TUESDAY April 12, 2016 4 Rajab 1437 AH
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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN MORNING MINUTE
On the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Brazil, 1992
‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ The conservation of the environment is the responsibility of all of us, a responsibility that knows no political boundaries.
Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 43
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PA K I S TA N
His Majesty receives thanks cable MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from President Mamnoon Hussain of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in reply to His Majesty’s congratulatory cable on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, President Hussain expressed his utmost thanks to His Majesty the Sultan, stressing the importance of promoting the existing relations between the two countries to serve the interests of the people of two countries. He wished His Majesty good health and happiness, and the Omani people further progress and prosperity. -ONA
D E L E G AT E D BY H M
TALE OF TERROR FROM TEMPLE SURVIVOR
Sayyid Harib takes part in UAE wedding MUSCAT: Delegated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, His Highness Sayyid Harib bin Thuwaini bin Shihab Al Said yesterday paid a short visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to take part in the wedding ceremony of Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sayyid Harib was accompanied by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah AlQatabi, Sultanate’s ambassador to the UAE. -ONA TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES
OMAN
Indian singer KK to perform in Muscat
NEW SYSTEM
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Get your party shoes on, as the Bollywood singing sensation Krishnakumar Kunnath, better known as KK, is all set to perform live in Muscat. The singer, who has many big hits, is set to set the stage on fire with his live performance on April 22. >A2
7,600 pilgrims register online for going on Haj FAHAD AL GHADANI
fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Nearly 7,600 people have registered online for the Haj pilgrimage so far as the new system was introduced by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs. The large number of registration during the first 24 hours of the new system becoming operational reflects the awareness about the new system. The Ministry had announced earlier that Omani pilgrims planning to travel to Mecca to perform Haj can register their application at www.hajj.om, which will be opened from April 10 until April 24. Pilgrims can register in three different ways, including manually by entering the civil identification number, scanning the ID by using a card reader, which uses the PKI encryption system or by entering the mobile phone number, which uses PKI encryption for identification. The Ministry also clarified that priority will depend not on who registers first, but also on the purpose of Haj.>A7
DESTRUCTION: Onlookers stand amidst the debris after the explosions at a temple in Paravur. -AFP
A Muscat resident had a close shave while watching the fireworks in Kerala
REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: “I fell onto ground in the explosion. I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was dying. I couldn’t see anything. The gunpowder smell was suffocating. Somehow, when I stood up, I realised I was injured too, and bleeding. Then I managed to get out of the accident site stumbling many times on the bodies of injured people lying on the ground.” These were the words of Rajendran Pillai Rajeev, a site supervisor working at Wimpey Laboratories
in Muscat, who had gone on leave, to the South Indian state of Kerala, to attend the Puttingal Temple festival where a fireworks accident claimed 109 lives so far and leaving around 500 people injured in different hospitals in the state. The devastating fire had engulfed the 100-year-old Puttingal Devi Temple complex at Kollam during an unauthorised display of fireworks early Sunday morning. Thousands of people had gathered at the temple for the pyrotechnic show to mark the start of the Hindu year when sparks ignited a cache of fireworks stored inside the temple grounds. “It was a chaotic scene. Everything was fine to start with. As it’s considered one of the biggest firework shows in the state, people had turned up in large numbers to watch it. Suddenly, the store where firecrackers were stored caught fire. This led to huge explosions. The entire area shook, the power supply snapped. It was fire everywhere,” Rajeev, who has also lost his wife’s distant relative in the
BUSTING THE MYTH
