FRIDAY | AUGUST 28, 2015 | DHUL QA’ADA 13, 1436 AH VOL. 34 NO. 287 | PAGES 20 | BAISAS 200 P13 Strong US capital spending plans boost growth P9 Scientists recreate bread ancestors P20 Sprint sweep for brilliant Bolt in Beijing Inside Chief Executive Officer DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI India set to build 98 Smart Cities Arrest warrant against ex-PM Gilani Palestinians to hold rare congress Editor-in-Chief ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman www.omanobserver.om FOLLOW US ON: editor@omanobserver.om OMAN Boost to media ties with Qatar HM ORDER CONFERRED SALALAH: Sayyid Mohammed bin Sultan al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, received at his office Shaikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al Thani, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qatar Media Corporation, and his delegation. The two sides discussed means of joint cooperation between the Sultanate and the State of Qatar in different media fields and the ways to develop them. They also discussed aspects related to exchange of media teams and training programmes. PICTURE ON P2 POSITIVE: Gulf stocks join global rally to cut heavy losses INDIA Troops patrol tense Gujarat after riots AHMEDABAD: A court in Gujarat ordered a police inquiry on Thursday after at least ten people died in the worst violence to hit the Indian prime minister’s home state in more than a decade. Police opened fire on protesters when rioting broke out following a mass rally by members of the Patidar caste to demand preferential treatment over jobs and university places. One police officer was also killed in the clashes with demonstrators, which appear to have been triggered by the brief detention of protest leader Hardik Patel in the main city of Ahmedabad. SEE ALSO P4 WORLD Nato opens training centre in Georgia TBILISI: Nato on Thursday opened a training centre in Georgia as the exSoviet country eyes closer partnership with the Western military alliance amid tensions with Russia. Georgia has long sought full Nato membership and hopes to be invited to join a Membership Action Plan, a formal step towards membership, at a Nato summit in Warsaw next year. But analysts doubt that Nato will grant the small South Caucasus country the membership plan in 2016 for fear of infuriating Russia amid tensions over Ukraine. REPORT ON P6 INSIDESTORIES P3 KAZAKHSTAN SIGNS DEAL TO HOST NUCLEAR FUEL BANK P6 MIGRANTS SET TONE AT EU-WEST BALKAN SUMMIT GLOBAL MARKETS STAGE SMART RALLY MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos conferred Al Numan First Class Order on Awadh Mohammed Ahmed Ibn Ouf, outgoing ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to the Sultanate in appreciation of his good efforts in serving the fraternal relations binding the two brotherly countries. The order was handed over to the ambassador by HH Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said when he received him at his office yesterday. Awareness can reduce accidents in Sultanate KABEER YOUSUF MUSCAT August 27: It is all-round awareness and following precautions which can reduce the number road accidents in the country, especially on the road to Salalah, according to an official from the Royal Oman Police (ROP). Motorists need to take extra caution when they suspect something is not right either with the road, vehicle or with their driving attitude. “One may be driving a brand new 4WD, but that doesn’t mean he cannot meet with an accident. He or she needs to exert extra caution while driving and stop using mobile phone and take a break when you feel tired,” a senior official told the Observer. “The positive results which we see in Oman today are the outcome of collective efforts of the government and private entities and we need to have more campaigns to this end.” On the other hand, any awareness programme will be futile if they are not pursued and the motorists need to be alert when they are on the road. “One must turn his Internet data package off so that getting busy on social media and instant messaging apps can be avoided, and he should avoid making or receiving calls and if at all if he wants to attend any emergency call, it’s advisable to use a hands free. “The idea is all about paying your full attention on the road. Also avoid driving longer distances alone as it may be boring and hence you may lose NEW YORK: Stock markets around the world rallied on Thursday and crude oil rebounded sharply after strong US economic data and hints from a US Federal Reserve policymaker that a September interest rate hike was unlikely. All three major US indexes were up almost 2 per cent and increased appetite for risk sent government bond prices and the Japanese yen down while the dollar advanced. Annual US gross domestic product growth was revised to 3.7 per cent from the 2.3 per cent rate reported last month and last week’s jobless claims fell more than expected. New York Fed President William Dudley had said on Wednesday that arguments for a September rate increase “seems less compelling” than only weeks ago, given the threat posed to the US economy by recent market turmoil. “People are re-evaluating the effect of China’s slowdown on the rest of the world. We had some moderately good economic numbers this morning,” said Giri Cherukuri, head trader MSM general index up by 34 points MUSCAT: Muscat Securities Market (MSM) general index 30 yesterday added 34.8 points to close at 5,816.80 points, compared to the last session, which stood at 5,782.04 points. The trading value stood at RO 4.26 million, a decline by 9.44 per cent compared to the last session, which stood at RO 4.70 million. The report released by MSM pointed out that the market value rose by 0.94 per cent to reach about RO 14.67 billion. The report added that the value of shares bought by non-Omani investors reached RO 356,000. The value of shares sold by non-Omani investors reached RO 900,000. and portfolio manager, at Oakbrook Investments in Lisle, Illinois. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 282 points, or 1.73 per cent, at 16,567.51, the S&P 500 gained 36.96 points, or 1.9 per cent, to 1,977.47 and OMAN ENTERS FINAL FIRST WHAT NOT TO DO ON ROAD Action from the Oman’s semifinal against Qatar in the GCC Cup under-17 football championship at the Aspire Dome in Doha on Thursday. Oman beat Qatar 3-2 to enter the final. REPORT ON P20 Oceans are warming and expanding much more rapidly than in the past P7 ARAB COALITION POISED TO RETAKE CAPITAL SANAA WEATHER TODAY MUSCAT MAX: 380C MIN: 310C SALALAH MAX: 300C MIN: 250C SUNRISE 05.45 AM PRAYER TIMINGS FAJR: 04:26 DHUHR: 12:08 ASR: 15:35 MAGHRIB: 18:29 ISHA: 19:59 NIZWA MAX: 440C MIN: 280C Global sea levels climbed 3 inches since 1992 MIAMI: Sea levels are rising around the world, and the latest satellite data suggests that three feet (one metre) or more is unavoidable in the next 100-200 years, Nasa scientists said. Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting faster than ever, and oceans are warming and expanding much more rapidly than they have in years past. Rising seas will have “profound impacts” around the world, said Michael Freilich, Director of Nasa’s Earth Science Division. “More than 150 million people, most of them in Asia, live within one metre of present sea level,” he said. Low-lying US states such as Florida are at risk of disappearing, as are some of the world’s major cities such as Singapore and Tokyo. “It may entirely eliminate some Pacific island nations,” he said. There is no doubt that global coastlines will look very different in years to come, US space agency experts told reporters on a conference call to discuss the latest data on sea level rise. “Right now we have committed to probably more than three feet (one metre) of sea level rise, just based on the WOMAN Anti-austerity judge becomes Greek PM z Texting/talking on phone z Driving when tired z Avoid driving when not in proper state of mind z Multi-tasking z Over speeding z Driving with kids not in child seats z Overtaking from wrong side z Crossing shoulder lines z Driving without seatbelts attention. Likewise, one shouldn’t drive when he is fatigued”, he added. Reports say that on an average, at least three people lose their lives in various road accidents in the country every day. Fatalities and damages are also on the rise, let alone the post-accident trauma. In the recent past, nearly a dozen people were killed and several others injured in road accidents during the Eid al Fitr holidays which grabbed national attention for triggering talks on better planning for cutting accidents in the TURN TO P2 country. the Nasdaq Composite added 90.83 points, or 1.93 per cent, to 4,788.37. Markets around the world plunged earlier in the week as a slump in Shanghai shares fuelled worries over China’s economic health. While Beijing moved to ease policy late on Tuesday, stocks still ended weak that day, but Wall Street staged a strong comeback late on Wednesday and its biggest daily gain in four years helped to calm investor nerves overseas. The two main Chinese indices surged 5.3 per cent and 5.9 per cent on Thursday, snapping a five-day losing streak that had wiped around 20 per cent in market value and sent tremors around global financial markets. US Treasuries prices fell with most yields rising to one-week highs after the government upgraded its reading on second-quarter economic growth. Dudley’s comments came amid alarming market volatility and as investors watch a annual meeting of the world’s top central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for clues on how the turmoil may shake up policy plans. — Agencies A photo taken on Wednesday on the beach in Vridi, the industrial neighbourhood of Abidjan, shows the ruins of a hotel which was destroyed by the rise in the water levels. — AFP warming we have had so far,” said Steve Nerem of the University of Colorado, Boulder and leader of Nasa’s sea level rise team. “It will very likely get worse in the future,” he told reporters. “The biggest uncertainty is predicting how quickly the polar ice sheets will melt.” The last major predictions were made in 2013 by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Based on a consensus of international researchers, the IPCC said global sea levels would likely rise from one to three feet by the end of the century. — AFP ATHENS: Greece has its first female prime minister — if only for just over three weeks. Top Supreme Court judge Vassiliki Thanou, 65, was sworn in on Thursday to head a caretaker government that will lead the country to elections expected on September 20 A vocal anti-austerity advocate, she made a name for herself as a judge who openly battled against wage cuts imposed on the Greek judiciary to appease European and International Monetary Fund lenders. She argued that competitive salaries were essential to uphold the integrity of court officials and also openly decried as illegal an unpopular property tax first introduced in 2012 under the bailout programme. Thanou’s main task as caretaker prime minister will be to ensure Greece is safely taken to elections within roughly three weeks, leaving her without any mandate to implement the anti-austerity agenda that she has openly espoused. “The wrong economic policy which was implemented in the past five years, in line with the bailouts that were imposed by the (lenders) and failed, have led to a deeper recession, unemployment and the impoverishment of most of the Greek people,” Thanou wrote in an open letter to her European counterparts in July. In another letter to the president of the European Commission in February, Thanou — who was vicepresident of the Supreme Court at the time — called on Jean-Claude Juncker to help the “Greek people regain their dignity”. SEE ALSO P6 2 OMAN OIL PRICE RISES $1 F R I DAY l A U G U ST 2 8 l 2 0 1 5 Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) said that Oman oil price (October delivery) reached $44.15. The DME statement said that the price of Oman oil rose $1.25 from the price of Wednesday, which was $42.90. The average price of Oman oil (September Delivery 2015) has stabilised at $56 and 33 cents, thus $5.51 per barrel lower than August delivery 2015. OMAN The Oil & Gas Year Oman 2015 launched MUSCAT: Energy report The Oil & Gas Year Oman 2015 was launched at the Intercontinental Hotel in Muscat, on Thursday. The 152-page book was launched in the presence of Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas of the Sultanate of Oman, in a ceremony organised by the Ministry of Oil and Gas and the Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL). The event was attended by some of the industry’s leaders and saw a number of awards distributed to key individuals, organisations and projects for their achievements over the past year. The Oil & Gas Year Oman 2015 places special focus on how the country is using enhanced oil recovery to achieve record production highs while building up its infrastructure and downstream sector to further these advances. The book also explores Oman’s approach to in-country value through interviews and a roundtable debate with key players in the country’s localisation initiative. The Oil & Gas Year published its fifth edition in Oman produced in collaboration with the Ministry of Oil and Gas and OPAL. At the ceremony, The Oil & Gas Year team distributed six awards. Raoul Restucci, Managing Director of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), was selected as Man of the Year for his leadership of Oman’s top oil producer. Under Restucci, PDO has spearheaded developments in enhanced oil recovery and in-country value. National Training Institute was named Training Provider of the Year for its role in fostering a local workforce with the technical expertise needed to tackle Oman’s complex oil and gas developments. The award for Local Company of the Year was given to Al Sahari Oil Services, one of the five super local community contractors created under a PDO initiative to boost Omani businesses. With a commitment to sourcing new technology, Al Sahari Oil Services has tripled its market value since its creation. The Sohar Refinery SAUDI PREACHER TO TALK IN SALALAH TODAY Hamoud bin Ali al Aasri, Assistant Secretary-General, Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science, received Saudi preacher Dr Khaled al Jubeir (pictured) on Thursday in Muscat. Al Jubeir will deliver a lecture on Friday at Sultan Qaboos Mosque in Salalah in the evening. DHOFAR GOVERNOR MEETS QATAR MEDIA CEO Raoul Restucci, Managing Director of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), was selected as Man of the Year for his leadership of Oman’s top oil producer. Improvement Project was honoured as Project of the Year for its central role in expanding Oman’s refining capacity. The award for Contractor of the Year went to Galfar Engineering & Contracting. Oman’s largest engineering and contracting firm has recently secured key contracts for the Khazzan Project and Duqm Refinery, boosting a work backlog now valued at $1.75 billion. Intaj, a growing Omani integrated oil and gas company, was named Newcomer of the Year following its award of block 56 with partner Medco in late 2014. “This book is a sum of leaders opinions and information to let the world know how Oman has managed to turn around its production decline, and is today a world centre of hydrocarbons p r o d u c t i o n innovation,” said Gilles Valentin, managing partner of The Oil & Gas Year. Al Aufi congratulated the TOGY team for their work and urged the industry members present at the ceremony to keep pressing on with their efforts to increase production in the sultanate. He extended his congratulations to the Omani oil and gas industry for posting record-high production figures in July 2015. The Oil & Gas Year produces yearly annual executive books and events on more than 33 petroleum provinces that are critical business tools for energy investors, highlighting and promoting key actors and opportunities. Global circulation to a readership of 69,000 readers in 101 countries is audited by BPA Worldwide. Sayyid Mohammed bin Sultan al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, received on Thursday in Salalah Shaikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al Thani, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qatar Media Corporation and his accompanying delegation who are visiting the Sultanate. The two sides discussed means of joint cooperation between the Sultanate and Qatar in different media fields and how to develop them. They also discussed aspects related to exchange of media teams and training programmes. The CEO of Qatar Media Corporation hailed the Sultanate’s keenness, under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, to enhance relations with the GCC countries. The meeting was attended by Ali bin Khalfan al Jabri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Salim bin Awadh al Najjar, Head of Media Office in Dhofar Governorate and some media officials. — ONA EXPO ON HAJ BEGINS ONA selected best Arab news agency for tourism coverage A five-day exhibition organised by the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs began on Thursday at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Bausher. It features exhibits and lectures in various languages on the performance of Haj and preparing for it. — ONA A huge negative growth in Indo-Oman trade for the first quarter of 2015-16 compared to the same period last fiscal Oman’s import from India exceeds its export R A K SINGH NEW DELHI August 27: Despite the Indo-Oman trade data for the first two months of fiscal 2015-16 depicting a surge in Omani exports to India, the latest trade data for the first quarter (AprilJune) of the fiscal shows Oman’s balance of trade with India in red. The latest data also reveal a huge negative growth in Indo-Oman trade for the first quarter of 201516 compared to the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal. The provisional trade data for April June 2015 released early this week show Oman incurring a negative Balance of Trade of $31.48 million. As per the data, while Oman exported to India various merchandise worth $396.48 million during AprilJune 2015, it imported goods worth $427.95 million from India. This led to Oman’s import from India exceeding by $31.48 million. After registering a negative balance of trade in several of the last fiscals, including that of 2014-15, Omani’s export to India has exhibited green shoots in the first two months of the new fiscal 2015-16. The Indo-Oman trade data released earlier for the April and May of 2015-16 had shown the net value of Oman exports to India exceeding its net import from India by nearly $32 millions. The data released by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed that for April and May of 2015, Oman had exported to India various merchandise worth $ 311.21 million. It had further shown that during April-May 2015, Oman, however, imported from India various goods worth $279.43 million only. This lower import by Oman from India compared to its export to it has resulted in a net balance of trade (BOT) worth $31.78 million in favour of the Sultanate. Oman had been able to register a positive BoT in its favour in the first two months of the current fiscal after turning negative during 2014-15 during which the BoT had gone in favour of India due to the Sultanate’s import from India exceeding its net export. During the fiscal 2014-15, Oman had imported merchandise worth $2,379.46 million from India, while it had been able to export various goods worth USD 1,752.24 to it. This implied that Oman’s net import from India had exceeded its net export by over $627 million, making the BoT negative against the Sultanate. A comparative analysis of IndoOman trade figures for last ten years shows that the Sultanate has generally been a net exporter to India, but of late it had been betraying signs of turning into a net importer from its traditional trade partner with its imports from it often exceeding its exports to it. MUSCAT: Oman News Agency (ONA) will receive the best Arab news agency award for coverage on the local and Arab tourism affairs. The award is presented by the Abu Dhabi-based Arab Centre for Tourism Media (ACTM). The awardpresentation ceremony will be held at Al Bustan Palace Hotel next Monday under the patronage of Ahmed bin Nasser al Mehrzi, Minister of Tourism. The Supervisory Committee on Tourism Media Awards for the current year 2015 unanimously decided to select ONA among the winners of the ACTM annual awards, previously announced in the Jordanian capital in the presence of Jordanian Minister of Tourism. — ONA Awareness can reduce accidents FROM PAGE 1 According to ROP statistics, there have been 2,958 accidents this year till this August, whereas it was 2,909 during the same period last year. Fortunately, there is a fall in the number of people who lost their lives on roads. As many as 307 died till this month, whereas 404 had lost their lives in the same month last year. There has been a decline in the number of people injured in accidents. Around 1,593 people were injured in accidents, while it was 2,832 last year. Statistics reveal that there is a decline in the number of vehicles registered with the Traffic Department as well. Till August, only 50,802 vehicles were registered compared to 68,700 last year, a decline of 26.1 per cent. THAILAND SENDS ORANGUTANS TO INDONESIA Fourteen Indonesian orangutans held in Thailand for five years are finally to head home, an official said on Thursday. Thai authorities found 13 animals left in cages by a roadside in Phuket in 2010, apparently bound for a private zoo, according to an official at the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, who requested anonymity. TOKYO HOSTS WOMEN’S MEET FROM TODAY 12 people arrested over Tianjin blast, toll at 145 BEIJING: Chinese police have arrested 12 people over giant explosions that killed at least 145 people and devastated a swathe of a Chinese port city, state media said on Thursday as prosecutors probe 11 officials for neglecting their duties. The official Xinhua news agency said the dozen formally held include the chairman and senior managers of the firm whose chemical storage facility exploded in the northern city of Tianjin two weeks ago, in the country’s highestprofile industrial accident in years. Separately, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said on its website that prosecutors in the city were probing 11 officials for “abuse of power” and “dereliction of duty” over the blasts, which also injured hundreds of people. In China, formal arrest normally comes after some time in police detention and sees the case handed to prosecutors, with trial and conviction almost guaranteed. The 12 arrested include owners of Rui Hai International Logistics who were shown on state television last week, when they were already being held by police, “confessing” to using government connections to obtain safety permits. The huge explosions left a trail of mangled buildings and burnt out cars in their wake. There are currently 495 troops from the People’s Liberation Army chemical defence unit and 66 chemical defence experts assisting in disaster relief operations, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said on Thursday. The toll rose to 145 people killed with 28 still missing, according to the Tianjin government’s official Sina Weibo account, a Chinese version of Twitter. The post also said 474 are in hospital, including seven in critical condition. The incident sparked widespread outrage over alleged safety violations by Rui Hai and possible official collusion, and fears of pollutants contaminating the air and water of Tianjin, home to about 15 million people. Thousands of tonnes of hazardous chemicals were stored at the site, officials have said, including about 700 tonnes of highly poisonous sodium cyanide, a white powder or crystal which can give off lethal hydrogen cyanide gas. The warehouse was built within 600 metres (650 yards) of some residential buildings, despite a regulation mandating any hazardous material storage facilities must be at least 1,000 metres away. — AFP Radio broadcaster shot dead in southern Philippines MANILA: A radio broadcaster was shot dead on Thursday by an unidentified gunman in the southern Philippines, police said, the third media professional to be killed in the past two weeks. Cosme Maestrado, 46, was shot dead by a lone gunman near a shopping centre in a busy street in Ozamiz City, about 780 kilometres south of Manila, according to a police report. The victim was a hard-hitting radio commentator in Ozamiz, criticising corruption and other abuses of government officials in the area. F R I DAY l A U G U S T 2 8 l 2 0 1 5 Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (L) is greeted by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Thursday. Sirleaf is in Tokyo to attend the World Assembly for Women, which runs from August 28 to 29. The Women Assembly for Women brings together 140 leaders from more than 40 countries and seven international organisations. Maestrado survived a previous attack in November 2011, according to his colleagues. Investigators are still determining the motive behind the attack. Last week two media professionals from the eastern province of Sorsogon and the southern province of Davao were killed by unidentified gunmen. Maestrado was the sixth journalist killed in the country this year, and the 30th since President Benigno Aquino took office in 2010, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. — dpa ASIA Kazakhstan signs deal to host first global nuclear fuel bank TO CURB PROLIFERATION: The $150-million bank, which will be run by International Atomic Energy Agency and is expected to open in 2017, will contain low-enriched uranium ASTANA: Kazakhstan and the UN nuclear watchdog signed a deal on Thursday to create the first internationally-controlled uranium bank aimed at guaranteeing supplies for power plants and curbing nuclear proliferation. The bank, which will be administered by the International Atomic Energy Agency and is expected to open in 2017, will contain low-enriched uranium (LEU). Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov said the bank, to be based in the northeast of the former Soviet state, would provide IAEA member states with “safe access to fuel for their nuclear power plants”. The deal for the bank, which costs $150 million, was signed during a visit by IAEA chief Yukiya Amano. The IAEA has said it will contain up to 90 tonnes of low enriched uranium suitable to make fuel for a typical light water reactor. “The LEU can be used to make enough nuclear fuel to power a large city for three years,” it said in a fuelling peaceful power reactors should they have difficulties securing such material on the international market,” it said in a statement on Wednesday. It also recognised Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s “important leadership on nonproliferation spanning more than two decades.” Kazakhstan portrays itself as a key player in nuclear diplomacy, having given up its own nuclear weapons following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Addressing the IAEA delegation in Astana, 75-year-old Nazarbayev said: “Our country has consistently pursued a policy of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. I think our views in this regard are similar.” The Central Asian country hosted an unsuccessful round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme in 2013. Iran and six world powers — Britain, China, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev (R) meets with Yukiya Amano, director France, Germany, Russia and the United general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Astana on Thursday. — AFP States — finally reached a landmark statement. The White House lauded the states of the IAEA will be able to access agreement in July on limiting Tehran’s — AFP plan. “Through this initiative, member a ready reserve of nuclear material for nuclear drive. Malaysia, Indonesia to fight soaring piracy SINGAPORE: Malaysia and Indonesia are deploying rapid reaction teams to combat a soaring number of attacks on merchant vessels in one of the world’s busiest shipping chokepoints, a Malaysian admiral said. Over 70 ships have been attacked in the Malacca and Singapore straits, on the western side of the Malay Peninsula, this year, the highest number since at least 2008, including at least seven at the end of last week, according to security and anti-piracy groups. “We have in general recommended that vessels proceeding to Singapore and passing Malaysian waters take WESTERN LEADERS NOT TO ATTEND WORLD WAR EVENT A paramilitary police officer in plain-clothes holding an umbrella keeps watch on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, on Thursday. Major Western leaders will not attend a military parade in China next week to mark the end of World War Two, leaving President Xi Jinping to stand with leaders and officials from Russia, Sudan, Venezuela and North Korea at his highest-profile event of 2015. — Reuters Over 70 ships have been attacked in the Malacca and Singapore straits this year, the highest since 2008, including at least seven at the end of last week appropriate security measures,” said Michael Storgaard, spokesman for the world’s biggest shipping firm Maersk Line. One of the ships attacked last week was the 106,043 deadweight container ship Maersk Lebu. The surge of attacks has led the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), or coastguard, to deploy a helicopter-equipped special task and rescue (STAR) team at Johor Bharu, First Admiral Maritime Zulkifili bin Abu Bakar, director of maritime matters in the MMEA’s crime investigations department, told Reuters. The Malaysian and Indonesian navies are forming a similar rapid reaction force in the area, Zulkifili added. While the MMEA force would respond to robbery and hijacking incidents team members would sometimes be deployed on merchant Three students charged for Hong Kong democracy stir HONG KONG: Three youth activists who played key roles in the 79-day protests last year in Hong Kong were formally charged on Thursday some 11 months after the fact, said local reports. Joshua Wong, leader of student group Scholarism, was charged with taking part in and inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly. Federation of Students SecretaryGeneral Nathan Law Kwun-Chung and former secretary-general Alex Chow Yong-kang were charged with inciting others to take part in illegal assembly and taking part in an unlawful assembly respectively, The South China Morning Post reported. They were part of a group of students who broke into the courtyard of the Hong Kong government headquarters on September 26, 2014. Their actions helped spark a protest that saw key thoroughfares blocked by traffic throughout Hong Kong, and tear gas Student protesters Joshua Wong (L) and Nathan Law (C) talk to the media in Hong Kong on Thursday. — AFP and pepper spray used on demonstrators protesting against China’s attempt to see political candidates pre-selected by a pro-Beijing committee. The proposal ended up being voted down in the city’s legislature by an alliance of prodemocracy lawmakers. Wong told The Post as he entered into police headquarters: “The break-in was the best decision I’ve made in the last four years.” — dpa South Korea to push family reunions in talks with North SEOUL: Seoul plans to push for a resumption of reunions of Korean family members separated by the decades-long division of the peninsula when the next round of talks with North Korea commences, an official said on Thursday. “For us, the family reunion issue tops the agenda,” a presidential spokesman said after a meeting of senior officials on the topic. Tensions between the rival neighbours flared recently, only coming under control after a sixpoint agreement was reached early on Tuesday. 3 One of the points called for further, wide-ranging negotiations soon. Another was to work towards restarting the family reunions. The last round of such reunions was conducted in February 2014 after a three-year gap. “If the North wants to show us they are taking the agreement seriously, they can do so by solving this issue first,” the spokesman said. “Otherwise, we won’t be able to move to other issues.” There is a sense of urgency around the family reunions, as around half of the 129,698 South Koreans registered as separated from their immediate family in the 1950-53 conflict have already died. During the talks, Pyongyang was also keen to discuss the possible lifting of the South’s sanctions, as well as the resumption of its aid programs, unnamed government insiders were quoted as saying by the South’s Yonhap News Agency this week. — dpa ships operated by Malaysian government-linked firms, he said. “The STAR team is in addition to the other MMEA personnel tasked to combat anti-piracy/sea robbery. I can’t tell you the number of personnel, but (it is) formidable enough to undertake any anti-hijacking operations,” the Admiral said. Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia already coordinate naval and police patrols in the Malacca Strait and South China Sea, but have been hampered by a lack of resources, while sheltered coasts and islands make it easy for robbers to operate. — Reuters UIGHUR LINK Thailand looks into Turkish role in Bangkok blast BANGKOK: Thai police on Thursday said they were looking at arrivals of Turkish nationals in the days before a Bangkok bomb attack that killed 20 people, but said they had not ruled out any group or possibility. Police and some security analysts have raised the possibility of a connection to the Uighurs — a Turkicspeaking Muslim minority from the far west of China. They complain of persecution by Beijing. China’s treatment of the Uighurs is an important issue for many Turks, who see themselves as sharing a common cultural and religious background. Last month more than 100 Uighurs were deported from Thailand to China — a move that prompted widespread condemnation by rights groups and sparked a protest outside Thailand’s consulate in Istanbul. National police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters police had checked arrivals of Turkish nationals who entered Thailand around two weeks before the blast. “There are probably more Turkish coming into Thailand than that. We investigated groups which may have come into the country,” said Prawut, in response to whether police had investigated 15 Turkish nationals. — AFP 4 INDIA omandailyobserver Centre announces list of 98 ‘smart cities’ F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 SELFIE FOR THE HARVEST FEST HIGH QUALITY: Urban development projects, planning and designing are high on the mission’s agenda NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at enhancing the quality of urban life, the government on Thursday unveiled a list of 98 cities in the country for the Smart City Mission. The central government proposes to give financial support to the extent of Rs 48,000 crore to these cities over the next five years, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said here. Naidu said a population of 13 crore across these cities will be covered under the initiative. “There are 13 cities from Uttar Pradesh, 12 from Tamil Nadu, 10 from Maharashtra, seven from Madhya Pradesh and three each from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in the list,” Naidu told the media here. “Smart cities need smart people. We need people’s cooperation to move forward in our mission. Making them smart will make them engines of economic growth besides giving decent life to the citizens,” he added. The cities include 24 capitals of states and union territories. Some of the capital cities that were not nominated include Itanagar, Patna, Shimla, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Isro to launch a heavier US satellite: Chief SRIHARIKOTA: The Indian space agency has already lined for putting US NISAR (Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite into orbit using its GSLV-Mk II rocket, its chief said on Thursday. “As a part of cooperation with the US space agency Nasa, we will be launching a satellite using GSLV-Mk II in 2021,” Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Chairman A S Kiran Kumar told reporters here. According to him, there is good international market for launching two tonne satellites which Isro would be targeting. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation for the successful launch of GSAT-6, which has several strategic applications. — IANS Smart cities need smart people. We need people’s cooperation to move forward in our mission. people to go and live there,” Prabhu pointed out. In Maharashtra, the 10 nominated Smart cities are Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Kalyan-Dombivali, Pune, Aurangabad, Solapur, Nagpur and Amravati. Chandigarh, a union territory that is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana and is the country’s only planned city, has also made it to the list. “It is a moment of pride as the collective efforts of the Chandigarh administration and citizens have paid off. The selection was done through intra-city competition which evaluated the various cities on parameters such as service levels, financial and institutional capacity, past track record and reforms,” a Chandigarh administration spokesman said. From the region (comprising Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh), seven cities have made it to the list. Besides Chandigarh, these are Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar (in Punjab), Karnal and Faridabad (in Haryana) and Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh). — IANS M VENKAIAH NAIDU Urban Development Minister The minister said the prime motive of the initiative was to enhance urban life. “The mission is very practical and realistic.” Welcoming the centre’s plans for 100 Smart Cities project, Mumbaibased architect and urban planner Chandrashekhar Prabhu said the country actually needs 300 Smart Cities. “But merely giving some money will not make these cities ‘smart’ since their existing problems may not be resolved so easily. The need is to take up urban development project from scratch, plan and design a Smart City, build it with all the required infrastructure and amenities that will voluntarily attract Nation declared maternal and neonatal tetanus-free NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation has declared that mothers and newborns in India are free from tetanus at the time of birth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Thursday. Inaugurating the Call to Action Summit 2015, an initiative to reduce child and maternal deaths across the world, the prime minister said the decisions taken during the conclave will shape the world in the next 15 years. “I am happy to share another major milestone achieved by India. India has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus. The validation for this has happened much before the global target date of December 2015. This gives us the confidence to achieve other targets well before the target date,” Modi said. Maternal and neonatal tetanus were among the most common lethal consequences of unclean deliveries and umbilical cord care practices. When tetanus develops, mortality rates are extremely high, especially when appropriate medical care is not available. The two-day conclave, being hosted for the first time in India, is being participated by over 600 delegates from across the world. The last two conclaves were organised in the US. According to WHO, there are 24 countries that make up for 36 per cent of the global population, and account for 70 per cent of child and maternal deaths. The world continues to lose about 289,000 mothers and 6.3 million under-five children every year. Noting that 52 per cent of India’s under-five mortality is due to deaths of newborns in the first month of life, Modi said that under the national health mission, the government was emphasising a continuum of newborn care both at the community and facility level. — IANS FAITHFULLS WAIT GREETINGS President, V-P greet people on Onam NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President M Hamid Ansari on Thursday greeted people on the occasion of Onam, celebrated most prominently in Kerala. “On the joyous occasion of Onam, I convey my heartfelt greetings to all my sisters and brothers in Kerala and abroad,” Mukherjee said in his message. He said that Onam was a unique secular festival celebrated by the people of Kerala “belonging to all communities, irrespective of caste, creed and economic standing”. “It represents the spontaneous celebrations of the common people as they welcome their legendary King Mahabali, who was loved by all for his just and benevolent rule. Coinciding with the harvest season, Onam brings with it optimism for the future and gratitude for nature’s bounty,” the president added. In his message, Vice-President Ansari said: “I extend my warm greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of Onam.” “Celebrated with traditional gaiety and enthusiasm, this festival reflects the central role of agriculture in Indian society. — IANS Gujarat limps to normalcy under army watch AHMEDABAD: Ravaged by violence since Tuesday, Gujarat limped back to normalcy on Thursday even as the army was moved into three more cities to curb tensions following riots that claimed nine lives, officials said. Besides Ahmedabad, soldiers joined paramilitary and state police in Surat, Rajkot and Mehsana to patrol the cities. Though there were no major incidents of violence on Thursday, the situation remained tense, and roads were deserted in most major cities and towns. Schools and colleges were shut, and so were most shops, offices and commercial establishments. However, all government offices as well as public and private banks reported near normal operation on Thursday. Curfew imposed in certain areas of Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and other cities since Tuesday was relaxed on Thursday, enabling residents to go out and buy essentials including milk, vegetables and medicines. But night curfew may continue in the worst-hit cities and localities, officials indicated. While auto-rickshaws and taxis started plying on Thursday, public transport, which bore the brunt of mobs in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and other cities, operated only partially. The BRT system, in which buses and stops were badly damaged, are expected to resume normal operations only by next week. The Gujarat State Road Transport Corp services also resumed partly after many buses were attacked and burnt. Rail tracks damaged by rioters were being repaired, delaying intra-state and inter-state services. The two days of unrest figured prominently in the Gujarat assembly where a vociferous Congress demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, forcing two adjournment of the house. The speaker suspended around 30 Congress legislators for the day after they rushed towards him shouting slogans against the government. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the violence in his home state. “Modi’s ideology is of anger... which is what is happening in Gujarat. Anger helps no one except Modiji,” Gandhi tweeted. In Ahmedabad, Hardik Patel, 22, the convenor of Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), denounced the government for the police action on Patidars on Tuesday which resulted in a riotous Wednesday. “Children and women were hurt. Police officers responsible for this should be suspended,” Patel said, warning that essential supplies to Ahmedabad would be stopped until the guilty policemen were punished. — IANS The infant was suffering from a congenital urinary tract disorder Devotees wait for the start of a procession during Kumbh Mela or the Pitcher Festival in Trimbakeshwar. Hundreds of thousands of Hindus took part in the religious gathering at the banks of the Godavari River in Nashik at the festival, which is held every 12 years in different cities. — Reuters Left farmers’ rally turns violent, many hurt KOLKATA: A farmers’ rally called by the opposition Left Front here on Thursday turned violent with protesters and the police engaging in pitched battles and stone pelting leading to a number of leaders and workers and policemen getting injured. Leader of Opposition and CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra and Left Front chairman and veteran Marxist leader Biman Bose were caught in the melee and claimed they were hit by Students pose for a selfie as they celebrate the Onam Festival at a college campus in Chennai yesterday. — AFP bricks as agitators and police engaged in pitched battles. CPM Rajya Sabha member Ritabrata Banerjee claimed that over 100 people were injured. Led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist -affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and supported by other Left Front affiliated peasant fronts, the “Nabanna Abhiyan” — a march to the state secretariat — was to press for their 17-point charter of demands including issues such as farmer suicides and rehabilitation of farmers ruined by the recent floods in West Bengal. Taken out from four spots, two in the city — Rani Rashmoni Road and Kidderpore — and two from neighbouring Howrah district, the rallies turned violent as police resorted to baton-charging and used water cannons to disperse the agitators who, in their bid to march towards Nabanna, broke police barricades. — IANS Outrage over newborn’s death in Andhra hospital GUNTUR: The death of a 10-dayold boy after he was bitten by rats at a government-run hospital here sparked outrage on Thursday with various groups staging protests. Activists of various opposition parties and non-political groups staged protest at Government General Hospital (GGH), seeking stern action against the officials responsible for the negligence which led to the newborn’s death on Wednesday. Workers of main opposition YSR Congress party tried to barge into the hospital as they wanted to meet the ministers who were present inside the premises. Activists of Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) and Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) also staged protests. They demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the newborn. The 10-day-old baby was bit by rodents twice in three days in NeoNatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has suspended three officials and announced a probe by the health secretary The newborn’s mother C Lakshmi said she noticed the injuries near left eye and fingers on Sunday and again on Wednesday and informed the doctors but they did not respond. The infant, born in Vijayawada, was suffering from congenital urinary tract disorder. He was referred to GGH, Guntur and was under observation for a week. C Nagaraju, a daily wage earner, and his wife Lakshmi had repeatedly complained to the hospital staff about the danger posed by rats in the premises. Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas along with three other ministers and Guntur MP Galla Jayadev visited the hospital. The health minister told reporters that stern action would be taken against those found guilty. He said action would also be taken against those who failed to take action despite complaint by Lakshmi, mother of the newborn. Terming the incident shameful, he announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for the family of the victim. He said the incident would be probed at three levels. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu late on Wednesday suspended three officials and announced a probe by the health secretary. The minister said police had booked a case on the complaint by Lakshmi and they would conduct an inquiry. A judicial probe will also be instituted. The health minister said a special sanitation drive would be launched at the hospital. “The government will take all steps to ensure that such incidents don’t recur,” Srinivas said. — IANS SUBCONTINENT F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 Pakistan leases 2,000 acres to China for Gwadar Economic Zone ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has leased out over 2,000 acres to China for 43 years mainly belonging to the Pakistan Navy and the provincial government in order to construct the first Free Economic Zone (FEZ) at Gwadar. Under the much-hyped ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), both Beijing and Islamabad decided to utilise $786 million for different important physical projects related to Gwadar, including the construction of airport at an estimated cost of $230 million. In addition, the Gwadar Coal Power Project will be constructed at an estimated cost of $360 million in order to generate 300MW electricity. So, Gwadar will have an overall STOP MISUSE Nepal Supreme Court suspends surrogacy KATHMANDU: Nepal’s top court has ordered a halt to commercial surrogacy services in the Himalayan nation until it rules on the legality of the practice, an official said Wednesday. Nepal has become a destination for foreigners seeking to have children through surrogate mothers. The practice is controversial, with critics saying it exploits the poverty of women. Although Nepal has no laws on its books covering surrogacy, the government last year allowed foreign women to serve as surrogates in Nepal but barred local women. “There are no laws regarding surrogacy... it raises many constitutional and legal questions,” said Nahakul Subedi, spokesman for the Supreme Court. “So the court issued a stay order on surrogacy services yesterday... until the case is settled,” Subedi said. Advocate Prabin Pandak, who filed the original lawsuit against the practice, said the court’s order would put a stop to the registration of new cases. “Women should not be a subject of trade, neither should a child,” Pandak said. “Nepali women are not allowed to be surrogate mothers but they are misrepresented as Indian and used for surrogacy,” she said. —AFP investment of $1 billion under the CPEC. The contract for the construction of Gwadar airport is expected to be awarded by September 15, 2015 and the financial agreement is expected to be finalised by October this year. The mobilisation/ commencement of work on the airport will begin by November this year. It is expected that the Gwadar airport will be completed by the fiscal year 2017-18. “Another 500 acres will be leased out to China very soon to complete their requirement for the construction of the first SEZ at Gwadar, so 2,500 acres will be provided to their companies,” top economic officials of the Nawaz government said here on Thursday. When asked last week, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and Federal Secretary Hassan Nawaz Tarar had both confirmed that Pakistan had leased out over 2,000 acres to Chinese companies while another 500 acres would be provided soon. The FEZs at Gwadar will be completed in the first phase. According to official documents, Pakistan and China would be utilising $46.4 billion under the CPEC initiative out of which $786 million would be utilised for different development projects at Gwadar. For the construction of infrastructure for the Free Economic Zone and Economic Processing Zones port related industries will cost $35 million. The Eastbay Expressway project for Gwadar would cost $140 million under the CPEC initiative. The construction of breakwaters will cost $130 million. The dredging of berthing areas and channels will cost $27 million under the CPEC over the next couple of years. Necessary facilities of fresh water treatment plant at Gwadar will cost $114 million under the CPEC over the next few years. One state-of-the-art hospital will be constructed at Gwadar at an estimated cost of $100 million. Both the sides also decided to establish a technical and vocational institute at Gwadar at an estimated cost of $10 million. — Internews omandailyobserver 5 Pakistan asks Iran to lift rice, kinno import ban ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday formally requested Iran to withdraw its ban on imports of rice and kinno. The ban has led to a drastic cut in Pakistan’s exports to Iran, which fell to mere $43 million in 2014 from $182 million in 2010, an official said. Rice exports constitute 63 per cent of the country’s total exports to Iran. The issue, among others, was raised during the two-day meeting of Pakistan-Iran Joint Working Group (JWG) on Trade. Pakistan’s delegation was headed by Additional Secretary Commerce Robina Ather, while Iranian side was led by Mojtaba Mousavian, DirectorGeneral (Asia-Pacific) Iranian Trade Promotion Organisation. A representative of Pakistan Ministry of National Food Security and Research informed the meeting that Iran’s quarantine department inspectors visited hot water treatment plants for mangoes and approved 16 facilities, while approval for another three was in the process. Pakistani side also informed that they have provided a draft of ‘Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Veterinary and Animal Health’ to the ministry concerned in Iran. Both sides agreed to constitute a joint working group for implementation of electronic data interchange. Pakistan also showed its interest to hold a singlecountry textile exhibition in Tehran in Feb/March 2016. Both the countries reiterated the need for granting visa to businessmen and truck drivers on a priority basis, and agreed to implement the bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in letter and spirit including strengthening of transparency and prior notification mechanisms. Discussing freight train operations, Pakistan proposed that till freight traffic picks up, Iranian authorities may also introduce concessional fares between Zahedan-Quetta. Regarding tax and charges imposed on Pakistani vehicles, the Iranian side informed that those taxes did not constitute “para tariffs” and were consistent with the PTA as per Article 2 on services charges. The meeting discussed the draft of ‘Five Years Strategic Plan’ to enhance bilateral trade. Both sides agreed to consider incorporating linkage of Iran with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, strengthening border markets, upgrading road and railway networks, building warehouses and opening/ upgrading border crossing points into the five-year plan. It was agreed that both sides will exchange soft data about their tariff and trade regimes as per the format provided by Pakistani side, within two weeks of this JWG meeting. — Internews BOOST IN BILATERAL TIES Pakistan presents its take at UN on NSA talks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan this week pressed on with its diplomatic offensive at the United Nations headquarters in New York in an attempt to explain its stand on the cancelled meeting between National Security Advisers (NSAs) of India and Pakistan and to pressure New Delhi on continued ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary. A senior diplomat revealed that immediately after cancellation of the meeting between the two NSAs, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the UN Maleeha Lodhi was instructed to contact the UN leadership to discuss the rejection of dialogue by India. The NSAs were scheduled to meet last Monday in Delhi, but the first talks between the two countries on terrorism concerns at this level (higher than previous dialogues on the issue) had to be cancelled because of Indian government’s objection to the agenda proposed by Islamabad and an invitation to the Kashmir’s Hurriyat leadership to a reception at Pakistan’s High Commission in Delhi in honour of Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz. About the meeting between Lodi and