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DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI Chief Executive Ofcer

ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI Editor-in-Chief
Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising
PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Mrs. Sajitha Radhakrishnan

Sunday JULY 6, 2014 | RAMADHAN 8, 1435 AH

Vol. 33 No. 234| 200 baisas | 32 pages

editor@omanobserver.om

www.omanobserver.om

As part of Taqah-Mirbat carriageway project

OMAN

Brazilian city
honours Oman
THE Mayor of the Brazilian city of
Foz do Igaucu has announced the
selection of a prominent square
in the city to bear the name of the
Sultanate.
The Mayor hailed the role
played by the Sultanate to spread
the values of tolerance and peace
worldwide. The initiative of naming
the square was taken by the Mayor
as part of his appreciation to the
selection of his city as a venue
to hold the Islam Message from
Oman exhibition in its 48th edition.
Its worthy to be mentioned, the
exhibition has achieved its goals
in conveying the message of Islam
to Brazilians. The square which
occupies a well-known location in
the middle of the city is regarded

Arab name in Latin America.

6 bridges planned
By Conrad Prabhu

A view of the Dhofar Governorate yesterday as it ushers in the Khareef season which
wrapped it in lush greenery and its hills drenched in white fog. Add to it, light drizzle
to cool the air alluring scores of visitors. Picture by Yahya al Salmani

36
05.25
Sunrise

Muscat
12:17
Dhuhr

15:35
Asr

29
42
33
44
41

Salalah
Nizwa
Sohar
Ibri
Sur

26
28
32
32
28

MUSCAT A total of six bridge structures,


will be built as part of a $105.14 million (RO
40.483m) contract for the dualisation of the
key Taqah-Mirbat carriageway in Dhofar Governorate.
The project, when completed in just over
three years time, is expected to open up wide
swaths of southeastern coastal Dhofar to economic development, as well as strengthen
road connectivity between Salalah and the
wilayats of Sadah, Hasik, Shuwaymiyah on
Dhofars east coast, say experts.
   
Galfar Engineering and Contracting SAOG
has been awarded the contract by the Tender
Board to implement the dualisation project

Muscat
19:03
Maghrib

20:25
Isha

on behalf of the Ministry of Transport and

Communications. It entails the upgrade of the
existing single carriageway between Taqah
and Mirbat into an all-weather, internationalclass dual road with two lanes in each direction.
Galfars brief covers the dualisation of a
34-kilometre stretch from Madinat al Haq
roundabout and ends at a new roundabout
that will be constructed at Mirbat on the
road to Sadah. A further 1.5 km stretch from
Mirbat roundabout to a new roundabout at Al
Qalai near Mirbat town will also be dualised.
Accounting for a sizeable chunk of the
       pass that will be constructed at locations
where the carriageway intersects with roads
linking villages and developments along the
 To page 2
coast, as well as blacktops

30
03:59
Fajr

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

OMAN

Picture for illustrative purposes

New bridges planned as part

of Taqah-Mirbat road project
 From page 1
and graded routes leading up to tourist attractions tucked away in the adjoining jebals.
  
    
      
junctions with the Tawi Atir road,
Khor Rori road, Ashour road, Hasher
road, and Hasik road.
Additionally, a major wadi bridge
will be built spanning the downstream end of Wadi Darbat, one of
Dhofars biggest khareef attractions.
A further 15-km of service roads linking the carriageway to nearby settlements will also be constructed as
part of the project.
Of late, Dhofar Governorate has
been attracting hundreds of mil-

lions of Omani rials in investment in,

among other things, new road networks, electricity and water schemes,
and a major international airport as
well.
Equally large sums are being
ploughed into upscale hotel and tourism developments, shopping and retail complexes, and even an international medical city.
Anchored by a transshipment and
logistics hub, as well as a free zone,
Salalah and parts of the wider Dhofar
area are being positioned for development into a tourism and economic
destination that will sustain the
countrys longer-term growth.
The prestigious Taqah-Mirbat dualisation project is of a piece with this
vision, experts point out.
Salalah-based Al Manarah Engi-

neering Consultancy is the design

and construction supervision consultant for the dualisation project,
which is due to be completed by
around the fourth quarter of 2017.
(OEPPA Business
Development Dept)

RAMADHAN
Imsak
Iftar
03:59

19:03

First public transport meet in Oct

MUSCAT The Oman Road Transport Association
(ORTA) in partnership with Al Nimr Conferences will or       
13 at the Grand Hyatt Muscat.
The conference is an ideal opportunity for the stakeholders with interest in public transportations to exchange views on the future of the sector, the challenges
facing it, the legislations, the development of infrastructure and the business capabilities in terms of strategies.
         

will discuss a number of issues, challenges, available opportunities, effective implementation of the transporta
that will be reaped from developing public transportation
sector (regional global), In-Country Value (ICV)
Project Opportunities for SMEs and Macro-Micro Entrepreneurs, and Opportunities for PublicPrivate Partnerships in the Public Transport.
Transport experts from UK, Malaysia, Singapore and
Arab countries will take part in the conference. ONA

Bank sends malware

alert to NRI customers
By A Staff Reporter
nancial institutions do send to their overseas customers,
an Indian bank has sounded a word of caution as a malicious software has been trying to steal its customers
personal info.
        
possible window that crops up and seeks their personal
info ostensibly representing the bank as they enter their
online portal.
We have detected a recent issue where some systems used by customers have been infected by malicious
software. After they log in to our Internet Banking portal (SIBERNET), a small window appears and requests
sensitive information such as ATM card number, expiry
date, and PIN Number, the Department of Information
and Communication Technology at the South Indian
Bank said.
Once the personal information is shared on these infected screens, the malware captures data and criminals
use the information to perpetrate fraud. The banker further advised the customers that once the PC is infected,
their personal information could be compromised. To
safeguard their interests against this, one should ensure
that his/her PC or laptop is protected with latest antivirus software and their updated versions.
This is also a part of our KYC (Know Your Customer)
and database updating tasks. We are sending this message for our customers information as part of customer
education and action to protect their banking account
with us. We urge our customers to familiarise themselves with this latest online fraud attempt, the IT de
As to combat the online fraud attempts, banks advise
people not to share their Internet Banking Login ID and
passwords or ATM Pin or CVV with anybody and not to
respond to any mails or pop-up window which may ask
for this kind of information.
Bankers say they will never seek from their customers these kind of sensitive information over email, as the bank has inbuilt information Security
systems and procedures for protecting the interest
of the customers. Also, customers should check the last
login date and time information available in Internet
banking login home page to check unauthorised activities on their online account.

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

OMAN

Dam as a tourist hub at

Wadi Dayqah in Qurayat

Passengers on NFC
ferries up by 20.3 pc
MUSCAT Passengers and vehicles transportation on board
the ferries of the National Ferries
          
2014, compared to the same period in 2013.
Statistics released by NFC
showed that the number of pas      
rose by 20.3 per cent to 20,786
passengers, compared to 17,277
passengers in 2013.
The number of vehicles during the same period rose to 3,106
vehicles, a 7 per cent increase

compared with the same period in

2013.
The statistics indicated that the
route Muscat-Khasab-Muscat constituted 57.6 per cent of the total
passengers in that period, ShinasKhasab-Shinas 31 per cent and
Khasab-Lima-Khasab constituted
the remaining 11 per cent of the
total number of passengers.
The statistics reported that NFC
ferries carried 861.28 tonnes of

National Ferries Company is a
time transport infrastructure and

development in the Sultanate.

  
of the long coastline of the Sultanate, which is about 3,165 km
long, make this ferry service a
necessity for the population and
tourist alike as it provides vital
links between ports and saves
travelling time.
All NFCs fast ferries serve passenger and vehicle movements
between key ports namely Muscat/Khasab (Musandam), Khasab/
Lima (Musandam) (currently only
passenger and small cargo) and
Shinas/Khasab). ONA

MUSCAT Wadi Dayqah (Dhiqah)

Dam in the Wilayat of Qurayat in the
Governorate of Muscat is one of the
      
ate. It is a famous architectural and
tourist destination in the wilayat and
an important tourist attraction that
is visited by thousands of tourists
from inside and outside the Sultanate
throughout the year.
The number of visitors to the valley, located in the village of Al Mazari
continues to rise. The tourist numbers last May reached 423,000. Tour
ity of 100 million cubic metres.
Filling of the valley with wa      
high number of visitors and the activation of tourism in the wilayat
in general and Al Mazari village in

particular. During this year, the repeated spillway and drainage were
    
of tourists in May to view the wonderful waterfalls.
The Dam lake currently stores
83 million cubic metres and the discharge gate is occasionally opened to
feed the aquifer of the villages below
the dam, including the villages of Al
Ghaf and Daghmar.
The dam contains two lakes
namely the main lake and the side
     
along the canyon and the second in
the North of the main lake. Many
services are available for visitors like
the resting stations, a park, restaurants and toilets.
The spilled water contributed to
raise the water level in wells near the
dam, such as Falaj (water stream)
Hail al Ghaf, which is one of the fa-


which contributed to the revitalisation of agriculture this season.
To develop services in the dam
area, the Municipal Affairs Committee in the Wilayat of Qurayat met recently and discussed the tourist infrastructure in the wilayat in general
and Wadi Dhiqah Dam in particular.
The meeting discussed the dam as
a tourist hub in the wilayat and which
attracted thousands of visitors and
tourists annually.
The committee visited the dam
and interviewed its staff and discussed the key requirements for the
development of services on site to
accommodate larger numbers of visitors.
The committee prepared a comprehensive report on services that
will contribute to strengthening the
tourism aspects of the region. ONA

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

OMAN

MSM volumes touch RO 1.3 bn

MUSCAT The trading
volume of Muscat Securities Market (MSM) at the
     
to about RO 1.3 billion; a
    
   
   
   
   
the increase in government
    
   
higher level than estimated
in the budget.
    
   nies have increased their
    
   tion such as Takaful Insur

The government also of   
       

RO 641m
worth CDs
issued
  
   
    

The total amount allotted
     

   
    age interest rate of these
   
cent while the maximum
  
    

     
    

      
     
  ment aimed at absorb
lar and maintaining sta    
   
    
 


   
the market thus contributing to increasing the vol     

  
       
   
    
of securities traded at the
     
   
     
The statistics also show
that the highest trading volume was recorded in Janu-

     
million.
The lowest trading vol    
   
   
The market recovered
again with the listing of
    
        
total value of trading dur     lion.
The new listings and
   
  

          

    riod.
  
   

    
    aged to maintain most of
     
     
    
    
growth in the number of
   

  
    
  

witnessed a decline. The in   
sector indices witnessed a
decline with the Sharia sector recording the biggest



S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

OMAN


to 1.48 per cent in May
By A Staff Reporter

Musandam-Oman Sail puts Oman

rmly on the map in Germany
MUSCAT Oman became the
centre of attention at the worlds
largest sailing event and Northern
Europes biggest summer festival
Kieler Woche recently after Oman
     
race record which drew German
visitors to the Oman tourism exhibition pavilion in their thousands.
Over the space of nine days,
the Baltic Sea Port played host to
crowds in excess of 3 million and
many of them, alerted to the buzz
created by Musandam-Oman Sail

Week Welcome Race record from
     
minutes, paid a visit to the Omani

The Lord Mayor of Kiel Ulf
Kaempfer was one of them after he
went sailing on Musandam-Oman
Sail, teaming up with a mixed international crew led by skipper
   
three Omanis Mohsin al Busaidy,
Sami al Shukaili and Yassir al Rahbi
and two German sailors Timmy
Kroger and Anna-Maria Renken.
It was awesome, he said afterwards.
What a thrilling boat. I steered
about half an hour and apparently

plus and were by far the fastest


Before I was given the helm
though I had to grind and trim
the foresail with the Omani sailor
Sami. All in all, it was a great experience that I would not have
missed for the world.
This Musandam-Oman Sail
      
Woche. It stands for a colourful
internationality and I had a great
time on board with all of them.
Kiel was very pleased to have
Oman Sail here this year with such
an exciting multihull.


    
other boats present and tourism
     
Oman Ministry of Tourism in Germany reported a brisk footfall in
the exhibition pavilion and plenty
of questions about the Sultanate.
     
how many Omani dates we handed
out and how many hands and feet
we tattooed with Omani henna, we
can pronounce Kiel a great success
because the queue for our henna
artist snaked around the pavil-

      
      
of dates, said Huda Sultan, Venue
Manager and Oman Sails Head of
Marketing. We were delighted by
the response.
The most common questions
revolved around where Oman is
and how does one get there, and
we were prepared with maps
and montages to show them the
answers. We even had details of
    
and Germany so no stone was left

Guests also wanted to know

about the Omani culture, where
the best beaches and diving sites
were and if it was true that we had
our very own Grand Canyon, which
of course we do with the Wadi
Guhl. We really felt like our efforts were making a difference and
hopefully we will see them again

It was the race record that started the pavilion rush, according to
one of Omans most senior sailors
Mohsin al Busaidy.

Musandam-Oman Sail in Kiel. It is
more than 21 metres long, almost
      
rocket so we did create a bit of a
buzz, he said.

Inspection
campaign
in Ibri
IBRI The Municipality of Ibri organised a
campaign yesterday to
inspect the shops selling good quality products.
The shops which
trade in the various villages in the state within
the framework of the
programmes
implemented by the Directorate General of Municipalities Regional and
Water Resources province phenomenon during Ramadhan.
The programme of
the inspection campaign was on stores
that sold food and food
stores and bakeries.
In order to control
the quality and prices, the Municipality
launched a campaign
among the shop owners.
The shops were
asked to coordinate and
take part and to identify
the quality of services
presented.
The consumers were
also requested to actively take part in the
campaign since this
 ly to the preservation of
the health and safety.
Also
an
awareness of the consumers
rights were guaranteed through the campaign.

       
recorded an increase of 1.48 per cent in


a month-by-month basis the May rate in      

      tional Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) details the factors driving the


Over the 12 month period food and
     
cent, while housing, water, electricity, gas
and other fuels grew by 1.66 per cent. Education costs recorded an increase of 6.3
per cent.
Meanwhile, health costs increased by
     
ings, household equipment and routine

cent, and hotels and restaurants costs increased by 1.26 per cent.
Miscellaneous goods and services also
      
     
per cent, and clothing and footwear costs

However, transport costs recorded a
      
      
per cent.


Health costs increased

by 6.01 per cent and
communications
costs rose by
0.13 per cent


The increase is attributed to the rising
costs of food and non-alcoholic bever

In addition, also housing, water, elec       
per cent.
On the other hand, clothing and foot      ings, household equipment and routine
household maintenance also declined
     
      

Hotels and restaurants costs declined


Tobacco prices and education costs
were also stable on a month-by-month
basis.

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

REGION

Sisi slashes fuel subsidies

Egypts President Abdel Fattah al Sisi with Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar in Cairo. AF


TEHRAN An Iranian pilot has
     
state media reported yesterday, in
      
military casualty during battles
against opposition.
    
did not say whether the pilot died

ground.
It said Colonel Shojaat Alamdari
Mourjani was killed while defending holy sites in the city of Samarra,
north of Baghdad.
His death comes after Irans
declarations that it will provide its
western neighbour with whatever

are laying siege to the government of
Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki.
     
ri shrine which was bombed by Al
Qaeda in February 2006, sparking
a sectarian war that killed tens of
thousands.
The reports of the pilots death
     
assistance is not in the form of
troops, but rather of weapons and

equipment if Iraq asks for them.

President Hassan Rouhani vowed
last month that Iran, would protect
holy sites in Iraq, including in Samarra.
The Fars news agency appeared
ing photos of a funeral service for
the pilot on Friday in his home province of Fars, in southern Iran.
Fars did not give any details, but
hinted that Alamdari Mourjani was
a member of Irans Revolutionary
Guard, whose elite Quds Force is
believed to be on the ground and assisting Iraqi forces, despite Tehrans
denials.
Earlier in the week, the Iraqi
defence ministry said it had taken
     planes and released video footage of
them being unloaded from a cargo
plane.
The London-based International
Institute for Strategic Studies said
the jets came from Iran.
Meanwhile, a US company has
signed a preliminary agreement to
invest $1.175 billion (864 million
euros) in Iran, in a rare joint com-

mercial project to turn rubbish and

human waste into electricity.
California-based
World
Eco
Energy said it plans to produce 250
megawatts daily by burning trash
and by processing algae and salt and
waste water into power. Iran will
match the US investment, the company said.
A company spokesman said the
project, in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari,
would create 600-700 jobs, 80 per
cent of which would go to locals.
It is scheduled to start in September 2014 and is an early indication

back to Iran if US, European and UN
sanctions are lifted.
tiating with world powers about a
conclusive deal to resolve international concern about its nuclear programme.
Despite the uncertainty that
clouds Irans economy, still shut out

because of an embargo on banks and
the energy sector, a more positive
outlook is starting to prevail. AFP

8 members of one family

killed in Syria raid
BEIRUT Eight members of a single
family were killed yesterday when
Syrian aircraft dropped explosivepacked barrel bombs on a town
in the southern Syrian province of
Daraa, a monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a man, his wife and
their six children were killed in the
raid on the town of Dael.
Another man was killed in barrel
bomb raids elsewhere in the southern province, the Britain-based group
said.
A video from Dael showed men
carrying the remains of bodies after
the attack.
This is all that remains of the family, one man says.
Where is Arab pride in the holy
month of Ramadan? This is what is

happening to children.
The Observatory said the children
were aged 13, 12, 11, 10, eight and
two.
Syrian regime forces control Daraa
city, but the province is divided between rebel and government control.
Elsewhere, the Observatory said
     
killed since Friday in clashes with
the State (IS) group in the Zur Maghar area of Aleppo province in north
Syria.
The IS seized Zur Maghar and
nearby Bayada on Friday as it continues to battle rebel forces elsewhere
in northern Syria.
Alongside that front, regime
troops have made new advances on
the outskirts of eastern Aleppo.
The city, once Syrias economic

hub, has been divided between rebel

control in the east and government
control in the west since shortly af
2012.
But regime forces have in recent
days begun to encircle the eastern outskirts of the city, seizing the
Sheikh Najjar industrial sector to the
northeast and threatening rebel supply routes.
In addition to battling the regime,
     
previously known as the State of Iraq
and the Levant, since January. The
group has become infamous for abuses against civilians and opposition
forces, and last week announced the
establishment of an caliphate a
state straddling the border between
Syria and Iraq. AFP

CAIRO Egypt has drastically

raised fuel prices overnight to
tackle a bloated subsidy system, in
a potentially unpopular move that
might blow back on newly elected
President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.
With the economy battered by
three years of unrest, successive
governments have said the subsidies that allowed Egyptians to buy
gasoline at some of the worlds
cheapest prices must be lifted.
Taxi drivers blocked roads in
the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya and
     
disperse them after the hikes went
into effect overnight on Friday.
Ex-army chief Sisi, elected by
a landslide in May, has advocated
austerity to narrow the budget
      
platform to rein in supporters of
ousted president Mohamed Mursi.
Mursi himself had balked at
implementing the cuts, to avoid
stoking unrest, but the military
ousted the divisive leader anyway
after millions took to the streets demanding his resignation.
With the main opposition decimated, Sisi appears set on leveraging his popularity to ram through
politically risky measures that
foreign donors say are crucial to
reforming a decrepit subsidy system.
The government raised the price
of 92 octane gasoline from 1.85
Egyptian ($0.36/27 euro cents) a
litre to 2.60, and 80 octane gas
       cial MENA news agency reported.
The price of diesel was raised
from 1.1 to 1.8.

The state spends more than 30

per cent of its budget on fuel and
food subsidies, in a country were
nearly 40 per cent of Egypts population of 86 million hover around
the poverty line.
Taxi drivers in Ismailiya blocked
off roads near the provincial headquarters, an AFP correspondent
    
police tried to disperse them.
In Cairo, their enraged colleagues queued at gas stations after
the prices went up.
I wanted Sisi to lift subsidies for
businessmen and factory owners,
before the poor, said taxi driver
Mostafa Ibrahim.
Taxis, which have cheap fares
compared with other countries, are
commonly used in Egypt for everyday transport.
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab
said in comments aired on television that the increase would not affect food prices or hit the poor.
Those most affected have cars,
two cars or a big vehicle, but those
who use microbuses will not be
affected, and those are the ones I
want to protect, he said, referring
to a form of transportation used
among lower income Egyptians.
Part of the subsidies (saved
by the cuts) will go to services for
those most in need, he said, without elaborating.
Sisi has preached a message of
     my.
He has launched a donation
drive and announced he would give
away part of his salary and personal wealth, while urging Egyptians to

bike and walk more to save on gas.

The economy has been propped
up by billions of dollars in Gulf
Arab state aid since the overthrow
of the Mursi.
The government has also signed
off on a capital gains tax and said
it would gradually raise electricity

Sisi won the May election by
about 97 per cent of the vote
against a weak leftist candidate,
and many view him as a strong
leader who can kickstart a recovery.
But Mursis Brotherhood movement still holds near daily protests
it hopes will grow with increasing
economic discontent.
The group has been battered
by a crackdown that killed at least
1,400 people in street clashes and
imprisoned more than 16,000 people.
More than 200 opposition and
alleged supporters have been sentenced to death in mass trials.
Yesterday, a court sentenced
Brotherhood leader Mohamed
     
death sentences, nine of them in
absentia.
The unrest, and militant attacks
that have killed scores of policemen and soldiers, have roiled the
economy.
The 2011 uprising that ousted
veteran Hosni Mubarak sent the
economy into a downward spiral,
with the tumult scaring away tourists and foreign investors.
The country had just began to
recover when the military, prompted by huge protests, overthrew
Mursi in July last year. AFP

Palestinian teen said burned alive

RAMALLAH A Palestinian teenager whose abduction and murder set
off violent protests was burned alive,
according to initial autopsy reports,
as clashes over the incident spread
yesterday from east Jerusalem to
Arab Israeli towns.
Mohammed Abu Khder, 16, was
abducted from his Shuafat neighbourhood in occupied east Jerusalem
early on Wednesday and his charred
body found not long after in a west
Jerusalem forest.
Palestinians said it was the deed of
Jewish extremists in revenge for the
kidnapping and murder in the West
Bank last month of three Israeli teenagers
Palestinian news agency Maan
quoted Attorney General Mohammed
Aluweiwi yesterday as saying the
     dicated the presence of smoke in the
boys lungs, meaning he was still alive
while he was being burned.
Abu Khder also suffered a head
wound, but that did not cause his
death, Aluweiwi added.
Israeli police said yesterday they

Abu Khders murder.
A spokeswoman said police were
investigating all possibilities, and
that there was a gag order on all details of the investigation.
The teenagers funeral on Friday,
joined by thousands of mourners,
was accompanied by clashes across
Israeli-annexed Arab east Jerusalem,
the third straight day of violence
since the discovery of his body.
Disturbances spread to the Arab
towns of Taibe in northeastern Israel and Jaljulia and Qalansuwa in the
centre where one car was torched after its Jewish owner was pulled out of
it, police said.
More a dozen Arab Israelis were
arrested, they added.
Police said they remained on high
alert yesterday ahead of further possible clashes.
One of those arrested in the east
Jerusalem clashes was Tariq Abu
Khder, the 15-year-old cousin of the

murdered Palestinian youth and an

American citizen on vacation in east
Jerusalem. Speaking yesterday, his
parents said Tariq was arrested in Shuafat after being beaten by police on
Thursday.
A video circulated on social media
(https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HDENWwEDGr4)
shows
what appears to be Israeli border police beating and kicking a handcuffed
   ging him away.
The parents, who saw their son
in an Israeli hospital, said they were
told Tariq was arrested for being
masked.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri

video, but said the footage was from
the arrest of a group of six Palestinians, of which Tariq was part.
Samri said police found a sling on
Tariq, who attacked police and resist-

ed arrest, while others were stoning

the police force and throwing Molotov cocktails at them. Samri said six
police were wounded during that arrest operation.
Abu Khder will appear before a Jerusalem court today, his parents said.
  

