His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of congratulations to President Sauli Niinisto on winning the presidential elections in Finland. The cable expressed sincere congratulations and best wishes of success to the President in leading Finland to further progress and prosperity. The newly opened Oman Dental College campus will help meet the growing demand for healthcare professionals in Oman by providing high-level teaching and dental care services. The Supreme Committee for Town Planning reviewed projects including redeveloping Masirah Island and Ghala Industrial Area to enhance investment and urban appeal.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of congratulations to President Sauli Niinisto on winning the presidential elections in Finland. The cable expressed sincere congratulations and best wishes of success to the President in leading Finland to further progress and prosperity. The newly opened Oman Dental College campus will help meet the growing demand for healthcare professionals in Oman by providing high-level teaching and dental care services. The Supreme Committee for Town Planning reviewed projects including redeveloping Masirah Island and Ghala Industrial Area to enhance investment and urban appeal.
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His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of congratulations to President Sauli Niinisto on winning the presidential elections in Finland. The cable expressed sincere congratulations and best wishes of success to the President in leading Finland to further progress and prosperity. The newly opened Oman Dental College campus will help meet the growing demand for healthcare professionals in Oman by providing high-level teaching and dental care services. The Supreme Committee for Town Planning reviewed projects including redeveloping Masirah Island and Ghala Industrial Area to enhance investment and urban appeal.
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om Monday, February 13, 2012/Rabee al Awwal 20, 1433 AH
Opens greater vistas for tourism sector HM greet s Finland president HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of congratulations to President Sauli Niinisto on the occasion of him winning the presidential elections in Finland. In his cable, His Majesty ex- pressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of success to President Niinisto in leading the friendly people of Finland to further progress and prosperity and the friendly rela- tions between the two countries further progress. ONA Muscat Nizwa Sohar Al Buraimi Sur Khasab Salalah Max 28 31 27 29 30 30 29 Min 16 13 18 15 19 26 18 Musc Musc Max Maax ax 28 Weather WWW Fajr Dhuhr Asr Magrib Isha Muscat 05:25 am 12:26 pm 03:41 pm 06:06 pm 07:17 pm Prayer timing GOLD PRICE $1,718.00 EXCHANGE RATES Dollar per Omani Rial Buying 0.382 Selling 0.388 THE Tour of Oman, being held as part of Muscat Festival, begins tomorrow. See P20 MUSCAT His Majesty Sul- tan Qaboos issued a Royal De- cree No 4/2012 declaring the construction of Wadi Al Sahtin Road in the Wilayat of Rustaq as a Public Utility Project. Article 1 declares the con- struction of Wadi Al Sahtin Road specified in the attached memo and diagram as a Public Utility Project. Article 2 empowers the au- thorities concerned to expropri- ate through direct implementa- tion the properties and relevant lands needed for the aforesaid project and installations in ac- cordance with the provisions of the aforesaid Public Utility Expropriation Law. The Decree comes into force from its date of issue. The construction work on the 30-km road is due to com- mence shortly. When fully operational tentatively by the first quarter of 2015, the car- riageway promises to open up an inaccessible mountainous swathe of the Wilayat of Rus- taq to economic and tourism development. The two-lane carriageway will replace a graded track that runs most part along the route of Wadi Sahtin. Wadi Sahtin, with its plung- ing ravines, mountain profiles and rocky landscapes, attracts significant numbers of nature lovers and adventure tourists. The Ministry of Tourism has identified a number of sites that are proposed to be developed into full-fledged tourist attractions. Many of these sites are located along the route of the existing wadi and will be incorporated into an overall design plan for the areas general development. Al Batinah South Governo- rate with its geographical loca- tion has played a significant role in the history of Oman. It is also distinguished for its landmarks and natural at- tractions in most of its wilayats including Al Rustaq, Al Awabi, Nakhl, Wadi Al Maawil, Barka and Musannah. The centre of the governorate is the Wilayat of Rustaq which is about 150 km far from Muscat. To P2 Wadi Saht in road a public ut ilit y proj ect 8y A 3|all Repor|er MUSCAT Omans first in- dustrial scale bakery, owned by Oman Flour Mills Compa- ny, will shortly commence op- erations, said the chairperson of the joint stock company. Manal bint Mohammed al Abdwani said the facility re- cently underwent successful trial operations. We are plan- ning to launch our products in the market during Febru- ary 2012, she stated in the Chairpersons Report of the companys performance dur- ing the six months ending on December 31, 2011. Meanwhile, Oman Flour Mills, which is partly owned by the Omani government, re- ported a hefty 22 per cent rise in its sales turnover during the six months under review, compared to the correspond- ing period of 2010. To P4 MUSCAT A Committee on Job-seekers at the Majlis Ashshura chaired by Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of the Majlis held a meeting yesterday. During the meeting, the committee hosted Shaikh Abdul Rahman al Abri, Under- Secretary of the Civil Service Ministry for Civil Service Em- ployees Affairs, and a number of officials at the ministry. This comes within the framework of the committees current study on job-seekers and the efforts made by the government to employ nation- al manpower. The meeting also touched on the Royal orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to employ 50,000 Omanis last year, the mechanisms used by the ministry to implement the orders, the stance of the minis- try on employing 63,000 job- seekers this year. It also discussed the mech- anisms between the ministry and the respective public au- thority including the Public Authority for National Man- power Register. To page 3 MUSCAT The Higher Education Council held its first session for 2012 under the chairmanship of Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal al Busaidy, Minister of the Diwan of the Royal Court and Chairman of the Higher Education Coun- cil, yesterday. In implementation of the Royal directives of His Maj- esty Sultan Qaboos, the Coun- cil discussed two reports pre- pared by the Majlis Addawla on the follow-up of the higher education sector during the last four years of the 7th Five- Year Plan (2006-2010). The Council also dis- cussed the reports, conclu- sions and recommendations. It also discussed the circular prepared by the planning and follow-up committee of the Council on the contents of the two reports. The Council also revised the circular of the team in charge of revising the draft education strategy of the Sul- tanate and decided to com- plete the requirements for it in co-ordination with all respec- tive departments. To P4 First indust rial bakery soon Top priorit y t o j obs Focus on educat ion BOOST TO DENTAL CARE: The newly-opened Oman Dental College campus provides high-level teaching and healthcare services. Details, P2 MUSCAT Large swathes of central Muscat plunged in darkness yesterday evening following a glitch in a trans- former feeding these areas. The blackout began at 6.45 pm affecting parts of Al Khuwair, Madinat al Sultan Qaboos, Madinat al Ilam, Al Sarooj and surrounding areas. Power was restored at 7.35 pm. According to an official of Muscat Electric- ity Distribution Company, supply to affected areas was cut as part of an emergency shutdown triggered by trans- former fault. To P4 Out age hit s Muscat Stunning beauty P25 MUSCAT The Supreme Committee for Town Planning yesterday reviewed a number of urban planning projects, in- cluding initiatives for the rede- velopment of Masirah Island and Ghala Industrial Area. Meeting for the first time this year with Housing Min- ister Shaikh Saif bin Moham- med al Shabibi in the chair, the panel evaluated the progress made in the implementation of decisions taken with regard to the Masirah and Ghala In- dustrial Area projects. Both areas have been identified for an extensive redevelopment complete with infrastructural improvements designed to enhance their investment and urban appeal. The Supreme Committee also deliberated on a strat- egy for regulating construc- tion activity in North and South Batinah Governorates. Members also discussed rec- ommendations for resolving layout issues relating to a coastal swathe stretching from the Wilayat of Barka to the Wilayat of Shinas and extend- ing from the shoreline up to the rail alignment. Also on the agenda was a proposal for conserving areas for future development while adhering to environmental safeguards. In this regard, the committee decided to task the Secretariat-General with final- ising broad guidelines govern- ing land use. It required the Secretariat-General to carry out this task in close co-or- dination with the authorities concerned, namely the Minis- tries of Housing and Regional Municipalities and Water Re- sources, To page 4 MUSCAT Korean giant Hyundai Engineering and Construction has pledged to deploy its formidable resourc- es and capabilities in ensuring the timely implementation of the Musandam Gas Plant project an investment of vital importance to the gover- norates long-term economic and social development. Oman Oil Company Ex- ploration and Production, the upstream subsidiary of the government owned energy investment firm Oman Oil Company, is ploughing around $600 million in the develop- ment of the integrated oil and gas processing scheme. As the first major energy infrastructure development in the governorate, the project will catalyse growth in this strategically important Omani enclave overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. Details, P21 New urban planning set $600m Musandam gas plant OMAN DAILY Observer 2 OMAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 By Bader al Kiyumi MUSCAT The new build- ing of Oman Dental College (ODC) in Wattayah will help the institution meet the growing demand for healthcare profes- sionals in Oman, senior faculty members have said. The 6,300 sqm built premis- es of the first and only dental school in Oman was formally opened under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Shihab bin Tareq al Said, Adviser to His Majesty, who also unveiled a commemorative plaque in the auditorium. Addressing the audience, Dr Rahul Arora, dean of ODC, said the quality of education received at ODC is intended to ensure our graduates are equal- ly positioned with their interna- tional counterparts. We are cul- tivating skilled, competent and caring professionals who are able to advance the science, art and ethics of dentistry thereby producing sustainable value for the Sultanate of Oman and its residents. In addition to the latest cut- ting-edge dental simulator tech- nology, diagnostic and clinical equipment available today, the new ODC building has both a day care operating theatre and capacity for nearly 70 dental chairs in its outpatient clinical teaching facility that offers den- tal care across all specialities including oral surgery, conserv- ative dentistry and endodontics, prosthodontics, child dental health and orthodontics. Clinical students, under the supervision of a team of expe- rienced faculty, treat members of the public as an integral part of their learning experience to prepare them for independent clinical practice. Today the college plays a pivotal role in positively shap- ing the dental profession with almost 370 students registered for its dental degree from 13 nationalities. Dr Mohammed al Ismaily, Chairman of the Board of Di- rectors, ODC, said in his speech that the inauguration of the new premises was a particularly major milestone in the life of Oman Dental College. The college provides a nur- turing and stimulating academ- ic and clinical environment for training both Omani and expa- triate professionals who will be able to enhance the provision of dental care in the country. The ongoing co-operation between the college and the Ministry of Health in the clini- cal training of our students at outreach centres and the recent interim relocation of the dental services from Al Nahdha Hos- pital is representative of the healthy relationship between the private and government sectors. In order to ensure dental learning and teaching of inter- national standards, combined with the introduction of the most advanced practices in den- tal education and the promo- tion of continuing professional development, an International Advisory Panel comprising three globally renowned lead- ers in the dental profession was formed early on to oversee all aspects of ODCs develop- ment. The panel is currently chaired by Professor Nairn Wil- son, Co-chair of the Federation of European Heads and Deans of Dental Schools, Immediate Past Dean of Kings College London Dental Institute in the UK and former President of the UK General Dental Council. The other two members are Professor Lakshman Samara- nayake, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong, Director of the Prince Philip Dental Hospital, King James IV Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Professor Mariano Sanz, Dean and Head of the Faculty of Odontology at the University Complutense of Madrid, Spain and former President of the Association for Dental Education in Europe. ODCs new building inaugurated MUSCAT - Abdulaziz bin Mohammed al Rowas, Adviser to His Majesty the Sultan for Cultural Affairs, received in his office here yesterday a delega- tion of the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Insti- tution in Washington led by Dr Johnnetta Cole, Director of the Museum and a delegation of the Santa Fe Community Foun- dation in New Mexico led by Judith A, currently visiting the Sultanate as per the invitation of Sultan Qaboos Culture Cen- tre (SQCC) in Washington. The meeting discussed the cultural relations between the two sides and means of en- hancing and promoting future co-operation. ONA National Museum of African Art delegation received MUSCAT Activities of the 4th Small and Medium Enter- prises (SMEs) Exhibition and Conference will kick off today at Oman International Exhibi- tion Centre (OIEC) under the auspices of Shaikh Saad bin Mohammed al Saadi, Com- merce and Industry Minister. The three-day event themed Self-Employment and Training is organised by the Commerce and Industry Ministry in collaboration with Trifoil Expo. The Commerce and In- dustry Minister will deliver a speech highlighting the im- portance of SMEs as the main base for the national economy. He will also shed light on the role played by SMEs to create jobs with the social and eco- nomic updates. Salah bin Hilal al Maawali, Director General of Small and Medium Enterprises Develop- ment at the Commerce and In- dustry Ministry, said that the conference is a good oppor- tunity to discuss a number of insisting important topics per- taining to activities of SMEs. At a press conference held at the Commerce and Industry Ministry yesterday, he added that participant experts will present their ideas and expe- rience related to challenges facing SMEs, how to tackle them and future prospects of SMEs. During the conference, Khalfan al Aysari will give a speech during which he will present visions on SMEs de- velopment and their impor- tance in the upcoming period. Working papers from a number of governmental de- partments, supporting and financing entities will be pre- sented during the conference. On the sidelines of the confer- ence, SMEs Exhibition will be organised in which a large number of establishments, au- thorities and individuals inter- ested in and directly involved with SMEs sector will take part. The exhibition will dis- play a wide range of SMEs products and services includ- ing commercial and financial services, banks, finance and audit companies, legal com- panies, intellectual property companies, air carriers and car renting companies, min- istries and governmental in- stitutions, telecommunication companies, Internet providers and web designers and e-com- merce. They will show the prom- ising opportunities, which SMEs sector can provide within the framework of gov- ernment plans to support more national job-seekers. ONA 4th SMEs exhibition and Conference begins today MUSCAT The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday held its first meeting of the year under the chairmanship of Moham- med bin Abdullah al Riyami, Chairman of NHRC. The meeting discussed the report of the secretariat and reviewed the awareness plan implemented last year. Pro- grammes for this year also came up for discussion. The meeting also discussed preparations for the second Gulf Human Rights Forum to be hosted by the Sultanate on March 11 and 12. ONA NHRC meet discusses report, plans MUSCAT The first gath- ering of the Medical Labora- tory Science Group (MLSG) at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) was opened under the patronage of Dr Taher Ba Omar, Academic Affairs Ad- visor to the Vice-Chancellor. The highlight of this three -day event is an exhibition by Medical Laboratory Science students attached to the Col- lege of Medicine and Health Sciences and representatives from other academic and business institutions dealing with Medical Laboratory Sci- ence. A blood donation camp is also organised on the side- lines of the gathering held at the exhibition hall of the uni- versity. Through the exhibition, the students spread the mes- sage that Medical Laboratory Science combines the use of sophisticated instruments and techniques with the applica- tion of theoretical knowledge to perform complex proce- dures on tissue specimens, blood samples and other body fluids. The tests and procedures that Medical Laboratory Technologists perform pro- vide critical information ena- bling physicians to diagnose, treat and monitor a patient's condition. The students underlined the fact that Medical Labo- ratory Technology is a con- stantly evolving and reward- ing career. Focus on Medical Laboratory Science MUSCAT A training course entitled the "Implementation of Procedural Tools for Man- aging Classified Documents" began at Majlis Ashshura yes- terday. The course is organised by Majlis Secretariat General in collaboration with the Na- tional Records and Archives Authority (NRAA). The themes of the course include steps of implementing procedural tools by practical application of how to open files according to approved mechanism in a modernised archive system and a review of some examples of how to arrange files and encode them and how to transfer current records to the intermediate records depository. The course aims at keep- ing up with the national ef- forts to prepare and apply a modernised system for records management in governmental units covered by the Records and Archives Law issued in Royal Decree No 60/2007, as Majlis Ashshura approved procedural tools for classifica- tion and retaining the Majlis' classified records. This course is part of the Majlis General Secretariat to put this system into use so that officials responsible for records and archives system can benefit from. Several officials from dif- ferent administrative units at Majlis Ashshura take part in this one-week course which is run by Sami Mali, an expert from the NRAA. ONA Majlis Ashshura training course begins MUSCAT To shed light on the various obstacles that the parents of an autistic child are currently facing while improv- ing the life standards of the affected child, the first inter- national conference on autism titled "Accepting Difference" will be held in Muscat on March 21, 2012. Organised by the Language Center Social Committee in col- laboration with the Collage of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) the conference will fur- ther focus autism as a disorder of brain development and it can be associated with intellectual disability. An Autistic person would have difficulties in social in- teraction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behavior. Our aim in conducting such a conference is to improve the lives and futures of children and adults affected by autism by raising public awareness and ef- fecting decision makers, Anfal Wuhaibiya (pictured), Execu- tive Chairperson of the Confer- ence told the Observer, adding Our aim at this conference to highlight the importance of this disorder and to come up with a convincing plan to start a well developed and equipped Autism Centre. We need those kids to be enrolled in our schools. They all have the rights to get their free education as any other disa- bled children and side by side, this conference will also take a closer look at short and longer- term strategies to make the best use of resources we have here in Oman. This conference will provide professionals and parents with a clearer understanding of the diagnostic criteria and essential strategies for education, behav- iour management and communi- cation associate with Autism. It will also present delegates with a greater understanding of Au- tism and an opportunity to dis- cuss strategies and techniques that will help in their support of people with the disorder, both at school and at home. The at- tendance of many international speakers to talk about the latest issues through case studies and practical workshops are cur- rently at the confirmation stage. Anfal, who is also the Lan- guage Center Social Commit- tee, Chair, Language Center, SQU said many private compa- nies have come forward offer- ing support to this event. We're happy for our achievements as an organising team in getting generous support of many com- panies in the private sector such as Al Habib Group. The conference organising committee is working out plans to open registration to more than 500 attendees including parents, teachers, health care profes- sionals in the fields of psychol- ogy, social work, mental health, clinical services, home health care services, training and hu- man resources, early childhood education, disability and special education. First world meet on autism to be held in Muscat From page 1 The wilayat comprises numerous enchanting wadis where visitor can walk among springs and lush palm trees and bushes. Among the best famous of the wadis in the wilayat are Wadi Al Sahtin, Wadi Bani Ghafer, Wadi Bani Auwf, Wadi Al Haimli and Wadi Hajir Bani Umar. Of all the spectacular wadis in the wilayat, Wadi Al Sahtin is the most attractive and ad- venturous wadi and this makes it more popular especially to adventure enthusiasts in Oman. This wadi has tonnes of ex- ploring potentials. Due to its uniqueness, some people refer to this wadi as the Treasure Chest of Oman. What distinguishes Wadi Al Sahtin more than other wadis in the wilayat is the regular flowing of its water as well as natural water springs. The wadi during its course links Al Batinah Governorate to Al Dhahirah Governorates through the Wilayat of Al Rus- taq and across the series of Western Al Hajar Mountains. To reach the highest peak of the wadi it might take a cou- ple of hours. The wadi attracts residents and visitors alike because it marks an oasis en- dowed with date palms and various other fruits and planta- tions. Wadi Al Sahtan also com- prises some old traditional houses that were built hun- dreds of years ago. These kinds of traditional buildings present picturesque architecture along with gar- dens and other natural land- scapes that reflects the natural and historical richness of this beautiful wadi. ONA/Abdulaziz al Jahdhami Wadi Sahtin road a public utility project OMAN DAILY Observer 3 OMAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 MUSCAT Sayyid Badr bin Saud al Busai- dy, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, ac- companied by a military delegation comprising Air Vice Marshal Mat- tar bin Ali al Obaidani, Commander of the Roy- al Air Force of Oman (RAFO), and senior offic- ers at the Sultans Armed Forces (SAF) left here yes- terday for Singapore to take part in the opening of Singapore Airshow 2012. The minister and his delegation were seen off at ASeeb Air Base by Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis al Raisi, Com- mander of the Royal Navy of Oman (RNA) and SAF senior officers. ONA Defence minister leaves for Singapore DOHA The Sultanate yesterday took part in the deliberations of the third minis- terial meeting for the Non-Aligned Move- ment (NAM) on the Advancement of Wom- en, which began in Doha with participation of more than 500 officials representing 80 countries. The meet concludes on Febru- ary 14. The Sultanate's delegation to the meeting was led by Dr Yahya bin Badr al Ma'awali, Under-Secretary at the Social Development Ministry. The meeting began with a speech by Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed al Thani, Qatari Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation, who pointed out that the meeting reflects the interests of NAM countries in women advancement is- sues. ONA Sultanate participates in NAM meet By Kaushalendra Singh MUSCAT Ernst & Young yesterday announced the final- ists of the Omani Entrepre- neur of the Year (EOY) and Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year awards. The winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year award will be part of the global Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award event to be held in Monte Carlo in June. There will be participants from not less than 50 countries at the world EOY event in Monte Carlo. The idea behind both the awards is to encourage young Omani entrepreneurs while giving global exposure to big business houses and recogni- tion to emerging entrepreneurs for adopting good business practices and achieving suc- cess in their areas of business. The finalists were an- nounced jointly by Ernst & Youngs Sridhar Sridharan, Managing Partner; Rajiv Singh, Partner; and Nader Nasser Hamood al Rawahy, Associate Director Advisory Services and Head of Govern- ment and Public Sector. The finalists in the Oma- ni Entrepreneur of the Year Award are: Dr Mohammed al Barwani, Samir J Fancy, Hus- sain Salman al Lawati and Maqbool Hameed Mohd al Saleh. In the local award cat- egory for the Emerging Entre- preneur of the Year, there are three finalists: Jinesh Ashwin Dharamsey, Abdulla Ahmad Sulaiman al Hadi and Nabeel Abdullah al Riyami and Mo- hammed Said al Marjabi (as joint entry). Deliberating upon the awards, Rajeev Singh said: We are delighted to launch this global award programme for the first time in Oman, this year. Having launched this programme in the first week of January 2012, we are en- couraged by the strong inter- est. The quality of applications received is really impressive, and strong testimony to the track record of entrepreneurs in Oman. I have no doubt that these awards will be closely contested between the final- ists. He elaborated that each finalist will be submitting a detailed Information Pack by the end of this month, which will be submitted to an inde- pendent panel of judges. Af- ter an initial evaluation of the Information Pack, the judges will meet the finalists briefly on the day of the gala award programme on March 17. The award event will take place on the same day (March 17) at the Ritz Carlton Al Bustan Palace Hotel. For over two decades the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award has cel- ebrated entrepreneurship in all its forms, all over the world. It is one of the most prestigious global business awards and recognises the contribution of individuals who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievements. The EOY award pro- gramme in Oman has been run at two levels, with one award each for the Entrepreneur of the Year and the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. The primary award, Entrepreneur of the Year, is for well-estab- lished individuals running suc- cessful companies. The winner in this category will be the Omani entry for the World En- trepreneur of the Year Award, in June 2012 at Monte Carlo. The Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year is a local competi- tion restricted to Oman, said Sridharan. Individuals who have best demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and strate- gic vision are the finalists in both these competitions. Other criteria included financial per- formance, their impact on the local community and/or inter- national arena as well as their personal integrity and influ- ence. Omani entrepreneur to be part of global award event RAJIV Singh, Sridhar Sridharan and Nader Nasser Hamood al Rawahy. From page 1 The meeting covered plans and strategies designed and pursued by the Civil Service Ministry in addressing the job- seekers problem in the Sultan- ate, evaluation of the problem in terms of its size, annual growth rates, future vision in addressing it, the accuracy of information and data on which the ministry relies in calculating the number of Omanis working for the public sector, number of expatriates, efforts made to address job-seekers problems, annual vacancies in the public sector organisations as per the profession and the contribution of the same in absorbing the job-seekers. It also discussed the general and higher education outputs, the supervision and evaluation made by the ministry of the workers in the public sector, ministrys plans on training of new employees or those due to be employed, importance of having carefully studied plan on this issue to promote performance, co-operation as- pects among the Civil Service Ministry and the educational establishments with regard to focusing on certain specialties for which the public sector has a shortage at and still relies on expatriates to supply this short- age. The meeting covered the reasons and causes for Omanis leaving the private sector and join public sector, the efforts made by the ministry to ensure proper Omanisation rate in the independent governmental or- ganisations that are not under the Civil Service. This hosting comes as com- pletion of previous hosting for public officials to listen from them on the employment of national manpower to come out with suitable visions and recommendations towards the employment and recruitment issue. The committee will today host the under-secretaries of the Manpower Ministry and the Director-General of Social In- surance to listen from them on this issue. ONA Top priority to providing jobs MUSCAT A number of officials in the public sec- tor, Capital Market Author- ity (CMA), Muscat Securities Market (MSM), brokers, pen- sion funds and representa- tives of the investment banks yesterday held separate meet- ings with inspectors from the World Federation of Ex- changes (WFE). The meeting was attended by Shaikh Abdullah bin Salim al Salmi, Acting Chairman of CMA, Ahmed bin Saleh al Marhoon, Director-General of MSM, officials at the Fi- nance Ministry and OCCI, in addition to representatives of the brokerage companies, the pension funds and investment banks. The meeting was attended by WFE Secretary-General, Fadi Khalaf, Secretary-Gen- eral of the Arab Federation of Exchanges, members of the WFS and representa- tives of stock exchanges in Oman, Saudi Arabia, NAS- DAQ, Istanbul and Turkey. ONA Meetings with WFE inspectors OMAN DAILY Observer 4 OMAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 By A Staff Reporter MUSCAT Against the beautiful backdrop of Bah- rains Amwaj Marina, dig- nitaries, officials and sailors yesterday witnessed the offi- cial launch of the 2012 Sail- ing Arabia The Tour. Shaikh Nasser bin Ha- mad al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Olympics commit- tee and Shaikh Khalifa bin Abdulla al Khalifa, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and President of Bahrain Maritime Sports Associa- tion, were among those who joined Oman Sail CEO David Graham at the ceremony, to officially inaugurate the 2012 edition of the race. Now in its second year, the race is a unique event, which not only joins the nations of the Gulf together, but is also a significant step towards es- tablishing the region within the international sailing are- na. For the second year, Bah- rain has been chosen as the starting point for the Tour, and Shaikh Nasser reflected on the significance of the race within the region: Sailing Arabia the Tour reflects the historic and cultural mari- time heritage within the Ara- bian countries. The event is unique it goes beyond the competitive sporting element and serves to highlight the strong relations between the GCC countries, and to pre- serve our maritime heritage that is driven from our past, connecting our strong history with the seas to the modern day. It is a great platform to reflect the amazing sailing talents within the region and to test their skills in a true international sailing test. The participation of the sailing team from Bahrain is also significant evidence of the development of sailing within Bahrain. Oman Sails CEO David Graham went on to speak about the objectives of Sail- ing Arabia-The Tour and mir- rored Shaikh Nasser thoughts on why SATT is such an im- portant event for development regional sailing talent. One of the main objec- tives of SATT is to develop a truly international event that provides an opportunity for sailing talents from within the region to compete on their home waters and develop their skills with international expertise. The addition of the Bahraini team is a perfect example of that, and reflects their commitment to develop- ing the sport within the region and also in developing the tal- ents of their young sailors, Graham said. In addition to hosting the opening of Sailing Arabia the Tour, Bahrain will for the first time enter a team into the race, Team Bahrain, with the support of the General Or- ganisation of Sea Ports and the Bahrain Economic Devel- opment Board. Team Bahrain is led by Shaikh Mohammed bin Daij al Khalifa, who has been in- tegral in the development of the team. Shaikh Mohammed commented: It is great to see Bahrain host the event for the second time. Oman Sail have a done a great job in organis- ing the event and we are very pleased to put a team of Bah- rains together to represent the Kingdom on Bahrain. This is in line with the Kingdoms aspirations in developing out national talent and promoting Bahrain as a host for world class sports events. Nine teams representing six nations were scheduled to set sail yesterday, but due to strong winds forecast within the region, the race start has been delayed to 0700 hours local time today, Febru- ary 13. Once underway, the teams will race over 14 days visiting seven stopovers, and covering 1,408 kilometres on their way. The teams will race around the top of Qatar before head- ing south to the first stopover at The Pearl-Qatar. They will then undertake their long- est leg to Abu Dhabi, before heading to Ras Al Khaimah, Musandam, Musannah and the finish in Muscat on Feb- ruary 27. Amongst the teams is the incredibly talented, and only, all womens sailing Al Thuraya BankMuscat. At the opening ceremony, Dee Caf- fari the teams British Skipper and record breaking round the world yachtswomen said: It is really exciting for me to be involved in SATT for the first time, and to be sailing with such a fantastic group of women. The other teams bet- ter watch out the women on board are extremely tal- ented and we are completely prepared for this race. Mohsin al Busaidy, skip- per of Team Muscat 2012, a team supported by the Oman Ministry of Tourism as part of their promotional activities related to Muscats selection as the Arab Capital for Tour- ism in 2012, spoke about how he has seen the race develop since its inaugural year. In the 2011 edition I sailed abroad Team Com- mercialBank and we finished in third place. The depth of talent in the fleet this year is much tougher, but we have an extremely talented group of sailors on board and we are aiming to be on the podium. Last year I sailed with Ahmed al Maamari, who is an around the world sailor this year he will skipper his own team, Team Renaissance! It is in- credible to see so many tal- ented Omani sailors from so many backgrounds compet- ing in this race against some of best international sail- ing talent. It makes me very proud. Sailing Arabia launched MUSCAT Rt Rev Tho- mas K Oommen, who was recently consecrated as the 12th Bishop of the CSI Cen- tral Kerala Diocese, will be in Muscat on a six-day visit starting today. The bishop, who is very active in Kerala in the anti- liquor movement and in many social action groups for the downtrodden, will also be visiting Salalah. After obtaining his de- gree in divinity from Le- onard Theological College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, the bishop took his Doctor of Ministry degree from San Francisco Theological Semi- nary. He was ordained dea- con in 1982 and was made presbyter the next year. CSI bishop begins tour From page 1 The Council discussed is- sues including following up the decisions taken by the council in 2011, the executive steps taken by the respective authorities to implement the decisions taken by the coun- cil and the draft report of the Higher Education Council that will be submitted to the Coun- cil of Ministers. The report includes a state- ment on the major achieve- ments in the higher education sector last year and the quali- tative development it wit- nessed, thanks to the Royal care to the sector. It also reviewed a number of other memoranda from dif- ferent authorities concerned with education and took ap- propriate decisions. ONA Council focuses on higher education From page 1 Filling stations in the af- fected areas temporarily halt- ed dispensing fuel during the blackout. Diners and eateries too briefly went into shut- down mode, but were back in business when power supply was restored. Headlights blazed along Sultan Qaboos Street and the adjoining carriageways as streetlights went dark, forcing motorists to drive cautiously. Muscat outage From page 1 However, net profit after tax declined to RO 1,340K as compared to RO 3,679K in the previous year. The chairperson attributed the decline in profit to losses on feed products, which will be offset via a subsidy ap- proved by the government. The government has ap- proved the subsidy on feed effective from January 1, 2011. However, we are still awaiting the mechanism of its computation, hence we have not been able to compute the subsidy amount. As a result, the impact of subsidy has not been accounted in these finan- cial results, Manal said. She further stated: The flour mill operating profit has improved by 25 per cent as compared to the previous year. However, the loss on feed products (which would be compensated on receipt of the subsdy) and diminution in value of investments are the main reasons for lower net profit. The Group, which includes subsidiary Modern Poultry Farms and associate firm So- har Poultry, posted a net profit after tax of RO 1,168K during the six months in question, against earnings of RO 3,328K during the previous year. Modern Poultry, which is 86 per cent owned by Oman Flour Mills, made a profit of RO 181K versus RO 103K during the same period a year earlier. The improved performance was the result of increasing output and falling bird mortal- ity, she said. Sohar Poultry posted a six-month profit of RO 111K. The farm continues to face health challenges, however continuous efforts are being made to overcome them and reduce mortality, the chair- person said. First industrial bakery soon From page 1 Agriculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, Sohar Mu- nicipality, and other agen- cies. The committee also approved recommendations for the construction of flood channels and other flood protection systems in popu- lated areas. In this regard, it mooted a review of the sites of some dam projects. The committee also gave its assent to new guidelines applicable during road con- struction work. It approved new rules governing con- struction along main roads. Members urged called for greater efforts for the estab- lishment of a GIS Centre. ONA Urban planning OMAN DAILY Observer 5 OMAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 By Maryam Khalfan MUSCAT In a move to further develop palliative care for cancer patients, the Na- tional Association for Cancer Awareness (NACA) has taken a significant step to introduce community palliative care for cancer patients, said an offi- cial. The initiative, the first of its kind to be taken by Naca at such a scale, is designed at relieving the psycho-oncology related emotions, distress and anxiety among cancer patients. This initiative was declared at the launch of the introductory palliative care course, which is currently in progress at the City Seasons Hotel until February 15. The event was opened under the auspices of Dr Ali bin Talib al Hinai, Un- der-Secretary of the Ministry of Health (MoH) for Planning Affairs yesterday. In remarks to the media, Yuthar bint Mohammed al Rawahiya, Founder and Chair- person of NACAs Board of Directors said: The Sultanate boasts of having some of the most advanced means of treat- ment of cancer and the min- istry plays a significant role in facilitating treatment and other services for oncology pa- tients. But, the need for having an experienced team of com- munity palliative care nurses is significantly important in relieving the psycho-oncology related anxiety among pa- tients. "In spite of the fact that the doctors and nurses are doing a lot in support of the cancer patients, we need a team of nurses who can provide com- munity palliative care that is designed for cancer patients. We need to establish a team of nurses that can interactively counsel the patients through the diverse phases of health care they encounter as they at- tempt to challenge the illness, said the official who is also a member of Majlis Addawla. In this context, to make our ambition a success, the association, will invest on empowering a team of two to three professional nurses to study about palliative care and to qualify them as master trainers. We know, the MoH has gi- gantic plans on advancing the overall health sector and its keenness on investing in hu- man resources of the Sultanate. But, as partners on addressing the issue of cancer, NACA is committed to consider the is- sue of community palliative care for cancer patients as one of its priorities in support of the patients. However, to make the project a success, we will have to open an account spe- cifically designed for raising funds for the cause. The funds will be utilised for financing the education of the palliative care master trainers, who will in turn train a huge number of nurses on the same. Once, accomplished, this project will significantly con- tribute to identifying some of the hidden psycho-oncology effects of anxiety and to im- prove the patients healthcare within their home and fam- ily environment. This project is similar to a series of major projects, which the associa- tion initially embarked on and proved to be successful. The association equally plans to en- courage the concept of support groups, which is unfortunately swindling as compared to the previous times, remarked Al Rawahiya. The course, which is being participated by 47 nurses from all regions of the country has been organised by NACA in collaboration with the MoH, Middle East Cancer Consorti- um (MECC) and the Oncology Nursing Society of America (ONS). In an introductory speech, Professor Michael Silber- mann, Executive Director at MECC highlighted on the sig- nificance of palliative care, which, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life- threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffer- ing by means of early identifi- cation and impeccable assess- ment, and treatment of pain and other problems associated with the physical, psychologi- cal and spiritual aspects. In this aspect, considering that nearly 70-80 per cent of cancer patients in the region see doctors at a time when it is too late, the need for palliative care should be an integral part of cancer care with emphasis on decreasing the suffering of patients throughout the proc- esses of nursing and treatment of patients, said the profes- sor. Likewise, since, the need for palliative care annually increases due to the growing incidents of cancer patients particularly in the developing world, palliative care among such patients should start from the first day of diagnosis. Also, given the fact that nearly 40 per cent of cancer patients suffer psychological and emo- tional problems, like anxiety and depression, palliative care among such patients should not either rely on the stage of prognosis whether the can- cer is treatable or not. Instead, attention should be given to maintaining the patients dig- nity to the last breath, added Prof Silbermann. NACA to introduce community palliative care for cancer patients By Kabeer Yousuf MUSCAT Dr VRS Sam- path and Dr Armoogum Par- suramen, two acclaimed edu- cationists and scholars who have proved their expertise in their fields will visit the country this month. They are hosted by the Middle East Nursery in Muscat in connection with its anniversary where the duo is expected to deliver the key note speeches on February 17. This will be followed by a Business meet on February 16. D r Armoog- um Par- suraman, G O S K ( Gr a n d Of f i c e r of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean), was a minister of Education, Arts, and Culture and Minister of Education and Science of Mauritius between 1983 and 1995, and Director and Representative of Unesco between 1998 and 2011. He is currently the Founder and Chairman of the Global Rainbow Foun- dation (GRF), a charitable trust dedicated to the relief of poverty, the advance- ment of education, assist- ance to children and adults suffering from physical and mental handicaps as well as to abandoned and disadvantaged children, adults and orphans and any other purpose beneficial to the public in general, and the poor and most disadvan- taged. Dr V R S Sampath, PhD, is a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Ma- dras on Judicial Institutions in Tamil Nadu up to 18th Century and he also holds an ML, Ma s t e r of Law in Inter- nat i onal Law and Constitutional Law, University of Madras. He is a post graduate in Arts in History from Madurai Kamaraj University. He is a practising advo- cate for Independent Legal Practitioner and Adviser, and advocate in the panel of several banks such as In- dian Overseas Bank, Canara Bank, and Indian Bank in various capacities that vary from legal advice, legal opinion while conducting cases. Born in 1951 in Mauritius, Dr Parsuramen, after highly appreciated services in Mau- ritius in various roles includ- ing as an elected Member of the Mauritius Parliament from 1982 to 1995 for four consecutive terms, became a dedicated and renowned In- ternational Civil Servant. He joined the World Bank in 1997, as Education Policy Adviser and Co-ordinator of the education component of the United Nations Special Initiative for Africa (UN- SIA) administered by the World Bank. In 1998, he was appoint- ed Director of Unescos Di- vision for the Renovation of Secondary and Vocational Education; and in 2000 he became Director of the same organisations Regional Bu- reau for Education in Africa before returning to Unesco headquarters in Paris in 2004 to lead both the Secretariat of Unesco Executive Board and that of its Governing Bodies; serving therefore as Secretary of both the Execu- tive Board and the General Conference. Ed experts to visit Muscat MUSCAT As many as 14 people lost their lives in traffic accidents during Feb- ruary 4 to 10. The Al Dakhiliyah Gov- ernorate witnessed the highest toll with 14 deaths, followed by Al Batinah North and Al Batinah South with three deaths each, Al Buraimi two and one each in Muscat and Al Sharqiyah North Governorates. Most accidents, a total of 56, involved collisions. Other reported forms of ac- cidents were colliding with stationary objects 35, turn- overs 28 and runovers 18. Two passengers were killed and three others in- jured when their vehicle hit a stationary object in the most fatal accident of the week in the Wilayat of Su- waiq due to wrong overtak- ing. Royal Oman Police has urged motorists to observe speed limits and pedestri- ans to cross the road only at designated areas. 