m) located
in the centre of sur’s
old industrial district
valid for all commercial
purposes for more
details. 92510152.
EDUCATIONAL
Institution interested
in hiring trainer
specialist in teaching
English language and
must be native English.
To Scheduling an
interview please send
your CV to alomani_
institute1990@yahoo.
com
99319482.
·····
CARTOONS
ADAM @ HOME
Situation Vacant
FOR RENT
FINANCE controller,
17 years experience
in Oman contracting,
consultancy, oil
and gas, trading, IT,
tourism, ETC project
ϐ‹ƒ…‹‰ǡϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ
management,
feasbility ERP, MIS etc.
98571309.
25 years experienced
supervisor in
’Ž—„‹‰ƒ†ϐ‹”‡
ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ǡƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡
and driving licence.
95912720.
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
1 It’s wily to weep about
being backward (6)
7 Nevertheless, a learner
seems about to falter badly
(5,3)
8 Just one drink left for a flier
(4)
10 Get satisfaction in being
shaven, generally (6)
11 Hard beds (6)
14 Notes the good service (3)
16 With aid, we hear, one can
drink it (5)
17 Nonsense to hush (4)
19 Juliet and Ed, between
them, had a good laugh! (5)
21 Acceptable during the
interval, I’d say (5)
22 Called back with some
demands (5)
23 You might take a step to
control one (4)
26 The vessel a bachelor’s in
(5)
28 The officer’s pass (3)
29 Head branch (6)
30 Alias busy Lizzie, it can be
seen as balm (6)
31 Marian’s song (4)
32 In this container, tin is
combined with some
pewter (8)
33 Quiver in abject remorse
(6)
Ȉ ƒ”•ˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡
Ȉ ‘””‡–
Ȉ ‘„ƒ’’Ž‹…ƒ–‹‘
Ȉ Šƒ”‹‰”‡•‹†‡…‡
Ȉ ”ƒ•’‘”–…ƒ”•
Ȉ ‡ƒŽ•–ƒ–‡ȋ•ƒŽ‡Ǧ
”‡–Ǧ‹˜‡•–‡–•
Ȉ ƒŒŒƒ†”ƒ
Ȉ •‡†ˆ—”‹–—”‡ˆ‘”•ƒŽ‡
Ȉ ƒ—…Š…‡”‡‘‹‡•‘ˆȋ”‡•–ƒ—”ƒ–•Ǧ
•Š‘’•Ǧ…Ž‹‹…•Ȍ
Ȉ ‘„ƒ†•
Ȉ ‡ƒ…Š‹‰†”‹˜‹‰
Ȉ ‘—•‡•…Ž‡ƒ‹‰Ǧ•‡”˜‹…‡•ƒ†’‡•–
…‘–”‘Ž
For information, please call:
99841230-95919344
92721879 - 99639264
Tel: 24649597, Fax: 24649590
BankMuscat account: 0397003776610011
Bank Dhofar account: 01040141195001
E-mail: a.almashari@omandaily.om
·····
CRO SSW O RD
12 Colour of a stopper (3)
13 Sounds various notes (5)
15 Left a damaged shoe out, as
for mending (5)
18 A donated instrument? (5)
19 The difficulty is, it’s high in
sugar (3)
20 Sort of gloves for a
youngster (3)
21 She’s at the forefront when
seas are wild (7)
22 Being back in clink means
nothing! (3)
23 Old Bill’s not exactly polite!
(6)
DOWN
24 She brews ales (4)
1 A horse to an officer, a
25 Cry at the destruction of a
metal to you (6)
tree (6)
2 Dawn over the English
26 Informally, you can put that
Channel? (6)
in your pipe and smoke it!
3 Where there can be much
(5)
delay at university (4)
27 More than a ton of rock (5)
4 Comfortably settled need
to go round a street corner 28 Bit of a scare on the road?
