ISLAMABAD — Pakistan govt has decided to file a review petition against Su-preme Court decision against the Contempt of Court Act 2012, it was learnt yesterday.

A five-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 office.

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 file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the law.

Former prime minister

Yusuf Raza Gilani had to quit office 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 offices from providing any ‘favours’ to members of his family. See also page 8

HM greets Bolivian PresidentHIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of greetings to President Juan Evo Morales of Bolivia on the occa-sion of his country’s Independence Day. In his cable, His Majesty expressed his sincere wishes to President Mo-rales and the friendly people of Bolivia. — ONA

University registration startsSOHAR 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 1926

www.omanobserver.om editor@omanobserver.om Monday, August 6, 2012/Ramadhan 17, 1433 AH

Muscat Nizwa Sohar Al Buraimi Sur Duqm SalalahMax 38 41 37 44 41 30 27Min 31 27 32 35 27 23 25

MuscMuscMaxMaxax 38

WeatherWWFajr Dhuhr Asr Magrib Isha

Muscat 04:17 am 12:18 pm 03:42 pm 06:52 pm 08:08 pm

Prayer timing GOLDPRICE

$1,604.50

EXCHANGE RATESDollar per Omani Rial

Buying 0.382 Selling 0.388

Insi

de

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 reflects 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 first 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 year’s competition and out of them 142 qualified for the finals. 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 Kofi An-nan’s decision to quit as international peace envoy to Syria did not change Germany’s stance on the sending of troops into the nearly 17-month conflict.

See also page 9

KHARTOUM — Sudan yesterday agreed to allow aid into two southern bor-der states where humani-tarian 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.

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 fighters to allow aid.

See also page 6

Honour for the winners

Diplomacy has chance

Khartoum to allow UN aid

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 finding copper in economic quantities. These explorations are under study to figure the stock amount and raw percentages.

As for chrome, the direc-torate has recently finished 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 fixed unit.

The new radars are known for their high quality imaging capacity which covers long distance imaging of vehicles.

The first 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 first phase of a traffic 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 fit 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 Arabia’s 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 ministry’s statement stressed the following points:

Reports of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Animal Health (Office 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

classified 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 to mineral sector

Hi-tech speed radars soon

No threat in Oman meat

OMAN’S entry has won honorary award at the International Federation of Photographic Art’s 24th Colour Print Biennale in Turkey. Details, P5

182 workers held in week

Twist in cancer cureFlash floods in India

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” finding 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 flash floods, cloud bursts and landslides in sub-Himalayan Uttarakhand, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh, officials said yesterday. The incessant rain is likely to continue, the Met office reported.

Rescue operations are in full swing in Uttarakhand and Jammu. While 12 people have died in Uttarakhand due

to flash floods and landslides, officials said, hundreds were left stranded.

In Himachal Pradesh, an alert has been sounded after flash floods 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 tenders

Pakistan to file review plea

MUSCAT — Dr Rasheed bin Al Safi 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

Chamber’s 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

2OMANMONDAY, 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

MINISTRY OF HOUSINGTender Announcement

www.

hous

ing.go

v.om

Tender No. Name of Tender Area/Village WilayatLast date for

receivingLast date

for Submission

304/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Maribi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012305/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Maribi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012306/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Maribi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012307/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Maribi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012308/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Maribi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012309/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Maribi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012310/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Saih Al Sharqi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012311/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Saih Al Sharqi Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012312/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al A’athwa Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012313/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Masilah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012314/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Lawayah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012315/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Khasha Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012316/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Khasha Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012317/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ghainah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012318/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ghainah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012319/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ghantamaiah Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012320/2012 Construction of a housing unit Qaroon Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012321/2012 Construction of a housing unit Qaroon Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012322/2012 Construction of a housing unit Qaroon Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012323/2012 Construction of a housing unit Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012324/2012 Construction of a housing unit Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan 15.08.2012 29.08.2012325/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ashkharah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012326/2012 Construction of a housing unit Al Ashkharah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012327/2012 Construction of a housing unit Saih Sindah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012328/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012329/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012330/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012331/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012332/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012333/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012334/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012335/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012336/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012337/2012 Construction of a housing unit Khuwaimah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 15.08.2012 29.08.2012338/2012 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:

OMAN DAILY Observer

3OMANMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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 government’s 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 country’s 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

4OUTLOOKMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reflect 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

ARE 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-pany’s 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 company’s 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 company’s 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! EVP’s will also ensure that the com-pany’s 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-man’s-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: EmployeeValue 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.

IN 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 don’t 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 don’t accept treating peo-ple in this way.

AFRIEND 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 didn’t. She claimed that the messages were too long and she didn’t 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 don’t 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 Riyamisalimriyami2000@yahoo.co.uk

Ali Al Mataniali.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

5OMANMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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 l’Art Photographique (FIAP) or the Interna-tional Federation of Photographic Art’s 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 Company’s (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 company’s 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-ate’s efforts to diversify the economy and promote foreign investment. The company’s 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 IPIC’s portfolio and Abu Dhabi’s 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 1of 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 institution’s 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 ClassLast date for

Submission of Tenders

TenderAmount

21/2012(Re-tender)

Implementation of Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) in 30 Farms in

Governorates of Al Batinah

Specialized Monday27.8.2012 RO 150/-

25/2012(Re-tender)

Artesian Wells Drilled Research Station

Plan Valley QurayatSpecialized 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.

tender value should be delivered along with the tender addressed to (Chairman of

guarantee will not be considered.The Ministry has the right to accept or reject any tender without assigning any reason.

INTERNAL TENDER COMMITTEEMINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

OMAN DAILY Observer

6REGIONMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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 Organisation’s 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 Israel’s 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 Assad’s 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 organisation’s 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 Turkey’s 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 Iran’s disputed nuclear programme, the Israelis have more re-cently worried the Syrian insurgency could loosen Da-mascus’s 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 Washington’s 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 Israel’s 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 Israel’s 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 People’s 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 Sudan’s 22-year civil war, which ended in a 2005 peace deal and South Sudan’s 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 Sudan’s 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 Union’s 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 Sudan’s 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 People’s 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.

Clinton’s 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 kingdom’s 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 country’s 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, Iran’s 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 Assad’s 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

7THE WORLDMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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 ramifications 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 findings of international re-search released last month that climbing greenhouse gas emissions boosted the odds of severe droughts, floods 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 five soldiers, police said.

The attack occurred in the Yopougon neighbourhood, scene of some of the fiercestfighting 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 rifles, 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 fled 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 conflicterupted 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 final 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 fighting, 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" finding 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 backfire,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 diversified 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 Pacific 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 first 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 first four years in office 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 first full-fledged 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 flawlessly, 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 floor 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 flythrough the eye of the nee-dle," Arthur Amador, the Mars Science Laboratory mission manager, told reporters at a briefing, 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 flying on automatic pilot, guided by a computer packed with pre-programmed instructions.

More Fed stimulus won’t help economy: Romney

Rover nears landing

PALESTINIAN President Mahmud Abbas attends a press event in Ramallah yesterday. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund’s 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 Bank’s 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

8SUBCONTINENTMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

ACTIVISTS of the Communist Party of Nepal Unified 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

Quetta’s 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 MehmoodShah 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 financialmanagers some fiscal space to repay IMF loan in monthly instalment, according to the official. Pakistan repaid $1.2 billion to IMF in 2011-12, out of the total loan of around $8 billion.

The official claimed that the first 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 official said. The rupee ended at 94.50/56 to the dollar yesterday but has firmed 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 deficit.

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 thanthe 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 first 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 fiscal

Train to expand services on Karachi-Lahore route

KARACHI — South Korean importers have started visiting Pakistan following approval of Pakistan’s 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 country’s fruit was considered the best compared to mangoes imported from the Philip-pines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

After visiting a top fruit firm — Iftikhar Ahmed and Company — yesterday a three-member Korean del-egation, comprising Myung Seung Jin, Chief Executive Officer 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 finalised 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 profilemurder 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-ficial 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 officials,as well as cross-border fireincidents.

