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MECA unveils national plan to tackle desertification

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA) has unveiled a national plan to combat desertification in the sultanate.

The data gathered through the survey will be studied and analysed by experts from MECA’s nature conservation department, he added.

MECA has also joined hands with the Sultan Qaboos University and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for projects to reclaim land across the sultanate which has been affected by desertification.

Currently, a project on these lines is being undertaken in Dhofar governorate, he said.

The project includes monitoring land facing degradation, ways to curb drought, studying the relationship between climate change and desertification, economic and social impacts of land degradation and using technology to fight desertification.

The ministry also held a symposium recently where conservation experts and researchers talked about the steps to curb desertification and measures that should be taken, the official added.

The experts talked about desertification in relation to various international conventions. The symposium also urged concerned agencies to conduct studies in affected areas and to begin re-farming in these places. 

Is it time for India to look inward or outward

hoto: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) is greeted by his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after Modi took the oath of office at the presidential palace in New Delhi May 26, 2014. Reuters/Adnan Abidi

As freshly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet make their first visits abroad, many analysts argue India's new government seems intent to in order to boost India's international profile. Modi's swearing-in ceremony included invitations to every single SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Corporation) nation, including an from Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. His first visit abroad was to Bhutan (where he had an and accidentally referred to the country as "Nepal" while addressing the Bhutan Parliament). Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently returned from visiting Bangladesh, a visit that's also been touted as an "  for strengthening ties throughout India's South Asian neighborhood.

But as Indian columnist Modi's inclination to reach out to regional neighbors isn't just a sign of India looking outward -- it's also reflective of India's search for a stronger Indian identity, and an inherent suspicion of the West:

"In the 1990s, Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime Minister of Singapore, triggered a fierce debate by drawing a line between Western freedoms and human rights, on the one hand, and, on the other, an Asian vision of living in harmony, which might place individual rights in abeyance for the good of the community. In India, this 'Asian values' debate found its way into discussions on development, among other things, notably in arguments trying to discredit environmentalists for being too heavily influenced by the West.

"The problems with that position are the same now as they were then. As the economist Amartya Sen put it in 1997, 'What can we take to be the values of so vast a region, with such diversity?' As a result, invoking an Indian, or Asian, identity in such a plural country, or region, often becomes an excuse for the majority to speak over many minorities."

Brazil World Cup

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is being held in venues across Brazil from June 12 to July 13. The international soccer tournament is expected to be watched by billions of fans worldwide, but is being played against a backdrop of unrest in the host nation and allegations of corruption against the sport's governing body, FIFA.

A supporter of Brazil's national soccer team strolls around the World Cup stadium in Sao Paulo June 7, 2014. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbac

While most of the rest of the world has been united in its condemnation of soccer player Luis Suarez, Uruguay fans have staunchly defended their star striker -- to the point of accusing other nations of conspiring against El Pistolero.
Why? that Uruguay sees the sport of soccer differently. To them, winning is the only thing that matters, which is why they think Suarez is the perfect player:

No one will ever accuse Suarez of having a cold heart. He might do the craziest things on a football pitch, but you can bet your soul he will leave his skin on that field. In a cold, materialistic world, that is the ultimate quality any Uruguayan wants in a player.

Reporters only come to Uruguay to find out why Suarez bites people because, to be fair, that is a damn interesting question

Confused by Luis Suarez's weird bite during yesterday's Uruguay-Italy World Cup game? You're certainly not alone -- but help is at hand.
Writing for ESPN The Magazine, Wright Thompson pulls off the impressive trick of written almost a month before the Uruguayan decided to find out what Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini tastes like.
The must-read story also offers a fascinating window on corruption, poverty, and ambition in today's Uruguay.
With that in mind, it may come as no surprise those same fans didn't condemn Suarez for his actions, but instead gathered at Montevideo's Carrasco international airport to greet their returning hero. The Telegraph has this video:

Andhra court issues arrest warrant against Dhoni  Issue of denigration of Vishnu

 A court in Andhra Pradesh issued an arrest warrant against Indian cricket team captain M.S. Dhoni for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.

A local court in Anantapur issued the arrest warrant as Dhoni did not appear in the court despite three summons served in the past. It directed police to present Dhoni in the court July 16.

Business Today in its April 2013 edition had carried the picture. Dhoni was portrayed as Hindu god Vishnu with a sub title “God of Big Deals” and holding products of several companies including a shoe in his hand.

Y. Shyam Sunder, a local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, had filed a petition in the court in February this year alleging that the cricketer had hurt the sentiments of Hindus by denigrating the Hindu god.

The summons issued by the court to Dhoni on three occasions was returned. The court, which took up the hearing on Tuesday, issued the arrest warrant.

Business Today depicts cricketer MS Dhoni as Shri Vishnu

A business magazine named Business Today has denigrated Shri Vishnu by depicting cricketer MS Dhoni as Shri Vishnu on the front page of the magazine. In this picture it is shown that MS Dhoni has many hands and they carry various products like 'Lays, Gulf, Boost, Dabur etc.', thereby trivialising Shri Vishnu. Use of such picture is nothing but an insult of Shri Vishnu, a highly revered Hindu deity worshiped by billions of Hindus worldwide. Now it is duty of all Hindus to protest lawfully against Business Today so that they withdraw these magazines denigrating Shri Vishnu and they should also render unconditional apology to Hindus for hurting their religious sentiments. Devout Hindus can also take legal course against Business Today. Hindus should also buycott Business Today unless it tenders apology.
Devout Hindus can also send their lawful protests to concerned authorities throug.