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editor@omanobserver.om
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Muscat Muscat
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Dhuhr Isha
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Asr Fajr
Salalah
Nizwa
Sohar
Ibri
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INDIA
EUROPE
FULL REPORT ON PAGE 4
FULL REPORT ON PAGE 20
FULL REPORT ON PAGE 6
Border shelling
toll rises to 12
THREE women were killed as
Indian and Pakistani forces kept
up heavy cioss-boiuei fiiing in
the Kashmii iegion, officials saiu
yesterday, taking the civilian toll
to 12, with dozens more injured.
Thousands of people on both sides
of the boiuei have fleu theii homes
to escape what residents said was
some of the worst shelling in years.
Indian security sources said the
shelling had occurred along the
internationally recognised border.
Death rate 10 a
day in Ukraine
TBE conflict in eastein 0kiaine is
still claiming about 10 lives a day
among government troops, pro-
Russian separatists and civilians
uespite a ceasefiie agieeu in eaily
Septembei, the 0niteu Nations saiu
yesterday. Over 3,660 people have
died and 8,766 been wounded
in eastein 0kiaine since fighting
broke out in mid-April when armed
separatists declared they were
setting up their own state.
P3
Strikes stepped up on IS near Kobane >>World News P4
E0 nou foi Biitish nucleai plant
P14
Pallavi Shaiua geais up foi Austialian film
Inside
US, Japan move to closer security ties
Stark choices for Hong Kong protesters
Snowden, Pope tipped for Nobel peace
P7
Air France estimates strike cost at 500m euros
DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDIChief Executive Ofcer
ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILIEditor-in-Chief
Oman Establishment for Press, Publication andAdvertising
POBox 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
Thursday OCTOBER 9, 2014 | DHUL HAJJAH 15, 1435 AH
Oman face
Costa Rica
challenge
P19
OMAN
HM greetings to
Uganda leader
HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent
a cable of greetings to President
Yoweri Museveni of the Republic
of 0ganua on the occasion of his
countrys Independence Day
anniversary. In his cable, His
Majesty expressed his sincere
greetings along with his best wishes
to the president and the friendly
people of 0ganua.
HM Cup soccer
qualiers today
HIS Majestys Cup second division
football qualification matches kick
off today with Daba (Musandam
Governorate) hosting Qurayat
(Muscat Governorate). On Saturday,
the final uay of the qualifications,
Yahqul host Al Salam, Madha host
Ibii, Bahal host Al Basha'ii anu
}alaan play against Biuiya.
London exhibition explores the history of friendship
Super-microscope earns
trio Nobel chemistry
Oman to spend $6.8 bn
on education sector
63,000 Omani tourists
visited India this year
By Andy Jalil
LONDON Seldom does an event
that focuses predominantly on a for-
eign country draws such interest as
the joint exhibition currently run-
ning at the Royal Air Force Museum
Hendon in London. This exhibition
explores the enduring relationship
between the Royal Air Force of Oman
(Rafo) along with Biitain's Royal Aii
Force (RAF).
With the support of Rafos Ar-
chives Division, the exhibition tells
this story through the experience
of the officeis of both aii foices who
have played an important part in this
ielationship. uieat Biitain anu 0man
have enjoyed a relationship for over
200 years that goes back to the 1798
Treaty of Friendship. The relationship
has culminated in close professional
co-operation that has developed
between the air forces of the two
countries.
Formed in 1959 from a nucleus of
Scottish Aviation Pioneers and Hunt-
ing Percival Provosts and manned by
RAF loan officeis, Rafo has giown into
one of the most capable air forces in
the Middle East. This achievement
has been supported throughout by
mutual respect, friendship and en-
couragement between the air force of
0man anu Biitain. It is a ielationship
that continues to develop into the
21st century with Rafos purchase of
12 Euiofightei Typhoon anu 8 Bawk
Auvanceu }et Tiainei fiom BAE Sys-
tems.
Speaking to the Oman Daily Ob-
server, Ross Mahoney, resident Avia-
tion Historian at the Royal Air Force
Museum and To page3
STOCKHOLM Two Americans and
a German won the 2014 Nobel Prize
for Chemistry yesterday for laying
the foundations of an ultra-powerful
microscope that has exposed life at
the molecular level.
The tool has revolutionised re-
search into diseases and drug de-
sign, the Nobel jury said, as it lauded
Ameiicans Eiic Betzig anu William
Moerner and Germanys Stefan Hell.
Their ground-breaking work has
brought optical microscopy into the
nano-dimension, it said.
Working separately, the trio over-
came a presumed limit on optical
enlargement, theorised in 1873 by
microscopist Ernst Abbe. He said the
laws of physics meant the resolution
of an image would never be better
than around 200 nanometres (200
billionths of a metre), which is half
the wavelength of light.
Because of this so-calleu uiffiac-
tion limit, it was thought, for in-
stance, that the inner workings of a
cell would never be clearly observed,
preventing a full understanding of
how cells function, reproduce or be-
come infected.
SEE ALSO PAGE 16
By A Staff Reporter
N0SCAT 0man has allocateu $6.8
billion for education, or 18.6 per cent
of the total public expenditure as the
government continues with its Edu-
cation for All which targets to pro-
vide free basic education for all citi-
zens, accoiuing to 'The Big S' iepoit
by Ventures Middle East.
The report said that building
schools and universities will remain
top priority for GCC governments,
with moie than $9u billion expecteu
to be spent on education-related con-
struction projects by the end of 2014,
according to the report. It makes the
education sector one of the biggest
for contractors and suppliers with
the population in the GCC forecast to
increase from 50.6 million in 2014 to
55.8 million by 2018.
The total number of students in
the GCC is expected to grow from
11.1 million in 2014 to 11.6 million
by 2016.
GDP per capita income in the GCC
is estimateu to giow fiom $4S,184
in 2u11 to $S1,286 in 2u16 anu that
will benefit euucation. "The inciease
in income will have a positive effect
on the willingness to spend on edu-
cation, especially for private sector
education, the report noted.
There are huge business op-
portunities for suppliers who un-
derstand the education sector. The
GCC has a young demographic and
governments are investing heavily in
education, said Andy White, Event
Biiectoi foi The Big S. Sauui Aiabia
is the biggest investor in education
with an expecteu spenuing of $S6
billion. Some 465 new schools will
be built, while another 1,500 will be
refurbished along with work on an-
other 1,544 existing school construc-
tion projects expected to continue. It
is also building eight new colleges,
vocational and technical facilities.
White saiu: "The Big S woulu offei
a unique insight into the education
sector through its free-to-attend con-
ference and workshop programme,
which runs from November 17-20 in
Dubai and is open from all.
By Vinod Nair
N0SCAT In the fiist nine months
of this year, around 63,000 visas have
been issued from the Indian Embassy,
said J S Mukul, Indian Ambassador to
Oman, in Muscat aboard a navy ship
yesterday.
Be saiu that these figuies point
towards rising number of tourists, es-
pecially medical tourism, from Oman
visiting India as only 59,000 visas
were registered in 2013.
The ambassador said that on Octo-
ber 29, a high-level business delega-
tion led by the Minister of Commerce
and Industry will be visiting India
foi a meeting of the }oint Business
Council. A delegation of Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry will be also visiting Oman to
attend the Infra Oman 2014. An Indi-
an business seminar will be also held
in Muscat on November 12.
He was speaking at a press meet
to mark the arrival of Indian Navy
ships Tii (Senioi 0fficei's Ship), Su-
jata (Offshore Patrol Vessel) and
Tarangini (Sail Training Ship), ele-
ments of the First Training Squadron
based in Kochi under the Southern
Naval Commanu, on a "flag show-
ing visit to the Gulf this month. The
Southern Naval Command (SNC) is
the Training Command of the Indian
Navy, wheiein tiaining foi officeis
and sailors, including from friendly
foreign countries, is conducted. SNC
is heaueu by the Flag 0fficei Com-
manding-in-Chief South, Vice Admiral
S P S Cheema, PVSM, AVSM, NM, who
is also in Nuscat on official toui to
coincide with the visit of the Training
Squadron. To page2
A xcule moJel of the Furoflghter 1yphoon ln the murhlngx
of the Royul Alr Force of Omun, whlch formx purt of the
exhlbltlon ut the Royul Alr Force Muxeum IonJon.
Britain and Oman have
enjoyed a relationship
for over 200 years that
goes back to the 1798
Treaty of Friendship
A combination photo shows (clockwise from top left) the moments during and after a total lunar eclipse, also
known as a blood moon, pictured from Encinitas, California, yesterday. The coppery, reddish colour the moon
takes is made as it passes into Earths shadow. The total eclipse is the second of four over a two-year period
that began April 15 and concludes on September 28, 2015. The so-called tetrad is unusual because the full
eclipses aie visible in all oi paits of the 0niteu States. Reuteis FULL REPORT ON PAGE 16
BLOOD MOON AWES SKY WATCHERS
An InJlun Nuvul xhlp JocheJ
ln Muxcut yexterJuy.
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
2
OMAN
Ioohlng for job, cur, flut unJ furnlture? Chech
out the Observer cluxxlfleJ puge. Itx where
buyerx meet xellerx.
Mlnlxter of Informutlon r AbJulmunlm bln Munxour ul Huxunl wlth the Flnnlxh PrexlJent Jurlng hlx purtlclputlon ut Frunhfurt
Booh Fulr. - ONA
63,000 Omani tourists visited India this year
From page 1
Talking to the Oman Daily Ob-
server, Vice Admiral S P S Cheema
said that since 2008, the Indian
Navy has been playing a big role in
the anti-piracy patrol in the region,
because the shipping lane here is
very crucial for global economy.
He said that while the piracy re-
lated incidents are on decline, they
have still not completely relegated.
He said also that Indias ship
building industry is witness-
ing a boom like never before and
three tugboats have been supplied
to Omani Coast Guard. He also
said that the accidents on naval
ships are one offs and not a serious
issue.
The Indian Navy has been pro-
viding training to international
personnel for more than four dec-
ades, wherein more than 11,000
personnel from over 40 countries
have been trained.
0fficeis anu sailois fiom the
Royal Navy of Oman have also ben-
efiteu fiom tiaining couises in In-
dia, with over 100 personnel hav-
ing attended training in India over
the past year alone.
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
3
OMAN/REGION
Alr Vlce-Murxhul Mutur bln All ul ObulJunl, CommunJer of the Royul Alr Force of Omun, offlclully openlng the exhlbltlon ut the Royul Alr Force Muxeum IonJon ulongxlJe Alr Chlef Murxhul Slr AnJrew PulforJ, the RAFx Chlef of
the Alr Stuff, unJ Alr Chlef Murxhul Slr 0lenn 1orpy, Chulrmun of the RAF Muxeumx BourJ of 1ruxteex. Rlght: Al ObulJunl recelvlng the xulute of the RAFx queenx Colour SquuJron.
Taiwan hosts 48 scribes as part
of its National Day celebrations
By Kabeer Yousuf
TAIPEI As many as 48 journalists
fiom acioss the woilu have flown in
to the Taiwan capital Taipei as part
of its double tenth National Day cel-
ebrations.
The international press group that
is on a weeks tour to this country
known for its excellence in electron-
ics manufacturing among others,
will also be meeting heads of various
departments besides ministers and
ministerial representatives aiming at
exploring key areas of improvement
in trade and bilateral relations. Meet-
ings with representatives of various
companies that export and import
products and services with the rest
of the world, visits to the innovation
centres and Taiwan Excellence Centre
are also part of the tour.
Organised by the Taiwans Minis-
try of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in co-
ordination with other ministries and
uiplomat offices acioss the woilu, the
tour aims at giving the media repre-
sentatives an opportunity to experi-
ence Taiwans authentic tradition,
culture and gastronomic delights
while exploring the trade and com-
merce potential.
Besides the reporters represent-
ing publications, mostly dailies
from the European Union, Australia,
France, India, Italy, Japan, Nether-
lands, El Salvador, Peru, Swaziland,
Slovak, Spain, Portugal, Russia, and
Turkey are represented in the inter-
national press group. Dedicated bi-
lingual officials in English, Spanish
and Japanese are accompanying the
group during their visit that will con-
clude on October 13.
The group yesterday visited the
National Chiang Kai-Shek Memo-
rial hall and Dr Sun Yat-Sen memorial
hall, besides the Taiwan National Ex-
cellence Centre where creative ideas
are showcased as part of the pro-
gramme.
London exhibition explores the history of friendship
From page 1
the exhibitions curator, said:
Throughout its history, the Royal
Air Force has supported the devel-
opment of a family of air forces that
share a common set of values. The
RAFs relationship with Rafo is proof
of the enduring importance of this
shared set of values based on respect
and friendship, which began with the
latters formation and continues to
this day and into the future.
Initially formed with all
British pilots, the RAF has ac-
tively supported the process of
Omanisation over the past 20 to 30
yeais. Now RAF loan officeis aie a
distinct minority but still play an
important role in Oman where they
are employed in training and in sup-
port roles. He added: The RAF
regularly conducts exercises, notably
MAGIC CARPET, with Rafo and that
will become more important as Rafo
ie-equips with the Euio-fightei Ty-
phoon, a type that the RAF also em-
ploys.
Held in the Royal Air Force Muse-
ums Milestone of Flight building, for
which there was a donation from His
Majesty the Sultan, Commander of
the Royal Air Force of Oman Air Vice-
Marshall Matar bin Ali al Obaidani
had formally opened the exhibition.
The RAFs Chief of the Air Staff, Air
Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford
also attended as did various dignitar-
ies anu senioi ietiieu officeis who
hau seiveu in 0man. A flypast by
a Typhoon also took place and the
RAFs Queens Colour Squadron did a
march past on the parade square and
a traditional Omani tent was erected
by the exhibition.
The exhibition has various items
on display from RAF Museums col-
lection and Rafos archives. Also on
display are commendation medals
given by 0man to Biitish officeis anu
a sword that was a gift from the Sul-
tanate nearly six decades ago to the
RAF commander in the region, Air
Vice-Marshal Sinclair.
Foi the benefit of numeious visi-
tors both from the public as well
as Biitish officeis who have shown
much interest in the exhibition, there
are various photographs depict-
ing the history of the two air forces
in Oman including the period going
back to the second World War and
beyond. Photographs of various air-
craft including transport aircraft such
as the Hercules are displayed along
with details of the progress made by
Omani Air Force as it continued to
modernise with help from RAF.
The Military Attache at the Sul-
tanates Embassy in London, Air
Commodore Ibrahim bin Ali al Farsi,
spoke to Oman Daily Observer, giv-
ing his views on the exhibition: Its
an excellent idea to hold this exhibi-
tion. A lot of work has gone into it.
It brings all parts of our air forces
efforts together over many years for
the public to see the history. Numer-
ous people, both British and Omani,
have asked us about the exhibition
and students have shown much in-
terest as well.
He added: There has been co-
operation between our two forces for
a long time in a lot of fielus anu oui
systems aie veiy close in flying,
officei tiaining, management, supei-
visor and medical courses.
Air Commodore Ibrahim who
graduated from Royal College of
Defence Studies in the UK and com-
pleted Master Plan in Grand Strategy,
went on to say: We are very close to
the British RAF, we have similar doc-
trine. If you talk to a British squadron
leader and an Omani squadron lead-
ei you will finu theii views aie veiy
similar. Our co-ordination will con-
tinue anu will benefit both countiies".
Over the past 50 years, Rafo has
developed resources able to under-
take a wide range of operations and
it is a capability built on its relation-
ship with the RAF. It is a relationship
that will continue for many years to
come and is based on shared values,
beliefs and mutual respect for their
respective achievements.
Libya PM says Egypt
will help train army
CAIRO Libyas embattled prime
minister, Abdullah al Thani, said yes-
terday Egypt would help train his
army and called on compatriots to
fight insuigents that have oveiiun
the capital.
Thani and the majority of an in-
ternationally recognised parliament
elected in June are in virtual domes-
tic exile in the eastern city of Tobruk
because of widespread insecurity,
including in Tripoli, where a rival ad-
ministration has been set up.
Egypt shares a long and porous
desert border with Libya, and has
backed Thani against the insurgents
that seizeu Tiipoli anu aie fighting
for control of the airport in the coun-
trys second city Benghazi.
We are facing terrorism, Thani
told a press conference with his
Egyptian counterpart, Ibrahim Mahl-
ab. I call on all honourable citizens
who refuse to be ruled by force to
prepare to defend themselves.
To die standing is better than to
live humiliated, he said.
Thani, in Cairo for meetings with
Egyptian officials, saiu they aie
aimed at coordinating coopera-
tion (with Egypt) on implementing a
practical plan.
That would include Egypt train-
ing anu impioving the efficiency of
the (Libyan) army, he said.
Thanis visit comes days after doz-
ens of soldiers died in car bombings
at Benghazis airport and clashes
with insurgents.
The troops were loyal to a former
general who launched a campaign in
May to defeat an insurgent group in
Benghazi.
Egypt and Algeria, which both
border Libya, are concerned that the
violence will spill over into their ter-
ritories. AFP
US aircraft keep up strikes on IS near Kobane
WASHINGTON US and coalition
warplanes kept up bombing raids on
Islamic State insurgents near the Syr-
ian border town of Kobane yesterday,
as Ameiica's top militaiy officei ac-
knowleugeu uifficulties in tiacking the
militants from the air.
The US military said American-led
forces carried out six air raids near the
contested town in a 24 hour period in
an attempt to help Kurdish militia de-
fending Kobane from an offensive by
the IS group.
IS insurgents have been closing in
on Kobane for days but Kurdish forces
backed by US-led air power re-
portedly managed to roll back IS insur-
gents out of several neighbourhoods
amiu heavy fighting oveinight.
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs
of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, said
coalition aircraft were bombing the IS
group whenever possible but the in-
surgents were often concealing their
movements.
We have been striking when we
can, Dempsey told ABC News in an in-
terview made public yesterday.
IS fighteis aie "a leaining enemy
and they know how to manoeuver and
how to use populations and conceal-
ment, the general said.
He indicated the IS insurgents were
moie uifficult to tiack as they weie
staying off of mobile phones or other
devices that could be monitored.
Theyre becoming more savvy with
the use of electronic devices, he said.
"They uon't fly flags anu move
around in large convoys the way they
did.
They dont establish headquarters
that aie visible oi iuentifiable."
Washingtons air campaign,
launched in Iraq on August 8 and ex-
tended into Syria on September 23,
was designed to halt the advance of
the IS group to buy time to build up
moderate opposition forces in Syria
and Baghdad government and Kurdish
troops in Iraq.
But despite the bombing raids,
the IS insurgents have continued to
gain ground in some areas, including
around the key town of Kobane near
the Turkish border.
0S anu allieu bombeis, fightei jets
and robotic drones hit the IS group
on Tuesday and yesterday with four
strikes south of Kobane, destroying
an armoured personnel carrier, three
vehicles and an artillery piece, the
militarys Central Command said in a
statement.
A fifth iaiu southwest of Kobane ue-
stroyed an IS armed vehicle, it said.
A sixth strike decimated an artillery
cannon on the southern edge of the
town.
Since September 27, US-led air-
craft have conducted 20 strikes near
Kobane, accoiuing to figuies fiom Cen-
tral Command.
Coalition warplanes yesterday also
bombed IS positions with two strikes
northwest of Raqa, hitting a training
camp, and a raid in Deir Ezzor, destroy-
ing a tank.
Coalition planes also renewed
air strikes on IS insurgents in Iraq
on Tuesuay anu yesteiuay, with five
bombing iaius by fightei jets anu un-
manned drones, Central Command
said.
The operation included three
strikes west of Baghdad, where Iraqi
government forces are under pressure
fiom IS fighteis, it saiu.
One raid east of Fallujah destroyed
an IS checkpoint and armed vehicle, a
strike in western Ramadi destroyed
three IS buildings and two anti-aircraft
artillery pieces and a bombing run
northwest of Ramadi destroyed an IS
checkpoint, it said. AFP
Iraqi helicopter shot
down, pilots killed
SAMARRA An Iraqi military heli-
copter was shot down by suspected
insuigents yesteiuay, five uays aftei
a similar incident in the same loca-
tion noith of Baghuau, officeis saiu.
The helicopter was a Bell 407
flying back fiom the Baiji iefineiy,
200 kilometres north of Baghdad,
where federal forces have been
fenuing off Islamic State fighteis foi
four months.
An aviation officei saiu both pi-
lots, two majors, were killed in the
attack over Seiniye, west of Baiji.
They were on a security mis-
sion and coming back from the re-
fineiy.
They flew above the wieckage
of the other helicopter, he said,
speaking on condition of anonym-
ity.
A Russian-made Mi-35 was shot
down on Friday in the same area.
They spotted a unit of insur-
gents and requested authorisation
to engage. They were initially told
not to but they insisted, arguing it
was an easy taiget," the officei saiu.
They were eventually given the
green light but when they lowered
their altitude, they were shot at.
Their helicopter came down al-
most exactly where the other one
did, he said.
A senior source in the military
confiimeu both ciew membeis hau
died. A resident, who said the inci-
dent occurred at around 9:00 am
(0600 GMT), described the helicop-
ter as completely charred.
Iraq last year received the last
of 30 Bell 407 helicopters from the
United States.
They are designed as commer-
cial helicopters but can be armed
with machine guns anu Bellfiie
missiles. AFP Smohe rlxex ufter un US-leJ ulr xtrlhe ln the Syrlun town of Kobune yexterJuy. - Reuterx
Pulextlnlun chllJren pluy on u xwlng neur houxex whlch wltnexx xulJ were JextroyeJ or JumugeJ Jurlng
the xeven-weeh Ixruell offenxlve, ln Belt Hunoun town ln the northern 0uzu Strlp yexterJuy. - Reuterx
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
4
EUROPE
Appioval foi Biitain's fiist
N-plant for a generation
BRUSSELS The EU yesterday ap-
proved Britains ambitious plan to
builu its fiist nucleai plant foi a gen-
eiation, with Fiench anu Chinese
help, maiking a majoi victoiy foi
nucleai eneigy thiee yeais aftei the
Fukushima disaster.
The bloc's competition watch-
uog saiu Biitain hau "significantly
mouifieu" its funuing plans foi the
16-billion ($26-billion, 18.9-billion-
euio) ueal in iesponse to conceins
about whethei aspects of the ueal
amounted to state subsidies.
The Binkley Point pioject, to be
built by Fiance's EBF, hau encoun-
teieu fieice iesistance fiom activists
and several member states, but a
vote by the bloc's 28 commissioneis
naiiowly backeu the ueal.
It is one of the worlds most am-
bitious nucleai ueals anu is seen as
a key boost to an industry brought
to its knees by the 2011 Fukushima
meltdown in Japan.
On this basis and after a thor-
ough investigation, the Commission
can now concluue that the suppoit is
compatible with E0 state aiu iules,"
E0 Competition Commissionei
Joaquin Almunia said in a statement.
Austiia has voweu to fight the ue-
cision in couit, anu othei membei
states have voiceu conceins that the
pioject makes a mockeiy of the E0's
bloc's stateu policy to piomote solai
and wind power.
Iielanu is paiticulaily conceineu
as the Hinkley Point site is not far
fiom the Iiish coast.
A year ago, the British govern-
ment signeu the huge ueal foi EBF to
builu two ieactois at Binkley Point
C in Someiset, southwestein Eng-
land, to meet Britains future energy
needs.
0nuei the accoiu, which the E0
estimates to be worth 31 billion
euios, EBF gets a 4S-Su pei cent
stake, China ueneial Nucleai (CuN)
anu China National Nucleai Coipo-
iation (CNNC) will have a combineu
Su-4u pei cent anu anothei Fiench
fiim, Aieva, 1u pei cent.
But the Euiopean Commission,
the E0's executive aim, launcheu the
piobe in late 2u1S, uelving closely
into the pioject's elaboiate piice
guaiantee system that ciitics claim
will prove hugely expensive to Brit-
ish consumeis foi uecaues to come.
In its revision, Britain promised
to limit potential piofit foi piivate
investois involveu in the pioject, but
the oveiall stiuctuie of the ueal was
left intact.
"This is a woilu iecoiu sell-out to
the nucleai inuustiy at the expense
of taxpayeis anu the enviionment,"
saiu uieenpeace E0 legal auvisei An-
uiea Caita aftei the uecision.
"It's such a uistoition of competi-
tion iules that the Commission has
left itself exposeu to legal challeng-
es," he auueu.
Environmentalists see Hinkley
Point as an unnecessaiy suppoit of
nucleai eneigy just when the use of
ienewables, such as winu anu solai
power, is beginning to take hold.
But the E0 Commission insists
that the choice of eneigy souice, no
mattei how contioveisial, is stiictly
up to the member state.
"The iesponsibilities aie cleaily
stateu. We aie fulfilling oui uuties
just as 0K authoiities fulfil theiis on
ueciuing what they want as invest-
ment in theii own countiy," Almunia
saiu in a news confeience. AFP
Protests greet EU leaders
at jobs meeting in Italy
MILAN Hundreds of people pro-
tested against Italian Prime Minister
Matteo Renzis plans to reform hir-
ing-anu-fiiing iules outsiue the con-
giess centie wheie Euiopean leaueis
weie uue to meet yesteiuay foi a con-
feience on jobs.
The meeting in Nilan coinciues
with a confiuence vote in pailiament
to push through legislation that will
enable the government to alter parts
of the laboui coue incluuing job pio-
tection measuies that aie fieicely ue-
fended by unions.
Jobs have been eroded through-
out Europe and were here to push
for a new system that supports
woikeis," saiu Fabiizio Poitaluii, a
union delegate who works at tyre-
maker Pirellis plant in Bollate near
Nilan."The goveinments have to stait
to listen to what people aie saying,"
he said.
Some isolateu scuffles bioke out
when maskeu piotesteis thiew flaies
at police in iiot geai but theie weie
no iepoits of seiious violence.
ueiman Chancelloi Angela Neikel
anu Fiench Piesiuent Fiancois Bol-
lande were due in Milan along with
leaders from other European Union
countiies foi a meeting billeu as a
"high level confeience" on jobs anu
giowth. No conciete measuies aie
expecteu fiom the meeting, which is
due to last no more than three hours
anu which comes aheau of a full Eu-
ropean Union summit at the end of
the month.
But Renzi wants to use it as a plat-
foim to focus on the unemployment
ciisis in southein Euiopean countiies
like Italy, where the youth jobless rate
has toppeu 44 pei cent anu wheie a
generation of young people risk be-
ing shut out of the labour market.
ueiman Laboui Ninistei Anuiea
Nahles said the meeting would dis-
cuss moie effective use of funus eai-
marked to help young people into
woik."It is impoitant that the money
that is available arrives as soon as
possible," she tolu iepoiteis.
However the event may be over-
shadowed by a dispute over national
buugets with Fiance anu Italy both in
the fiiing line aftei putting back uefi-
cit anu uebt taigets pieviously agieeu
with their European Union partners.
Reuters
Italy's Renzi faces
confiuence vote
over labour reform
ROME Italian Prime Minister
Natteo Renzi faces the most impoi-
tant pailiamentaiy confiuence vote
of his eight-month-old government
yesteiuay, asking coalition paitneis
to back laboui iefoims in a move he
hopes will boost his E0 cieuentials.