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 yesterday’s 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 financeminister, 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 final 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) officials 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 filed petition, challenging the authenticity of 2007 voters’ lists.

Following the verifica-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 verified 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-profit organisation working to raise awareness about capital punishment and drone strikes, will take part in PTI’s 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-stan’s 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 Khan’s 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 PTI’s central vice presi-dent Naeemul Haq.

The event will be the firstof its kind. The area in ques-tion is said to be housing

armed fighters 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 PTI’s 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 find out first-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 findout for ourselves,” said Abbas. — Internews

Karzai accepts dismissal of top security ministers

Big rise in final electoral rolls

Global activists to take partin Imran’s anti-drone march

RAWALPINDI — Young doc-tors in Pakistan’s 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 offi-

cials. Hospital officials said that the YDA had been send-ing threatening messages to doctors.

The hospital administra-tion’s failure to remove such displays has humiliated the newly recruited doctors.

— Internews

Doctors start social boycott against colleagues

OMAN DAILY Observer

9SYRIAMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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 fireas they fought for control of the country’s biggest city and key battleground of the 17-month uprising.

After UN Security Coun-cil paralysis on Syria forced peace envoy Kofi Annan to resign last week, and with his ceasefire plan a distant memory, dissidents have been battered by the government onslaught in Aleppo and the capital Damascus.

Reuters witnessed fiercestreet fighting in the Salahed-dine district, a gateway into the city of 2.5 million people and the main focus of fightingin 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-sad’s forces were “cleans-ing the terrorist filth” from the country, which has been sucked into an increasingly sectarian conflict that has killed some 18,000 people and could spill into neighbouring states.

In Damascus, troops backed by fighter 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 fighterspoured into Damascus shortly before a July 18 bomb killed four of Assad’s inner circle, and entered Aleppo days later.

Dissident commanders say they anticipate a major Syrian army offensive in Aleppo and one fighter said they already had to pull back from some streets after army snipers ad-vanced on Saturday under cover of the fierce aerial and

tank bombardment.“The Syrian army is pen-

etrating our lines,” said Mo-hammad Salifi, 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, Aleppo’s 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 fighters.

Large mounds of concrete are used as barriers to close off streets, the smell of gunfireand 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 firewith the army.

“Get out of the way! Get off the street!” fighters shouted, grabbing him and taking him to shelter from sniper fire.

“I just wanted to buy some blackberry juice,” he told the fighters, his face reflectingconfusion 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 officials.

During the day, others emerged from damaged build-ings. A couple stood shaking with fear at an intersection a few metres from the fightingas 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 army’s determined counter-offensive against the dissidents.

“I can’t 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 fighter drove up in a pick-up truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon, one of 15 that dissidents said were seized during fightinglast week.

But the weapon could not be aimed at the sky and neither did it fire. It remained parked on a side street.

“We only have 200 rounds per weapon,” said Abu Furat al Garabolsi, an army officerwho defected. “We have to be totally sure we will shoot a plane when we fire it other-wise we won’t 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 fighting for Assad, a dissident officer 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 fighters were “still checking the documents that prove the identity of these detainees and will make our findings public in due course,” said a man identified 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, Iran’s state news agency Irna said. — Reuters

Syrian forces strafe Aleppo

ALEPPO — The young dissident fighters’ mission was clear: to rid an Aleppo neighbourhood of Syrian army snipers who had infiltrated 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 find their way through the city streets.

“Wait, are we in the right place?” one dissident asked. “Weren’t we supposed to turn at a mosque? Where’s 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 we’re coming back as martyrs today,” one fighter joked darkly to his friend, who chuckled nervously in front of a reporter and photographer ac-companying the fighters.

Outgunned in Aleppo by Syrian forces — who have stepped up their counter-offensive to retake Syria’s biggest city — the mainly rural fightersare 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 fighting 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 identified himself as Abu Zayd, as an explosion went off behind a building where he was taking cover. “We don’t know who is hiding in which building, who will pop up”.

Dodging sniper bullets, the fighters 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, filling 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 rifle at the green shutters of a nearby shop. A young fighter began banging the door of a building with his foot to force it open.

The men took some time to find their bearings.“We are all fighters from rural Aleppo and we’re

finding it very hard to orient ourselves in these streets,” Mohammed Khalifi, a deputy commander, said.

“Ideally we have one man from the district to ac-company us, but usually we can’t find anyone. So we have to play it by ear and deal with what the situation

presents us with.” He said he didn’t know the name of the street the men were fighting 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 fightersgoing from cluster to cluster of men.

Carrying a machine-gun and a belt of bullets slung over his shoulder, Mustafa Hazan shrugged.

“I’m from Idlib and just came here on Saturday,” he said. “I don’t know why the men from Aleppo haven’t come to join us and they’re 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 inflicted 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 officers based in the room, and I threw two bombs inside,” he said. “I believe I injured them.” — Reuters

A journey into unknown for rural fighters

A FREE Syrian Army fighter 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 five Free Syrian Army fighters, 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 conflict there could engulf Israel, Ira-nian media said.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani accused the United States and regional countries he did not name of providing military support to dissidents fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al Assad, an ally of Iran.

Iran has supported Assad’s efforts to crush the 17-month revolt and has ac-cused Western countries and Israel of in-terfering in the crisis.

“The fire 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 leader’s 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, Iran’s 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 Iran’s 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 Kofi Annan to solve the crisis. A frus-trated Annan resigned his post last week, blaming “finger-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 Annan’s 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 first 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 official 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 flour, rice, sugar, lentils, chickpeas, pasta and medi-cine drove through Abbas’s 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 floated 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 fighting Assad’s forces, floated a separate proposal that called for the establishment of a higher defence council bringing together military and civilian figures.

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 fire for being out of touch with the fighting

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 don’t differ with the Syrian National Council over their vision, but over their tactics. I’m different in that I’m working on the ground, and they’re just theorising,” he said.

Burhan Ghalioun, the SNC’s former leader, said news of the SNC’s 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 Haitham’s move was a wrong one and it must be fixed with minimum fuss and without giv-ing it importance,” he said.

Most alarming for the West, the dissidents fight-ing inside Syria include Al Qaeda-style fighters with a strong sectarian agenda. Secularist opposition fig-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 conflict’s 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 Assad’s inner circle who fled 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 officers 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 ‘I’m join-ing the Free Syrian Army and I will fight alongside them,’” Maleh said. — Reuters

Victory closer, divisions deepen in oppn

OMAN DAILY Observer

10INDIAMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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 officer 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.

Singh’s 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 didn’t 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 hospital’s superintendent. “He was brought here with some injuries”.

However, Dr Anil Kumar, resident medical officer 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 Gujarat’s 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 first reactor at Kudanku-lam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), a senior official 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 week’s 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 specific 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 AERB’s nod to load the fuel. The process may take couple of days. We do not want to fix the components without the regulator’s 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 officials,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 People’s 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 final 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 official 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 first 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 Congress’s 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 first when Congress’s 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 Advani’s 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-notified, offi-cials said yesterday.

A Patna airport officialsaid the runway had become unsafe for the operation of large aircraft after the Air-ports Authority of India (AII) re-notified the length due to the presence of trees.

"The AAI, on the recom-mendation of director-gener-al of civil aviation, had re-notified the airport's runway length after Bihar govern-ment refused to cut or prune trees near it," he said.

According to officials,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-fit 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, officials 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 official said. The drills are being held at the Burduny training range until August 16, the spokesman for Russia’s 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 five 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 world’s 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 centre’s 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 officials 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 inflows in hydel stations.

The centre’s 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 five 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 country’s apex women rights panel will investigate the case of a 23-year-old former flight 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 flight attendant. Following the airline ceased to function, Sharma was given a job in one of Kanda’s subsidi-ary companies.

According to the victim’s 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 country’s first 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 officially 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 first 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 qualification 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 minister’s office 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 student’s 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 Yannick’s plight was highlighted by the media in July, police arrested fiveyouths for their alleged in-volvement in the assault. One of the accused is the son of a senior Punjab Police officer.

