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1 Couple in Oman blessed
gain from new government rules back home
with triplets, overjoyed timesofoman.com/Oman
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2 Heavy rain falls in parts of
Salalah
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3 ‘File labour complaints only
through Oman’s Ministry of Manpower website’
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2 Renaissance Day holiday
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5 Enforcement of midday break
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rule elates workers in Oman timesofoman.com/Oman
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4 Morning Minute: ROP warns
expats in Oman
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5 6,248 animals slaughtered
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during Eid-Al-Fitr festival in Oman timesofoman.com/Business
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Mohamed A. El Erian Trump picks Indiana Governor Pence for running mate
The problem for Xi is that he benefits too much from the rhetoric about China’s past victimisation. By taking a stand against foreign aggressors, he can present himself as a defender of Chinese interests. Widespread support for the government on social media and in the press shows just how well that strategy is working
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The disturbing reality is that computational propaganda is already with us. In the US presidential race, Twitter bots support both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Bots of various kinds live on cloud servers and operate 24 hours a day, and account for about 50 per cent of all activity on the web
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READERS’ FORUM Children are future hope of their parents This refers to article, Couples in Oman blessed with triplets overjoyed (July 18) , Firstly thanks to the Creator for blessing the world with some positive news. Pregnancy is a difficult period for every women that too carrying triplets will really be a very big task, congrats for Ruqaiya for handling that happily. However, all the difficulties of a mother will get vanished while seeing the faces of her children, same happened for her and now she‘s is enjoying the task of taking care of her children. Its fine as she‘s blessed with kind hearted relatives to help her. Children are future hope of their parents, Scan this QR code I believe these three tiny gifts will always to send letters to the bring joy and confidence to the life of their Readers’ Forum, proud parents. containing not more than 200 words with —Subbashini M, Al Khuwair
KAMAL SIDDIQI
Qandeel’s crime, if any, was that she crossed a line that the Jirga-enforced society has set for women in Pakistan. In any other country, Qandeel’s antics would have been taken with a pinch of salt. For Pakistan’s insecure men, her statements and videos came across as a challenge to their honour and manhood
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Pakistan side remains tough despite home series ban This refers to article, asir leads Pakistan to victory over England at Lord’s (July 18). This time around the South Asian side made sure the English weather conditions benefit their bowling abilities. Yasir Shah’s performance needs fulls mark and shows the Pakistani side remains formidable despite being unable to host cricket series. —Malcome Smith, Al Khuwair
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WILL ROGERS
Social media helped defeat Turkish coup T
he attempted coup d’etat by a faction of Turkey’s armed forces on Friday failed for many reasons, including divisions among the military and repeated missteps by the plotters. Social media and mobile communications also played an important role. And it wasn’t the first time this combination has enabled citizens to express their will and have a say in deciding who governs them and why. Judging from available information, the rebellious faction of mid-level army officers sought to implement the classic playbook for military takeovers -- what in the old days would have been labeled a “colonels’ coup,” as opposed to one led by generals. They closed key transportation routes, tried to secure both parliament and the presidential offices, and attempted to capture high-ranking officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and top military brass. They also took over state media outlets, and used state television to broadcast their message and prematurely declare victory. The instigators soon realized that this classic approach was not sufficient, and moved to take control of private television channels, even shutting down the Turkish affiliate of CNN, an event that was broadcast live around the world. The objective was conventional: By denying citizens access to alternative sources of news, the rebels would be able to control the narrative, dictating the information that was going out and its interpretation. They would also use this control to energizs their small group of collaborators and attempt to persuade others to join them, particularly other factions of the military. But the putschists failed to sufficiently update the standard coup playbook to take into account the realities of social media and mobile technology. As a result, their attempt to control the information available to ordinary citizens was only partial and the military’s message was soon drowned out by domestic and international news outlets with much greater powers of amplification. Then, the advantage the military had initially gained through the element of surprise quickly eroded. Within hours of the beginning of the coup, Erdogan used the video capability on his mobile phone to communicate with the nation, urging Turks to take to the streets and stand up to the rebels. His message was amplified on social media
channels, such as Facebook and Twitter, and supplemented by images of people standing in front of tanks and on top of them. Social media also played a critical role in relaying -- in real time -- domestic and international support for the president and for Turkey’s democratically and legitimately elected government. These messages came from some of Erdogan’s internal political critics, too, who used Twitter to condemn the attempted coup, which they said wouldn’t bring the right kind of change. Foreign leaders, including President Barack Obama, echoed the support for Turkish democracy and for Erdogan. The international and domestic engagement did more than simply feed the curiosity of ordinary Turkish citizens. It countered the certainty about the outcome that the small group of officers in control of state media and some key installations had tried to convey. It also undermined the coup plotters’ attempts to convey a state of siege. The flow of information encouraged, empowered and mobilised Turks to confront the rebels and their tanks. The population went from being passive recipients to proactive participants in the country’s present and future. And by challenging the information being transmitted by the captured media sources, they prevented the small group of mid-level officers from turning pre-emptive claims of victory into reality. A significant number of Turks collectively formed what advancing military forces fear most -- crowds of civilians blocking their path and complicating their operational plans. The strength of the people was transmitted both domestically and internationally through images on social media of civilians standing up to rebel soldiers in the streets. This signaled that the rebels were not winning, and diminished the chances that they would ultimately prevail. Sensing defeat, hundreds of rebellious soldiers started surrendering and road blockades were lifted. The images that filled social media showed that citizens had again found a way to have a deterministic role in their political destiny -- particularly when it comes to how they are governed and by whom.- Bloomberg View
CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES JULY 2001 Majlis committee studies role of global firms in boosting economy MUSCAT: The economic committee of the Majlis Al Shura is carrying out a study on the role of international companies and other companies implementing major government projects in stimulating local economy, according to Salim bin Said Al Ghatami, head of the economic committee and representative of the wilayat of Nakhl in the Majlis. Al Ghatami said the purpose of the study was to assess the local practices of these companies in terms of sourcing labour, services and other needs from the local markets and awarding subcontracts to small companies.
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PICTOGRAPH PROPORTION OF SEATS HELD BY WOMEN IN THE SULTANATE 1997
2011-2015
State Council
9.8% 17.9% Majlis Oman
4.9%
TODAY IN HISTORY INVITATION TO WRITERS We invite our readers to write articles on topics related to Oman. The articles should not exceed 800 words. Send us your article along with your picture to akhtar@timesofoman.com
1545: King Henry VIII of England watches his flagship, Mary Rose, capsize as it leaves to battle the French. 1799: The Rosetta Stone, a tablet with hieroglyphic translations into Greek, is found in Egypt.
9.5% Majlis Al Shura
2.4% 1.2%
1870: France declares war on Prussia. 1975: Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts dock in orbit.
Source National Centre for Statistics & Information