Muslim Conforms To The Divine Discipline 06-08-12

ISLAMABAD Pakistan
govt has decided to le a

review petition against Su-
preme Court decision against
the Contempt of Court Act
2012, it was learnt yesterday.
A ve-member bench, led
by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mu-
hammad Chaudhry, declared
the act null and void, a clear
declaration that the apex
court has the right to hold
anyone in contempt, regard-
less of their ofce.
President Asif Ali Zardari
held meeting with legal ex-
perts and coalition partners
to discuss various options to
save his second prime min-
ster from being dismissed.
Zardari also met Law Minis-
ter Farooq H Naek and held a
detailed discussion with him.
According to sources
after consultations the gov-
ernment has decided to le
a review petition against the
Supreme Courts decision
striking down the law.
Former prime minister
Yusuf Raza Gilani had to quit
ofce after he refused to fol-
low court orders.
A similar fate hangs over
Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz
Ashraf, who has also said that
he would not write the letter
to the Swiss authorities.
Meanwhile, an extra-cau-
tious premier has restrained
all ministers, government
divisions and public sector
ofces from providing any
favours to members of his
family. See also page 8
HM greet s Bolivian President
HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of greetings
to President Juan Evo Morales of Bolivia on the occa-
sion of his countrys Independence Day. In his cable, His
Majesty expressed his sincere wishes to President Mo-
rales and the friendly people of Bolivia. ONA
Universit y regist rat ion st art s
SOHAR University started the registration for the new
academic year yesterday. A large number of students who
obtained scholarships through the Ministry of Higher Ed-
ucation came to complete their registration and to learn
about the university and its programmes. Details, P5
27
19 26
vo|. 31, No. 2 200 oa|sas www.omanobserver.om editor@omanobserver.om Monday, August 6, 2012/Ramadhan 17, 1433 AH
Muscat Nizwa Sohar Al Buraimi Sur Duqm Salalah
Max 38 41 37 44 41 30 27
Min 31 27 32 35 27 23 25
Musc Musc
Max Max ax 38
Weather WW Fajr Dhuhr Asr Magrib Isha
Muscat 04:17 am 12:18 pm 03:42 pm 06:52 pm 08:08 pm
Prayer timing GOLD
PRICE
$1,604.50
EXCHANGE RATES
Dollar per Omani Rial
Buying 0.382 Selling 0.388
I
n
s
i
d
e
Warming future forecast P7 Nuke reactor optimism P10 Face-saving move P12 Capitalism at varsity P13
MUSCAT The Min-
istry of Agriculture and
Fisheries commended the
Council of Ministers de-
cision to reduce charges
on change of agricultural
land use.
The ministry said that
the decision reects the
wise directives of His
Majesty Sultan Qaboos
to promote the prosperity
of citizens.
The decision retains
some fees that are collect-
ed in return for abolish-
ing the fees charged for
setting up housing units
for the rst time or modi-
fying the existing ones or
separating the house from
the farm or building serv-
ice installations in the
farm. ONA
Cut in land
use charges
MUSCAT The win-
ners of the Sultan Qaboos
Competition for Holy
Quran Memorisation will
be honoured today.
About 285 competi-
tors (various categories)
took part in this years
competition and out of
them 142 qualied for
the nals. The Sultan
Qaboos Centre for Islam-
ic Culture announced the
top winners. See P2
BERLIN German de-
fence minister again ruled
out military interven-
tion in Syria, warning it
should not be considered
a knee-jerk response to
the failure of diplomatic
efforts to end violence.
Thomas de Maiziere
told the Welt am Sonntag
newspaper that Ko An-
nans decision to quit as
international peace envoy
to Syria did not change
Germanys stance on the
sending of troops into the
nearly 17-month conict.
See also page 9
KHARTOUM Sudan
yesterday agreed to allow
aid into two southern bor-
der states where humani-
tarian groups say ghting
has left civilians facing
an impending famine.
The move came a day
after Sudan reached a deal
with South Sudan over oil
transit fees, a rst step to
ending a dispute.
Both countries still
need to mark their disput-
ed frontier and improve
security in the border-
land, one of several is-
sues left over when South
Sudan seceded a year ago
under a 2005 agreement.
The African Union
said it had brokered the
deal between Sudan and
ghters to allow aid.
See also page 6
Honour for
t he winners
Diplomacy
has chance
Khart oum t o
allow UN aid
8y lasar Karoorpur|
MUSCAT A well-equipped
minerals laboratory for the
mining industry has been es-
tablished, said Ali bin Masoud
al Sunaidy, Minister of Com-
merce and Industry.
The lab is capable of han-
dling rock and mineral sam-
ples collected as a result of
geological and exploration
activities carried out in vari-
ous parts of the country. The
laboratory will be in a position
to serve the public as well as
private sector, as its equip-
ment and appliances will be
continuously updated to cope
with the work load, he said in
comments to the Observer.
In response to a question
about new developments in
the metallic minerals sector,
the minister said with regard to
copper, the Directorate-Gen-
eral of Minerals is currently
following up work of compa-
nies which extract and process
copper and prospect in various
sites in the north of Oman.
Favourable indicators were
explored by nding copper in
economic quantities. These
explorations are under study
to gure the stock amount and
raw percentages.
As for chrome, the direc-
torate has recently nished
some studies including evalu-
ation of 68 concession sites
for exploitation To P5
MUSCAT Lt Gen Hassan
bin Mohsin al Shraiqi, Inspec-
tor General of Police and Cus-
toms, signed here yesterday
two agreements for the supply
of speed monitoring radars, of
which is a mobile unit and the
other a xed unit.
The new radars are known
for their high quality imaging
capacity which covers long
distance imaging of vehicles.
The rst type will be mounted
on military and civil patrol ve-
hicles in different governorates
of the Sultanate. The ROP ear-
lier this year launched the rst
phase of a trafc monitoring
plan as part of efforts to im-
prove road safety.
Meanwhile, three people
died and three others sustained
injuries in a road accident at Al
Khuwair area of the Wilayat
of Ibri yesterday. Policemen
moved to the accident site
where they recovered the dead
bodies and rushed the injured
to Ibri Hospital. ONA
Pictures on page 3
MUSCAT The Ministry
of Agriculture and Fisheries
has announced that meat
available in the Sultanate
market is t for human
consumption and does not
pose any risk to health.
This came in the statement
issued by the ministry in
response to a statement by
Saudi Arabias Food and
Drugs Authority imposing
a ban on all cow and cattle
meat, as well as chilled,
frozen and canned meat and
subsidiary products from the
Sultanate due for an alleged
foot and mouth disease.
The ministrys statement
stressed the following points:
Reports of the World
Health Organization (WHO)
for Animal Health (Ofce
International des Epizooties
OIE) indicate that food
and mouth disease is one
of the endemic diseases in
the Arabian Peninsula and
Middle East, including Saudi
Arabia.
The virus has seven genes.
While only one gene was
registered in the Sultanate,
more than one gene has been
registered in Saudi Arabia.
The disease has been
classied in the third list as
per the WHO protocol the
diseases that have limited
risk on animal health and
hence it is not considered as
a major risk source for the
bilateral trade exchange.
As per the WHO reports
for OIE, the disease does not
pose a risk on human health,
as no such infections has
been registered for almost
half a century.
The situation in Saudi
Arabia is very similar to that
of the Sultanate in terms
of probability of diseases
despite variance in the type
of genes.
Therefore, as per
recommendations of the
WHO for Animal Health
regarding the export of cow
meat from To page 5
Boost t o mineral sect or
Hi-t ech speed radars soon
No t hreat in
Oman meat
OMANS entry has won honorary award at the International Federation of Photographic Arts 24th Colour Print Biennale in Turkey. Details, P5
182 workers
held in week
Twist in cancer cure Flash oods in I ndia
MUSCAT The weekly
report of the joint inspection
team at the Ministry of Man-
power said that the number of
workers violating provisions
of the Labour Law from July
28 to August 3 stood at 182,
including 137 commercial
workers, 23 farm workers
and 22 private workers and
their equivalents.
The statistics showed that
147 workers were caught
including 57 who ran away
from their employers, 105
absconding workers and 12
for various other violations.
The Governorate of Mus-
cat witnessed the largest
number of workers violat-
ing the law (97), followed
by the governorates of North
and South Al Batinah (14),
the Governorate of Dhofar
(20), the governorates of
North and South Sharqiyah
(23), the Governorate of
Dakhiliyah (11), the Gov-
ernorate of Dhahirah (8)
and the Governorate of Al
Buraimi with (1).
The statistics showed that
199 expatriate workers were
deported for violating the
Labour Law. ONA
PARIS Cancer-busting
chemotherapy can cause dam-
age to healthy cells which trig-
ger them to secrete a protein
that sustains tumour growth
and resistance to further treat-
ment, a study said yesterday.
Researchers in the United
States made the completely
unexpected nding while
seeking to explain why cancer
cells are so resilient inside the
human body when they are
easy to kill in the lab.
They tested the effects of a
type of chemotherapy on tis-
sue collected from men with
prostate cancer, and found
evidence of DNA damage
in healthy cells after treat-
ment, the scientists wrote.
They found that healthy
cells damaged by chemother-
apy secreted more of a protein
called WNT16B which boosts
cancer cell survival. The in-
crease in WNT16B was com-
pletely unexpected, study
co-author Peter Nelson said in
a paper. See also page 7
NEW DELHI Twelve peo-
ple died, nearly 40 are miss-
ing and hundreds are trapped
after torrential rain led to
ash oods, cloud bursts and
landslides in sub-Himalayan
Uttarakhand, Jammu and
Himachal Pradesh, ofcials
said yesterday. The incessant
rain is likely to continue, the
Met ofce reported.
Rescue operations are in
full swing in Uttarakhand
and Jammu. While 12 people
have died in Uttarakhand due
to ash oods and landslides,
ofcials said, hundreds were
left stranded.
In Himachal Pradesh, an
alert has been sounded after
ash oods triggered by the
rising water level of Beas
River, hit upper Manali. Peo-
ple living close to the river
on the Manali-Rohtang road
have been asked to move to
safer places. In Uttarakhand,
Garhwal, Chamoli and Ut-
tarkashi districts are worst-
affected. Details, P11
Transparency in t enders
Pakist an t o le review plea
8y 3|arsa a| R|yar|ya
MUSCAT Dr Rasheed bin
Al Sa al Huraibi, Chairman
of the Tender Board, has said
that the tender system will be
upgraded by introducing e-ten-
dering which will develop pur-
chasing and curb bureaucracy.
Speaking at an evening
session hosted by Oman
Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (OCCI) as part of the
Chambers Ramadhan pro-
gramme, Al Huraibi pointed
out that it has been decided to
forward companies queries
directly to an electronic man-
agement panel instead of the
Tender Board. The system is
still in the experimental stage,
he said.
To maintain transparency,
the tender bids will be opened
before all bidders and then
sent to the party concerned
for analysis, and this explains
the delay that occurs to some
projects, said Al Huraibi, not-
ing that each party conducts
its own analysis and sends its
recommendations to the Ten-
der Board which reviews the
analysis with a view to offer-
ing equal opportunities to all
bidders.
Al Huraibi pointed out that
tenders whose value crosses
RO 1 million To page 5
About 20 million
animals were
vaccinated in the
last 10 years against
diseases including
foot and mouth
A SYRIAN girl at the
Al Zaatri refugee camp
in Mafraq. Reuters
OMAN DAILY Observer
2 OMAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
MUSCAT Shaikh Moham-
med bin Ahmed al Harthy,
State's Adviser will patron-
ise at Sultan Qaboos Grand
Mosque in the Wilayat of
Bausher today over the hon-
ouring ceremony for top win-
ners of the Sultan Qaboos
Competition for Holy Quran
Memorisation in its 22nd edi-
tion of this year.
285 male and female com-
petitors from various age
categories took part in this
year's competition as 142 of
them had qualified to the final
qualifications after conducting
interviews in 17 centres.
As many as 126 competi-
tors had qualified to the final
qualifications out of the 142 as
the Sultan Qaboos Centre for
Islamic Culture (SQCIC) an-
nounced the top 15 winners in
the five levels.
SQCIC organises this com-
petition annually within the
framework of the Royal atten-
tion accorded by His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos.
The previous competi-
tion which was conducted
in May included five levels.
These were memorizing the
Holy Quran as a whole with
reciting, memorising 24 con-
secutive parts of Holy Quran,
memorising 18 consecutive
parts of the Holy Quran with
reciting one part, memorising
12 consecutive parts of the
Holy Quran and memorising
six consecutive parts.
The competition saw par-
ticipation of 285 male and
female competitors as 142 had
qualified for the final rounds.
Seventeen committees from
17 centres in different gover-
norates of the sultanate, were
formed for primary evaluation
of the 22nd round of the com-
petition and submitted reports
to the Competition Coordina-
tion Committee. ONA
Holy Quran Memorisation winners to be honoured
MUSCAT The 8th
issue of the Civil Serv-
ice magazine has been
published.
The issue includes a
number of administra-
tive and legal topics,
as well as activities of
the governmental units
during the last three
months.
It also includes ac-
tivities of the Ministry
of Civil Service, the
foremost of which are
the press conference
about the seminar on
mechanisms of devel-
oping governmental
performance and the
3rd Arab Forum for le-
gal, administrative and
financial skills of strate-
gic leadership.
The issue includes
two extensive inter-
views with Dr Rifaat al
Faouri, Director-Gener-
al of the Arab Admin-
istrative Development
Organisation (ARADO)
and Juma bin Hamad al
Nasri, former Under-
Secretary of the Civil
Service Ministry, as
well as many special-
ised administrative and
legal articles. ONA
Civil Service
magazine
published
MI NI STRY OF HOUSI NG
Tender Announc ement
w
w
w
.
h
o
u
s
i
n
g
.
g
o
v
.
o
m
Tender No. Name of Tender Area/Village Wilayat
Last date for
receiving
Specifcation
Last date
for
Submission
304/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Maribi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
310/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Saih Al Sharqi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
311/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Saih Al Sharqi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
312/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Aathwa Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
313/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Masilah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
314/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Lawayah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
315/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Khasha Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
316/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Khasha Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
317/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ghainah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
318/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ghainah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
319/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ghantamaiah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
320/2012 Construction of a housing unit Qaroon Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
323/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Rafa`ah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
324/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Rafa`ah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
325/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ashkharah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
326/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ashkharah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
327/2012 Construction of a housing unit Saih Sindah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
328/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012
The Ministry of Housing, Directorate General of Housing, South Al Sharqiya Governorate,
hereby announces the following Tenders:
The specialized companies in such works may obtain the technical specifcations and tender conditions from the
Housing Directorates, Jaalan, during the offcial working hours. Tenders shall be submitted in envelopes sealed
with red wax addressed to the Director of Tenders Committee, Directorate General of Housing, South Al Sharqiyah
Governorate.
The name and number of the tender should be written on the external side of the envelope. The name of the tenderer
or what refers to him should not be written. The tender should be valid for a period of not less than (90) days from
the date of the submission of the tender. Tender should be enclosed with a bank guarantee or a certifed cheque
at the rate of 1% of the total tender value with 90 days validity addressed to the Director of Tenders Committee,
Directorate General of Housing, South Al Sharqiyah Governorate.
Tenders without such a bond will not be accepted. Successful bidder should present bank guarantee to the value
of (5%) of the total value of the tender. The tender should be put in the tender box located at Housing Directorate
building, Ja'alan, before 10 am of the date fxed for the submission of tender.
The committee has the right to accept or reject any offer without mentioning the reasons.
OMAN DAILY Observer
3 OMAN
MUSCAT Oman Journalists Association (OJA) will or-
ganise an iftar gathering on Sunday, August 12, at Al Makan
Cafeteria in Seeb.
The event, sponsored by Oman Telecommunications Com-
pany (Omantel) and Al Makan Cafeteria, will bring together
employees of journalism establishments and other media per-
sonnel.
Leading dignitaries in the field of press and most journalists
are expected to attend the iftar, which has become an annual
programme of OJA.
After the iftar, a draw on mobile phones will be held and
gifts will be distributed to the attendees.
Al Makan is the biggest Ramadhan tent measuring 2,200
square metres and it can accommodate 2,000 guests.
OJA to hold iftar
MUSCAT Oman Chamber
of Commerce and Industry
(OCCI) will hold its 6th Ra-
madhan evening today on the
governments plans to revive
tourism sector and projects
implemented by the respective
companies.
The evening will shed light
on changes in future vision for
the tourism sector based on the
regional and global variables
and investment opportunities
for the private sector in tour-
ism areas.
The evening will take place
in the presence of Ahmed bin
Nasser al Mehrzi, Tourism
Minister, Wael bin Ahmed
al Lawati, CEO of Omran
Company, CEO of Oman Air-
ports Management Company
(OAMC), CEO of Oman Air
and Executive Director of
Oman Sail.
Khalil bin Abdullah al
Khonji, OCCI Chairman, said
the evening takes place at a
time when the tourism sec-
tor enjoys great awakening,
both at the level of infrastruc-
ture projects complementary
to sector or the promotion of
tourist, historical and natural
attractions for different wilay-
ats of the Sultanate.
He also said that the meet-
ing will focus on projects
prepared by the ministry and
explore the possibility of the
private sector participation in
their implementation within
the framework of the partner-
ship and complementarity be-
tween the two sides.
He added that OCCI has
held since the beginning of
the month a number of eve-
nings during which it man-
aged to shed light on many
issues affecting the economic
sector with the aim of iden-
tifying the challenges facing
the sector.
The meeting will also hear
the views of officials and re-
viewing the new legislation,
projects and future plans,
which increases the chances
of cooperation and commu-
nication between representa-
tives of the three production
parties and the society.
ONA
MUSCAT Gen Sultan
bin Mohammed al Nuam-
ani, Royal Office Minister,
received in his office here
yesterday Angelika Storz-
Chakarji, Ambassador of
Germany to the Sultanate
to bid her farewell at the
end of her tour of duty as
her countrys ambassador
to the Sultanate.
The ambassador ex-
pressed her pride and ap-
preciation for the care she
received from all officials
in the Sultanate.
On his turn, Gen Al
Nuamani thanked the am-
bassador for the efforts
she exerted to enhance the
existing bilateral relations
between the Sultanate and
Germany in all spheres.
ONA
Spotlight on tourism at OCCI Ramadhan evening
German Ambassador bids farewell
MUSCAT The Nation-
al Centre for Statistics and
Data (NCSD) recently pub-
lished the higher education
statistics bulletin, which
provides a number of data
and indicators on higher
education institutions in-
side the Sultanate.
The bulletin includes
a number of tables that
present the indicators and
data on the academic year
2010-2011. They include
data on the number of high-
er education institutions
and the number of new stu-
dents at the higher educa-
tion institutions inside the
Sultanate.
The bulletin also in-
cludes tables on the number
of graduates from the high-
er education institutions
inside the Sultanate accord-
ing to the qualification and
nationality.
The bulletin is part of a
series of publications issued
by the National Centre for
Statistics and Data (NCSD)
in a bid to expand the data-
base and specialised data.
ONA
Bulletin on
higher ed
statistics
MUSCAT The Manpow-
er Ministry yesterday called
494 job-seekers in the Gov-
ernorate of Muscat through
the Direct Employment Cen-
tres at the Higher College of
Technology.
Thirty of them showed
up and 10 were accepted.
143 job-seekers were also
called through the Guidance
and Counseling Centre at
the Directorate-General of
Employment and 72 of them
showed up.
Last week the ministry
called 792 job-seekers for
interviews and 350 jobseek-
ers were called through the
Direct Employment Centres
at the Higher College of
Technology. 31 attended the
interview, of which 14 were
accepted. ONA
Ministry calls
job-seekers
for interviews
LT Gen Hassan bin Mohsin al Shraiqi signing agreements for the supply of speed radars. ONA
OMAN DAILY Observer
4 OUTLOOK
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reect the opinion of the Observer.
Employee value preposition
is all about give and take
Cancel not your charity by
reminders of generosity
The circulation of false messages
A
RE you an em-
ployer having
difficulties in at-
tracting, hiring
and retaining people in your
company or organisation?
Well, then you should think
seriously on ways to attract
and retain your people at
the workplace. Indeed, one
of the biggest challenges
facing many organisations
is how to retain their work-
force? The dilemma is on
how to ensure a supply of
talent sufficient to match
the estimated demand, es-
pecially when the demand
is very hard to predict and
when the supply of talent is
not constant. In such a sce-
nario, it is the best to build
an employer brand of the
organisation, which can be
achieved by developing an
Employee Value Proposi-
tion (EVP). It is time to get
the EVP ready for circula-
tion! Yes, you heard it right.
What is EVP?: It is a
simple plan to let candi-
dates/employees know what
they will get in return for
their performance. Thus,
you may describe it as a
mutual relationship of give
and take between the em-
ployer and the employee.
Many organisations use
EVP during recruitment to
attract potential candidates.
I remember an organisation
which, during its establish-
ment introduced very attrac-
tive salary packages, and
conducted massive recruit-
ment campaigns to attract
skilled potential employees,
but unfortunately lost 30
per cent of key employees
after only two years of op-
eration why? The focus
of an EVP is often confused
with an employer brand and
as a result, it is solely com-
municated to attract job ap-
plicants. An EVP certainly
contributes to the employer
brand and draws from it, but
they are not the same thing.
The times have changed and
so will strategies. Develop-
ing the right EVP requires an
understanding of the com-
panys current and future
talent needs in the context
of the business strategy.
EVP components: Most
HR scholars and practition-
ers claim the followings to
be the key components of
EVP: Compensation sal-
ary, incentives, cash recog-
nition, pay process.
Benefits healthcare,
retirement, insurances, rec-
ognition programmes.
Affiliation work envi-
ronment, trust, transparency,
organisational commitment.
Career advancement
opportunities, personal
growth and development,
training, job security.
Work Content chal-
lenge, autonomy, meaning-
fulness, variety.
From theory to prac-
tice: Financial rewards are,
not surprisingly, a key part
of any value proposition.
However, there is much
more to it than that. Em-
ployees also value training
and development opportu-
nities, robust and clear ca-
reer paths and progression,
workplace flexibility, and a
welcoming and supportive
company culture, to name
just a few elements of any
employee value proposi-
tion. As companies move
forward, they need employ-
ees with the right skills to
help them do so. In a an an-
nual CEO survey done by
PricewaterhouseCoopers
on EVP and talent shortage,
whereby more than 1000
CEOs had been surveyed,
it was found that almost 50
per cent of the CEOs are
making some changes in
their HR policies and remu-
neration packages to make
them attractive for poten-
tial candidates, and 18 per
cent are making significant
changes to use more non-fi-
nancial rewards to motivate
their employees. Younger
employees may require a
different value proposition
than older workers. One-
third of the CEOs surveyed
plan to make some changes
to create different incentives
for younger workers.
Companies looking to
make similar changes to
their value propositions need
to consider what motivates
current and prospective
employees. Even as com-
panies differentiate among
their employees based on
performance, they need to
keep in mind that what moti-
vates one employee may not
register at all with another.
Once again, this is where the
companys value proposi-
tion comes in. For example,
older employees trying to
maximise retirement savings
might find discretionary re-
tirement contributions to be
motivating, while younger
employees may be motivat-
ed by spot cash rewards and
workers with families might
value work flexibility and a
better work/life balance. A
well designed value propo-
sition could accommodate
many if not all of these var-
ying needs. By considering
the entire employee value
proposition, companies may
find that some relatively easy
and less expensive changes
make a big impact.
EVP during bad times:
It may seem counter intui-
tive to be talking about an
employee value proposition
when so many companies
have just completed signifi-
cant lay-offs or will soon an-
nounce a reduction in force.
However, in times like these,
it is imperative for human
resources practitioners to fo-
cus on the fundamentals of
engaging and retaining high
quality talents, hence:
It is always better to com-
municate openly and pro-
actively, than let employees
know of the companys plans
through non-confirmed ru-
mours at corridor-meetings,
near the water-cooler, some-
times at the stairway too!
The EVP will ensure that
the employees know what
they are getting into! The
No-Surprises approach
will work for the best. The
message is clear; the com-
pany is going through a bad-
phase and needs the support
of its employees to tide over
the rough patch! EVPs will
also ensure that the com-
panys vision is clear to the
employees! It will act like a
Compass giving the neces-
sary directions while at sea!
It is turbulent after all and
you do not want your ship
to be swayed to no-mans-
land!
This will also lead to los-
ing more employees (mainly
to your competitor). Mostly
lost will be the weaker lot
employees who believe
that the situation will not
affect the competitor! It is
good to let go of them, since
eventually, they do more
harm than good for your
plans. Everyone is facing
the heat, the better equipped
ones will survive, the rest
will be history!
Conclusion: Employee
Value Preposition should
not only be linked to best
recruitment processes, and
offering best remunera-
tion packages, it should
also be linked to how you
retain your talents in your
organisation. It is a give
and take or a win-win
situation, i.e. employers of-
fer attractive remunerations,
rewards, and policies that
attract and retain employ-
ees, while employees secure
good performance, quality
deliverables, and high pro-
ductivity at the workplace.
During turbulences and dif-
ficult business situations,
employers need to differen-
tiate between bad and good
employees. Those potential
and talented employees,
who survive the turbulence
are the one who should be
retained in the company,
and whereby EVP plays a
crucial role in their reten-
tion at the workplace.
I
N Ramadhan, chari-
ties increase and be-
come widespread be-
cause it is the month
of good deeds, giving,
mercy and granting. Al-
lah has chosen Ramadhan
to be better than a thou-
sand months. But there
are some charities and
acts of giving undertaken
by some authorities and
establishments that are
unaware of the nature of
social responsibility and
good deeds that are be-
ing done. These estab-
lishments and authorities
can harm human dignity.
Some donors individu-
als or otherwise mix
good deeds with the ad-
vertorial aims and public-
ity in a very nasty way.
This kind of behaviour
should be stopped. We
have to strictly follow the
instructions and orders
of Allah as mentioned in
the Quran. Allah (PBUH)
said: O ye who believe!
Cancel not your char-
ity by reminders of your
generosity or by injury,
like those who spend their
substance to be seen of
men, but believe neither
in Allah nor in the Last
Day. They are in parable
like a hard barren rock,
on which is a little soil; on
it falls heavy rain, which
leaves it (just) a bare
stone. They will be able
to do nothing with aught
they have earned. And
Allah guideth not those
who reject Faith. (Sura 2:
verse 264).
There is no doubt that
charities in the Sultanate
need more regulations
and awareness of its na-
ture, the best way to per-
form them and how to
introduce them to those in
need in a proper way, with
due consideration of the
religious, social and hu-
man considerations. It has
been noticed that some
charities that claim that
they are purely for Allah
are for publicity only.
The total sum of money
spent on the publicity side
of these charities, such
as preparations, organis-
ing and launching is more
than what is dedicated
for helping those in need.
That is, in addition to the
way these charities are
falsely projected, which is
improper and ugly as if
they are large hearted and
kind with genuine feeling
for those in need. The ab-
sence of government and
civil agencies that can
organise and supervise
charities to protect the
society from the exploita-
tion of these fake donors
gives them a window to
play with the feelings and
emotions of ordinary peo-
ple and donations receiv-
ers who dont realise the
hidden facts behind these
charity campaigns.
Social responsibility
requires adhering to high
values where direct gain is
not considered and where
the long-term investment
is the most important as-
set. Social responsibility
provides communities with
sustainable support and as-
sistance that will forever
remain transparent and
will not harm the society.
This kind of attitude will
create a positive image.
But there are some es-
tablishments and com-
panies operating in the
Sultanate which do not
differentiate between so-
cial responsibility and
publicity. The irony of the
matter is that all such pub-
licity increases during the
month of Ramadhan which
is supposed to be the most
spiritual month of giving.
Establishments and
companies that mix char-
ity with publicity have to
behave in a more civilised
way. The society sees this
unholy mix of extreme at-
titudes as dirty practices
that are not qualified to be
charities.
Of course, there are
pure charities that go to
those who deserve them
through the proper and
right channels. Also, there
is the Oman Charitable
Organisation which can
absorb all donations to re-
distribute them according
to clear mechanisms and
correct paths with no hu-
miliation of anybody.
We are hoping that
these establishments and
companies refrain from
such uncivilised and
harmful practices, es-
tablish policies of social
responsibility that is be-
fitting their role in the so-
ciety, and acquire moral-
ity, values and principles
of Islam and society that
dont accept treating peo-
ple in this way.
A
FRIEND and I ar-
gued before the start
of Ramadhan over
the Whatsapp mes-
sages that she had been send-
ing on the TV series Omar. I
asked her whether she read
those messages or not, and I
was correct when I thought
that she didnt. She claimed
that the messages were too
long and she didnt have time
to read them. I asked her why
she sent them in the first place!
She said that at the end of each
message they had written (dis-
tribute).
I need to stop here on this
word distribute that is writ-
ten in almost all the broadcasts
that we receive in emails or
other programmes. There are
so many messages that offend
so many religious, political
and other important characters
in the society or the Islamic
sentiment. Such messages are
still circulated because at the
end of each message there is
this magical word (distribute)
that makes some people feel
that they are obligated to cir-
culate them. Would the circu-
lating of these messages give
us any credit?
I believe that the least thing
that one could do against these
messages is to read them care-
fully. If the person feels that he
is convinced with the content
of the message he is free to re-
send it to others otherwise not.
One has to have an attitude to-
wards things in this universe.
We are not forced to accept all
things we listen to or read.
With the onset of the
Ramadhan month, we have
been receiving so many ad-
visory opinions (fatwa) that
are assigned to a prominent
religious personalities that
sometimes you can hardly dif-
ferentiate between the fatwa or
the joke. Unfortunately, peo-
ple are re-sending such mes-
sages without thinking, some
read them and get influenced
with the content even if it is
not true. Do we stand to gain
any credit for re-sending such
abuse?
The chance of resending
such messages gets bigger
when it is distributed free of
charges through such pro-
grammes like Whatsapp and
others. I dont know whether
assigning some opinions in the
shape of a joke to prominent
religious characters is due to
the belief that religious speech
is too strict or because people
like to twist words?
This is a serious problem
that needs to be studied and
serious discussions held. It
alerts us that a danger is lurk-
ing around the corner, spread-
ing among those who re-send
such messages without under-
standing and those who are in-
fluenced with such messages.
There are so many messages that offend
religious, political and other important
characters in the society or the Islamic
sentiment. Such messages are still circulated
because at the end of each message there
is this magical word distribute that makes
some people feel that they are obliged to
circulate them. Would the circulating of
these messages give us any credit?
Salim Al Riyami
salimriyami2000@yahoo.co.uk
Ali Al Matani
ali.matani@hotmail.com
Huda Al Jahwariya
Social responsibility requires adhering to high
values where direct gain is not considered and
where the long-term investment is the most
important asset. Social responsibility provides
communities with sustainable support and
assistance that will forever remain transparent
and will not harm the society. This kind of
attitude will create a positive image
OMAN DAILY Observer
5 OMAN
ANKARA The Sultanate made a new art
and cultural achievement at the world level as
the Oman Photography Club affiliated to the
Diwan of Royal Court has captured the honor-
ary award at the Federation Internationale de
lArt Photographique (FIAP) or the Interna-
tional Federation of Photographic Arts 24th
Colour Print Biennale held this year in Turkey
with participation of 32 countries from differ-
ent parts of the world.
Each country should be represented by 10
photographs, one photograph for each photog-
rapher covering different topics.
The Sultanate was represented by different
photographers and pictures.
Ireland came first and won the world cup
with 187 points, Germany came second and
won the gold medal with 173 points, Spain was
third winning the silver medal with 172 points
and France came fourth and won the bronze
medal with 163 points. The honorary awards
went to Turkey 142 points, Sultanate 133
points, Austria (131 points), Italy 130 points,
Denmark 129 points and Croatia 127 points.
At the Arab level, Egypt came 18th and
UAE came 28th. ONA
By A Staff Reporter
MUSCAT Sohar Univer-
sity started the registration for
the new academic year yester-
day.
A large number of students
who obtained scholarships
through the Ministry of Higher
Education came to complete
their registration and to learn
more about the university and
its programmes.
Sohar University is the
first private university in
Oman. It has an academic af-
filiation agreement with the
University of Queensland,
Australia. Sohar University
has launched recently new
programmes such as Bach-
elor in Law, Masters in Busi-
ness Administration, Masters
in Education Administration
and Curriculum and teaching
methods.
The first phase of Sohar
University City which in-
cludes buildings for faculty of
business and faculty of engi-
neering; library and learning
resources centre; masjid po-
dium and sewage treatment
plant and chiller plants is
about to be completed.
The buildings for the Fac-
ulty of Business and the Fac-
ulty of Engineering are now
open and being used by the
faculties.
In the future many more
buildings are planned. It in-
cludes the administration
building; physical education
and students services and sup-
port complex, and buildings
that are included in the Phase
2 construction schedule.
The last phase of the con-
struction will cover the fol-
lowing facilities: Faculty of
Social Sciences & Humanities
building; Health Sciences;
Multi-purpose hall; facilities
and management & storage
yard.
It is envisioned that when
the project is completed and
all the faculties are built, the
university will be able to ac-
commodate up to 12,000 stu-
dents.
ABU DHABI Duqm Re-
finery and Petrochemical In-
dustries Company (DRPIC)
held its first Board of Direc-
tors meeting in Abu Dhabi
at International Petroleum In-
vestment Companys (IPIC)
headquarters.
Ahmed bin Salim al Wa-
haibi, Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Oman Oil Company
(OOC), was appointed Chair-
man while Khadem bin Ab-
dullah al Qubaisi, Managing
Director of IPI, was chosen
as Vice Chairman of DRPIC
Board of Directors.
Other announcements in-
clude Christopher Wszolek
assigned as project director,
and that Shaw Energy and-
Chemicals Limited selected as
the Project Management Con-
sultancy. The Board also ap-
proved the companys budget
for 2012.
Ahmed bin Salim al Wa-
haibi said that the steps taken
by the Board of Directors
marks the start of work on the
project and that the pace from
now on will accelerate the join
co-operation towards realis-
ing the objectives of the joint
investment between OOC and
IPIC.
He also emphasised that
this project will play a vital
role in supporting the oil and
petrochemical industries in the
Sultanate, due to its strategic
location and size, and create
many jobs for Omani nation-
als.
Khadem bin Abdullah al
Qubaisi commented that the
joint venture project will en-
hance the international reputa-
tion of both companies in the
refining and petrochemical
industries and that this project
will give rise to development
of additional related down-
stream projects.
The Duqm refinery, the
first phase of the project, is
recognised as one of biggest
project in the Duqm free zone
area and expected to have a
capacity of 230,000 barrels
per day and to be commis-
sioned on 2017.
The second phase of the
project will see the develop-
ment of a petrochemical com-
plex.
OOC is a commercial com-
pany wholly owned by Gov-
ernment of Oman. Incorpo-
rated in 1996 to invest in the
energy sector both locally and
internationally, OOC plays an
important role in the Sultan-
ates efforts to diversify the
economy and promote foreign
investment. The companys
holdings are diversified across
the energy value chain and
include exploration and pro-
duction, energy infrastructure,
refining and marketing, pet-
rochemicals, Aluminum and
power.
IPIC is wholly owned by
the Government of Abu Dhabi.
Its mandate is to invest in the
hydrocarbon sector outside
Abu Dhabi.
IPIC has become one of
the leading companies in the
field of petroleum and energy
investment since its inception
in 1984.
It plays an active role in
the development of the petro-
chemical sector in Abu Dhabi
through facilitating joint ven-
tures, which benefit from the
technology and operating re-
sources of companies in IPICs
portfolio and Abu Dhabis
feedstock advantages. ONA
From page 1
the countries that have this dis-
ease, no ban decision should
be imposed.
The Sultanate, represented
by the Agriculture and Fish-
eries Ministry, protect and
maintain livestock through a
full integrated system that in-
cludes the vet quarantine, the
veterinary hospital and clin-
ics in different governorates
and research and diagnostic
centres.
Moreover, within the na-
tional strategy for animal
health, the Ministry of Agri-
culture and Fisheries imple-
ments a number of projects,
including a national vaccina-
tion programme.
About 20 million animals
were vaccinated in the last
ten years against a group of
diseases, including foot and
mouth. ONA
From page 1
of chrome and defining the
technical standards of dunite
rocks and potentiality of its
utilisation in production of
olefin.
As for the industrial miner-
als, the directorate-general has
finalised the prospecting stud-
ies of projects related to indus-
trial minerals such as marble
in north Oman Mountains and
studying four promising sites
of white cement raw material.
The directorate is also pre-
paring the technical standards
for studies related to limestone,
manganese and laterite.
Al Sunaidy said the Nation-
al Mining Company has been
granted mining permits for two
projects namely Safwa Copper
Mine and Mandoos Copper
Mine. Mining in Safwa has
started several months ago.
However, mine construc-
tion is under way in Mandoos
and mining and production
from the mine will start very
soon.
Al Zahra Mining Company
has been awarded an explora-
tion permit in Block No 6 and
exploration operations have
already started and significant
results are being awaited.
On the question of GIS
database, he said: The geo-
graphic information systems
(GIS) contributes directly and
effectively in the collection and
storage of mineral information
and geological maps in vari-
ous scales in the digital form,
which facilitated the process
of extracting geological in-
formation about the mineral
locations in the Sultanate and
the location of exploration and
mining of companies working
in the mining sector. The GIS
section contributes, facilitates
and responds to requests from
exploration companies.
The system is currently
studying and sorting out ap-
plications for various minerals
in terms of the presence of raw
materials and the feasibility of
their exploitation.
He also said, Oman Chr-
omite Company continues to
mine chromite ore from their
concession area from several
mining sites located in the
northern parts of the Batinah
coastal mountains and the
Buraimi area.
After crushing the ore they
market it in Asia especially in
china and India.
Oman Mining Company is
currently smelting, and refin-
ing the concentrate produced
by National Mining Company
in their facilities in Wadi Al
Jizzi.
The company is also car-
rying out exploration activi-
ties for copper in the Yanqul
Hayl as Safil, and Al Raki
areas with the aim of finding
additional copper ore in com-
mercial quantities, the minister
added.
Photography Society gets honorary award
Sohar varsity opens academic registration
Venture to boost downstream projects
No threat in eating meat
World-class minerals lab ready
MUSCAT Shaikh Ahmed
bin Saud al Siyabi, Secretary
General of Iftaa Office, re-
ceived in his office at the
Awqaf and Religious Affairs
Ministry yesterday a delega-
tion of Al Azhar al Sharif led
by Shaikh Abdul Tawwab
Abdul Hakim Qutob, Under-
Secretary of Al Azhar.
During the meeting,
cordial conversations were
exchanged and matters of
common concern were dis-
cussed. ONA
Al Azhar delegation holds talks
From page 1
will be floated for tender,
while those with less value
will be awarded through the
Tender Board to various de-
partments.
The Tender Board, he said,
lacks enough skilled person-
nel to conduct analyses. Out
of the institutions 88 em-
ployees, only 21 are special-
ised in tender analysis, but the
Tender Board is undergoing
development.
The delay, he noted, is
not to be blamed on the Ten-
der Board alone because the
tendering parties are also in-
volved, said Al Huraibi.
Transparency in tenders
Sultanate of Oman
Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries
Tenders Notice
Tender No. Description Class
Last date for
Submission of
Tenders
Tender
Amount
21/2012
(Re-tender)
Implementation of
Good Agriculture
Practices (GAP)
in 30 Farms in
Governorates of
Al Batinah
Specialized
Monday
27.8.2012
RO 150/-
25/2012
(Re-tender)
Artesian Wells Drilled
Research Station
Plan Valley Qurayat
Specialized
Monday
27.8.2012
RO 25/-
The Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries announces the following Tenders:
Specialized companies registered with the Tender Board may obtain tender
documents at any working day from the Legal Department at the Ministry (Head
Quarter No. 1) - Agricultural Sector - at Al Khuwair, against the above mentioned
sum per set non-refundable.
Completed tenders are to be submitted in the Tender Box at The Legal Department
of the Ministry before 11:00 am on the date mentioned above.
Bank Guarantee or certifed cheques from any bank in the Sultanate (1%) of the
tender value should be delivered along with the tender addressed to (Chairman of
the nternal Tender Committee). Any Tender submitted without the required bank
guarantee will not be considered.
The Ministry has the right to accept or reject any tender without assigning any
reason.