(3)
(7)
5 Form of address for Mike, a 30 Lionel’s title, in short? (4)
race starter (5)
EASY PUZZLE
6 How it’s hard to get away
ACROSS
with a dirty deed (5)
1 Prophet (6)
8 Excitedly eats meals (4)
9 It takes a long time to grow 7 Fastened (8)
8 Applaud (4)
old (3)
10
11
14
16
17
19
21
22
23
26
28
29
30
31
32
33
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
30
For every (3)
Groom’s attendant (4,3)
Vehicle (3)
Hunt (6)
Gemstone (4)
Dig up (6)
Model (5)
Social group (5)
Conifer (3)
Majority (4)
YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, A-miss 6, Tiffs 9,
Kippers 10, Dylan 11, Aitch
12, Reg-is 13, F-ever-ED 15,
C-op. 17, Emir 18, Before 19,
Smear 20, Ca-u-ses 22, O-gle
24, Ems 25, Well-i.e.-s 26,
Swear 27, Delia 28, Amus-e
29, Dracula 30, Ceded 31,
Enter.
Entirely (6)
Bounded (6)
Friend (3)
African country (5)
Layer (4)
Drive back (5)
Bathroom item (5)
Type of wood (5)
Nourishment (4)
Ancient Peruvians (5)
Dandy (3)
Lack (6)
Optical illusion (6)
Spoken (4)
Draws (8)
Dozen (6)
DOWN: 2, May-hem 3, Skater
4, Si-N 5, S-p-eed 6, Trainer 7,
Is-is 8, F-actor 12, Re-AM-s
13, Fence 14, Vi-rus 15, C-orGI 16, Pekes 18, Baker 19,
Sea-ward 21, Ampere 22, Old
man 23, Less-ee 25, Watch 26,
S-I’d-E 28, Ale.
YESTERDAY’S EASY
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Edict 6, Strew 9,
Reverie 10, Green 11, Drama
12, Haven 13, Bestial 15, Ant
17, Once 18, Matter 19, Sewer
20, Evaded 22, Sage 24, Dip
25, Creased 26, Carry 27,
Abbot 28, Civil 29, Mention
30, Ceded 31, Dealt.
DOWN
1 Get the better of (6)
2 Underground room (6)
3 Catch sight of (4)
4 Furniture item (7)
5 Shoot (5)
6 Viper (5)
8 Manage (4)
9 Everything (3)
12 Zero (3)
13 Speed (5)
15 Honour (5)
18 Senseless (5)
19 Free (3)
DOWN: 2, Darken 3, Create
4, Ten 5, Metal 6, Sidecar 7,
Tern 8, Ermine 12, Hated 13,
Bored 14, Scrap 15, Atlas 16,
Tried 18, Merry 19, Sedated
21, Viable 22, Saline 23, Genial
25, Crate 26, Come 28, Cod.
Hospitals
Hospital. . . . . Board . . . . . . . Emergency
Royal . . . . . . . 24599000 . . . 24590491
Health Services Department
Muttrah . . . . . . . 24797602
Quriyat . . . . . . . 24845001 . . . . 24845003
SQH, Salalah. . . 23211555 . . . . 23211151
Police. . . . . . . . . 24603988 . . . . 24603980
Al Nahda . . . . . . 24831255 . . . . 24837800
Ibn Sina. . . . . . . 24876322 . . . . 24877361
Nizwa. . . . . . . . . 25439361 . . . . 25425033
Al Rustaq. . . . . . 26875055 . . . . 26877186
Samayil . . . . . . . 25350055 . . . . 25350022
Izki . . . . . . . . . . . 25340033 . . . . 25340033
Haima . . . . . . . . 23436013 . . . . 23436055
Sohar . . . . . . . . . 26840022 . . . . 26840099
Al Buraimi. . . . . 25650855 . . . . 25652319
Sur . . . . . . . . . . . 25440244 . . . . 25461373
Tanam . . . . . . . . 25499011 . . . . 25499033
Masirah . . . . . . . 25404018 . . . . 25404018
Ibra. . . . . . . . . . . 25470533 . . . . 25470535
Adam. . . . . . . . . 25434167 . . . . 25434055
Bidiyah . . . . . . . 25483535 . . . . 25483535
Ibri . . . . . . . . . . . 25491011 . . . . 25491990
Saham . . . . . . . . 26854427 . . . . 26855148
Khasab . . . . . . . 26830187 . . . . 26830187
Daba . . . . . . . . . 26836443 . . . . 26836443
Bukha . . . . . . . . 26828397 . . . . 26828397
Sinaw. . . . . . . . . 25474338
CLASSIFIEDS
T H U R S DAY
JANUARY 7 l 2016
Situation Vacant
URGENTLY required
experienced
Sales Executives
having Fire
Protection System
‘™Ž‡†‰‡Ǥ‘–ƒ…–
95229608,
93214092 or
‰—Žˆ‡ƒƒ”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
URGENTLY required
experienced MEP
Engineers and
Estimators. Contact
95229608,
93214092 or
‰—Žˆ‡ƒƒ”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
WE require an
experienced General
Practitioner™‹–ŠȀ
™‹–Š‘—–‘Ž‹…‡…‡
–‘™‘”‹‡†‹…ƒŽ
complex. 93981727,
92212557.