Eliasson, the source said the deputy UN chief was informed that it was India that had reneged on the agreement reached by the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers in the Russian city of Ufa on discussing all issues outstanding between the two countries. Eliasson was also informed that Pakistan decided against sending Aziz to Delhi because it found the Indian condition of not inviting Kashmiri leaders for consultations unacceptable. — Internews FESTIVAL EXCITEMENT A girl jumps from the train window as people arrive to take part in the festival in Taungbyone village, around 20 kilometres from the central city of Mandalay, on Saturday. Waving their floral offerings in the air, devotees danced through a temple to celebrate Myanmar’s biggest spirit festival. The six-day spirit or “nat” celebration draws thousands of revellers each year in search of karmic reward as well as all-night parties. — AFP Ex-PM Gilani faces arrest for role in scam KARACHI: A court here on Thursday issued warrants for the arrest of Pakistan’s former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (pictured) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Dawn reported. The order against the leaders was issued after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented a charge sheet in the court with 12 cases — relating to a multi-millionrupee scandal in the Trade Development Authority (TDAP) — registered against the two. Cases against the two PPP leaders, some former and serving senior officials of the Trade Development Authority and others were registered by FIA for their alleged involvement in approving and disbursing fraudulent trade subsidies of millions of rupees to several fake companies through fictitious claims and back-dated cheques. The anti-corruption court had issued arrest warrants for both PPP leaders earlier as well. However, they failed to appear before the court. Approving the charge sheet during Thursday’s hearing, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for both of them. — IANS Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov (L) and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani look on during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Thursday. Berdymukhamedov is on an official visit to Afghanistan. — AFP 6 REMOVING LANDMINES IN COLOMBIA F R I DAY l A U G U ST 2 8 l 2 0 1 5 Colombian soldier Edward Avila, who lost both legs when he stepped on a landmine three months ago, attends his rehabilitation session at the Heroes de Paramillo hospital in Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia. The Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas have recently agreed on a programme to remove landmines from the country. WORLD Migrants, Austrian deaths set tone at EU-West Balkan summit ENRTY POINT: The Balkans become stepping stones for migrants to enter west Europe VIENNA: Europe’s migration crisis dominated the agenda at a summit in Vienna on Thursday, even as unfolding events drive home the enormity of the situation. Ahead of the meeting between representatives of the European Union and six Western Balkan countries, leaders were taking in the news of the discovery of a truck full of dead migrants in Austria and reports of yet more migrants on their way from the Greek island of Kos. The steady flow of migrants to Greece is exacerbating the problem of the flow of migrants from the six Balkan countries at the talks — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia. While those countries are seeing their own outflow of migrants to Western Europe, they have also become integral stepping stones for groups of migrants predominantly from the Middle East and Asia who arrive in Greece and then seek their way into more western parts of Europe via the Balkans. Driving the point home, another 1,288 refugees from the Middle East, the vast majority of them Syrians, entered Macedonia from Greece in a day, according to Skopje authorities. The refugees were registered and issued documents that give them three days to apply for asylum or leave the country. The problem is of particular concern for the third consecutive day. The refugee wave making it to Hungary was surging despite a protective fence the country has been building along its 175-kilometre border with Serbia. The EU was represented at Thursday’s summit by foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic and EU Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn. The summit was hosted by Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann, who invited the prime ministers of the six West Balkan nations. The heads of government of Germany, France, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia were also invited to the event. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz appealed for a fairer redistribution of migrants ahead of the talks in an interview with German broadcaster ARD. “The fact is, there are 18 countries in the European Union that have less refugees in total than Austria does.” The situation facing Austria became even clearer on Thursday with the grisly discovery of a lorry full of dead migrants near the Austrian town of Parndorf, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann (L) welcomes European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini as she arrives for the Western Balkans Summit at Hofburg reported the Austrian news agency APA. palace in Vienna, Austria. — Reuters Authorities said there were at least 20, and perhaps as many as 50, bodies. in Hungary, which has become the de a record high. “It’s a truck full of corpses,” according Hungarian police on registered 3,241 facto second entry point to the European Union after the migrants first hit Greece. refugees, mostly Syrians, who crossed to an Interior Ministry spokesman. An investigation of the crime scene is The number of Middle Eastern over from Serbia. — dpa Their number rose to a record high under way. refugees entering Hungary remained at Thanou: The austerity cuts were “annihilating” the Greek people Top judge as caretaker PM ahead of Greek snap vote Supreme Court judge Vassiliki Thanou addresses a parliamentary session on the occasion of the International Women’s Day in Athens, Greece. — Reuters ATHENS: Greece on Thursday named its top judge as caretaker prime minister to organise early elections expected next month. President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said he had chosen Vassiliki Thanou, the head of Greece’s Supreme Court and the first woman to assume the post. Thanou, 65, is known for firing off an emotional letter to European Commission chairman Jean-Claude Juncker in February, protesting that austerity cuts were “annihilating” the Greek people. “The people are not responsible for the waste of public money by past governments and for mistakes in tax policy,” she wrote, adding that the austerity measures “have failed as the recession continues and as the rich continue to evade taxes”. Thanou, who holds a degree in European law from France’s Sorbonne University, took her oath of office on Thursday and her administration will be sworn in today, the president’s office said. The date for Greece’s general election is to be officially announced by the end of the week, but it is likely to be scheduled for September 20. Outgoing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has ruled out forming a national unity government should he fail to win a outright majority in the snap elections triggered after he resigned last week. Tsipras called for the fresh vote on August 20 after suffering a major rebellion in his hard-left Syriza party over Greece’s huge new international bailout, its third in five years. However, he dismissed suggestions he could work with the conservative opposition New Democracy, the Pasok socialists or the centre-right Potami if FOOD DELIVERY IN OUTER SPACE the election results were inconclusive. “I will not become a prime minister who cooperates with New Democracy, Pasok or Potami,” Tsipras said in an interview with the Alpha TV channel, his first since resigning. “If we do not have a majority, I will not cooperate with (the parties that ran) previous governments.” Syriza stormed to election victory in January on a wave of popular anger over tough austerity measures demanded by Greece’s creditors in exchange for two previous bailouts since 2010. But the party has been bitterly divided over Tsipras’ decision to accept more tough reforms in exchange for a new 86 billion euro ($96 billion) rescue package, with hard-left rebels accusing him of capitulating to “blackmail” by the creditors. On August 21, Syriza rebels announced the formation of a new political grouping, Popular Unity, led by Panagiotis Lafazanis, who has argued that Greece can happily exist without the euro. “We are the true continuation of Syriza and its electoral pledges,” Lafazanis said. Tsipras remains popular, although in the absence of recent opinion polls it is difficult to know whether he could win an absolute majority in the forthcoming poll. The 41-year-old leader’s opponents had sought to delay the election, hoping that voters will be less likely to vote for Syriza once the new austerity measures begin to bite in the autumn. The EU has taken the snap ballot decision in its stride, and debt rating agency Moody’s has even called Tsipras’ resignation “credit positive,” arguing that it could well create a more cohesive government. — AFP This NASA obtained photo shows austronaut Kjell Lindgren corrals fresh fruits that arrived on the Kounotori 5H-II Transfer Vehicle. Visiting cargo ships often carry fresh food for crew members aboard the International Space Station. Rejecting Iran deal will isolate Washington UNITED NATIONS: Rejecting the Iran nuclear deal would lead to diplomatic isolation for the United States and significantly undermine Washington’s ability to achieve other foreign policy goals, the US envoy to the United Nations said on Thursday. In an article published on the Politico website, US Ambassador Samantha Power said diplomats from the 193 member states of the United Nations are tracking the heated US congressional debate over the deal “like they tracked the World Cup soccer pairings last year.” “From this vantage point, I believe that rejecting this deal would significantly weaken our ability to achieve our broader foreign policy goals — most of which in 2015 require us to mobilise broad international coalitions,” Power wrote. The White House says it is focused on building enough support for the Iran deal to keep Congress from “spoiling” the agreement that was clinched between Iran, the United States and five major powers on July 14. While President Barack Obama appears to have enough support among lawmakers to prevent Congress from overriding a veto should he need to use it, it is clear that most in the Republicandominated legislature oppose the agreement. Power said rejecting the agreement, which calls for lifting most sanctions against Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program that will be in place for at least 10 years, would hurt the United States more than its hurts Tehran. “If the United States rejects this deal, If we walk away, there is no diplomatic door number two. No do over. No rewrite of the deal on the table. We would go from a situation in which Iran is isolated, to one in which the United States is isolated. SAMANTHA POWER US envoy to the UN we would instantly isolate ourselves from the countries that spent nearly two years working with American negotiators to hammer out its toughest provisions,” she said. “If we walk away, there is no diplomatic door number two,” Power added. “No do over. No rewrite of the deal on the table. We would go from a situation in which Iran is isolated, to one in which the United States is isolated.” Rejecting the deal, she warned, would also likely undermine Washington’s ability to use sanctions in other circumstances. Critics of the deal in Washington have accused the Obama administration of giving Iran too much in exchange for too little. The Obama administration, however, has said that support for continued sanctions was waning and this was the best agreement that could be obtained. — AFP AROUND THE GLOBE Left takes a lead in Canada elections: poll Georgian servicemen in formation during the opening ceremony of the Georgia-Nato joint training and evaluation centre. — Reuters Nato opens centre in Georgia amid Russia tensions TBILISI: Nato on Thursday opened a training centre in Georgia as the exSoviet country eyes closer partnership with the Western military alliance amid tensions with Russia. The establishment of the Joint Training and Evaluation Center, to be based just outside the capital Tbilisi, is aimed at buttressing the small ex-Soviet country which fought a fiveday war with Russia in 2008. “There is more Georgia in Nato and more Nato in Georgia,” Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a joint news conference alongside Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili before the opening ceremony. Stoltenberg, who arrived in Tbilisi on Wednesday, said the centre would train both Georgian and Nato troops. “This centre will help Georgia to continue making its armed forces more modern and more capable of meeting 21st century challenges,” Stontelberg said at the opening ceremony in the Krtsanisi National Training Center outside Tbilisi. “It will be equally important in training Allied and partner troops,” he said in the presence of Georgia’s prime minister, president and top officials. Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili stressed for his part that the centre would increase regional stability and was not directed “against any neighbouring countries.” Georgia has long sought full Nato membership and hopes to be invited to join a Membership Action Plan, a formal step towards membership, at a Nato summit in Warsaw. — AFP OTTAWA: Canada’s leftist New Democrats took a giant leap ahead of rivals in an election campaign in which the Tories are seeking a fourth mandate since 2006, according to the latest poll on Thursday. Thomas Mulcair’s New Democrats have the support of 40 per cent of Canadians surveyed, enough to win a majority government, according to the Forum Research poll. Backing for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, meanwhile, has plummeted to 23 per cent, while the Liberals led by Justin Trudeau moved up to second spot with 30 per cent support. Earlier polling had the three parties neck and neck coming out of the gate. According to Forum Research President Lorne Bozinoff, the polls reflect a slumping economy, market turmoil and a Senate spending scandal playing out in court this month with former senior Harper aides called to testify, hurt the Tories. Bozinoff told the daily Toronto Star, “If this economy goes south it’s over for the Tories. They’ve built a lot of their campaign around being great economic managers,” he explained. The survey of 1,440 Canadians was conducted on August 23 and 24, and is considered accurate with a three-per cent margin of error. — AFP Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaigners hold banners as they walk during a protest procession marking the 500th day since the abduction of girls in Chibok, Lagos. The militant group Boko Haram kidnapped some 270 girls and women from a school a year ago. More than 50 eventually escaped, but at least 200 remain in captivity. — Reuters Tutu to return home from hospital CAPE TOWN: Veteran South African anti-apartheid activist, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was responding well to a two-week intravenous antibiotic course and could be discharged from hospital at the end of next week, Tutu’s daughter said on Thursday. The 83-year-old, who used the pulpit to preach against apartheid, was admitted to hospital for the second time in a month for treatment of an “inflammation”. Tutu was released from hospital earlier in August after being treated for a recurring infection unrelated to the prostate cancer he has been fighting for 18 years. “The family remains concerned, obviously, and keen to see him home to rebuild his strength. We hope that he will be able to return home at the end of next week,” Reverend Mpho Tutu told reporters. Tutu, a Nobel peace laureate, retired from public life in 2010 but has kept speaking out in a wide range of issues, including corruption among South Africa’s political elite. — Reuters REGION F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 omandailyobserver Coalition forces poised to retake Sanaa BLEAK PROSPECTS: The prospect of the return of exiled President Hadi remains distant SANAA/RIYADH: Weeks after seizing Yemen’s southern port, Aden, members of a military coalition and the local fighters it supports say they are poised to oust Houthi forces from the capital Sanaa. But al Qaeda fighters appear to be using the coalition’s gains against the Houthis in the south to entrench their position, as fractures start to show between local groups of fighters with the departure of their common enemy. The prospect of returning exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi remains distant, five months after an advance on his Aden bolthole by the Houthis, who overran the capital a year ago from their northern base, triggered the intervention. At stake is not just who will rule Yemen, which regional power will hold sway and whether its persistent threat can be ended, but its future as a single state after centuries of tribal disputes and regional divisions. Saudi Arabia and its allies want to maintain the state created in 1990 by the merger of the old north and south Yemen, say informed diplomats, but as anger grows over the humanitarian cost, the possibility of division appears to be A boy looks through the window grills of a house that was damaged by a strike in Yemen’s capital Sanaa. — Reuters growing. “In the absence of a political settlement the battle for Sanaa will be long, brutal, and deadly with no obvious winner. A failure to retake Sanaa by Hadi’s camp is likely to lead to a de facto partition of Yemen,” said Ibrahim Fraihat, senior political analyst at Brookings Doha Centre. Such a settlement still looks elusive, with each side attempting to escalate the fighting since the fall of Aden. In the north, the Houthis have pounded the Saudi border, determined to ensure coalition victories and continued air strikes come at a cost. In southern Taiz, fierce fighting, and the bombardment of civilians, continues. Attention has increasingly turned to Marib, a dry tribal region across the arid hills east of Sanaa, where media and local sources report a build-up of coalition-backed forces preparing for a concerted thrust towards Yemen’s capital. The dozens of Emirati troops guarding Aden’s smashed-up airport and their helicopters, tanks and armoured cars lined up on the apron during a recent Reuters visit to the city were ample evidence of the ground role played by Gulf states. It was the direct involvement of ground forces, alongside Yemeni troops trained in Saudi Arabia and equipped with sophisticated heavy weapons that allowed the coalition to break months of stalemate to take Aden, informed diplomats say. Some of the states say the Houthis are a proxy, an accusation the movement denies, countering that its advance is a revolution against Western-backed officials it says are corrupt, as well as al Qaeda fighters. The further coalition forces move beyond areas where local support is high, the harder it will be. The most obvious launchpad for a new coalition military push is Marib, where local tribes have for months fought back-and-forth battles against the Houthis and Saleh’s forces, and beyond which lies a clear, safe supply route to Saudi Arabia. Leaders of the exiled government’s army have been quoted in Saudi press saying they are building up forces in the Hizbullah, allies boycott cabinet meet BEIRUT: The Lebanese group Hizbullah and allied Christian politicians boycotted a cabinet meeting on Thursday, a sign of rising political tensions that have paralysed Prime Minister Tammam Salam’s national unity government. Ministers from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) led by Michel Aoun shunned the meeting in protest at what the party’s website described as Salam’s usurping of powers reserved for the president. A Hizbullah minister said the group had boycotted in solidarity with its allies. The presidency, reserved for a Christian in Lebanon’s sectarian powersharing system, has been vacant since last year when Michel Suleiman’s term expired. Aoun is a frontrunner for the post but it cannot be filled without crossparty consensus, which he does not enjoy, and there is no sign of compromise. Friction within Salam’s government, formed last year, has escalated in recent weeks over issues including a decision to extend the term of army commander General Jean Kahwaji. Aoun has sought the appointment of Brigadier-General Shamel Roukoz, his son-in-law, as the next army chief. The cabinet has spared Lebanon a complete vacuum in government with the presidency vacant, and political sources say foreign governments with A Lebanese national flag flutters atop of the government palace as seen through barbed wire in Beirut. — Reuters influence in Lebanon are determined to prevent it collapsing. Grouping parties at opposite ends of the political spectrum, Salam’s government has been largely crippled since it took office, which back rival Lebanese factions. Discontent with the paralysis has come to a head in recent weeks with a crisis over waste disposal that has trig- gered anti-government protests. Dozens of people were injured at the weekend when protests turned violent. Protesters are calling another demonstration for Saturday. The government has so far failed to find a solution to the problem of where to dispose of garbage from Beirut and surrounding areas, leaving piles of rubbish to fester in the summer heat. Both sides have decided to facilitate evacuation of the wounded Warring sides in Syria agree to extend local ceasefire BEIRUT: Warring sides in Syria have agreed to extend a ceasefire in a rebelheld town near the border with Lebanon and two villages in the northwest, and to evacuate wounded, sources close to talks said. The truce is the second in a month in those areas between the Syrian army and its Lebanese Hizbullah allies on one side, and insurgents on the other. It came into force at 6 am on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, said there was “calm” in the areas early on Thursday. Sources close to negotiations on both sides said later in the day the ceasefire had been extended from two to three days. They said the sides had agreed to facilitate an evacuation of wounded people from the town of Zabadani and from Sources close to negotiations on both sides said the ceasefire had been extended from two to three days the villages of Kefraya and al Foua in the province of Idlib, beginning on Friday. A source close to the government side said talks were continuing over other matters including a withdrawal of fighters from Zabadani and an evacuation of civilians from the villages. In the meantime, wounded people from Zabadani were to be taken to Idlib province, which is mostly under rebel control, that source said. The wounded from Kefraya and Al Foua would go to government-held Latakia, in President Bashar al Assad’s coastal heartland. A source on the rebel side said the wounded leaving the two villages would travel under the protection of insurgent group Ahrar al Sham. The negotiations have been led on the rebel side by Ahrar al Sham. The ceasefires are in western Syria, away from the main strongholds of IS. A truce which began on August 12 broke down and fighting has raged since. That ceasefire was reached with the help of Iran and Turkey, who back the Syrian government and insurgents respectively and was intended give a chance for talks on a more lasting cessation of hostilities. A government fighter in Zabadani said clashes had intensified before the latest ceasefire. Zabadani has been the focus of an offensive by Hizbullah and the Syrian army against insurgent groups there. — Reuters Ministers from Hizbullah and Aoun’s FPM walked out of a another cabinet session on Tuesday, citing decrees signed without their approval as the reason for the protest. The Salam government groups widely disparate parties including the Future Movement led by politician Saad al Hariri, as well as Christian rivals to Aoun. — Reuters province and are ready for a push on Sanaa next month. A local official told Reuters 130 armoured vehicles, 1,000 Yemeni troops trained in Saudi Arabia and military experts from the kingdom and the UAE had arrived in recent days along with engineers to allow its airstrip to import materiel. A renewed barrage of attacks on Saudi border positions, including the reported launch of a Scud missile at the kingdom on Tuesday, showed the Houthis and Saleh are determined to make Gulf involvement in the conflict hurt. On Friday a Saudi Apache helicopter came down on the border, killing both pilots, while on Monday Houthi shells killed Major General Abdulrahman alShahrani, commander of the 18th Brigade, and the kingdom’s highest ranking casualty of the conflict. While the Emirati soldiers did sentry duty by Aden’s runway or rested in an upstairs terminal lounge, outside the front entrance stood slight young men with assault rifles slung over their shoulders and curling hair falling across bearded faces. — Reuters 7 South Sudan rebels question peace deal ADDIS ABABA: A peace deal aimed at ending 20 months of civil war in South Sudan was given a cautious welcome on Thursday, but rebels condemned government reservations that undermine fundamental parts of the accord. Facing the threat of international sanctions, President Salva Kiir signed the agreement on Wednesday at a ceremony in Juba, but he annexed a list of reservations that he said would have to be addressed for the deal to take hold in the world’s newest nation. The deal gives the rebels the post of first vice-president, which means that rebel chief Riek Machar would likely return to the job from which he was sacked in July 2013, an event which put the country on the path to war later that year. But the 12-page government document calls this a “humiliation” and a “reward for rebellion”, and insists the post of first vice-president must be on equal footing with the current vicepresident, whose post remains. It also criticises plans to demilitarise the capital, and objects to the powers of the foreign-led Monitoring and Evaluation Commission. —AFP Palestinians to hold rare congress next month RAMALLAH: Palestinian leaders will hold their first congress in nearly 20 years on September 1516, an official said on Thursday, after President Mahmud Abbas announced his resignation as head of a top executive body. The meeting of the Palestine National Council (PNC), a congress representing those in the Palestinian territories and the diaspora, will take place in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “It has been decided to ask the Palestine National Council to convene for a session on the upcoming 15th and 16th September in Ramallah,” senior Palestinian official Azzam al Ahmad said. “The council’s agenda includes electing a new executive committee for the (Palestine Liberation Organisation).” Ahmad said the congress would also discuss the stalemate in peace talks with Israel, among other issues. Abbas’s allies say his recent moves are part of efforts to inject new blood in the Palestinian leadership. Critics, however, argue that Abbas is manoeuvring to em- power his allies and marginalise opponents ahead of the 80-yearold’s eventual retirement. Abbas’s Fatah party and Hamas, the movement that runs the Gaza Strip, remain deeply divided. Separate, indirect contacts are said to have occurred recently between Israel and Hamas on a long-term truce. Abbas resigned last week as head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Executive Committee in a bid to force new elections for the top body. His resignation along with a number of others from the 18-member committee will only take effect with a meeting of the PNC. Hamas belongs to neither the PLO nor the 740-member PNC, the top legislative body of the Palestinians which has not met since 1996. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called on Palestinian factions to boycott the congress, which he labelled a “farce”. He said in a statement that the congress represented “an insistence on acting unilaterally”. — AFP Iraqi commanders killed in attack ANBAR: Two Iraqi army commanders were killed on Thursday in a suicide attack claimed by IS in the volatile western province of Anbar, where the extremist militia controls extensive territory. The officers killed were Major General Abdel Rahman Abu Regheef, the deputy commander of Anbar Military Operations, and Brigadier Sefeen Abdel Majeed, chief of the 10th Army Division. There were conflicting reports about how the attack was carried out. Azal al Fahdawi, a member of the Anbar local council, said a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed car into a motorcade of the two commanders, killing them and an unspecified number of other soldiers north of IS State-held Ramadi, Anbar’s capital. However, the self-styled IS in Anbar Province claimed in an online statement that six of its “martyrdom knights” drove four car bombs into a military command building north of Ramadi, killing dozens of troops, including the two commanders. Prime Minister Haider al Abadi said the deaths “will just increase our resolve and determination to rout the enemy.” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi and Defence Minister Khaled al Obeidi (C-R) attending the funeral in Baghdad of the deputy head of the Anbar Operations Command, Staff Major General Abdel Rahman Abu Regheef, and 10th Division commander Staff Brigadier General Sefeen Abdul Majeed, after they were both killed in a attack in the Anbar province. — AFP His government, backed by USled air strikes and paramilitaries, has stepped up its fight in recent months to dislodge IS from its strongholds in the country’s mostly west and north. IS in May overran Ramadi, 110 kilometres north of Baghdad, marking the militant group’s biggest victory in Iraq in a year. Denmark, a partner in the US-led air coalition against IS in Iraq, said on Thursday that it will temporarily pull back seven F-16 fighter jets. They have taken part in air strikes for almost a year against the radical group, but they are ageing and have required many repairs. “We aim to redeploy them in 2016,” Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen said in Copenhagen. The jets have been based in Kuwait and only operated in Iraqi airspace. IS also controls large amounts of territory in Syria. The al Qaeda splinter group has captured five villages in northern Syria near the border with Turkey from rival rebels, a monitoring group reported on Thursday. — dpa 8 ANALYSIS omandailyobserver F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 German cops struggle to meet Balkan Route rush T he radio report comes in at 1:30 am. Strangers have turned up at a fuel station in the eastern German town of Pirna, close to the Czech border, seeking shelter from the rain. Federal police officers Patrick Thomas and Torsten Bastian realise immediately that they can only be refugees. The people smugglers briefly left the PragueDresden motorway to drop their human cargo in Pirna before making off again. It’s a common pattern, though sometimes the refugees are simply dumped on the motorway. The two officers leave their observation post along the motorway — which their colleagues have nicknamed the Balkan Route — to find three Syrian families with a total of eight children. One of the girls coughs perpetually. The others appear half-starved and exhausted, but happy. One of the fathers, who speaks a little English, relates that two of the families are from Aleppo and the third from Kobane. A policewoman can barely take her eyes off the group. “It certainly affects me as a mother, but I’ve gotten used to it,” she says. The fact that the group has broken German law is of secondary importance to the need to look after them. They are taken to a federal police centre in Berggiesshuebel, where they eat and shower be- On occasion the smugglers drive for two days fore being offered camp beds. Once all their de- without stopping, with no breaks to use the lavatails have been taken, they are taken to the city tory or to eat. Speed is of the essence and stops of Chemnitz. increase the risk of discovery. Returning to their post on the motorway, Tho“These large-scale operations didn’t happen mas and Bastian say they are unhappy they were two years ago,” Thomas says. “In the 1990s we unable to catch the smugglers. were still walking through the woods, and the “They simply throw the refugees were crossing the people out and leave them to border on foot over the green their fate,” Thomas says. border.” Refugees are crossing He tells of refugees who Now the asylum-seekers Germany’s borders, have spent all their savings on arrive in small vans. So those providing lucrative the journey, even getting into are the vehicles upon which debt. The smugglers are for Thomas and Bastian focus takings for criminal the most part the “little fish,” during their border stints. gangs. Those making but catching them could lead They first check the number it across the border are plates. Vans with darkened on to the criminal organisations behind the smuggling. windows are particularly susoften relieved once Bastian expresses anger at the picious. Vehicles from Eastern the police find them, way “money is being earned European countries draw atreports JOERG SCHURIG tention. from human misery.” The German federal police But there are also Swedes are increasingly having to deal operating as smugglers, takwith large-scale smuggling operations in which ing their illegal passengers all the way to Scandi30 people and more are illegally brought across navia. Other times, the refugees are well-dressed the border. The conditions sometimes recall slave passengers in comfortable cars. transports of centuries past. Recently 81 people Before the Syrians arrived, the officers checked were found crammed onto a loading platform. a long-distance coach from Prague, whose driver told them that there were frequently a couple of refugees on board, but that he had no right to check passports. “We’re only interested in the ticket,” he says. But this time there are no “hits” on the bus and the officers wish the passengers a pleasant journey. Later, 10 Mongolians travelling in a van are checked. They have residence permits for the Czech Republic and are on their way to Paris for a week’s holiday. While the routine checks are all part of the night’s work, finding groups of refugees raises stress levels. “If you let it get to you, it will finish you off,” says Thomas. The officers wear bullet-proof vests and carry pistols, riot sticks, pepper spray and handcuffs, but these are rarely needed. “They are happy to be here. There is basically no aggression,” says Stefan Ehrlich, a police liaison officer in Breitenau. Over the course of this year, the federal police in Pirna have recorded more than 3,000 illegals and detained 200 smugglers, almost as many as in the whole of last year. The price of the trip is at least 500 euros ($550), earning the smugglers a couple of thousand for every trip with their vans, a lot of money in Eastern Europe. PORTRAIT OF RAGE SHAHZAD ABDUL W Army soldiers patrol after clashes between police and protesters in Ahmedabad. as it a response to the Charleston massacre? The self-described “human powder keg” said racial discrimination motivated his brutal killing of two young television journalists during a live broadcast. Shortly after executing his former colleagues in Virginia on Wednesday, Vester Lee Flanagan posted online a video of the attack, his gun seen in the bottom of the screen pointed at his unsuspecting victims. On Twitter, he claimed that WDBJ television reporter Alison Parker, 24, had made “racist comments” and that a complaint had been filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “They hired her after that???” Flanagan, who worked under the name Bryce Williams, wrote using the handle @bryce_williams7. “Adam went to (human resources) after working with me one time!!!” Flanagan said, referring to his other victim, 27-year-old cameraman Adam Ward. His Twitter and Facebook accounts were subsequently removed. Flanagan drew a troubled portrait of rage and instability in tweets after their deaths and in a rambling 23-page manifesto sent to ABC News. The 41-year-old African American died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after fleeing the scene. In his manifesto, Flanagan said a recent deadly church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, where nine black parishioners died, drove him over the edge. “The church shooting was the tipping point... but my anger has been building steadily,” he said. “As for Dylann Roof? You (deleted)! You want a race war (deleted)?” Flanagan said, referring to the accused gunman in that attack. He said he bought his gun on June 19, just two days after the Charleston shooting. Born in 1973, the San Francisco State University graduate and Oakland native said he had suffered throughout his career from discrimination against his status as a black man. In the manifesto, which Flanagan termed a “Suicide Note for Friends and Family,” he claimed that both black men and white women had attacked him, and that he had suffered from racial discrimination, harassment and bullying at work. “Vester was an unhappy man. We employed him as a reporter and he had some talent in that respect and some experience,” WDBJ’s General Manager Jeffrey Marks said. Flanagan joined the station in March 2012 and was dismissed in February 2013, escorted by force out the door by police. Marks remembered him as having both “some talent” as a reporter and being “difficult to work with.” — Reuters Why a prosperous community wants quotas? M embers of the economically prosperous, politically powerful and socially elite Patel community in the western Indian state of Gujarat have been on the streets since July, demanding eligibility for affirmative action programmes. Their agitation drew over 300,000 mostly young people to a rally in Gujarat’s capital Ahmedabad on Tuesday, where a police crackdown spiralled into violence and prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appeal for calm in his home state. So why does a community that has six ministers in the Gujarat government, runs the state’s diamond-cutting trade and has cash crop farms, real estate businesses, thousands of small trading operations and is at the top of Gujarat’s social hierarchy feel short-charged? Hardik Patel, the 21-year-old who is spearheading the agitation, says that eligibility for quotas in government jobs and state-run educational centres would see off disadvantages caused by decades of affirmative action in favour of lower castes that was later widened to include “other backward classes” (OBCs). “We are not against any community. We are fighting for our rights,” Patel told an audience of thousands at the Ahmedabad rally. “This agitation will end only when the government indicates it is willing to give us reservation.” India’s decades-old affirmative action programme has come under fire in recent years, with critics arguing that political pressure from different communities has caused leaders to expand it, sometimes to include the not-so-well-deserving. Quotas for OBCs and other Scheduled Castes and tribes stand at about 50.5 per cent of federal government jobs and 49 per cent in state-run colleges. The quotas vary from state to state. In Andhra Pradesh there is an additional quota of 4 per cent for Muslims and in several north eastern Indian states reservation for Scheduled Tribes stands at 80 per cent for government jobs. Scheduled refers to tribes or castes listed as deserving special privileges in the constitution and its amendments. The Patels have also argued that the community has been affected by a slowdown in small and medium-sized trading businesses, which means that there are less employment opportunities. “Things are not very good in our small business,” said Ashish Patel, a 22-year-old supporter of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), the organisation spearheading the agitation. Patel graduated a year ago and is looking for a job. “All businesses are slow, our small trading businesses cannot provide additional incomes for young people, even the diamondcutting trade is in difficulties. We also need government jobs. All Patels are not rich,” Ashish Patel said. Shravan Patel, 18, said he could not get a place in the medical college of his choice despite scoring 90 per cent in his school’s final exams, adding that those eligible under the The patels control India’s diamond-cutting industry, run motels across the world, grow cash crops and dabble in real estate, yet Gujarat’s Patel community are demanding quotas in jobs and education, reports SUNRITA SEN quota system received only 70 per cent. “What is the point of all my hard work,” he said. Over the past decade, India has seen a series of agitations by community groups vying for quotas. The Gujjar community of the northern states of Rajasthan and Haryana have been disrupting rail and road traffic intermittently for several years. The expansion of quotas has become a powerful political tool, according to political scientist Vidhu Verma. She gives the example of the Indian National Congress party-led federal government’s introduction of quotas for the Jats — another influential community in northern India — months before a general election. The move was later overturned by India’s Supreme Court. “It is time to take a (another) look at reservations — keep it for those who really need it and weed out the others,” Congress party politician Manish Tiwari said. Despite advocating for a review of the quota system, Verma says the Patels’ chances of being granted affirmative action and classification as OBCs are slim. “How will they provide evidence that they are backward? And where are these jobs they hope they will get?” Verma says. “This agitation possibly has some deeper political implications that are not yet evident.” The unrest may be a result of a slowing domestic economy and its incompatibility with the aspirations of a growing middle class that looks to the government to ensure the availability of education and jobs. Security forces were on alert and schools were closed in the state on Thursday after the death toll rose to eight in recent protests by the Patel community, officials and news reports said. ESTABLISHED ON 15 NOVEMBER 1981 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Dr Ibrahim bin Ahmed al Kindi EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili HEAD OFFICE ADVERTISING Tel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 Fax: 24699643 AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. 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FRIDAY | AUGUST 28, 2015 | DHUL QA’ADA 13, 1436 AH P10 P11 P12 Inside Purple potatoes may prevent colon cancer Screen exposure hampers sleep Katti Batti is an intense film: Kangana www.omanobserver.om FOLLOW US ON: editor@omanobserver.om Ice villages are melting away Q VALERIE HAMILTON Kivalina sits behind a stone seawall built to temporarily curb erosion W Aerial photograph showing a section of sea ice. The lighter blue areas are melt ponds ALASKA’S CLIMATE IS WARMING AT A RATE TWICE THAT OF GLOBAL AVERAGES. AS PERMAFROST AND SEA ICE MELT, COMMUNITIES DEPENDENT ON THE COLD MUST RELOCATE, OR PERISH Water and sewer systems in communities across Alaska are threatened by flooding and erosion due to climate change Seawall constructions in Kivalina hen autumn s t o r m s thunder in to Kivalina, Alaska, lifelong resident Colleen Swan says, “it gets very bad.” Violent winds batter the tiny barrier island along Alaska’s north-west coast, slamming walls of icy water into a fragile shore. Just 4 metres above the level of the Chukchi Sea, the island floods easily, and when rough weather cuts off air and sea travel, there’s often no way out. It used to be that by the time the storms came, the sea’s surface would be frozen, and ice would buffer the brunt of the waves. But as the climate has warmed, the ice now forms too late in the year to protect Kivalina. Pounded for years by wind and water, the island and the village on it are literally crumbling into the sea — leaving its about 400 mostly Inupiaq Eskimo residents no choice but to leave. Swan, a member of the village government who is leading the community’s relocation efforts, told dpa that climate change has made Kivalina too dangerous to stay. “There are no other options,” she said. “We do have to get off the island. It’s not a choice anymore.” Alaskans live at the “front lines” of climate change, US President Barack Obama said, in a video announcing his three-day visit to the state starting on Monday. Alaska’s climate is warming twice as quickly as global averages, with winter temperatures up nearly 3.5 degrees centigrade since the 1950s. Shrinking glaciers, melting sea ice and disappearing wildlife aren’t just headlines here — they’re tangible changes that impact the homes and livelihoods of rural people who hunt and fish to survive in an icy climate. Their plight is a “preview of what will happen to the rest of us if we don’t take action,” Obama said in the video. “It’s a wake-up call.” Kivalina has become something of a poster child for climate change in Alaska, drawing a visit in February from Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. Although Obama isn’t scheduled to visit Kivalina — Swan said his advance team had problems with the airstrip — residents hope to meet him in the regional hub of Kotzebue, which the White House said he will visit on Tuesday. Alaskan native people have lived on the mainland near Kivalina for centuries, subsistence hunters who migrated between dozens of seasonal camps in pursuit of wild harvest and game. But a century ago, the US Bureau of Indian Affairs built a school on Kivalina — chosen because it had easy water access — and required parents to settle there so their children could attend. Now, as frozen seas turn slushy and permafrost melts to mud, Kivalina and other Alaska communities built on a foundation of ice find themselves on unsteady ground. US government studies have identified 184 Alaskan native communities threatened by climate change, and singled out 12, including Kivalina, for urgent relocation, according to a 2013 research paper published by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think-tank. But relocating an entire community is as hard as it sounds. It will cost more than $100 million just to build a new, safer Kivalina and the roads to get there. Local, state, federal and tribal authorities disagree over the best way to do it, and who should foot the bill. “They’re the ones who put us here, so they should probably move us,” Swan said. In the meantime, efforts to engineer the island back to safety have faltered. Rock revetments built to shore up the coastline have a lifespan of just 10 to 15 years. A 2006 storm severely damaged a brand-new multimilliondollar seawall before the town even had a chance to inaugurate it, according to a media account cited in the Brookings research. Even moved to safety on the mainland, Kivalina residents will continue to be affected by climate change. They told Jewell melting sea ice affects the hunt for bowhead whale and walrus and wild meat spoils in warming ice cellars, according to the ‘Alaska Dispatch News’. Colleen Swan hopes to have the chance to meet with Obama to tell him about her concerns, and appreciates his efforts to slow global warming. “It’s good that they’re talking about long-term solutions,” like cutting carbon emissions, she said. But in Kivalina and communities like it, she said the long term is already too late. “It’s so far gone that the situation is going to get worse before it gets better,” she said. “We’re going to leave this problem to our children if we don’t solve this problem now.” — dpa PREHISTORIC Scientists recreate bread ancestors relished 12,500 years ago A n international team of researchers has recreated a pre-historic mouthwatering bread that our ancestors savoured over 12,500 years ago. The barleyprocessing “facilities” found at Huzuq Musa in Jordan Valley indicate that stone-utensilproduced flour could have been a significant part of the local Natufian people’s diet. Curious, a group of intrepid researchers went back to the dawn of the Stone Age to make lunch for themselves. Using 12,500-year-old ancient tools like conical mortars carved into bedrock, the researchers reconstructed how their ancestors processed wild barley to produce groat meals and “proto-pita” — small loaves of coal-baked, unleavened bread. The results was a yummy, pre-historic cuisine. Huzuq Musa is estimated to have had a population of about a hundred people. “The four large threshing floors discovered near the site — and its accompanying tools — could have produced a sufficient quantity of processed barley for its estimated inhabitants,” said professor Mordechai Kislev, expert in archaeo-botony. The findings show that wild-grain-based nutrition emerged some 2,000 to 3,000 years before our hunter-gatherer forefathers established the sedentary farming communities which were the hallmark of the “Neolithic Revolution”. “This Natufian advance was a bridge to the Neolithic revolution, when sedentary farmers developed the discipline needed to plan for the successful planting — and reaping — of domesticated grains,” the authors commented. The fresh experiment began by collecting spikelets — the coated grains of a cereal ear — from wild barley. After ripening on the ground to prevent them from scattering in the wind, the grains were then separated from the stalks. After de-husking, the grain was scooped out of the conical mortar by hand then placed into a small cup cut in the adjacent bedrock. From there, it was transferred for filtering in a small-gauge sieve. “This was a kind of labour-saving device, making it easier to transfer the grain and waste material to a sieve or other vessel,” added archaeologist Dr David Eitam. The discovery of this sophisticated agro-technological system indicates that Natufian society made the shift from hunting-gathering to an agriculture-based economy, which was possibly extant 3,000 years before the domestication of cereal, he informed. — IANS 10 LIFESTYLE omandailyobserver F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 HEALTHFILE Purple potatoes may prevent colon cancer ‘ONAM SADYA’ I is the buzz in town Losing weight as easy as drinking a glass of water! S limming can’t get any easier than this! Researchers have shown that drinking 500ml of water half-an-hour before eating the three main meals of the day may help you lose weight. “Just drinking a pint of water, three times a day, before your main meals may help reduce your weight,” said Helen Parretti, a lecturer at the University of Birmingham. For the study, obese adult participants were recruited from general practices and monitored over a 12-week period. Each of the participants were given a weight management consultation, where they were advised on how to adapt their lifestyle and improve their diet and levels of physical activity. While half of them (41 adults) of those recruited were asked to preload with water, the other half ( 43 adults) were advised to imagine that they had a full stomach before eating. Those in the group who were instructed to ‘preload’ with water lost, on average, 1.3 kg more than those in the control group. Those who reported preloading before all three main meals in the day reported a loss of 4.3 kg over the 12 weeks, whereas those who only preloaded once, or not at all, only lost an average of 0.8kg. “When combined with brief instructions on how to increase your amount of physical activity and on a healthy diet, this seems to help people to achieve some extra weight loss — at a moderate and healthy rate,” Parretti pointed out. “It is something that does not take much work to integrate into our busy everyday lives,” Parretti said. The study was published in the journal ‘Obesity’. — IANS F or the next few days, the mouth-watering, vegetarian, 26-dish platter ‘Onam Sadya’ would be part of practically every Kerala household. Popularly called the harvest festival of the state, Onam is perhaps the only festival that’s celebrated irrespective of the religion one practises. The three important days in the festival starts with first Onam, followed by the most important day ‘Thiru Onam’ which is on Friday and third Onam on Saturday. On all the three days, the major meal of the day is Onam Sadya which is consumed on a plantain leaf. “Gone are the days when the Onam Sadya was prepared at home. Today nobody has the time or patience, caterers and hotels have come into play a lot more,” said 80-year-old retired teacher Lekhsmi Nair, whose daughter has placed an order for sadya with a caterer. “What I am told is that one could obtain an Onam lunch ranging from Rs 199 to more than Rs 1,000 depending on the quality.” The lunch includes chips, papads (disc-shaped food made from dough), various preparations of vegetables, a number of pickles, both sweet and sour, the traditional aviyal (thick mixture of vegetables and coconut), sambar (lentils served along with a small quantity of ghee), rasam (soup), two different preparations of butter milk, a chutney powder prepared from grated coconut and not to mention ‘payasam’ (pudding) eaten either straight or mixed with a small, ripe plantain. “We are not going by the number of dishes. We are making all the major dishes. I still can’t digest the fact that an Onam Sadya has to be purchased from a hotel,” said Subadra Amma, a 70-yearold homemaker and a widow, who will be celebrating with her daughter and grandchildren. Meanwhile, all hotels irrespective of THE THREE IMPORTANT DAYS IN THE FESTIVAL STARTS WITH FIRST ONAM, FOLLOWED BY THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY ‘THIRU ONAM’ WHICH IS ON FRIDAY AND THIRD ONAM ON SATURDAY their ratings, have announced that they will be taking orders for Onam Sadya on the three important days. “Even though we are Muslims, our daughters for the past few days are asking us about the Onam Sadya. They have got to know about it from their classmates. We have placed an order for a 5-day Onam Sadya lunch package with a hotel,” said a Muslim doctor couple. — IANS ncluding purple potatoes in your daily diet can help prevent cancer as researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have discovered that compounds found in purple potatoes help kill colon cancer stem cells and limit the spread of the deadly disease. Attacking stem cells is an effective way to counter cancer, explained Jairam Vanamala, associate professor of food sciences at Pennsylvania State University in the US. “You might want to compare cancer stem cells to roots of the weeds,” Vanamala, an alumnus of Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, said. “You may cut the weed, but as long as the roots are still there, the weeds will keep growing back and, likewise, if the cancer stem cells are still present, the cancer can still grow and spread,” he noted. The researchers used a baked purple potato for the research as they wanted to make sure the vegetables maintained their anti-cancer properties even after cooking. In the initial laboratory study, the researchers found that the baked potato extract suppressed the spread of colon cancer stem cells while increasing their deaths. Researchers