INTERNAL TENDER COMMITTEE
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES
OMAN DAILY Observer
6 REGION
RAMALLAH A meeting of envoys from
the Non-Aligned Movement due to convene in
the Israeli-occupied West Bank was scrapped
yesterday after Israel refused to admit four at-
tendees from states with which it has no diplo-
matic relations, Palestinian officials said.
They said other guests, including the foreign
ministers of Egypt and Zimbabwe, declined to
attend in solidarity with those prevented from
taking part. Israel, which controls access to the
West Bank, barred the foreign ministers of Ma-
laysia and Indonesia along with ambassadors
from Cuba and Bangladesh on the grounds that
the four countries do not recognise the Jewish
state.
We have cleared entry for representatives
of countries which have diplomatic relations
with Israel and we have not cleared those
which do not, Yigal Palmor, an Israeli foreign
ministry spokesman, said.
The Non-Aligned Movement, founded dur-
ing the Cold War to advocate the causes of the
developing world, was to convene an unprec-
edented, high-level meeting in the West Bank
in solidarity with the Palestinian leadership, in
advance of an annual meeting in Iran at the end
of the month.
Nothing constructive, to say the very least,
has ever come out of this committee in the past,
and now that it is going to meet in Iran under
the chairmanship of Tehran, expectations could
not be lower, Palmor said.
A day after announcing that it would restart
its bid for statehood recognition at the United
Nations, a campaign strongly opposed by the
United States and Israel, the Palestinian Au-
thority bristled at the Israeli move.
(Israel) exploits its position as an occupy-
ing power to prevent Palestine from commu-
nication with the countries of the world and to
isolate the Palestinian people and its institu-
tions, said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the
Palestine Liberation Organisations executive
committee.
Palestinian officials had hoped entrance
into UN agencies and attendance of inter-
national gatherings in the capacity of a state
would improve their standing internationally
and undermine Israels 45-year occupation of
the West Bank. Reuters
TUNCELI Six Turkish
soldiers, two state militia-
men and 11 Kurdish activists
were killed after the fighters
attacked military outposts in
southeast Turkey, security
sources said yesterday.
Another 16 soldiers and
six civilians were wounded
in the simultaneous attacks
overnight on the three bases
on the outskirts of the town of
Cukurca in Hakkari province,
which borders Iraq, said the
sources who declined to be
named.
Clashes between the mili-
tary and the Kurdistan Work-
ers Party (PKK) have also
intensified during the recent
weeks in a conflict that has
dragged on for 28 years and
claimed 40,000 mainly Kurd-
ish lives.
Some analysts in Turkey
warn of a widening conflict
after Kurds in northern Syria,
some of whom are aligned
with the PKK, assert them-
selves amid a power vacuum
as President Bashar al Assads
troops crack down on fighters
elsewhere in the country.
Syrian forces have also
been trying to put down a
17-month popular uprising,
and more than 18,000 people
have died.
Millions of ethnic Kurds
live in mostly adjoining ar-
eas in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and
Iran.
In the latest attack in Tur-
key, a large group of PKK
fighters armed with guns and
rocket launchers crossed over
from northern Iraq, where
the organisations leaders are
based, to strike the outposts,
the security officials said.
The Turkish military has
sent reinforcements and at
least four attack helicopters
to the area to fight the PKK,
and operations were continu-
ing yesterday, they said.
Near the town of Semdin-
li, a 200 km drive from Cuku-
rca, Turkish forces have been
battling 200 PKK fighters
for about two weeks, and at
least two soldiers have been
killed.
Security sources say 50
fighters have also been killed
there.
Journalists and other non-
residents have been barred
entry to the Semdinli area
since the fighting began.
The PKK has waged an
armed campaign for autono-
my in Turkeys mainly Kurd-
ish southeast since 1984. Tur-
key, the United States and the
European Union list the PKK
as a terrorist organisation.
Murat Karayilan, the act-
ing PKK leader, last week
said the group was chang-
ing tactics with its fight in
Semdinli, according to Firat
News, a website close to the
activists.
Instead of its traditional
hit-and-run ambushes on
Turkish security forces, PKK
fighters would remain posi-
tioned in Semdinli in an at-
tempt to form a stronghold
there, he said here yesterday
Villagers have been flee-
ing their homes in Semdinli
as the fighting continues, wit-
nesses have reported.
Reuters
JERUSALEM Israel is
upgrading its Arrow II bal-
listic missile shield in a US-
backed race against Iran,
Syria and other regional ene-
mies, a senior Israeli defence
official said yesterday.
The new Block 4 gen-
eration of guided interceptor
rockets, radars and technolo-
gies for synchronising Arrow
with US systems was being
installed in deployed Is-
raeli batteries, a process that
would take several weeks,
the official said.
The accuracy and the
reach will be greater, the
official said of Arrow, which
has been operational since
2000 and is designed to blow
up incoming missiles at alti-
tudes high enough for non-
conventional warheads to
disintegrate safely.
It is part of the techno-
logical race in the region,
the official, who declined to
be named, said.
Long jittery about Irans
disputed nuclear programme,
the Israelis have more re-
cently worried the Syrian
insurgency could loosen Da-
mascuss hold on its chemi-
cal weapons and missiles.
Israel has threatened to
attack preemptively in both
countries, a prospect that
could trigger wider war and
clash with Washingtons ef-
forts to resolve the crises dip-
lomatically.
Iran, which denies seek-
ing nuclear weapons, has
repeatedly vowed to retali-
ate against any attack. (Is-
rael) knows that attacking
Iran is an unattainable wish,
unless the regime seeks to
commit suicide, Iranian De-
fence Minister Ahmad Vahidi
was quoted as saying by the
state news agency Irna yes-
terday.
The Pentagon and US firm
Boeing Co are partners in Ar-
row, an investment that the
Obama administration hopes
will help stay Israels hand.
US Secretary of Defence
Leon Panetta said last week
that Israeli interceptors like
Arrow and Iron Dome, which
shoots down short-range
guerrilla rockets, were de-
signed to prevent wars.
Arrow has scored a 80
percent to 90 per cent success
rate in field tests, system de-
signer Uzi Rubin told Israels
Army Radio. AFP
KHARTOUM A Sudanese
driver for the World Food Pro-
gramme has been shot dead
in war-torn South Kordofan
state, the UN agency said yes-
terday as officials called for a
ceasefire to allow wider aid
access.
The UN has described a
worsening humanitarian crisis
in South Kordofan and nearby
Blue Nile but has been severe-
ly restricted in its movement.
Our driver was killed yes-
terday in an armed attack in an
area some 80 kilometres north
of Kadugli, WFP spokes-
woman Amor Almagro said.
Jamal Al Fadil Farag Allah,
married with five children, is
the first WFP employee to be
killed in Sudan, she said.
He was driving fellow
staff member Saad Yousif
when their vehicle was at-
tacked by two unknown as-
sailants, Almagro said.
They were on a main road
in a marked UN vehicle on of-
ficial business, she added.
Yousif, who was wounded,
was airlifted to Khartoum yes-
terday for treatment.
More than 200,000 refu-
gees have fled a worsening hu-
manitarian situation in South
Kordofan and nearby Blue
Nile states since fighting be-
tween government and fight-
ers from the Sudan Peoples
Liberation Movement-North
(SPLM-N) began in June last
year, the United Nations says.
Ethnic minority insurgents
of the SPLM-N fought along-
side southern fighters during
Sudans 22-year civil war,
which ended in a 2005 peace
deal and South Sudans inde-
pendence in July last year.
A government negotia-
tor, Kamal Obeid, suggested
SPLM-N was behind the WFP
attack, saying those groups
are not serious about having
peace.
But a fighter spokesman
said the main road where the
shooting happened should
have been under government
control. Khartoum has cited
security concerns in tightly
restricting the operations of
foreign relief agencies in the
war zone.
After African Union-led
talks in Ethiopia, AU media-
tor Thabo Mbeki on Satur-
day announced an agreement
between Sudan, the United
Nations, the AU and the Arab
League to allow for humani-
tarian access in South Kordo-
fan and Blue Nile.
Obeid, who headed Sudans
negotiating team, told report-
ers that Khartoum agreed to
allow the three organisations
to work alongside it to assess
humanitarian needs and then
jointly deliver aid.
The team which delivers
the aid has to be approved by
the government of Sudan, he
said before Sudan signed a
memorandum with UN, AU
and Arab league officials in
Khartoum yesterday.
And the delivery of aid
requires a cessation of aggres-
sion in specific areas, for a
length of time, Obeid added.
The aid agreement needs
to be accompanied by a ces-
sation of hostilities and po-
litical negotiations between
Khartoum and the SPLM-N,
the European Unions for-
eign policy chief Catherine
Ashton said. Fighters issued
a copy of what they say is
a memorandum they al-
ready signed with the tripar-
tite group to allow aid into
SPLM-N zones. AFP
NAM envoys barred, West
Bank conference cancelled
19 dead as Kurdish fighters
attack soldiers in Turkey
Missile shield upgraded
UN: Staffer shot dead in
Sudans South Kordofan
KHARTOUM Sudan agreed yesterday to
allow aid into two fighter-held southern border
states where humanitarian groups say fighting
has left civilians facing an impending famine.
The move came a day after Sudan reached
a deal with South Sudan over oil transit fees, a
first step to ending a dispute which had brought
the hostile neighbours close to war in April.
Both countries still need to mark their dis-
puted frontier and improve security in the vio-
lent borderland, one of several issues left over
when South Sudan seceded a year ago under
a 2005 agreement that ended decades of civil
war.
The African Union said it had brokered the
deal between Sudan and fighters of the Sudan
Peoples Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-
North) to allow aid into fighter-controlled ar-
eas in the border states of South Kordofan and
Blue Nile.
According to the United Nations, almost
half a million people have been displaced
from fighting between the SPLM-North and
the army in the two states, which border South
Sudan. The United States and aid groups have
warned of famine.
Sudan has agreed on a limited ceasefire in
some fighter-held areas as a first step to allow
aid in, said Kamal Obeid, head of the Sudanese
delegation at the talks in Addis Ababa.
He gave no details but said aid would be
distributed only under strict Sudanese super-
vision with security forces having the right to
search shipments and approve staff delivering
it.
Obeid told reporters Khartoum would hold
more talks with the SPLM-North after Ramad-
han but doubted they wanted to end fighting.
We have very big doubts about the other
side....They are not serious about reaching a
peaceful solution, Obeid said before Sudanese
and AU officials signed the aid agreement.
The SPLM-North is part of an alliance
with fighters in the western Darfur region. The
fighter groups accuse the government of mar-
ginalising their people.
Obeid reiterated Sudan would only imple-
ment the oil deal allowing crude exports from
the landlocked South through the north after
the implementation of a comprehensive secu-
rity deal banning any ties between the South
Sudanese government in Juba and the SPLM-
North.
Khartoum says the SPLM-North is sup-
ported by Juba, a claim some diplomats find
credible despite official denials. South Sudan
itself accuses Sudan of often bombing its terri-
tory, which Khartoum denies. AFP
Sudan to allow aid
into border areas
LILONGWE US Secretary State of State Hillary Clinton
will travel to Istanbul next week to hold talks with the Turkish
government on the crisis in Syria, a State Department spokes-
woman said yesterday.
Secretary Clinton goes to Istanbul for bilateral consulta-
tions with the Turkish government on Syria as well as to cover
other timely issues, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in
a statement sent to reporters during a visit by Clinton to the
southern African nation of Malawi.
Clintons planned talks in Istanbul on August 11 will form
part of renewed international efforts to tackle the escalating
crisis in Syria, where forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad
are fighting to put down a fighter uprising.
Prospects over the possibility of a negotiated solution have
dimmed since United Nations peace envoy Kofi Annan re-
signed this week complaining of paralysis in the UN Security
Council over the Syria peace efforts.
Nuland also announced that Clinton, whose current Africa
tour will take her to South Africa later on Yesterday, would
also be visiting Nigeria, Ghana and Benin next week on her
way to the Istanbul talks. In Ghana, she was expected to attend
the funeral of President John Atta Mills, who died suddenly
last month after an illness.
Morocco seizes 7 tonnes of
Britain-bound cannabis
RABAT Customs authorities in Morocco said yesterday
they had seized seven tonnes of cannabis resin bound for Brit-
ain at the port of Agadir in the southwest.
They said the drugs cache, which had been concealed in-
side a container of frozen fish and was uncovered during a
scan, had an estimated street value of seven million euros ($8.7
million). The drugs haul is one of the largest to be uncovered
in Morocco this year. In April, nine tonnes of cannabis resin
destined for France were found at the kingdoms economic
capital, the port of Casablanca.
And just last week, also in Casablanca, customs officers
sniffed out a four-tonne consignment of the same drug bound
for Belgium.
Customs officers in Morocco, a major producer of hashish,
say they are equipped with sophisticated detection equip-
ment for the fight against narcotics trafficking.
Since 2007 Moroccan authorities have battled trafficking in
the countrys northeast where the cultivation of kif, or hashish
plants, has been reduced from 130,000 to some 56,000 hec-
tares, official figures show. AFP
DUBAI Iran has asked
Turkey and Qatar to help se-
cure the release of 48 Iranian
pilgrims seized in the Syr-
ian capital by fighters, who
said they were checking their
identities and would show
they were involved in fight-
ing opponents of President
Bashar al Assad.
Iranian media said on Sat-
urday that a bus load of Ira-
nians were abducted by gun-
men while on a pilgrimage in
Syria, the latest in a string of
kidnappings of visitors from
the Islamic Republic, a coun-
try allied to Assad.
Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu and Qatari
counterpart Shaikh Hamad
Bin Jassim bin Jabr al Thani
agreed to seek the pilgrims
release during separate phone
conversations with Iranian
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar
Salehi, Irans state news agen-
cy IRNA said yesterday.
Tehran has accused Turkey
and Qatar of helping fighters
fighting to topple Assad, a
close ally Iran has praised for
promising political reforms.
Several Iranians previously
abducted in Syria though
have been released to Turkish
authorities before returning to
Iran.
But the fighters said they
were not in contact with any
country over the release of the
Iranians.
Negotiations with par-
ties inside or outside Syria
are not open yet before we
confirm the identity of the
Iranians and prove that Iran
is active on Syrian lands with
its soldiers and arms, Cap-
tain Abdel Nasser al Shumair,
commander of the Al Baraa
brigade of the Free Syrian
Army said in an interview
with Dubai-based Al Arabiya
television.
Syrian fighters accuse Iran
of sending fighters from its
Revolutionary Guard to help
Assads forces put down an
uprising against his regime.
Tehran denies the charges.
The interview was aired
after the broadcast of a video
showing armed men checking
the identity cards of the kid-
napped Iranians. AFP
Hillary to hold Syria
talks on August 11
Iran seeks to free 48
pilgrims held by Syria
ARAB League ambassador Salah Halima (C), UN envoy Haile Menkerios (R) and Sudanese government representative Suleiman Abdel Rahman during
a press conference in Khartoum after signing a joint agreement along with the African Union to deliver aid to South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
EGYPTIAN Foreign Minister Kamel Amr talks to the media during a briefing in Amman .
A LEBANESE farmer and his children carry marijuana branches and bread as they
protest against last Friday's destruction of their illegal marijuana crops
in Yammoune village near Baalbek yesterday. Reuters
OMAN DAILY Observer
7 THE WORLD
MIAMI Tropical Storm
Ernesto kept on a westerly
course in the Caribbean Sea
yesterday and was expected to
strengthen and soak Jamaica
as it passes the island on its
way to the Yucatan, US fore-
casters said.
Tropical storm conditions
were expected to reach Jamai-
ca last night and Honduras by
today, the National Hurricane
Center said. A tropical storm
watch advisory was also is-
sued for Grand Cayman.
Ernesto was following a
predicted track that should
keep it at sea until a forecast
landfall, possibly at hurricane
strength, over Mexico's Yuca-
tan peninsula on Wednesday.
The storm was 335 km
south of Kingston, Jamaica,
yesterday with maximum
sustained winds weakening
somewhat to 85 kph.
Heavy rains were expect-
ed in Hispaniola and Puerto
Rico. Three to 6 inches were
expected in Jamaica. Showers
and thunderstorms were pos-
sible on the islands of Aruba,
Curacao and Bonaire off Ven-
ezuela's northern coast.
"Ernesto is forecast to be-
come a hurricane in the north-
western Caribbean in a day or
two," the forecasters said.
Ernesto would be deemed
a hurricane if its winds reach
119 kph. Forecasters expect
Ernesto to move into the
southern Gulf of Mexico by
Thursday but it was too early
to know whether it could dis-
rupt oil and gas operations.
US National Hurricane
Center forecasters said an-
other tropical storm, called
Florence, formed on Saturday
in the eastern Atlantic and was
moving west in open waters.
IMMIGRANTS wait to be transported to a police station in Athens yesterday.
Thousands of immigrants were transferred to police stations for
documentation checks during an operation in the Greek capital. Reuters
NASA image shows a haze over eastern China. Dust and aerosol pollution from Asia travels across the ocean and sullies the
air in the US and Canada, possibly worsening the effects of climate change, a Nasa-backed study showed. AFP
WASHINGTON Human-
driven climate change is to
blame for a series of increas-
ingly hot summers and the
situation is already worse
than was expected just two
decades ago, a top Nasa sci-
entist said.
James Hansen, who directs
the Nasa Goddard Institute for
Space Studies, wrote in the
Washington Post that even his
"grim" predictions of a warm-
ing future, delivered before
the US Senate in 1988, were
too weak.
"I have a confession to
make: I was too optimistic,"
Hansen wrote.
"My projections about
increasing global tempera-
ture have been proved true.
But I failed to fully explore
how quickly that average rise
would drive an increase in ex-
treme weather."
Hansen and his colleagues
have published in the Proceed-
ings of the National Academy
of Sciences an analysis of the
past six decades of global tem-
peratures, revealing a "stun-
ning increase in the frequency
of extremely hot summers," he
wrote.
Describing "deeply trou-
bling ramications for not
only our future but also for
our present," Hansen said the
analysis is based not on mod-
els or predictions, "but actual
observations of weather events
and temperatures that have
happened."
The peer-reviewed study
shows that global tempera-
ture has been steadily rising
due to a warming climate,
about 0.8 degrees Celsius in
the past century, and that
extreme events are more fre-
quent.
The study echoes the
ndings of international re-
search released last month
that climbing greenhouse gas
emissions boosted the odds
of severe droughts, oods and
heatwaves in 2011.
Hansen said the European
heatwave of 2003, the Rus-
sian heatwave of 2010 and
massive droughts in Texas
and Oklahoma last year can
each be attributed to climate
change.
"And once the data are
gathered in a few weeks'
time, it's likely that the same
will be true for the extremely
hot summer the US is suffer-
ing through right now," he
said.
Another well-known US
scientist and former sceptic
of global warming, Richard
Muller, last week made a very
public turnaround, saying that
a close look at the data had
convinced him that his beliefs
were unfounded.
"Call me a converted scep-
tic," wrote Muller, a professor
at the University of California
Berkeley, in an op-ed in the
New York Times.
"I'm now going a step fur-
ther: Humans are almost en-
tirely the cause."
Hansen, too, while being
a long-time proponent of hu-
mans as the main cause of glo-
bal warming though pollution
and fossil fuel consumption,
expressed his increasing cer-
tainty that other causes could
not be blamed.
"The odds that natural vari-
ability made these extremes
are minuscule, vanishingly
small. To count on those odds
would be like quitting your job
and playing the lottery every
morning to pay the bills," he
wrote. Reuters
Climate change causes extreme heat
Storm heads towards Jamaica
ABIDJAN Gunmen
stormed a police station in
Ivory Coast's commercial
capital, Abidjan, yesterday
killing ve soldiers, police
said.
The attack occurred in the
Yopougon neighbourhood,
scene of some of the ercest
ghting during a brief post-
election civil war last year.
"According to the ac-
counts of local residents
who saw the attack, there
were about 10 assailants
armed with AK-47 ries,
and they had one heavy
weapon with them," said
police superintendent Ko-
uame Lazou.
"We don't yet know the
motive of this attack, but this
is a very serious act," he said,
adding that the attackers had
ed with the weapons of the
murdered soldiers.
The West African nation,
the world's biggest cocoa
producer, is recovering from
a decade of political dead-
lock and civil unrest.
Last year's conict
erupted after then President
Laurent Gbagbo refused to
acknowledge his defeat to
rival Alassane Ouattara in an
election in late 2010.
Yopougon was one
of the nal pro-Gbagbo
strongholds to fall to Ouat-
tara's French and United
Nations-backed forces as
they seized the city. Gbag-
bo, who was captured dur-
ing the ghting, is currently
awaiting trial before the In-
ternational Criminal Court
in The Hague.
While Ouattara, now
president, has managed to
improve security in most of
the country. Reuters
PARIS Cancer-busting
chemotherapy can cause
damage to healthy cells
which triggers them to se-
crete a protein that sustains
tumour growth and resist-
ance to further treatment, a
study said yesterday.
Researchers in the US
made the "completely unex-
pected" nding while seek-
ing to explain why cancer
cells are so resilient inside
the human body when they
are easy to kill in the lab.
They tested the effects of
a type of chemotherapy on
tissue collected from men
with prostate cancer, and
found "evidence of DNA
damage" in healthy cells af-
ter treatment, the scientists
wrote in Nature Medicine.
Chemotherapy works by
inhibiting reproduction of
fast-dividing cells such as
those found in tumours.
The scientists found that
healthy cells damaged by
chemotherapy secreted more
of a protein called WNT16B
which boosts cancer cell
survival. "The increase in
WNT16B was completely
unexpected," study co-au-
thor Peter Nelson of the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center in Seattle said.
The protein was taken up
by tumour cells neighbour-
ing the damaged cells.
"WNT16B, when secret-
ed, would interact with near-
by tumour cells and cause
them to grow, invade, and
importantly, resist subse-
quent therapy," said Nelson.
In cancer treatment, tu-
mours often respond well
initially, followed by rapid
regrowth and then resistance
to further chemotherapy.
Rates of tumour cell re-
production have been shown
to accelerate between treat-
ments. AFP
I Coast attack
kills soldiers
Chemotherapy
can backre,
boost cancer
PARIS Scientists yesterday
said they had unravelled the ge-
netic codes of parasites respon-
sible for the bulk of malaria
cases outside Africa, and found
they were scarily diversied
and may be harder to kill.
In a study published in Na-
ture Genetics, researchers said
they had sequenced the ge-
nomes of four strains of Plas-
modium vivax a parasite
that infects about 100 million
people every year.
Other research had found
that 10 to 20 per cent of P
vivax cases occur in Africa
south of the Sahara a re-
gion mainly affected by the
P falciparum parasite which
causes the most malaria
deaths worldwide.
Outside of Africa, P vivax
accounts for half of all malaria
cases, mainly in the Middle
East, the Western Pacic and
Central and South America.
Both parasite species are
transferred by Anopheles
mosquitoes. P vivax is more
resilient than its deadlier, trop-
ical cousin, and can stay in re-
mission for longer and tolerate
cooler climates.
Yet much less is known
about P vivax, and less atten-
tion has been paid to unravel-
ling its genetic code than that
of P falciparum.
With their research, a team
from India and the United
States say they have tripled the
number of genome sequences
available for P vivax.
They said they observed
an "extremely high genomic
diversity", suggesting it may
be even harder than for P falci-
parum to develop a single vac-
cine targeting several different
strains of P vivax.
In 2010, malaria infected
about 216 million people and
claimed an estimated 655,000
lives mainly in Africa
where a child dies of the dis-
ease every minute, says the
World Health Organisation.
Symptoms include fever,
headache, chills and vomiting
which if not treated within 24
hours can progress to severe
illness and even death.
Scientists unravel genetic
code of malaria parasite WASHINGTON Repub-
lican presidential candidate
Mitt Romney yesterday said
that a fresh round of monetary
stimulus from the Federal Re-
serve would not help the frag-
ile US economy.
A stream of disappointing
economic news has under-
pinned expectations that the
central bank will do more to
stimulate growth with a third
round of bond purchases, also
known as quantitative easing
or QE3. "I am sure the Fed is
watching, will try to encour-
age the economy, but I don't
think a massive new QE3 is
going to help this economy,"
Romney said in an interview
with CNN's "State of the Un-
ion" television programme
yesterday.
"The Fed's rst action,
quantitative easing was ef-
fective to a certain degree.
But I believe that the QE2,
the second round of easing, I
don't think it had the impact
that they were hoping for," he
said.
Romney, who has been
stressing his business acumen
and years as Massachusetts
governor as reasons he can
help heal the economy, has
vowed to generate 12 million
jobs in his rst four years in
ofce should he beat Presi-
dent Barack Obama in the
November election.
The unemployment rate
ticked up to 8.3 per cent in
July, a report released last
week showed, prompting
Romney to tear into Obama's
handling of the economy, a
key election issue. Reuters
PASADENA The Mars
rover Curiosity streaked into
the home stretch of its eight-
month voyage yesterday near-
ing a make-or-break landing
attempt Nasa calls its most
challenging ever.
Curiosity, the rst full-
edged mobile science labo-
ratory ever sent to a distant
world, was scheduled to touch
down inside a vast, ancient
impact crater at 05:31 GMT
today.
Mission control engineers
at the Jet Propulsion Labo-
ratory near Los Angeles ac-
knowledge that delivering
the one-tonne, six-wheeled,
nuclear-powered vehicle in
one piece is a highly risky
proposition, with zero margin
for error.
But on the eve of Curios-
ity's rendezvous with Mars,
JPL's team said the spacecraft
and its systems were function-
ing awlessly, and forecasts
called for favourable Martian
weather over the landing zone.
After a journey from Earth
of more than 567 million
km, engineers said they were
hopeful the rover, the size of
a small sports car, will land
precisely as planned near the
foot of a tall mountain rising
from the oor of Gale Cra-
ter in Mars' southern hemi-
sphere.
Flight controllers antici-
pate clear and calm condi-
tions for touchdown, slated to
occur in the Martian late af-
ternoon. There may be some
haze in the planet's pink skies
from ice clouds, typical for
this time of year, with tem-
peratures at about 10 degrees
Fahrenheit.
"We're on target to y
through the eye of the nee-
dle," Arthur Amador, the Mars
Science Laboratory mission
manager, told reporters at a
brieng, as Curiosity hurtled
to within 4.5 million km of its
destination.
Facing deep cuts in its sci-
ence budget and struggling to
regain its footing after cancel-
lation of the space shuttle pro-
gramme Nasa's centrepiece
for 30 years the agency has
much at stake in the outcome
of the $2.5 billion mission.
The rover, formally called
the Mars Science Lab, is
equipped with an array of
sophisticated chemistry and
geology instruments capable
of analysing samples of soil,
rocks and atmosphere on the
spot and beaming results back
to scientists on Earth.
Nearing the end of its
journey encased in a capsule-
like shell, Curiosity was es-
sentially ying on automatic
pilot, guided by a computer
packed with pre-programmed
instructions.
More Fed stimulus wont
help economy: Romney
Rover nears landing
PALESTINIAN President Mahmud Abbas attends
a press event in Ramallah yesterday. Reuters
INTERNATIONAL Monetary Funds Poul Thomsen
arrives for a meeting in Athens yesterday.
QUEBEC Premier Jean Charest addresses a campaign
rally at Patro Roc Adamour in Quebec City.
EUROPEAN Central Banks Klaus Masuch arrives
for a meeting in Athens yesterday. Reuters
RUSSIAN Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and
Vladimir Yakunin, CEO of the Russian Railways,
during their visit to the city of Omsk. Reuters
OMAN DAILY Observer
8 SUBCONTINENT
ACTIVISTS of the Communist Party of Nepal Unied Marxist Leninist
protest in Kathmandu yesterday demanding the immediate
resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. Reuters
PEOPLE gather to collect train tickets at Kamlapur Railway Station in Dhaka yesterday. According to local media, Bangladesh Railway
authorities began selling tickets of different routes to facilitate the journey of thousands of home-bound
people ahead of the Eid al Fitr festival, arranging over a dozen special trains. Reuters
MEDICS attend to a boy who was wounded in a bomb attack after he was brought to
a hospital in Quetta yesterday. A bomb planted in a car exploded outside a house on
Quettas Saryab Road killing three people and injuring twelve others. Reuters
ISLAMABAD The ruling
coalition of Pakistan led by
PPP has decided to take the
Supreme Court judgement
against the contempt of court
law to parliament. The deci-
sion was taken in a meeting
of the coalition partners of the
government yesterday.
The meeting was presided
over by President and Co-
Chairman of the PPP Asif Ali
Zardari. The coalition partners
took stock of the situation
emerging after the Supreme
Court declared the Contempt
of Court Law 2012 as null and
void.
According to sources, the
meeting was held without
any set agenda. All the par-
ties, however, presented their
points of view on a variety of
issues of national importance.
The leaders of the allied
parties while discussing the
impact of the SC judgement
agreed that the matter should
be tabled in parliament for dis-
cussion.
The sources said that the
ruling coalition had not decid-
ed to introduce a new contempt
of court bill in parliament.
The constitutional experts
told the ruling coalition if a
new contempt of court law was
framed, it would also amount
to contempt of court and the
higher judiciary would declare
it null and void.
Therefore, it was decided
in the meeting that the matter
should be taken up in parlia-
ment which would decide on
the future of the law.
On the other hand, accord-
ing to Online, President Asif
Ali Zardari called the PPP
constitutional and law experts
to the Presidency to deliberate
upon the SC judgement.
Moreover, the president
also convened a meeting of the
PPP parliamentary party on
Wednesday.
According to media re-
ports, Zardari called PPP lead-
ers including Chaudhry Aitzaz
Ahsen, Farooq H Naek, Sardar
Latif Khosa and other consti-
tutional experts to discuss the
situation after the SC declared
the contempt of court law as
null and void. The sources
said that the president would
discuss options with the law
experts.
Meanwhile, over a dozen
noted politicians and lawmak-
ers decided yesterday in prin-
ciple to contest elections from
a joint platform by forming a
formal electoral alliance by
September.
The decision was taken at
the residence of Ghulam Mur-
taza Jatoi, the chairman of the
National Peoples Party, where
they met for an Iftar party.
The politicians, among
them several coalition partners
of the PPP, discussed the po-
litical situation with particular
reference to the law and order
situation and the upcoming
elections.
If formed, this would be
the second electoral alliance
in Sindh. Earlier, the PML-N
formed an electoral alliance
with the Sindh United Par-
ty of Syed Jalal Mehmood
Shah and the Sindh National
Front of Sardar Mumtaz Ali
Bhutto.
Besides the two alliances,
a political grouping of nation-
alists led by Ayaz Latif Palejo
of the Awami Tehrik is also in
the works. Imtiaz Shaikh said
the meeting decided in princi-
ple that all parties and groups
would contest elections joint-
ly. Internews
Allies to move parliament on SC judgement
ISLAMABAD Pakistan
has been planning to repay
$2.9 billion to the Interna-
tional Monetary Fund (IMF)
in 2012-13 in 12 monthly
instalments of $241 million
each, said a Finance Ministry
source yesterday.
The country received $1.18
billion in Coalition Support
Fund from the US this week,
which has given nancial
managers some scal space
to repay IMF loan in monthly
instalment, according to the
ofcial. Pakistan repaid $1.2
billion to IMF in 2011-12, out
of the total loan of around $8
billion.
The ofcial claimed that
the rst instalment of $241
million in July has been paid
and dispelled any notion that it
would have a negative impact
on either foreign exchange re-
serves or exchange rate.
We will not have problem
in the repayment to the IMF
for bailout package of over
$7.5 billion, the ofcial said.
The rupee ended at 94.50/56
to the dollar yesterday but has
rmed since hitting a record
low of over Rs 95 in June.
Foreign exchange reserves
stood at $14.57 billion in
week ending July 27, and are
expected to rise following the
CSF payment of $1.18 bil-
lion. Sources said that mend-
ing relations with the US
and reimbursement of CSF
has provided some breathing
space for economic managers
and eased some pressure from
the current account decit.
LAHORE The success of
Business Train in Pakistan
has encouraged the manage-
ment to bid for more passen-
ger trains and goods trains
on the Karachi to Lahore
section, said Mian Shafqat
Ali, director operation of the
venture.
He said the occupancy
of the train from Karachi
to Lahore is higher than
the number passengers that
travel from Lahore to Kara-
chi.
He said the train con-
sumes 6,000 litres of diesel
for one way trip from Lahore
to Karachi or Karachi to La-
hore.
In the rst three months,
an average 40-45 per cent of
the 516 available seats were
sold daily, he said, conced-
ing that the company had
faced hard time in paying
the Railways according to its
contractual commitments.
We made an error while
signing the contract as the
data provided to us on pas-
senger occupancy ratio
was deceptive, said Mian
Shafqat Ali, director opera-
tion of the venture.
We signed the contract
promising to pay Railways
on the basis of 88 per cent
occupancy ratio, which was
not the case initially, he
said.
Employees go on free
passes or huge concessions,
he said, adding that journal-
ists and disabled persons are
amongst those that get to en-
joy substantial concessions.
Internews
Govt to repay IMF
$2.9bn this scal
Train to expand services on
Karachi-Lahore route
KARACHI South Korean
importers have started visiting
Pakistan following approval
of Pakistans mango quality
and hopes have emerged that
thousands of tonnes could be
exported to Korea next sea-
son. Over the past few weeks,
a couple of delegations from
Korea visited quarantine fa-
cilities and plants in Pakistan
and also held meetings with
leading exporters of mango,
say local fruit processors.
According to the proces-
sors, the Korean importers
and experts expressed keen
interest in mangoes as the
countrys fruit was considered
the best compared to mangoes
imported from the Philip-
pines, Vietnam and Taiwan.
After visiting a top fruit
rm Iftikhar Ahmed and
Company yesterday a
three-member Korean del-
egation, comprising Myung
Seung Jin, Chief Executive
Ofcer of IKP Korea Com-
pany, Sooba Khan, Executive
Director of IKP and other ex-
ecutives, termed the hot water
treatment facility and other
plants installed for processing
mango up to the mark.
As Korea has allowed
import of mango from Pa-
kistan this year after an in-
depth inspection of quality
and standards, at least 4,000
to 6,000 tonnes can be ex-
ported in the next couple of
years, said Waheed Ahmed,
Co-Chairman of Pakistan
Fruit and Vegetable Export-
ers, Importers and Merchants
Association.
Besides fresh mango, the
delegation also expressed in-
terest in mango pulp which
could be exported throughout
the year, he said. A memoran-
dum of understanding (MoU)
was also nalised with the
Koreans for starting commer-
cial trade by next season. The
opening of the Korean market
is a landmark achievement af-
ter winning Japanese, US and
other high-value markets.
Korea has demand for at
least 20,000 tonnes of mango,
which is currently being met
through imports from a few
countries.
But the delicious, aromat-
ic and different varieties of
mangoes grown in Pakistan
have no parallel, Myung
Seung Jin remarked. Doors
could also be opened to other
fruits of Pakistan once mango
reached the Korean markets,
he said. Internews
Mango export to
S Korea expected
RAWALPINDI A local
Pakistani court of Rawalpin-
di city has allowed the con-
stable, currently behind bars
for his alleged involvement
in the escape of high prole
murder suspect, Roohullah,
to participate in the National
Testing Service (NTS) exam
for his MPhil admission.
Additional sessions judge
Rawalpindi Kaleemullah
Khan on the application of
Constable Tahir Saeed of Is-
lamabad police directed the
superintendent of Adiala jail
to ensure the participation
of the applicant in the NTS
exam and arrange strict se-
curity for his appearance at
the designated place for the
said exam.
Ashfaq Ahmed Malik,
counsel for constable Saeed
told the court that the post-
arrest bail of his client was
pending before the area mag-
istrate but the applicant is re-
quired to appear in Graduate
Assessment Test to be held
under the NTS for the MPhil
admission of 2012.
He said the constable
Saeed is a regular police of-
cial and had been studying
throughout during his serv-
ice tenure. Internews
Detained cop
allowed to
take test
KABUL Afghan President
Hamid Karzai yesterday ac-
cepted a vote by the country's
parliament to dismiss his two
top security ministers, but or-
dered both to remain in their
jobs pending replacement, a
move aimed at safeguarding
fragile stability.
The fractious parliament
voted on Saturday to remove
Defence Minister Abdul Ra-
him Wardak and Interior Min-
ister Bismillah Mohammadi
after recent insurgent assas-
sinations of senior ofcials,
as well as cross-border re
incidents.
While the ministers remain
in place for now, the uncer-
tainty could complicate Nato
plans to hand security respon-
sibilities to Afghan forces be-
fore the end of 2014, as both
positions are crucial to the 11-
year war against insurgents as
Western countries draw down
their military presence.
Karzai, who chaired a
yesterdays meeting of Af-
ghanistan's National Security
Council, issued a statement
thanking the pair for "their
hard work and dedication",
and saying replacements
would be brought in accord-
ing to the law.
Karzai can keep both min-
isters in their jobs for months
if he chooses, and as he pre-
viously has done after par-
liamentary votes to reject his
choices.
Those moves may have
alienated lawmakers whose
co-operation he needs if he is
to crack down on widespread
corruption within his govern-
ment in order to help guaran-
tee up to $16 billion worth of
aid promised by his Western
backers.
Karzai's powerful nance
minister, Hazarat Omar Za-
khilwal, is also vulnerable as
a result of accusations aired
on Afghan television that he
stashed away more than $1
million in overseas banks. An
investigation was launched on
Saturday by the country's top
anti-corruption chief.
The dismissal of the vet-
eran Wardak, defence min-
ister for close to eight years,
did not cause as much uproar
within Karzai's inner circle as
that of Mohammadi, an ethnic
Tajik and former anti-Soviet
mujahideen commander who
oversees the police force.
Many of the government's
Western supporters believe
Mohammadi, who was army
chief of staff from 2002 to
2010, has been an effective re-
former of the notoriously cor-
rupt police, but after only two
years in the job has not had
enough time. Many lawmakers
said the pair's dismissal may
have been due to genuine fail-
ings, or part of manoeuvring
against Karzai. Reuters
ISLAMABAD As com-
pared to the voters lists after
over 37 million bogus names
were deleted from the 2007
voter lists of Pakistan, the
number of registered voters
as per the nal electoral rolls
(FERs) based on those having
CNICs, has shown an increase
of almost 50 per cent voters.
After interaction with the
Election Commission of Pa-
kistan (ECP) and the National
Database Registration Author-
ity (Nadra) ofcials and hav-
ing looked into the related
documents, it was noted that
after removal of bogus vot-
ers, the 2007 voters lists were
reduced to 44,027,567 voters,
whereas the number of voters
released by the ECP recently
stood at 84,365,062 voters.
The Supreme Court had
ordered in 2009 purgation of
voters lists of bogus voters,
ie having no CNIC or iden-
tity card, double or multiple
entries etc. after Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman
Imran Khan and some other
politicians had led petition,
challenging the authenticity of
2007 voters lists.
Following the verica-
tion (deletion of fake vot-
ers) of 2007 lists, Punjab
had 26,794,918 voters (now
48,913,447 voters), Sindh
9,154,456 voters (now
18,432,876 voters), Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa 6,128,905 vot-
ers (now 12,064,597 voters),
Balochistan 1,458,832 vot-
ers (3,278,164 voters) and
Fata 490,456 voters (now
1,675,978 voters).
The comparison vividly
shows that there has been al-
most 50 per cent increase in
veried voters in each prov-
ince besides a similar trend
has been noticed in case of
Fata voters and this also belies
an impression that the number
of voters in Sindh and Balu-
chistan has been reduced in
2012 lists. However, the lists
prior to deletion of 37 million
plus fake voters, Punjab was
projected to have 45,147,994
voters, Sindh 19,752,843 vot-
ers. Internews
LAHORE Pakistan Te-
hreek-e-Insaf has succeeded
in mustering international sup-
port over what is arguably the
most ambitious demonstration
against unmanned US preda-
tors conducting air strikes in
north-western region of Paki-
stan.
Hundreds of workers from
Reprieve, a UK-based not-for-
prot organisation working to
raise awareness about capital
punishment and drone strikes,
will take part in PTIs long
march in September.
PTI aims to lead a 100,000-
strong rally from various parts
of the world to Waziristan in
its protest against remotely-
controlled airstrikes in Paki-
stans tribal region.
The convention will con-
gregate in Peshawar, from
where it will advance towards
Bannu and onwards to Miran-
shah. Renowned writer and in-
tellectual Tariq Ali along with
other international celebrities
are said to be participating in
the march.
