Observer & Busness 5 May 2012 - Oman Daily Observer

Bids for railway design contract 

INTERNATIONAL companies competing for a keenly-awaited, 

but much-delayed, contract for the Design and Supervision 

of Oman’s National Rail Project have been asked to extend 

their bid bonds to July 5. Five consortiums, each led by leading 

names in the global rail engineering and construction industry, 

are bidding for a 4-year contract to undertake the engineering 

design of the proposed 1,000-km-long rail network. See P21 

Saturday, May 5, 2012/Jumada al Thania 13, 1433 AH 

www.omanobserver.om editor@omanobserver.om 

Optimism on fuel-efficient jets 

BRITISH aero enginemaker Rolls-Royce expects 

profits to rise again in 2012 as it continues to benefit 

from airlines’ need for more fuel-efficient planes and 

the relentless demand for travel to and from Asia’s 

burgeoning mega cities. Rolls said yesterday it had 

made a good start to the year and that its key civil 

aerospace unit would lead strong profit growth. 

99pc get ante-natal care 

 

MUSCAT — On occasion of the International 

Midwifery Day (IMD), 

which is annually marked on May 

5, the United Nations Population 

Fund (UNFPA) and International 

Confederation of Midwives (ICM) 

commend the important work of 

midwives in promoting good health 

and making pregnancies and childbirths 

safe. 

According to a UNFPA statement, 

in the Sultanate, the Ministry 

of Health (MoH) in collaboration 

with the technical support of the 

UNFPA has made great advancements 

pertaining to women’s health 

and have shown a great improve- 

NEW DELHI — India’s ruling alliance 

headed by Congress yesterday 

garnered more support for its likely 

presidential candidate but it still 

remained unclear who it will be — 

Pranab Mukherjee, Hamid Ansari 

or a surprise candidate. 

Law Minister Salman Khurshid 

echoed party president Sonia 

Gandhi to counsel “patience” even 

as Rashtriya Lok Dal leader and 

cabinet minister Ajit Singh said any 

Congress candidate would be fine. 

Jammu and Kashmir’s ruling 

National Conference, another Congress 

ally, vowed to back a Con- 

ment in the health services provided 

to mothers. 

According to the MoH’s data 

2009: The improvements obtained 

in the health services provided to 

mothers in diverse aspects of health 

indicate that ante-natal coverage 

reached to 99.4 per cent and the 

birth rate attended by supervised 

medical attendants accounted to 98 

per cent. 

Data also indicate that the Maternal 

Mortality Ratio dropped 

to 13.4 per 100,000 live births, 

which is considered to be on the 

lower scale as compared to many 

other countries on the regional and 

global front. This ratio reflects the 

progress, development and im- 

gress nominee. Finance Minister 

Mukherjee himself was reticent, 

saying no decision had been taken 

on who the Congress hoped to field 

to succeed Pratibha Patil as India’s 

13th president. 

Both Mukherjee and Ansari have 

emerged as front-runners, surprisingly 

getting support of even some 

in the BJP-led National Democratic 

Alliance. Khurshid said the Congress 

was consulting its allies and 

other stakeholders. 

However, Odisha Chief Minister 

Naveen Patnaik, in Delhi to attend 

a conference, openly spoke against 

THE National Ferries Company will this week launch Shinas-Khasab service. See also P2 

21 9 20 

proved health quality of maternal 

services, it is learnt. 

According to UNFPA, The right 

to health is a basic human right that 

every woman should enjoy. Yet, 

every day, almost 1000 women die 

in pregnancy and childbirth. 

Every year, 8 million women 

suffer serious pregnancy-related illnesses 

and disabilities, such as obstetric 

fistula, and 2 million babies 

don’t survive the first 24 hours of 

their lives. One of the main causes 

for these tragedies is lack of access 

to maternity services, including the 

care of midwives or others with 

midwifery skills at childbirth. 

The day, which, this year is being 

held under the theme: To page 5 

President race heats up 

the Congress, becoming the first after 

the BJP to do so. 

“It would be difficult to support 

a Congress candidate,” the Biju 

Janata Dal (BJD) leader said. 

Nationalist Congress Party 

(NCP) leader and former Lok Sabha 

speaker P Sangma said India had 

not had a tribal president in six decades. 

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said 

he would not react on the race until 

the Congress picks a candidate. 

Senior Congress leaders, including 

ministers, declined to speak on 

the issue, saying only the leadership 

would take the final call. — IANS 

Super Kings edge past Chargers 

CHAMPIONS Chennai Super Kings bounced back to 

beat Deccan Chargers by 10 runs to move up to fourth 

spot on the leaderboard in the Indian Premier League 

at the Chepauk Stadium yesterday. Batting first on 

winning the toss, the Super Kings scrambled to 160 

for six, thanks to some big hitting in the last over by 

Dwayne Bravo and restricted the Chargers to 150. 

 

Move to find uranium 

 

MUSCAT — A team of scientists 

from Sultan Qaboos University 

(SQU) will explore for uranium 

and associated minerals in the Sultanate. 

The project is part of a series of 

research initiatives announced by 

Oman’s premier university on the 

occasion of celebrations marking 

SQU Day 2012, commemorating 

His Majesty the Sultan’s landmark 

visit to the institution in 2000. 

In all, seven research projects 

were unveiled with funding support 

from His Majesty’s Strategic 

Research Trust Fund for 2012. 

The SQU team will undertake 

a geochemical and geophysical 

exploration of uranium and associated 

minerals in Oman. 

According to scientists, the 

Proterozoic basement of Dhofar 

Governorate may be a potential 

source and trap for uranium and 

associated minerals, as nearly 30- 

40 per cent of the global production 

of uranium comes from Proterozoic 

basins in Canada. 