14 killed in road crashes last week MUSCAT Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Bu- saidy, Secretary-General of the Foreign Min- istry, received here yesterday Imran Riza, Re- gional Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who presented his credentials as a non-resident Regional Representative of the UNHCR in the Sultanate. During the meeting, humanitarian efforts being carried out by UNHCR in various sites in conjunction with host countries were re- viewed. Riza commended the existing co-operation between the Sultanate and UNHCR and the support being rendered by the Sultanate to a number of humanitarian programmes and ini- tiatives in the world. On his turn, the Foreign Ministry's Secre- tary-General welcomed the UNHCR Regional Representative. He also expressed the Sultanate's wishes of success to him in his tasks. The meeting was attended by Arafa bin Fri- egon Samir, Deputy Head of the Global Affairs Department and the delegation accompanying the guest. ONA UNHCR representative presents credentials MUSCAT The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) Tourism Committee yesterday reviewed the difficul- ties and problems facing the tourism sector in the Sultanate and hinder its development. The committee attendees stressed that the governorates are rich in tourism potentials and it is necessary to promote, de- velop and support internal tourism to contribute to the GDP. Internal tourism is seen as an important pillar for cultural and developmental advancement, a significant pillar to eco- nomic growth and achieving comprehensive development. The meeting discussed the obstacles facing the tourism sec- tor, opportunities of tourism investment, how to promote these opportunities locally and internationally and what prevents the development of tourism investment in the Sultanate, exchange of experience and expertise among committee members as the committee attempts to put tourism industry and operational regulation under one umbrella to avoid marginalising the pri- vate sector. The meeting also reviewed its responsibilities, its 2012 ac- tion plan, how to diagnose the obstacles and challenges that face the industry, finding joint and final solutions for tourism problems, co-ordinating with relevant authorities and submit proposals to respective bodies. The committee referred to the importance and role of the basic potential elements of tourism industry in the governo- rates, how to promote and market the nature and history of the Sultanate as a tourism product, training and qualifying Omani youths to work in different tourism activities and raise tourism awareness among social categories and at all levels. ONA Panel reviews tourism investment potentials MUSCAT The Regional Municipalities and Water Re- sources Ministry celebrated at Crowne Plaza Hotel the launch of the integration plan for the self-appraisal of the ministry employees under the auspices of Ahmed bin Abdullah al Shuhi, Regional Municipalities and Water Resources Minister, in the presence of officials and employees at the ministry. Al Shuhi affirmed that the plan for integrating the self- appraisal has been approved within the framework of en- hancing the self-appraisal of the ministry employees at dif- ferent levels, revising and im- proving the career performance criteria, integrating the concept of career values and giving in- centives to employees. He added that the plan in- cluded enhancing some aspects related to the employee, such as revising the career perform- ance standards, enhancing the skills and knowledge of em- ployees, as well as improving their performance, efficiency and production. Khalfan bin Mohammed al Assiri, member of the Majlis Addawla, delivered a speech in which he highlighted the importance of human resource and promoting performance in the governmental sector. Self-appraisal programme for RMWR Ministry employees SUR Al Sharqiyah South Governorate Police Command yesterday found three miss- ing expatriates in a mountainous area at Tiwi here. Two of them were found in Haloot, located between Tiwi and the Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid, and the third was found in Holm. The three were transferred on board a Royal Oman Police helicopter to Sur Referral Hos- pital. They are in good condition. An ROP source said the three expats working in Sur left on Thursday on foot to the mountains of Tiwi, planning to return to Sur on Friday. But they lost their way. One of their colleagues informed the po- lice who immediately launched a search mis- sion, assisted by citizens well acquainted with the terrain. ONA Three missing expats found OMAN DAILY Observer 6 THE WORLD MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 IRANIAN President Mahmood Ahmadinejad with Ismail Haniya, Palestinian Hamas premier in the Gaza Strip, as Irans First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi (C) looks on during a meeting in Tehran yesterday. AFP A PALESTINIAN woman mourns during the funeral of Abdel Karim Zatuniya in Gaza City yesterday. Zatuniya, an elderly man serving as a guard at the barracks in the Zeitun area, southeast of Gaza city, died after being wounded following a series of Israeli airstrikes late on Saturday night that left four others wounded. AFP A LEBANESE soldier on a military vehicle patrols after the army was deployed following two days of clashes near the Bab al Tabbaneh neighbourhood in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, yesterday. Two people were killed and at least eight wounded in street battles in Lebanons northern city of Tripoli on Saturday, a security source said, during a second day of clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. Reuters SOUTH African Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (L) and current South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane attend the Southern African Development Community Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting at Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town yesterday. AFP A PROTESTER shouts during a slow walk protesting against a government scheme that would allow mainland-registered cars into the territory in Hong Kong yesterday. Reuters TOKYO Japanese Emperor Akihi- to will undergo heart bypass surgery this week after a detailed examination found a heart problem had worsened, the Imperial Household Agency was quoted as saying yesterday. Kyodo news agency, quoting the Imperial Household Agency, said the emperor, 78, would have the surgery on February 18. Akihito had undergone an an- giogram on Saturday which showed that blood vessels had narrowed over the past year. He had been treated in hospital for three weeks in Novem- ber for cold, fever and symptoms of bronchitis. The Imperial Household Agency was unavailable for comment. Kyodo said the test was performed after the emperor experienced dif- ficulty while engaging in light exer- cise. Television footage yesterday showed the emperor greeting doctors after being discharged from hospital following the examination. Akihito had surgery for prostate cancer in 2003 and suffered stress- related health issues in late 2008, in- cluding irregular pulse and stomach bleeding. The following year, the royal agency said he would cut back on official duties such as speeches and meeting foreign dignitaries. Akihito ascended to the throne after the death of his father Hirohito in 1989. He has spent much of the past two decades working to heal the wounds of a war waged across Asia in his fathers name and helped to bring the monarchy closer to ordinary citizens. Having witnessed as a boy the rise of Japanese militarism and its defeat in 1945, the soft-spoken Akihito said he wanted to deepen international understanding through visits abroad, sometimes defying protests to do so. One of his more controversial trips came in 1992, when he became the first Japanese monarch in living memory to visit China, where bitter memories of Japans invasion and oc- cupation in the 1930s and 1940s run deep. Another defining moment came in 2001 when Akihito tried to smooth relations with South Korea, at times strained by lingering resentment over Japans 1910-1945 colonisation of the Korean Peninsula. At a news conference marking his birthday, he said he felt a certain kinship with Korea because one of his ancestors had come from there, an unprecedented statement from a Japanese royal that made front page headlines in Seoul. Save for such rare occasions, the Japanese imperial family is not an ob- ject of such intense public attention or media scrutiny as the British roy- als. It serves as important link with tradition and a comforting presence at times of distress. Five days after last years March 11 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japans northeast, Akihito made a rare televised address and in April travelled to the ravaged area with Empress Michiko. Akihitos hospital stay in Novem- ber gave the Japanese a rare oppor- tunity to see Akihitos designated successor, Crown Prince Naruhito, 51, step in for his father and perform public duties. While Akihitos reign was defined by his reconciliation efforts, it is less clear what role the scholarly Naruhito may play, though royal commentators expect him to continue his fathers efforts to reach out to or- dinary citizens. Reuters Japan emperor to undergo heart bypass surgery A WOMAN casts her ballot for the presidential election at a polling station in Ashgabat yesterday. Right: Women wearing traditional dresses welcome voters with refreshments at a polling station in Ashgabat. AFP/Reuters ASHGABAT Turkmenistan yesterday voted in presiden- tial elections expected to see President Gurbanguly Berdy- mukhamedov cruise to a new term at the helm of the isolated state challenged only by token opposition. Seven candidates are stand- ing against the president, who took power after the death in 2006 of eccentric dictator Saparmurat Niyazov, but all are loyal members of the elite who have not sounded a note of criticism in the campaign. Voting took place in a fes- tive atmosphere with bands playing traditional music while food and even presents were handed to voters. With the authorities making clear that voting was a national duty, the election commission said over 68 per cent of the electorate had cast their ballot by 0900 GMT in what is set to be a mass turnout. In a clear nudge to voters, the anchor on state television proclaimed: Aware of their great responsibility for the future of the motherland, the people will choose the most worthy of the eight candi- dates. Berdymukhamedov cast his vote alongside his son, grand- son and his father Myalikguly Berdymukhamedov, who with conspicuous timing last week was given the honour of hav- ing a police unit named after him, official media said. Our hero president is the only one to take us along the true path. He is the Protector and pillar of the people, voter Gozel Sopyyeva, 60, said at a polling station outside Ashga- bat. Berdymukhamedov, an ex- dentist who became Niyazovs health minister after rising through the ranks of dentistry, won the last polls in 2007 with over 89 per cent and it would be a major surprise if he polled much less this time. The elections are just the third in Turkmenistans post- Soviet history: Niyazov won a notorious ballot in 1992 in which he was the sole candi- date with 99.5 per cent and was then declared by parliament president for life in 1999. While energy-rich Turk- menistan is promoting the elections as a new step in a programme of democratic re- forms, Berdymukhamedovs promise last summer to in- clude genuine opposition in the polls appears not to have been fulfilled. Even though there are eight candidates, there was no real election campaign. The authorities want to show com- petition but it is just between themselves, a Western diplo- mat said. The figurehead rival can- didates include Energy and Industry Minister Yarmuk- hammet Orazgulyev as well as a state energy boss, the water resources minister and the di- rector of a cotton factory. Just under three million people have the right to vote across the vast ex-Soviet state that extends from the Caspian Sea to Afghanistan and is one of the most secretive nations in the world along with North Korea. Berdymukhamedov has started cautious reform after the excesses of the notorious personality cult under Niya- zov, which extended to install- ing a golden statue of himself in Ashgabat that rotated to al- ways face the sun. In a half decade that Turk- menistan calls the Era of Rebirth, Berdymukhamedov had reopened cinemas, thea- tres and research institutes and started to encourage foreign majors to help exploit its vast energy reserves. But the president still pre- sides over an autocratic state that cracks down on dissent and he has not been shy of cre- ating a personality cult of his own with his image ubiquitous around the country. As Niyazov called himself Turkmenbashi (Father of All Turkmens), Berdymukhame- dov is known as the Arka- dag (Protector). Turkmenistan has issued no invitation for Western observ- ers to assess the elections on a full-scale mission while hu- man rights workers and jour- nalists have also been denied access to the country. Amnesty International said ahead of the polls that Turkmenistan was still perpe- trating serious human rights violations including torture in jails and severe restrictions on political and religious expres- sion. It said rights activists An- nakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev, con- victed in 2007 of firearms charges, were still in custody while dissident Gulgeldy An- naniyazov has been held in in- communicado detention since being jailed in 2008. AFP Turkmen leader set for win MALE Ousted Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed yesterday rejected a US call for compromise and dismissed proposals for a unity govern- ment to end political unrest in the Indian Ocean nation. Nasheed, who insists he was removed in a coup, told supporters overnight in the capital Male that he would press for snap elections in- stead of recommending his party consider a coalition with his former deputy who suc- ceeded him. We want an election and we will campaign for it, Nasheed told large, cheering crowds, who later dispersed peacefully. Nasheed said his Maldiv- ian Democratic Party (MDP) did not accept the new govern- ment as legitimate. He also repeated his calls for an independent investiga- tion into the alleged coup that toppled him and he accused the police and military of car- rying out arrests of MDP sup- porters and those linked to his administration. His remarks came after US assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs Robert Blake spoke out against snap polls and asked both sides to make compromises. The United States is back- ing calls from the new presi- dent, Mohamed Waheed, for a national unity government to be formed. Legislator Eva Abdulla, from Nasheeds MDP, said they were maintaining their stance that there should be an investigation into what they call a coup and that there should be elections immedi- ately. He (Nasheed) is sticking to his position, Abdulla said. Blake had said it was too early to hold an election and he wanted Maldivian institu- tions such as the police, the ju- diciary and the elections com- mission strengthened before the next vote due in November 2013. I dont think anyone be- lieves that elections can be properly held right now, Blake told reporters on Sat- urday at the end of a 12-hour visit for talks with Waheed, Nasheed and other figures. The new president has ruled out elections before his term ends in 2013. Nasheed, who claims a mil- itary-backed coup forced him to step down last Tuesday, has insisted snap polls were crucial to end the political crisis. In a situation like this everyone must compromise, Blake said. In the days ahead, everyone should look for ways to bridge the differences. Blake blamed both Nash- eeds MDP party and the po- lice under the new president for violence that swept across the nation on Wednesday. I expressed concern about reports of violence and destruction of property by some MDP supporters, and violence by police in Male, Addu, and Thinadhoo, Blake said. AFP Ex-president rejects US compromise call SUPPORTERS of Nasheed cheer during a party meeting in Male. AFP WARSAW Storms, blizzards and road closures struck Eu- rope as the continent continued yesterday to battle with sub- zero temperatures, while record house fires were reported in Poland as people struggled to keep warm. A massive storm had continued whipping the Balkans for more than 30 hours by yesterday morning, depositing a huge amount of snow and triggering an avalanche in Kosovo that killed at least seven people. Several were still missing in the southern Kosovo village of Restelice after an avalanche buried 15 houses under up to 10 metres of snow on Saturday afternoon, the daily Koha Ditore said. All of the victims and the missing were apparently mem- bers of one family. Only one survivor, a 7-year-old child, was rescued. To the north, Montenegro declared a state of emergency to deal with the massive blizzard that has blanketed the small central European country with up to two metres of snow. By yesterday morning, the height of deposited snow in the ski resort of Zabljak had reached 202 cm, while 168 cm were measured in Kolasin, in central Montenegro, and 57 in Podgorica. Many roads were impassable and villages, particularly in the north, inaccessible. A train with 45 passengers was stuck between avalanches in the centre of the country since Friday afternoon, with one of the passengers dying, apparently of a heart attack, TV Vijesti said yesterday. Still on board were 30 police commandos who reached the train in a rescue attempt, but also became stuck. The train was parked in a tunnel, for shelter from avalanches. In Poland, officials called Saturdays the most tragic night of this season after nine people died in house fires and another 26 were injured in ill-fated attempts to heat their homes. More than 100 people have now died this year in fires in Poland, with half of those deaths occurring since the cold snap began last month, police said. Firefighters appealed for people to keep their space heaters well away from the furniture, and to turn them off when leav- ing their homes. In Serbia, the authorities reported a 20th death caused by freezing. dpa Blizzards, house fires continue in Europe SYDNEY Australias lat- est floods disaster will have a minimal economic impact nationally despite some damage to rail lines, mines and crops in certain areas, Treasurer Wayne Swan said yesterday. In recent weeks record floods have swamped large areas of New South Wales and Queensland states, prompting fears of a repeat of last years historic disas- ter, which put a significant dent in Australias GDP for the financial year to June 2011. Despite the terrible im- pact on affected communi- ties, were not expecting the flooding to have a signifi- cant impact on the national economy at this stage, Swan wrote in a regular eco- nomic note. While the heavy rainfall has resulted in the tempo- rary closure of several rail lines and caused disruption to some coal mines, it hasnt caused any significant dis- ruptions to major coal min- ing operations in the Bowen Basin or the Hunter Valley. And while some crops are likely to be affected by the damage to farm land, Treasury advises the impact on the supply and prices of fresh produce is not expected to be great. Reuters Flood loss minimal GIGLIO ISLAND, Italy A month after the Costa Con- cordia grounded with 4,229 people from 60 countries on board, Italy is remember- ing the victims of one of the worst disasters on a luxury liner since the Titanic. Thirty-two people are now believed to have died in the tragedy on the Tuscan is- land of Giglio, even though the families of 15 still offi- cially missing are clinging to the desperate hope that their loved ones may still be alive. Survivors have mean- while launched legal action in France, Germany and the United States, while pros- ecutors in Italy investigate the widely ridiculed captain, Francesco Schettino, nick- named Captain Coward in the press. On the picturesque island itself, residents are increas- ingly worried that the 2,380 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in the ships tanks which still have to be pumped out could leak and contaminate Europes biggest marine sanctuary. There is concern too that plans to remove the 114,500- tonne ship more than twice the size of the Titanic which sank in 1912 are dragging on and that its presence could ruin the tour- ist season vital for the local economy. Well, yes, it has to be taken away. Its like having a car in your living room! said one frustrated local fish- erman. A pensioner walking by said: Its not nice to look at but it might attract some people who are curious. A special remembrance mass yesterday in a Ro- man basilica was celebrated by the head of the Catholic Church in Italy. AFP Cruise ship victims mourned OMAN DAILY Observer 7 AMERICAS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 NEW YORK Mitt Romney got a sorely needed boost in the rocky race for the Republican presidential nomi- nation on Saturday, winning a non- binding contest in Maine and a straw poll among conservatives after a trio of unnerving losses. The former Massachusetts governor edged out Texas congressman Ron Paul by fewer than 200 votes in the Maine caucuses, and outpolled former senator Rick Santorum in the straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Confer- ence in Washington. Though largely symbolic, those wins spelled relief for a candidate whose frontrunner status was again put in question on Tuesday when Santo- rum scored upset victories in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota. He just doesnt have the enthusi- asm that I think we have been able to get in our crowds, you know, really excited about what he believes in. I think thats his biggest problem, Paul told CNN after losing to Romney in Maine. But I would say, yes, he is out in front and people are picking away at him. He lost a few but he picked up a little steam today. You have to give him credit for that, he said. Despite Romneys wins, however, the Republican race to pick a standard bearer to run against Obama in No- vember remained unsettled. Sarah Palin, the former vice-pres- idential candidate and conservative firebrand, told conservatives meeting in Washington not to settle too quick- ly on a candidate, but to let them fight on. We have all heard from these ex- perts that we have to name our nomi- nee right now. Wrap it up. No debate for you. Cut it off. As if competition weakens our nominee. In America, we believe competi- tion strengthens us. Competition el- evates our game, she said. Compe- tition will lead us to victory in 2012. I believe that the competition has to keep going. A prolonged Republican nominat- ing fight would be more likely to hurt Romney and help come-from-behind contenders like Santorum or House speaker Newt Gingrich. Still, participants in the CPAC meet- ing in Washington voted for Romney over Santorum, 38 per cent to 31 per cent. Gingrich came in third with 15 per cent and Texas congressman Ron Paul last at 12 per cent. In the Maine caucuses, Romney won 39 per cent of the vote to 36 per cent for Paul, who spent much time campaigning in the state even though no delegates were at stake. Santorum received 18 per cent of the vote, and former House speaker Newt Gingrich won just eight per cent, party officials said. With only about 5,000 votes cast in the caucuses, Romney beat Paul by 196 votes. AFP WASHINGTON President Barack Obamas chief of staff, Jacob Lew, de- fended his boss yesterday for failing to cut the US budget deficit, arguing that now was the wrong time for austerity measures as he urged Congress to extend a soon-to-expire payroll tax cut. Republicans have slammed Democrat Obama for laying out a budget plan that they say is designed to help his campaign for re-election in November, rather than controlling the growth of the US deficit and debt. But Lew, speaking on Sunday televi- sion news shows on the eve of Obamas 2013 budget proposal to Congress, said the plan would outline $4 trillion in 10 year deficit reductions, alongside meas- ures to deliver essential suport to near- term growth. I think there is pretty broad agree- ment that the time for austerity is not today, Lew, Obamas budget chief until few weeks ago, told NBCs Meet the Press. The White House says that Obamas budget will request over $800 billion in multi-year spending for job creation and infrastructure programmes, including tax breaks for companies and individuals worth more than $300 billion in 2012 if passed into law. Congress is free to ignore the presi- dents proposals and Republicans have said Obamas budget will be dead on ar- rival. The budget, which will delivered to Congress today, projects the deficit at $1.33 trillion this fiscal year or 8.5 per cent of gross domestic product, declining to $901 billion, or 5.5 per cent of GDP, in 2013. Obama pledged in 2009 to have halved the deficit by next year, earning the ire of Republicans. On this issue the debt this president has been completely AWOL. Republicans have had to fight tooth and nail for every dime in savings weve secured, Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the US Senate, said on Thursday. Lew, however, argued that Obamas deficit promise was made before his administration truly understood the depth of the recession it had inherited from Republican President George W Bush. When we took office, the economy was falling so fast that the first thing we had to do was put a bottom in... It cost money in terms of lost revenue and slower economic growth. Were on track now, Lew told ABC News. The White House said the funding gap will shrink to 2.8 per cent of GDP by 2018, below the 3 per cent/GDP threshold that credit rating agencies and investors see as the goal for stabilising the growth in national debt as a share of the econo- my. Lew, who was the presidents chief budget adviser until a few weeks ago, said Congress and the administra- tion are working this weekend to see if a compromise can be reached over extending the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans, which will ex- pire on February 29 unless Congress acts. They have two weeks now to do the important business so they dont get in the way of our economic recovery, he told NBC. The White House estimated extending the payroll tax cut for all of 2012 could add a percentage point to growth this year. Reuters White House defends deficit SAO PAULO Police in Brazils Bahia state voted on Saturday to end a strike that unleashed a crime wave, rais- ing hopes for peaceful carnival celebrations. The last holdouts among Bahias military police agreed to give up their walkout, state spokesman Robinson Almeida said after 11 days of chaos in Brazils third-largest city. Fears of the violence spreading also eased in Rio de Janeiro after a police strike there showed signs of flagging in its second day. Rios civil police, one branch of striking security forces, agreed on Saturday to suspend their walkout, ac- cording to state news service Agencia Brasil. The news brought relief just one week before Rios fa- mous carnival celebrations and allowed for a peaceful start to hundreds of the citys informal street parades, known as blo- cos. As many as 850,000 tour- ists are expected to hit the beaches and palm-tree lined promenades of Brazils sec- ond-biggest city for the fes- tivities, which officially run from February 17 to Febru- ary 22. Determined to avoid a re- peat of the chaos in Salvador, Rios senior police officials re- acted swiftly to the declaration of a walkout on Friday, detain- ing dozens of striking workers and charging them with diso- bedience. Authorities were also ready with emergency plans to de- ploy federal troops in Rio and across the country amid calls for nationwide protests by po- lice officers demanding higher salaries. President Dilma Rousseff last week sent more than 4,000 troops to Salvador to restore order amid the strike there. In Bahia, roughly 6,000 officers, about a fifth of the states overall police force, have taken part. Out of Rios 70,000-strong force, which also includes fire- men and state prison guards, only about 3,000 assembled in the citys colonial centre late on Thursday in an initial pro- test to launch the strike. For Bahia Governor Jaques Wagner, a star of Bra- zils ruling Workers Party and a key ally of President Dilma Rousseff, the strike has led to marathon negotia- tions with the striking police, who say they are underpaid and overburdened by the ris- ing crime. The governor already agreed to a 6.5 per cent salary increase for the police but has refused to grant an amnesty for striking workers who have committed crimes. Reuters Police in Brazils Bahia end strike Romney candidacy gets boost with Maine win Health plan stays unchanged Fidel Castro in marathon meeting WASHINGTON President Barack Obama will not make any more changes to the rule announced last week requiring health insurance plans to pro- vide women with coverage for contraception, although US Catholic bishops have said it violates the Churchs religious principles. We put out the plan that reflects where the president intended to go. This is our plan, White House chief of staff Jacob Lew said on CNNs State of the Union yesterday. Lew said no religious or- ganisation will be required to pay for or facilitate the cover- age that it disagrees with since the insurance companies are the ones who will pay. Asked what incentive in- surance companies would have to provide contraception, Lew Obamas budget di- rector until a few weeks ago said it would be cost effec- tive just like other preventive healthcare coverage. As somebody whos done budgets for a lot of years, when people tell me things dont cost money, I ask a lot of questions, Lew said on ABC Newss This Week with George Stephanopoulos. This is actually one of those exceptions to the rule. If you look at the overall cost of providing healthcare to a woman, the cost goes up, not down, if you take contracep- tives out. Lew said the White House had not expected universal support for contraceptive cov- erage, but did find backing from several affected groups, including Catholic hospitals and charities. We didnt expect to get the support of the bishops or all Catholics, Lew said on Fox News Sunday. He added on CBSs Face the Nation that the White House has broad consensus, not universal con- sensus. This is an approach thats right. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement saying Obamas proposal involves needless government intrusion in the internal governance of reli- gious institutions. The Catholic leaders urged Congress to overturn the rule and indicated they would also take up the issue in the courts. The regulation at the center of the controversy requires re- ligious-affiliated groups such as charities, hospitals and universities, but not churches themselves, to provide em- ployees with coverage for birth control as other health insurance providers must do. After an outcry from Catholic groups and Obamas Republican opponents, the president announced that re- ligious employers would not be required to offer free birth control to workers and the onus would instead fall on in- surers. HAVANA Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro held his second lengthy public event in a week, this time a nine-hour ses- sion with writers and intellectuals, Cuban state media said on Saturday. Fidel with intellectuals: More than nine hours of dialogue with the infinite, said the headline on government website Cubadebate.cu. The story described the meeting in which representatives from 22 countries discussed topics ranging from the sad state of the world, as Castro views it, to the 85-year-old comandantes health. We have to fight. We cant let pessi- mism win. Its our duty, he was quoted as saying. The story said that everyone was im- pressed by the vitality and enthusiasm of Fidel, and that those who spoke congrat- ulated him for his visible recovery. The session was part of Havanas an- nual international book fair. A week ago, Cuban media reported on a six-hour appearance before a group of admirers where the leader pitched a new two-volume biography of his early life, called Guerrilla of Time. Cuban television showed a videotape of that appearance and in which Castro had to be helped to his chair, but was en- ergetic, witty and totally in control of a rapt audience. Cubadebate.cu had numerous photos of Fridays event, but so far no video has been shown. Before these latest two events, he was last seen publicly at a Communist Party congress in April, where he sat wordless- ly as his brother took over as chairman of the party, the position he had held since its inception. Reuters CARACAS Venezue- lan opposition parties were holding their first primary yesterday to pick a unity candidate to battle ailing President Hugo Chavez in an October vote. Five candidates are run- ning in the opposition contest with the favourite Henrique Capriles, 39, the energetic governor of Miranda state, polls show. The 57-year-old Chavez, who last year underwent chemotherapy in Caracas and Havana and now claims to be cancer-free, is seeking a third six-year term in the October 7 vote. A fiery critic of the United States, Chavez is the main political and eco- nomic ally of Cuba. Capriles, telegenic and energetic, has been in poli- tics since 25. His campaign got a boost last month when Leopoldo Lopez, a popular former mayor, dropped out and endorsed him. He describes his poli- tics as centre-left, and has argued that Venezuela can replicate Brazils model of economic development. LIMA Perus military has recovered the body of Ar- temio, leader of the once feared Shining Path guerril- las, President Ollanta Huma- la announced yesterday. I am certain that (the body) found belongs to the terrorist Artemio, the presi- dent told Peruvian radio, an- nouncing his plans to travel to the southeastern region where the rebel leaders body was recovered. A military offensive was launched last week to cap- ture Artemio, 47, whose real name was Florindo Flores. Defence officials said they were trailing the guerrilla leader, who was apparently wounded in a battle with police. Artemio was pursued by special forces in southeastern Perus Puerto Pizana area. MEXICO CITY An angry mob of villagers in central Mexico attacked and killed three men on Friday they ac- cused of trying to kidnap a lo- cal resident. So far, 23 people have been arrested for the mob attack, prosecutors said. A spokesman for the Mex- ico State Security Secretariat said the mob numbered more than 500 people. An initial investigation showed a group of six wom- en incited local residents to at- tack three men, who they set on fire, said a statement from the Mexico state attorney gen- erals office. Police tried to rescue the three men but succeeded in pulling only one of them away from the mob. He died Satur- day morning at a hospital. The incident occurred in the village of San Mateo Hu- itzilzingo, which has about 14,000 residents. Villagers said the men they attacked tried to kidnap a young man, the newspaper Reforma reported on its web- site. Some police officers who rushed to the scene were wounded, the report said. The State of Mexico pros- ecutors office condemned the attack and said it would not allow anyone to take justice into their own hands. AFP SAO PAULO A medical examination of former Brazil- ian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has shown that a can- cerous tumour in his larynx has disappeared, one of his doctors told a local newspaper yesterday. Oncologist Artur Katz told Folha newspaper that from a tomographic point of view, the tumour can no longer be seen. However, he pointed out that a definitive answer will be known after an endoscopy that will be performed at the end of radiation therapy that should be concluded in four to six weeks. Endoscopy is a better procedure to determine this, Katz is quoted as saying. To- mography can miss some of the cancerous cells... But this is good news anyway. It makes us more certain that we are following the right course. Lula was hospitalised here Saturday complaining of loss of appetite and fatigue as a re- sult of his cancer treatment. The doctors said they found a small presence of inflam- mation of the laryngeal and oesophageal mucosa, result- ing from radiation therapy, a bulletin posted on the website of Syrian-Lebanese Hospital said. Lula is scheduled to remain at the hospital until today, ac- cording to Brazilian media reports. The former president underwent a third round of chemotherapy in December. Doctors rejected a surgery option after the December chemotherapy treatment re- duced the cancerous tumour by 75 per cent. A former lathe operator and union leader, Lula was the first leftist president in the his- tory of Brazil. He served two consecu- tive terms of office between January 2003 and December 2010. AFP Venezuela vote for Chavez challenge Peru finds insurgents body 3 alleged kidnappers killed Lulas exam shows cancerous tumour disappeared: report REVELLERS attend a samba parade during pre-carnival festivities in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. Reuters THOUSANDS of Bolivian musicians dressed in colourful uniforms performed in Oruro, about 200 km south of La Paz, on Saturday. Trumpet music and beating drums reverberated through the streets of the Bolivian city of Oruro to kick off pre-Carnival festivities. Reuters CADETS of the Fuerza Civil (Civil Force) stand in formation during a graduation ceremony at the 7th military zone on the outskirts of Monterrey on Saturday. Reuters OMAN DAILY Observer 8 THE PHILIPPINES/SUBCONTINENT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 MANILA The death toll in a magnitude-6.9 earthquake in the central Philippines rose to 41, with 67 people still miss- ing and feared dead, the Office of Civil Defence said yester- day. The toll rose after rescue teams recovered two bod- ies from landslides caused by February 6 quake in Negros Oriental province, 570 kilo- metres south of Manila. The civil defence office said 28 were still missing in the village of Planas in Gui- hulngan City and 39 in the vil- lage of Solonggon in nearby La Libertad town. Rescue operations were be- ing hampered by strong after- shocks and intermittent heavy rains threatening to cause more landslides, authorities said. Civil defence chief Benito Ramos earlier said he feared the chance of finding survi- vors among the missing was slim because of the landslides. Captain Anacito Naz, civil- military operations chief of the army in the province, said heavy equipment had reached the two landslide sites to help in rescue operations. The military has also been distributing relief goods to more than 80,000 residents, who were staying in makeshift tents or evacuation centres for fear the aftershocks would cause their houses to collapse. The quake destroyed more than 5,600 houses, while par- tially damaged 5,002. Many roads cracked while three key bridges in the prov- ince collapsed. Damages caused by the tremor were estimated to cost at least 365.36 million pesos ($8.69 million), the OCD said. The Philippines, located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, suffered its worst earth- quake in 1990 when a 7.7-mag- nitude tremor killed nearly 2,000 people on the northern island of Luzon. dpa Two bodies recovered at Philippine quake site, 67 still missing KABUL Four Tajiks were killed when a civilian helicopter contracted to carry supplies to foreign forces crashed in south- ern Afghanistan, officials said yesterday. The helicopter went down in Shinkay district of Zabul province late on Saturday killing all on board, deputy provin- cial governor Mohammad Jan Rasuli said. Last night, a civilian helicopter contracted by (Natos International Security Assistance Force) went down due to technical problems, he said, adding that the crew were from Tajikistan. But the Taliban in an online statement claimed its fighters had shot down the helicopter. The Russian-made EY-106 helicopter belonged to the glo- bal logistic company Supreme Group, which provides services for the international troops stationed in the war-torn country. The company in a statement said that four crew members of the helicopter who were killed in the Saturday crash were Tajik nationals. The helicopter was transporting food and water, it said. Investigations as to the cause of the crash are ongoing but no other parties appear to have been involved in the incident, the company said. A spokesman for ISAF confirmed the crash and that the helicopter was contracted to deliver supplies to foreign forces in southern Afghanistan. He added there was no hostile activ- ity reported in the area. Agencies KABUL An Afghan judge and his 8-year-old son have been killed in an attack by unknown gunmen, a government spokes- man said yesterday. Abdul Basir, a judge at the appeals court in the volatile east- ern province of Kunar, was travelling in Nangarhar province with his family at the time of the attack, said Ahmad Zia Ab- dulzai from the provincial governors office. Two women and three children were injured in the attack that took place in the Chino area of Khogyani district, he said. According to a witness, two motorcyclists opened fire on their vehicle and fled. Basir died at the scene, while his son died in hospital. Dozens of government officials and pro-government tribal elders have been targeted by the armed opposition groups and Taliban militants in the recent years. dpa PESHAWAR A bomb hidden in a television set exploded in a house in northwest Pakistan early yesterday, killing at least seven people, in an attack police believe was part of a local feud. The blast took place in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. At least seven people, two children, one woman and four men, were killed in a bomb blast which took place inside a house, senior police official Kalam Khan said. Three others were wounded in the blast, he added. Initial investigations showed the bomb was planted in a rented television set which exploded in a guest room of the house, Khan said. The attack appears to be motivated by some personal dis- pute or enmity, he said. AFP Four Tajiks killed in Afghan copter crash Gunmen shoot dead judge and his son TV bomb kills seven near Peshawar: police ISLAMABAD It will be the replay of the previous appearance of Prime Minis- ter Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in the Supreme Court tomor- row (Monday) as he would be taking same number of the people with him that ac- companied him last month when he appeared in con- tempt proceedings before the apex court. The prime minister, who has returned from Faisalabad after addressing a mammoth public gathering at Jaranwa- la, had extensive discussions with legal experts about the case after returning here. Well-placed sources said that Gilani has asked his colleagues in the parliament to stay calm during and af- ter his appearance in the court and they are required to demonstrate even better conduct during his presence in the highest court of the country. The Prime Minister Sec- retariat has dispatched the list of 44 persons to the authori- ties concerned who will be accompanying the premier during his appearance before the court. The number was 43 when he appeared last time. The list also includes security personnel. The sources pointed out that Gilani has asked the In- terior Ministry not to create undue dread on the occasion and arrangements should be made in the manner that the occasion must not become source of trouble for the peo- ple. Internews YANGON Myanmars president pledged to seek lasting peace with armed rebels and issued a plea for the nations support yesterday, as ethnic unrest continues to marr reforms. Thein Sein, a former gen- eral who came to power last year when outright military rule ended, has launched ef- forts to end decades of eth- nic conflict as part a raft of landmark reforms in recent months. Myanmars quasi-civilian regime has reached tentative peace deals with several rebel groups including in eastern Karen and Shan states, but fighting in Kachin which bor- ders China in the north has created uncertainty over the progress of reconciliation ef- forts. Participation of the en- tire national people is sorely needed to bring internal armed conflicts to an end and build lasting peace, and in nation- building endeavours, Thein Sein said in a message carried by state media. The address for Union Day, which marks the signing of a historic agreement with the countrys disparate ethnic minority groups in 1947, said the government was deter- mined to keep on promoting democracy peacefully. He said people would be overjoyed to see democratic elections and equal participa- tion in state affairs, reiterat- ing a vow to focus on good governance and improve the rule of law. The regime has won cau- tious applause and a slight lifting of Western sanctions for reforms including the release of political prisoners. AFP YANGON The European Union Development Com- missioner arrived in My- anmar yesterday where he is expected to announce a 150-million-euro aid package to the former pariah state. Andris Piebalgs arrived in Yangon, and planned to trav- el to the capital of Naypyitaw today for talks with President Thein Sein and senior gov- ernment officials. He is also scheduled to meet with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi tomor- row. Piebalgs trip is a response to several reforms that Thein Sein has initiated since com- ing to power in March. The former army general and member of the junta that ruled Myanmar for two dec- ades has taken a progressive tack since winning the No- vember 2010 election. He began political dia- logue with Suu Kyi and paved the way for her party to con- test a by-election scheduled on April 1. Thein Sein has also freed about 600 political prison- ers, although hundreds more remain, and signed ceasefires with six ethnic minority in- surgencies. The momentum of change in Burma, Myanmar is impressive and the EU rec- ognises the need to do all it can to support the country at this time, Piebalgs said in Brussels prior to his depar- ture. He is expected to an- nounce an aid package to support democratic reforms in the country. EU foreign ministers last month decided to waive visa bans on Myanmars leaders, but sanctions remain on doz- ens of members of the former military regime. The EU also bans invest- ments in state-owned enter- prises and has embargoes against arm exports to the country as well as imports of hardwood, gems and pre- cious metal. On April 23, EU foreign ministers will look at a possible new substantial re- duction or even the ending of sanctions, a diplomatic source in Brussels said. Contempt case hearing today Pledge to end conflict EU development chief arrives in Myanmar ISLAMABAD Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, in an interview broadcast on Saturday, said corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari were politically motivated and that the presi- dent had immunity as head of state. In the wide-ranging in- terview with Al Jazeera tel- evision, he also criticised US drone attacks near the Afghan border as counter-productive and said Pakistan never au- thorised them. Pakistan, he said, backed any Afghan-led peace plan to establish peace in the neigh- bouring country and in no way supported Taliban insur- gents. Gilanis statements were aired on the eve of a hearing at which the premier faces indictment for contempt of court over his refusal to re- quest the reopening of cor- ruption cases against the president, co-chairman of the premiers Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). There had been a lot of cases against him, and they were all politically motivat- ed, Gilani said, referring to Zardari. He has got immunity. And he has not got immunity only in Pakistan, he has tran- snational immunity, even all over the world. Whatever the charges that were levelled against him, he fought those cases in the court, he was exonerated, Gilani said. Zardari and his late wife, prime minister Benazir Bhutto, were suspected of us- ing Swiss bank accounts to launder about $12 million in alleged bribes paid by compa- nies seeking customs inspec- tion contracts in Pakistan in the 1990s. The Swiss shelved the cases in 2008, when Zardari became head of state, and a prosecutor in Switzerland has said it will be impossible to re-open them as long as he remains head of state and is immune from prosecution. Asked if he would rather resign for the sake of the president, Gilani said if con- victed of contempt, he would automatically lose office. Theres no need to step down, he said. If Im con- victed, then Im not supposed to be a member of the parlia- ment. Gilani said authorities in Islamabad gave no approval for US drone strikes. I want to inform you that we did not allow or give per- mission to fly drones from Pakistan, he said. Number two, drones are counter-productive. And we had discussed thoroughly with the US administration that we at times make a lot of efforts to very successfully isolate militants from the lo- cal tribes. Drone attacks generated negative reaction, he said, with tribesmen in areas bor- dering Afghanistan. Then the local tribes and the militants, they get united again, he said. They make our jobs extremely difficult. Then there is less political space for us. Gilani also said he had good relations with the military at the moment. That was a reference to ten- sions pitting the government against the military over a controversial memo. Asked about the future of Afghanistan, Gilani said Pakistan would support any Afghan-led peace initiative and did not back the Afghan Taliban to take over. We are not supporting them. Its not our job. Why should we support them? Gilani also said that re- gional rivals India and Paki- stan could not afford more conflict and were ready to discuss the issues that have long hampered the normalisa- tion of relations. We have agreed to discuss all our core issues, includ- ing the issue of Kashmir, he said. Reuters Gilani defends self in Zardari issue ISLAMABAD Pakistan Railways (PR) plans to target private sector for funds. It has recently decided to enter into joint ventures with the private sector. Among its new plans, four of its hospitals in the country will be handed over to private sector as medical teaching institutions in private or semi-government sector. The aim is to upgrade these hospitals to the level of teaching and ter- tiary healthcare centres as per requirements and standards of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). Chief medical and health officer of Pakistan Railways Dr Sibte Hassan Gardezi said the process of involving pri- vate and semi-government institutions under the public-pri- vate partnership mode has been started. Within next three months, the management of the hospitals will be transferred to the partner organisations, it was expected. The PR hospitals include 30-bed hospital in Peshawar, 210-bed Cairns hospital in Lahore, 84-bed hospital in Mul- tan and the 120-bed Hassan hospital in Karachi. Pakistan Railways has eight major hospitals in the coun- try, and progressing on the mode of engaging private sector, its remaining hospitals in Quetta and Sukkur may also land in the hands of private sector. In a similar move, the department decided to seek the help of private companies for improving its Rawalpindi and Golra railway stations and the railway reservation office. Sources said the move was meant to improve the con- dition of the two railway stations and railway reservation office. The railway divisional office, Rawalpindi, had requested the authorities in Lahore to release funds for improving the conditions at the stations. The division was asked to involve private firms for refurbishing the railway stations. In return, they would be offered to display their billboards and adver- tisements on the platforms. Internews Pakistan Railways looking for private sector funds ISLAMABAD The pro- vincial labour department will draft a new law prohibiting child labour that will replace the existing Employment of Children Act (ECA) 1991, according to a press release yesterday. The proposed new law which is in compliance with the ILO Conventions No. 138 and No. 182, will ban the em- ployment of children below 14 years of age, and also re- strict the employment of chil- dren less than 18 years of age in hazardous occupations and processes. This has been agreed to at a two-day workshop organised by the ILO with the financial assistance of the European Union. The workshop was facilitated by a technical team led by Chief Technical Advis- er of the Combating Abusive Child Labour II Project, Su- jeewa Fonseka. The goal of this consulta- tion was to enable officials of Child Labour Units (CLU) from four provincial labour departments, to jointly formu- late and enact legislation to prohibit and regulate employ- ment of children and adoles- cents in Pakistan. The existing ECA 1991 is not in line with Pakistans commitment made on the rati- fied ILO Convention 138 on Minimum Age of Employ- ment and Convention 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour. Internews New labour law aims to keep children away from harm QUETTA, Pakistan Afghan security forces kidnapped two Pakistanis in southwestern Baluchistan province in Pakistan and later killed them, officials said yesterday. Some two dozen Afghan security force officers crossed the border into southwestern Pakistan on Friday and kidnapped the two Pakistanis, taking them back into Afghanistan, secretary of tribal affairs Naseebullah Bazai said. Two Pakistanis were taken away by Afghan forces and shot dead inside Afghanistan, Bazai said, adding that the govern- ment had called an immediate meeting with the Afghan Consu- late General in Quetta. We have demanded immediate return of bodies and we shall lodge a strong protest with Afghanistan on Monday, he said and added that the foreign ministry had been alerted about the incident. Local intelligence officials confirmed the incident. Cross-border kidnapping, murder reported: officials PEOPLE watch horse fighting in the town of Kidapawan, North Cotabato, in the southern island of Mindanao yesterday as part of celebrations marking the 14th founding anniversary of the city. The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called on local officials in Mindanao to scrap the practice of featuring horse fighting as one of the highlights during celebrations, saying it is a centuries-old barbaric tradition. AFP PEOPLE take pictures as the hot air balloons take-off during the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival at Clark airbase, a former US base in Angeles city, Pampanga, north of Manila yesterday. At least 26 hot air balloons, including six specially shaped balloons took part in a four-day event, considered the biggest aviation event in the country, local media reported. THREE Taliban fighters and two teenage would-be attackers are presented to media representatives with seized weapons in Kandahar yesterday. AFP OMAN DAILY Observer 9 REGION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 LEBANESE soldiers secure an area in the neighbourhood of Bab al Tabbaneh in the northern city of Tripoli yesterday following fierce clashes between Lebanese hostile to Syrias government and others who support it. Right: Syrian soldiers who defected to join the Free Syrian Army are seen in Jerjenaz, near Idlib. Reuters AIN Draham village after a snowfall in north-western Tunisia yesterday. This week all roads that led right to the north and northwest of Tunisia were cut off by snow. AFP CAIRO The Arab League called yesterday for the UN Security Council to send a joint UN-Arab peacekeeping mission to Syria and decided to scrap its own monitoring team, according to a resolution approved by ministers and ob- tained by Reuters. Arab ministers met in Cairo to revive diplomatic efforts af- ter Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution that called for President Bashar al Assad to step aside. That resolution was based on an Arab peace plan and had Western backing. The Arab League called for opening communica- tion channels with the Syrian opposition and providing all forms of political and material support to it. It also urged the opposition to unify its ranks. As part of the Arab efforts, Tunisia said it would host the first meeting on February 24 of a Friends of Syria con- tact group made up of Arab and other states and backed by Western powers. How long will we stay as onlookers to what is happening to the brotherly Syrian people, and how much longer will we grant the Syrian government one period after another so it can commit more massacres against its people? Saudi For- eign Minister Saud al Faisal asked ministers at the start of the League session. At our meeting today I call for decisive measures, after the failure of the half-solutions, he said. The Arab League should ... open all channels of communication with the Syr- ian opposition and give all forms of support to it. The resolution said Arabs would scrap their monitoring mission which had been sent to Syria in late December but which was criticised by Syrias opposition as ineffective from the outset. It also faced inter- nal dissent and logistical prob- lems. The Sudanese general lead- ing the observers quit yester- day. I wont work one more time in the framework of the Arab League, General Mo- hammed al Dabi, whose ap- pointment had been criticised because of Sudans own rights record, said. I performed my job with full integrity and transparency but I wont work here again as the situation is skewed, he added. In place of the Arab team, the League called for the UN Security Council to issue a res- olution setting up a joint UN- Arab peacekeeping mission to go to Syria. League chief Nabil al Ara- by has already proposed such a joint mission to the UN sec- retary-general but the plan has drawn lukewarm support from diplomats at the United Na- tions in New York. The United States and Germany said they were studying it. The resolution said vio- lence against civilians in Syria had violated international law and perpetrators deserve pun- ishment. It also reaffirmed a call for Arabs to implement economic sanctions on Syria and decided on ending diplo- matic co-operation with Da- mascus. Analysts and diplomats say sanctions that Arabs agreed to impose last year had limited impact so far because Iraq and other neighbours have not im- plemented them. Although the ministers lent their support to the opposition, the resolution did not recog- nise the opposition. Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Ben Abdessalem told reporters that recognising the Syrian National Council was premature and requires the opposition get unified. Earlier he had told minis- ters: The Syrian people de- serve freedom as much as their brothers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other Arab states that witnessed major political change. Ben Abdessalem also an- nounced that Tunisia would host the meeting of Friends of Syria, a plan proposed by France and the United States after Russia and China blocked the Security Council resolution. Qatari Prime Minister Shaikh Hamad bin Jassim al Thani said the new forum would provide a good oppor- tunity to try to create a clear international direction to help the Syrian people to exit the crisis. Egypts news agency said Al Araby had proposed ap- pointing former Jordanian minister and UN envoy to Libya, Abdel Elah al Khatib, as the Leagues special envoy to Syria. But a source in the meeting said Khatibs name was not put forward. The Saudi minister criti- cised the Security Councils failure to back the Arab plan for Syria. Al Araby said the veto, cause of much Arab frustra- tion, exposed the failings of the Councils voting system. The League resolution ex- pressed the disappointment towards the Russia and Chi- nese stance which used a veto against supporting the Arab peace plan. Diplomats at the United Nations said Saudi Arabia had circulated a new draft resolu- tion backing the Arab plan for the General Assembly, rather than the Security Council, to consider. Assembly resolu- tions are non-binding but can- not be vetoed. However, Riyadh denied yesterday reports that it had for- mally presented the resolution to the assembly. Reuters Arab League ends Syrian mission CAIRO Egyptian authori- ties have detained an Austral- ian journalist and an American student on suspicion they had distributed cash to workers and incited them to take part in a strike demanding an end to army rule, the state news agency said. The pair was detained on Saturday along with their Egyptian translator and a local labour activist in the industrial city of Al Mahalla al Kubra north of Cairo. They were referred to the prosecutor general for inves- tigation, the agency said. It identified the American stu- dent as Derek Ludovici and the Australian journalist as Austin Mackell. The labour activist was named as Kamal el Fayoumi. The Australian Foreign Ministry said an Australian na- tional was detained in Mahalla and that the embassy in Cairo was seeking advice from Egyp- tian police on possible charges arising from the arrest. The ministry did not con- firm the name of the detainee. Consular officials from the Australian embassy in Cai- ro have spoken to the man ... He has confirmed he is being treated appropriately by local police authorities, the Aus- tralian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, three South Koreans released by armed Bedouin in Egypts Sinai Pe- ninsula after a day-long sei- zure said they were unharmed and would continue a religious trip, a report said yesterday. The three South Koreans, two men and a female tour guide, were kidnapped on Fri- day along with an Egyptian guide while returning from the historic monastery of St Cath- erine. Earlier reports had said the tourists were all women. They were part of a group of 31 tourists visiting Chris- tian pilgrimage sites. It was not immediately clear whether the Bedouins demand was met. Reuters/AFP Egypt detains Australian journalist, US student ADEN Southern separatists in Yemen set fire to a tent camp housing anti-government protesters in the port city of Aden, witnesses said yesterday, in opposition to an election this month to replace outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Southern separatists joined protesters calling for Saleh to leave last year, but the two sides have since grown apart. The separatists want to revive a southern socialist state that was united with the north in 1990. They fear the February 21 election will not serve their goal. Anti-Saleh demonstrators broadly back the vote as a step towards ending his 33-year rule. Witnesses said hundreds of separatists marched through Aden late on Saturday, setting fire to tents in the camp of about 100 protesters. About 10 people were injured. Weakened by months of protests, the Yemeni government has lost control of whole chunks of the country. Northern dissidents have said they too will boycott the vote, in which acting leader Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is the sole candidate to fill Salehs position. Meanwhile, activists executed early yesterday three men they accused of giving the United States information used to carry out drone strikes in the area, a spokesman for the group said in a text message. Al Qaedas Yemen branch, strongly active in the south of the nation, executed two of its members yesterday accusing them of spying on its operations, witnesses said. The pair was accused of planting tracking devices in the vehicles of fellow Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants and of providing Yemeni authorities, and the Saudi and US intelligence services, with information. They were publicly shot dead in front of dozens of residents after the accusations against them were read out, the witnesses said. Reuters/AFP Separatists set fire to Yemen protest camp KHARTOUM Sudans central bank is increasing dollar supplies to local banks to stop a slide of the Sudanese pound after it generated more than $300 million from gold sales, a central bank official said yesterday. The African country is undergoing a severe economic crisis after losing three-quarters of its oil production when South Su- dan became independent in July under a 2005 peace deal. Oil is the lifeline of both economies. Sudan has avoided an Arab spring like Egypt or Tunisia but the economic crisis has sparked small protests against high food price inflation. The pound hit a historic low on the black market last week after losing more than 70 per cent of its value since July as the loss of oil has cut off the main source of dollars. The central bank has sold 6.5 tonnes of gold since January which has generated more than $300 million, central bank spokesman Hazem Abdul-Qadir said. Therefore we are increasing dollar supplies to banks and foreign exchange offices, he said. He gave no figures but said dollar supplies would top the $35 million banks currently get per week from the central bank. He said Sudan had managed to get some foreign aid but de- clined to elaborate. Sudanese media have said that Qatar will grant a substantial loan but nothing has been confirmed so far. Sudan is locked in a row with South Sudan over oil pay- ments as the landlocked new nation needs to export its crude through northern facilities. Both sides have failed to agree on a transit fee. South Su- dan shut down its entire output last month after Sudan seized southern oil as compensation for what it calls unpaid fees. Sudan hopes rising gold exports will replace oil revenues but experts are sceptical since much of the gold comes from small-scale miners whose output is hard to verify. Reuters Central bank ups dollar supply after gold sale TEHRAN Irans supreme leader Ali Khamenei yester- day warned Hamas against any compromise in its fight against Israel, his official web- site reported. Always be wary of infil- tration by the compromisers in a resistance organisation, which will gradually weaken it, Khamenei told the visiting Hamas Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, according to the leader.ir website. We have no doubt about your resistance and that of many of your brothers, and the people only have this expecta- tion of you, said Khamenei, reaffirming that Iran will al- ways be alongside the Pales- tinian resistance. Khameneis comments come as divisions within Ha- mas have emerged on a pos- sible overhaul of the organisa- tions strategy. Hamas leader Khaled Me- shaal signed an agreement with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas earlier this month placing Abbas at the head of an interim government charged with organising elec- tions later this year. The agreement struck by Meshaals foreign-based lead- ership with Abbass Fatah fac- tion has run into serious oppo- sition from Hamas members inside the Gaza Strip, which the movement has controlled since ousting the presidents loyalists in 2007. In November, Meshaal called for peaceful popular resistance, which would rep- resent a shift in the movement away from armed struggle. He also expressed sup- port for the establishment of a Palestinian state on territories occupied in 1967 in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusa- lem as its capital. Haniya was quoted as tell- ing Khamenei that the goal of Hamas remained freedom of all the Palestinian land from the (Mediterranean) Sea to the (Jordan) river, the refusal of peace talks and the Islamic character of the Palestinian struggle. On Saturday, Haniya said in a speech in Tehran that Hamas will never recognise Israel. They want us to recog- nise the Israeli occupation and cease resistance but, as the representative of the Palestin- ian people and in the name of all the worlds freedom seek- ers, I am announcing from Azadi Square in Tehran that we will never recognise Is- rael, Haniya said. Israel, which views Hamas as a terrorist organisation and Iran as its sponsor and weap- ons supplier, has warned Fatah against efforts to reconcile with the movement. Meanwhile, senior Ha- mas official Mahmud Zahar slammed a Palestinian unity deal as a mistake that has thrown the movement into crisis, in an interview with Egypts official Mena agency published yesterday. The decision to have Ab- bas head the government is a mistake, Zahar said. No one inside the Hamas movement was consulted. The deal signed in Qatar ends a long-running disagree- ment over the premiership that stalled Palestinian recon- ciliation, but Zahar said that practically it cannot be im- plemented. If the consultations took place among the small circle around the political bureau (headed by Meshaal abroad), then this is unacceptable. The agreement needs to be reviewed, so Hamas leaders at home and abroad will meet over the issue in the coming two days. He said after a series of dis- cussions with Hamas officials and MPs we found that many feel there is a real crisis. The agreement struck by Meshaals foreign-based leadership with Abbass secu- lar Fatah faction has run into serious opposition from Ha- mas members inside the Gaza Strip, which the movement has controlled since ousting the presidents loyalists in 2007. AFP Iran warns Hamas against any compromise with Israel MAMAMA Bahrains King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa dis- missed the countrys opposition movement as disunited and said the threat of Iran had compelled him to call in foreign troops to crush last years uprising. In a sense there is no opposition in Bahrain, as the phrase implies one unified block with the same views, the king said in extracts from an interview with Der Spiegel. Such a phrase is not in our constitution, unlike say the United Kingdom. We only have people with different views and thats okay, he said in the article. The king said the protest- ers refrain Down with Hamad, sounded by trumpets and car horns and chanted at rallies, was simply a case of bad manners and no reason to imprison people. But he said chants in favour of Irans Supreme Ruler Ali Khamenei were a concern, echoing the governments charge that Iran helped foment the uprising which, it says, had sectar- ian motives. Its just a case of manners. But when they shout Down with the king and up with Khamenei thats a problem for national unity, he said. The king said he brought in emergency law to protect women and expatriates, some of whom were attacked. Also our women were very scared and it is the duty of a gentle- man to protect women, so I had to protect them. Reuters Bahrain king dismisses opposition as disunited ANKARA Turkish warplanes carried out air strikes on sus- pected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq overnight, Tur- keys general staff said yesterday. In a brief statement on its website, it said warplanes had struck the Zab and Hakurk areas, targeting caves and hideouts belonging to the separatist terror organisation, a term used by the government to describe the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The general staff did not say whether the strikes had caused any casualties. It said all its planes had returned safely to their bases after completing their mission successfully. Kirmanj Azaat Suliyman, mayor of the Sorran district in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, confirmed areas along the bor- der with Turkey had been bombed on Saturday night, and said there were no reports of casualties. On December 28, Turkish warplanes killed 35 civilian smugglers in northern Iraq after mistaking them for Kurdish militants. Turkey has stepped up air operations on suspected PKK dissidents in northern Iraq over the past six months after an increase in PKK attacks on Turkish security forces inside Tur- key. The raids have fuelled tension between Turkey and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq and triggered pro- tests in northern Iraq and in Turkeys predominantly Kurdish southeast. Relations between Ankara and Iraqs central government in Baghdad have also become strained over the past few weeks. Turkey fears Iraq is heading towards sectarian war while Bagh- dad has accused Ankara of meddling in its affairs. The new wave of Turkish strikes, which began in August, was the first in more than a year on suspected PKK dissident bases in Iraq, and marked an escalation of the conflict that has spanned nearly three decades. More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK took up arms for Kurdish self-rule in 1984. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The December 28 incident, which Turkeys largest pro- Kurdish party, the BDP, called a crime against humanity, sparked clashes between hundreds of stone-throwing protest- ers and police in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkeys restive southeast. The incident threatens to spoil efforts to forge Turkish- Kurdish consensus for a planned new constitution expected to partly address the issue of rights for the Kurdish minority. Ankara says it is conducting a full investigation into the attack and the BDP has referred the incident to the UN human rights committee and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, a move it says is aimed to avoid a government cover-up. With most Turks favouring a hardline military response against the PKK, the incident is unlikely to hurt the popularity of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who won a third term in office in a June vote. Earlier this month, the Turkish military said it had bombed militant targets in northern Iraq and that Turkish se- curity forces had killed five Kurdish insurgents in Turkeys southeastern Batman province after discovering them hiding in a cave. Reuters Turkey hits PKK targets in N Iraq Seeks joint UN force Calls for providing all forms of political and material support to the opposition OMAN DAILY Observer 10 INDIA MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 TAMIL Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa yesterday said her government would soon sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with a couple of Japanese companies willing to invest in production bases in Tamil Nadu. Inaugurating the plant of Toshiba JSW Turbine & Generator Pvt Ltd in Chennai, she said: "At present some large Japanese companies are considering substantial investments in Tamil Nadu. My government will soon sign MoUs with these companies." She said Japanese companies had been evincing interest mainly in the manu- facturing sector where Tamil Nadu is a leading state. "The auto sector accounts for about 60 per cent of Japanese foreign direct investment in Tamil Nadu. I am confident that Chennai will emerge as the world's largest auto cluster," Jayalalithaa said. Four workers electrocuted during poll campaigning IN a freak accident, four Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers were electrocuted yesterday when the party flag one of them was holding came in touch with an overhead electric wire, a party official said. The four were participating in an election campaign in Thane ahead of the upcoming civic polls in Maharashtra. The incident occurred this morning when the victims were preparing for a candidates procession. Ten people suffered from severe electric shock, four of who were killed immediately, Thane NCP Chief Jitendra Avhad said. The party workers raised a party flag, which accidentally touched the overhead electric wire. The current immediately passed on to the metal pole on which the flag was tied, Avhad added. According to eyewitness, the person who raised the party flag received massive electric shock and the ones who tried to rescue him also suffered the shock. Maramon convention gets under way THE Maramon Convention got underway yesterday afternoon on the banks of the Pampa river. The week- long event will see around three million people attending and will be addressed by prominent speakers from across the world. Philipose Mar Chrysostum, senior metropolitan, of the Mar Thoma Church led the opening worship of the 117th edition of the convention. Maramon is situated on the banks of the Pampa river, about 20 km from Thiruvalla and the convention takes place on the river bed under a temporary shed made out of coconut leaves, which can seat a lakh of people. A record three million believers are expected to visit the convention. Online tutorial for entrance examinations launched WITH the entrance exams for professional courses just a few months away, Technopark-based Oztern Technology in Thiruvananthapuram has developed an online tutorial for students appearing for engineering and medical exams. For it has joined hands with one of the most sought-after educational training institutes, that of P C Thomas. The tutorial would be made available through all the 2,200 state-run Akshaya IT centres. Saiju V Stella, CEO of Oztern said, Now, students have the added convenience of visiting their nearest Akshaya centre to practise or purchase this valuable P C Thomas Online Crash Course Entrance course. Students can also purchase a subscription for this crash course from www.EntranceWisdom.com. There are around 40,000 seats in the professional colleges in the state and this time, more than 100,000 students have already registered to take the entrance examination in April. Five killed in West Bengal road accident FIVE people, mostly labourers, were killed and nine others injured yesterday in West Bengals Bankura district when their vehicle collided head on with another vehicle, police said in Kolkata. Two women were among the dead in the accident on Tarapith Station Road. Three of them died at the spot and two at a nearby hospital, police said. IANS NEWS I N BRI EF Tamil Nadu to sign MoUs with Japanese firms: Jaya NEW DELHI The pro- posed National Food Securi- ty Bill (NFSB) will not entail large financial implications for the government, Minis- ter of State for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs K V Thomas said yesterday. The additional financial implication of the NFSB is not going to be large, said Thomas at the All-India Edi- tors Conference on Social Sector Issues (ECSSI) in Puducherry on Saturday, ac- cording to an official release. Explaining his point, the minister said that with the current coverage and entitle- ment and taking into account estimated allocations under other welfare schemes, the food subsidy bill for financial year 2012-13 is expected to be about Rs 88,997 crore. The major impact of NFSB will be in terms of food sub- sidy, which is estimated to be additional Rs 23,228 crore in 2012-13, he said. According to Thomas, if the government were to just update the coverage under Targeted Public Distribu- tion System (TPDS) using 2011 census provisional data, the food subsidy will be Rs 109,795 crore. With the estimated subsidy requirement under the NFSB at Rs 112,205 crore, the min- ister said this was an addition of just Rs 2,410 crore. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had resaid he was losing sleep over the rising subsidy bill of the country, including the proposed right to food law. Thomas further said the perception of some states that the coverage under TPDS provided in the bill is restric- tive and will come in the way of universal PDS being implemented by them is mis- placed. He said the rural develop- ment ministry and Planning Commission will consult the states to arrive at a consensus on the methodology that will seek to ensure that no poor or deprived household is ex- cluded from coverage under different government pro- grammes and schemes. The National Food Se- curity Bill, a dream project of United Progressive Al- liance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, is currently before a parliamentary standing com- mittee. IANS Food security bill burden wont be large: minister NEW DELHI After showing marginal improvement in her con- dition, two-year-old baby Falak is back on the ventilator after diffi- culty in breathing, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sci- ences (AIIMS) said yesterday. The baby was abandoned in a battered condition at the AIIMS over three weeks ago. The baby was put off the ven- tilator as the chest infection had cleared and the blood infection had also subsided. But she developed some difficulty in breathing on Saturday and had to be put back on it, said Deepak Agrawal, as- sistant professor of neurosurgery at the AIIMS trauma centre. Falak was brought to AIIMS by a teenager on January 18 with a fractured skull, bruises and hu- man bite marks all over her tiny frame. The girl who claimed to be her mother is now in a juvenile home. Nine people, including key- accused Raj Kumar Gupta who had handed over the baby to the juvenile, have been arrested in the case. The police probe delves into hu- man trafficking angle. The team of doctors monitoring the toddlers condition had said the chest and blood infection have subsided, but the brain infection is still a cause for concern. Her condition had shown mar- ginal improvement, according to doctors. The baby has undergone three surgeries so far. Doctors say the baby is stable, but critical. She continues to be critical, but stable, said Agrawal. IANS Baby Falak back on ventilator, still critical NEW DELHI As the number of middle-income families going on domestic vacations and busi- ness travellers on a tight budget keeps rising, international hotel- iers are rushing in to capture the mid-market segment bridging the gap between luxury and budget hotels in India. The concept of mid-market hotels is relatively new to India. Industry experts say there exists a whole range of tourists be- tween the budget travellers and the well-heeled. The bulk of leisure travellers are from the middle class and a large proportion of corporate travellers in India is mid-level executives. They want all the trappings of a luxury hotel but at an affordable price. With companies continuing to be more cost-conscious, and leisure travellers looking for val- ue-for-money options that do not compromise on quality, there is a clear gap in the mid-scale mar- ket, said Chris Moloney, chief operating officer, South West Asia, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG). One of the key drivers behind the booming Indian tourism, Moloney said, was the burgeon- ing numbers of middle class which has incredible headroom for growth. A recent survey by the Con- federation of Indian Industry and PricewaterhouseCoopers also identified the mid-market and budget segments as growth ar- eas. IHG has signed a joint venture with Duet India Hotels Group (DIHL) to develop 19 new Holi- day Inn Express hotels in more than 12 key cities by 2016 to ca- ter to this segment. We have taken 24 per cent equity stake, making a multi-year investment of $30 million into the partnership, said Moloney. According to the data released by the governments tourism de- partment, 740.21 million Indians travelled inside the country in 2010 (up by 18.8 per cent against 2009) while foreign tourist arriv- als (FTAs) were 5.78 million (up by 11.8 per cent against 2009). These numbers are expected to go up to 1,451.46 million and 11.24 million respectively by the end of 12th Plan. In comparison, the country has just 15 per cent of its 117,800 hotel rooms that fall under the mid-market segment, compared to 43 per cent in the United States and 35 per cent in Britain. There is a huge demand- supply gap in the Indian market. And with increasing opportuni- ties even in tier-II and tier-III markets, I am optimistic that by 2015 all the international brands will be in India offering services at different price points, said P R Srinivas, senior consult- ant, research and advisory firm Deloitte. Mid-market hotels, which bridge the gap between luxury and quality budget hotels, are also a win-win proposition for owners and operators because of lower cost of construction and services, especially in smaller cities. Sonia Mohindra, director, Un- der One Roof Hotel Consultants, said the cost of land was far more cheaper in smaller cities. Land was also more easily available there as compared to the metro cities, which is driving these in- ternational chains to establish their business in the mid-market segment there. Srinivas also said big brands were venturing into India because of China, which he said had al- ready achieved its peak with over one million rooms. In a product life cycle, if international chains feel they have set up enough ho- tels in the market, they will go to other markets. Brand building was another major reason for international hotels venturing into India. A majority of customers who pay Rs 4,000 or Rs 6,000 for these rooms are frequent foreign busi- ness travellers. These hotels find it easy to give them a taste of their services in India, so that when they go abroad their brand loyalty exists, said Srinivas. Last month Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, which operates 33 hotels under brands such as Le Meridian, announced setting up of 20 new hotels by 2015. Another top global hotel chain, Accor, has also said it will launch over 80 hotels in India by 2015. It currently has nine hotels under the brand name Mercure, Ibis and Novotel. IANS International hotel chains make a beeline to the country NEW DELHI With passenger fares on a freeze for years and lit- tle money to expand the worlds second largest railroad network un- der a single management, Minister Dinesh Trivedi has an unenviable task when he presents the annual Railway Budget on March 14. Poor financial management over the past few years has left Indian Railways staring at an earn- ings shortfall of Rs 7,000 crore despite gross budgetary support of Rs 20,000 crore last year and a Rs 3,000-crore loan approved by the finance ministry on February 6. Revision of passenger fares is long overdue. The railways need to invest in additional lines and build more rakes, former Railway Board chairman R K Singh said even as experts said populist measures of the Trinamool Congress have held the railways hostage. As per estimates, a 25 per cent fare hike can generate Rs 12,500 crore and is crucial to Indian Rail- ways that runs 10,500 trains and ferries 22 million passengers daily over 114,000 track km. The fares were last hiked in 2002-03. It is an unprecedented situa- tion, a senior railway official com- mented on condition of anonymity while describing the financial cri- sis, adding that it will certainly not help since Trivedi belongs to the Trinamool Congress, which is op- posed to any fare hike move. With 19 members in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parlia- ment, the Trinamool Congress is a crucial ally of the United Progres- sive Alliance (UPA) government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and has often shelved key reforms such as foreign equity in retail. The last fare rationalisation ex- ercise was in 2002-03, when the minimum fare for second class mail and express trains was hiked by Rs 1 from Rs 15 to Rs 16. For long distance trains, up to 341 km, the hike ranged from Rs 1 to Rs 6. As a result of the moderate nature of the hike, as opposed to a more realistic exercise, the operating ratio now stands at 100 per cent, up from 75 per cent in 2008-09. This means every rupee gener- ated is spent on running the net- work, with no room for expansion. All big projects are at a stand- still. The railways are unable to maximise earnings, said Singh, adding there is no money left to ad- dress crucial areas like the renewal and replacement of existing assets and taking up further development projects. For the record, the working ex- penditure of railways, which was Rs 73,000 crore in 2010-11, is like- ly to shoot by over Rs 6,000 crore during this financial year, ministry sources said. This, together with a carryover of Rs 2,000 crore shortfall in the earnings in 2011-12, is expected to dent the internal resource-gen- eration exercise by Rs 8,000 crore during this fiscal, they said. Several representations have been made to revise passenger fares since this is seen as the only way. Those in favour include the Parliamentary Railway Convention Committee, the Planning Commis- sion and even trade unions within the establishment. Will Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself the rail- way minister till last year permit such as move? An answer to this will come only on March 14 when her party colleague Trivedi presents his maiden Railway Budget. IANS Railways running into big earnings shortfall GUWAHATI A central rural roads scheme would be specially tailored for the northeastern states, where the low population in habita- tions prevents the launch of new projects, Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh said yesterday. The ministry is going to add a special dispensation in the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the northeastern states in view of their topographical difference with the rest of the country, Ramesh said here. The primary objective of the PMGSY is to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations with a population of 250 persons and above. However, the population is below 250 in a majority of the habitations in hilly states of the region, he said. In Arunachal Pradesh, the population was less than 250 in 76 per cent of the states total habitations, he said. Nagaland too faces a similar problem. So, we need to add a special dispen- sation in the PMGSY in the northeastern states for better implementation. IANS Special rural roads scheme for northeast NEW DELHI The week ended on a warm and sunny note for Delhi residents as the maximum temperature was recorded three notches above average at 26.1 de- grees Celsius. The days minimum tem- perature was a notch below average at 9.2 degrees and the maximum and minimum humidity was recorded at 82 and 26 per cent. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi residents can expect similar weather to- day with clear and sunny skies in store. However, there will be light mist early morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 26 and 9 degrees Celsius, said the IMD official. IANS Warm, sunny day in Delhi JAUNPUR Congress lead- er Rahul Gandhi yesterday blamed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for the sorry plight of women in the state. Even though this state is ruled by a woman chief min- ister, there is no one to hear the voice of women, Gandhi said, addressing a pubic rally in this Uttar Pradesh district where polling is due on Feb ruary 15 in the third phase of the seven-phase assembly election. With a view to ensuring participation of women right down to the grassroots level, the Congress made it a point to give reservation to women in panchayats, but that is not being implemented in the true spirit in this state, he al- leged. Citing a examples of in- justice to women in the state, Gandhi said: I was told by an old woman how her ag- ricultural land was forcibly acquired for some builders. When the builder demanded immediate vacation of the plot, the woman complained to the local police station but to no avail. Police not only refused to intervene but even went to the extent of setting fire to the standing crop on the poor womans land, he alleged. Stressing he was not here to make promises like other political parties, he said: When one has clear inten- tions, he need not make prom- ises. I have not come here to make promises but to take UP on the path for change and I am sure that we will win this battle. Ask Mayawati and (Sa- majwadi Party chief) Mu- layam Singh Yadav whether they cared to visit any vil- lage in the last five years, but when they go about address- ing election rallies, they were busy making tall promises, he said, adding he wondered why they had not done so when in power. Flaying successive non- Congress governments in Ut- tar Pradish where Congress had been out of power for 22 years, Gandhi asserted he was committed to the cause of Ut- tar Pradeshs development. And I will not budge from here. Let me tell you that when I choose to take up something, I do not leave it halfway, he said. Maya responsible for plight of women in UP The major impact will be in terms of food subsidy A DRIVER cleans a car during a vintage car parade in New Delhi yesterday. More than 60 vintage automobiles were on display and flagged off during the 46th car rally. AFP GIRLS walk beneath a row of parched tress on a winter day in Jammu yesterday. Reuters OMAN DAILY Observer 11 INDIA MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 A CENTRAL rural roads scheme would be specially tailored for the northeastern states, where the low population in habitations prevents the launch of new projects, Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh said yesterday. The ministry is going to add a special dispensation in the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the northeastern states in view of their topographical difference with the rest of the country, Ramesh said in Guwahati. The primary objective of the PMGSY is to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations with a population of 250 persons and above. However, the population is below 250 in a majority of the habitations in hilly states of the region, he said. In Arunachal Pradesh, the population was less than 250 in 76 per cent of the states total habitations, he said. Hospitality industry hobbled by land costs HIGH real estate costs, lack of any tax incentive and bureaucratic hurdles are huge problems for the growth of the hospitality industry that is one of the countrys top job earners, a survey revealed yesterday. The high costs of real estate and lack of any tax incentives by the government are acting as hurdles for the hospitality sector. These challenges are further accentuated by overall infrastructure deficit in the country, said a Confederation of Indian Industry PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey. The survey covered the top of the mind issues that chief executive officers (CEOs) of various companies face in the hospitality business from managing costs to developing synergies across multi-format, multi-location functions in the business. At present, a hotel needs almost 80-100 licences before it starts its operations in India. Almost all CEOs interviewed voiced the need for effective single window clearance to make the process smooth and avoid the untimely delays. Maoists may undertake offensive in Jharkhand CHASED away from two of their key sanctuaries in Jharkhand, the Maoists may carry out a series of major attacks in the state to regain their lost position, police said yesterday. As per information, Maoists may carry out major attacks in the state. In December and January, Maoists have triggered landmine blasts in Garwah and Latehar districts and killed nearly 30 policemen, a police officer involved in anti-Maoist operations said. According to the officer, the top leaders of banned Communist Party of India-Maoist are concerned over losing their safe dens Sarju region of Latehar district and Sarada jungle in West Singhbhum district in the stepped-up police drive and aiming to regain control there. Jharkhand Police spokesperson R K Mallik also admitted that police feared major attacks by the Maoists. There could be major offensive by the Maoists in the state, he said. He, however, denied Maoist incidents have gone up alarming way in the state. There were 516, 486, 506 Maoist incidents in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively, said Mallik. Attacked Indian students family gets British visa THE family members of an Indian student critically injured in an attack in Britain have got visas to go and visit him. British visas have been given to the family of Praveen Reddy, diplomatic sources said yesterday. The 26-year- old MBA student, who hailed from Hyderabad, was critically injured by unidentified assailants in London late on Friday night. At least 11 people have been arrested in connection with the incident. His family received information from the hospital authorities, who asked them to rush to London. According to reports, Praveen Reddy was stabbed in the neck, chest and abdomen several times and thrown out of the apartment where he lived. A quarrel between two groups of students hailing from Andhra Pradesh is believed to have led to the attack. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had spoken to acting Indian High Commissioner in Britain Rajesh Prasad, asking him to extend all possible help to the stabbed student. He also spoke to the victims father in Hyderabad. IANS NEWS I N BRI EF Minister: special rural roads scheme for NE NEW DELHI India will kick off its year-long intense engage- ments with the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) with a high-level dialogue, beginning here today, on critical economic, secu- rity and capacity-building issues between them. The comprehensive engage- ment, a principal instrument for taking Indias Look East policy of the last two decades to new heights, will culminate in the India-Asean summit at the end of 2012, when India will host the heads of states or governments of the 10-nation grouping. The two-day Delhi Dialogue, the fourth in the series that began in 2009, will focus on India and Asean: Partners for Peace, Progress and Stability. The event, to be held at Hotel Taj Palace, has been divided into four thematic sessions which would address economic co-operation, regional security, non-traditional security threats and networks of knowledge and science. The two-day intense delibera- tions are being hosted by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), the think-tank of the External Af- fairs Ministry, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The Delhi Dialogue is a sig- nificant step forward in Indias fast- growing relations with Asean. It is an important event since Asean min- isters are taking part at the invitation of our external affairs minister. This is the fourth edition of the annual dialogue. The leaders of the region will think of new ideas to substan- tially increase the co-operation in key areas for the mutual benefit of their peoples, ICWA Director-Gen- eral Sudhir T Devare said. Apart from External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, other foreign ministers to join the discussions include Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Malaysian Foreign Min- ister Sri Anifah Aman and Thai For- eign Minister Surapong Tovichak- chaikul. This high-powered gathering of foreign ministers from the region will be joined by the deputy foreign ministers of Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam. IANS Delhi Dialogue eyes Asean engagement NEW DELHI As tour- ism becomes a key driver of the Indian economy with its growing foreign exchange earnings and income generat- ing potential, the government has to streamline infrastruc- ture and visa procedures to tap the segments full poten- tial, experts across the indus- try say. Travel and tourism is the second largest employer in India and the second largest revenue earner. It needs no introduction. The country is a continent in itself. But the government has to sort out the visa road blocks and in- frastructure loopholes, Iqbal Mulla, president of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), said on the sidelines of a South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) business forum. Mulla said: India gets the second highest tourist traf- fic from the UK but the new Indian visa regulations stipu- late that a visitor from UK cannot return to India within two months of visiting the country. You need easier visa poli- cy so that foreign tourists can stay longer or return on repeat trips. India cannot be seen in a weeks time, Mulla said. He said TAAI has taken it up with the tourism and civil aviation ministries. Like other countries in the west, India too must introduce visa on arrival, Harkripal Singh, chief representative of the TAAI said. Pointing to a mismatch be- tween inbound and outbound tourism arising from visa con- trols and poor infrastructure, Mulla said outbound tour- ism was growing by 25 per cent and all tourism boards were buying from India. The outbound tourism figure from India is expected to touch 50 million by 2020, estimates by leading South Asian tourism monitors say. India should do much more to attract foreign tour- ists to the country, Timmy S Kandhari, executive direc- tor of leader, hospitality and leisure of PriceWaterhouse- Coopers, said. India gets only 6 million tourists while Istanbul alone gets 13 to 15 million tour- ists. India lacks infrastructure and rooms. We currently have 120,000 rooms and are short of 150,000 rooms. Land ac- quisition for new properties is a major problem as well as connectivity to smaller cit- ies, Kandhari said. IANS Streamline visa, infrastructure to tap tourism potential: experts By Ashraf Padanna THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The crisis in Keralas opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) deep- ened yesterday with the two leading partners Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPM) and Communist Party of India (CPI) continuing their verbal duel for the fourth consecutive day. C K Chandrappan, secretary of the CPI Kerala unit who is said to be lenient towards the Congress party, threatened to quit LDF after his counterpart in the CPM, Pinarayi Vijayan, issued a statement against his language, spoken as well as po- litical. Citing the recent controversy over a morphed Last Supper poster erected by the CPM, which leads the LDF, Chandrappan also ac- cused the big brother of being not straightforward in its relations with the religious minorities, especially the Christians. They should learn from their failures and the defeat in West Ben- gal. If things are being conducted like this, we would be forced to think about parting ways, said the veteran CPI leader, who was re- elected last week to lead the party for another three years. In his statement, Vijayan had also denounced Chandrappans statement favouring expansion of the LDF by bringing back those who left its fold to join the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) before the elections, saying his party was not in favour of toppling the UDF govern- ment through defections. I expressed the views of (CPM General Secretary Prakash) Karat that the Lefts base should be ex- panded but he was contradicting the statement of his own party leader, Chandrappan said. In a literate state like Kerala, you should learn not to hurt feelings of others. You should mind your language. The UDF government is surviv- ing on a thin majority of just three seats and there is a strong view within the LDF that it should woo breakaway groups led by Irrigation Minister P J Joseph and Janata Dals Veerendra Kumar and topple the 10- month-old government. If the LDF succeeds, it would mean another four years for arch rival, the leader of opposition V S Achuthanandan, in office as chief minister, which would be difficult for Vijayan and the dominant fac- tion in the party to digest if not det- rimental. Expansion of the front is not on our agenda and we have decid- ed to go back to the people with the charges against this govern- ment, Vijayan reiterated his posi- tion. And if bad language is used against us, we would be retaliating strongly. We dont require lessons from anybody on good behav- iour. LDF crisis deepens as war of words continues for 4th day NEW DELHI Just three days after the Supreme Court rejected his plea to reconcile his birth date in official records as May 10, 1951, Indian Army chief General V K Singh is all set to undertake a four-day visit to Britain from today, indicating that he may not quit his post. The Indian Armys offi- cial spokesperson said in a release here yesterday that Gen Singh will be in Britain till February 17 to interact with the senior British mili- tary and civilian leadership and discuss defence-related bilateral relations between the two nations. During his visit, the army chief will be interacting with the senior military and civil- ian hierarchy and will dis- cuss various defence-related issues to strengthen existing defence ties with United Kingdom, the spokesper- son said. IANS KOLKATA The Commu- nist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) yesterday accused the West Bengal govern- ment of attempting to gag the opposition and slammed assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyays ban on press meets in the house premises when it is not in session. An editorial carried in the CPM mouthpiece Ga- nashakti not only accused Chief Minister Mamata Ban- erjee of undermining the op- positions presence but also of attacking sections in the media which dared to stand up against her. It charged the Banerjee government with attempts to dry up government ad- vertisement revenue to these sections of media to make them fall in line. IANS Army chief to visit Britain from today CPM: Mamata trying to gag opposition NEW DELHI The Congress yester- day sought to distance itself from Law Minister Salman Khurshid after the poll panel complained to the president about his defiance on a quota for Mus- lims in Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may discuss the is- sue today, said informed sources. A day after Chief Election Com- missioner S Y Quraishi wrote to Presi- dent Pratibha Patil saying the poll panel found Khurshids latest remarks utterly contemptuous about the com- missions lawful direction to him, a cautious Congress said it expected the law minister to follow law of the land. EC (Election Commission) is a constitutional body...Congress always wants that all the Congressmen should speak as per norms of public life and law of the land, Congress General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told re- porters here. Avoiding a direct comment, Com- munications Minister Kapil Sibal meanwhile urged the poll panel to be concerned over things happening in Uttar Pradesh. Somebody gave a statement and there must be some thought behind it. EC has its own view and they are taking their action. I cannot comment more, he said. PM should take action against Khurshid without losing any time and seek his resignation immediately, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told report- ers in Varanasi. If Salman doesnt quit, then he should be sacked. PM should ask the president to sack him, she said. Other parties and legal experts also criticised Khurshids actions. The Communist Party of India- Marxist also said Khurshid should not have made the remarks. EC has slammed Khurshid and he should not have repeated it. He is a un- ion minister but Congress leaders can do these things, CPM General Secre- tary Prakash Karat said in Allahabad. IANS Cong distances from remarks on quota BANGALORE Indias flagship rural job scheme is causing a labour shortage, besides increasing farm pro- duction costs by about 20 per cent, a study by a city-based research institute said yesterday. The study by Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) said that the national rural employment guarantee scheme launched in 2006 has weaned away agriculture labour during the khareef sowing season that lasts from July to August during the southwest monsoon period. ISEC professor Pramod Kumar said, in a statement here citing the study report titled Impact of NREGA on wage rate, food security and rural- urban migration in Karnataka, that farm labour shortage had led to higher costs of production. He said that farm labour should be employed under the scheme only after the end of the sowing and harvesting seasons of rabi and khareef to mitigate the crisis on the farm front. On the positive side, the study found that the scheme empowered women and saved the rural people from extreme poverty while helping in reducing distress migration to urban areas. Ever since the scheme came into being, daily wages in the farm sector have shot up by a whopping 50 per cent. Though the stipulated minimum wage for unskilled labour is fixed at Rs 119 per day, the average wage paid is recorded as Rs 86, which is Rs 33 less, said Pramod Kumar, who heads the agriculture development and rural transformation centre at the institute. For the study, he conducted field survey along with his associate I Maruthi in the villages of Bidar, Bel- lary, Chamarajanagar, Chikmagalur and Dharwad districts. A majority of households indi- cated that the scheme has not been successful in raising their living stand- ards or their consumption levels as the number of days of work were not enough to make a difference on the poverty level, he said. According to the data collected by the researchers, against 100 days of guaranteed employment, the state pro- vided work for 35 days in fiscal 2008- 09, 57 days in 2009-10 and 32 days in 2010-11 (up to November). Job scheme causing farm labour shortage: study AN orchid, Vanda Usha, named after the wife of India's former president K R Narayanan in the year 2000 to commemorate their visit at the National Orchid Garden in Singapore. The tropical city-state cultivates special orchid varieties and names them after a motley mix of foreign leaders and celebrities as part of its diplomatic repertoire. AFP OMAN DAILY Observer 12 ANALYSIS/OPINION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 NEW CHALLENGES AMAN stands on a safari boat near Kurumba Resort in the Maldives. Reuters By Ammu Kannampilly L ATER this month, India will be removed from a dwindling list of countries where polio is considered endemic, a huge achieve- ment made possible by people like Madara, a 76-year-old street hawker. At a temporary immunisation camp in a slum in the northern dis- trict of Ghaziabad, 23 km from New Delhi, he is busy at work shepherding boisterous children into queues. All around, social workers break open tiny bottles containing a polio vaccine, selecting children from the thronging crowd of toddlers and ba- bies and squirting two drops into their mouths. Madara, a stick-thin resident from a nearby slum, says he began volun- teering to help with the vaccination efforts six years ago when he realised he could use his authority as an elder- ly figure to encourage participation. I decided to get involved as I wanted to do something for the future of our children here, Madara said. Most of the youngsters, whose par- ents are often rag-pickers or hawkers, live in the nearby tarpaulin-covered homes, a cramped zone of shanties where sanitation and awareness about hygiene is poor. Polio, which can be deadly and also causes deformed limbs, spreads via the faecal matter of victims, mak- ing slums particularly high-risk areas. Lured by the offer of bright plas- tic whistles and paper masks, chil- dren were keen to leave their homes, forming a disorderly crowd around the vaccinators as they dispensed the drops to infants and under-fives. India last reported a fresh polio case more than 12 months ago after monumental efforts by millions of so- cial workers and volunteers who have administered 900 million doses of the vaccine in the last year alone. If all pending lab tests for the virus return negative as expected, the World Health Organisation will remove India from its list of polio endemic countries this month, leav- ing just Afghanistan, Pakistan and Ni- geria in this category. As well as polio camps like this one in Ghaziabad, teams have travelled door-to-door, educating families about the illness and delivering the vaccine. They have put up makeshift booths in crowded public areas such as train stations, bus stands and markets, and in other locations, including construc- tion sites where they can catch mi- grant workers and their children. A vaccination on wheels service was rolled out across the north Indian state of Bihar in which social workers jumped on trains and vaccinated all the children on board. We had to make a detailed, dy- namic map of the area and send work- ers in boats to try and get across to stranded families, Lieven Desomer, head of the polio unit at UN childrens agency Unicef in India, said. As well as the problems of access, the government and international agencies behind the immunisation drive faced problems of ignorance and prejudice. Vaccinators were attacked, anxious parents would hide their babies from social workers, and there was particu- lar resistance from the some commu- nities in the north of the country. There was a general perception that the vaccine was not clean or safe because it came from the West, and that somehow, taking it would make their women and children infertile, Unicefs Desomer said. Indias crushing summer heat also caused difficulties because vaccines have to be kept at a low temperature to prevent them expiring. Five years ago, campaigners de- cided to ensure that vials were only carried in special carriers equipped with ice packs. Desomer credited the dogged persistence of the Indian government for the fall in infections, and said that in 2011 alone, the state contributed 80 per cent of the $264 million commit- ted to the fight against polio. The results of innovation, human endeavour, as well as planning and spending, are reflected in the number of infections. In 2009, India account- ed for half of all cases in the world, but infections plummeted to 42 in 2010 and none in the last 12 months. A FRICA is a dark continent. Look at it from a satellite at night. Most of it is dark with only blotches of light in the south, the north and a little bit in the west. For the rest electricity is a rare and pre- cious resource, limited to villages that line a main road or in the small towns. They are infrequent points of light. They dont light up the sky. From above all we see is darkness. I have been to a conference in Oslo, Energy for All financing access for the poor. Most of the participants were men in business suits. Not more than 20 per cent were women which was a slap in the face for emancipated Nor- way where women are 50 per cent of nearly everything politics, doctors and increasingly business. Nevertheless, the conference was a useful getting together of energy endeavours from very big to very small. Many trumpeted the rapid progress they were making in the use of solar energy, a system whose time has come as the price of solar panels sharply falls and oil prices have risen to the forbidding $100 a barrel. Into this high-tech, male-domi- nated gathering, stepped a frail old woman from the village of Dunkassa in Benin, Africa Madame Gueroi Comigue. Until now she had never been further than the nearby town. She grew up and lives in a village with a primary school but no healthcare, no electricity and the water supply com- ing from wells which the women had to porter on their heads. Malnutrition was often present and the growing of fruit trees and green vegetables lim- ited. She told the tale of the village as well as showing us a film that the villages sponsor, the Washington DC-based Solar Electric Light Fund, had made. She is the chair of the village women and they have worked togeth- er to install energy panels which pow- er a drip feed irrigation system which waters their food crops. This is a dry area with only seasonal rainfall and the difference irrigation makes is sub- stantial at least in village terms. Now production has increased, they have a surplus to sell, their stand- ard of living and nutrition has risen, they are eating more green vegetables and they spend half as much time wa- tering as they did before. They have money saved to buy during the dry season the staples they are short of. Before the project got off the ground only 4 per cent could pay the fees to send their children to school; now it is 22 per cent. The project also gives employ- ment to men five technicians to in- stall and maintain the power pumps, a local management team, a man- ager, an agricultural technician and a solar technician, and three masons to help build small reservoirs. They no longer need to use the old diesel generators that consumed growingly expensive oil and often broke down. The solar panels are non-polluting. So successful has this project been that there are plans to replicate it in eight more villages and to reach around 100,000 people. But success does not come cheaply. The project has cost $135,000, mainly spent on borehole surveys and drilling, on training in farming exper- tise and for the solar equipment. There is no way that Benin could afford this on a wide scale. The aid has to come from abroad and one can wonder how far into the future it can be sustained and, if there is success, does this American NGO have the resources to spread the concept far and wide? Despite the cost and the hurdles it is possible to think of development ideas like this beginning to spread in a significant way. The time has never been more ripe. After years of mismanagement, fi- nancial ineptitude, a long-term decline in prices for the main agricultural and mineral exports and, not least, civil wars, the largest part of sub-Saharan Africa is now on the up. Civil war is limited to Somalia and Sudan. There is a boom in the price of commodities for export and most countries have got or are getting their financial and monetary affairs in order. The result is that economic growth is averaging 5-6 per cent and in some countries more than that like Nigeria with over 8 per cent. India has been able to increase its electricity supply in the last few years from 57 per cent coverage of the rural population to 67 per cent. In Vietnam it has increased from 3 per cent to 98 per cent. So why not Africa? The heroes of Indias quest in polio ght How long Africa will remain in darkness By C Bryson Hull T OURISTS enjoying the sun and sand at the Maldives luxury is- land resorts have barely put down their fun during the political crisis rock- ing Asias newest democracy, oblivious to behind-the-scenes links of tourism to the tumult. Just a 10-minute boat ride from the capital island of Male, site of a police mutiny that led to ex-president Mohamed Nasheeds departure last week and ensu- ing clashes, lies the paradise most visi- tors associate with the Indian Ocean ar- chipelago. Step off the 15-metre power boat, re- plete with an air-conditioned cabin and leather seats, that whisks you to the dock at Kurumba resort on Vihamanafushi, and you are immediately in a land of luxury, water sports and relaxation. The political turmoil, as far as Ameri- can literature professor Jerzy Sobieraj was concerned, was an ocean away across the glassine turquoise waters at his feet. We are having a great time. We heard about the coup, but it doesnt matter to us. It hasnt affected us at all, Sobieraj said, sipping a glass of water alongside his wife, lawyer Ewa Korzan-Sobieraj, on a chaise longue. And even if there is trouble, the air- port is on another island, so no trouble, he said, gesturing to the nearby airport from where most tourists leave directly for their resorts without ever reaching Male. The couple was on a 10-day escape from winters bite in Poland. Kurumba is the genesis of the luxury tourism concept that changed the face and economy of the Maldives, a chain of 1,192 coral-ringed islands located to Indias southwest. The explosion of resorts after Ku- rumba transformed the islands from a remote outpost reliant on fishing to a destination favoured by Hollywood stars, honeymooners and others who can afford hideaway holidays where huts suspended over the water routinely cost more than $1,000 a night. At the five-star Kurumba, a basic room costs $225 a night, while a pri- vate villa replete with butler and a pri- vate pool costs $2,200. On the menus, a quarter-hour on a jet ski will set you back $70, a pizza around $25. Tourism officially accounts for 30 per cent of the Maldives $2.1 billion econ- omy, but Sim Mohamed Ibrahim, secre- tary-general of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry, said it was closer to 75-80 per cent. The Maldives now has 101 resorts, nearly all of them on uninhabited islands reached by speedboat or seaplanes that criss-cross the skies over the 90,000 sq- km archipelago. That segregation is by design, both as part of the Robinson Crusoe get-away- from-it-all experience the resorts offer, and to protect the religious sensibilities of Maldivians. The Maldives one island, one resort concept has been a saving grace amid the turmoil, said Jason Kruse, Kurumbas general manager. The local islands and the tourist is- lands are a world apart, he said. There have been some cancellations, but that is a result of people not understanding the destination. The resorts, which cater primarily to Western tourists and, increasingly, Chi- nese holidaymakers, are placed on unin- habited islands. That provides a crucial loophole: the ability to serve alcohol. It is banned on inhabited islands. Nasheeds plans to put new resorts on inhabited islands drew condemnation from political opponents who exploited rising conservative sentiment to savage his religious credentials. Pressure from pro-religious parties also prompted the government to briefly shut down resort parlours in January. Nasheed also drew fire for tax reforms that would have plugged some holes that allow potentially hundreds of millions of dollars brought in by tourism to escape taxation. Nasheed recently flatly blamed a cabal of resort owners for engineering what he maintains was his forced exit, although he gave few specifics as to why they wanted him out. The coup was largely financed by resort owners, Nasheed told journalists. Asked why, he responded: I suppose they liked the old order of corruption. Relax amid political fray By Catherine Bremer I N February 2007, a fiery Nicolas Sarkozy had millions convinced that he a go-getter abandoned as an infant by his Hungarian father would break with the past, end chronic unemployment and restore a sense of pride to France. His lustre began fading within hours of his May 6 election win, as he celebrated with corporate chiefs and pop stars at a gaudy nightspot and set a presidential tone many French people soon felt was showy, impulsive and even vulgar. Now rated Frances most unpopular president, he trails Socialist Francois Hollande in opinion polls for an April-May election at a critical moment for Europe. Sarkozy will struggle to recover in time for a vote whose outcome may well influence economic reform in France and across the euro area. Aides say when he launches his campaign in the next few days Sarkozy will apologise for failing to keep pledges derailed by the debt crisis but insist he is the best person to revive the French economy. He will champion reforms to boost competi- tiveness and slim the welfare state. That may not be enough to overcome a visceral dislike of Sarkozy among many voters, even in his own conservative camp, an issue that weighs on him, members of his inner circle say. Painstaking efforts to project a calmer, more presidential manner have so far failed to convince the public. Three years have passed since the most striking episodes his penchant for flashy watches and yachts, his public wooing of model Carla Bruni, an attempt to give his student son a pub- lic job and his telling a man in a crowd to Get lost, jerk. He has worked to diminish an early impression of being im- patient, pushy, fidgety and brusque. But the passion with which many French people vilify him is extraordinary and suggests the magic he worked in 2007, filling auditoriums with thunder- ous applause, may not work again. He knows he is disliked and he suffers internally from this personal rejection, one of Sarkozys advisers said on condition of anonymity. Of course we talk about it with him but its very awkward and it will be hard to overcome it in the campaign. The French dont want some kind of sentimental circus. While his hands-on style of governing won Sarkozy plaudits during the 2008 financial crisis and last years Libyan uprising and his micromanaging of ministries. By Bill Smith T HE man anointed to lead China for the next decade faces a stiff test this week on what could be his final visit to Washington before rising to the top of the 80 million-member Chinese Communist Party. Protests are expected by Free Tibet supporters during Vice- President Xi Jinpings visit, adding to US officials pressure over Syria, Iran, North Korea, Chinas currency, trade and hu- man rights. The visit comes amid US President Barack Obamas strate- gic pivot to the Asia-Pacific region, with plans to boost the US military presence there and steadily increase pressure on China to level the economic playing field. Washington is keen to give Chinas future leader an intense exposure to all sides of America. In addition to meetings with Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden who made a splash in Beijing last August by eating a down-to-earth noodle lunch Xi will make what US officials called a significant visit to the Pentagon, have lunch at the State Department and dinner at Bidens home. He will also hear from the US business community about the difficulty of doing business in China. He will stop in Iowa, where Xi visited in 1985. And he will visit Los Angeles, along with Biden, before heading home. The main purpose of Xis trip is to reduce the long-standing trust deficit between the two nations, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said. But Shi Yinhong, an international relations analyst and director of American Studies at Renmin University of China, says Obamas efforts to build strategic trust with China have not been matched by his actions. I think if we look at what the US has done ... selling weap- ons to Taiwan and in Syria, Libya, and what it will do in Iran, how can the US expect China to trust the US? Shi said. Xi, 58, is expected to succeed Hu Jintao as Communist Party leader in November and as president in March 2013. He is known as a princeling one of several prominent leaders who are the sons of former top party members. But despite differences with the US, Xis visit could be this years most important Sino-US diplomatic event, spurred by the need for economic co-operation, said Tao Wenzhao, an American expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a state-run think-tank. By Danny Kemp B RITISH Prime Minister David Cameron is facing growing calls to cut huge aid handouts to India after a series of perceived snubs from the former jewel in the crown of Londons colonial empire. Britain was stunned this month when New Delhi an- nounced a big contract to buy French warplanes instead of the UK-backed Eurofighter Typhoon, despite intense efforts by the British government to boost trade. Angry lawmakers then stepped up pressure on Cameron to axe the more than 1 billion ($1.6 billion) aid budget for India after reports that the Indian finance minister described the handouts as a peanut. Cameron who led a huge business delegation to India soon after taking office in 2010 has pledged to press New Delhi to reverse its decision on the warplanes. Im very disappointed by what has happened in India, but Eurofighter is not out of the contest and we need to re-engage as hard as we can, Cameron told parliament last week when questioned about the deal. The fighter jets setback was particularly bruising as it came during a war of words between France and Britain over the strength of their economies. Downing Street meanwhile insisted that its aid commit- ments to India would remain unchanged despite the furore. The government has always been very clear about sticking to its aid commitments and the fact that it would not balance the books on the backs of the poorest people in the world, a spokesman said. But the handouts to Asias third-largest economy have sparked anger at home, where austerity measures are biting as Britain tries to curb a record budget deficit. Camerons Conservative-led coalition government has committed 280 million aid a year for five years until 2015 for the Indian states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Stoked by the jet debacle, the issue flared up last week when British media republished quotes from 2010 by Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee dismissing the aid. It is a peanut in our total development (expenditure), the Sunday Telegraph quoted Mukherjee as telling parliament. By Danny Kemp R UPERT Murdoch will fly to London this week in a bid to quell the crisis threatening The Sun after five staff at his flagship British tabloid were arrested over bribery allega- tions, sources said yesterday. The Australian-born me- dia baron has, according to his pointman in Britain, given a personal assurance that The Sun will not face the same fate as the News of the World, which he closed in July amid a scandal over phone hacking. But the new storm over alleged payments by Sun journalists to police and public officials in exchange for information has sparked fears that it may be too late to save Britains biggest selling newspaper. The US-based Murdoch will come to London later in the week, a person familiar with the matter said. The per- son said Murdochs visit had already been planned before the arrests happened. Another source close to the matter said he would meet with journalists at The Sun, Britains biggest selling newspaper. News International, the British newspaper arm of his global News Corporation empire, would not comment on the trip. Murdoch himself has not made any comment despite being an avid user of the social networking website Twitter. The Sun journalists arrest- ed on Saturday were deputy editor Geoff Webster, picture editor John Edwards, chief re- porter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker and reporter John Sturgis. A Ministry of Defence of- ficial, a member of the armed forces and a policeman were also arrested over allegations that journalists paid officials for information. All eight were later released on bail. In an e-mail to staff on Saturday, News International chief executive Tom Mock- ridge said that Murdoch would stand by The Sun in the hour of its greatest chal- lenge. You should know that I have had a personal assur- ance today from Rupert Mur- doch about his total commit- ment to continue to own and publish The Sun newspaper, Mockridge said. A News International spokeswoman said: The statement sets out News Cor- poration and Ruperts posi- tion and support for News International and The Sun. The arrests on Saturday were part of a widening Scot- land Yard probe into alleged corrupt payments, and come a fortnight after another four current and former Sun jour- nalists were arrested over similar allegations. Media reported that many journalists at The Sun were furious over the so-called witch-hunt, and at the fact that News Corp had handed over the information to police that led to the arrests. US-based News Corp set up the Management and Standards Committee, an independent committee, last year to investigate wrongdo- ing at Murdochs British pa- pers. Commentators said News Corp would be keen to stop its operations in the United States and other countries from being contaminated by the problems at The Sun and the News of the World. The Observer the week- ly sister paper of the Guard- ian which led investigations into hacking said there were fears in News Corp that the bribery allegations could trigger an investigation by US authorities under legisla- tion prohibiting corrupt pay- ments to foreign officials. Sense of pride A stiff test No handouts Murdoch ying into Sun storm NEWSLETTER By Jonathan Power, Foreign Correspondent D ID you shelve love after marriage? Experts suggest that this Valentine's Day, with some planning, time manage- ment and surprises, couples can rekindle romance and brush away boredom from married life. TV actor Pawan Shankar, married to Yukti for more than eight years, feels that priorities change after having kids, but it's the responsibility of the couples to keep the romance alive. Shankar said: "It often happens that after having kids a gap comes in between husband and wife because priorities change. To revive that love, efforts have to be made from both the sides." He believes that women make more efforts, adding, "Ninety per cent of the women try to revive love in the marriage, while only ten per cent men make that effort. This is because men are not expressive. If there is a synergy at the mental level, then marriage is a bliss." His views seem to be similar to his new show Kyaa Hua Tera Wada, a story of a married couple with three children and how they try to revive romance in their married life. Financial issue and parental interference sometimes mar the romance and divorce lawyer Shiksha Kushwaha feels it could be avoided if the spouses spend some quality time together and be honest while accepting the truth. "Feeling of incompatibility, financial issues, parental inter- ference and extra-marital affairs are some of the prominent is- sues but all of these can be avoided if the couple take care of a few things. "Show genuine love and affection towards the other person. Pamper him or her and spend more time together. Also, avoid ego, during fights avoid calling names, and be genuine towards each other," Kushwaha said. There is no guarantee that in a love marriage adjustment is- sues won't mess up the romance factor. A young professional, Veta Ratra, who married businessman Sahil after 10 years of courtship, says that post-marriage couples get more time together but waste it in finding faults with each other. "I was into a relationship for 10 years before I got married. I am married for two-and-a-half-years. Marriage is an institution that both partners have to take care of. "But when you start living together, you tend to notice even the minutest things and complain about those things, which are irrelevant. But if you are content and satisfied with your achieve- ments, marriage can be the most beautiful thing," Ratra said. But there is a solution to every problem, says Samir Parikh, a psychiatrist in Max Healthcare, and suggests that some quality time with each other can work wonders. "Couples need a regular boost to their love life in terms of spending good, intimate and fun moments together. At the same time, one also needs to appreciate that merely enjoying occasion is not good enough, and they should try and find time for each other in the chores of routine life," he said. But at the same time he cautions not to go out of the way to impress partners as it could have an adverse effect. "One doesn't need to impress! Do what both of you enjoy do- ing together. A gesture is an extension of a relationship. Last but not the least, some intimate moments could bring freshness to a monotonous life," he added. So this Valentine, rekindle romance with little surprises. "Love is not lost but shelved back after marriage, hence sur- prises help in keeping the marriage alive. As one grows, the ro- mance also matures. In the initial years, giving a rose bud might look highly romantic but at a different stage it might look kid- dish. "But the things that remain evergreen are that you know your partner's interest and become a part of it. Get involved, don't do things just for the heck of it. Your partner can distinguish real from fake. So, show genuine interest," said marriage counsellor Vikhyat Singh. IANS 13 ENTERTAINMENT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 A CTRESS Liv Tyler has admitted she is constantly attempting to understand love. The 34-year-old is dating photographer Theo Wenner for the past six months. "Am I happy in love? I'm still trying to figure love out. I'm honestly still trying to figure it all out. Life and love and my ideas of love. And what love really is. And how it works and what it all means," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Tyler as saying. Paltrows Valentines tips A CTRESS Gwyn- eth Paltrow has tips for couples to make Valentine's Day special with oils, feather and a lovemak- ing guide. The 39-year-old, married to Coldplay's Chris Martin, also says couples should provide a string of romantic surprises throughout the day, reports thesun. co.uk. Paltrow suggests the day should begin with breakfast and swapping love notes before making a string of hearts out of coloured paper, or couples could make up romantic playlists for each other's iPods or heat things up with a love book. She added: "At 3 pm, you should arrange delivery of a bouquet of flowers, followed by a simple dinner of chick- en paillard with avocados. Later at 10pm for over-18s only! Get the Kama Sutra original weekender kit at 16." "This little kit includes love oil, a pleasure balm and even some honey dust with a titillating little feather ap- plicator for some fun wherever you end up." Singer Kelly loves the Bible S I N G E R Kelly Row- land says she doesn't have many backstage demands but al- ways insists on having her Bible with her. "The only thing I asked for is Fiji Water. When I'm on tour the only thing I can't be without is my Bi- ble," contactmu- sic.com quoted the 30- year-old as saying. Beyonce introduces Carter S INGER Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z have shared the first pictures of their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, with the world. The couple, who welcomed their first child on January 7, unveiled a set of intimate family shots on social network- ing site Tumblr, which show Beyonce tenderly cradling the tot in her arms and the rapper comforting his adorable daughter as she sleeps, reports contactmusic.com. In an accompanying message, the couple wrote: "We welcome you to share our joy. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives." IANS Still trying to gure out love, says Liv Tyler S PANISH psychological thriller Dictado (Childish Games), de- picting a man spooked by a little girl who revives a dark secret from his childhood, had viewers also on edge at its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday. When Daniel's childhood friend commits suicide, he takes the man's seven-year-old daughter into his care. But some of the girl's simplest actions put him on edge as they recall ominous childhood memories. "My character is afraid of a descent into madness because of the ghosts of the past," said Juan Diego Botto, who plays Daniel. "He is making a huge ef- fort to save himself, to remain healthy... but he cannot avoid the fact this trauma, that he never confronted, fully comes back in a monstrous form." Daniel is a gentle schoolteacher, in a loving relationship with Laura, played by Barbara Lennie who recent- ly starred in Pedro Almodovar's La piel que habito (The skin I live in). But like his friend, he is increas- ingly engulfed by irrational fears and memories of the past. During the day, he manages to repress his demons and carry on as usual, but at night they come back with a vengeance in his ma- cabre dreams. "It is about the shadows our child- hood project across our lives, from which we are never freed," said direc- tor Antonio Chavarrias. "The night- mares help to show what is going on inside him and the irrational elements of his feelings." "He is a perfectly balanced charac- ter, or thinks he is. He thinks he has a logical explanation for what has hap- pened in his childhood, he has been convinced it was an accident which has no further consequences, but when he sleeps he loses that control." The symphonic music, which re- calls the scores of classic American thrillers from the 1940s and 1950s, such as those of Alfred Hitchcock, heightens the tension and threat that ul- timately engulfs Daniel. Certain motifs are repeated in many variations like a growing obsession. "An echoing melody can be pretty but also become very nightmarish," said Chavarrias, who filmed the main plot in his hometown of Barcelona, in northeastern Spain. "Juan's character is a very difficult one because... his life is undergoing terrible change, and he cannot express it fully, so we thought we could use the score to help channel those emo- tions." Daniel's torment increasingly drives a wedge between him and his girl- friend, who desperately wants a child of her own and grows attached to the little girl. He becomes isolated, trapped within his own fears and jealousy. The girl, played by Magica Perez, appears innocent but is somehow also unsettling. Director Chavarrias said it was challenging to make a film about evil without any villains and it is pre- cisely that which makes it less easy to define as a genre. Reuters T HE battle between the generations has always made for enticing cinema. Yet nowhere in his- tory has the generation gap between the young and the little older been more apparent than in our technologically advanced world where there are so many websites to 'connect' us all yet so less 'human' connection. LOL navigates in the no man's land between the two generations and though there's really nothing new, its light, breezy manner and gentle humour that thank- fully works to push the drama forward than trying to force you to laugh and works to make a pleasant and fulfilling film. And with its various shades of love between teenagers, people way past their romantic prime, mother and daughter etc, it becomes the perfect film to watch on Valentine's Day. As if dealing with her complicated love life with a cheating boyfriend, who she breaks up with wasn't enough, under-18 Lola has to content with her divor- cee mother having an affair with her father. To 'complicate' things further, she finds herself fall- ing for the best friend of her ex-boyfriend. Lola navigates the minefield that is teenage life, through the complicated multiple lives she lives on so- cial media and in school that result in sometimes tear- ful and at other, poignant moments. It shows in very interesting manner how despite so much technology that is meant to 'connect' them, teenagers often find it difficult to connect with those around, be it their lovers, friends or parents. LOL, a remake of a 2008 French film of the same name, navigates its material well. Though there are many subplots, it does not lose way or get too gregariously close with any one of them. It resolves them with a lightness of writing and direction that makes it a very pleasing watch. There is no attempt at making a melodrama and neither does it dwell on the seemingly frivolous com- plaints and heartbreaks of the kids in the film. This command perhaps comes because writer and director Lisa Azuelos's last film was the original French. If there were any mistake in the original, she obvi- ously has had enough time to improve upon it. Demi Moore plays a conflicted and overwhelmed single mom unsure when to be strict and when to be lenient with her daughter. She confidently sheds her 'sexy' image in a role that will perhaps herald the sec- ond innings of her acting career. Though the film is about love and generation-gap, it is something everyone would relate to in their own way. It could have been made anytime and would have worked. However, in our times of too much technol- ogy with sufficient technology infused in the film, it works even better. IANS W HITNEY Houston's (pictured) death was expected to cast a sombre shadow over the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, where singer Jennifer Hudson will lead a tribute to the 1980's pop superstar. "It's too fresh in everyone's memory to do more at this time, but we would be remiss if we didn't recognise Whitney's remarkable contribu- tion to music fans," Grammy executive producer Ken Ehrlich told the Los Angeles Times. Prior to Houston's death, British singer Adele had been expected to dominate the show. Not only is the so-called Heartbreak superstar one of the leading nominees of the night, she has dominated album and singles sales this last year with her album 21 and deeply emotional songs such as Rolling in the Deep and Someone Like You. Adele will also be among the performers tak- ing the stage, an event expected to be an emo- tional moment after she was forced to cancel her North American tour last year due to a problem with her vocal chords. She's had surgery and marks her return to the stage on Grammy night. Other performers due to take the stage during the three-hour-plus show include Bruce Spring- steen, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Nicki Mi- naj, Coldplay, Rihanna, Chris Brown and Bruno Mars. The awards are decided by approximately 20,000 members of the National Academy of Recording Arts. Adele has garnered six nomina- tions, including for the night's top prize, Album of the Year. The top nominee is Kanye West, who earned seven nominations, all in the rap category, except his best song salute for All of the Lights. Also earning six nominations was the new prince of pop, Bruno Mars, and the Foo Fighters. Competing with Adele for Album of the Year are the Foo Fighters for Wasting Light, Lady Gaga for Born This Way, Bruno Mars for Doo- Wops and Hooligans and Rihanna for Loud. Musicians, many already in Los Angeles ahead of the Grammys, lined up to pay tribute to the singer, who sold over 170 million records before descending into a very public battle with substance abuse. She was one of the greatest singers I ever heard, said veteran crooner Tony Bennett, on the red carpet at the Beverly Hills hotel, where Houstons body was found in her fourth floor room. Police confirmed her death in a brief statement outside the hotel. At 3:55 pm, Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton ho- tel, said Mark Rosen, a police spokesman. A member of her entourage called 911 after the singer was found on the floor of her room. Attempts were made to resuscitate her, but failed. The cause of death was not immediately known. There were no obvious signs of criminal in- tent at this time, and it is being investigated by the Beverly Hills police department, said the police spokesman. But The Los Angeles Times reported that days before her death, Houston behaved erratically during an appearance on Thursday at a rehearsal for a Grammy awards party. Though she greeted people with a warm smile, she appeared dishevelled, with mismatched clothes and dripping-wet hair, the paper said. According to the report, the singer flailed her hands frenetically as she spoke, skipped around the ballroom in a childlike fashion and wandered aimlessly about in the lobby. People magazine and the TMZ celebrity website reported that Houston had been due to attend the Saturday night dinner, hosted by Davis who developed the young singer who made a string of 11 number one hits in the 1980s and 90s. Condolences poured in on Twitter from shocked fans and from the famous, as sadness over the news spread through the entertainment world. Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend... She will never be forgot- ten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth, wrote Mariah Carey. Grammys organising chief Neil Portnow called Houston one of the worlds greatest pop singers of all time who leaves behind a robust musical soundtrack spanning the past three dec- ades. A light has been dimmed in our music com- munity today, and we extend our deepest con- dolences to her family, friends, fans and all who have been touched by her beautiful voice, said the head of the Recording Academy. Smokey Robinson told CNN: I will always love her. She is one of the greatest voices in the history of music. The Recording Academy is scrambling to include some kind of tribute to Houston in Sun- day evenings show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, according to CNN. The tribute could involve singer Jennifer Hudson, it added, while Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich told the broadcaster whatever was staged would be respectful while highlighting her stunning music. Knowing Whitney as I did... she knew the importance of thrilling an audience, and thats what we still plan to do. dpa/AFP Spanish thriller dredges up dark childhood secret LOL predictable but fun Valentines Day watch Whitneys death casts a shadow over Grammys How to revive romance in marriage? Take tips from experts! F ILM-MAKER Apoorva Lakhia who made films like Shootout at Lokhandwala is set to remake Amitabh Bachchan starrer Zanjeer, and the film will go on floors in April. "My film starts from April 20 so I am going to start working on it, it is the remake of Zanjeer and next week I am going to shoot for an ad in Thailand," La- khia said on the sidelines of the semifinals of Celebrity Cricket League. The film-maker has roped in Southern superstar Chiranjeevi's son Ram Cha- ran Teja, who will step into the shoes of Amitabh for the remake. Ram Charan is al- ready an icon for Southern fans. His film Magadheera has become one of the big- gest hits of all times in the Telugu industry The 1973 classic, also starred Jaya Bhaduri and Pran, played a pivotal role in Amitabh's career. This film not only catapulted him to fame, it also gave Amitabh the title of "angry young man" at that time. Bennett to be honoured: California residents are set to honour the 50th anniver- sary of Tony Bennetts hit song I Left My Heart in San Francisco with a city-wide tribute. The 85-year-old recorded the popular tune in 1962 and now local lawmakers are holding a public sing-along at the City Hall Rotunda to celebrate its origin on Febru- ary 14. Mayor Ed Lee has asked every radio station to play I Left My Heart at 12 pm. It is not yet known whether Ben- nett will participate in the festivities. IANS Zanjeer remake launch in April
Film Review Film: LOL; Cast: Miley Cyrus, Demi Moore, Ashley Greene and Douglas Booth; Director: Lisa Azuelos; Rating: *** 1/2 14 OMAN DAILY Observer z MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 95228450 SPECIAL Rates on New Cars & 4 WDs RENTING & LEASING Tours and Airport Transfer Tel: 24582663 GSM: 95859497, Fax: 24582664, abcrent@omantel.net.om ERVICES ERVICES S OR RENT FOR RENT OR RENT F TRANSFER and installation of furniture with packaging. 96114982 CARPET, sofa shampooing, GUARANTEED CLEANING. 24793614/ 99314807 EXECUTIVE Office Services available Modern furniture, personalised telephone line with receptionist services, unlimited wireless Internet, P O Boxes address, Executive conference room (10 people), prime location (Al Khuwair), complimentary tea & coffee, service duration, quarterly. Contact: 99463334/ 99201763/ 24479400.
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AL Dhahira Tarmac SAOC are currently seeking for the following candidates. 1. 1 Mechanic HD Diesel Omani national or expatriate candidates preferably used to working on large earthmoving equipment such as excavators, dump trucks and loading shovels. 2. 7 Heavy Duty Drivers Omani nationals to operate our Man Dump Trucks at our Quarry in Wadi Ajran Al Buraimi. Candidates should be a minimum of 21 years of age and have a minimum of 6 months truck driving experience. For more information or to apply please contact Mr Ammar Ali on 25659011 or mobile 99334604 or e-mail to ammarali@tarmac.ae PHYSIOTHERAPIST and nurse required to work in a private medical centre 99611618, 99362088 OR RENT / INVESTMENT OR RENT / IN F AYURVEDIC Treatment, Yoga massage & slimming. Contact: 92504980/ 24475280 , www.drsajjay.com 2 ATTACHED industrial lands in Barka Saqsooqz 1400 sqm, each RO 1 per metre. Contact 92113060. FURNISHED and unfurnished apartments in North a Al Ghubra, Gala, Al Wadi al Kabir in addition to shops and offices with ACs with attractive prices starting from RO 300. Contact: 95098103/ 93296550/ 92283444/ 24494979.