PTI chief Imran Khans ex-
wife Jemima Khan, who is an
active member of the NGO,
also took part in an anti-drone
march in November last year.
We are talking to the army
and other concerned quarters
about the arrangements for the
march which is expected to
take place on September 23,
said PTIs central vice presi-
dent Naeemul Haq.
The event will be the rst
of its kind. The area in ques-
tion is said to be housing
armed ghters and with the
exception of the army, move-
ment has been restricted for
all. The world will witness
no less than a 100,000 people
march towards Waziristan in
September.
Preparations are already
under way, said PTIs infor-
mation secretary (Punjab) An-
dleeb Abbas.
Reprieve is mobilising
people from Europe and the
US. We basically want to go
there to express solidarity
with the people of the area,
and nd out rst-hand who is
really being killed by the US
drone strikes. We are told the
drones are only targeting in-
surgents, but we want to nd
out for ourselves, said Abbas.
Internews
Karzai accepts dismissal
of top security ministers
Big rise in nal electoral rolls
Global activists to take part
in Imrans anti-drone march
RAWALPINDI Young doc-
tors in Pakistans eastern prov-
ince of Punjab declared a so-
cial boycott against 50 ad hoc
doctors, appointed recently at
hospitals in the garrison city of
Rawalpindi.
The Young Doctors Asso-
ciation (YDA) hung banners at
all three hospitals emblazoned
with slogans against the new
doctors.
Some of these banners de-
clared the doctors untrained
and warned people not to con-
sult them.
Rawalpindi Medical Col-
lege (RMC) Principal Prof Dr
Musadaq Khan said that these
doctors were recruited during
the young doctors strike in
order to provide better health
facilities to patients.
He added that these doctors
were trained and had three to
four years of experience work-
ing at public hospitals.
He said that the adminis-
tration and government fully
protected these doctors and
ensured their security.
He also said that the ban-
ners would be removed soon,
and that the administration
would not allow the YDA to
humiliate government of-
cials. Hospital ofcials said
that the YDA had been send-
ing threatening messages to
doctors.
The hospital administra-
tions failure to remove such
displays has humiliated the
newly recruited doctors.
Internews
Doctors start social boycott against colleagues
OMAN DAILY Observer
9 SYRIA
A REFUGEE girl poses at the Al Zaatri refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, yesterday. Reuters
ALEPPO Syrian army
tanks shelled Aleppo yester-
day and a helicopter gunship
strafed dissident positions
with heavy machine-gun re
as they fought for control of
the countrys biggest city and
key battleground of the 17-
month uprising.
After UN Security Coun-
cil paralysis on Syria forced
peace envoy Ko Annan to
resign last week, and with
his ceasere plan a distant
memory, dissidents have been
battered by the government
onslaught in Aleppo and the
capital Damascus.
Reuters witnessed erce
street ghting in the Salahed-
dine district, a gateway into
the city of 2.5 million people
and the main focus of ghting
in the past week.
Tanks pounded alleyways
where dissidents sought cover.
One shell hit a building next
to the Reuters reporting team,
pouring rubble on to the street
and sending billows of smoke
and dust into the sky.
State television said As-
sads forces were cleans-
ing the terrorist lth from
the country, which has been
sucked into an increasingly
sectarian conict that has
killed some 18,000 people and
could spill into neighbouring
states.
In Damascus, troops
backed by ghter jets kept
up an offensive on Saturday
that they began a day earlier
against the last dissident bas-
tion there, a resident said.
Both cities vital prizes
in the battle for Syria were
relatively free of violence un-
til last month, when ghters
poured into Damascus shortly
before a July 18 bomb killed
four of Assads inner circle,
and entered Aleppo days later.
Dissident commanders say
they anticipate a major Syrian
army offensive in Aleppo and
one ghter said they already
had to pull back from some
streets after army snipers ad-
vanced on Saturday under
cover of the erce aerial and
tank bombardment.
The Syrian army is pen-
etrating our lines, said Mo-
hammad Sali, a 35-year-old
former government employee.
So we were forced to strate-
gically retreat until the shell-
ing ends, he said, adding the
dissidents were trying to push
the army back again.
Once a busy shopping and
restaurant district where resi-
dents would spend evenings
with their families, Aleppos
Salaheddine district is now
white with dust, broken con-
crete and rubble.
Tank shell holes gape wide
on the top of buildings near
the front line, and homes of
families and couples have
been turned into lookouts and
sniper locations for dissident
ghters.
Large mounds of concrete
are used as barriers to close
off streets, the smell of gunre
and rotting garbage intermix.
Lamp posts lie horizontally
across the streets after being
downed by shelling, their wir-
ing swinging idly in the wind.
Civilians trickle back to
collect their belongings and
check on their homes. Late on
Saturday a confused elderly
man stumbled into 15th street
as dissidents exchanged re
with the army.
Get out of the way! Get off
the street! ghters shouted,
grabbing him and taking him
to shelter from sniper re.
I just wanted to buy some
blackberry juice, he told the
ghters, his face reecting
confusion and horror at the
damage to his street. Instinc-
tively, he took his personal ID
out of his chest pocket to show
the dissidents, a habit from the
strict days of the Syrian secu-
rity ofcials.
During the day, others
emerged from damaged build-
ings. A couple stood shaking
with fear at an intersection a
few metres from the ghting
as a medic waved a car down
to help take them to safety.
Just to hold power he is
willing to destroy our streets,
our homes, kill our sons, wept
Fawzia Um Ahmed, refer-
ring to the armys determined
counter-offensive against the
dissidents.
I cant recognise these
streets any more.
Outgunned by the govern-
ment forces, the dissidents are
constantly on the hunt for cap-
tured weapons.
On one Salaheddine street,
a dissident ghter drove up
in a pick-up truck mounted
with an anti-aircraft weapon,
one of 15 that dissidents said
were seized during ghting
last week.
But the weapon could not
be aimed at the sky and neither
did it re. It remained parked
on a side street.
We only have 200 rounds
per weapon, said Abu Furat
al Garabolsi, an army ofcer
who defected. We have to
be totally sure we will shoot
a plane when we re it other-
wise we wont be able to re-
plenish what we have used.
Yesterday Syrian dissi-
dents claimed responsibility
for kidnapping 48 Iranian pil-
grims in Syria and said they
were checking their identities
to show that Tehran was in-
volved in ghting for Assad, a
dissident ofcer said.
The interview was aired
after the Dubai-based Al Ara-
biya television broadcast a
video showing armed men
checking the identity cards of
the kidnapped Iranians.
The ghters were still
checking the documents that
prove the identity of these
detainees and will make our
ndings public in due course,
said a man identied as Cap-
tain Abdel Nasser al Shumair,
commander of the Al Baraa
brigade of the Free Syrian
Army. He said his men had
been tracking the abducted
Iranians for two months be-
fore they were seized.
Tehran has asked Turkey
and Qatar to help secure the
release of kidnapped men,
Irans state news agency Irna
said. Reuters
Syrian forces
strafe Aleppo
ALEPPO The young dissident ghters mission
was clear: to rid an Aleppo neighbourhood of Syrian
army snipers who had inltrated dissident lines on
Saturday.
But before they had reached their target, a skir-
mish with government troops forced them to make
a diversion, throwing the group into confusion. All
40 were from rural areas outside Aleppo, and none
could nd their way through the city streets.
Wait, are we in the right place? one dissident
asked. Werent we supposed to turn at a mosque?
Wheres that mosque? Have we passed it?
A few minutes passed as the men circled around,
peeking behind buildings into alleyways to see if
they recognised them, unsure where to go next.
I guess were coming back as martyrs today,
one ghter joked darkly to his friend, who chuckled
nervously in front of a reporter and photographer ac-
companying the ghters.
Outgunned in Aleppo by Syrian forces who
have stepped up their counter-offensive to retake
Syrias biggest city the mainly rural ghters
are also out of their element in a city of 2.5 mil-
lion where relatively few local men have joined the
armed revolt.
Salaheddine, the focus of ghting in Aleppo, used
to be one of its busiest and mostly heavily-populated
shopping and residential districts.
Restaurants, pet shops, clothes and electronics
stores all shuttered stand in tightly packed
rows, creating a maze that only long-term residents
can easily negotiate.
This is a street war in the full meaning of the
term, said a dissident who identied himself as Abu
Zayd, as an explosion went off behind a building
where he was taking cover. We dont know who is
hiding in which building, who will pop up.
Dodging sniper bullets, the ghters made their
way to a small street where bullets whizzed over-
head, bringing down pieces of concrete.
Artillery, mortar rounds and tank shells pounded
the district, lling the street with dust which caught
in the eyes and throats of the dissidents, caking their
clothes and uniforms.
Burst open one of these shops! shouted Abu
Ali, a military commander from the Amr bin al Aas
brigade who was leading the operation, pointing his
rie at the green shutters of a nearby shop. A young
ghter began banging the door of a building with his
foot to force it open.
The men took some time to nd their bearings.
We are all ghters from rural Aleppo and were
nding it very hard to orient ourselves in these
streets, Mohammed Khali, a deputy commander,
said.
Ideally we have one man from the district to ac-
company us, but usually we cant nd anyone. So we
have to play it by ear and deal with what the situation
presents us with. He said he didnt know the name
of the street the men were ghting on, or how far it
was from the main front line.
Who is from this area? I need a man who knows
these streets! cried a dissident to his fellow ghters
going from cluster to cluster of men.
Carrying a machine-gun and a belt of bullets slung
over his shoulder, Mustafa Hazan shrugged.
Im from Idlib and just came here on Saturday,
he said. I dont know why the men from Aleppo
havent come to join us and theyre all depending on
outsiders.
Despite the confusion, the men deployed across
the street, taking up positions in elevated apartments
so they could look out over army lines. Several said
they had inicted losses on their opponents.
One man ran down to say he had skipped over
three buildings and discovered an army checkpoint
with about 10 men.
I shot two men and killed one, said 26-year-old
Tariq Mohammed, sweating and panting from hav-
ing to run back over the roof tops and scramble down
buildings to get back. The troops ran away, drag-
ging the dead man on the road with them.
Abu Ali said he had thrown a bomb into a room
inside a building that he had climbed. There were
a number of ofcers based in the room, and I threw
two bombs inside, he said. I believe I injured
them. Reuters
A journey into unknown for rural ghters
A FREE Syrian Army ghter runs after a Syrian Army tank shell exploded in
the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo yesterday. Reuters
A SYRIAN refugee boy cries as he attends the funeral of ve Free Syrian Army ghters, killed by Syrian security
forces near Idlib province in Yayladagi in Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border. Reuters
TEHRAN Iran warned against foreign
intervention in Syria yesterday and said
the conict there could engulf Israel, Ira-
nian media said.
Irans Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani
accused the United States and regional
countries he did not name of providing
military support to dissidents ghting to
topple Syrian President Bashar al Assad,
an ally of Iran.
Iran has supported Assads efforts to
crush the 17-month revolt and has ac-
cused Western countries and Israel of in-
terfering in the crisis.
The re that has been ignited in Syria
will take the fearful (Israelis) with it,
Larijani said yesterday, according to the
Islamic Republic News Agency (Irna).
What really allows these countries to
interfere in internal Syrian affairs? Lari-
jani was quoted as saying.
Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, a key ally
of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khame-
nei and father-in-law to the paramount
leaders son, Mojtaba, said yesterday
the people of Syria should not allow the
United States and Israel to break the re-
sistance front, Irna reported.
Since the Americans and (Israelis) do
not want to solve the Syrian issue, they
continue to make the region insecure,
Haddad Adel was quoted as saying.
On Friday, following his visit to Mos-
cow to discuss Syria, Irans Deputy For-
eign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
said terrorist groups supported by for-
eign forces were operating in Damascus
and Aleppo, Irna reported.
Amir-Abdollahian said tens of thou-
sands of weapons had entered Syria from
neighbouring countries and were being
used by groups including Al Qaeda.
Unfortunately America and regional
countries ... do not take steps to control
the borders, Amir-Abdollahian was
quoted as saying.
Amir-Abdollahian said he did not be-
lieve Syria would be attacked by foreign
powers, but that if it were, it would not
need Irans help in defending itself.
Syria has been ready for years to
respond to any military attack against it
by (Israel) or other countries, and can re-
spond strongly to any military action by
itself and with complete readiness, he
was quoted as saying.
Iran and Russia support the six-point
plan presented by former UN peace en-
voy Ko Annan to solve the crisis. A frus-
trated Annan resigned his post last week,
blaming nger-pointing and name-call-
ing at the UN Security Council for his
decision to quit.
Iran has blamed the US and other
countries for the failure of Annans plan.
Meanwhile, an aid convoy left the
West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday
carrying food and medicine in a symbol
of support for Palestinian refugees caught
up in the crisis in Syria.
Today the rst convoy will leave
from here, from the West Bank, from Pal-
estinian soil towards Syria, Palestinian
President Mahmud Abbas said at a press
event marking the event.
An ofcial donations drive net-
ted around $650,000 worth of food and
medical aid from Palestinian companies,
businessmen and individuals during Ra-
madhan.
Sixteen trucks loaded with our, rice,
sugar, lentils, chickpeas, pasta and medi-
cine drove through Abbass presidential
compound before leaving for Jordan
bound for Damascus via the UN Relief
and Works Agency for Palestine Refu-
gees (UNRWA). Reuters
Warning against foreign intervention
BEIRUT Three separate Syrian opposition groups
have oated proposals for a transitional government
in the past week, a sign that differences among the
many factions opposing President Bashar al Assad
are deepening even as victory seems closer.
Western countries are increasingly anxious to see
the disparate groups agree on a credible plan for a
transitional government should Assad fall.
The head of the Syrian National Council (SNC),
a long-established opposition umbrella group, said
talks would be held within weeks to form a transi-
tional government.
The next day the Free Syria Army, a loosely
co-ordinated group of insurgents ghting Assads
forces, oated a separate proposal that called for the
establishment of a higher defence council bringing
together military and civilian gures.
And the day after that, a group of exiled Syrian
activists who left the SNC announced a new opposi-
tion alliance that also aimed to form a transitional
government.
The Istanbul-based SNC in particular has come
under re for being out of touch with the ghting
in Syria itself. Colonel Riad al Asaad, nominal head
of the Free Syria Army, said it was made up of op-
portunists who want to ride over our revolution and
trade with the blood of our martyrs.
Haitham al Maleh, a former judge, broke away
from the SNC to launch the Council for the Syrian
Revolution.
I dont differ with the Syrian National Council
over their vision, but over their tactics. Im different
in that Im working on the ground, and theyre just
theorising, he said.
Burhan Ghalioun, the SNCs former leader, said
news of the SNCs plans to form a transitional gov-
ernment had created a competitive dynamic among
those who want a role.
I think we will be able to overcome this competi-
tion ... I think Haithams move was a wrong one and
it must be xed with minimum fuss and without giv-
ing it importance, he said.
Most alarming for the West, the dissidents ght-
ing inside Syria include Al Qaeda-style ghters with
a strong sectarian agenda. Secularist opposition g-
ures and members of religious minorities are also
worried.
Several opposition groups have adopted an in-
creasingly fundamentalist discourse and demean-
our, a trajectory that mirrors the conicts gradually
deadlier and more confessional turn (and) popular
loss of faith in the West, the International Crisis
Group said.
Among other issues dividing the opposition is the
role of senior defectors like Brigadier General Manaf
Tlas, a former member of Assads inner circle who
ed Syria and has since been hosted by anti-Assad
governments.
Many opposition activists say Tlas is tainted by
his long service under Assad and worry that he will
be foisted on them as a future leader. Ghalioun said
he sees a military role for Tlas and other defecting
ofcers to retake control of the army and re-establish
security in the country. Maleh was dismissive.
I do not think that Manaf Tlas has a role in the
coming time as a leader. He should have announced
his defection when he left Syria and said Im join-
ing the Free Syrian Army and I will ght alongside
them, Maleh said. Reuters
Victory closer, divisions deepen in oppn
OMAN DAILY Observer
10 INDIA
By Ashraf Padanna
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Police in Kerala have begun probe
into the unnatural death of a Bihari
youth charged with murder attempt
on Mata Amritanandamayi, the hug-
ging saint who has millions of devo-
tees across the world.
Satnam Singh, 25, who was ar-
rested for the attack at her Vallikkavu
Ashram, some 100 km from here,
while giving audience to devotees on
Wednesday, died at the Mental Health
Centre here on Saturday evening. His
relatives alleged that he was severely
beaten up in the police lock-up.
He was brought dead to the
(Medical College) hospital. We have
registered a case of custodial death
and started investigations, said S
Ramakrishnan, the executive mag-
istrate who visited the hospital for
preliminary probe. We have sought
a detailed report from the district
medical ofcer and the psychiatric
hospital authorities.
The inquest was conducted at the
Medical College Hospital (MCH) in
the presence of one of his cousins
who demanded a high-level probe
into the death. Singh, who hails from
Gaya, was a second year student at
the Ram Manohar Lohia Law Col-
lege, Lucknow.
He had told the police that he
got irritated when he saw foreigners
around Amma and felt that they were
hijacking Amma and he wanted to
rescue her from their clutches.
Singhs cousin Vimal Kishore,
who arrived here after the arrest, said
he had seen his cousin locked up in
the police station fully naked except
for an underwear and there were no
visible marks of torture on his body.
But during the inquest, he said, some
35 bruises were seen all over his
body.
I reached the police station in
Karunagappally the next day he was
arrested and what I saw there was
shocking. The police treated him so
badly though they were aware of his
mental condition. They didnt even
allow me to hand over the rakhi that
his sister had sent from Delhi, he
said.
Singh was admitted to the lunatic
asylum on Friday as he was found
mentally unsound after the plain-
clothes policemen guarding the Mata
overpowered him at the ashram. The
hospital authorities say he was exhib-
iting violent behaviour and he could
not be examined fully.
He was later produced in a court
which sent him to the district jail
where he allegedly attacked a co-
prisoner. He was then shifted to the
district hospital and later to the psy-
chiatric hospital at Peroorkada in the
state capital.
The hospital staff, who went to the
single cell in the forensic ward where
he was lodged to serve him dinner,
found him in a near unconscious state
in the bathroom at around 7.30 pm.
He was rushed to the MCH where he
was pronounced dead.
It appears from the bruises that
he was beaten with a hot rod. He was
beaten up very badly, said Kishore,
adding that he would petition the
National Human Rights Commis-
sion and other competent authorities
demanding justice. I had told the
police of his mental problems and
chances of violent behaviour. But no
precautions were taken.
The actual reason for the death
will be known only after the autopsy
to be conducted today. Kishore said
he had asked the authorities to wait
for the father of the victim to come
before the post-mortem examina-
tion.
We could not administer him
proper medicines as he was behav-
ing so violently. He refused to take
medicines and rarely ate food. His
legs were tied together when he was
brought here and his condition was
deteriorating, said Dr Sunil, the
hospitals superintendent. He was
brought here with some injuries.
However, Dr Anil Kumar, resident
medical ofcer at the District Hospi-
tal, Kollam, said there were no injury
marks on his body when he was ex-
amined there. He was referred to the
medical college after preliminary ex-
amination in the ambulance and he
was not admitted there.
Police begin inquiry into death of Mata attacker
Relatives allege torture in custody
A MAN pulls a camel for tourist rides at the Table Top tourist destination at Saputara, some 400 km from Ahmedabad,
as the one-month-long Saputara Monsoon Festival at Gujarats only hill station has begun. AFP
CHENNAI The Nuclear
Power Corporation of India
Ltd (NPCIL) is hopeful of
soon getting clearance from
the sectoral regulator to fuel
the rst reactor at Kudanku-
lam Nuclear Power Project
(KNPP), a senior ofcial said
yesterday.
We had two detailed
meetings with Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board (AERB) on
Friday and Saturday. We hope
to get a positive response from
AERB in a weeks time by
coming Saturday or Sunday,
S A Bhardwaj, director (Tech-
nical), said from Mumbai over
the phone.
According to him, NPCIL
is not working towards any
specic date like August 15
(Independence Day) to load
the 163 fuel assemblies into
the 1,000 MW light water re-
actor (LWR) supplied by Rus-
sia.
Prior to the loading of the
fuel we have to put in some
components into the reactor.
We will do that after getting
AERBs nod to load the fuel.
The process may take couple
of days. We do not want to
x the components without
the regulators nod. We hope
AERB would not ask to do us
some more tests, Bhardwaj
added.
After getting the AERB
nod we have to inform the
International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) about mov-
ing the fuel from the stores to
the reactor. It is up to IAEA to
send a person or not to oversee
the process, Bhardwaj said.
As KNPP falls under the
safeguard agreement signed
by India with IAEA, the latter
has to be informed about fuel
loading.
According to ofcials,
NPCIL has communicated to
the Tamil Nadu government
that the fuel loading would
happen around August 15.
The loading may happen
around August 15. It could be
August 16 or 17, Bhardwaj
remarked.
Interestingly the fuel load-
ing is expected to happen
nearly one year after the pro-
test against the KNPP erupted
at Kudankulam and nearby Id-
inthakarai in August last year.
NPCIL is building two
1,000 MW reactors supplied
by Russia in Kudankulam
in Tirunelveli, around 650 km
from here.
Work at the project came to
a standstill last year after vil-
lagers in the area, fearing for
their lives in case of a nuclear
accident, mounted an intensive
protest under Peoples Move-
ment Against Nuclear Energy
(PMANE) banner.
The Tamil Nadu govern-
ment had earlier passed a
resolution asking the central
government to halt work at the
plant and to allay the fears of
the locals.
To resolve the issue, the
central and state governments
set up two panels.
The central panel submit-
ted its nal report on January
31. The Tamil Nadu govern-
ment set up another expert
committee which too favoured
the project.
In March this year, the state
government gave its green
signal to the project and also
announced Rs 500 crore for
local area and infrastructural
development.
Following that, work at
KNPP was restarted with po-
lice protection.
Queried about the status of
work on the second unit, the
ofcial said that the electrical
systems are being charged and
the sea water pumps are run-
ning.
While unit one is 99.40
per cent complete, the second
was 94.80 per cent complete
in June.
The NPCIL has announced
that the rst unit will be com-
mercially operational next
month and the second unit in
March 2013. IANS
Kudankulam reactor to be fuelled soon
NEW DELHI Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Ad-
vani yesterday shocked his party by admitting that the 2014
general elections may throw up a non-BJP and non-Congress
prime minister. He also claimed that the Congresss score will
reduce to less than 100 seats in the Lok Sabha.
But, in a rider to this prediction, Advani, in his latest blog,
said combinations of the kind that had been witnessed in the
past would not last long.
Advani was speculating on the ruling Congress fate in the
the Lok Sabha polls that is ordinarily scheduled in 2014.
A non-Congress, non-BJP prime minister heading a gov-
ernment supported by one of these two principal parties is,
however, feasible. This has happened in the past also, he said
in the blog posted on the BJP website here.
Advani also said that soothsayers were predicting that this
elections may be the rst when Congresss score sinks to just
two digits, that is less than a 100 seats in the Lok Sabha.
But, as the prime ministership of Charan Singh, Chan-
drashekharji, Deve Gowdaji and Inder Kumarji Gujral (all
supported by Congress) as also of Vishwanath Pratap Singhji
(supported by BJP) have shown, such governments have never
lasted long, he said.
The BJP leader said he
could clearly perceive an
intense sense of concern
weighing on the minds of
both these ministers, whose
apprehensions were that in
the next Lok Sabha polls,
neither Congress nor BJP
may be able to forge an al-
liance that gained a clear
majority and that whenev-
er the polls are held, there
could be a Third Front
government, which could
be extremely harmful not
only for the stability of the
Indian politics, but also for national interests.
However, Advani did not agree with these assessments of
the Congress ministers. My response to the anxiety voiced by
these Congressmen was: I can understand your concern, but I
do not share it, he said in the blog.
Among Advanis views were that Indian politics of the last
two-and-a-half decades had made it practically impossible for
any government to be formed at the centre which does not
have the support of either the Congress or the BJP.
A Third Front government, therefore, can be ruled out, he
said. He also noted that the central government had been stable
in the past only when it either had a Congress or a BJP prime
minister. IANS
Non-BJP, non-Congress
PM feasible: Advani
PATNA Large aircraft
such as Airbus 320 and
Boeing 737 will not oper-
ate from Patna airport from
August 16 after the runway
length was re-notied, of-
cials said yesterday.
A Patna airport ofcial
said the runway had become
unsafe for the operation of
large aircraft after the Air-
ports Authority of India (AII)
re-notied the length due to
the presence of trees.
"The AAI, on the recom-
mendation of director-gener-
al of civil aviation, had re-
notied the airport's runway
length after Bihar govern-
ment refused to cut or prune
trees near it," he said.
According to ofcials,
AAI revised the declared
runway distances because of
obstruction in the approach
funnel.
Patna airport director
Arvind Dubey said AAI's
decision to re-notify the run-
way was in the interest of
aviation safety.
"The AAI order will be ef-
fective at Patna airport from
August 16," Dubey said.
In May, the Civil Aviation
Ministry had threatened to
declare the Patna airport un-
t for Airbus 320 and Boe-
ing 737 aircraft unless trees
near the airport were cut or
pruned for aviation safety.
The ministry sent a com-
munication to the Bihar gov-
ernment, giving a deadline
of June 15, ofcials said.
IANS
No large
aircraft from
Patna from
August 16
MOSCOW Russia and India began their joint INDRA-2012
anti-insurgency military exercises in the Siberian republic of
Buryatia yesterday, a Russian military ofcial said. The drills
are being held at the Burduny training range until August 16,
the spokesman for Russias Eastern Military District said.
Some 500 servicemen about 250 on each side are tak-
ing part in the drills, which are conducted using Russian-made
combat vehicles. Since 2003, India and Russia have conducted
ve INDRA-series joint ground and naval exercises. The last
such exercise was held in India in October 2010.
Russia cancelled the exercises last year.
India is the worlds largest arms importer and a key buyer
of Russian weaponry. In 2007-2011, India purchased some
$12.7 billion in arms, 80 per cent of that from Russia, accord-
ing to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI). IANS
Drill with Russia begins
HYDERABAD Worried
about the grim power situa-
tion in Andhra Pradesh fol-
lowing a cut in the gas supply
by the centres Empowered
Group of Ministers (EGoM),
Chief Minister N Kiran Ku-
mar Reddy will be in Delhi
today to discuss the issue with
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh.
Reddy will complain to
the prime minister that the gas
meant for Andhra Pradesh is
allegedly being diverted to
Maharashtra. Reddy will be
accompanied by central min-
isters and MPs from the state.
Reddy reviewed the situ-
ation yesterday with senior
ofcials after the cut in gas
supply forced 14 plants in the
state to shut down, resulting in
a loss of 400 MW of power.
The centre on August 1 de-
cided to divert some more Re-
liance gas from the K G Basin
to the Ratnagiri power plant in
Maharashtra. Under its quota,
Andhra Pradesh was receiv-
ing 3.48 MMSCMD (million
metric standard cubic metre a
day) gas against the commit-
ment of 6.8 MMSCMD. After
the fresh cut, the state is hard-
ly getting 1.48 MMSCMD.
The reduction of gas sup-
ply hiked the difference be-
tween demand and supply of
power to 50 million units a
day. Three- to six-hour power
cuts were already in force in
various cities and towns while
the industrial sector has been
going without power for three
days a week due to gas short-
age and poor inows in hydel
stations.
The centres move to di-
vert gas to Maharashtra has
evoked criticism both from
the ruling and the opposition
parties.
Union Minister of Petro-
leum S Jaipal Reddy, who is
from Andhra Pradesh, has
expressed his inability to in-
tervene in correcting the gas
diversion to Maharashtra.
The Congress government
in the state is facing an em-
barrassment as a section of
the ruling party leaders have
joined the opposition in criti-
cising the government for not
mounting pressure on the cen-
tre. The ve central ministers
and Congress MPs from the
state have come under criti-
cism for remaining silent over
the injustice to the state.
Government whip in the
legislative council R Pad-
maraju said the ruling party
would be forced to join hands
with the opposition to launch
a protest. IANS
Reddy to meet PM
on power crisis
NEW DELHI The countrys apex women rights panel will
investigate the case of a 23-year-old former ight attendant
committing suicide here and blaming Haryana minister Gopal
Kanda for taking the extreme step, Union Women and Child
Welfare Minister Krishna Tirath said yesterday.
We will send this case to National Commission for Wom-
en (NCW) for investigation and I will write a letter to the chief
minister of Haryana (Bhupinder Singh Hooda), Tirath told
reporters. Delhi Police has registered a case of abetment to sui-
cide against the Haryana Minister of State for Home.
Hooda had earlier in the day said that appropriate action
would be taken in the case.
The victim Geetika Sharma was found hanging in her
Ashok Vihar house in north Delhi. According to the suicide
note, she has blamed Kanda for breaking her trust, police said.
Kanda owned the now defunct airline MDLR where Geetika
was working as a ight attendant. Following the airline ceased
to function, Sharma was given a job in one of Kandas subsidi-
ary companies.
According to the victims brother, Gaurav Sharma, his sis-
ter was being constantly harassed by Kanda and his colleague
Aruna Chadha, both mentally and psychologically.
My sister quit her job and decided to work with Emirates
and had gone for training in Dubai but Kanda wrote to them
accusing my sister of having a bad character which led to her
termination, he told reporters. IANS
NCW to probe suicide
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM With more than four million
educated unemployed in the state, Kerala is launching what is
perhaps the countrys rst government-run job portal.
The portal will feature jobs in Kerala and outside the state
in both the private and the public sectors. The website would
be ofcially launched on Wednesday.
The brain child of engineer-turned Labour Minister Shibu
Baby John, the site would be managed by the state-owned
Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited
(Keltron) and would be run by the Overseas Development and
Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPC), a department
under Shibu s labour ministry.
This is the rst time that a state government is taking the
lead to run a job portal and all those who wish to register can
do so with a token fees. The website www.odepc.kerala.gov.
in will feature jobs in both the private and public sector in the
country besides numerous overseas employment vacancies,
said Shibu.
The registration fee for uploading a resume ranges from
Rs 70 to Rs 600 depending on the qualication of the job aspir-
ant. Using a user id, every one who registers can make changes
to their bio-data as and when they wish to do, besides search
and apply for the jobs that are listed.
We are in talks with numerous private and public sector
companies and also reputed companies abroad including gov-
ernment hospitals and departments, who have agreed to co-
operate with us when it comes to recruitment by them, said
Shibu. IANS
State-run job portal
CHANDIGARH The Pun-
jab government said yesterday
that it will bear the expenses of
airlifting an injured Burundian
student to Delhi for his onward
journey home. The young man
is in coma since he was as-
saulted in the state in April.
A spokesman of the Punjab
chief ministers ofce said the
state would arrange and pay
for taking Yannick Nihangaza
to New Delhi in an air-ambu-
lance.
He said on the request of
the students father, Chief Min-
ister Parkash Singh Badal had
also agreed to pay the business
class airfare for Yannick and
his father to travel to a hospital
in Rwanda in Africa.
Yannick, who was pursuing
a BSc in computers at Lovely
Professional University near
Jalandhar, was attacked by
some young men on April 21
in Jalandhar after an argument
outside a liquor shop, 150 km
from here.
The attackers left him seri-
ously injured and he is in coma
since then. Doctors attending
on him in a private hospital in
Patiala, 80 km from here, said
his chances of recovery are
bleak due to irreversible brain
damage.
After Yannicks plight
was highlighted by the media
in July, police arrested ve
youths for their alleged in-
volvement in the assault. One
of the accused is the son of a
senior Punjab Police ofcer.
Badal had earlier sanc-
tioned Rs 500,000 to Yannicks
father for his sons treatment.
Badal assured Yannicks
father that all culprits involved
in the crime would be pun-
ished as per the law of the land.
He said a foolproof case has
been registered and the public
prosecutor has been asked to
pursue the case for ensuring
exemplary punishment to the
culprits so that foreign students
coming to state for pursuing
higher studies feel safe and se-
cure, the spokesman said.
Punjab to help airlift injured African
OMAN DAILY Observer
11 INDIA
DEHRADUN/JAMMU/MANALI/NEW DELHI
Twelve people have died, nearly 40 are missing and
hundreds are trapped after torrential rain led to ash
oods, cloud bursts and landslides in sub-Himalayan
Uttarakhand, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh, ofcials
said yesterday. The incessant rain is likely to continue,
the Met ofce reported.
Rescue operations are in full swing in Uttarakhand
and Jammu.
While 12 people have died in Uttarakhand due to
ash oods and landslides, ofcials said, hundreds
were left stranded in various places in Jammu where the
rains caused landslides.
In Himachal, an alert has been sounded after ash
oods triggered by the rising water level of Beas River,
hit upper Manali. People living close to the river on the
Manali-Rohtang road have been asked to move to safer
places.
In Uttarakhand, Garhwal, Chamoli and Uttarkashi
districts are worst-affected.
Personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP),
police and army are searching for 19 labourers who
went missing at a hydel project in Assi Ganga in Ut-
tarkashi, about 180 km from here, late on Saturday, of-
cials said.
Ofcials said that as many as 40 people were miss-
ing across the state.
The water levels in Bhagirathi, Alkananda and Ya-
muna rivers are running at danger levels, ofcials said.
Met ofcials in New Delhi said incessant rains would
continue in both the regions for another day.
"We had given a timely warning to the state agencies
so that evacuation could start in villages and remote dis-
tricts. Rains will continue for the next 24 hours," an of-
cial from India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
There were about half a dozen landslides on the 300-
km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, considered a
lifeline to the Kashmir valley.
Highways connecting the mountainous districts of
Poonch and Rajouri in northwest Jammu and Doda and
Kishtwar in the northeast also reported similar land-
slides.
In the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, over a
dozen people were rescued from Samba district where
the Basantar River ooded its banks.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA),
headquartered in New Delhi, has not yet sent any rescue
team to Uttarakhand since the state government assured
it of having enough manpower for rescue and relief.
"We have a 45-member team ready, but the Utta-
rakhand government has said they have enough ITBP
personnel to take care of the situation," K M Singh, an
NDMA member, said.
"We are in constant touch with the government. If
they want any help, we would immediately send our
team," he said.
Three state-run hydel projects in Uttarkashi district
of Uttarakhand have also been damaged. Major hydel
projects have been stopped.
The state's disaster management teams are working
on restoring communication lines and providing imme-
diate relief to pilgrims on the annual Char Dham yatra
stuck on isolated routes.
"The downpour has slowed. But we are still working
on restoring communication lines and helping victims in
pilgrimage areas," said an ofcial from the emergency
control room in Chamoli.
The yatra to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Ke-
darnath has been halted due to landslides and washing
away of roads, said ofcials.
In Himachal, the Beas River's course has changed at
several places between Kanchnikoot and Nehru Kund.
Manali Sub-divisional Magistrate Balbir Thakur
yesterday said the administration had sounded an alert,
cautioning people living in the vicinity of the river to
move to safer places. IANS
12 die, 40 missing as rains wreak havoc
Flash oods, cloud bursts and landslides pound Uttarakhand, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh
A RESIDENTIAL area built near the banks of the ooded river Tawi in Jammu. Reuters
JAMMU The Indian
Air Force (IAF) yesterday
evacuated 24 stranded ci-
vilians from an island in
the ooded Tawi River in
Jammu, an ofcer said.
The civil administra-
tion in Jammu sent an
SOS to the IAF to rescue
civilians stranded near vil-
lage Gandu Chak village,
25 km west of Jammu.
"Since the Tawi River
was ooded and time was
premium, the pilots landed
close to the stranded peo-
ple so as to pick them up
in one go. On landing at
the island in the Tawi Riv-
er, it was realised that the
helicopter was sinking in
the mud," an ofcer said.
"The captain decided to
hold the helicopter lightly
on wheels and instructed
the winch operator to get
down and get the civilians
inside the helicopter," the
ofcial added.
He said: "The cap-
tain displayed exemplary
skills and courage to hold
on controls when the ci-
vilians were being loaded.
Thereafter the aircraft got
airborne and landed on the
bank of the river where the
two dozen rescued people
were disembarked."
The general ood situ-
ation in Jammu region,
according to ofcial
spokesman of Jammu and
Kashmir Government,
was "improving with rains
having stopped in most
areas in the region".
Over 100 stranded and
marooned people have
been rescued by the ad-
ministration with the help
of police, army and IAF
since Saturday. IANS
IAF rescues
marooned
civilians
GUWAHATI Tension
again gripped the violence-af-
fected Kokrajhar and Chirang
districts in Asom yesterday
after the recovery of four
bodies two in each district
where clashes between Bo-
dos and Muslim settlers last
month left 56 dead and dis-
placed over 400,000 people.
The development also led
the district administration to
impose indenite curfew in
Chirang district from yester-
day afternoon.
Inspector General of Po-
lice, Bodoland Territorial
Area District S N Singh said
that while two bodies were
recovered from Kokrajhar,
another two bodies were re-
covered from Bijni area in
Chirang.
"The situation is tense but
under control now. However,
we have decided to clamp
indenite curfew in Chirang
district while the night cur-
few is in force in Kokrajhar
and Dhubri district," Singh
said.
"Two people were found
missing from one of the re-
lief camps in Chirang dis-
trict since last evening. The
bodies were recovered today
morning," he said.
Sources in the state home
department said that addi-
tional reinforcements of po-
lice and paramilitary forces
have been rushed to the af-
fected areas, where forces are
already deployed since the
violence started last month.
The violence that started
in the districts from July 19
also spread to neighbouring
Dhubri and Baksa districts.
Asom Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi had earlier
claimed that the situation had
improved in the districts and
that the over 400,000 people,
who were displaced during
the violence, would be sent to
their homes with proper secu-
rity by August 15.
He also said security pick-
ets would be set up in the
affected areas. Police and
security forces have identi-
ed 104 sensitive areas in the
three districts and the govern-
ment had assured to deploy
police pickets in all the sensi-
tive areas.
According to govern-
ment reports, the clashes saw
around 5,000 houses belong-
ing to both the communities
burnt down during the vio-
lence. The government then
set up 278 relief camps to
accommodate the displaced
people. IANS
Tension in Bodo areas as four
bodies found, curfew imposed
PRESIDENT Pranab Mukherjee receives Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan when the latter called
on him at Rashtrapathi Bhavan in New Delhi yesterday.
NEW DELHI UPA chair-
person Sonia Gandhi will
host a lunch for MPs of the
ruling alliance and support-
ing parties today, a day ahead
of the vice-presidential elec-
tion on August 7, ofcial
sources said.
Sonia had hosted a similar
lunch on July 18, a day ahead
of the presidential poll.
The sources said though
United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) nominee and incumbent
Hamid Ansari is ahead of his
rival Jaswant Singh, backed
by the National Democratic
Alliance, the lunch would add
to the bonhomie among the
alliance partners and the par-
ties supporting it from outside,
with the month-long monsoon
session of parliament starting
on August 8.
Besides the Congress,
Nationalist Congress Party,
DMK, Trinamool Congress,
Rashtriya Lok Dal and the
National Conference, who are
part of UPA, leaders of par-
ties like the Samajwadi Party,
Bahujan Samaj Party, Rash-
triya Janata Dal and the Lok
Janshakti Party are expected
to attend the lunch being held
at the Ashoka Hotel here, said
the sources.
Government sources
claimed Ansari will get sup-
port of around 500 votes out
of the total 790 votes of par-
liamentarians who form the
electoral college to elect the
vice-president.
The Left parties are also
supporting the UPA nominee.
IANS
Sonia to host lunch for MPs
of UPA, outside supporters
WASHINGTON About
half a dozen eminent global
management gurus, including
two professors from North
America, head for New Delhi
this week to debate the future
of Indian management educa-
tion at the Third Indian Man-
agement Conclave.
Sharing their insights at the
August 9-10 conclave with
nearly 300 policy makers, aca-
demics and recruiters will be
Cornell Dean Soumitra Dutta
and Sauder School of Busi-
ness, Canada Associate Dean
Murali Chandrashekharan.
They will be joined at the
MBAUniverse.com organ-
ised conclave by international
thought leaders Elieen Pea-
cock, Asia Head, AACSB,
Singapore and Sharon Bam-
ford, Chief Executive of As-
sociations of MBAs (AMBA),
UK.