·····
Situation Wanted
Immediate Sale
INDIAN male, 12 years
experience in printing
and advt production
and Marketing, seeks
suitable placement.
92972898.
RUNNING plastic
recycling factory
™‹–Š›ƒ”†ˆ‘”
immediate sale.
Interested people can
contact Mr Sujith,
GSM: 93221125.
Approximate rate:
RO 80,0000 including
yard, material and
‡“—‹’‡–™‹–Š
‘ˆϐ‹…‡ˆƒ…‹Ž‹–‹‡•Ǥ
·····
INDIAN male, 24 years
old, on visit visa, 3
years diploma in civil
engineering, 8 years
experience. Contact
98515106.
·····
INDIAN male, 22 years,
mechanical engineer,
fresher, looking for
a placement in any
‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽϐ‹‡Ž†Ǥ
Contact 95020044.
·····
INDIAN, male, BE
in Electrical and
‡Ž‡…–”‘‹…•™‹–Š‘•–
Graduate Diploma
‹‘™‡”›•–‡•
(Transmission and
distribution), seeks
placement. Presently in
Oman on visit. Contact
94669679. E-mail:
’”•ƒ„ƒ”‹•Š̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
URGENTLY required
Expatriate Heavy
Duty Drivers, JCB
Operators™‹–Š˜ƒŽ‹†
Omani licence. Send
›‘—”–‘‰†•‘ƒ̷
gdsoman.com. Contact:
99890076, 93894018, · · · · ·
Fax: 24590866.
INDIAN male,
·····
accountant available
for immediate joining.
SUBCONTRACTORS
ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡™‹–Š
required: SME
Omani driving licence.
contractors interested
Call 99881355 or
in telecom side — civil
99720602.
and underground
·····
Situation Wanted
CONSULTANT
engineer, 20 years
experience in
civil engineering.
91177755.
·····
SENIOR MEP
‡‰‹‡‡”™‹–Š
28 years of
experience in
various MEP
ϐ‹‡Ž†•ǡ’”‘Œ‡…–
management of
giant projects in
–Š‡™‘”Ž†ǡ™‹–Š
BSc mechanical
engineering Arabic
ƬϐŽ—‡–‰Ž‹•ŠǤ
91261993.
•ƒ„ƒŠƒʹͲͲ͵̷
yahoo.com
·····
LOOKING for an
Investor for renting
5 unpartitioned shop
•’ƒ…‡ƒ†ͳͲˆŽƒ–•™‹–Š
all facility available at
Haima. 92212557,
99270775.
INDIAN male, 28 years
™ƒ–‡†‘’’‘”–—‹–›‹
IT Certified in redhat
linux (RHCE) and
oracle DBA, have 3
years of hand on
experience in
‡–™‘”‹‰ǡŽ‹•…‘
”‘—–‡”•ƒ†•™‹–…Š‡•ǡ
Outlook, S/W
Installations. Contact
95406864. E-mail:
•ƒƒ†ǤǤƒŽ‹͹ͻ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
INDIAN male B.Sc,
Clinical Laboratory
Technology, M.Sc,
in microbiology.