He would have to step down if he
loses. Renzi calleu the vote in oiuei
to cut shoit uebate ovei his bioau
pioposal to change laboui laws that
many economists say have stifleu
job cieation anu scaieu off foieign
investois in a countiy whose econ-
omy has stagnated for the past two
uecaues.
We want to eliminate the poison
that kills investment," Laboui Ninis-
tei uiuliano Poletti saiu in a speech
to the Senate.
The governments proposals are
still very broad-brushed, however,
and it remains to be seen how far
Renzis proposed reform will go.
In paiticulai, it is uncleai how
the goveinment plans to change
a measuie that cuiiently makes it
veiy uifficult foi companies with
moie than 1S employees to fiie
woikeis with open-enueu contiacts.
In the confiuence vote, lawmak-
eis will vote on a so-calleu "uel-
egating law" that gives the govein-
ment the power to work out the
uetails ovei the coming months anu
through subsequent parliamentary
votes on specific measuies.
Reuters
Six hospitalised in Spain as Ebola scare hits Europe
NABRIB Spain's goveinment
uigeu calm yesteiuay ovei the case of
a nuise who caught Ebola in a Nauiiu
hospital as the World Health Organi-
sation waineu othei isolateu infec-
tions in Euiope weie "unavoiuable".
Apait fiom the infecteu nuise
the fiist peison to contiact the uis-
ease outsiue Afiica uoctois in Na-
uiiu have isolateu five othei people
and are monitoring dozens more.
0ne of the uoctois tieating the
nurse, Teresa Romero, said she may
have caught the ueauly viius aftei
touching hei face with an infecteu
glove.
She had been treating a mission-
aiy flown back to Nauiiu's La Paz III
hospital fiom west Afiica with the
disease.
It seems like it was the gloves.
The gloves toucheu the face," uoc-
toi ueiman Ramiiez tolu iepoiteis
outside the hospital.
The Ebola epiuemic has killeu
neaily S,Suu people in west Afiica
this year and the World Bank warned
yesteiuay it coulu ciipple the iegion's
economy to the tune of at least $S2
billion (2S billion euios).
Spain was still sciambling yestei-
uay to iuentify people who came into
contact with Romeio.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
calleu foi calm anu piomiseu "tians-
paiency" ovei the scaie, which has
spaikeu fieice ciiticism of Spanish
safeguards.
The World Health Organisation
also moveu to calm feais of wiuei
contagion in Euiope.
Its iegional uiiectoi, Zsuzsanna
}akab, saiu spoiauic cases in Euiope
weie "unavoiuable" but the iisk of a
full outbieak weie "extiemely low".
"Euiopean countiies aie among
the best piepaieu in the woilu" to
tackle such uiseases, she auueu in a
statement.
Romero initially told reporters she
hau "no iuea" how she got infecteu.
But in an interview with El Pais
newspaper, by phone from her hospi-
tal beu, she saiu it may have occuiieu
when iemoving hei piotective suit.
I think the mistake was when I re-
moved the suit.
I see it as the most ciitical moment
in which it coulu have happeneu but I
am not suie," she saiu.
In an eailiei iecoiuing publisheu
on the website of El Mundo newspa-
per, she sounded tired and groggy but
saiu she was feeling "a bit bettei".
Romeio became ill aftei caiing foi
two elderly Spanish missionaries who
died of Ebola following their return
fiom west Afiica.
Boctois at the hospital put hei
husbanu anu anothei "suspect case"
an engineei who iecently tiavelleu
from Nigeria in isolation.
Three other members of the hospi-
tal's meuical staff weie also aumitteu
as a piecaution.
Authorities have also ordered that
the Romero family dog be put down
as a piecaution, spaiking piotests
fiom animal iights activists.
The Euiopean Commission has
written to the Spanish health minis-
try demanding an explanation of how
the infection occuiieu.
0fficials saiu they weie monitoiing
S2 people mostly health staff.
They said Romero began to feel ill
on September 30 while on leave after
treating the missionaries, but she was
not admitted to hospital until six days
later.
Rajoy tolu pailiament that officials
would investigate what happened
anu why this contagion occuiieu".
Bealth unions complaineu that
staff had not been adequately trained
to treat Ebola patients safely.
Some S,4S9 people have uieu fiom
Ebola out of 7,478 cases in the cui-
ient outbieak acioss five west Afiican
nations Libeiia, uuinea, Sieiia Leo-
ne, Nigeiia anu Senegal accoiuing
to the latest WHO tally.
The E0 announceu it will stait aii-
lifting 100 tonnes of relief aid today
to Sieiia Leone, Libeiia anu uuinea
incluuing masks, gloves anu meui-
cine.
Ebola causes seveie fevei, vomit-
ing, diarrhoea and sometimes inter-
nal and external bleeding. It spreads
thiough contact anu bouily fluius.
Theie is no vaccine anu no wiuely
available cuie, but seveial tieatments
have been fast-tiackeu foi uevelop-
ment.
Several patients have been treated
for Ebola in Europe and the United
States in the cuiient outbieak, but
until the Nauiiu case all hau been in-
fecteu in Afiica. AFP
British Prime Minister David Cameron with his Finnish counterpart
Alexander Stubb as he arrives for a meeting at Downing Street, central
London, yesterday. AFP
More than 330 killed in
Ukraine since truce: UN
uENEvA Noie than SSu people
have been killeu in 0kiaine since a
fiagile tiuce began a month ago, with
five million people affecteu by con-
tinuing violence, the 0niteu Nations
said yesterday. A report from the UN
iights agency also founu that befoie
the Septembei S ceasefiie, pio-Rus-
sian rebels in eastern Ukraine had
seen theii numbeis significantly bol-
steieu by an influx of foieign fighteis,
incluuing appaiently Russian citizens.
"While the ceasefiie is a veiy
welcome step towaius enuing the
fighting in eastein 0kiaine, I call on
all paities to genuinely iespect anu
upholu it, anu to halt the attacks on
civilians anu civilian infiastiuctuie
once anu foi all," 0N iights chief Zeiu
Raad al Hussein said in a statement.
Bis office saiu SS1 ueaths weie
iecoiueu between Septembei 6 anu
Monday, although it stressed that
some of those ueaths may have oc-
cuiieu befoie the peace pact was
signeu in Ninsk on Septembei S but
were not logged until afterwards.
That amounts to just over 10
ueaths pei uay on aveiage, saiu ui-
anni Magazzeni, who heads the rights
agency's Ameiicas, Euiope anu Cen-
tial Asia bianch. That is about the
same as the average toll from April
through June of 11 deaths per day,
before it rose to around 30 per day in
}uly anu soaieu to 42 pei uay just be-
foie the signing of the tiuce, he noteu
to iepoiteis in ueneva.
Noitai anu shelling attacks have
meanwhile killeu 14 civilians since
the weekend one of the deadliest
spells in six months of fighting that
has killeu neaily S,4uu people acioss
the mainly Russian-speaking east.
Counting the 298 people who uieu
in the downing of Malaysian Airlines
flight NB17 ovei 0kiaine in }uly, the
overall toll stands at 3,660 deaths as
of Nonuay, the 0N iights office saiu.
As of mid-September, at least 36
chiluien hau been killeu in the fight-
ing, anu at least 82 figuieu among the
nearly 8,200 wounded.
Magazzeni stressed though that
the oveiall tally was "veiy conseiva-
tive", anu that "the actual figuie cei-
tainly will be much highei."
Be saiu the team of SS 0N iights
monitois on the giounu hau iecently
been ieceiving iepoits of mass giaves
with a total of aiounu 4uu bouies in
paits of the Bonetsk iegion that hau
been unuei contiol of both pio-Rus-
sian iebels anu 0kiainian foices.
But the UN monitors did not gain
access to the aiea anu weie unable
to veiify the iepoits, he saiu, calling
for an independent investigation, in-
cluuing by foiensic expeits. In its lat-
est iepoit coveiing the peiiou fiom
August 18 to Septembei 16, Zeiu's of-
fice meanwhile founu that befoie the
ceasefiie, "an incieasing numbei of
foieign fighteis weie iepoiteu to be
paiticipating in the fighting, incluuing
citizens of the Russian Feueiation."
It said that former Russian serv-
icemen anu active uuty peisonnel on
leave were allegedly among them.
Buiing the peiiou coveieu by the
report, pro-Russian armed groups
hau "continueu to teiioiise the popu-
lation in aieas unuei theii contiol,
puisuing killings, abuuctions, toituie,
ill-treatment and other serious hu-
man iights abuses, incluuing uestiuc-
tion of housing and seizure of prop-
eity," it saiu.
It also uetaileu continueu allega-
tions of human rights violations by
some pro-Kiev volunteer battalions.
Between August 24 anu Septem-
bei S, the iepoit also noteu "a shaip
inciease in uetentions by the aimeu
gioups" on the pio-Russian siue, as
well as alarming reports of torture
anu ill-tieatment of uetainees, incluu-
ing mock executions anu sexual vio-
lence." AFP
Sub director of Carlos III hospital Yolanda Fuentes speaks to the press in
Madrid yesterday on the case of Spanish nurse Teresa, infected with the
ebola virus. AFP
European Parliament President Martin Schulz (L), speaks aside of European Union President Herman Van
Rompuy attend a European Union extraordinary summit Growth and Employment yesterday in Milan. AFP
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
5
ASIA
China earthquake kills one, injures 300 people
BEIJING Thousands of rescuers were de-
ployed in southwest China yesterday after a
strong earthquake left one person dead and
more than 300 injured, with over 100,000
displaced, state-run media reported.
The shallow 6.0 magnitude tremor hit late
Tuesday in Yunnan province, close to Chinas
borders with Myanmar and Laos, Chinas of-
ficial Xinhua news agency saiu.
School buildings were widely damaged
in the area, reports said, although the quake
struck during the night and no pupil deaths
were recorded.
Xinhua saiu 1uu schools weie uamageu
anu citeu a local official as saying an estimat-
ed 170,000 square metres (1.8 million square
feet) of buildings needed repairs.
School construction is a touchy subject in
China, where more than 5,000 children died
as their schools collapsed on top of them in
a huge 2008 earthquake in neighbouring Si-
chuan province.
Shoddy buildings, with corruption playing
a key role, were widely blamed, provoking
public anger.
The latest quake had taken only one life so
fai, Xinhua saiu, citing local officials.
More than 124,000 people had been forced
fiom theii homes by the quake, Xinhua auueu,
but there had been little to no rain in the
region in recent days, reducing the risk of
landslides. The US Geological Survey (USGS)
measured the earthquake as magnitude 6.0.
Many houses collapsed and we are inves-
tigating the casualties," a local official tolu
Xinhua."The afteishocks seem non-stopping."
China's Piesiuent Xi }inping anu Piemiei
Li Keqiang were both quoted in state-media
urging rescue efforts, with 3,200 troops dis-
patched in a race to save more lives, accord-
ing to Xinhua.
Noie than 8uu fiiefighteis weie taking
part, with 35 sniffer dogs, it said. The epicentre
was in Jinggu county, 85 kilometres (around
50 miles) from Puer city, in a region famous
for its tea plantations. The quake was also felt
in Yunnans provincial capital Kunming. China
uses a different magnitude scale to the US and
Xinhua saiu the China Eaithquake Netwoiks
Center gave it a reading of 6.6. The agency said
buildings shook for several seconds, while
some towns in the area had lost power supply
and telecommunications.
The whole building was shaking terribly
with a loud cracking sound. Plates fell off in
the kitchen. We all ran out and the streets are
now packed with people, Li Anqin, a woman
living in Weiyuan town, the county seat of Jin-
ggu, tolu Xinhua via telephone. Thousanus of
homes were also damaged in neighbouring
Lincang, it said.
Photos on social media showed damaged
houses, cracked walls and fallen roof tiles,
and crowds of people gathered outside into
the night. The epicentre of the quake was in
a densely populated but underdeveloped area
that is home to a number of ethnic minorities.
It is also a well-known tourism site, thanks
to its local production of Puer tea, and popu-
lation of wild elephants. Yunnan is acutely
vulnerable to earthquakes. The region sees
frequent seismic activity from the collision of
the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which
form the vast Himalayan mountain range.
In August, a 6.1-magnitude struck the
province killing more than 600 people.
More than 3,000 people were injured,
while more than 80,000 homes were com-
pletely or partially destroyed. Rescuers said
the destruction did not initially appear to be
on the scale of the August quake.
Its not like last time in Ludian there
are no massive collapse of buildings. Its such
a ielief," iescue chief Chen Xianhe tolu Xinhua.
Social media users said the effects were
manageable. The beautiful town is as usual,
aftershocks are constant, but people still live
in order. My house is all right! wrote one local
resident on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent
of Twittei. "It's scaiy... but I'm fine," wiote an-
other. AFP
Residents rest outdoor in the aftermath of an earthquake in the town of Yongping of Jinggu
county in southwest Chinas Yunnan province yesterday. AP
17 dead, dozens missing
in Indonesia boat sinking
JAKARTA At least 17 people from
a wedding party, including three chil-
dren, have died in a boat sinking on
the way to the Indonesian island of
Bali, an official saiu yesteiuay, with
two dozen still missing.
0fficials calleu off the seaich foi
the day at sunset, with eight of the 49
people on board rescued, while the
remaining 24 were still unaccounted
for. Twelve children are believed to
have been among the passengers,
though the number has yet to be con-
fiimeu.
The search was called off in the
evening because the waves were
very big and it was getting dark,
said national disaster agency spokes-
man Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, adding
the search would resume Thursday
morning. Among the dead was a two-
year-old boy, while the eight survi-
vors were all adults.
The wooden motor boat broke
down on Tuesday after leaving from
the east of the main island of Java
late Monday. The engine was dam-
aged and the water pump broke, so
the boat filleu with watei anu sank,"
Nugroho said.
0fficials on Tuesuay tolu AFP that
the captain manageu to biiefly call
authorities at around noon (0400
GMT) after the boat broke down but
lost contact around four hours later.
The passengers on board are all
believed to be Indonesian.
The eight survivors were rescued
by helicopter, while several boats
were deployed by the search team
anu fisheimen weie put on aleit.
Nugroho did not say whether the
bride and groom were on the boat
to the resort island, but their fam-
ily members were believed to be on
board, according to reports.
Indonesia relies heavily on boats
to connect its more than 17,000 is-
lands, but has a poor maritime safety
record. Boats are often overcrowded
and not equipped with enough life
jackets and rescue boats.
In August, a tour boat carrying
25 people sank after leaving the is-
land of Lombok near Bali heading
toward Komodo Island, a popular
tourist destination. The passengers
were mostly European tourists, and
two Spanish men were never found
after the boat hit a reef and sank in
stormy weather, with no working ra-
dio or satellite phone to alert rescue
officials. AFP
Residents watch as dark giant ash clouds rise from the crater of Mount Sinabung volcano during an
eruption yesterday, as seen from Karo district located on Indonesias Sumatra island, following an earlier
eruption on October. According to authorities hundreds of residents are still housed at evacuation centers
as authorities maintains off limit danger zone around Mount Sinabung located in Indonesias Sumatra
island following deadly eruption in early February that killed about 17 people. AFP
Hong Kong protest leaders vow to stay put
HONG KONG Hong Kong pro-democracy protest
leaders pledged to stay on the streets yesterday in
a bid to keep pressure on the government ahead of
already fraught talks on political reform.
Numbers at demonstration sites around the city
have dwindled to a few hundred after days of mass
rallies to demand fully free elections and police
said yesterday they were employing negotiators to
try to persuade protesters to leave the barricades.
But student leader Lester Shum insisted they
would stay.
We have reached the stage of dialogue and we
will be persistent in our civil disobedience cam-
paign and stay on the streets, he said.
Leader of the pro-democracy Occupy move-
ment, Chan Kin-man, added: Only if the govern-
ment quickly take action and give a concrete re-
sponse to students demands (for democracy) will
the problem be resolved.
Formal talks are set for Friday between students
and Chief Secretary Carrie Lam the deputy to
Hong Kongs embattled leader Leung Chun-ying.
Pro-democracy leaders had agreed to a dialogue
earlier with Lam but called it off last Friday after
what they described as organised attacks on pro-
testers at the Mong Kok demonstration site.
We are very sincere about organising this
meeting and dialogue, said Ray Lau, deputy secre-
tary for mainland and constitutional affairs.
But he auueu theie weie "many uifficulties
ahead, with disagreements over arrangements,
including the venue and whether there should be a
mediator.
The authorities have given no indication of con-
crete plans to clear the protest sites and reopen
ioaus, uespite tiaffic giiulock anu tiuncateu bus
routes.
(With) all the obstacles on the road, we have
already arranged the police negotiators and the
police community ielations officeis to engage in
dialogue with people gathering there, Lee Kwok-
chung, senioi supeiintenuent of tiaffic police, tolu
reporters. We tried to convince them to remove
the blockage as soon as possible and, if not, we will
continue to monitor the situation and take suitable
actions if needed. Protesters are demanding true
democracy after Beijing insisted that it vet candi-
dates for the citys 2017 leadership elections.
Rising social inequality, the soaring cost of liv-
ing and distrust of the government is also fuelling
discontent, particularly among Hong Kongs disil-
lusioned youth.
Protesters remain sceptical that talks with the
government will achieve any concessions on po-
litical reform and those who remain on the street
want to stand their ground.
This is an important spot we should hold on
to this regardless of how many people we have,
said Helix Kwok, an 18-year-old student who was
among a dozen protesters camping outside the
Chief Executive's office yesteiuay. "If we withuiaw,
the government will then ignore us.
With us here, we can react to anything that hap-
pens. The government complex has been one of
the key protest sites and scene of tense standoffs
between police and students, with Wednesdays
opening of parliament called off over security fears.
Im not very hopeful about the outcome (of
talks), said Timothy Sun, 17, who has spent 10
days at the main Admiralty protest site.
Demonstrators are facing an increasing public
backlash as road diversions due to the occupied
sites jam the highways and businesses say they are
suffering. AFP
US, Japan move to
closer security ties
TOKYO Japan and the United
States agreed yesterday to map out
how they will work together if To-
kyo needs to use force to help pro-
tect a friendly country under attack,
as they update defence cooperation
guiuelines foi the fiist time in neaily
two decades.
The development follows Prime
Minister Shinzo Abes historic step
away fiom }apan's post-wai pacifism
in July, when the Japanese govern-
ment ieinteipieteu pacifist Aiticle 9
of the constitution to end a ban that
has kept its militaiy fiom fighting
abroad.
The interim report on the update,
which is intended to give general di-
rection of the revision, is attracting
close attention from China and South
Korea, which suffered from Japans
aggression before and during World
War Two.
Tokyo and Washington also said
they would build a seamless security
framework to better defend Japan
and extend the areas of cooperation
to space and cyberspace.
The two governments will take
measures to prevent the deteriora-
tion of Japans security in all phases,
seamlessly, from peacetime to con-
tingencies, the interim report said.
The United States is obliged to
defend Japan under their bilateral
secuiity tieaty. The fiist guiueline
update in 17 years comes as Japan
faces tough security challenges from
an island spat with China and North
Koreas missile and nuclear projects,
and as the United States tries to shift
its diplomatic and security focus
to Asia. When defence and foreign
ministers from the US and Japan, the
worlds largest- and third-largest
economies, met in Tokyo last Octo-
ber, they agreed to update the de-
fence cooperation guidelines by the
end of 2014 to respond to the chang-
ing security environment in the re-
gion and beyond.
These revised guidelines will
capture the greater scope of our alli-
ance coopeiation, ieflecting its moie
global nature, a senior US State De-
paitment official saiu on conuition of
anonymity.
By clearly describing how the
United States and Japan will operate
in each of these areas during peace-
time, during low-level grey zone
provocations or during an armed at-
tack, the revised guidelines will pro-
vide the policy direction for a strong-
er alliance, more capable of deterring
threats and contributing to global
secuiity," the official saiu.
China expressed concerns that
the update would broaden the bi-
lateral alliance beyond its historical
mandate. The Japan-US alliance is a
bilateral arrangement set up under
specific histoiical conuitions.
It should not exceed its bilateral
scope and should not harm the inter-
ests of third parties, including China,
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman
Hong Lei told a news conference in
Beijing before the interim report was
released. We are paying close atten-
tion to Japan and the United States
relevant moves to adjust their de-
fence cooperation guidelines, Hong
said. Reuters
Hong Kong protest leaders vow to stay on the streets
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
6
INDIA
5 more people killed in India-Pakistan border clashes
SIALKOT, Pakistan/SRINAGAR Five civilians
were killed and thousands took refuge in camps
in the disputed region of Kashmir yesterday af-
tei some of the most intense fighting between
nucleai-aimeu neighbouis Pakistan anu Inuia
in a decade.
A total of nine Pakistani and eight Indian ci-
vilians have been killeu since fighting eiupteu
more than week ago in the mostly Muslim
Himalayan region.
Kashmii is claimeu by both countiies anu
has been a majoi focus of tension in South Asia.
Each side has accused the other of targeting
civilians anu unpiovokeu violations of a boiuei
truce that has largely held since 2003.
While exchanges of spoiauic fiie aie com-
mon along the ue facto boiuei uiviuing the ie-
gion, civilian deaths are unusual.
Three Pakistani and two Indian civilians
were killed yesterday.
We are all concerned and want an early so-
lution to it (the fighting)," Inuia's Aii Chief Aiup
Raha tolu iepoiteis."We uon't want to let the is-
sue become seiious."
A senioi boiuei secuiity foice official saiu
Indian forces had retaliated to machine gun
anu moitai attacks on about 6u positions along
a moie than 2uu-km (12S-mile) stietch of the
boiuei yesteiuay.
Some 18,uuu Inuian civilians have fleu theii
homes in the lowlands around Jammu due to
the fighting, anu have taken iefuge in schools
and relief camps.
If India and Pakistan troops have hostility,
let them fight.
What have we uone to them1" saiu uhaio
Bevi, Su, in Ainia, wheie five civilians weie
killed on Monday.
Bevi hau taken iefuge in a school, closeu be-
cause of the fighting.
In Pakistan, Nuhammau Rafiq, a 48-yeai-olu
farmer, said he narrowly escaped death when a
mortar hit his home, causing the mud and straw
ioof to cave in anu blasting his beu into a twist-
ed heap while he was in the washroom.
"I was so scaieu I lockeu myself in," he saiu,
holding the metal propeller of the mortar that
fell on his home."Fiiing has been going on eveiy
night. Ny family cannot stay heie."
Two boys anu theii gianumothei weie killeu
by a moitai as they slept just uown the stieet,
he added.
The home was litteieu with bloouy beu-
clothes. The youngei chilu, a S-yeai-olu boy,
was beheaueu by the blast, neighbouis saiu.
Pakistani Najoi ueneial Khan Tahii }aveu
Khan saiu the numbei of moitai iounus anu
bullets fiieu hau suigeu in iecent weeks.
"It is the most intense in uecaues," Khan saiu
of the fighting."Ny message to them woulu be
please ue-escalate."
The fighting comes at a time of changing
powei uynamics in South Asia, with Pakistan's
army taking a more assertive role in politics and
Inuia's Piime Ninistei Naienuia Noui piomis-
ing a more muscular foreign policy.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has
been weakeneu by opposition piotests that
started in August.
Be won the aimy's backing but in the pioc-
ess ceded space to the generals on some issues,
including relations with India.
Modi is following through on a promise to
take a haiuei line with Pakistan in its boiuei
uisputes aftei being electeu in Nay.
Although Shaiif came to Noui's inauguiation,
the Indian leader has since cancelled a round of
talks with Pakistan, anu in a fuithei snub uiu
not meet Sharif at a UN meeting in New York in
Septembei.
"This uniest is a logical consequence
of woisening political ielations be-
tween Inuia anu Pakistan," saiu Nichael
Kugelman, Senior Program Associate for South
and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson In-
teinational Centie foi Scholais.
"What's paiticulaily woiiisome is that Pa-
kistan's militaiy appeais to now be in the uiiv-
ei's seat of Inuia policy anu the militaiy has
much less enthusiasm foi ieconciliation."
In most cases Inuia blames outbieaks of
fighting along the boiuei on Pakistani tioops
they say give cover to separatist militants trying
to entei Inuia's pait of Kashmii.
Bome Ninistei Rajnath Singh saiu Inuia
woulu "not toleiate such acts of boiuei viola-
tions by Pakistan". "Pakistan must iealise that a
decisive government has come to power, which
will not take such instances lying uown," Singh
said in an interview with the Hindustan Times
uaily publisheu on Tuesuay.
Around 7,000 people are living in temporary
camps on the Inuian siue aftei being uisplaceu
by the shelling, the Piess Tiust of Inuia iepoit-
ed. Hundreds of families are still living in tents
aftei uevastating floous in the iemote Bimalay-
an region last month. AFP
A Pakistani paramilitary soldier stands alert inside a bunker to monitor an area on the
border of Pakistan and India in Dhamala Hakimwala, Pakistan, yesterday. AFP
Vlllugerx xlt ln u tructor ux they flee thelr homex feurlng flrlng from the Puhlxtun xlJe of the borJer ut Chllyurl vllluge of Sumbu xector ln
Jammu and Kashmir yesterday. AFP
Pakistan raises
Kashmir issue at UN,
New Delhi cancels
foices' flag meeting
NEW DELHI In retaliation to
Pakistan taigeting civilian habita-
tions in Jammu and Kashmir, the
union home ministry yesterday put
on holu a scheuuleu flag meeting
between Pakistan anu Inuian paia-
military forces to discuss the recent
hostilities.
Inuian Aii Foice (IAF) chief Aii
Chief Naishal Aiup Raha, who is
also the chaiiman of the Chiefs of
Staff Committee, saiu Inuia wants to
iesolve the issue of ceasefiie viola-
tions by Pakistan as soon as possi-
ble.
It is a serious issue, it should not
have happened...The government is
taking it seriously...We want peace,
tianquillity, anu goou ielations with
neighbouis," he saiu aftei the 82nu
Aii Foice Bay celebiations at the
Hindon Air Force Station on the out-
skirts of Delhi.
Inuia's top militaiy official saiu
that the government has taken dip-
lomatic steps and is making all ef-
foits to biing it (fiiing) to an enu.
We are all concerned and want
an early solution to it. The security
foices aie woiking towaius it". Rais-
ing the Kashmir issue yet again at
the UN, Pakistan dragged the UN
Nilitaiy 0bseivei uioup (0NN0-
uIP) into the cuiient situation along
the Line of Contiol wheie cioss-boi-
uei shelling has flaieu up.
"0NN0uIP must be enableu
to play its role in monitoring the
ceasefiie," 0N Ambassauoi Nasoou
Khan tolu the ueneial Assembly on
Tuesday. He said: ...We call upon
the Indian government to immedi-
ately cease fiie anu help us pieseive
tianquillity."
The cuiient iounu to cioss-boi-
uei fiiings iesumeu aftei an almost
month-long lull.
It has been uesciibeu by Inuian
officials as the woist cease-fiie vio-
lations since 2003.
Made up of military personnel
from 10 countries, the UNMOGIP
monitois the ceasefiie along the
Line of Contiol unuei a 0N Secuiity
Council manuate.
Khan's mention of the 0NN0uIP
comes after India signalled that it
considers the group has outlived its
utility. IANS
Alr Wurrlorx Jlxpluy uerobutlcx Jurlng 82nJ Alr Force uy ut HlnJon Alr Force Stutlon, yexterJuy. - IANS
Cyclone Hudhud heads to Odisha,
Andhra after battering Andamans
PORT BLAIR/BHUBANESWAR A
cyclone heauing foi Inuia's southeast
coast gathered strength yesterday,
uprooting trees, triggering landslides
and snapping power and phone links
as it crossed the remote Andaman
anu Nicobai islanus, goveinment of-
ficials saiu.