Dutta, who recently moved
from Fontainebleau, the home
of INSEAD's Europe cam-
pus to take over as Anne and
Elmer Lindseth Dean and Pro-
fessor of Management at the
Samuel Curtis Johnson Gradu-
ate School of Management at
America's Ivy League Cornell
University, will deliver the
keynote address.
"Globally, MBA Education
is at crossroads. The changes
in business, society, technol-
ogy... are calling for new mod-
els. In this evolution, India can
play an important role by be-
ing both the 'creator' and the
'lab' for next-generation man-
agement ideas," he says.
Indian Management Con-
clave, as knowledge creation
and dissemination platform,
can be a catalyst of this proc-
ess."
"Rapid changes in policy
framework, student aspira-
tions and employer needs
calls for re-alignment by top
B-schools, private and public
universities," says Amit Ag-
nihotri, Chairman, MBAU-
niverse.com, India's leading
management portal. IANS
American gurus to join management conclave
MUMBAI Stating that
he has lost faith in the par-
ty, former deputy mayor of
Mumbai and Bharatiya Jana-
ta Party leader (BJP) Rajesh
Sharma yesterday resigned
from the organisation and
announced that he will for-
mally join the Congress.
"The decision-making
process in the party has de-
teriorated and deserving
people are not valued here.
Hence, the decision to move
away," he said.
Sharma has been associ-
ated with the BJP since 1988.
"Sonia Gandhi has nurtured
the party (Congress) in a
very mature way," Sharma
said. IANS
Mumbai BJP
leader quits,
to join Cong
NEW DELHI Ahead of his agitation in Delhi starting on
August 9, yoga guru Baba Ramdev yesterday said he will visit
the memorial of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat for three
days of "meditation, introspection and nationalist thinking".
In a statement here, Baba Ramdev said that Maharishi Day-
anand Saraswati, Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel were his
inspiration since childhood.
"I have decided that before the August 9 agitation, I will
be at 'Karmsad' (Patel's memorial) for three days of medita-
tion, introspection and nationalist thinking," he said in the
statement. Ramdev had recently praised and shared the stage
with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at a function in
Ahmedabad. IANS
3-day meditation before
Delhi agitation: Ramdev
KOLKATA In a bid to
repair the strained ties with
Congress, the Trinamool Con-
gress leadership has asked its
MPs to attend the lunch host-
ed by UPA chairperson Sonia
Gandhi today.
"Yes we have been in-
structed by our party lead-
ership to attend the lunch.
Trinamool MPs, who are
in Delhi right now can at-
tend the lunch programme,"
said party MP and Minister
of State for Tourism Sultan
Ahmed.
Sonia will host a lunch
for MPs of the ruling alliance
and supporting parties today,
a day ahead of the vice-pres-
idential election on August 7,
ofcial sources said.
She had hosted a similar
lunch on July 18, a day ahead
of the presidential poll.
Trinamool is yet to clear
its stand on supporting
UPA's vice-presidential can-
didate Hamid Ansari.
For the earlier lunch, the
Trinamool had initially barred
its MPs from participating as
the party had objected Pranab
Mukherjee's candidature for
the presidential post.
But later on, Trinamool
supreme Mamata Banerjee
decided to extend her party's
support to Mukherjee, and
MPs K D Singh and Sukhen-
du Sekhar Roy represented
the party at the lunch.
Trinamool
MPs told to
attend lunch
PUNE Maharashtra gov-
ernment yesterday sanc-
tioned Rs 30 crore to Pune
for purchasing crime pre-
ventive equipment, includ-
ing closed circuit televisions
(CCTVs), days after serial
blasts rocked the heart of the
city.
Maharashtra Deputy
Chief Minister and Pune's
guardian minister Ajit Pawar
sanctioned the amount and
asked city's Police Commis-
sioner Gulabrao Pol to com-
plete the purchasing process
of the equipment.
Reviewing the investiga-
tions into the low-intensity se-
rial blasts that rocked Pune's
Junglee Maharaj Road on
Wednesday, Pawar asked the
city police to take stern action
to prevent such crimes.
A seven-member com-
mittee headed by the police
commissioner will oversee
the purchase of the security
equipment. District Collec-
tor Vikas Deshmukh and
other experts are also a part
of the committee.
Four low intensity explo-
sions struck the city between
7.37 pm and 8.15 pm on
Wednesday during rush hour
in the heart of Pune on Jun-
glee Maharaj Road, crowded
with restaurants, shops and
the large Sambhaji Park,
popular for family outings in
the evening. IANS
Rs 30 cr for
Pune to install
CCTVs
NEW DELHI Social activist Anna Hazare yesterday said it
was during his ve-day fast at Jantar Mantar last week that he
realised the need to give a political alternative to the people.
The septuagenarian and his team announced their foray into
politics after ending their agitation for a stricter anti-graft bill
on Friday. Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal, Gopal Rai
and Manish Sisodia had also been fasting for a week.
"The people had constantly been asking for a political alter-
native in the democracy. People turned up at my village Rale-
gan Siddhi, and even at Jantar Mantar," Hazare posted on his
blog 'Anna Hazare says'.
"Then I realised that it is important to provide them (peo-
ple) an alternative. Their demand is right," the veteran activist
added. Hazare, 75, said it was after struggling for over a year
for the Jan Lokpal Bill that he realised the need for a political
alternative.
"Our long struggle and betrayal (by the government) go
into this decision. It is not easy to give an alternative, but it is
not impossible," he wrote. Hazare reiterated that he would not
contest the polls, but continue efforts against corruption.
"I am repeating that I will not contest any elections. But I
will travel across the country and motivate people to develop a
corruption-free India," Hazare said. IANS
People need political
alternative: Anna
OMAN DAILY Observer
12 ANALYSIS/OPINION
ASUPPORTER of Anna Hazare holds an Indian ag on the third day of Hazares hunger strike in New Delhi recently. AFP
A
UTHORITIES deal-
ing with immigration
to Britain are under
increased pressure with court
rulings on asylum seek-
ers. Already facing a heavy
workload with thousands of
applications from migrants,
the Home Ministry will now
have legal obligations to meet
in cases of those who wish to
stay in the country on grounds
of asylum.
Thousands more asylum
seekers may be allowed
to stay in the UK after the
countrys highest court ruled
that even those with no
political views are at risk of
persecution from oppressive
regimes in their own country.
The number of people
granted asylum in the UK has
grown steadily in the last four
years, from 10,200 in 2008 to
14,360 last year.
There has recently been
the case where the court
ruling allowed several
people from one particular
country to remain in Britain,
defeating attempts by the
Home Ministry to deport
them. That ruling could now
be used more widely by those
claiming asylum to avoid
being returned to countries of
dictatorship even if they have
never been dissidents.
The Home Ministrys fear
is that the ruling is open to
abuse with people attempting
to take advantage under false
pretence.
There have been cases
where people had come to
Britain on a student visa but
later had their asylum claim
rejected by ofcials.
Upon lodging the case
with the Court of Appeal they
were given a ruling in their
favour.
The Home Ministrys
appeal to the Supreme Court
was unsuccessful. The
decision will make it difcult
for the Home Ministry to
deport people and already as
many as over a million have
settled in the UK from just
one country, Zimbabwe, over
the last 15 years.
With immigration being
such a major problem
for Britain, chairman of
Migration Watch UK, Sir
Andrew Green said: This
(ruling) is ridiculous. It is
yet a further extension of the
grounds on which asylum
may be granted.
We already have a
serious problem in that 60
per cent of applications turn
out to be bogus and a similar
number dont bother claiming
(asylum) until they are
discovered.
He added: It is time the
courts realised the extent to
which the asylum system is
being exploited.
In addition, some of the
Home Ministry rules to curb
the number of immigrants
have been declared unlawful
by senior judges.
The Supreme Court said
ministers were wrong to bar
foreign workers, students
and other immigrants from
the UK under criteria that
had not been laid before
Parliament.
There was a case where
a person from Pakistan was
refused an extension to
stay in the country because
he did not meet a new job
qualication and salary
criteria under the points-
based system.
The implementation of
the immigration points-based
system in 2008 introduced
a new criteria for migrant
workers.
Those requirements were
detailed in a code of practice
and were not included in
ofcial immigration rules
that were presented to
Parliament.
The home minister is
bound by law to put any
immigration rule changes to
members of parliament as
these have got to be passed
before they can be applied.
The Home Ofce has as an
urgent measure introduced
the changes into Parliament
to address the error and meet
the court requirements.
Legal experts warn that
the ruling could still have
far-reaching consequences
and lead to a ood of
challenges by those who have
been refused visas or work
permits.
Moreover, immigration
ofcials continue to struggle
with an enormous backlog of
immigration cases in various
categories. The growing
number of cases includes
asylum seekers as well as
illegal migrants.
Members of Parliament
on the Houses of Commons
Home Affairs Committee
said the UK has become a
country where it is easy to
get in, but impossible to keep
track of anyone, let alone get
them out.
Some 21,000 new asylum
cases have built up and are
yet to be dealt with because
ofcials were able to process
only 63 per cent of last years
applications. In addition,
there are tens of thousands
of those whose right to be in
Britain has lapsed date back
more than ve years.
By Peg Mackey
I
RAQI Kurdistan's
crude oil is plentiful
and easy to get at,
rare among undeveloped
energy resources. The man
managing it, a former North
Sea engineer and consultant
turned politician, knows
how to attract investment.
But the companies
working there under
contracts with the Kurdistan
Regional Government
(KRG) are not getting
much out, and they are not
getting paid, all because of
a dispute over control with
the national government in
Baghdad.
Despite the row ever
bigger oil rms are moving
into the northern region,
angering Baghdad with
their seal of corporate
approval for a government
that is seeking more
autonomy.
"The northward
migration continues," said
an oil executive involved in
Iraq. "And this could well
be the tipping point."
Output in this
mountainous region
bordering Turkey, Syria and
Iran is an on-off trickle for
now in global terms but,
given the right investment
and an export route, it could
reach 1 million barrels per
day by 2014, and 2 million
ve years later, according
to Ashti Hawrami, the KRG
natural resources minister.
That would be more than
Libya, the North African
producer whose civil war
outage led to a sharp jump
in prices last year.
Hawrami worked in
Scotland for the British
National Oil Company in
the 1970s and early 1980s.
He later ran an oil services
rm, then moved into
consulting before becoming
a KRG minister in 2006.
Oil men admire his
commercial savvy. They
say he understands that
rms have a simple need
for returns that justify
investments, in stark
contrast to suspicious
governments they deal with
elsewhere.
"The difference is that
they want us here while in
the south of Iraq, it feels
like they don't," said one oil
executive.
The sticking point for
KRG development is that
Baghdad has jurisdiction
over all exports, and
contests the validity of
contracts signed with the
Kurdish government in
Arbil.
More asylum
seekers in UK
Big guns
raise the
stakes
By Ranjana Narayan
W
AS Team Anna's announce-
ment of foraying into poli-
tics a face saving arrange-
ment, a sign of a failed movement or
was it always political, choosing the
right moment with 2014 in mind to
convert into votes the support it holds
among the urban populace?
The answers are as diverse as the
response to the anti-corruption move-
ment, which stepped into a new phase
last Friday with Anna Hazare, Arvind
Kejriwal and others calling off their
hunger strike at Jantar Mantar by de-
claring that they would enter the politi-
cal mainstream.
While some experts feel that Anna
Hazare and his team were "itching" to
get into politics and shifted strategy be-
cause they failed to get the expected re-
sponse from the crowd and government
this time, others feel they could put into
use their resources their ability to
raise funds and gain media coverage
and might even win a few big "scalps"
at the next hustings.
"Team Anna had really no choice
but to call off their fast as it was not
going anywhere," Mridula Mukherjee,
professor of modern Indian history at
Jawaharlal Nehru University, said.
Terming their latest move a sign of
failure, Mukherjee said this time the
response from the crowd was "weak"
and there was no response from the
government and the opposition parties.
"These factors last year were important
in keeping the momentum going, and
were missing this year."
In her view, Team Anna had to give
a credible reason for calling off the fast,
"and the decision to go into politics was
their reason".
"They have to have a reason for
forming a political party; ghting
against corruption is just one aspect,
it can't be a single issue platform,"
Mukherjee, former director of the Ne-
hru Memorial Museum and Library,
added.
Nisar-ul-Haq, head of department
political science at Jamia Millia Isla-
mia, agreed with her that the move-
ment was a "complete failure". "They
have moved from ghting corruption to
other issues, to that of 15 ministers, and
are going on to ask for something else
every day. Their entire movement is a
complete failure," Haq said.
"People have not accepted them at
large, and they are trying to challenge
institutions that are near and dear to the
Indian people, like the parliamentary
system, democracy," he said.
"Even among the character of the
civilian people in the movement, indi-
vidual integrity has not been achieved.
If one is not honest, how does one ex-
pect the movement will bring an end to
corruption."
According to N Bhaskara Rao of the
Centre for Media Studies, Team Anna's
political alternative is "more a face
saving arrangement to wriggle out of a
dead end".
"They made a tactical mistake of
changing course from starting with
Lokpal, to corruption, and then to min-
isters, and along the way they have al-
ienated more people. As of today, peo-
ple don't know what is Team Anna,"
Rao said.
"There are some elements in Team
Anna who wanted to get into politics,
and two or three were itching to get into
politics..."
"From today onwards, Anna Hazare
is not part of Team Anna, they are look-
ing for another mascot, a political mas-
cot," added Rao.
Taking a different view, author and
academic Mukul Kesavan said Team
Anna is an organisation that "raises
many issues quite well and has shown
considerable fund-raising ability".
He feels the political party Team
Anna oats would in 2014 contest seats
"in large urban constituencies where
their message is saturated, and it is not
out of bounds of possibility that they
will do well in them." "I think even if
they win, at least half a dozen seats at
the national level, it would be a satis-
factory debut," he said.
And if they "gain a few scalps"
by defeating heavyweights like P
Chidambaram and Kapil Sibal "they
could demonstrate that their movement
could be politically successful", said
Kesavan, a professor of social history
at Jamia Millia Islamia.
"Hazare and his team have tapped
very well into the surge of feeling
of genuine rage" among people against
what they perceive as a corrupt politi-
cal establishment, added Kesavan.
Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar said
Team Anna's earlier movement against
corruption has changed and "now a dif-
ferent movement is there".
"Now it is political in content and I
wish it should take lots of other activ-
ists and NGOs with them, and become
a bigger platform."
Annas supporters have realised
that the movement is losing steam, so
they are taking it out on the media,
said a political analyst.
A face-saving measure
By Michael Georgy
P
AKISTAN'S interior
minister has said ele-
ments of the Afghan
government are likely support-
ing a senior Pakistani Taliban
leader who is ghting to topple
the Islamabad government, ac-
cusations which could further
raise tensions over cross-bor-
der raids.
Pakistani ofcials say the
Taliban commander known as
Fazlullah has been orchestrat-
ing raids on Pakistani secu-
rity forces from Afghanistan,
where he ed several years
ago after an army offensive
against his stronghold in the
Swat Valley.
Pakistan has repeatedly
called on Afghanistan to hunt
down Fazlullah, whose ght-
ers cross the border in their
hundreds, set up ambushes and
attack army checkpoints.
"If somebody is living in
somebody's house and you
ask him 'who is giving you
food, who is giving you all this
shelter?' You know he is in Af-
ghanistan," Pakistani Interior
Minister Rehman Malik said in
an interview.
"I think some of the ele-
ments (of the Afghan govern-
ment) there are supporters.
Maybe state actors, maybe
non-state actors."
Afghan ofcials see Paki-
stan's suggestion that Afghans
are supporting cross-border at-
tacks as an attempt to distract
attention from what they say is
Pakistan's long history of sup-
porting Afghanistan's Taliban
movement and other factions.
US and Afghan ofcials say
there is no comparison between
the relatively small and recent
presence of Fazlullah's men in
eastern Afghanistan and what
they describe as long-standing
ties between elements of Paki-
stani intelligence and the Af-
ghan Taliban.
Malik provided no evidence
to support his assertion that
elements within Afghanistan
were supporting Fazlullah, nor
did he give further details.
"These comments made by
the Pakistani Interior Minister
are irresponsible and a baseless
allegation," said Afghan Inte-
rior Ministry spokesman Sediq
Sediqqi.
"Afghanistan has been un-
der attacks from safe havens
of Taliban inside Pakistan, and
we are quite sure that Mullah
Fazlullah is somewhere in Pa-
kistan."
Fazlullah and other lead-
ers based along the frontier
complicate US efforts to sta-
bilise the region before most
Nato combat troops withdraw
from Afghanistan by the end
of 2014. The issue has strained
relations between Islamabad
and Kabul.
Afghanistan has long ac-
cused Pakistan of backing the
ghters said to be based on its
soil who cross the border to at-
tack Afghan and Nato forces,
including the Haqqani net-
work, blamed for a series of
high-prole attacks on Kabul.
Islamabad denies the alle-
gations.
Pakistan's reluctance to bow
to US pressure to take tougher
action against sanctuaries used
by Haqqani's group and other
Afghan ghters has been one
of the major reasons for a sharp
deterioration in relations with
Washington.
Afghan President Hamid
Karzai said yesterday he ac-
cepted parliament's decision to
dismiss the country's two top
security ministers for failing
to stop cross-border shelling
blamed on Pakistan, in what
could be a blow to Nato plans
to hand over security responsi-
bilities to Afghan forces.
The parliament voted on
Saturday to remove Defence
Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak
and Interior Minister Bismillah
Mohammadi over a series of
recent insurgent assassinations
of top ofcials, as well as the
cross-border re incidents that
infuriate many Afghan voters
as well as politicians.
Afghanistan has rushed ad-
ditional troops and artillery to
the mountainous border with
Pakistan as tensions continue
to rise over cross-border shell-
ing which Afghan ofcials
blame on Pakistan's military.
Pakistan's military has said
it only responds to attacks by
Taliban, including Pakistan
groups operating from what it
says are havens in Afghan ter-
ritory.
In his heyday, Fazlullah was
known as "FM Mullah", for his
ery radio speeches broadcast
in Swat, which was a tourist
resort before he and his men
imposed a reign of terror there.
A burly man in his thirties with
a heavy black beard, Fazlullah
dispatched his men to publicly
og and behead opponents.
Fazlullah has re-emerged as
a major security headache for
the Pakistani military, which is
already stretched ghting other
Taliban leaders.
"He is as dangerous (for
Pakistan) as the Haqqanis are
dangerous for Afghanistan. He
is energising terrorism now. He
is recruiting people, he is plan-
ning," said Malik.
Cross-border raids strain relations
Some experts feel that
Anna and his team were
itching to get into politics
and shifted strategy as they
failed to get the expected
response from crowds
Islamabad says that Taliban
commander Fazlullah has been
orchestrating raids on Pakistani
security forces from Afghanistan,
where he ed several years ago
after an army offensive against
his stronghold in the Swat Valley
PAKISTANS Interior Minister Rehman Malik during an interview in Islamabad on Saturday. Reuters
NEWSLETTER By Andy Jalil
OMAN DAILY Observer
13 ANALYSIS/OPINION
By Manish Chand
A
S China spreads its
growing tentacles
across Latin Ameri-
ca, India is moving to forge
a multi-layered partnership
with the resource-rich region
that is projected to be the
next big frontier for Indian
diplomacy.
Building upon its cumu-
lative expansion of trade
with the region which has
now reached $25 billion
and investments touching
$15 billion, India will host
its maiden dialogue with a
troika of foreign ministers
of the Community of Latin
American and Caribbean
States (CELAC) tomorrow.
At this rst India-CE-
LAC Troika foreign minis-
terial meeting, External Af-
fairs Minister S M Krishna
will lead the Indian delega-
tion. Chilean Foreign Minis-
ter Alfredo Moreno Charme,
his Venezuelan counterpart
Nicolas Maduro and Cu-
ban Vice Foreign Minister
Rogelio Sierra will be the
members of the troika.
The choice of CELAC
is signicant to ag off a
marked acceleration of In-
dias multi-faceted ties with
the region as the grouping of
33 countries of Latin Ameri-
ca and the Caribbean (LAC)
has emerged a powerful plat-
form for asserting its identity
and its collective regional
aspirations.
The region is home to
600 million inhabitants,
nearly half the population
of India but with a landmass
ve times that of India.
CELAC is also the face
of the new resurgent Latin
America, which has become
one of the growth poles of
the world economy with a
GDP of $4.9 trillion (four
times that of India).
The region has also
shaken off its reputation as a
home of brutal dictatorships
with most Latin American
countries turning into func-
tional democracies.
It is against this backdrop
that a new India, which is
growing at a rate of seven
per cent in times of a global
slowdown and has proven
prowess in IT and knowl-
edge industries, is seeking
to scale up ties with a new
Latin America. Latin Amer-
icas attractions for India are
myriad. The region is going
to play an increasingly im-
portant role in energy secu-
rity for India.
The dialogue with CE-
LAC is part of a slew of dip-
lomatic initiatives by India to
accelerate engagement with
this fast-growing region.
Waking up
to Latin
America
By Tim Cocks
A
BRIGHT yellow sign above the well in
this sleepy Nigerian village says cau-
tion: not t for use, and the sulphurous
stink off the water that children still pump into
buckets sharply reinforces that warning.
Can you smell it? Dont get any in your
mouth or youll be sick, said Victoria Jiji, 55,
as she walked past the bore hole in her home
village of Ekpangbala, one of several in Ogoni-
land, southeast Nigeria, whose drinking water
has turned toxic.
Prosperity has own from Ogoniland, one
of Africas earliest crude oil producing areas,
for decades. But it has own to the big oil
companies and to Nigerian state coffers. Lo-
cals have long complained that precious little
goes their way.
A landmark UN report on August 4 last year
slammed multinational oil companies, particu-
larly leading operator Royal Dutch Shell, and
the government, for 50 years of oil pollution
that has devastated this region of the Niger
Delta, a fragile wetlands environment.
It said the area needed the worlds biggest
ever oil clean-up, taking at least 25 years and
costing an initial $1 billion. Shell and the gov-
ernment swiftly pledged to act on it.
One year on, residents say theyve seen no
evidence that it has begun.
Shell says it is committed to cleaning up
Ogoniland, but argues the government must
also do its part. Most oil spills are the result of
theft by armed gangs hacking into pipelines, it
says, and this must be addressed alongside any
clean-up.
The government last week announced a
new committee to look into implementing the
reports recommendations.
When BPs Macondo well in the Gulf of
Mexico ruptured in April 2010, spewing nearly
5 million barrels of oil into the sea, its reputa-
tion took a devastating blow, and it had to pay
billions of dollars to those affected.
In Nigeria, thousands of barrels are spilled
every year, largely without negative conse-
quences for the oil companies.
The United Nations Environment Pro-
gramme (UNEP) report found that the Ogale
community, a group of nine villages including
Ekpangbala, was drinking water from wells
contaminated with benzene a known car-
cinogen at levels over 900 times the World
Health Organisations guidelines.
Even before the UN, we knew this water
was turning bad. It smells, and people are com-
plaining of itching and skin rashes, said Wal-
ter Olaka, Ogales youth president.
Shortly after the report, the government
provided Ogales villages with water tanks,
part nanced by Shell. They get relled most
days with potable water, but locals say its
never enough, and they still use the polluted
groundwater for washing.
Until now, nothing whatsoever has actu-
ally been done... towards the clean up, said
Ben Naanen, chairman of the Movement for
the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP),
founded by the environmental activist Ken
Saro-Wiwa, whose campaign against oil pol-
lution drove Shell out of Ogoniland in 1993
although the rms dilapidated pipelines still
criss-cross its swamps.
Saro-Wiwa was hanged in 1995 by the then
military government, to worldwide horror.
We continue to hope that things will
change, but those hopes are quite honestly
looking slim, said Naanen, a history professor
at the university of Port Harcourt, in the heart
of Nigerias roughly 2 million barrel-a-day oil
industry.
The government last week announced the
formation of a Hydro-Carbon Pollution Resto-
ration Project, though it gave few details.
The project shall implement the recom-
mendations of the UNEP report on Ogoniland
as well as investigate, evaluate and establish
other hydrocarbon impacted sites, the state-
ment said.
UNEP cautiously welcomed the govern-
ments pledge on Thursday, but warned that
the clean-up was a huge task that will require
long-term nancing and urged funds to be re-
leased now.
A rainbow-tinted lm of crude cloaks the
water throughout the creeks and swamps of Ni-
gerias Bodo community, giving off intoxicat-
ing petrol fumes. Spidery husks of dead man-
grove trees blacken the landscape for miles
around.
An oil-coated heron picks its way through
the sludge.
Joe Vikpee left at 5.30 am on his small dug-
out canoe in search of sh. Still on the water 10
hours later, his haul is a handful of small sh
barely enough to feed two people.
They used to be abundant before the
spills, he says.
Shell accepted responsibility for two major
oil spills that devastated the Bodo shing com-
munity in 2008/9, but it says efforts to clean up
had been hampered by insecurity.
Now, some 11,000 members of the com-
munity who say their lives were ruined by
the spills have taken their case to the London
High Court seeking compensation of many
millions of dollars, according to their lawyer
Martyn Day.
The people in Bodo are living corpses. You
see them alive but they are dead inside. Look at
this water, said Kpoobari Patta, 40, casting his
eye over a lead-coloured creek.
Shell says around 4,000 barrels of oil were
spilt in total in the two incidents 1,640 bar-
rels in one in November 2008, and another
2,500 from a corroded pipe that was xed in
February 2009. A study by Amnesty Interna-
tional on the rst spill put the gure between
103,000 and 311,000 barrels.
Oil spills continue to
threaten Ogoniland
By Sophie Sassard and Leila Abboud
V
IVENDI has called on 72-year-old chairman Jean-
Rene Fourtou, who saved the group from bankruptcy a
decade ago, for one last service: to write what could be
the once-proud French telecom-to-entertainment groups clos-
ing chapter. Fourtou let long-time CEO Jean-Bernard Levy go
in late June after disagreements over whether asset sales or a
break-up were the best way to reverse a deep share slump, and
the group is in no rush to nd a new chief executive.
With Fourtou now rmly in charge, Vivendi is in what the
chairman calls a no taboo era and could eventually sell off
huge chunks of its six business lines, which include video
games, pay-TV, music and telecoms and have failed to produce
any benets by being together.
A shrewd dealmaker and avid sportsman, Fourtou made
his name as chief executive of pharmaceutical maker Aventis
before he was parachuted in to run crisis-hit Vivendi in 2002,
where he kept creditors at bay and oversaw about 12 billion
euros ($14.8 billion) in asset sales, including book publishing.
Today, shareholders are betting that Fourtou can pull some-
thing out of the hat again. Vivendi shares are up about 10 per
cent since Levy bowed out.
One shareholder who knows Fourtou said the fact that
much of his familys wealth is tied up in Vivendi shares meant
he would not shirk from tough decisions.
If restoring value to shareholders involves a break-up of
the business, he will do it, said the shareholder. He is a prag-
matic man and a real business leader.
Fourtou will rely on help from long-time allies among
Frances business elite, such as Axa founder Claude Bebear,
who is no longer on Vivendis board but is still involved, and
Henri Lachmann, chairman of Schneider Electric, a veteran
board member.
The three are internally dubbed the grandpa gunmen, ac-
cording to Les Echos newspaper. A Paris-based banker sug-
gested Space Cowboys as a more appropriate sobriquet, after
the lm of that name, starring Clint Eastwood and James Gar-
ner as astronauts called out of retirement for one last mission.
A grandpa gunman
loads the last bullet
By Vinod Behl
T
HE Indian realty and construc-
tion sectors, which together
contribute 17.5 per cent to
the countrys gross domestic product
(GDP) and growing at an enviable 35
per cent per annum, now face a seri-
ous threat due to severe shortage of
workforce.
Increasing urbanisation is gen-
erating unprecedented demand for
real estate. Industry data show India
needs to potentially build an average
of 8.7 billion sq ft of real estate space
every year, or whopping 95 billion
by 2010-20. The annual requirement
that stood at 7.3 billion sq ft in 2010
is projected to touch 10.15 billion by
2020.
As much as 85 per cent of poten-
tial space requirement is in the hous-
ing sector, which faces a shortfall of
26 million units. India will have a cu-
mulative demand of 2.3 million units
in next ve years, against supply of 1
million units.
This massive requirement for re-
alty space results in huge demand for
professionals to build and deliver.
But theres an immense shortage of
workforce at all levels special-
ised professionals, including valuers,
quantity surveyors, facility manag-
ers, core professionals, including en-
gineers, architects and planners, non-
core professionals, including lawyers
and nancial analysts, and workers
including skilled and semi-skilled.
Considering the continuous short-
fall in supply, coupled with increas-
ing annual demand, the real estate
and construction sector will be hav-
ing a cumulative demand of nearly
45 million core professionals over
the current decade (2010-20) with a
cumulative demand-supply gap of 44
million core professionals.
We will be needing nearly four
million civil engineers, 65,000 archi-
tects and 18,000 planners. Besides,
the sector require about 35 million
skilled and unskilled labourers but
their availability is pegged at 25 mil-
lion.
This severe shortage of workforce
especially labour shortage has put a
serious challenge to the timely com-
pletion of real estate projects. Indus-
try statistics show that about 480,000
units could face delays during 2011-
13 in top cities of Delhi-NCR, Mum-
bai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai
and Kolkata. Today over ve dozen
large residential projects accounting
for over 40,000 units are delayed by
over four years in National Capital
Region.
This has serious implications for
the real estate consumers in terms of
extra nancial burden. The shortage
of labour and substantial increase in
their salaries has considerably pushed
up the cost of housing for the home
buyers.
One major hurdle in tackling this
serious problem of workforce short-
age is the sheer lack of training. Ac-
cording to All India Council for Tech-
nical Education (AICTE), out of total
workforce of about 440 million, only
about 12.5 per cent has received some
kind of formal/non-formal vocational
or education training. And compared
to 12 million people entering the
workforce every year, there is a ca-
pacity to train only 3.1 million work-
ers. This has a lot to do with shortage
of specialised courses and curricu-
lum, besides professional faculty.
However, it is a welcome devel-
opment that education qualication
framework will come into force from
2012-13 academic session in poly-
technics, engineering colleges and
other colleges under the University
system.
Its equally heartening that the
government is mulling a credit guar-
antee fund to create 26 crore skilled
manpower by 2018. This fund will
be used for extending loans for vo-
cational programmes at a subsidised
interest rate.
The National Skill Development
Corporation has also been actively
engaged in ramping up its efforts to
train workforce in the construction
industry.
But then the government effort
alone will not be adequate to tackle
this serious problem. The real estate
and construction industry will have
to make a substantial contribution
in this regard to ensure that its high
growth is sustained over the coming
years.
A major bottleneck for realty development
By Ju-Min Park
C
APITALISM, in hermit North Ko-
rea, is normally associated with
moral and economic ruin.
The Korea-born American who heads
Pyongyangs only private university
is trying to change that. He believes he
has the support of the man many think is
emerging as the real power in the North,
whose new leaders are pondering how
to save their broken economy from col-
lapse.
The Pyongyang University of Science
and Technology, co-founded by Chan-Mo
Park, is teaching dozens of North Kore-
ans the skills of a modern market econo-
my, something the impoverished state has
managed for decades to avoid.
I want whatever they learn to be used
to revive their countrys economy, Park
said in an interview in Seoul, one of the
worlds most wired cities in sharp con-
trast to Pyongyang which even though
it is home to North Koreas elite, strug-
gles to provide its residents with power
or heating.
We emphasise practicality and com-
mercialisation of their knowledge, said
the 77-year-old computer scientist, who
used to be president of a South Korean
university.
Parks comments come as specula-
tion grows young leader Kim Jong-Un,
who took over the ruling family dynasty
on the death of his father in December,
is planning to experiment with economic
reforms in a country which is constantly
on the edge of famine.
Much of the interest has been on his
uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, who is seen as
having huge inuence of the running of
the country and who is believed to favour
economic reforms.
The university began life at the turn of
the century when relations between the
two Koreas were starting to warm after
decades of bitter divide.
It nally opened its doors in October
2010 and now has 300 undergraduate and
70 graduate students in its three depart-
ments: electronic and computer engineer-
ing, international nance and manage-
ment and agriculture and life sciences.
The students are handpicked from
those who have studied at least two years
at the countrys top state colleges. So far
all the students are men, but it is consider-
ing building a dormitory for women.
Students study very hard to learn
(about the Western economy). Although
they have some weaknesses in basics,
they have no problem to catch up because
they are good at math, Park said.
Everything, including tuition and liv-
ing costs at dormitories, is free. Students
have a monthly $10 cash card to buy
snacks at the cafeteria.
Although the North Korean govern-
ment provides no funding, it did mobilise
1,000 soldiers to construct the campus,
which has 17 buildings, above one of
which hangs a sign eulogising new leader
Kim.
The students, Park says, are industri-
ous and keen to learn.
Asked if they found capitalism an al-
ien concept, he said: Even students from
the information technology eld already
know they should learn about the econo-
my to make money.
Park has been to Pyongyang dozens
of times, most recently in July, and says
he is seeing change in what is one of the
worlds most secretive and tightly con-
trolled societies.
When I took the subway, I was al-
lowed to lm freely with my video cam-
era. In the past, even still cameras were
prohibited. We were allowed to dance
with ordinary citizens, he added.
Even the about 50 professors, many of
them from Western countries, were nd-
ing the strain of being under constant sur-
veillance beginning to fade.
Unlike most of the rest of the heavily
controlled society, for whom use of the
Internet is largely proscribed, the students
can google their way around the Web.
Park acknowledges those who ques-
tion the wisdom of providing such knowl-
edge in North Korea, which has long been
internationally sanctioned for its nuclear
weapon and missile programmes and
penchant for cyber attacks.
We have only one IP address, so stu-
dents cant spend a long time for the In-
ternet. They only use it for their study,
Park said.
The ofcial line, however, remains
deeply suspicious of an economic system
where markets rather than the state have
a major say.
The lifestyle based on the law of the
jungle and all descriptions of immorality
and depravity are turning capitalist soci-
ety into the world of violence and crimes
... capitalism is on its way to ruin, was
the view of one recent article in the state
daily Rodong Sinmun.
University brings capitalism
A BUILDING of Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Reuters
The Pyongyang
University of Science
and Technology,
co-founded by
Chan-Mo Park, is
teaching dozens of
North Koreans the skills
of a modern market
economy, something the
country has managed
for decades to avoid
The United Nations
Environment Programme
report has found that
the Ogale community,
a group of nine villages
including Ekpangbala,
was drinking water from
wells contaminated with
benzene a known
carcinogen at levels
over 900 times the World
Health Organisations
guidelines
INCREASING demand for real estate faces a serious threat due to severe shortage of workforce in India.
NEW villa for rent
RO 400, St Falaj al
Shams, Al Ansab,
4 bedrooms with
attached bathrooms, 2
halls, 2 sitting rooms,
kitchen, pantry. Contact
97711403, 93961672.
3 BEDROOM villa in
Al Khoudh 3
99378828.
A FLAT at Wadi
Kabir. Contact:
99340221.
FLAT for rent in
Wattayah behind
Honda showroom
consists of 2 rooms, 2
bathrooms, sitting hall
and kitchen with balcony
98544508.
VILLA for rent at Al
Hail North, 3 bedrooms
with bath, 1 big hall,
1 sitting room, outside
kitchen, car parking,
RO 550. Contact
97711403, 93961672.
SUPER deluxe villa
for rent (European
style) Al Hail South
(land 2,900 sq m), 3
bedrooms with attached
bath, 1 hall, kitchen, big
garden, RO 800. Contact
97711405, 93961672.
FLATS at Qantab.
92351512.
OFFICES, shops, villa
at Al Khuwair, ats
at Al Khuwair, Wadi
Kabir, MBD, Mumtaz,
furnished/unfurnished.
96596348.
14
OMAN DAILY Observer z MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
PORTA CABINS / TURNKEY CAMPS
Our Services Manufacturing, Erection, Mobilization.
Our Products Camps, Kitchens, Offices, Ablutions
Phone 24503725 Fax 24503723
Mobile 95228450 Mobile 99277505
e-mail info@speedhouseoman.com
Web www.speedhouseoman.com
SPEED HOUSE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION LLC
SPECIAL Rates on
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RENTING & LEASING
Tours and Airport Transfer
Tel: 24582663
GSM: 95859497,
Fax: 24582664,
abcrent@omantel.net.om
ERVICES SERVICES OR RENT OR RENT F
HOOPOE SMART
CARD SERVICES
Sanad Service Centre
We provide the following
services: Typing, clearing
all transactions related to
government departments
and private sector, eg
labour agreement for
Omanis and expatriates,
typing of labour
card for expatriates,
typing of visas and
document clearing from
immigration department,
Ministry of Commerce
& Industry, Ministry of
Manpower, Commercial
names reservation,
renewal of commercial
registration, renewal
of OCCI membership,
attestation of all
documents from OCCI
& Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. Renewal of
labour cards through
electronic payment or
cash payment.
Please note you may
deliver your transaction
through our e-mail
and our representative
will deliver it to your
ofce personally after
completion. Our address
is: Ruwi, near Gulf
Transport Co. (GTC),
Fax: 24793331, GSM:
98793665 (Direct)
99231500.
E-mail: hoopoeoman@
gmail.com
AL FAHAD
TRANSLATION
SERVICES
Translation of all kinds
of legal, medical, and
other types of documents,
Commercial Agencies,
etc. Ruwi, near Gulf
Transport Co (GTC),
Fax: 24794286. GSM :
98793665 (Direct)
95959838. E-mail:
bptland@gmail.com
LANDRAIL
TRADING &
SERVICES
(Smart Card)
Ruwi, near Gulf
Transport Co. (GTC),
Fax: 24780244, Tel:
24789117, GSM
98793666 (Dir),
96777170. E-mail:
landrailoman@
gmail.com
1. A/C, Fridge &
Washing Machine
Servicing & Repairing
2. Painting, Plumbing,
Electrical & Carpentry
Works. Contact:
97014234/ 97123569,
24504281.
SHAMPOO cleaning
of mosque carpet and
house majlis, sofa carpet
and curtains, general
cleaning all types of
old and new building,
gardening mosaic tiles
polishing marbles and
granites, house painting
96642500.
CLASSIFIED SECTION:
Sulaiman Awlad Thani: 95181747
Ali al Maashari: 99639264
DIRECT: 24649594 - FAX : 24649590
e-mail: classified@omandaily.om
CLASSI FI EDS
Cont inued on P- 15
P.C.O. (PEST
CONTROL OMAN
CO. LLC)
Professionals who
specialise in all types
of Pest Control
Services & Snake
control and
Guaranteed Termite
Control. Also
available Gel
treatment for
Cockroaches.
Suppliers of UK
Pesticides Chemicals,
Snake Repellent,
Cockroach Gels and
Peripel treated
Mosquito Nets.
24787606,
24787503,
Fax: 24787607.
SAVILLS OMAN
QUALITY homes for
rent throughout
Capital Area Muscat.
Contact: 24692151.
www.sav-oman.com
CLASSIFIED SECTION
RUWI: 24785668
OURS OURS T
MARINE Tourism
92808636, e-mail:
info@alainain.com
ERVICES
HOOPOE
CARD SE
Sanad Servi
S
ENT-A-CAR ENT-A-C R
Luxury Cars
BMW 750il Mercedes 430SL
on hourly & daily basis
with chauffeur.
Contact:
Contact: 99337159/99359628
al-haditha
centre
Telephone: 24595951/1414, Fax: 24597979.
AUTO REPAIR
CENTRE
Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all
types of Cars and Heavy vehicles
(ROP approved Grade A Workshop)
CLASSIFIED SECTION
RUWI: 24785668
Behind Royal Oman Police
Adjacent to
Dhofar Building
AYURVEDIC
Treatment, Yoga massage
& slimming. Contact:
92504980/ 24475280 ,
www.drsajjay.com
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
OOD NEWS
FRE
INFORM
OOD NEW G
ARGO ARGO C
CARGO transfer with
attractive price to all
areas in the Sultanate
and outside of Oman
(by truck). Contact:
00968-99171758
URGENTLY required
a General Doctor,
Dentist, Nurse. Please
send your CV to e-mail:
kumartps@yahoo.com
99883019.
WANTED housemaid,
full time/part time for a
Keralite family. Contact
99737429
REQUIRED an Indian
or a Sri Lankan Nurse
to be a Nanny for a
respectable Omani
family to look after an
8 month old child. Full
boarding and lodging
will be provided with
attractive remuneration.
Interested candidate
please contact on
93278379.