Gaza yesterday, amid Egyptian efforts
to broker a renewed truce between
Israel and its foe Hamas following a

Ten rockets and mortar rounds
     
army said, with one soldier lightly

There has been a surge in mili   
Israeli air raids since the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli
teens prompted a huge Israeli crackdown on Hamas in the occupied West
Bank. AFP

The mother of Tariq Abu Khder (portrait), the 15-year-old cousin of the
murdered Palestinian youth Mohammed, shows an old picture of her son,
before he was assaulted by Israeli border police in East Jerusalem. AFP

Leader appeals for missing Iraq nuns

Free Syrian Army police during training in Kel Jibreen village, north Aleppo countryside. Reuters

KIRKUK Iraqs most senior Christian leader appealed yesterday for

the release of two nuns and three
orphans who have been missing for
several days in militant-held areas of
northern Nineveh province.
The group went missing on Tues        
a major opposition offensive last
month that overran swathes of terri     
west of Baghdad, and have not been
seen since.
We are appealing for scholars in
Mosul and tribal shaikhs to help us
release two nuns and three orphans,

said Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako.

Christians are not party to these
events.
Sako added: We lived together
side-by-side (with Muslims) for 14
centuries. We still want to communicate and live together.
Iraqs Christian community is a
shadow of what it used to be once
numbering more than a million nationwide, with upwards of 600,000 in
Baghdad alone, there are now fewer
than 400,000 across the country.
Many of those left still lived in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the
capital.


overran Mosul and parts of the surrounding province in an offensive
that began June 9, alarming world
leaders and displacing hundreds of
thousands.
Earlier, an employee at Mosuls
    
occupied both it and the Syrian Orthodox cathedral in the city after

They removed the crosses at the
front of the buildings and replaced

employee said.
AFP

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

ASIA

N Korea leader directs

island assault drill

Army Ground, Naval, Air and Anti-Air forces of the Korean Peoples Army conduct a landing drill in this
undated photo released by North Koreas Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang. Reuters
SEOUL North Korean leader Kim
Jong-Un warned the South would regret bitterly any incursion of their
disputed sea border as he directed a
large-scale mock assault on an island,
state media said yesterday.
The joint landing drill involving
the army, navy and air force followed
a series of missile tests in the past
week seen by some a display of
pique over Chinese President Xi Jinpings two-day state visit to Seoul.
The mock assault is apparently
     
the South near the southwestern part
of North Korea.
Seoul suspects these islands,
which provide outposts for the South,


Participating in the drill were
combatants, artillery pieces of vari-

ous calibres, combat ships including

submarines, and formations of pur    
planes of units, the Norths Korean
Central News Agency said.
Kim watched the North Korean
forces successively pounding the
mock enemy positions through the
well-organised coordinated operation as required by the modern warfare.
   
the island were followed by infantry
landings and paratroops, the agency
said.
It did not give the venue of the exercise which apparently took place
on Friday when Xi was wrapping up
his visit to Seoul.
Kim said the Norths southwestern waters were exposed to frequent
threats from the South, repeating

Japan sees Ottawa trade talks as


OTTAWA Current trade talks in Ottawa between Japan, the United States

 tor said yesterday.
US President Barack Obama said on June 20 his aim was to have a freetrade draft he could take to meetings with other leaders in November, and
Japanese negotiator Koji Tsuruoka also referred to a late-2014 goal.
I understand that this meeting in Ottawa will be a very important step to

reporters in Japanese in Ottawa.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in global talks at the World Trade Orgional pact, one which nonetheless could still get bogged down over issues
like Japanese farm tariffs.
Tsuruoka said the United States and Japan made huge progress on auto
and agricultural trade issues when Obama visited Tokyo in April, and they
would continue negotiations after the multilateral TPP session in Ottawa
wraps up on July 12.
He said it was a little too high a goal to hope the Ottawa talks would
solve all the TPP issues remaining.
Besides the United States and Japan, the other countries are Australia,
Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and
Vietnam.

Grapes that fetched record $5,400

TOKYO Bridal couples at a Japanese wedding hall will have a special treat
at their banquet: a bunch of fresh, juicy grapes that cost a record $5,400.
A wedding hall operator bought the Ruby Roman grapes at auction
            
Ishikawa prefecture, central Japan, local media reported.

Japans public broadcaster NHK said, adding that the red-skin grape can be

The top notch grapes costing around $180 a pop will be served at
the wedding hall in Kanazawa, central Ishikawa.
I was surprised to see a higher price than I had originally imagined, but I
would like bridal couples to savour them and have a great memory, the hall
owner was quoted by NHK as saying.
Around 30 bunches of the Ruby Romans were auctioned. Some 16,000
bunches are set to be sold this season only in Ishikawa which put the grape
on the market in 2008.


batches of carefully grown fruit often fetch extraordinary prices, making
headlines in newspapers.


JAKARTA A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck western Indonesia
yesterday, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued and
there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.





        
geophysics agency, said the quake was felt in parts of Sumatra, a huge island
to the west of Simeulue. But she added: There is no threat of a tsunami...
Until now, there are no reports of casualties or damage.
      lide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Agencies

Pyongyangs allegations that shells

      
Norths territorial waters some days
ago.
KCNA said Kim took it very seriously and strongly warned that
should the enemies repeat the
wrong choice on the wrong day in the
hotspot waters, he would make them
regret bitterly for their action.
Kim was apparently referring to a

Korean marines based on islands
near the disputed western sea border.
The Chinese presidents decision
to visit Seoul before Pyongyang was
seen as a pointed snub to North Korea, with Beijings patience over the
nuclear brinksmanship by its wayward ally wearing thin.
Kim is still waiting for an invitation to Beijing. AFP

Pakistani court

bludgeoning of
woman












than two dozen attackers











the court tomorrow, he added.












Hundreds of women are




















money laws. AFP

Air strikes kill

Uzbek militants
BANNU Pakistani jets bombed
militant hideouts in a lawless tribal
district yesterday, killing scores
of Uzbek and local insurgents in a
massive ongoing offensive against
the Taliban, the military said.
Air strikes were carried out at
Miranshah, the main town of North
Waziristan, and Boya village after
     ing to a statement.
Five terrorists hideouts, caves
and huge cache of arms and ammunition were destroyed and scores
of terrorists killed in early morning

Most of the terrorists killed in
strikes were Uzbeks, the statement
added without providing casualty
     
had a large presence in Pakistans
tribal belt since the US-led invasion
of Afghanistan in 2001.
Last month Pakistans military
launched a long-awaited offensive in North Waziristan, aimed at
wiping out longstanding militant
strongholds in the area, which borders Afghanistan.
More than 500,000 people have

of families have leaving for the town
of Bannu, close to North Waziristan.
Jets and artillery began hitting
militant targets on June 15 to try to
regain full control of the district after years of pressure from Washington and other powers.

after a dramatic attack on Karachi
airport which killed dozens of people and marked the end of a faltering peace process with the Pakistani
Taliban.
So far, 386 militants and 20 soldiers have been killed in the offensive, according to the military,
though with the area off-limits to
journalists the number and identity
of the dead is impossible to verify.
Separately, a Pakistani solider
was killed by an improvised explosive device explosion during a clearance operation after the air strikes,
the military said. AFP



ahead of poll
Tens of thousands
of cheering
supporters waved

with pictures of
Widodo, known by
his nickname Jokowi,
at Jakartas main

day of campaigning
JAKARTA Presidential hopeful
    
build a new history for Indonesia
at a huge campaign rally yesterday, a
last push to win votes in a tight election race.
Tens of thousands of cheering
   
with pictures of Widodo, known by
his nickname Jokowi, at Jakartas
      
campaigning before Wednesdays
election.
Backers of his only rival, Prabowo
Subianto, were holding rallies to
show their support across the country, while the ex-general took time
out to prepare for a televised debate
with Widodo later.
At the rally, Widodo, seen as a
fresh face in a country still domi
Suharto era, told the cheering crowd:
We are on the verge of building a
new history.
The Jakarta governor added that
his push for the presidency had been
hit by smear campaigns but we
didnt fall apart because we truly believe in the Republic of Indonesia.

ative attacks on him that have eroded

his popularity.
As well as the smear campaigns,
Prabowo has extended his lead due
to a slick, well-funded campaign, a
contrast with Widodos often disorganised effort.
Before Widodos speech, dozens
of singers and bands performed for
free to show their support. From today, no more campaigning is allowed
before the vote.
As well as being seen as a break
from the era of dictator Suharto,
Widodo has also won plaudits for
his common touch and being a clean
leader in a graft-ridden country.
Prabowo in contrast was a top
     
who admitted ordering the abduction of democracy activists, but he
has won over many voters by pledging to be a strong leader.

poll lead of a few percentage points,
down from a huge lead several
months ago, and pollsters say the
race is now too close to call.
AFP



MANDALAY People in Myanmars
second-largest city accused police
yesterday of standing by as a Buddhist mob went on a rampage, torching a school and other buildings.
Angry mourners, some carrying
crude weapons, rioted in Mandalay after the funeral of a 36-year-old
Buddhist victim of the countrys latest eruption of religious unrest, witnesses said.
A school and dormitory in the
area of a cemetery on the outskirts
of the city were seen charred and
damaged.
More than 70 police were here
but did nothing, said Win Naing, a
donor to the school, who watched
the attack from his hiding place in the
home of a Buddhist friend.
He said some of the rioters were
armed with sticks, metal pipes and
even saws.
No children were believed to be

in the school at the time and nobody

was thought to have been injured in
the attack.
Several days of violence, sparked
by an accusation of rape, have also
left one dead and 14 other people injured.
Police could have stopped the
mob but they did not, said Zaw Zaw
Latt, a member of an interfaith group
in the city.
There was no immediate comment
from police.
At least 250 people have been
killed across Myanmar since 2012 in
clashes that have cast a shadow over
the countrys political reforms.
Police have been accused of inaction in the past and the government
has deployed soldiers in some cases
to restore order.
A nighttime curfew has been imposed in Mandalay and nine people
have been arrested in connection

with the recent violence.

Police said they were boosting security measures as a precaution in
other cities, including the main city
Yangon which has a diverse population of religious and ethnic minorities.
Social media users were unable
to access Facebook for the second
straight evening on Friday, amid
speculation that Myanmar had
blocked the site to curb the spread of
   
website was working normally.
Radical monks have been accused
of whipping up religious tensions,

A friend of the slain Buddhist man
said that a gang had used a sword
in the attack.
The dead man, a popular local bicycle shop owner, was later killed
while on his way to attend early
morning prayers. AFP




S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

ANALYSIS

For the past 15 years, antiquated irrigation

systems and a conservation drive have kept
many farmers from nutrient-rich Nile waters,

their proximity to the worlds longest river,
writes Maggie Fick and Shadi Bushra

Focus on undocumented minors

The
immigration
issue has
gained new
urgency after
some 52,000
minors
crossed
illegally into
the US via
Americas
southern
border since
October,
writes
Stephanie

Rising food imports

I


             

          



           

           




              







         





 




          
          




             

 



          

          

        






US President Barack Obama greets families at an Independence Day celebration at the White House in Washington.

  
  
    
    

   

      
  

     
   
    


   
     

  
        



  
    
     
     
      

    

   
    
     
        


          
    


    


     
          
  
   
it harder for the best and the
          

   

    
  
     
   

    
    
    

        
   
   
   
     
    
    
to head instead to San Ysidro,

        
   
     
    
transfer some of them to deten

   
   
    
    -


  
    

  
  
    
     
    
with recommendations with     
        
     
        
    
   
    

    
   

      
   

Afghan presidential candidate rules out coalition deal

A

  

   
   



    
     
    

     

   
   

   
   
   
       

    
   

    



      


    
   
    
-

Prompting speculation that a back-room

power-sharing deal was in the making,

of preliminary election results until
tomorrow, potentially giving both

the impasse, write Maria Golovnina and
Mirwais Harooni
     

    
     

        
    

  -

     
    
         
     


            

     -

Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani gestures as he addresses a

press conference in Kabul yesterday. AFP


  
 
         
    

    
      


    
    
    
    
    

     

      
     


   

The electoral timeline cannot
      
 
      



S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

9
Trolley Dollies and Deadheads: Another travel diary
ANALYSIS

Ray Petersen
petersen_ray@hotmail.com

AVING shared with you, last week, some of my travel

experiences this year, I have also discovered some interesting travel experiences from the perspective of

        

turn the page, as some of these anecdotes are quite reveal

Speaking of safety procedures, do you not think they have
very limited value? I mean common-sense should take over
         
car travelling on our roads at 120 kmph without a seatbelt
on, so even when the seatbelt light goes out, it would seem to
be a good idea to leave your seatbelt on when travelling at six
or seven times that speed! And one should also listen to the
tendants to sit down as well, you can be sure the upcoming
turbulence is going to be really serious!


lucky ones who get upgraded to business class, just in case

        
        able and audible alert systems to prevent both pilots falling


He said that someone always has physical contact with,
         
the ever more demanding schedules pilots, crew and attendants face, as airlines seek to cut expenses and in         ods are very demanding given the responsibilities they all
           


was the number of days he had been forced to tolerate sun          
their perks!


assessment and action plan in the event of an emergency, and
if the cabin goes dark, or the plane turns over, everyone can

mobile phones during take-offs and landings? If too many
people use those devices at the same time, the consequence
could be false instrument readings in the cockpit, and could
lead to a rather uncomfortable and/or dangerous land          
happy about the prospect of a barrage of 3 kg projectiles in
        

available to travellers without laptops, though I can under



        

who want to choose their own seats no matter who it inconveniences, and then get shirty when moved to their allo
          

           
when passengers think the galley is a place to be shared with
         
work, relax, and take sanctuary from the ignorance and de          





may encounter unforeseen headwinds, then not have enough

of my mind!

No off limits in probes

N

Health workers take blood samples for Ebola virus testing at a local government hospital in Kenema, Sierra Leone. Reuters

Combatting Ebola in Sierra Leone

Many cases meeting










medicine

      
may be going undetected, grassroots
doctors warned in The Lancet as they

      
heels of ministerial talks in Ghana, where a



       tors, diagnostic tools, a disease-monitoring
network and even clothing to protect health


     
and unreported because ill people and their
families are opting for self-treatment with
over-the-counter drugs or traditional medi
       tients to seek professional diagnosis of sus             

to change the course of treatment, and might
stigmatise an infected patient and their fam
        
       
the region have the capacity to safely test a bi

American-based specialist, Karen Jacobsen at

 
Bo has fewer than 15 doctors for a population of more than 150,000, a situation that
        




and constant access to personal protective
equipment in healthcare centres across the

      
impose controls against the disease, by restrictions of border crossings and of sales of
bushmeat had not worked and indeed may


     
raised anxiety and, in some places, fuelled rumours that led to counter-productive behav
    
              

     
director-general of health security, said at the
close of the 12-nation conference in Accra it
       
how far the epidemic could spread or when it

        
dealing with this outbreak minimum for a few
       
hope for us to see a turnaround where we begin to see a decrease in cases in the next sev


          

man of the powerful Central Military Commission last year, had been expelled

         

           


            

            


However, a potentially far juicier scandal is brewing the case of the pow
            
party made no announcement about his case, many of his allies have been

            cluding the one-time head of the state assets regulator and a former deputy



correct in its judgement that corruption remains a serious and complex prob

our aim and mission, and that these inspections are absolutely something we


People cross a road in Beijing. AFP

Disclaimer:7KHYLHZVDQGRSLQLRQVH[SUHVVHGLQWKHVHSDJHVDUHVROHO\WKRVHRIWKHDXWKRUVDQGGRQRWUHHFWWKHRSLQLRQRIWKHObserver.

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

10

INDIA

British ministers to
meet Modi, Sushma
NEW DELHI British ministers William
Hague and George Osborne will meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj when
they visit India on July 7 and 8.
Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs William Hague
and Chancellor of the Exchequer George
Osborne will jointly call on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on July 8, a ministry of external affairs statement said yesterday.
The two ministers will hold delegation
level talks with Swaraj at the Hyderabad
House on Tuesday.
Both sides will discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, the statement added.
Osborne will also hold economic and
    
Arun Jaitley. They are also scheduled to
visit Mumbai.
The two British ministers will be ac     prising Minister for Business Engagement
with India and Minister of State for Climate Change and Energy Gregory Barker,
Minister for Government Policy in the
     
 
Britains Deputy Prime Minister Nick
Clegg is also scheduled to visit India.
These visits are a prelude to British
Prime Minister David Camerons proposed India tour slated for September.
Want to partner in renewable energy: Meanwhile reports from Kolkata, said
Indian-origin British Energy and Climate
Change Minister, Baroness Sandip Verma,
yesterday emphasised that her country
would aid India to develop its renewable
energy sector and suggested it replicate
ment in the green sector.
Verma, a member of the House of

and environment protection.
She said India could follow a model like
that of Britains Green Investment Bank
(GIB), a funding organisation working towards the green sector.
India could essentially use GIB as a
-

The British ministers will

be accompanied by a
team comprising Minister
for Business Engagement
with India and Minister
of State for Climate
Change and Energy
Gregory Barker, Minister
for Government Policy in


Minister Joseph Edmund
Johnson
courage investment in the green sector... it
is working well in the UK.
It is one of many measures that one
can utilise not only for roping in private
public investment, but private investment
as well. So its a good instrument that India should seriously look at closely, she
said at an interactive session on India-UK
Initiatives in Climate Change organised
by the MCC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) here.
The minister said areas of solar energy,
biomass and hydropower are growing in
India and Britain would ensure it works
in close partnership with India in these
sectors.
We look at energy as a mix of different
players because thats important for self      
growth... we want to help you in developing that part of narrative.
Its about prioritising... you have a
large population here and there is a lot of
areas that are growing, developing and
we would like to work in partnership to
develop those areas. Renewable sector is
a growing sector, the solar power sector,
so is biomass and anaerobic digestion, the
nuclear sector, she said. IANS

Security personnel seen during an encounter at Aaripal Village in Jammu and Kashmir. IANS


SRINAGAR A separatist guerrilla was killed
       
in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir,
following which a protest erupted and an angry

Security forces including police, Rashtriya
       
formation that a group of militants was hiding

When the security forces zeroed in on a
house where the militants were hiding, they
      
       -

sonnel. The security forces retaliated and killed

a militant belonging to the Jaish-e-Muhammad

Following the killing, protests erupted in
Aaripal village and a mob torched two police

Miscreants torched two police vehicles in
Aaripal where a foreign terrorist was killed by
security forces today. Police showed restraint
while handling the mob and nobody was in
Death threat to judge hearing Omar
Abdullah case: A judge in Allahabad has received a threatening letter, saying he will be

blown up if he does not dismiss a case against

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar
Abdullah, police said.
        dicial magistrate in the district court, Gyanendra Tripathi, is signed under the name of
Lashkar-e-Taiba. A worried Tripathi handed over
the letter to district police chief Manjil Saini who
in turn ordered a probe into the matter.
Saini asked a special police team to ascertain
from where the letter was dispatched and also

said. IANS

Minister lays stress on SC reserves order on Subrata Roys

disabled in rural areas plea for 40 days parole
NEW DELHI Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot yesterday asked state
commissioners to be more attentive to
people with disabilities in rural areas.
He noted disabilities are more common in Scheduled Castes at 2.45 per
cent than in the overall population
where it is 2.1 per cent.
Gehlot went through the details of
the implementation status of the PWD
(Persons With Disabilities) Act across
states and observed the proportion of
people with disabilities belonging to
Scheduled Castes at 2.45 per cent was
higher than the overall proportion of
2.1 per cent of the total population. He
asked the state commissioners to pay
particular attention to the people with
disabilities living in the rural and remote
areas and the vulnerable disadvantaged

Gehlot, who inaugurated the 13th
National Meeting of the State Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities to
review implementation of the PWD Act,
extensively interacted with the state

commissioners from 32 states and Union Territories throughout the day.

Gehlot said the meeting provides an
important forum for exchanging views
and experiences and understanding of
critical issues on implementation of the

He was particularly concerned about
people with severe disabilities living on
the margin and observed a huge proportion (43.15 per cent) of people with
disabilities is yet to be issued disability

He set a target of giving disability

      ple within six months and 100 per cent
within one year.
Gehlot emphasised a special recruitment drive should be conducted in all
        served vacancies for people with disabilities.
He also informed he has recommend
existing exemption limit in income tax in
respect of people with disabilities.
IANS

NEW DELHI The Supreme

Court reserved its order on the
plea by Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy seeking the courts nod
for selling its three overseas hotels to generate Rs 10,000 crore
and for his release on 40 days
parole to put through the international transaction.
Roy and two other directors
Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok
Roy Choudhary are currently
under custody since March 4 for
the failure of two group companies to comply with the apex
courts August 31, 2012 and December 5, 2012, order to return
investors money, which in 2012,
was Rs 24,000 crores.
Two Sahara real estate and
   
Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd (SIRECL) and Sahara
Housing Investment Corporation
Limited (SHICL) had collected the money from investors
through optionally fully convert-

ible debentures (OFCDs) in 2008

and 2009 that it has been asked
to return through market regulator Sebi.
While reserving the order,
a bench of Justice TS Thakur,
Justice Anil R Dave and Justice
A K Sikri asked both Sahara
and the market regulator to crystallise the issues that are pending before the court for adjudication.
The court asked the income
     vit, comprehensively stating the
details of tax assessments made
by it, action, if any, taken by it or
proposed to be taken by it and
the status of various cases rooted in OFCD transactions.
Giving the tax authorities two
     
the department for its impleadment application.
As Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court

that the tax department wanted

to assist it, the court said that it
did not need its assistance but
wanted to know what action, if
any, it has taken in the matter.
What have you done so far?
Did you take any action? You are
an ornamental annexure to the
proceeding.
You want to intervene. There
is a judgement and so many orders. You must stir out of your
inaction, Justice Thakur said,
admonishing the concerned tax
authorities who were connected
to the case.
The court also asked counsel
both of Sahara and Sebi Rajiv
Dhawan and Arvind Dattar respectively to speak to senior
counsel Shekhar Naphade to assist the court in the matter as
amicus curiae.
At the outset of the hearing,
Dattar told the court that Sebi
had no objection to Sahara selling its three hotels Grosvenor

House Hotel in London and the

New York Plaza and Dream New
York hotels in New York.
All that the market regulator
was interested in was that Sahara should comply with the direction of the court and deposit Rs
10,000 crore a part payment
of investors money and also
a condition for Subrata Roy and
the other two directors release
from jail, he added.
However, Dattar opposed the
plea for 40 days parole to Roy
and two other directors saying
that they could be allowed to
come out of jail for three hours
a day to carry out transactions
through video conferencing and
then return to custody.
Taking a cue from Dattars
suggestion, Dhawan once again
reiterated his earlier plea of
placing Roy and two other directors under house arrest at any
government guest house.
IANS

Security forces, copter in service

to curb malaria in Tripura

Police personal pulling three chariots to change direction for the return festival of Bahuda Yatra
in Puri yesterday. Bahuda Yatra will be celebrated tomorrow. IANS


  Central paramilitary
and state forces, along with health
workers, have fanned out in Tripura
while a helicopter has also been
pressed into service to control malaria.
Over 61 people have died due to
the disease and over a lakh have fallen ill, a minister said here yesterday.
At least 61 people, including 43
children, have died due to malaria
 
Health and Family Welfare Minister
Badal Choudhury told reporters.
He said: Over 120,000 people,
mostly tribals, have fallen ill with malaria and fever after the outbreak of
the disease. Of the sick people, malaria germ was found in the blood of
over 20,300 men, women and children. The minister said of the 61
dead, 32 died in government hospi-

tals and remaining in their homes.

