Oman Observer

GAZA — Premier Ehud Olmert has been forced to withdraw his promise to release 250 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian sources said. According to the sources, the Palestinian Authority received a message from the caretaker Israeli government saying that “huge pressure was put on Olmert...

ROME — Libya is seeking a stake in Italian energy giant ENI, an Italian government statement said yesterday. “The Libyan government has indicated to the Italian government an interest in acquiring... a share in the capital of ENI,” the statement said. The Libyan Energy Fund will proceed with a bid in accordance with “market conditions,” it added.

TEHRAN — Iran's legislative watchdog, the Guardians Council, rejected yesterday new strict rules set by parliament for presidential candidates, the official IRNA news agency reported. In early November parliament introduced age limits and
strict educational criteria into electoral law in a bid to deter frivolous runners from standing for president.

WASHINGTON — US President-elect Barack Obama yesterday vowed to make the largest investment in the country’s infrastructure since the 1950s, as part of his plan to revitalise the slumping American economy. The effort, which will “save or create” 2.5 million new jobs, includes plans to make public buildings more energy-efficient, build new roads and bridges,...

SAO PAULO — The Brazilian Air Force will release a report next week blaming the US pilots of a jet that clipped the wing of a Gol airliner for causing a 2006 crash that killed all 154 on board, a local paper said. O Estado de S Paulo daily, which had access to details of the report, said pilot error in the Embraer Legacy jet, operated by Long Island-based ExcelAire,...

LAS VEGAS — More than a decade after O J Simpson stunned much of America by walking away from a murder trial a free man, the onetime football great known for unbridled speed was preparing to spend in prison what should have been the prime years of a superstar’s retirement. The 61-year-old former athlete, Hollywood actor and pioneering symbol of African-American...