accident, told the Times of Oman over phone from Kerala. “I was hit by shrapnels from the explosions. I was bleeding and hurt like anything. Many of my friends are still in hospitals undergoing treatment,” Rajeev said, thanking the Almighty for saving his life. “As I was shocked and running for shelter, I couldn’t notice who was lying on the ground with injuries. Whether they were dead or not, I didn’t know. It was a chaotic scene,” Rajeev, who had gone to watch the festival with five other friends, added. According to Rajeev, many are still flocking to hospitals looking for the missing persons. Rajeev stays only 2km away from the temple and had gone to attend the festival at around 11:30pm. Meanwhile, police have registered case against 25 people including 15 temple committee members, two fireworks contractors and others, for attempt to murder and other charges in connection with the temple fire tragedy. See also >A9
OMAN
Omani arrested for marrying minor
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A 40-year-old Omani national has been sent to 15 days of judicial custody for allegedly trying to marry a minor girl in India. The investigating officer of the case said the Omani had gone to Hyderabad to marry a 16-year-old girl. >A3
MARKET
Omani firms report OMR716m net profit
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Oman’s listed firms reported a 3.3 per cent growth in combined net profit at OMR716 million in 2015, up from OMR693 million in the previous year. This is contrary to the belief that the corporate sector faced erosion in earnings due to low oil prices. >B1
SAFETY MEASURE
New system to monitor school buses launched FAHAD AL GHADANI
fahadnews@timesofoman.com
BRIDGING THE GAP: Appiano’s research and academic studies include the Arabic world and the Middle East area, Islam, multiculturalism
and interfaith dialogue. – Photo supplied
Italian journalist showcases Oman’s beauty HASAN SHABAN AL LAWATI
hassan@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Journalist Antonella Appiano is dedicating herself to tackling the misrepresentation of Arab and Islamic culture in the Western society, by sharing a beautiful gallery of Oman’s nature, and ‘real’ stories about its religious tolerance. The independent researcher, analyst and writer, told the Times of Oman in an exclusive interview that after covering the war in Syria and refugees’ conflict in Iraqi Kurdistan, she has finally found a home in Oman. “What makes Oman special is its rich history, beautiful nature, the outstanding mixture of ancient traditions and modernity, and, of course, the wisdom if its leader,” said the Italian journalist. Asked about her favourite pic-
ture taken in the Sultanate, Appiano revealed that a picture of three innocent children in Musandam was easily among her top photographs. “They were smiling at me and pointing at my head while childishly crying ‘your hair is gold!’ I loved that moment and pulled out my Canon EOS 1000D to take their picture” she said. Appiano revealed that she will soon launch her new interactive
e-book entitled, “Syria calling,” which will be available for online purchase from April 28 in English and Italian. It is worth mentioning that Appiano’s research and academic studies include the Arabic world and the Middle East area, Islam, multiculturalism and interfaith dialogue. As a digital journalist, she is utilising a variety of social media platforms to promote Oman to Europe, Italy in particular. “The people in my country are misinformed when it comes to the Middle East, and I feel that it is my job to take a stand and try to present the real face of the region instead of the western media’s propaganda,” Appiano said, adding that she is amazed by the Sultanate’s international role in building bridges between countries, such as the United States and Iran.
Quoting Polish journalist and poet, Ryszard Kapuściński, Appiano said a journalist can’t forget the humanity and the meeting people he meets. In May 2012, she was named the Ambassador for the Associazione Telefono Rosa for her meritorious work in creating, through her career in journalism, a connection between Western and Middle-Eastern women; also in 2012, during the Nettuno Photo Festival 2012, she was awarded with the Premio “Giornalismo come impegnocivile.” She has also received other awards and recognitions, such as the “Premiod’Orta” in 1997 for notable television personalities, Premio “Castagnad’oro” in 2002 and 2005, and Premio “Alfieri di Asti,” annually assigned to art, culture and journalism personalities of Piedmontese origins.
MUSCAT: A new system that keeps track of public school buses was launched yesterday by Dr Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniyah, the Minister of Education, according to an official at the Ministry of Education. The system was introduced to ensure safety of school students. The official said the ministry is testing the new system called Darb Al Salama (Safe Journey), in three schools now and would cover other public schools in the
future. “This system has been introduced at three public schools, Um Kalthom in Al Batinah North, Khaula Bint Al Yaman in Quriyat, and Al Ula in Bausher, and in the coming academic years, the Ministry of Education is planning to introduce in all public schools in Oman. “We can’t say it will be effective in the coming academic year, but the ministry’s vision is to introduce the new system as soon as possible so that it covers the entire country in the future,” said Abdullah Al Jardani, an official at the Ministry of Education. >A6
TOO quiz reaches Indian School Muscat
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