Choudhury said the troopers of
Border Security Force (BSF) and
    
fanned out in remote and tribal-inhabited operational areas to help the
sick people.
A helicopter has been pressed into
service to ferry doctors and patients
to and from the inaccessible areas in
emergency.
We have brought a large number
of patients to the hospitals from remote areas and sent them back home
after treatment, the minister said.
He added food and treatment are
also given to people who are staying
in the hospitals along with their patients. Experts from Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF), an independent
international medical humanitarian
organisation, are now on a visit in the

malaria-hit areas.
The MSF has extended its help by
providing medicines and expertise to
deal with the outbreak of malaria in
Tripura, Choudhury said.
He said the MSF has also assured
the state government to supply more
medicines to help the state authorities in controlling the incidence of the
disease. The outbreak of malaria and
fever were reported from the tribaldominated mountainous areas of 11
    
Dhalai, Gomti, Khowai, North Tripura
and South Tripura.
All the affected people have been
admitted to government hospitals.
The state health minister has sent
an urgent letter to union Health and
Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan to send medicines and experts to
deal with the situation. IANS

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

INDIA

11

Nurses, 137 others reach home, 200 more on way

KOCHI/HYDERABAD/NEW
DELHI
Ending days of tension and uncertainty, 183 Indians stranded in Iraq,
including the 46 nurses from Kerala
who were freed by Iraqi insurgents,
arrived home yesterday to a grand
welcome while 200 more were on
their way.

capital of Iraqs Kurdistan region, carrying the 183 landed in Kochi close
to noon with Chief Minister Oommen
Chandy and his cabinet colleagues,
legislators, Lok Sabha members and
    
receive them.
A group of 78 people from various parts of Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh, including nurses and construction workers in Iraq, later
reached Hyderabad by the special
     rangements to send them to their respective hometowns.
The external affairs ministry said
that another 200 Indians to Delhi
will return by a special Iraqi Airways

In the next 48 hours, approximately another 400 Indians would be
returning to various destinations, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore,
Chennai and Hyderabad, through
   
spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.
About 1,200 Indians would have
returned to India at government cost
by tomorrow, while the Indian mission in Baghdad has been able to persuade Iraqi companies to send back
approximately 600 other Indian nationals, while processing papers for
400 others.
Welcoming return of Kerala nurses
from Iraq, Congress leader Amarinder
Singh urged the government to intensify its efforts for freeing 39 Indians,
    
Himachal Pradesh, being held hostage
in Mosul.
At Kochi, arrangements were
made for three family members of
each nurse to go inside the airport to
receive them. A special immigration
desk was set up for them.

The external affairs

ministry said
that another 200
Indians to Delhi
will return by a
special Iraqi Airways

from Najaf, apart
from approximately
another 400 Indians

destinations,


Chennai and


A nurse is greeted by relatives after on arrival at Kochi airport. AFP
It was a mad scramble, with anxious family members hugging and
kissing their dear ones.
While some cried in happiness,
others were seen clutching the hands
of toddlers, most of them children of
these nurses, who for the past nearly
three weeks never imagined such an
arrival.
Sandra Sebastian, one of the nurses, told the media at Kochi airport
that she was very scared when they
were taken away by the insurgents.
... very afraid... will not go back, she
said in broken English.
Chandy earlier said that at one

Cong may move court if oppn

leaders post is denied
NEW DELHI The Congress is considering going to court if it is not given
the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, sources said.
Knocking the courts door is one of the options, but we will wait and
watch for now, said a Congress leader who did not wish to be named.
The source, however, added that the issue was being discussed right now

The Congress, with 44 members, is the second largest party in the Lok
Sabha. However, it falls short of the 10 per cent mark 55 members in the
545-member house which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has cited as
mandatory in rules for getting the main opposition party status.
The Congress has been trying to impress upon the government that it
should be given the top opposition post, but the government has not budged
so far.

Mamata will lose support if Tapas

not expelled: Amar Singh
RLD leader Amar Singh yesterday said West Bengal Chief Minis
of her supporter base if she did not expel Trinamool Congress MP Tapas
Paul, who is facing the heat over his rape and violence remarks.
Mamata will face grave consequences... she will lose a large portion of
her supporter base (if she doesnt expel him), Amar Singh said when asked
to comment on the Trinamools attitude on the issue, which has grabbed international headlines.
Being a woman... she should have expelled him, the Rashtriya Lok Dal
(RLD) leader told media persons on the sidelines of a programme here.
Describing Paul as mentally sick and a very bad person, he said only an
apology was not enough. He should be chucked out from the party.
Paul, an MP from Bengals Krishnanagar, has been caught on tape exhorting his party workers to kill Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) activists even as he himself asserted that he would gun down his rivals and let
loose his boys to rape their women.

Kedarnath restoration work

likely to be over by October
   Work on conservation of the Kedarnath temple complex,
which was damaged in the massive landslides in Uttarakhand last year, is

The task of conserving the temple was entrusted to the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) after the colossal tragedy struck Kedarnath.
Despite a slight delay in starting the work this season due to inclement
working conditions, conservation of the temple complex is now progressing
at a fast pace, the release said.
Depending upon weather conditions and time available, this work is expected to be accomplished by October 20, it added.

Forex reserves up $856 million

  Indias foreign exchange reserves rose by $856.6 million to
 
currency assets, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data showed.
The reserves had increased by $1.38 billion to $314.92 billion for the
week ended June 20.
According to the RBIs weekly statistical supplement, foreign currency as
to $288.81 billion. IANS

point of time, he had lost all hope as

the plane did not get permission to
land in Erbil because of strong winds.
He thanked External Affairs Minis
Reports earlier said many nurses
protested at Erbil airport, saying they
wont board the plane unless they are
paid their four months salary arrears

persuaded them.
Seena, a nurse from Kannur, said
for 23 days they lived in isolation at
Tikrit, their workplace.
Our patience was running out...
gun-toting men came to our building

Bengal college
student killed for
protesting crime
KOLKATA A college students
body, chopped to pieces, was found
beside the railway track in West
Bengals North 24 Parganas district
yesterday, police said, with his family and local residents alleging he
was murdered for protesting criminal activities in the area.
The crime evoked disgust across
the state and opposition parties attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress for not checking crime.
Sourav Chowdhury was missing
since Friday night, said his family.
An empty cartridge shell was also
found at the spot.

are investigating the matter. I cant
say anything more now, said North
24 Parganas Superintendent of Police Tanmay Roy Chowdhury.
The body parts, lying scattered
along the tracks between Duttapukur and Bamangachi stations,
were discovered early yesterday.
Angry local residents set up road
and railway blockades from time to
time through the day demanding
arrest of culprits. Police chased protesters with batons when the busy
Jessore Road was blockaded.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
has called for a 12-hour shutdown
at Bamangachi area in protest
against the killing of the second
year student. A state BJP team led
by its chief Rahul Sinha will visit the
area today.
The victims brother said Sourav,
who protested against anti-social
activities in the Bamangachi area,
was abducted from near his residence by some people late on Friday night.
From the balcony, I saw a group
of people around 11 pm. When they
passed by our house, I saw they
were beating up and dragging my
brother. I informed my father then.
We informed the local panchayat
member. But nobody came, said
Souravs brother.
An eye-witness said: I was returning after attending a marriage
when I saw him being beaten up.
They told me to get lost. I fell at
their feet pleading that they release
him. Seven of them were there. But
in the darkness I could not recognise their faces. They also beat me
up, and I had to leave. IANS

in the hospital campus on Thursday.

They asked us to pack our things and
all they gave us was 15 minutes.
We were told to enter one of the
four buses parked outside... and in
       
       

Another nurse said, never in our
dreams, we thought that these armed
men would be our saviours.
We had no clue... whether they
were going to kill us or they would be
our saviours.
On our eight-hour drive to Mosul,
the kind behaviour of these peo-

ple surprised all of us, adding they

stopped at many places and gave the
nurses water, biscuits and food. Another nurse could not hide her happiness on being back with her family.
She said they came to know that
the armed men represented the newly-formed government of Mosul and
that the nurses were a bit taken aback
when they said many of the men with
guns were doctors.
Once in Mosul, they put us in a big
room and we were given beds and
food. We feel that the new government there helped us reach here safely. We thank each and everyone who

prayed for our return and also all the

authorities who helped us, she said.
The Kerala government made arrangements for the nurses to travel
in hired vehicles, while the lone nurse
from Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu was
provided with a railway ticket to her
home town.
The plane had earlier landed in
Mumbai for refuelling and for taking
aboard food for the passengers.
Meanwhile, UAE-based Indian
businessman BR Shetty offered the
      
across the Gulf country, Nepal, Bhutan
and India. In advertisements in Kerala
newspapers, he asked the nurses to

IANS

Oppn to raise price rise, govt

ready to discuss all issues
NEW DELHI Opposition parties
would seek to pin down the NDA
government on the issue of price rise
during the budget session of parliament beginning tomorrow as the ruling coalition said that it was prepared
to discuss all issues.
At a meeting of leaders of parties
in the Lok Sabha yesterday called by
    
the budget session, opposition parties however assured their cooperation in the smooth running of the
house.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M
Venkaiah Naidu told media persons
that External Affairs Minister Sushma

situation of Indians in Iraq in the two
houses of parliament.
The National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) government will bring bills to
replace ordinances concerning the
    
Regulatory Authority of India
(amendment) ordinance which paved
the way for appointment of Nripendra Misra as principal secretary to
the prime minister.

Naidu said he had told various

ministries to come up with list of bills
     
which had lapsed in the Lok Sabha
and these will be taken up after their
timing is decided in the business advisory council.
We will be taking up the general
budget, the rail budget, Delhi budget.
Also, we are willing to discuss any issue of national importance, he said.
With the opposition parties making a strong pitch to raise price rise
and rail fare hike, Naidu suggested
that these issues could be raised during discussion on rail and general
budgets. Some parties also said that
they would raise the issue of arrest

rail budget will be presented on July
8 and general budget on July 10.
Naidu said Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has told him the government was prepared to discuss any
issue permitted by the chair.
We assured speaker of our full
cooperation in conducting the house

opposition that decorum of the house


that her meeting with leaders of parties was very good and members
assured her of their cooperation. She
said there were various suggestions
for discussions and the government
said they wanted to give full time for
discussions.
She said that as standing committees have not been constituted yet,
discussion of demands of grants of
ministries will be held in the house.
She said the session, which ends on
August 14, will have 168 hours for
work.
The speaker steered clear of questions on the issue of granting leader
of opposition status to the Congress
and said that the meeting she had
convened was to discuss the business
before the house. Congress leader in
    
indicated the issue was not raised at
     
Lok Sabha proceedings will have a
new feature and picture of the member who is speaking will be shown on
a screen for a clear view to all members. IANS

Students of KJ Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai, unveiled their latest offering an ORI 2014. The car
is a prototype for an International Design Competition in Germany, known as Formula Student Germany.
The lightweight car comes with a custom built driver interface with live telemetry system and superior


S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

12

THE WORLD

Ukraine govt forces recapture separatist stronghold

SLAVIANSK Ukrainian forces re     
     
      
     ansk.
      
    
     
    
About 100-150 Ukrainian troops
    
      
mand.

   
    
     
   enko.
    
     

     
    tions, denies Western accusations it

     
              
      
      
130,000.
   


Ukrainian forces.
    
     
     


      
    
     
     
    


Local residents of the small eastern Ukrainian city of Nikolayevka, near Slavyansk, charge their mobile phone on a generator, after the main
electricity lines were cut. AFP


  
     
           


       
      
    
           
front.
    
    ment forces in eastern Ukraine.
   


     



       
      
   
     
    
statement said.
A Ukrainian paratrooper, Eduard,
      
    




     


     
     
    

      
       

   
      
     


mate.
        
    

     

  
   
    
    




        


     

     
          

     
     
    

    

      
     


    


     
      

     

     
     



   
     

     
     
    

    



    
    
    
    


Arthur pelts Maine, moves 


into southeast Canada
   
     

     
      

     
     
       

   
    
   
    
           

           

         



      



      

       
     

said.
     
         
     
     

In Maine, some communities re    

 
          
       
Maine.
          
     
   

      
     
     
   


   
    
      
        





      
    

    
    
    
           

   
     



     
        
     
    


     
   
      

    
     


     
     
   

     
    
    


      
       
       
    

              
     
    
       
      
     
    

   

    
     
    
said.
    
     
     

     

     

     
            
     

   
    

 

      
     

    
     
    
     
         
          



A worker from the local cable company works on the utility lines after hurricane Arthur leaves Nags Head,
North Carolina. Reuters







      
      
     
    


        

     

to media reports.
    
   




-

    

    
   
      
   
disperse radiation from a radioac
     

   
    
     

    
     
     
       
     

   


     
       
tack.
     
    

     

    
       


    
     
     
amounts of Ir-192 are used in sourc           
     
    




S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

SPORT

13

Kvitova eases to claim the spoils


tournament

LONDON Petra Kvitova stormed

to her second Wimbledon title in the

the Czech sixth seed crushed Cana    
    
      

   
    
      
      

    
 
     
   


   
     
   






       
     

       


      

         
     

     
set in her seven matches en route to
     



     
   
    
   ments during the   
   

      



    

The tournament saw some excit

      
      
     

      

           

     


       

     

In the third game between BCT
      

 




Forbes

          
       
    


    
    
to Maria Sharapova and this was supposed to be her coronation as the

      

shares with Sharapova the unwanted
     
TOUGH FOR BOUCHARD
      



     

Kvitova was unloading some sear    
     
           
      

    

   
      

      
    

     

   
wilting under the relentless barrage
    

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic and Eugenie Bouchard (left) pose with their spoils after the womens singles


        
     

   
        


   
    

      ting up in the second set and a crush    


      


     
     

    
     
      
stretch his all-time leading Grand
S
     
     
     


     

    
           
Grand S
      

Federer has reached the title
     
      
     
   
     

    Grand Slam
    



     
much more positive Federer who is

Compared to here this time two
       
      
      
      
     


           
    


     
won Grand Slams and became world


The match will also be a re      

     
the Federer corner and three-time
   

    

    

      
        
    



    
   

sure that he wants to win this title as


 
   


      

     
Grand S
    

     
against each other went the dis      


    



         




      

       
     


     
     


I appreciate all the results and
    
     
Grand S   


    
     


       
      
     
    
 


row after Pietersen rant
LONDON Former England captain
    
    

   


     
          

   
     
      
     

      
    
      


   
saving hundred in a Test against his
     
     
-


   
    
           
             

I wasnt all that bothered about
him (Pietersen) sending texts to the
     
      sues with him criticising me to the

      
            

      
     


      
      

 

Rosberg clocks fastest lap to take the



Mercedes-AMGs German driver Nico Rosberg celebrates pole in the parc ferme after the qualifying session at
 
 

   




 
 
          

mate and home hero Briton Lewis
           

      
unpredictable session that saw both
Ferrari and both Williams eliminated



      
     


points lead in the drivers champion

       
     


We sat in the garage and eventu      


       
       


     
       
     



     
     
 

     



    
     

          
       
       




     
    
said it was the drivers decision to
       
     
      

     


    


upset as both Ferraris and the two
     

    

        


This led to a scramble in which


      

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

14

Neymar shock for Brazil

FORTALEZA, Brazil Brazil on Friday lost superstar striker Neymar for
the World Cup after he fractured a
vertebrae during his sides 2-1 World

Colombia defender Juan Zuniga
kneed the 22-year-old Neymar in a
crunching tackle and the Barcelona
     
in the closing minutes of the game in

The injury and the suspension of
      
 
a sensational David Luiz goal that
sealed victory in one of the most
physical games seen at this World

     fered a fracture of the third vertebra
in his back, team doctor Rodrigo Las
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari
fumed that Neymar has been hunted throughout the tournament and



I have been saying for three
matches that Neymar has been hunted, but all the other countries say it
is not true and it is only their players


in the tournament for impeding a
clearance by Colombian goalkeeper


       


      


Silva put Brazil ahead after seven
minutes and Luiz scored a sensational 30 metre free kick to give Brazil

Colombias James Rodriguez extended his lead as the tournaments

       
games from the penalty spot after Ju-



    
and key defender Silva for only their


    

      

       

And the Paris St Germain defender
said Brazil had the replacements in


     
great players and that have prepared

Colombia also complained about
Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Car
The referee did not help, said Ro
      
 

Combination of pictures showing Colombian defender Juan Camilo Zuniga challenging Neymar and team-mate
  

  

Luiz stunner sends Brazil into semis

FORTALEZA, Brazil A sensational
David Luiz free kick took Brazil into
      
victory over Colombia but the tour     
    
also be suspended for Tuesdays
 
  
      
      


coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is one step
        

But Scolari buried his head in his

      
     
      
World Cup by team doctor Rodrigo
Lasmar after being taken to hospital

    
a back injury after being clattered by
Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuni


Colombias James Rodriguez extended his lead as the tournaments
       
games from the penalty spot after Ju
     zil move on to only their second



mans beat France 1-0 earlier in the

I think that in the analysis of the

match, the early goal for Brazil made
      
used to conceding goals like this and
      
lamented Colombia boss Jose Peker
Going ahead so early calmed

    



After being absent from the
World Cup for a long time the performance here has made Colombian
     
have some very talented players and
    

 
BRAZIL ROARED ON
Roared off on by a fervent home
      
    
       
     
at the back post and Silva escaped
the clutches of Carlos Sanchez to

Silva then had defensive duties as
he got the slightest of touches to Juan
Cuadrados drive to turn it behind as

Pekermans men could have been
further behind moments later, as

Hulks effort before making a more

Silva had to intervene once more
     

counter-attack led by Rodriguez, but

    
    
     

Ospina denied Hulk once more
       fore Neymar bent a free-kick inches
over the crossbar as Brazil ended the

Chances at both ends dried up in
the second-half, despite the game

     
     
into Ospina as he sought to clear the

    
      
   


     
     

 
    
           
But he could do nothing to stop Rodriguez rolling home his sixth goal
of the tournament from the resulting

     




be played out in front of their adoring
fans at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo
          tina-Belgium and The Netherlands- 
 
 

Neymar hunted,
says fuming
coach Scolari
FORTALEZA, Brazil Neymar
has been hunted throughout
the World Cup, Brazils coach Luiz
Felipe Scolari said Friday as his su
      

after a heavy challenge from Juan
     
    
   
    
Barcelona striker had a fractured

again in Brazils campaign for a

Brazil play Germany in the semi      
    
is suspended after getting a second

I have been saying for three
matches that Neymar has been
hunted, but all the other countries
say it is not true and it is only their
players that are hunted, said Sco
been booked for impeding a clearance from Colombian goalkeeper
    

     
      

The Barcelona superstar has
been integral to Brazils World Cup
campaign so far, scoring four goals
             

kick doubled his sides advantage

  
penalty 10 minutes from time cut


          
from the match against Chile be

      
      
   

had the ball and lost possession and
that caused a momentary lack of
 

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

15
No Neymar, no Brazil party
FORTALEZA, Brazil The hango     nal win over Colombia was a little
more potent than Brazil expected
as it awoke yesterday still dealing with the news that star striker
Neymar will play no further part in
the tournament.
The 22-year-old suffered a broken vertebrae in the 2-1 win over
Los Cafeteros in Fortaleza in Friday, meaning there will be no Hollywood ending for Brazils poster
     
Sunday.
Whether Brazil even make it
to their ball is a greater worry for
most of a 200 million strong nation
that expected to crown their party
with a sixth World Cup victory.
Next up lies the daunting task of

    
on Tuesday that showed its class
with a comfortable 1-0 win over
    nal.
Moreover, Luiz Felipe Scolaris
men will have to face the Germans
not only without their chief goalscorer, but also their captain as Thiago Silva received his second yellow card of the tournament against
Colombia ruling him out through
suspension.
Ultimately, Brazil have been
served a severe dose of their own
medicine.
In a match which contained the
most fouls of any so far in the tournament with 54, the hosts were
the principal aggressors committing 31.
James Rodriguez was the main
target for Scolaris scything tactics. Three times Manchester Citys
Fernandinho left his mark on the

Brazilian fans sit outside the Sao Carlos hospital waiting for news
on the condition of Neymar in Fortaleza. AFP
     
the only punishment a free-kick
awarded by Spanish referee Carlos
Velasco Carballo.
Unfortunately, the referee
didnt help a lot, bemoaned James,
     
from the penalty spot proved no
more than a consolation to Silva
and David Luizs earlier strikes.
However, the moment for which

the match will be remembered

came two minutes from time when
Juan Zuniga clattered Neymar in
the back in his overexuberant rush
to win the ball back deep inside the
Brazil half.
As Oscar led a Brazilian counter-attack, Neymar remained
prone on the ground and could
only be removed via a stretcher.
In the bowels of the Estadio

Castelao immediately post-match,

Scolari complained that Neymar
had been hunted for three games
in a row.
Scolaris initial fears were con    
team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar that
far from leading his country to glory, Neymar now has the ignominy
of becoming just one more suffering fan.
Play for him urged Brazilian
sports newspaper Lancenet yesterday alongside a picture of a stricken Neymar on a stretcher.
However, the question for Scolari now is who does play for him
going forward.
A Selecao had been over-reliant
on Neymar thanks to the poor
form of Fred, who has failed to re      ish top scorer at last years Confederations Cup.
Chelseas Willian or Shakhtar
Donetsks Bernard offer pace
and guile, but neither come close
to imposing the fear in opposition
defences that Neymars 35 goals
in 54 international appearances
does.
The other option for Scolari is
      
by welcoming back Luis Gustavo
alongside Fernandinho and Paulinho to bully the Germans and leave
them as battered and bruised as
the tearful James as he trundled off
at full-time in Fortaleza.
Neymar was this Brazilian
sides last semblance of Jogo Bonito, the panache that complemented the physicality. Without him,
any success that follows is unlikely
to be pretty. AFP

Brazilian press exhorts team to

play for injured superstar Neymar


Brazil won 2-1 in Fortaleza. AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO Brazilian newspapers yesterday urged the national

football team to play for Neymar but
wondered whether they can win the
World Cup without their injured superstar.
The front pages were dominated
by pictures of Neymar lying down
in tears on the pitch after breaking a
vertebrae in the 2-1 victory against
Colombia in the northeastern city of
Fortaleza.
Some newspapers assailed Colombian defender Juan Zuniga for injuring Brazils top player with a knee to
the lower back that knocked Neymar
out of the World Cup.
    
Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo, saying he was to blame for not

booking more players for hard tackles Colombia star James Rodriguez
was given especially rough treatment

But the worry now is whether
Brazil can defeat Germany in Tues    
scorer and their captain, Thiago Silva,
who will miss the game following a
second yellow card.
Play For Him, read Lance, a
sports newspaper.
Neymar will not return to the
pitch, but the energy of a star never
leaves the team. Now, more than
ever, our warriors will give their all to
bring the trophy to our number 10,
Lance wrote.
The newspaper O Dia denounced
the criminal knee hit of Zuniga in a

SHORT PASSES
Zuniga could face FIFA action
FIFA could take action against Colombias Juan Zuniga for the World

a fractured vertebrae, a spokeswoman said Saturday. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee is analysing all the elements provided, the videos
and the match reports, and will decide whether or not to take action,
 
in Brazils 2-1 win over Colombia on Friday when Zuniga kneed him
in the back. The Barcelona forward will miss the rest of the World
Cup. Zuniga, who plays for Napoli in Italy, has denied he intentionally
ways do what I have to, to defend my country and the shirt I wear, but
always without intent to injure anybody, Zuniga told Brazilian television after the game. This was a game that everyone wanted to win so
it was hot. The Colombian said both sides were playing to their limits

Zuniga receives death threats, abuse

 
abuse on social media yesterday as Brazilians reacted angrily to his
tournament-ending foul on star forward Neymar.
Zuniga was trending on Twitter and messages included a torrent of abusive comment aimed at the Napoli defender after he kneed
Neymar in the back, fracturing a vertebrae.
Among the less offensive posts, contributors called the 28-yearold a monster and the biggest villain in the history of football.
The abuse was tempered by other posts which called for calm and
said racist abuse was unacceptable. Zuniga earlier said he did not
mean to hurt Neymar in the challenge, which came towards the end
of a combative match which saw 54 fouls.

Peles heart aches after Neymar exit

PELE said yesterday his heart ached for Neymar after Brazils star
player was ruled out of the rest of the World Cup but noted that
the team lifted the 1962 trophy despite his own injury. The football
legend, recalling that Neymar had played at Santos like him, wrote
on Twitter that it hurts our hearts to know that he can no longer
defend Brazil in the World Cup. I was also injured during the 1962
World Cup in Chile, and I was out for the rest of the tournament, he
wrote in English and Portuguese.

Mohammed Abdul Malik Mohammed

front page titled: Were going for it

without him... And for him!
Brazil laments the loss of Neymar, wrote O Dia journalist Vitor
Machado.
Antero Greco, columnist for O
Estado de Sao Paulo, said Zuniga
committed a crime of national lesemajeste.
But a large part of the blame for
the incident is on referee Velasco Carbalo, Greco wrote.
O Globo newspapers World Cup
section ran the headline A Blow to
Brazil along with a picture of Zunigas foul.
Globo columnist Renato Mauricio
      nal. But can we dream without Neymar? AFP

>> TENNIS

P13

Petra Kvitova clinches her second Wimbledon title

>> FOOTBALL

P14

David Luiz stunner powers Brazil into semis

Sunday
JULY 6, 2014 | RAMADHAN 8, 1435 AH
editor@omanobserver.om

www.omanobserver.om

Higuain goal powers Argentina

BRASILIA Argentina reached the
     
time since 1990 with a 1-0 win over
         
yesterday.
The side coached by Alejandro
Sabella were lucky to get on the

Gonzalo Higuain just eight minutes
into the game at the Estadio Nacional,
and they generally appeared to have
the match under control.
     
      
      
Gonzalo Higuain to move around in
the danger zone.
   
   

     
Bruyne.
     
nal.
     

    
     
      poli striker appeared to take keeper
Thibaut Courtois by surprise on the
way to the net.
Argentina continued to charge into

    

did not seem to destabilise the twotime world champions.







against Belgium at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia. AFP
    
              
matches with Argentina. He was very
active, constantly moved behind the

very busy to be deservedly named

       
      
-


      
      
crossbar.
   
tried to shake up his team on the
hour, bringing on Romelu Lukaku
     
19-year-old striker who became
the youngest player to start a World
     

to have an impact on the game.

    
     
       

  
ray, but Sergio Romero produced the

  
       
time, and Belgium kept up the tension

     
resolutely to come out on top at the


          
Euro 2016 and beyond.
But it is Argentina who can look
      
Wednesday against the Netherlands
or Costa Rica. dpa

James blames
referee for exit
FORTALEZA, Brazil Colombian
     


     
Brazil on Friday.
     

However, by then the damage
     
     
    
with Germany.

      
some rough treatment by the Brazilian players.
  
was particularly culpable as he
     
    
booked by Carballo.
And Brazil were later to pay the
      
game as star striker Neymar was
    
     

    
the game a lot, but that is how it is

We are sad because we wanted

is what hurts most, but Brazil are a
good team.
    
     
       
with the Paris Saint-Germain de
     
 

>> Inside

P 18 TMK GIPI to sponsor Omani scholarships

P18

P 23

British housing market strengthens further

P24

P23

Inside

Sunday
JULY 6, 2014 | RAMADHAN 8, 1435 AH

Pakistan foreign exchange reserves up 

Banks eye Samsung bonanza 
Mercedes touts self-driving trucks 
editor@omanobserver.om

www.omanobserver.om

New 2,650MW power capacity to be located in Ibri, Sohar

By Conrad Prabhu

Ibri in Dhahirah Governorate as well
as a coastal site within Sohar Industrial
Port Area are being considered by the
Omani government for the establishment of a pair of new Independent
Power Projects (IPPs) of a combined
electricity generation capacity of 2,650
MW.
The exact location of the projects
     
phase of a competitive process for the
procurement of what is billed as the
single largest increase in Omans power generation capacity to date.
The procurement of this new capacity is being overseen by Oman Power
and Water Procurement Company
(OPWP), a wholly owned subsidiary of
the Electricity Holding Company (EHC).
Last month, the state-owned pro     tions (RfQ) inviting interested developers to submit their credentials as an
expression of their desire to participate

in a competitive tender for the IPPs.

Submissions are due in by August 3,
2014.
The successful bidder will secure
     
engineer, construct, own, operate and
maintain a pair of IPPs planned at two
different locations with the Main Interconnected System (MIS), the electricity
grid that serves much of the northern
half of Oman.

The split of power capacities between the two sites and the choice
of technologies to be used for delivering the required capacities will be
determined by the bidders subject to

in the Request for Proposals (RFP).
It is expected that these constraints
will include a requirement that Early
Power capacity is to be provided at
the Ibri site only, said OPWP in its

advisory to interested developers.

Bidders will be encouraged to develop the (IPPs) on a sound technical
basis using proven technology with
    
and an environmentally compliant con      
processes and operating procedures.
Furthermore, the capacity and plant
layout at each site will need to be op      
the available sites, the procurer further added.
Natural gas as primary fuel for the
IPPs will be supplied by the Ministry of


-

cantly, although two Independent Power Projects (IPPs) are envisioned as a

result of this competitive procurement
process, only one successful bidder will
be selected to implement both power
plants, according to the OPWP.
Nevertheless, the successful developer will be required to establish separate special purpose project companies
in accordance with the Commercial
Companies Law. Each of the project
companies will be separately and inde     
to separate licensing arrangements.
With power demand growing annually at the rate of around 9 per cent,

OPWP is keen for the new capacity to

be fully commissioned and brought
into operation by April 1, 2018. However, around 700MW of early power capacity is required to be made available
before April 1, 2017.
To assist in the procurement of the
two IPPs, OPWP has retained the services of leading UK based advisory and
 tions Limited (as Financial Advisors);
well-known international engineering
consultancy Fichtner (as Technical Ad
(as Legal Advisors). (OEPPA Business
Development Dept)

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

18

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL

5 key features shaping ME smartphone industrys future

By Hasan Kamoonpuri
MUSCAT Oman in general
and the Middle East particular is
poised to remain a key market for
smartphone developers as it includes people with high disposable
incomes, advanced broadband connectivity infrastructure and a continued appetite for the latest mobile fads.
Smartphones are also increasingly compatible with consumers lives
as vendors strive to differentiate
themselves in a crowded marketplace, says a leading IT expert.
The Middle East is one market
that is helping to drive smartphone
trends and consequently the future
development of intelligent devices.
International Data Corporation
(IDC) had anticipated smartphone
use in the ME region to double in
2013, with smartphone penetration
set to grow by 39 per cent by 2015,
indicating that the market still has
further room to expand, says Ashraf
Fawakherji, Middle East Vice President, Huawei Device.
     
features that will shape the future of
the regions smartphone industry.

Ashraf Fawakherji
1. LTE Compatibility
The rise in smartphone usage
is correlative to the improvements
made to mobile broadband connectivity. This is certainly true for the Middle East, which has a high smartphone
penetration and is also one of the fastest adopters of next-generation mobile broadband networks.
The increased smartphone usage across the Middle East is related

to the implementation of faster and

more reliable connectivity with many
countries deploying 4G LTE and LTEA networks. As these networks continue to improve and mobile broadband improves across the Middle
East, smartphones that are compatible with 4G LTE and LTE-A will prove
popular amongst consumers looking
for faster and more responsive handsets.
2. Displays
As consumers increasingly use

media content, the need for more
   
has also skyrocketed. Larger screens
na display technology, which boosts
text and graphics clarity, will almost
certainly emerge as the next standard in handset displays. In the Middle
East where mobile video usage is continuously rising, consumers will be
looking for these devices which give
them the best viewing experiences
possible.
3. Batteries
Smartphones can no doubt help us
with all our daily tasks if they can
last the day. The modern user is on
their smart device almost non-stop,

with increased usage putting pressure on older battery technology.

Consequently, it has been crucial to
improve the standard of batteries
for heavy smartphone users. While
battery capacity is improving at a
slower pace than consumers might

like, smartphones are becoming more


to allow for more applications to run
without draining power.
An example of this is when
smartphones vendors have developed power saving battery technol-

TMK GIPI to sponsor Omani

Pakistans foreign
scholarships at Russian varsities exchange reserves up

Dignitaries and guests pictured at TMK GIPIs facilities in Sohar.

MUSCAT TMK Gulf International
Pipe Industry (TMK GIPI), manufacturer of high pressure steel line pipes
and casing pipes, recently hosted
Envarbic Fazelianov, Ambassador of
        
from the Public Establishment for
Industrial Estates (PEIE), on a tour of
its state-of-the-art facilities at Sohar
Industrial Estate. The primary aim
of this visit was to share the companys latest accomplishments and
developments towards supporting
its In-Country Value (ICV) drive, said
Vladimir I Shcherbatykh, CEO, in a
press statement.
During the visit, the delegation
was offered a comprehensive tour
of TMK GIPI facility. They were also
given a presentation on the function-

ing of the facility with all senior staff

of the company. The CEO lauded the

promoting collaborative ties between

Vladimir I Shcherbatykh, TMK
GIPI CEO, said, It is with great pleas      bassys initiative to extend 100 per
cent scholarships for talented and
  
in collaboration with the Ministry
of Higher Education in Oman. The
    nounced 100 per cent scholarships
for Omanis to study metallurgi    
universities. The scholarships will
be awarded to young Omanis who
will be sponsored by TMK-GIPI and
also be given the opportunity to get

hands-on training at TMK Mills in

   
and graduation, TMK GIPI will grant
attractive jobs to these graduates.
TMK Gulf International Pipe Industry (TMK GIPI) was established
as a Limited Liability Company in
Oman in January 2007. TMK GIPI is
     sure Steel Line Pipes and Casing
       
MENA region and the Indian subcontinent to manufacture high pres    
   
  
part of TMK, which is a global steel
pipe manufacturer with about 30
production sites in the United States,
   
     


    serves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) increased by more than
50 per cent in 2013-14, data released
by the central bank showed.
Although foreign exchange reserves held by the SBP recorded a
week-on-week nominal decrease of
1.7 per cent on June 27, their yearon-year increase clocked up at 50.3
per cent, with the reserves reaching
    
day of 2013-14.
Foreign exchange reserves held
by the central bank amounted to

13, SBP data shows.
Total liquid foreign reserves held
by the country, including net foreign
reserves held by banks other than
     
lion recorded at the end of 2012-13.
The country saw its foreign exchange reserves dwindle quickly in
       
They hit rock bottom at the end of
January when they amounted to just
    
import cover of less than one month.
Subsequently, a series of actions
    
arm-twisting of exporters to make
them bring back their export proceeds to the country without waiting
for the stipulated limit of 120
days, strengthened the level of
SBP-held foreign
exchange
reserves.
According
to data compiled by Elixir

Securities, the performance of the

countrys external account which
consists of a basket of economic
measures relating to international
transactions remained strong dur      
      
      
year basis.
Major improvement was evident
     
both turned positive, while the cur     
mere 3 per cent year-on-year, research analyst Ujala Adnan wrote in
a recent note issued to clients.
Capital account balance increased
 
     
the comparable 11-month period of
2012-13.
         
      
     
recorded in the same months of the

While the sale proceeds of
     nancial account positive, heavy
   
and multilateral sources spurred
the capital account surplus in
     
Internews

ogy that allows for two days of usage

in a single charge, unleashing greater
potential for consumers.
4. Usability
When interacting with todays
smartphones, many devices are limited to standard touch screens, voice
recognition, and in some cases motion
sensing. Thats far more than we had
in previous years, but future devices
promise abilities like retina tracking,
facial recognition, and even gesture
responses from wearable bracelets
and accessories.
5. Sensors
Many people dont realize the role
that sensors play in todays hand-held
devices. Smartphones already know
where they are, how they are being
held, what you are saying to them, and
even how fast you are moving while
holding the device.

improvements to mobile sensor technology on the horizon that will be
making our devices more self-aware.
With the rise of wearable smartphone
accessories, we are likely to see future
devices incorporating new sensors
like biometrics, pressure and even environmental sensors.

Destination
Maternity keen
to buy UKs
Mothercare
LONDON US baby product retailer Destination Maternity will continue its pursuit of Britains Mothercare after revealing recently it had
two bid proposals rejected.
    
spurned an increased offer proposal
from Destination Maternity of 300
pence a share that valued the UK

the latest example of a US com      
in part to take advantage of lower
corporate tax rates abroad.
That proposal on June 1 implied a premium of 29 per cent to
Mothercares closing share price on
Tuesday of 232.5 pence. Mothercare
shares were up 10 per cent at 255
pence by 1430 GMT.
Destination Maternity CEO Ed
Krell said: We are seeking to engage with the board of Mothercare
on a constructive basis with the
goal of completing a recommended
transaction. He said there was a
compelling rationale for a combi
Maternitys 300 pence proposal
comprised 230 pence in cash and
shares valued at 70 pence in a new
holding company that would be listed on the New York Stock Exchange
or Nasdaq but incorporated in the
UK, and which would also own the

That structure would allow the
     
lower company tax rate compared
with the US. Britains corporate tax
rate has already attracted other US
predators for so-called tax inversion deals, including drug company


Airbus undecided on airshow launch

 
Group has not decided whether it will
launch its proposed A330neo jet at
this months Farnborough Airshow
     
for plane orders at the gala event, its
Strategy Chief Marwan Lahoud said
yesterday.
Airbus has drawn up plans to revamp its biggest-selling wide-body
passenger jet to preserve a second
front in its competition with the detion to the new A350.
Lahoud said, The jury is still out
cient version of the 20-year-old A330
jet, would be launched at the July 1420 airshow. The subject is still being
discussed, he told reporters on the
sidelines of an economic conference
in southern France.
People familiar with the matter
say technical work on the project,

     
new wingtips, is complete and that
     vamp will go ahead soon, subject to
board approval.
There will be two versions upgrades of both types of A330, the
253-seat A330-200 and the 295-seat
A330-300. The board could discuss
the issue before the airshow or at its
next regular meeting tied to July 30
half-year results.
The project has already led to a
war of words between Airbus and
Boeing that is expected to spill over
to the worlds largest aviation event,
held each summer in the English
town of Farnborough or in Paris in
alternate years.
The two companies are involved
in a strategic chess game at the lower
end of the market for long-haul jets,
with tens of billions of dollars worth
of business at stake. However there
are concerns that
the arrival of the
A330neo could
spark aggressive
price competition
for new orders.
Airbus has
said the A330neo
would have the
same cash op-

erating costs and cost much less to

     
latest model due to make its debut at
Farnborough.
Boeing disputes these assertions
as well as Airbuss forecasts of more
than 1,000 potential sales for the
A330neo. Lahoud said he was optimistic about the overall outlook for
aircraft deals at the Farnborough Airshow.
Asked how many orders he expected, he said: We believe well
have a good business dynamic... we
     

rival in orders and deliveries, but is
widely expected to unveil hundreds
of new orders in Farnborough.
Boeing, however, looks set to
strike a blow against Airbus in its European home territory by convincing
UK-based Monarch Airlines to switch
suppliers as the two planemakers
wage a global battle for market share
for single-aisle jets like the Boeing
737 and Airbus A320.
Lahoud said Airbus Group would
continue boosting the amount of raw
materials and components it buys in
dollars to offset the currencys weakness. It has offered some customers
the chance to pay for aircraft in euros.


Workers unload sacks of rice from a Vietnam cargo ship carrying some 12,700 tonnes of rice, at the port in
Manila yesterday. The Philippines will import an additional 200,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam this year

 
Authority ordered from Vietnam last April that is being delivered from May to August this year, according
to local media. Reuters

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL

19

2015 Nissan Micra is set to break 

gas
test
wells
in
Dec
or
Jan
compact hatchback mould in Oman

MUSCAT The 2015 Nissan Micra

from Suhail Bahwan Automobiles is a zippy and smart compact
hatchback in tune with todays urban lifestyle. With stand-out looks,
class-leading driving dynamics and
an interior design offering both
comfort and convenience, the 2015
Nissan Micra goes beyond the regular compact hatchback offering.
Micra has been available in GCC
markets since 2012 and debuted
globally in 1982. It has attracted
acclaim in all markets in which it
has competed. Now in its fourth
generation, global sales to date are
far in excess of six million units.
The Nissan Micra adds new
strength to our extensive line-up
      

all new Nissan Micra aims to attract a wider audience with its contemporary good looks, eye-catch-

ing exterior colour range, spacious

and fashionable interior, in addition to a powerful high performance engine and a range of other
options to make city driving easier.
Key features of the new Micra
include a characterful, sleek exterior design, eye-catching exterior
colour range, user-friendly equipment and interior designed with
convenience in mind, highly-versa     
1.5-litre engine, nimble handling
with best-in-class turning circle
ideal for city driving, high levels of
safety equipment including dual
airbags, ABS, EBD & Brake Assist.
The new Micra with trim level SV
is available in Oman.
The Micras exterior combines
a feel of personality and character
with agility. The bodys bold proportions have been achieved by

lowering the centre of gravity, positioning the tires at the extreme

corners of the car, expanding the
sills outward and extending the
rear tread. The side sections, which
appear as if cylinders are mounted
within, run through the body from
the front to the rear providing a secure feeling.


to the rear sides to help create
excellent aerodynamic performance. Every element of the body is
designed to reduce air resistance such as door mirrors, a large front

just 0.32.
Micras raised front fenders aid
the drivers view ahead, while the
low waistline provides superior
side visibility to help make driving
-

tions. Rear window defroster w/

timer, rear wiper and power operated body coloured ORVMS makes
the vehicle impressive. The Micra
also comes with rear fog lamp,
front chrome grille, body coloured
door handles, body coloured side
mouldings and 165/70/R14 tyres
with full wheel covers.
Inside, Micra features a unique
twin bubble shaped cockpit that
gives a secure feeling for both driver and passengers with convenient
stowage compartments and generous headroom. The arched lines
and warm curved surfaces on either side of the instrumental panel
create a distinctive bubble-shaped
interior space that enhances driving pleasure. A large and convenient instrument meter with drive
computer placed in the centre of
the meter cluster provides improved visibility.

OSLO French energy major Total plans to


in December or January, with drilling expected to last for three months, it said.
The Frederikshavn municipality in
northern Denmark gave Total approval last
week, saying it expected drilling to start by
the end of the summer.
Total said on Friday the extent of activities in 2015 would depend on the results
of the test, and on obtaining permits that
would take account of an environmental impact assessment study.
If the results are positive, a test using
hydraulic fracturing (fracking) will be carried out in 2015, a spokeswoman for the

Fracking, which blasts chemicals, sand
and water deep into the earth to break up
shale formations and allow gas to escape,
has triggered widespread protests from environmental groups.
Danish environmentalists say they fear
the process could contaminate groundwater.
But depleting conventional gas resources are pushing the country to look for alternatives.
The existing permission allows Total
to only drill conventional wells to take the
samples, which can show the presence of
hydrocarbons in the shale formations about
4,000 metres below the surface.
Total holds 80 per cent and Denmarks

state-owned North Sea Fund the rest in the

license.
Last year, Denmark consumed more en
1997. Though the country remains a net oil
and gas exporter, output for the two fell by
13 per cent and 18 per cent respectively
over 2013, Danish energy agency data show.
Denmark is a sole natural gas supplier
to Sweden, and also exports gas to Germany
and the Netherlands.
European countries remain split over
fracking.
Britain and Poland are pushing hard for
the development of shale gas, seen as one
way to lessen European dependence on
Russian natural gas, as well as to lower energy costs as it has in the United States.
Meanwhile, France has a ban on
the use of hydraulic fracking in place.
Reuters

Business Alert

Biggest excitement on Toyota Prado

though, there are two cubbyholes positioned at each side of the bench. Thats
designed to hold bottled-drinks securely.
As with its predecessors, the latest Focus too is exciting in its drives. The
powerplant pulls eagerly when getting off the line most notably, any tugs
at the accelerator is responded with a speedy hike in the engine revs. The car
feels right at home cruising on the highway and is decidedly effortless and serene.

Yokohama promotion a huge success

entrepreneurs and for those in corporate and government sector.

The institute, in addition to its regular batches for providing training in
English, both IELTS and TOEFL, also organises special batches targeting current market needs and requirements. English being a global language, in academic, professional and business domains, students, job aspirants and probable entrepreneurs of Oman need to give emphasis to sharpen their skills in
this important foreign language. In this context, Al Salam Institute is organising a number of batches for providing focused training for skill development
in English during this Ramadhan.
In addition to English courses, the Institute offer a number of computer/IT and management science courses which are of short duration as well.
Ramadhan offer is valid for all such courses. Those who register for any of
these courses would receive 50 per cent discount in the fees. Salient features
of the courses are: individual attention for each student, customised lessons
including audio-visual communication aids and exposure to practical everyday situations and many more.

AMC offers specialty consultations

MUSCAT Prado, born with the Toyota Land Cruiser DNA in its bloodline,
takes Toyotas enviable 4WD legacy way further. A top-seller in regions around
the world, the Prado is a pride to own and a joy to drive.
Now, during the seasons biggest excitement from Toyota, 2014 year models of Prado are available with a service package up to 2 years/40,000 kms
(whichever is earlier). Customers also are presented with a Gift Voucher. And
to add to the excitement, every Toyota customer is eligible to take part in an

With so many cars, the chances of winning are good. The earlier one buys a

Drivability, reliability and functionality are Prados legendary strengths.
Throw in superior on-road & off-road performance, and it is not hard to tell
that this 4WD is one-of-a-kind. Building on the outstanding legacy of its predecessors the 2014 Prado stands apart with bold looks an aggressive Grill
and macho Bumper Guard adorned with LED Head lamps & Clearance lamps.
The Prados throbbing power and thrilling performance gives a taste
of real 4WD freedom. Its class leading-features include Display Audio with
9-speakers, Steering-mounted Audio, Bluetooth and MID Controls, Optitron
Meter with TFT info Display and Cruise Control. The new safety features include a Rear View Camera and Driver+ Passenger+ Curtain+ Side (Front) +
Knee (Driver) Airbags.
Packed with a host of high-end luxury features, the Prado features Leather
Upholstery, Wood & Leather Steering with Control Switches, Wooden Gear
      
Rear-lamp Garnish and impressive Alloy Wheels.
Prados imposing front has a wide stance to add to the bold look. The in           ioned seats offer wonderful under-thigh support. Second-row seats, fold in a
40:20:40 split, offer enhanced utility with a 135-mm slide function and walkin accessibility for facilitating easy ingress and egress for the third-row seats.
The third-row seats, fold in a 50:50 split.