Badal had earlier sanc-

tioned Rs 500,000 to Yannick’s father for his son’s treatment.

“Badal assured Yannick’s 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

11INDIAMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

DEHRADUN/JAMMU/MANALI/NEW DELHI — Twelve people have died, nearly 40 are missing and hundreds are trapped after torrential rain led to flashfloods, cloud bursts and landslides in sub-Himalayan Uttarakhand, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh, officialssaid yesterday. The incessant rain is likely to continue, the Met office reported.

Rescue operations are in full swing in Uttarakhand and Jammu.

While 12 people have died in Uttarakhand due to flash floods and landslides, officials said, hundreds were left stranded in various places in Jammu where the rains caused landslides.

In Himachal, an alert has been sounded after flashfloods 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-ficials said.

Officials 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, officials said.

Met officials 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 offi-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 flooded 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 official 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 officials.

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 floods, cloud bursts and landslides pound Uttarakhand, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh

A RESIDENTIAL area built near the banks of the flooded river Tawi in Jammu. — Reuters

JAMMU — The Indian Air Force (IAF) yesterday evacuated 24 stranded ci-vilians from an island in the flooded Tawi River in Jammu, an officer 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 flooded 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 officer 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 official 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 flood situ-ation in Jammu region, according to officialspokesman 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 indefinite 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 indefinite 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-fied 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, official 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, official 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 five-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

12ANALYSIS/OPINIONMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

A SUPPORTER of Anna Hazare holds an Indian flag on the third day of Hazare’s hunger strike in New Delhi recently. — AFP

AUTHORITIES 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 country’s 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 Ministry’s 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 officials.

Upon lodging the case with the Court of Appeal they were given a ruling in their favour.

The Home Ministry’s appeal to the Supreme Court was unsuccessful. The decision will make it difficultfor 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 don’t 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 qualification 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 official 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 Office 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 flood of challenges by those who have been refused visas or work permits.

Moreover, immigration officials continue to struggle with an enormous backlog of immigration cases in various categories. The growingnumber 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 officials were able to process only 63 per cent of last year’s applications. In addition, there are tens of thousands of those whose right to be in Britain has lapsed date back more than five years.

By Peg Mackey

IRAQI 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 firms 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 five 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 firm, then moved into consulting before becoming a KRG minister in 2006.

Oil men admire his commercial savvy. They say he understands that firms 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

WAS 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; fightingagainst 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 fighting 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 floats 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."

“Anna’s 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

PAKISTAN'S interior minister has said ele-ments of the Afghan

government are likely support-ing a senior Pakistani Taliban leader who is fighting to topple the Islamabad government, ac-cusations which could further raise tensions over cross-bor-der raids.

Pakistani officials say the Taliban commander known as Fazlullah has been orchestrat-ing raids on Pakistani secu-rity forces from Afghanistan, where he fled 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 fight-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 officials 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 officials 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

fighters 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-profile 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 fighters 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 officials, as well as the cross-border fire 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 officialsblame 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 fiery 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

flog and behead opponents.Fazlullah has re-emerged as

a major security headache for the Pakistani military, which is already stretched fighting 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 fled several years ago after an army offensive against

his stronghold in the Swat Valley

PAKISTAN’S Interior Minister Rehman Malik during an interview in Islamabad on Saturday. — Reuters

NEWSLETTER By Andy Jalil

OMAN DAILY Observer

13ANALYSIS/OPINIONMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

By Manish Chand

AS 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 first 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 significant to flag off a marked acceleration of In-dia’s 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 five 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-ica’s 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

ABRIGHT yellow sign above the well in this sleepy Nigerian village says ‘cau-tion: not fit for use’, and the sulphurous

stink off the water that children still pump into buckets sharply reinforces that warning.

“Can you smell it? Don’t get any in your mouth or you’ll 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 flown from Ogoniland, one of Africa’s earliest crude oil producing areas, for decades. But it has flown 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 world’s 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 they’ve 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 report’s recommendations.

When BP’s 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 Organisation’s 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, Ogale’s youth president.

Shortly after the report, the government provided Ogale’s villages with water tanks, part financed by Shell. They get refilled most days with potable water, but locals say it’s 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 firm’s 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 Nigeria’s 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-ment’s pledge on Thursday, but warned that the clean-up was a huge task that will require long-term financing and urged funds to be re-leased now.

A rainbow-tinted film of crude cloaks the water throughout the creeks and swamps of Ni-geria’s 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 fish. Still on the water 10 hours later, his haul is a handful of small fishbarely 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 fishing 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 fixed in February 2009. A study by Amnesty Interna-tional on the first spill put the figure between 103,000 and 311,000 barrels.

Oil spills continue tothreaten Ogoniland

By Sophie Sassard and Leila Abboud

VIVENDI 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 group’s 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 find a new chief executive.

With Fourtou now firmly 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 benefits 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 family’s 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 France’s business elite, such as Axa founder Claude Bebear, who is no longer on Vivendi’s 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 film 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

THE Indian realty and construc-tion sectors, which together contribute 17.5 per cent to

the country’s 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 five 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 there’s 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 financial 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 five 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 financial 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 qualificationframework will come into force from 2012-13 academic session in poly-technics, engineering colleges and other colleges under the University system.

It’s 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

CAPITALISM, in hermit North Ko-rea, is normally associated with moral and economic ruin.

The Korea-born American who heads Pyongyang’s 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 country’s economy,” Park said in an interview in Seoul, one of the world’s most wired cities in sharp con-trast to Pyongyang which even though it is home to North Korea’s 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.

Park’s 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 influence 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 finally 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 finance and manage-ment and agriculture and life sciences.

The students are handpicked from those who have studied at least two years at the country’s 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 field 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 world’s most secretive and tightly con-trolled societies.

“When I took the subway, I was al-lowed to film 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 find-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 can’t spend a long time for the In-ternet. They only use it for their study,” Park said.

The official 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 Organisation’s

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, flatsat Al Khuwair, Wadi Kabir, MBD, Mumtaz, furnished/unfurnished.

96596348.

14OMAN DAILY Observer 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 New Cars & 4 WDs

RENTING & LEASINGTours and Airport Transfer

Tel: 24582663GSM: 95859497,Fax: 24582664,

abcrent@omantel.net.om

ERVICES SERVICES OR RENTOR RENTF 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 orcash payment.Please note you may deliver your transaction through our e-mail and our representative will deliver it to your office personally after completion. Our address is: Ruwi, near Gulf Transport Co. (GTC),Fax: 24793331, GSM: 98793665 (Direct)99231500.E-mail: hoopoeoman@gmail.comAL FAHAD TRANSLATION SERVICESTranslation 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.comLANDRAIL 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: 95181747Ali al Maashari: 99639264

DIRECT: 24649594 - FAX : 24649590e-mail: classified@omandaily.om

CLASSIFIEDSContinued 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 OMANQUALITY homes for rent throughout Capital Area Muscat. Contact: 24692151.www.sav-oman.com

CLASSIFIED SECTION

RUWI: 24785668

OURSOURST

MARINE Tourism 92808636, e-mail:

info@alainain.com

ERVICES

HOOPOECARD SE

Sanad Servi

S

ENT-A-CARENT-A-CR

Luxury CarsBMW 750il Mercedes 430SL

on hourly & daily basis with chauffeur.

Contact:

Contact: 99337159/99359628

al-haditha centre

Telephone: 24595951/1414, Fax: 24597979.

AUTO REPAIRCENTRE

Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all

types of Cars and Heavy vehicles

(ROP approved Grade A Workshop)

CLASSIFIED SECTIONRUWI: 24785668

Behind Royal Oman Police Adjacent to

Dhofar Building

AYURVEDIC Treatment, Yoga massage & slimming. Contact:

92504980/ 24475280 , www.drsajjay.com

FREEINFORMATION 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

FREINFORM

OOD NEWG

ARGOARGOCCARGO 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 Indianor a Sri Lankan Nurseto 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 Engineerswith 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 APARTMENTSwelcome 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 HAPARTMEN

l

UEST HOG

QURUM BEACH HOTEL. 24564070.