then tested the effect of whole baked purple potatoes on mice with colon cancer and found similar results. The portion size for a human would be about the same as eating a medium size purple-fleshed potato for lunch and dinner, or one large purple-fleshed potato per day. According to the researchers, there may be several substances in purple potatoes that work simultaneously on multiple pathways to help kill the colon cancer stem cells, including anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid, and resistant starch. In addition to resistant starch, the same colour compounds that give potatoes, as well as other fruits and vegetables, a rainbow of vibrant colours may be effective in suppressing cancer growth, Vanamala explained. Purple potatoes could be potentially used in both primary and secondary prevention strategies for cancer, Vanamala suggested. Primary prevention is aimed at stopping the initial attack of cancer, while secondary prevention refers to helping patients in remission remain cancerfree. The findings were detailed online in the ‘Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry’. LOCAL SCENE PSC conducts I-Day musical programme P akistan Social Club (PSC) Oman’s youth talent wing organised a colourful musical evening in connection with their 69th Independence day, at Majan Hotel Continental, recently. Ayaz Hussain, Ambassador of Pakistan to the Sultanate, was the chief guest at this function. Mian Muhammad Munir, chairman and A H Raja, vice chairman, Muhammad Zaeem Akhtar, general secretary, Ch Muhammad Abbas, Finance secretary and other directors of PSC Oman, Muhammad Adnan Shahzad, chairman of PSMs, BoDs and prominent Omani businessman Syed Fayyaz Ali Shah were also present. The programme began with Qari Sanaullah reciting verses from the Quran and Abid Mughal presenting a ‘na’at’. Usman Majeed sang a national song while Umair Mahmood highlighted the importance of the day. Imran Fazal played a documentary about Pakistan. Imran Sheikh and Rana Shaukat Ali presented a musical programme that was highly appreciated. Safdar Hussain and Saqib Usman conducted a quiz programme. Shields were presented to the performing artists and certificates were given to the youth talent wing team. A H Raja, vice chairman of PSC, was honoured with the title of role model for the youth. The event was sponsored by Ittfaq Travel & Tourism, Syed Fayyaz Group of Companies, Al Liusie Trading Establishment, Hotpot Restaurant, PIA, Meerath Restaurant, Rahat Computer Services, Karwan International LLC, Al Ravi Restaurant, Inspire Travel & Tourism, Pakistan Spicy Village Restaurant, Pakistan Restaurant and Fazli Wadood Company. ISG students attend Harvard Model UN India 2015 I SG students were eager participants at the prestigious Harvard Model United Nations India 2015. Students Arvindakshan Rajesh and Sachit Anand were selected to interact with Raghuram Rajan, the Governor of RBI. It was a momentous occasion as they dined at the Dialogue in the Dark where the students were served dinner in complete darkness by visually impaired staff. The conference, which was held from August 11 to August 18, witnessed the participation of students from more than 200 schools across 28 cities and towns in India and over 11 countries. ISG delegates took an active lead as diplomats and representatives from Cote d’Ivoire and Dominican Republic. They discussed and debated international issues from the point of view of their chosen countries. Their well-researched position papers and active participation in resolution making and debate were commended by all. The group spent two nights at The Will’s Camp where they took up activities like trekking in the mountains in pitch dark, river crossing, rappelling and learning about various knots to build a small bamboo hut. This was an exposure to life skills which helped the students imbibe the core values of leadership, responsibility and confidence. “Participating in the HMUN conference has instilled confidence and has helped us overcome our fear to speak in a large gathering. We have also realised that we need to adapt to the emerging challenges that we face today,” remarked the delegates. INFORMATION/LEISURE F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 omandailyobserver 11 Social media yet to replace Screen exposure e-mails among teenagers hampers sleep RESEARCH D espite the emergence of new social media tools and various online ways to connect with people, members of the young generation are still hooked to emails and keep checking it round-theclock no matter where they are or what they are doing, a new survey has revealed. According to the campaign team at global software company Adobe, millennials (those born after 1980) are more frequent users of email than any other age group. “Millennials are more likely to check work email outside of normal work hours. One-third are comfortable using emojis to communicate with a direct manager or senior executive,” wrote Kristin Naragon, director of e-mail solutions at Adobe in a blog post. The Adobe team surveyed more than 400 US-based workers, 18 and older, about their use of email. The findings challenge conventional views of email as a tried, over-saturated medium for engaging consumers. The team found that people are practically addicted to email. “In fact, more than half of millennials check email from the bathroom,” the survey revealed. On average, survey respondents report using email six hours a day, or ADAM @ HOME E over 30 hours a week. Nine of 10 respondents say they check personal email at work and work email from home. More than one-third report having multiple personal accounts. “Thirty-five per cent say they prefer communicating with colleagues via email, putting it on par with face-to-face collaboration,” Naragon noted. Outside of work, Americans most commonly check their email while watching TV (70 per cent), from bed (52 per cent), on vacation (50 per cent), while on the phone (43 per cent), from the bathroom (42 per cent) and even, most dangerously, while driving (18 per cent). Although people are using email more than ever, many also experience email fatigue. Twenty-four per cent of respondents believe they check email “way too much”. Thirty-four per cent report having had to create a new email address due to an overwhelming amount of spam. “Most tellingly, four out of 10 report professor of psychiatry and human behaviour. Students who have tablets or TVs or computers — even an ‘old-school’ flashlight under the covers to read — are pushing their circadian clocks to a later timing. “This makes it harder to go to sleep and wake up at times early the next morning for school,” Carskadon noted. Children and their parents should limit use of screens at bedtime, the authors noted in a paper appeared online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. — IANS ven an hour of night-time light exposure — like from a smartphone, a TV or a tablet — can hamper the release of the sleep hormone in young teenagers, a new study warns. Researchsers from Rhode Island’s Brown University found that the sleep biology of boys and girls aged nine to 15 and in the earlier stages of puberty were especially sensitive to light at night compared to older teenagers. In lab experiments, researchers found that bright screens at night suppressed the production of the sleep-timing hormone melatonin significantly more in in young teenagers than the same light exposure did for teenagers aged 11 to 16 who were farther into puberty. The brighter the light in the experiments, the more melatonin was suppressed. The effects were the same for boys and girls. “Small amounts of light at night, such as light from screens, can be enough to affect sleep patterns,” said senior study author Mary Carskadon, going on self-imposed ‘email detox’ programmes, avoiding their inboxes for an average of five days,” the findings showed. The results suggest that marketers should re-invest in email as part of a coordinated cross-channel strategy. “With the right planning, the right tools and the right understanding of their customers, marketers can overcome the love-hate relationship and make email the most powerful part of their campaign,” the blog suggested. — IANS ATTENTION DISORDER CARTOONS by Brian Basset Self-control may weaken memory O CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson GARFIELD by Jim Davis STONE SOUP ur ability to inhibit an action or override an inclination while doing another task may affect memory and attention, suggests new research. The study by researchers from Duke University in North Carolina, US, found that inhibiting response or cancelling an intended action suppresses activities in areas of brain linked to memory. The findings may eventually lead to new therapies for disorders characterised by difficulty inhibiting actions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addiction. In an earlier study, the researchers tested how response inhibition affected memory. In that study, participants completed a computer-based task in which they were asked to press a button if they saw a male face but withhold a response if they saw a female face. (Some participants were asked to do the reverse.) They looked at a total of 120 different faces. After five minutes of a filler task that had nothing to do with faces, the participants were then given a surprise inhibit their responses. In the latest study, the researchers saw the same results. One potential reason people were forgetting the faces was that withholding a response was siphoning off their attention. The researchers found that brain areas that are known to be active when a person is committing something to memory were suppressed on those trials in which the participants had to inhibit their responses strongly. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience. — IANS memory test in which they viewed faces and were asked to indicate whether a face was new or familiar from the earlier task. “We didn’t really know which way that would go,” said one of the researchers Tobias Egner, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke. “You could argue quite easily that cancelling a response to a stimulus might actually make that stimulus more memorable,” Egner noted. However, they found the exact opposite: Memory was a little worse on the faces for which participants had to Hospitals by Jan Eliot Hospital . . .Board . . . . . .Emergency Royal . . . . .24599000 . . .24590491 Health Services Department YOUR STARS Muttrah . . . . . 24797602 Quriyat . . . . . 24845001 SQH, Salalah 23211555 Police . . . . . . 24603988 Al Nahda. . . . 24831255 Ibn Sina . . . . 24876322 Nizwa . . . . . . 25439361 Al Rustaq . . . 26875055 Sumayil. . . . . 25350055 Izki . . . . . . . . 25340033 IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY: You will no doubt have profited from the experiences of the last few months and are convinced that there is nothing to be gained by continuing an association, which has gone wrong. There will be an opportunity to put the relationship on a more stable footing quite soon, and happier times are ahead. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 24845003 23211151 24603980 24837800 24877361 25425033 26877186 25350022 25340033 Haima. . . . . . 23436013 . . 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If you really want the sincere advice of a friend you must not withhold any pertinent facts or be angry or upset if he speaks the truth as he sees it. If a friend realises that you could do with his help on a certain household job, don’t read an ulterior motive behind his offer of assistance. You will be pleased to learn that a suggestion submitted some time ago has been accepted, and you will get full credit for its application. Look out today for the person with a sunny disposition who will be bringing joy and happiness to your life in the immediate future. A trip with a friend today will have to be postponed leaving you with a few hours to fill. Catch up with some correspondence while you have the time. PISCES ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO February 20March 20 March 21April 20 April 21May 20 May 21June 21 June 22July 21 July 22August 21 Make allowances for a friend’s pre-occupation with his own pressing problems, and don’t expect his individual attention at the moment. If you are offered a position in a very large organisation, you will have to weigh the disadvantages against the prestige the appointment will bring. It may be difficult to terminate the visit of a long-winded visitor. If you want to avoid hurting him with your candid remarks, you will just have to put up with it. If you are feeling irritable today, you may as well warn the people close to you that your bad temper is coming from within you and not caused by them. A contact you made a great many months ago and from which you expected very little may suddenly be remembered by you and prove most useful in your present predicament. Your interest in a person of the opposite sex will be put to the test by a separation of a few weeks. You will then both be able to decide which course the affair should take. 12 ENTERTAINMENT omandailyobserver F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 Katti Batti is an intense film, says Kangana W PAYAL, MY CHARACTER IN THE FILM, IS GOING TO BE A REVELATION FOR ME. THIS CHARACTER HAS CHANGED ME FOREVER, SAYS KANGANA Tannishtha’s films to screen at Toronto, Venice film festivals A ctress Tannishtha Chatterjee is delighted that her films are enjoying international spotlight, having been selected for film festivals in Toronto and Venice. “I’m going to Toronto and Venice with many of my films. My film, ‘Parched’ is in the Special Presentations at the Toronto International film Festival. And another film, ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ is seeing substantial media coverage recently. And for Venice a film called ‘Island City’ has been selected,” she told media persons at the store of designer Anita Dongre who has designed her for all these films. ‘Parched’, co-produced by Ajay Devgn, and ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ are both Hindi films. “And I’ve done an Australian film ‘Unindian’ with Brett Lee, which will release in October. So many projects are going to release soon,” she added. ‘Unindian’ is the debut film for cricketer Brett Lee. Tannishtha was recently seen in the biopic ‘Gaur Hari Daastan’ starring Vinay Pathak and Konkona Sen Sharma. She was also seen in the internationally acclaimed film, ‘Jal’ which had won a National Award and was screened at film festivals around the world. hile many w e r e expecting a n o t h e r romantic comedy from Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut (pictured) after the hugely successful ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’, she says her forthcoming film ‘Katti Batti’ is an “intense” film, which does not focus on “live-in relationships at all”. “‘Katti Batti’ is not based on live-in relationships at all. People are assuming many things about this film. ‘Live in’ is one of the stages that the lead pair are going through and probably it is a part of the film for three minutes that too is through a song. So, ‘Katti Batti’ is not about live-in and I myself don’t know anything about live-in so it’s better I shouldn’t say anything on it,” Kangana, who was in Mumbai on Thursday to promote the film, said. The actress also said that she played the “most intense character” of her career in the Nikhil Advani directorial. “This has been the most intense character I have ever played. The promos and songs of ‘Katti Batti’ don’t give the idea about the intensity that the film carries. I suggested to the makers if we can take out promos that can tell the kind of depth and intensity that ‘Katti Batti’ holds, but they didn’t take any of my advice and everything looks happy go lucky. But ‘Katti Batti’ is a very intense film,” she said. The actress also said that her character in the film is a “revelation”. “Payal, my character in the film is going to be a revelation for me. This character has changed me forever. I’ll never get to play such type of an intense character in my whole life,” she added. The film, which marks the return of actor Imran Khan after a hiatus of almost two years, is based on new age relationships. The story of the film starts like a romantic comedy but turns into a thriller with a mystery element and a mature love story. “‘Katti Batti’ is going to be very cathartic for people who like larger than life love stories like ‘The Notebook’, ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ or ‘Titanic’, which leaves you lost but doesn’t leave you with the feeling of lost,” Kangana, who received a National Award for her lead role in ‘Queen’ earlier this year, said. ‘Katti Batti’ is slated to release on September 18. Zarina praises Salman: Actress Zarina Wahab, mother of actor Sooraj Pancholi, has said that Salman Khan deserves sole credit for whatever her son has accomplished in life. Sooraj’s debut film ‘Hero’, which is a remake of the successful film directed by Subhash Ghai, is co-produced by Salman and also marks the debut of Suniel Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty. “It’s a great feeling. Of course, the credit goes to Salman. My mother would always say that whenever there is any difficulty in life, never complain to the Almighty about it. He will give you great returns in some way or the other. And similarly as returns, we have got Salman Khan. I can say one thing, that whatever he (Sooraj) is, it’s because of Salman. I’m really grateful to him,” said Zarina at the cover launch of ‘Stardust’ magazine’s September issue, which features Sooraj and Salman. Zarina also gushed about the cover terming it “fantastic” and said that Salman and Sooraj looked “rocking”. She even quipped that Salman looked better than Sooraj on the cover. Asked if she was excited about her son’s debut, Zarina replied in affirmative. “Yes, of course, I am excited. Maybe I’ll whistle in the theatre. I wish him all the best, he has worked really hard,” she added. Sooraj got dragged into the case related to the suicide of actress Jiah Khan, which was a difficult period for him. The actor, who was allegedly in a live-in relationship with the actress-model, was arrested on June 10, 2013 for abetting her suicide on June 3, 2013. Asked about the incident, Zarina remarked that since everyone knows about it, there is no point repeating it. “After every night, comes the morning. And in our lives too, there was a morning in the form of Salman. Every person has to go through good times and bad times, but you just need to have the capability to tackle it,” she said. — IANS TINSELTOWN Esha was not ‘approached’ for ‘Housefull 3’ A ctress Esha Gupta, who made her Bollywood debut with the film ‘Jannat 2’, says she has not been “approached” for ‘Housefull 3’. She also shared that she is not a part of the upcoming film ‘Size Zero’. Esha took to micro-blogging website Twitter, where she announced that she will not be a part of both the films. “Some papers need to calm down. I was never ‘approached’ for ‘Housefull 3’ and ‘Size Zero’,” she tweeted on Thursday. ‘Housefull 3’ is directed by writer-turned-director duo Sajid-Farhad ‘Housefull 3’ and is the third instalment of the comedy franchise ‘Housefull’, which also stars actors Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan. FASHION TALK My personal style is cool, comfortable: Nimrat Kaur T alented Indian actor Nimrat Kaur, who impressed many with her red carpet looks internationally since her internationally acclaimed and BAFTA-nominated film ‘The Lunchbox’ and American TV series ‘Homeland’, says that she prefers “cool, comfortable and graceful” clothing in her life. “My personal style is cool, comfortable and graceful,” she said on the sidelines of Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2015 where she walked for designer Payal Singhal as a showstopper on Wednesday. Singhal showcased a collection titled ‘Mayaa’ that drew inspiration from the ancient design heritage of Mayan, Sumerian and Egyptian civilisations. The designer took geometric and structured elements from old beaten gold ornaments and translated them into running patterned motifs. Embroidery done in zardosi, pita kora, mukaish and leather applique were the high points of the show. The silhouettes were clean and simple with relaxed fit kurtas with dhotis, cropped palazzos, capes, lehengas and sarees in a varied variety of colour palettes that varied from ecru, stone, ice-grey and salmon. Kajol makes S songs look like magic Nimrat, who walked the ramp in red and gold Lehenga, says that she is a huge fan of designer clothes. “I love her clothes. I love the fact that she does something unexpected with Indian clothes every time. Her clothes are easy to wear and yet make you feel glamorous and I like such outfits,” said Nimrat. The five-day fashion extravaganza started in Mumbai on Wednesday at Hotel Palladium. Aishwarya on working with Irrfan: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is going to make her comeback on the big screen with Sanjay Gupta’s directorial ‘Jazbaa’, says working with her co-star Irrfan Khan made “working days very natural”. “Working with an actor like Irrfan made every working day very natural as I never felt I’m at work. Irrfan makes the working atmosphere very relaxed. Talking about our director Sanjay, it uperstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is currently shooting a song with actress Kajol in Iceland for his upcoming film ‘Dilwale’, says the actress makes his songs “look like magic” and not just another song. SRK and Kajol are shooting for a song choreographed by Farah Khan and the trio is all set to recreate the magic and chemistry, which the duo shared on screen in their films. The ‘Happy New Year’ took to was wonderful that he always brought and evoked the energy in us during the shoot, even during intense and emotional moments, which just makes working together effortless, added the diva.” Talking about the team from the movie, the ‘Guru’ actress has called it a “dream cast”. “The people with whom I have worked with in ‘Jazbaa’, is no doubt a dream cast for me,” she added. In the film, Aishwarya is seen essaying the role of a lawyer named Anuradha Verma and Irrfan will be seen playing the role of a suspended cop. Produced by Essel Vision, White Feather Films and Viking Entertainment, the film also has established actors Atul Kulkarni, Jackie Shroff, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Shabana Azmi along with Aishwarya. ‘Jazbaa’ is slated to release on October 9. — IANS micro-blogging website, where he said that Kajol adds that extra magic to all the songs they are in. “’Kaali kaali aankhen’ to ‘Tere naina’ and song we are shooting for ‘Dilwale’...my friend @KajolAtUN makes them look like magic and not just another song,” he tweeted. ‘Dilwale’ which also stars Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon is all set for release. — IANS FRIDAY | AUGUST 28, 2015 | DHUL QA’ADA 13, 1436 AH P14 P15 P16 Inside China energy giants’ H1 profits fall Asian stocks cheered by Wall St rally ‘Bad bank’ path looks steep for Greece FOLLOW US ON: BIZ BUZZ Tata Steel to mothball UK plant www.omanobserver.om editor@omanobserver.om Oman’s fiscal deficit projected at 12pc of GDP in 2015-16: Moody’s Q2 GDP STABILITY: Oman’s low government indebtedness — at around 5 per cent of GDP in 2014 — gives it room to increase debt issuance to finance budget deficits BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT LONDON: Tata Steel, Britain’s largest steelmaker, said it will mothball a plant in south Wales as tough markets persist, forcing the company to focus on highervalue products. Europe’s second-largest steelmaker after Arcelor Mittal said it will redeploy employees at the plant in Llanwern, Newport, which makes strip products used in autos, construction, domestic goods and packaging, although British press reports said the company will cut 250 jobs. The move comes only a month after Tata said it may cut up to 720 British jobs, mainly at Rotherham in northern England, in a revamp of its speciality and bar business, which has been hit by cheap imports and high energy costs. — Reuters China’s ICBC reports flat H1 profit SHANGHAI: The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country’s biggest bank, on Thursday reported a less than one per cent yearon-year rise in net profit for the first half, affected by the slowing economy. Net profit was 149.02 billion yuan ($23.28 billion) for the six months ended June 30, up from 148.10 billion yuan from the same period a year ago. “In the first half of 2015, the bank proactively adapted to the economic ‘new normal’ amidst a complicated macroeconomic environment,” said ICBC, one of China’s “Big Four” state-owned banks, adding profit was “relatively stable” for the period. — AFP African cement giant in $4bn deal with China builder LAGOS: Nigeria’s Dangote Cement has announced a $4.34 billion deal with Chinese construction company Sinoma International Engineering to build plants across Africa. The project is expected to add 25 million tonnes of capacity across 11 African countries and Nepal, Dangote said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg News. Dangote Cement, controlled by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has been expanding outside of Nigeria in recent years, signalling the company’s increasingly international ambitions. The new plants will increase capacity to around 71 million tonnes and Dangote is targeting further gains to about 100 million tonnes by 2020, Dangote said in a speech in Lagos, according to Bloomberg. “We are progressing very aggressively. Africa will not lack cement,” it quoted the billionaire as saying. Speaking at a ceremony to inaugurate a $400 million plant in Zambia earlier this month, Dangote said cement production was a “symbol of African development.” — AFP Aug 27: While solid economic growth continues to support Oman (A1 negative), its very high economic and fiscal reliance on the oil and gas sector and limited scope for fiscal reforms will add pressure to public finances in 201516, says Moody’s Investors Service in a report recently published. “We expect Oman’s fiscal deficits to widen from 2015 onwards, as hydrocarbon-related government revenues drop by more than 40 per cent this year. However, Oman’s low government indebtedness — at around 5 per cent of GDP in 2014 — gives it room to increase debt issuance to finance budget deficits,” says Steffen Dyck, a senior analyst at Moody’s. Moody’s projects that Oman will report substantial fiscal deficits in 2015 and 2016, at around 12 per cent of GDP, as government revenues will be negatively impacted by lower oil prices. Moody’s estimates Oman’s fiscal breakeven oil price — the price of oil at which the budget can be balanced — at $105 per barrel (p/b) in 2015. This is high compared to its peers, and almost double Moody’s base case projection of $55 p/b for Brent in the same year, and $57 p/b in 2016, suggesting fiscal deterioration if oil prices remain subdued. The rating agency forecasts that Oman’s GDP growth will slow to around 3 per cent over 2015-2016, down from the 4.9 per cent average between 200514, owing to pressure on the oil and gas sector. The latter accounted for 48 per cent of nominal GDP on average between 2005-14. According to Moody’s, Oman’s high levels of current government spending are not sustainable under a multiyear, low oil price scenario. However, Moody’s notes that Oman has sizeable financial buffers which the rating agency estimates at 82 per cent of 2014 GDP. In addition, Oman’s high domestic savings and healthy banking sector will continue to provide stable funding for the government, says Moody’s. As a result, liquidity risk is unlikely to significantly affect government debt sustainability. Moody’s notes that regional geo-political events pose lowprobability but high-impact risks for Oman. However, these risks are to some degree mitigated by Oman’s position as a neutral, mediating nation in the region, as well as its close relations with major global powers. Monsanto drops pursuit of agribusiness rival Syngenta NEW YORK: US agribusiness leader Monsanto Co on Wednesday abandoned pursuit of Swiss rival Syngenta AG, which had rejected a recently sweetened $47 billion offer. Syngenta shares fell more than 18 per cent on the news, while Monsanto shares jumped more than 7 per cent. The Swiss agrichemicals group said its board unanimously rejected the offer, which it said “significantly undervalued the company.” Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, said it still believes in the value of a combination. It will focus on building its core business and meeting long-term growth objectives and also said it was resuming a share buyback programme. Some farmers had feared that a combined company would have too Flowers grow in front of Swiss agrochemicals maker Syngenta’s logo at the company’s headquarters in Basel. — Reuters much power to raise prices for seeds and herbicides. Both companies had acknowledged that a deal would face antitrust scrutiny in several countries. Syngenta Chairman Michel Demaré said the company had engaged with Monsanto in good faith and would prosper without the deal. “Our board is confident that Syngenta’s long-term prospects remain very attractive with a leading portfolio and a promising pipeline of new products and technologies. We are committed to accelerate shareholder value creation,” he said in a statement. Still, some Syngenta shareholders expressed disappointment over the scuttled deal and questioned Syngenta’s ability to improve its financial fortunes. “They have to justify to their shareholders that they can create the value that they have just turned down,” said Pauline McPherson, co-fund manager of Kames Capital’s global equity fund, which holds Syngenta stock. Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson, whose Paulson & Co had taken a stake in Syngenta, had no comment. — Reuters Philippine growth quickens to 5.6pc MANILA: Philippine economic growth quickened in the second quarter, the government said on Thursday, placing the country in a better position to weather the global fallout from China’s economic woes. Officials credited the growth to “prudent fiscal management” and policies pursued by President Benigno Aquino, which has helped transform the country into one of the fastestgrowing economies in the region. Boosted by higher government spending, the April to June gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.6 per cent, outpacing the 5 per cent growth in the previous quarter, which was the lowest in three years, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said. Despite the rebound, Balisacan said the economy was likely to grow from 6 to 6.5 per cent for the full year, below the government’s 7 to 8 per cent target. Second quarter growth was also slower than 6.7 per cent during the same period last year, data showed. Balisacan and other officials stressed that the growth showed the country could weather the global financial turmoil. “Our economic fundamentals are still strong. We have to make sure we are mindful of the challenges we are facing,” Balisacan told reporters. “The quality and the rate of growth of the Philippine economy gives some assurance that with greater vigilance... we can withstand the volatile markets overseas,” he added. — AFP Core capital goods orders increase 2.2 per cent Ì Durable goods orders rise 2 per cent Strong US capital spending plans boost growth WASHINGTON: A gauge of US business investment plans recorded its largest increase in just over a year in July, suggesting the United States was in good shape to withstand growing strains in the global economy. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday non-defence capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, increased 2.2 per cent last month, the biggest rise since June last year. “The economy had a tailwind heading into the recent market rout. That tailwind will help to carry us through the turbulent waters that lie ahead,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago. July’s increase in the so-called core capital goods orders was on top of an upwardly revised 1.4 per cent increase in June and marked two straight months of hefty gains. Economists had forecast only a 0.4 per cent rise in July after a previously reported 0.9 per cent increase in June. The report added to employment, industrial production, retail sales, housing and consumer spending data in highlighting the US economy’s resilience. The string of upbeat reports suggests the Federal Reserve could still raise interest rates this year despite a global markets sell-off, triggered by worries over China’s slowing economy, and policymakers’ concerns about low inflation. New York Fed President William Dudley said on Wednesday prospects of a September rate hike “seems less compelling to me than it was a few weeks ago.” Stocks on Wall Street rallied, with all major indices trading more than 1 per cent higher. Prices for US government debt fell, while the dollar rose against a basket of currencies. A strong dollar and deep spending cuts in the energy sector have undercut business investment. Schlumberger Ltd, the world’s No 1 oilfield services provider and rival Halliburton have slashed their capital expenditure budgets for this year following a more than 60 per cent plunge in crude oil since June last year. While Wednesday’s report and recent data on oil drilling suggest the spending cuts in the energy sector were ebbing, renewed weakness in oil prices suggest a turnaround in business investment will only be gradual. In addition, the dollar’s 16.8 per cent gain versus the currencies of the United States’ main trading partners since June 2014 remains a challenge for multinational corporations such as Whirlpool Corp and Procter & Gamble Co. Still, the surge in core capital goods orders in July bodes well for economic growth prospects in the third quarter. “It points to a sharp acceleration in the pace of business capital investment activity in the third quarter and provides some upside risks to our expectation for growth,” said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities in New York. Shipments of core capital goods, which are used to calculate equipment spending in the government’s gross domestic product measurement, rose 0.6 per cent last month after an upwardly revised 0.9 per cent increase in June. Core capital goods shipments were previously reported to have risen 0.3 per cent in June and the upward revision suggests second-quarter GDP could be bumped up when the government publishes it second estimate on Thursday. June data on business inventories and construction spending have already suggested second-quarter growth could be revised to as high as a 3.4 per cent annualised pace from the 2.3 per cent rate reported last month. — Reuters 14 omandailyobserver China energy giants’ half-yearly profits fall on low oil prices Domestic demand for crude oil and natural gas also slowed in the first half. SHANGHAI: Two of China’s biggest energy companies, Sinopec and CNOOC, saw their first half net profits slump as low international oil prices and a weak global economy hit the bottom line, they said. Refiner Sinopec’s net profit for the first six months slumped 22.3 per cent to 24.43 billion yuan ($3.81 billion), it said late on Wednesday in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange, where it is listed. “In the first half of 2015, the global economic recovery remained slow,” Sinopec chairman Wang Yupu said in the statement. “International crude oil prices plunged in the second half of last year and fluctuated at low level in the first half.” Oil prices hit their lowest levels since early 2009 this week over concerns China’s slowing economy will curb demand for the commodities that have helped drive its growth over the past three decades. Sinopec said domestic demand for crude oil and natural gas also slowed in the first half. China’s economy grew 7 per cent in each of the first two quarters, slowing from a 7.4 per cent expansion last year, which was its weakest since 1990. Sinopec’s revenue dropped 23.3 per cent year-on-year to 1.04 trillion yuan in the January-June period. “Looking into the second half, with a general over-supply situation of (the) international crude oil market, the oil price is expected to fluctuate at a low level,” Wang said. Separately, China’s main offshore oil and gas producer, CNOOC, reported a 56.1 per cent year-on-year plunge in net profit to 14.73 billion yuan in the first half, the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange late on Wednesday. “Economic growth in China stabilised from slowing down and saw signs of bottoming out, while international oil prices continued to hover at low levels,” CNOOC chairman Yang Hua said in the statement. Its revenue also fell sharply by 35.5 per cent year-on-year to 89.59 billion yuan in the first half, according to the statement. CNOOC warned there was little to hope for in the second half. “There is little optimism in the world’s macro-economic environment; international oil prices are expected to remain at a low level,” Yang said. But investors ignored the results. Sinopec gained 1.75 per cent in Shanghai and rose 1.41 per cent in Hong Kong by midday, while CNOOC jumped 14.52 per cent in Hong Kong. — AFP Nationwide warns slowdown might not last UK annual house price growth lowest since 2013 LONDON: British house prices rose this month at the slowest annual pace in more than two years, according to mortgage lender Nationwide, although it warned the slowdown might not persist unless house-building picks up significantly. House prices rose 3.2 per cent yearon-year in August, the weakest annual rate since June 2013, compared with a 3.5 per cent rise in July. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the rate of growth would fall to 3.1 per cent this month. On a monthly basis, house prices rose 0.3 per cent, in line with expectations and down slightly from a 0.4 per cent increase in July. Nationwide said the figures were further evidence that annual house price growth may be stabilising close to the pace of earnings growth, with regular pay excluding bonuses at just under 3 per cent during the second quarter. “However, survey evidence cautions that this trend may not be maintained unless construction activity accelerates,” said Robert Gardner, chief economist at Nationwide. “Surveyors reported the lowest ever number of properties on their books in July — on data extending back to the late 1970s — whilst new buyer enquiries picked up.” Gardner added that a significant increase in construction activity would be needed to avoid affordability becoming further stretched in the years ahead. The government last month announced a plan to remove obstacles to building new houses after it helped cause a surge in house prices in 2013 by backing subsidies for people trying to get on the property ladder. Data from rival mortgage lender Halifax has pointed to a stronger pace of annual house price growth, although it too has slowed recently. But there have been signs activity is picking up, after the introduction of tougher rules on lending slowed the market through most of 2014. The British Bankers’ Association said mortgage approvals rose in July to their highest level since February 2014. Official figures from the Bank of England also show mortgage approvals have risen in most months this year. BoE Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent said earlier this month he didn’t view the housing market “with great alarm”. A Reuters poll of economists on Wednesday suggested house price growth is likely to slow next year. — Reuters OMAN/INTERNATIONAL F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET INTERNATIONAL F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 omandailyobserver 15 Asian stock markets cheered by Wall Street rally A pedestrian looks at an electronic board showing the stock market indices of various countries outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan. — Reuters HONG KONG: Asian stocks rose on Thursday, with Shanghai leading the gains after a rally on Wall Street cheered investors and eased fears of a deep and lasting global market rout. Comments from a senior US Federal Reserve official that the case for a rate rise in September had weakened and upbeat durable goods data also boosted sentiment, pushing up the dollar. Shanghai led the charge, closing up 5.34 per cent, or 156.30 points, at 3,083.59, while Hong Kong gained 3.60 per cent, or 758.15 points, to close at 21,838.54. Tokyo stocks closed up 1.08 per cent, or 197.61 points, to finish at 18,574.44, while Seoul gained 0.73 per cent, or 13.91 points, to 1,908 and Sydney rose 1.17 per cent, or 60.53 points, to 5,233.30. Wall Street finished sharply higher on Wednesday, ending a six-day losing streak after fears for China’s stalling economy wiped some $8 trillion from global share markets. Asian shares had ended the day mixed after a volatile session that saw Shanghai veer wildly between losses and gains as dealers weighed news that China’s central bank had cut its key rates and moved to free up cash for banks. Thursday’s rises came after William Dudley, the head of the New York branch of the Fed, said the reasons for a rate hike in September had been dampened by the turmoil gripping financial markets. A better-than-expected official US manufacturing report showing orders for durable goods — products expected to last at least three years — jumped 2.0 per cent in July also added to the optimism. “Strong durable goods numbers out of the US and tempting valuations saw a phenomenal bounce in all US equities,” said Angus Nicholson at IG Markets. “William Dudley’s speech seemingly put to bed any prospect of September rate hikes... I think the market will largely be looking towards December as the most likely date if a rate hike happens Windows 10 spreads to more than 75m devices SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft said that Windows 10 has spread to more than 75 million devices since the new operating system was released less than a month ago. The US software colossus is intent on seeing the new-generation operating system aimed at computers, mobile and other devices running on a billion gadgets. Windows 10 is powering more than 90,000 different computer and tablet models, including some that date back to the year 2007, Microsoft’s corporate vice-president of marketing for Windows and devices, Yusuf Mehdi, said in a series of tweets. More than 75 million devices now run the software, with the number “growing every day,” he said. Some 14 million people installed the Windows 10 operating system in the first 24 hours following its release on July 29 in what Microsoft touted as an “overwhelmingly positive” debut. The stakes are high for Microsoft as it pushes out the new operating system for both traditional computers and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. The company is hoping the new system can help it gain traction in the mobile sector, where it lags behind Google Android and Apple iOS, and in emerging technologies for computing. Windows 10 — to which Microsoft skipped directly from Windows 8 which got a lackluster response — is being offered as a free upgrade for most devices, making it possible to be available quickly on billions of devices. It will allow for voice, pen and gesture input, and in some cases biometric identification for improved security. Word of the spread of Windows 10 to devices in 192 countries came as market tracker International Data Corporation forecast that worldwide personal computer shipments will fall by 8.7 per cent this year and continue to slide through next year. “Although the shortcomings of the PC business are obvious, a silver lining is that the industry has continued to refine the more mobile aspects of personal computers — contributing to higher growth in Convertible and Ultraslim Notebooks,” said IDC senior research analyst Jay Chou. — AFP The move reflects Wal-Mart’s desire to get a head start on holiday season Wal-Mart boosts holiday layaway, eyeing Star Wars toy launch NEW YORK: Wal-Mart Stores Inc said it will bring forward its holiday layaway programme by two weeks, as the world’s largest retailer hopes to get a jump on year-end demand and fuel sales of soonto-be-launched Star Wars toys. The company will kick off the programme that allows shoppers to pay for holiday gifts and other products in installments, on August 28, two weeks earlier than last year, Anne Marie Kehoe, vice-president of toys, said in a briefing. It will make 40,000 items available under the payment plan, roughly a fifth more than last year. The move reflects Wal-Mart’s desire to get a head start on a holiday season that is sure to be highly competitive. Toys are an especially big focus for retailers this year, ahead of the December release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” — the first in a new “Star Wars” trilogy being produced by Walt Disney Co. Wal-Mart said it will have 500 new Star Wars products in stores on September 4, as part of a global roll-out of movie-related merchandise at various retailers. Wal-Mart will make thousands more items, including apparel, grocery and People talk outside a Wal-Mart Pickup-Grocery test store in Bentonville. — Reuters health products, available online. Wal-Mart hopes the layaway programme will ease purchases of Star Wars items, as well as other toys featured during a week-long toy promotion. Besides starting layaway earlier, it is reducing the minimum price for eligible items to $10 from $15 on a minimum basket of $50. “In the five years we’ve been offering this holiday layaway programme we’ve discovered that customers use it for a whole host of reasons, from being able to better budget their money and avoiding credit card fees,” Kehoe said. Layaway programmes can have a sizeable impact on a retailer’s sales. Retail consultant Burt Flickinger estimates layaway can account for as much as 10 to 15 per cent of holiday revenues at Wal-Mart stores in poorer areas. Wal-Mart said it would hold midnight Star Wars events at 2,900 stores on September 4 and family events at the same number of stores the following day. Kehoe said she expected strong demand for toys from collectors, besides children. — Reuters this year.” In currency markets, the dollar gained and dealers sold the yen — seen as a safe haven during times of market turmoil — as risk aversion eased. In Tokyo trading, the dollar bought 120.21 yen, up from 119.98 yen in New York. This week it touched a six-month low of 116.18 yen. The euro traded at 135.81 from 135.72 yen, and fetched $1.1296, compared to $1.1312 in US trade. Gold, also seen as a safe haven when markets are going haywire, gave up gains as sentiment improved to trade at $1,127.40, down from $1,131.80 late on Wednesday. Oil rose in Asia as dealers digested a mixed US energy report showing a dip in crude inventories, but barely any decline in production despite sinking prices. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was trading at $39.68, compared to $38.60, while Brent crude was at $44.28, from $43.14. In other markets: Mumbai rose 2.01 per cent, or 516.53 points, to 26,231.19. Housing Development Finance Corporation soared 8.41 per cent to Rs 1,195.20 but Bharat Heavy Electricals fell 3.54 per cent to Rs 231.70. Bangkok rose 2.87 per cent, or 37.95 points, to 1,358.03. Coal producer Banpu gained 3.02 per cent to 20.50 baht while Bangkok Bank added 3.08 per cent to 167.50 baht. Kuala Lumpur rose 1.35 per cent or 21.33 points to close at 1,601.70. Telekom Malaysia added 0.31 per cent to 6.50 ringgit, Tenaga Nasional gained 1.63 per cent to 11.20 while Sime Darby flat at 7.45 ringgit. Jakarta ended up 4.55 per cent at 192.90 points or 4,430.63. BIZ BRIEF Panasonic to shut battery factory in Beijing, cut jobs TOKYO: Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp on Thursday said it will stop making lithium-ion batteries at its factory in Beijing this month, cutting 1,300 jobs as part of a move to focus on higher-margin products such as electric car batteries. The 15-year-old plant produces batteries for simple mobile phones and digital cameras, both of which are being increasingly overtaken by smartphones in popularity. “The global market for these products has been shrinking,” Panasonic spokeswoman Yayoi Watanabe said, adding the closure was more about global technology trends rather than the recent turmoil that has battered Chinese markets. Employees were informed of the closure in late July, she said. Finland’s Nokia, which sold its mobile phone business to Microsoft in 2014, was the main customer of the plant in its early days, according to the Nikkei business daily. Panasonic took over the plant from Sanyo Electric, a leading maker of lithium-ion batteries and solar panels which it acquired in 2010. The deal failed to bring in much growth due to the emergence of South Korean manufacturers, analysts say, and the Japanese firm has since sold several Sanyo operations. The plant closure comes as Panasonic restructures to focus on electric car batteries and energysaving home systems rather than consumer electronics such as plasma TVs and smartphones, where it faces stiff competition from Asian rivals. In June, it said it would invest about 60 billion yen ($499.83 million) in the fiscal year through March in its automotive business, including making lithium-ion batteries for Tesla Motors Inc. Panasonic is due to shoulder 30 to 40 per cent of the cost of Tesla’s $5 billion Gigafactory plant in Nevada, a key facility in the automaker’s plans to ramp up sales. The company’s shares were up 0.5 per cent in afternoon trade compared with a 1.6 per cent rise in the Nikkei 225 average. — Reuters China sets yuan rate at 4-year low against dollar SHANGHAI: China’s central bank on Thursday set its central rate for the yuan currency at a four-year low against the US dollar, a move analysts said reflected reduced expectations for the unit following a devaluation. The yuan was fixed at 6.4085 to the greenback, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System, just 0.07 per cent weaker from the previous day. But it was the lowest since August 2011, the Shanghai Securities News said on its website. The move follows an interest rate cut announced on Tuesday and a slumping stock market, which has fallen more than 40 per cent since peaking in mid-June. “The yuan depreciated as growing market expectations for yuan depreciation have been gradually fulfilled after the one-off devaluation on August 11,” Liu Dongliang, a senior analyst at China Merchants Bank in Shenzhen, said. The central bank on August 11 devalued the yuan by nearly two per cent, saying the decision was aimed at moving towards a more flexible exchange rate though the market interpreted it as a sign of economic weakness. It fell further in the following days. The yuan is restricted to trading up or down two per cent from the daily rate on the national foreign exchange market. — AFP Drugmaker Kalbe Farma gained 7.47 per cent to 1,655 rupiah while automotive distributor Tunas Ridean Tbk fell 1.90 per cent to 515 rupiah. Singapore surged 2.52 per cent, or 72.43 points to close at 2,945.43. Casino operator Genting Singapore rose 1.33 per cent to Sg$0.76 and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp advanced 3.15 per cent to Sg$9.17. Taipei rose 1.41 per cent, or 108.96 points, to 7,824.55. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co added 1.22 per cent to Tw$124 while Hon Hai Precision Industry closed 1.32 per cent higher at Tw$84.6. Wellington closed up 1.02 per cent, or 57.17 points, at 5,634.95. Spark rose 3.37 per cent to NZ$3.225 and Warehouse Group lifted 0.78 per cent to NZ$2.60. Manila rose 2.25 per cent, or 154.17 points, to 7,022.09. Top-traded Ayala Land Inc. gained 1.16 per cent to 34.80 pesos while BDO Unibank Inc rose 4.30 per cent to 97 pesos. — AFP Goldman Sachs on hiring spree in Warsaw WARSAW: Goldman Sachs will hire “several hundred” employees for its Warsaw-based technology and operations units over the next three years, the US bank said on Thursday. The decision follows moves by Swiss banking giants UBS and Credit Suisse to expand their operation centres in Poland, seeking to benefit from the country’s relatively inexpensive and skilled labour force. “In a strategic decision, the firm will now expand its footprint in Warsaw,” said Goldman Sachs spokesman for central and eastern Europe, Adib Sisani. “The expansion will be realised in a phased approach over the next three years to an office size of several hundred employees,” he said. Goldman Sachs technology units are providing services for clients to support their sales, trading, banking, investment management and investment research operations, the bank said. The units also support Goldman’s own legal, compliance and human resources management. Poland, an European Union member since 2004, is central and eastern Europe largest economy. The country has enjoyed uninterrupted economic growth over the last two decades, but the average corporate wage is less than a third of its equivalent in Germany. Goldman Sachs has had an office in Warsaw since 2011, including a small technology unit. — Reuters Workers arrange sacks of cement, which will be transported to Indonesia’s Sumatra island, at Sunda Kelapa harbour in Jakarta. Indonesia’s statecontrolled cement maker PT Semen Indonesia said it plans to buy back up to 1 trillion rupiah ($70.85 million) of its shares as their market value fell, but some other state firms said they have yet to decide whether to buy back their shares or not. — Reuters Gap to end ‘on-call’ shifts for workers NEW YORK: Apparel retailer Gap Inc said it would end on-call shifts at all of its stores and improve scheduling policies to provide employees with at least 10-14 days’ notice. The decision follows an inquiry by New York State attorney general Eric Schneiderman’s office into the legality of on-call shifts at 13 retailers, including Gap, Target Corp, JC Penney Co Inc , Abercrombie & Fitch Co and TJX Cos Inc. On-call shifts require workers to be on call for shifts that may be cancelled with little notice. The system allows retailers to adjust staffing based on store traffic forecasts made by scheduling software. Companies can then reduce over-staffing and under-staffing. Each of Gap’s five brands were aligned to phase out on-call shifts by the end of September and had committed to phase in the new schedules by early 2016, Gap spokeswoman Laura Wilkinson said in an email. When Schneiderman began the inquiry in April he said on-call shifts might violate New York law which calls for employees to be paid for at least four hours at the basic minimum hourly wage for any scheduled shift they report for. “I commend Gap for taking an important step to make their employees’ schedules fairer and more predictable,” Schneiderman said in a statement on Wednesday, which made no further comment on the findings of the inquiry. Abercrombie & Fitch said this month that it would end the practice for all workers paid by the hour, while lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret, owned by L Brands Inc said in June it would end on-call shifts for workers. — Reuters 16 omandailyobserver NON-PERFORMING PERSPECTIVE F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 LOANS ‘Bad bank’ path model looks steep for Greece G REECE is under growing pressure to take care of banks’ problem loans so they are free to lend again, but the depth and complexity of its crisis will make it tough to replicate the comprehensive “bad bank” models set up in Ireland and Spain. Deciding how to deal with