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al-haditha centre Telephone: 24595951/1414, Fax: 24597979. AUTO REPAIR CENTRE Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all types of Cars and Heavy vehicles (ROP approved Grade A Workshop) OST OST L MOHAMMED Sagheer Khan Rafeeq has lost Pakistani passport No. NV- 4113721. Finder please handover to ROP.
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GOURI Kandavalli has lost Indian passport No E-2531007. Finder please handover to ROP.
WANTED for Omani family female driver with Omani or GCC driving licence. Accommodation, food, car, tickets and visa are offered. Salary is around RO 120. Contact: 99340050.
ANTED WANTED for family female with Omani or ANTED W BCOM graduate with good Oman experience in HR Admin/rent-a-car & leasing/sales support & back office management. Seeks immediate placement. 24812857/ 98731659.
B.Tech IT graduate having good knowledge in oracle DBA with OCP certified. Seeks suitable placement. Currently on visit visa. Contact: 95829462.
CHIEF Executive Officer/ General Manager with MBA, Engineering background & over 20 years international exp (including Oman, Middle East & United States of America) in General Management, Marketing, Business Development for Automotive, Consumer durables, FMCG is looking for suitable assignment. Contact 97299135. WAREHOUSE stores & logistics manager currently working with corporate management in Muscat having immense experience. Seeks challenging opportunity. 94211162.
8 YEARS experience with .Net,Oracle,PL SQL, Sql Server, Business Objects,VB & Crystal Reports, using share-point & moodle for E-Learning seeks suitable job. 96932038 INDIAN male, 22 years, BE ECE completed and having certifications in CCNA & Microsoft with excellent computer and communication skills looking for suitable placement. Contact 99676386, e-mail: thousi4jb@gmail.com
INDIAN male, 48 years, BSc graduate with 25 yrs exp out of 8 yrs working in Oman in a perfume co, having working exp in stores, sales & general accounting, purchase, computer operation, seeks suitable job. Contact: 92540909.
INDIAN male, B Com, having 9 years experience in Gulf as an accountant with computer knowledge looking for an accountant or any suitable position currently on visit visa. Contact 98735924.
BE Electronics & Communication Engineer, Indian male 23 yrs, on visit with certificate in CCNA and Industrial automotion seeks suitable placement. Contact: 99457898, e-mail: joeljames89@ gmail.com
SUDANESE Civil Engineer, one year experience in Oman. 92273940. LOOKING for job House cleaning, labour works. 99529342. JORDANIAN, (CIS, MBA qualified), seeks job in reputed companies in Oman or Gulf. Contact 99273600.
FEMALE Jordanian (Bachelor degree in dental technology and MBA), seeks job in reputed companies in Oman or Gulf. Contact 99273600
INDIAN male, 27 years, MBA. B.Com with 3 years experience in accounts and marketing, visit visa, seeks suitable placement . Contact 99687951.
EXECUTIVE Secretary/ Admn Assistant having 12 yrs exp in multinational companies (3 yrs Oman exp), seeks suitable placement in reputed companies. Contact: 99091047. AN Egyptian chef with long experience at hotels and hypermarkets looking for a suitable job. Contact 92319591, 98766269. INDIAN female, MSc (bio-tech) qualified, 5 years teaching experience in India, CBSE syllabus at school and pre-college level. (Expert in EVS, Science, Maths). Contact 98046628, 93567940. E-mail: shulesen07@ gmail.com (or) kumar. senthil71@yahoo.com INDIAN male, Masters degree in IT, MCSE, CCNA, CCNP, ITIL V3 certified with 8 years of experience, seeks suitable placement. Contact 99059728. INDIAN male, graduate with over 12 years experience in Sales & Marketing in Oman, seeks suitable placement. Holds valid Omani D/L. 92302187.
MALE, 23 yrs, Indian, MCA, PGDCA, B.Sc computer science, looking for suitable job. 97310219. e-mail: vineeth1000@gmail.com. INDIAN male, 27 years, MBA. B.Com with 3 years experience in accounts and marketing, visit visa, seeks suitable placement . Contact 99687951. BANGLADESHI having a valid Omani driving licence searching for a job opportunity as a driver or cook. For info 92895563. INDIAN male, more than 30 years of experience in a leading airline in Oman as senior commercial sales officer, seeks placement. Contact 99332596. CIVIL Draftsman (Auto- Cad 2D, 3D) cum Arabic technical translator looking for a suitable position in civil, environmental field (construction, consult- ing) 93282986, E-mail: ahdajmal.gmail.com B.COM MBA qualified accountant, Indian male, with one year experience, knowledge of Tally, ERP9 MS Office, seeks suitable placement. Contact: 92116105/99062642.
INDIAN male, 20 yrs of Gulf experience in HR, logistics, stores, warehouses and inventory, having Oman driving licence. Contact 98685237. MAINTENANCE supervisor, electrical, plumbing, civil, good experience in Oman with driving licence. Able to handle jobs independently, knowledge in materials and purchase. Contact 95798713. ACCOUNTANT: A well experienced accountant, B Com, very good in computer and English, presently working in India, looking for a job in Oman. Ready to join immediately. Contact: 99087175. BE Civil, MBA const. management (2012), 5 yrs Oman experience in building const, swimming pools, Oman D/L, seeks suitable placement 98448454. e-mail: civilengr12@gmail.com MALE servant: a well Gulf experienced male servant, can do all domestic works in house/ office/apartment, good in English, presently in India, looking for a job in Oman, can join immediately. Contact 99235823.
ARABIAN accountant has 7 years experience in constructions & Contracting companies looking for job. 968 96470036.
INDIAN male with B.Com, MBA, 17 years of experience which includes 15 years of local experience and holds a valid Omani driving license seeks suitable placement in accounts or finance department. Contact: 99705790. FINANCE & Accounts Manager, MBA (Finance), CA Inter with more than 20 years Oman experience seeks suitable position in reputable organisation. Contact: 94103929.
INDIAN male, 26 yrs, diploma in fire & safety, engineering, certified with occupational safety & health administration and medic first aid intel, 3 yrs experience. Contact 95415520. MORE than 15 years Oman experienced Storekeeper/Salesman having valid Driving licence, on visit, seeks suitable placement 99284879. 11 YEARS Gulf experienced Electrician looking for a suitable position. 93389441.
YOUNG male Indian graduate with one and a half years local experience, currently pursuing CIMA, holds valid Omani driving license with excellent communication skills seeks suitable placement in accounts or finance department. Contact : 97098973. PRODUCTION engineer, 6 years Gulf experience in false ceiling, fibre glass and rubber moulding, valid Omani driving licence. 95952104. INDIAN male, 25 yrs, dynamic, B.Tech graduate (electronic & communication), seeks suitable placement 99065827. MALE, 52 yrs, Indian, ex-service man (Indian Army), 4 years experience in Oman, looking for suitable job. Contact 96994858, e-mail: vineethofcl@gmail.com. INDIAN male 24, with ITI-electrical qualification and 4 years experience in all electrical works in Oman & India, seeks better placement. Contact: 98818419. INDIAN male, marketing executive, 15 yrs experience in Saudi Arabia, Thailand, China, India in building materials, seeks good placement in Oman. Contact 92781754. OMAN DAILY Observer 15 INDIA/CLASSIFIEDS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 ZAJELweekly magazine evry saturday along with ZOMAN DAILY [ for advertising contact Mobi l e 96224397 95181747 Tel 24649593 Fax 24649590 Emai l zajel oman@yahoo com 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 ITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED d BCOM gradua good Oman ex ITUATION S SAP F1 certified consultant attended training siemens MBA finance. Experience in accounting softwares, Tally, ERP 9.0, peachtree, quick books. focus reach, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95609792, e-mail: Jayaramsohanlal@ gmail.com
LINUX Professional looking for a Job | Skills: Linux/Open Solaris/ Windows Server/C/PHP/ BASH/C++/Python/ACL (ACL 105,201 and 303)/ ADA95/Java Script/ MySQL/PostgreSQL/ Redis | Lang:German/ English/Malayalam/ French/Hindi. Contact 968 92834702, E-mail: maxice@gmail.com
NEW DELHI The larg- est Indian business delega- tion to Pakistan, consisting of some 150 members and led by Commerce and Indus- try Minister Anand Sharma (pictured), will take part in a series of events, including an India Show in Lahore, over four days starting today. Co-hosted by the two lead- ing Indian business chambers, the event will mark the first visit of an Indian trade minis- ter to Pakistan in 30 years in an exercise aimed at ramping bilateral trade to $10 billion in three years. The delegation includes some top names from Indias corporate world, including Rajan Bharti Mittal, vice chairman and managing di- rector, Bharti Enterprises; Sunil Kant Munjal, chairman, Hero Corporate Services; K K Modi, chairman, Modi Enter- prises; Harsh Pati Singhania, managing director, JK Paper; Naresh Goyal, chairman, Jet Airways; Jyotsna Suri, chair- person and managing direc- tor, Bharat Hotels; and Arun Nanda, chairman, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) president R V Kanoria and Confedera- tion of Indian Industry (CII) president B Muthuraman will lead the delegations of their respective chambers. The delegations will visit Lahore, Karachi and Islama- bad for close interaction with Pakistani CEOs and officials in what is being described as a landmark initiative for removing the barriers so that the volume of two-way trade reaches its potential of $10 billion in the next three years. Any delegation to Paki- stan goes beyond business and trade. It will help deepen overall ties and improve peo- ple-to-people contact between the two countries, said FICCI president Kanoria, who is also chairman of Kanoria Chemi- cals and Industries. Kanoria said besides sen- ior officials, chief executives of over 100 companies would visit Pakistan to explore business opportunities. There will be a lot of participation from small and medium enter- prises as well, he said. Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar, chairman and managing director of India Trade Promotion Organisa- tion (ITPO) Rita Menon and senior officials from the de- partment of customs and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will also be part of the del- egation that will visit Pakistan from February 13-16. The delegation will have a series of meetings with business leaders and govern- ment officials of Pakistan, in- cluding Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim. Bilateral trade between In- dia and Pakistan was recorded at $2.7 billion in 2010-11. Trade balance is heavily in fa- vour of India with its exports at $2.3 billion and imports from Pakistan at $332 mil- lion. Major items of export from India to Pakistan are sugar, cotton, man-made filaments and chemicals, while its top imports from Pakistan include edible fruit, mineral fuels and organic chemicals. The trade potential between our two countries is very high and based on strong fundamental complementari- ties. One step of opening up of the Wagah border for all tradeable items would double bilateral trade, said Chandra- jit Banerjee, director-general, CII. IANS Sharma, 150-strong business team leave for Pakistan talks NEW DELHI It is business as usual for Indian companies and the economic interests of India are safe in the Mal- dives, wracked by political tumult and violence after the deposition of former president Mohamed Nasheed, diplomats and others said. India is one of the largest investors in the chain of main- ly coral islands. Its business and economic relations with the island nation have upped significantly in the past few years. Till December 2011, India had commitment and pipeline investments of about $900-950 million. "It is our first priority to make the Maldives the pre- ferred destination for Indian investment. From our side, we have all the safeguards, all the policies for making business more enterprising for India in the Maldives," High Commis- sioner Abdul Azeez Yoosuf said. Major Indian companies like the Tata Group, infrastruc- ture firm GMR, wind turbine maker Suzlon and others have invested in the Maldives. The largest chunk of Indian private investment has been made by the Bangalore-based GMR Group, which is mod- ernising the international air- port in Male. The total cost of the modernisation and opera- tion of the project is estimated at $511 million. "We are watching the de- velopments in the Maldives. The airport is functioning nor- mally," a GMR spokesperson said. The Tatas are present with their Taj brand of hotels in the archipelago, where tour- ists stream to, seeking sun and sand. "We have invested $2 million per annum in the Mal- dives since 2001 and we will continue to invest in our prop- erties there. We have an 18 per cent revenue growth with 80 per cent occupancy rate in our properties there," said Girish Sehgal, general manager, Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, Mal- dives. According to the High Commissioner, the current political turmoil had not af- fected the interests of Indian business houses in several market segments, including housing, education and hos- pitality. While the Sriram Group has set up a public-private project in education, the Su- zlon and Bommidala groups have a presence in the renew- able energy sector. There were reports that an Indian compa- ny was going to start a univer- sity there apart from building a wellness resort. "Big players have shown interest and we are in touch with them," Yoosuf said. "India is our very strong (economic) partner... We are entirely dependent on India for all our essential items like rice, sugar and white goods. We benefit immensely from India." Online travel portal make- mytrip.com's chief operating officer Keyur Joshi said that the uncertainty and "fear psy- chosis will go away in days". "The Maldives is heavily dependent on tourism and they will not do anything to jeop- ardise their main industry. We expect to take 2,500 tourists on charter service from Mumbai to the Maldives in three months starting April 15. It's a paradise only 45 minutes away from Thiruvananthapuram that has not yet been discovered by most Indians." The country was voted the world's number one is- land destination by readers of Conde Nast Traveller in 2011. The tourist sector accounts for one third of the Maldives' gross domestic product (GDP) and more than 60 per cent of foreign currency earnings. The High Commissioner said the Indian government has major plans to promote the Maldives' tourism in India and would open a tourism pro- motion office in Mumbai. It would also give incentives to Indian carriers willing to fly to the Maldives. Currently, Air India connects Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram to the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in Male. Sri Lankan airlines connect New Delhi to Male via Colombo. A ferry service from Cochin is also planned to start soon to boost trade and investment. Two-way trade between India and the Maldives was around Rs 400 crore in 2009- 10. India's state-owned banks have invested in the Maldives economy by extending credits to sectors such as housing. "India is our very strong development partner, espe- cially in areas like housing, defence and education," said Yoosuf. IANS Business as usual for companies in Maldives 16 INFORMATION/LEISURE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot GARFIELD by Jim Davis CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset CARTOONS DAY DUTY Muscat Thaiba 24421213 National 24712714 Crown 24542118 Al Rimah Medical Center 24479664 Sur Badr Al Samaa 25546112 Buraimi City 25653373 Ibri Al Aryaf Al Omania 25689715 Nizwa Nizwa 25412323 Salalah Al Mawasa 23294400 NIGHT DUTY Muscat Scientific 24451195 Al Hashar 24833115 Middle East 24540924 Muscat 24695536 Sur Eibn Al Yafai 25542267 Buraimi Al Hayah 25654188 Ibri Muscat 25689025 Barka Al Farooq 26884553 Rustaq Bader Al Jashmi 26876523 Samayil Al Hurriya 25359435 Nizwa Basmat Nizwa 25431060 Salalah Muscat 23291635 24-HOUR SERVICE Al Hashar ph, Ruwi 24783334 Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542 Al Sarooj, 24695536 Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601 Ruwi, 24702850 PHARMACIES 6.00 Opening, Royal Anthem, The Holy Quran, Preview of Morning Programme, Weather Forecast and Pharmacies on Duty; 6.15 Morning Tea; 7.00 News Bulletin; 7.10 Morning Tea; 9.00 News Headlines; 9.02 Piano; 10.00 Instrumental Music; 11.00 Light Classical Music; 12.00 News Headlines, 12.02 The Holy Quran; 12.15 Pioneers of Civilization; 12.45 Slow Mix Music; 01.00 Top 10 (Laxmi) Repeat on Thursday 5.30; 2.00 Lets Talk Business Nisham Repeat of Sat 3.00 & Sunday 6.00; 2:20 Radio Station Jingles And Programmes; 2.30 News Bulletin; 2.40 Forts and Castles of Oman Laxmi Repeat of Monday 3.00 & Tuesday 6.00; 3.00 Short Stories (Judith) Repeat on Saturday 6.00; 3.20 Radio Station Jingles and Programmes; 3.25 Mix Music; 3.30 Women in Focus Nisham Repeat on Tuesday 3.00 & Thursday 6.40; 03.50 Radio Station Jingles and Programmes; 4.00 News Headlines; 4.02 Around The World Live; 6.30 News Bulletin; 6.40 Words in Action (Judith) Repeat of Sunday 3.00 & Mon 6pm; 7.00 Night Groove; 8.00 News Headlines; 8.02 Night Groove; 10.00 News Bulletin; 10.10 Oman in Focus (5 mins) Daily; 10.15 D J Rock Special; 11.15 Mix Music; 12.40 News Summary; 12.45 The Holy Quran; 01.00 National Anthem, Close Down. Ministry: www.omanet.om Oman TV: www.oman-tv.gov.om Oman Radio: www.oman-radio.gov.om Omani Centre for Traditional Music: www.octm-folk.gov.om Keep in touch with Majlis Ashshuras news. Log on to the Majliss website: www.shura.om and the Majliss e-mail: info@shura.om Or write to the Majliss postal address: P O Box 981 Postal Code 111, Muscat Tel: 24510344 / 24521427/ Fax 24510560 INFORMATION MINISTRY WEBSITES MAJLIS ASHURA ADDRESSES OMAN RADIO FILM INFORMATION AL BAHJA CINEMA: 24540856, 24540855. AL NASR CINEMA: 24831358, 24831809 (after 3pm) AL SHATTI PLAZA: 24607360, 24692656 (after 2pm) STARS CINEMA: 24791641, 24792360 CINEMA Hospital. . . . . . Board . . . . . . . Emergency Royal. . . . . . . . 24599000. . . .24590491 Health Services Department Muttrah . . . . . . 24797602 Quriyat . . . . . . 24845001. . . .24845003 SQH, Salalah . 23211555. . . .23211151 Police . . . . . . . 24603988. . . .24603980 Al Nahda. . . . . 24831255. . . .24837800 Ibn Sina . . . . . 24876322. . . .24877361 Nizwa . . . . . . . 25439361. . . .25425033 Al Rustaq . . . . 26875055. . . .26877186 Sumayil. . . . . . 25350055. . . .25350022 Izki . . . . . . . . . 25340033. . . .25340033 Haima. . . . . . . 23436013. . . .23436055 Sohar . . . . . . . 26840022. . . .26840099 Al Buraimi . . . . 25650855. . . .25652319 Sur . . . . . . . . . 25440244. . . .25461373 Tanam. . . . . . . 25499011. . . .25499033 Masirah. . . . . . 25404018. . . .25404018 Ibra . . . . . . . . . 25470533. . . .25470535 Adam . . . . . . . 25434167. . . .25434055 Bidiya . . . . . . . 25483535. . . .25483535 Ibri. . . . . . . . . . 25491011. . . .25491990 Saham . . . . . . 26854427. . . .26855148 Khasab . . . . . . 26830187. . . .26830187 Dibba . . . . . . . 26836443. . . .26836443 Burkha . . . . . . 26828397. . . .26828397 Sinaw . . . . . . . 25474338 OTHER HOSPITALS Private & Other Wards Working Days: 16:00-18:00. Weekends & Public Holidays: 10:-12:00, 16:00-18:00 ICU Working Days: 16:00-17:00. Weekends & Public Holidays: 16:00-17:00 Special Care Baby Unit Working Days: Parents may visit at any time. Weekends & Public Holidays: Parents may visit at any time KHOULA HOSPITAL VISITING HOURS CRYPTIC PUZZLE ACROSS 1 The one question? (5) 6 Its a bit doubtful getting a jump start in a moment (5) 9 What a golfer aims to do for half an hour in a bad hotel (4,3) 10 Dark until changed (5) 11 Go up note by note? (5) 12 Aquestionable stinger in the end (5) 13 Peters vendors (7) 15 Sound and smell (3) 17 As a try out, one could have tea on it (4) 18 Jam, yes, but not much butter (6) 19 Form untidy heaps (5) 20 Quick what happened to Preston North End? (6) 22 Trio not sighted, as children know (4) 24 Turning his back, teacher takes a bit of a risk (3) 25 Nat rose to become a legislator (7) 26 Written by a misguided deputy, no union leader (5) 27 Should she use stronger elastic? (3-2) 28 All to give a child a name (5) 29 Bad man, but he may get the right result (7) 30 Aman with a mole, maybe (5) 31 One team standing out from the rest? (5)
DOWN
2 Add to the difficulties of a female monarch (6) 3 Cold as were told a foreign country is (6) 4 Like an emergency line on the house telephone initially? (3) 5 The old people seemd upset (5) 6 In fairness, its merely hard water (7) 7 Will it scratch away? (4) 8 Having no further capacity in ones occupation? (4,2) 12 This character, out of breath, wildly spread the word (2,3) 13 Measures to encourage climbers? (5) 14 Arkle, perhaps, historically famous in sport (5) 15 The custom of going to Southend a little? (5) 16 You need money to feed one (5) 18 Rushed out of the way with rapidity (5) 19 Asupporter placed so as not to move (4,3) 21 Increasing abuse of gin, sir (6) 22 Does most studiously in the army? (6) 23 No great fighter in the cod war! (6) 25 At bottom, they support our MPs (5) 26 Tip right into a vessel (4) 28 Arrange to eat a meal (3) EASY PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Scum (5) 6 Treatise (5) 9 Relevant circumstances (7) 10 Race meeting (5) 11 Indicate (5) 12 Underneath (5) 13 Stuck (7) 15 Single (3) 17 Dregs (4) 18 Creatures (6) 19 Facial hair (5) 20 Young bird (6) 22 Yield (4) 24 Fish eggs (3) 25 Exhaust (7) 26 Condition (5) 27 Take unlawfully (5) 28 Hesitate (5) 29 Young hare (7) 30 Donkeys (5) 31 Informs (5) DOWN 2 Dwell (6) 3 Gains a point (6) 4 Drunkard (3) 5 War-horse (5) 6 Revealed (7) 7 Store (4) 8 Canvas roof (6) 12 Brimless cap (5) 13 Change (5) 14 Border (5) 15 Beginning (5) 16 County (5) 18 Courageous (5) 19 Insects (7) 21 Main arteries (6) 22 Invent (6) 23 Maiden (6) 25 Freshwater mammal (5) 26 Offer of discounts (4) 28 Favourite (3) YESTERDAYS CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Tosca 6, F-resh 9,Rig-idly 10, Offer 11, Oddly 12, Flute 13,S-crib-es 15, Mob 17, Peat 18, Marina 19, Tot-em 20, Driven 22, Tube 24, So-D 25, Cla-uses 26, Tries 27, Serif 28, Logos 29, Lucifer 30, Stall 31, Ashes. DOWN: 2, Off-ice 3, Credit 4, AI-R 5, Wills 6, Flotsa-M 7, Ryde 8, Salmon 12, Felon 13, Spuds 14,Rabid 15, Minus 16, BA-Les 18, Meals 19, Tearful 21, Ro- ber-t 22, Tutors 23, Before 25, Celia 26, Till 28, Lea. YESTERDAYS EASY SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Waist 6, Daisy 9, Trapper 10, Glory 11, Girls 12, Beard 13, Meddled 15, Sew 17, Epee 18, Reside 19, Aches 20, Dearth 22, Desk 24, Say 25, Repents 26, Tiber 27, Stair 28, Rites 29, Readier 30, Irked 31, Petty. DOWN: 2, Asleep 3, Stride 4, Try 5, Speed 6, Degrees 7, Arid 8, Salted 12, Bench 13, Mends 14, Delay 15, Siren 16, Weeks 18, Refer 19, Attired 21, Easter 22, Desire 23, Street 25, Reads 26, Tire 28, Rep. CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Kidnap (6) 5 Fuel-tanker (6) 9 Wanderer (5) 10 Cushion (6) 11 Attic (6) 12 Foot-lever (5) 14 Cipher (4) 17 Managed (3) 18 Heap (4) 20 Handle (5) 22 Transparent (5) 23 Fit (7) 24 Number (5) 26 Sail-boat (5) 29 Poke (4) 30 Married (3) 32 Caribou (4) 33 Hell (5) 35 Crept (6) 36 Absconded (6) 37 Royal (5) 38 Furnished (6) 39 Ebb (6) DOWN 1 View (6) 2 Deceive (6) 3 Harvest (4) 4 Soar (5) 5 Started (5) 6 Spoken (4) 7 Sally (6) 8 Cad (6) 13 Blinded (7) 15 Command (5) 16 Relaxed (5) 18 Beg (5) 19 Machine (5) 21 Number (3) 22 Weep (3) 24 Elf (6) 25 Uttered (6) 27 Middle (6) 28 Plod (6) 30 Paddled (5) 31 Prevent (5) 33 Present (4) 34 Only (4) YESTERDAYS QUICK SOLUTION ACROSS: 1, Grip 4, Dim 6, Care 9, Lie 10, Encir- cle 11, Alas 14, Ban 16, Shame 19, Confused 21, Sever 23, Deceived 24, Needy 27, Rip 31, Purr 33, Imitated 34, Due 35, Heed 36, Tan 37, Yarn. DOWN: 2, Rank 3, Pail 4, Deceased 5, Meet 6, Clash 7, Ail 8, Realm 12, Scorn 13, Angle 14, Bus 15, Never 17, Alive 18, Evade 20, Decision 22, Rep 25, Exude 26, Dared 28, Wilt 29, Lady 30, Bear 32, Rue. QUICK CROSSWORD It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through. Zig Ziglar When we see persons of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see persons of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves. Confucius QUOTATIONS FOR TODAY FAISAL BIN ALI AL SAID MUSEUM, Tel: 24641650 MUSEUM OF OMANI HERITAGE, Tel: 24600946 CHILDRENS SCIENCE MUSEUM. Tel: 24605368 NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, Tel: 24641374 NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289 SULTANS ARMED FORCES MUSEUM, Tel: 24312646 CURRENCY MUSEUM, Tel: 24796102 MUSCAT GATE MUSEUM, Tel: 24739005. OMANI-FRENCH MUSEUM (Bait Fransa), Tel: 24736613 BAIT AL ZUBAIR, Tel: 24736688 BAIT ANAMAN, Tel: 24641300 SOHAR FORT MUSEUM. Tel: 26844758 NAHKAL FORT, Tel: 26781384 BAIT AL MAKHAM. Tel: 24641300 BAIT ADAM MUSEUM, QURUM, Tel: 24605033, 24605013 OIL AND GAS EXHIBITION CENTRE AND PLANE-TARIUM, Tel: 24677834. PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24675542. AQUARIUM at the Marine Science and Fisheries Centre (located next to Marina Bandar Rowdha, Sidab). SALALAH MUSEUM, Tel: 23294549 CULTURAL CENTRE, Tel: 23294549. SUR MARITIME MUSEUM, Tel: 24541466. BAIT AL BARANDA, Tel: 24714262. MUSEUMS I N OMAN EMERGENCY 9 9 9 9 DG of Passports & Residency, 24569603 DG of Customs, 24714626 Traffic offences, 24510227/228 ROP Public Relations, 24569270 Consumer Complaints Cell, 24817013 Muscat Governorate Headquarters, 24560021 Muscat, 24736611 Wattayah, 24677990 Ruwi, 24701099 Muttrah, 24712211 Bausher, 24600099 Al Amerat, 24875999 Qurayat, 24845555 ASeeb, 24420099 Al-Athaiba, 24521099 AI-Khodh, 24425012 Directorate of the University Security, 24513999 Directorate of Traffic Muscat, 24567898 Al Batinah Headquarters, 26840096 Al Rustaq Division, 26875099 Al Dakhiliyah, 25425099 Nizwa Division, 25425099 Samayil Division, 25350099 Al Sharqiyah Headquarters, 25545070 Ibra Division, 25570100 Al Dhahirah Headquarters, 25650099 Al Buraimi Division, 25650199 Ibri Division, 25689099 Al Wusta Headquarters, 23436099 Haima Division, 23436211 Special Task Force, 24560088 Coastguard Headquarters, 24714888 Dhofar Governorate Headquarters, 23234599 Salalah Police Station, 23290099 Thamrait Division, 23279099 Musandam Governorate Headquarters, 26730299 Khasab Division, 26731502 ROYAL OMAN POLI CE ROP websites: www.rop.gov.om, www.ropoman. net and e-mail: ropnet@omantel.net.om IF ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY: A romantic disappointment in the coming year must not make you lose confidence in human relationships. You are capable of arousing true feelings in the right person, and there is plenty of time to find the happiness you seek. So stick to your old friends for the time being. YOUR STARS ARRIVALS MONDAY Flight No Aircraft From / Via STA
BA072 B777 Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001 AI986 A321 Bombay-Ahmedabad 0005 9W539 B737-8 Bombay 0045 WY371 A330-200 Colombo-Male 0050 WY217 B737-8 Trivandrum 0115 PK230 B737-3 Lahore 0115 WY253 B737-8 Madras 0115 WY601 E175AR Dubai 0115 WY237 B737-8 Hyderabad 0120 WY223 B737-8 Cochin 0120 WY631 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0120 WY825 A330-200 Kuala Lumpur 0125 WY661 E175AR Doha 0130 WY241 B737-8 Delhi 0130 9W529 B737-8 Trivandrum 0130 WY201 B737-8 Bombay 0130 WY285 B737-8 Bangalore 0135 WY651 B737-7 Bahrain 0140 WY711 B737-8 Zanzibar-Dar-es-Salaam 0145 WY329 B737-8 Lahore 0200 WY273 B737-8 Jaipur 0205 TK859 B737-8 Istanbul 0220 WY335 B737-8 Kathmandu 0235 WY813 A330-200 Bangkok 0250 PK226 A310 Karachi 0300 EK867 B777 Dubai 0500 EY385 A320 Abu Dhabi 0525 QR171 A320 Doha 0550 GF561 E190 Bahrain 0700 WY3301 ATR42 Mukhaizna 0730 WY603 E175AR Dubai 0800 FZ044 B737-8 Dubai 0820 WY315 B737-8 Chittagong 0900 WY915 E175AR Salalah 0905 NL769 B737-2 Lahore 0945 WY297 B737-8 Calicut 1005 WY263 B737-8 Lucknow 1010 WY323 B737-8 Karachi 1020 WY917 ATR42 Khasab 1030 WY605 B737-8 Dubai 1030 WY923 B737-8 Salalah 1035 G9114 A320 Sharjah 1035 WY203 B737-8 Bombay 1040 EK863 B777 Dubai 1045 EY383 A320 Abu Dhabi 1050 QR167 A321 Doha 1055 9W533 B737-8 Cochin 1145 WY653 E175AR Bahrain 1215 IX542 B737-8 Trivandrum 1220 WY645 B737-8 Kuwait 1255 WY145 A330-200 Malpensa 1300 WY425 B737-8 Amman-Beirut 1300 WY113 A330-300 Frankfurt 1300 WY405 B737-8 Cairo 1310 GF563 E190 Bahrain 1315 WY131 A330-200 Paris 1330 WY637 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 1345 WY663 E175AR Doha 1350 IX350 B737-8 Calicut 1355 WY101 A330-300 London Heathrow 1400 WY121 A330-300 Munich 1405 WY3303 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1430 WY607 B737-8 Dubai 1440 PK260 A310 Islamabad-Sialkot 1510 WY671 B737-8 Jeddah 1540 WY925 B737-8 Salalah 1540 WY619 E175AR Dubai 1715 ED451 A319 Lahore 1730 WY615 B737-8 Dubai 1805 IX146 B737-8 Amritsar 1815 GF565 A319 Bahrain 1855 WY647 B737-8 Kuwait 1905 WY685 B737-8 Dammam 1905 WY927 B737-8 Salalah 1905 WY667 B737-8 Doha 1910 WY681 B737-8 Riyadh 1910 WY655 B737-8 Bahrain 1915 G9118 A320 Sharjah 1945 WY635 E175AR Abu Dhabi 2015 WY623 ATR42 Al Ain 2015 WY613 B737-8 Dubai 2045 FZ048 B737-8 Dubai 2105 KL450 A330 Abu Dhabi-Amsterdam 2200 AI978 A319 Hyderabad-Bangalore 2200 UL206 A320 Colombo 2240 WY913 B737-8 Salalah 2245 AI908 A319 Madras 2300 AI974 A320 Delhi 2310 EY381 A320 Abu Dhabi 2325 QR169 A320 Doha 2335 LX243 A330 Dubai-Zurich 2335 WY673 B737-8 Jeddah 2340 GF567 B737-7 Bahrain 2345 LH619 A340 Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt 2345 AQUARIUS (January 21-February 19) Dont be too strongly in- fluenced by a letter from a friend living abroad. He may be too far away to understand your situation. PISCES (February 20-March 20) Dont let a recent increase in earnings make you for- get your decision to be careful. It is still not wise to spend your money on useless trifles. ARIES (March 21-April 20) Your personal relationship with a person of the op- posite sex needs improving, and you ought to go out of your way to put it on a firmer basis. TAURUS (April 21-May 20) Your hard work will soon be rewarded with a nice pay increase which will enable you to buy a few luxuries you have not been able to afford in the past. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) If you get into the spirit of the occasion, you will derive unexpected pleasure from a fam- ily gathering to which you had not been looking forward. CANCER (June 22-July 21) Readjustment of your finan- cial position will ease your present worries and you ought to attack the problem with proper speed and con- sideration for the future. LEO (July 22-August 21) After completing a business deal very successfully, dont talk about it too much, but concentrate your efforts on reaping the benefit of the transaction. VIRGO (August 22-September 22) With your exceptional en- durance and ambition you must eventually succeed, even though results so far have not been too encour- aging for you. LIBRA (September 23-October 22) You will be greatly relieved that a disquieting report you heard about a close relative has proved completely unfounded. SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) Past practical experience, rather than untried theory would be a much better guide to the job which you will have to tackle today. SAGITTARIUS (November 22- December 21) Take care not to embar- rass a sensitive person and refrain from mentioning an unpleasant mat- ter which he isnt aware of. CAPRICORN (December 22- January 20) Somebody is taking advan- tage of your generous nature and get- ting money from you which you can ill afford. Put a stop to it once and for all. OMAN DAILY Observer 17 SPORT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 PEBBLE BEACH, Califor- nia Charlie Wi is the first to admit he has always had a penchant for folding under pressure. The 40-year-old South Ko- rean is in his seventh year and still looking for his first vic- tory on the PGA Tour. "I am sure I will be fight- ing my demons all day to- morrow," said Wi. "It is how I handle myself that is going to be the outcome of this tournament." Wi, who shot a tournament course record nine-under 61 on Thursday, fired a three- under 69 Saturday to maintain his slim lead heading into Sun- day's final round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Wi has a three-stroke mar- gin over American Ken Duke after a bogey-free round that featured three birdies un- der rainy conditions on the more difficult Spyglass Hill course. He has had four runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour and was in contention as recently as three months ago at the Frys.com Open. The last time Wi had the lead heading the final round was last year when he had a one-shot cushion but lost to Davis Love at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. Wi said he has been work- ing on preparing himself men- tally for tournaments with a sports psychologist and he is just now seeing the results. "By demons, I mean I tend to get ahead of myself a lot," he said. "Meaning self-doubt can I really hit that shot or am I going to be nervous. "Something turned over the last couple of months where I really started to feel comfort- able with myself out there on the course." Wi said he found his game slipping a few times on Satur- day but was able to reel in his emotions. "I definitely caught myself getting ahead today but I was able to get back to what I was doing and I am really happy about that," Wi said. But it won't help on Sun- day that Wi has some heavy hitters breathing down his neck, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who will be playing in the group right behind Wi and Duke. "He's won 70-some times and I am trying to get my first and I have a lot more pressure on me than he does," said Wi of Woods. "I am sure I won't sleep as well tonight as if I am in 50th place." Wi was born in Seoul but moved with his family to Los Angeles when he was 10 years old where his father set up an import-export business. He attended college on a golf scholarship at the Univer- sity of California at Berkeley and now lives just outside of Los Angeles in the suburb of Westlake Village. Wi has 16 top 10 finishes in his PGA Tour career and nine wins internationally so he isn't a complete stranger to winning. His first victory came in 1997 at the Kuala Lumpur Open in Malaysia but his last international triumph was more than five years ago at the Malaysian Open. "I have won all over the world, even in Europe," he said. "I know how to win when I am in contention. So we will see how it plays out tomorrow." "It is just a matter of how I handle myself emotionally tomorrow. That is going to make the difference." AFP Wi looks for first PGA win at Pebble Beach PHILADELPHIA An even- ly balanced offense helped the Atlantic Division-leading Phil- adelphia 76ers easily defeat the under-manned Cleveland Cavaliers 99-84 in the NBA on Saturday. Six players scored 10 or more points for the 76ers (19-9) with Jrue Holiday lead- ing the way with 20. Reserves Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young added 19 and 16 points in the victory which followed their first two-game losing streak of the season. The Cavaliers (10-16) struggled in the absence of rookie guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his third consecutive game because of concussion, and centre Anderson Varejao, who has a right wrist injury. "I told our guys that the worst thing they could pos- sibly do would be to come in here and overlook a team like Cleveland, with all of its inju- ries," 76ers coach Doug Col- lins told reporters. "That would have been a huge mistake. They didn't and I'm very proud of the guys." The 76ers took control of the contest late in the first quarter when they went on a 14-2 run after a timeout to grab a commanding 30-19 lead. It was much of the same in the second quarter as the visitors built up a 21 point lead before settling for a 58-41 ad- vantage at halftime. Antawn Jamison led the Cavaliers with 20 points while Ramon Sessions added 19 points for the home side, who had lost in overtime to Mil- waukee on Friday. "The energy wasn't there from the start to the finish. I kind of expected that watching the guys in the locker room before the game," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott told report- ers. "I told them, 'I understand,' but it doesn't take away from the fact we need to compete at a high level like we're capable of doing." Results: LAClippers bt Charlotte Bobcats 111-86, Denver Nuggets bt Indiana Pacers 113-109, Philadelphia 76ers bt Cleveland Cavs 99-84, NY Knicks bt Minnesota Timberwolves 100-98, San Antonio Spurs bt New Jersey Nets 103-89, Dallas Maver- icks bt Portland Trailblazers 97-94, Orlando Magic bt Milwaukee Bucks 99-94, Phoenix Suns bt Sacremento Kings 98-84. Reuters Holiday helps 76ers cruise past injury-hit Cavaliers ROME Holders England needed Owen Farrells assured boot and Charlie Hodgson's opportunism to survive a Six- Nations fright and beat Italy 19-15 on Saturday For their second straight win under in- terim coach Stuart Lancaster. Italy threatened to secure their first victory over England in 18 tests when they took a 15-6 lead early in the second half before flyhalf Hodgson's try started a fightback. Farrell, who was flawless when offered a chance to kick at goal, added the other 14 points on his second test start. "We recognise we still have a long way to go," Lancaster told the BBC. "The most pleas- ing thing was that there was no sense of panic." Hodgson said England had kept their composure despite conceding two tries late in the first half. "We felt we dominated in the first half but they got a lucky try," he said. "We kept plugging away, kept our heads and it came good in the end." "To show the resolve we have from 15-6 down, to be successful in a place like this we've shown what we have." A dour opening half on a pitch partially covered in snow burst into life when Italy, trail- ing to two Farrell penalties, stunned England with two tries in the final three minutes through Giovanbattista Ven- ditti and Tommaso Benvenuti to lead 12-6 at the break. Hodgson got England back into the game when he scored a try for the second week run- ning after charging down a clearance and Farrell's boot then proved the difference as Lancaster's side followed up their opening 13-6 win over Scotland with another scrappy victory. The match was the first in the Six Nations to be played at Rome's Stadio Olimpico, home of soccer's AS Roma and Lazio, but the conditions were hardly ideal for an expansive game. England had begun with that intention, spinning the ball wide in two promising early attacks which floundered with poor handling, setting the tone for much of a first half punctu- ated by some aimless kicking and territorial exchange. Farrell's first two penalties had nosed England ahead be- fore the hosts, who lost batter- ing ram prop Martin Castrogio- vanni to a rib injury, exploded late in the half. With Italy pressing, Eng- land failed to diffuse two kicks and, after the ball rico- cheted off Ben Foden's chest, right winger Venditti gleefully pounced to dive over in the corner. Kristopher Burton missed the conversion but the Italian fans who had braved the bitter cold and falling sleet were on their feet again just moments later when Foden's pass was intercepted by Benvenuti who burst clear to score under the posts. Burton extended Italy's lead to 15-6 by squeezing over an early second-half penalty but minutes later the game turned after Hodgson's intervention. The England flyhalf scored the only try of the game in the win over Scotland when he charged down and gathered Dan Parks' clearance and this time he got his hand's on And- rea Masi's hack before a kindly bounce gave him the chance to cross for his eighth try in 38 tests. Farrell converted and then kicked another penalty to nose England ahead 16-15. Another straightforward three points from in front of the posts from Farrell gave England breathing space, his unerring accuracy in direct contrast to Italy's replacement flyhalf Tobias Botes who was wayward with two penalties that could have put his side ahead. The misses proved costly as England, like they had done away to Scotland, defended resolutely to the end. England next face Wales at Twickenham on February 25 while winless Italy travel to Dublin to face Ireland. FRENCH-IRELAND MATCH POSTPONED The match between France and Ireland was postponed just before kick-off at the Stade de France on Saturday because of concerns over the safety of the pitch, leaving a capacity crowd fuming. English referee Dave Pearson had passed it fit 90 minutes before the 2000 GMT kick-off, but temperatures of -5 degrees Celsius, with a wind chill of -11C, had made it rock hard by the time the teams were preparing to come out. Both teams came out on to the pitch to vainly salute the furious spectators, including thousands of Irish fans whod made the long trip over. Its a real shame for you all but unfortunately the match has had to be cancelled, said French captain Thierry Dusau- toir. I hope you will all come and support us next time. The decision has been taken, and now we will prepare for the next time. France coach Philippe Saint-Andre added: We would have preferred to play. The changing room was electric, the players were really ready to play but you have to respect the referees decision, its he who is in charge of play- ers safety. The match is now slated to be played either next week- end, a planned Six Nations rest when the Stade de France is in use on Saturday for a Top 14 match between Stade Fran- cais and Toulon scheduled at 1500 GMT, or the weekend of March 3-4. If the teams do play on March 3-4, it would mean them having to play on four consecutive weekends. It is first time since 1985 that a Five-Nations/Six-Na- tions match has been called off because of the weather. And the 2001 tournament saw three Ireland matches postponed until September and October of that year because of an epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease. The pitch was unsafe. The referee had to take the decision and it was tough for one man to do it, Ireland coach Declan told the BBC. In fairness it was the right decision. The players were pumped up but it will be a new experience for them. The game will be rear- ranged next week might be a bit tight, but its up to the Six Nations to decide. We will have to talk about it. I wouldnt like to guess. One fan left furious was Mark Kelly, a salesman from Dublin. You wouldnt get this in schoolboy rugby! Kelly said. Me and my wife have been planning this for a year, St Valentines weekend and all that. These French friends came over last year to Dublin and we said wed come this year. The first we knew was 10 minutes after it was meant to kick off. The referee didnt have the courtesy to come and announce it himself. I cant come back as I cant take an- other day off. French rugby federation president Pierre Camou ex- pressed his massive disap- pointment at the cancellation, choosing his words carefully in fear of badmouthing the Six Nations organising committee. Im sad for all the fans whove travelled, those whove come here from outside Paris, he said. Frazzled-looking Six-Na- tions representative Christine Connolly, fielding no ques- tions, told reporters: Unfor- tunately on the advice of the referee it was decided that it was unplayable. He came here yesterday and inspected it under the covers and then again at 1930 (1830GMT) this evening and it was playable. However, sadly in the 90 minutes after the cov- ers were drawn back it froze over in several areas and was unplayable. Camou couldnt resist a pop at the nationality of Pearson, who did not appear even to give a statement. I cannot speak for the ref- eree as he for his own reasons has chosen not to appear to ex- plain himself, said Camou. I watched the Italy versus England game ear- lier on where the pitch was covered in snow in places, and I would like to re- mind you that the referee was French! Reuters/AFP England fight back to edge Italy in Six-Nations MALABO Cheick Diabate scored in each half as Mali defeated 10-man Ghana 2-0 in a play-off on Saturday to finish third at the 2012 Africa Nations Cup. The big Bordeaux striker poked in a rebound midway through the opening half and tapped home a cross with 10 minutes left after Ghana defender Isaac Vorsah had been red carded for a second caution. Diabate now tops the scoring charts on three goals with six others, including Chris Katongo and Emmanuel Mayuka of Zambia and Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast, who could increase their tallies Sunday in the Libreville final. It was fourth time lucky for the Ma- lian Eagles as they lost three previous third place matches in the African foot- ball showpiece while the Ghanaian Black Stars were suffering a second loss in three play-off appearances. Striker Asamoah Gyan was a notable omission as Ghana made four changes. Mali also had four new faces compared to the side that took Ivory Coast to the wire in the other semifinal with goalkeeper Oumar Sissoko, defenders Ousmane Coulibaly and Abdoulaye Maiga and striker Garra Dembele coming in. AFP Diabate scores brace as Mali finish third TORONTO With a breakaway in the final