WHEELS of Fortune, Yokohamas promotion created a huge buzz in Oman and

gave new tyre buyers many reasons to rejoice. With all that was on offer there
was very little reason to not overlook the aspect of safety on the road with

Besides a large number of RO 30 Lulu voucher winners, Said Subeh Mo
Toyota Yaris.
Saud Bahwan Automotive, the distributors of Yokohama Tyres, Japan, or         
Yokohama tyres customers had a chance to win up to 3 Toyota Yaris, (one
Yaris car every month) and 300 Lulu vouchers of RO 30 each.
Purchase of every Yokohama passenger car/light commercial radial/van/
4x4 tyre from an authorised Yokohama showroom or dealer outlet provided
customers with an opportunity to win. This grand opportunity was applicable
from March 16 to May 31, 2014.
Yokohama tyres are ideally designed to meet the demanding operating conditions in Oman. Yokohamas state-of-the-art technology ensures top-notch
safety and reliable performance. Yokohama tyres have won global acceptance
as safe tyres which are engineered to offer excellent road grip and comfortable smooth drive, in addition to extended tyre life.

Celebrate Ramadhan with Home Centre

ITS that time of the year again when peoples

thoughts turn towards generosity, togetherness

friends and family with Home Centres range of
must-have home decor and entertaining essentials that cater to diverse customer preferences
and budgets.
IN a season where buying a
Home Centres team of buyers and stylists
brand new vehicle has become
have put together a selection of traditional acalmost too hard to resist, a look
cessories and ornaments, luxurious furniture
around will show you whats
pieces and lighting choices, classical carpets, tacreating a buzz in Oman. Ford
bleware and kitchenware that will recreate the
has introduced its festive offer
richness and warmth of the festive season in your homes.
that promises to be more than
Details of the stunning Ramadhan range will be revealed in the catalogues
just very exciting. This offer is
available at all Home Centre stores. The stores will additionally sport cuttingmade based on feedbacks reedge displays providing shoppers with a mlange of ideas on creating aesthetceived over the years from cusically pleasing living spaces for gatherings with family and friends.
tomers.
The Middle Easts leading furniture and furnishing brand has even lined up
To begin with there will be
an exciting set of gifts for purchases made during the period. Every purchase
a Cash Gift of up to RO 600 or 3
worth RO 35, and above will qualify for an elegant qawa set from Home Cenyears/64,000 kms Free Service
tre. Perfect for those idyllic evenings that bring your family and friends togethand Insurance, 50 per cent Assured Trade-in Buy-Back, RO 90 Gift Voucher on er. Committed to transforming houses into homes, Home Centre has been of3M window tinting, RO 25 Gift Voucher from Lulu and the best of all 2 Grand fering customers a wide selection of home dcor options since 1995. Over the
   years, the concept has evolved into a household name across the region.
away in 2 swanky new Ford vehicles
 
very design, features, engineering and driving dynamics have been instrumen 
 
of the door its solidly built and feels chunky and does require an extra
ounce or two from your muscles to work it properly.
The Ford Focus features an array of buttons and switches clustered in the
centre. Making it look very appealing besides being easily accessible to the
driver. The unique adjustable steering column will make any driver feel well
at home. Despite having four-spokes which may be mistaken visually for being AL Salam Institute for Information Technology and Administrative Science,
less sporty, the steering wheel actually provides a much better feel than many the leading education and training institute in Sohar, Oman, is organising special batches for English training. The institute is one of the oldest in Oman,
others in its class.
Venturing into the rear quarters, the back seats feel suitably bolstered and recognised and licensed by Ministry of Manpower, Sultanate of Oman, for propremium. There is also adequate allowance in the head and leg area. Curiously viding education and training services for students, employees, professional,

Focus now with Fords biggest festive offers

Great offers on English learning

APOLLO Medical Centre (AMC), Muscat, is one of the leading health centres
in the Sultanate of Oman offering regular super specialty consultation clinics by visiting Apollo Hospitals Group
India doctors in the area of Spine,
Orthopaedics and Arthroscopy among
others.
The centre is generally frequented
by patients with arthritis, ligament injuries, back pain, osteoporosis related
bone disease, bone infections and problems with hands and upper extremities.
Dr Ranjith S Nair, Orthopaedic Surgeon, AMC explains, Patients from the
older age group generally experience osteoporosis, joint problems and arthritive lifestyle that will help the joints remain healthy.
Dr Ranjith S Nair earned his MBBS degree followed by a 3-year postgraduate specialisation in Orthopaedics in Kerala, a Fellowship in Arthroscopy in
Delhi and has been part of Apollo Muscat since 2011.
AMCs Department of Orthopaedics provides the most competent and professional treatment of trauma of the musculo-skeletal system. It is equipped
with sophisticated equipment to facilitate the latest surgeries. Since Oman
being a football loving generation, knee ligament damage among the younger
generation is quite common. Occupational related injuries include disc prolapse, back pain, neck pain, muscle fatigue etc. Plantar fasciitis (severe heel
             
hours.

Khayrat frozen vegetables choice for families

A SAFFA Foods, Omans fastest
growing and leading food producer, has an exciting range of vegetable products under its Khayrat
brand.
The vegetable products are the
latest natural and healthy product the company has made available to families across the nation.
Khayrat Mixed Vegetables and
Khayrat Green Peas are handpicked from the best peaking
crops in India and then quickly
frozen (IQF) to ensure that they
maintain their freshness and are
packed full of nutrition and are
the perfect accompaniment to other protein packed ASaffa products.
Their entire range consists of some of the freshest picks which include
mixed vegetables, green peas, sweet corn, pomegranate kernel and strawberries.
Commenting on the whole range of products, ASaffa Foods Head of Marketing and Sales, Sidhartha Lenka said: Over the past decade families across
Oman have trusted us to bring them an exciting range of natural, healthy and
protein packed products to the table and we are very proud of our existing
range of frozen vegetable and frozen fruit products in the market.
As with all of our food products, we have undertaken extensive research
          
that with the ASaffa stamp of quality behind them the consumers will welcome the Khayrat Frozen Vegetable and Khayrat frozen fruit products into the
market. We take great pride in our food and we continue our tradition of serving family-favourite foods that are healthy and wholesome.
He explained that frozen vegetables are in fact one of the healthiest ways
for families to get nutrition and vitamins and added that up to 45 per cent of
important nutrients can be lost in fresh vegetables by the time they are actually consumed.

Sunday, JULY 6, 2014 | RAMADHAN 8, 1435 AH

editor@omanobserver.om

www.omanobserver.om

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S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

21

CLASSIFIEDS

SITUATION WANTED
BANGLADESHI male,
26 years with 5 years
experience having
Omani driving licence
with car. Contact:
 96692774.

SITUATION WANTED
IT Professional - 13
years experience,
available for
immediate
joining with NOC.
99892866.

CHEMICAL Engineer,
Indian female, with 1
year experience, seeks
suitable placement.
 91475482.

SUDANESE male, 22,

BBM degree in
international business,
(export & import etc).
93823302.

AVAILABLE Indian
driver with experience
and good in Arabic.
Contact: 99209264.

INDIAN male 27 years,

BE (India), MBA (USA),
3 years experience in
supply chain and
logistics Executive
looking for a similar
role. Contact: 94086432.
e-mail: roshan
dsouza@outlook.com

SITUATION WANTED
PAKISTANI light duty
driver with 12 years
experience in Saudi
Arabia and 2 years
experience in Oman.
Contact: 97669615.

IRAQI Civil Engineer,

looking for job, 10
years experience.
Contact:  96680445.

INDIAN male, 24 years

working as supervisor
in a company with valid
Omani driving licence,
knows English and
Hindi, knowledge of MS
Word, Excel,
Powerpoint, looking for
job in sales and
marketing, good
communicative skills.
Contact: 93066695.

B.TECH Computer
Science, 25, with 2
years experience
in Oracle OCP

driving licence.
97331947.
E-mail:
nidhishmathew4@
gmail.com

INDIAN male, 26 BE
Instrument Engineer
with 5 years experience
on visit visa. Contact:
 97915985. e-mail:
josiah.t.88@gmail.com

AN expat with 6 years

experience in property
valuation/marketing in
Oman and having other
skills is looking for a
suitable position.
 92185424.

28 YEARS Indian
male, postgraduate
(Marketing, Finance,
International
Marketing) exp (3
+ yrs) Business
Development,
channel sales/
marketing,
relationship
management, project
with leading banking
& automobile
companies. E-mail:
manu237am@gmail.
com 97484001.

Mailing Address: OBSERVER CLASSIFIEDS SECTION,

P.O. Box 974, Muscat, P.C. 100.
Location: OEPPA HEAD OFFICE, Medinat Al Alam, Near Ministry of
Information.
 24649 593, 594, 594, 595, 596, 597
& OEPPA Ruwi Office, Next to Dhofar Bldg, Behind Ruwi Police Station.
 24785668

AN Iraqi Electrical
Engineer, long
experience in
construction works and
factory maintenance
getting electrical works
with driving licence
looking for suitable
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Emad. Contact:
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BE Mechanical
Engineer, 25 yrs exp,
with 3 yrs exp in Dubai,
on visiting visa, seeks
suitable placement.
e-mail: kevinpaniker@
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years, BSc degree in
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Management,
Residence in Oman
with valid Omani
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educated professional
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Management. 25 yrs
having 6 months
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accounts (payable &
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with MBA having
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S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

22

INTERNATIONAL

Investment banks eye $100m Norway interbank

Samsung restructuring bonanza rate still at risk of
HONG KONG/SEOUL Investment
bankers are jostling to win plum
roles from the founding Lee family
of Samsung Group, South Koreas top
fee-payer, as it prepares to hand the
baton to the next generation in a restructuring that could land more than
$100 million in advisory fees alone.
Foreign and Korean investment
banks are bringing in their chief executives and top dealmakers to pitch
for a glut of deals as the $407 billion
Samsung Group untangles an empire
cial services.
Banks top executives have long
courted the Samsung Group as its
among Asias top fee-payers. Citigroups Chief Executive Mike Corbat
       
Samsung management, according to
a source with direct knowledge of the
    
head Stephen Bird travelled to Seoul.
A spokesman for Citigroup declined to comment. Now, as the
groups restructuring accelerates, Korean and foreign investment banks
are assembling large teams, sending their CEOs to pay their dues at
Samsung HQ and boosting research
coverage of the group to try and win
lucrative work from the conglomerate.
There are potentially hundreds of
transactions that can be done to simplify the Samsung group structure,
said Shaun Cochran, head of Korea at
CLSA, an investment bank, which published a 178-page report on the group
on June 16. As well as untangling the
groups complex web of businesses,
the restructuring could also ease a potential $6 billion tax bill faced by the
Samsung heirs.
Unlike large Western companies
that often retain a house bank, bankers say Samsung keeps them on their
toes by fostering competition for each
and every deal as it believes it gets
better service that way.
Since 2010 the group has paid an

estimated $167 million in fees, the

most among Korean corporates and
the tenth-highest in Asia outside Japan, according to data from Freeman
Consulting. So far this year, it has paid
$21 million in fees, compared with
$13 million for all of 2013.
Bankers estimate Samsung could
pay more than $100 million in fees
over the next two years.
With revenues from trading and
deal making dwindling, global banks
in Asia have culled staff and focused
on cross-selling to the regions few serial fee payers.
That makes a group like Samsung,

whose Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is

the worlds biggest smartphone maker, a top target for banks. In return,
Samsung is a demanding client even
by investment banking standards.
For a one hour meeting with
them, well do thirty man-hours of
preparation so we dont waste their
time, said a senior executive at a foreign investment bank in Seoul
The sprawling Samsung conglomerate, whose 2012 revenues accounted for more than a quarter of
South Koreas nominal gross domestic
product, appears to be accelerating a
restructuring after patriarch Lee Kun-

hee, 72, was hospitalised in May.

Last month, Samsung Everland
Inc, a key holding company within
the group, announced plans for an
IPO, following a similar announcement in May by IT solutions unit
Samsung SDS. Other mandates include battery maker Samsung SDI
Cos acquisition of electronics materi     
a potential renminbi-denominated
bond for Samsung Electronics. Banks
are also pitching for at least three sellside mandates from Samsung, as it
prepares to divest non-core businesses, a person familiar with the process
said.
The estimated $100 million payday for banks in the next two years
excludes fees from ancillary business
such as providing foreign exchange or
hedging, which could push the total
even higher.
Samsungs business style is we
wont skimp on the payment, lets
make sure the work is right, said a
Korean banker working on one of the
listings. A spokesman for Samsung
said in an e-mailed statement that the
group could not comment on fees or
the details of its subsidiaries process
of selecting banks.
Banks pitching Samsung must impress panels headed by management
of the group subsidiary doing a given
deal, bankers said. They must also
woo Samsung heir apparent Jay Y Lee,
who is overseeing the restructuring
and taking a keen interest on major
transactions such as the Everland IPO.
Banks working on the SDS IPO were
not short-listed for the Everland deal,
sources with direct knowledge of the
      
want their bankers distracted.
Korean banks, unsurprisingly,
have tended to win the lions share of
the work in the past four years, with
Samsungs own securities arm earning 16 per cent of all estimated fees.
Reuters

manipulation

OSLO Proposed central bank reforms to Norways Nibor interbank

lending rate will not eliminate the
    try critics argue, saying the mechanism still lacks transparency and the
panel that sets the benchmark is too
small.
Norway promised reforms of the
Norwegian Interbank Offered Rate
last year after some foreign banks
complained about suspected rigging.
After investigating, the banking
regulator said it found no evidence of
rate-rigging but could not rule it out
either.
That evoked unwelcome comparisons with the scandal that led
to some of the worlds biggest banks

London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) and its European counterpart
Euribor.
Norway introduced new rules
for Nibor which sets parameters
     
including bonds last autumn, including the creation of a control committee.
Additional measures have been
under consideration since then.
cial regulator published in early June,
Norges Bank said regulations needed
to be changed as soon as possible to
make Nibor more robust and create
more trust than it does today.
But the central bank suggested no
concrete measures, something critics
says it needs to rectify.
All the suggestions were sensible but they did not go far enough
because... they (the central bank) did
not suggest or signal any instrument
to enforce it, Knut Anton Mork, Chief
Economist at Handelsbanken in Oslo,
said.

They have some instruments

they can use if they want to. For example, they could require banks to
follow their recommendations for
changing the Nibor routines in return for access to central bank funding.
One of his main concerns is
whether Nibor, which is set by a panel of six banks DNB, SEB, Danske,
Nordea, Swedbank and Morks employer Handelsbanken is still at
risk of manipulation.
Norges Bank actually points to
cases that they claim to have found
dividual banks that were enough to
change Nibor materially on a given
day, he said.
      
reasons. Obviously that is troubling.
None of the six Nibor-setting
banks were implicated in the Libor
and Euribor scandals.
Another economist said the
number of banks on the Nibor panel
should be increased.
There are few banks that are
contributing to the Nibor and so one
single bank can affect the quote, said
Kyrre Aamdal, a senior economist at
DNB, one of the banks that is part of
that panel.
There is a problem with the
number of banks on the panel, it is
small. I dont think they have any
measures that would increase the
number of banks on the panel, he
said.
Another concern, shared by the
central bank, is that Nibor is not a
quotation of rates in crowns, but
works via the eurodollar market and
is then converted into crowns. Banks
argue this is necessary because if Nibor was quoted in crowns, it would
not be liquid enough. Reuters

Greeces next bailout loan

instalment of $1bn approved
ATHENS Greece has received approval for the disbursement of its
next batch of rescue loans from international lenders, totalling 1 billion euros ($1.36 billion), a Finance

Release of the payment has been
delayed for weeks due to Greeces
failure to meet reforms demanded
by the international groups lending
    

Finance Ministry was quoted saying
that the Euro Working Group from
the 18 country euro zone had approved the instalment during a teleconference on Friday after Athens

   
expected to formally approve the
disbursement in a meeting in Brussels tomorrow. Athens was tasked
with reaching six milestones in May
followed by a further six in June
which would each trigger the re-

lease of the 1 billion euros, part of

its 240 billion euro international
bailout.
They broadly cover reforms to
the tax, labour and healthcare systems; changes to the transport sector; social security reforms; and an
opening up of closed professions.
As of yesterday evening, the

    
conditions of all six milestones. And
ation by the institutions of this ful     
EFSF (European Financial Stability Facility) Board of Directors then
to formalise this decision and disbursement to be able to take place
      
Brussels said.
International debt inspectors are
expected to return to Greece next
week to continue inspections on the
progress of reforms, which include

the privatisation of the countrys energy market, for the release of a further 1 billion euros.
Cash-strapped Athens, which
depends on its bailout payments
     gled to stick to its reform timetable.
Many of the measures are deeply
unpopular with voters.
In response to the austerity measures, workers from Greeces
electric utility company (PPC)
launched rolling 48-hour walkouts
on Thursday to protest against government privatisation plans. Union
workers insist the countrys electricity supply should stay under
state control. The strike has caused
widespread power cuts on the
mainland, with workers saying they
are planning to extend their strike
to the Greek islands, which are
currently packed with foreign tourists. dpa

A customer looks at a television at an electronics stores in Tokyo. Japans Sharp said earlier it was studying

appliances markets there. AFP

Ethiopia says expanding zones to become industrial hub

ADDIS ABABA Ethiopia will start
setting up a new industrial park in
September and will expand another
at a total cost of $250 million, an of
from farming and become a hub for
textiles and other industries.
The Horn of Africa nation aims
to attract investors who are moving
some manufacturing from China and
other Asian markets, where costs are
rising. Ethiopia offers cheap labour
and fast improving power supply,
transport and other infrastructure.
Luring new industry is seen as vital to maintaining high growth rates
in Ethiopias still largely agrarian
economy. The economy has expanded
annually by double digits in the past
decade and is forecast to grow by 8
per cent or more this year.
Yaregal Meskir, Deputy Director
General of the Ethiopian Industrial
Development Zones Corporation,
pand the existing Bole Lemi Industrial

Zone, on the southern outskirts of the

capital, while a new industrial hub
was planned at Kilinto, 30 km further
south.
We have witnessed many investors have come to acquire sheds and
land and there is a long queue, he
said in an interview on Friday. We
prefer labour-based industries like
garment manufacturing and shoe
manufacturing for exports.
After selecting a designer, he said
building Bole Lemi phase two and the
Kilinto Industrial Zone would start in
September.
A third of the 156-hectare Bole
Lemi site was developed at a cost of
     
and has attracted Korean garmentmaker Myungsung Textile Company
and Taiwans George Shoe Corporation.
The Kilinto zone will cover 243
hectares. Both the expansion work


Strong growth has helped fuel projects that

include hydro-electric dams and other power
projects to offer cheap electricity and a growing
network of roads and railways. The capital will soon
have its own urban metro, a rarity in Africa
$250 million World Bank loan, Yaregal said.
The industrial parks are central to
Ethiopias plans to build an industrial
base, with textiles and garments seen
as a key sector, in part because the
     

trade pact allowing duty-free exports
to the US market.
The industrial zones offer land
for factories at $1 per square metre
a month, tax holidays for up to seven

years and customs and other services

on site for those investing in the na      cials say.
Ethiopia has developed a strategy
that gives priority to certain industries, Taddese Haile, State Minister
of Industry, said. The aim is to see
Ethiopia as a globally-known cluster
for textiles and garment products.
Another three manufacturing
hubs are planned across the country

in the next decade, including a Special

Economic Zone in the eastern town
of Dire Dawa of 3,000 to 20,000 hectares. Details of the Special Economic
Zone are still under study.
Ethiopia faces tough competition
from other African countries seek
among foreign investors in a continent with a fast-growing middle class
with rising disposable incomes.
In countries like Ghana, for example, small, prefabricated pop-up
factories are providing low-cost, lowrisk ways to churn out consumer
goods for global markets by circumventing onerous local regulations and
corruption.
Ethiopia, once ruled by communists, has driven up its economic
growth rates with strong state intervention as well as rising farm output.
Industry accounted for just 10 per
cent of economic output last year, of
The International Monetary Fund

forecasts economic growth of 8 per


and 2014/15 but has also said the
state must avoid squeezing out pri
Strong growth has helped fuel
projects that include hydro-electric
dams and other power projects to offer cheap electricity and a growing
network of roads and railways. The
capital will soon have its own urban
metro, a rarity in Africa.
In a bid to encourage investment,
the government is allowing private
     
hubs. One such enterprise is the Eastern Industrial Zone, whose shareholders included Chinas Jiangsu Qiyuan Group.
Firms operating in that zone include Huajian Group, which produces
around 300,000 pairs of shoes and
sandals a month for Western markets.
al park. Reuters

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

PERSPECTIVE

23

Realty

British housing market strengthens further


London. Reuters

By Ana Nicolaci da Costa and

David Milliken

RITAINS house prices rose at

their fastest rate in nine years
and London prices showed
their biggest jump in a generation,
data showed recently, as measures

to curb mortgage lending have yet to

have an impact.
Stricter checks on borrowers ability to pay back mortgages were introduced in April and have weighed
on the approval of home loans. Some
fear these could become unaffordable
when interest rates eventually rise

from a record low.

But house prices picked up pace in
      
on the year, helping to fuel construc    
showed activity in that sector grew in

months.

Further measures announced

last week to cool lending and reduce
the risk of a bubble were expected to
have minimal impact, and analysts
said homes were still not being built
fast enough to contain price rises.
The BoE has opted for macroprudential measures to tackle the
strength in the housing market and
says interest rate rises from the 0.5
per cent reached in March 2009 are
only a last resort for fear that a premature move could derail the recovery.
But economists said the data only
strengthened the case for a rate hike
this year, after a strong manufacturing release this week also pointed to
robust second-quarter growth, and
sterling hit a fresh near 6-year high
against the dollar.
The strong growth of both sectors should help drive a further
robust increase in gross domestic
product of a similar magnitude to the
0.7-0.8 per cent increase seen in pre    son, Chief Economist at Markit, which
produced the manufacturing and construction surveys.
Such persistent strong growth
adds to the chance of interest rates
starting to rise later this year.
House prices rose 1.0 per cent in
        
taking the annual rate of increase
to 11.8 per cent the biggest since

lender Nationwide.
More strikingly, in the three
     
were 25.8 per cent higher than a year
earlier an annual increase not
seen since 1987. The price of a typical property in London reached the

400,000 ($681,000) mark for the

      
now around 30 per cent above their
2007 highs and more than twice the

said Nationwides Chief Economist
Robert Gardner.
Average house prices outside London are a fraction below their 2007
peak, Gardner said, while transaction
levels nationally are still well below
their historic average.
     lenge facing the Bank of England as it
tries to stop a regional housing boom
from destabilising the rest of the
economy. The bank has said it does
not target house prices directly but
wants to prevent lending from getting
out of control.
To that end, it said last week that
no more than 15 per cent of new
mortgages could be to people seeking
to borrow over 4.5 times their annual
income. Around 10 per cent of loans
fall into this category nationally, rising
to roughly 20 per cent in London.
Nationwide said this cap and new

tighter affordability checks were unlikely to slow house price growth in

the short run, but that the prospect of
higher interest rates might.
Speculation that the BoE will raise
interest rates later this year or early
in 2015 was already pushing up longer-term market interest rates, Gardner said. If this is sustained, it is likely
to feed through to mortgage rates,
which would also help to prevent
buyer demand rising too strongly.
But Nationwide said the underlying pressure on prices came from
a lack of new homes being built a
view shared by the BoE.
Markits survey showed construc alysts said it was not enough to tackle
Britains long-term supply shortage
problem.
The monthly Markit/CIPS purchasing managers index (PMI) for
the construction sector rose to 62.6 in
el since February. The survey showed
the fastest pace in hiring in the sector
since 1997.