more than 100 billion euros ($115 billion) of non-performing loans held by banks is a central part of Greece’s recovery plan — and one of the biggest headaches for policymakers. Ireland and Spain’s big, state-backed ‘bad banks’, or asset management companies, bought bad loans from banks at knock-down prices and are managing and selling them on to investors, who can renegotiate terms to claw back as much as possible. Setting up such a structure can be risky, and the Irish and Spanish models have not been trouble-free, but politicians and analysts say they have helped put both euro zone countries on the recovery path. “It is needed (in Greece), but it is not the easiest place to have a bad bank,” said Oliver Ellingham, a board member at NAMA, Ireland’s bad bank, and a former executive at BNP Paribas. A senior Greek banker said there was no appetite among the local banks to form a unified vehicle like NAMA, and reservations go wider than that. Greece’s deep economic recession, political turbulence, inadequate insolvency laws and problem loans spanning residential mortgages, small businesses and big companies all make carving out non-performing loans (NPLs) difficult and could deter investors from buying them, several restructuring advisers and investors said. As a result, two of the advisers said although a full-scale bad bank would be Greece’s best option, officials in Athens and at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, which now supervises euro zone banks, were likely to opt for more limited plans that would be easier and quicker to implement. They said that could mean sticking with the individual “troubled loan” units being set up within each of the four big lenders — National Bank of Greece, Piraeus, Alpha Bank and Eurobank. Alternatively, a vehicle could be created that takes each bank’s worst corporate loans, the restructuring sources said. Economy Minister George Stathakis said on Wednesday the government had not committed to a particular option. “A bad bank could restructure those loans using more balanced criteria that would take into account the economic and social consequences,” he told a news conference. “This was one proposal that we put on the table and it is part of the discussions. There are other solutions.” PROS AND CONS: Bad bank supporters say they speed up dealing with bad loans, which could otherwise take decades to run down and paralyse credit supply. “It’s more aggressive, but a quicker and cleaner way to solve the problem of non-performing loans (NPLs) and makes the remaining core banks more “A bad bank could restructure those loans using more balanced criteria that would take into account the economic and social consequences” investable,” said Christy Hajiloizou, credit analyst at Barclays in London. A bad bank can also be more clinical with unpopular decisions, such as liquidating companies or repossessing homes, and more efficient at collecting money from borrowers. Banks can be slow to accept they made lending mistakes, especially if they still have a relationship with the borrower. “There’s a completely different mindset to resolving NPLs, which involves treating people with respect but can mean being incredibly tough on customers,” Ellingham said. Critics of bad banks say they burden taxpayers with losses as banks often take a big capital hit when the loans are transferred at knock-down prices. A state may spend billions of euros buying the assets and recapitalising banks at the same time, hoping to recoup its outlay over many years of sales. Bad banks can also cost millions in set-up and advisory fees, and if assets are mispriced, they can allow hedge MARKET REFORM VALUATION China market chaos blamed on exodus of regulatory ‘turtles’ A T the height of the 2008 financial crisis, as Wall Street slashed jobs, Beijing took advantage of the disarray to poach top Chinese financial talent from overseas to help reform its stock markets. By summer 2015, China’s Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) needed them more than ever; a year-long market boom had imploded in a few weeks, and the government was desperate to keep the crisis from widening. But the best and brightest returnees, known in China as “sea turtles”, had already left for the private sector, disillusioned and disappointed. A former official at the CSRC, one of a group of 20 high-profile returnees, recalled the CSRC’s appeal to make “sacrifices for the motherland”. “We moved our families back to China and gave up high-paying jobs, because we wanted to contribute,” he said. He said the group was sent for special training at Jinggangshan, a former revolutionary base used by Mao Zedong during the Chinese civil war. Their idealism soon turned to cynicism. Their pay was a fraction of what they could earn in the private sector, and the CSRC didn’t seem to value them. “Several years passed, and none of us got promoted,” said the official. “Some of us didn’t even obtain a concrete position.” “Just at the time they needed people with both domestic and international experience, those most internationally experienced people were forced out,” said Liu Li-Gang, China economist at ANZ. The CSRC did not reply to requests for comment. BRAIN DRAIN: Those who left include Tang Xiaodong, former head of ABN AMRO’s exotic credit derivatives, who served various roles at CSRC including driving reforms to foreign investor access programmes; Li Bingtao from J P Morgan Chase’s global treasury department, who joined the CSRC planning committee; and funds to reap the rewards of a recovery. US BARGAIN HUNTERS: The influential group of euro zone finance ministers this month said Greece had to explore “the possibility of a bad bank” given the scale of its NPL problem. The leftist Syriza party included a plan for a bad bank when it was elected in January but did not get the necessary funding when it negotiated a third bailout with creditors. If Athens does opt for a bad bank, it will need to show it would be an independent body able to clear up the mess and be free of bureaucracy and cronyism, restructuring advisers said. They said with elections expected on September 20, a review of banks’ assets due by mid-October and a recapitalisation of banks targeted by the end of the year, the timeframe is tight and external advisers are being pulled in to consider options. Greece has pledged to tackle its NPL problem with or without a bad bank, and change insolvency laws, improve judicial staff and insolvency administration and open the market for servicing and disposing loans. The aim is to lure the US private equity, hedge fund and other specialists who are the biggest buyers of distressed assets in Europe. At NAMA, which six years ago paid 32 billion euros to buy loans with a face value of 74 billion euros from Ireland’s stricken banks, about 90 per cent of assets sold so far have gone to US investors. And decision-makers in Athens and Frankfurt will have taken note: NAMA says it expects to make up to 1 billion euros in profit when it completes the rundown of its assets by the end of the decade. — Reuters An investor looks at an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Beijing. — Reuters Luo Dengpan, former student of Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller, who took charge of CSRC’s institutional innovation department. None of them replied to requests for comment. Insiders who spoke to Reuters point to a rising wave of resignations within the regulatory apparatus over the last 12 months, just when sound advice was most needed. “Nearly every week, there are people submitting resignation letters,” said an official at the Shanghai Stock Exchange. “And the pace of people leaving appears to be accelerating.” Chinese fund managers say the exodus left Chinese markets in the hands of people who don’t understand markets. “They don’t have the same level of expertise as they did in recent years,” said a senior Chinese derivatives trader at a foreign bank in Hong Kong. That led, he said, to misguided, counter-productive policies like the crackdown on derivatives and “malicious” short-selling that some say only accelerated the selloff. “Just at the time they needed people with both domestic and international experience, those most internationally experienced people were forced out” “It’s not that they aren’t smart,” said an executive at a major fund who communicates regularly with the CSRC.” The difference is they don’t have financial expertise.” An official still at the CSRC said regulators failed to grasp the significance of the surge in margin finance used for stock speculation that many warned was destabilising the markets. It’s also criticised for botching reform of the IPO market. It re-opened the market in early 2014 after a year’s suspension, but under new pricing guidelines that inadvertently made IPOs a one-way bet that sucked funds from the wider market. After a surge in summer IPOs was partly blamed for setting off the crash, the CSRC suspended them again, indefinitely. Such failures have hammered government’s credibility, not least with investors who trusted Beijing to rescue the market in July and bought back in. Government directed 900 billion yuan ($140 billion) into stocks, but indexes continued to fall after a brief hiatus, wiping out all the year’s gains, and more than $4.5 trillion in market value — more than Germany’s gross domestic product. The heavy-handed intervention also damaged the credibility of China’s public commitment to financial reform. Analysts were not surprised when global stock index compiler MSCI delayed including Chinese shares in its benchmark emerging markets index, a move that might have brought billions of foreign dollars to China’s markets. Former officials said most of the returnees left due to frustration over their lack of influence over policy, limited opportunities for promotion, and low pay. — Reuters Wall St is for sale — but is it cheap? D URING more than a week of stock market sell-offs, investors have been exhorted to use declines to pick up bargains — and with a 7.7 per cent drop on the S&P 500 since August 17, stocks have certainly gotten less expensive. To determine how cheap they are, investment pros look at yields, earnings and more. By several of those metrics, the bottom line is this: US stocks are not wildly expensive, but they are not the screaming bargains that might pull value-minded investors back into the market. “We are not getting to a point where it’s attractive, it’s just not as expensive,” said Michael O’Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading in Greenwich, Connecticut. That is because investors are willing to pay more for companies that are expecting strong earnings growth. But with Chinese demand weakening, oil prices slipping and the dollar remaining strong even after slipping a bit in the last few days, analyst expectations now are that S&P 500 earnings will fall 3.3 per cent from a year ago in the third quarter, according to Thomson Reuters data. And that makes even less-expensive stocks still pricey. Here are a few ways to look at stock prices now. Earnings — Even after Wednesday’s buying spree, the S&P 500 stock index was selling at roughly 15.8 times its expected earnings for the next 12 months. That is lower than this year’s peak of 17.8 but not far from the average of about 16 since January 2000, and well above the 10.5 per cent hit during the last market correction in August 2011. “Low interest rates have juiced equity valuations to levels more consistent with a rapidly growing global economy than one still stuck in first gear,” Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at Convergex in New York, wrote in an overnight note to clients. On a 14-times earnings scenario, a multiple more in line with slow earnings growth, the S&P 500 should be closer to 1,700 — more than 10 per cent lower than Wednesday’s close — a level that would drag the index into a bear market. Dividend yields — For some, the argument that there is no other asset besides stocks to invest in due to rock bottom yields in US government debt continues to hold. The S&P 500’s dividend yield of 2.57 per cent recently ticked above the 10-year yield according to data from Thomson Reuters Datastream and Fathom Consulting. This was the case on and off since the start of 2015 until April, and the norm between late 2011 and mid 2013 — a period of strong gains for the stock index. But it has only happened one other time in the last 20 years, between December 2008 and April 2009. Earnings yield — At above 6 per cent, the earnings yield on the S&P 500 compares favourably with the 10-year Treasury note yield, now just under 2.2 per cent. Analysts say that when the earnings yield is more than twice the yield of the Treasury benchmark it historically augurs gains for stocks. — Reuters SPORT F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 omandailyobserver ASIAN TOUR: Kerr said details of the new tour could be announced very soon as talks were at an advanced stage ‘Europe merger will be game-changer’ HONG KONG: The merger of two of the world’s major golf tours will see the largest shake-up of the professional game since the European Tour was created more than 40 years ago, Asian Tour CEO Mike Kerr said. The European and Asian tours declared last week that they intend to combine their playing memberships and business dealings into a mega-tour that will stretch from the Atlantic coast of Ireland to the shores of the Pacific in the Far East. “I can’t think of anything bigger,” Kerr said in a phone interview, when asked whether it was golf ’s most important development since the European Tour’s creation in 1972. Kerr said details of the new tour could be announced very soon as talks to hammer out the details were already at an advanced stage. “We are working through this as fast as we can,” he said. “I don’t envisage it will be a protracted and prolonged process. “In some way we’ve been through at least some of the tough discussions and negotiations between us and now it’s about coming together and making this a reality. “When we get further details that we are able to deliver I think we will do that. There’s no reason for us to hold back.” Kerr said discussions were “confidential” but did confirm that there would in future be just one tour with a single membership comprising the current players on the European and Asia Tours. “This will involve the merger of the memberships and the merger of the business,” he said. “You can make that leap, yes, to say there will be a single membership. “It will be based on merit and the Asian Tour members will effectively get access to the entire schedule of tournaments that would be included in any future tour.” Kerr says ultimately the tours are there to benefit their members — the players — and the merger will ensure LIGUE long-term stability in a sport which has seen some events disappear from the calendar in recent years. “I don’t think that we would have embarked on this had we not believed that actually it would satisfy our core purpose, to deliver more earnings and more opportunities for all of our members,” he said. ‘FRACTURED SCENE’ He said that the announcement had been well received within the game and it now was a case of talking to the players and ensuring they understood the plan and were comfortable with it. “We are now starting that process on both sides. Everything that I have heard, either through the media, through partners, sponsors or from players has been very positive. Quite honestly there has been no negativity whatsoever. “Most importantly we need to get to our members, to ensure they understand these details, to ensure they’re comfortable with them and effectively approve them going forward.” He would not be drawn on whether this would mean the end of their struggling rivals, the OneAsia Tour, which has staged just six tournaments so far in 2015. “You will have to ask them,” he said, but added the merger would start to mend Asia’s “fractured” golf scene. “One of things that has retarded the growth of golf in Asia has been the fractured nature of it,” Kerr said. “If you look at the map of the world to the left you’ve got the Americas dominated by the PGA Tour. In the middle you’ve got the European Tour. But if you look to the right it’s whole mishmash of everybody involved. “So when we talk about consolidating it’s not about making things smaller, it’s about making things clearer. “It’s about the long term. It’s about sustainability. It’s about scale. And that’s what we will achieve — long-term stability. It’s a fantastic opportunity.” — AFP 1 PSG face suffering Monaco as Marseille look to build PARIS: Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain face their stiffest challenge of the early season away to Monaco in Ligue 1 on Sunday while Marseille will seek to continue their revival under new coach Michel at Guingamp on Friday. Laurent Blanc’s treble winners PSG have yet to put a foot wrong on the way to a trio of victories that sees them two points clear of an unusual threesome of followers that includes Bastia, promoted Angers and former French champions Nantes. Monaco meanwhile must overcome a Champions League hangover after being knocked out of the competition at the last qualifying stage on Wednesday by Valencia, despite reaching the quarterfinals last season. Marseille began life without Marcelo Bielsa, who dropped a bombshell by resigning after an opening day defeat against Caen, by showing signs of an immediate resurrection under Madridborn Michel when they destroyed Troyes 6-0 last weekend. The hugely popular south-coast club will try to make it two wins from two when they head up to Brittany and a Friday evening date with Guingamp. But they will still have to do without former France international Abou Diaby, whom they signed from Arsenal, who is not yet match-fit. “I have spoken with him and he is full of motivation,” said Michel. “I think in two or three weeks he will be ready to reintegrate into the squad,” added the 52-year-old former Spain international. PSG will know their Champions League group phase opponents on Thursday when the draw is made in Switzerland and the top prize in European football remains a prime goal for the Qatari-backed capital side. “To win the Champions League is our objective,” confided Brazilian defender David Luiz. “It will not only depend on our preparation but also the luck or bad luck we get with the draw,” said the former Chelsea centre-back. Bastia will travel to Saint-Etienne on Sunday as the ‘Greens’ look to recover from Europa League duty at home to Moldovan outsiders Milsami on Thursday. Angers, from the northwest of France, toasted their finest hour in 1957 when they were beaten 6-3 by Toulouse in the French Cup final, but under former player Stephane Moulin they have garnered two wins and a draw from their first three top flight outings as they host Nice on Saturday. Nantes meanwhile are off to a fine start of their own and the eight-time French champions, who last lifted the title in 2001, travel to winless Bordeaux. Former French player of the year Yoann Gourcuff, who has fallen from grace following a series of injuries that marred his time at Lyon, is back in the news and on the verge of signing with Rennes. The son of current Algeria coach Christian Gourcuff is unlikely to make his debut in time to face Toulouse at home on Saturday but his signature is imminent and will be a huge boost to the two-time French Cup winners. Elsewhere, last year’s runners-up Lyon travel to Caen with four points from three matches, while Reims await Lorient, Troyes are at home to 2012 champions Montpellier and Herve Renard’s Lille entertain GFC Ajaccio. — AFP This file photo taken on May 4, 2014 shows CEO of the Asian Tour, Mike Kerr, attending the trophy presentation during the Championship at Laguna National in Singapore. — AFP 17 Kazakh fans revel in historic Champions League success ASTANA, Kazakhstan: Bars spilled joyous supporters into the streets of oil-rich Kazakhstan’s capital Astana early on Thursday after the Central Asian country’s leading football club became its first to make the Champions League group stages. FC Astana overcame the more fancied Apoel Nicosia in a dramatic game in the Cypriot capital on Wednesday night to make their mark on the history of club football’s most prestigious tournament, which is regularly dominated by the likes of Spain’s Real Madrid and Barcelona. Leading 1-0 from the home leg, Astana fell behind to Apoel in Cyprus after an hour and had goalkeeper Nerad Erich to thank for keeping them in the game with two smart stops. But midfielder Nemanja Maksimovich equalised with six minutes of normal time remaining to give Astana the lead on aggregate and secure the right to rub shoulders with European football’s major powers. “It is difficult to describe how important last night’s match was to the development of football and sport as a whole in Kazakhstan,” Darhan Kaletaev, chairman of Astana’s board of trustees said by telephone on Thursday. “This victory was achieved thanks to the hard work of the coaching staff, the football-loving people of Astana, and the support of the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.” Astana’s emergence from obscurity into the elite of European football is reminiscent of the rise of the 600,000-strong city that hosts its 30,000 capacity stadium. Astana was little more than a sleepy northern steppe town in 1997 when septuagenarian President Nursultan Nazarbayev made it the country’s capital over Almaty, a city of more than 1.5 million people some 1,000 kilometres away. — AFP Balotelli ready to fulfil dying father’s wish MILAN: Liverpool misfit Mario Balotelli claims he has left his childish ways behind and is ready to knuckle down at AC Milan as he bids to fulfil his dying father’s wish of playing for Italy again. Balotelli’s return to the Rossoneri on a one-season loan deal has been met with derision in Italy, with pundits and most fans opposed to the striker’s return to the club he left only a year ago. Balotelli spectacularly underperformed at Anfield, instead embellishing his reputation as a “liability” — the view of former Reds legend Graeme Souness, among others. Against his own expectations, the 25-year-old has been given a second chance by Milan. But he knows it could be his last with a top club. Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic and Milan have instigated a special code of conduct for Balotelli, a player who in the past has riled fans and clubs with his off-field antics, outrageous hairstyles and outings to nightclubs where he has enjoyed the odd cigarette. Balotelli has pledged to comply — and with good reason. His adoptive father Francesco, whose dying wish was to see Balotelli don the Italy shirt again, died last month. He is also close to his two-year-old daughter Pia, born to exgirlfriend Raffaella Fico, who is based in Italy. Like a neo-professional who has just signed his first contract, Balotelli has it all to prove again on and off the field. But in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport he said: “I feel like a player who’s just finished the first half of his career. I played and lived like a kid. It hasn’t always gone well, I’ve wasted a lot of opportunities. “But the game’s not over, I still have a second half to play. Now, I’ll play it like a man.” ‘CAN’T MESS UP’ A poll on the popular ‘Processo del Lunedi’ sports programme on Monday showed 62 per cent of fans opposed his return. Last week, respected pundit and former Milan great Zvonimir Boban called Balotelli’s intended move “absurd”. “I know a lot of people don’t believe in my comeback, it’s up to me to prove them wrong,” added Balotelli. “Milan have taken a gamble, but I’ve made a promise to myself, and all the people who support me... I’m starting from zero and know I can’t mess this one up. “I will follow every rule. I know I’ll only be given my chance if I deserve it, but I haven’t forgotten how to play football.” Born to parents of Ghanaian origin, Balotelli was fostered by a white family, the Balotelli’s, when he was three years old and eventually adopted. When he scored the goals for Italy that sent the Azzurri to the final of Euro 2012, Balotelli rushed over to embrace his adoptive mother Silvia as she wept after the win. But it is his father who is on Balotelli’s mind. “Seeing me back in the Azzurri shirt was one of his dreams before he died. I owe it to him,” said Balotelli. Milan host Empoli in their first home game of the season this weekend, but fans hoping to see the Balotelli of old — showing arrogance and reacting to the provocation of fans and rival players — could be disappointed. “I will no longer respond to any provocation and will show respect to everyone, from opponents, referees and rival fans,” he said. Even in the event of racist chanting? “It’s really up to the referees to intervene in these moments, and I will keep my mouth shut. But then in the press conference I will go crazy,” he added. “You need respect. Fans who racially abuse me when I’m playing against their club are the same ones who shout for me to score when I’m playing for Italy. “But the day I don’t get whistled at is the day I have to start worrying: that’s when you’re no longer a threat.” — AFP 18 omandailyobserver SPORT F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Rooney’s treble was also a timely return to form for the England striker, who had gone 10 games without a goal Rooney fires United, Lazio dumped out PARIS: A Wayne Rooney hat-trick fired Manchester United back into the group stage of the Champions League with a 4-0 win, 7-1 on aggregate, in their play-off second leg at Club Brugge on Wednesday as Lazio crashed 3-0 at Bayer Leverkusen, 3-1 on aggregate. Rooney’s treble was also a timely return to form for the England striker, who had gone 10 games without a goal for United prior to Wednesday. United — who missed out on Champions League football last season — will discover their group opponents in Thursday’s draw in Monaco. “To go through to the group stage after being out of it last year is a great result. We look forward to the draw now tomorrow,” said Rooney. “It was a big disappointment last year not to challenge in it. We didn’t think it would be as comfortable as it was, but it was vital we went through any way we could. “Over the two legs we deserved that. We’ll enjoy the draw and it is nice to be back in there again.” In Germany, Lazio had gone to Bayer Leverkusen hoping to defend a one-goal advantage and reach the main draw for the first time since the 2007/08 season. But the Italians were trailing following goals from Hakan Calhanoglu (40) and Admir Mehmedi (48) and faced an uphill battle as they played the last 20 minutes with ten men when Brazilian Maurício was sent off for a second yellow card. Karim Bellarabi put the result beyond any doubt for the Germans when he finished into an empty net two minutes from time after good work from Julian Brandt. ASTANA MAKE HISTORY Astana made history as they became the first Kazakh team to qualify for the main competition with a 1-1 draw at Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney controls the ball next to Club Brugge’s Claudemir during the UEFA Champions League playoff match at Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges. — AFP Cypriot side Apoel in a 2-1 aggregate victory. The Kazakh club had taken a 1-0 lead to the Cypriot capital Nicosia for their second leg against 2012 quarterfinalists APOEL. Semir Stilic’s superb free-kick put the Cypriots ahead after 60 minutes but six minutes from time Nemanja Maksimovic tapped in the winner from close range. In Serbia, Belarussian champions BATE Borisov reached the group stages for the fourth time in five years on away goals after a 2-1 loss at Partizan Belgrade, having won the first leg 1-0. Igor Stasevich put BATE ahead after 25 minutes after the ball bounced into Van Gaal hails United hat-trick hero