Cyclone Buuhuu is moving in fiom
the Bay of Bengal and is forecast to
biing gales of up to 14u kmph (87
mph), heavy iains anu stoim suiges
when it hits the coast of of Andhra
and Odisha on Sunday afternoon.
It is now crossing the Andaman
anu Nicobai Islanus," the Inuian Ne-
teoiological Bepaitment (INB) saiu
in a bulletin.
Thereafter, the system would con-
tinue to move west-northwestwards,
intensify further into a severe cy-
clonic stoim uuiing the next 24 houis
anu subsequently into a veiy seveie
cyclonic stoim uuiing subsequent S6
houis."
Hudhud is expected to hit land
between the key poit city of visha-
khapatnam in rice-growing Andhra
Pradesh and the resort of Gopalpur
in the neighbouiing iion oie mining
state of Odisha, it added.
In the Anuaman anu Nicobai is-
lands, authorities shut schools, can-
celed ferry services and warned off
fisheimen.
The islanus' key Anuaman Tiunk
Road was shut after dozens of trees
were uprooted.
uoveinment officials saiu heavy
rain set off landslides and snapped
some power and communication
lines. 0fficials saiu they weie woik-
ing to clear the fallen trees, reconnect
disrupted utilities and had deployed
national disaster response forces.
I feel the entire situation will
be fully unuei contiol," Tanvy uaig,
the district commissioner of South
Andaman, told reporters. Disaster
management preparations were in
full swing in cyclone-prone Odisha
anu Anuhia Piauesh, officials saiu.
"We have askeu 16 uistiicts, in-
cluding all our coastal areas, to re-
main alert and stay prepared to meet
any eventuality," P K Nohapatia, a
saiu. Be saiu 24-houi emeigency
contiol iooms hau been set up anu
leave for government employees can-
celled in high-risk districts. Reuters
Darh Diwali for 500,000 families, tbanhs to Cbinese firecrachers
CBENNAI It may not be a ciackei of a
Biwali this yeai foi about Suu,uuu families in
Tamil Nauu's Sivakasi town Inuia's biggest
fiieciackeis manufactuiing hub as they
feai getting swampeu by Chinese fiieciackeis.
"Two yeais back the illegal impoits of Chi-
nese fiieciackeis weie spoiauic. But this yeai
it was phenomenal, threatening the domestic
inuustiy's veiy existence," u Abiiuben, piesi-
dent of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorc-
es Nanufactuieis Association (TNFANA), Si-
vakasi, said.
Nearly 35 per cent of the products made
foi this yeai's Biwali iemain unsolu because
of clandestine imports of several container
loaus of Chinese piouucts," he saiu.
Chinese fiieciackeis pose a thieat to the Rs
6,uuu cioie Inuian fiieciackei inuustiy which
is geaiing up foi Biwali 0ctobei 2S. Conseiva-
tively, industry experts estimate that the value
of clanuestine impoits of Chinese fiieciack-
eis is aiounu Rs 6uu cioie foi about 2,uuu
containers. The central government has said
that auveitisements woulu be issueu in the
dailies warning of action against illegal im-
poits of fiieciackeis, but no such publicity has
been given till uate though the time is iunning
out, inuustiy officials complain. K Naiiap-
pan, membei of senioi auvisoiy committee,
TNFAMA, said: Earlier the central govern-
ment useu to seize containei loaus of Chinese
fiieciackeis. Insteau of uestioying the seizeu
piouucts they weie given back to the illegal
impoiteis aftei levying a fine. Those piouucts
latei founu theii way into the maiket."
Sivakasi, also known as 'kutti' oi 'mini }a-
pan', is one of the oluest anu biggest fiieciack-
ei manufactuiing hubs in Inuia.
Neaily 9u pei cent of the countiy's fiie-
works are made in Sivakasi. Also, 80 per cent
of the safety matches are made here. Low
rainfall and dry climate are conducive for this
industry to thrive. Some of the products are
also useu by the aiipoits to scaie away biius.
Accoiuing to Naiiappan, impoits of fiie-
crackers need licence from the central gov-
einment. Anu no impoit licence has been is-
sueu till now to anybouy.
The Indian industry realised the serious-
ness of the Chinese thieat when theii oiuei
intake came down drastically around Novem-
bei-Becembei of 2u1S.
Normally orders are placed around that
time by uistiibutois. 0iueis foi this Biwali
came uown uiastically as compaieu to 2u12,"
Mariappan said. The orders for next Diwali
will be taken uuiing this Novembei-Becem-
bei anu inuustiy officials feel that only when
the central and state governments start crack-
ing down on illegal imports would the domes-
tic industry survive. Mariappan said: The
Inuian inuustiy has been fully meeting the
uomestic uemanu anu the impoits fiom China
are not to meet the excess of demand over
supply. It is mainly to take advantage of the
cheap Chinese piouucts." Be saiu the use of
potassium chloiates while making fiieciack-
eis is banneu in Inuia, wheieas no such ban
exists in China.
We use potassium nitrate (price Rs 70/
kg) anu aluminium powuei (Rs 2Sukg)
wheieas the potassium chloiates useu by the
Chinese costs just Rs 2Skg.
This gives huge price advantage for the
Chinese piouucts ovei ouis," Naiiappan saiu.
Additionally, the Indian manufacturers
have to pay excise and sales tax adding to the
piouucts' cost. As a iesult, the piice of Inuian
piouucts is highei by aiounu 4u pei cent. Ac-
coiuing to Abiiuben, fiieciackeis maue with
potassium chlorates are friction sensitive and
have to be hanuleu veiy caiefully.
Our products have to comply with the
noise pollution levels and also the packaging
rules. Our packets should specify the maxi-
mum ietail piice, the phone numbeis in case
of any emergency and usage methods where-
as no such stipulations aie theie foi Chinese
piouucts," he saiu.
Naiiappan saiu containeis with Chinese
fiieciackeis come into Inuia thiough uiffei-
ent points like Navi Numbai, Tuticoiin anu
otheis. Accoiuing to Abiiuben, the Inuian fiie-
works industry is entirely home grown and
theie aie aiounu 6u ancillaiy sectois that aie
dependent on this industry.
The fiieciackei inuustiy in China is aiounu
Rs 30,000 crore catering to domestic as well
as export markets. While the Indian gates are
open for illegal imports, the gates are closed
foi legal expoits," Naiiappan saiu. IANS
Chlnu hux uJvuntuge of
cheap raw materials and
Joexnt huve to follow rulex
on pollution and packaging.
InJlun flrmx fuce export bun
P 8
Irish central bank proposes mortgage lending curbs
P 9
Energy plunge continues as supply weighs
>>Inside
P9
P8 P10
Thursday
OCTOBER 9, 2014 | DHUL HAJJAH 15, 1435 AH
Inside
Turkey cuts 2014 growth forecast
Bentley joins ultra-luxury fast lane
IMF slashes Brazil growth forecast

editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.om
EE launches TV
service to boost
broadband sales
Japan current
account surplus
widens
LONDON EE, Britains biggest
mobile operator, is to launch a new
TV service to help it compete with
rivals BT and TalkTalk who have
won over customers by offering
premium programming as part of a
broadband package.
EE, jointly owned by Orange and
Deutsche Telekom , said the new
set-top box would be given for free
to customers taking a home broad-
band subscription.
EEs service will be similar
to other offerings in the market,
providing the countrys biggest
broadcast channels and other
programming such as movies on an
on-demand basis.
The service will only be available
to EE mobile or broadband custom-
ers. Reuters
TOKYO Japans current account
surplus in August expanded 82.7
per cent from a year earlier thanks
to increased returns on foreign
investment, official uata showeu
yesterday.
Japan logged a surplus of 287.1
billion yen ($2.7 billion) in the cur-
rent account, the broadest measure
of the countrys trade with the rest
of the woilu, in August, the finance
ministry said.
The tiaue ueficit expanueu
due to growing imports of fossil
fuels while income improved with
higher gains from equity and other
direct investment, as well as from
investment in financial items, uata
showed. AFP
Air France estimates strike
cost at 500 million euros
PARIS Stiuggling Fiench flag cai-
rier Air France yesterday said last
months two-week strike would
have an impact of around 500 mil-
lion euros on its bottom line for this
year.
Taking into account the lost rev-
enue during the strike and the knock-
on impact of disgruntled passengers
staying away in future, the impact
over 2014 for the Air France-KLM
group will be in the order of 500
million euros ($632 million), said
financial uiiectoi Pieiie-Fiancois Ri-
olacci.
"We neeu a few moie uays to fi-
nalise completely our estimates. But
we think the impact on the third
quarter will be in a range of 320-350
million euros, Riolacci said.
The news sent Air France shares
into a tailspin on the Paris market,
losing four per cent while the overall
maiket was bioauly flat.
Riolacci said the knock-on conse-
quences were harder to calculate ex-
actly but warned there would be an
impact both on the last quarter of the
yeai anu the fiist pait of next yeai as
Air France, Europes second-largest
airline, battles to win back its repu-
tation. We made some savings (like
in aviation fuel) because the planes
weie not flying," he noteu.
On the other hand, we had addi-
tional costs: putting passengers up,
compensation or buying tickets from
our competitors for some of our pas-
sengers, which we did not always get
at the best price, he said.
Pilots at Air France waged the
record strike between September 15
and 28 in protest at the groups plans
to expand its low-cost subsidiary
Transavia France.
The airline sees the development
of Transavia France as crucial to com-
pete in the cut-throat world of avia-
tion which has been revolutionised
by the arrival of low-cost operators
like easyJet and Ryanair.
But in a concession to end the
strike, Air France management aban-
doned a strategy to expand Transavia
into Europe.
The pilots, some of whom earn
up to 250,000 euros ($316,000) per
yeai, weie woiiieu theii flights coulu
be replaced by Transavia services or
that the company would seek to use
the cheaper Transavia pilots.
The strike knocked out more than
50 per cent of Air France services and
sparked political fury, with Prime
Minister Manuel Valls saying the in-
dustrial action was harming the im-
age of France abroad.
It also boosted Air Frances rivals.
With competitors like that its
not hard to see why Ryanair is the
fastest-growing airline in Europe,
company boss Michael OLeary said
dismissively.
Air France-KLM said its passen-
gei figuies weie uown 1S.9 pei cent
in September compared to the same
month the year before.
The wider group, including Dutch
airline KLM, Transavia and Hop!, wel-
comed 5.7 million passengers aboard
last month a drop of 16.3 per
cent compared to 2013. AFP
Twitter sues US Justice
Dept for right to reveal
surveillance requests
SAN FRANCISCO Twitter Inc sued
the US Department of Justice, inten-
sifying its battle with federal agen-
cies as the Internet industrys self-
described champion of free speech
seeks the right to reveal the extent of
US government surveillance.
The lawsuit, which Twitter said
follows months of fruitless negotia-
tions with the government, marks an
escalation in the Internet industrys
battle over government gag orders
on the nature and number of re-
quests for private user information.
In the lawsuit, fileu in 0S Bistiict
Court for Northern California, Twit-
ter said that current rules prevent it
from even stating that it has not re-
ceived any national security requests
for user information.
The messaging service said such
restrictions violate the Constitutions
First Amendment guarantee of free
speech.
This is an important issue for
anyone who believes in a strong First
Amendment, and we hope to be able
to share our complete transparency
report, Twitter said in a blogpost.
Tech companies have sought to
clarify their relationships with US
law enforcement and spying agen-
cies in the wake of revelations by
former National Security Agency
contractor Edward Snowden that
outlined the depth of US spying capa-
bilities.
Twitters lawsuit follows an agree-
ment between Internet companies
like Google Inc and Microsoft Corp
with the government about court or-
ders they receive related to surveil-
lance.
The agreement freed the compa-
nies to disclose the number of or-
ders they received, but only in broad
ranges. A company that offers email
services, for example, would be able
to say it received between zero and
999 oiueis fiom the Foieign Intel-
ligence Surveillance Court during a
six-month period for email content
belonging to someone outside the
United States.
In a separate case, a federal ap-
peals court in San Francisco will hear
arguments on whether the FBI can
gag recipients of national security
letters. Reuters
A Somull mun uxex the flrxt-ever A1M cuxh wlthJruwul muchlne lnxtulleJ ln the Somullun cupltul
MoguJlxhu. 1he muchlne, lnxtulleJ by the Suluum Somull Bunh ln un upmurhet hotel, ullowx cuxtomerx to
wlthJruw US Jollurx. - AFP
FirstGroup hit by
loss of another
rail contract
LONDON Transport company
FirstGroup suffered yet another
blow to its train business in Britain
after losing a contract to run rail
services in Scotland to Dutch-owned
company Abellio.
Shares in FirstGroup fell as much
as 7.5 per cent after the company
said it would cease running ScotRail,
the franchise connecting Scotlands
major towns and cities, from April
after more than 10 years.
Tianspoit Scotlanu confiimeu it
had awarded the franchise, worth
up to 6 billion pounus ($9.7 billion),
to Abellio, the international arm of
the state-owned Dutch rail com-
pany.
Shares in FirstGroup traded
down around 4 per cent at 110.6
pence at 0840 GMT.
UK shop price decline
accelerates in Sept
LONDON Prices in British shops
fell last month at a faster pace, driven
down by a steep decline in prices for
non-food products, the British Retail
Consortium said yesterday.
The BRC said retail prices in Sep-
tember were 1.8 per cent lower than
a year earlier, not far off the record
uecline of 1.9 pei cent seen in }uly
and compared with a 1.6 per cent fall
in August.
Prices for non-food products tum-
bled 3.2 per cent on the year com-
paieu with a 2.9 pei cent uiop in
August, with clothing and electricals
seeing the sharpest price cuts.
Consumers can take heart that
the outlook foi inflation iemains
modest, said Helen Dickinson, direc-
tor- general of the BRC.
Falling commodity prices, the
strengthening of sterling, benign
pressure in the supply chain and,
ciitically, fieice competition acioss
the retail industry suggests lower
shop prices for consumers will con-
tinue. Britains major supermarkets
have been engaged in an escalating
price war, spurred by discounters
like Aldi and Lidl taking a growing
market share from traditional rival
grocers.
Food prices rose 0.3 per cent in
September compared with a year
earlier, unchanged from August and
equalling the record low from the
surveys seven-year history.
0veiall consumei piice inflation
ran at 1.5 per cent in August, well be-
low the Bank of Englands 2 per cent
target, and wages are growing even
more slowly something the BoE
has cited as a reason to keep interest
rates on hold.
However, BoE Governor Mark
Carney has warned that the time for
raising rates from record low levels
is getting closer, although the exact
date would depend on how econom-
ic data turns out. The BRC survey is
uesigneu to ieflect piice changes in
500 of the most commonly bought
high street products in shops.
Meanwhile, Britains top equity
index extended its losing streak yes-
terday, moving towards its 2014 low
with engineering group GKN hit by a
broker downgrade.
Concerns about a global economic
slowdown weighed on stock markets
worldwide, and the UKs blue-chip
FTSE 100 index was down by 0.3
pei cent, oi 1S.81 points, at 6,479.77
in early trade. It reached 6,416.72
points in February.
GKN was the worst-performing
FTSE stock in per centage terms, fall-
ing S.9 pei cent aftei Bank of Ameii-
ca Merrill Lynch cut its rating on the
group to underperform from buy.
Traders attributed the pullback on
global equity markets to a decision
on Tuesday by the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) to cut its global
growth forecasts.
European stock markets have
been propped up by expectations
of new stimulus measures from
the European Central Bank (ECB).
Reuters
Britains major
supermarkets have
been engaged in an
escalating price war,
spurred by
discounters like
Aldi and Lidl
Banks near deals on Libor, forex rigging
NEW YORK Large American and
European banks are nearing settle-
ment deals with British regulators
over rigging interest rates and manip-
ulating the foreign exchange market,
sources said.
The overall settlement for charges
of illegally manipulating the London
Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) would
be billions of dollars.
The scale of penalties is similar in
the talks over manipulation of forex
rates, said people familiar with the
matter. Britains Financial Conduct
Authority is holding talks with Brit-
ish bank Barclays, Deutsche Bank and
US banks JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup,
Bank of America and Bank of New
York Mellon on the Libor manipula-
tion issue.
That settlement could come in
the next few weeks, with banks pay-
ing penalties corresponding to their
share of the market, sources said.
Libor, the rate banks charge each
other for short-term loans, underpins
an estimated $300 trillion of trans-
actions worldwide. Leading banks,
including Barclays, Lloyds, Deutsche
Bank and UBS, have previously paid
fines totalling billions of uollais in the
US, Britain and the European Union.
0n Tuesuay, officials with Biitain's
Seiious Fiauu 0ffice saiu a senioi
banker pleaded guilty before a Lon-
don court to fraud linked to Libor in
the fiist ciiminal conviction aiising
from the case.
In the foreign exchange case,
British regulators are in talks with
Citigroup, JPMorgan, UBS, Barclays,
RBS and HSBC to settle allegations
the banks conspired to manipulate
currency trades, people familiar with
the matter said.
Regulators are probing whether
currency traders from the banks used
online chat forums and instant mes-
sages for manipulating a market with
some $5.3 trillion in transactions per
day. AFP
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
8
INTERNATIONAL
Central bank proposes mortgage lending restrictions
DUBLIN Irelands central bank pro-
posed restrictions on how much banks
can lend to home buyers in a bid to re-
duce the risk of a new property bubble
forming as prices recover rapidly from
a crash.
A combination of reckless lending
and lax regulation during Irelands
Celtic Tiger era helped fuel a prop-
erty bubble that dragged the country
into an international bailout after it
burst and left the surviving banks in
need of expensive state rescues.
With property prices in Dublin ris-
ing by 25 per cent year-on-year in
August, although they were still 41 per
cent below their pre-crisis peak, the
central bank said it was appropriate to
bring in limits on new lending at high
loan-to-value (LTV) or loan-to-income
(LTI) ratios.
Ireland has experienced a devas-
tating property bubble that was trig-
gered by excessive lending by banks
and excessive borrowing by house-
holds.
It is essential that we avoid a repeti-
tion of this, central bank deputy gov-
ernor Stefan Gerlach told reporters.
The proposed measures will re-
quire banks to restrict lending above
80 per cent of the value of a home to
no more than 15 per cent of the aggre-
gate value of all housing loans.
They will also restrict lending
above 3.5 times the borrowers gross
income to no more than 20 per cent of
that aggregate value.
The proposals, contained in a con-
sultation paper that banks have until
December 8 to respond to, also in-
clude a lower threshold for buy-to-let
properties. They require banks to limit
loans of over 70 per cent of the value
of investment properties to 10 per
cent of all buy-to-let loans.
Gerlach said while there was no ev-
idence that the revival in house prices
was driven by credit expansion and
that the measures were not aimed at
limiting or steering prices, they would
probably have an impact on the pace
of increases.
The rebound in prices is being driv-
en by a lack of supply and the central
bank has warned that a protracted de-
lay in addressing housing shortages,
particularly in Dublin, has the poten-
tial to put prices on an unsustainable
path again.
Iielanu's heau of financial iegula-
tion, Cyril Roux, said there was con-
cern that the market was getting back
to a place where some borrowers
were taking out loans where their abil-
ity to repay was tenuous.
While the volume of new lending
last year was low, 1.3 billion euros
worth compared to an annual 28 bil-
lion euros at the height of the boom,
44 per cent of new lending would have
crossed the 80 per cent LTV limit, the
central bank said.
The LTI rate was closer to the
threshold at 23 per cent.
It also highlighted that Irish house-
holds and banks were more exposed
to the property sector than most euro
zone peers, with house purchases
composing over 80 per cent of the to-
tal stock of lending to households and
mortgage loans making up almost 60
per cent of the total stock of loans by
Irish banks.
Roux said is was not the banks in-
tention to limit the overall volume of
mortgage lending but that banks hav-
ing more room to lend to small busi-
ness and the corporate sector would
certainly be nothing to hide away
from.
Analysts said the measures would
likely represent another headwind
foi the piofitability of lenuing at the
countries main banks at a time when
the low interest rate environment is
huiting theii tentative ietuin to piofit-
ability.
The imposition of prudential caps
on new mortgage lending is likely
to temper the recovery in the Irish
property market, reducing the pool of
eligible fiist-time buyeis," saiu Ciaian
Callaghan, an analyst at Merrion Stock-
brokers.
However, over the medium to
longer term, we expect the market to
adjust to the new regulatory caps, with
their implementation potentially help-
ing to de-risk the Irish banking sector
and enhance valuation multiples.
Reuters
A model presents 4k-capable screens at Panasonic Corp booth at CEATEC(Combined Exhibition of Advanced
Technologies) JAPAN 2014 in Chiba, east of Tokyo. Over 500 companies and organisations are exhibiting at
CEATECJAPAN 2014, which will be held until Saturday. Reuters
Family behind
BMW tops
Germanys
rich list
FRANKFURT The Quandt fam-
ily, shareholders of carmaker BMW,
have overtaken the founders of dis-
count supermarket chains Aldi and
Lidl as Germanys wealthiest family,
weekly Manager Magazin said.
The personal fortune of Johanna
Quandt, widow of the late industri-
alist Herbert Quandt, and her two
children Stefan Quandt and Susanne
Klatten, amounts to a combined 31
billion euros ($39 billion), the maga-
zine calculated, placing them at the
top of its annual 500 rich-list.
The Quandts have therefore dis-
placed the owners and founders of
the discount supermarket empire,
Aldi, the magazine said.
Aldi is divided into two parts,
Aldi Nord and Aldi Sued, and the
owners of the latter, the Albrecht
and Heister families, have a com-
bined fortune of 18.3 billion euros,
while the owners of Aldi Nord, the
descendants of Theo Albrecht, have
16.5 billion euros.
Co-founder Karl Albrecht died at
the age of 94 in July, four years after
his brother Theo. The Quandts hold
a 46.7 per cent stake in BMW, but
are also major shareholders in other
German companies, such as carbon
and graphite specialist SGL Carbon
and chemicals maker Altana.
Naiia-Elisabeth Schaefflei anu
her son Georg are Germanys third-
wealthiest people. They own the
Schaefflei gioup, a makei of ball
bearings and are also shareholders
in auto parts specialist Continental.
Their personal fortune amounts to
17.6 billion euros, Manager Maga-
zincalculateu. In fifth place is Bietei
Schwarz, owner of discount super-
market chain Lidl, with a fortune of
14.5 billion euros and the Herz fam-
ily of the Tchibo store chain rank
seventh with 11 billion euros.
The magazine calculated that
Samwer brothers, founders of start-
up incubator Rocket Internet, are the
big winners of the year, with their
personal fortune quadrupling in size
between September 2013 and Sep-
tember 2014 to 3.5 billion euros.
ECB pins its hopes
on falling euro
FRANKFURT Grappling with an ail-
ing euro zone economy and stagnant
prices, the European Central Bank
is hoping that help will come from
something it cannot control: the value
of the euro.
As Washington prepares to stop-
per the supply of cheap money that
has been helping it revive the United
States, the euro has started to fall
steeply against the dollar.
And thats just how the ECB likes it.
With prices in Europe rising at their
slowest in five yeais anu its economy
stubbornly dormant, Frankfurt is
starting to use similar tactics to those
used by the Federal Reserve pump-
ing cheap money into the system in
the hope of awakening it.
But those efforts have at best an
uncertain outcome. Now, however, the
divergence of approach on either side
of the Atlantic has presented the euro
zone with an alternative that works
a weaker currency.
"The one suie-fiie way to get
things moving is to get the exchange
rate down, said RBS economist Rich-
ard Barwell. Its the best antidote to
uisinflation known to man."
A falling euro would drive up
prices by making goods from abroad,
whether cars or clothes, more expen-
sive. It would also boost exports, cut-
ting slack as companies work harder
to meet demand. That in turn could
biing a iise in inflation towaius the
ECBs target of just under 2 per cent
one of the building blocks for eco-
nomic prosperity.
Last month, euio zone inflation
slowed to just 0.3 per cent.
ECB President Mario Draghi has
been at pains to stress that the central
bank does not have an exchange rate
target eager to avoid antagonising
the United States and other big econo-
mies with beggar-thy-neighbour tac-
tics.
But last week Draghi dropped a
hint that Europes different position
coulu be beneficial, noting "signifi-
cant and increasing differences in the
monetary policy cycle between major
advanced economies.
Foi financial maikets, this amount-
ed to tacit encouragement to push
down the euro, already trading close
to 2-year lows.
Britain provides useful clues as to
what might happen next.
A sharp drop in sterlings exchange
rate against the dollar just before the
financial ciisis set in fiom above $2
in mid-2008 to around $1.35 in early
2009 fed through quickly. Consum-
er prices bounced from 1.1 per cent in
September 2009 to 5.2 per cent two
years later in large part due to the
currency effect.
That eviuence makes many offi-
cials in Kaiserstrasse, the Frankfurt
address of the ECB, quietly optimistic,
given the currency has dropped from
nearly $1.40 in May to around $1.26
now.
Last month, the ECB published a
report exploring an alternative path
for the euro a fall in its value to
$1.24 by 2016 that is well on the way
to becoming reality.
That would increase the euro
zones 8.5 trillion euro economy by up
to 0.3 per cent next year and in 2016,
anu in tuin lift the bloc's piice infla-
tion, the ECBs primary benchmark of
health, by up to 0.3 per cent dou-
bling the current rate.
Some predict an even steeper drop,
and implicitly, a greater boost to the
economy. Deutsche Bank forecasts
that one euro could be worth less
than a dollar by late 2017. Reuters
ECB President Mario Draghi
Iberdrola hires JPMorgan for
asset sales to fund US buy
MADRID/FRANKFURT Span-
ish powei fiim Ibeiuiola has hiieu
JPMorgan Chase & Co to sell some
foreign renewable assets which could
raise up to 2 billion euros to help
fund an acquisition in the fast-grow-
ing US market, three sources with
knowledge of the matter said.
Iberdrola, a world leader in wind
turbines, joins other European com-
panies, including Germanys Siemens
which has agreed to buy US turbine
maker Dresser-Rand, hoping to grow
through purchases outside sluggish
home markets.
Iberdrolas earnings suffered in
Europes economic crisis and from
energy reforms in Spain, where new
power generation taxes and renew-
able cuts uenteu piofits.
It has already mandated Morgan
Stanley to explore the sale of a mi-
nority stake in its Spanish distribu-
tion business as part of its boldest
move to boost earnings since 2011, a
strategy aimed at cutting exposure to
Spain and investing abroad.
Iberdrola is looking for a pur-
chase in the United States.
Theyre not going to sell anything
unless they have an adequate acquisi-
tion taiget," saiu one financial souice
who asked to remain anonymous.
Iberdrola, which has been men-
tioned as a possible suitor of both
Louisianas electricity supplier Cleco
Corps and Oncor, the power distri-
bution unit of Texass biggest power
company, declined to comment.
The JPMorgan mandate is for a
sale of minority stakes in several re-
newable energy assets such as ma-
ture wind farms or solar plants that
could be worth about 2 billion euros,
two sources with knowledge of the
matter said. JPMorgan declined to
comment.