Working as associated
”‡•‡ƒ”…Š‘ˆϐ‹…‡”™‹–Š
Christian Medical
College and Hospital
(CMC), Vellore, India
since 2012 (3 years)
currently in Oman
looking for a placement
in microbiology.
94876562/
97626282. E-mail:
„‹ŒŒ—™ƒŽ–‡”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
·····
·····
telephone cable laying
™‘”Ȅƒ›…‘–ƒ…–”
S Ravi 99424605 or
Mr Sayed.99358733
of National Telephone
Services Co LLC.
·····
·····
31
omandailyobserver
Situation Wanted
BE computer science,
Indian male, looking for
suitable job in the field
‘ˆ•‘ˆ–™ƒ”‡‘”‹
information technology
Šƒ˜‹‰‰‘‘†‘™Ž‡†‰‡
in Java, ASP Net, MSSLL,
MS Word. Contact
91986191.
†‹Ž‡‡’ʹͶ͸ͺǤƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
INDIAN male, 23
years, BBM graduate
™‹–Š…‘’—–‡”
‘™Ž‡†‰‡ǡŠƒ˜‹‰ʹ
years experience in
accountancy looking for
accounts, admin, stores
or sales. Currently on
visit visa 95356512.
·····
INDIAN CA, 8 years
experience - India and
GCC in audit, AC &
Fin, seeking suitable
senior position in
—•…ƒ–Ǥ͓…ƒ•ƒ”–ͲͲ͹̷
gmail.com
97144935.
·····
INDIAN, HSE
manager, grad
IOSH, IDip NEBOSH
™‹–ŠͳͺΪ›‡ƒ”•
of experience,
’”‡•‡–Ž›™‘”‹‰
in Oman, seeking
suitable HSE jobs.
Oman driving
licence and NOC
available. Contact
94401830.
E-mail:
Š•‡‘ƒͳͲͳ̷
gmail.com
·····
INDIAN male, 40 years
(MBA Marketing)
having 18 years of
‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹•ƒŽ‡•ϐ‹‡Ž†Ǥ
ͳͳ›‡ƒ”•‹ƒ™‹–Š
valid Oman driving
licence, seeks suitable
placement. Expected
to be in Oman during
Žƒ•–™‡‡‘ˆ‘˜‡„‡”
2015. Contact 00968
99664612, e-mail:
„ƒ””‡–Œ‘Š”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘
·····
INDIAN graduate
™‹–Š‘”‡
civil engineer from
than 10 years of sales & Muscat College in
marketing experience
ʹͲͳͷ™‹–ŠȀǡ•‡‡•
in Gulf and 1.6 years
suitable placement
in Oman in electronics ™‹–Š‡’Ž‘›‡–˜‹•ƒǤ
& appliances division.
93121505.
Having Omani driving
licence, NOC available. · · · · ·
91298641
INDIAN male, 26 years,
·····
Business Management,
‘™•ˆϐ‹…‡ǡ
Arabic, 5 years in Oman.
Contact 93931935
·····
INDIAN male 38 years,
17 years experience
‹ƒ–™‘™Š‡‡Ž‡”
Ž‹…‡…‡ǡ‘™‹‡•‡‡•
job as office assistant,
messenger, courier etc.
92287226.
A MBA ˆ‡ƒŽ‡™‹–Š
1 year experience in
sale and marketing
‹†‡ƒŽ‹‰™‹–Š
customers can do
„ƒ…‘ˆϐ‹…‡™‘”
and secretary.
95910427, e-mail:
”‹–ƒ•Š‹˜’”ƒ•ƒ†ͳͳͳ̷
gmail.com
·····
ƒŽ‡ȋʹ͵ȌǡʹΪ
›‡ƒ”•™‘”‡š’‡”‹‡…‡
as a D/Civil Autocad,
building construction,
looking for suitable
position. 91146914,
•Šƒˆƒ•Ͷͷ͸̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
com
·····
FINANCE professional,
15 years various
industry experience in
Oman trade finance,
project finance,
accounts, costing ERP,
feasibility, business
plan etc. 98571309.