Technology

Strategy

State fund planning to take Malaysia

Airlines private for restructuring

Mercedes touts self-driving

trucks for haulage savings
By Edward Taylor and Laurence Frost

By Yantoultra Ngui

ALAYSIAN state investor

  
plans to take Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) private as the
      
the loss-making airline following the
disappearance of its Flight MH370,
two people with direct knowledge of
the matter said.
A de-listing would pave the way
      able engineering, airport services
or budget airline units, trimming its
bloated payroll and installing a new
management team.
The restructuring and potential
sale of MAS is politically fraught due
to heavy opposition to job losses from
its powerful labour union, which has
hampered previous revival plans, and
    
carrier.
At MASs current price of 21 sen
per share, majority shareholder
     
1.05 billion ringgit ($328 million) for
the 30.6 per cent of shares it does not
already own, according to Reuters
calculations.
    
Prime Minister Najib Razak, is expect         cuss the plan, one of the people said,
adding that an announcement would
be made by the end of this year.
The sources declined to be identi      
issue.
The state investor is working
with CIMB Investment Bank on the
restructuring, the sources added, but
cautioned that the plan, and its details, are subject to change depending
on the ultimate decision by the government.
      
considering all options and would unveil plans within 6-12 months to restructure the airline, which has been
squeezed into three straight years of
losses by intense competition locally

Hit by slumping ticket sales in the
    
of MH370 on March 8, the company
turned in its worst quarterly per-

In the three months to June

London house prices were 25.8
per cent higher than a year
earlier an annual increase not
seen since 1987

A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737- 800 aircraft is seen on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in
Sepang recently. Reuters

March period and is currently burning through its operating cash. Its
shares have fallen 16 per cent since
the disappearance compared to a 2.8
per cent gain in the benchmark stock
exchange index.
MASs chief executive said last
week that the business needed to embrace radical or sweeping change to
survive.
Asked to comment on the pri    
     
      
Reuters contacted the relevant of
immediately respond to requests for
comment.
Taking MAS private could enable
     
interference from shareholders and
the powerful airline union, analysts
say.
Resistance to previous restructuring efforts by the union, which represents a workforce of around 20,000,
has hampered the airlines efforts to
cut costs and improve competitive-

ness in the face of fast-growing, lowcost carriers such as AirAsia Bhd and
Indonesias largest private airline,
Lion Air.
The head of the MAS labour union,
however, was recently quoted by local
media as saying he would support a
privatisation if a new leadership was
brought in.
This (privatisation) will remove
pressure from the public, from politicians to the unions, hence focusing on

based equity analyst who covers MAS
      
name because of the sensitivity of the
issue.
Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysias
longest serving prime minister and
    
in local media as saying that taking
MAS private was the best option to
enable a radical restructuring from
top to bottom.
     
privatisation and the airline should
be run by those who can work with
the union to revive its fortunes, he
suggested.


5 billion ringgit into MAS over the
last 10 years, but a series of recovery
plans and leadership changes failed
to revive its fortunes.
The state fund tried to cut its
stake in the airline in 2012 in a
share swap deal with AirAsia, but
the main union Malaysia Airline
fully blocked a move that would have
     
experience of competing aggressively.
Privatisation also has the advantage of being relatively cheap for

of MAS, thanks to the airlines 83 per
cent tumble in market value over the
     sian market has risen nearly 75 per
cent during the same period.
MAS would have a break-up value of 4.15 billion ringgit, well above
its current market value of 3.4 billion
ringgit, Maybank Research said in an
    
units include MAS Engineering, Airport Terminal Services and its budget
 

ALDING middle-aged trucker Hans Luft was toying conspicuously with an iPad behind the wheel of his 40-tonne heavy
goods vehicle as it hurtled down the autobahn under the approving gaze of assembled Daimler executives.
The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 prototype, demonstrated recently along a closed-off stretch of the A14 near Magdeburg, Germany, is a major step in an escalating race to develop
self-driving vehicles. The drive was relaxing, Luft told reporters
afterwards. Daimler, already at the forefront of German efforts to
counter Googles advances in driverless cars, sees at least as much
potential for automation in road haulage.

can overcome regulatory and legal hurdles even if the scale of
ions in the long run.
Autonomous driving will revolutionise road freight transport
        
ket of the future which we believe will offer solid revenue and earnings potential. Clad in mystery-enhancing adhesive foil, the Mer
scans the road 250 metres ahead.
It also makes fuller use of features already found in current production models, by networking on-board sensors with automatic
braking, stability control and lane-warning systems.
As the vehicles name suggests, the intention is to launch a roadworthy version by 2025. This truck will not just remain a prototype, Bernhard said.
Daimler may not have the road to itself. Swedens Scania, a unit
of Volkswagen, is among peers working on platooning technology that allows several trucks to travel in tight convoy with a sole
human driver in the lead vehicle. Autonomous driving proponents
face the twin challenges of meeting safety concerns while persuading lawmakers that accident liability can still be established. But the
potential gains may offer powerful incentives to overcome them.
Daimler said its truck model still requires human oversight
          dling bookings and billing, or planning future itineraries.

position, Daimler said potentially allowing vehicles to drive for
longer than current daily working limits for truckers.
Fuel and driver wages each account for 27 per cent of current

Frances CNR, a government agency that monitors the sector.
Once you include travelling expenses, total driver costs rise to a

Even without removing the drivers, he added, their share of total cost will fall if there are other productivity gains if you use a
little less driver for a given distance, so to speak.
The automated vehicles also save fuel by driving more economically, according to Daimler. Even once legal and technological obstacles are cleared, however, self-driving trucks may face further
resistance not least from unions that wield serious clout in many
          

being there if youre not paying any attention and youre not supervising in effect?

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

24
Double-digit prot growth may return in Q2
INTERNATIONAL

NEW YORK With all the hoopla

over the Dow topping 17,000 out of
the way, the markets next focus will
be whether the fast-approaching
earnings season can justify US stocks
climbing further into record territory.
Many factors point to a secondquarter earnings season poised to
surprise substantially to the upside.
There is an outside chance that profits for S&P 500 companies could return to double-digit growth for the

On the heels of Thursdays strong
US employment report, some economists have begun talking up prospects for a 4.0 per cent annual growth
rate in gross domestic product for the
April-through-June period, a dramatic
     
contraction of 2.9 per cent.
Its a strong report that capped
off a strong quarter. Everything in the
report points to 4 per cent growth in
the second quarter, said Stuart Hoffman, Chief Economist at PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh, referring
to Junes jobs data.
Analysts polled by Reuters are
calling for earnings growth for the
second quarter of 6.2 per cent,
and a return to double digits in the
third and fourth quarters: 10.9 per
cent and 11.9 per cent, respectively. The last time that S&P 500 earnings achieved double-digit percentage growth was the third quarter
of 2011, when the growth rate was

18 per cent.
But some signs suggest the 10
per cent handle could be breached a
quarter earlier by the time all of the
second-quarter numbers are in.
There is a chance that earnings
could see double digits this quarter, but only a very slim chance. The
strong jobs report can translate to
better earnings after a period of time
but it cant be immediate, said Tim

    
Solaris Group in Bedford Hills, New
York.
In the coming week, aluminium
producer Alcoa Inc will get the earnings season started on Tuesday with
second-quarter results after the closing bell. Family Dollar Stores, Inc will
report quarterly results on Thursday
before the market opens. On Friday,
earnings will be released by Fastenal Co, a parts and tools supplier to
the construction and manufacturing
industries, and Wells Fargo & Co, the
largest US mortgage lender.
First among the encouraging
    
announcements from companies
have the most positive skew in six
quarters. Of 133 pre-announcements
from S&P 500 components so far, 97
have been negative, 24 positive and
12 in line with existing forecasts, according to Thomson Reuters data.
That puts the negative-to-positive
ratio at 4-to-1 for the second quarter,
the lowest since the fourth quarter of

2012. Moreover, that compares with

     
to-1 a year earlier in the second quarter of 2013.
Second, actual earnings growth
tends to exceed forecast growth by a
sizable margin, because companies
and the analysts who track them tend

Since the fourth quarter of 2009
     ter the recession, actual S&P 500
earnings growth at the end of each
quarterly cycle exceeded the growth
forecast at the start of each reporting
period by an average of 5.7 percentage points.
Even factoring out the outsized
      
quarters following the recession,
earnings have come in an average of
nearly 3 percentage points higher
than the forecast at the start of each
           
rate on April 1 was pegged at 2.1 per
cent. When the numbers from all 500
companies in the index were tallied,
though, growth was actually 5.6 per
cent, 3.5 percentage points higher.
With the Dow and the S&P 500
in record territory and an S&P 500
price-to-earnings ratio of 15.6, the
highest in nine years, a substantial break to the upside on earnings
would be a welcome development
for investors. On Thursday, the Dow
closed above the 17,000 milestone for


within 1 per cent of piercing through
2,000. The Dow is up 3 per cent for
the year, while the S&P 500 and
Nasdaq are both up 7.4 per cent.

Weve had such a big move to this

point that good data just isnt enough
to drive this market much further. Its
really coming down to company earnings. Thats the only thing left that

can lead this market higher, said Rick

Meckler, president of LibertyView
Capital Management, an investment
  sey. Reuters

Mitsubishi Electric eyes F-35

missile deal with Europes MBDA

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (L) applauds US Federal Reserve Board
Chair Janet Yellen after their question and answer period at the inaugural Michel Camdessus Central Banking
Lecture in Washington. Reuters

Monetary policy should focus

on price stability, jobs: Yellen
WASHINGTON Monetary policy
   
     ity risks, Federal Reserve Chair Janet
Yellen said recently, adding that heading off the US housing bubble with
higher interest rates would have
caused major economic damage.
Weighing in on a global debate,
Yellen reiterated her view that regulation not rate policy needs to
play the lead role in combating exces
The potential cost... is likely to
      ity risks a central role in monetary
policy discussions, Yellen said at an
event sponsored by the International
Monetary Fund.
She didnt close the door entirely,
however, and she cited some areas
that bore monitoring with an eye toward a possible tightening of regulation. Analysts said Yellen was push     

be given a more prominent place in
formulating monetary policy.
Jeremy Stein, who stepped
down as a Fed governor in May, had
sparked the debate by arguing higher

rates should at least be considered to

help stamp out possible asset bubbles, and a number of regional Fed
bank presidents have warned of the
dangers of keeping rates near zero
for too long.
But Yellen made clear she did not
see a need for the US central bank
to alter its current course. I do not
presently see a need for monetary
policy to deviate from a primary focus on attaining price stability and
maximum employment, she said.
The US stock and bond markets
have soared on the back of the Feds
money-printing and near-zero rates,
prompting warnings from some
economists that new bubbles are
forming. The IMF said last month
a prolonged period of ultra-low US
rates they have been near zero
since late-2008 had prompted a
weakening in lending standards and
risky behaviour by investors.
For her part, Yellen pointed to
unusually narrow corporate bond
     
and weak lending standards in the
leveraged-loan market as areas of
concern.
It is critical for regulators to com-

plete their efforts at implementing

a macroprudential approach to en    
system, she said.
Yellen said building a stronger
system was all the more important
because economies around the globe
could be in need of historically low
rates for some time to come, whether
      
or deeper underlying economic shifts.
Because of that, central banks
could run out of room to cut rates
   
shocks hit, she warned.
Yellen cited a number of steps the
United States had taken to strengthen
    ting higher capital requirements for
banks.
In making her case that regulation


back to the mid-2000s, when US
housing prices were soaring.
     
tightening of monetary policy would
have been needed to stop the housing
bubble from building, and that the
cost would have been a very large increase in unemployment. Reuters

TOKYO Japans Mitsubishi Electric

       wards a partnership with European
missile maker MBDA to develop a
medium-range air-to-air missile for
     
with knowledge of the matter said.
The preliminary deal marks an
extension of Prime Minister Shinzo
Abes bid to launch Japans military
suppliers into the global arms market through international tie-ups, and
thereby bring down costs for Japans
defence procurement.
If successful, it would represent
    nents had been used on a missile sold
overseas, one of a string of potential
international arms deals to emerge
since Abes government moved in
April to end a more than four decadeold ban on military exports.
The value of the missile-development deal remains unclear.
Mitsubishi Electric has agreed to
start a feasibility study, one of the
people said.
Mitsubishi Electric, better known
for making refrigerators and vacuum
cleaners, is the prime supplier of airto-air missiles to Japans Self Defence

EU targeting
Amazon tax deals
BRUSSELS The European Union
is looking to add online shopping
giant Amazon to a wide-ranging
probe into preferential tax deals
offered to multinationals by three
member states, a report said.
The Financial Times said Eu   
Luxembourg provide documents
relating to Amazons tax affairs,
putting it in line to join Starbucks,
Apple and Fiat as targets of the investigation. The probe announced
last month is to determine whether
tax arrangements offered by Ireland, Netherlands and Luxembourg
give the companies an unfair competitive advantage and therefore
amount to illegal state aid.
The European Union has no jurisdiction over national tax policies,
a cherished prerogative of member
states, so the probe is strictly limited to rules governing free competition.
Contacted by AFP, a spokesmen
for the Competition Commission
said it was Entirely premature to
speculate on whether new investigations could target this or that spe
Apple and Starbucks as well
as Amazon have come under intense pressure from politicians and
campaigners over their tax dealings.
AFP

Forces, including a medium-range

model, the AAM-4, used on its F-15
 
It is also a leading supplier of satellites to the Japanese government.
MBDA is a pan-European company formed more than a decade ago
from the missile units of BAE Systems, Airbus and Finmeccanica.
A spokeswoman for Mitsubishi
Electric declined to comment. MBDA
did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
MBDAs armoury includes the
Meteor air-to-air missiles for the Eu    
     
a candidate for the F-35s the Royal

Air Force and Royal Navy plan to buy

form Lockheed Martin Corp.
Japan has so far ordered 42 F-35
      
2017. Global orders for the F-35 are
expected to exceed 3,000, with Italy,
Turkey, Canada and Australia among
the US allies planning to purchase the
plane.
The proposed missile deal would
     
from a pact signed by Japan and Britain in July last year that created a legal framework for the two countries
to do joint research and development
on defence equipment. A second
agreement committed the countries
    changed in that work.
To manage cooperation between
Mitsubishi Electric and MBDA, and
guide future projects, a steering
committee of Japanese and British
      
during the week-long Farnborough
Air Show, which begins on July 14, according to the sources.
Japan is also discussing a similar
co-development accord with France
and has committed to concluding an
agreement with Australia. Reuters

Mexico telecoms laws get

senates general approval
MEXICO CITY Mexicos Senate has
given its general approval to legislation needed to implement a reform
of the phone and TV markets that
seeks to rein in telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim and broadcaster Televisa.
The Senate voted 80 to 37 to approve the bill in its general terms, but
opposition senators reserved dozens
of articles for further debate that was
expected to stretch into the night.
Lawmakers from the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
appeared to have enough votes with
their allies to overcome objections
from opposition senators. Once
through the Senate, the bill will pass

next week.
stitutional reform that was proposed
by President Enrique Pena Nieto and
approved by Congress last year. The
law established a new regulator, the
Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT).
In March, the IFT declared Carlos
Slims America Movil and broadcaster Televisa dominant on the basis of
their market share, subjecting them
to tougher regulation.
America Movil controls about 70
per cent of Mexicos mobile market
ness.

Televisa, the worlds biggest provider of Spanish-language content,

has over 60 per cent of the free-toair TV market as well as being the
biggest player in the pay TV market,
if its cable and satellite business are
combined. Televisa was declared
dominant in broadcast TV, but not in
the pay TV market.
The so-called secondary legislation was supposed to be approved
months ago and clarify the scope of
the IFTs new powers to promote
competition and regulate the phone,
TV and data markets.
Critics of the proposed legislation
said lawmakers aligned with Televisa
are trying to make dominance de      
the whole of the telecoms or broadcasting sector rather than particular
services, such as pay TV.
Senator Javier Corral, from the
conservative National Action Party
(PAN) said the law would allow Televisa to continue to gain market share
in the pay TV market without facing
regulation. The only real dilemma is
if Televisa will be subjected, once and
for all, to competition, he said.
Televisa has been accused by critics of using its media machine to help
Pena Nieto win the presidency, although it has denied the accusations.
Reuters

A man woke up on the rst day of Ramadhan without

fasting not knowing that the new moon had been
sighted the day before; would it sufce if he spent the
See answer on P 27
rest of the day fasting?

editor@omanobserver.om

www.omanobserver.om

THE MAGICAL
POWERS OF

By Kabeer Yousuf

here is mention of a number of

      
    
Tuba tree in the paradise, the Tree
of Life, the Tree of Knowledge, the
Cosmic Tree, the Farthest Tree of the
     
which is the food of the people of hell.
All these trees denote either a happy situation or a reminder of a dreadful punishment in the life hereafter.
But, there is the tree to which Allah

in all aspects, it is lasting and it offers

nothing but the date palm tree mostly
seen in the Middle East.
Ibn Umar reported quoting Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him,
that one day Allahs Messenger asked
his followers about the kind of tree

the Muslim.
The people mentioned different
kinds of desert trees and I said to myself, It is the date palm tree, but I felt
too shy to speak up. Then the people
said, Tell us what it is, O Messenger
of Allah.
To this, Mohammed The Leader of
Mankind replied: It is the date palm
tree (Al Bukhaari: 60)
Precisely known as the best fruit
      do, these sweet, delicious fruits from
the tropical oasis are brimming with
much-needed minerals and energy to

no second opinion about the fact that
     
-

SUNDAY | JULY 6, 2014 | RAMADHAN 8, 1435 AH

DATES

      
1,400 years ago.
Today, scientists and medical doc     
brownish black fruits which are of
better demand during Ramadhan.
Botanically, they are the fruits
growing on the palm tree belonging to the family of Arecaceae in the
   
named as Phoenix dactylifera. The
      
the lands on the banks of the Nile and
the Euphrates of ancient Egypt and
Mesopotamia. But today, date palm is

under warmer climates across all the
continents.
      
that witnesses the biggest iftar in the
world, it is reported that more than
40 tonnes of dates are consumed
    

this staggering number of dates being

     

      
     
But the key to break Ramadhan fast
remains steady and they are the
blessed date fruits. In numbers, the
total count of dates consumed by
     
       

Medical experts are united in saying that these fresh dates that consist
ple sugars like fructose and dextrose,
when eaten, they replenish energy

Dates are
rich in
dietary
bre,
which
prevents
LDL cholesterol
absorption in the
gut. Additionally, the
bre works as a bulk
laxative

Jishy Seby
     
these qualities, they are being used
to break the fast during Ramadhan
month since ancient times.
     
    sorption in the gut. Additionally, the
      
Seby, Dietician at the KIMS Oman
      tect the colon mucous membrane by
decreasing exposure time as well as
binding to cancer-causing chemicals
in the colon.
       dants known as tannins which are




tendencies.
They are moderate sources of
     
           sion. Additionally, it is also required to
maintain healthy mucus membranes
and skin. Consumption of natural
       
help to protect from lung and oral

Besides, eating dates is found to offer some protection from colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and
pancreatic cancers.
Also, dates are an excellent source
      
fruits which is about 11 per cent of
RDI. Because iron is a component of
haemoglobin inside the red blood
cells, it determines the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, Seby
added.
She said that they are
   sium 100
g contains
  
or 16 per
cent
of
daily-recommended
  
e l e c t r o ly t e .
Potassium is an
important component of cell and
   
controlling heart rate and
blood pressure. They, thus,
offer protection against stroke
and coronary heart diseases.
Medical literatures say that dates

Known as the best fruit

in the world followed
by the avocado, these
sweet, delicious fruits
from the tropical oasis
are brimming with muchneeded minerals and
energy to help you stay t
and healthy. There is no
second opinion about
the fact that dates are of
immense benets that
the people of Arabia
identied themselves
with the elixir of life
some 1,400 years ago

are also rich in minerals like calcium,

manganese, copper, and magnesium.
Calcium is an important mineral that
is an essential constituent of bone
and teeth, and required by the body
for muscle contraction, blood clot    
Manganese is used by the body as a
co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme,
superoxide dismutase. Copper is required for the production of red blood
cells. Magnesium is essential for bone
growth.
Lastly, this wonderfully delicious
     plex group
   

The power of fasting

By Lakshmi Kothaneth

E
r

erve
ailyobs
d
n
a
m
.com/o
outube
www.y

urney,
ife A Jo watch
L
,
lk
a
t
y
ail
can
elivers d Ramadhan. You
d
y
r
s
E
l
a
of
Khalfan Holy
ly month bserver.om
e
h
t
g
o
n
in
ma
dur
n www.o
the talk o

VERYONE who is fasting is going

through one of the best health
therapies right now a practice
that has been going on for centuries.
If one were to follow the right method
of fasting, one is to gain plenty of ben    
there are times when we lose out on
ing the nights when at times the eating
       ing.
In fasting we tend to realise the
hunger of the needy, at the same time
     

is probably why fasting has been
prescribed.
Fasting is indeed powerful and
speaking to Khalfan al Esry, religious
     
       

time we understand the proportion of

consuming the food.
Being blessed with Ramadhan
is to know the power of fasting, says
       
1.6 billion, are fasting in the same
month. They all go through the same
experience and they all hopefully gain
the same spiritual, mental, emotional

be yielded from fasting in the month of
Ramadhan.

the world a therapy that is popular
now is fast therapy. In other words,
the prophet of Islam, peace be upon
him, said, Fast and be healthy. What
we are told by doctors now is that
when people fast the body has a

opportunity to get rid of weaker cells
as well as to consume the cells that

      

out the weak and sick cells, including

toxins, said Al Esry.
Beyond that, this is an opportunity
for the stomach and the intestines
      
Muslims in the month of Ramadhan,
become less sick. The number of
people admitted to hospital is reduced
dramatically. The reason behind it is
that people through fasting become
healthier.
Al Esry points out that we
understand through the sayings of
Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon
him, The son of Adam, the offsprings

       
for a person to eat little during the day.
If the person is to eat and there is no
other way but to eat, then they need
       
third is for solids, a third for liquid
and a third for air. In other words


     
      

niacin, pantothenic acid, and ribo     
cofactors to help body metabolise
carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Vitamin K is essential for many coagulant
factors in the blood as well as in bone
metabolism.
What more reasons would one
need to resort to this fruit of the Middle East which is abundant in nature
and one of the most popular fruits
          erals that are required for normal
   
well-being.

beyond two-thirds.
In another saying he said, We are
a nation who do not eat until we are
hungry and when we do, we do not
eat until we are full. In other words,
always eat less than what you think
you need to eat. That way you will
       
food and transform that food into

around, explained the scholar.
     
fasting, we are told fasting is also to
    
     
      
abstains from all wrong doings that
Almighty Allah has forbidden, added
Al Esry. So we see in the month of
Ramadhan the power of fasting,
where one gets to discipline oneself
physically, mentally, emotionally and
spiritually. And the result is by the end
of Ramadhan the person has become a

better citizen on this earth, pointed out
Khalfan al Esry.
So enjoy the healthiest of the
months in its true essence knowing


26

SUNDAY,

JU LY 6, 2014

Stefano Virgilli,
Abdullah

Dont ruin
Ahmeds
memory
A

T his stall outside a mosque in central Kuala Lumpur, Ridzuan Bakri

wipes beads of sweat from his forehead before pushing another long piece of
sugar cane into a juicing machine.
With not long to go before the breaking
of the daily fast, his mother points to the al
with juice for thirsty customers in the Malay Muslim enclave of Kampung
Baru. Sugar cane juice is very good after fasting, it does not upset the stomach,
20-year-old Ridzuan says, as he pours the
freshly squeezed juice into the pitcher.
Even as a young boy, I was helping
my parents sell sugar cane juice during Ramadhan, he says. We make good
money. The sweet smell of the freshly
squeezed juice is quickly overpowered by
the powerful aroma of spiced goat meat
wrapped in Indian bread at the next stall.
A hundred more stalls line the street, ready
to tempt punters with the smell of sauteed
garlic and onions, frying spices, broiled

humid air.
For Muslim residents on the way home
after a day of fasting, it is a heady fusion.
I bought this food for my family so we
can share it together once we break the
fast, said Muslimin Abdurahman, showing a plastic bag packed with fried chick       
sauce. Breaking the fast is a form of celebration.
For some, the so-called Ramadhan bazaars which burst into life across Malaysia
at sunset, are an unwelcome, commercial
diversion from the spirit of Ramadhan, traditionally a time to restrain ones desires
and think of the needy.
The bazaars highlight the unhealthy
trend of feasting over glorious food instead
of fasting, wrote Zaid Mohamad, a family counsellor, in his column in New Straits
Times, an English daily newspaper.
It is common to see visitors leaving
with bags of food as if they are buying for
the whole neighbourhood, he commented.
But stall owner Nurhaini Kassim argues
that the food bazaars are part of Malaysias
way of marking Ramadhan, and do not distract Muslims from performing their obligations during the holy month. Malaysians
love food, she says.
As far as I can remember, even when I
was still young, we were selling food during Ramadhan. The government appears
to agree, with Malaysias Islamic Tourism
Centre happy to promote the bazaars as

O all my brothers and sisters, in every faith.