few minutes of the game, Jarome Iginla was hoping to salt away a victory. Turns out he just needed a little extra time to make it happen. Roberto Luongo got his glove on Iginlas shot late in the third period but had no answer to the Calgary Flames captains shoot-out as the hosts came away with a 3-2 win in the NHL. Results: Boston Bruins bt Nashville Predators 4-3, Florida Panthers bt New Jersey Devils 3-1, NYIslanders bt Los Angeles Kings 2-1, NY Rangers bt Philadelphia Flyers 5-2, Pittsburgh Penguins bt Winnipeg Jets 8-5, Edmonton Oil- ers bt Ottawa Senators 4-3, Tampa Bay Lightning bt Buffalo Sabres 2-1, Montreal Canadiens bt To- ronto Maple Leafs 5-0, St Louis Blues bt Colorado Avlanche 3-2, Columbus Blue Jackets bt Minne- sota Wild 3-1, Phoenix Coyotes bt Chicago Blackhawks 3-0, Calgary Flames bt Vancouver Canucks 3-2. Reuters Scrappy win for Flames CHARLIE Wi of South Korea hits a tee shot during the third round of the in Pebble Beach, California, on Saturday. AFP LOS Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul shoots the ball against Charlotte Bobcats during their NBA game in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday. Reuters JOHN Pantsil (right) of Ghana fights for the ball with Cheick Diabate of Mali during their third-place match at the African Nations Cup in Malabo on Saturday. Reuters ITALYS Luke McLean (left) catches the ball during their Six-Nations match against England at the Olympic Stadium in Rome on Saturday. Reuters OMAN DAILY Observer 18 SPORT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 MADRID Barcelona's fading hopes of capturing a fourth consecutive La Liga crown suffered a major setback when they lost 3-2 at Osasuna on Saturday to leave Real Madrid seven points clear at the top with a game in hand. In freezing conditions in Pamplona, Osasuna striker Dejan Lekic scored twice inside the first 22 minutes and Barca, who have struggled on the road all season, waited too long to react. Spanish World Cup winners Xavi, An- dres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas started on the bench, and although Alexis Sanchez pulled one back for the visitors in the 52nd minute, Raul Garcia quickly re- stored Osasuna's advantage. Barca's youth team winger Cristian Tello grabbed a second in the 73rd but a late charge just failed to produce the equaliser. The world and European champions' second defeat of the season left them on 48 points, seven short of leaders Real. "The league is much tougher now, and I suppose tomorrow we will see the gap grow even larger, " Barca coach Pep Guardiola told reporters. "If we could play well on this pitch in the second half we should have done so in the first as well. We found it hard to get into the game." Atletico Madrid climbed to sixth with 31 points despite being held to a 0-0 draw at Racing Santander. Home keeper Tono was man-of-the-match as he pulled off a string of saves to deny Atletico, who are unbeaten in the six games since Argentine Diego Simeone took the helm and have yet to concede a goal in that time. Osasuna are seventh also with 31 points, one ahead of King's Cup finalists Athletic Bilbao, who suffered a 2-1 defeat at Real Betis in the late game. Nelson struck a rasping last-minute winner for Betis, who played the last 25 minutes against 10 men after Bilbao de- fender Javi Martinez, the scorer of the equaliser, was sent off for a second book- able offence. Reuters PARIS Serbia shrugged off the absence of Novak Djoko- vic to reach the Davis Cup last eight yesterday with the 2010 champions confidently set- ting their sights on dethroning Spain in November's final. Janko Tipsarevic secured an unassailable 3-1 lead over Sweden in the World Group first round tie in Nis with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 win over Michael Ryderstedt. Victory gave Serbia a quar- terfinal tie in April against the Czech Republic, but captain Bogdan Obradovic believes that with world No 1 Djokovic back in the side for that clash, his country can start dreaming of a second title. The United States, the 32-time champions, completed a 5-0 whitewash over Switzerland in Fribourg. Ryan Harrison beat Michael Lammer 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (7/4) and John Isner, who condemned Roger Federer to his first defeat in the tourna- ment in nine years on Friday, saw off Marco Chiudinelli 6-3, 6-4. The US will face either France or Canada in the last eight. France were 2-1 ahead of the Canadians in Vancouver after Saturday's doubles. Austria made the quarterfi- nals where they will tackle Spain for the first time in 17 years with a 3-2 win over two-time champions Russia in Wiener Neustadt. Jurgen Melzer secured the vital point, beating debutant Alex Bogo- molov 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. Spain, playing without Ra- fael Nadal, who is skipping the tournament this year, had already made sure of their sixth successive appearance in the quarter-finals by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead on Saturday against Kazakhstan in Oviedo. They completed a 5-0 rout with singles wins for Nicolas Almagro and Marcel Granollers. The Czech Re- public wrapped up a 4-1 win over Italy in Ostrava while last year's runners-up Argentina were also 4-1 winners over Germany in Bamberg. Argentina will have a home tie against Croatia, who beat Japan 3-2. RESULTS Spain 5 Kazakhstan 0: Nicolas Almagro (ESP) bt Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) 6-3, 6-4; Marcel Granollers (ESP) bt Andrey Golubev (KAZ) 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3. Austria 3 Russia 2: Jurgen Melzer (AUT) bt Alex Bogomolov (RUS) 6-2, 6-4, 6-1; Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) bt Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4). Switzerland 0 USA 5: Ryan Harrison (USA) bt Michael Lammer (SUI) 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (7/4); John Isner (USA) bt Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 6-3, 6-4. Czech Republic 4 Italy 1: Lu- kas Rosol (CZE) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Simone Bolelli (ITA) bt Frantisek Cermak (CZE) 6-4, 6-4. Serbia 4 Sweden 1: Janko Tip- sarevic (SRB) bt Michael Ryderstedt (SWE) 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5; Dusan Lajovic (SRB) bt Filip Prpic (SWE) 6-4, 6-4. Japan 2 Croatia 3: Kei Nishikori (JPN) bt Ivan Dodig (CRO) 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3; Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Go Soeda (JPN) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-4. Germany 1 Argentina 4: Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) bt Flo- rian Mayer (GER) 7-5, 7-5; Cedrik- Marcel Stebe (GER) bt Eduardo Schwank (ARG) 7-6 (7/1), 7-5. DUBAI Rafael Cabrera- Bello was the surprise win- ner of the Dubai Desert Clas- sic yesterday after sinking a nerveless birdie on the 17th hole to end on 18 under par and beat Lee Westwood and Scottish veteran Stephen Gallacher by a single shot. The unfancied Spaniard, 27, had started the day one stroke behind overnight leader Westwood, but made three birdies on the back nine to clinch his second European Tour title, belying his lowly world ranking of 119. Westwood had teed off last along with Gallacher, 37, while Cabrera-Bello was one hole ahead. The amiable Spaniard, who had shot a blistering nine- under 63 in the opening round, retook the lead on the final day with successive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, but on the 13th Gallacher sank an eagle and Westwood a birdie to join him on 17 under. The trio remained tied until Cabrera-Bello's decisive putt on 17. One hole earlier, the Spaniard had scrambled for par after shanking his tee shot into the trees, his ball ending in the sandy void between the fairways, while Westwood would rue a missed birdie chance on 16th, his nine-foot effort stopping short. The world No 3 was also found wanting on the 17th, rolling a seven-foot birdie putt inches wide, while Cabrera- Bello was on the par-five 18th. His final tee shot missed the fairway, but he reached the green edge for three and even- tually putted for par. That meant Westwood, 38, and Gallacher needed to make birdies on the final hole to force a play-off. Westwood's second shot left him just off the green, but he then played a clumsy chip that stopped 20 feet from the pin. Now needing to putt to stay in the tournament, the Eng- lishman's final effort drifted left, while Gallacher fluffed a 12-foot birdie chance, handing Cabrera-Bello the title. He became the third Span- iard in a row to hold the title after Miguel Jimenez and Al- varo Quiros had triumphed in 2010 and 2011. Westwood had started the day on 15 under, one shot ahead, while Ulsterman Rory McIlroy and Germany's Martin Kaymer, who sandwich him in the world rankings, were two strokes behind. The two Britons had want- ed tougher conditions to make the Majlis course bare its teeth following a birdie bonanza on the tranquil opening two days and they got their wish on the final round as swirl- ing gusts of wind buffeted the fairways. That made for a tougher day around the 7,344-yard course and the leaderboard saw little movement as the fi- nal round progressed. Westwood rolled in a 35- foot eagle putt from the fair- way on the second hole, but bogeyed the fifth after fading his tee shot into the rough to go into the back nine one shot ahead. McIlroy, the leader after two rounds, was three over for the day after the front nine, picking up four birdies on the final nine holes to end on 14 under in joint fifth. Kaymer struggled, shoot- ing two over for the day to slip off the leaderboard. Reuters LONDON Joleon Lescott's 62nd minute goal and a bril- liant late save by goalkeeper Joe Hart sent Manchester City back to the top of the English Premier League with a tense 1-0 win at Aston Villa yester- day. Manchester United's 2-1 win over Liverpool on Satur- day had put City under pressure and after they had dominated the first hour's play Lescott eased their nerves when he hooked in former Villa mid- fielder Gareth Barry's far-post header from a corner. Adam Johnson also hit a post in the first half for City while Villa threatened little un- til the final stages when Carlos Cuellar headed over and Hart made a superb point-blank save from Darren Bent. The England number one's stop, as much as Lescott's goal, could be a moment City fans look back on with glee come May if they get their hands on a first English league title since 1968. City top the table with 60 points from 25 games, two ahead of United while tooth- less Villa are looking anxious- ly over their shoulders down in 15th. "It's always difficult play- ing second throughout the weekend," man-of-the-match Barry told Sky Sports. "(United) obviously put a bit of pressure on, any away game in the Premier League is really tough. But to come to Villa Park is a massive three points for us, we are delighted today. "We've got to back our- selves now although they are a club who have won many championships recently. We are a team full of experience and have players that have won championships else- where. We know what it is all about." CUTTING EDGE Mancini, whose side went into to a league game not as leaders for the first time since October, was thrilled. "This evening was a diffi- cult game, we knew this before the game but I think the guys played fantastic football," he said. Mancini's side lacked a bit of a cutting edge with Sergio Aguero wasteful, David Silva showing his tricks but failing to finish and Edin Dzeko on the bench despite Mario Balo- telli's suspension. Carlos Tevez could be making a surprise return to City after a January move fell through and Mancini softened his opposition to a player who refused to warm up as a substi- tute in a game in September. The Argentine's reintegra- tion could be a key point in the season but England defender Lescott, a boyhood Villa fan, made his mark by scoring his fifth goal against the Bir- mingham side to make City's dominance pay having earlier headed wide. Lescott was watched by caretaker England coach Stu- art Pearce, who dashed down the motorway having earlier witnessed West Bromwich Albion maul Wolverhampton Wanders 5-1 away. Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie scored a hat- trick as West Brom moved fur- ther away from danger and left their beleaguered local rivals inside the drop zone. Roy Hodgson's side contin- ued their strong away form to jump eight points clear of 18th- placed Wolves, who endured a fourth straight home defeat to put manager Mick McCarthy under increased pressure as the boos rang out at fulltime. Odemwingie's deflected ef- fort put West Brom ahead be- fore Steven Fletcher's superb turn-and-shot on the stroke of halftime brought the hosts level. Jonas Olsson's shot slipped through Wayne Hennessey's hands to give the visitors the lead and West Brom then ran riot with Odemwingie's sec- ond and third coming either side of former Wolves man Keith Andrews netting on his debut. Reuters By A Seshagiri Rao MUSCAT Following in the footsteps of Buthaina al Yaqoubi, sprinter Shnoona al Habsi is likely to become an Olympian if she gets the nod to take part in the London Olym- pics later this year. Though only two Omani athletes, both men sprinters, achieved the qualifying mark for the London Games, Shnoona is expected to be picked to represent the Sultanate at the Olympics just like Buthaina did at Beijing Games in 2008. If the Oman Athletic Association (OAA) sources are to be believed, the Oman Ol- ympic Committee (OOC) had written to the athletics body to nominate an athlete for the Games and the OAA board is thinking of picking Shnoona al Habsi for the London trip. After having won the 200m gold at the GCC Women Games in March 2011, Shnoo- na certainly deserves the honour but the OAA chief Hamad al Jabri, while confirming receiving the OOC letter, said the board is yet to finalise the name. We did receive the letter from OOC but we are yet to write back to them, he said. Asked whether Shnoona will be the one to travel along with men athletes Barakat al Harthy and Ahmed al Merjabi who qualified for the Games, he said: It is most likely that Shnoonas name will be finalised. If she gets the nod it will do a world of good to her career and personality. Take the case of Buthaina al Yaqoubi and see how she gained in confidence from her Olympic expe- rience, he said referring to the development of Omans first and only woman Olympian. The participation in the Beijing Games has boosted Buthainas confidence. That con- fidence can be seen in the way she presents herself and the way she speaks, not just on track but off it as well. Now she is even helping the juniors who will be taking part in the inaugural GCC womens under-18 athletic championships, which we will be hosting. She has been train- ing with them and supporting them in all as- pects. I hope it will be same with Shnoona if she gets nominated. Buthaina, meanwhile, expressed delight at the prospect of Shnoonas Olympic par- ticipation. I am happy for her. She will be the sec- ond Omani woman Olympian. In Beijing it was me. In London hopefully it will be Shnoona, she said. BARAKAT, AHMED TO TRAIN IN EUROPE Asked about the future training pro- gramme of both Barakat al Harthy and Ahmed al Merjabi, OAA chief said: Both of them have been given a 10-day break after the recent hectic schedule. They deserved the rest as they were involved in several activi- ties, including three big events GCC, Arab athletic championships and the Arab Games, in a short span of time. Now they will be training here at the Sul- tan Qaboos Sports Complex. This domestic training camps are a continuous process. But they will definitely be camping abroad ahead of the London Games, he said. For about two months before the Olym- pics, they will be in an European country. Thats the period which is ideal for training and also thats when the athletics season starts there. So it will be a good time for Bar- akat and Ahmed to train as well as compete, which I think is an ideal preparation for the Olympics, he said. By Our Sports Reporter MUSCAT Thirteen promising Omani talents will get an opportunity to display their wares when the Oman Athletic As- sociation (OAA) hosts the inaugural GCC womens youth (Under-18) athletics championships later this month. The two-day championships, sched- uled for February 23 and 24, will see the best young women athletes from all the GCC countries, expect the Saudi Arabia, in action. The championships came into the ex- istence thanks to the forward thinking of the leaders of the five participating coun- tries who wanted to develop the women sports. Explaining the circumstances that led to the launch of the championships and the reasons for awarding the first edition to the Sultanate, the OAA Chairman Hamad al Jabri said: This championships came into being because the leaders of the GCC nations wanted proper attention given to the girl athletes and provide them with a competition that helps them realise their potential and further develop it. And we are thankful to the GCC committee for showing faith in the OAAs organisational abilities and awarding the first edition to Oman. We are also thank- ful to Shaikha Naima al Ahmed al Sabah, Chairperson of the GCC Womens Sports Organising Committee, he added while addressing a press conference at the Sul- tan Qaboos Sports Complex yesterday. The OFA chief also expressed his grat- itude to the Ministry of Sports Affairs and Minister of Sports Affairs Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy for their complete support and hoped that the championships will be a great success. Hamad al Jabri, who also unveiled the championship logo on the occasion, said: The upcoming girl athletes from all GCC nations, expect Saudi Arabia, will be com- peting in 12 events during the two days. Speaking about the local participation, he said: We will be fielding 13 athletes, including the talented sprinter Shnoona al Habsi. They will be competing in sprints, jumps, discus and javelin throws. We had trials last Thursday and we will ahve another session next Thursday. These athletes have been training hard and we expect good results from them, he said. Shnoon and other Omani girls, who underwent a monthlong training, are en- couraged by the presence of Buthaina al Yaqoobi who became the first Omani woman to compete at the Olympics when she took part in Beijing Games in 2008. Buthaina, who will not be competing in this inaugural GCC youth champion- ships as she crossed the 18 year age limit, said she was happy to be with the team and expecting big things for her compatri- ots in the two-day event. They have been training hard and they have improved their timings and perform- ances. And having known the standard in the region, I believe our girls can get good results, she said. Meanwhile, Shnoona al Habsi, who did well at the GCC and Arab level in the past, said she is hoping to win gold in the sprint events. Shnoona will be competing in the 100m and 200m as well as the relay com- petitions. Barca freeze and title slips away in Pamplona Serbia reach quarterfinals sans Djokovic Cabrera-Bello sinks late birdie to lift Dubai title Lescott sends City back to the top Shnoona likely to get nod for London Olympics OAA gear up for inaugural GCC eves youth athletic meet CARDIFF Leigh Halfpenny scored two tries in a second-half surge as Wales made it two wins out of two in this season's Six-Na- tions with a 27-13 victo- ry over Scotland at the Millennium Stadium here yesterday. The match was level at 3-3 at half-time but tries from wing Alex Cuthbert and full- back Halfpenny, who crossed twice on his way to a match haul of 22 points, saw Wales pull away. For Scotland, de- feat left them search- ing for a first win in Cardiff since 2002 and facing another battle to avoid the wooden spoon following last weekend's 13-7 loss to England. But new fly-half Greig Laidlaw, in for the retired Dan Parks, did score Scotland's first try in five Tests and was responsible for all their points. Scarlets flanker Aaron Shingler was handed his Wales debut in Warburton's place on the openside, with former skipper Ryan Jones taking over as captain. AFP Wales make it two out of two OAA Chairman Hamad al Jabri (centre) speaks during a press conference organised to brief the media about the inaugural GCC womens youth athletics championships at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher yesterday. Picture by Huda al Bahri MANCHESTER Citys Joleon Lescott (second left) celebrates after scoring a goal against Aston Villa during their Premier League match at Villa Park in Birmingham yesterday. OMAN DAILY Observer 19 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 Looking for job, accommodation, vehicle, flats, furniture etc? Check out Classifieds page. Its where buyers meet sellers. ABU DHABI England will bid to put their woeful show- ing in the Test series behind them when they take on Paki- stan in the four-match one-day series which kicks off here today, captain Alastair Cook said yesterday. Pakistan blanked England 3-0 in Tests on the back of su- perb performance from their spinners with Saeed Ajmal (24 wickets), Abdul Rehman (19) and Mohammed Hafeez (5) plaguing rival batsmen no end. Pakistan have been further boosted by the return of leg- spinner Shahid Afridi who took five wickets in their sev- en-wicket win in the lead-up match against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Friday. Cook, who took over as captain after the 2011 World Cup, suffered a 5-0 thrashing in India but hoped that loss and defeat in Tests against Pa- kistan were forgotten. "It's been a tough five weeks as a Test tour but this is now a different, fresh side and hopefully we can bring that enthusiasm into the game tomorrow," said Cook. "It was a while ago (losing to India) but we tried as hard as we could and we came up short against India. There's no shame in that but there will be shame if we don't learn from that." Cook hoped his team would better cope with Pakistan's spinners. "Certainly the one- day game dictates you have to be more positive and we're not going to have men around the bat all the time so it changes your mentality as a batter, it frees you up," he said. "We've got a good record against Pakistan and have had success against these bowlers before in one-day cricket so hopefully, we won't banish memories of what happened in the Test matches, but you get to free up a little bit and attack." Cook said Pakistan were deservedly high on confi- dence. "They're a confident team and winning breeds confi- dence. We're not worried about what they do we'll just try and do well in that first hour and Pakistan will do the same." Cook added that he was ex- cited at the prospect of open- ing the innings with Kevin Pietersen. "It went well. I think we got 90-odd together and it felt comfortable straight away," said Cook of opening with Pietersen during the easy win over the Lions here on Friday. "It's a new challenge for KP and we both are excited." Pakistan may counter Eng- land's ploy of using Pietersen at the top by opening the bowl- ing with left-armer Rehman. Rehman opened the bowling in a World Cup match against Australia last year. "Of course we do have plan for every game but the main plan is to do our basics well so we are going to stick to that," said Pakistan captain Misbah- il Haq who has won 13 of the 14 one-day he captained since June last year. Misbah said his team was confident after winning the Tests, but starts afresh in one- days. "We are high on confidence but at times it is also harmful so we have to guard against that," said Misbah, whose sole one-day loss came against Sri Lanka last year. "England are a good side, so we have to play tough, hard cricket to beat them." The remaining matches will be played in Abu Dhabi (February 15) Dubai (Febru- ary 18 and 21). The teams will also play three Twenty20 internation- als in Dubai (February 23 and 25) and Abu Dhabi (February 27). Pakistan (from): Misbah-ul Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mohammed Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Umer Gul, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam, Shoaib Malik England (from): Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bre- snan, Danny Briggs, Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott. ADELAIDE Gautam Gam- bhir's 92 at the top and some smart batting by captain Ma- hendra Singh Dhoni at the fin- ish helped India chase down a 270-run target against Aus- tralia here yesterday for their second win in the triangular series. The visitors, needing 13 runs in the last over, reached the mark with four wickets in hand and two balls to spare, aided by a huge straight six by Dhoni who remained unbeaten on 44 to see India through. Clint McKay, the most suc- cessful bowler for Australia with three for 53, made it easi- er for the Indians by bowling a no-ball in the last over. Gambhir, who was rested against Sri Lanka in India's last match, was drafted in for Sachin Tendulkar yesterday as part of India's rotation policy. Left-handed Gambhir laid the foundation for India, stitch- ing together two 50-run stands with fellow opener Virender Sehwag (20) and later with Rohit Sharma (33) for the third wicket. Suresh Raina (30-ball 38) and Dhoni then added 61 runs for the fifth wicket before Rai- na fell with India still needing 31 runs for victory. Ravindra Jadeja also de- parted soon but Dhoni, known for his calm demeanour on the field, stayed till the end to en- sure there were no further hic- cups. Earlier, solid half centuries from David Hussey (72) and debutant Peter Forrest (66) took Australia to 269 for eight after captain Michael Clarke opted to bat after winning the toss. The hosts, who had won both their earlier matches in the tournament, lost open- ers Ricky Ponting and David Warner within the first 10 overs. Clarke was also dismissed trying to boost the run rate af- ter making a brisk 38, which reduced Australia to 81 for three wickets. Forrest and Hussey then added 98 runs for the fourth wicket to lay a solid foundation and Australia looked set for a 300-plus score from there. But India pulled things back with some tight bowling and quick wickets in the last 10 overs to restrict Australia to a smaller total. All-rounder Daniel Chris- tian's run out, one of the three in the innings, in the 48th over also robbed Australia of some vital momentum in the closing overs. India play Sri Lanka at the same venue in the fifth match of the triangular series tomor- row. SCOREBOARD Australia D Warner run out .........................18 R Ponting c Kohli b V Kumar .......6 M Clarke b Yadav ........................38 P Forrest c V Kumar b Yadav ......66 D Hussey c Sehwag b Zaheer ......72 D Christian run out ......................39 M Wade b V Kumar .....................16 R Harris (not out) ...........................2 C McKay run out ...........................3 Extras: (lb-4, w-4, nb-1) ...............9 Total: (8 wkts, 50 overs) ...........269 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-53, 3-81, 4-179, 5-235, 6-254, 7-265, 8-269. Bowling: Zaheer 10-0-46-1, V Kumar 10-1-58-2 (nb-1, w-1), Jadeja 10-0-50-0 (w-1), Yadav 10-1-49-2 (w-1), Ashwin 8-0-47-0, Sharma 2-0-15-0. India G Gambhir lbw McKay ...............92 V Sehwag c Hussey b Mckay ......20 V Kohli c Forrest b McKay .........18 R Sharma c Starc b Harris ...........33 S Raina b Doherty ........................38 M S Dhoni (not out) .....................44 R Jadeja c Ponting b Doherty ......12 R Ashwin (not out) .........................1 Extras: (lb-2, w-9, nb-1) .............12 Total: (6 wkts, 49.4 overs) ........270 Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-90, 3-166, 4-178, 5-239, 6-257. Bowling: Harris 10-0-57-1 (w-1), Starc 8-0-49-0 (w-1), McKay 9.4- 1-53-3 (nb-1, w-2), Christian 10- 0-45-0, Hussey 3-0-13-0, Doherty 9-0-51-2 (w-2). England bid to bury Test form in ODIs vs Pakistan Dhonis cool takes India home NEW DELHI India's cricket chiefs yesterday met Sahara Group bosses yes- terday in a bid to woo back their disgruntled long-time sponsor, amid speculation a truce was on the cards. Sahara had severed ties with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on February 4 for what it said was a 'one-sided emo- tional relationship' with the governing body. Sahara is not only the na- tional team's sponsor since 2000, but also owns the Pune Warriors franchise in the Indian Premier League which the group had bought last year for $370 million. BCCI President Narayanaswamy Srinivasan met Sahara chief Subrata Roy in Mumbai at a high- level meeting yesterday which was also attended by senior officials from both sides. A joint-statement issued after the 90-minute meeting said 'all outstanding issues' were discussed and the mat- ter will now be taken up by the BCCI's working commit- tee in Chennai tomorrow. "Sahara and the BCCI met today and discussed all outstanding issues," the statement read. "It was agreed that the subject will be further discussed in the BCCI working committee meeting. Local media have specu- lated over the last few days that Sahara may allow Pune Warriors to rejoin the IPL for the fifth edition of the glitzy Twenty20 event starting on April 4. But reports said Sahara are unlikely to continue the sponsorship of the Indian team, which was renewed for a four-year term in 2010 for an estimated $115 mil- lion. Sahara's withdrawal was sparked by the BCCI's re- fusal to allow the $1.80 mil- lion salary of cancer-stricken Pune skipper Yuvraj Singh to be added to the franchise's $2 million cap for the IPL auction in Bangalore on Feb- ruary 4. Indian cricket chiefs attempts to win back angry sponsor INDIAN players shake hands with the Australians as they celebrate their victory in a tri-series match in Adelaide yesterday. AFP PAKISTAN captain Misbah-ul Haq (left) and England counterpart Alastair Cook hold the ODI trophy at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday. AFP MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 England bid to bury Test form in ODI series Page 19 Lescott fires City back to the top Page 18 By Sanjay Chakhaiyar MUSCAT Come Tuesday and the Tour of Oman will take the centrestage with some of the worlds top cyclists, who have already arrived here, will go all out to clinch each stage of this elite event, main sporting fixture of the Muscat Festival. Giving details of the route and the ar- rangements for February 14-19 champi- onship, Saif Bin Subaa al Rashidi, head of the Tour of Oman Communications Committee, said: We are delighted to host the worlds elite cyclists once again. The dedication and determination shown by all the cyclists is an inspira- tion for all of us. The Tour of Oman is a fitting highlight to our annual Muscat Festival. Al Rashidi also felt that the weather during this time was also conducive for holding such an event The weather is fantastic and I am sure the cyclists will enjoy every moment of their stay in Oman, said Al Rashidi. Legendary cyclist and five-time win- ner of the Tour de France Eddy Merckx said: With its magnificent roads that run along the sea of Oman coast coupled with the spectacular beauty of the countrys steep terrain, the 2012 edition of the Tour of Oman will offer the 128 riders both a tough and varied route. With the line-up that includes world champion Mark Cav- endish, Fabian Cancellara, former world champion Tom Boonen and Luxembourg star Andy Shleck, the third edition prom- ises to provide a fantastic show. Pierre-Yves Thouault, Deputy Direc- tor of Amaury Sport Organisation, said: The Tour of Oman has already become a major cycling race. People from all around the world, in 180 different coun- tries, will be able to follow this third edi- tion on television and admire the beauties of this beautiful country. BOASSON HAGEN TO MISS Nick Howes, the press officer of Sky Pro Cycling team, said: Edvald Boas- son Hagen of Norway, who stood second overall during the Tour of Oman 2011 will not be participating this time. Edvald is taking rest after participat- ing in Maraca (Spain), said Howes. But once again all eyes will be on Brit- ish sprinter and UK Sports Personality of the Year, Mark Cavendish, who recently won two stages in the Tour of Qatar. Mark is basically a sprinter and thus performs exceedingly well on flat sur- faces and hopefully will be winning some stages here too, opined Howes. But our team was relying on Cana- das Michael Barry, who broke his elbow during a crash at the end of stage four of the Tour of Qatar last week. He is very good climber and would have been use- ful for the Sky Pro Cycling team espe- cially during the fifth round of the race on Saturday while climbing the Jabal al Akhdhar (green mountain), elaborated Howes The Sky Pro Cycling team will be represented by Mark Cavendish (GBR), Luke Rowe (GBR, Chris Sutton (AUS), Ian Stannard (GBR), Jeremy Hunt (GBR) Mathew Hayman (AUS) and Bernhard Eisec (AUT). Route: Stage 1: Tuesday: Al Alam Pal- ace-Wadi Al Huwqayn (159 km); Stage 2, Wednesday: Sur-Wadi Dayqah Dam (140.5 km); Stage 3, Thursday: Al Awabi (Al Alya)- Bank Muscat HQ (144.5 km); Stage 4, Friday: Bidbid (Nafaa)-Al Wadi al Kabir ; Stage 5, Saturday: Royal Opera House-Jabal Al Akhdhar (158 km); Stage 6, Sunday: Al Khawd-Matrah Corniche (130,5 km). By Our Sports Reporter MUSCAT With a number of international matches lined up, including two crucial com- petitive ties that are likely to change the status of Omani football, and the scheduled ar- rival English Premier League Wigan Athletic as well as Indi- an and Uzbekistan teams, the Oman Football Association (OFA) is gearing up for one of the most exciting period in the Sultanates soccer history. Starting with the visit of Ali al Habsis Wigan team, the first ever trip to Oman by a Premier League side, on February 15 and until Oman- Thailand World Cup qualifier on February 29, it will be a hectic period of activities for the Sultanates soccer govern- ing body. And if the soccer chiefs are to be believed the OFA is not only geared up for the huge challenge but are ready to help the national teams achieve historic results while trying to make the best out of the situ- ation, both commercially and professionally. The OFA CEO and Gen- eral Secretary Hazzaa al Saadi said: This February is a big month in Omani football his- tory. I should say this month is the most important time for Omani football and the OFA, even the fans. Speaking to the local me- dia about the busy scheduled ahead of them, especially the historic visit of Wigan, at the OFA Headquarters in Seeb yesterday, he said: The as- sociation is ready for this challenge of hosting a series of matches, including the cru- cial World Cup qualifier and London Games qualifier. And then we have this visit first ever visit of English Premier League teams visit to Oman. This is truly an exciting time for us and we believe that history will be made during this period. And on the field we are keen to achieve good results. Wigan, who arrive on Feb- ruary 15, are scheduled to play a friendly match against Oman senior national team, compris- ing mainly home-based play- ers, on February 17. The na- tional under-23 team will then play their London Olympics Group A qualifier against South Korea on February 22. The following day the national team will face the visiting Indians in a friendly before their crucial and final third-round Group D quali- fier for the World Cup against Thailand on February 29. We have four big matches coming up. Of course, the big- gest match will be February 29 World Cup qualifier against Thailand. We want our fans to fill the stadiums and sup- port our team, said Hazzaa al Saadi. OMANI FANS KEEN TO WATCH WIGAN Speaking about the Indian teams visit, he said: We are working closely with the In- dian Embassy officials, who have been very supportive. We want the Indian expatriates to turn up in big numbers for the match. Giving the details of the Wigan teams schedule, he said: Wigan tie is the most looked forward to match by the Omani fans. Thanks to Ali al Habsis exploits, there is now a lot of following for this English club in Oman and the local fans are very keen to watch Wigan and Ali al Habsi. They will be arriving at 9.00 am on February 15 and they will be based here for a week, during which they will train at Muscat Club. The training session, on February 16 (from 4.45 pm), will be open to public who can watch Ali al Habsi training in Wigan colours. After the match on Febru- ary 17, selected fans will get an opportunity to take part in a penalty shootout with Ali al Habsi. The interested fans can get further details by visiting the OFA website or their Facebook page Oman National Football Team. Meanwhile, the OFAs Commercial Manager Nic Cartwright said: Wigans visit is a good opportunity to showcase the country. Wigan are coming here thanks to Ali al Habsi and the relations between OFA and the club. We hope this trip will further strengthen the relations between the two organisa- tions, he added. He also informed that the general entry for the matches is free but the OFA has special offers for VIP seats, which are priced at RO 50 each. The corporate houses can buy bulk tickets at special prices with special facilities. Tour of Oman from tomorrow Cavendish cynosure as top riders descend on Oman OFA set for big month of football Fans urged to help national teams get historic results OFA General-Secretary and CEO Hazzaa al Saadi (centre) speaks to the media during a press conference at the OFA Headquarters in Seeb yesterday. SAIF Subaa al Rashidi addresses the international media as cycling legend Eddy Merckx (right) looks on during a press conference organised at the Barr Al Jissah yesterday. Picture by Mohammed Mahjoub Monday, February 13, 2012 Omanoil signs with Port City OMAN Oil Marketing Company has signed an agreement with local community contractor, Port City Development, for the establishment of a state-of-the-art forecourt located in Sohars industrial area which will feature a filling station, ahlain conven- ience store and quick service restaurants. Page 24 OPAL marks 10 years of success Page 24 Al Hassan fetes 5m safe man hours REAFFIRMING its commitment to Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE), Al Hassan Engineering Co SAOG (AHEC) recently celebrated its 5 million safe man hours at the Saih Nihayada Depletion Compression (SNDC) project site of Petroleum Development Oman . Page 22 FAW Iraq opened a new Gulf crude export outlet in the southern oil hub of Basra yester- day, clearing the way for Baghdad to increase exports by around 300,000 barrels per day soon after crude begins loading. Loading at the Single Point Mooring or SPM outlet for tankers in the Gulf, part of Iraq's large-scale export facility expansion plan, has already been delayed several times by bad weather and technical hitches. Oil will be pumped through offshore pipe- lines in a last test procedure before tankers start loading in a week to 10 days, the head of state- run South Oil Company, Dhiya Jaffar, said at an opening ceremony for the SPM. "We expect that exports will increase not less than 250,000 or 300,000 barrels per day," he said. "The plan is to have the first oil inside the tanker within ten days." If the project goes according to plan, ex- ports from Iraq's southern oilfields will rise to around 1.9 million bpd by March and bring Iraq's total shipments to 2.3 million bpd, the highest level since the 2003 invasion that oust- ed Saddam Hussein. Iraqi officials have said they are targeting 2.6 million bpd by May for total exports. That will require monthly increase of 100,000 bpd in the south through mid-year when maximum rates of 2.2 million bpd are reached and exports from Iraq's north steady at 400,000 bpd. The Opec member has a $1.3 billion plan to expand its export facilities in the south, includ- ing two undersea pipelines, one offshore pipe- line and four single-point mooring terminals. Another SPM could be ready in three to four months, Jaffar said. Iraq's infrastructure is outdated and lacks the capacity to handle increasing output from for- eign companies such as Shell , Exxon and BP, who signed massive development contracts for its Rumaila, West Qurna-1 and Zubair oilfields. Bringing three SPMs online by the end of the year would expand Iraq's export capacity in the Gulf by 2.7 million bpd, more than double Bas- ra's current capacity. Its current Gulf terminals can handle around 1.7 million bpd. Reuters Iraq opens new crude export outlet By Conrad Prabhu MUSCAT Korean con- struction giant Hyundai En- gineering & Construction has pledged to deploy its formida- ble resources and capabilities in ensuring the timely imple- mentation of the Musandam Gas Plant project an invest- ment of vital importance to the governorates long-term economic and social develop- ment. Oman Oil Company Ex- ploration and Production (OOCEP), the upstream sub- sidiary of the government owned energy investment firm Oman Oil Company, is ploughing around $600 mil- lion in the development of the integrated oil and gas process- ing scheme. As the first major energy infrastructure development in the Musandam Governo- rate, the project will catalyse economic growth in this stra- tegically important Omani en- clave overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. Besides, gas volumes pro- duced by the facility will not only provide energy feedstock for the governorates first gas- based power plant, but also potentially spur investments in industrial projects as well. As it approaches the 12- month milestone in a three- year timeframe stipulated by OOCEP for the completion of the project, Hyundai as the engineering-procurement- construction (EPC) contractor, has vowed to bring its consid- erable expertise to bear on the expeditious execution of the plant. February 15 marks one year since construction work began in earnest on the project. Plant commissioning and perform- ance testing is slated to com- mence from September 2013. The project itself is scheduled to be handed over to OOCEP on February 15, 2014. The task before Hyundai, or for that matter any contrac- tor operating in Musandam, is daunting, given especially the remote and extremely rugged topography of this mountain- ous region. Lack of suitable maritime-based and inland transport infrastructure also complicates matters on the logistics front. And further compounding the challenge before Hyundai is the limited area of the project site at Tibat, sandwiched between towering mountains on one side and the open sea on the other. But according to a senior project official, the contrac- tors longstanding experi- ence in executing technically complex plants in challeng- ing environments, will stand Hyundai in good stead in meeting its project commit- ments. Over the past 34 years, we have led change and in- novation in the engineering construction field. Our deep and lengthy experience in in- dustrial plant construction is our unique capability, the of- ficial stated in remarks to the Observer. Rock excavation consti- tutes a sizeable and expen- sive component of Hyundais construction brief. Adjoining hills overlooking the project site will have to be cleared to make way for the Musandam Gas Plant a task that must be completed within 12 months. At the same time, suitable spots must be readied in the proximity of the project for the storage of equipment and the facilitation of fabrication activities. Given the challenging timeframe for the completion of the project, Hyundai has mobilized an army of work- ers whose numbers will rise to 2,200 employees when con- struction peaks during 2013. As part of its brief, Hyundai will build an inte- grated processing plant with a capacity to treat 45 million standard cubic feet per day of gas and 20,000 barrels per day of crude oil. Single point mooring fa- cilities and crude export pipe- lines are also included in the project scope. Additionally, the plant will yield 52 tons per day of sulphur and 80 tons per day of LPG. Worley Parsons are Project Management Con- sultants. The Musandam Gas Plant represents Hyundais first ma- jor energy infrastructure re- lated contract in the Sultanate. In the Gulf region, Hyundai has successfully executed a number of large-scale ventures including the Dow-Pic Olefin 2 project (Kuwait), KNPC berth 5/6 expansion (Kuwait), Khrais Central Processing Plant (S Arabia), Pearl GTL- LPU project (Qatar), Ethane Recovery Plant (Kuwait) and AAC Ethylene-amines project (Saudi Arabia). Other schemes currently under implementation are the Habshan-5 Utilities and Off- shore project (S Arabia), Ka- ran Gas Facilities (S Arabia), and Group III Base Oil Pro- duction Facilities (UAE). Hyundai well geared for Musandam Gas Plant execution By A Staff Reporter MUSCAT Al Omaniya Financial Services, the Sul- tanates largest non-banking financial company (NBFC), declared its audited results for the year 2011 showing a Net Profit of RO 4.831 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, an increase of 16.94 per cent over the previous year. The total revenues of the company stood at RO 14.436 million. The company has provided RO 1970K as provi- sion for doubtful debts. The cumulative provisions stand at RO 6.023 million. The Earn- ings per Share is RO 0.031, the highest in the industry. For regulatory limits, the net worth of the company stands at RO 45.465 million. On the basis of its good performance, the Board has recommended a dividend of 25 per cent comprising 20 per cent cash and 5 per cent stock dividend on the paid-up capi- tal for the year 2011. This is subject to the approval of the CBO and the AGM. Aftab Patel (pictured), CEO, in his comments stated that the company has main- tained its track record of pay- ing uninterrupted dividend since its inception and the cumulative percentage of dividend paid so far is 278 per cent. The cash dividend is highest amongst all NBFCs in Oman. The book value of the share is RO 0.226 the highest in the industry. The company has a well diversified portfolio of as- sets with the lowest NPA ratio in the industry. The company focuses to strengthen its posi- tion as a specialised financial institution to meet the corpo- rate needs besides continuing the retail and micro finance business. The company has been posting higher earnings and profitability over the years and has been a consistent divi- dend payer since inception. On most of the parameters, the company stands at pole po- sition viz. number one in Asset size, highest net worth, highest market capitalisation, highest profit, highest EPS, highest profit per employee and low- est non-performing loans and largest market capitalisation on the MSM in the sector. Al Omaniya Financial 2011 net jumps 16.94pc SCHEMATIC diagram of the Musandam Gas Plant project. 