6,600 jobs at tourism port - Oman Observer

More documents

Recommendations

Info

4 OMAN THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 Heavy to light rains in wilayats bring relief MUSCAT — Heavy to light rains fell in some governorates of the Sultanate yesterday, which led to the overlow of some wadis. In the Governorate of South Al Sharqiyah, heavy rains fell in the wilayats of Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan, Jaalan Bani Bu Ali and the Niyabat of Al Ash'kharah, which led to the overlow of wadis. Light rains fell in the wilayats of Masirah and Sur. In the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah, light rains fell in the Wilayat of Adam. Light rains also fell in the wilayats of Al Mudhaibi, Bidiyah, Ibra, Al Qabil and the Niyabat of Sinaw in the Governorate of North Al Sharqiyah, as well as the Wilayat of Mahout in the Governorate of Al Wusta. — ONA
THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 French President Francois Hollande with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara (L) and his wife Dominique Ouattara (R) yesterday at the Elysee Palace in Paris before a lunch his counterparts from eight African countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. — AFP 20-year jail for backing dissident group ABUJA — Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared the dissident force Boko Haram and splinter group Ansaru to be insurgent organisations, meaning anyone who supports them could face a 20-year-jail sentence. The designation also means militants no longer must be prosecuted for speciic crimes such as murder. Jonathan's government had previously seemed reluctant to apply the label for fear of inlaming the situation but diplomats had raised concerns that Nigerian criminal laws were not suited to deal with the conlict. His ofice made the announcement yesterday as the Nigerian military said it had detained 49 Boko Haram members during an offensive in the northeast, bringing the total captured to more than 150 in three weeks. The president declared a state of emergency in three northeastern states last month and sent troops to try to break the four-year-old insurgency that has killed thousands. Under Nigeria's 2011 Terrorism Prevention Act, anyone who incites a terrorist act over the Internet or through any other media, or gives weapons or any assistance to a terrorist group is liable for a minimum 20-year prison sentence. "Any persons associated with the two groups can now be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties speciied in the Act," presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said in a statement. Before Boko Haram and Ansaru received the terrorist label, members could only be prosecuted for speciic crimes like murder or ire arms possession — a situation that meant hundreds of Boko Haram detainees considered too dangerous to release were being held without charge often HRW sounds alarm over Zimbabwe security chiefs ahead of elections HARARE — Human Rights Watch yesterday urged Zimbabwe's powersharing government to discipline security chiefs who have declared their allegiance to veteran leader Robert Mugabe ahead of this summer's elections. "Zimbabwe's unity government is going to have to rein in the security forces and keep them out of politics if the elections are going to have any meaning," said Tiseke Kasambala, HRW's advocacy director for Africa. With security forces "threatening and attacking Mugabe's perceived opponents, Zimbabweans have little faith in the upcoming elections," he added. Zimbabwe is to hold elections in the coming months to end a shaky coalition between Mugabe and his longtime rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The exact date is yet to be ixed but the country's highest court last week ruled that Mugabe must call elections by July 31. The heads of Zimbabwe's security forces including the army, the police and prison services have made no secret of their allegiance to Mugabe's party, labelling Tsvangirai a stooge of the West. In a 44-page report, the New Yorkbased rights group accused the army of having "deployed soldiers across the country, intimidating, beating and abusing" Tsvangirai's supporters or those people critical of Mugabe's rule. Early last month Zimbabwe defence forces commander Constantine Chiwenga vowed not to meet Tsvangirai to discuss security sector reforms. "We have no time to meet sellouts. Clearly Tsvangirai is a psychiatric patient who needs a competent psychia- trist," Chiwenga said. Police commissioner general Augustine Chihuri also said he would not entertain any attempts to reform the country's security sector. Zimbabwe security agents were implicated in widespread abuses including killings, beatings and torture during the violent and disputed 2008 presidential election run-off. "The leadership of the military, police, and internal security agency, the Central Intelligence Organisation, has remained unchanged and openly supportive of Mugabe," said the watchdog. In its report,"The Elephant in the Room: Reforming the Security Sector Ahead of Zimbabwe's Elections" the HRW said Zimbabwean soldiers had a legal obligation to behave professionally