·····
INDIAN female Btech
…‹˜‹Ž‡‰‹‡‡”™‹–Š
3 years experience.
Having sound
‘™Ž‡†‰‡‘ˆ‡˜‹–
–ƒ†•‘ˆ–™ƒ”‡‘
family visa. Looking
for suitable post.
94537638.
·····
INDIAN male 23,
BCom, IATA (Cargo),
1 year experience,
good computer
skills, looking for
suitable position
in cargo/admin/
ƒ……‘—–•Ȁ„ƒ…‘ˆϐ‹…‡
job. 97826180,
‹ŠƒŽ•‹††Š‡‡“—‡̷
gmail.com
·····
INDIAN female, B.Tech
…‹˜‹Ž‡‰‹‡‡”‹‰™‹–Š͵
years experience, having
•‘—†‘™Ž‡†‰‡‘ˆ
‡˜‹––ƒ†•‘ˆ–™ƒ”‡•ǡ
on family visa,
seeks suitable post
94537638.
MBA, HR Marketing
(male 26), 3 years
experience in
Noor Islamic Bank
(UAE), 1 year HR
Coordinator looking
for suitable placement.
901462412,
ƒ„‡‡‘––‡ƒ”ƒ̷
gmail.com
·····
·····
INDIAN male, 23 years
PG Dip in Petroleum
Engineering and
B.Tech in Mechanical
Engineering Holding
UAE driving licence,
seeks suitable
placement immediately.
95880127,
95084905,
˜‹Œ‹–Šʹͷ͹͵Ͷͷͻ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ
com
ARCHITECTURE
‡‰‹‡‡”™‹–Š‰‘‘†
experience in civil
™‘”•ƒ†Šƒ†
implemented several
Œ‘„•™‹–Š„‹‰™‘”Ž†
companies like Shell,
ENI, Schlumberger,
BP, all jobs in Iraq.
009647806448408
‘ŠƒŽƒ†Ǥˆƒ”‘™̷
gmail.com
·····
·····
·····
Services
ANNOUNCEMENT
Saif Salam Al Riyami
& Pratner Trad. &
‘–Ǥȋ••‘Ȍǡ™Š‹…Š
had been registered
at the Secretariat
of the Commercial
Register, in the Ministry
of Commerce &
Industry No. 1100124,
announces that it
™‹ŽŽ…Šƒ‰‡–‘ǣ‘—•‡
Bonding contracting
co. (Asso) Beneficiaries
should be informed of
the changes.
·····
PANORAMA. Co. make all
interior & exterior designs
™‹–Š͵˜‹‡™•ǡ™‡Šƒ˜‡
high creative innovative
concept to perform real
life picture, in addition,
™‡‡š‡…—–‡‘—”™‘”
under supervision
‘ˆŠ‹‰ŠŽ›“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡†Ƭ
integrated engineers.
Contact: 92678037 99734137; 24538723;
24538741. Šƒ•̷
vabeneoman.com/ Eng.
ƒŽƒƒ•ŠƒŠ‹̷›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ…‘
·····
Manpower
AZOOZ
House of Trust
‘—•‡Š‘Ž†™‘”‡”•ƒ–
the best prices - house
helper - house cookhouse nurse - drivers babysitter. 24831448,
WatsApp: 92801098/
95330209.
·····
FRIENDS MANPOWER:
Filipino housemaids
ƒ†ƒŽŽ‹†•‘ˆ™‘”‡”•Ǥ
24489268 Tel:/Fax:
24478153, 92462496.
1. AC
maintenance
and servicing.
2. Fridge,
™ƒ•Š‹‰
machine and
†‹•Š™ƒ•Š‡”
repairing.
3. Painting
and cleaning
services. 4.
Electrical,
plumbing and
…ƒ”’‡–”›™‘”
97014234,
99447257,
24504281.