Iberdrola has assets capable of
producing 14,400 megawatts (MW)
of renewable energy across the
world, with 5,700 MW in Spain and
5,457 MW in the United States.
The sale of the Spanish distribu-
tion business that Morgan Stanley is
exploring could raise about 3 billion
euros, said UBS analyst Alberto Gan-
uolfi in a note to clients. Two souices
with direct knowledge of this process
confiimeu this valuation.
They are on & off mandates that
Iberdrola activates or deactivates ac-
cording to its needs, another source
said. The two sales could free up
funds for a major US acquisition, a
sign that confiuence has ietuineu at
the company after it was forced to
put an international expansion drive
on hold in 2011 during the euro zone
debt crisis which made it harder for
Spanish companies to borrow.
Turkey cuts 2014 growth forecast
ISTANBUL Turkey yesterday low-
ered its economic growth forecast
for 2014 to 3.3 per cent, blaming
external factors including the chaos
in neighbours Syria and Iraq and
increased uncertainty in the global
economy.
Our growth forecast for 2014 has
been revised from four per cent to 3.3
per cent, Deputy Prime Minister Ali
Babacan told a press conference as he
unveiled his governments economic
programme for 2015-2017.
The growth target is a little lower
than what we set at the beginning of
this year, he said.
This is because exports with Rus-
sia, Ukraine and Iraq have decreased
due to geo-political tensions... Unfor-
tunately, the situation in Iraq and Syr-
ia is not improving, Babacan added.
Babacan said the government
forecast annual growth between 4
per cent for 2015 and 5 per cent for
2016-2017.
Be also ieviseu upwaius the infla-
tion forecast for the whole of 2014 to
between 7.6 to 9.4 per cent.
"0ui top piioiity is to fight with
inflation," he saiu.
We are aiming to bring down
inflation to 6.S pei cent in 2u1S anu
five pei cent in 2u16 anu 2u17," Ba-
bacan saiu, auuing that fiscal policy
would continue to be tight until a sig-
nificant impiovement in the outlook
foi inflation anu giowth.
He said the government would
continue to adopt structural reforms
to steer the economy back to strong
growth and improve the investment
climate.
Reining in the ballooning current
account ueficit is the seconu piioiity,
Babacan said, adding that his govern-
ment woulu tiy to ieuuce the ueficit
to 5.2 per cent by 2017 from 5.7 per
cent of the gross domestic product
expected this year.
The government would have
reached its original growth target if
external shocks had not emerged, Ba-
bacan argued.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
who ruled Turkey as premier
for over a decade has been cred-
ited with turning around the Turkish
economy, with GDP per capita almost
doubling since he came to power.
But the chaos in neighbours Syria
and Iraq where militants have seized
swathes of territory and a pullback in
liquidity by major central banks such
as the US Federal Reserve, have hurt
its growth more recently.
The Turkish economy sharply
slowed to 2.1 per cent growth in the
seconu quaitei, official uata showeu
in September.
Analysts have already revised
their forecasts downward, with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
cutting its 2014 growth forecast for
the country to 2.3 per cent. AFP
The economy sharply
slowed to 2.1 per cent
growth in the second
quarter, official data
showed in September
Commodities Update
Economy Marketing
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
9
PERSPECTIVE
By Anna Smolchenko
R
USSIA has long hau a pioblem with capital flight, but this
time entiepieneuis aie also fleeing given that Piesiuent
vlauimii Putin appeais to be tuining the sciews as the uis-
pute with the West ovei 0kiaine uiags on.
Since last month Naxim Shviukiy's consultancy has seen a spike
in the numbei of businessmen seeking to leave Russia.
"Entiepieneuis ietuineu fiom theii summei vacations, ana-
lyseu the situation anu have ueciueu to act," Shviukiy, managing ui-
iectoi of SBFN 0vERSEAS Sweuen Filial, saiu.
"It all boils uown to one thing business uoes not like instabil-
ity anu unceitainty." Bis clients, he saiu, iepiesenteu a wiue iange
of inuustiies fiom IT to tiaue to manufactuiing anu incluueu those
who have long contemplateu immigiating as well as those who
have only iecently begun consiueiing leaving.
Some of them weie selling oi planning to sell theii businesses in
Russia, otheis wanteu to buy a new company, most often in an E0
countiy, anu move abioau togethei with theii families, saiu Nalmo-
baseu Shviukiy.
Be saiu his competitois have also iepoiteu a similai inciease in
uemanu foi business immigiation seivices.
That uemanu has appaiently ieacheu such piopoitions that
the heau of Russia's laigest lenuei took the hugely unusual step of
sounuing the alaim in fiont of foieign investois last week.
"Touay the most populai application among businesses is not
the one to set up a new company, to open anu iegistei an enteipiise
but an application to leave, to ieceive a iesiuence peimit," Sbeibank
CE0 Beiman uief saiu to applause fiom the auuience.
A queue of entiepieneuis seeking auvice on how to move
abioau iepiesents a vote of no confiuence in the economic anu po-
litical policies of Putin, who is lockeu in a confiontation with the
West.
Insteau of changing tack ovei 0kiaine, the Kiemlin iesponueu to
Westein sanctions by oiueiing an embaigo on E0 anu 0S foou anu
thieateneu to ban othei impoits.
0vei the past uays foimei economy ministei uief, who in his
speech flayeu goveinment policies anu uiew paiallels with the
"minu-boggling incompetence" of the Soviet leaueis, has been
piaiseu foi plucking the couiage to speak up.
Foimei ueputy eneigy ministei vlauimii Nilov saiu uief's out-
ciy was all the moie stiiking because he has been known foi his
loyalty to Putin uespite his libeial cieuentials.
"I've been ieceiving signals that uief is 'seething' anu is extieme-
ly unhappy with what is going on," saiu Nilov.
"The eiuption to the suiface of the tiuth spoken by a key mem-
bei of the Putin team is an unimaginably seiious sign of an inteinal
ciisis," Nilov wiote on his blog.
A business exouus intensifies the biainuiain as Russia's best anu
biightest incluuing economists anu opposition activists aie fleeing.
Entiepieneuis have long complaineu of a iisky business envi-
ionment in Russia, anu expeits say that many have now come to a
conclusion that iisk now outweighs oppoitunity.
While Putin touteu the countiy's economic might at last week's
foium, saying "seiious investois" weie committeu to Russia, the
moou on the siuelines was staikly uiffeient.
Nounting Russian
tioubles fuel exouus
of entiepieneuis
C
0NN0BITY maikets iemain on
the uefensive with iising supply
in many key commouities con-
tinuing to apply neai-teim uownsiue
piessuie to piices. That, not least, is
also uue to cuiient conceins about
a slowdown in global growth and its
potential negative impact on uemanu
at a time wheie the uollai continues
to go fiom stiength to stiength.
The auveisity cieateu by the cui-
ient iise in the uollai looks set to
be theme that will stay with us foi
the foieseeable futuie with analysts
cuiiently expecting the gieenback's
ascent to continue.
Some aie now even talking about
the iate against euio to ietuin to pai-
ity which woulu iepiesent a moie
than 2S pei cent appieciation fiom
cuiient levels.
The past week was no exception
with iegaiu to commouity weakness
with the broad-based Bloomberg
Commouity inuex ieaching a new five
yeai low.
Since the iout began back in }uly
this inuex has fallen in all but just
thiee weeks.
Bullish bets
This uiamatic change in senti-
ment towards the sector has also re-
sulteu in a shaip ueteiioiation in the
numbei of bullish bets heuge funus
anu laige money manageis weie cai-
iying. Aftei ieaching a iecoiu net-
long position on 24 US traded com-
mouities back in Apiil, these investois
have since ieuuceu theii bullish expo-
suie to the lowest since eaily 2uu9.
This was a time when the woilu
was stiuggling with iecession anu a
shaip uiop in uemanu following the
Lehman Bank collapse. At the mo-
ment heuge funus aie holuing a net-
shoit position in eight out of the 24
commouities, not least 0LSB (heating
oil), Bu coppei, soybeans, wheat anu
sugai.
The eneigy sectoi was the haiuest
hit with the piice of WTI anu Bient
ciuue ieaching 17- anu 27-months
lows. The maiket continues to aujust
to lower near-term price expectations
uue to a continueu iise in supply at a
time wheie uemanu has stiuggleu to
keep up.
Bient ciuue especially has come
unuei piessuie in iecent weeks as a
supply glut in the Atlantic basin has
put othei ciuue oils unuei piessuie
as well. With Bient's piemium ovei
these lowei quality ciuue oils con-
tiacting, Sauui Aiabia announceu that
it has cut the piice towaius Asian cli-
ents by moie than expecteu uuiing
Novembei.
Apait fiom impioving the compet-
itiveness against Bient, the piice cut
was also vieweu by tiaueis as a sign
that Sauui Aiabia aie not cuiiently
piepaieu to hanu ovei maiket shaie
to othei 0pec piouuceis such as Iiaq
anu eventually also Iian when sanc-
tions aie lifteu sometime in the fu-
tuie.
Strongcoffee
Soft commouities such as cotton
anu especially coffee ensuieu a stiong
week foi the sectoi. The cost of Aiabi-
ca coffee jumpeu to the highest since
Apiil as cuiient uiy weathei in Biazil
has iaiseu conceins about next yeai's
ciop.
This follows on fiom the uiought
this }anuaiy that tiiggeieu a shaip
uown ievision in this yeai's piouuc-
tion anu which so fai has seen the
cost of coffee iise by almost 9u pei
cent yeai-to-uate.
The giain inuex compiising wheat,
coin anu soybeans is on tiack to
iecoiu its fiist weekly gain in ten
weeks aftei both coin anu soybeans
ieaching new multi-yeai lows eailiei
in the week.
The iecoveiy howevei has been
uiiven by wheat futuies, both in Paiis
anu Chicago, in iesponse to signs that
Russia may be ieluctant to sell out
what is a neai-iecoiu ciop.
Russia is noimally one of the
woilu's top expoiteis but a iecent
iun-up in uomestic piices may tiiggei
expoit cuibs in oiuei to pievent the
cost of feeu towaius poultiy anu live-
stock fiom iising fuithei.
Fickle nickel
A shaip sell-off in nickel uuiing the
past five weeks has tippeu the sectoi
as a whole back into negative pei-
foimance on the yeai. Woiiies about
tight supplies eailiei this yeai tiig-
geieu a veiy stiong seconu quaitei
ially in nickel, but since then we have
seen inventoiies iise to a iecoiu as
the Inuonesian expoit ban have faileu
to trigger an expected tightness in the
maiket.
As a iesult the piice of nickel has
now enteieu into a beai maiket as
the losses since the Nay peak has ex-
ceeueu 2u pei cent. The outlook foi
2u1S howevei still looks piomising
so we woulu expect to see buyeis ie-
tuin soon following the speculative
washout. Bu coppei foi Becembei
ueliveiy is testing suppoit just below
S 0SBlb anu the iisk is iising that a
bieak thiough this level coulu signal
a ueepei coiiection ovei the coming
month.
Gold traders
Piecious metals iemain unuei
piessuie anu when it comes to golu
the main negative uiivei has un-
uoubteuly been the continueu iise
of the uollai. Potential bulls shoulu
theiefoie consiuei golu against othei
cuiiencies such as euio, yen oi possi-
bly even the Aussie uollai.
Following the stiongei than ex-
pecteu 0S job iepoit on Fiiuay which
sent the uollai to a fiesh high golu
eiaseu the 2u14 gains.
The uiop to 1,2uu 0SB pei oz tiig-
geieu a majoi battle between sell-
eis anu buyeis with seveial million
ounces swapping hanus in the houi
following the announcement.
uolu piiceu in uollais will iemain
unuei piessuie until we see a coi-
iection in eithei stocks oi the uollai
oi begin to ieceive some news about
the Swiss uolu iefeienuum in late No-
vembei,
Silver lining
Silvei howevei is the stoiy of the
week as we aie continuing to see ie-
tail uemanu foi the semi piecious
metal, especially thiough exchange
tiaueu piouucts wheie holuings iose
to a new record despite the recent
uismal peifoimance.
While heuge funus having moveu
fiom a iecoiu net-long back in }uly to
a net-shoit as of Septembei 2S, inves-
tois in exchange tiaueu funus backeu
by silvei has seen a continueu iise in
holuings.
Silvei also ieacheu the ielative
cheapest level to golu since 2uu9 as
the iatio tiaueu up to 71.2 ounces of
silvei to one ounce of golu.
(OEPPA Business Development
Dept)
(Thewriter istheHead of Commod-
ityStrategyat Saxo Bank)
Energy plunge continues as supply weighs
By Andreas Cremer
B
ENTLEY, the veneiable Biitish
caimakei known foi comfoit
anu style, is moving into the
fast lane of ultia-luxuiy cais with a
new veision of its flagship saloon,
aiming to giab a biggei slice of a mai-
ket tippeu to uouble in size by 2u18.
The 9S-yeai-olu bianu, whose cus-
tomeis incluue Queen Elizabeth II
anu the Sultan of Biunei, is using this
month's Paiis auto show to launch
the Nulsanne Speeu unuei the stia-
pline "the woilu's fastest ultia-luxuiy
uiiving expeiience."
At S24,uuu euios ($411,uuu), the
mouel is not only Bentley's most ex-
pensive evei, but the eight-cylinuei
engine with a new combustion sys-
tem will allow it to ieach 1uu kilo-
meties pei houi in 4.9 seconus anu
uelivei a top speeu of SuS kmph (19u
mph).
The launch is pait of a uiveisifica-
tion that will also see the volkswa-
gen-owneu business bianch into
luxuiy spoit-utility vehicles (S0vs) in
2u16. Such expansion is nothing new.
Inueeu, Bentley chief executive
Wolfgang Bueiheimei may be tiy-
ing to ieplicate the success he hau
as R&B chief at volkswagen (vW)
luxuiy stablemate Poische, wheie he
extenueu a iange of two-seatei spoits
cais to embiace S0vs anu coups.
But analysts say it is vital if Bentley
is to secuie a laigei shaie of a iapiuly-
giowing maiket.
Beliveiies of cais piiceu at
12u,uuu euios oi moie may almost
uouble to about 1SS,uuu vehicles by
2u18 fiom 7u,uuu last yeai as the
ianks of the supei wealthy in the
0niteu States anu China keep giow-
ing, accoiuing to foiecastei IBS Auto-
motive.
"The supei-iich uon't caie about
bianu loyalty," Fiankfuit-baseu IBS
analyst Bennei Lehne saiu. "They buy
whichevei mouel is hot."
With a uaik tint finish applieu to
exteiioi giilles anu wing vents, Bent-
ley believes the new S.S7-metie vei-
sion of the Nulsanne nameu aftei
the fastest stietch of the Le Nans iace
tiack in Fiance will comfoitably fit
into that categoiy.
"Bentley is on the move," Buei-
heimei tolu Reuteis in an inteiview
iecently. "The emphasis on peifoim-
ance has something to do with the
lifestyle of oui customeis, it's pait of
theii supeilative aspiiations."
Though Bentley accounteu foi just
u.1 pei cent of vW's iecoiu 9.7S mil-
lion vehicle sales last yeai, it gives
the ueiman paient an auia of techni-
cal piowess while caiiying out key
ieseaich tasks, especially on engine
technology.
Bentley has set a taiget to boost
sales by about half to 1S,uuu vehicles
by 2u18, as pait of vW's goal to ovei-
take Toyota as the woilu's biggest
caimakei.
Bueiheimei, who ietuineu to
Bentley in }une aftei a biief stint as
R&B boss at vW's Auui uivision, ovei-
saw Poische's push into S0vs in 2uu2
with the Cayenne, now the bianu's
top-selling mouel accounting foi
about half its ueliveiies.
In 2u11-2u12 when he fiist took
the ieins, he uevelopeu the business
case anu technology bluepiint foi the
Bentley S0v which will be the woilu's
most expensive foui-by-foui costing
moie than 16u,uuu euios.
A foimei iacing engineei at
BNW's motoicycle uivision who still
uiives a BNW uS mouel anu touts a
S6S kmph peisonal speeu iecoiu set
in a Bugatti veyion, Bueiheimei's af-
fection foi peifoimance is blatant.
Be pieviously steeieu the launch
of vaiious peifoimance-focuseu mou-
els at Bentley such as the Continental
Supeispoits conveitible which set a
new woilu ice speeu iecoiu at SS1
kmph.
}ames Neucalf, heau of the Bent-
ley Biiveis' Club iepiesenting S,Suu
enthusiasts aiounu the woilu anu
ownei of half a uozen Bentleys, saiu
luxuiy anu comfoit iemaineu the
bianu's top goals but peifoimance
was incieasingly impoitant.
"If you auu moie steps at the top
of the lauuei, many people will want
to go theie," the 78-yeai-olu tolu
Reuteis. "The Speeu veision will auu
excitement to the Nulsanne."
0nce piouuction of the S0v is fully
unuei way by autumn 2u1S, Bentley
will ueciue on a possible fifth mouel
line, Bueiheimei saiu.
0ptions incluue a two-seatei
spoity vehicle, a mouel to plug the
1uu,uuu-euio gap between the Fly-
ing Spui anu Nulsanne saloons anu
new vaiiants of the Continental uT, he
saiu.
The bianu also plans to intio-
uuce hybiiu petiolelectiic engines
to about 9u pei cent of its lineup by
about 2u2u, anu aims to builu a new
R&B centie anu expanu its opeia-
tions in anu aiounu its Ciewe, Eng-
lanu-baseu heauquaiteis, wheie it
lacks a test tiack anu othei technical
facilities, Bueiheimei saiu.
0pgiauing Bentley may take a uec-
aue anu will iequiie funuing not yet
appioveu by paient vW, he auueu.
The bianu is alieauy spenuing al-
most 1 billion euios on the S0v anu
othei mouels.
"We have gianu plans," Bueihe-
imei saiu. "The Nulsanne Speeu gives
pioof of that."
Bentley joins ultra-luxury fast
lane with Mulsanne Speed
The Bentley Mulsanne Speed is displayed at the Paris Auto Show. AFP
Soft commodities such as cotton and especially
coffee ensured a strong week for the sector.
The cost of Arabica coffee jumped to the highest
since April as current dry weather in Brazil has
raised concerns about next years crop
By Ole S Hansen
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
10
INTERNATIONAL
PARIS Areva said it would cut invest-
ments further and step up sales of non-
strategic assets as the French nuclear pow-
ei gioup tiies to shoie up its finances.
The company, which is 87 per cent
owned by the French state, said it would
cut planned capital expenditure by 200
million euros over the next two years to
biing it to 1 billion euios ($1.26S billion)
pei yeai.
It saiu it woulu also make 4Su million
euros in disposals of non-strategic assets
anu minoiity stakes by the enu of 2u16, af-
tei having solu off 1.2 billion in assets since
beginning a restructuring programme in
2u11.
The work on Arevas recovery con-
tinues despite the ongoing unfavourable
market environment, chief executive Luc
0uisel saiu in a statement.
TOKYO Japan Tobacco said it may close
two European factories and cut production at
a third in a move that could see about 1,100
layoffs, citing a challenging operating envi-
ionment".
The company plans to hold talks with
unions iepiesenting woikeis in Lisnafillan,
Northern Ireland, and Wervik, Belgium about
shutting the sites, while some production at
its Trier plant in Germany will be relocated, it
auueu.
"(}T) will unueitake appiopiiate consulta-
tions with employees representatives and the
European Works Council on the proposal to
change its product sourcing, which could lead
to the closure of some of its manufacturing
sites," saiu a statement issueu late on Tuesuay.
The fiim saiu some piouuction coulu be
moved to other sites, including in Poland and
Romania.
SHANGHAI Chinas state-owned Bright
Food said it has agreed to buy a majority
stake in Italian olive oil producer Salov as
it seeks moie taigets oveiseas.
The deal is the latest in a global expan-
sion drive by the Chinese company, which
alieauy contiols Biitish ceieal fiim Weeta-
bix. Biight subsiuiaiy Shanghai Yimin No
1 Foous (uioup) Co hau ieacheu an agiee-
ment with Salovs private owners, the
Fontana family, to take a majority stake in
the fiim, paient Biight saiu in a statement..
Headquartered in Tuscany, Italy, Salov
produces olive oil under the Sagra and
Filippo Berio brands and sells to more
than 6u countiies, accoiuing to its website.
It claims to hold leading positions in
the United States with a market share of
19 pei cent anu Biitain with 2S pei cent.
Agencies
Areva says to cut
investments
Japan Tobacco eyes
closure of two plants
China food giant buys
into olive oil maker
Business Briefs
$90.23 $1,217.90 $17.36
Omani Rial/ Euro & Dollar
RO 1
2.0564 $2.6008
Asia shares stumble, oil skids to 27-month lows
SYDNEY Asian share markets were
mostly in the red on Wednesday as
worries about waning global growth
lifted safe-haven bonds, while shoving
oil prices to their lowest in more than
two yeais.
Extending a three-month-long de-
cline, Bient oil sank $1.18 to $9u.9S a
baiiel while 0S ciuue tumbleu $1.u7
to $87.78.
The protracted slide should be
a windfall for consumer spending
power, but is also a powerful force for
uisinflation in much of the uevelopeu
woilu.
That has been a boon for sovereign
bonds as investors wager the outlook
foi slowing inflation coulu put off the
uay when 0S inteiest iates might iise.
Minutes of the Federal Reserves last
policy meeting are due later in the
session and markets will be acutely
sensitive to how the debate between
hawks and doves on the committee
was playing out. In Asia, }apan's Topix
sheu 1.1 pei cent while the Nikkei
uioppeu 1 pei cent.
MSCIs broadest index of Asia-
Pacific shaies outsiue }apan fell 1 pei
cent, while Australias main index lost
u.9 pei cent.
Chinas markets bucked the trend
as they returned from a week-long
bieak, with Shanghai up u.S pei cent,
though Bong Kong sheu u.7 pei cent.
A private survey of Chinas services
sector showed growth eased a touch
in September, but that only served
to reinforce expectations of further
stimulus measuies by Beijing.
Stimulus is also high on the agenda
in Europe after German industrial
output suffered the biggest decline
since the height of the financial ciisis,
piling pressure on the European Cen-
tral Bank to be more urgent in its ac-
tions.
The IMF on Tuesday shaved its glo-
bal giowth foiecast to S.S pei cent foi
this yeai, fiom S.4 pei cent, waining
of weakness in the euro zone, Japan
and big emerging markets such as
Biazil.
Weak numbers like the German
production report fuel concern that
ECB stimulus will be inadequate giv-
en the gloomier news, said Westpac
analyst }ames Shugg.
With the IMF waving its knife at
its global growth forecasts, US mar-
kets couldnt avoid the downdraft
eithei."The Bow fell 1.6 pei cent,
while the S&P Suu lost 1.S1 pei cent
anu the Nasuaq 1.S6 pei cent.
The pan-Euiopean FTSEuiofiist
Suu also sheu 1.S pei cent.
Inflation swaps foi the euio zone,
which essentially show what inves-
tois think inflation will aveiage ovei
the next five yeais, have been in pie-
cipitous decline, touching an historic
low of 1.89 pei cent this week.
This is one of ECB President Mario
Biaghi's favouieu measuies of infla-
tion and its decline was a major rea-
son the central bank launched a fresh
stimulus package last month.
But the uownuiaft in inflation ex-
pectations is haiuly confineu to Eu-
iope.
The US swaps rate has slipped to
2.62 pei cent, fiom 2.88 pei cent in
August, even as the run of USeco-
nomic data has been generally en-
couiaging. Likewise, longei-uateu 0S
Treasury yields have fallen noticeably
as investois piice in low inflation foi
longei.
Yields on 30-year bonds are now
at theii lowest since Nay 2u1S at S.uS
per cent, while their premium over
two-year yields shrank to the smallest
since late 2u12.
Futures contracts predicting the
course of the Fed funds rate have ral-
lied hard in recent days as the market
pusheu out the uate foi the fiist hike.
They now show less than Su basis
points of tightening foi 2u1S anu all
of it in the seconu half of the yeai.
The fall in US yields initially
dragged the dollar down from its re-
cent highs, though it quickly stabi-
liseu in Asia.
The dollar index edged up to
8S.86u on Weunesuay, anu back to-
waiu a foui-yeai peak of 86.746
hit on Fiiuay. The uollai ciept up to
1u8.4u yen, having been as low as
1u7.7S at one stage. It toucheu a six-
yeai high of 11u.u9 just a week ago.
The euio hoveieu at $1.26SS, af-
ter its bounce petered out around
$1.268S. Shaies of Coca-cola Co iose
to their highest level since 1998 on
Tuesday, bucking the downward
tienu of the bioauei maiket.
The beveiage giant iose u.7 pei
cent to $4S.9u, moving within a uollai
of its all-time intiauay high of $44.44,
hit on }uly 1S, 1998. The stock was
the only Dow component in positive
teiiitoiy.
With the days gain, Coke is up a
little moie than 6 pei cent thus fai in
2u14, outpeifoiming the S&P Suu's
S.S pei cent iise anu the Bow's 1.4
pei cent auvance.
The stock was one of only 27 com-
panies on the New York stock Ex-
change to hit a S2-week high on Tues-
day, compared with the 143 to hit a
S2-week low.
In a sign of the markets recent
weakness, there has not been a day
when the number of highs on the
NYSE outpaced the number of lows
since Septembei 19. Reuteis
Employees present products at a dairy plant in Minsk. According to state agency
BelTA, Minister of Agriculture and Food of Belarus Leonid Zayats said that despite
an increase in the countrys food supply exports to Russia, Belarus lost in monetary
terms due to the depreciation of the rouble against the dollar. Reuters
Retailers predict stronger
US 2014 holiday sales
NEW YORK Somewhat better
US economic data are expected to
translate into a stronger 2014 holi-
day retail season compared with last
year, the National Retail Federation
saiu. The NRF piojecteu holiuay
sales this yeai woulu iise to $616.9
billion, a 4.1 pei cent inciease fiom
last yeai's level.
The retail trade group said con-
sumei confiuence has been "unsta-
ble for much of 2014, and predicted
another season of heavy retailer
promotional activity given consumer
anxiety about the economy.
However, the group said overall
better retail sales, as well as jobs and
housing figuies, suggest a healthy im-
provement in sales this holiday sea-
son.
Sales shoulu also benefit fiom
lower gasoline prices and modest
spending on utility bills after a mild
summer in most of the US, said NRF
chief economist }ack Kleinhenz.
In the grand scheme of things,
consumers are in a much better place
than they were this time last year,
and the extra spending power could
very well translate into solid holiday
sales growth for retailers, Kleinhenz
saiu.
However, shoppers will still
be deliberate with their purchases,
while hunting for hard-to-pass-up
baigains."
A yeai-ovei-yeai gain of 4.1 pei
cent would represent an improve-
ment ovei the 2u1S inciease of S.1
per cent and the average gain over
the last 1u yeais of 2.9 pei cent.
The 2013 season had some major
headwinds that are not present this
time around, including a shortened
holiday season due to a late Thanks-
giving holiday and a two-week partial
0S goveinment shutuown.
There were a lot of factors work-
ing against us last year, NRF chief
executive Matthew Shay told a news
biiefing.
Holiday sales accounted for about
one-fifth of the ietail inuustiy's an-
nual sales in 2u1S.