Available on very GOOD prices

HP 1000 3 in 1 Printer

RO 10.900 only

HP 1050 3 in 1 Printer

RO 14.900 only

HP OJ 4500 4 in 1 Printer

RO 23.900 only

HP Laser M1132 3 in 1

RO 48.900 only

AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung

Cartridges also available

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!

GO

OD

PR

ICE!

!!

G

OO

D P

RIC

E!!!

GO

OD

PR

ICE!

!!

GO

OD

PR

ICE!

!!

G

OO

D P

RIC

E!!!

GO

OD

PR

ICE!

!!

COMPUTER SUPPLIESRuwi: 24792792

HOUSEMAIDSavailable 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 RENTF

INDUSTRIAL land in Rusayil, 400m2 divided 1,000 m2, 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

URGENTLYa General DoD ti t N

ITUATIONS

OST

ECHILE FOR SALE

OSTL

ECHILE FOV

OR SALEOR SALEF

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 forsale. 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.

NNOUNCEMENTNNOUNCA

MOTIVATED team of experienced national and international lawyers provide legal advice and consultancy — efficient, prompt, all fields of local and international law.

00968 96441968, 0041 786120068. E-mail: alex@marlawfirm.com

PROVISION of exclusive contacts for business co-operation with SWISS and GERMAN companies.Legal and Marketing Consultancy. 0096896441968, 0041 786120068. E-mail:ch-oman@bluewin.ch

ANPOWERANPOWEMFRIENDSMANPOWER: Filipino housemaids and all kinds of workers. 24489268Tel/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

MORNINGDRIVING SC

L d i

RIVING SD

IF you are interested to sell your cars, send SMS, we pay cash

99333088.

AR BUY & SELL

IF you are into sell your cSMS

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. Landand air trips weekly.(99311310, 24566016, 99361982, 99707248, 99322124.

MRAH/HAJ

AL HikmaniHAJ and UM

With h

MRAH/HAU

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 WANSSRI 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 profit center head operation in hotel or restaurants. Call97855160

COMPUTERTechnician, 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 ofair-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 New2 BHK flats — Wadi Kabir

(Near Al Hassan, Rent RO 350/-Contact 24571962/63/64

GSM: 95495281

ITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTEDITUATIOS

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/flatssecurity with visa. Now on visit. Call 94075808 Moorthy

30 years, Indian male PGDBA-operations,having 8 yearsexperience 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) looking for suitable 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 office administration, looking for a suitable placement. Good knowledge in MS Office,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/installationand commissioning, seeks suitable placement, presently working in UAE, have worked in Oman and Qatar. Please contact for CV e-mail: cvmailsmr@gmail.com 99321626.

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 fixingsupervision 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 configuration,looking for job, please contact: 92533114.

INDIAN male, BTech, Computer Engineer with experience as asst system Eng — Diploma in Oracle-10G, Database Administration, and Java. Good knowledge in ASP.NET, C, C++, MS Office, Photoshop, on visit visa looking for suitable placement in software, networking, IT sales. Contact:

97638112/93937141. E-mail: getrenji@gmail

GENERAL manager, BE civil, 22 years experience in Oman since 1995 is looking for suitable 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: 93214845e-mail: kcthambi@yahoo.com.

A SYRIAN electronics engineer (automation control) with a CCNA plus. Contact: 97618698e-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, 2½ 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: 93473367E-mail: Asifthatan@gmail.com.

M-TECH Project Manager, 12 years experience in project/peoplemanagement, design, certified 6Sigma green belt with valid Oman driving licence, seeks suitable placement in Muscat. Contact: 92283707e-mail: ashokan745@gmail.com

DIPLOMA with 13 years experience in secretarial/office assistance/documentation jobs, Gulf experienced, proficient 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. 100Location: 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

15FASHION/CLASSIFIEDSMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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 outfits 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 confidently, 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 outfit 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 difficult”.

“It was a difficult collection this time. It’s 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 film flavour

MODELS showcase designs by Komal Sood at Lakme Fashion WeekWinter/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)

YESTERDAY’S 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.

1616INFORMATION/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 . . . . . . . EmergencyRoyal. . . . . . . .24599000 . . . .24590491 Health Services DepartmentMuttrah . . . . . .24797602Quriyat . . . . . .24845001 . . . .24845003 SQH, Salalah .23211555 . . . .23211151Police . . . . . . .24603988 . . . .24603980Al Nahda. . . . .24831255 . . . .24837800Ibn Sina . . . . .24876322 . . . .24877361Nizwa . . . . . . .25439361 . . . .25425033Al Rustaq . . . .26875055 . . . .26877186Sumayil. . . . . .25350055 . . . .25350022Izki . . . . . . . . .25340033 . . . .25340033Haima . . . . . . .23436013 . . . .23436055Sohar . . . . . . .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 WardsWorking Days: 16:00-18:00. Weekends & Public Holidays: 10:-12:00, 16:00-18:00

ICUWorking Days: 16:00-17:00. Weekends & Public Holidays: 16:00-17:00

Special Care Baby UnitWorking 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

CHILDREN’S SCIENCE MUSEUM.

Tel: 24605368

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,

Tel: 24641374

NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289

SULTAN’S 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 A’NAMAN, 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.

M U S E U M S I N O M A N

EMERGENCY 9 9 9 9

DG of Passports & Residency, 24569603DG of Customs, 24714626Traffic offences, 24510227/228ROP Public Relations, 24569270Consumer Complaints Cell, 24817013

Muscat Governorate Headquarters, 24560021

Muscat, 24736611

Wattayah, 24677990

Ruwi, 24701099

Muttrah, 24712211

Bausher, 24600099

Al Amerat, 24875999

Qurayat, 24845555

A’Seeb, 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 POLICE

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 0005WY614 B737-7 Dubai 0005WY648 B737-8 Kuwait 0015PK229 B737-3 Lahore 0015WY716 B737-8 Dar-es-Salaam 0015WY928 B737-8 Salalah 0015WY682 B737-8 Riyadh 0015TK858 B737-8 Istanbul 0130PK225 A310 Karachi 0200QR170 A320 Doha 0315EY384 A320 Abu Dhabi 0350EK866 B777 Dubai 0355GF560 E190 Bahrain 0425WY652 B737-8 Bahrain 0600WY662 E175AR Doha 0700FZ043 B737-8 Dubai 0740WY202 B737-8 Bombay 0800WY914 B737-8 Salalah 0800WY632 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0800WY602 E175AR Dubai 0825WY274 B737-8 Jaipur 0840WY330 B737-8 Lahore 0840NL768 B737-2 Lahore 0845WY238 B737-8 Hyderabad 0850WY102 A330-300 London Heathrow 0900WY286 B737-8 Bangalore 0920WY254 B737-8 Madras 0920WY224 B737-8 Cochin 0925WY218 B737-8 Trivandrum 0925EK862 B777 Dubai 0930WY824 A330-300 Kuala Lumpur 0935WY242 B737-8 Delhi 0945QR166 A321 Doha 0950G9113 A320 Sharjah 0955EY382 A320 Abu Dhabi 10009W530 B737-8 Trivandrum 1045WY604 E175AR Dubai 1100WY3302 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1100IX543 B737-8 Trivandrum-Cochin 1130WY371 A330-200 Colombo-Male 1130WY336 B737-8 Kathmandu 1140WY818 A330-300 Bangkok 1155GF562 E190 Bahrain 1235IX337 B737-8 Calicut 1255WY916 E175AR Salalah 1300WY918 ATR42 Khasab 1315WY606 B737-8 Dubai 1330PK259 A310 Islamabad-Sialkot 1410WY924 B737-8 Salalah 1440WY324 B737-8 Karachi 1440WY711 B737-8 Zanzibar-Dar-es-Salaam 1600WY654 E175AR Bahrain 1615ED450 A319 Lahore 1630WY826 A330-200 Kuala Lumpur 1635WY638 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 1655WY204 B737-8 Bombay 1655WY814 A330-200 Bangkok 1705IX817 B737-8 Mangalore-Abu Dhabi 1725WY608 B737-8 Dubai 1740WY298 B737-8 Calicut 1750WY264 B737-8 Lucknow 1755WY3304 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1800WY664 E175AR Doha 1800WY646 B737-8 Kuwait 1805GF564 A319 Bahrain 1810G9117 A320 Sharjah 1905WY316 B737-8 Chittagong 1910WY620 E175AR Dubai 2020FZ047 B737-8 Dubai 2020AI977 A319 Bangalore-Hyderabad 2025KL449 A330 Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi 2045AI973 A320 Delhi 2125BA073 B777 London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi 2130UL205 A320 Colombo 2140WY616 B737-8 Dubai 2145AI907 A319 Madras 2200WY406 B737-8 Cairo 2215LH618 A340 Frankfurt-Abu Dhabi 2225QR168 A320 Doha 2235EY388 A320 Abu Dhabi 2235LX242 A330 Zurich-Dubai 2235GF566 B737-7 Bahrain 2250WY624 ATR42 Al Ain 2305WY656 B737-7 Bahrain 2305AI985 A321 Ahmedabad-Bombay 2310WY668 B737-8 Doha 2310WY928 B737-8 Salalah 2310WY672 B737-8 Jeddah 2315WY636 E175AR Abu Dhabi 2315WY686 B737-8 Dammam 2320WY425 B737-8 Amman-Beirut 23259W534 B737-8 Cochin 23309W540 B737-8 Bombay 2340KQ318 B737-8 Nairobi-Dubai 2350