REQUIRED diploma
Civil Engineers
with 2 to 3 years
experience. e-mail:
buildingmaterials94@
yahoo.com Fax
24784163.
FOR NRI. BOOKING
open for villas in Aluva,
Kochi, Kerala. Rs 50
lacs onwards near UC
College. Contact:
98934705, or
skprealty@yahoo.com.
MURAHIB HOTEL
APARTMENTS
welcome our valuable
GUESTS to our
excellent location,
AL KHUWAIR, near
AL ZAWAWI
MOSQUE, a single
bedroom, a bedroom &
majlis, two bedrooms &
majlis 24478087,
Fax: 24482454.
UEST HOUSE
MURAHIB H
APARTMEN
l
UEST HO G
QURUM BEACH
HOTEL. 24564070.
Available on very GOOD prices
HP 1000 3 i n 1 Pr i nt er
RO 10.900 onl y
HP 1050 3 i n 1 Pr i nt er
RO 14.900 onl y
HP OJ 4500 4 i n 1 Pr i nt er
RO 23.900 onl y
HP Laser M1132 3 i n 1
RO 48.900 onl y
AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung
Car t r i dges al so avai l abl e
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COMPUTER SUPPLIES
Ruwi: 24792792
HOUSEMAIDS
available from
Philippines,
Sri Lanka &
Africa. All
types of skilled
workers (waiters,
cooks, drivers,
constructions,
industrials, hotels
& ministries.....)
Tel/Fax
22050086 Hail
Shimaly Al Jabri
Blg. next to
Bahja Mall.
ILYA MANPOWER
OR RENT/INVEST. OR RENT F
INDUSTRIAL land in
Rusayil, 400m
2
divided
1,000 m
2
, divided 1,000
m2 for each land. Ready
for industrial workshops
99323957, 95490842,
96554668.
3 BEDROOM
luxurious and spacious
apartment with sitting
room, kitchen, dining
and family hall at Al
Ghubrah north. Rent
RO600/- negotiable.
Call 92974057,
99213691
BRAND new spacious
3 bedroom flat and 3
bathrooms at Al Hail
North, behind Zamzam
Hypermarket at prime
on road location and
good neighbourhood,
owner 92881136.
4 NEW flats at Al
Amerat Heights near the
roundabout, each
comprising of 3 rooms
with attached toilets,
kitchen, family hall,
telephone and water.
Contact: 99315359.
3 BEDROOMS at Al
Khoud with Hall,
Kitchen, separate wash
area, majlis, shaded
parking and small garden
space. All rooms with
A/C (total 5 A/Cs).
Contact: Ali on
92955003, 95234314.
FLAT with 3 bedrooms
+ kitchen near Indian
School in Darsait
(Muttrah). RO 350/- per
month. 97000295.
ITUATION VACANT
URGENTLY
a General Do
D ti t N
ITUATION S
OST
ECHILE FOR SALE
OST L
ECHILE FO V
OR SALE OR SALE F
PEUGEOT 206, 2007.
1.4 auto, metallic
blue. FSH, VGC.
Expat leaving country
96150152/97309601.
FORKLIFT for sale as
is where is basis.
Muscat: 2# Komatsu
Forklift-FD30
1992/1999,
96924896. Salalah:
1# Komatsu Forklift-
FB25 1997. Contact
99085106.
TISSUE Paper factory.
99312700.
CARAVANS and
building materials in
good condition for
sale. 95414115/
95164903.
BIG villa for sale,
RO 270,000 at Al
Ghubra, 9 bedrooms
with bathrooms, 2
halls, 2 sitting rooms, 2
kitchens, with
all split units.
Contact 97711405,
99332907.
NNOUNCEMENT NNOUNC A
MOTIVATED team of
experienced national
and international
lawyers provide legal
advice and consultancy
efcient, prompt,
all elds of local and
international law.
00968 96441968,
0041 786120068.
E-mail: alex@
marlawrm.com
PROVISION of
exclusive contacts for
business co-operation
with SWISS and
GERMAN companies.
Legal and Marketing
Consultancy. 00968
96441968, 0041
786120068. E-mail:
ch-oman@bluewin.ch
ANPOWER ANPOWE M
FRIENDS
MANPOWER: Filipino
housemaids and all kinds
of workers. 24489268
Tel/Fax: 24478153.
MORNING STAR
DRIVING SCHOOL
Learn driving
manual/ automatic with
professionally qualified
male/ female trainees in
brand new cars and
flexible payments. Call:
99043283, 24478589,
24478505, www.
chamberman.com/
member/morningstar
www.morningstar.com
RIVING SCHOOL
MORNING
DRIVING SC
L d i
RIVING S D
IF you are interested
to sell your cars, send
SMS, we pay cash
99333088.
AR BUY & SELL
IF you are in
to sell your c
SMS
AR BUY & C
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.
MRAH/HAJ
AL Hikmani
HAJ and UM
With h
MRAH/HA U
Executive Office
Services available
Modern Furniture
Personalised telephone
line with receptionist
services
Unlimited wireless
Internet
PO Boxes address
Executive conference
room (10 people)
Prime location
(Al Khuwair)
Complimentary
tea & coffee
Service duration,
quarterly.
Contact: 99463334,
99201763, 24479400.
BEEBI Jan Hasana
Puram has lost Indian
Passport No: H-8628118.
Finder please handover
to ROP.
IT WANTED IT WAN S
SRI LANKAN Doctor
(MBBS, MRCP) with
valid MoH licence
available for suitable
place. Contact e-mail:
jayantha212000@yahoo.
com.au 95200293
INDIAN male 9 years
experience in Oman
as salesman, knowing
Arabic, English looking
for immediate placement.
Contact 99591608
INDIAN male with
15 years experience
in hospitality industry,
looking for general
manager or prot center
head operation in hotel
or restaurants. Call
97855160
COMPUTER
Technician, 25 yrs,
hardware + laptop chip
level maintenance, CC
TV/ IP Cam installation
with good knowledge in
updated computer
accessories, 4 years Gulf
experience, speaking
Arabic and English,
seeks suitable placement.
96508750.
DIPLOMA Civil
Engineer, Indian male,
42 years, 15 years
experience, well
experienced in civil
construction, seeks
suitable placement. On
visit visa. Contact:
95725007, binikk76@
gmail.com.
SRI Lankan male, 8
years experience in
cleaning, ironing,
gardening. Working
experience in Saudi
Arabia, seeks suitable
job. 96128795.
1. Business Development Manager (HVAC PROJECTS & PRODUCTS)
Person with technical background, good communication & negotiation
skills, 5 to 6 years marketing experience, capable of securing &
developing the business independently.
2. Sales Engineer (HVAC PROJECT)
With minimum 3 to 4 years experience in marketing & tendering of
air-conditioning projects & services up to the finalization of contract.
3. Project Engineer/Supervisor (HVAC PROJECT)
With good experience in central air-conditioning projects execution of
Chillers, Piping, Ducting and Packaged unit up to handing over.
4. Draughtsman (HVAC)
With minimum 4 to 5 years experience of central air-conditioning and
MEP projects, capable of working independently.
URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR (ELECTRO-MECHANICAL COMPANY)
Forward the CV on naukrioman123@gmail.com
HUSSAIN al Sawai's
company and his son for
trading and contracting
(recommendation)
which registered with
the Department of Trade
and Industry in Sur,
under No. 1089122,
declare the process
of amending its trade
name to AL MUORD
AL SHAMK AL
HADETH company for
trading and contracting
(recommendation). On
each of his objection to
that, he has to submit the
reasons for his objection
to the department of
Trade and Industry
South Al Sharqiyah
province.
Very High Quality, Brand New
2 BHK ats Wadi Kabir
(Near Al Hassan, Rent RO 350/-
Contact 24571962/63/64
GSM: 95495281
ITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED ITUATIO S
ACCOUNTS Manager, M
Com, Indian male, 21
years wide experience in
accounts and finance in
Muscat seeks job change.
Contact: 92785207.
INDIAN, 47 yrs looking
for a job as watchman/ats
security with visa. Now
on visit. Call 94075808
Moorthy
30 years, Indian male
PGDBA-operations,
having 8 years
experience in sales co-
ordinator and logistics
looking for suitable
placement. Contact
92337137
CHARTERED Accountant,
Indian male with 1 year
Gulf experience seeks
suitable placement.
Contact: 92416051.
FINANCE Manager, 15
years + experience in
project financing,
management accounts,
ERP, finalisation, cost
control, financial analysis,
feasibility study, business
development etc.
92439941. E-mail:
georaji9@hotmail.com.
INDIAN female, 25 years,
B Tech (electronics &
communication) 2 years of
experience as lecturer,
seeks suitable position in
technical/nontechnical/
teaching. 99805368.
EXPERIENCE with more
than 15 years in Accounts
& Finance, looking for a
suitable placement. Ready
to join on immediately.
97309276
ACCA (UK) Female, 26
years old with 5 years
experience is seeking
accounts, audit, finance
roles in Oman.
sidrashamsuddin@gmail.
com Contact: 94025276.
SRI Lankan female, 32,
BA (Statistics), AAT
(Accounting), CA Stage II,
working as an English
medium teacher for 3
years, 4 years experience
as an Account Executive,
IT knowledge, looking for
suitable job opportunity,
currently in Sri Lanka.
Contact:
0094718418857. Local
No: 98847106, E-mail:
indeewarinadeeka@gmail.
com
INDIAN driver (BCom)
with own car, looking for
trip basis or part-time job.
Contact: 92581644.
INDIAN female, BBA in
Finance available for
immediate placement
under finance/ banking/
back office/ accounts/
administration.
95910427.
EXPERIENCED MEP
Engineer (diploma)
placement in oil & gas
field. 93782685.
A 3D Animator and
Modelor cum Graphic
Designer looking for job
currently on visit visa in
Muscat. Fluent in English
and Urdu languages.
Please contact:
96658544.
INDIAN male secretary
having more than 10 years
experience in Oman, seeks
placement. 98663977.
30 YEARS Indian male
PGDBA operations,
having 8 years experience
in sales co-ordinator and
logistics looking for
suitable placement.
92337137.
EXECUTIVE Secretary/
PA/HR Assistant, looking
for a suitable placement.
95128596.
12 YEARS experience,
male candidate, as medical
secretary, in medical
records management, and
ofce administration,
looking for a suitable
placement. Good
knowledge in MS Ofce,
Windows OS and the
Internet. Contact:
97893716, 95727612.
30+YEARS experienced
MEP department
manager worked
with contractors and
consultants and have good
experience in bidding/
planning/procurement/
engineering/installation
and commissioning,
seeks suitable placement,
presently working in UAE,
have worked in Oman and
Qatar. Please contact for
CV e-mail: cvmailsmr@
gmail.com99321626.
INDIAN female graduate
+ INDIAN male, logistics
in-charge, 4 years
experience in Oil & Gas
sector, Oman; and 9 years
in Dubai, seeks suitable
placement. 96976133/
92882081. E-mail:
reji_nm@yahoo.com;
lijirajiv@yahoo.com
INDIAN male, BCom
graduate, 10 years Oman
experience in
Administration and
Accounts seeks suitable
placement. Can join
immediately. Contact:
93989230.
INDIAN male, 32 years
Steel Foreman having
7 years Gulf experience
in well reputed company
working as cutting,
bending and xing
supervision of steel.
Seeking immediately
placement in well reputed
company. Contact
94105072.
INDIAN male 22 years,
B Tech in electronics &
communication, having
5 months experience in
CCTV conguration,
looking for job, please
contact: 92533114.
INDIAN male, BTech,
Computer Engineer with
experience as asst system
Eng Diploma in
Oracle-10G, Database
Administration, and Java.
Good knowledge in ASP.
NET, C, C++, MS Office,
Photoshop, on visit visa
placement in software,
networking, IT sales.
Contact:
97638112/93937141.
E-mail: getrenji@gmail
GENERAL manager, BE
civil, 22 years experience
in Oman since 1995 is
opening in reputed
construction company.
Contact: 94006761.
SENIOR Accountant,
Indian male, B Com,
PGDCA, 11 years
experience in accounts up
to finalisation and MIS
reporting. Well versed
with Tally, MS Office &
ERP systems. 5 years
experience in Oman, can
join immediately. Contact:
95593273.
INDIAN male masters
degree in IT, MCSE,
CCNA, CCNP, ITILV3
with 8 years of experience,
seeks suitable placement.
Contact: 99059728.
INDIAN male, looking
for a vacancy of a recrea-
tion manager/supervisor
position in hotel/clubs.
15 years of experience as
gym trainer and 2 years
of experience as rec-
reation manager. Contact:
97093993
INDIAN male, 8 years
experience, BSc
(chemistry), MBA,
presently working as
business development
manager in India, seeks
suitable placement.
Contact: +919995026711
e-mail: ajitlal24@gmail.
com
INDIAN female, 22 years
BTech (IT) with SAP
ABAP certified C++ Java.
Looking for suitable
placement, now on visit
visa and staying with
parents. Release date:
11-07-12 one week.
Contact: 93214845
e-mail: kcthambi@yahoo.
com.
A SYRIAN electronics
engineer (automation
control) with a CCNA
plus. Contact: 97618698
e-mail: alaashawwa@
hotmail.com
SOFTWARE engineer,
B Tech, 4 years experience
in Java, J2ee, struts. Look-
ing for a suitable place-
ment. 96200984 e-mail:
shiljyrajan@gmail.com.
PETROLEUM Engineer
Ram Haridas
Masters graduate from
University of NSW,
Australia, with 1 year
Australian experience in
oil and gas field
operations, on visit visa
(till 26-09-2012), seeks
suitable employment.
Please contact:
+968 24833874 or
e-mail: ramharidaas@
yahoo.com
AN Egyptian male on a
visit visa, worked as
purchasing officer in a
construction company and
as a supervisor, with 4
years experience in UAE
and have Emirati driving
licence, seeks suitable
placement. Contact:
96987787.
LOOKING job in retailing
and outdoor sales, 2
years experience in Qatar
market, Qatar valid D/L
holder. Contact:
97420506 E-mail:
shirumck@gmail.com and
shiru_mck@yahoo.co.in
8 YEARS experienced Sri
Lankan houseboy looking
for gardening, ironing,
cleaning job. Contact:
99085573, 99085574.
SEEKING vacant job for
store manager, retailing
working experience in
Saudi Arabia, 6 years. .
Contact: 93473367
E-mail: Asifthatan@gmail.
com.
M-TECH Project Manager,
12 years experience in
project/people
management, design,
certified 6Sigma green belt
with valid Oman driving
licence, seeks suitable
placement in Muscat.
Contact: 92283707
e-mail: ashokan745@
gmail.com
DIPLOMA with 13 years
experience in secretarial/
ofce assistance/
documentation jobs, Gulf
experienced, procient in
computer with ability to
multitask jobs and good
communication skills in
English, seeking a job
for immediate joining,
presently on visit visa.
Contact 93464456.
BIG store management
and accounts, 6 years
experience and in food
companies marketing as
sales officer, 7 years
experience. Other abilities:
team leading accounting,
salesmanship, showroom
management, as purchaser.
94086932.
Mailing Address: OBSERVER CLASSIFIEDS SECTION, P.O. Box 974, Muscat, P.C. 100
Location: OEPPA HEAD OFFICE, Medinat Al Alam,
Near Ministry of Information 24649 593, 594, 594, 595, 596, 597
& OEPPA Ruwi Office, Next to Dhofar Bldg, Behind Ruwi Police Station 24785668
OMAN DAILY Observer
15 FASHION/CLASSIFIEDS
HR manager/
administration manager
with 25 years experience
in Oman. Contact
92719485.
MUMBAI Looking graceful in a light rich
ivory brocade sari with traditional rudraksh
designs embroidered all over it and a pink
kanjeeveram blouse, Kirron Kher yesterday
walked the ramp for Gaurang Shah as the
showstopper at the Lakme Fashion Week Win-
ter-Festive 2012.
Titled Ardhagini, Gaurang's collection was
based on the Pachatantra and highlighted the
classic 1950s and 1960s look. He brought 23
outts of kanjeevarams instilled with classic
kalamkaris and zardozi. The colour palette was
dominated by reds, pinks, oranges and yel-
lows.
"This is the kind of sari I would wear for my
son's wedding. I simply love Gaurang's collec-
tion," Kirron, 57, told reporters after the show.
Strutting down the ramp condently, the
national award winning actress waved at the
audiences and even did a twirl to give a full
view of her sari with old Hindi songs such as
Chalte, chalte and In ankhon ki masti playing
in the background.
It was not the usual catwalk and Kirron
said: "You can take me out of the movies, but
you can't take the movies out of me."
Guarang's show was followed by designer
Shruti Sancheti's and displayed her Thar col-
lection on the ramp. She depicted the rough life
led by the tribal women through her collection
in bright colours like fuchsia pink, yellow, saf-
fron orange and emerald green.
"I have covered Thar, which includes parts
of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Pakistan. It talks
about tribal people who live in harsh realities
but are still full of joy. It's about their dance,
folk and I used their music as well," she said.
The collections had a mix and match qual-
ity saris were worn with Jodhpuri pants,
cowl trousers, ijjars or churidars. Shruti gave
angarkhas, ghaghris, chogas, quilted jackets,
kedia cholis and beautiful asymmetric maxis
her distinct touch.
The look was rustically nomadic along with
the unique stitch resistant technique of the
Nebsarai village.
The show opened to the drum beats of the
Thar region and the dancer Vaishali, swirled
gracefully on the stage recreating the atmos-
phere of the culture.
In the end, designer and politician Shaina
NC walked the ramp as the showstopper in a
beautiful fuchsia printed sari with lavish work.
Shruti said that "Shaina's outt is what a
modern woman would wear there."
Said Shaina: "The collection is fabulous. I
really feel that it is time we promoted our de-
signers. This line is a tribute to India. I wish
that more people from the glamorous fraternity
would wear this."
Designer Wendell Rodricks showcased his
new collection titled Timeless, featuring
long dresses, georgette circle dupattas, satin
silk long line cholis, kurtas, high waist dhoti
among others, at the Lakme Fashion Week
here on Saturday night.
In line with his designs, the ramp saw mir-
rors of unusual shapes hanging over the run-
way, while refreshing music played in the
background.
Known for his exquisite silhouettes, styling
and innovative use of fabrics, Rodricks said
that this time he tried his hands on an unusual
styling, admitting it was very difcult.
It was a difcult collection this time. Its
an Indian kind of fashion with cholis, lehengas
and cut works.The theme is slightly drawn
from abstract Indian, from the concept of the
square to the geometry of circles, and then
converted so that it is a celebration of Indian
timelessness, Rodricks said.
Many Bollywood celebrities were present
at the event including Arshad Warsi, Tisca
Chopra and Sonali Kulkarni. IANS
Kirron walks the ramp, adds lmavour
MODELS showcase designs by Komal Sood at Lakme Fashion Week
Winter/Festive 2012 in Mumbai. AFP KIRRON Kher walks the ramp.
ACROSS
1 Saying (5)
5 Package (6)
8 Jockey (5)
10 Abuse (6)
11 Spoken (4)
14 Invent (6)
15 Liberate (7)
18 Lair (3)
19 Faucet (3)
21 Eft (4)
23 Revolt (5)
24 Obstinate (4)
27 Noise (3)
29 Ocean (3)
31 Harmed (7)
32 Ditch (6)
34 Roster (4)
35 Thrill (6)
38 Verse (5)
39 Lent (6)
40 Conceit (5)
DOWN
2 Poem (3)
3 Trifles (6)
4 Lubricate (3)
5 Poke (4)
6 Cowardly (6)
7 Gift (6)
9 Erased (7)
12 Colour (3)
13 Ancestry (4)
16 Therefore (4)
17 Wild (5)
20 Punishment (7)
22 Sapient (4)
24 Item (6)
25 Employer (4)
26 Fame (6)
28 Method (6)
30 Deed (3)
33 Difficult (4)
36 Devil (3)
37 Youth (3)
YESTERDAYS QUICK
SOLUTION
ACROSS: 1, Deride 5,
Stem 8, Osier 9, Sip 10,
Bias 11, Road 12, Rapid
13, Afraid 16, Sell 18,
Used 20, Bet 22, Lit 23,
Sow 24, Vary 25, Eden
28, Decide 30, Cheap 32,
Trio 33, Tart 34, Urn 35,
Tower 36, Glen 37, Re-
cess.
DOWN: 1, Dismay 2,
Reporter 3, Debris 4, As-
saulted 5, Serious 6, Trod
7, Made 8, Oar 14, Del-
egated 15, New 17, Lid
19, Solitude 20, Bad 21,
Typhoon 26, Nestle 27,
Tennis 29, Stag 30, Cite
31, Par.
16
INFORMATION/LEISURE MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
DAY DUTY
Muscat Sagher 24393696
Al Jabri 24420761
Ahmed 24541856
Al Sawaqm 24815336
Sur Al Fajr 25543113
Ibri Al Muktar 25689839
Buraimi Zahal 25640211
Nizwa Qarn al Rowdah
25425012
Salalah Al Zahar 23291040
Sohar Ibn Sina 26842426
NIGHT DUTY
Muscat Muscat 24695536
Capital 24456760
Muscat 24535977
Muscat 24702542
Sur Medical 25540755
Ibri Sara 25691424
Buraimi Yass 25653855
Rustaq Al Murshid 26875561
Barka Muscat 26885372
Samayil Balsam 25351064
Nizwa Muscat 25410235
Salalah Muscat 23291635
Ibra Ibn Saleem 25570441
Mudhaibi Al Muntasir 25524317
Saham Al Shifa 26854997
Sohar Al Waleed 26840266
24-HOUR SERVICE
Al Hashar ph, Ruwi 24783334
Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542
Al Sarooj, 24695536
Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601
Ruwi, 24702850
PHARMACIES
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
Sumayil. . . . . . 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
Bidiya . . . . . . . 25483535. . . .25483535
Ibri. . . . . . . . . . 25491011. . . .25491990
Saham . . . . . . 26854427. . . .26855148
Khasab . . . . . . 26830187. . . .26830187
Dibba . . . . . . . 26836443. . . .26836443
Burkha . . . . . . 26828397. . . .26828397
Sinaw . . . . . . . 25474338
OTHER HOSPITALS
Private & Other Wards
Working Days: 16:00-18:00. Weekends & Public
Holidays: 10:-12:00, 16:00-18:00
ICU
Working Days: 16:00-17:00. Weekends & Public
Holidays: 16:00-17:00
Special Care Baby Unit
Working Days: Parents may visit at any time.
Weekends & Public Holidays: Parents may visit
at any time
KHOULA HOSPITAL VISITING HOURS
FAISAL BIN ALI AL SAID MUSEUM,
Tel: 24641650
MUSEUM OF OMANI HERITAGE,
Tel: 24600946
CHILDRENS SCIENCE MUSEUM.
Tel: 24605368
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
Tel: 24641374
NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289
SULTANS ARMED FORCES
MUSEUM, Tel: 24312646
CURRENCY MUSEUM,
Tel: 24796102
MUSCAT GATE MUSEUM,
Tel: 24739005.
OMANI-FRENCH MUSEUM (Bait
Fransa), Tel: 24736613
BAIT AL ZUBAIR, Tel: 24736688
BAIT ANAMAN, Tel: 24641300
SOHAR FORT MUSEUM.
Tel: 26844758
NAHKAL FORT, Tel: 26781384
BAIT AL MAKHAM. Tel: 24641300
BAIT ADAM MUSEUM, QURUM,
Tel: 24605033, 24605013
OIL AND GAS EXHIBITION
CENTRE AND PLANE-TARIUM,
Tel: 24677834.
PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24675542.
AQUARIUM at the Marine Science
and Fisheries Centre (located next to
Marina Bandar Rowdha, Sidab).
SALALAH MUSEUM, Tel: 23294549
CULTURAL CENTRE, Tel: 23294549.
SUR MARITIME MUSEUM,
Tel: 24541466.
BAIT AL BARANDA, Tel: 24714262.
MUSEUMS I N OMAN
EMERGENCY 9 9 9 9
DG of Passports & Residency, 24569603
DG of Customs, 24714626
Traffic offences, 24510227/228
ROP Public Relations, 24569270
Consumer Complaints Cell, 24817013
Muscat Governorate Headquarters, 24560021
Muscat, 24736611
Wattayah, 24677990
Ruwi, 24701099
Muttrah, 24712211
Bausher, 24600099
Al Amerat, 24875999
Qurayat, 24845555
ASeeb, 24420099
Al-Athaiba, 24521099
AI-Khodh, 24425012
Directorate of the University Security, 24513999
Directorate of Traffic Muscat, 24567898
Al Batinah Headquarters, 26840096
Al Rustaq Division, 26875099
Al Dakhiliyah, 25425099
Nizwa Division, 25425099
Samayil Division, 25350099
Al Sharqiyah Headquarters, 25545070
Ibra Division, 25570100
Al Dhahirah Headquarters, 25650099
Al Buraimi Division, 25650199
Ibri Division, 25689099
Al Wusta Headquarters, 23436099
Haima Division, 23436211
Special Task Force, 24560088
Coastguard Headquarters, 24714888
Dhofar Governorate Headquarters, 23234599
Salalah Police Station, 23290099
Thamrait Division, 23279099
Musandam Governorate Headquarters,
26730299
Khasab Division, 26731502
ROYAL OMAN POLI CE
ROP websites: www.rop.gov.om, www.ropoman.
net and
e-mail: ropnet@omantel.net.om
ARRIVALS MONDAY
Flight No Aircraft From / Via STA

WY114 A330-200 Frankfurt 0005
WY614 B737-7 Dubai 0005
WY648 B737-8 Kuwait 0015
PK229 B737-3 Lahore 0015
WY716 B737-8 Dar-es-Salaam 0015
WY928 B737-8 Salalah 0015
WY682 B737-8 Riyadh 0015
TK858 B737-8 Istanbul 0130
PK225 A310 Karachi 0200
QR170 A320 Doha 0315
EY384 A320 Abu Dhabi 0350
EK866 B777 Dubai 0355
GF560 E190 Bahrain 0425
WY652 B737-8 Bahrain 0600
WY662 E175AR Doha 0700
FZ043 B737-8 Dubai 0740
WY202 B737-8 Bombay 0800
WY632 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0800
WY602 E175AR Dubai 0825
WY274 B737-8 Jaipur 0840
WY330 B737-8 Lahore 0840
NL768 B737-2 Lahore 0845
WY238 B737-8 Hyderabad 0850
WY102 A330-300 London Heathrow 0900
WY286 B737-8 Bangalore 0920
WY254 B737-8 Madras 0920
WY224 B737-8 Cochin 0925
WY218 B737-8 Trivandrum 0925
EK862 B777 Dubai 0930
WY824 A330-300 Kuala Lumpur 0935
WY242 B737-8 Delhi 0945
QR166 A321 Doha 0950
G9113 A320 Sharjah 0955
9W530 B737-8 Trivandrum 1045
WY3302 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1100
IX543 B737-8 Trivandrum-Cochin 1130
WY371 A330-200 Colombo-Male 1130
WY336 B737-8 Kathmandu 1140
WY818 A330-300 Bangkok 1155
IX337 B737-8 Calicut 1255
WY916 E175AR Salalah 1300
WY918 ATR42 Khasab 1315
WY606 B737-8 Dubai 1330
PK259 A310 Islamabad-Sialkot 1410
WY324 B737-8 Karachi 1440
WY711 B737-8 Zanzibar-Dar-es-Salaam 1600
WY654 E175AR Bahrain 1615
ED450 A319 Lahore 1630
WY204 B737-8 Bombay 1655
WY814 A330-200 Bangkok 1705
IX817 B737-8 Mangalore-Abu Dhabi 1725
WY608 B737-8 Dubai 1740
WY298 B737-8 Calicut 1750
WY264 B737-8 Lucknow 1755
WY646 B737-8 Kuwait 1805
GF564 A319 Bahrain 1810
G9117 A320 Sharjah 1905
WY316 B737-8 Chittagong 1910
FZ047 B737-8 Dubai 2020
AI977 A319 Bangalore-Hyderabad 2025
KL449 A330 Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi 2045
AI973 A320 Delhi 2125
BA073 B777 London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi 2130
UL205 A320 Colombo 2140
WY616 B737-8 Dubai 2145
AI907 A319 Madras 2200
WY406 B737-8 Cairo 2215
LH618 A340 Frankfurt-Abu Dhabi 2225
QR168 A320 Doha 2235
LX242 A330 Zurich-Dubai 2235
GF566 B737-7 Bahrain 2250
WY624 ATR42 Al Ain 2305
AI985 A321 Ahmedabad-Bombay 2310
WY668 B737-8 Doha 2310
WY672 B737-8 Jeddah 2315
WY636 E175AR Abu Dhabi 2315
WY686 B737-8 Dammam 2320
WY425 B737-8 Amman-Beirut 2325
9W534 B737-8 Cochin 2330
9W540 B737-8 Bombay 2340
KQ318 B737-8 Nairobi-Dubai 2350
24-HOUR
Al Hashar ph
PHARM
S O ALS MONDAY
om / Via STA
FLIGHT SCHEDULE
DEPARTURES

Flight No Aircraft To / Via STD

BA072 B777 Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001
AI986 A321 Bombay-Ahmedabad 0005
9W539 B737-8 Bombay 0045
WY371 A330-200 Colombo-Male 0050
WY217 B737-8 Trivandrum 0115
PK230 B737-3 Lahore 0115
WY253 B737-8 Madras 0115
WY237 B737-8 Hyderabad 0120
WY223 B737-8 Cochin 0120
WY241 B737-8 Delhi 0130
9W529 B737-8 Trivandrum 0130
WY201 B737-8 Bombay 0130
WY285 B737-8 Bangalore 0135
WY711 B737-8 Zanzibar-Dar-es-Salaam 0145
WY329 B737-8 Lahore 0200
WY273 B737-8 Jaipur 0205
TK859 B737-8 Istanbul 0220
WY335 B737-8 Kathmandu 0235
WY813 A330-200 Bangkok 0250
PK226 A310 Karachi 0300
EK867 B777 Dubai 0500
QR171 A320 Doha 0550
FZ044 B737-8 Dubai 0820
WY315 B737-8 Chittagong 0900
WY915 E175AR Salalah 0905
NL769 B737-2 Lahore 0945
WY297 B737-8 Calicut 1005
WY263 B737-8 Lucknow 1010
WY323 B737-8 Karachi 1020
WY917 ATR42 Khasab 1030
WY605 B737-8 Dubai 1030
G9114 A320 Sharjah 1035
WY203 B737-8 Bombay 1040
EK863 B777 Dubai 1045
QR167 A321 Doha 1055
9W533 B737-8 Cochin 1145
WY653 E175AR Bahrain 1215
IX542 B737-8 Trivandrum 1220
WY645 B737-8 Kuwait 1255
WY145 A330-200 Malpensa 1300
WY425 B737-8 Amman-Beirut 1300
WY113 A330-300 Frankfurt 1300
WY405 B737-8 Cairo 1310
WY131 A330-200 Paris 1330
IX350 B737-8 Calicut 1355
WY101 A330-300 London Heathrow 1400
WY121 A330-300 Munich 1405
WY607 B737-8 Dubai 1440
PK260 A310 Islamabad-Sialkot 1510
WY671 B737-8 Jeddah 1540
ED451 A319 Lahore 1730
WY615 B737-8 Dubai 1805
IX146 B737-8 Amritsar 1815
GF565 A319 Bahrain 1855
WY647 B737-8 Kuwait 1905
WY685 B737-8 Dammam 1905
WY667 B737-8 Doha 1910
WY681 B737-8 Riyadh 1910
G9118 A320 Sharjah 1945
WY635 E175AR Abu Dhabi 2015
WY623 ATR42 Al Ain 2015
WY613 B737-8 Dubai 2045
FZ048 B737-8 Dubai 2105
KL450 A330 Abu Dhabi-Amsterdam 2200
AI978 A319 Hyderabad-Bangalore 2200
UL206 A320 Colombo 2240
AI908 A319 Madras 2300
AI974 A320 Delhi 2310
QR169 A320 Doha 2335
LX243 A330 Dubai-Zurich 2335
WY673 B737-8 Jeddah 2340
GF567 B737-7 Bahrain 2345
LH619 A340 Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt 2345
Ministry: www.omanet.om
Oman TV:
www.oman-tv.gov.om
Oman Radio:
www.oman-radio.gov.om
Omani Centre for Traditional Music: www.
octm-folk.gov.om
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CARTOONS
LEO
(July 22-August 21)
A long awaited letter
may not be the reply
you had hoped for, and it may dis-
appoint you. But future correspond-
ence may clarify matters and make
the sender change his mind.
VIRGO
(August 22-
September 22)
After several fruitless
attempts you will be gratied to
learn that you can expect the full co-
operation of some friends in plan-
ning a social event. g
LIBRA
(September 23-
October 22)
A reserved person is
more likely to come out
of his shell if you keep a conversa-
tion on an impersonal level. Tel-
evision is a good subject for light-
hearted chat.
SCORPIO
(October 23-
November 21)
Amatter, which is liable
to affect the whole family, should be
discussed at a gathering of all mem-
bers in order to get the opinions of
everybody.
SAGITTARIUS
(November 22-
December 21)
The best help you can
give to an over-worked partner is to
provide an atmosphere of love and
relaxation at home.
CAPRICORN
(December 22-
January 20)
One of the least prepos-
sessing acquaintances you know
may surprise you one day and make
an excellent match to the envy of all
his friends.
AQUARIUS
(January 21-Feb 19)
Try to explain the rea-
son for your unusual
actions to the people who are in-
volved, so that they are in a position
to understand your motives.
PISCES
(February 20-
March 20)
A rare chance to meet
at long last a very important
person must not be missed. Be
ready to drop everything you are
doing when the opportunity comes
along.
ARIES
(March 21-April 20)
Make more of an at-
tempt to put into prac-
tice the good counsel you are so
ready to give to others. Think your
own problems through before decid-
ing on a course of action.
TAURUS
(April 21-May 20)
Be very careful what
you say in an e-mail to
a distant friend when writing about
people you both know and beware
especially of strong criticism of a
third person. It will soon be copied
to the relevant people.
GEMINI
(May 21-June 21)
An older person who
has shown good com-
mon sense in the past will inuence
you in making an important decision
which is facing you and you will be
grateful for his advice.
CANCER
(June 22-July 21)
You have a very selec-
tive mind and are in
the lucky position of being able to
accept only those ideas which seem
reasonable and protable and to dis-
card the rest
IF ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY: You will no doubt have profited from the experiences of the last few months and are
convinced that there is nothing to be gained by continuing an association, which has gone wrong. There will be an
opportunity to put the relationship on a more stable footing quite son, and happier times are ahead.
YOUR STARS
The three great essentials to achieve
anything worth while are:
Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness,
and Common sense.
Thomas A Edison
No man can produce great things
who is not thoroughly sincere
in dealing with himself.
James Russell Lowell
QUOTATIONS FOR TODAY
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
4 Kicks out when sleep is
disturbed just for a kiss?
(6)
7 Suitable name for a
horsewoman? (8)
8 Time to clean up a
quarter? (6)
10 Theres a policeman in
the room (5)
13 Difficult achievement
when theres not much
food to eat (4)
14 Of a height hardly
believable (4)
15 Cultivate for cash (4)
16 Bobby, taken in by
Marco Polo (3)
17 School where one gets
reformed, and about
time! (4)
19 Soon, one gets ahead (4)
21 Angry utterance from the
people after a sailor (9)
23 Rail users do so in dire
chaos! (4)
24 An inclination to
enumerate? (4)
26 The best kind of 20
Down (3)
27 Fit to return from a place
of exile (4)
29 Talk gets a spiteful
woman out of breath (4)
32 Remain in support (4)
33 Start hunting, just in case
(5)
34 Rambles, but keeps out
of the tourist centre (6)
35 One whose relationship
is not unique (3-5)
36 A broken finger can be
pretty hairy! (6)
DOWN
1 German legendarily
quick around the centre
court (5)
2 Her car needs a bit of
petrol (5)
3 Just before following a
leader of men (4)
4 What an artist uses to
break the seal on a letter?
(5)
5 The side the harbours
on? (4)
6 Where capitalists can
take pride in a bloomer?
(6)
9 Where to have really
good friends around for a
dance? (6)
11 Is able to start or finish a
dance (3)
12 Express a need for soft
metal (5)
13 Coming last, a filly is put
out! (7)
15 A stony heart is heavy!
(3)
16 One in prison for fraud?
(3)
18 Agreement to try out a
new blend of tea (6)
20 Nick gets less than
nothing out of Charlie!
(5)
21 Shoot up out of spite? (3)
22 Link it up with the early
start (3)
23 List dutifully pinned up?
(6)
25 Is sure to make a hasty
start (3)
28 Something to do with hot
fat (5)
30 Its like corn, only non-
vegetarian! (5)
31 A name in towelling (5)
32 Cut a tool in half! (4)
33 Its clever to reduce
middle-men (4)
EASY PUZZLE
ACROSS
4 Pantihose (6)
7 Brawny (8)
8 Insect (6)
10 Rigid (5)
13 Vestibule (4)
14 Fling (4)
15 Augur (4)
16 Petty lie (3)
17 Adjoin (4)
19 American ostrich (4)
21 Snap fastener (5,4)
23 Plant ovule (4)
24 Mail (4)
26 Pallid (3)
27 Aperture (4)
29 Crustacean (4)
32 Tumult (4)
33 In that place (5)
34 Fools (6)
35 Profitable (8)
36 Author (6)
DOWN
1 Break violently (5)
2 In motion (5)
3 Smoke (4)
4 Step (5)
5 Lass (4)
6 Petty details (6)
9 Alarms (6)
11 Towboat (3)
12 Distress signal (5)
13 Lively place (3,4)
15 Vehicle (3)
16 Gave food to (3)
18 One-room flat (6)
20 Rabbit cage (5)
21 Enclosure (3)
22 Drunkard (3)
23 Power tool (6)
25 Distant (3)
28 Not the winner (5)
30 Paper quantities (5)
31 Long seat (5)
32 Utter defeat (4)
33 Sound quality (4)
YESTERDAYS CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Potter 7, Open
re 8, Ha-ha 10, Twin-Ed
11, Ju-LI-an 14, Sky 16,
Ramps 17, Less 19, Dared
21, Mid-AS 22, Limit 23,
MI-LL 26, Tot-Al 28, F-or
29, Imogen 30, P-odium 31,
Ages 32, Humanity 33, Ex-
tent.
DOWN: 1, Pistol 2, T.-
Hanks 3, Road 4, In-sure-s
5, Minim 6, Beans 8, Hiss 9,
He-y 12, L-ad 13, Apri-L 15,
Rad-I-o 18, Epsom 19, DIM
20, Rat 21, Mil-E End 22,
Lag 23, Modest 24, Iris 25,
L-AM-ent 26, Tight 27, To-
mm-y 28, F-og 30, PA-YE.
YESTERDAYS EASY
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Reveal 7,
Obsolete 8, Pats 10, Abates
11, Deduce 14, Red 16,
Fires 17, Lard 19, Forum
21, Civil 22, Boned 23,
Drop 26, Bacon 28, Fee 29,
Adopts 30, Outlaw 31, Bray
32, Alienate 33, Yonder.
DOWN: 1, Recall 2, Elated
3, Loss 4, Doleful 5, Femur
6, Genes 8, Parr 9, Ted 12,
Dim. 13, Cello 15, Novel
18, Ahead 19, Fin 20, Rid
21, Contend 22, Bop 23,
Detain 24, Rely 25, Powder
26, Banal 27, Comic 28, Fur
30, Obey.