The season is particularly impor-
tant to jewellery stores and depart-
ment stores, accounting for about 28
per cent and 24 per cent of their an-
nual sales last year, respectively, ac-
coiuing to the NRF. AFP
A womun xhopx ut u Jepurtment xtore ln Cullfornlu. - AFP flle photo
StanChart to
hire 1,000 more
staff in Africa
LONDON Standard Chartered
plans to hire at least 1,000 more
staff in Africa in the next couple of
years, an increase of more than 10
per cent, even as its expansion else-
wheie has sloweu.
Biana Layfielu, Stanuaiu Chai-
tereds chief executive for Africa,
declined to specify where the extra
staff would go, but picked out Niger-
ia, Kenya and Ghana as three of the
most attiactive maikets.
Nigeria has to be close to the top
of eveiybouy's list (foi expansion)...
it has scale, growth and real dyna-
mism," Layfielu saiu.
Nigeria overtook South Africa
as the continents biggest economy
this year after a rebasing of its gross
uomestic piouuct (uBP).
Our opportunity in Africa is con-
strained by the ability to invest at
pace, anu that's not just a financial
constraint but also a management
capacity. So the ieal challenge is pii-
oiitisation," Layfielu saiu at a biief-
ing on Afiica by the bank.
After a decade of expansion
that took it to 89,000 staff globally,
Standard Chartered has put the
brakes on hiring in the last two
years after suffering an embarrass-
ing fine foi bieaching 0S sanctions,
big losses in South Korea and a
slowuown in its investment bank.
It has about 8,100 staff in Africa
anu has a significant piesence in 1S
countiies theie.
Standard Chartered, Barclays
and Citigroup are the biggest inter-
national banks in Africa, but they
are facing increasing competition
from Asian banks, including Chinese
ones. Lonuon-baseu Stanuaiu Chai-
teieu makes almost all its piofits in
Asia, the Niuule East anu Afiica.
It maue a piofit of $S17 million
in Afiica in the fiist six months of
this year on income of $878 million,
each about 1u pei cent of the gioup.
Reuters
IMF slashes Brazil
growth forecast
SAO PAULO The International
Monetary Fund slashed its 2014 eco-
nomic growth forecast for Brazil by a
full peicentage point, to u.S pei cent,
blaming weak investment and a con-
sumei funk.
Brazil, Latin Americas biggest
economy and the worlds seventh-
laigest, enteieu iecession in the fiist
half of the year, a painful reversal
of the rapid growth it posted in the
2uuus.
Weak competitiveness, low busi-
ness confiuence, anu tightei finan-
cial conditions (with interest rate
hikes thiough Apiil 2u14) have con-
strained investment, and the ongo-
ing moderation in employment and
credit growth has been weighing on
consumption," the INF saiu.
Inflation has also ieacheu the
goveinment taiget maximum of 6.S
per cent, as reported by the IMF and
the Cential Bank of Biazil.
The IMF said the situation was
being exacerbated by political uncer-
tainty created ahead of a presidential
iun-off poll on 0ctobei 26 between
leftist incumbent Dilma Rousseff,
who toppeu Sunuay's fiist-iounu
vote, and business favourite Aecio
Neves.
A moderate pick-up in activity is
expecteu foi 2u1S, with giowth iis-
ing to 1.4 pei cent as the political
uncertainty surrounding this years
presidential election dissipates, it
saiu. Between the BRICS countiies
(Brazil, Russia, India, China, and
South Afiica), only Russia, with u.2
per cent, is currently performing
woise than the Latin Ameiican giant.
Investors accuse Rousseff, whose
Workers Party has now been in
power for 12 years, of excessive in-
teiventionism in the economy.
Markets reacted excitedly to
Neves reaching the second-round
vote. Sao Paulo's Bovespa stock in-
uex closeu neaily five pei cent highei
on Nonuay anu auueu anothei u.S
pei cent on Tuesuay.
The IMF lowered its forecast
across Latin America and the Carib-
bean, pieuicting 1.S pei cent giowth
this year, down from a July forecast of
2 pei cent.
Next year the region is predicted
to giow 2.2 pei cent, uown fiom 2.6
pei cent in }uly.
Latin American commod-
ity exporters could be weakened by
shocks in external demand, on lower
investment from key client China, as
well as by an abrupt rise in US inter-
est iates."
"Nany economies stiuggle to finu
new engines of sustainable growth
in an environment of stagnant com-
modity prices and more binding sup-
ply bottlenecks, revealing the need
for structural reform to boost invest-
ment anu piouuctivity.
The weaker outlook is being
caused by external factors, given
weaker-than-expected export per-
formance amid deteriorating terms
of tiaue," the INF saiu.
In Mexico, the regions second-
largest economy, the growth forecast
was steauy at 2.4 pei cent this yeai,
iising to S.S pei cent foi 2u1S. AFP
The IMF lowered
its forecast across
Latin America and
the Caribbean,
predicting 1.3
per cent growth
this year
P14
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Inside

editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.om
Wearing dentures
during sleep ups
pneumonia risk
Sandwich eaters
have a higher
energy intake
T
HE elueily who foiget to take
theii uentuies out befoie going
to sleep not only put their oral
health in uangei but also uouble the
iisk of contiacting pneumonia.
Bentuie weaiing uuiing sleep
is associated not only with oral
inflammation anu miciobial buiuen
but also with pneumonia, showed
the stuuy, suggesting potential
implications of oial hygiene
piogiammes foi pneumonia
pievention in the community.
The researchers also found that
those who wore dentures while
sleeping weie moie likely to have
tongue anu uentuie plaque, gum
inflammation, positive cultuie foi
Canuiua albicans anu highei levels
of ciiculating inteileukin-6.
"These finuings leau to a simple
anu stiaight foiwaiu clinical
recommendation denture
weaiing uuiing the night shoulu be
uiscouiageu in geiiatiic patients,"
commenteu Fiauke Nuellei fiom
the 0niveisity of ueneva.
To iuentify mouifiable oial
health-ielateu iisk factois, leau
researcher Toshimitsu Iinuma,
from the Nihon University
School of Dentistry, Japan,
and a team of researchers
investigateu associations between
a constellation of oral health
behaviours and incidences of
pneumonia in the elderly (85 or
oluei).
S
ANDWICHES account foi one-
fifth of the bouy's total souium
absorption, new research on the
uietaiy intake of 0S auults shows.
People who ate sandwiches had
significantly highei eneigy intake
than those who uiu not, it founu.
Those who consumed a
sanuwich on the suivey uay took
in, on aveiage, aiounu Suu kilo-
calories more than those who did
not iepoit eating a sanuwich.
Sandwich reporters also
hau highei total souium intake,
aveiaging aiounu 6uu milli-giams
pei uay highei than non-sanuwich
iepoiteis.
"The unanticipateu finuing
that sandwich consumption is
associateu with highei oveiall
intake of eneigy unueiscoies the
impoitance of making healthy
choices of sanuwich ingieuients,"
saiu stuuy co-authoi Cecilia
Wilkinson Enns fiom the 0S
Bepaitment of Agiicultuie anu
Agiicultuial Reseaich Seivice.
"Nany sanuwiches, such as
buigeis anu fianks, anu common
sandwich components, such
as yeast breads, cheese, and
cuieu meats, aie among the top
contributors not only to sodium but
also to eneigy in the uiets of auult
Ameiicans," Enns auueu.
Taiwans technological excellence unveiled
By Kabeer Yousuf
E
vER puzzleu foi having foigotten the lasei pointei at an
impoitant coipoiate piesentation1 0i iegietteu ovei the
electiic kettle that you hau to keep back uue to lack of
space in the backpack on a long uiive1 0i wanteu to have a veiy
handy device to tone your abdomen and biceps?
All youi woiiies will enu when you aie given to know that a
small neeule-like uevice when connecteu to youi smait phone
Av slot can woik as a pointei at the powei point piesentation;
when you get to know that a small, shavei-sizeu piojectoi can
come as a savioi uuiing the uemo; when you aie taken
aback to know that a foluable kettle to the size
of an 0mani 'Kuboos' can uiive youi
qualms of not having a
hot coffee away; anu
when you aie given
a hanu-helu uevice to
woik on youi abuomen.
Bave you evei imagineu that
you can put eveiy nook anu
coinei of youi big
house under sur-
veillance with
the vigilant
eyes of CCTV
and alarm system
and control them from
whichever part of the world you
aie with just R0 Suu1
These are little but mammoth wonders showcased
at the Taiwan Excellence Centre which in itself is a window to
some of the bieathtaking inventions of this countiy that has
caiveu a niche foi itself in IT anu technology.
Suppoiteu by the Ninistiy of Economic Affaiis, the Excel-
lence Pavilion has been offeiing foou foi techno geeks aiounu
the world to have hands on experience in the latest innovations
that is tantamount to a village inuustiy in Taiwan. "These aie in-
novations anu finuings of the Team Excellence Centie anu they
aie steauily attiacting attention of the woilu on a uaily basis," Fei
Wu, Auministiatoi at the Centie saiu.
"The Annual Piouuction value of Taiwan's ICT Sectoi has
been on a steauily giowing moue anu tablet PCs anu seiveis aie
the main giowth uiiveis foi ICT sectoi piouuction value", Feng
Chui, anothei official auueu.
Although theie hau been a spiialing uown effect in the pio-
uuction value giowth in Taiwan's ICT haiuwaie segment in 2u12
due to the impact of the European and US debt crises that led
businesses to become moie cautious in theii spenuing on ICT
equipment, the sales of Tablet PCs iepoiteu a giowing tienu as
the uispaiity in piice between Tablet PCs anu laptops oi uesk-
top PCs has shiunk. Auueu to that, with uemanu foi
seiveis iising because of the
giowth of the
cloud comput-
ing maiket,
the annual
production val-
ue of the global ICT
sector has contin-
ueu to iise.
Taiwan is the
woilu's one of the
important centres
of ICT contract man-
ufactuiing, anu conse-
quently the peifoimance
of the Taiwanese ICT sector as
a whole in 2u12 was quite iespect-
able, with annual piouuction value iising
to appioximately 0S$1Su.S billion, the official
auueu.
The continuing giowth in global shipments of Tab-
let PCs laige multinational seivice pioviueis anu othei
coipoiations aie continuing to invest in clouu computing uata
centies, which is stimulating uemanu foi customiseu seivei
piouucts; anu the uevelopment of new, touch- scieen notebook
PC piouucts has been helping the nation to ensuie some uegiee
of giowth in uemanu foi laptops.
The latest in the series of innovations at the Centre is the
smartphones which are considered to be the Taiwanese ICT
sectoi's new "stai" piouuct. With telecommunications seivice
pioviueis thioughout the woilu investing in 4u LTE (Fouith
ueneiation Nobile Communications Long Teim Evolution) tech-
nology, uemanu foi ielateu communications equipment has
been giowing. Bemanu has also been stimulateu by the compe-
tition between telecommunications service providers and cable
Tv system opeiatois to inciease banuwiuth; this has cieateu ex-
tia uemanu foi bioaubanu access equipment. These factois have
hau a positive impact on netwoikeu communications equipment
piouuction value.
Yet anothei segment of Taiwanese piouucts wheie the woilu
is eageily eying at is the Taiwanese bicycle inuustiy. Taiwan ex-
poiteu neaily 4.S million bicycles in 2u1S, while the aveiage unit
piice of each unit iose 8.86 pei cent to hit 0S $1.8 billion in total
expoit value with Inuia being a highly loyal maiket.
With uiveisifieu piouucts fiom Taiwan, the customei base
is incieasingly connecting itself to the woilu, woiking smaitei,
moving fastei anu living healthiei. Theie has been an incieas-
ing uemanu foi Taiwanese piouucts in countiies like Inuia since
theii intiouuction. "As oui piouucts aie not only ieliable, they
aie also value-woithy, the foiemost objective of the Taiwan Ex-
cellence campaign is to showcase the ieliability, innovation' anu
value-woithy' stiengths of Taiwanese piouucts that will impiess
oui consumeis", he auueu.
A visit to this country, if not for the way the civic authorities
have maintaineu this islanu nation spic anu span, at least to get
woweu by the awe-inspiiing technological auvancements will be
woith a life-time.
The products are
not only reliable,
they are also
value-worthy;
the foremost
objective of the
Taiwan Excellence
campaign is
to showcase
the reliability,
innovation and
value-worthy
strengths of
Taiwanese products
that will impress
the consumers
know that a small, shavei sizeu piojectoi can
i uuiing the uemo; when you aie taken
hat a foluable kettle to the size
uboos' can uiive youi
having a
y; anu
given
vice to
buomen.
ei imagineu that
iy nook anu
ui big
ur-
em
em from
of the world you
Suu1
tle but mammoth wonders showcased
Excellence Centre which in itself is a window to
ue
se
u
w
im
of I
ufactu
quently t
of the Taiwane
a whole in 2u12 w
able, with annual piouu
to appioximately 0S$1Su.S b
auueu.
The continuing giowth in global s
let PCs laige multinational seivice pio
coipoiations aie continuing to invest in clouu
Patience is not simply the ability
to wait its how we behave
while were waiting.
Joyce Meyer, a
Charismatic author
and speaker
A healthy attitude is contagious
but dont wait to catch it from
others. Be a carrier.
Tom Stoppard, a Czech-
born British playwright,
knighted in 1997.
A positive attitude can
really make dreams come
true it did for me.
David Bailey, an
English fashion and
portrait photographer
Quotes of the day
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
12
LIFESTYLE
T
HE Chedi Muscat ap-
pointed Khalid al Kalbani
as the new Director of Hu-
man Resources. Al Kalbani
began his tenure at the helm
of the resorts Human Re-
sources department last
month
Al Kalbani joins The
Chedi Muscat with 10 years
of experience in the Hu-
man Resources sector. He
was previously employed
at Hilton Salalah Resort as
Human Resources Manager.
Prior to this he worked as
the Administrative Affairs
Manager at The University
of Buraimi and The Ministry
of Education, Oman.
Commenting on his ap-
pointment, Al Kalbani
states, My vision is for The
Chedi Muscat to not only
maintain the high levels of
guest satisfaction as well as
staff retention, but to con-
tinue to develop local talent
as well as foreign employ-
ees that have grown with
us in the years that they
have worked with us. I look
forward to working closely
with the Planning Commit-
tee, spearheaded by General
Manager Markus Iseli, on
setting a new level of excel-
lence at Muscats leading
five-stai uestination being
recognised as employer of
choice.
Kalid Al Kalbani
C
ONSUMING a diet high in added sugar could not only lead to
weight gain among kids, but could also negatively affect their
memory, suggested a study.
"The biain is especially vulneiable to uietaiy influences uuiing
critical periods of development, like adolescence, said Scott Kanoski,
corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor at the
University of Southern California in the US. Studying rats as model sub-
jects, scientists found that adolescents were at an increased risk of suf-
fering negative health effects from sweetened beverage consumption.
Adolescent rats that freely consumed large quantities of liquid so-
lutions containing sugar or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in con-
centrations comparable to popular sweetened beverages experienced
memoiy pioblems anu biain inflammation, anu also became pie-ui-
abetic. Neither adult or adolescent rats, who did not consume sugar,
faced the same issues.
The rats were then tested in mazes that probed their spatial mem-
ory ability. Adolescent rats that had consumed the sugary beverages,
particularly HFCS, performed worse on the test than any other group
which may be the iesult of the neuio-inflammation uetecteu in the
hippocampus, Kanoski pointed out.
The hippocampus is a part of the temporal lobe located deep with-
in the brain that controls memory formation.
The study appeared in the journal Hippocampus.
Genes decide if you will
love coffee or not
I
N a fiist, ieseaicheis have
iuentifieu six new genetic
variants associated with habitual
coffee drinking, suggesting
why some people love to have
coffee while others hate to sip it.
The genome-wide large study,
led by the Harvard School of
Public Health and Brigham and
Womens Hospital, helps explain
why a given amount of coffee
or caffeine has varied effects on
different people.
"0ui finuings iuentifies sub-
gioups of people most likely to benefit fiom incieasing oi uecieas-
ing coffee consumption for optimal health, said Marilyn Cornelis,
research associate in department of nutrition at Harvard School of
Public Health. To reach this conclusion, researchers, part of the Coffee
and Caffeine Genetics Consortium, conducted a genome-wide meta-
analysis of more than 120,000 regular coffee drinkers of European
and African-American ancestry.
They iuentifieu six vaiiants that mappeu to genes in aieas involveu
in caffeine metabolism, influencing the iewaiuing effects of caffeine
and involved in glucose and lipid metabolism.
"The finuings suggest that people natuially mouulate theii coffee
intake to experience the optimal effects exerted by caffeine and that
the strongest genetic factors linked to increased coffee intake likely
work by directly increasing caffeine metabolism, Cornelis explained.
Genetics have long been suspected of contributing to individual
differences in response to coffee and caffeine.
Like previous genetic analyses of smoking and alcohol consump-
tion, this ieseaich seives as an example of how genetics can influence
some types of habitual behaviour, added Daniel Chasman, associate
professor at the Brigham and Womens Hospital.
The study appeared online in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Acknowledge your looks to
grab male-dominated jobs
F
OR attractive women who apply for male-dominated jobs,
acknowledging their looks and appearances can put brakes on the
male bias against them, says a research.
Past research shows physical beauty can be detrimental to women
applying foi masculine jobs. But the new stuuy is the fiist to pioviue a
method for curtailing such prejudice against attractive women.
Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder in the US
iuentifieu two main types of sexism that cause people to mentally uis-
qualify women from masculine jobs.
While benevolent sexism causes men to see women as incapable
anu in neeu of piotection fiom job uifficulties, 'hostile sexism' causes
them to see women as violators of gender roles, encroaching on job
turf thats rightfully male, explained lead study author Stefanie John-
son, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship.
For the study, 355 participants were divided into three groups.
Each gioup lookeu at fictitious applications foi a constiuction job
opening. The raters who received the application of the attractive
woman, who had acknowledged her appearance or sex, gave higher
marks than those who received the application of the attractive wom-
an who hadnt acknowledged either, Johnson added.
Sugary drinks could lead
to poor memory in kids
Muscat Chamber Music Series:
A project for talent development
U
NDER the patronage of the ambassadors of Great
Britain, Northern Ireland and Germany, the Mus-
cat Chamber Music Series was launched recently
in an event held at the Residence of the British ambassa-
dor.
About the project, Ahmed Abouzahra, General Man-
ager and founding member of Arabesque International,
says: We are going to give an overall presentation on the
Muscat Chamber Music Series project to the attendees,
hoping to get their support.
It is the fiist unique non-piofit euucational anu
cultural endeavour of its kind in Sultanate of Oman. I
strongly believe in the role of arts and culture in de-
veloping younger generations, and also in their ben-
efits foi the piogiess of cultuie, economy anu all fielus
in general.
The specifically uesigneu Nuscat Chambei Nusic Se-
ries will be a distinguished and effective project, as peo-
ple of all ages will benefit fiom it, especially school anu
university students. It gives an opportunity to our young-
ei geneiations to piofit fiom this pioject anu its iich pio-
gramme which utilises arts and culture as a medium of
education.
Based on our know-how in music and culture and in
projects that focus on education through the medium of
arts, Muscat Chamber Music Series has been designed in
Muscat to meet the demands and wishes of this commu-
nity.
Our focus will be on education and talent develop-
ment, utilising the know-how and experience of top-lev-
el piofessionals in this fielu. 0ne of the gieat benefits of
music, besides its entertainment factor, which is only one
aspect of musics features, is that it can be employed in a
broad range of organised activities.
These can efficiently be utiliseu to suppoit youngei
generations by offering them tools to help them on their
road to excellence. Simple acts such as this one can ben-
efit the youth anu encouiage them to uo theii best on all
paths of life, he added.
Regarding the concept and sequence of the project,
Abouzahra says: We will have about 8 concerts in 2015,
and aim for constant collaboration with governmental
and non-governmental schools as well as universities to
organise and develop the project in the most favourable
way possible.
The professionals we will be bringing in are both high-
ly accomplished performing musicians as well as experi-
enced educators.
The concerts will performed by these musicians as a
finale of a seiies of woikshops. We will be employing a
vaiiety music genies that aie meaningful anu beneficial
for the development of the human being.
ISC Gujarati wing, Salalah celebrates Indian Day
A
S a part of Rangma 2014 Gujarati Vibhag of Indian Social Club
Salalah celebrated Indian Day. It was a cultural evening with a tour
to different regions of India. Seven Wings of Indian Social Club namely
Ladies Forum, Bhojpuri Wing, Karnataka Wing, Malayalam Wing, Punjabi
Wing, Rajasthani Wing and the host wing Gujarati Vibhag participated in
the event. The participants were dressed in their traditional dresses and
performed their respective regions folk dances.
After the performance of all the wings there was a special performance
in which the Indian spirit of Unity in diversity was highlighted where all
the participants paid a tribute to their motherland in the song Vande Ma-
tram.
Gujarati Vibhag took this opportunity to support Prime Minister
Narendra Modis Clean India Drive where they gave an important mes-
sage to treat the world as our home and to take the responsibility to keep
it clean.
The Chedi Muscat
appoints new
HR Director
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
13
INFORMATION / LEISURE
Hospital. . . . . Board. . . . . . . Emergency
Royal . . . . . . . 24599000. . . 24590491
Health Services Department
Muttrah. . . . . . . 24797602
Quriyat . . . . . . . 24845001. . . . 24845003
SQH, Salalah. . . 23211555. . . . 23211151
Police. . . . . . . . . 24603988. . . . 24603980
Al Nahda . . . . . . 24831255. . . . 24837800
Ibn Sina. . . . . . . 24876322. . . . 24877361
Nizwa. . . . . . . . . 25439361. . . . 25425033
Al Rustaq. . . . . . 26875055. . . . 26877186
Sumayil . . . . . . . 25350055. . . . 25350022
Izki . . . . . . . . . . . 25340033. . . . 25340033
Haima . . . . . . . . 23436013. . . . 23436055
Sohar . . . . . . . . . 26840022. . . . 26840099
Al Buraimi . . . . . 25650855. . . . 25652319
Sur . . . . . . . . . . . 25440244. . . . 25461373
Tanam . . . . . . . . 25499011. . . . 25499033
Masirah. . . . . . . 25404018. . . . 25404018
Ibra. . . . . . . . . . . 25470533. . . . 25470535
Adam. . . . . . . . . 25434167. . . . 25434055
Bidiya . . . . . . . . 25483535. . . . 25483535
Ibri . . . . . . . . . . . 25491011. . . . 25491990
Saham. . . . . . . . 26854427. . . . 26855148
Khasab . . . . . . . 26830187. . . . 26830187
Dibba. . . . . . . . . 26836443. . . . 26836443
Burkha. . . . . . . . 26828397. . . . 26828397
Sinaw. . . . . . . . . 25474338
Hospitals
CART OONS
STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot
GARFIELD by Jim Davis
CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson
ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset
High rate of coral bleaching seen around Hawaiian island of Oahu
By Alex Dobuzinskis
A
SURVEY of coral reefs off the
Hawaiian island of Oahu has
shown warm ocean waters re-
cently contributed to a higher rate of
coral bleaching than the state has seen
in decades, sparking concerns about
the ecosystem, a state official saiu.
The finuings fiom uives last week
by ieseaicheis with the Bawaii Bivi-
sion of Aquatic Resources follows
federal warnings of a possible large
uecline in coial covei in the aichi-
pelago this century due to climate
change anu waiming oceans.
Coral underpins the regions
aquatic ecosystem by pioviuing shel-
tei to countless species of fish, anu
Bawaii's vaiieu maiine life suppoits
the local economy by attiacting visi-
tois fiom aiounu the woilu.
People come to Hawaii to see cor-
als, they come to Hawaii to use our
oceans," saiu Fiazei Ncuilviay, au-
ministiatoi of the Bivision of Aquatic
Resouices."If oui coials uie, it coulu
potentially take a long, long time for
them to iecovei."
He said that when ocean waters
warm, it distresses coral and leads
the organism to expel the algae that
is vital to its suivival, which in tuin
causes bleaching of the coial.
As water temperatures cool, coral
can iecovei its coloui, anu it iemains
unclear how much of the coral has
died as it has bleached white, McGil-
viay saiu. The suivey uiu not piouuce
forecasts for how much of the coral
may uie fiom the bleaching.
Be saiu his agency hau ieceiveu
reports of coral bleaching throughout
the aichipelago so it sent uiveis to in-
vestigate in the wateis of Waimanalo,
Lanikai and Kaneohe Bay, all sites
aiounu the Bawaiian islanu of 0ahu.
The suivey founu 7S pei cent of
major reef-building coral at those
sites was showing signs of bleach-
ing, Ncuilviay saiu, auuing that the
last time researchers saw a similar
rate of bleaching in Hawaiis ocean
wateis was in 1996, anu even then it
was less seveie. "It's pietty alaiming,"
Ncuilviay saiu. "That's a high, high
peicentage of coials to be bleaching."
The bleaching comes as Hawaii
has expeiienceu a iecent waim spell.
Biveis with the Bivision of Aquatic
Resouices have measuieu ocean tem-
peiatuies of aiounu 8S uegiees Fahi-
enheit (29.4 Celsius), which is highei
than the noimal iange of 72 uegiees
to 78 uegiees (22.2 to 2S.S C), Ncuil-
viay saiu. Reuteis
Lab sleuths help art world uncover fakes
By Nina Larson
D
RESSED in an immaculate white lab
coat, Sandra Mottaz stares intently
through a stereo microscope at a bold-
coloured painting purportedly by French
master Fernand Leger, searching for signs of
foigeiy.
"Beie, we can make out veitical lines in
what could be a grid, Mottaz says, looking up
fiom the shiny white instiument pioviuing a
thiee-uimensional view of the painting.
That could signal the painting is a fake, but
aitists themselves also use the technique to
copy their own work onto different formats,
so moie tests aie neeueu, she says.
Mottaz and her colleagues at the Fine Arts
Expeit Institute (FAEI) use cutting-euge sci-
entific methous like iauiocaibon uating anu
infiaieu ieflectogiaphy to ueteimine the au-
thenticity of artworks, and sometimes to un-
covei unknown masteipieces.
"When you buy an apaitment, you always
get an appiaisal fiist. But in the ait woilu, un-
til recently, you could buy works for 10 mil-
lion euios without sufficient uocumentation,"
says FAEI chief Yann Walthei.
But that is changing amid soaring prices in
an art market where works worth an estimat-
eu $6u billion change hanus each yeai.
The ballooning amounts up foi giabs have
also hikeu the incentive foi ait foigeis, anu
scientists like Walthei anu Nottaz aie incieas-
ingly being called upon to supplement efforts
by tiauitional ait expeits anu conseivation-
ists to authenticate woiks.
Half artwork in
circulation fake
The art world has in recent years been
iockeu by foigeiy scanuals, ievealing fake
works attributed to a long line of masters, in-
cluding Paul Gauguin, Marc Chagall, Jackson
Pollock anu Legei.
Experts estimate a full half of all artworks
in ciiculation touay aie fake a numbei that
is uifficult to veiify but that Walthei says is, if
anything, an unueiestimate.
Between 7u anu 9u pei cent of woiks that
pass thiough FAEI tuin out to be fake, he says.