·····
FREE
INFORMATION
ABOUT ISLAM
If you would like
to know more
about
Islam, please call:
Tel : 99425598,
96050000,
99353988,
99253818,
99341395,
99379133, For
ladies: 99415818,
99321360, 99730723
Or visit:
www.islamfact.com
WE offer you the
Business Services:
Maintenance of
buildings and villas for
paint and carpentry
ƒ††‡…‘”ƒ–‹‘™‘”•
and installation of
ƒ–‡”‹ƒŽ™ƒ–‡”’”‘‘ˆ
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.
·····
KHALIFA Al-Sinani
ƒ’‘™‡”ȄŽƒ„‘—”‡”•
& housemaid from
Indonesia, Kenya,
Uganda and other
…‘—–”‹‡•ǤŽ—™ƒ‹“Ǥ
To communicate
26713500, 26713600.
MAINTENANCE: 1.
AC Maintenance &
Servicing; 2. Fridge,
Washing Machine
Ƭ‹•Š™ƒ•Š‡”
repairing; 3. Painting
& cleaning services; 4.
Electrical & Plumbing
ƒ”’‡–”›™‘”Ǥ
Contact: 99447257,
97014234, 24504281.
·····
·····
·····
THURSDAY l JANUARY 7, 2016 l RABEE AL AWWAL 26, 1437 AH
editor@omanobserver.om
www.omanobserver.om
RENTING & LEASING
Tours and Airport Transfer
Tel: 24582663
GSM: 95859497,
Fax: 24582664,
abcrent@omantel.net.om
·····
IRRATIONALLY
PROFESSIONALS
in Pest Control Service,
Bedbug Treatment, Rodent
Treatment, Snake Treatment
and Termite Treatment
(Pre and Post Construction).
Tel: 24787606 / 24787503
Fax: 24787607
for all cars and car
E-mail: pcomctom@omantel.net.om
renting with driver.
P. O. Box: 565, Wadi Kabir,
Postal Code: 117,
SULTANATE OF OMAN
24487827.
····
ϐŽƒ–•ƒ†
showrooms
for rent in the
commercial area
in Bausher and
Al Mawaleh.
99387455,
92461818.
·····
LARGE size room in
Al Falaj with attached
bathroom for executive
bachelor (non cooking)
with AC. Rent RO 150
inclusive electricity
+ water. Contact
Mr Hari 24821717.
99657906.
·····
1) 2 bedrooms, 2
bathroom, kitchen,
living room, store with
split unit Air
conditioner in Ruwi
Rex road.
2) Basement
580 square metre
(new building).
Contact. 99833369.
Behind Royal Oman Police
·····
Guest House
For Rent
FLATS for rent at
Darsait near to
Ministry of Sports
interested candidates
please contact:
92225523.
·····
·····
·····
·····
2-STOREY villa in
South Al Maabelah
consists of majlis, 4
bedrooms with toilets
for each + 2 sitting
rooms and kitchen,
located near a public
water source. Contact
999700908
2-STOREY villa in
South Al Maabelah
consists of majlis, 4
bedrooms with toilets
for each + 2 sitting
rooms and kitchen,
located near a public
water source. Contact
999700908
·····
FLATS in Al Ghubra, 2
bedrooms, hall, near
Indian School, Way No.
4039, building No.
4250. Contact
99341138,
98003444.
·····
·····
3 in 1 Printer
RO 10.900 only
All Cartridges also
available
on UNBEATABLE prices
AII HP, Epson, Canon,
Lexmark, Samsung
Cartridges also available
·····
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
Ruwi: 24792-792
comsuply@omantel.net.om
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
ROOM for rent Seeb,
1 room + 2 rooms
with all supplemets
including water
electricity and
sewage, also we
provide the following
services free plumber
and electrician,
cleaner for garbage
our price on your
hand, just call:
Farahat 98020768,
Hilal 96541283.
FULLY furnished 3
BHK accommodation with all spacious rooms in a
villa at Darsait near
ISD. 95265289/
96048422.
2 BEDROOM flat in Al
Ghubra near Oman Oil
18 November Street,
RO 330 monthly.
99333479 or
95215360.