22 OMAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 W E have, over the last two weeks, analysed the dif- ferent provisions of the Exec- utive Regulations (ERs) cov- ering, amongst other things, rules for deducting expenses (including thin capitalisa- tion rules, allowance for bad debts, contribution to pension and provident funds, dona- tions, remuneration to owners and directors of companies and Head Office expenses), tax treatment of finance lease, exemption to small business- es from tax compliance, tax exemptions and their renew- als and regulations governing tax assessments and payment and collection of taxes. In the history of Oman taxation (taxes were first introduced in 1971), this is the first time that the tax law has been accompanying ERs covering many aspects of tax compliance. This is a step in the right direction as, in the past, tax payers struggled to obtain and track the rules to be complied with in filing tax returns as there were many ministerial decisions issued from time to time which were not consolidated. Of particular importance, is the regulation granting ex- emption to small businesses from filing tax payers data, returns and financial state- ments. The objective is to save small businesses from the rigours of tax compliance. It is also intended to allow the tax authorities to focus on the larger tax payers. In this re- spect, there is also a proposal to set up within the Secre- tariat General for Taxation a large tax payer unit which will comprise more senior tax officials dealing solely with the larger tax payers. Hope- fully, these moves will help in better tax administration and also facilitate a reduction in the backlog of tax assess- ments which currently exist. The tax returns which are now required to be completed in different forms depending on the type of tax payer, re- quire extensive disclosures, again intended to reduce the questions that may arise dur- ing the assessment process. Tax payers should, therefore, undertake the exercise of completing tax returns with due diligence. In this respect, it is im- portant to note that the obli- gation to ensure that returns are completed accurately and properly rests with the Princi- pal Officer. The tax law also defines who the principal of- ficer should be for different types of companies. Another encouraging trend is the acceptance for tax purposes of the accounting treatment prescribed by In- ternational Financial Report- ing Standards (IFRS) as can be seen from the ERs deal- ing with treatment of finance leases. Another trend which is vis- ible from the ERs is that the government wants to reduce the cases which qualify for renewal of tax exemptions. These are intended only to companies which, even after the expiry of the first five years of exemption, do not generate sufficient profits. Finally, the ERs dem- onstrate a desire to help tax payers who face genuine fi- nancial difficulties by provid- ing the possibility of paying taxes in instalments and also providing for waiver of ad- ditional tax (interest) on de- layed payment of taxes. We have, with this article, concluded our analysis of the new tax regulations. KPMG will also be organising a sem- inar tomorrow on the ERs, attendance to which is by in- vitation. (The writer is the Partner and Head of Tax at KPMG Oman) New income tax regulations Implications of the new tax executive regulations INSIGHT By Ashok Hariharan Toyota Zelas exhilarating everyone MUSCAT Since the launch of the brand new Zelas in Oman, sports coupe buyers have been truly exhilarated. The Brand New Zelas is indeed unparalleled in many ways...To quote a proud own- er, The sleek new interior is functional and contemporary, while the plush seats along with responsive steering and gear shift enhance driving comfort to a whole new level. The suspension can take on the bends and curves with confidence. Personally, I get the feeling that Toyota's highly trained and quality conscious team has worked hard to ensure that the classic brand values of Quality, Dependability and Reliability have been further enhanced in the brand new Zelas sports coupe. Zelas is powered by a 178 horsepower, 2.5-litre four-cylinder DVVT-i (Dual Vari- able Valve Timing with intelligence) engine. This power-plant is equipped with Roller Rocker Arms and a Variable-induction Intake Manifold System that supply greater torque on demand, thereby enhancing performance...belting-out a commanding per- formance. Its road-holding characteristics are amazing, making the ride feel sure and stable. Premium styling and top-class features further add to its appeal. The Zelas' six-speed automatic transmission boasts of sequential shifting, providing an additional fun-to-drive element. As a result, the Zelas has quicker acceleration and highest fuel economy in its segment. Zelas offers electric power-steering system that contributes to increased fuel ef- ficiency. Riding on an enhanced McPherson strut front-suspension and a double- wishbone rear-suspension, it offers the driver a sporty ride that is both nimble and confident. Giving Zelas a broader stance and elevated handling characteristics are the 17-inch aluminium-alloy wheels wrapped in wider tyres. Disc brakes on all corners are stand- ard. Inspired by the design of the famous racing helmet called Calty, Zelas has a bold, aggressive stance. One of its unique design features is the sleek cabin shape the wrap-around window graphics adding to its sporty profile. The sleek front grille, aero bumper spoiler and projector type headlamps are com- plemented by protruding fender flares, which amplify its wider, lower stance. The front interlocks with the dynamic, muscular rear fenders. The shape of the rear tail lights flows cleanly into the overall shape of the trunk with a wing type rear spoiler, finalising the iconic and purposeful nature of the design. The sporty design of the new Zelas carries over to the interior with a look and feel that is sophisticated, sporty and functional. The front cabin design provides a driver- centred cockpit with spaciousness and freedom for the front passenger. A tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel features a unique flat bottom D shape that provides additional thigh room. Dual illuminated combination meters for the speed- ometer and tachometer have a three-dimensional appearance with large meters and needle indicators for good visibility. The trip meters also include gauges for outside temperature, average fuel economy, and an ECO-drive indicator helping maximiae fuel efficiency. Among the many interior comfort features are the driver and front passenger bucket seats and rear passenger seats, which are upholstered with premium leather. Added comfort is offered by thicker seats with firmer seat bolsters, while the driver seat is six- way adjustable. Entry and exit for rear passengers is made easy with a walk-in lever located at shoulder level on the front seats. For added comfort and utility, the rear seats are 60:40 split and recline up to 10 degrees. Staying true to Toyotas tradition, the new Zelas has abundant storage space. Ad- ditional driver and passenger comforts include four bottle holders, a large console box that can hold up to 18 CDs, four cup holders, a flat storage area in front of the console, an assist grip handle, sun visors with vanity mirrors and a map light. The Zelas features a powerful standard audio system with a total of 300-watts feeding the eight-speaker sound package. With an emphasis on amazing sound quality, the Zelas stereo system shares some speaker components with the Lexus LX 570, and features mid-range and woofer speakers that are superior in quality and performance. The Zelas comes with a radio AM/FM/MP3/6-CD changer. The 160-watt Pana- sonic head unit powers the tweeters, mid-range and full-range speakers, while a sepa- rate 74-watt, two-channel amplifier is designed to drive power to the 6x9-inch door- mounted woofers. The Zelas has 10 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) airbags which include driv- er and front passenger, driver and front passenger seat-mounted side, driver knee, and front and rear seat side curtain airbags. Zelas comes standard with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic brake-force dis- tribution (EBD). Additional standard equipment in the Zelas includes vehicle stability control (VSC), traction control (TRC), brake assist (BA), and a brake override system. The Zelas will also feature a button that allows the driver to turn off the VSC feature. Additional safety features include newly adopted active front headrests. This outstanding performer comes from Toyota, Oman's most coveted brand. Toy- ota offers enduring quality and nothing comes close to it in terms of value-retention. It is no surprise; therefore, that Toyota soars far above the rest, with a dominant market share and ever-expanding customer base. The unmatched, nationwide parts and service support of Saud Bahwan Group makes Toyota's pride of place a reality. Toyota customers in Oman enjoy 6-year unlim- ited mileage protection, over 98 per cent parts availability and round-the-clock care, among many other exclusive privileges from the Group. Ahlibank backs Oman Environment Day KEEPING up with the banks Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Ahl- ibank recently supported Oman Environment Day celebration by signing up as silver sponsor of the event. This sponsorship is yet another commitment from the bank sup- porting activities that raise awareness of local and global issues. Our support of this years World Environment Day is another indicator of our commitment to the future and well-being of our country. World Environment Day is a day for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations. The bank strongly believes in the importance of supporting environmental initiatives that have a direct impact on the community and this has been showcased in our CSR calendar for 2012. We encourage organisations as well as individuals to participate in such eco-friendly causes, helping to raise the level of awareness amongst the society, commented the CEO, Abdul Aziz al Balushi. The celebration, which falls on January 8 every year, comes in response to the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to protect the Omani environment and nature resources. Environment protection represents a strategic reserve for the sustainable development plans which cover all aspects of life. ahlibank continues to demonstrate its leadership and social responsibility amongst the Omani social fabric through its commitment to support a wide range of activities and initiatives that contribute to the development of the society, Al Balushi further added. Mazda organises Valentines roadshow IT is that time of the year again where Mazda kicks off its enthralling, fun for all road- show spell. Specially designed in keeping with the Valentines season, the first wave of the Mazda roadshows has already begun at the Safeer Hypermarket, and has received a good response from automobile enthusiasts around the capital. Maintaining a brands equity takes a lot of effort and creative thinking in order to be able to stand out. This belief is what we translate into our innovative branding and marketing strategies. A calendar event for us, the aim of our roadshows is to com- municate the essence of the Mazda brand in a high-energy setting. Apart from taking Mazda vehicles to the people, roadshows give us an opportunity to interact with our patrons, as well as provide them with unbeatable offers, avers Annurag Chawla, Head of Marketing and Communications, Towell Auto Centre, sole distributors of Mazda in the Sultanate. The entire sporty range of Mazda cars were on display at the event. Big screens playing the Mazda brand videos, special displays of the Mazda2, and the presence of trained sales staff and promoters who gave out Mazda related information and an- swered customer queries made the roadshow a fun, interactive experience. Through innovative media choices, opening of new branches and service centres, and the application of unique marketing and promotional techniques Mazda is success- fully taking its dynamic image to every corner of Oman. Events of this regard reinstate their constant tryst to keep getting closer to their customers and highlights their com- mitment in raising brand awareness for their entire range of cars across the Sultanate. Swarovski offer for Valentines Day THE romance is blos- soming and the weath- er is artful. Love is in the air and you can feel it everywhere. This Valentines Day Swarovski offers the perfect gift for the ones hit by Cupids ar- row. You now have an ideal way to express your inner emotions and warm thoughts by choosing from a wide collection of exquisitely designed crystal jewellery from Swarovski. In honour of Valen- tines Day, Swarovski Oman is bringing to you a stunning selec- tion of Swing, Sing and Shine, Spring/ Summer 2012 collec- tion. The collection is a tribute to vintage styling and an ode to the lights, camera and action of the entertainment world a topic that has been intrinsically linked to the company for many decades. As the chilly winter draws to an end, welcome spring with the brightness, warmth and happy colours. Rohit Shah, General Manager, Khimjis Luxury and Lifestyle Stores says, There has never been a perfect time to gift a Swarovski. We are creating another path for you to express to your love. Mesmerise your partner with the sparkling treasures from Swarovski. Avail the special Muscat Festival offer; get up-to 50 per cent off on Swarovski products only at Khimjis Luxury and Lifestyle Outlets in Oman. Swing, Sing and Shine Swarovski collection tells a story of a versatile young lady who is growing from an ambitious student into a glamorous leading lady ready for the spotlight; the tale comes to life with modern and vintage styling, in soft pastel colours, spherical and floral references, which is a nod to the golden era of the 60s. Swarovski didnt forget the men either with offerings that include cuff links, pendants/charms, bracelets and necklaces. BUSINESS ALERT By A Staff Reporter MUSCAT Reaffirming its commitment to Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), Al Hassan Engineering Co SAOG (AHEC) recently celebrated its 5 million safe man hours at the Saih Nihayada Depletion Compression (SNDC) project site of Petroleum Develop- ment Oman (PDO). The function was graced by Abla al Riyami, Gas Direc- tor PDO, Said al Maktoomi, Contract Holder PDO, K S Jung, Site Manager GS EandC and the AHEC team was led by Hassan bin Ali Sal- man, Chairman-AHEC Abla al Riyami congratu- lated AHEC on achieving this milestone and emphasised the ongoing need for developing HSE as part of work culture. Later, Al Riyami also present- ed Safety Excellence Award to Hassan bin Ali Salman. Commenting on the achievement, Hassan bin Ali Salman, said: "I distinctly re- call that I had the privilege to attend the Safety Ceremony at the beginning of this project on November 8, 2010 wherein the entire site management had taken a solemn pledge for the safe completion of this project. He added: I am very pleased to note that the SNDC team is continuing to strictly adhere to its commitments on safety, which is of paramount importance to Al Hassan, as our motto is Safety Comes First. I am very happy to see that today we are celebrating the completion of 5 million safe working man-hours in this project, for which Al Has- san has contributed more than 3.7 million man-hours and has safely driven 2.7 million kilo- metres. This achievement would not have been possible without your collective responsiveness and positive attitude towards Safety. Al Hassan Engineering Co SAOG (AHEC) is commit- ted to maintaining the highest priority to Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) so as to protect and keep safe its em- ployees and the work place as well as to strive to achieve world-class standards in HSE on a continuous basis. Keeping this in mind, AHEC has executed a number of projects in oil and gas, pet- rochemicals, power and water sectors without any lost time incidents (LTIs). Al Hassan completes 5m safe man hours at SNDC project 23 OMAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 By A Staff Reporter MUSCATKhimjis Build- ing Materials Division has added to its product portfo- lio, two brands in Bathroom technology FRANKE from Switzerland and TECE from Germany. TECE is a German supplier of building service applica- tions such as pipe systems, concealed flushing technol- ogy, drainage technology and grease separators. TECE pro- duces diffusion-free plastic pipes for underfloor heating and its areas of competence encompass curtain wall, pip- ing and cistern technology, as well as drainage technology and stainless steel processing. Holger Ruf, Head of Sales and Marketing at TECE Mid- dle East, said, We are very confident that this strategic partnership will end up in satisfied clients and positive results. FRANKE provides solu- tions in public and semi-public sanitary facilities and offers a range of systems with com- ponents for various areas of application like water control and water management, water disinfection, hospital equip- ment, commercial sinks and WCs/Urinals. Reiterating their strong connection with the Khimji Ramdas Group, Michael Ren- ninger, Head of Sales-Middle East, FRANKE, said We be- lieve this is the right time for such a strategic partnership to be established as there are some very interesting large- scale infrastructure develop- ments happening in Oman and we look forward to be part of it. Hritik Khimji, Director, Khimji Ramdas along with N S Vijaya Kumar, CEO In- frastructure Group, Khimji Ramdas, Ranjit Ravindran Pulparambath, Sr Asst Di- visional Manager, Building Materials Division, Khimji Ramdas along with Karnakar Sanagonda, Head of Sanitary- ware, Building Materials Di- vision, Khimji Ramdas were present during the event. Vijaya Kumar said, KR Building Materials Division has been serving the growing needs of the industry for over 35 years. This partnership will further strengthen our com- mitment to meet the growing infrastructure requirements in the country specific to Wash- room Technology both residential and commercial. Functionality, innovation and reliability of both the brands have encouraged us to bring these product lines to Oman. KR Building Materials launches new bathroom brands By A Staff Reporter MUSCAT Businesses need to work harder to spread re- sponsibility for risk manage- ment across the whole or- ganisation, according to a new report from ACCA (the Asso- ciation of Chartered Certified Accountants). The survey of over 2,000 ACCA members found accountants at the busi- ness coal-face have a vital role to play in successful risk man- agement, and that they stand ready to do more. The survey also found a statistical link between the use of accounting practices that contribute to managing risk and lower occurrences of dysfunctional behaviour. The survey also found differences in the perception of a compa- nys exposure to risk between those at board level and those accountants working below board level. Risk happens at all levels of business, says Mohammed Sajid Khan, Country Manager ACCA Oman. It doesnt sit in silos. Risk management needs to be something that is undertaken by everyone in an organisation so it is fully inte- grated. The survey shows that ac- countants have an excellent grasp of the risks faced by their organisation and the steps needed to manage those risks. The survey also shows clear support amongst accountants for challenging senior people as being part of good business culture. Accounting is really about providing information to help make good decisions, and good decisions mean less risk. The accountants day-to- day role is all about manag- ing risk, even if people dont think about what they do in that way. The results are both en- couraging, in terms of what accountants do and would do more of, and frightening in terms of the extent of dys- functional revealed. There is a big problem to be addressed. Businesses need to make sure they use the risk awareness and risk management skills of their qualified accountants, and not miss an opportunity to effectively integrate risk man- agement. The value of account- ants contributions can be lost through their misuse. Accountants in the survey reported very high levels of bad behaviour around risk management. Examples in- clude frequent gaming of forecasts, providing optimis- tic versions to avoid criticism or pessimistic ones to reduce expectations. Only 1 per cent of respondents reported never seeing any of the bad behav- iours asked about in the sur- vey at their organisation. However, the survey did find a statistical link between the use of good risk manage- ment practices by accountants and incidences of dysfunc- tional behaviour: more good practices correspond with less dysfunctional behaviour. Types of good practice include aspects of manage- ment accounting, forecasting, reporting and quality controls, decision support and controls over wrongful behaviour. Ac- countants who thought dys- functional behaviours most widespread most wanted to make more use of the good practices. Some of the highest scores for good practices were from small organisations. Their stereotype as unsophisticated is perhaps an oversimplifica- tion. The survey also found that those in more junior roles are more aware of both risks and bad behaviour than their board-level colleagues. Non-execs were more likely than anyone else to identify personality factors such as planned dishonesty or the opportunistic abuse of power as causes of prob- lems rather than more control- lable factors, such as financial pressure on an organisation, explains Khan. They were also much more optimistic about the frequency of bad behaviour than anyone else, and were more enthusiastic about man- agement tools that the survey shows to have debatable ef- fectiveness, such as budgetary controls. It may be because senior levels are less involved in the day-to-day running of the or- ganisation, or because theyre taking a broader view of the business. It might be that the way information is reported to them needs to be improved. The survey findings have been used by ACCA to de- velop an online risk health- check for businesses. Using this resource, businesses can compare themselves to the practices and experiences of businesses from the survey, and identify areas for im- provement. Businesses need to re-think risk, says ACCA report Accounting is really about providing information to help make good decisions, and good decisions mean less risk. The accountants day-to-day role is all about managing risk, even if people dont think about what they do in that way T HE Greek bailout pack- age that should have been put in place by now continues to attract atten- tion across financial markets. All week the talk about an im- minent agreement helped sup- port stocks and drove the dol- lar to the lowest level in two months, before the sentiment turned late on Thursday af- ter Eurogroup sent the Greek delegation back to Athens de- manding additional cuts and reassurances, something that looks increasingly unlikely to achieve. Commodities had a mixed week, with energy prices get- ting lifted by the extreme cold weather across Europe and improved economic outlook while agriculture commodities saw some light selling. The DJ-UBS index, which com- prises 20 major commodities, fell 0.3 per cent over the last week and is currently up 3.2 per cent year to date. Gold looking for the next theme The strong rally in precious metals during January seems to have run out of steam, at least for now and further con- solidation is needed before the eventual push higher. Even an 11 per cent cut in margin for holding gold on the COMEX futures exchange failed to lift sentiment. Investments through exchange traded funds, which is viewed as long-term holdings, have risen by 40 tonnes from a recent low to a near record of 2,388 tonnes while hedge funds have been slow in rebuilding speculative longs. Technically gold found support at $1,710 but the sub- sequent rally ran out of steam ahead of the recent high with sellers emerging around the $1,750 level. The steep up- trend from December 30 has been broken signalling con- solidation and the likely test of support in the 1670-80 area. Platinum discount to gold fading Platinum has outperformed gold by 8 per cent since the beginning of the year and this week moved closer to price parity. After historically hav- ing traded around a 25 per cent premium over gold, platinum in early January dropped to a discount of 15 per cent before recovering to the current dis- count of 4.5 per cent. Being an important industrial commod- ity primarily used in automo- bile production, platinum has been finding support from the recent improvement in eco- nomic activity combined with supply disruptions in South Africa, the largest producing country. A prolonged strike and subsequent loss of pro- duction would help reduce the surplus of platinum thereby supporting the price. Brent outperforms WTI crude Brent crude hit a six-month high this week and came close to $120 per barrel, above which fundamentals are likely to weaken further and eventu- ally trigger demand destruc- tion just like we saw during the middle of last year. The drivers of the price of Brent crude, the benchmark for global oil transactions, are elevated winter demand in Europe, Iranian embargo be- ginning to be felt with Asian refiners looking for alterna- tives to Iranian crude oil and a general stronger than expected demand from emerging econ- omies. This tight supply-de- mand balance has caused the price of Brent crude for im- mediate delivery to rise above future prices, a situation called backwardation. Technically Brent crude should be finding some tough resistance ahead of $120 per barrel, especially after having rallied $10 since January. Some consolidation now seems in order with the month-long trading range be- tween $105 and $115 having been moved $5 higher. Initial support for the week ahead will therefore be centred on $115. Meanwhile WTI crude, the US land-based variety, contin- ues to trade at a deep discount to Brent crude as deliveries into the US Midwest contin- ues to rise. This is because strong Canadian production has no other place to go other than Cushing, Oklahoma, the storage and pipeline hub for crude oil in America. This week WTI crude recovered back towards $100 per barrel but most likely only due to the fact that Brent crude pulled it higher as it reached a six month high. UN FAO food price index rise Agriculture prices gener- ally moved higher recently and this was reflected in the UN FAO Food Price Index for January. The index, which measures the monthly change in international prices of 55 food commodities, rebounded. A US government report on the global supply and de- mand outlook for wheat, corn and soybeans were gener- ally benign, with the impact of adverse weather in South America and Eastern Europe not being worse than already expected. Wheat prices fell and headed for its first weekly drop after the report predicted that world supplies would climb to a record. Profit-taking in corn and soybeans also was also seen after the strong rally seen this past month. Further cuts to South American corn and soybean crop estimates however are expected after high temperatures and dryness caused irreversible damage to crops across the region. This should provide both crops with support should the prices fall on further position adjust- ments. (The writer is a Senior Commodity Strategist at Saxo Bank) Energy benefits from cold, gold waiting for next theme COMMODITIES UPDATE By Ole S Hansen 24 OMAN/INTERNATIONAL MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 TEL: 24601003, 24600586 FAX: 24600736 WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com NEW DELHI US online retail giant Amazon has made its first foray into India with launch of a shopping website, Junglee.com, as it tests the waters for a possible full entry into the nation's e-commerce market. India's e-commerce busi- ness is set to boom as incomes and consumer demand climb in a country of 1.2 billion peo- ple with a steadily ballooning middle class, analysts say. Amazon's move, an- nounced late last week, "is to get an insight into the Indian market," Asheesh Raina, a principal research analyst at global consultancy Gartner, said. "This market could be a game-changer for Amazon these e-commerce retailers survive on volume. India with its large number of people could be a huge opportunity," he said. Junglee, which means "wild" in Hindi, is a modified version of the world's top on- line retailer's shopping portal, allowing customers to search for different products and compare prices. It will offer over 12 mil- lion products from more than 14,000 Indian and global brands -- but buyers must make their purchases through a network of third-party sup- pliers either by ordering online or visiting them in person. The set-up allows Ama- zon's Indian website to side- step government rules for- bidding foreign multi-brand retailers from operating in In- dia as it only directs shoppers to sites rather than selling the products directly. "It's a clever way of getting into the Indian market that works with the rules," Saloni Nangia, president of Indian research consultancy Techn- opak, said. The government announced last month it would allow for- eign multi-brand retailers such as supermarkets into India but then did a U-turn over fears the move would hit small family- run stores that dominate the retail landscape. Analysts say they believe the government still wants to ease regulations to let in mul- ti-brand players but cannot say when it will happen. Amazon, which has opera- tions in neighbouring China, is aiming to give customers "a single online starting point", Amazon.com vice president Amit Agarwal said last Thurs- day. "They can shop a wide selection of products sold by local and global retailers and make informed purchasing de- cisions," Agarwal said. The company did not reply to repeated requests by AFP for comment on its next step in India. Gartner's Raina said the move was a "low-cost way for Amazon to find out what the Indian market is about build brand loyalty and hopefully when the retail reg- ulations loosen in India take their customers with them". The launch of Junglee comes after Amazon said last month it was setting up its first warehouses, known in its corporate parlance as "fulfil- ment centres", in India. The warehouses allow Amazon to store products and ship them swiftly. Some of Amazon's biggest competition in India will come from e-commerce portal Flipkart.com, set up in 2007 by two ex-Amazon employees and based in the southern city of Bangalore, that sells a range of goods from books to television sets, analysts say. AFP Online retailer Amazon tests waters in India By A Staff Reporter MUSCAT Oman Oil Mar- keting Company (omanoil) has signed an agreement with local community contractor, Port City Development (PCD), for the establishment of a state- of-the-art forecourt located in Sohars industrial area which will feature a filling station, ahlain convenience store and quick service restaurants to serve a perpetually growing demand. omanoils strategised retail network is matching the countrys aspiring economic development for a sustain- able future while providing its customers throughout the Sul- tanate with excellent products and services. The newest addition to our growing retail network realises our commitment to the nation and its people by enriching projects that fulfil His Majestys Vision 2020. By aligning and assimilating the nations ambitions with our own, we are pursuing parallel paths of progress and contrib- uting to the nations economic and social advancement, said Hussain bin Jama al Ishaqi, omanoil Retail General Man- ager. We will harness our strategic location in Sohars flourishing port and meet customer demands for quality products and innovative serv- ices through our philosophy of convenient one-stop-shopping experiences. The first-rate infrastruc- ture of Sohars Industrial Port and advantageous geographic location is driving Omans vision for economic diversi- fication. The port is a project inspiring an internationally recognised and robust Omani economy that is transforming the Al Batinah Governorate into the countrys industrial and economic powerhouse. omanoils forecourts are built to the highest industry specifications for construction and HSSE, ensuring efficient and cost-effective construction of quality design and resulting in a premier standard of fin- ish. The pioneering fuel and lubricants marketing company is considered a leader in in- stitutionalising concrete hard stands around pump islands and in implementing non- metallic double-skin pipes, in addition to double-skin retail underground tanks with leak detection system in all fill- ing stations as a preventative measure against pollution. omanoil encompasses a growing network of 132 fill- ing stations and 74 ahlain con- venience stores across the Sul- tanate. The company remains committed to empowering customers with greater choice of quality-integrated products and services, with convenience stores operating 24 hours that feature on-site ATM machines and QSRs that include some of the worlds most iconic names such as Burger King, Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins. Omanoil signs deal with PCD for new filling station in Sohars industrial zone By A Staff Reporter MUSCAT Offering a once in a lifetime chance to experi- ence the electrifying live action of the 2012 London Olympics, BankMuscat in association with Visa has launched a cam- paign offering an opportunity to existing and new cardhold- ers to win two packages to witness the worlds biggest sporting event. The Go London cam- paign is part of efforts to pro- vide value-added services for BankMuscat cardholders. The campaign entitles BankMuscat Visa debit and credit cardhold- ers to pay with their cards in Oman or abroad and earn chances to enter a draw to win two packages offered to wit- ness the London 2012 Olym- pic Games. The mechanism for the draw is that for every BankMuscat Visa card transaction, custom- ers have a chance to win the Olympics package. Each trans- action is equal to one chance, thus the more the card is used, the better the chances to win. The promotion is valid till March 5, 2012. The fully paid package to London Olympics includes return economy class air tickets for two to London, hotel accommodation and tickets to watch the Olympics events. BankMuscats existing and new Visa credit and debit cardholders can participate in the draw. Tariq Atiq (pictured), AGM Cards and e-Bank- ing, said: Oman is a sporting nation. Hence, the opportunity offered to BankMuscat cus- tomers to witness the greatest sporting event endorses the national enthusiasm and fer- vour for sporting excellence. BankMuscat is committed to supporting varied sporting ac- tivities. The policy stems from the banks firm belief that citizens need to experience wholesome development. Tariq Atiq added: BankMuscat is delighted with the opportunity to choose the 2012 Olympics theme to reward and attract existing and new cardholders. Creating awareness on the wide range of BankMuscat card products and services, the campaign is expected to motivate a change in consumer behaviour that makes payment by cardsboth a habit and a preference. He further said: The BankMuscat Visa Olympics campaign is promoted in all branches offering winning chances to customers across the Sultanate. The banks part- nership with Visa is yet an- other example of its commit- ment to delivering memorable experiences that reward loyal customers. The campaign is an attempt to encourage and promote the e-Payment cul- ture in Oman, thereby lend- ing a strong support to the governments e-Governance initiative. The campaign en- courages customers to pay by cards, underscoring the fact that payment by cards is both convenient and secure. Sales of top BMW models shoot up By A Staff Reporter MUSCAT Commemorating a decade-long saga of service in enhancing the local work- force and thus providing value addition to the thriving oil and gas sector of the Sultanate of Oman, the Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL) celebrated its tenth anniversary at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The event was held under the auspices of Nasser bin Khamis al Jashmi, Under- Secretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas and attended by a large audience compris- ing government officials and OPAL member companies, and was sponsored by some of OPAL members Attila Dogan, Consolidated Contractors Co, Dodsal, Galfar, Qatar Airways and Technical and Administra- tive Training Institute. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Al Jashmi said, OPAL has been actively play- ing its role in ensuring oil and gas sector set agreed standards, comply and raise them to in- ternational levels. This is very important in demonstrating professionalism and in attract- ing foreign investments to our country. He said OPAL has been active in helping provide chances for young Omanis through its various training for employment programmes. In- deed, OPAL has been doing an excellent job in helping devel- op a well-informed community of workforce through its vari- ous initiatives. Al Jashmi showed appre- ciation to OPAL members, the Ministry of Manpower and oth- er Social Funds who have been supportive and made it all hap- pened. It is impressing to see that, despite OPALs limited re- sources, its contribution to the sector has been significant and tangible. He assured OPAL of his full support to make it even more effective and inclusive. As one of the founding members who witness the drafting of its constitution, I am proud to see OPAL as an organisation that sets standards for the oil and gas sector. The secret of success of OPAL is that OPAL is its members. To continue on this path, mem- ber companies need to par- ticipate and engage themselves in the dynamic of OPALs activities, Majid al Toki, chair- man, OPAL said. Mohamed al Harthy, CEO, OPAL said: This event is an opportunity to show gratitude to those who had the vision of coming up with the idea of founding the society and those who worked hard to make it a proud organisation we all know today. We at OPAL are fully committed to continuously pro- viding a platform for our more than 320 member companies while delivering the best train- ing and development to the Omani youth. He also added, The future outlooks of OPAL include providing training and development programmes for more local youth, job crea- tion, building capabilities, and promoting local content while protecting the interests of the member companies operating in the oil and gas sector. BankMuscat Visa card campaign offers two packages for London Olympics OPAL marks 10 years of success By A Staff Reporter MUSCAT Following an impressive performance over the past year, Al Jenaibi In- ternational Automobiles has achieved impressive sales growth across BMW and MINI top models in the Sultanate. The official importer of BMW Group vehicles in the Sultanate of Oman has sold more BMW and MINI vehicles in 2011 over 2010, according to a press note, with impressive growth on higher-end models. The success signals the strength of the Omani market and the continued demand for BMW Group cars in the Sul- tanate. Contributing to the solid performance was the BMW 5 Series with 12 per cent growth over 2010 sales. The BMW 5 Series is a core product for BMW and combines sporting and elegant design, excellent comfort, the highest standard in efficiency in its class and sets the benchmark in driving dynamics and safety having achieved 5 stars in both the Euro NCAP and US NCAP vehicle safety assessment programmes. The companys flagship BMW 7 Series remained the highest volume selling model, accom- panied by the BMW X5 and the BMW 3 Series. Additionally MINIs popu- larity continues to grow in Oman with 10 per cent growth compared to 2010. Contribut- ing to this impressive result was the new MINI Country- man, the fourth MINI model in the brands portfolio and the first MINI to feature four doors, space for up to five persons and an optional all-wheel drive. Commenting on the compa- nys exceptional performance, Rachid Zamani, General Man- ager of Al Jenaibi International Automobiles said: Oman is enjoying robust growth across all sectors of the automotive industry. This combined with launching seven beautifully- designed and technologically- advanced new models during 2011, helped drive our sales growth. The increase in our sales confirms the trust our customers bestow on Al Jenaibi International Automobiles and the strength of the BMW brand in Oman. MINI enjoyed a success- ful year in Oman, with sales achieving outstanding results. One of the contributing factors to this growth was the launch of the new MINI Countryman, which opened up a new market segment for the brand and was warmly welcomed by MINI fans in Oman. Sales were fur- ther bolstered by the launch of the MINI Coupe towards the end of the year, he added. Al Jenaibi International Automobiles will add some exciting new models in its portfolio this year, the models will include the all-new BMW 3 Series and the BMW 6 Series Gran Coup. There will also be another addition to the MINI family the MINI Roadster. These will add an exciting new dimension to the brands portfolio and will help contribute to the growth of the BMW Group brands in Oman. Whitneys death casts shadow over Grammys Page 13 Still trying to figure out love, says Liv Tyler Page 13 Ornamental carvings with craftsmanship from Africa Page 28 Self-improvement promotes teamwork, social skills Page 27 Fea ures Monday, February 13, 2012 Official airline of Extreme Sailing Page 26 The Wadi Sahtin Road Project The Wadi Sahtin Road Project in the Wilayat of Rustaq will in the Wilayat of Rustaq will in the Wilayat of Rustaq will open up one of Omans most open up one of Omans most naturally endowed wilayats naturally endowed wilayats to tourism and economic to tourism and economic development. The project is in development. The project is in implementation of the Royal implementation of the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. The roughly 30-km- Qaboos. The roughly 30-km- long carriageway will replace a long carriageway will replace a graded track that runs for the graded track that runs for the most part along the twisting most part along the twisting course of a wadi which is often course of a wadi which is often rendered impassable during a rendered impassable during a ood event ood event Stunningly beautiful Wadi Sahtin W ADI Sahtin, with its plunging ravines, majestic mountain profiles and rocky landscapes, attracts significant numbers of nature lov- ers and adventure tourists. The Ministry of Tourism has identified a number of sites that are proposed to be developed into full-fledged tourist attractions. Many of these sites are located along the route of the existing wadi and will be incorpo- rated into an overall design plan for the areas general development. One such site pinpointed by the minis- try for development is a fortified structure not far from Al Tabaqah village. It is pro- posed to be rehabilitated and converted into a tourist exhibition centre. Also lo- cated nearby is a bountiful natural spring which runs throughout the year. About 11 km into the route of the road project are samples of ancient rock art believed to be thousands of years old. A few kilometres down the road is a small mosque that stands near a tree popularly called A Sablah (majlis). The area is pro- posed to be developed to encourage local folks to market their farm produce to visi- tors. Also located a few hundred metres away is a hot spring that yields copious volumes of water all year round. Access roads and car park facilities will be provided at all of these sites in the next phase of the road projects develop- ment, it is learnt. Wadi Sahtin has some exciting sights to offer as well. A short drive from Al Rostaq, on the Ibri