Ahmed Deedat has
changed my life. I came across
his videos on Youtube when
I was still a Christian. I was
searching for answers to questions about the Bible. I already
tried asking the pastor of my
Church without success. I also
did try asking other pastors in
other Churches and friends with
strong background in theology.
All in vain.
I then found the videos of Dr
Zakir Naik, a brilliant scholar
of comparative religion. He has
memorised the Bible, the Quran
and the Vedas. He seemed to
have an answer to all questions.
From his videos I learned a great
deal of details about Christianity,
Islam and Hinduism. Some of the
videos almost shook my Christian faith, but I kept strong and I
kept listening to his words.
Every now and then, while

searching for Dr Naiks videos,

Youtube suggested me to watch
videos of another Muslim scholar by the name of Ahmed Deedat. I ignored those suggestions
for a while, but in the end I gave
a try. It was mindblowing.
Ahmed Deedat was a South
African writer and public speaker of Indian descent. Born in
1918, he passed away in 2005
leaving a legacy of comparative
religion scholars behind him.
His communication style was
directed to the heart of people,
whether they were Christians or
Muslims. Many converted after
listening to what he had to say
about Islam.

I watched one of his videos.
It was a sort of an intellectual
duel between a Christian pastor
and Deedat. The video stretched
for over one and a half hours.
I devoured it all in one bite. It
was the beginning of a long list

Ahmed Deedat was a South African

writer and public speaker of Indian
descent. Born in 1918, he passed
away in 2005 leaving a legacy of
comparative religion scholars
behind him
of videos that shaped my knowledge and prepared my heart for
conversion to Islam.
One of those videos became
especially important to me. In
the video, Deedat addressed
the Muslims. He talked about
the weakness of some Muslims
when tempted by Shaitan. He
emphasised how Shaitan has
the ability of being subtle in his
tricks, disguising itself in many
ways in order to go unnoticed.
At a point he became emotional

and I found myself in tears.

I asked myself why I was crying listening to a video of a Muslim scholar speaking to a Muslim
audience. At the end of the day I
was still a Christian. I questioned
my reaction while trying to put
myself together. Subhanallah.
Sometime there are just no explanations. On that day I realised
that probably I was no longer a
Christian.
Then all seemed to happen too fast. The next thing I

Food takes centre stage as

Malaysia celebrates Ramadhan
Japan scientists
nd ageing
cure for owers








a tourist attraction in the predominantly
Muslim country.
Perhaps the most special and distinguishing aspect of Ramadhan in Malaysia
is the Ramadhan bazaars that can be found
at almost every corner all over the country,
selling a huge array of mouth-watering del
festive atmosphere can be felt throughout
the month especially in shopping hotspots,
it adds. Just metres from the entrance to
the bazaar, Islamic scholar Zarjan Sharif

and his colleagues quietly break the fast

with a bowl of porridge, a piece of chicken
pie, dates and cold orange juice. Inside the
surau or prayer room, Zarjan says he is not
bothered by the commerce generated by
the bazaars around the corner.
For us Muslims, we view food as a vehicle for sharing with our family, with our
friends and with our community, he says.
The food is secondary in the celebration of
Ramadhan. It is always our relations with
Allah and with our family and with our


After breaking the fast and before saying prayers, Zarjan goes to the street outside with two colleagues, carrying a big pail

hand out free to passers-by.
It is our custom to share what we have
with our neighbours, especially during
this holy month, he said. It doesnt matter what food you share, as long as you give
something to your brothers and sisters in
need. dpa

World hot-dog eating champ wins again

A

     
was a Muslim. I chose the name
Abdullah
Ahmed
Dawood.
Ahmed is in memory of Ahmed
Deedat, that so boldly sculpted
my foundation about Islam.
After my Shahada I decided to
go back to Ahmed Deedat and listen to some of his videos again. I
went to search on Google. It was
     
pages addressed Ahmed Deedat
as a terrorist. I could not believe
my eyes. After clicking a few links
here and there I realised that in
fact that is the opinion of some of
his antagonists. They believe that
Ahmed Deedat is a Muslim terrorist. I promised myself not to
mix up politics and religion. And
I believe in freedom of opinion in
every faith. But I must admit that
it was really disappointing to see
the memory of Ahmed Deedat
ruined by such remarks. Please,
do not insult him. Ahmed is not a
terrorist.

MERICAS reigning hot dog-eating

champion earned his eighth consecutive world title in New York on
Friday, but took a moment before inhaling
61 dogs to propose to his girlfriend who
said yes.
Joey Jaws Chestnut, 30, completed
the feat in 10 minutes, but devoured
fewer of the cooked sausages in buns
than last year, when he ate 69 during a
world-record setting performance at the
      
my rhythm, the 205-pound (93-kilogram)
Chestnut said after this years contest.
But Chestnut made sure the day was
memorable, dropping to one knee before
live television and a crowd of some 30,000
spectators and proposed to his girlfriend
Neslie Ricasa, also a competitive eater.
Defending womens champion Sonya
Thomas was dethroned by newcomer

dogs.
Sudo described beating Thomas, also
known as the Black Widow for her ability
to eat more than males, as surreal.
      

During Fridays annual Fourth of July   
event, however, she managed to down only 
27.75. A total of 17 men and 13 women  

vied for this years title in the annual

Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest at the
Brooklyn seaside resort of Coney Island,
where the goal is to eat as many hot dogs
as possible in 10 minutes.
What are the champions secrets? To get
the dogs down, each contestant has certain
tricks, but most soak the bread in water
and eat the meat separately. Some jump in
place, helping their megameal slide down.

      
kilograms), will have to console herself
with her 23 world records, from an array of
food genres. She is the champion of baked
      
seconds), cheesecake (11 pounds in nine
      
     
to Major League Eating.
But her favourite food is hard-boiled
eggs. She can eat 92 in eight minutes.
Chestnut of California, who walked away
from the competition with $10,000, has
earned 31 world records, including in ice
cream (15 pints of vanilla in six minutes),
bratwurst sausages (70 in 10 minutes) and

The hot-dog eating contest dates back
to 1916, when the champion devoured 13
dogs in 10 minutes. AFP

APANESE scientists say they have found a way to

          
half, meaning bouquets could remain fresh for much
longer.
Researchers at the National Agriculture and Food
Research Organisation in Tsukuba, east of Tokyo, said
they had found the gene believed to be responsible for
 
morning glory.
Morning glory is the popular name for hundreds

usually unfold early in the
day and are gone by nightfall.
By suppressing the gene
named EPHEMERAL1

was almost doubled, said
Kenichi Shibuya, one of the
lead researchers in a study
carried out jointly with
Kagoshima University in
southern Japan.
  
started withering 13 hours

that had been genetically
     Researcher Kenichi
hours, he said.
Shibuya showing a
This means the plant morning glory whose
    
alongside the paler blooms 
from the previous day, he  
said.

We have concluded that  
the gene is linked to petal 
ageing, Shibuya said by 
telephone on Thursday.
 
    
to developing methods to

It would be unrealistic to modify genes of all kinds
          

solution that prevents the gene from becoming active,
Shibuya said.
       
currently use chemicals to inhibit ethylene, a plant
hormone which sometimes causes blooms to ripen.
But ethylene is not involved in the ageing of some

A gene similar to EPHEMERAL1 could be responsible
for petal ageing in these plants, Shibuya said, meaning
the ability to suppress it would extend their life. AFP

27

SUNDAY,

JU LY 6, 2014

INTRODUCING ISLAM



ROM Islams perspective, all religions

fall into two categories: (1) Heavenly
religions Judaism, Christianity and
Islam are religions of the same divine origin
descending from the monotheist traditions of
Prophet Abraham, Peace Be Upon Him. In their
purest form, all these three religions have the
same basic principles of faith and worship.
Jews and Christians are called People of the
Book in many verses of the glorious Quran.

This means that they are people who follow

divine scriptures, namely the Torah and the
Gospel. However, these two scriptures in their
present form are not the original messages
of their respective Prophets, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them. Consequently, Islam
views modern Jews and Christians as having
deviated from the original teachings of Moses
and Jesus, peace be upon them; (2) Other religions With regards to religions other than
Judaism and Christianity, Islam views them as
religions which are not associated with Abrahamic traditions. They have grossly deviated
from the worship of the One true God, Allah,
by associating other gods with Him.

Sufyaan Khalifa
Info.dawa@gmail.com

My rst Ramadhan: A reverts journey

Praying at the Mosque:





SLAM restored to woman the right of inheritance, when she was herself an object
of inheritance in other cultures. Unto men
belongs a share of that which parents and
near kindred leave, and unto women a share
of that which parents and near kindred leave,
whether it be a little or much a determinate
share. [Quran 4:7] Her share is hers to keep
and in most cases is one-half that of mans,
with no implication that she is worth less than
man. This variation in inheritance is only con      sibilities between man and woman according
to the Islamic law. Man is fully responsible

for the maintenance of his wife, his children

and in some cases of his needy relatives, especially the females. This responsibility is neither waived nor reduced because of his wifes
wealth or because of her access to any person       
Woman, on the other hand, is far more secured
       
claims on her possessions. She is not obliged
to transfer her wealth to her husband or spend
on her family. The law of inheritance in Islam
is both justice and compassionate for woman.

Inner side of Fasting

Said al Mafarji

(2-2)

ARRATED Abu Huraira: Allahs Apostle

said, Whoever does not give up forged
speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need
of his leaving his food and drink (ie Allah will not
accept his fasting.) (Al-Bukhari, Vol. 111, Chapter
8, p70.)
During fasting, one is urged to control his emotions and not be tempted to come to fruitless
quarrelling, which is the source of broken human
relationships and unhappiness in many households
Narrated Abu Huraira, Allahs Apostle said, Allah said, All the deeds of Adams sons are for them,
except fasting which is for me, and I will give the
reward for it. Fasting is a shield or protection from

fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his

or quarrel with him, he should say, I am fasting.
By him in whose hands my soul is! The unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting
person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell
of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting
person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and
the other at the time when he will meet his Lord;
then he will be pleased because of his fasting. (AlBukhari, Vol. 111, Chapter 8, p71.)
Al-Rabee also quotes a similar hadith which
expounds the reasons why there is special treatment for those who are fasting. Almighty Allah appreciates our leaving of food and lust for his sake

although these blessings come from him alone.

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allahs apostle said, The
unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a
fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than
the smell of musk, my servant has forsaken his
lust and food for my sake so fasting is mine and I
reward for it. (Al-Rabee, Vol. 2, Chapter 54, p45.)
No more emphasis is given to the importance
of purity of soul than that given by the following
hadith which intertwine faith to the acceptance of
prayers (worshipping) and fasting to abstaining
from Allahs prohibitions. Allahs prohibitions are
numerous; abusing others in general, oppression,
stealing, lying, falsehood, backbiting, taking an innocent life; are but few examples.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allahs apostle said,
No faith is for those who do not establish regular
prayers, and no prayers is for those who are not
in a state of purity (in a state of ablution) and no
fasting will be rewarded without abstaining from
Allahs prohibitions. (Al-Rabee, Vol. 1, Chapter 15,
p146.) It is said that fasting is of four types. First
type is that of a lay person who, abstains from eating, drinking, and copulation during day time. The
second type is that of the elite of the lay Muslims
        
speech or actions. The third type is that of the elite
who not only deny all their bodily senses from entertaining itself from prohibited passions and lusts,
and from the undesirable but also from indulging
themselves from permissible acts or anything that
goes against the spirit of self denial which is the
true essence of fasting. The fourth type is that of
the elite who indulge in nothing but from the remembrance of Allah and turns to nothing else and
get attached to anything else but him alone.
Arent we all the time required to uphold the
highest standard of morality? Why Ramadhan is

(2-2)

so special? Ramadhan is a time when we concentrate all our efforts to train ourselves for the rest
of the year. Ramadhan is an opportunity to change
our behaviour. If we can hold our tongues from
falsehood and backbiting for a month long then
there is a greater chance that the rest of the year
we will be able to control our tongues. Lower our
gazes from tempting faces and not exposing our
parts which tempts others during Ramadhan will
hopefully remains as a habit for the rest of the year.
Shall we examine ourselves in this holy month
of Ramadhan if we are true to the spirit of fasting or just indulging in our old way of fasting and
sleeping during the day and indulging in eating
and remain awake the whole night? But on the
contrary we should utilise our day long in contemplation of Allahs creations, reading the Holy Quran
with its commentary, reading the prophets traditions and sayings, keep vigil at last part of night
in prayers and asking forgiveness. Let us take this
opportunity to reform ourselves and become bet
       
better individuals. The neighbour is pleased when
he feels safe from a sharp tongue of his neighbour.
Lastly let us try to imitate the true believers who
the Holy Quran, in sura Al-Furqan, describes thus:
And the (faithful) slaves of the most Gracious
are those who walk on the Earth in humility and
sedateness, and when the foolish address them
(with bad words) they reply back with mild words
of gentleness. And those who spend the night in
worship of their Lord, prostrate and standing. And
those who say: Our lord! Avert from us the torment of Hell. Verily its torment is ever an inseparable, permanent punishment. (Quran, 25:63-65.)

T          
the conversation was dying down, they asked me, Do you
want to go to Taraweeh? Tara-what!? I replied. Turns out,

Feeling pretty ridiculous in a borrowed jalabiya, we all set off for the
mosque. All my anxieties went out the window when we began my

reciting the silent supplications, and like the ocean, we moved up
and down together through waves of blissful worship of the One.
It is the feeling of both unity and singularity. Submerged in sujood,
the material world was thrown upside down and the mind came to
rest on the single, sacred though: Subhanrabi al-aala. Subhanrabi
al-aala. Subhanrabi al-aala.

-  
   
  

And well aware that your heart is weighed down by what they
say. So exalt [ Allah ] with praise of your Lord and be of those who
prostrate [to Him]. Quran (15:97-98)
Praying Taraweeh is like working out: No matter how reluctant
you feel about it beforehand, you will always come out feeling energised, though exhausted and glad you went. Thus I urge you,
make every effort this Ramadhan to attend Taraweeh at your local
mosque. If you have kids, why not organise some kind of babysitting
arrangement with the other masjid mums? I personally endorse
taking turns as babysitter throughout the month, but do whatever

that others can attend will be at least the same as if you attended,
inshaAllah, and it will bring your community as a whole closer together.
Attending an Eid party:
          
itself seemed to hum with joy and celebration. My new BFF and I
skipped class and spent the day together. Riding the bus and counting in Arabic, eating sandwiches and enjoying simple pleasures, we
felt as if the universe was having a secret carnival like a cosmic
festival that only we were aware of while those around us tended,
obliviously, their daily affairs. Later we were invited to a childrens
Eid party where I was once again impressed at the generosity of fellow Muslims whom I had never even met before. Unfortunately, this
Eid was the exception to the rule. Almost every Eid thereafter was
an anticlimactic, average day, one where I couldnt help but think
its still not better than Christmas.
My experience demonstrates a point that I think all Muslims living in the West are acutely aware of: That our holidays face some
serious competition, especially with the bombardment of holiday
marketing around Christmas, and we are under pressure to make
our Eids a more memorable experience. Things for the kids like
carnivals and big group parties are excellent. However, something
          
After all, whats a party without any theme? We need to get into the
habit of sending Eid cards, cooking special Eid meals, wearing special Eid clothes, singing special Eid songs, etc, to make the holiday

other words, we need to create traditions. There are, of course, Eid
traditions from all over the Muslim world that Western Muslims can
draw from. I have faith that, with a little creativity, it is entirely possible to build on these and create our own Eid traditions without
stepping into the realm of bidah (making unlawful innovations in
the religion), inshaAllah.


          dation of how they understand their deen and their place (or lack
thereof) in the community and can be a maker or breaker for
their Islam. With the help of Allah, lets make this next
Ramadhan a month to remember for our new convert sisters!


Quran

Hadith

Say: O People of the

Scripture! Come to common
terms between us and you:
That we shall worship none but
Allah, and that we shall ascribe
no partner unto Him, and that
none of us shall take others
for lords beside Allah. And if
they turn away, then say: Bear
witness that we are they who
have surrendered (unto Him)
(3:64)

8) Narrated Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani that the Messenger of Allah, Allahs blessings and
Peace Be Upon Him, said:
Whoever gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will have a reward like theirs,
without that detracting from their reward in the slightest.
Reported by IbnuMajah

Fatwa


A) Since he woke up without fasting he has to repeat the fast of that day; there is consensus here. Opinions differ in case he
fasted that day meaning if it was one of Ramadhan days his fast would be for Ramadhan, and if it was not then his fast

) forbade fasting the doubtful day. There are many hadiths
to that effect, one of which is the Prophets saying, Do not fast until you see the new moon and do not terminate fasting
until you see it, whereby he made fasting conditional on new moon sighting along with his forbiddance of fasting unless

as a precaution is unlawful.

28

SUNDAY,

JU LY 6, 2014

Smartphones allow
do-it-yourself stress
hormone tests

Britains MAMILs switch

Ferraris for expensive bikes
O

NCE a niche sport, cycling has become so

popular in Britain that it has spawned a new
breed of fans who would rather buy a bike
than a Ferrari and who confront their expanding
waistlines by taking to the open road.
These middle-aged men in lycra or MAMILs, as

in force this weekend as the Tour de France begins
in the northern English country of Yorkshire, many

The typical MAMIL is over the age of 35 and paid
enough to afford the expensive brands favoured by
their tribe, such as stylish cycle clothing maker Rapha, as well as pilgrimages to sites such as the mythical Mont Ventoux in the Provence region of southern
France.
       
out to buy a Porsche, or a supersport motorbike,
        bre bike, said Michael Oliver, a marketing specialist
who claims to have come up with the term MAMIL,
which has now entered the dictionary.
The hobby often starts as a way of saving money

weekend jaunts in the country.
Then, during the summer months, it means taking the family on stages of the Tour or even training in the Spanish Mediterranean island of Majorca,
where they follow the path of British champions
Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.
MAMILs shave their legs to reduce wind resistance and are always working on their bikes, sharing
an obsessive interest in their equipment, whether it
is new handlebars, GPS device or brakes.
Cyclists tend to be like geeks when it comes to
equipment, they are very aware of the latest developments, Oliver said.
It is an expensive hobby but as such is self-selecting and for many is a good opportunity for network-

Twenty-ve
years ago
they might have
gone out to buy
a Porsche, or a
supersport
motorbike, now its a
$5,100 carbon
bre bike
Michael Oliver

ing.
They talk of cycling as the new golf, where business people do business, said Richard Moore, who
has written numerous books on the Tour de France.
The demographic of the sport here in Britain
is different to France, Belgium, Italy, Spain or other
traditional cycling countries where cycling is more a
working-class sport.
Stephen Wheatley, a 59-year-old business devel-

opment specialist, admits that the hobby is expensive, yes, but cheaper than keeping a mistress and
certainly less risky.
A self-confessed cycling addict, he set off on

Yorkshire for the start of the Tour on Saturday.
But he rejects the term MAMIL and the mockery
that follows, most recently from Prime Minister David Cameron, who said this week he was willing to do
everything he could to promote the Tour apart from
wearing lycra.
We would never call ourselves that it is a bit
of an insult, Wheatley said, adding that if he wasnt
wearing the shirt of his cycling club Grappa this
weekend named after a memorable trip in Italy
he would wear black.
Im nearly 60 years old and I think it looks faintly ludicrous wearing the same kit as Andy Schleck or
Bradley Wiggins, another British cycling star, he explained.
For all that, Wheatley rejects the stereotype, he
admits he has a lot of gear and proudly shows off his
Gios bike, which he put together himself.
He wont say how much it cost, but quips: When
I die and my wife sells my bikes, please ask her to
add a zero to the price I told her it cost.
Noel Edwards, a 60-year-old design manager,
paid 6,500 for a new bike and extra kit last year
and has a second folding bike which he uses on his
commute into work in London.
Edwards is general secretary of his local cycling
club, Gateway Cycling, and remembers with joy how,
after winning a magazine competition in 2007, he

winner Bernard Hinault.
Heading towards 61, he admits he is old and
too heavy but has no intention of quitting anytime
soon. I am better than I was, but I will never be
good, he said. AFP