24-HOUR

Al Hashar ph

PHARMS OALS — MONDAY

om / Via STA

FFLIGHTLIGHT S SCHEDULECHEDULEDEPARTURES

Flight No Aircraft To / Via STD

BA072 B777 Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001AI986 A321 Bombay-Ahmedabad 00059W539 B737-8 Bombay 0045WY371 A330-200 Colombo-Male 0050WY217 B737-8 Trivandrum 0115PK230 B737-3 Lahore 0115WY253 B737-8 Madras 0115WY601 E175AR Dubai 0115WY237 B737-8 Hyderabad 0120WY223 B737-8 Cochin 0120WY631 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0120WY825 A330-200 Kuala Lumpur 0125WY661 E175AR Doha 0130WY241 B737-8 Delhi 01309W529 B737-8 Trivandrum 0130WY201 B737-8 Bombay 0130WY285 B737-8 Bangalore 0135WY651 B737-7 Bahrain 0140WY711 B737-8 Zanzibar-Dar-es-Salaam 0145WY329 B737-8 Lahore 0200WY273 B737-8 Jaipur 0205TK859 B737-8 Istanbul 0220WY335 B737-8 Kathmandu 0235WY813 A330-200 Bangkok 0250PK226 A310 Karachi 0300EK867 B777 Dubai 0500EY385 A320 Abu Dhabi 0525QR171 A320 Doha 0550GF561 E190 Bahrain 0700WY3301 ATR42 Mukhaizna 0730WY603 E175AR Dubai 0800FZ044 B737-8 Dubai 0820WY315 B737-8 Chittagong 0900WY915 E175AR Salalah 0905NL769 B737-2 Lahore 0945WY297 B737-8 Calicut 1005WY263 B737-8 Lucknow 1010WY323 B737-8 Karachi 1020WY917 ATR42 Khasab 1030WY605 B737-8 Dubai 1030WY923 B737-8 Salalah 1035G9114 A320 Sharjah 1035WY203 B737-8 Bombay 1040EK863 B777 Dubai 1045EY383 A320 Abu Dhabi 1050QR167 A321 Doha 10559W533 B737-8 Cochin 1145WY653 E175AR Bahrain 1215IX542 B737-8 Trivandrum 1220WY645 B737-8 Kuwait 1255WY145 A330-200 Malpensa 1300WY425 B737-8 Amman-Beirut 1300WY113 A330-300 Frankfurt 1300WY405 B737-8 Cairo 1310GF563 E190 Bahrain 1315WY131 A330-200 Paris 1330WY637 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 1345WY663 E175AR Doha 1350IX350 B737-8 Calicut 1355WY101 A330-300 London Heathrow 1400WY121 A330-300 Munich 1405WY3303 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1430WY607 B737-8 Dubai 1440PK260 A310 Islamabad-Sialkot 1510WY671 B737-8 Jeddah 1540WY925 B737-8 Salalah 1540WY619 E175AR Dubai 1715ED451 A319 Lahore 1730WY615 B737-8 Dubai 1805IX146 B737-8 Amritsar 1815GF565 A319 Bahrain 1855WY647 B737-8 Kuwait 1905WY685 B737-8 Dammam 1905WY927 B737-8 Salalah 1905WY667 B737-8 Doha 1910WY681 B737-8 Riyadh 1910WY655 B737-8 Bahrain 1915G9118 A320 Sharjah 1945WY635 E175AR Abu Dhabi 2015WY623 ATR42 Al Ain 2015WY613 B737-8 Dubai 2045FZ048 B737-8 Dubai 2105KL450 A330 Abu Dhabi-Amsterdam 2200AI978 A319 Hyderabad-Bangalore 2200UL206 A320 Colombo 2240WY913 B737-8 Salalah 2245AI908 A319 Madras 2300AI974 A320 Delhi 2310EY381 A320 Abu Dhabi 2325QR169 A320 Doha 2335LX243 A330 Dubai-Zurich 2335WY673 B737-8 Jeddah 2340GF567 B737-7 Bahrain 2345LH619 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

Keep in touch with Majlis Ash’shura’s news.

Log on to the Majlis’s website:

www.shura.om

and the Majlis’s

e-mail: info@shura.om

Or write to the Majlis’s postal address:

P O Box 981

Postal Code 111, Muscat

Tel: 24510344 / 24521427/

Fax 24510560

INFORMATIONMINISTRY WEBSITES

MAJLIS A’SHURAADDRESSES

FILM INFORMATIONwww.citycinemaoman.net

AL BAHJA CINEMA:

24540856, 24540855.

AL NASR CINEMA:

24831358, 24831809 (after 3pm)

AL SHATTI PLAZA:

24607360, 24692656 (after 2pm)

STARS CINEMA:

24791641, 24792360

CINEMA

STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot

GARFIELD by Jim Davis

CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson

ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset

C A R TO O N SC A R TO O N S

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 gratified 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)A matter, 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 importantperson 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 influenceyou 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 profitable and to dis-card the rest

IF IT’S 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 STARSThe 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 thingswho is not thoroughly sincerein dealing with himself.

— James Russell Lowell

QUOTATIONS FOR TODAYCRYPTIC 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 There’s a policeman in the room (5)

13 Difficult achievement when there’s 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 harbour’s 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 It’s like corn, only non-

vegetarian! (5)31 A name in towelling (5)32 Cut a tool in half! (4)

33 It’s clever to reduce middle-men (4)

EASY PUZZLEACROSS

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)

YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS

ACROSS: 1, Potter 7, Open fire 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.

YESTERDAY’S 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 Let’s 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

17SPORTMONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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, AlFaisal 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 AlFaisal.