Bis institute sits insiue the ueneva Fieep-
oits, a heavily-guaiueu toll- anu customs-fiee
zone where collectors from around the world
store more than a million artworks, including
Picassos, Van Goghs, Monets and apparently
a Leonaiuo ua vinci. It can be tiicky spotting
fakes with the naked eye, but top-notch lab
equipment helps.
Mottaz carefully carries the Leger to an-
other room where her colleague Valeria Cio-
can uses infiaieu ieflectogiaphy to confiim
the grid underneath the working mans face,
supposeuly painteu in 19S4.
Lab chief Kilian Anheusei then moves the
piece to the nearby x-ray room, where he de-
termines that the pigments used are different
from the ones Leger usually turned to in the
19Sus.
This is still not hard proof of a forgery, says
Anheuser, who wants to go on to radiocarbon
date the paper, allowing him to determine if
it is from trees felled before or after nuclear
tests caiiieu out in the 19Sus.
If the papei can be uateu to aftei 19SS,
when Legei uieu, the answei will be obvious,
he says, adding though that he needs the go-
aheau fiom the ownei befoie moving foiwaiu
with piiciei tests.
Depending on what tests they run, scien-
tific labs can chaige clients up to 1S,uuu euios
($19,uuu) pei painting, which might sounu
steep until you consiuei the value of many of
the paintings they stuuy.
Analysis adds value
Anothei piece pioviues a staikei example
of what can be found lurking under the sur-
face of paintings that look fine at fiist glance.
A reclining nude attributed to French art-
ist Albert Marquet and dated 1912 looks au-
thentic until Ciocan uses ieflectogiaphy to
expose a tractor painted in great detail under-
neath.
The tiactoi's tyies, ievealingly, aie of a
make that did not hit the market until the
19Sus.
The ieseaich sometimes also ieveals that
a woik is of gieatei value than fiist thought.
Walthei iecalls one of the fiist pieces to
pass thiough the lab: a painting titleu "Wintei
Scene" by 17th centuiy Butch gieat Auam van
Bieen.
The piece, owneu by a ueneva collectoi,
was believeu to be a copy the aitist oi his at-
elier had made of what was thought to be the
oiiginal, which hangs in the Louvie in Paiis.
But the scientists found sketching under-
neath indicating the artists own research,
hinting that the ueneva collectoi's piece was
in fact the oiiginal.
Even without such staitling finuings,
"scientific analysis auus value to aitwoiks",
Walthei says, pointing out that his institute's
ieseaich helps "tell a stoiy", ievealing the ait-
ist's cieative piocess anu the techniques useu.
Art historian and restorer Andrea Hoff-
mann of Ateliei Aite in ueneva agiees that
scientific methous can be useful in some cas-
es. But these methous aie no substitute foi
traditional experts like herself, who draw on
familiarity with an artists style and historical
context to spot pioblems.
Ninety per cent of what can be seen in a
painting can be seen with your eyes, she says,
stressing: That is where experience comes
in." AFP
Fine Arts Expert Institute
IF ITS
YOUR
BIRTHDAY:
A turning point
in your career
for which you
have been
waiting a long
time is quickly
approaching
and the coming
year will see
a number of
favourable
changes. Take
whatever comes
in your stride
and dont jump
to any haste
conclusions.
Social activities
will also show
a marked
improvement.

Y
O
U
R

S
T
A
R
S

CAPRICORN
December 22-
January 20
CANCER
June 22-
July 21
LEO
July 22-
August 21
VIRGO
August 22-
September 22
LIBRA
September 23-
October 22
SCORPIO
October 23-
November 21
SAGITTARIUS
November 22-
December 21
AQUARIUS
January 21-
February 19
PISCES
February 20-
March 20
ARIES
March 21-
April 20
TAURUS
April 21-
May 20
GEMINI
May 21-
June 21
Beciuetobemoieflexibleintheweekaheau
and do away with some old-fashioned
iueas, which aie not veiy effective these
uays. Reoiganise youi piesent lifestyle anu
determine to succeed in your business en-
ueavouis. Theie may be upheavals in youi
uomestic life, but you will be able to cope.
The past few weeks have been success-
ful owing to your realistic approach to
youi caieei anu youi caiefully laiu plans.
This attitude of yours will bring further
progress in the coming weeks as long as
you avoiu anything that may inteifeie with
the smooth iunning of youi activities.
Dont let your family discourage you
from trying a completely new type of
job. They uon't know what you aie ca-
pable of. A long awaiteu lettei will ie-
veal the news you have been waiting foi.
Now you will be able to plan for the long-
teim futuie.
You will be a little tired from being
coopeu up all week in an office oi
shop and in the coming months will
want to finu an occupation which will
biing you moie into the open anu give
you an opportunity to meet lots of
people.
An unpleasant experience in the past may
teach you a lesson about the necessity of
changing your attitude towards certain peo-
ple. It uoes not always pay to put youi caius
on the table anu speak youi minu. A white
lie once in a while would help you to extri-
cate youiself out of embaiiassing situations.
Even though a ceitain slackness exists in
your department dont use it as an excuse
oi justification to neglect youi own woik.
If you appioach youi employei with a
paiticulai iequest you will finu himquite
willing to giant it even though you have
hesitateu about it until now.
A business paitneiship will have to be
soiteu out soon anu unless you finu the
iight solution the ielationship will nevei
be the same again. A pioblem at home will
take up some of your time and you must
be prepared to face some far-reaching
consequences aiising as a iesult.
Forget about the luxuries you are not
likely evei to be able to enjoy anu make
the best of the vaiious pleasuie which
life offeis you now. By keeping a fiim
grip on your expenditure and handling
your resources you will be able to man-
age unuei piesent unsettleu conuitions.
By being blunt with people who do not
come up to your standards you are li-
able to get youiself uislikeu. This ten-
uency shoulu be suppiesseu even if
greater demands are made on you by
people who could do more for them-
selves.
Home life will be much happier in the
coming week and you will be able to
clear up certain aspects from the past
caused by small arguments and misun-
ueistanuings. Nake full use of youi lei-
sure time and try to gather up the energy
you will neeu foi the weeks aheau.
Youi optimistic natuie anu confiuent out-
look for the future will work wonders witha
close fiienu who is, at piesent, in a veiy
uepiesseu state of minu. Youi failuie to
ieceive a ieply to a iepeateu iequest in a
number of e-mails sent may be due to the
iecipient being unwell tiying to get bettei.
Bon't get involveu in a money tiansac-
tion which may be quite clear to the other
party but which you yourself are not able
to fully unueistanu. Aftei a seiies of set-
backs you will be glad to get down to
serious work again and back in your old
familiai ioutine.
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
14
ENTERTAINMENT
A
CTRESS Pieetika Rao is flummoxeu by
iepoits suggesting she is in a ielationship
with the uiiectoi of hei successful seiial
"Beintehaa". She has claiifieu that she is single
anu that she has no time to 'mingle'.
"I uon't know wheie these tall tales come
fiom. Theie aie two uiiectois foi 'Beintehaa'
Ankui Bhatia anu Pushkai Panuit. Both aie
equally fonu of me. If Pushkai calls me Aloo, a
pet-name baseu on my chaiactei's name Aliya, it
is out of his fonuness foi the chaiactei I play.
Seen in that way, Ankui calls me Nallika-e-
Beintehaa," saiu Pieetika.
She blames a photogiaph shaieu on a social
netwoiking platfoim, foi the iomance iumoui.
"I guess this iumoui staiteu when Pushkai
put a pictuie of the two of us on Twittei. I was
flooueu with cuiious queiies about oui chemis-
tiy. But tell me, uoes a pictuie on a social meuia
of two people have to mean a ielationship be-
tween the two," askeu Pieetika.
"The tiuth is that Pushkai anu I aie just coi-
uial fiienus anu colleagues.
I have no knowleuge of oi inteiest in his pei-
sonal life. Right now I'm totally focuseu on my
caieei anu uon't want to get into any uistiacting
situation," she auueu. Woik is my only piioiity
iight now."
Pallavi Sharda gears up
for Australian lm
A
CTRESS Pallavi Shaiua, who maue hei
Bollywoou uebut with "Beshaiam", will soon
begin woikshops to piepaie foi an Austialian
film. "I have just wiappeu my film 'Bawaaizaaua'
anu now I will stait shooting foi my next pioject,
which is an Austialian film in a couple of months.
The film is about a ieal life case.
It's a ciiminal stoiy baseu on a novel wiitten
by Belen uainei," Pallavi saiu. "I will begin the
woikshops foi this film fiom Biwali. I am not al-
loweu to ieveal much about this film."
Neanwhile, talking about hei film "Ba-
waaizaaua", she saiu: "I hau a gieat time shooting
foi this film. I featuie opposite Ayushmann Khui-
iana in the film. It's a peiiou uiama anu I am ea-
geily waiting foi its ielease."
Shivyas case of
mistaken identity
T
ELEVISION actiess Shivya Pathania was in
foi a pleasant suipiise iecently when she
was mistaken foi Bollywoou's voluptuous actiess
Sonakshi Sinha iecently uuiing piomotions foi
hei uebut show "Bumsafais".
"When weie in Lucknow on Septembei 17 foi
the launch of oui show, theie weie some peo-
ple who weie saying Sonakshi Sinha has come.
Initially, I uiu not iealise it, but latei I came to
know that they weie iefeiiing to me. I was quite
suipiiseu," Shivya saiu in a statement. "Sonakshi
is veiy pietty anu if people think I iesemble hei,
then it's suiely a compliment. Bowevei, I woulu
like to be known as Shivya," she auueu.
Shivya, who was ciowneu Niss Shimla in
2u1S, is seen as an aspiiing fashion uesignei in
the Sony Tv's weekly show.
Im single: Preetika Rao
Kafkas The Metamorphosis,
robot style takes centre stage
By Katie Forster
F
RANZ Kafka's seminal woik The Neta-
moiphosis is famous foi its themes of al-
ienation, absuiuity anu now anuioius, as
a iobot takes centie stage in a new theatiical
auaptation.
Acclaimeu }apanese uiiectoi 0iiza Biiata
woikeu with leauing ioboticist Biioshi Ishig-
uio to cieate the stai of the show, a tall gangly
iobot with a metal skeleton anu white human-
like face anu hanus.
"Even though people ieact when they see a
iobot, you can tell people aie not moveu by it,"
Biiata saiu. "I wanteu to cieate a situation in
which a iobot coulu move an auuience."
In Kafka's 191S novella, tiavelling salesman
uiegoi Samsa wakes up one moining inexplica-
bly tiansfoimeu into a iepulsive insect, causing
his family to hiue him away in shame anu uis-
gust.
Biiata's piouuction swaps the big bug foi a
colu silvei fiame anu an automateu voice, test-
ing the uiamatic timing of foui Fiench actois
chosen to play his family. The company iobot
incluueu woikeu on the play foi a month in
the iemote town of Kinosaki in westein }apan.
The show, titleu "La Netamoiphose vei-
sion Anuioiue", will now open foi a shoit iun
in Yokohama tomoiiow anu then tiavel to Eu-
iope to kick off the "Autumn Festival Noiman-
uy" next month in Fiance.
Awaiu winning actiess Iiene }acob piaiseu
the acting skills of hei on-stage anuioiu son.
"It's a bit like a white mask, as we say in
Fiench 'Nasque Blanc', in theatie," she saiu.
"It has something quite theatiical aliight...
sometimes he can smile a little bit oi even
laugh." Some may see the iobot as a canny
choice to illustiate the book's uiscussion of iso-
lation in mouein capitalist society, which ieso-
nates in the technology-obsesseu piesent uay,
neaily 1uu yeais since the stoiy was publisheu.
Ishiguio, heau of a iobotics lab at 0saka
0niveisity, is a well-known figuie in }apan
who has alieauy stageu seveial plays featuiing
iobots with Biiata. But this is the fiist to be
peifoimeu in a language othei than }apanese
the piouuction is in Fiench with }apanese
suititles.
In the past, Ishiguio has cieateu a iobot
baseu on himself, an anuioiu newscast-
ei, anu a cheeky talking humanoiu iobot
calleu Peppei. AFP
W
BENEvER actiess Angelina
}olie looks at hei chiluien,
she feels connecteu to hei late
mothei Naicheline Beitianu, who
passeu away in 2uu7 aftei a long
battle with ovaiian cancei.
}olie talkeu about hei mothei's
legacy uuiing an inteiview with
Fiench Naiie Claiie, iepoits peo-
ple.com.
"I'm not ceitain... I feel in con-
tact with my mothei when I look at
my chiluien. I can feel hei influ-
ence ovei me then. I see that my
way of iaising them iesembles the
way she iaiseu my biothei anu I.
"It's moie appaient with my uaughteis Shiloh anu vivienne.
Theiefoie, yes, my mothei is theie, piesent in this influence, all the
time," }olie saiu when askeu whethei she believes in life aftei ueath.
The S9-yeai-olu stai, who honouieu hei mothei at hei weuuing
with actoi Biau Pitt in August, uesciibes hei mum as "veiy soft", but
someone who "coulu move mountains foi hei kius".
"That's something I always aumiie in women: that mix of softness
anu stiength. She was half Inuian, anu I iemembei that as a small giil,
she took me to a uinnei foi Amnesty Inteinational," }olie saiu.
The "Naleficent" stai has six chiluien Nauuox, 1S, Pax, 1u,
Zahaia, 9, Shiloh, 8, anu five-yeai-olu twins vivienne anu Knox.
Jennifer calls photo leak a crime
O
SCAR winnei }ennifei Lawience
bioke hei silence about the
publication of leakeu piivate pictuies
online anu calleu the inciuent a
sexual offence, accoiuing to an
inteiview publisheu on vanityfaii.
com on Tuesuay.
"It is a sexual violation. The
law neeus to be changeu," saiu the
24-yeai-olu actiess in the inteiview.
Buiing the attack in August, hackeis
stole photos anu viueos, fiom uozens
of celebiities, incluuing actiess
}ennifei Lawience anu mouel Kate
0pton, anu ieleaseu them on the
Inteinet.
Lawience was one of the fiist
victims of the attack. The inteiview was the fiist public statement the
actiess has maue about the piivacy violation.
She saiu she hau tiieu wiiting a statement befoie, but she staiteu to
ciy oi became angiy eveiy time.
"It's my bouy, anu it shoulu be my choice, anu the fact that it is not
my choice is absolutely uisgusting," saiu Lawience, who also feels she
uoes not have to apologise foi having the pictuies.
The actiess also shaieu hei fiustiation with those who seaicheu foi
anu vieweu the images online.
"Anybouy who lookeu at those pictuies, you'ie peipetuating a
sexual offence," she saiu. The attackeis hau hackeu online piofiles of
the accounts of uozens of celebiities stoieu on Apple's uata stoiage
seivices iClouu.
Secuiity questions askeu of useis when they sign up foi an account
noimally help secuie online piofiles, but they make celebiities'
accounts especially vulneiable since the answeis to the questions
aie easiei to obtain. Since then Apple has piomiseu to enhance theii
secuiity system. upa
Jessie J supports amazing Justin Bieber
S
INuER }essie } says she sent a
message of suppoit to }ustin
Biebei uuiing the pop stai's
tuibulent peiiou eailiei this
yeai.
As Biebei's legal anu peison-
al pioblems began to mount,
}essie initially penneu a hanu-
wiitten lettei to him telling the
"Baby" hitmakei he is "amaz-
ing", iepoits contactmusic.com.
Speaking in The Sun news-
papei, she saiu: "I just felt like it
was my uuty.
I hanu-wiote it, olu school.
I was just like, 'I'm heie, you'ie
amazing'.
"Be's young anu he's got so
much piessuie on him. It's
easy foi people to comment
when he's having a photo
taken of him, but you
uon't see what we see.
"When it's just a
pictuie of us, you'ie
not seeing the hun-
uieus of people
pushing you, kicking
you anu huiling abuse
at you.
Sometimes even the people
you may fiown upon, whose
behavioui you may fiown
upon, they'ie the ones that
neeu the most help," she
auueu.
}essie eventually maue
the uecision not to post
the lettei as she felt it
might be inappiopiiate
to senu it to someone
who she uoesn't know.
Bowevei, the
26-yeai-olu uiu give a
message to Biebei, 2u,
telling him she was avail-
able to talk if he wanteu to.
She saiu: "I just uiun't
think it was my place.
I know people who
know him, so I
coulu have got
it (the lettei) to
him. But insteau
I just maue suie
his people knew
I was available to
speak to me
as I have been to
many aitists."
Actress Liana Liberato poses on arrival for the world premiere of
the fllm The Best of Mein Los Angeles on Tuesday. AFP
French actress Irene Jacob performing with android Repliee S1 during a dress rehearsal in
Yokohama, Tokyo. AFP
ays she sent a
oit to }ustin
pop stai's
iliei this
u peison-
mount,
a hanu-
lling the
"amaz-
sic.com.
n news-
elt like it
olu school.
heie, you'ie
s got so
m. It's
mment
hoto
ou
Sometimes
you may f
behaviou
upon, th
neeu t
auueu
}es
the u
the l
migh
to s
who
B
26-ye
messa
telling
able to t
Sh
thi
I
Kunis, Kutcher perfect parents!
F
RIENBS of celebiity couple anu new
paients Nila Kunis anu Ashton Kutchei
aie vouching foi theii paienting skills.
"Nila was boin to be a mom," people.com
quoteu a souice as saying.
The couple, who announceu theii
engagement in Febiuaiy this yeai,
welcomeu theii uaughtei Wyatt Isabelle
Kutchei on Septembei Su.
"The couple have been family-oiienteu
fiom the stait, anu welcoming theii
uaughtei, Wyatt Isabelle, is the best
thing that coulu have happeneu to theii
ielationship.
"Ashton wanteu to be a paient foi so long.
Be is ieauy to uo anything necessaiy to take
caie of the baby.
Be is ecstatic," saiu a souice close to
Kunis. "She is a kiu heiself anu will be the
best mom evei. She will nevei be a glamoui-
puss. Theii lives will change, but not neaily
as uiastically as othei couples, because
they weie so ieauy to be paients anu knew
what iesponsibilities they hau in stoie," the
souice auueu.
Accoiuing to anothei souice, Kunis, S1,
anu Kutchei, S6, spent last weekenu at theii
home intiouucing theii little one to theii
fiienus.
Kids help Jolie connect with her mum
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
15
ANALYSIS
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are soIeIy those of the authors and do not reect the opinion of the Observer.
By Steve Holland
M
ITT Romney, day in and day out, hears it wherever he goes, whether
at campaign events for Republican congressional candidates, restau-
rants, or private dinners, the message is the same run for president
in 2u16. Romney associates say he is flatteieu by the attention anu believes
he would have done a better job if he had defeated the Democratic incumbent
President Barack Obama in 2012 when he was the Republican nominee.
But Romney typically insists in public that he is not going to run for a third
time after losses in 2008 and 2012.
Im not running and Im not planning on running. Ive got nothing to add
to that story, he told supporters during a stop this week at Atlantas Varsity
restaurant, where he had a hot dog and onion rings, according to the Marietta
DailyJournal.
Still, friends and former aides say, he could seek the nomination if a series
of events plays out in his favoui, chiefly that no single poweihouse emeiges
fiom what is expecteu to be a ciowueu fielu of Republicans vying foi the pai-
tys nod. Some Republicans who know Romney well are advising him to tread
carefully. Im sure there are people who invested a lot in him last time who
are urging him to consider it, said Republican Senator John McCain from Ari-
zona, the partys 2008 nominee.
"I think it's fine if he consiueis it. But at the same time I think Nitt woulu
have to feel that he has a real strong shot at winning because it is such a very,
very tough ordeal not only on the candidate but also on the family, McCain
said on Monday.
One thing that hes got going for him is everybody in the Republican Party
likes Mitt Romney. They may not think he ran the best campaign, but hes such
a very decent human being, he certainly checks the box for likeability amongst
the Republican Party, McCain added.
Karl Rove, the Republican strategist who was the architect of George W
Bushs 2000 and 2004 campaigns, was similarly cautious.
If he were to do this again, it would be the equivalent of running three
back-to-back-to-back marathons, Rove said on Monday. It would require ba-
sically a years commitment to the primary and another year commitment to
the general election. Thats a hard thing to ask of anybody in politics.
Romney has stoked some of the 2016 speculation himself. He has gone
from absolutely ruling it out in the months after he lost the 2012 election to
equivocating in more recent public comments.Well see what happens, he
told the New York TimesMagazine.
He has clearly been energised by the attention he has drawn in campaign-
ing for congressional candidates ahead of the November 4 elections, most re-
cently on a swing through Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Michigan, Kentucky
and Louisiana. Polls are sounding an encouraging note.
A USA Today/Suffolk University poll in August said 35 per cent of Republi-
can voters in Iowa, which Romney narrowly lost in the 2012 Republican cau-
cuses, would go for him in 2016, far better than any other potential candidate.
A Romney run would depend on whether any of the current crop of potential
canuiuates caught fiie.
Announcements are expected to begin shortly after the November 4 elec-
tions and continue well into 2015.
Possible contenders range from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to New
Jersey Governor Chris Christie to a trio of senators: Marco Rubio of Florida,
Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas.
A doubtful race
Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney signs a book as he
greets the lunch crowd at the Varsity last week in Atlanta. AP
P
RESIDENT Dilma Rousseffs strategy of slamming
bankers and playing up class divisions may give
her the edge in this months election but it further
strains relations with business leaders just as Brazils
stagnant economy badly needs fresh investment.
The leftist incumbent, who leu the fiist iounu of voting
on Sunday and now faces market favourite Aecio Neves in
an October 26 runoff, is using heavy government spend-
ing and some tough rhetoric to shore up her support
among Brazils poor.
The ruling Workers Party has used a similar approach
to win the last three presidential elections in a country
with a vast wealth gap, and Rousseff is doubling down on
it in Brazils closest and most volatile campaign in dec-
ades. She is focusing on her partys impressive record
of reducing poverty during its 12 years in power while
portraying Neves Brazilian Socialist Democracy Party
(PSDB), which led the country in 1995 to 2002, as behold-
en to the wealthy.
Were going to have another dispute with the PSDB,
which governed for a third of the population and forgot
the neediest, Rousseff said on Sunday night after Neves
had a last-minute surge in support to grab second place
and a runoff spot. She hammered on the same theme on
Monday, lambasting the PSDB as the party of the rich and
dismissing a market rally following Neves strong showing
as irrelevant.
Investors can do all they want, but they dont win elec-
tions, Rousseff said. The people win elections.
Last month, her team ran a TV ad criticising the pro-
posals of another market-friendly rival by showing bank-
ers in suits sitting around a table and laughing as food dis-
appeared from the plates of a poor family.
Rousseffs advisers believe the campaign does no last-
ing damage because investors understand that attacks on
bankers are part of the election process since the global
financial ciisis, even in the 0niteu States anu othei iich
countries.
I think the rhetoric that we see against the private sec-
toi will fizzle veiy quickly if she wins," saiu Cailos Thaueu
de Freitas, chief economist with Brazils National Confed-
eration of Commerce and a former central bank director.
Yet others say the Workers Party approach is more
dangerous than in the last three elections, because of the
particular problems facing Latin Americas largest econ-
omy. Last decade, Brazil grew nearly 4 per cent a year
thanks to hefty demand for commodities from China and
a big rise in consumer credit and spending.
But growth has slowed to below 2 per cent a year un-
der Rousseff due to infrastructure bottlenecks and other
supply-siue pioblems that only investment can fix.
Rousseff already had a poor reputation among inves-
tors who distrust her penchant for state intervention in
the economy. Several senior executives said that Rous-
seffs campaign rhetoric may prevent her from repeating
effoits, seen uuiing hei fiist teim, to ieach out to leaueis
in inuustiy anu finance, a "chaim offensive" aimeu at win-
ning theii confiuence.
If she thinks were marching up to Brasilia again next
yeai, she can foiget it," a leauing financial executive in Sao
Paulo said on condition of anonymity.
Most investors and business leaders in Brazil want a
change in government, largely because of the weaker eco-
nomic giowth anu public finances.
The government all but abandoned its 2014 budget
savings target as it ramped up spending on social pro-
grammes and projects in what critics say was an election-
year effort to shore up support among the poor and its
coalition partners in Congress.
Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva used a simi-
lar strategy in 2010 to help ensure that Rousseff, his cho-
sen successor, won the election.
In polls taken befoie the fiist iounu of voting on Sun-
day, Rousseff led Neves by about 6 percentage points
in the event of a runoff. That was due to a 22-point lead
among voters in households earning less than about $700
a month who account for about 40 per cent of the elec-
torate. Neves led among all other income groups.
The shoit-teim benefits to heavy spenuing aie obvious
but it could create a major budget headache for Rousseff
or Neves, if he pulls off an upset. The deterioration of
the countiy's finances is such that whoevei wins the pies-
idency will have very little room to maneuver next year,
Naicos Nenues, a fiscal consultant.
Rousseff election strategy digs deeper hole for economy
The leftist incumbent,
who now faces market
favourite Aecio Neves
in a runoff, is using
tough rhetoric to shore
up her support, writes
Brian Winter
S
TUDENT protesters galvanised Hong
Kongs pro-democracy movement with
their energy and ideological zeal, bring-
ing tens of thousands of people on to the
stieets in a show of uefiance against Beijing.
People young and old speak of a new era
of civil disobedience for an already well-estab-
lished movement, with young and politically
engaged activists more willing to stand up for
what they believe to be right.
As events of the last 12 days prove, how-
evei, sustaining momentum is uifficult, anu
whatever success protesters had in pressur-
ing the government by disrupting city life,
they will always come up against a formidable
foe mainland China. Protest numbers have
dwindled markedly to a few hundred people
at times, and the focus for pro-democracy ac-
tivists has switched to talks scheduled for to-
moiiow with key officials in the Bong Kong
administration.
Already leaders among students and the
Occupy movement, as well as tacticians in
the citys pro-democracy camp, say they are
doubtful of an outcome that will pacify radical
and moderate demonstrators, possibly paving
the way for another crackdown. Protesters
core demands, namely full democracy in Hong
Kong including an open nomination process
for elections for the citys next leader in 2017,
are not even on the agenda.
After the talks there will likely be another
crisis, said pro-democracy lawmaker Lee
Cheuk-yan, who has helped advise the stu-
dents behind the scenes.
You dont know what each party will do
and what will trigger a crackdown or a back-
uown. It's veiy uifficult to say."
The sticking point is China, which has the
final say on what concessions, if any, it might
grant Hong Kong.
So far, all the signs point to it not budg-
ing from an August 31 decision to restrict
nominations for the 2017 poll to candidates
who get majority backing from a committee
stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists.
That begs the question of what next for a
movement that has lost much of its popular
support as Hong Kong citizens count the cost
of the disruption it has caused.
Crisis resolution is important right now,
said Kuan Hsin-chi, emeritus professor of poli-
tics at Hong Kongs Chinese University who
has been close to protest leaders.
Its not the time for getting concrete re-
form policies or principles.
A forced police clearance carries the risk
of stoking fresh retaliatory blockades, while
protest leaders have refused to withdraw giv-
en that their demands for full democracy and
for Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying to quit
have not been met.
If the discussions do not yield the results
we want, we will continue the occupation,
said Lester Shum of the Hong Kong Federation
of Students.
The protests have been the most disrup-
tive and prolonged for decades in Hong Kong,
affecting core shopping and government dis-
tricts. The trigger was Beijings decision to al-
low only pre-screened candidates to run for
chief executive in 2017.