BRUGES, Belgium: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal praised Wayne Rooney’s “mentality” after the captain’s hat-trick in a 4-0 win against Club Brugge helped his side secure a Champions League place. United will go into the hat in Thursday’s group-stage draw after their victory in Bruges on Wednesday completed a 7-1 aggregate win in the competition’s play-off round. Rooney had previously gone 10 club games without scoring, prompting suggestions he was unsuited to the role of lone striker in Van Gaal’s single-striker system, but the Dutchman said he never doubted that the England captain would rediscover the path to goal. “I have given him always the confidence that a player needs, but I think Wayne has a very strong mentality and with his level he always shall come back,” Van Gaal said. “And he proved that this evening (Wednesday). But still it’s a long way for him and also for Manchester United it’s not so easy. Of course I’m very happy for him.” All three of Rooney’s goals were pleasing on the eye, as he applied assured one-touch finishes to passes from Memphis Depay, Ander Herrera and Juan Mata. Herrera stroked in United’s fourth goal in the 63rd minute at Jan Breydel Stadium, having been moved forward into a number 10 role following the half-time introduction of Bastian Schweinsteiger. Herrera had struggled in the game’s early stages, misplacing passes and earning a booking for an untidy foul on Victor Vazquez, and Van Gaal admitted afterwards that he had contemplated taking him off. “He started not so good. He had a lot of ball losses and also a yellow card, so at that moment I wanted to change him, but then I saw he was coming back,” said Van Gaal, who also saw substitute Javier Hernandez miss a late penalty. “And after that moment he plays a good match on the ‘double six’ position, but later on (at) 10 he was better. So I’m very pleased also for him.” Van Gaal won the Champions League with an exciting young Ajax Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal looks on during the UEFA Champions League play-off round second leg match against Club Brugge at Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium. — AFP team in 1995 and took Bayern Munich to the final in 2010, but he has not led a team in the competition since 2011. ‘THEY HAVE EVERYTHING’ Asked how the tournament had changed during his absence, he replied: “I cannot judge because (for) three years I was not a participant. “Of course I’ve seen the matches on television. I think it is the highest podium, and it was also 10 years ago and 20 years ago. “It is the highest podium that you can show yourself or your team and it’s fantastic to be a participant.” The 2014-15 season was the first time United had not graced the Champions League in 19 years, the legacy of a disastrous seventh-place finish under Van Gaal’s hapless predecessor David Moyes. Holders Barcelona, Bayern, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are among the teams who could be drawn to face United, but Van Gaal said that he would not be watching the draw. “I don’t know the teams who are participating, but I think I cannot have any influence on the draw,” he said. “There was also a lady who asked me what am I going to do tomorrow (Thursday) during the draw. I said I shall watch the second team against Ajax because that’s more important for me. “I cannot influence the draw, so it’s better to hear afterwards.” Club Brugge coach Michel Preud’homme had said before the game that his side required a “miracle” to qualify and he felt that the outcome of the tie was logical. “This team has everything — technical quality, physical quality in power and endurance, and of course they have the mentality,” said the former Belgium goalkeeper, who was missing several key players through injury and suspension. “It’s a top team and they are top players. They have everything. We are Wayne Rooney celebrates the fourth goal for Manchester United. — Reuters there to learn something and I hope we can learn a lot from these two confrontations.” — AFP his path, only for Partizan to level after 74 minutes via an own goal from BATE’s Maksim Zhavnerchik. An injury-time Ivan Saponjic goal proved academic in the end as Partizan earned a hollow victory on the night. WC 2010 quarterfinalists CSKA Moscow also advanced after a come-from-behind 3-1 success against Sporting Lisbon — 4-3 on aggregate — to add to their record of seven wins out of seven in Russia this season. Portuguese giants Sporting had taken a 2-1 advantage to Moscow and Teofilo Gutierrez scored an away goal after 36 minutes before a second half double from CSKA’s Ivorian striker Seydou Doumbia on 49 and 72 minutes left the tie level. Nigerian striker Ahmed Musa got the winner for the Russians five minutes from time as they qualify for the main draw for the third straight season. On a superb night for Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United in Belgium, Dutch midfielder Memphis Depay had a role in Rooney’s first two goals on 20 and 49 minutes, with a Juan Mata cross eight minutes later allowing the United captain complete his hat-trick. Spaniard Ander Herrera compounded a night of misery for the Belgian club after 63 minutes following a Bastian Schweinsteiger cross to put the three-time winners of the Champions League through in style, despite substitute Javier Hernandez missing a late penalty. Manchester United — winners in 1968, 1999 and 2008 — didn’t feature in the competition last season but had previously reached the group stages for 18 years in succession. Brugge have not made the group stages since the 2005/06 season and coach Michel Preud’homme admitted the outcome was logical. “It’s a top team and they are top players. They have everything,” said Preud’homme of the English club. “We are there to learn something and I hope we can learn a lot from these two confrontations.” — AFP QUALIFIER Bangladesh hoping to keep Australia to three PERTH: Bangladesh are just hoping to lose by no more than three goals when they take on Asian champions Australia for the first time in next week’s highly-anticipated World Cup qualifier in Perth. The Bengal Tigers, ranked 170th by Fifa and who fell to a 3-1 home defeat by Kyrgyzstan in their opening qualifier in June, are nonetheless desperately keen for the September 3 clash even if a landslide loss is expected. “Everybody is excited. 160 million are excited,” Bangladesh Football Federation technical director Nipu Bayazid Alam Zubair said in a recent interview. “We are going to play against Australia in a World Cup match. Yes, definitely (Australia were who we wanted to be play before the draw). This is as big as it gets.” Zubair said his young team, under the guidance of new Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif, would aim to do better than the last time they faced one of Asia’s heavyweights, Japan, at this level. That was back in 1993, when Japan roasted Bangladesh 8-1 in Tokyo before winning the return in the United Arab Emirates 4-1. “We are looking forward to playing with Australia and how many goals we can concede,” Zubair said. “Because Australia are a much better team than us. We played Japan last time a few years ago and conceded four goals, we are looking for our defence not to concede as many.” Zubair was in Kuala Lumpur last week for the Asian Football Confederation’s first coaching conference where he sat next to Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou, who went on stage to give insight to all on the Asian Cup triumph in January. Such aspirations remain far off for Bangladesh, whose biggest soccer success came in 2003 when they beat the Maldives on penalties to win the South Asian championship for the first and only time. They almost beat Tajikistan in their second Group B qualifier in June but conceded a late equaliser to draw 1-1 in Dhaka, where they will host Jordan on September 8. A top three finish would keep their hopes alive of qualifying for a first Asian Cup since 1980, though they lost all four games and conceded 17 goals in Kuwait. Zubair said that soccer, once the most popular sport, had dipped behind cricket at home as fans flock to watch the ever-improving national side compete in World Cups and test matches against regional powers. “Once upon a time football was number one,” he bemoaned. “Football is a little bit behind.’’ “But still football is popular in my country. If you go, just not Dhaka but outside, it is still much more (popular).” Interest, however, is reserved mainly for Argentina and their skipper Lionel Messi, who was mobbed by supporters when he visited the country to play a friendly in 2011 against Nigeria. Zubair said he hoped improving the professionalism of domestic soccer might attract more fans to the local game. “The pro league has been going for eight years now. We are looking at (improving) professionalism in our country but problem is that no club is up to the mark,” he said. “Our president is trying to improve things. We are going better than before. “We need better facilities and better coach education, club licensing. Professionalism in every club.” — Reuters SPORT F R I DAY AUGUST 28 l 2015 omandailyobserver 19 FINAL TEST: The series is tied 1-1 after Sri Lanka won the opening Test in Galle by 63 runs and India drew level in the second at Colombo New-look pitch leaves India, SL guessing COLOMBO: India and Sri Lanka were left to ponder the behaviour of an unusually greenish wicket as they delayed naming their line-ups for the decisive final Test starting in Colombo on Friday. The traditionally high-scoring pitch at the Sinhalese sports club (SSC) has undergone a dramatic change in appearance from a brown, flat track to a moisture-laden one that sports a tinge of grass. Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews refused to hazard a guess on the relaid pitch even though the last time the hosts played a Test at the SSC a year ago, they swamped Pakistan by 105 runs to break a sequence of four successive draws since 2009. “After being relaid the wicket has a bit more carry,” he said. “As of now, there’s a bit of grass on the wicket. You can’t really predict a wicket 100 per cent. We just have to play it by the ear. “It looks a sporting wicket. We just have to play positive cricket. The batters have to look to score runs, bowlers have to take wickets. We have to get the basics right.” The series is tied 1-1 after Sri Lanka won the opening Test in Galle by 63 runs and India drew level with a thumping 278-run win in the second match at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo on Monday. NEW ERA IN SL CRICKET The Test marks the start of a new era in Sri Lankan cricket following the retirement of batting great Kumar Sangakkara from international cricket after the second Test. Mathews confirmed that the 134-Test veteran Sangakkara will be replaced by another left-hander Upul Tharanga, who has played 20 Tests, but admitted Sri Lanka were undecided on the rest of the team. “We still have not found the best combination,” the Sri Lankan captain told reporters on Thursday. “With Sangakkara now retired, we’ve got an opportunity to test our players in different positions.” A finger injury sustained by offspinner Tharindu Kaushal in the second Test has compounded Sri Lanka’s worries with Mathews indicating he will wait till Friday morning to finalise the team. India, seeking their first series win in Sri Lanka in 22 years, will also not reveal their playing 11 till they had assessed the wicket before the toss, team director Ravi Shastri said. “It’s far from being a finished product yet,” Shastri told reporters after inspecting the pitch before practice on Thursday. “WE PLAY TO WIN’’ “There is still quite a bit of grass on it, but there could be another cutting of grass. Only then can we decide who to play.” India, who have not won a Test series on the island since 1993, will be without the injured trio of regular openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, plus wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. Shastri admitted the injuries had set the tourists back, but insisted India will continue to play positive cricket like they had done throughout the series. “Fitness issues always hurt but nothing has changed from day one,” he said. “We play to win. We have got ourselves in a position now where if Indian captain Virat Kohli catches a ball during a practice session at the Sinhalease Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo. we win this Test, we will win the series which is massive. “There’s no point being shy of going for a win. At the same time, it’s not a case of being over-confident. We have got to India are likely to bring in Cheteshwar Uncapped 32-year-old Naman Ojha, have the right balance and play proper Pujara for the first time in the series to a wicketkeeper-batsman who reinforced cricket like we did in the last Test over open the innings with Lokesh Rahul in the injury-hit touring squad on Monday, five days.” the absence of Dhawan and Vijay. is set to replace Saha. — AFP De Villiers stars as Proteas win decider DURBAN, South Africa: AB de Villiers hit a rapid 64 which provided the momentum for South Africa to gain a series-clinching 62-run win in the third and final one-day international against New Zealand on Kingsmead on Wednesday. The win enabled South Africa to leapfrog New Zealand into third place in the world one-day rankings, behind Australia and India. It also provided a measure of revenge for their heartbreaking defeat to the Kiwis in the World Cup semifinal earlier this year. De Villiers hit his runs off 48 balls to enable South Africa to reach 283 for seven on a pitch which offered some assistance to the seam bowlers throughout the match. New Zealand were bowled out for 221 in reply. New Zealand lost key batsman Martin Guptill early, caught behind off Dale Steyn, but a partnership of 84 off 118 balls between Tom Latham and captain Kane Williamson kept them in contention. Both batsmen, however, were dismissed in the space of 15 deliveries. Williamson was bowled for 39 when he charged down the pitch and missed a straight ball from leg-spinner Imran Tahir. Latham completed his third successive half-century but was run out for 54 by a direct hit from backward square leg by David Miller. With the required run rate climbing, New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals. Medium-pacer David Wiese took three for 58. “The first two games were rollercoaster rides but we showed our commitment and resilience tonight,” said De Villiers. “We had to work hard to get our runs and all the bowlers did really well.” Williamson said his team’s bowling effort had been ‘steady’. “The batting never gained momentum and we never got ahead of the game at any stage.” New Zealand were missing several of their leading players during the tour, — AFP ‘The first two games were roller coaster rides but we showed our commitment and resilience tonight. We had to work hard to get our runs and all the bowlers did really well’ making a solid start as Morne van Wyk (58) and Hashim Amla (44) put on 89 for the first wicket. But the scoring rate was languishing until De Villiers and David Miller (36) put on 86 off 65 balls for the fourth wicket. Farhaan Behardien kept the scoreboard moving, hitting 40 off 28 balls before he was caught off the last ball of the innings. Left-arm opening bowler Ben Wheeler took three for 71 but mediumpacer Grant Elliott was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, taking two for 41 in an unbroken ten-over spell. — AFP SCOREBOARD South Africa M van Wyk c Latham b Elliott.................................58 H Amla c and b Elliott ............................................44 R Rossouw c Latham b Wheeler............................... 6 A De Villiers b Bracewell ........................................64 D Miller c Ronchi b Milne ......................................36 F Behardien c Williamson b Wheeler ....................40 D Wiese c Sodhi b Wheeler ...................................12 K Abbott (not out) .................................................... 3 Extras (B-4, LB-3, W-13)..........................................20 Total (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) ........................283 Fall of wickets: 1-89, 2-96, 3-134, 4-221, 5-232, 6-258, 7-283. Bowling: Wheeler 10-0-71-3, Milne 10-1-44-1, Bracewell 10-1-54-1, Sodhi 8-0-55-0, Elliott 10-0-412, Munro 2-0-11-0. TEAM NEWS SL name Tharanga to replace Sangakkara COLOMBO: Left-handed batsman Upul Tharanga will replace retired Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara for the third and final test against India, captain Angelo Mathews said on Thursday. Sangakkara, arguably the greatest Sri Lankan batsman, finished his 134-test career last week during the second test in Colombo which India won to tie the series at 1-1. The 30-year-old Tharanga played the final test of the series against Pakistan but made way for Sangakkara for the first two matches against India. “In his last match he hit a couple of 45s. He went out only because Sangakkara came in,” Mathews told reporters ahead of the test starting on Friday. Off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal, the most successful bowler for the hosts with 12 wickets, was doubtful for the third test with a thumb injury on his bowling hand, Mathews said. But paceman Nuwan Pradeep, who missed the second test with a hamstring injury, was fit and available for selection. With the retirement of Sangakkara, Mathews said Sri Lanka were still undecided on their batting order. “We’re trying to get our combination right to see who is best in what position,” Mathews said. “We’ll have to give it a bit more time for that, and then try and stick to a combination. “In the past two series we’ve not made too many changes in our batting line up, but with Kumar Sangakkara retiring now, we’ve got an opportunity to test those players in different positions.” India are also poised to make changes to the line-up that won the second test convincingly in Colombo with opener Murali Vijay and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha ruled out with injuries. Team director Ravi Shastri said India were also not rigid on their batting order, having promoted Ajinkya Rahane to number three at the expense of the struggling Rohit Sharma in the second test. — Reuters New Zealand South Africa’s AB de Villiers celebrates scoring a half century during the third ODI M Guptill c Van Wyk b Steyn..................................10 against New Zealand in Durban. — Reuters T Latham (run out) .................................................54 which also encompassed one-day and Twenty20 series in Zimbabwe. “Overall this tour has been of great benefit,” said Williamson. “A bunch of individuals got a lot out of it.” De Villiers, who hurried to a halfcentury off 38 balls, hit eight fours and a six. When he was on 19 he reached DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI Chief Executive Officer ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI Editor-in-Chief 8,000 runs in one-day internationals in his 182nd innings — the fastest to the milestone. The previous record was held by Sourav Ganguly of India, who took 200 innings. After a poor batting performance in the second match in Potchefstroom, where they were bowled out for 204, South Africa fulfilled their objective of K Williamson b I Tahir ............................................39 G Worker b Wiese ..................................................21 G Elliott c Rabada b Wiese .....................................20 C Munro b Wiese ...................................................35 L Ronchi c Amla b Rabada........................................ 1 D Bracewell c Amla b I Tahir ...................................13 A Milne c Miller b Rabada........................................ 4 B Wheeler (not out) ...............................................13 I Sodhi c Rossouw b Abbott ..................................... 5 Extras (LB-1, W-5) ..................................................... 6 Total (all out, 49.2 overs) ..........................221 Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-102, 3-114, 4-141, 5-152, 6-156, 7-187, 8-201, 9-201. Bowling: Steyn 10-0-41-1, Rabada 10-1-33-2, Wiese 9-0-58-3, Abbott 9.2-0-43-1, Imran Tahir 10-0-36-2, Behardien 1-0-9-0. Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga plays a shot during a practice session ahead of their third and final Test against India in Colombo. — Reuters OMAN ESTABLISHMENT FOR PRESS, PUBLICATION AND ADVERTISING; P.O. Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman; Tel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 s Fax: 24699643 s Website: omanobserver.om s e-mail: editor@omanobserver.om s Salalah Office: Tel: 23292633, Fax: 23293909 s Nizwa Office: Tel: 25411099, P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611 s ADVERTISING: AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. Box 3303, P.C. 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: SWITCHBOARD: 24649444, DIRECT: 24649430/24649437/24649401, Fax: 24649434 s DISTRIBUTION AGENT: AL OMANEYA FOR DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING, P.O. Box 974, P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: 24649351/24649360, Fax: 24649379, subscribe@omanobserver.om Printers and Publishers Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising FRIDAY | AUGUST 28, 2015 | DHUL QA’ADA 13, 1436 AH P19 P18 P17 Inside New-look pitch leaves India, SL guessing Rooney fires United, Lazio dumped in CL ‘Europe merger will be game-changer’ FOLLOW US ON: www.omanobserver.om editor@omanobserver.om WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Olympic champion clinched the record fourth straight 200m world title in a smashing 19.55 seconds Sprint sweep for brilliant Bolt in Beijing BEIJING: Usain Bolt delivered when it mattered again on Thursday when he scorched the fastest time of the year to win a record fourth straight world 200 metres title in 19.55 seconds and sweep the individual sprints at a global championships for a fifth time. Five days after beating Justin Gatlin to win the 100 metres, the 29-year-old Olympic champion and world record holder again proved too strong for inform American, who finished second in 19.74. “Well done Usain,” Bolt told reporters. “I am just happy, I told you guys I would do it. There was no doubt. I was not really focused on time. I knew I was not in the shape for a world record.” Bolt, who had run only one race at the distance coming into the championships after an injury-disrupted season, was in control from the start. The 29-year-old got out of the blocks quicker than the usually explosive Gatlin on his inside and was ahead halfway round the bend before the American picked up speed and briefly looked like he might threaten the champion. Puffing his cheeks out and swinging his arms high, though, Bolt pulled away down the home straight for an ultimately comfortable victory, thumping his chest with his fists as he crossed the line. “When it comes to the 200 metres, I am a different person,” Bolt said. “My four world championship gold medals in the 200 metres, this a big deal, a great accomplishment.” The victory gave Bolt a recordextending 10th world championship was 19.861 and Edward 19.863. “I just told myself that I was going to try for the best,” said Jobodwana, whose time was a South African record. “It always gives you energy running against (Bolt).” Bolt and Gatlin had faced each other only once before in a 200 metres race, at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki where the American claimed his first world title in the event and teenager Bolt finished last. That was the year before Gatlin, having just matched the 100m world record, tested positive for a banned substance for a second time and was suspended for four years. Gatlin, 33, had gone unbeaten since 2013 in both sprints coming to Beijing and his was the world leading time that Bolt bettered to take the title. “I’m the oldest man in the field and still running, running pretty well,” said Gatlin. “It feels good to go against him(Bolt). I’m just going to prepare myself for next year, for the Olympics and come out even stronger.” Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, who finished fifth in a personal best time of 20.02 at his first major championships, said: “Usain Bolt’s a legend, man. “I even doubted him a bit but Bolt is phenomenal. He knows what to do when it comes to major championships. All credit to him.” Jamaica’s Usain Bolt celebrates as he wins the final of the men’s 200 metres event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium Turkey’s Ramil Guliyevs (20.11) was in Beijing. — AFP sixth ahead of Femi Ogunode of Qatar (20.27) with Bolt’s compatriot Nickel gold medal and he could yet win an 11th team on Saturday. 19.87 for South Africa ahead of Panama’s same time but lost out on a medal by two Ashmeade bringing up the rear in 20.33. — Reuters as part of Jamaica’s 4x100 metre relay Anasco Jobodwana took bronze in Alonso Edward, who was awarded the 1,000ths of a second. Jobodwana’s time Al Hudaifi header powers Oman into final DOHA: Oman colts played a pulsating game of football to edge out hosts Qatar 3-2 and enter the final of the GCC Cup U-17 football championship at the Aspire Dome here on Thursday. The Sultanate’s goals came through Mohammad al Khamisi (4th), Mutasim al Bakri (10th) and Yahya al Hudaifi (90+2). Oman led 2-1 at half-time after scoring two goals in the first ten minutes of the match. After Qatar found the equaliser in the second half and as the match looked to be heading towards extra time, Al Hudaifi pulled the rat out of the bag as he struck a plunging header off a corner kick to send the Omani bench into delirium. The Sultanate’s goals came through Mohammad al Khamisi (4th), Mutasim al Bakri (10th) and Yahya al Hudhaifi (90+2) Oman led 2-1 at half-time Herrera happy to plug gaps for Man United BRUGES, Belgium: Ander Herrera says he is willing to play in any position for Manchester United, despite having struggled in a midfield holding role in their Champions League play-off against Club Brugge. Manager Louis van Gaal admitted that he had considered taking Herrera off after the Spaniard played a succession of loose passes and picked up an early booking in Wednesday’s play-off round second leg in Bruges. The 26-year-old improved in the second half after being moved into a central playmaking role, teeing up the second goal of Wayne Rooney’s hattrick and scoring United’s fourth goal in a 4-0 win, but he said he would happily fill in as a defensive midfielder again. “I am not selfish. I think about the team and this is how I play,” Herrera told reporters at Jan Breydel Stadium after his side completed a 7-1 aggregate victory that qualified them for the group phase. “I am happier playing. If I have to play holding midfielder, I will do. “Last season, I played more as a holding midfielder than as a number 10, but if I have to play as a number 10, then I want to help my team by scoring and assisting.” Popular with the club’s supporters, Herrera signed from Athletic Bilbao last year for a reported fee of £29 million ($44.7 million, 39.7 million euros), which makes him United’s fifth most expensive signing. It took him time to earn Van Gaal’s trust, but despite a strong end to last season, the recent signings of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger have seen him drop down the pecking order again. However, he does not believe that focusing on one position would aid his chances of holding down a first-team place. ROONEY’S ‘GREAT GESTURE’ “I think it is dependable on the opposition,” Herrera added. “Against an attacking opponent, maybe it is better to play as a number 10. “But if it is a team waiting for you, maybe best as a holding midfielder. But I always say the same: I will play where the manager wants me to play.” — AFP