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 month’s 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: “It’s 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) shouldn’t 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 260West Indies 1st innings 209New Zealand 2nd innings M Guptill lbw b Deognarine ......................................42BJ Watling lbw b Deonarine ...................................... 11N Wagner c Ramdin b Best ..........................................6B McCullum c Fudadin b Deonarine .........................19R Taylor c Ramdin b Best ............................................0KWilliamson c Sammy b Deonarine............................8D Brownlie c Deonarine b Narine .............................35Kvan Wyk c Chanderpaul b Narine .............................5D Bracewell c Fudadin b Narine ................................14T Southee c Narine b Roach ........................................7T Boult (not out) ..........................................................0Extras: (lb-1, w-1, nb-5) .............................................7Total: (all out, 65.2 overs) .......................................154Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-56, 3-80, 4-80, 5-85, 6-98 7-105, 8-142, 9-149, 10-154Bowling: Roach 12.2-3-34-1; Best 13-2-44-2, Sammy6-2-19-0, Narine 12-1-19-3, Deonarine 22-7-37-4.West Indies 2nd inningsC Gayle lbw b Boult ....................................................8K Powell lbw b Southee ...............................................6A Fudadin b Wagner...................................................27M Samuels c Taylor b Bracewell ...............................52S Chanderpaul (not out) .............................................43K Roach c Southee b Williamson ..............................41N Deonarine not out ...................................................15Extras: (b4, lb2, w8) .................................................14Total: (5 wickets, 63.2 overs) ..................................206Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-20, 3-94, 4-113, 5-183Bowling: 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 seriesAKRON — American Jim Furyk, seeking his first PGATour 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 PGAChampionship 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 PGATour 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 PGATour 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 MatteoJIM 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 day’s 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 Lord’s, if they are to hold on to their No 1 Test rank-ing having lost the first Test. Aseries 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 hour’s 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 wasn’t 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-etersen’s 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: ........419England 1st innings:A.Strauss c de Villiers b Steyn .....37A Cook lbw Philander .................24J.Trott c Smith b Steyn .................35K.Pietersen lbw Morkel .............149I.Bell c Smith b Kallis .................. 11J Taylor b Morkel .........................34M.Prior C Steyn b Tahir ...............68T.Bresnan c Smith b Philander .......9S.Broad c sub b Tahir .....................1J.Anderson b Tahir .........................8S.Finn not out .................................0Extras: (lb-17,b-7, w-14, nb-11) .49Total: (all out, 126.4 overs) .......425Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-85, 3-142, 4-173, 5-320, 6-351,7-396, 8-407, 9-420Bowling: 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 1-0-5-0South Africa 2nd innings:J.Rudolph not out .........................21G.Smith not out ............................17Extras (b-1) ...................................1Total: (for no loss, 17 overs) .......39Bowling: 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 Africa’s Morne Morkel (right) is congratulated after dismissing England’s Kevin Pietersen during the second Test at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds yesterday. — Reuters

S CHANDERPAUL ... useful knock.

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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

Britain’s 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

BRITAIN’S 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

Ethiopia’s 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 men’s 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 China’s Lin Dan won back-to-back gold as he beat Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei in the men’s 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 Lin’s 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 men’s 4x100m medley relay final on Saturday. — Reuters

GOLD medallist Britain’s Jessica Ennis, silver medallist Germany’s Lilli Schwarzkopf (left) and bronze medallist Russia’s Tatyana Chernova

pose at the women’s heptathlon victory ceremony. — Reuters

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

19

Athletics: (0900) Men’s discus - qualification round; (0905) Men’s 100m hurdles - 1st rd; (0945) Women’s shotput - qualification; (0950) Men’s 800m - 1st rd; (1045) Women’s 1,500m - 1st rd; (1800) Women’s pole vault - final; (1815) Women’s shot put - final; (1820) Women’s 200m - 1st rd; (1915) Women’s 400m hurdles - semifinals; (1945) Men’s 400m hurdles - final; (2005) Women’s 3000m steeplechase - fi-nal; (2030) Men’s 400m - finalBasketball: 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) Men’s quarterfinalBoxing: (1230) Quarterfinals - women’s 51kg, 60 kg,75 kg; (1930) Quarterfinals - men’s 60kg, 75kg, +91kgCanoe-Kayak: (0830) Kayak Single K1 1000m men’s, Canoe Single C1 1000m men heats, Kayak double K2 1000m heats, Canoe single C1 1000m men’s semifinals, Kayak double K21000 m messieursTrack Cycling: (1500) Semifinals/finals men’s sprint, women’s Om-nium, quarterfinals women’s sprintEquestrian: (1300) Jumping Individual 3rd qualifier, Jumping team round 2Football: Women’s semifinals; (1600) France v Japan - London; (1845) Canada v United States - ManchesterArtistic Gymnastics: (1300) Apparatus finals - men’s rings, women’s uneven bars, men’s vaultWeightlifting: (1430, 1800) - 105kg men’sHandball: Men’s 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: Women’s 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, 120kgSynchronised Swimming: (1400) Duets free routineDiving: (1800) Men’s 3m Springboard PreliminaryTable Tennis: (0900) Women’s team semifinals; (1330, 2000) Men’s team semifinalsShooting; (0800) 50m rifle three positions, men’s qualification; Trap men’s qualification; 50m rifle three positions — men’s final;Trap — men’s finalSailing:(1100) 470 men’s, 49ers; (1200) Women’s Laser final; (1300) men’s Laser finalVolleyball — Men’s 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 — Men’s 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

TODAY’S 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 flag-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 final... 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 first 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 goldLONDON — 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 first 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 final yesterday, preventing Louis Smith from claiming Great Britain's first ever artistic gym-nastics gold medal by the fin-est of margins.

Berki and Smith finished 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 final, 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 final 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 first place.

Smith took to the pommel horse last, to huge roars from the crowd at the North Green-wich Arena, but despite a flaw-less routine, he was to miss out on gold in agonising fashion.SMITH MULLS FUTURE

Great Britain’s Louis Smith said he did not know whether or not he would continue to the next Olympics after winning the silver medal in the men’s pommel horse final.

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 first Olympic gymnastics medal in 80 years.

Berki and Smith were joined

on the podium by Smith’s 19-year-old team-mate Max Whitlock, as Britain added two medals to the bronze they sen-sationally claimed in the men’s team final on July 30.

It was the latest chapter in the story of Britain’s 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.

“I’d love to settle down but at the same time, gold is the only medal not in my collec-

tion from the Olympic Games.“You’ve 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-tian’s doing. If he finishes, then I’ll be top dog for once!

I’ve got a lot of things to think about.”

Smith produced a flaw-less routine as the eighth and last finalist, only to lose out to Berki on a tie-breaker.

Both men scored 16.066 points, but Berki’s execution score was superior to Smith’s by 0.100 points, giving the 27-year-old Hungarian the gold.

Smith looked distraught and disbelieving as the result flashed up on the scoreboard, but he said he did not regret the sacrifices 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, it’s been a tough 19 years. I’ve got a single-par-ent mum, my nan passed away in 2009. It’s been a tough road for me.

“Ever since the Olympics here got announced, it’s been incredibly stressful. But it’s a journey that I wouldn’t change ever again.

“A lot of people talk about missing out on childhood, and do I not regret it? I’ve got three Olympic medals. I’m a gymnast, I’m only 23 years old. And what a journey I’ve had.” Whitlock paid tribute to Smith and said his older team-mate’s performance in Beijing had been a key factor. — AFP

Berki thwarts Smith’s 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 difficult 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 final, 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 Mustafina 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 officials 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 definitely be competing tomorrow."

The startlist posted on the official 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 putLONDON — 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 finishing fifth 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-five finish, it is still a mathemati-cal possibility.

"In the sailing we have got four crews who are first and second and we have got canoe sprint, BMX and track and field 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 finish fifth 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 men’s gymnastics final yesterday. — Reuters

LONDON — Britain's hopes of two gold medals on the final 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 magnificent 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 first 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 first gold medal in Olym-pics tennis.

Mixed doubles was mak-ing its return to the Olym-pics as a medal event for the first time since 1924.

— Rueters

Mirnyi, Azarenka win mixed doubles ANDY Murray returns to Roger Federer in the men’s 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.

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

LONDON — The Netherlands team joined their women's counterparts as semifinalists 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 fifth 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 first half with stalwart Teun de Nooijer setting up and scoring in the first 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 flick 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 semifinals have qualified for the semifinals 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 finishing 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 semifinal 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 field goal by Waseem Ahmed, three minutes from the hooter.

Meanwhile, defending champions the Netherlands

moved into the semifinals of the Olympic women’s 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 semifinals with a 2-1 victory that stopped Great Britain’s winning spree.