The turmoil presented the Chinese leader-
ship with one of its biggest political challenges
since it crushed pro-democracy protests in
and around Tiananmen Square in 1989.
An editorial in the Chinese Communist
Party mouthpiece, the PeoplesDaily, criticised
what it called a small number of protesters for
daydreaming that they could incite a colour
revolution in China through the Hong Kong
occupation movement.
Hong Kong protesters face stark choices
Policemen stand in front a barricade in Hong Kongs Mongkok district on Tuesday. AFP
Protest numbers have
dwindled markedly to
a few hundred people
at times, and the
focus for the activists
has switched to talks
scheduled for tomorrow
witb key ofjiciols,
writes James Pomfret
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
16
THE WORLD
Snowden, Pope tipped for peace Nobel
OSLO The race for the Nobel peace prize, to
be announced tomorrow, has rarely been as
open or unpredictable, experts say, with the
pope and Edward Snowden tipped as possible
winners. Snowden, the former intelligence ana-
lyst who revealed the extent of US global eaves-
dropping, was one of the joint winners of the
alternative Nobel peace prize last month.
A hero to some and a traitor to others, he
would be a highly controversial choice for the
878,000-euro ($1.11-million) award.
The Pakistani girls education campaigner
Malala Yousafzai who was also a favour-
ite last year is also said to be in the running
along with Pope Francis for his defence of the
pooi, anu a }apanese pacifist gioup.
Predicting the winner is even harder than
usual this year, as the Nobel committee has re-
ceived a record 278 candidates, with experts
only having the names of those made public by
their sponsors to go on.
Snowden, a former National Security Agency
(NSA) analyst, was proposed by two Norwegian
members of parliament.
Last month he shared the alternative
$210,000 Norwegian Right Livelihood Award
with The Guardian newspaper and human
rights and environmental activists.
But from his exile in Russia, the US fugitive
said during a recent press conference that it is
somewhat unlikely that the Nobel committee
would back... him winning the real Nobel.
However, other Russian-based individuals or
groups could be a popular choice for the Nobel
Committee. Russias policy in Ukraine, annex-
ing Crimea and questioning borders, but also
the way the Kremlin treats dissenters cannot be
ignored by the Nobel committee, said Antoine
Jacob, author of a history of the Nobel prizes.
For the Nobel committee president Thorbjo-
ern Jagland, sanctioning Moscow would... be a
way to prove that he acts independently, since
(Jagland) is (also) the Secretary General of the
Council of Europe, which counts Russia as a
member, Jacob said.
Co-founded by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993
with part of his peace prize money, the pro-
democracy Moscow newspaper Novaya Gazeta
has been tipped as a possible laureate.
It is one of the few independent media out-
lets left in Russia and has seen several of its
journalists murdered, including Anna Politko-
vskaya who exposed huge human rights abuses
in Chechnya.
Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the
Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), a leading
peace prize analyst and one of the few to pub-
lish a shortlist, revised his prediction in the last
week, putting the peace group Japanese Peo-
ple Who Conserve Article 9 which wants to
maintain the Asian countrys anti-war constitu-
tion in fiist place aheau of Nalala.
We may have come to think of wars between
states as virtually extinct after the end of the
Cold War, but events in Ukraine and simmering
tensions in East Asia remind us they may reap-
pear, and a return to a principle often hailed in
earlier periods of the Peace Prize would be well
timed, he wrote in an online explanation of his
choice. Harpviken who has yet to accurately
predict a peace prize winner, despite his exper-
tise ranked Snowden and Novaya Gazeta in
second and third place. AFP
Romanian born
Chemistry laureate
Stefan Hell thought
Nobel call was hoax
STOCKHOLM Stefan Hell, co-win-
ner of this years Nobel Chemistry
Prize, was quietly checking a sci-
entific papei when the phone iang
yesterday with what he thought ini-
tially was a prank call.
It was a total surprise, I couldnt
believe it. The fiist moment I
thought it was perhaps a hoax, he
told the Nobel Foundation.
But I remembered the voice of
(Nobel Committee member) Pro-
fessor Normark and then I real-
ised there were also other people
around... and so its serious.
But rather than jump for joy
at the news from Stockholm, the
51-year-old scientist awarded
for his work that led to the devel-
opment of ultra-powerful micro-
scopes that have revolutionised dis-
ease and drug research carried
on reading. I read the paragraph
I wanted to read to the end and
then I called up my wife and tried to
reach some of the people who are
close to me, he said, adding that he
had locked himself away from the
barrage of phone calls and inter-
view requests.
Romanian-born Hell, a German
citizen, heads the Max Planck Insti-
tute for Biophysical Chemistry in
Goetingen, Germany and won the
Nobel jointly with US researchers
Eric Betzig and William Moerner.
Working separately, the trio de-
fieu the conventional wisuom that
it was impossible to improve the
resolution of microscopes beyond
around 200 nanometres (200 bil-
lionths of a metre) due a so-called
uiffiaction baiiiei iuentifieu by mi-
croscopist Ernst Abbe in 1873.
Hell said his research met sig-
nificant iesistance in the scientific
community at fiist. "People believeu
this barrier has been around since
1873 and the resolution is what it
is and doing something about it is...
kind of crazy, not very realistic, he
said in an interview with the Nobel
Committee. AFP
Brazil power-broker Silva
likely to back rival Neves
BRASi LIA Enviionmentalist Naii-
na Silva, who emerged as a key pow-
ei-biokei aftei Biazil's fiist-iounu
election, is leaning toward endorsing
business favourite Aecio Neves for
president, though it could provoke
a rift with her party, reports said on
Tuesday.
Silvas Socialist party was plan-
ning yesterday to unveil its strategy
for the October 26 run-off after she
finisheu thiiu on Sunuay behinu left-
ist incumbent Dilma Rousseff of the
Workers Party (PT) and Neves of the
Social Democracy Party (PSDB). Ad-
visers close to Silva indicated it was
unlikely she would back Rousseff,
with whom she had a tense relation-
ship when they were both PT mem-
bers serving under former president
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
"The election iesults ieflect uis-
satisfaction with current conditions
in Brazil, and a desire for change, Sil-
va said on Tuesday. But she stressed
her allies would make an independ-
ent decision on whom to back. Silva
wants Neves to meet some of her
own pledges, including devoting 10
per cent of GDP to education and
cieating a single five-yeai teim foi
president rather than the current
maximum of two consecutive four-
year mandates. PT chairman Rui
Falcao responded, saying Rousseff
was ready to modify her program to
draw in support from Silva voters.
If there were some changes that do
not compromise our key pledges and
proposals fundamental to our project
then there is no problem, Falcao told
journalists. AFP
Pope Francis at St Peters square yesterday
in the Vatican. AFP
Ebola claims first victim in
America as Texas patient dies
WASHINGTON A Liberian man
who was the fiist peison uiagnoseu
with Ebola outside of Africa has died
in a Texas hospital, officials saiu yes-
terday. It is with profound sadness
and heartfelt disappointment that
we must inform you of the death of
Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at
7:51 am (1251 GMT), said the state-
ment from Texas Health Presbyterian
Hospital Dallas spokesman Wendell
Watson.
Mr. Duncan succumbed to an in-
sidious disease, Ebola. He fought cou-
rageously in this battle.
Meanwhile, US media reported
that airports were to begin tougher
screening of passengers arriving
from the West African nations where
Ebola has killed more than 3,400 peo-
ple since the beginning of the year.
Quoting a feueial official, the
Washington Post reported that trave-
lers from West Africa would be sub-
jecteu to Ebola scieening at five 0S
airports -- Atlanta, Chicagos OHare,
New Yorks JFK and Newark airports
and Dulles in Washington as early
as this weekend.
CNN, also citing anonymous sourc-
es, said temperatures would be taken
of travelers from a so-called Ebola
zone, including Guinea, Sierra Leone,
Liberia and Nigeria.
NBC News added that travelers
woulu be askeu to fill out question-
naiies as well Buncan flew fiom Libe-
ria to Texas to visit family, arriving in
Dallas on September 20.
He began feeling sick four days lat-
er, but was not hospitalized until Sep-
tember 28. The Texas health care sys-
tem came under heavy criticism for
initially turning Duncan away when
he fiist sought caie on Septembei 2S.
Duncan was sent home even after
he reported Ebola-like symptoms and
said he had recently traveled from Li-
beria, the hardest-hit nation in the
current outbreak.
The past week has been an enor-
mous test of our health system, but
for one family it has been far more
personal.
Today they lost a dear member of
their family, said Texas health com-
missioner David Lakey.
They have our sincere condolenc-
es, and we are keeping them in our
thoughts.
Lakey said that the medical team
in Texas has provided excellent and
compassionate care, but Ebola is a
disease that attacks the body in many
ways.
Duncans condition worsened
from serious to critical over the
weekend.
On Saturday, he began receiving an
experimental treatment called brinci-
dofovir.
On Monday, doctors said his liver
function had declined, and that he
was on a ventilator and was receiving
kidney dialysis.
Bealth officials aie monitoiing
dozens of people who may have come
in contact with Duncan, including
about 10 who are considered at high
risk of contracting Ebola.
The virus is spread through close
contact with the bouily fluius of an
infected person, or by touching the
corpse of a person who has died of
Ebola, experts say.
US hospitals in Nebraska and
Georgia have successfully treated and
released three American missionar-
ies who were infected with Ebola in
West Africa. AFP
'Blood moon' awes shy watcbers in Americas and Asia
WASHINGTON Stargazers in the
Americas and Asia were treated to
a lunar eclipse yesterday, a celestial
show that bathed the moon in a red-
dish tint to create a blood moon.
During the total lunar eclipse, light
beams into Eaith's shauow, filling it
with a coppery glow that gives it a
red hue.
The early phase of the eclipse be-
gan at 0800 GMT, or 4:00 am, on the
east coast of the United States.
Nasa provided live footage via tel-
escope of the eclipse, showing a black
shadow creeping across the moon in
a crawl that took about an hour.
Only when the moon was totally
eclipsed did the redness appear.
The total eclipse was also to last
about an hour, and ditto for the re-
turn to its normal colour.
The Nasa web site was peppered
with Tweets bubbling with questions
and comments on the heavenly phe-
nomenon.
Is there any crime increase dur-
ing this process? Any psychologi-
cal problems? wrote a person who
iuentifieu heiself as Alisa Young.
A Nasa commentator explained
that during the total eclipse, if you
were standing on the moon and look-
ing at the earth, you would see it all
black, with iing of fiie aiounu it.
In Tokyos Roppongi fashion and
entertainment district, enthusiasts
performed yoga exercises under
the blood moon. Many others had
climbed atop the citys skyscrapers
to view the sky.
The event was not visible in Africa
or Europe, Nasa said. The eclipse is
the second of four total lunar eclips-
es, which staiteu with a fiist "bloou
moon on April 15, in a series as-
tronomers call a tetrad. The next two
total lunar eclipses will be on April 4
and September 28 of next year. The
last time a tetrad took place was in
2003-2004, with the next predicted
for 2032-2033. AFP The moon turns orange during a total lunar eclipse in Toronto yesterday. Reuters
Buffett would bet
money on Clinton
becoming president
WASHINGTON Billionaire inves-
tor Warren Buffett said on Tuesday
he would bet money on Hillary Clin-
ton (pictured below) becoming the
next president of the United States.
Hillary is going to run, Buffett
said at Fortune magazines Most
Powerful Women Summit in Cali-
fornia. Hillary is going to win, he
added.I will bet money on it, I dont
do that easily.
Clinton, who turns 67 on October
26, is widely expected to announce
her candidacy for the 2016 presi-
dential elections at the start of next
year. He didnt have any particular
predictions about who would win
the Republican nomination.
Buffett, who heads the Berkshire
Hathaway company, is a staunch ally
of President Barack Obama. AFP
Mexico faces pressure over missing students
IGUALA Mexico faced growing interna-
tional pressure on Tuesday to solve the dis-
appearance of 43 students who vanished
after they were attacked by police linked to
a drug gang.
The United States and the Organisation
of American States joined appeals for the
countiy to finu the young men, who weie
last seen 10 days ago in Iguala, a city in the
violence-plagued southern state of Guer-
rero.
Fears over their fate rose over the week-
end after authorities found a mass grave
up a steep hill outside Iguala containing
28 uniuentifieu anu bauly buineu bouies.
Two gang hitmen told investigators they
had executed 17 of the 43 young men and
dumped them in pits.
But authorities say it will take at least
two weeks foi BNA tests to confiim the vic-
tims identities. This is a troubling crime
that demands a full, transparent investiga-
tion, said US State Department spokes-
woman Jen Psaki.The perpetrators must
be brought to justice. OAS Secretary Gen-
eral Jose Miguel Insulza called for the clar-
ification of the muiueis that have biought
grief not only to the Mexican people, but to
all the countries of the Americas.
While authorities say the motive re-
mains under investigation, Guerreros gov-
ernor said one theory is that the police at-
tacked the students because the mayors
wife was concerned they would disrupt
a speech she was giving that day.Mexican
President Enrique Pena Nieto deployed
hundreds of federal police to Iguala on
Monday to take over security and disarm
the municipal police force.
The attoiney geneial's office uispatcheu
30 investigators, criminologists and foren-
sic experts to crack the case, which could
iank among the most hoiiific in a uiug
war that has left 80,000 people dead and
22,000 missing since 2006. AFP
Students from Ayotzinapa Teacher Training College Raul
Isidro Burgos hold pictures of missing students outside the
General Attorney building in Chilpancingo.
Kenyas Uhuru Kenyatta talks to his lawyer Steven Kay, right, when
appearing before the International Criminal Court in The Hague,
Netherlands, yesterday, to appeal for the crimes against humanity
case against him to be dropped for lack of evidence. Kenyatta, who
temporarily handed the presidency to his deputy to avoid becoming
the flrxt xlttlng heuJ of xtute to uppeur ut the court, xuyx proxecutorx
huve lnxufflclent evlJence to merlt puttlng hlm on trlul for ullegeJly
instigating violence after Kenyas 2007 elections that left more than
1,000 people dead. AP
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
17
SPORT
Smith, Johnson lead rout of Pakistan
DUBAI Steven Smith scored a
maiden one day hundred while pace-
man Mitchell Johnson took three
wickets to help Australia beat Paki-
stan by 9S iuns in the fiist uay-night
international on Tuesday.
Smith, who had never scored a
half-centuiy in one-uay games befoie,
manageu a seuate 118-ball 1u1 to
guiue Austialia to a challenging 2SS-
8 befoie bowleis exposeu Pakistan's
fiagile batting to bowl them out foi
162 in S6.S oveis at the Shaijah sta-
dium.
}ohnson (S-24) combineu with
off-spinneis ulenn Naxwell (2-29)
anu Nathan Lyon (2-SS) bowleu with
venom anu guile to ueiail Pakistan's
chase foi Austialia's 1-u leau in the
three-match series.
0nly 0mai Akmal (46) anu Saifiaz
Ahmeu (S4) offeieu some iesistance
in a pooi batting uisplay.
Pakistan lost opener Ahmed
Shahzau eaily foi foui but make-shift
openei Ahmeu anu Asau Shafiq (1S)
put on Su foi the seconu wicket be-
fore Pakistan lost three wickets for
just foui iuns.
Lyon hau Saifiaz caught behinu
off a miscueu sweep anu the next ball
hau Pakistan skippei Nisbah-ul Baq,
playing in his 1Suth one uay inteina-
tional, caught at leg-slip by a uiving
David Warner.
Johnson, who had recovered fully
fiom a iib injuiy, then hau Shafiq off a
iising ueliveiy to leave Pakistan ieel-
ing at 6S-4.
Akmal anu Fawau Alam (seven)
weie all at sea against some vicious
spin from Lyon as runs were hard
to come by. As the pressure built up
Alam fell to ulenn Naxwell, while
Shahiu Afiiui maue just five befoie
holing out off Sean Abbott.
All-iounuei Anwai Ali maue just
eight befoie being caught by Biau
Bauuin off }ohnson to cap a goou ie-
turn for the bowler.
Austialian captain ueoige Bailey
praised Smith and Johnson. I think
we weie 1S-2u iuns shoit with the
bat but Smith did very well and then
theie was an outstanuing effoit with
the ball, said Bailey. It started to
turn a bit, our spinners were effective,
goou pace fiom the quicks, backeu up
well in the fielu," saiu Bailey.
Nisbah was left iuing anothei
pooi batting peifoimance by his
team.
"The kinu of batting peifoimance
we have had, we need to do a lot of
things to impiove," saiu Nisbah.
"Nobouy is getting scoies iight
fiom the top. That is a big woiiy foi
us. We neeu to come to the next game
with a positive attitude.
It was Smith who helped Australia
recover from a poor start in an in-
nings stuuueu with six bounuaiies
anu two sixes.
Smith walked in as early as the
second ball of the match when opener
Aaion Finch's casual shot off lanky
paceman Mohammad Irfan saw him
caught at point.
Smith consoliuateu the innings
with an 86-iun seconu wicket stanu
with Wainei (4S) anu anothei S7
with Bailey (18) foi the thiiu wicket.
Warner fell to Afridi, while Bailey
holed out to part-time spinner Alam.
Bashing all-iounuei Naxwell
(21) faileu to take auvantage of two
uioppeu catches as he gave away his
wicket to uebutant spinnei Zulfiqai
Babar.
Afridi was the best Pakistani bowl-
ei with S-46, aftei going wicket-less
in his last six matches.
Smith too holed out off Afridi in
the 4Sth ovei, leaving Bauuin (2S not
out) anu }ohnson (21) to auu the final
touches. Smith's pievious best of 46
not out came against Englanu at Au-
elaiue in 2u11.
The second match will be in Dubai
on Friday followed by the third in Abu
Bhabi on 0ctobei 12. The one-uays
will be followed by two Tests. AFP
SCOREBOARD
Australia
A Finch c Shehzau b Iifan u
B Wainei c 0 Akmal b Afiiui 4S
S Smith c Riaz b Afiiui 1u1
u Bailey c Afiiui b Alam18
u Naxwell c Iifan b Babai 21
} Faulknei lbwAfiiui 11
B Bauuin not out 2S
S Abbott c A Ali b Riaz S
N}ohnson b Riaz 21
K Richaiuson not out 2
Extras(lb-S w-9) 12
Total (for 8 wickets,50 overs) 255
Fall of wickets: 1-u, 2-86, S-12S, 4-1S8, S-196,
6-216, 7-221, 8-2SS
Bowling: N Iifan 1u-2-SS-1, W Riaz 1u-u-61-2,
Z Babai 9-u-SS-1 Anwai Ali 8-u-S2-u, S Afiiui
1u-u-46-S, F AlamS-u-2S-1
Pakistan
A Shehzau c Smith b }ohnson 4
S Ahmeu c Bauuin b Lyon S4
A Shafiq c Bauuin b }ohnson 1S
Nisbah-ul-Baq c Wainei b Lyon u
F Alamc Wainei b Naxwell 7
0 Akmal b Richaiuson 46
S Afiiui c Faulknei b Abbott S
Anwai Ali c Bauuin b }ohnson 8
WRiaz c&b Naxwell S
Z Babai not out 12
N Iifan iun out 12
Extras(b-4 lb-S w-7) 16
Total (all out,36.3 overs) 162
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-S9, S-S9, 4-6S, S-9u,
6-1u2, 7-12S, 8-1S7, 9-1S7
Bowling: N }ohnson 7-1-24-S, K Richaiuson
6.S-1-22-1, }Faulknei2-u-2u-u, SAbbott S-u-2S-1,
N Lyon 1u-2-SS-2, u Naxwell 6-1-29-2.
Australias Steven Smith runs between the wickets to reach his century as Pakistani bowler
ShuhlJ AfrlJl wutchex on Jurlng thelr flrxt OI mutch ln Shurjuh on 1uexJuy. - AFP
Depleted
Pakistan lose
paceman Junaid
for series
SBAR}AB 0nuei-stiength Pa-
kistan received further blow on
Wednesday when frontline pace-
man Junaid Khan was ruled out of
the 0BI anu two-Test seiies against
Austialia aftei injuiing his knee in
practice.
Pakistan are already without off-
spinnei Saeeu Ajmal who was last
month suspended from all interna-
tional ciicket foi an illegal bowling
action.
Last week all-rounder
Nohammau Bafeez suffeieu a hanu
injuiy which foiceu him out of the
limited-overs series.
Pakistan lost the only Twenty2u
match by six wickets in Bubai on
Sunday and started the three-match
one-uay inteinational (0BI) seiies
with a 9S-iun uefeat in Shaijah on
Tuesday.
}unaiu, 24, twisteu his knee in
practice and, after an MRI scan,
was auviseu to iest foi up to six
weeks, team managei Noin Khan
said.
"}unaiu injuieu a caitilage in his
knee uuiing nets on Nonuay anu
after an MRI he has been advised a
foui-to-six-weeks' iest," Noin saiu.
He will receive treatment back
home," saiu Noin. "It's anothei big
blow to us as he is one of our best
bowlers in one-days and Tests.
Pakistan have added left-arm
paceman Sohail Tanvir to replace
}unaiu in the one-uay squau.
Tanvii was pait of the Twenty2u
squau but wasn't playeu in team's
six wicket uefeat in Bubai on Sun-
day.
Australia have also added left-
arm spinner Xavier Doherty to their
squau to ieplace Nitchell Naish
who was ruled out of the full tour
with a hamstiing injuiy.
The iemaining matches aie in
Dubai on Friday and in Abu Dhabi
on Sunday followed by a two-Test
series in the same two cities. AFP
Pakistan confiim
Englanu seiies in
0AE in 2u1S
KARACBI Pakistan will host Eng-
land for a full series of Tests and
limited-overs matches in the United
Aiab Emiiates fiom next 0ctobei,
the countiy's ciicket boaiu con-
fiimeu on Weunesuay.
"We will be playing thiee Tests,
five one-uay inteinationals anu a
T2u match against Englanu in 0cto-
ber and November and it is a home
series for us, a Pakistan Cricket
Boaiu (PCB) official saiu.
Englanu iefuseu an invite to
toui the countiy in eaily 2u12, in-
steau playing a seiies in the 0AE,
where the tourists lost all three Test
matches but won the one-day and
T2u seiies.
The PCB official saiu that Paki-
stan weie also hoping to host Inuia
in the 0AE immeuiately aftei the
Englanu seiies foi two Tests, five
one-day internationals and two
T2u matches. "While the seiies with
Englanu is confiimeu, the seiies
with Inuia is subject to goveinment
cleaiance but is now officially pait
of the futuie touis piogiamme," the
official saiu.
We see both these series as a
iueal oppoitunity to impiove oui fi-
nancial position," the official auueu.
"We have an agieement with the
ECB unuei which we will host them
for back-to-back tours before they
host us for consecutive tours from
2u16," the official auueu. Reuteis
Bowl within the rules, spin maestro Murali urges bowlers
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates Sri Lan-
kas world record holder Muttiah Muralith-
aran, once called for chuckingduringhis
controversial career, on Wednesday urged
bowlers around the world to bowl within
the rules or else change their actions.
The 42-year-old joined the debate
whether the process adopted by the Inter-
national Cricket Council (ICC) in its crack-
down on bowlers with suspect actions will
diminish the art of spin bowling, a craft
which fetched him 800 wickets in Tests
and 534 in one-dayers both records.
In July the ICC launched a crackdown
on bowlers with suspect actions, suspend-
ingSri Lankas Sachitra Senanayake, New
Zealands Kane Williamson and Pakistans
bigb profile bowler Saeed A|mal. Zimba-
bwes Prosper Utseya and the Bangladeshi
duo of Sohag Gazi and Al Amin Hossan
were also reported for suspect actions last
month.
Apart from paceman Hossain, all oth-
er bowlers are off-spinners and some of
them bowl the controversial doosra, a
delivery which turns the other way com-
pared to the normal off-breaks.
Under ICC rules implemented in
2006 after controversy over Muralitha-
rans doosra bowlers are allowed to
straighten their arms by 15 degree, estab-
lished as the point at which any straight-
eningwill become visible to the naked eye.
But both Ajmal and Senanayake went
close to 43 degrees during their assess-
ments in a bio-mechanic lab and need re-
medial work to get clearance.
Muralitharan stressed that bowlers
should follow the rules.
The law was set longtime ago,Mura-
litharan told the media. It says 15 degrees
(is allowed). If the law has said that any
bowler is suspect, umpires cant call him
but they can report him and bowlers have
to go for a reviewingtest.
The law was already there when I was
playingso you have to go and test and see.
If you come under 15 you are legal if you
go over that you have to work on your ac-
tion that is the basic need.
It is not up to other people to judge
because the law is there and I also faced
same problem and I also went for testing
and my action came lower than that.
Australian umpire Darrell Hair called
Muralitharan for throwingin a Test in Aus-
tralia in 1995 and Ross Emerson followed
suit three years later.
In 2004 Muralitharan was ordered not
to bowl the doosra, invented by his Paki-
stan contemporary Saqlain Mushtaq.
Asked if it was possible to bowl the
doosra within the rules, Muralitharan
said: I have been tested so many times
but I do bowl with 10.4 so I have bowled it
and showed that it could work because it
depends on the bowler how they do and if
you ask Saqlain he will say the same thing.
Muralitharan said Ajmal can overcome
bis bowling action flaws. Definitely if you
work two to three months. He is working
with Saqlain and he will give tips to him
and he can work on it.
Muralitharan, now workingas spin con-
sultant for Australia in their series against
Pakistan in United Arab Emirates, said
he has forgot all the controversies he en-
dured. Life is all about moving forward
and not thinkingbackwards and sayinghe
has done me that, I am goingto be harsh to
him. So forget and forgive because in my
life what happened is they suspected my
action and I had to prove myself that I am
innocent and I proved myself all 20 years,
he said. AFP
Ponting backs KP claims of bullying culture
LONDON Former Australia captain
Ricky Ponting has spoken up in sup-
poit of Kevin Pieteisen's allegations
of a "bullying" cultuie within the Eng-
land team.
Pietersen, in one of several con-
troversial claims in his recently-
publisheu autobiogiaphy, accuseu
Englanu's senioi bowleis anu wicket-
keepei Natt Piioi of aggiessively ue-
manuing apologies fiom team-mates
not in theii clique foi any mistakes
they maue while fieluing.
Retired off-spinner Graeme Swann,
one of the bowleis singleu out by
Pietersen, said on Wednesday there
was "absolutely no bullying" but Pon-
ting, Austialia's captain fiom 2uu4-11
suppoiteu the claims of Englanu's all-
time leauing iun-scoiei.
"We saw them uoing it, (}ames)
Anderson was always the same, and
Swann," Ponting tolu the SydneyDaily
Telegraphon Wednesday.
"The pointing of fingeis anu you'u
heai a few expletives if theie was a
misfielu oi a uioppeu catch.
"The guys who weie uoing it weie
the so-calleu leaueis. That's wheie
the captain has got to come in, not
wait anu let little things tuin into big
things. That's what it sounus like has
happeneu in this Englanu team."
Ponting was not involveu in the
two most recent Test series between
the aich-iivals Englanu's 2u1S
success anu Austialia's 2u1S14 S-u
whitewash triumph on home spoil
after which Pietersen was effectively
sackeu by the Englanu anu Wales
Ciicket Boaiu (ECB).