and refrain from political activities. — AFP Fighters of the M23 dissident group guard a position in Mutaho, some 4 km from positions held by troops of the Democratic Republic of Congo Armed Forces (FARDC) and about 15 km from the eastern Congo city of Goma. The United Nations said that a special UN intervention brigade to counter militia groups in eastern DR Congo had started patrols in the conlict zone. — AFP for years at a time. It was not clear how this would affect an amnesty being offered to members who turn themselves in. In a move meant to appease moderate supporters, Nigeria this week released all women and children being held for links to the group. Ansaru, a smaller outit that grew out of Boko Haram and is thought to have direct links to Al Qaeda's North African wing, has been blamed for a number of kidnappings of Westerners in Nigeria, most of whom they killed in captivity. Britain last year declared it a terrorist group. — Reuters AFRICA Malian soldiers begin assault on separatists BAMAKO — Malian soldiers launched an assault yesterday on armed Tuareg separatists accused of ethnic cleansing, in a bid to dislodge them from a key northern stronghold ahead of national elections. Troops attacked militant positions in the town of Aneis at the start of an operation to retake the key city of Kidal from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) after a wave of expulsions of black residents. "Our troops have engaged armed bandits in the Aneis area who have suffered heavy losses of men and vehicles," said army spokesman Souleymane Maiga. The clashes in Aneis, 200 km south of Kidal, were conirmed by the MNLA and a regional military source. "The Malian army has attacked our positions this morning in Aneis. It decided to resolve the situation through war, and the Malian government will bear the consequences," MNLA vice-president Mahamadou Djeri Maiga said. Maiga said the army was using "heavy weaponry" and vowed that the MNLA would mobilise all its units "to advance on all army positions Mali in the territory of Azawad", the name given by the Tuareg rebellion to northern Mali. "We never wanted to resolve the situation by war but, as this is so, we will defend ourselves until the end," he said from the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou, where he is in talks with Malian oficials over planned elections in July. Maiga appealed for foreign forces in Mali to remain neutral and "leave us with the Malian army". Former colonial power France voiced its support for the army ac- 5 tion and called on the dissidents to lay down their weapons. "There can only be one army in Mali, deployed over the whole of the country's territory," a foreign ministry spokesman said. The ighting erupted after more than 100 black inhabitants were expelled from Kidal by the lighterskinnned MNLA ighters in an act denounced as "ethnic cleansing" by the government, which says the presence of troops in the city is "non-negotiable". Malian troops have been deployed in four "battle groups" to encircle Kidal, the army said on Tuesday. The unrest has cast a shadow over the Burkina Faso talks with Malian oficials and Tuareg leaders aimed at clearing the way for a presidential election planned for July 28. The MNLA rose up to ight for independence for the north in January last year and overwhelmed government troops, leading frustrated midlevel oficers to launch a coup which toppled elected president Amadou Toumani Toure. Together with insurgents, they seized key northern cities, but were then chased out by their former allies. France sent troops in January to block an advance by the dissidents on the capital Bamako, pushing them out of the main cities and into desert and mountain hideouts. The French then let the MNLA back into Kidal, ignoring demands by the Malian military to be allowed into the city and raising fears in Bamako, 1,500 km to the southwest, that Paris wants to let the Tuareg dissidents keep Kidal as part of an eventual deal for selfrule. — AFP
Page 1 and 2: World News P14 Majority of French w
Page 3: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 OMAN Majlis
Page 7 and 8: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 Nawaz Sharif
Page 9 and 10: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 Glimmer of h
Page 11 and 12: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 Need for shi
Page 13 and 14: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 People see o
Page 15 and 16: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 The highway
Page 17 and 18: Inside P 19 France minister in Sili
Page 19 and 20: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 Mobile payme
Page 21 and 22: 24 YEARS old Indian diploma holder
Page 23 and 24: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 Business Ale
Page 25 and 26: CRICKET P27 South Africa take on In
Page 27 and 28: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 SPORT Heavyw
Page 29 and 30: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 Actress Emma
Page 31 and 32: THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 Tackle junk

6,600 jobs at tourism port - Oman Observer

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?