Britain remain in second place with nine points from four games, while China boosted their tally to seven points. The hosts’ semifinal hopes now hinge on their last game against the Dutch today, while earlier that day China will play the group’s 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 finished 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 Korea’s Cheon Seul Ki converted two penalty corners to trouble the Dutch.Cheon opened the scoring by sending a drag-flick into the top corner in the fifth minute, but the Dutch were back on level terms in the 10th minute on Kelly Jonker’s reverse de-flection of captain Maartje Paumen’s shot.

Ellen Hogg open field 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 semifinalsIndia 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 fit and remains the man to beat in the Olympic 100 metres as he romped to victory in his semi- final in 9.87 seconds yester-day. All the big guns made it through for what should be a fantastic final when London’s 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 final 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 first heat in 9.82 but former world record-holder Asafa Powell was only third in 9.94, making it into the final 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 flags out there really got me pumped up. “I sent a signal out there. I told them to get ready for the final”

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

JAMAICA’S Usain Bolt and Britain’s Dwain Chambers (left) compete in the men’s 100m semifinals yesterday.

INDIA’S Dharamvir Singh (left) and South Korea’s Hye Sung Hyun in action during their men’s Group B hockey match.

Country G S B TChina 29 16 14 59United States 27 14 15 56Great Britain 16 10 10 36South Korea 10 4 6 20France 8 7 9 24Germany 5 10 7 22Italy 5 5 3 13Kazakhstan 5 0 0 5North Korea 4 0 1 5Russian Fedn 3 16 15 34Netherlands 3 1 4 8Hungary 3 1 3 7South Africa 3 1 0 4New Zealand 3 0 4 7Japan 2 11 12 25Denmark 2 4 2 8Romania 2 4 2 8Belarus 2 2 3 7Cuba 2 2 1 5Poland 2 1 1 4Ukraine 2 0 4 6Ethiopia 2 0 1 3Australia 1 12 7 20Canada 1 3 6 10Czech Rep 1 3 1 5Brazil 1 1 5 7Switzerland 1 1 0 2Croatia 1 1 0 2Slovenia 1 0 2 3Georgia 1 0 2 2Lithuania 1 0 1Venezuela 1 0 0 1Mexico 0 3 1 4Sweden 0 3 0 3Spain 0 2 1 3Colombia 0 2 1 3Kenya 0 2 1 3Slovakia 0 1 3 4India 0 1 2 3Serbia 0 1 1 2Norway 0 1 1 2Indonesia 0 1 1 2Mongolia 0 1 1 2Kenya 0 1 1 2Belgium 0 1 1 2Thailand 0 1 0 1Chinese Taipei 0 1 0 1Egypt 0 1 0 1Guatemala 0 1 0 1Greece 0 0 2 2Azerbaijan 0 0 1 1Iran 0 0 1 1Qatar 0 0 1 1Uzbekistan 0 0 1 1Singapore 0 0 1 1Moldova 0 0 1 1Armenia 0 0 1 1Hong Kong 0 0 1 1

MEDAL TALLY

Terms and conditions apply

Monday, August 6, 2012Monday, August 6, 2012

By A Staff Reporter

MUSCAT — On the first day of the second leg of the 8th Nawras Goodwill Journey of compassion and sharing, Nawras Goodwill volunteers visited the Omani Women’s Association in Quriyat and donated laptops, printers, LCD televisions, DVD play-ers and an iPad 2. N a w r 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 Women’s 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 Women’s 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 Women’s Association in Al Kamil W’al Wafi as the caring volunteers head south on the way to their final 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 officials 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 confidential 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 fines 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 fine 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

22OMAN/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 Oman’s 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 tournamentMUSCAT — 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 Max’s select roster of affordable, high-quality products and will be positioned as a family lifestyle brand for women’s, men’s, 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 Max’s 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.”

Ahlibank’s 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

Greece’s new pledges will take epic battle to implement

By A Staff Reporter

MUSCAT — bank muscat’s Meethaq, the pioneer of Is-lamic banking, is hosting a public lecture on the ‘Ethics of handling children’s funds’ at 5:30 pm, today at bank muscat’s 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 children’s 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 children’s 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, ahlibank’s Barka Branch Manager, handing over the cheque to the welfare of the handicapped at Barka.

23OMAN/INTERNATIONAL MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

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 firm.

After four days of losses, the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 index SPX rallied on Friday, finishing 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 five 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 flow in the iShares MSCI Emerging Mar-kets fund "seems to express confidence 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 profit 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, stifling their efforts to invest in competing more strongly with rivals in Germany and beyond.

Just as Prime Minister Mario Monti (pictured) tries to fix the problems that have hindered Italy's private sector for decades, notably its legen-dary official red tape, compa-nies are paying significantly 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 reflects 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-financial companies is significantly lower than in Britain, France and Spain, al-though slightly higher than in Germany, according to Bank of Italy data.

But Italian firms rely on banks for 70 per cent of their financial 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 stifles Italian firms’ competitiveness drive

TRADERS working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. — Reuters

WALL ST WEEK AHEAD

24OMAN/INTERNATIONAL MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

TEL: 24601003, 24600586 • FAX: 24600736 • WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com

MUSCAT — In 1935, the first 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 muffler cutter and several redesigned

features. New "exclusive" de-cals on both flanks 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 fit and finish 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 I’m 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

AKIO Toyoda, 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 firm 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 five months that technical bugs have caused trouble for Wall Street players.

Executives at trading firms 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 firms 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 floors to computers over the last decade, the speed of execution jumped along with the poten-tial for cascading problems.

Trading firms, 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-ficult. Good testing requires a firm 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 firm.

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 officer 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 firm 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 floor of the New York Stock Exchange. — Reuters

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Muslim conforms to the divine disciplineBy Dr Syed Bashir Ahmad Kashmiri

BESIDES compliancewith 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 specific things identified to him; it has defined 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. Inthis 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-Qurān, 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 fixed 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 someone’s 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-Qurān, 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-entifically and sufficiently es-tablished — is unquestionably forbidden. Narcotic substanc-es, which fall in the category of poisons, are even worse. Infact, 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-Qurān, 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 Satan’s handiwork and a major unholy transgression. This has

been underlined in the authen-tic Hadeeth that reads, “Anadulterer 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-Qurān, 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 fights 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, fulfil 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

THE presence of Islamic banks assumes special significance 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’ financial institutions for loans and they are bound to suffer a depletion of their financial resources. The Al-mighty warned in the Quran against indulging in ‘riba’, which is inter-est-based income from a borrower’s capital.

When Islamic financial institu-tions are set up, their establishment means implementation of Sharia-based financial dealings which do not capitalise on interest. Therefore, the outcome of Islamic financial institutions will only be a form of mercy on people and the spread bounty. This enables all to resolve their financial problems in a way that would not invoke the anger of the Almighty.

Therefore, I would like to call people to co-operate with Islamiceconomic 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

Reflections on Islam

Students recite the Holy Quran at Madarasatul Imam Anwarullah during Ramadhan in Hyderabad. — AFP

By Dr Fahim Ahmed Shah

FASTING in the month of Ramadhan is an opportunity to make significant 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 benefits 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 reflect upon deeper spiritual matters, such as the relationship with God and with fellow human beings. Itenables a person to develop sustained consciousness of God.

Healthy lifestyleA 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 food”is 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: “Godhas 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 SickFasting 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 afflict 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 DietThe fasts of Ramadhan can improve

a person’s health. The deciding factor is what you consume in the non-fasting hours.

Food has a great significance in Is-lam. It is associated with one’s relation-ship with God. Chapter 20, verse 81 of the Qur’an 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 fixed 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 fill no vessel worse than their stomach. Sufficient 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-Tirmidhî).

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 Qur’an is categorical: “Eat and drink freely: but waste not by excess, for He does not like the wasters.”

Moderate dietThe diet should be simple and not

differ too much from one’s 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 mealflour, 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, figs, etc. Foods to avoid are the heavily-processed, fast-burning foods that contain refined carbohydrates in the form of sugar, white flour, 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 Qur’an are fruit and vegetables, such as olives, onions, cucumber,figs, dates, grapes as well as pulses such as lentils. The encouragement of fish can be seen in the fact that Islamic law spares fish from any specific slaughter requirements, making it easy to incorpo-rate fish in a meal.