However, the 39-year-old on the
winning siue in seveial Ashes seiies
but the losing skippei in 2uuS, 2uu9
anu 2u1u11 insisteu the 'bullying'
obseiveu by foimei Englanu captain
Pietersen had been evident for some
time.
IMPLODE PRETTY QUICKLY
"They hau a lot of veiy goou play-
ers that were able to achieve a lot of
success as a team," Ponting saiu.
"But if you coulu just get insiue of
them anu stait pulling them apait, we
always hau a feeling they woulu im-
ploue pietty quickly anu that's what's
happeneu ovei the past 12 months."
Pietersen tweeted a link to Pon-
ting's quotes on Twittei with the
comment: "PLS REAB TBIS."
Neanwhile Ponting saiu similai
on-fielu calling out of team-mates
would not be tolerated in the Austral-
ia side.
"If a young bloke hau uioppeu a
catch and a bowler went off at him,
that's just not acceptable," he saiu.
No one means to drop a catch, no
one means to bowl a bad ball, no one
means to play a bau shot. It just hap-
pens in a game anu you have to ac-
cept it anu move on," Ponting auueu.
Eailiei, Nichael vaughan iiuiculeu
a leakeu ECB iepoit into Pieteisen's
allegeu misbehavioui uuiing the Ash-
es whitewash in Australia.
Among the 'offences' of which
Pieteisen was accuseu weie "staiing
out the winuow" anu "looking at his
watch" uuiing team meetings leu by
then coach Andy Flower.
It also saiu he whistleu aftei being
uismisseu in the final Test in Syuney,
anu tolu his team-mates to get thickei
skins when they complained of criti-
cism of their performance in tweets
by his fiienu Pieis Noigan, the televi-
sion inteiviewei, when Englanu weie
4-u uown in the Ashes.
Embaiiassingly foi the ECB, the
uocument also incoiiectly spelt Eng-
lanu captain Alastaii Cook's name as
Alistair.
Foimei Englanu captain vaughan
ueiiueu the ECB uocument, telling
Twitter he had never read as much
b------- in all my time". vaughan auu-
eu: "Nevei laugheu so much...Englanu
aie 4-u uown in the Ashes anu it's be-
cause of pieismoigan tweet."
The ECB insisteu the email ie-
ceived by the Cricinfo website was
not the official uossiei compileu
by Flower, criticised severely in Pi-
eteisen's book, but an inteinal email
draft drawn up by their lawyers.
South Afiica-boin Pieteisen, S4,
uismisseu the email's contents on
Tuesuay by saying: "They coulun't
even spell Cooky's name iight. It is a
joke. I am uone with it." AFP
Kevin Pietersen
We saw them doing it,
(James) Anderson was
always the same, and
Swann. The pointing
of ngers and youd
hear a few expletives if
there was a miseld or
a dropped catch
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
18
SPORT
Wawrinka, Nishikori out; Murray through
SHANGHAI Australian Open cham-
pion Stan Wawrinka crashed out of
the Shanghai Masters with a sec-
ond round loss to Gilles Simon on
Wednesday, while Andy Murray ad-
vanced with an assured 7-5, 6-2 win
over Jerzy Janowicz.
With five spots still up foi giabs at
the season-ending ATP World Tour
Finals, Wawiinka, who fell at the fiist
hurdle in Tokyo last week, suffered
the same fate in China with a 5-7, 7-5,
6-4 defeat to the Frenchman.
Wawiinka bioke Simon's seive
in the 12th game to claim the open-
ing set but his 29th-iankeu opponent
battleu back to tie the contest befoie
oveicoming an eaily bieak in the ue-
cider and emerging victorious after
two and a half hours.
"Two weeks I uiun't win matches,"
the Swiss saiu on the ATP's official
website. "But you have to accept that
anu see what was the pioblem. I uon't
think I lost my game.
I think I'm playing okay. I just hau
two ieally bau matches.
I will take the positives from los-
ing eaily."
American Jack Sock produced an-
othei upset when he uefeateu }apan's
Kei Nishikori 7-6(5), 6-4. It was the
Ameiican's fiist win ovei a top 1u op-
ponent anu biought Nishikoii's hot
streak to an end. The Japanese came
into the tournament after wins in
Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.
Biiton Nuiiay maue shoit woik of
an out-of-touch Janowicz to reach the
thiiu iounu with ease, blasting the
big-hitting Pole off couit in stiaight
sets in less than 9u minutes.
The 27-yeai-olu Scot, boosteu by a
win at the Shenzhen Open and reach-
ing the semifinals of the China 0pen
over the last few weeks, is once again
in contention foi Lonuon aftei climb-
ing to ninth in the Race.
Murray will next meet David Fer-
rer after the Spaniard survived a
tense encounter against Martin Kli-
zan, who served for the match in the
second set, to progress.
The fifth seeueu Spaniaiu founu
the going uifficult against his Slo-
vak opponent befoie giinuing out a
4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 victory as he looks to
climb up fiom his cuiient 1uth posi-
tion in the race for the Tour Finals.
Woilu numbei SSS Chuhan Wang's
ATP Woilu Toui uebut was halteu
in another second round encounter
when Tunisia's Nalek }aziii beat the
Chinese wildcard, who had stunned
1Sth seeu Fabio Fognini in the fiist
iounu, 6-u, 6-4.
The top three in ATP world rank-
ings Novak Bjokovic, Rafa Naual
and Roger Federer open their
Shanghai Masters campaigns on
Wednesday.
The fifth seeu in Shanghai, Baviu
Feiiei, also faceu a tough battle in his
opening match, but finally oveicame
Slovak Martin Klizan 4-6, 7-6 (7/4),
6-4.
Klizan dumped Rafael Nadal out
of the China 0pen at the quaiteifinal
stage last week, but coulu not iepeat
his heroics against his Spanish oppo-
nent at the Nasteis 1uuu event.
Ferrer will play Andy Murray in
the next iounu, aftei the Biitish 11th
seed won his match against Pole Jerzy
Janowicz 7-5, 6-2.
Neanwhile, 1uth seeu uiigoi
Dimitrov crashed out in his opening
match.
Bulgaiian Bimitiov was uumpeu
out by }ulien Benneteau of Fiance 7-S,
6-S.
The ATP Woilu Toui Nasteis 1uuu
event concludes in Shanghai on Sun-
day.
Results (second round): 1S-}ohn Isnei (0S)
bt Steve }ohnson (0S) 7-6(6), 7-6(7); }uan No-
naco (Aigentina) bt 8-Nilos Raonic (Canaua)
S-2 (Raonic ietiieu); 1-Novak Bjokovic (Seibia)
bt Bominic Thiem (Austiia) 6-S, 6-4; 6-Tomas
Beiuych (Czech Republic) bt Richaiu uasquet
(Fiance) 6-S, 6-1; 11-Anuy Nuiiay (Biitain) bt
}eizy }anowicz (Polanu) 7-S, 6-2; }ack Sock (0S)
bt 7-Kei Nishikoii (}apan) 7-6(S), 6-4; Nikhail
Youzhny (Russia) bt Ivan Bouig (Cioatia)
7-6(7), 6-7(4), 6-S; 14-Robeito Bautista (Spain)
beat vasek Pospisil (Canaua) 7-6(1), S-6, 6-4;
}ulien Benneteau (Fiance) bt 1u-uiigoi Bim-
itiov (Bulgaiia) 7-S, 6-S; uilles Simon (Fiance)
bt 4-Stanislas Wawiinka (Switzeilanu) S-7,
7-S, 6-4; S-Baviu Feiiei (Spain) bt Naitin
Klizan (Slovakia) 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4; Nalek }aziii
(Tunisia) bt Wang Chuhan (China) 6-u 6-4.
Agencies
Andy Murray of Britain hits a return against Jerzy Janowicz of Poland at the Shanghai Masters 1000 in Shanghai on Wednesday. AFP
Costa has to prove himself for Spain, says coach Del Bosque
BARCEL0NA Chelsea stiikei Biego Costa
may be piolific at club level, but Spain's coach
vicente uel Bosque feels it is time he pioves
himself on the international stage as he leads
the champions' attack uuiing Euio 2u16 qual-
ifying.
Baving convinceu Costa to tuin his back on
Biazil, the countiy of his biith, Bel Bosque has
so fai shown plenty of belief in the foiwaiu
anu gave him a chance to shine at this yeai's
Woilu Cup, but he anu Spain faileu bauly. The
team weie unable to ietain the tiophy they
won four years earlier, exiting at the group
stage, anu Costa was unable to scoie. Be has
now faileu to iegistei a goal in five games foi
the national team.
Costa will be the focal point in attack as
a new look Spain, with veteians Xavi, Xabi
Alonso anu Baviu villa all having announceu
their international retirement, seek to win the
Euiopean Championship foi a thiiu stiaight
time.
They face Slovakia on Thursday and Lux-
embouig on Sunuay as they look to piogiess
in qualifying Group C that also includes Mac-
euonia, 0kiaine anu Belaius.
Bel Bosque's siue got off to a goou stait
with a 5-1 victory over Macedonia last month,
which Costa misseu thiough injuiy.
TIGERISH QUALITIES
The 26-year-old striker came to the fore as
he won La Liga with Atletico Madrid last sea-
son, notching up S6 goals, anu has founu no
uifficulty auapting to life at Chelsea, with nine
in nine appearances so far.
But foi Spain it has been veiy uiffeient
anu as well as his inability to scoie he has not
shown the tigerish qualities that unsettle de-
fences and wind up opposing fans.
Diego has in front of him the challenge to
show everyone that we have taken the right
uecision," Bel Bosque tolu Spanish spoits
newspaper Marca.
"Naybe we aie wiong, anu it uoes happen
in football, but I have a lot of confiuence in
him that he is going to do very well.
"I think that he can be veiy impoitant foi
us as I believe in his qualities. Be has put his
faith in us and we have put ours in him.
"If I hau seen anything that maue me uoubt
him then I woulu say it."
PLAYINGSTYLE
Bel Bosque uoes not believe Costa's failuie
to scoie is uue to incompatibility with Spain's
style of play, even though he likes to latch on
to long balls fiom miufielu, while La Roja play
a shorter passing game.
"Be is uiffeient to (Feinanuo) Lloiente but
he and (Paco) Alcacer are quite similar, they
look for space and make runs to open the de-
fence," Bel Bosque saiu.
"In the last Euiopean Championships we
hau (Baviu) Silva, Cesc (Fabiegas) anu (An-
uies) Iniesta. It woulu have been gieat if we
could have had Diego along with them as
well."
Costa did go to the World Cup in the wake
of hamstiing tiouble, which cleaily uiu not
help his foim, but he has been hampeieu by
similai pioblems at Chelsea anu been able to
finu the back of the net iegulaily.
In fact, he has been calleu up to the Spain
squad with Jose Mourinho questioning his
fitness, but the evei uiplomatic Bel Bosque
looked to avoid any confrontation with the
Chelsea coach ovei whethei Costa is able to
play. "We all want the best foi him anu oui
teams. We are not going to push anyone too
much anu we aie not obsesseu ovei a single
playei," Bel Bosque auueu. Reuteis
BERLIN France winger
Franck Ribery has returned
to trainingwith German gi-
ants Bayern Munich and is
on track in his recovery from
a knee injury, the club an-
nounced on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old has suf-
fered with recurringpain in
the patellar tendon in his left
knee, but was put through
bis paces by Bayern's fit-
ness staff and trained with
tbe ball for tbe first time on
Tuesday.
Ribery has made just one
appearance for Bayern this
season, comingoff the bench
to score in a 2-0 league win
at home to VfB Stuttgart last
month, and is part of a group
of Munich stars who are
comingback from injury.
Bastian Schweinsteiger,
Thiago Alcantara, Javi Mar-
tinez and Holger Badstuber
are also all working their
way back and coach Pep
Guardiola has said they will
have as long as they need
with defending champions
Bayern four points clear at
the top of the Bundesliga.
We arent putting them
under pressure, they need
more time and theyll have
it,said the Spaniard. AFP
Injuieu Ribeiy
returns to
Bayein tiaining
Germanys Arsenal star Ozil out for 12 weeks
BERLIN Nesut 0zil will miss uei-
many's Euio 2u16 qualifiei against
Poland on Saturday and faces up to
12 weeks out with a knee injuiy, the
ueiman Football Association (BFB)
confiimeu on Weunesuay.
The 25-year-old Arsenal star com-
plained of pain in his left knee and
was flown to Nunich on Weunesuay
moining to be tieateu by the BFB's
doctor, who diagnosed a partial tear
of the left cruciate knee ligament.
0zil will miss the uioup B qualifi-
eis in Waisaw anu against the Repub-
lic of Ireland in Gelsenkirchen next
Tuesday.
Be also misses a qualifiei against
minnows uibialtai in Nuiembeig on
Novembei 14, plus a fiienuly against
Euiopean champions Spain on No-
vembei 18.
Ozil is also added to Arsenal
managei Aisene Wengei's mount-
ing injuiy list anu will miss the iest
of the uunneis' Champions League
group stage matches, including the
key Group D showdown at home to
Boiussia Boitmunu on Novembei 26.
Germany coach Joachim Loew is
already missing several stars for the
tiip to Waisaw with captain Bastian
Schweinsteigei, Sami Kheuiia, Ben-
edikt Hoewedes, Marco Reus and
Naiio uomez all injuieu while miu-
fieluei }ulian Biaxlei has the flu.
Chelsea forward Andre Schuerrle
also missed training on Wednesday
with a musculai pioblem, but is ex-
pecteu to be fit.
Things look good for Andre, he re-
ceived some treatment on Tuesday, so
it's noimal that he sat out tiaining the
uay aftei," saiu team managei 0livei
Bieihoff.
Draxler, of Schalke, is expected to
join the squau once he iecoveis fiom
illness.
Even without 0zil, Loew has tai-
geted six points from their games
against Poland and Ireland to give
the Germans control of Group D after
they beat Scotlanu 2-1 in theii open-
ing match.
Bieihoff saiu ueimany aie iebuilu-
ing aftei establisheu stais Philipp
Lahm, Per Mertesacker and Miroslav
Klose all retired in the wake of their
Woilu Cup tiiumph in Biazil in }uly.
"We want to win both games anu
give ouiselves a bit of a cushion in the
qualifieis," auueu Bieihoff.
"It's going to be a tough 0ctobei
with two uifficult games.
We have to introduce several new
playeis into the squau because of in-
juiies anu a few ietiiements.
The team will have a different
look to how it was two months ago."
With Schweinsteigei injuieu, uei-
many will be captaineu by goalkeepei
Manuel Neuer for the next two games.
These are key games for us, it is
important to keep playing well after
the win ovei Scotlanu," saiu Neuei, of
Bayein Nunich.
Loew is set to hanu a fiist cap to
Bayei Leveikusen attacking miufielu-
ei Kaiim Bellaiabi, who has opteu
to play for Germany over Morocco,
wheie his mothei was boin, on the
back of seveial impiessive uisplays in
the Bunuesliga. AFP
Swansea chief
favours overseas
EPL matches
LONDON The chairman of Pre-
mier League side Swansea has re-
poiteuly saiu English top-flight
matches will be stageu abioau with-
in two years.
Theie has long been a view with-
in English football that the huge
global populaiity of the Piemiei
League, paiticulaily in the Fai East
anu 0S wheie Nanchestei 0nit-
ed recently drew huge crowds on
theii pie-season toui woulu be
a commeicial bonanza foi Piemiei
League clubs. Bowevei, plans foi an
oveiseas 'S9th game' weie uioppeu
in 2uu8 following opposition fiom
suppoiteis' gioups anu Fifa anu
0efa, football's global anu Euiopean
goveining bouies iespectively, who
weie conceineu about the impact of
such a move upon domestic leagues.
But now theie aie suggestions
some of the existing, rather than
auuitional, league fixtuies coulu
be stageu oveiseas anu Swansea
chairman Huw Jenkins, speak-
ing at a fans' foium with his com-
ments reported on the walesonline
website, saiu: "I think it is inevita-
ble it is going to happen. While we
may not be 1uu pei cent about it,
as passionate football suppoiteis
just watching football as we have,
it's going to be a big change. The
other side of that is we have got to
make suie we aie on the banuwag-
on with them or we are going to
get left behinu otheiwise." AFP
Arxenulx 0ermun mlJflelJer Mexut Ozll Jurlng the Fngllxh Premler
Ieugue mutch ugulnxt Chelxeu ln IonJon on October S. - AFP
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4
19
SPORT
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Oman face Costa Rica challenge in tough friendly
By Sports Reporter
MUSCAT Oman coach Paul Le
Guen will be keen for an impressive
performance against Brazil World
Cup 2014 black horses Costa Rica in
a friendly at the Sohar Sports Com-
plex Stadium on Friday.
The Oman players underwent a
brief practice camp in Muscat ahead
of the high-voltage friendly. Oman
players will head to Sohar on Thurs-
day. Both the teams are put up at
Crowne Plaza, Sohar.
On the other side, Costa Rica will
be unable to call on Bryan Oviedo
and Jose Miguel Cubero for the
match, according to the Soccerway
website.
Paulo Wanchope took over from
Jorge Luis Pinto on an interim basis
in the wake of Costa Ricas remark-
able World Cup campaign, which
saw them reach the last eight before
being knocked out on penalties by
Netherlands.
The former Derby County, West
Ham and Manchester City striker
made a successful start to his tempo-
rary tenure, guiding the side to Copa
Centroamericana glory with a 2-1
win ovei uuatemala in the final last
month.
Ahead of Fridays clash in Muscat,
however, Wanchope was dealt a blow
with the news that both Oviedo and
Cubero will not be available.
Everton man Oviedo is having a
small screw removed after he broke
his left leg in an FA Cup clash with
Stevenage in January.
Cubero, meanwhile, has picked up
an ankle injury, and Johnny Acosta of
Alajuelense has been called up as a
replacement.
Despite those injuries, Wanchope
is keen to keep building on Costa
Ricas impressive World Cup show-
ing. Our idea is to keep winning and
playing well to maintain the good im-
age that has been dragging from Bra-
zil, Wanchope told Soccerway.
I think this is the right time to
give young players the opportu-
nity to be displayed. Within a year
or two we have to make changes in
some areas, hence the idea to pro-
vide the future coach a number of
options to choose.
Wanchopes opposite number
Paul Le Guen will be keen to return
to winning ways after back-to-back
defeats in friendlies last month.
Oman lost 2-0 to Republic of Ire-
land, before going down 1-0 to min-
nows Kosovo, who are yet to be rec-
ognised by Fifa.
In the aftermath of those two
reverses, Le Guen bemoaned his
playeis' lack of fitness, following a
delayed start to the Oman Profes-
sional League. Oman conceded just
one goal in those 11 outings, and
will have to display all of their defen-
sive qualities if they are to keep out
the likes of Joel Campbell and Bryan
Ruiz, who starred in Brazil.
In another upcoming friendly,
Oman play Latin American giants
Uruguay in Buraimi on October 13. Oman players during a practice session at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher on Tuesday. Mohammed Mahjoub
Biles leads US to second consecutive world title
NANNING, China Defending all-
around champion Simone Biles led
the United States to win a second
straight womens team title at the
World Gymnastics Championships on
Wednesday.
The 2012 Olympic champions col-
lected 179.280 points through four
apparatus events with hosts China
second at 172.587 and Russia third at
171.462. Romania finisheu fouith at
170.963. The 17-year-old Biles com-
peted in three of the four events, top-
ping the table on vault anu flooi exei-
cise, while gearing up for her defence
of the all-around title on Friday.
Kyla Ross, a fellow 17-year-old and
a holdover from the London Olym-
pics gold medal winning team, also
contributed to what was a fourth US
world womens team crown overall.
China, the 2006 world champions,
were paired with the US in a rotation-
al group due to their top two places in
qualifying.
Led by Yao Jinnan, they bounced
back from third spot in their opening
event, vault, but trailed behind the US
women for the rest of the competition
with a gap of more than three points.
The gap widened to nearly seven
points after Biles collected a table-
topping 1S.S7S points on flooi with
four dynamic tumbling passes as the
nights last performer.
Results: Women's team final: 1. United States
(Alyssa Baumann, Simone Biles, Madison Kocian,
Ashton Locklear, Kyla Ross, Mykayla Skinner)
179.280 points, 2. China (Bai Yawen, Chen Siyi,
Huang Huidan, Shang Chunsong, Tan Jiaxin, Yao
Jinnan) 172.587, 3. Russia (Maria Kharenkova,
Ekateiina Kiamaienko, Aliya Nustafina, Tatiana
Nabieva, Alla Sosnitskaya, Daria Spiridonova)
171.462, 4. Romania 170.963, 5. Italy 169.023,
6. Britain 168.495, 7. Australia 165.988, 8. Japan
165.422. AFP
US gymnuxtx celebrute thelr vlctory on the poJlum Jurlng the meJul ceremony of the womenx teum flnul of the
Gymnastics World Championships in Nanning, China. AFP
Judge dread for Japanese after China mens team victory
NANNING, China Japans gymnasts have hit
out at judging standards after China pipped
them to the mens team gold by just 0.1 points
at the world championships saying this is what
we dread.
Hosts China, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic
champions, had to rely on their last performer,
2010 world high bar champion Zhang Chen-
glong, to overtake their arch rivals Tuesday
night at the Guangxi Gymnasium in Nanning.
On his favourite apparatus and needing
15.867 for victory, the captain of the Chinese
squad mixed complicated aerial skills with giant
swings to score 15.966 points before a roaring
capacity crowd.
Japans four-time world all-around champion
Kohei Uchimura had scored 15.400, the nights
previous highest, in his teams performance.
"We have fiimly uone what we coulu. I want
to say many things but I wont, a stunned Uch-
imura told Japanese reporters after China se-
cured a record sixth straight world mens team
title, uenying }apan theii fiist in S6 yeais. "I
guess it is all about where you perform, he said.
His teammate Ryohei Kato, the all-around
runner-up to Uchimura at last years worlds,
said: This is what we dread about sports based
on judging.
Befenuing woilu flooi champion Kenzo
Shirai, just 18, also told Japanese media, I
dont think we have ever lost at all.
Uchimura, 25, the 2012 Olympic champion
who is goes foi a fifth stiaight all-aiounu title
on Thursday, said China had proven strong by
holding steady under pressure at home. As al-
ways, they have shown their mettle, he added.
Chinas coach Wang Hongwei said though his
gymnasts peifoimeu high-uifficulty ioutines
they still lagged behind Japan in execution and
artistry. AFP
Mayne-Nicholls
considering Fifa
presidency bid
LONDON Harold Mayne-Nicholls,
the former head of the Fifa techni-
cal committee which warned world
soccers governing body against
holding the 2022 World Cup in Qa-
tar, is considering running for its
presidency next year.
If he did, Mayne-Nicholls would
be the third candidate in the race
with the incumbent and over-
whelming favourite, Sepp Blatter,
and former Fifa deputy general sec-
retary Jerome Champagne.
Mayne-Nicholls, 53, is the former
head of the Chilean FA and was in
charge of the technical investigation
which evaluated all the bids for the
2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Be was the fiist senioi official
to openly warn against playing the
World Cup in the summer heat
of the Gulf, and the Qatar bid was
ranked bottom of those compet-
ing foi the finals behinu the 0niteu
States, Australia, South Korea and
Japan.
Mayne-Nicholls indicated his in-
tention in a newspaper column in
Spain and told keirradnedge.com:
A decision is not necessary before
January 28 next year. The election
is on May 29, so we have all of Octo-
ber, November, December and Janu-
ary.
That means four months to
check everything so that the peo-
ple who have contacted me and
whom I have contacted can as-
sess the best way forward.
Mayne-Nicholls must get the
backing of at least five national feu-
erations to be eligible to stand for
the presidency.
Once you decide to be a candi-
date, you have to convince 105 of
209 countries who are members of
Fifa because that is what is needed
to win, he added. I wrote a col-
umn a few months ago for El Pais in
Spain in which I point out the need
for fresh air. What has happened
lately has not served the image of
Fifa or, indirectly, football.
There is a complete discon-
nect between what the fans think
is needed and the administration of
the game. Reuters
Thursday
OCTOBER 9, 2014 | DHUL HAJJAH 15, 1435 AH
Inside
Ponting supports KP claims of bullying
German midelder Ozil out for 12 weeks
US win womens team title in gymnastics

editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.om
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Smith, Johnson lead Australia rout of Pakistan
P19
Oman face Costa Rica challenge in friendly
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European clubs wont pay 2022 World Cup bill
LONDON European Club Association
chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge de-
clared on Wednesday that European clubs
will not foot the bill if the 2022 World Cup
is moved to a different time of year.
A Fifa taskforce is currently studying
the feasibility of moving the tournament in
Qatar to the European winter due to fears
about scorching summer temperatures in
the Gulf state.
Such a move woulu cause significant
disruption for European domestic leagues
such as the Premier League and the Bun-
desliga, and Rummenigge is concerned
that his organisations 204 member clubs
would pay the price. If now there is a
strong wish (to move the 2022 World Cup)
from various stakeholders like Fifa, Uefa,
FIFPro and so on, we are ready to discuss,
but under one condition: that there is no
damage for club football, he told the Lead-
ers Sport Business Summit at Chelseas
Stamford Bridge stadium in London.
Because if we have a change from sum-
mer to November or to January, then they
will be affecting our business, our calen-
dar. And the bill at the end cant be paid by
the clubs.
We are not ready to pay such a bill.
It has to be clear to Fifa and everybody
who is now strongly involved in wishing to
change the date that they need the good-
will of the clubs, otherwise we are not
ready to talk and discuss about it.
ECA vice-chairman Umberto Gandini,
an AC Milan director, proposed changing
the dates of the 2022 Winter Olympics,
which are due to take place in February of
that year in either Beijing or the Kazakh
capital Almaty. Not to be controversial,
but the Fifa World Cup is one of the major
events in the sports landscape, with the
Summer Olympics, he said.
The Winter Olympics are not there,
with all respect, as far as importance is
concerned. But they are a very, very impor-
tant event for the sport.
If you are moving such a huge event
like the World Cup from its natural win-
dow to winter, dont tell me that its not
possible to finu a solution to move a little
bit the Winter Olympics to avoid a clash.
Especially when the Winter Olympics
are still under the bidding process for
2022. There are two candidates at the mo-
ment, Beijing and Almaty, and no dates are
set.
Rummenigge also said that Qatar could
only be stripped of the tournament if
American attorney Michael Garcias re-
cently completed report into corruption al-
legations surrounding the bidding process
for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups pro-
duces evidence of wrongdoing.
If the Garcia report is clean, it wouldnt
be fair, the Bayern Munich chairman add-
ed. Its a decision that has to be respected
by the football family. AFP
HMs Cup qualifying
matches begin today
MUSCAT His Majestys Cup second division football
qualification matches kick off on Thuisuay with Baba
(Musandam Governorate) hosting Qurayat (Muscat Gov-
ernorate).
0n Satuiuay, the final uay of the qualifications, Yahqul
host Al Salam, Madha host Ibri, Bahal host Al Bashair
anu }alaan play against Bauiya at Al Kamil Wal Wafi
grounds. The losing teams will go out in the knock-out
round.
The winners will qualify directly to the round of 32
except for the winners of Daba and Qurayat match, who
will clash with Masirah on October 14 for a place in the
finals of the touinament.
Fanja are the defending champions of the HMs Cup.
ONA

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