CROSSWORD
QUICK CROSSWORD
6.00 Opening, Royal Anthem, The Holy Quran, Preview of
Morning Programme, Weather Forecast and Pharmacies on
Duty; 6.15 Morning Tea; 7.00 News Bulletin; 7.10 Morning
Tea; 9.00 News Headlines; 9.02 Piano; 10.00 Instrumental
Music; 11.00 Light Classical Music; 12.00 News Headlines,
12.02 The Holy Quran; 12.15 Pioneers of Civilization; 12.45
Slow Mix Music; 01.00 Top 10 (Laxmi) Repeat on Thursday
5.30; 2.00 Lets Talk Business Nisham Repeat of Sat 3.00
& Sunday 6.00; 2:20 Radio Station Jingles And Programmes;
2.30 News Bulletin; 2.40 Forts and Castles of Oman Laxmi
Repeat of Monday 3.00 & Tuesday 6.00; 3.00 Short Stories
(Judith) Repeat on Saturday 6.00; 3.20 Radio Station Jingles
and Programmes; 3.25 Mix Music; 3.30 Women in Focus
Nisham Repeat on Tuesday 3.00 & Thursday 6.40; 03.50
Radio Station Jingles and Programmes; 4.00 News
Headlines; 4.02 Around The World Live; 6.30 News Bulletin;
6.40 Words in Action (Judith) Repeat of Sunday 3.00 & Mon
6pm; 7.00 Night Groove; 8.00 News Headlines; 8.02 Night
Groove; 10.00 News Bulletin; 10.10 Oman in Focus (5 mins)
Daily; 10.15 D J Rock Special; 11.15 Mix Music; 12.40 News
Summary; 12.45 The Holy Quran; 01.00 National Anthem,
Close Down.
OMAN RADIO
OMAN DAILY Observer
17 SPORT
MUSCAT Century CC and
Al Faisal reached the semifi-
nals of the Independence Cup
cricket tournament organised
by Oman Indo-Pak Friends at
the Al Rifa ground on Satur-
day. While Century CC beat
Asad XI by nine wickets, Al
Faisal defeated Stars Light
CC three wickets. Asfandyar
XI defeated Young Challeng-
ers by five wickets.
Brief scores: Asad XI 53 for
9 in 8 overs (Naveed 16, Sahil 4/1,
Sunil 3/13) lost to Century CC 54
for 1 in 6.1 overs (Sahil 24, Zaheer
17). MoM: Sahil of Century CC
Stars Light 46 for 9 in 8 overs
(Faisal 13, Umair 13, Said 3/3,
Adnan 2/3) lost to Al Fausal 50 for
3 in 7.4 overs (Amir Ali 16 n.o.,
Adnan 10). MoM: Said from Al
Faisal.
Young Challengers 43 for 8 in 8
overs (Taher 3/7, Riwan 2/7) lost to
Asfandyar XI 44 for 5 in 6.1 overs
(Ubaid 14 n.o.) MoM: Taher of As-
fandyar XI.
Century CC and Al Faisal reach semifinals
KINGSTON, Jamaica West Indies won the
second Test yesterday wrap up a 2-0 series
win over New Zealand, beating them by five
wickets.
The hosts reached 206 for five having
started the day just 71 runs short of victory, as
Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit the winning run
to add to last months nine-wicket success at
North Sound.
Kemar Roach, voted player of the series,
missed a half century as he was the only wicket
to fall on the day, caught for 41 by Tim South-
ee off the bowling of Kane Williamson, who
induced an outside edge as the hosts claimed
their first Test series against the tourists in 16
years.
Narsingh Deonarine came in and helped
Chanderpaul guide his side past the winning
post, the former levelling the scores with two
towards mid-wicket before nicking a single to-
wards third man.
West Indies skipper Darren Sammy
praised his side afterwards then looked
forward.
The next assignment is the World T20. We
have gotten the feeling of what it is like to win,
but we have to continue to work hard. The last
year or two has been tough for us - we are go-
ing to celebrate this day, but it is about continu-
ous hard work, he said.
New Zealand captain Ross Taylor said:
Its been a disappointing tour all round, we
have had our chances in this match, in several
matches this tour.
There are some positives, the bowlers
bowled well on a tough wicket. We needed to
set them 270-300 on what was a fourth-day
wicket. I think (our batsmen) shouldnt be sat-
isfied with 50-60s, we are a young team, we
are getting better every now and then.
After the Kiwis had established a 51-run
lead following the first innings the West Indies
found their way back to post the win with a
day to spare after Deonarine produced figures
of four for 37 to help polish off the tourists for
a paltry 154 in their second innings.
Although Chris Gayle returning to the
Test fold after 18 months on the sidelines
could only make eight while fellow opener
Kieran Powell only managed six, first innings
centurion Marlon Samuels then stepped into
the breach once again with an innings-leading
52.
Doug Bracewell forced an edge from Sam-
uels, but after surviving being dropped he had
done enough to build a winning platform
as Gayle and Powell had done in the first Test
with their 150 and 134 in North Sound.
Sammy praised Samuels and Deonarine for
their significant contributions.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand 1st innings 260
West Indies 1st innings 209
New Zealand 2nd innings
MGuptill lbw b Deognarine ...................................... 42
BJ Watling lbw b Deonarine ...................................... 11
N Wagner c Ramdin b Best .......................................... 6
B McCullum c Fudadin b Deonarine ......................... 19
R Taylor c Ramdin b Best ............................................ 0
KWilliamson c Sammy b Deonarine............................ 8
D Brownlie c Deonarine b Narine ............................. 35
Kvan Wyk c Chanderpaul b Narine ............................. 5
D Bracewell c Fudadin b Narine ................................ 14
T Southee c Narine b Roach ........................................ 7
T Boult (not out) .......................................................... 0
Extras: (lb-1, w-1, nb-5) ............................................. 7
Total: (all out, 65.2 overs) ....................................... 154
Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-56, 3-80, 4-80, 5-85, 6-98
7-105, 8-142, 9-149, 10-154
Bowling: Roach 12.2-3-34-1; Best 13-2-44-2, Sammy
6-2-19-0, Narine 12-1-19-3, Deonarine 22-7-37-4.
West Indies 2nd innings
C Gayle lbw b Boult .................................................... 8
K Powell lbw b Southee ............................................... 6
AFudadin b Wagner................................................... 27
MSamuels c Taylor b Bracewell ............................... 52
S Chanderpaul (not out) ............................................. 43
K Roach c Southee b Williamson .............................. 41
N Deonarine not out ................................................... 15
Extras: (b4, lb2, w8) ................................................. 14
Total: (5 wickets, 63.2 overs) .................................. 206
Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-20, 3-94, 4-113, 5-183
Bowling: Boult 12-1-46-1; Bracewell 13-0-38-1; South-
ee 14-4-30-1; Wagner 12-3-41-1; Williamson 7.2-1-
18-1; Guptill 4-0-21-0, Brownlie 1-0-6-0. Reuters
Windies clinch series
AKRON American Jim
Furyk, seeking his first PGA
Tour victory in two years, sur-
vived a testing back nine with
several ice-cool par saves to
cling on to the lead in Satur-
day's third round of the WGC-
Bridgestone Invitational.
Two shots ahead overnight,
Furyk briefly led by five be-
fore ending a muggy and in-
creasingly breezy day at the
fast-running Firestone Coun-
try Club one stroke clear of the
chasing pack.
The veteran American
carded a level-par 70 on the
challenging South Course
where several greens were not
receptive to approach shots
to finish at 11-under 199, one
ahead of South African Louis
Oosthuizen, who fired a three-
birdie 68.
American Keegan Brad-
ley, who will defend his PGA
Championship title at Kia-
wah Island in South Carolina
next week, was a further three
strokes back at seven under af-
ter carding a 67.
Tiger Woods, in pursuit of
a record eighth Bridgestone
Invitational crown, rebounded
from two days of putting woes
at Firestone to shoot a 68 for a
level-par total of 210, a distant
11 shots off the pace.
"The golf course definitely
played tougher today," Furyk,
42, told reporters after offset-
ting an early birdie with a bo-
gey at the par-three 12th.
"We had a little bit more
wind going on, the greens
firmed up a little bit and I just
felt like it was a lot harder to
get iron shots close to the pin.
"I didn't have as many op-
portunities, kind of ground it
out today. I'm real happy with
the way I stroked the ball and
pretty pleased with the way I
played today."
Furyk, who clinched the
most recent of his 16 PGA
Tour victories at the 2010
season-ending Tour Champi-
onship, made a good start to
the third round, a birdie at the
par-five second putting him
four ahead.
When Oosthuizen bogeyed
the par-four eighth, Furyk's
lead increased to five but the
South African immediately
recovered with a birdie at the
ninth to reach the turn in even-
par 35.
Oosthuizen, the 2010 Brit-
ish Open champion, picked
up further shots at the 12th,
where he drained a 25-footer,
and 16th to close the gap while
Furyk bogeyed the 12th after
missing the green to the right
off the tee.
However, Furyk safely
parred the last six holes to
maintain his one-shot advan-
tage going into Sunday's final
round when the tee times have
been brought forward due to
predicted thunderstorms.
Oosthuizen, who has won
twice worldwide this year, was
delighted to be in position to
challenge for his first victory
in an elite World Golf Cham-
pionships (WGC) event.
"Tomorrow is a great op-
portunity for me, a great spot
to be in and to test myself in
these events," the 29-year-old
said. "I mean, this is almost as
big as a major.
"I know the weather is
coming in a bit. It's going to
be a tough day. It'll be a lot
of fun playing with Jim and
Keegan."
Woods, who totalled 62
putts in the first two rounds
while carding scores of 70 and
72, was relieved to feel more
comfortable on the greens on
Saturday as he broke par for
the first time this week.
"I hit the ball well enough
to be in the top five and could
have made a run just by being
in that position if I would have
putted well the first couple of
days," the 36-year-old said.
Northern Ireland's Rory
McIlroy, who clinched his
maiden major title at last year's
US Open, was delighted to
climb into a tie for fourth after
shooting a second successive
67.
"I hit the ball well from tee
to green, and I took a few of
my chances early on," the 23-
year-old said after mixing four
birdies with a lone bogey. "I
actually had a couple of big
saves around four, five and six,
and just finished it off well."
British world number four
Lee Westwood endured a night-
mare day, hitting only three of
14 fairways on the way to 81,
his worst score on the PGA
Tour since he carded a third-
round 80 at the Players Cham-
pionship in 2005, leaving him
at 11-over-par. Reuters
Furyk holds slim lead at Firestone
LONDON Chelsea man-
ager Roberto Di Matteo's
pre-season plans might not
be living up to his expecta-
tions but the frustrated Ital-
ian said once all his players
return to club duties per-
formances will improve.
The European Champi-
ons have lost their past three
pre-season friendlies, includ-
ing a shock 3-1 defeat by
English Championship side
Brighton on Saturday.
London Olympic com-
mitments for striker Daniel
Sturridge, midfielder Juan
Mata and new Brazilian
signing Oscar have given Di
Matteo little time to mould
his squad for the upcoming
season.
The Italian was also been
forced to wait for those who
took part in Euro 2012 to re-
turn from extended holidays
including England defenders
John Terry and Ashley Cole.
But their were no excuses
for Chelsea as they were
comprehensively beaten by
Brighton with Fernando
Torres and Belgian playmak-
er Eden Hazard both playing
in a near full-strength side.
"We haven't had the
whole team together yet,"
Di Matteo told the club's
website (www.chelseafc.
com).
"Some players have only
been back nine days, some
16, some 21 and some are not
back at all, but when they
are back we can all work to-
gether.
"I was expecting more
from my team in terms of
urgency and movement.
I was looking for a bet-
ter performance than the
one we gave. "We were too
stretched, never aggressive
enough and didn't get the
ball back quickly enough
when we lost it. "With the
ball, there wasn't enough
movement and there were a
lot of things we didn't do. We
have to be a bit more focused
and sharper."
Di Matteo added that it
would take time for Hazard
to adapt to life in the Pre-
mier League but he is pre-
pared to let the 21-year-old
settle following his transfer
from French club Lille.
"Hazard played on the
left, we want him to be inci-
sive, he had good spells but
we need to be patient," he
said.
"He's a young man com-
ing from a different league
and it takes time to adapt."
Chelsea are due to play
Premier League champions
Manchester City in the Com-
munity Shield next Sunday
and will have everyone ex-
cept Oscar, who is through to
the semifinals of the Olympic
tournament with Brazil, at
their disposal. Reuters
I was expecting more from my team, says Di Matteo
JIM Furyk plays a shot from a sand trap during the third round at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. AFP
From Andy Jalil
at Headingley
LEEDS With incessant rain
for the greater part of the after-
noon leaving the ground satu-
rated, the umpires abandoned
the fourth days play in the
second Test.
With just one day remain-
ing and two entire innings to
be completed a draw should
now be a certainty. In which
case it would be imperative for
England to win the remaining
third Test starting in ten days
time at Lords, if they are to
hold on to their No 1 Test rank-
ing having lost the first Test. A
series victory for South Africa
would push them up to the top
spot from their present No 3
ranking.
Earlier in the day, rain had
also stopped play in the last
over before lunch just a quar-
ter of an hour into the South
African second innings which
stood then at 5 without loss.
The resumption took place two
hours later with Graeme Smith
and Jacques Rudolph who
opened in place of Alviro Pe-
tersen (suffering a slight ham-
string injury) continue with
cautious batting. In an hours
play they had scored 39 runs
from 17 overs.
Rudolph had 21 from 53
balls and 12 of those runs had
come from edged boundaries,
off Stuart Broad, two past slips
and one to fine leg. He had one
fine shot, an extra cover drive
for four.
The pace bowling in fa-
vourable cloudy conditions
had not been easy to score off
during the brief period and
Smith had faced 49 balls for
his score of 17 which included
just one flicked four off Tim
Bresnan. In damp conditions
the outfield was slow too apart
from the first hour of the day.
England had used four bowlers
in brief spells and James An-
derson achieving considerable
movement was particularly
difficult to score of.
He conceded only four runs
from his six overs.
After play began on the
fourth morning it took South
Africa just an hour and a half
to claim the remaining five
overnight England wickets
in contrast to the previous
day when they toiled all day
for five wickets with Kevin
Pietersen being their chief tor-
mentor. But he wasnt to do
any further damage to the op-
position, resuming on 351 for
five, England lost Pietersen to
the second ball of the day with
Morne Morkel trapping him
leg before wicket without an
addition to his overnight score
of 149.
It was disappointing for
another good crowd who had
hoped to see more fireworks
from Pietersen who with 21
Test centuries has only three
England players ahead of him
with more hundreds. Walter
Hammond, Colin Cowdrey
and Geoffrey Boycott have
scored 22. But while Pietersen
has played 88 Tests, Cowdrey
and Boycott played 114 and
108 respectively. Hammond
was less with 85 Tests. It
should also be mentioned that
the England captain Andrew
Strauss has 21 centuries and he
is playing his 99th Test.
England did make some
progress though after Pi-
etersens dismissal with Matt
Prior who was 20 not out over-
night reaching his 21st Test
half century with some ag-
gressive strokeplay which con-
tained eight boundaries. Along
with Tim Bresnan he put on 45
before Bresnan, having scored
a slow 11.runs from 50 balls,
edged to Smith at slip for his
third catch of the innings and
that was the seventh wicket
down with the total on 396.
The last three wickets fell
to the leg spinner Imran Tahir
in a 13-ball spell in which he
conceded just nine runs.
He had Broad held at mid-
wicket by substitute fielder (for
Alviro Petersen) from a mis-
timed pull and then had Prior,
on 68 from 89 balls, top-edge
his slog/sweep to backward
square leg.
Finally, after an addition
of five runs which took the
total to 425 giving England a
first innings lead of just six,
Anderson was beaten by a leg
break and bowled for eight as
he missed a hit aimed towards
mid-wicket.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa 1st innings: ........ 419
England 1st innings:
A.Strauss c de Villiers b Steyn ..... 37
ACook lbw Philander ................. 24
J.Trott c Smith b Steyn ................. 35
K.Pietersen lbw Morkel ............. 149
I.Bell c Smith b Kallis .................. 11
J Taylor b Morkel ......................... 34
M.Prior C Steyn b Tahir ............... 68
T.Bresnan c Smith b Philander ....... 9
S.Broad c sub b Tahir ..................... 1
J.Anderson b Tahir ......................... 8
S.Finn not out ................................. 0
Extras: (lb-17,b-7, w-14, nb-11) . 49
Total: (all out, 126.4 overs) ....... 425
Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-85, 3-142,
4-173, 5-320, 6-351,
7-396, 8-407, 9-420
Bowling: Morkel 32-9-96-2, Philan-
der 30-10-72-2, Steyn 28-8-102-2,
Kallis 12-3-34-1, Tahir 23.4-0-92-3,
Duminy 1-0-5-0
South Africa 2nd innings:
J.Rudolph not out ......................... 21
G.Smith not out ............................ 17
Extras (b-1) ................................... 1
Total: (for no loss, 17 overs) ....... 39
Bowling: Anderson 6-4-4-0, Broad
6-0-18-0, Finn 3-1-4-0, Bresnan,
2-0-12-0
England-South Africa Test heading towards draw
SOUTH Africas Morne Morkel (right) is congratulated after dismissing Englands Kevin Pietersen during the second Test at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds yesterday. Reuters
S CHANDERPAUL... useful knock.
18
LONDON Flashing a lop-
sided smile of satisfaction and
relief, Michael Phelps left the
Olympic arena for the final
time on Saturday after finish-
ing his competitive career with
a scarcely credible 18 gold
medals.
The boy from Baltimore,
who had set out to redefine the
boundaries of his sport, had
succeeded beyond anybody's
expectations with twice as
many Olympic titles as any
other athlete in the modern
Games.
At the age of 27 he will
move on, secure in the knowl-
edge that he could not have
done any more in the sport that
became his life.
"I told myself that I never
wanted to swim when I was
30," he said. "I've been able
to do everything I wanted,
I've been able to achieve the
goals I wanted to achieve and
I've managed to do every sin-
gle thing. It's time for other
things."
Phelps, the most accom-
plished all-round male swim-
mer ever, set his sights high
from the start.
"Nothing is impossible,"
he wrote in his autobiography
'No Limits' published after his
record eight gold medals at the
2008 Beijing Games.
"You can't put a limit on an-
ything. The more you dream,
the farther you get. When I'm
focused, there is not one single
thing, person, anything that
can stand in the way of my do-
ing something."
The magnitude of his
achievement as he quit the
pool and entered the history
books can be measured by the
list of the other Olympic mul-
tiple medallists.
Phelps collected 22 medals
after starting Olympic life as a
15-year-old at the 2000 Syd-
ney Olympics.
A distinguished quartet
comprising track and field
athletes Carl Lewis and Paa-
vo Nurmi, gymnast Larisa
Latynina and swimmer Mark
Spitz won nine gold medals.
Latynina, now 77, was in Lon-
don to witness Phelps over-
take her previous overall total
of 18.
After his final race, Phelps
accepted a silver trophy from
world governing body which
described him as the greatest
Olympian of all time. It is an
accolade Phelps has never be-
stowed on himself and he was
not about to start on Saturday.
"I have been able to be-
come the best swimmer of
all time," he said. "I said (to
coach Bob Bowman) we have
been able to get here together
and I thanked him."
Phelps has trained under
Bowman since he was 11 and
there was plenty of emotion on
both sides on Saturday.
"My first memory of him
running around the pool when
kids were playing dressed in
his own tiny speedos, playing
games in the pool," Bowman
said. "Now he has a real per-
spective, back then the only
perspective was performance.
And it was really focusing on
every detail we could.
"But he was only focused
on that, he didn't have an ap-
preciation for the bigger pic-
ture."
Phelps' final Olympic cam-
paign after he dropped the 200
freestyle from his Beijing pro-
gramme and aimed for seven
gold medals in London started
badly last Saturday when he
finished fourth in the 400 me-
tres individual medley behind
compatriot Ryan Lochte.
Lochte was immediately,
and prematurely, hailed as
the new face of American
swimming but he began to
fade while Phelps started to
flourish.
Beaten to the touch in the
200 metres butterfly, his signa-
ture event, Phelps retained the
100 butterfly by sheer force of
will after he was seventh at the
turn. A day earlier he had won
the 200 individual medley title
to become the first man to win
three Olympic gold medals in
a row.
"The first race (400 IM)
took the pressure off," Bow-
man said. "We said 'we might
as well enjoy it because it
doesn't look as if it's going to
go too well.
"We should have least have
run while we are here. But I do
think that allowed us to relax a
little bit and he started to swim
well in the relays and kind of
picked it up again."
Tributes have been pouring
in all week from other mem-
bers of the American swim-
ming team, including one
from 17-year-old Missy Fran-
klin, another multi-eventer
who will take over the torch
from Phelps for the 2016 Rio
de Janeiro Games.
"What he has done is in-
credible," Franklin said. "And
he's kind of made people re-
think the impossible - rethink
what they can do and how they
can push themselves."
Asked to assess Phelps'
career, Bowman said: "It's not
only the number of medals, it's
the quality. Eighteen out of 22
gold medals? Two silver, two
bronze? World records, you
can look at all that.
"I just think the quality of it
is so great, nobody can match
that." The aftermath for Phelps
will start with travelling, some
publicity appearances and
plenty of rest and relaxation.
Golf with his friend, US
Masters champion Bubba
Watson is also on the agenda
as Phelps confirmed during the
week when he said he would
not be rescinding his decision
to retire. Reuters
Golden goodbye for Phelps
WEYMOUTH, England Brit-
ain's Ben Ainslie became the
most successful Olympic sailor
yesterday, winning gold in the
single-handed Finn class to claim
a record-breaking fifth consecu-
tive medal.
He then indicated he would not
try for a sixth. "You can never say
never, but I don't think I can sail
one of these again. I don't think
you will see me in Rio (for the 2016
Games)," he told the BBC.
"But it's the best way to bow
out at a home Olympics."
Sailing in perfect, sunny condi-
tions on home waters off the south
coast of England, Ainslie added to
his three golds and a silver in suc-
cessive Games by beating Danish
sailor Jonas Hogh-Christensen on
points.
Unfancied at the start of the Ol-
ympics, the Dane struggled to find
the winning form he has shown
all week and failed in his mission
to defend the record of four golds
held since 1960 by his countryman
Paul Elvstrom.
Arms aloft, with a flare billow-
ing red smoke in each hand, Ain-
slie celebrated a narrow victory
in front of a huge cheering home
crowd packed onto the grassy
slopes of the Nothe fort immedi-
ately above the race course.
"It's been the hardest couple
weeks of my life," the 35-year-old
said of sailing the physically de-
manding Finn dinghy which has
caused him back and knee trou-
bles.
His boat, known as "Rita", was
the same one he sailed to victory
in the two previous Olympics.
Pieter-Jan Postma of the Neth-
erlands was beaten to the bronze
overall by yesterday's medal
race winner Jonathan Lobert of
France. The Briton and the Dane
were ninth and 10th respectively
in the race, giving them enough
points to claim their medals, with
Postma finishing fourth overall
in the heavyweight Finn class.
Reuters
Britains Ainslie wins gold for record
LONDON Argentina over-
came Bulgaria and Russia ral-
lied to defeat the US holders
in Olympic men's volleyball
as the two group frontrunners
were beaten for the first time.
Brazil, who are also tipped
for a medal, narrowly avoided
defeat against Serbia who
pushed them all the way in a
Group B five-setter that lasted
well beyond midnight.
The Brazilian support
roared just as loud even as
the stands emptied. Put under
huge pressure by the Serbs,
South American tempers
flared in the fourth set at some
refereeing decisions before
they showed their class in
the fifth to win 22-25, 25-15,
20-25, 25-22, 15-9 to book a
place in the quarterfinals.
The defending champions
from the US went through af-
ter hanging on to first place in
Group B despite losing to the
Russians who also clinched a
spot in the last eight.
Bulgaria were top of Group
A before losing to Argentina
and are still guaranteed to
qualify despite their 18-25,
25-21, 25-19, 25-20 defeat.
Poland are now first in that
section after recording a three-
set victory over hosts Britain.
The teams all have one
match remaining in the round-
robin stages, with the top four
in each group progressing to
Wednesday's quarterfinals.
Italy are also through af-
ter recovering from two sets
down to defeat a young Aus-
tralian side.
Russia saved a match point
on the way to victory over
the Americans. The Russians,
bronze medallists in Beijing
in 2008, clung on at the end
of the third set before knock-
ing the stuffing out of the US
to win 27-29, 19-25, 26-24,
25-16, 15-8. "Russia started
to wake up and started to play
better. They realised they had
to serve more aggressively
and they did and that was what
changed the game," American
David Lee told reporters.
"This is definitely a team
that we're going to see later on
in this tournament." Lee said
the confidence of the US side,
who have had a rocky ride in
recent years, would not be
shaken. Reuters
Argentina overcome Bulgaria in volleyball
BRITAINS Ben Ainslie sails during the Finn sailing class at the Olympic Games in Weymouth and Portland. Reuters
LONDON Jessica Ennis lived up to
the sky-high expectations of a demand-
ing public to claim gold in the women's
heptathlon on Saturday.
Three personal bests in the seven dis-
ciplines that make up the gruelling two-
day event helped Ennis to a winning total
in a dominant display that thrilled the
sell-out 80,000-capacity crowd at the Ol-
ympic Stadium.
Russian world champion Tatyana
Chernova claimed silver with 6,628
points, with Ukraine's Lyudmyla Yo-
sypenko taking bronze in a personal best
of 6,618.
It was an especially sweet triumph
for Ennis because she missed out on the
Beijing Olympics through injury.
Ennis set personal bests in the 100m
hurdles (12.54sec) and 200m (22.83sec)
on Friday for 4,158 points, an overnight
lead of 184 points on Lithuanian Austra
Skujyte.
The 26-year-old Sheffield-born former
world champion got her second day off to
a great start with a long jump of 6.48m for
a total of 5,159.
That increased her lead over Skujyte
to 258pts, with Chernova moving into
third overall (4,869) with a leading 6.54m
in the long jump.
In front of roars and applause from a
vociferous crowd, Ennis then managed
a third personal best of 47.49m in her
weakest event, the javelin.
Skujyte threw 51.13m to cut Ennis'
lead to 188pts, but the Lithuanian's best
time in the 800m was seven seconds
slower than Ennis, meaning the Briton
was realistically sitting pretty with just
two laps of the track to complete to tie up
gold.
As she was introduced in lane four, a
visibly nervous Ennis raised her arms to
a deafening roar, flashes of cameras and
waving Union Jacks.
When the gun went off, Ennis started
confidently and went to the front with
Skujyte trailing last of the nine-strong
heat.
Ennis was overtaken with 250m to go,
but kicked past Chernova and Germany's
Lili Schwarzkopf to produce a fantastic
home stretch sprint that could not have
been better scripted, crossing the line in
2:08.65.
Ennis then paraded around the stadium
draped in her own Union Jack on which
was written "Jessica Ennis Olympic
champion".
Defending Olympic champion Natal-
lia Dobrynska of Ukraine, who won the
2012 world indoor pentathlon title in a
world record total just days before her
husband and coach Dmytro Polyakov
died, had earlier seen her medal hopes
vanish.
In 10th position on 3,835pts over-
night, Dobrynska had a nightmare in the
long jump, with two no jumps on her first
two of three efforts.
She then botched her run-up for her
third effort, recording only 3.70m to leave
her languishing in 33rd, an unsurmount-
able 1,082 points off Ennis. The Ukrain-
ian withdrew before the javelin.
Polish podium hope Karolina Tymin-
ska also failed to register a mark in the
long jump, and the fourth-placed finish-
er in the Daegu worlds was forced out.
AFP
Jessica wins heptathlon gold
LONDON Tiki Gelana, rev-
elling in the torrential down-
pours that soaked London,
overcame a mid-race fall to
become the second Ethiopian
woman to win Olympic mara-
thon gold yesterday.
Gritting her teeth and pump-
ing her arms, the 24-year-old
held off Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo
to win a soggy race around a
Central London course taking
in numerous iconic landmarks,
including Buckingham Palace
and the Houses of Parliament.
Gelana clocked two hours
23 minutes and seven seconds,
finishing five seconds ahead of
Jeptoo who was unable to reel
in her African rival in the fin-
ishing straight on The Mall.
Her margin of victory was
the smallest in an Olympic
women's marathon since it was
first held in 1984.
"I love running in the rain,"
Gelana, who fell and hurt her
elbow after making contact
with another runner at a drinks
station, told reporters.
"The rain makes it very in-
teresting. As soon as the race
started, I said to myself 'thank
god'. I really loved it (the rain).
I have been doing that since I
was a small child.
"My elbow is still injured.
But I didn't feel any pain dur-
ing the race."
Gelana, the niece of Sydney
2000 men's marathon cham-
pion Gezhagne Abera, pushed
clear in the final two kilome-
tres, shaking off the persistent
Jeptoo.
Casting anxious glances
over her shoulder at her rival
in the final 200 metres, Gelana
raised her arms in triumph be-
fore breaking the tape and col-
lapsing to the ground.
She soon regained her com-
posure and celebrated by drap-
ing herself in an Ethiopian flag
and embracing her supporters.
"I was confident before the
race that I could win it," she
added. "I have been saving my
energy for this. It really paid
off."
Russian Tatyana Petrova
Arkhipova won bronze in
2:23:29 but there was disap-
pointment for race favourite
Mary Keitany of Kenya.
The twice London mara-
thon winner was in the leading
group of four with around three
kilometres left but dropped out
of contention to finish fourth,
49 seconds behind Gelana.
The 24-year-old Gelana,
who set a national record of
2:18:58 to win in Rotterdam
this year, followed in the foot-
steps of compatriot Fatuma
Roba who triumphed in 1996
in Atlanta.
Kenya swept the medals
at the 2011 worlds, in which
Jeptoo took silver behind Edna
Kiplagat, but a Kenyan woman
has still never won Olympic
gold in the marathon.
Kiplagat was a disappoint-
ing 20th on Sunday.
Unlike Gelana, Jeptoo said
she found the conditions tough
to handle.
"It's not easy running in the
rain. It affects everyone. When
you run in the rain your mus-
cles can contract and you can
get a stitch."
The black clouds were
at times replaced by bright
sunshine but while Gelana
skipped merrily along, many
struggled.
Britain's Mara Yamuchi,
sixth in Beijing and the hosts'
best hope in the absence of the
injured Paula Radcliffe, hob-
bled out early in the race after
failing to shake off a bruised
heel.
Russian Liliya Shobukho-
va, the 2010 London marathon
winner who last year posted
the second-fastest time in his-
tory with her 2:18:20 victory
in Chicago, also pulled out
clutching her leg.
There was no fairytale ei-
ther for defending champion
Constantina Dicu of Roma-
nia. The 42-year-old, who be-
came the oldest winner of the
event four years ago, trailed in
86th. AFP
Ethiopias Gelana wins marathon gold, Jeptoo bags silver
LONDON China yester-
day completed a sweep in
the badminton competition
at the London Olympics as
Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng won
the mens doubles.
The Chinese pair, who
lost the final in Beijing, beat
the third seeds Mathias Boe
and Carsten Mogensen from
Denmark in two sets 21-16
and 21-15.
Danish Queen Margrethe
II, who was in the Wembley
Arena to watch the final,
said the Danes had shown
true sportsmanship.
It was very exciting,
nerve-racking at times but I
had a lovely time. I am very
proud for them to take the
silver.
The second seeds from
South Korea Chung Jae
Sung and Lee Yong Dae beat
Malaysians Koo Kien Keat
and Tan Boon Heong 23-
21 and 21-10 in the bronze
medal match.
Earlier yesterday Chinas
Lin Dan won back-to-back
gold as he beat Malaysias
Lee Chong Wei in the mens
singles competition in three
sets.
In a repeat of the Beijing
final four years ago, the 28-
year-old Lin lost the opening
set 21-15, but then fought
back to win the next two 21-
10 and 21-19 to become the
first player to win the com-
petition twice.
I am very, very happy.
This medal is confirmation
of all my hard work since
2008. It is very tough being
a Chinese player because we
work so hard and sacrifice so
much, he said.
Bronze went to Lins
compatriot Chen Long, who
beat Lee Hyun Il in the match
for third place. dpa
China sweeps
badminton
titles after
doubles win
MICHAEL Phelps celebrates with his trophy as the most decorated Olympian of all time,
after winning the mens 4x100m medley relay final on Saturday. Reuters
GOLD medallist Britains Jessica Ennis, silver medallist Germanys Lilli
Schwarzkopf (left) and bronze medallist Russias Tatyana Chernova
pose at the womens heptathlon victory ceremony. Reuters
19
Athletics: (0900) Mens discus - qualication round; (0905) Mens
100m hurdles - 1st rd; (0945) Womens shotput - qualication; (0950)
Mens 800m - 1st rd; (1045) Womens 1,500m - 1st rd; (1800) Womens
pole vault - nal; (1815) Womens shot put - nal; (1820) Womens
200m - 1st rd; (1915) Womens 400m hurdles - seminals; (1945)
Mens 400m hurdles - nal; (2005) Womens 3000m steeplechase - -
nal; (2030) Mens 400m - nal
Basketball: Preliminary round: (0800) Australia v Russia (Group B);
(1015) Tunisia v Lithuania (Group A); (1330) France v Nigeria (Group
A); (1545) Great Britain v China (Group B); (1900) Spain v Brazil
(Group B); (2115) Argentina v United States (Group A)
Beach Volleyball: (1700) Mens quarternal
Boxing: (1230) Quarternals - womens 51kg, 60 kg,75 kg; (1930)
Quarternals - mens 60kg, 75kg, +91kg
Canoe-Kayak: (0830) Kayak Single K1 1000m mens, Canoe Single
C1 1000m men heats, Kayak double K2 1000m heats, Canoe single C1
1000m mens seminals, Kayak double K21000 m messieurs
Track Cycling: (1500) Seminals/nals mens sprint, womens Om-
nium, quarternals womens sprint
Equestrian: (1300) Jumping Individual 3rd qualier, Jumping team
round 2
Football: Womens seminals; (1600) France v Japan - London;
(1845) Canada v United States - Manchester
Artistic Gymnastics: (1300) Apparatus nals - mens rings, womens
uneven bars, mens vault
Weightlifting: (1430, 1800) - 105kg mens
Handball: Mens 1st rd: (0830) Hungary v Serbia (Group B); (1015)
Argentina v Tunisia (Group A); (1330) Denmark v South Korea (Group
B); (1515) Iceland v Great Britain (Group A); (1830) Spain v Croatia
(Group B); (2015) France v Sweden (Group A)
Field hockey: Womens 1st rd: (0730) New Zealand v Germany
(Group B); (0945) United States v South Africa (Group B); (1245) Ja-
pan v China (Group A); (1500) South Korea v Belgium (Group A);
(1800) Great Britain v Netherlands (Group A); (2015) Argentina v
Australia (Group B)
Greco-Roman Wrestling: (1200) 60kg, 84kg, 120kg
Synchronised Swimming: (1400) Duets free routine
Diving: (1800) Mens 3m Springboard Preliminary
Table Tennis: (0900) Womens team seminals; (1330, 2000) Mens
team seminals
Shooting; (0800) 50m rie three positions, mens qualication;
Trap mens qualication; 50m rie three positions mens nal;
Trap mens nal
Sailing:(1100) 470 mens, 49ers; (1200) Womens Laser nal; (1300)
mens Laser nal
Volleyball Mens 1st rd: (0830) Australia v Poland (Pool A); (1030)
Russia v Serbia (Pool B); (1345) Italy v Bulgaria (Pool A); (1545) Great
Britain v Argentina (Pool A); (1900) United States v Tunisia (Pool B);
(2100) Brazil v Germany (Pool B)
Water Polo Mens preliminary rd: (0900) Kazakhstan v Croatia
(Group A); (1020) Greece v Australia (Group A); (1310) Romania v
Serbia (Group B); (1430) Hungary v United States (Group B); (1720)
Great Britain v Montenegro (Group B); (1840) Spain v Italy (Group
A). AFP
TODAYS SCHEDULE
LONDON Britain's
Andy Murray thrashed
Switzerland's Roger
Federer and claim Olym-
pic gold on Centre Court
yesterday.
Exactly four weeks af-
ter Federer had beaten him
to take a 17th grand slam
title on the same court,
reducing Murray to tears
in the process, the Scot
returned with an army of
ag-waving fans to de-
molish the world number
one 6-2 6-1 6-4.
"This is the biggest win
of my life," world No 4
Murray, who is still to win
a grand slam title, told the
BBC. "This is the best way
to come back from the
Wimbledon nal... I felt so
fresh."
A crestfallen Federer
walked off the court where
he won seven Wimbledon
crowns, knowing defeat
had virtually ended his
chances of completing the
"golden career slam"
all four grand slam titles
and the Olympic singles
crown as he will be 34
when the Games moves on
to Rio de Janeiro in four
years.
The decibel level went
up another notch as the
players returned to court
for the medal ceremony -
this time Murray holding
back the tears.
Apart from going 15-
40 down in the rst game
of the match Murray
was as close to perfec-
tion it is possible to be
on a tennis court, produc-
ing a display of power,
precision and touch that
not even Federer could
match.
Juan Martin del Potro
won the bronze medal for
Argentina after beating
Serbia's Novak Djokovic.
Reuters
Murray thrashes Federer to win gold
LONDON Serena and
Venus Williams retained the
Olympic tennis women's
doubles gold with a 6-4 6-4
win over Czech duo Andrea
Hlavackova and Lucie Hra-
decka yesterday, becoming
the rst tennis players ever
to win four golds each.
The American sisters,
who also won doubles gold
in Beijing and Sydney, took
an hour and a half to wrap
up their defeat of the number
four seeds under the Centre
Court roof.
"There's something about
standing next to Venus and
holding that gold medal.
Three times we have played,
three times we have got the
gold medal. So we are pretty
stoked about it," said Serena,
who also won the women's
singles gold on Saturday.
The Czech pair saved two
match points before Venus
secured the victory with a
backhand volley as chants of
"USA! USA!" rang out from
the crowd. Rueters
Williams
sisters win
third doubles
gold
LONDON Hungary's
Krisztian Berki won the men's
Olympic pommel horse nal
yesterday, preventing Louis
Smith from claiming Great
Britain's rst ever artistic gym-
nastics gold medal by the n-
est of margins.
Berki and Smith nished
on the same score 16.066
points but reigning world
champion Berki was awarded
the gold medal as his execu-
tion score of 9.166 was 0.100
points higher than Smith's.
"I'm very happy, but I have
no idea what happened," said
Berki. "Maybe tomorrow I
will realise that I won the Ol-
ympics.
"When I saw Louis Smith's
performance, I thought that he
could win, because it was quite
a strong exercise."
A bronze medallist in
Beijing four years ago, Smith
took silver, with his British
team-mate Max Whitlock win-
ning the bronze medal.
Smith met the announce-
ment of his score with a look
of complete disbelief.
Nonetheless, six days on
from the hosts' shock bronze
medal in the team nal, the
presence of two home gym-
nasts on the podium represent-
ed another breakthrough mo-
ment for the sport in Britain.
Despite his disappointment
at missing out on a gold medal,
Smith paid tribute to Berki.
"We are great rivals, but
we are good friends as well,"
he said.
"If I was going to be beat
by anyone apart from Max,
then Krisztian is that guy. He
will go down as one of the
greatest pommel horse riders
ever, and the fact that I came
second to him is something I'm
proud of."
Italy's Alberto Busnari was
the early leader in the nal be-
fore losing top spot to the 19-
year-old Whitlock, who drew
huge cheers from the crowd by
scoring 15.600 to leap to the
top of the standings.
His lead lasted only a mat-
ter of minutes, however, as the
long-limbed Berki teamed an
elegant routine to move into
rst place.
Smith took to the pommel
horse last, to huge roars from
the crowd at the North Green-
wich Arena, but despite a aw-
less routine, he was to miss out
on gold in agonising fashion.
SMITH MULLS FUTURE
Great Britains Louis Smith
said he did not know whether
or not he would continue to the
next Olympics after winning
the silver medal in the mens
pommel horse nal.
The 23-year-old from Pe-
terborough made his break-
through at the Beijing Olym-
pics in 2008, when he took
bronze on the pommel horse
to give Britain a rst Olympic
gymnastics medal in 80 years.
Berki and Smith were joined
on the podium by Smiths
19-year-old team-mate Max
Whitlock, as Britain added two
medals to the bronze they sen-
sationally claimed in the mens
team nal on July 30.
It was the latest chapter in
the story of Britains emer-
gence as a world power in the
sport, but Smith hinted that he
might not be around to help
pen the next episode when the
Olympics rolls around again in
Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
There are so many differ-
ent things up in the air, he told
reporters.
Id love to settle down but
at the same time, gold is the
only medal not in my collec-
tion from the Olympic Games.
Youve got juniors coming
through, keeping me on my
toes. Have they got room for
just a pommel specialist? Are
they going to push for more
team medals?
It depends what Krisz-
tians doing. If he nishes,
then Ill be top dog for once!
Ive got a lot of things to think
about.
Smith produced a aw-
less routine as the eighth and
last nalist, only to lose out to
Berki on a tie-breaker.