(Dr Fahim Ahmed Shah, ENT Sur-geon, Sur Hospital)

Fasting improves self-discipline, healthy lifestyle

26RAMADHAN MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Waitresses who wear red get more tips

WAITRESSES 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 five res-taurants over a six-weekperiod. 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 confirmed 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 OFFERCOINCIDING 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 INONE 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 IshaAugust 1433 AH (am) (am) (pm) (pm) Iftar (pm) (pm)

Aug 6 17 04:17 05:39 12:18 03:42 06:52 08:09Aug 7 18 04:17 05:39 12:18 03:42 06:52 08:08Aug 6 19 04:18 05:39 12:18 03:42 06:51 08:07Aug 7 20 04:19 05:40 12:18 03:42 06:50 08:06Aug 8 21 04:19 05:40 12:17 03:43 06:50 08:06Aug 9 22 04:20 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:49 08:05Aug 10 23 04:20 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:48 08:04Aug 11 24 04:21 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:47 08:03Aug 12 25 04:22 05:42 12:17 03:43 06:47 08:02Aug 13 26 04:22 05:42 12:17 03:43 06:46 08:01Aug 14 27 04:23 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:45 08:00Aug 15 28 04:23 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:44 07:59Aug 16 29 04:24 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:44 07:58Aug 17 (30) 04:25 05:44 12:16 03:42 06:43 07:57Aug 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 –4Al Ashkhara –9 –2Sur –7 –3Wadi Bani Khalid –5 –2Qurayyat –3 –2Jaalan –7 –1Al Kamil –6 –1Bidiya –4 0Ibra –3 0Bid Bid +1 +1Samayil +1 +1Barka +2 +1Nakhl +2 +1Al Mudhaibi –1 +2Al Musana +3 +2Izki +1 +3Saiq +2 +3Al Rustaq +1 +2Al Awabi +4 +5Al Hamra +5 +3Al Khaburah +6 +3Musandam +14 +3Masirah –8 +4Nizwa/Manah +2 +4Saham +7 +4

Sohar +8 +4Shinas +10 +4Adam +1 +5Bahla +3 +5Liwa +9 +5Wadi Hibi +8 +6Mahout –5 +7Qarn Al Alam –2 +7Ibri/Yanqul +7 +7Mahdha +11 +11Dhank +8 +8Fahoud +5 +9Al Buraimi +11 +9Ras Madraka –7 +10Al Duqm –5 +10Al Khuwair +11 +12Haima +1 +15Al Jazir –2 +16Al Halaniyat –2 +20Maqshan +6 +21Marmool +2 +22Mirbat +2 +26Taqa/Al Mamura +4 +28Thamrait +6 +28Salalah/Raysut +5 +29Rakhyout +5 +30Sarfait/Dalkout +8 +33Habrout +11 +34

TIMING IN OTHER REGIONS AS COMPARED TO MUSCAT

27LETTERS/HEALTH MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

READING 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 definitely a new era for Omani women as their display of poise in society has revealed their productive equal and unique role alongside men.

— SophieEditor: Omani women have

always been partners in progress of the country. In the recent years their roles in the society have been diversified. The collective achievements prove that support and encouragement will always result in triumph for all, regard-less of gender.

Fisheries and economic development

IT is pleasing to find that the government of Oman is taking

initiatives to capitalise on its resources while simultaneously providing a better livelihood for fishermen in Oman. Further boosting the fishing industry will serve as a great benefit and I hope that the trade limitations on export will allow for residents of Oman to enjoy more local fish.

— Charlotte MakalaEditor: The Sultanate of

Oman has always taken pride

in developing it’s nation as a whole. Presenting fishermen of Oman with the opportunity to enhance their trade will un-doubtedly be leading the fish-ing industry to greater heights. It is my firm belief that the trail to an enhanced thriving country in terms of fiscal, industrial and palatable progress has already been paved, and the journey is in motion.

Summer droughts

WE 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 inflation. There has been big rain deficit this year in a country which is Asia’s third largest economy and where more than half the farmland lacks irrigation.

— SudaranEditor: 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

THE 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 five 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 SultanatePEOPLE’S PLATFORM

Do you have a word of appreciation for any services you received? Or suggestions for improvement? Observer is giving you an opportunity to rant or rave about anything and everything around you: Please write to:

Tel: 24649451, Fax: 24649469; e-mail: observerfeatures@gmail.com

IN 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 benefit 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 financially 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 baby’s 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

HAVING a healthy heart and lungs may help middle school

students secure higher grades in math and reading, says a new research.

“Cardiorespiratory fitness 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 NorthTexas.

“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 five 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 fit and im-proved academic perform-ance, this study also exam-ined several other potential influences, including self-es-

teem and social support.It also took into account

the students’ socio-economic status and their self-report-ed academic ability, Petriesaid.

In addition to cardiorespi-ratory fitness, social support was related to better reading scores among boys, accord-ing to the study.

It defined 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 fitness that predicted better reading scores.

For boys and girls, cardi-orespiratory fitness was the only factor related to their performance on the math tests.

These findings were pre-sented at the American Psy-chological Association’s 120th Annual Convention.

Strong hearts help kids secure higher grades

CITY 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 shellfish 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 first 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.

ASTRAWBERRY 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 verified the protecting effect of straw-berry extract against damage to skins cells caused by UVArays,” 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 earth’s 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 (fi-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 confirm that the strawberry extract, espe-cially at a concentration of 0.5 mg per millitre, displays photoprotective properties in those fibroblasts 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 inflamma-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, flowers and fruits their red colour. Analyses have con-firmed that extracts are rich in such substances.

City kids more prone to food allergies

Strawberry extract protects skin against UV rays

BILINGUAL 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 significantly 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 Strathclyde’s 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 beneficial 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 benefits, 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

PARENTS 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.

28RAMADHAN MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising; P.O. Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman; Tel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 Fax: 24699643 Website: omanobserver.om e-mail: editor@omanobserver.om Salalah Office: Tel: 23292633, Fax: 23293909 Nizwa Office: Tel: 25411099, P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611 ADVERTISING: AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. Box 3303,

Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: SWITCHBOARD: 24649444, DIRECT: 24649430/24649437/24649401, Fax: 24649434 DISTRIBUTION AGENT: AL OMANEYA FOR DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING,P.O. Box 974, P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: 24649351/24649360, Fax: 24649379, subscribe@omandaily.om

Printers and Publishers OMAN ESTABLISHMENT FOR PRESS, PUBLICATION AND ADVERTISING

Chief Executive Officer DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI. Editor-in-Chief FAHMI BIN KHALID AL HARTHY

By Hasan Kamoonpuri

COME 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 offices. 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 significantly 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 community’s annual public iftar at Ruwi’s 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 company’s employees under

Akram’s supervision. Mian Mohammad Riaz, Chief Ex-

ecutive, MRPCO, hosts a daily iftar for 300 people every year at his head office 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 first 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 first 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 first 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. Islam’s first 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

FOR 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 infavour 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 films 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 recipesBernard 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 cookbarbecue,” 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 Scott’s 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

PARENTS 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 five in pub-lic places and recorded the results.

Stansbury said another surprising finding 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, 1½ 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 220°F. Chill the oil over ice and then strain through a coffee filter.

Lemon vinaigrette: 1½ cups lemon oil, ½ 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, 1½ tea-spoons coarsely ground black pepper, 1½ teaspoons fleur 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 fleur 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 Britain’s 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 fine-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, it’s nice to be recognised, especially with the James Beard award because it’s voted by your peers. But what really validates that my choice is that after 22 years of cooking I’m anxious to come to work because I really love cooking. That’s the biggest validation for me.

In your first 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 wantto have a real point of view. We list the 15 to 16ingredients in our menu because I have never seen it done before. — Reuters

Radicchio salad with mozzarella, mango

and basil