2 BEDROOMS with
toilets, one sitting
room with toilet.
Contact. 993803465.
HP2130
ȍ͵
VILLAS for sale/
rents KABIR/AL
),
ȋŠ‘’•Ȁ‘ˆϐ‹…‡•
for rent/ Al
Khuwair)
(Flats for rent/
Wadi Kabir).
ͻ͸ͷͻ͸͵ͶͺǤ
For Rent
ǧfloor house
behind German
University of
Technology in Halban
is offered for rent.
The house contains 4
bedrooms, living room,
a kitchen and 3 toilets.
91239119.
·····
Available on UNBEATABLE prices
·····
·····
NEW villa in Al
Khoudh 6 is offered for
rent. The premise
comprises 6 bedrooms,
male majlis, female
majlis, a split unit airconditioned family
living room
and 8 toilets.
99668686.
·····
AMAZING OFFERS
Rent a car for 10
days and get an
extra free day.
Rent for one month
and get 5 days free.
All the cars are
2016 brand new
special prices for
public departments,
companies and longterm contracts.
972494490.
For Sale/Rent
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
AL Hikmani for
HAJ and UMRAH
— With a host of
services including
the following: Hiring
luxurious coaches,
arranging weekly
trips, preparing
visas for expats at
cost-effective price,
including transport,
housing, meals
and visits to shrine
locations. Land and
air trips weekly.
99311310,
24566016,
99361982,
99707248,
99322124.
QURUM BEACH
HOTEL24564070.
RUWI : 24785668
For Rent
Umrah/Haj
Buttercup
Rent A Car
Supply
of
Pesticides,
Gel (Cockroaches),
Public Health
chemicals,
Agriculture
chemicals,
Snake repellent, Rodent
baits
and
other insect
repellent from
Agropharm
Ltd UK.
attractive prices
93204595,
Car For Rent
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
·····
2 FLOOR house at Al
Hail North. Each floor:
3 bedrooms, 3
bathrooms, kitchen,
store, 1 sitting room.
92133551,
95067585
FOR RENT
·····
AN apartment consists
of two bedrooms,
two toilets, a kitchen
and a living room is
offered for rent in
Sidab. 99455397,
99181929.
·····
FLATS for rent in Al
Khuwair, Al Hail, Wadi
Kabir, Al Falaj, MBD
and Muttrah.
99119699/
95250300/ 24813002.
·····
SEMI furnished 2 & 3
BHK flats at Bausher near Atlas Hospital.
99348493/
93200424/
24502254.
ELFAYED for sedative
investment in
Salalah introduces
the best price and
utilities, for rent:
—’‡”ˆ—”‹•Š‡†ϐŽƒ–•ǡ
daily, monthly and
yearly. 98035135/
96177304/ 91788999.
·····
·····
·····
FLAT for rent in
Maabela
3 master rooms.
96088926.
·····
STORE for rent Alaoha
Industrial Area, 448
metres. 99342341.
·····
Tours
‘Ž’Š‹
ƒ–…Š‹‰‘—”.
Every Day 8 am
and 10 am. For
booking
94110088/
91162534. E-mail:
coraloceantours@
gmail.com Web:
www.
coraloceantours. com
FOR rent brand new
apartments opp Oman
ϐŽ‘—”‹ŽŽ•—––”ƒŠͳǡ
2, 3, BHK with private
parking, suitable for
bachelors. 95450450.
SEWAGE suction
vehicle. 97777022.
·····
·····
·····
For Rent or Sale
CLASSIFIED SECTION
(YROYH
(92/9(',9,6,212)+$%,7$7,17(51$7,21$///&
6+2:5220,1:$77$<$+7(/)$;*60
6+2:52207,0,1*66$785'$<7+856'$<$07230307230
,
,
,
,
62)$6 +20(7+($7(56($7,1* $&&(6625,(6 58*6 2)),&()851,785(
CLASSIFIED SECTION:
Ali al Maashari: 99639264 ali.almashari@omandaily.om
Mohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 m.alrahdi86@yahoo.com
94501166
DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590