Both men scored 16.066
points, but Berkis execution
score was superior to Smiths
by 0.100 points, giving the 27-
year-old Hungarian the gold.
Smith looked distraught
and disbelieving as the result
ashed up on the scoreboard,
but he said he did not regret
the sacrices he had made in
order to play his role at Lon-
don 2012.
Every athlete has a story
and a journey. When you learn
all about them, you go on that
journey with them a little bit,
he said.
For me, its been a tough
19 years. Ive got a single-par-
ent mum, my nan passed away
in 2009. Its been a tough road
for me.
Ever since the Olympics
here got announced, its been
incredibly stressful. But its a
journey that I wouldnt change
ever again.
A lot of people talk about
missing out on childhood, and
do I not regret it? Ive got
three Olympic medals. Im a
gymnast, Im only 23 years
old. And what a journey Ive
had. Whitlock paid tribute to
Smith and said his older team-
mates performance in Beijing
had been a key factor. AFP
Berki thwarts Smiths gold medal dream
LONDON Athletes who
are expected to win gold and
come home with silver react
in different ways some
put on a brave face, some
melt into tears, others seem
stoic.
McKayla Maroney
looked downright furious.
The American gymnast,
fresh from team gold ear-
lier in the week, had been
seen as a shoo-in to take the
women's individual vault
gold, so difcult and daz-
zling is her 2-1/2 twisting
Amanar, one of the toughest
vaults in gymnastics.
Maroney performed it
nearly faultlessly in quali-
fying and her score in the
team competition was the
highest on any apparatus.
But yesterday afternoon
nal, it all went wrong.
The 16-year-old incurred
a penalty for stepping out
of bounds on her signature
vault, and then landed on
her bottom after the second
vault.
That left her twisting her
mouth in anger on the po-
dium as she collected silver,
while Romania's Sandra Iz-
basa picked up the gold.
"I just wanted to prove
to everybody that I can hit
two vaults and I could try
to do my best for the USA,
and that's what I'm disap-
pointed about, that I trained
so hard and just made one
mistake," she said, strug-
gling to blink back tears as
she spoke to reporters.
Maroney said that the
second Mustana vault was
one that she had been doing
for months in training with-
out problems.
"It's somewhat of a new
vault for me but during this
whole Olympic time I have
not fallen on my butt on that
vault," she said.
She dismissed the idea
that the pressure might have
been too much, pointing out
that she had taken gold at
the world championships
under the weight of similar
expectations.
"It happens, it's gymnas-
tics, you can't be perfect,"
she said, though the look
on her face belied her brave
words. "Sometimes things
don't go as you planned but
I wouldn't blame it on any-
thing else ... I messed up."
Maroney, one of the self-
styled 'Fierce Five' US team
who took gold by a healthy
margin on Tuesday, said her
disappointment was due
to her performance rather
than not taking gold.
"I mean, it's gymnastics
and it's just a sport and you
have to move on."
Reuters
Maroney comes back
to earth with a bump
LONDON Olympic and
world shot put champion
Valerie Adams of New Zea-
land was not included in the
London Olympics startlist
for the qualifying rounds set
for today but team ofcials
said it was a mistake.
"It was an administrative
error and it is being correct-
ed now," said New Zealand
team spokeswoman Ashley
Abbott yesterday.
"She will denitely be
competing tomorrow."
The startlist posted on
the ofcial site of the Games
yesterday did not include the
2008 Beijing Games gold
medallist, who also won gold
in the last three editions of the
world championships as well
as this year's world indoor
championships.Reuters
Champion
Adams to
compete in
shot put
LONDON Australian Ol-
ympic chiefs insisted Satur-
day that it was too early to
start a post-mortem on why
the sports-loving nation is
way off its target of nishing
fth in the London 2012 med-
als table.
Australia has won just one
event so far the women's
4x100m freestyle swimming
relay making their hopes
of topping their 14 golds and
sixth-placed spot at Beijing
2008 seem a distant pros-
pect.
But Australia's deputy
chef de mission Kitty Chiller
stressed they were "not pan-
icking" just yet.
"We are still very positive
and are only half way (through
the Games)," she told a press
conference.
"In terms of our top-ve
nish, it is still a mathemati-
cal possibility.
"In the sailing we have
got four crews who are rst
and second and we have got
canoe sprint, BMX and track
and eld to come.
"In women's water polo,
men's hockey and women's
basketball we have been dom-
inant. Certainly the results to
date haven't been what we
would have expected.
"Now is not the time for
post-mortems.
"Some sports will need to
have a look at what was lack-
ing in their preparations but
now is not the time to address
that because we still have ath-
letes competing and we still
need to be very positive for
the second week."
Chiller admitted that she
and chef de mission Nick
Green were downbeat after
watching women's kierin cy-
cling world champion Anna
Meares nish fth in the
event on Friday.
"Seeing Anna Meares
missing out on a medal was
disappointing," she said.
"I had dinner with Nick
Green after that and we were
feeling a little bit down but
then we both stood up and
said, 'we need to show strong
leadership and be positive
and strong for the rest of our
team'.
"We have got some
fantastic athletes yet to com-
pete with some excellent
medal chances. We are not
panicking and we are not
worried.
"Sure we have missed out
on some medals but there are
more to come and we need
to maintain that positive out-
look."
She said the sports had
received a record amount of
government money in the last
four years so that could not be
used an an "excuse". AFP
Australia not panicking
over gold slump
KRISZTIAN Berki competes in the mens gymnastics nal yesterday. Reuters
LONDON Britain's
hopes of two gold medals
on the nal day of the Ol-
ympic tennis tournament
were ended by Belarusian
mixed doubles duo Victoria
Azarenka and Max Mirnyi
yesterday.
Andy Murray had al-
ready claimed the men's sin-
gles gold by beating Roger
Federer but fell just short of
a magnicent double as he
and partner Laura Robson
lost 3-6 6-3 10-8.
Roared on by a patriotic
crowd still buzzing from
Murray's exploits, the Brit-
ish pair bounded into an
early lead, taking the rst
set comfortably.
The Belarusian top seeds
hit back to take the second,
however, to set up a tense
championship tiebreak.
Mirnyi and Azarenka,
who won bronze in the
women's singles, moved
9-6 ahead and although
the British pair saved two
match points Azarenka's
volley claimed Belarus's
rst gold medal in Olym-
pics tennis.
Mixed doubles was mak-
ing its return to the Olym-
pics as a medal event for the
rst time since 1924.
Rueters
Mirnyi, Azarenka win mixed doubles
ANDY Murray returns to Roger Federer in the mens singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Club yesterday. Reuters
GOLD medallist Andy Murray, silver medallist
Roger Federer (left) and bronze medallist Juan
Martin del Potro during the presentation ceremony.
VICTORIA Azarenka (right) and Max Mirnyi celebrate after winning the gold medal.
LONDON The Netherlands
team joined their women's
counterparts as seminalists
in the Olympic hockey tour-
nament yesterday by beating
Germany 3-1 in their fourth
pool match at the Riverside
Arena.
A draw between the great
European rivals would have
seen both teams through to
the last four but Germany will
now have to get a point from
their fth and last pool match
tomorrow. Germany made a
great start against the Dutch.
Christopher Zeller con-
verted a penalty corner inside
three minutes but Bob de
Voogd popped in a rebound in
the 14th minute and the teams
turned round level at 1-1.
The second half started as
dramatically as the rst half
with stalwart Teun de Nooijer
setting up and scoring in the
rst minute.
De Nooijer was making
his 450th appearance for the
Dutch, a world record while
his goal was his 218th.
When Mink van der Weer-
den found a top corner of the
German goal with a corner
ick in the 41st minute, the
Dutch could concentrate on
maintaining their two-goal ad-
vantage.
The Dutch men who lost to
Germany on penalties in the
2008 Beijing seminals have
qualied for the seminals in
every Olympics since the 1984
Los Angeles Games.
Germany would have
reached the last four if South
Korea had failed to beat India.
As it was the Koreans were
much superior to the Indians at
nishing and won 4-1.
They now have six points
and are three points behind
second-placed Germany. Ko-
rea has yet to play Netherlands.
Nam Hyun-Woo converted
two late penalty corners for
the Koreans against the eight-
time champions. India's defeat
left them bottom of group B
without a point and they are
now condemned to the 11/12th
place match, a far cry from
their halcyon days.
Pakistan stepped back into
contention for a seminal
place in group A with a nail-
biting 5-4 win over South Af-
rica. It took Pakistan's points
tally to seven from their four
matches.
World champions Australia
and hosts Great Britain are
also on seven points.
Two goals in the last six
minutes enabled Pakistan to
claim the spoils in a nine goal
thriller.Pakistan captain Sohail
Abbas converted a penalty
corner in the 64th minute. That
was followed by a rare eld
goal by Waseem Ahmed, three
minutes from the hooter.
Meanwhile, defending
champions the Netherlands
moved into the seminals of
the Olympic womens hockey
tournament on Saturday by
defeating South Korea 3-2 for
their fourth successive victory.
The Dutch were made to
work hard by South Korea
before taking their tally to 12
points from four matches to
head Pool A.
In the same group, China
came back into the chase for
seminals with a 2-1 victory
that stopped Great Britains
winning spree.
Britain remain in second
place with nine points from
four games, while China
boosted their tally to seven
points. The hosts seminal
hopes now hinge on their last
game against the Dutch today,
while earlier that day China
will play the groups bottom-
placed team, Japan.
The situation in Pool B
did not become much clearer
despite wins for world cham-
pions Argentina, Australia and
New Zealand.
The day nished with those
three teams locked on nine
points and Germany who have
still to play New Zealand,
three points adrift after losing
3-1 to Argentina.
However, Argentina have
comfortably the best goal dif-
ference of the top three.
South Koreas Cheon Seul
Ki converted two penalty
corners to trouble the Dutch.
Cheon opened the scoring by
sending a drag-ick into the
top corner in the fth minute,
but the Dutch were back on
level terms in the 10th minute
on Kelly Jonkers reverse de-
ection of captain Maartje
Paumens shot.
Ellen Hogg open eld
strike four minutes later gave
Netherlands the lead and Car-
lien Dirkse van den Heuvel
made it 3-1 one minute after
half-time. AFP
Dutch storm into seminals
India go down to South Korea Pakistan edge past South Africa
LONDON Usain Bolt sent
out a chilling message to his
rivals that the Jamaican de-
fending champion is fully t
and remains the man to beat in
the Olympic 100 metres as he
romped to victory in his semi-
nal in 9.87 seconds yester-
day. All the big guns made it
through for what should be a
fantastic nal when Londons
fast track could well deliver
scintillating times.
There had been fears that
Bolt was still struggling with
a tight hamstring but he ap-
peared loose and, easing up
with 30 metres to go, looked
in form to win the nal later
yesterday and possibly threat-
en his world record of 9.58
seconds.
Bolt did not speak after his
race, merely nodding when
asked if everything was OK.
World champion Yohan
Blake, who beat Bolt in the
Jamaican trials, also looked
good as he won his semis
in 9.85 ahead of Tyson Gay
(9.90). American Justin Gat-
lin, the 2004 winner back in
action, impressively won the
rst heat in 9.82 but former
world record-holder Asafa
Powell was only third in 9.94,
making it into the nal only
as a fast loser despite getting
a great start.
I felt good, said Gatlin.
The track feels faster than
yesterday, or either I am. See-
ing those American ags out
there really got me pumped
up. I sent a signal out there. I
told them to get ready for the
nal
Powell, often criticised for
his mental approach in the
biggest races, said: I under-
estimated them. I eased up too
early. Reuters
Bolt sends emphatic
message that he is back
JAMAICAS Usain Bolt and Britains Dwain Chambers
(left) compete in the mens 100m seminals yesterday.
INDIAS Dharamvir Singh (left) and South Koreas Hye Sung Hyun in action during their mens Group B hockey match.
Country G S B T
China 29 16 1459
United States 27 14 15 56
Great Britain 16 10 1036
South Korea 10 4 6 20
France 8 7 9 24
Germany 5 10 7 22
Italy 5 5 3 13
Kazakhstan 5 0 0 5
North Korea 4 0 1 5
Russian Fedn 3 16 1534
Netherlands 3 1 4 8
Hungary 3 1 3 7
South Africa 3 1 0 4
New Zealand 3 0 4 7
Japan 2 11 1225
Denmark 2 4 2 8
Romania 2 4 2 8
Belarus 2 2 3 7
Cuba 2 2 1 5
Poland 2 1 1 4
Ukraine 2 0 4 6
Ethiopia 2 0 1 3
Australia 1 12 7 20
Canada 1 3 6 10
Czech Rep 1 3 1 5
Brazil 1 1 5 7
Switzerland 1 1 0 2
Croatia 1 1 0 2
Slovenia 1 0 2 3
Georgia 1 0 2 2
Lithuania 1 0 1
Venezuela 1 0 0 1
Mexico 0 3 1 4
Sweden 0 3 0 3
Spain 0 2 1 3
Colombia 0 2 1 3
Kenya 0 2 1 3
Slovakia 0 1 3 4
India 0 1 2 3
Serbia 0 1 1 2
Norway 0 1 1 2
Indonesia 0 1 1 2
Mongolia 0 1 1 2
Kenya 0 1 1 2
Belgium 0 1 1 2
Thailand 0 1 0 1
Chinese Taipei 0 1 0 1
Egypt 0 1 0 1
Guatemala 0 1 0 1
Greece 0 0 2 2
Azerbaijan 0 0 1 1
Iran 0 0 1 1
Qatar 0 0 1 1
Uzbekistan 0 0 1 1
Singapore 0 0 1 1
Moldova 0 0 1 1
Armenia 0 0 1 1
Hong Kong 0 0 1 1
MEDAL TALLY
Crow your busness
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busness exponenLully.
Terms and conditions apply
Monday, August 6, 2012 Monday, August 6, 2012
By A Staff Reporter
MUSCAT On the rst day
of the second leg of the 8th
Nawras Goodwill Journey
of compassion and sharing,
Nawras Goodwill volunteers
visited the Omani Womens
Association in Quriyat and
donated laptops, printers,
LCD televisions, DVD play-
ers and an iPad 2. Na wr a s
also presented gifts of freez-
ers, washing machines, cook-
ing appliances and air-condi-
tioning units.
The convoy of volunteers
was received by Sayyid
Ahmed bin Hilal al Busaidy,
Wali of Quriyat, who thanked
the Nawras team for support-
ing the local community dur-
ing the month of Ramadhan.
He said, We welcome the
Nawras family to Quriyat as
they continue to spread the
message of giving and love so
vividly. The donations to the
Omani Womens Association
will be invaluable to the fami-
lies that visit the association
and allow the association to
expand its operations to help
more people.
Khalid al Zadjali, Events
and Protocol Manager at
Nawras and Leader of the
Nawras Goodwill Journey,
said, There is some fantas-
tic work being done in local
communities by the Omani
Womens Association, and
we hope that our donations
can help to further enrich the
lives of the many people in
this area. Being part of the
Nawras Goodwill Journey is
humbling and helps create a
sense of perspective; we are
all proud to be in a position
to offer assistance to those
who need it most. He added,
Supporting the community is
not just about donating money
or items, but also the kindness
and commitment to the cause
that we show.
Spreading smiles and com-
passion across the country, the
annual Goodwill Journey also
sponsored the Ramadhan cul-
tural activities at Al Arooba
Sport Club in Sur. The next
stop on the 8th Nawras Good-
will Journey is the Omani
Womens Association in Al
Kamil Wal Wa as the caring
volunteers head south on the
way to their nal destination
in Salalah.
Every year since 2005, fast-
ing volunteers of the Nawras
Goodwill Journey have trav-
elled thousands and thousands
of kilometres to visit chari-
table organisations and non-
government organisations in
the Sultanate.
Nawras Goodwill messengers kick
off the second leg of the journey
ZURICH The Swiss gov-
ernment still wants to settle a
long-simmering dispute with
US justice ofcials over unde-
clared funds stowed in Swiss
offshore funds by year-end,
though not "at any price,"
Switzerland's chief diplomat
said.
"Our absolute priority is
the best possible solution for
Switzerland. We want a US
settlement by year-end, but
not at any price," Michael Am-
buehl, the Swiss government's
chief negotiator, said in an in-
terview with Neue Zuercher
Zeitung.
Ambuehl's comments on
the timing contrast with those
made by Switzerland's Fi-
nance Minister Eveline Wid-
mer-Schlumpf last month, in
which she said she expected a
deal with the US before elec-
tions in that country.
His comments are also a
rejection of demands by some
to use emergency law to hand
over condential Swiss bank
data in the tax crackdown,
which has been hanging over
banks such as Credit Suisse
and Julius Baer for months.
Switzerland wants the in-
vestigations dropped, in ex-
change for payment of nes
and the transfer of names of
thousands of US bank clients.
It also wants a deal to shield
the remainder of its 300 or so
banks from US prosecution.
In 2009, Swiss authorities
reached a deal for UBS to pay
a ne of $780 million to avert
criminal charges, and ultimate-
ly agreed to allow the bank to
reveal details of around 4,450
clients.
Switzerland also agreed in
July to do more to help other
countries hunt tax dodgers fol-
lowing demands from the Or-
ganisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development.
Reuters
Swiss seek US tax deal by year-end, but not at any price
22
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
By A Staff Reporter
MUSCAT HSBC Bank
Oman SAOG has successfully
linked its newly expanded
ATM network to OmanNet
Switch, giving customers
broader access and conven-
ience to cash withdrawal ma-
chines across the Sultanate.
Former Oman International
Bank (OIB) and HSBC cus-
tomers can now also make use
of all the services offered at
over 100 ATMs of the newly
merged entity free of charge.
A significantly larger
national ATM footprint and
diversifying banking service
channels is only one of the
many advantages customers
can enjoy as the integration
process continues to realise
the full benefits of the merg-
er, said Alan Jarman, Head
of Retail Banking and Wealth
Management at HSBC Bank
Oman. The switch to the
larger ATM network enhanc-
es the ways we can help cus-
tomers and offers them faster
and better access to their
money 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week.
Jarman went on to say that
customers can use ATM net-
works of other local commer-
cial banks in the Sultanate that
are part of OmanNet Switch
to withdraw cash and make
balance enquiries along with
other routine financial transac-
tions for only 100 baisas.
Efficient cash withdrawal
points and secure terminal
environments is part and par-
cel of HSBC Bank Omans
customer experience stand-
ards. The bank prides itself
on responding proactively
to the ever-present risks that
can compromise confidence
in ATM usage by utilising the
latest technology to drive per-
formance and safeguard cus-
tomer interests.
In the coming months,
former OIB ATMs will be up-
graded to improve their look
and feel and re-branded to
feature the iconic HSBC red
hexagon logo.
Bank Sohar organises football tournament
MUSCAT Bank So-
har has organised its first
internal football tourna-
ment which will be played
throughout the month of
Ramadhan. The initiative
has generated a signifi-
cant interest among the
staff due to the passion for
the sport.
The tournament which
has already commenced
from the 1st week of Ra-
madhan is being played at
the Electricity and Water
Authority playground in
Bausher from 10 pm onwards. Eight teams representing various departments within the bank
have taken part in the tournament. The first round of the matches has commenced and 6 matches
have been completed so far. Another 6 matches are to be played during the month.
We are delighted with the response to the 1st Bank Sohar Ramadhan Football Tournament.
Our staff are enthusiastic and excited about their participation at the event. Bank Sohar, which
is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, has a long held tradition of organising leisure and
entertainment events for the staff. Organising the football tournament during the month of Ra-
madhan is yet another initiative to promote a healthy and social lifestyle, Munira Abdulnabi
Macki, DGM Human Resource and Corporate Support, said.
Max partners with Cherokee fashion line
MAX, the leading value
fashion brand in the region,
announced its exclusive
partnership with Cherokee
Inc, a global brand man-
agement company. Follow-
ing this agreement, it will
now be retailing Cherokee
products in addition to its
Max branded merchandise,
initially at selected stores in
the Middle East and Africa.
Beginning summer
2013, customers will have
the opportunity to purchase
Cherokee-branded prod-
ucts in select Max stores
throughout the Middle East
and Africa. The Cherokee
brand will join Maxs select
roster of affordable, high-quality products and will be positioned as a family lifestyle brand for
womens, mens, kids and juniors at Max stores.
Henry Stupp, Chief Executive Officer of the Cherokee Group stated, The exclusive part-
nership with Max is a testament to our continued progress in improving our brand penetration
and strengthening our global brand footprint. We are confident that our family-focused lifestyle
brand will resonate well with Maxs fashion-forward, value-oriented patrons, and we look for-
ward to working with Max to develop and expand our consumer base throughout the Middle East
and Africa. Mark Nawrocki, our Senior Vice-President and our team at The Cherokee Group
have excelled at identifying exceptional retail partners that have successfully introduced our
brand into new markets.
Ramanathan Hariharan, Chief Executive Officer of Max added, The Cherokee brand with
its unique design and American casual appeal will be an excellent addition to our stores, comple-
menting our current offering and reinforcing our brand promise More Fashion, More Value.
The brand will showcase its products for men, women and children initially at select Max out-
lets.
Ahlibanks charity campaign
HSBC Bank Oman links its ATM
network to OmanNet Switch
BUSINESS ALERT
ATHENS Greece's latest
fiscal and reform pledges may
be enough to convince interna-
tional lenders weary after years
of broken promises to keep
Athens hooked to a 130 billion
euro lifeline, but the battle to
implement it will be epic.
Few question the new coa-
lition government's resolve
but many doubt whether the
cantankerous public sector
can or will implement the
measures or the Greek public,
reeling from years of austerity,
can take much more without
putting up a fight.
"The political will is strong,
but so are the obstacles red
tape, a demoralised and in-
creasingly underpaid public
administration are principal
among them," said George Pa-
goulatos, professor of econom-
ics at Athens University.
Greek officials say 11.5
billion euros of fiscal meas-
ures roughly agreed this week
although more painful for
the public will be easier to
implement than the structural
changes.
Reforms such as liberalis-
ing professions and markets
including lawyers and pharma-
cies, have stumbled on strong
union protests. Others, such as
cutting red tape for setting up
a business, have been stuck in
a bloated and ineffective pub-
lic administration incapable of
change.
Since it was first bailed
out two years ago, Greece has
repeatedly fallen behind on
reform pledges to its partners,
who have threatened to cut off
funding at the risk of unravel-
ling the euro.
Athens, which received
a second bailout this year,
blames a deeper than expected
recession for its failures and
wants two more years to hit
targets in its new bailout deal.
Lenders say slow reforms
have not given the programme
a chance to work and want to
see action before considering
any changes.
Greek officials have tem-
porarily set aside requests
for renegotiation while they
hammer out fiscal measures
for 2013-14 with the troika of
International Monetary Fund,
EU and European Central
Bank lenders mostly salary,
pension and welfare cuts.
Prime Minister Antonis Sa-
maras's conservative-led gov-
ernment also announced the
revival of a series of structural
reforms to give the economy
stuck in its fifth year of
recession a much-needed
boost if Greece is to ever es-
cape a debt crisis shaking the
single European currency.
The European Commission
welcomed the announcements
but urged the country to act on
its promises.
Greece is scrambling to pay
a 3.2 billion euro bond due in
August and officials say the
state will run out of cash within
weeks making the troika's
review crucial for its survival.
After finalising the pro-
posed fiscal cuts with the troika
inspectors, expected sometime
this month, the government
will take them through parlia-
ment in September or October.
The junior coalition partners,
the small Democratic Left
and the socialist PASOK par-
ties, are expected to raise some
objections and may even lose
deputies during the debate but
the cuts will ultimately be ap-
proved, analysts said.
The leader of the once pow-
erful PASOK, Evangelos Ven-
izelos, has resisted the most,
convinced the programme
won't work unless its deadlines
are extended, but gave his re-
luctant approval in the face of
a possible Greek bankruptcy.
The biggest obstacle may
come from the streets, with the
radical leftist Syriza opposition
party fanning anger among the
disaffected, who often stage
heated protests. "These meas-
ures lead to a dead end. People
have no more tolerance and the
economy can't take this any
more," said Syriza spokesman
Panos Skourletis. Reuters
Greeces new pledges will take epic battle to implement
By A Staff Reporter
MUSCAT bank muscats
Meethaq, the pioneer of Is-
lamic banking, is hosting a
public lecture on the Ethics
of handling childrens funds
at 5:30 pm, today at bank
muscats head office.
Shaikh Abdullah Amer al
Aisari, a renowned scholar in
Islamic banking, will deliver
the lecture.
bank muscat is promot-
ing the benefits of Shariah-
compliant banking as part
of its Islamic window. As
such, Meethaq now offers
the general public a greater
chance to discover more about
Islamic banking, especially
the important ethical role it
takes in managing childrens
funds. Meethaq is advised by
its Shariah board of directors,
consisting of world-renowned
Shariah scholars. After the
success of the last lecture
that was well attended by the
general public and industry
professionals, the bank offers
another lecture on Islamic
banking in this special Ram-
adhan series of lectures.
For those attending the lec-
ture, an exclusive Iftar buffet
will be available at Zad Res-
taurant, located in bank mus-
cat head office.
Meethaq to host lecture on Ethics
of handling childrens funds
NEW YORK US plane-
maker Boeing said that
Xiamen Airlines, a unit of
China Southern Airlines, had
agreed to purchase 40 next-
generation 737-800s an
order valued at $3.5 billion at
list prices. The deal requires
Chinese regulatory approval,
Boeing said in a statement,
adding that it would work
with Xiamen Airlines to push
through the deal.
Boeing said the airline
planned to use the new air-
craft for "more international
routes to meet growing pas-
senger traffic in Asia-Pacific
and China."
According to the agree-
ment, Boeing will deliver the
40 Boeing 737s from 2016 till
2019, China Southern Airlines
said in a statement.
Xiamen Airlines, which is
due to join the Skyteam alli-
ance by the end of the year,
operates an all-Boeing fleet of
six 757s and 77 next-genera-
tion 737s. "The carrier plans
to grow its operational fleet
to 200 airplanes by the end of
year 2020," Boeing said.
Demand for air traffic
in China has boomed as the
country's economy roars
ahead and an increasingly
affluent middle class travels
more frequently.
China Southern Airlines,
one of China's big three car-
riers along with Air China
and China Eastern Airlines,
owns 60 per cent of Xiamen
Airlines.
On Friday, SilkAir, the re-
gional wing of Singapore Air-
lines (SIA), said it would buy
54 new Boeing planes in a deal
worth $4.9 billion, with an op-
tion to buy a further 14 aircraft.
SilkAir said the firm orders
will cover 23 737-800s and 31
737 MAX 8s, in a deal worth
$4.9 billion based on Boeing's
current list prices. AFP
Xiamen Airlines orders
40 Boeing 737-800s
MONTREAL Canada's
planned Northern Gateway
pipeline, facing challenges in
British Columbia province,
may be re-routed through the
Northwest Territories, the pre-
mier of that region said.
The pipeline project, de-
signed to allow Canada to
export oil to Asia via the Pa-
cific, is stalled over a royalties
dispute.
British Columbia is de-
manding a "fair share" of oil
revenues to reflect the envi-
ronmental risks the province
faces a request Alberta,
home to Canada's tar sands,
has so far refused.
Northwest Territories Pre-
mier Bob McLeod, in an inter-
view on Canadian public radio
CBC, suggested the pipeline
should pass instead through
his region, since a natural gas
pipeline intended to pass that
way has been put on hold.
McLeod said he would
prefer for that project, the
Mackenzie Valley pipeline,
to be restarted, but "if all the
doors are closed, then we're
prepared to look at other op-
tions."
McLeod's proposal was
welcomed by Alberta's minis-
ter of international and inter-
governmental affairs, also
interviewed on CBC. "We
would be more than pleased
to talk to Premier McLeod
and anyone in the NWT that's
interested in the potential of
co-operating on projects," Cal
Dallas said. AFP
Alternate route proposed in
Canada pipeline spat
EUROPEAN Commission director Matthias Morse and the
ECB representative Klaus Masuch (L) arrive for a meeting
with the finance minister of Greece in Athens. AFP
ABDULLAH al Amri, ahlibanks Barka Branch Manager, handing over
the cheque to the welfare of the handicapped at Barka.
23
NEW YORK To borrow
from "Star Wars," the force is
strong with this stock market.
Despite a ho-hum earnings
season and central banks' dis-
appointing hopes for aggres-
sive economic stimulus this
week, US stocks held rm.
After four days of losses,
the benchmark Standard &
Poor's 500 index SPX rallied
on Friday, nishing the week
in the positive for a fourth
straight time and reaching
three-month highs.
Sustaining momentum are
valuations that make stocks
attractively priced relative to
other assets. To be sure, some
corporate earnings have been
impressive, especially in de-
fensive stocks such as utili-
ties.
The trigger for stocks'
surge was the Labor Depart-
ment report that US employ-
ers added 163,000 jobs to
their payrolls in July, the most
in ve months. However, the
unemployment rate, based on
a different government survey,
edged up to 8.3 per cent.
"There's still a fair amount
of pessimism, but equities
are so much more attractive
than bonds that the dividend
on Johnson & Johnson, for
example, offers a better yield
than the company's bonds,"
said Bruce Zessar, Managing
Director at Advisory Research
in Chicago, which oversees
about $9 billion.
An investor would do bet-
ter with the stock than the
bond over the next ten years
even if the stock price went
nowhere because of the stock
dividend, he said.
Based on measures like div-
idends and price-to-earnings
ratios, equities appear cheap
compared to other assets like
Treasuries where yields on the
10-year note fell to a record
low this past month. Stocks
are the best house in a bad
neighbourhood.
After the Federal Reserve
and the European Central
Bank didn't take aggressive,
immediate measures to spur
growth, the market disappoint-
ment was fairly short-lived,
considering how hotly the ac-
tions had been anticipated.
The S&P fell about 0.7 per
cent on Thursday following
the ECB's comments com-
pared with a nearly 2 per cent
rise before in anticipation of
action.
"This indicates that there
is near- and long-term mo-
mentum on our side, like Wall
Street's version of 'May the
force be with you,'" said Sam
Stovall, chief investment strat-
egist for Standard & Poor's
Equity Research Services in
New York.
In another positive sign,
large blocks of upside calls
were apparently bought on
Friday in an exchange traded
fund designed to measure eq-
uity performance in the global
emerging markets.
The option ow in the
iShares MSCI Emerging Mar-
kets fund "seems to express
condence that today's glo-
bal equity market rally can
continue over the next seven
weeks," said WhatsTrading.
com options strategist Fred-
eric Ruffy.
For the week, the Dow
Jones industrial average .DJI
rose 0.2 per cent, the Nasdaq
composite index .IXIC added
0.3 per cent and the S&P rose
0.4 pct. It was a fourth straight
week of gains for the Dow and
S&P and third for the Nasdaq.
The S&P is up almost 9 per
cent from an early June bot-
tom and is a mere 2 per cent
from its 2012 closing high.
Much of that rise has come
on gains in defensive sec-
tors like telecommunications
.GSPT, a sign that while in-
vestors aren't ready to aban-
don stocks, they're still look-
ing to limit risk and volatility.
Telecom shares are by far the
strongest performers of the
year, surging 18.6 per cent,
more than double the S&P's
8.5 per cent gain for the year.
"It's rare to see gains lead
by defensives, but they offer
such attractive yields from
dividends that even though
valuations are stretched,
they're likely to get stretched
further," said Brad Sorensen,
director of market and sector
analysis at Charles Schwab in
Denver.
In a sign of near-term mo-
mentum, 87.5 per cent of tel-
ecom shares are trading over
their 50-day moving average,
according to data from Be-
spoke. Utilities .GSPU, anoth-
er defensive group, has almost
98 per cent of components
above the moving average,
compared to 71.8 per cent of
the S&P at large.
This comes despite an earn-
ings season marked by weak
revenue growth and compa-
nies that are more negative
about their outlooks than they
have been 11 years. Still, more
than two-thirds of S&P com-
ponents have topped prot ex-
pectations thus far, according
to Thomson Reuters data.
Quarterly earnings due
next week include Walt Dis-
ney Co, Priceline.com and
Chesapeake Energy. Results
from Macy's Inc and JC Pen-
ney Co Inc should shed light
on the strength of consumer
spending. Reuters
MILAN Italy's "war" with
international debt markets has
sent borrowing costs soaring
for its traditionally prudently
managed private companies,
stiing their efforts to invest
in competing more strongly
with rivals in Germany and
beyond.
Just as Prime Minister
Mario Monti (pictured) tries
to x the problems that have
hindered Italy's private sector
for decades, notably its legen-
dary ofcial red tape, compa-
nies are paying signicantly
more to borrow than competi-
tors to the north.
The European Central
Bank has slashed its interest
rates and showered banks with
cheap cash in the hope they
will lend to companies and
consumers in the struggling
southern nations such as Italy,
which have been worst hit by
the euro zone crisis. But at the
same time, a jump in Italy's
borrowing costs on the sover-
eign bond market has dragged
up interest rates on bank loans
to Italian industry.
"We used to be able to
borrow at 2.5-3 per cent. But
since this war of the sovereign
bond spreads began, things
have changed dramatically,"
said Paolo Bastianello, Chair-
man of textiles group Marly's.
"The cost of credit has cer-
tainly risen by a couple of per-
centage points."
Marly's is the kind of Ital-
ian manufacturer that typi-
cally competes strongly on
international markets, making
high-end women's clothes un-
der its own label and for top
fashion brands such as Carlo
Pignatelli and Kathleen Mad-
den.
A company with annual
sales of 16.5 million euros,
Marly's is based near the his-
toric city of Vicenza in the
Veneto, a region thick with
small- and medium-sized
companies (SMEs) which
have long exported goods and
components to the huge Ger-
man market across the Alps.
Even though the ECB's
benchmark rate has fallen to a
record low 0.75 per cent, the
cost of corporate credit in Italy
now reects more on the gen-
eral risk associated with the
state and the cost of sustaining
its mammoth 2 trillion debt.
Italy's conservative compa-
nies, which have avoided tak-
ing on the huge debt burdens
typical in the Anglo-Saxon
world and fellow euro zone
struggler Spain, are paying the
price for a state debt equal to
120 per cent of annual eco-
nomic output. At 81 per cent
of gross domestic product,
total net indebtedness of Ital-
ian non-nancial companies
is signicantly lower than in
Britain, France and Spain, al-
though slightly higher than in
Germany, according to Bank
of Italy data.
But Italian rms rely on
banks for 70 per cent of their
nancial debt, a higher share
than the European average.
This makes them dependent
on banks' lending policies and
vulnerable to domestic eco-
nomic developments.
ECB data released on
Wednesday showed that com-
panies in Italy paid on average
a 4.57 per cent interest rate in
June for short-term loans of
up to one million euros. This
compares with just 3.37 per
cent paid by their German
competitors and is half a per-
centage point higher than the
euro zone average.
Yet 18 months ago, before
being engulfed in the euro zone
crisis, Italian companies could
get small short-term loans at
3.22 per cent, below the euro
average and Germany, ECB
data show. Reuters
Positive momentum in
the face of headwinds
Crisis sties Italian rms
competitiveness drive
TRADERS working on the oor of the New York Stock Exchange. Reuters
WALL ST WEEK AHEAD
24
TEL: 24601003, 24600586 FAX: 24600736
WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com
MUSCAT In 1935, the rst
Toyota a G1 truck was
produced in the automotive de-
partment of Toyoda Automatic
Loom Works, Ltd. Seventy-
six years later the automaker
has manufactured 199,999,999
more vehicles, reaching the
200 million milestone.
Marking the achievement,
Toyota President Akio Toyoda
said: I wish to express my
heartfelt appreciation to our
customers the world over who
made it possible for us to reach
this milestone. I also have the
most profound respect and
gratitude for the efforts of all
persons who were involved in
developing, manufacturing and
marketing Toyota and Lexus
vehicles over the years. We are
determined to make our cars
even better, to continue to give
our customers the best possible
product. This is the common
goal of our 300,000 Toyota
staff members worldwide.
The most-produced Toyota
model is the Corolla, with
total global production just
shy of the 40 million mark at
39.08 million units making it
the best selling car of all time.
The 2013 Corolla has recently
been launched in Oman. In it,
state-of-the-art technology and
superb design comes together
perfectly. Elegantly crafted
and loaded with special touch-
es ... the stylishly new Corolla
Exclusive puts all others in the
shade, say those who have
seen the marvel from up close.
The stylishly new Corolla
Exclusive is available in Oman
with many attractions that in-
clude front and rear body-kit,
alloy wheels, chrome side pro-
tection moulding, turn signal
indicators on the outer mirrors,
rear-lip spoiler, chrome gar-
nish fog lamp, chrome mufer
cutter and several redesigned
features. New "exclusive" de-
cals on both anks add to its
appeal.
An air of exclusivity is cre-
ated by the rich woodgrain
panelling that adorns the front
console along with woodgrain
steering wheel and gear shift
knob. The bluetooth kit adds
to the convenience. Generous
head and legroom and superb
t and nish heighten the feel
of relaxation.
Another star performer is
the Toyota Camry a model
that has gone on to dominate
the midsize family sedan seg-
ment for virtually all of the
century, as consumers imme-
diately embraced it for its high
build quality, comfortable ride
and impressive durability. Suc-
cessive models of Camry have
received top awards over the
years and the consumers have
always trusted the excellent
quality, durability and reliabil-
ity of this vehicle.
If we speak of the current
Camry, we can conclude that
it's the 'Best Camry Ever' on
the basis of its bold, sophisti-
cated design, an even spacious
interior, improved driving
characteristics and an even
quieter ride.
With class-leading safety,
fuel economy from its four-
cylinder, 2.5-litre based pow-
er-train and multimedia tech-
nology, it is a truly 'a pride to
own and a joy to drive'.
From Toyota's stable of tri-
umphant thoroughbreds, the
Land Cruiser rears its proud
head higher. There are a few
vehicles that inspire my imagi-
nation, says a Forbes maga-
zine article, Just say 'Land
Cruiser' in my vicinity, and Im
off to the desert, or the jungle,
or anywhere a million miles
away from civilisation at
least in my mind,
The object of Forbes' admi-
ration, the Toyota Land Cruis-
er is a 'Totally Unchallenged'
4WD. With cutting-edge in-
novations to its exterior and
interior, it delivers high per-
formance, safety and luxury,
whether on the road or off.
Among other achievers in
the Toyota range are Aurion,
Avalon, Prado, Fortuner, FJ
Cruiser, Yaris, Sequoia, Hilux,
Coaster, among others. Each a
favourite in their segment.
In Oman, Toyota soars far
above the rest both in terms
of market share as well as
customer retention. Its pride
of place made possible by an
outstanding product and the
ever-reliable support of Saud
Bahwan Group.
Added privileges available
to Toyota customers include
6-year unlimited mileage pro-
tection plan, 98 per cent parts
availability and a vast sales,
service and spares infrastruc-
ture/facility network spanning
Oman.
200-millionth Toyota sets global milestone
AKIOToyoda, President,
Toyota Motor Corporation
NEW YORK Wall Street
banks and brokers are poring
over their trading systems and
rethinking the way they test
software to make sure they
don't become the next Knight
Capital Group, the trading
rm whose survival was im-
perilled by a software glitch
on Wednesday.
Knight Capital's $440 mil-
lion loss from errant trades,
which has forced the com-
pany to consider selling all or
part of itself, is the third time
in ve months that technical
bugs have caused trouble for
Wall Street players.
Executives at trading
rms said they are debating
among one another whether
new regulations could prevent
these snafus. But they also
said glitches were a wake-up
call for rms to improve their
controls on their own, with-
out being pushed into it. At a
time when Wall Street is cut-
ting costs, spending money on
better systems to test software
and manage risk could be an
expensive proposition.
"We want to make sure
that what happened to Knight
doesn't happen to us," said the
head of one investment bank.
His company was looking
carefully at how it tests new
trading systems, to make sure
traders know when new sys-
tems are being implemented
and can be on the lookout
for suspicious activity during
those periods.
Their efforts face plenty of
obstacles. As more trading has
moved from exchange oors
to computers over the last
decade, the speed of execution
jumped along with the poten-
tial for cascading problems.
Trading rms, market mak-
ers, brokers, investment banks
and exchanges and other trad-
ing venues are linked in a net-
work of complex computer
systems that compete to exe-
cute trades as fast as possible.
That competition, combined
with the never-ending array
of new rules, forces market
participants to constantly im-
prove their systems.