HE next addition to the collection of health apps coming

online for smartphones may be a stress test, researchers
said at a recent conference.
With a simple tube, some software and a saliva sample, people and their doctors can measure levels of the stress hormone
cortisol, according to new research presented last week at ICE/
ENDO 2014, the joint meeting of the International Society of
Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society in Chicago. We have
designed a method by which anyone with a smartphone will
be able to measure their salivary cortisol level quickly, easily
and inexpensively, said lead investigator Dr Joel Ehrenkranz,
Director of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Intermountain
Healthcare in Murray, Utah.
While a commercial lab in the United States may charge up
to $50 to run a quantitative salivary cortisol test and take up to
a week to provide the results, the smartphone test will cost under $5 and give results in less than about 10 minutes, Ehrenkranz told Reuters Health in an interview.
Parts of the United States and the rest of the world that
lack facilities to measure cortisol will now be able to perform
this essential diagnostic test, he said. Also, measuring salivary
cortisol with this technology will provide a way for individuals
to monitor their personal biometric stress levels easily and inexpensively.
Ehrenkranz and his research team would like to see
healthcare providers around the world, especially in low-resource areas, use the smartphone test to help diagnose disorders involving excessive cortisol or depletion of the hormone,
and to allow cortisol levels to be monitored easily over time.
Theyd also like the public to monitor their own cortisol levels whenever they want. So they designed their device to be inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to use on all cell phones,
all platforms and all form factors.
It consists of a case, a light pipe, and a lens, it uses no battery power and Its unbreakable and reusable, they say.
For the developing world, it needs to be inexpensive,
Ehrenkranz said, and it costs only about $1 to make.
Project collaborator Dr Randall Polson, senior optical engineer in the College of Engineering at the University of Utah in
Salt Lake City, wrote in an email, We are trying to make sure a
skilled 8th-grader a 12-year-old can get accurate results.
The measurement systems smartphone and reader act as
         
into the strip chemistry and embedded into the smartphone
application, so if you have a charged phone and a test kit you
can get accurate results without complicated infrastructure
and highly trained technicians, Polson wrote.
To take the test, a person puts a straw-like saliva collector
under the tongue, and capillary action wicks the saliva to an
assay strip in a cassette thats inserted into a reader; the reader aligns a lens and light diffuser with a smartphones camera


lism is salivary cortisol, and that 3 per cent of people with type
2 diabetes actually have Cushings disease of which excess
cortisol would be a sign but they dont get screened because
their doctors dont have access to the technology.
It will also help individuals, Ehrenkranz said. As an example,
he cited the 10 per cent of people with depression who have
psychotic depression, with cortisol levels that rise before the
onset of psychosis. Using this device, people at risk for psychotic depression will be able to check their salivary cortisol
level every day and take steps to avoid a psychotic break.
The Ministry of Public Health of Thailand plans to introduce
the cortisol test later this year, as a consumer product to monitor individuals stress, Ehrenkranz said. His team is collecting
clinical data to submit to the FDA to gain approval to market
the test as a class 2 medical device, which they hope will be
granted in 2015. Reuters

The measurement systems

smartphone and reader act as a
photo studio... The complex and
difcult processes are put into the
strip chemistry and embedded
into the smartphone application,
so if you have a charged phone
and a test kit you can get accurate
results without complicated
infrastructure and highly trained
technicians
Dr Randall Polson

29

S U N D A Y, J U L Y 6 , 2 0 1 4

ZANZIBAR

Just before the breaking of the days fast at sunset, people manning the dozens of cooking

and other popular Ramadhan delicacies or preparing drinks and sweets in order
to woo the passers-by. The township is abuzz with activity at this


break fast with family members or
in communal style at the

h
t
i
w
n
a
h
d
a
m
a
R
g
n
i
m
o
c
l
We
more
h a n
  
us know that we would all be
fasting the next day. And, as if this
wasnt enough, celebratory cannon
further pronouncement that this was

Following on from the night-time
Isha prayers and the subsequent
Taraweeh prayers special
supererogatory prayers performed
only during the month of Ramadhan
the soulful sounds of Kassidas
(religious songs) could be heard
accompanied by the gentle drumming

drums (locally known as Douff). The
various groups of minstrels go from
street to street bringing with them
good cheer and joy on these wistful
Ramadhan nights.
Just before the breaking of the
days fast at sunset, people manning
the dozens of cooking stalls strewn
all over the town are busy barbecuing
mishkak or frying sambusas,
   
Ramadhan delicacies, or preparing
drinks and sweets in order to woo the
passers-by.
The township is abuzz with

last minute shopping requirements
or hurry back to their homes and

r
u
o
v
r
e
f
e
v
i
t
s
fe

Ali Ahmed al Riyami

S is the case in many other

Muslim countries, in Zanzibar too the blessed month of
Ramadhan is welcomed with fervour,
great happiness and festive spirit.
With the new moon being sighted
on Saturday night, we were waiting
for the announcement that Sunday
would see the start of the month
long fast. We didnt have to watch the
TV or listen to the radio for this, the
delighted sounds of children singing
and praising the month of fasting was

mosques in order to break fast with

family members or in communal
style at the mosque.
In comments given to the Observer
      
Information, Heritage and Culture,
noted: Ramadhan in Zanzibar is
received well, as it is in other Muslim
countries. We have a big population
of Muslims here of around 97 per
cent and this is why it is so well
received and we are grateful that
our government is strict in its
adherence. Lewd behaviour at this
time, especially, is not allowed and
visitors are also expected to abide by
its norms.
The authorities and citizens are
united in supporting the tenants of

this blessed month. I have seen

Ramadhan here many times, as well
as a few times in Mombasa and in
Dubai and Im glad that the norms
of this month of mercy have not
changed and cannot change.
We have to be thankful that this is
how Ramadhan is welcomed by the
faithful and that this has not changed.
The value of Islam and the value of
safeguarding this blessed month have
been thoroughly maintained.
Similar to Oman and in other
Muslim countries, those with the
means here in Zanzibar also do what
they can to meet the requirements of
those most in need in the community.
They seek the bounty of Almighty
God by feeding the poor, carrying out

extra charitable works, making sure

that orphans are well taken care of
and the like.
Some fasting devotees break their
fast in the mosque while others go
directly to the mosque after breaking
their fasts at home.
Mosques are full with people
reciting the Quran and performing
the extra recommended prayers for
Ramadhan (Taraweeh), which is
prayed in congregation behind the
Imam.
Rather than being a burden,
      
commandment of God, the Exalted,
the Most High, seeking the abundant
spiritual rewards this blessed month
of fasting has to offer.

30

SUNDAY,

JU LY 6, 2014

Online Editors Choice

CARTOONS
ADAM @ HOME

by Brian Basset

4
7
8
10
13
14
15
16
17
19
21

CALVIN AND HOBBES

by Bill Watterson

23
24
26
27
29
32
33
34
35
36

GARFIELD

by Jim Davis

1
2
3
4
5

9
11
12

STONE SOUP

CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
Its worn, so we got out with a
bad limp (6)
In port, hangs around the Hotel
Excellent (8)
Very funny cry? (6)
Collect a great amount (5)
A movement regarded with
contempt? (4)
Is it torn from the tenants? (4)
Present from nowhere! (4)
Theres very little we have a key
for (3)
Norwegian style of loaf (4)
Beloved of many a listener (4)
Aged holy man singularly
accommodating to Billy Bunter
(4,5)
Appear to spy on James Bonds
boss (4)
Star turn by rotters (4)
The computer system, albeit
full of holes (3)
Be a good Dalek (4)
Regards as a key agreement (4)
Drink to me and nobody else!
(4)
If you want to be watchful,
drink less than a quart (5)
That navigated by Crusoe? (6)
Lacking mobility and out of a
job (8)
A mere menial but able to travel
freely (6)
DOWN
He can always ring up for cars
(5)
Far from sacred Paganini piece
(5)
Had Shakespeare seven? (4)
We, sir, contrive to be better
informed (5)
Mrs Halls boy? (4)

monarch (6)
Belief in hire-purchase? (6)
A somewhat less high-pitched
cry? (3)
Shop for some assorted posters

13
15
16
18
20
21
22
23
25
28
30
31
32
33

CR O SSW O R D

THURSDAYS CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS

(5)
13 Archer, perhaps (7)
15 Something cut and dried (3)
16 Cold, maybe; but theres some
warmth (3)
18 Theyre acid and possibly
solemn (6)
20 Stand for a holdup in picture
production (5)
 
22 A beam bringing soldiers to a
sticky end? (3)
23 Might she speak Spanish for the
wrong reason? (6)
25 Motherly pronoun (3)
28 Cry uttered when the table
broke? (5)
 
paid (5)
31 Music room? (5)
32 Examination of the mouth (4)
33 Yearn to show a bit of panache
(4)
EASY PUZZLE
ACROSS
4 Biscuits (6)
7 Front (8)
8 Fruit (6)

10
13
14
15
16
17
19
21
23
24
26
27
29
32
33
34
35
36

Clan (5)
Casserole (4)
Certain (4)
Thing (4)
Insect (3)
Identical (4)
Slightly open (4)
Friend (9)
Improvise (4)
Clergyman (4)
Tree (3)
Always (4)
Revise (4)
Reared (4)
Conceit (5)
Visitor (6)
Cruel (8)
Stick together (6)

1
2
3
4
5
6
9
11
12

DOWN
Desires (5)
Step (5)
Gaelic (4)
Composed (5)
Defect (4)
Severity (6)
Stay (6)
Furrow (3)
Broom (5)

by Jan Eliot

ACROSS: 1, Butter 7, O-CC-I-dent 8,

I-ago 10, Danced 11, P-eg t-op 14,
Sky 16, R-ears 17, Rots 19, Besom
21, Belay 22, B-eef-y 23, Pond 26,
Sa-p-id 28, Co-p 29, Plan-ts 30, Jaspe-r 31, Otto 32, Cramming 33,
Sadi-St.
DOWN: 1, Border 2, Tracks 3, Rood
4, Vic-E-Roy 5, Vesta 6, S-top-S 8,
In-st. 9, Gey 12, Gem 13, Orion 15,
D-elft 18, Off-a-L 19, Be-E 20, Say 21, B-edti-me 22, Bin 23, Posted
24, Oppo (rev.) 25, Dorrit 26, Space
27, Paras 28, Cat 30, J-og-s.
THURSDAYS EASY SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Bottle 7, Strapped 8,
Clap 10, Brolly 11, Facade 14, Nee
16, Gored 17, Deed 19, Decoy 21,
Melon 22, Lenin 23, Thaw 26,
Ended 28, Are 29, Stadia 30, Sparta
31, Lend 32, Adelaide 33, Wrench.
DOWN: 1, Bobbed 2, Tolled 3, Espy
4, Paragon 5, Spear 6, Added 8,
Cone 9, Ale 12, Coy 13, Delta 15,
Helix 18, Event 19, Den 20, Con
21, Medical 22, Led 23, Trance
24, Herd 25, Wealth 26, Essay 27,
Dated 28, Ape 30, Slew.

Hospitals
Hospital. . . . . Board . . . . . . . Emergency
Royal . . . . . . . 24599000 . . . 24590491
Health Services Department

YOUR STA RS

Muttrah . . . . . . . 24797602
Quriyat . . . . . . . 24845001 . . . . 24845003
SQH, Salalah. . . 23211555 . . . . 23211151
Police. . . . . . . . . 24603988 . . . . 24603980
Al Nahda . . . . . . 24831255 . . . . 24837800
Ibn Sina. . . . . . . 24876322 . . . . 24877361
Nizwa. . . . . . . . . 25439361 . . . . 25425033
Al Rustaq. . . . . . 26875055 . . . . 26877186
Sumayil. . . . . . . 25350055 . . . . 25350022
Izki . . . . . . . . . . . 25340033 . . . . 25340033

IF ITS YOUR
BIRTHDAY:
Certain plans
you had for
the coming
year will prove
successful.
Some
connections
of old may be
severed in
the process,
but new
associations
will soon make
up for any loss.
Your prestige
will be greatly
enhanced
and you will
go steadily on
towards a most
satisfactory
period.

Cooked in vapour (7)

Rascal (3)
Prohibit (3)
Unit of current (6)
Wild card (5)
Vehicle (3)
And not (3)
Witch (6)
Offer (3)
Poetry (5)
Regimens (5)
Instruct (5)
Colour (4)
Bucket (4)

Haima . . . . . . . . 23436013 . . . . 23436055

Sohar . . . . . . . . . 26840022 . . . . 26840099
Al Buraimi. . . . . 25650855 . . . . 25652319
Sur . . . . . . . . . . . 25440244 . . . . 25461373
Tanam . . . . . . . . 25499011 . . . . 25499033
Masirah . . . . . . . 25404018 . . . . 25404018
Ibra. . . . . . . . . . . 25470533 . . . . 25470535
Adam. . . . . . . . . 25434167 . . . . 25434055
Bidiya . . . . . . . . 25483535 . . . . 25483535
Ibri . . . . . . . . . . . 25491011 . . . . 25491990
Saham . . . . . . . . 26854427 . . . . 26855148
Khasab . . . . . . . 26830187 . . . . 26830187
Dibba. . . . . . . . . 26836443 . . . . 26836443
Burkha. . . . . . . . 26828397 . . . . 26828397
Sinaw. . . . . . . . . 25474338

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

June 22July 21

July 22August 21

August 22September 22

September 23October 22

October 23November 21

November 22December 21

Today is count your blessings

day. It never does any harm to take
stock of the good things in your life
when you compare it with the lives
of less fortunate people.

Having some spare time on your

hands you really ought to make a
concentrated effort to follow the artistic inclinations you have neglected
for so long.

You are usually quick to recognise and seize a chance to

     
overlook one that will come
your way shortly.

Dont let a domestic situation

get out of hand for want of an
understanding word. If relationships are bad sit down and talk
about it.

Do your best to straighten out

a misunderstanding among
friends before the matter becomes too acrimonious.

An idea which occurred to

    
could possibly be developed
into something really worthwhile.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

December 22January 20

January 21February 19

February 20March 20

March 21April 20

April 21May 20

May 21June 21

The youngsters will want you to

participate in their activities this
evening and it would be best if
you could co-operate with them.

Avoid antagonising a certain It is pointless to antagonise a

person whose help you are colleague by criticising his
actions. He will only accept
likely to need even if you can- opinions of his work from his
not always see eye to eye.
superiors.

If you have to take over an absent colleagues work do so to

the best of your ability but make
sure that at the same time your
own work does not suffer.

It is possible that a useful social

connection could successfully be
carried over into your business activities and provide some very profitable results.

It might be advisable to call off that

social arrangement which you fear
is likely to cause you embarrassment. There is no point in looking
for trouble.

31

SUNDAY,

JU LY 6, 2014

SNIPPETS

Listen to your wife to

lower heart attack risk
D

O 
and want to hit the sack for a better heart health. According to
new research, positive interactions with your partner can lower
the risk of heart attack or stroke for you.
More negative interactions between partners were linked to having
thicker carotid arteries the blood vessels that carry blood through
the neck to the brain, Nataria Joseph from VA Greater Los Angeles
Healthcare System in California was quoted as saying. Thicker carotids
are linked with increased risk of cardiovascular problems.
In the study, researchers found that people who reported few positive
interactions with their partners had an 8.5 per cent higher risk of having
a heart attack or stroke in the future. For the study, researchers analysed
281 middle-age adults who were married or living with partners in
marriage-like relationships. They found that interactions may be closely
tied to emotions, health behaviours and physiology, all of which have
effects on health. The study, however, shows a correlation but not a
cause-and-effect relationship between interactions and thicker carotid
arteries, Joseph said in a Live Science report. IANS

Etiquette

A woman
comes into
the streets
in a village
in Ukraine
during the
pause in

between
rebels
and the
government.
AFP

gets reboot for digital age

HE digital age has created a

host of new etiquette dilemmas. What should you do when
your boss sends a Facebook friend
request? Is it OK to take and share
smartphone pictures at a friends
wedding? When should you take off
Google Glass, rather than just turn it
off?
Etiquette mavens say the book on
manners must be rewritten, literally,
to take into account new technologies
and social media.
Technology is such an area of
anxiety for people, says Steven
Petrow, an author of etiquette books
who last month began a digital manners column for USA Today.
In recent columns, Petrow addressed the question of mass emails
that reveal the names of all recipients
(not OK, he says), and how to deal
with wedding guests who want to
share smartphone pictures before the

the couple to make their wishes clear
in the invitation).
Fundamentally, I come back to my
core values, which are about respect,
kindness and civility, Petrow said.
Social media such as Facebook
pose particular etiquette problems: if
users post news about a death, birth
or engagement before relatives are
    
family members.
On Facebook, even if you have
privacy protection, someone else can
grab your message and send it along,
said Emily Yoffe, who pens the Dear
Prudence column on Slate.
Once you post it, you dont control that information anymore, said
Yoffe, advising people to treat all social media posts as public.
Petrow sees other quandaries
for example, whether it is appropriate to like a Facebook post about

sad news. I believe that liking means

you acknowledge it, he said. So you
can like something sad but you should
add a note to say what you mean.
Social media is also used to break
off, or to announce a new relationship, which can be a surprise to the
other person.
Its always best to take your time,
to discuss this with the other person,
Petrow said. As for the bosss friend
request, Petrow advised managers to
steer clear of this to avoid potential

Employees should not ignore the
request, but offer instead to connect
on the professional network LinkedIn,
he said.
Digital technology has forced a reboot at the Emily Post Institute, which
grew out of the work of the noted etiquette author. Her great-great-grandson Daniel Post Senning released a
book last year on digital etiquette after realising the topic merited more

than just a chapter in the updated

Emily Post book.
New technology is changing every major aspect of peoples lives for
which they would come to Emily Post
looking for advice, Senning said.
A longstanding digital etiquette issue is when people should turn off or
silence their smartphones.
The biggest challenge is that
these devices take our attention from
the people were with, Senning said.
While smartphones are enormously useful tools, If youre with
other people, your attention should
be there, Senning said. Most people
know that intuitively.
Social networks are great places
for sharing, but sometimes people
go overboard. A 2012 survey by Intel
found that in several countries, a majority said they were put off by oversharing of pictures and personal information.
Senning said the Post Institute of-

ten follows what is accepted by the

public but that sometimes it takes the
opposite view if its a question of our
fundamental principles of consideration, respect and honesty.
On Twitter, the ability to post
messages quickly has led to some
embarrassing moments or worse, experts say.
Some people lose their jobs because of an ill-advised tweet, Yoffe
said.
In the heat of the moment, people
think they are having a one-on-one
conversation, but this is totally public.
Twitter gaffes can turn into public
relations nightmares for companies
using social media to boost their image.
Dutch airline KLM, of the Air
France-KLM Group, found this out
when it tweeted Adios Amigos after
the Netherlands dramatic win over
Mexico in footballs World Cup.
The airline apologised and deleted
the tweet, but not before thousands of
enraged Mexicans tweeted their displeasure.
We encourage companies to be
conversational and engaging. But they
have to understand they are speaking on behalf of a brand, said Jeanette
Gibson of Hootsuite, which provides
a social media dashboard, and offers
training on using different platforms.
Gibson said social media marketing can be useful in building brand
identity, but you dont want to come
across as spamming your audience.
Etiquette may see more changes
with devices such as the Internetconnected eyewear Google Glass.
Google has preemptively offered tips
to avoid becoming a Glasshole, such
as turning off the eyewear in many
situations. Wearable electronics like
Google Glass create fears about being
spied on.
AFP

How conict affects womens

reproductive health

violence, sexually transmitted infections including


be sensitive and aware of the unique challenges of womens reproductive health needs in such times.
In an increasingly globalised world, a working knowledge of
       
subjects sensitively with women, building a relationship of trust and
understanding, allowing women to gain access to services they need,
said Benjamin Black from Medecins Sans Frontieres in Sierra Leone.
Approximately 1.5 billion people are currently living in countries


roughly 20 per cent of those displaced are women of reproductive age.
        
directly through damage to services, gender-based violence and forced
displacement of populations and indirectly through reductions in the
availability of basic healthcare, the researchers noted. IANS

New Yeti app is a personalised Yelp

HE team behind At The Pool has launched Yeti, a new mobile application that can connect the user with information about the
place where he or she happens to be at any given time, something
of a personalised version of the online urban guide and business review
site Yelp, and which borrows its design from Tinder.
The application, available for Apple devices, is intended to make
a tourists life and interaction with locals easier by functioning as
a thematic forum in which all users can ask questions and provide

wherever you travel, David Zimmerman, head of business development
of At The Pool, told Efe.
Yeti is an evolution of the At The Pool application, which debuted in
Apples App Store in late 2013 as a social network for putting people in
contact with one another in real life to serve their common interests.
Despite its promising start it was the most popular social application
following its launch its creators soon realised it was not getting the
use they had hoped for.

Time alone? Many would rather hurt themselves: Study

M

ANY people would rather in

spend 15 minutes in a room
with nothing to do but think, according to a US study out on Thursday.
Researchers at the University
of Virginia and Harvard University
conducted 11 different experiments
to see how people reacted to being
asked to spend some time alone.
Just over 200 people participated
in the experiments. Some were college
students, others were volunteers who
ranged in age from 18 - 77 and were
recruited from a church and farmers
market.
Researchers asked them to sit
alone in an unadorned room, with
no mobile phone, reading or writing
materials, and then report back
on what it was like to entertain
themselves with their thoughts for
between six and 15 minutes.
Turns out, more than 57 per cent
found it hard to concentrate and 89

per cent said their minds wandered.

About half found the experience was
unpleasant.
Most people do not enjoy just
thinking and clearly prefer having
something else to do, said the study
in the journal Science.
Then, researchers turned their
attention to what people were doing
to avoid being alone with their
thoughts. In one experiment, students
were asked to do the thinking time
exercise at home.
Afterward, 32 per cent reported
they had cheated by getting out of
their chair, listening to music or
consulting their mobile phone.
Even more of the adults recruited
from outside the university 54 per
cent broke the rules, said co-author
Erin Westgate, a PhD student at the
University of Virginia.
And
thats
probably
an
underestimate, because those are just
the ones who were honest and told us

afterward that they had cheated, she

said.
Then researchers wondered how
far students would go to seek some
stimulation while sitting alone with
their thoughts.
An initial pilot study found,
surprisingly, that students preferred
to hear the sound of a scraping knife

to hearing no noise at all.

We thought, surely, people
wouldnt shock themselves, said
Westgate.
They offered students in one of
the studies a chance to rate various
stimuli, from seeing attractive
photographs to the feeling of being
given an electric shock about as

strong as one that might come from

dragging ones feet on a carpet. After
the participants felt the shock, which
Westgate described as mild, some
even said they would prefer to pay $5
rather than feel it again.
Then each subject went into a
room for 15 minutes of thinking time
alone. They were told they had the
opportunity to shock themselves, if
desired.
Two-thirds of the male subjects
12 out of 18 gave themselves at
least one shock while they were alone.
Most of the men shocked
themselves between one and four
times. However, one outlier shocked
himself 190 times. A quarter of the
women, six out of 24, decided to shock
themselves, each between one and
nine times. All of those who shocked
themselves had previously said they
would have paid to avoid it.
Westgate said she is still


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we just vastly underestimated both

how hard it is to purposely engage in
pleasant thought and how strongly
we desire external stimulation from
the world around us, even when that
stimulation is actively unpleasant.
She added that the research showed
that by and large, people prefer some
positive stimulation, like reading a
book or playing a video game.
Whether the effects seen in the
experiment are a product of todays
digital culture or not is a matter of
debate.
Sherrie
Bourg
Carter,
a
psychologist and CEO of the Institute
for Behavioral Sciences and the
Law, a forensic psychology practice
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said
modern technology may contribute
to the inability to slow down. We
are socially trained to be impulse
sensation-seekers in our work
and play, said Carter, who was not
involved in the study. AFP

PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS

Oman Establishment for Press,
Publication and Advertising

32

SUNDAY,

JU LY 6, 2014

JERUSALEM

INDIA

Umbrellas stand closed in a near empty Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islams second most holy site, and home to the Dome of the Rock, in the Old City
   

Around the WORLD

LIBYA

A boy sleeps on the lap of his father before having their iftar at a
mosque in Chennai. Reuters

INDONESIA

THE PHILIPPINES

A child drinks milk as his mother reads the Quran in Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta.
Reuters
A man reads the Quran inside a mosque in Benghazi.
Reuters

AFGHANISTAN

TURKEY

A woman with her children read the Quran and attend the Friday
prayers at Eyup mosque in Istanbul. AFP

SAUDI ARABIA

A boy sells juice at a market in Riyadh. Reuters

Youths pray atop motorcycle taxis in front of Al-Satie Mosque in

Baseco, Tondo city, near Manila. Reuters

A man reads the Quran at the Paul-e-Khishtee Mosque in Kabul. AFP

TURKEY

A woman strolls by the Bosphorus at sunset after Friday prayers in Istanbul. AFP