route, brings you to one of the entrances of this wadi. It me- anders for about 40 kilometres through the hilly terrain, scything a deep gorge in some places along its tortuous course. A crumbling fortification, poignant in ruins, stands sentinel at the mouth of Wadi Sahtin. Unlike many other wadis in Al Rostaq Wilayat, this wadi cuts a broad swathe, allowing date plantations to grow richly along the edges. Every so often, one comes upon streams of water fed by springs gushing from the rocky face of the wadi walls. But at Al Khadrah, a short distance from the wadi entrance, one of the most charming vistas of Wadi Sahtin unfolds. Date palm groves grow rich and thick in this part of the wadi, nourished by the refreshingly cool waters of a series of springs. The springs emerge either from the wadi bed or from the rocky wadi wall, unceasingly gushing out their goodness. Almost shielded from view, in the cool recesses of the plantations, are the homes of the wadi residents. Banana, lemon and fodder are among the crops cultivated here as well. Along its twisting course, the wadi yields interesting facets of rustic wadi life farmers harvesting the seasons bountiful date crop, shepherds tending their flocks, and children having a romp in shallow pools of water. At one point, the wadi narrows con- siderably to form what is locally regarded as one of the natural gates of Wadi Sah- tin. Together with the other natural gate accessible from Wadi Bani Auf, ASahtin has come to be known as mandoos or the chest of Oman, because of the natural se- curity offered by the wadi. The brooding presence of the Western Hajar mountains, with its jagged peaks, is also a constant feature around the wadi, adding to the no- tion of security. Old-time residents are still fond of us- ing the name mandoos in reference to Wadi Sahtin, says Ali bin Hilal bin Ali al Abri, the wadis elderly shaikh. Many of its 40-odd oasis villages, strung along the 40-km course of the wadi, are as old as the wadi itself. But four-wheel-drive ve- hicles and many other trappings of mod- ern living have since vastly improved life in this wadi. Yet the essential tranquillity of these villages remains unchanged. Adding to the rustic charms of Sa- htins oasis villages are ancient watch- towers, picturesque in ruins, at strategic locations along the wadis course. They are reminders of ASahtins importance in days bygone as sources of perennial streams and bountiful aflaj. There was a time when camels and donkeys were the only mode of transport through the wadi. Still perilous routes to other destinations could only be accessed on foot. Of late, it is Wadi Sahtins bee-keeping heritage that is drawing many tourists to these parts. In fact, the idea of bee-keeping as a lucrative cottage industry sits oddly with this arid, sparsely vegetated terrain. There are no rolling fields of flowers here or green pastoral land, save a sprinkling of wild trees and shrubs. Yet for many the fruits of their la- bour as bee-keepers are literally as sweet as the honey they produce. Sah- tins honey is renowned for its rich, natu- ral, mountain-variety of honey through- out the region. Deep in the heart of Wadi Sahtin, there are several hundred productive logs with nesting bees. Without any artificial additives or inputs, the honey is the pur- est in its natural form. The bees thrive on the tiny, wild flowers of sidr trees and mountain shrubs, travelling upto 10 kilo- metres to find their share of nectar. Of all the spectacular wadis in the wilayat, Wadi Al Sahtin is the most at- tractive and adventurous wadi and this makes it more popular especially to ad- venture enthusiasts in Oman. This wadi has tonnes of exploring potentials. What distinguishes Wadi Al Sahtin more than other wadis in the wilayat is the regular flowing of its water as well as having natural water springs. The wadi during its course links Al Batinah Governorate to Al Dhahira Governorate through the Wilayat of Al Rustaq and across the se- ries of Western Al Hajar Mountains. Wadi Sahtin also comprises some old traditional houses that were built hun- dreds of years ago. These kinds of tra- ditional buildings present picturesque ar- chitecture along with gardens and other natural landscapes that reflects the natu- ral and historical richness of this beauti- ful wadi. The flowing water makes the wadi cooler and people can come here on picnic, especially on weekends and holi- days to enjoy their time with family and friends. Many visitors come to the wadi to enjoy the nice weather while others come for camping and swimming in the pools. The flowing water is also used to irrigate the farms and gardens in the area. Wadi Sahtin offers an array of sights that are unique to this part of the Sultanate 26 SPOTLIGHT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 French Harley Davidson bikers prepare to roar into Oman O MANS tranquil countryside is set to reverberate to the rumble of Harley-Davidson bikes taking part in a unique rally that promises to shine an international spotlight on the Sultanates distinctive appeal as an adventure tourism destination. The rally, which runs from February 14 to 19, features veteran bikers from the French-based Grand Lyon Harley Davidson Club headed by its charismatic founder Jean-Marc Chapel. Muscat Desert Adventures Tourism, a leading destination management company, is organising this prestigious event in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and the Royal Oman Police. The Sultanate of Oman, with its dramatic landscapes, is the venue of choice along with the United Arab Emirates for this years annual rally of the Grand Lyon Club, one of the largest groupings of Harley Davidson owners in France. The event its first in the Middle East is part of a wider Arabian-style Raid that began in Dubai on February 11 and ends back again in this gleaming commercial hub on February 21 after leisurely halts in a number of delightful tourist locales across the border in Oman. Around 40 bikers are taking part in the roughly 10-day-long Raid, dubbed The Incense Route because of the rich frankin- cense heritage associated with the destinations covered during the rally. Joining them during the Oman leg will be around 15 biking enthusiasts from the UAE. In Oman, the Raid gets under way from Sohar on the morn- ing of February 15. Cruising down the Batinah Highway on their iconic two-wheelers, the riders head for the historic town of Rustaq via Nakhal with its imposing hilltop fort. After tak- ing in the delightful ambience of this popular tourist getaway, the party thunders onward to the capital city, Muscat. The picturesque landscapes of the Sharqiyah North and South Governorates await on Day 2 as the riders set out for the charming coastal village of Ajyah. En route, they make brief stopovers at tourist hotspots such as Wadi Bani Khalid and Sur for a flavour of the countrys varied holiday appeal. After an overnight pit-stop in Sur, the two-wheeler motor- cade heads back to Muscat riding along the superb coastal road with its panoramic views of the Arabian Sea. In the capital, the visitors will drive through the historic quarter of Muscat before proceeding to Jebel Sifah for the night. Day 4 sees the riders roaring towards Omans tourist heart- land set in the Interior. Crisscrossing this enchanting landscape, they pause briefly at historical landmarks in Nizwa, Jabrin and Birkat Al Mauz, among other attractions. A spokesperson for the Tourism Ministry added: Our sup- port for the rally stems from our belief that Oman is a leading destination to adventure-based sports. We are also delighted to host the event as part of the Muscat 2012 calendar of events. Oman Air: ofcial airline of Extreme Sailing Series O MAN Air has been an- nounced as the Official Airline of the Extreme Sailing Series, one of the most exciting elements in the yacht racing calendar. It takes the Sultanate of Omans national carrier to a higher, enhanced level. Oman Sail has had significant success in the Extreme Sailing Series over the last two years. Wayne Pearce, Chief Ex- ecutive Officer, commented: We at Oman Air are happy to be sponsoring Oman Sail again. We have been truly im- pressed by the visibility the Oman Sail events have gener- ated. This year, by positioning Oman Air as the Official Air- line of the Series, we hope to entice the sailing and marine sport communities and fans across the event venues to try the superior Oman Air expe- rience and the uniqueness of Oman. Having attracted over 287,000 spectators in 2011, in addition to millions of me- dia viewers and listeners, the Extreme Sailing Series brings the racing action inshore, with the format for each Act of the Series focusing on three days staged in a stadium, open to the public and VIP guests. This years Series will offer eight Acts across three conti- nents, starting with Muscat, Oman, on February 28 to March 2, followed by Qingdao in China, Istanbul in Turkey, Porto in Portugal, Cardiff in Wales, United Kingdom, Tra- pani in Italy, Nice in France, and concluding in Brazil in November. Oman Air has sponsored Oman Sail for the last two years, including its participa- tion in the Extreme Sailing Series, its bid for success in the Route Du Rhum and its successful smashing of Round Britain and Ireland world records. The sponsorship is part of Oman Airs commitment to supporting Omani talent and helping young people within the Sultanate to achieve their full potential. The sponsorship also helps to raise awareness internationally of Oman as a unique, authentic and dramati- cally beautiful destination for tourism and business. The veteran Davids Chapel Mu British Council hosts Train the Trainers workshop B RITISH Council Oman held a Spring- board Train the Trainer workshop at City Seasons Hotel Muscat recently. The training was delivered by Richard Frost, Corpo- rate Training Manager of British Council Oman. The training opened the door for Springboard Trainers from Middle East Region and Oman to work together and share experiences over the two-day event. The aim of the Train the Trainer workshop was to enhance the training skills of Springboard Trainers by giving them the tools to be able to design and plan training sessions and make them more interactive. Shames al Abdali, Freelance Springboard Trainers from Saudi Arabia, said This training has helped me learn effective ways of design- ing the training programme. I gain as well more knowledge on how to implement interactive ex- ercises. Zuweina al Mammariya, Assistant Director of British Council Oman added, It was very inter- esting to work with Springboard Trainers from different Omani organisations and Middle East regions. We hope through this kind of training we are able to fill in the gaps needed by trainers. Richard Frost, Corporate Training Manager of British Council Oman said, I really enjoyed delivering this training because the Springboard Trainers were such a pleasure to work with. We covered a lot of ground and worked hard over the two days. They were all very enthusiastic and made the workshop very rewarding. Its good to work with people who show such commitment to a project. I hope we will all work together in the future again. Cartoon by Fahad al Zadjali T HE American Inter- national School in Muscat hosted its 4th invitational Model United Na- tions (MUN) conference on its premises in Ghala. Over 60 students from six local schools including British School Mus- cat, Sri Lankan School, Indian School Al Ghubra, Sultans School and Azzan bin Qais participated in the event. In October all student del- egates were assigned specific countries for which they would serve as UN ambassadors at the TAISM conference. After studying the contemporary history and political structure of their assigned countries, the students focused on the three main issues selected for the conference: Improving Global Traffic Safety; Expanding Ac- cess to Clean Water; and Ex- panding Access to Education. Each student developed an in- formed and realistic position on each of these issues prior to the conference. The TAISM conference began with a thoughtful and inspiring speech delivered by Lamya Haroub from the of- fice of the Secretary-General of Omans Ministry of For- eign Affairs. Lamya stressed the importance of breaking down stereotypes in society whether they are based on age, gender, religion or eth- nicity. She also urged the stu- dents to retain the key char- acteristics of being a student even as they move on into professional life. The best professional is a student at heart one who embraces learning, accepts challenges, and asks ques- tions. Being a professional is not about what you do, but who you are. Her uplifting talk was received with enthu- siasm and warmth by the stu- dents, and it set an optimistic tone for the rest of the confer- ence. Upon completion of the opening ceremonies, the stu- dents worked in groups to draft resolutions pertaining to the three main issues. Un- der the leadership of the two Chairs, Mariah Curtino and Daryna Dvirna, both TAISM seniors, the delegates adhered to strict parliamentary proce- dure as they spent the next two days debating and voting on resolutions and amendments pertaining to the issues. Although all the student delegates demonstrated im- pressive degrees of skill in public speaking, diplomacy, debating, and conflict resolu- tion, two students were rec- ognised for their exceptional performance. Madhura Pat- wardhan from Indian School Al Ghubra, representing the United Kingdom, earned the Distinguished Delegate award, while TAISMs Daniel Jackson, earned the award for Outstanding Delegate. The conference was a chal- lenging and rewarding experi- ence for the students involved, and many are looking forward to participating in the event again next academic year. In the meantime, 11 selected TAISM MUN students will also participate in the Nevsky MUN conference in March in St Petersburg Russia. I T is difficult to find an equation to this day regarding the dream of waving loans, which is an extension of an- other dream known by most of us. In the past we used to enquire about the health and the new things in life but today when we meet people we ask: any increase in salaries? Any loan waiver? This situation opens up a window to the question: Why Omanis have lots of loans? Does this happen because we spend more than we can afford! We previously spoke about waiving loans as an unfair idea. This step may help those who have borrowed from banks for entertainment purposes but at the same time it denies the right of the poor people because they did not dare to borrow from banks as they did not want to put pres- sure on themselves. So let us be more realistic. It is bet- ter for the banks now to reconsider the interest rate for the loans, which is a disaster. The interest does not reach more than 3 per cent in some neighbouring countries, while in Oman it is up to 8 per cent, so why all this exaggeration? We are a country of only three million people, but the loan problem is getting worse. What will the situation be when the population increases in the future, given the potential of oil depletion! We can take the Housing Bank as an example, which is supposed to be a non-commercial bank, as it is backed by the government. The Ministry of Finances contribution to it at a rate of 61 per cent, and its primary purpose is to sup- port housing and construction activities, by providing loans and facilities. We find that Article (8) of Royal Decree No 36/2010, states: The government can provide for the bank in order to achieve the objectives A, B of Article I (1) of this law long-term loans with a rate of return less than the commercial rate interest prevailing in the market or loans without interests if necessary. Article (1) stipulates the provision of loans and bank- ing facilitations in the Sultanate for citizens for establish- ing private residences or purchasing houses, updating or expanding or maintaining them or the purchase of land to build houses. In Article (9), the government sets the per- centage of loans offered by the bank to individuals at a low rate of interest, or no interest, so as to achieve the purposes we have mentioned earlier. The government has offered to bear the value of the interest for the loans it offers without interest. Long ago, the Housing Bank gave loans at zero per cent rate of interest, or 1 per cent and 2 per cent, but today it is 8 per cent for those earning a salary of more than RO 600. The interest rate remains the same, it does not decrease over the years, making the local residents resort to commercial banks as he finds their offers more compassionate. WINDOWS WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS PSM holds inter-school Naat competition P AKISTAN School Muscat held an Inter-Schools Naat competition last week in Dr A Q Khan Hall in view of the significance of the month of Rabee al Awaal in the Islamic calendar when the humanity has been blessed by the birth of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Students from Pakistan schools in Oman participated in the event. Nawabzada Ameenullah Khan Raisani, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Sultanate of Oman, was the chief guest. Zia ul Haq Siddiqui, Chairman BOD, M Zakariya Babur, Principal, PSM, and members of board of di- rectors Imran Ashraf, Javaid Iqbal, principals, Embassy offi- cials, Chairman and members Pakistan Social Club, elders and dignitaries of community, a large number of parents, faculty and students attended the event. The competition was won by Medhat Ahsan from Pakistan School Salalah while Samina Anwar from Pakistan School Musannah was declared the runner-up. The winners Trophy was given to Pakistan School Salalah. Aminallah Khan read the messages of President and Prime Minister of Pakistan and shared their feelings regarding 12th Rabee al Awaal. Gujarati Samaj organises annual picnic T HE Muscat Gujarati Samaj of the Indian Social Club recently or- ganised a grand annual picnic for its members. Family picnic is one of the most sought after event on the Samajs annual calendar of events. More than 400 people participated in the event that was held at the Divya Farm in Barka. The delicious breakfast was followed by an array of exciting games which called for active participation from all cross sections of the crowd, including elders and chil- dren. There were a few group games, few couple games and also games for senior citizens and tiny-tots. After an opulent lunch, the picnickers were treated to a few leisurely games which brought out the best of crea- tive skills amongst the par- ticipants. Few of the games which created utmost jubila- tion amongst the crowd were the animal family game, news- paper decoration game and the straw hair dressing game. Prizes were distributed at the end of the games session. 27 LETTERS/HEALTH MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 W E are living in a com- mercial age where everything is on sale including relationships. I am talk- ing about various Days, which have become fashion statement in todays society. From Valantines Day to Moth- er Day, Father Day and Sister Day the list is becoming longer with every passing year. For my understanding a mother or father does need a day to be remembered and loved. These are all the tricks of commercial houses to sell their products. One should think twice before getting into the commercial trap. Shamshad Editor: I agree with you that the whole world is in a com- mercial mode. At the same time there is no harm if the commercial houses are coming out with some idea to sell their products. It is up to an individual to decide what is right and what is wrong. And I am sure no one is compelling you to buy these stuff. Instead of telling them not to come out with such ideas we should exercise some level of self censorship. Capitalising own resources A LTHOUGH I find that the Sultanate already has a balanced economic standing, it is pleasing to know through your newspaper that the government is taking initiatives to capitalise on its resources whilst simultaneously providing a better livelihood for fishermen in Oman. Further boosting the fishing Industry will serve as a great benefit and I hope that the trade limitations on export will allow for residents of Oman to enjoy more local fish. Ahmed Editors: The Sultanate of Oman has always taken pride in developing the nation as a whole. Presenting shermen of Oman with the opportunity to enhance their trade will undoubtedly be leading the shing industry to greater heights. It is my rm be- lief that the trail to an enhanced thriving country in terms of s- cal, industrial and palatable progress has already been paved, and the journey is in motion. Omanisation rate M ANPOWER is a vital issue in any country which means development. Its management is equally important. I appreciate the role of Ministry of Manpower for its pro-active role in this direction. It is also good to see that many big and small companies are offering jobs to local talents. This is one way to achieve sustainable development. Abdullah Editor: Private sector plays a big role in training and employ- ment of national manpower. The support should continue in the larger interest of the nation. Understanding Oman I WAS following up the 80-day journey that some Omani youths took from Salalah to Muscat. Such journeys give the participants some skills, which they cannot get in a classroom atmosphere. Such efforts require much determination and courage. I am proud to know about their commitment. I congratulate the participants for completing the journey successfully. Huda Editor: Such journeys give the participants an opportunity to un- derstand the country from close quarters. A rare and interesting journey indeed! Getting into a commercial trap through commemorations PEOPLES PLATFORM Do you have a word of appreciation for any services you received? Or suggestions for improvement? Observer is giving you an opportunity to rant or rave about anything and everything around you: Please write to: Badr Mohammed al Thanawi, Co-ordinator, Office of the Editor-in-Chief Tel: 24649451, Fax: 24649469; e-mail: featuredesk@yahoo.co.in HER SAY By Charlotte Makala L OOKING forward to meeting up with an old friend last week, I found myself feeling terribly excited and no amount of deep breaths could calm me down. After many tight embraces, a series of cheers and loudly exclaiming how delighted we were to see each after so long our afternoon revolved around adolescent memories, iced vanilla lattes and giggles. The quaint beach front at Shar Al Houb, otherwise known as Love Street complemented what was a pretty romantic girly evening; however there was an incessant interruption, a beeping noise supplemented with a light vibration of the coffee table. If you guessed mobile phone, then that is exactly it! Without hesitation my friend quickly answered her phone. It made me wonder, in a world rampant with means of communication and technological advancements, is it possible to say that we find it even harder to have proper heart-to-heart conversa- tions? Im sure we have answered a call or texted in the midst of having a face- to-face conversation with someone, yet do we ever take the time to question our behaviour or communication skills for that matter? Today I would like to discuss how our new means of communication may assist or dissolve our communication practices. Its been said that Socially Interactive Technologies (SITs), such as instant messages and text messaging, are beginning to redefine the way our com- munity develops socially. If something next to you is pulsating every few minutes, it makes it very difficult to be in a one-track state of mind. The messages received can mod- ify ones reaction to the exterior world. By offering fast-paced, inexpensive, online communication, SITs allow for new online social networks to form and evolve. These online networks, in turn, may affect the offline social and friendship grids in which the community is immersed. It seems likely that relationships that exist only over the Internet will have less depth but will provide connections that are external to the participants' already existing social networks. In other words, people using the Internet will create less strong relationships, but there will be more of them. Most of us would agree that technology is neither good nor bad, yet it is entirely up to us the user, to select appropriate solutions and employ them effectively. Ever since the high demand for SITs users have experienced varying de- grees of feeling isolated at their computers yet have also experienced infor- mation withdrawal syndrome, where a regular user of electronic networks feels overwhelmed and anxious without access to an electronic device to communicate or keep updated with others. Believe it or not, such feelings of isolation are common. Communication is not an automatic process that just involves transmitting information from a sender to a receiver. As a community we must understand that for communication to occur, the receiver must be willing to receive the information, must be listening, and must understand the meaning of what is being conveyed. Both verbal and physical communications are of profound significance as they develop our skills of understanding each other as a so- ciety. Although text messaging can be negative, not only disintegrating social interaction between humans, writing skills and expression, situations tend to become impersonal and too simplified. It may seem that technology is doing its job by simplifying things for us yet; perhaps we should take the time to assess whether we are too comfortable. For example, would you say that you prefer texting to verbal face-to-face interaction? Or does it depend on who you are communicating with? To me it does seem like many people find text messaging and chatting online easy rather than actually talking with another human, some may even argue that there is no awkwardness or vocal response involved when texting or chatting. People could virtually say anything through texts and dont have to commit to engaging into the effects through a vocal conversation. People using this form of communication get accustomed to picturing words in the short text forms and multitasking, since when you are texting or chatting online you could also be performing a few other tasks on the side. Phone conversations on the other hand, can also be considered a distrac- tion and interruption as the daily demands of what needs to be done continue as one is simultaneously talking on the phone. And the scenario described earlier, paints the perfect picture of how interfering a phone call can be. The ramifications could be that an individual commits less concentration to what another individual may be trying to say. Whilst pondering the consequences of technology and feeling a little bit ignored, I watched my dear friend mutter a quick goodbye into the receiver and apologise for the interruption, eager to resume our chat, I had almost uttered a sentence when I felt a slight vibration coming from my purse ac- companied by my ringtone. As we learn to embrace the new ways of communication, I just hope the role of heart-to-heart; face-to-face conversations dont simply become a dis- tant faded practice. W ITH ayurveda becoming a hit among foreign tourists, the ancient Indian system of medicine has gone hi- tech with a new machine being developed for the popular 'dhara' treatment, or the application of a continuous stream of mildly warm oil. "The dhara yanthram, is a pioneering attempt in the markets of Kerala, while such experimental attempts are yet to hit the markets elsewhere," said Venu of the Poorni- ma Panchakarma Equipment, the designer group of the au- tomatic dharayanthram. This product is now on display at the ongoing Ayurveda Festival being held here and has a price tag of Rs 20,000. Recommended for maladies such as insomnia, mental disorders, neurasthenia, memory loss and certain skin dis- eases, the dhara is a process by which herbal oil is allowed to flow on the forehead in a special method for about 45 minutes in a day for 7 to 21 days. In the traditional manual dhara, the material used (oil, kuzhampu or thayilam) turns cold soon if it is not kept heated. "The automatic machine has two major advantages over the traditional method. In the first place, it has the possibil- ity of regulating temperature, as and when required," said Venu. The other advantage of this machine is a consider- able amount of material can be saved as the mechanism progresses through a recycling process and two people can undergo the process simultaneously. "The 'oil' or kuzhampu can be used the required number of times, without must wastage of material and then be re- covered," added Venu. IANS D OCTORS should automatically offer smokers help with quitting, without waiting for signs that they're ready to kick the habit, researchers say. Right now, the general guidelines for doctors say that they should ask smokers about their willingness to quit. Then if the patient seems motivated, the doctor should of- fer help. But in a new research review, UK investigators found that offering quit help to all smokers seems more effective. Looking at 13 past clinical trials, the researchers found that some smokers at least attempted to quit after getting simple advice from their doctor namely, that they should kick the habit for the sake of their health. But actual assistance in quitting either counselling on behaviour changes or nicotine replacement therapy worked better. Based on three studies, the researchers say, such help could prompt an additional 40 per cent to 60 per cent of smokers to at least try quitting, versus advice alone. And all three of the studies offered help to smokers without first checking their "willingness to quit." The findings are published in the journal Addiction. Many smokers need to try a few different tactics before they find the one that works for them. But by offering all smokers some help there will be more long-term quitters simply because there will be more people trying. Reuters Health Help smokers quit whether they ask or not W INNING may have its uses, but playing in an environment that val- ues self-improvement encourages teamwork and initiative, social skills and a sense of identity, a study reveals. Competitiveness fosters an ego-oriented climate, that focuses primarily on beating others and is linked with negative peer influ- ences and inappropriate adult be- haviours, the study says. "Our data suggests if coaches want to develop life skills and character in youth, it is important to focus on player self-improve- ment more so than winning," said researcher Daniel Gould. "Coaches should create a cli- mate or atmosphere where kids feel cared about, valued, safe and supported," said Gould, who led the study with Larry Lauer, both from Michigan State University Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. "These positive things should occur while at the same time avoid- ing the creation of an ego-oriented climate focusing primary attention on comparing themselves to oth- ers," Gould was quoted as saying in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise. The study surveyed 239 young urban athletes aged 10 to 19 years who completed the Youth Experi- ences Scale-2, which measures both positive and negative youth development experiences, a uni- versity statement said. They also completed a caring climate scale, a sport motivation climate scale and measures of the importance their coaches place on psychosocial development. The results clearly show that the more coaches create caring and task-oriented climates, the more likely important positive develop- mental gains will occur. Creating an "ego climate" was found to be the single most powerful predictor of negative youth experiences. Self-improvement promotes teamwork, social skills R ESEARCHERS have found a way to help the brain re- place damaged nerve cells or neurons, a study reveals. Myelin forms a protective sheath around the axons or fibres of our neurons so that they can send signals quickly and efficiently. But myelin and the specialised cells called oligodendrocytes that make it, become damaged in dis- orders like multiple sclerosis (MS), leaving neurons without their my- elin sheaths, the Journal of Neuro- science reported. Consequently, the affected neu- rons can no longer communicate correctly and are prone to damage. Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) now believe they have found a way to help the brain replace damaged oligodendrocytes and myelin, said a university statement. "We've developed a gene thera- py to stimulate production of new oligodendrocytes from stem and progenitor cells both of which can become more specialised cell types that are resident in the adult central nervous system," said Benjamin Deverman, from Caltech, who led the study. IANS Gene therapy boosts cell repair 28 MUSCAT FESTIVEL MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising; P.O. Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman; Tel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 Fax: 24699643 Website: omanobserver.om e-mail: editor@omanobserver.om Salalah Office: Tel: 23292633, Fax: 23293909 Nizwa Office: Tel: 25411099, P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611 ADVERTISING: AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. Box 3303, Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: SWITCHBOARD: 24649444, DIRECT: 24649430/24649437/24649401, Fax: 24649434 DISTRIBUTION AGENT: AL OMANEYA FOR DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING, P.O. Box 974, P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: 24649350/24649360, Fax: 24649379, subscribe@omandaily.om Printers and Publishers OMAN ESTABLISHMENT FOR PRESS, PUBLICATION AND ADVERTISING Chief Executive Officer ABDULLAH BIN NASSIR AL RAHBI. Editor-in-Chief FAHMY BIN KHALID AL HARTHY VIEWPOINT By Haider bin Abdul Redha al Lawati haiderdawood@hotmail.com T HE issue of rising fish prices in the local mar- kets has been observed and written about in several media outlets and other forums. Every week we are reminded of this issue due to the contin- ued rise in the price of this commodity. Many people have been asking if the problem lies in the limited sup- ply of fish in the country, or if it relates to a group of foreign entities that control this business in order to keep the prices high, and thus allocate large quantities for export. In my point of view the second opinion is more accurate since some companies monopolise the fish trade in the county depriving people the opportunity to buy fish products at normal prices. These operations need to be noted by the General Authority for Consumer Protection and other officials in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. They must intervene if they want to keep the local markets stable and offer enough quantities of fish for local trade. Some believe that this responsibility must be taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries which only has the right to prevent fish products to be exported if there is a problem in the local markets. Most Omani catches are now exported through the borders and by air daily. A chat with big agents deal- ing with the fish trade revealed that since we live in a free world and the Sultanate is a member of the WTO the trade of any product must be free. They say the reason for the problem is due to globalisation. At the same time they forget that some countries impose economic and financial sanctions on others, like in the case of Iran, in order to stop them from obtaining nuclear energy for their social and economic programmes, thus depriving the Iranians of their daily necessities. People believe that some traders here are involved in efforts to absorb all the fish landed in the local mar- kets for their own purpose. The quantities of fish that is landed in the market are high but because of the circuitous routes used by some merchants to get all the quantities offered, the prices flare up dramatically. According the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisher- ies data, the average annual production of fish in Oman during the years (2005 to 2010) has reached about 155,000 tonnes, and the average value of these prod- ucts were RO 94 million during the same period. The total production for the year 2010 was about 164,000 tonnes, valued at RO 117 million. These quantities are sufficient to provide the Omani market with enough fish and thus ease prices for local consumption, besides there are large quantities of sur- plus fish for export as well. But now the equation has changed so more catches go for export immediately, while only small quantities remain for the domestic markets, despite the fact that there are laws preventing the export of certain types of fish outside the country. Today there are about 36,000 Omani fishermen working around various Omani coasts. Some traders sell their catch to buyers who agree to procure their daily quantity at a reasonable price after which they are sold in the domestic markets. These traders ask for commitment and look for keen buyers to purchase all their fish quantities. Some of the foreign buyers and broker companies also buy fish for the commercial centres as well as for exports. Due to these methods of procurement the prices go up in the traditional market, and deprive the poor people of their share of fish. It is for these markets that we need more observers and monitors to keep a check on such operations in order to keep the prices stable for a while. The monitors should also keep a watch on the for- eign fishing fleets that are fishing in Omani seas. We need to develop new ways to take advantage of the local markets and the consumers first. Today we pay high prices for local fish which is more than the value of meat imported from abroad. Everyone knows that the fisheries sector in the Sultanate is an important one that plays a pivotal role in providing many job opportunities for Omanis. We should make our local fisherman and merchants more aware of the necessities of the local markets than the foreign ones. The first priority of all countries is to maintain their food security before exporting outside. The fish is an important and necessary commodity because of its nu- tritional value. We require new institutions to speed up our fisheries projects and to fill the shortfall in the fish procurement, apart from infrastructure projects to develop fishing fleets in order to provide for the pro- motion and protection of fish stocks. We have to take advantage of the seasonal changes that affect the fishing industry and develop the fishery products industries to stock the local market through- out the year. Priority should be given to the local consumer after which the remaining can be exported abroad. A T Naseem Park, you can lay your hands on things you have been searching for years but could not find yet, says Ahmed, a visitor from Nizwa. He found an audio CD with Asma al Husna (Allahs 99 Beautiful names). Ahmed also found a host of very attractive beads used for the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted. Ali, a visitor from India, found elegantly designed Iranian headscarves for his young daughters. Similarly, a large number of Islamic products such as books, audio and video CDs, Hijab (modest Islamic dress), headgear, and works of calligraphy for interior dcor are available at Naseem Park. Omani handicrafts T HE demonstration of Omani handicrafts at Qurum Natural Park is a big draw at the festival. There are a number of Omani artisans and craftsmen who are showcasing their skills in various arts and crafts. Saleh is a skilled craftsman who makes ropes, slings and body scrubs, using natural fibre obtained from a reed which grows near wadis. The reed is locally knows as Masad and the fibre taken from it is stronger and durable than the fibre obtained from palm fronds. These natural fibres are still used in Omani villages to make various household items. Year of the Child D EDICATED as the Year of the Child by Omans Council of Ministers, the current edition of Muscat Festival is particularly focused on presenting opportunities to children for fun, entertainment as well as learning. The success of any festival can be gauged from lasting impressions it leaves on the minds of children. A large number of Omanis and residents are bringing their children to the Qurum Natural Park to introduce the heritage aspect of Oman. There ample opportunities to en- joy horse and camel riding. The festival ground at QNP has a section for kids, aimed to entertain as well as educate on a variety of day-to-day aspects. Islamic dolls A T these stalls in Naseem Garden, visitors also buy in large numbers beautiful, lightweight dolls in Hijab. Playing with dolls in Hijab is an enjoyable way for children to learn about Islam and its teachings. These dolls are not dumb; they recite some essential Quranic verse, Allahs names like Al Wadood (The Most Loving), Rahman (The Most Merciful), Al Muheet (Encompassing everything) and Al Razakh (One who gives provision to everyone). Razanne wears hijab and conservative clothing. She comes in a variety of skin, eye, and hair colours and is never scantily-dressed. Catering to spiritual needs By Hasan Kamoonpuri By Vandana Jyotirmayee M USCAT Festival brings in the oppor- tunity of having dif- ferent shades of art and culture on one platform, while satisfy- ing the different needs of peo- ple where dance and music to food and clothing and handi- crafts from various parts of the world are displayed. For art and craft lovers the stalls from some of the East African coun- tries are worth visiting. Most of the objects that you see or buy are made of a single piece of wood or stone, with- out involving a big or small machine, what go together are just the natural objects with human hands. The skills and distinctiveness shine more than anything else and ebony and mahogany wood speak for themselves as you enter the world of art and crafts from Uganda and Kenya. Wandering in the great spread of stalls there are two stalls where a connoisseur would not just slow down but also have the delight of getting mesmerised by the dark brown n black and woody collec- tions of artefacts at Naseem Garden. The stalls have exquisitely woven handbags, handmade wallets, showpieces, paint- ings and batiks, salad spoons to shakers for little children. Mary Njenga from Nairobi (Kenya) said that the items for sale from her stall basi- cally were made of Mahogani wood, soap stone and banana fibers processed in a particular way. The Kenyan stall has a gamut of masks, Boabab trees, carvings made on Calabash and small wooden sculptures of a particular tribe named Maasai. This is one of the best known tribes of Kenya, who are semi-nomadic pastoralists also known for their mystical relationships with cattle and unique for their long preserved culture. Regarding her experi- ences in Oman, Mary said, I never go to any other country for such festivals, I am here because this is Oman. The wooden sculpture depicting the Maasai war- riors had the same masculine features showing the brave and stubborn Maasai and the women wearing bangles and strings full of coloured beads. There are lots of big, small and medium sized giraffes made of wood which is also very much loved by the people of Kenya. The small huts and the women doing their household chores shown in the wall hangings and batiks portray the kind of life that the people in the villages lead. The tie and dye technique is used for colour- ing the batiks and wall hang- ings are made of banana fib- ers. These artefacts are worth buying as they add a sort of coziness when placed or hung in any part of your house. The products cater to all types of buyers ranging from 500 bai- sas to RO 50. The other East African stall is from Uganda with jewellery for ladies, key rings, small elephant heads and tur- tles of different sizes made of ebony and basket tree. The wooden sculptures on this stall depict the warriors from the Shona tribes as well as the Maasais. This stall has vari- ous sized masks and wooden sculptures. The craftsmanship of the artists can be seen in the details carved in the wooden sculptures of pairs of man and woman. Coasters made of tree barks are exquisite examples of handmade items with finesse and classiness. Dananai from Zimbabwe and Jane Rose from Uganda said that this was their third visit to Oman and every trip to this country substantiates the goodness of the Omani citi- zens. Dananai further added that there was a lot of stuff still to come in few days from their homeland which would really satisfy the real craft lovers of this country. Every country has dis- tinctiveness in terms of its products but African arts and crafts, stand apart from others in terms of their authenticity. The dark hard wood colours dont just catch the eyes but also compel you to own it. Ornamental carvings with craftsmanship from Africa Naseem Garden Wandering in the Wandering in the great spread of great spread of stalls there are stalls there are two stalls where a two stalls where a connoisseur would connoisseur would not just slow down not just slow down but also have the but also have the delight of getting delight of getting mesmerised by mesmerised by the dark brown the dark brown n black and n black and woody collections woody collections of artefacts at of artefacts at Naseem Garden Naseem Garden