But the intricate network of
players and systems creates a
much wider range of potential
problems for trading systems,
making testing costly and dif-
cult. Good testing requires
a rm to imagine everything
that can possibly go wrong and
how the system will interact
with other systems. Predicting
every plausible scenario is not
easy, said one trading head at a
major Wall Street rm.
Regulators have set up
"circuit breakers" that require
exchanges to suspend trading
in stocks that move too much
too quickly. But dealers and
other market players usually
have even more sophisticated
circuit breakers for their own
trading. "You need an algo-
rithm to monitor the trading
algorithm," said John Bates,
chief technology ofcer at
Progress Software, which pro-
vides trading software.
Knight appeared to lack
these sorts of circuit breakers,
or at least did not implement
them well enough, traders
said.
Two other major trading
glitches have beset Wall Street
since March. BATS Global
Markets, an exchange, was
unable to complete its own in-
itial public offering because of
a technical problem. Nasdaq
botched the market debut of
Facebook due to systems bugs,
costing it tens of millions of
dollars, while UBS AG lost
more than $350 million in
trading Facebook shares and
is blaming Nasdaq.
Dealers don't always do a
great job of testing, said Colin
Clark, a developer with Cloud
Event Processing, a rm that
works with big Wall Street banks
and exchanges on software and
technology. Reuters
Investors see Knight as
software risk wake-up call
A TRADER works at the Knight Capital kiosk on the oor
of the New York Stock Exchange. Reuters
Muslim conforms to the divine discipline
By Dr Syed Bashir
Ahmad Kashmiri
B
ESIDES compliance
with morality and vir-
tuous values, the Mus-
lim also conforms to the divine
discipline. He strictly adheres
to the precisely coherent code
of the Shariah that has been
made incumbent upon him by
his Creator and Cherisher. The
Shariah has widely permit-
ted him everything legitimate
and forbidden only specic
things identied to him; it
has dened his responsibili-
ties, elucidated his rights and
elaborated all that he needs;
it has not left him neglected
to be robed by contradicting
philosophies and manmade
systems that could swing
along with him left and right.
It has rather illustrated for him
the right path to stride putting
him under obligation to follow
its course. It is considerate of
his excusable situations, and
for that it has allowed conces-
sions and relieved him of the
unbearable; it appreciates the
emerging needs, and for that it
permits what might otherwise
be impermissible to the ex-
tent of constraining exigency,
its size and period, without
transgression or outrage. In
this very context, for example,
Allah says about the prohib-
ited foods:
But if one is forced by ne-
cessity, without willful diso-
bedience, nor transgressing
due limits, then is he guilt-
less. For God is Oft-forgiving
Most Merciful. (Al-Qurn,
2:173)
Thus throughout all his
life, the Muslim is bound
within what Allah has widely
permitted to him; he is not re-
strained in doing whatever he
wants to do; he is rather, only
disciplined to keep watching
what ought to be done.
If we take the example of
food, he does not eat from a
dead animal or blood or pork
nor does he eat from an animal
not slaughtered in Islamic way.
It is also not lawful for him to
eat what has not been slaugh-
tered, or what was slaughtered
on xed stones (like, altars /
graves/memorial sites etc.) or
on which the name of someone
else other than Allah has been
invoked.
Similarly, it is not lawful
for him to eat a food that had
been unlawfully taken from its
legitimate owner or that had
been stolen or that was wrong-
fully procured, as it is illegiti-
mate for him to eat someones
food without his willingness.
Likewise, it is not permit-
ted for the Muslim to take any
such food or substance, eating
which is harmful to his own
self.
Since he is not the master
of his own self, damaging the
self is unlawful, because dam-
aging it amounts to its slow
killing. Allah, the Almighty
says: Nor kill (or destroy)
yourselves: for verily God
hath been to you Most Merci-
ful! (Al-Qurn, 4:29)
The Messenger of Allah
says: No damaging and no
harming (is allowable) i.e.
do not damage your own selves
and do not harm others.
For this reason using to-
bacco and its products after
its harmfulness has been sci-
entically and sufciently es-
tablished is unquestionably
forbidden. Narcotic substanc-
es, which fall in the category
of poisons, are even worse. In
fact, in Islam, the label pro-
hibited tags on everything
noxious and harmful: for he
commands them what is just
and forbids them what is evil
(Al-Qurn, 7:157)
In the same way, to protect
his intellect, body and charac-
ter, the Muslim does not drink
intoxicant beverages. He treats
alcohol as being mother of all
impurities, an abomination of
Satans handiwork and a major
unholy transgression. This has
been underlined in the authen-
tic Hadeeth that reads, An
adulterer committing adul-
tery is not a believer, while
he is engaged in adultery; a
thief stealing is not a believer,
while he is stealing; a drunk-
ard is not a believer, while he
is drinking (an intoxicant).
Moreover, even after hav-
ing made certain that his food
and drink are legitimate, the
Muslim does not eat or drink
in utensils made of gold or sil-
ver as directed by the ideal role
model, Muhammad, the Mes-
senger of Allah. Whoever eats
or drinks in utensils of gold or
silver, swallows Hell-Fire into
his belly. In other words, When
the Muslim eats or drinks what
is lawful, he does not near self-
indulgence so as to fall into the
boundary of extravagance.
Allah says: O Children
of Adam! wear your beauti-
ful apparel at every time and
place of prayer: eat and drink:
But waste not by excess, for
God loveth not the wasters.
(Al-Qurn, 7:31)
In his domestic, social, eco-
nomic and political ties too, the
Muslim is duty bound by the
divine law: he marries and di-
vorces, inherits and bequeaths,
rules and seeks judgment, and
reconciles and ghts in light of
the mandate and interdictions
of the Shariah and in accord-
ance with its requisites and
preferences.
Whatever Allah has legiti-
mised, that is legitimate; what-
ever He has forbidden, that is
illegitimate; wherever he has
preferred silence that is a fa-
vour from Him.
(Dr Syed Bashir Ahmad
Kashmiri, College of Arts
& Sciences, University of
Nizwa)
17th day of
Ramadhan
Oh! Allah, on this
day, guide me
towards righteous
actions, full my
needs and hopes, Oh!
One who does not
need explanations
nor questions, Oh!
One who knows what
is in the chests of the
(people of the) world.
Bless Muhammad,
peace be upon him,
and his family,
the Pure
Auspicious Daily
Supplication
Co-operate with
Islamic banks
T
HE presence of Islamic banks
assumes special signicance
in Muslim countries. I pray
to the Almighty to grant success to
the founders of Islamic banks, to
help them follow the right path and
to rid the people from the suffering
caused by accumulated burdens,
most notably the burdens imposed
by the hegemony of an economic
system which imposes high interest
(riba) on those who deal with it.
I pray to the Almighty to grant
success to the auditing committees
which monitor the implementation
of Islamic banking, hoping that all
will stick to Sharia-based regula-
tions and avoid illegitimate deal-
ings.
When dealing with Islamic banks,
people undoubtedly require a vari-
ety of services, including loans, and
they need all types of give-and-take
transactions. If economic activities
and banking transactions are not
properly structured in the emerging
Islamic banks as per the Sharia laws,
people will resort to riba-based
nancial institutions for loans and
they are bound to suffer a depletion
of their nancial resources. The Al-
mighty warned in the Quran against
indulging in riba, which is inter-
est-based income from a borrowers
capital.
When Islamic nancial institu-
tions are set up, their establishment
means implementation of Sharia-
based nancial dealings which do
not capitalise on interest. Therefore,
the outcome of Islamic nancial
institutions will only be a form of
mercy on people and the spread
bounty. This enables all to resolve
their nancial problems in a way
that would not invoke the anger of
the Almighty.
Therefore, I would like to call
people to co-operate with Islamic
economic institutions, to push their
benign march forward so that peo-
ple can achieve their aspirations for
a better life.
HE Shaikh Ahmed al Khalili,
Grand Mufti of the Sultanate
Reections on Islam
Students recite the Holy Quran at Madarasatul Imam Anwarullah during Ramadhan in Hyderabad. AFP
By Dr Fahim Ahmed Shah
F
ASTING in the month of
Ramadhan is an opportunity to
make signicant changes in life-
style and develop the resolve to make
healthy living choices. Fasting is a phys-
ical and spiritual experience requiring a
great deal of preparation. What and how
much you eat affects your health direct-
ly, and refraining from food can help
improve self-discipline and restraint if
done appropriately. It is an opportunity
to make healthy lifestyle choices and
give up some of those bad habits like
smoking, paneating, telling lies, speak-
ing ill of others, back bitings, losing
temper and vain talk. Being mindful of
how you fast and how you break your
fast can help to improve your overall
health both physical and mental.
Fasting is not only a physical but also
a spiritual exercise that has many last-
ing benets like a sense of heightened
consciousness of God, helps you to be-
come less preoccupied with bodily ap-
petites, and gives the heart and mind the
freedom to reect upon deeper spiritual
matters, such as the relationship with
God and with fellow human beings. It
enables a person to develop sustained
consciousness of God.
Healthy lifestyle
A fasting person learns restraint, and
only responds to hunger and thirst in the
heightened level of consciousness and
discipline. In the Quran healthy and
wholesome foodis described as the best
of provisions. Islam creates a sense of
responsibility in people to take a healthy
living lifestyle as normal. Fasting in the
month of Ramadhan teaches us to man-
age and practice spirituality and not to
eat excessively. The essential part of
spirituality in food is that we are grate-
ful and thankful for the food we get.
The blessed Prophet once said: God
has a right over you; your body has a
right over you To strike a balance
between the needs of the physical body
and your spiritual needs, you must on
the one hand consume the right type and
amount of food and on the other hand
develop excellent interpersonal skills.
The blessed Prophet Muhammad said:
I have only been sent for the perfection
of character.
Fasting and the Sick
Fasting is complete abstinence from
food and drink between dawn and dusk.
All those who are ill or frail, pregnant
or menstruating women, breastfeed-
ingmothers and travellers are exempt-
ed. They are required to make up the
number of days missed at a later date.
Health is the key to happiness, and what
we consume directly affects our health.
Islam encourages Muslims to ensure
that they are mindful of their health. The
blessed Prophet said: Take advantage
of the good health before illnesses afict
you. He also encouraged Muslims to
try their best to take up a healthy living
lifestyle that includes a balanced diet,
regular mental and physical exercise
and a balance between material and spir-
itual needs.The month of Ramadhan is
a great opportunity to focus on bringing
back a balanced and healthy lifestyle in
your life.
Fasting and Diet
The fasts of Ramadhan can improve
a persons health. The deciding factor
is what you consume in the non-fasting
hours.
Food has a great signicance in Is-
lam. It is associated with ones relation-
ship with God. Chapter 20, verse 81 of
the Quran states: Eat of the good and
wholesome things that we have provided
for your sustenance, but indulge in no
excess therein.
The physical body is a gift from God;
it is given to humans as an amanah (in
trust) to take care of for a xed period.
How much food is consumed and the
choice of food has a direct impact on
the physical and spiritual well-being of
the person. The food that you consume
affects your behaviour and personal-
ity. Wholesome, natural and healthy
food assists the development of a good
personality. Overeating has long been
frowned upon in Islam as it is thought
to increase worldly appetites and cause
sluggishness, thereby dulling the soul,
hampering spiritual growth and increas-
ing physical ailments.
The blessed Prophet said: The chil-
dren of Adam ll no vessel worse than
their stomach. Sufcient for him is a few
morsels to keep his back straight. If he
must eat more, then a third should be for
his food, a third for his drink, and a third
left for air. (Sunan al-Tirmidh).
Islam makes a strong connection
between food and worship and teaches
that all forms of worship have a deeper
purpose and impact and contributing
some way to individual and social well-
being. In chapter 7, verse 31 the Quran
is categorical: Eat and drink freely: but
waste not by excess, for He does not like
the wasters.
Moderate diet
The diet should be simple and not
differ too much from ones normal eve-
ryday diet. It should contain foods from
all the major food groups, complex
carbohydrates are foods that will help
release energy slowly during the long
hours of fasting. Complex carbohy-
drates are found in grains and seeds, like
barley,wheat, oats, millets, semolina,
beans, lentils, whole mealour, basmati
rice, etc. Fibre-rich foods are also di-
gested slowly and include bran, cereals,
whole wheat, grains and seeds, potatoes
with the skin, vegetables such as green
beans and almost all fruit, including ap-
ricots, prunes, gs, etc. Foods to avoid
are the heavily-processed, fast-burning
foods that contain rened carbohydrates
in the form of sugar, white our, etc.,
as well as, of course, too much fatty
food (eg cakes,biscuits, chocolates and
sweets. ). It may also be worth avoid-
ing the caffeine content in drinks such
as tea, coffee and cola.
The most commonly consumed foods
by Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon
him, were milk, dates, lamb/mutton and
oats. Healthy foods mentioned in the
Holy Quran are fruit and vegetables,
such as olives, onions, cucumber,gs,
dates, grapes as well as pulses such as
lentils. The encouragement of sh can
be seen in the fact that Islamic law
spares sh from any specic slaughter
requirements, making it easy to incorpo-
rate sh in a meal.
(Dr Fahim Ahmed Shah, ENT Sur-
geon, Sur Hospital)
Fasting improves self-discipline, healthy lifestyle
26
RAMADHAN MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
Waitresses who wear red get more tips
W
AITRESSES who wear
red clothes or put on
red lipstick get up to 26 per
cent extra in tips than while
wearing other colours, a study
has found.
Bigger tips come only
from male customers, and no
matter what colour waitresses
wear, female diners give the
same kind of amounts every
time, the Daily Mail reported
citing the study by the Jour-
nal of Hospitality and Tour-
ism Research.
A total of 11 waitresses
were studied in ve res-
taurants over a six-week
period. They were asked to
wear the same kind of T-shirt
every day but with alternate
colours.
When wearing black,
white, green, blue or yellow
T-shirts, the size of the tips
from both male and female
customers was almost identi-
cal.
But when they wore red,
the tips went up by between
15 and 26 per cent from male
customers. Tips from female
customer remained the same.
A total of 272 restaurant
customers were studied by
researchers Nicolas Gueguen
and Celine Jacob, sociolo-
gists from the Universite de
Bretagne-Sud, France.
The researchers said the
colour red is perceived by
men to increase the physical
attractiveness of women.
And it conrmed that it
would make female custom-
ers react negatively and tip
less.
The team had earlier found
that putting on red lipstick
can also improve tips. Male
customers were two-thirds
more likely to leave a gratuity
to waitresses with luscious
red lips.
The researchers tracked the
tips left for seven waitresses
over two months against the
variously coloured lipstick
they wore.
In 450 transactions, wait-
resses wearing pink or brown
lipstick, or none at all, got tips
on average about 30 per cent
of the time.
But when they put on
red lipstick, male customers
tipped half the time and
left more money.
RAMADHAN OFFER
COINCIDING with the Month of Ramadhan, the Observer has come up again with an attractive contest
for its esteemed readers. All that the participants need to do is to fill in the coupons which will be featured
daily in the Observer throughout the Month. PARTICIPANTS SHOULD SEND ALL THE COUPONS IN
ONE BUNCH to the Oman Daily Observer, Post Box 974, PC 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Contestants
can send in any number of entries but no photocopies are allowed. Many valuable prizes are on offer.
Winners will be decided in a draw.
Note: Employees of Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising and their close relatives are
NOT eligible to take part in this contest.
17
July/ Ramadhan Fajr Sunrise Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha
August 1433 AH (am) (am) (pm) (pm) Iftar (pm) (pm)
Aug 6 17 04:17 05:39 12:18 03:42 06:52 08:09
Aug 7 18 04:17 05:39 12:18 03:42 06:52 08:08
Aug 6 19 04:18 05:39 12:18 03:42 06:51 08:07
Aug 7 20 04:19 05:40 12:18 03:42 06:50 08:06
Aug 8 21 04:19 05:40 12:17 03:43 06:50 08:06
Aug 9 22 04:20 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:49 08:05
Aug 10 23 04:20 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:48 08:04
Aug 11 24 04:21 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:47 08:03
Aug 12 25 04:22 05:42 12:17 03:43 06:47 08:02
Aug 13 26 04:22 05:42 12:17 03:43 06:46 08:01
Aug 14 27 04:23 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:45 08:00
Aug 15 28 04:23 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:44 07:59
Aug 16 29 04:24 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:44 07:58
Aug 17 (30) 04:25 05:44 12:16 03:42 06:43 07:57
Aug 18 04:25 05:44 12:16 03:42 06:42 07:56
RAMADHAN TIMINGS MUSCAT
Area Sunrise Sunset
(min) (min)
Ras Al Hadd 8 4
Al Ashkhara 9 2
Sur 7 3
Wadi Bani Khalid 5 2
Qurayyat 3 2
Jaalan 7 1
Al Kamil 6 1
Bidiya 4 0
Ibra 3 0
Bid Bid +1 +1
Samayil +1 +1
Barka +2 +1
Nakhl +2 +1
Al Mudhaibi 1 +2
Al Musana +3 +2
Izki +1 +3
Saiq +2 +3
Al Rustaq +1 +2
Al Awabi +4 +5
Al Hamra +5 +3
Al Khaburah +6 +3
Musandam +14 +3
Masirah 8 +4
Nizwa/Manah +2 +4
Saham +7 +4
Sohar +8 +4
Shinas +10 +4
Adam +1 +5
Bahla +3 +5
Liwa +9 +5
Wadi Hibi +8 +6
Mahout 5 +7
Qarn Al Alam 2 +7
Ibri/Yanqul +7 +7
Mahdha +11 +11
Dhank +8 +8
Fahoud +5 +9
Al Buraimi +11 +9
Ras Madraka 7 +10
Al Duqm 5 +10
Al Khuwair +11 +12
Haima +1 +15
Al Jazir 2 +16
Al Halaniyat 2 +20
Maqshan +6 +21
Marmool +2 +22
Mirbat +2 +26
Taqa/Al Mamura +4 +28
Thamrait +6 +28
Salalah/Raysut +5 +29
Rakhyout +5 +30
Sarfait/Dalkout +8 +33
Habrout +11 +34
TIMING IN OTHER REGIONS AS COMPARED TO MUSCAT
27
LETTERS/HEALTH MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
R
EADING and observing
the local news, I realise
that Omani women are
playing pro-active role in the
society. I specially admire the
recent meeting in Sohar where
50 women were given sewing
machines as a tool to earn their
livelihood. I am also proud to
see Omani women gracing the
pages of the news. Additionally
the sportswomen of Oman take
part in national and international
events. This is denitely a new
era for Omani women as their
display of poise in society has
revealed their productive equal
and unique role alongside men.
Sophie
Editor: Omani women have
always been partners in progress
of the country. In the recent years
their roles in the society have
been diversied. The collective
achievements prove that support
and encouragement will always
result in triumph for all, regard-
less of gender.
Fisheries and economic
development
I
T is pleasing to nd that the
government of Oman is taking
initiatives to capitalise on its
resources while simultaneously
providing a better livelihood
for shermen in Oman. Further
boosting the shing industry
will serve as a great benet and I
hope that the trade limitations on
export will allow for residents of
Oman to enjoy more local sh.
Charlotte Makala
Editor: The Sultanate of
Oman has always taken pride
in developing its nation as a
whole. Presenting shermen
of Oman with the opportunity
to enhance their trade will un-
doubtedly be leading the sh-
ing industry to greater heights.
It is my rm belief that the trail
to an enhanced thriving country
in terms of scal, industrial and
palatable progress has already
been paved, and the journey is
in motion.
Summer droughts
W
E start hearing about
droughts in India with
the onset of summer. A drought
makes a bad situation worse
for the Indian economy already
crippled by a sharp slowdown in
growth, and persistent ination.
There has been big rain decit
this year in a country which is
Asias third largest economy
and where more than half the
farmland lacks irrigation.
Sudaran
Editor: We really have a little
control over natural phenomenon.
But if that natural phenomenon is
happening with short intervals,
we should do some planning, as
the real danger with a drought
is not just the impact on GDP
growth, but it is the incomes of
the poorer sections that get hurt.
Development projects
T
HE recent approval of new
development projects by the
Tender Board is a praiseworthy
decision. I see many new projects
coming with this approval,
including construction of bridges
over Salalah Muscat road
crossroad with Al Rabat road and
dual-carriageway of Al Rabat
road till Al Dahareez roundabout
in Salalah city. I am visualising
Salalah of today and Salalah ve
years after. The city is in for total
transformation with hosts of new
business opportunities.
Ahmed
Editor: Keeping in mind in-
creasing pressure on roads as
also to maintain pace with the
ongoing development, such de-
velopments are necessary and
we should thank our visionary
leadership which takes care of
all sorts of needs.
Empowerment of women in the Sultanate
PEOPLES
PLATFORM
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Tel: 24649451, Fax: 24649469; e-mail: observerfeatures@gmail.com
I
N a marriage, forgive and
forget are probably a thing
of the past, and getting an-
gry could be the best way to
solve relationship problems, a
psychologist has found.
James McNulty, associate
professor at the University
of Tennessee, found that for-
giving may actually build up
resentment, the Daily Mail
reported.
The short-term discomfort
of an angry but honest conver-
sation can actually benet
the health of a relationship in
the long term, he said.
McNulty found that for-
giveness in marriage can have
some unintended negative ef-
fects.
We all experience a time
in a relationship in which a
partner transgresses against us
in some way. For example, a
partner may be nancially ir-
responsible, unfaithful, or un-
supportive, he said.
When these events oc-
cur, we must decide whether
we should be angry and hold
onto that anger, or forgive,
McNulty said.
Anger can serve an im-
portant role in signalling to a
transgressing partner that the
offensive behaviour is not ac-
ceptable.
However, he said there was
no single answer to the prob-
lem.
There is no magic bullet,
no single way to think or be-
have in a relationship, he said.
Secret to a happy marriage: Get angry
Oman Daily Observer would like to take the lead in sharing the joy
with its readers. Send us a colour photograph of your baby (below
10 years) along with name, date of birth, address, telephone
number and parents names. Send in your babys picture and other
details to: editor@omanobserver.om; featuredesk@yahoo.co.in
or Kids Corner, Oman Daily Observer, P O Box 974,
PC 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
Shalini Ravisankar
H
AVING a healthy
heart and lungs may
help middle school
students secure higher grades
in math and reading, says a
new research.
Cardiorespiratory tness
was the only factor that we
consistently found to have
an impact on both boys and
girls grades on reading and
math tests, said study co-au-
thor Trent A. Petrie, professor
of psychology and director of
the Centre for Sport Psychol-
ogy at the University of North
Texas.
This provides more evi-
dence that schools need to re-
examine any policies that have
limited students involvement
in physical education class-
es, he added, according to a
university statement.
The researchers gathered
data at ve Texas middle
schools from 1,211 students,
of whom, 54 per cent were fe-
male with an average age of
about 12. Overall, the group
was 57 per cent white.
While previous studies
have found links between
being physically t and im-
proved academic perform-
ance, this study also exam-
ined several other potential
inuences, including self-es-
teem and social support.
It also took into account
the students socio-economic
status and their self-report-
ed academic ability, Petrie
said.
In addition to cardiorespi-
ratory tness, social support
was related to better reading
scores among boys, accord-
ing to the study.
It dened social support as
reliable help from family and
friends to solve problems or
deal with emotions.
For girls, having a larger
body mass index was the only
factor other than cardiorespi-
ratory tness that predicted
better reading scores.
For boys and girls, cardi-
orespiratory tness was the
only factor related to their
performance on the math
tests.
These ndings were pre-
sented at the American Psy-
chological Associations
120th Annual Convention.
Strong hearts help kids secure higher grades
C
ITY children are more
likely than rural kids
to have food allergies,
a new study suggests.
Researchers analysed data
from more than 38,000 chil-
dren in different areas of the
United States and found that
9.8 per cent of city children
have food allergies, compared
with 6.2 per cent of rural chil-
dren. Compared to rural kids,
children in cities are twice as
likely to have peanut allergies
(2.8 per cent vs 1.3 per cent)
and more than double the rate
of shellsh allergies (2.4 per
cent vs. 0.8 per cent).
Food allergies were
equally severe regardless
of where children live, and
nearly 40 per cent of food-
allergic children in the study
had experienced a severe,
life-threatening reaction to a
particular food. Symptoms
of a life-threatening reaction
include trouble breathing, a
swelling in the throat and a
drop in blood pressure, the
researchers said.
We have found for the
rst time that higher popula-
tion density corresponds with
a greater likelihood of food
allergies in children, study
author Dr Ruchi Gupta, an as-
sistant professor of pediatrics
at Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine,
said in a university news re-
lease.
This shows that environ-
ment has an impact on devel-
oping food allergies. Similar
trends have been seen for re-
lated conditions like asthma.
A
STRAWBERRY ex-
tract developed by
Italian and Spanish
researchers seems to protect
the skin against harmful ul-
traviolet (UV) radiation and
reduce damage to DNA.
We have veried the
protecting effect of straw-
berry extract against damage
to skins cells caused by UVA
rays, said Maurizio Battino,
researcher at the Universita
Politecnica delle Marche in
Italy, who led the joint Span-
ish and Italian study.
UVA and UVB are two
types of ultraviolet radiation
emitted by the sun, which
penetrate the earths atmos-
phere. They cause prema-
ture aging or wrinkling of
the skin. Other damaging ef-
fects are cataracts, weaken-
ing of the immune system,
and skin cancer, the Journal
of Agricultural Food Chem-
istry reported.
The team prepared hu-
man skin cell cultures (-
broblasts) and added straw-
berry extract in different
concentrations. Using ul-
traviolet light, the samples
were then exposed to a dose
equivalent to 90 minutes of
midday summer sun in the
French Riviera, according
to a statement of FECYT,
Spanish Foundation for Sci-
ence and Technology.
Data conrm that the
strawberry extract, espe-
cially at a concentration of
0.5 mg per millitre, displays
photoprotective properties
in those broblasts exposed
to UVA radiation, it increas-
es cell survival and viability
and decreases damage in the
DNA when compared with
control cells.
These aspects are of
great importance as they
provide protection for cell
lines subject to conditions
that can provoke cancer and
other skin-related inamma-
tory and degenerative ill-
nesses, outlines Battino.
But what molecules give
strawberries their photopro-
tective properties? Scien-
tists suspect that it could be
the anthocyanins, which are
pigments that give leaves,
owers and fruits their red
colour. Analyses have con-
rmed that extracts are rich
in such substances.
City kids more
prone to food
allergies
Strawberry extract protects
skin against UV rays
B
ILINGUAL children
outperform counter-
parts who speak only
one language in problem-
solving skills and creative
thinking, according to a re-
search by a British univer-
sity.
A study of primary school
pupils who spoke English or
Italian, half of whom also
spoke Gaelic or Sardinian-
found that the bilingual chil-
dren were signicantly more
successful in the tasks set for
them. The Gaelic-speaking
children were, in turn, more
successful than the Sardinian
speakers, the University of
Strathclyde study claimed.
The differences were
linked to the mental alertness
required to switch between
languages, which could de-
velop skills useful in other
types of thinking. The fur-
ther advantage for Gaelic-
speaking children may have
been due to the formal teach-
ing of the language and its
extensive literature.
Conversely, Sardinian is
not widely taught in schools
on the Italian island and has a
largely oral tradition, which
means there is currently no
standardised form of the lan-
guage, according to a Strat-
thclyde statement.
Fraser Lauchlan, honor-
ary lecturer at Strathclydes
School of Psychological
Sciences & Health, led the
research, with colleagues at
the University of Cagliari in
Sardinia, where he is a visit-
ing professor.
Lauchlan said: Bilin-
gualism is now largely seen
as being benecial to chil-
dren but there remains a
view that it can be confus-
ing, and so potentially det-
rimental to them. Our study
has found that it can have
demonstrable benets, not
only in language but in arith-
metic, problem solving and
enabling children to think
creatively.
Bilingualism boosts mental
agility among children
When parents get active, so do kids
P
ARENTS who want to
increase the amount of
exercise their children get
should become more active
themselves, according to a new
study.
It has long been known that
parent and child activity levels
are correlated, study author
Kristen Holm, an assistant pro-
fessor of medicine at National
Jewish Health in Denver, said
in a news release. [This study]
demonstrated that when parents
increase their activity, children
increase theirs as well. The ef-
fect was more pronounced on
weekends.
The study, published in the
July issue of the Journal of
Physical Activity and Health,
involved 83 families participat-
ing in a programme designed
to curb weight gain among
overweight and obese children
ranging in age from 7 to 14.
The parents and children in
the programme were encour-
aged to boost their level of daily
activity by walking 2,000 more
steps each day. Their progress
was tracked with pedometers.
The study revealed that on
the days mothers reached or
exceeded the 2,000-step goal,
their children took an average
of 2,117 more steps. When
mothers did not reach the goal,
their kids took only 1,175 extra
steps.
28
RAMADHAN MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
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By Hasan Kamoonpuri
C
OME Ramadhan and Oman
is abuzz with iftar gatherings
every single day in general
and on Fridays in particular.
Small, medium and large, all types
of iftar banquets take place each day
at mosques, homes, hotels, commu-
nity halls and even ofces. What is
interesting is that each iftar gathering
has its own distinctive character.
The Keralites organise a grand
public banquet each year at Al-Maasa
Hall, in Ruwi. In addition to a mass
dinner this event includes lectures in
Malayalam, Tamil and Urdu on how
the institution of Ramadhan trans-
forms society into a signicantly
strong positive force in our lives.
The Indian Social Club's Urdu
Wing annually organises an iftar get-
together, where families and friends
get a good chance to renew their
friendship as also to build new con-
tacts.
Pakistan Social Club, Muscat,
organises a grand public iftar every
year, which is attended by a large
number of people.
The Hyderabadi communitys
annual public iftar at Ruwis Clock
Tower on August 3 was a huge suc-
cess with more than 4000 men, wom-
en and children in attendance.
Since the beginning of Ramadhan,
iftar get-togethers in hotels, embas-
sies, mosques, corporate houses, col-
leges and universities are the order of
the day.
A number of organisations and
individuals have launched iftar meals
distribution programmes at various
places, aimed at helping needy fami-
lies.
Prominent businessman Chowd-
hari Mohammad Ilyas annually makes
elaborate arrangements to host more
than 1200 people at his iftar event in
Muttrah. Leading Pakistani business-
man Akram Ali Mughal holds a grand
public iftar in Wadi Kabir. The food
served in this unique iftar is cooked
by the companys employees under
Akrams supervision.
Mian Mohammad Riaz, Chief Ex-
ecutive, MRPCO, hosts a daily iftar
for 300 people every year at his head
ofce in Maabella.
Mian Muhammad Munir, MD,
Ittfaq Travel & Tourism, arranges a
daily public iftar banquet for about
300 persons in Lalu Razai mosque.
Mohammad Aslam Chaudhri, a
leading Pakistani businessman in
Sohar, Qzi Mohammad Yousuf and
Dr Asad Mohmood, are all set to hold
iftar dinners this Ramadhan.
At several iftar get-togethers, or-
ganisers also invite their non-Muslim
friends. Many non-Muslims make it
a point to attend iftar parties so as to
enhance their friendship and under-
standing of Ramadhan related activi-
ties.
Muscat comes alive at night dur-
ing the month of Ramadhan. At iftar
(7 pm) and suhur (around 3.30 am)
daily friends and family members
meet for snacks, prayer and a sump-
tuous meal.
Children, men and women join the
throng as thousands of people walk
to mosques across the Capital city for
breaking the fast.
For the children who are begin-
ning fasting for the rst time, a spe-
cial event is organised at home. At
these events, guests bring gifts for
children and boost their morale. For
the grown-up children who complete
the rst 14 days of fasting, a special
celebration called Qaranqasho is held
throughout the city. Qaranqasho cel-
ebrations are aimed at appreciating
and encouraging children who under-
take fasting for the rst time.
Our beloved Prophet (Pbuh) im-
plored people to put an end to all
family feuds, grudges and communal
hatred and open a fresh chapter with
fellow human beings because Allah
does not dwell in malicious hearts.
In a nutshell, the annual month-
long fasting prepares the ground for a
world of peaceful co-existence.
During the month of Ramadhan
Oman wears a new look with public
iftar banquets. A number of individu-
als, organisations, community groups
and social workers actively organise
large scale public iftar get-togethers,
which go a long way in building
bonds of brotherhood by bringing
people of various cultures and lan-
guages together.
Mass iftar get-togethers in this
month foster a feeling of peace and
happiness. Muslims attend congre-
gational prayers and spiritual dis-
courses in which the teachings of
Holy Quran are narrated. They also
generously share their food and other
valuables with their less fortunate fel-
low human beings. By these spiritual
activities, they seek to purify their
souls, improve morality and spiritual
power, increase knowledge and help
strengthen relationships.
Iftar banquets are one of the many
blessings of this month. Islams rst
and topmost priority is to bring peo-
ple together in a righteous environ-
ment. All its institutions are great
positive forces in society. Islam never
believes in dividing people; it always
builds bridges between people be-
cause its concept of Universal Broth-
erhood is founded on the idea that all
human beings are brothers and sisters
either in faith or in humanity.
Oman abuzz with iftar get-togethers
F
OR much of the United States
barbecue means grilling out-
doors, but in the South the
traditional method is slow-roasting a
whole animal over wood embers all
day or all night.
Only 10 to 15 restaurants in the
South still cook the slow way, over
wood, according to John T Edge,
director of the Southern Foodways
Alliance, a food group that is on a
mission to save the traditional bar-
becue.
Barbecue is our great American
folk food, he said. Barbecue at its
most intense is more than a food.
It's an event at which people gather.
It's a totem of identity.Southerners
ignore quicker cooking methods
like gas, electric or coal cookers in
favour of slow roasting.
The Oxford, Mississippi-based
Alliance, which was founded in
1999, documents the South's culi-
nary history and traditions. Over the
last decade, it has made 35 documen-
tary lms and taken almost 700 oral
histories about Southern food from
barbecue to Gulf Coast oysters and
Mississippi Chinese groceries.
The American South is certainly
the heartland of barbecue in America
and yet there are so many expatriate
Southerners who are now cooking
with wood and cooking well across
the country, Edge explained.
There are other cultures, other
peoples who cook something we
might recognise as barbecue: jerk
chicken from Jamaica or other cul-
turally inspired forms.
Oral recipes
Bernard Herman, professor of
American studies at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, de-
scribed it as a barbecue diaspora.
The US as a whole is far more
Southern now than it was 50 years
ago. Look at music, he added.
To document the Southern barbe-
cue tradition, two Alliance research-
ers traveled to South Carolina and
North Carolina on a Southern Barbe-
cue Trail.
Food historian Rien Fertel, 32,
and photographer Denny Culbert, 27,
traversed the Southern states in their
Barbecue Bus.
Some are 70 or 80 years old and
are still owned by the original fami-
lies, said Fertel, adding that their
cooking methods and sauce recipes
have been handed down orally.
Like the artisanal cheeses of
France that vary from region to re-
gion, barbecue methods and sauces
differ from county to county in the
South. Barbecue in Texas means
beef. In western Kentucky, it's mut-
ton and in parts of Mississippi goat is
the preferred meat.
Some barbecue restaurants also
add turkey to their menus.
Barbecue is somewhat exotic to
me, he explained.
The rural pit cooking method
goes back to American and Carib-
bean Indians and Southern planta-
tions where animals were roasted
over embers at the bottom of a trench
dug in the ground. It was a way to
feed a large number of people at one
time, according to historians.
This is a food where much of
the expertise resides with African-
American cooks, Edge said. The
old pit masters of the South carry on
large and proud traditions.
Edge added that they are arguably
as talented as cooks preparing food
in white tablecloth restaurants, and
their stories are heroic in the truest
American form.
There are still people who
dig holes in the ground to cook
barbecue, he added, but now that's
more likely to be Mexican-American
immigrants cooking barbacoa.
Reuters
Preserving the slow-cooked, wood barbecue
Ella cleans the bones from the meat after the cooking process at Scotts BBQ in Hemingway. Reuters
The American South is certainly the
heartland of barbecue in America and yet
there are so many expatriate Southerners
who are now cooking with wood and
cooking well across the country
P
ARENTS use 'strong
arm' methods to
control their children in
public, much more than
what they say in surveys
or demonstrate in lab
experiments, according to
a study.
The study, led by Michi-
gan State University psy-
chologist Kathy Stansbury,
found that 23 percent of
youngsters received some
type of "negative touch",
namely arm pulling, pinch-
ing, slapping and spanking
when they failed to comply
with a parental request in
restaurants and parks.
"I was very surprised to
see what many people con-
sider a socially undesirable
behaviour done by nearly a
quarter of the caregivers,"
said Stansbury, associate
professor of human devel-
opment and family studies
at Michigan, according to
the journal Behaviour and
Social Issues.
"I have also seen hun-
dreds of kids and their
parents in a lab setting and
never once witnessed any
of this behaviour," Stans-
bury added, according to a
Michigan statement.
Stanbury wanted to get
a realistic gauge of how
often parents use what she
calls positive and negative
touch in non-compliance
episodes with their chil-
dren, in a real-world natural
setting, outside the lab.
A group of university
student researchers anony-
mously observed 106 disci-
pline interactions between
caregivers and children
aged three to ve in pub-
lic places and recorded the
results.
Stansbury said another
surprising nding was that
male caregivers touched
the children more during
discipline settings than fe-
male caregivers - and the
majority of the time it was
in a positive manner.
Positive touch included
hugging, tickling and pat-
ting. She said this positive
approach contradicts the
age-old stereotype of the
father as the parent who
lays down the law.
Ultimately, positive
touch caused the children
to comply more often, more
quickly and with less fuss-
ing than negative touch,
or physical punishment,
Stansbury said.
When negative touch
was used, even when chil-
dren complied, they often
pouted or sulked afterward,
she said.
Study explores parents
negative touch
(Serves 8)
Ingredients
Basil oil: 4 cups basil leaves, 1 cups grapeseed oil:
Combine the basil and oil in a blender and blend thor-
oughly on high speed. Transfer the mixture to a medium
saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking vigor-
ously, until the oil reaches 220F. Chill the oil over ice
and then strain through a coffee lter.
Lemon vinaigrette: 1 cups lemon oil, cup lemon
juice, 1 tablespoon salt: In a mixing bowl, whisk together
the lemon oil and lemon juice. Season with the salt.
2 heads radicchio tardivo, 2 mangoes, peeled and sliced
into thin wedges (32 wedges total), 3 tablespoons Lemon
Vinaigrette, 8 buffalo mozzarella, 2 ounces each, 1 tea-
spoons coarsely ground black pepper, 1 teaspoons eur
de sel, 64 small basil leaves, 3 teaspoons basil oil.
Method: Cut off the bottom of the radicchio and re-
serve the tips. They should be about 3 to 4 inches long,
and you should have 112 pieces total. Place the radicchio
in a mixing bowl with the mango wedges and dress with
the lemon vinaigrette.
Place a buffalo mozzarella in the centre of a plate and
season it with a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of eur
de sel. Arrange 4 mango wedges and 14 leaves radicchio
on the plate and garnish with 8 sprigs basil. Spoon 1 tea-
spoon basil oil on the salad. Repeat with the remaining
ingredients, to serve 8.
INTERVIEW: Swiss-born chef Daniel Humm is hav-
ing a dream year. His New York City restaurant, Eleven
Madison Park, has three Michelin stars and in April was
named one of the 10 best restaurants in the world on the S
Pellegrino and Acqua Panna list produced by Britains Res-
taurant Magazine. A month later, the James Beard Founda-
tion awarded him the title of outstanding US chef.
But when he took over as head chef of the ne-dining,
European-inspired restaurant in 2006 the then 29-year-old
chef was going against the trend at a time when food trucks,
gastro pubs and tapas bars were gaining popularity.
Humm, who was born in Strengelbach, Switzerland,
spoke about his success and passion for cooking.
With the awards and success, do they validate your
choice of becoming a chef rather than an architect like
your father?
Of course, its nice to be recognised, especially with the
James Beard award because its voted by your peers. But
what really validates that my choice is that after 22 years of
cooking Im anxious to come to work because I really love
cooking. Thats the biggest validation for me.
In your rst cookbook published last year, you wrote
about forging an identity for Eleven Madison Park.
What do you mean?
We want to be much more unique. We really want
to have a real point of view. We list the 15 to 16
ingredients in our menu because I have never seen it done
before. Reuters
Radicchio salad with
mozzarella, mango
and basil

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