Further, reconnaissance surveys 

carried out during the late 1970s 

suggest the possibility of uranium 

occurrence in this region. 

ROP deports 1,149 

 

MUSCAT — Lt Col Abdulkarim bin 

Murad al Balushi, Director of the Illegal 

Immigration Control Department, 

Royal Oman Police (ROP), said that 

the ROP deported 1,149 foreigners 

who attempted to enter the Sultanate 

illegally, among them 15 women. The 

intruders, mostly of Asian nationalities, 

were arrested as they approached 

the Sultanate’s coast in groups last 

month, said Lt Col Al Balushi, adding 

that the ROP always takes legal action 

against the intruders as per international 

agreements and standards. 

The action includes co-ordinating 

with embassies to verify the identities 

of the illegal immigrants before deporting 

them, the official added. 

Lt Col Abdullah bin Saleh al 

Ghailani, Director of Operations at the 

Al Batinah Governorate’s Police Command, 

said his division has a specialised 

team which keeps vigil over the 

Muscat-Musandam coast. To P3 

Deposits at RO 8.2bn 

MUSCAT — The total value of private 

deposits at the commercial banks in the 

Sultanate as of the end of February 2012 

rose by 17.5 per cent to RO 8.27 billion 

compared to RO 7.04 billion during the 

corresponding period in 2011. 

The monthly statistical bulletin published 

by the Central Bank of Oman 

(CBO) pointed out that the gross value 

of the deposits as of the end of February 

2012 includes time deposits which 

stood at RO 3.08 billion, RO 2.65 billion 

saving deposits and RO 2.44 billion 

demand deposits. 

The bulletin pointed out that the total 

value for these deposits include RO 

7.64 billion and RO 635,7 million in 

foreign currencies. 

As for the banking indicators for 

MUSCAT — The Muscat Securities 

Market (MSM) 30 Index closed at the 

end of April at 5,868 points, rising 178 

points or 3.14 per cent compared to 

that in March. 

The monthly statistics issued by 

the MSM pointed out that April trading 

value rose by 13.7 per cent to reach 

RO 126.1 million compared to RO 

110.9 million recorded in March. The 

market value reached RO 10.76 billion, 

rising 2.32 per cent compared to 

RO 10.52 billion the previous month. 

The statistics added that the value 

of shares bought by foreign investors 

reached RO 23.3 million comprising 

18.48 per cent. The value of shares sold 

the commercial banks as of the end of 

January 2012, the bulletin said that the 

broad money and clearance of the deposits 

in rials was 10.6 per cent. 

The combined money and clearance 

to the gross deposits was 9 per cent. 

The total percentage of loans to liabilities 

stood at 100.7 per cent. 

The rate of foreign currency deposits 

to the total deposits was 15.5 per 

cent. The rate of foreign assets to the 

total assets was 13.4 per cent. The foreign 

liability was 9.9 per cent. 

The on-demand deposits to the total 

private deposits was 29.4 per cent. The 

capital and reserves to the total deposits 

was 18.1 per cent. The rate of allocations 

and the retained interests to the 

total credit was 3.7 per cent. — ONA 

MSM index up 3.14pc 

KHAR — A bomber targeted police in 

a bustling Pakistan town square yesterday, 

killing at least 24 people and 

wounding dozens in the tribal area 

near the Afghan border, officials said. 

The Taliban claimed responsibility, 

saying it had wanted to kill the local 

chief and deputy of a tribal police force 

recruited by the government to help 

defeat the group in the northwest. 

Both died in the attack in Khar, the 

main town of Bajaur district, after a 

bomber who intelligence officials said 

detonated explosives. 

Yesterday’s blast was the deadliest 

bombing in Pakistan since February 

17, when 31 people were killed by an 

attack in the tribal district of Kurram. 

“The death toll has risen to 24,” 

by foreign investors reached RO 20.8 

million comprising 16.46 per cent. 

Total foreign investment increased 

to RO 2.5 million, comprising 2 per 

cent. During April, shares of 82 companies 

changed hands, while the shares 

of 48 companies rose, 22 companies 

retreated and 12 remained stable. 

Most of the trading focused on 

shares of Global Financial Investments, 

with more than 89.4 million 

shares more than RO 9.3 million. 

More than 69.5 million shares of 

Gulf Investment Services changed 

hands, in addition to more than 51.8 

million shares changed hands in the 

construction sector. — ONA 

Islam Zeb, the administrative head of 

Bajaur tribal district, said. He had earlier 

said 20 people were killed. 

Raids were later carried out in the 

surrounding areas of Khar and two 

men aged 17 and 18 were arrested, he 

said. At least five policemen, including 

the local tribal police chief and his 

deputy, were among the dead and 46 

people were wounded. Shops and a 

restaurant were destroyed. 

Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for 

the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility, 

saying that anyone involved in 

“activity” against the Taliban “will be 

treated with iron hands.” 

It was the third bomb attack in two 

days in Bajaur, after twin blasts killed 

five people. See also page 8 

Meanwhile, the seven research 

projects, which have been selected 

for His Majesty’s Strategic 

Research Trust Fund for the year 

2012 are New Software in Learning 

Arabic Reading, will measure 

the “Effectiveness of the Design 

and Use of New Software in Learning 

Arabic Reading at Omani First 

Basic Education Cycle’s Schools.” 

Through Identification of 

Pupils with Reading Disorders 

project, the team will develop an 

optimal framework for the identification 

and intervention of pupils 

with reading disorders in Oman. 

School Graduates’ Weakness in 

MUSCAT — Oman Astronomical 

Society has said 

that the moon will make 

its nearest approach to the 

Earth tomorrow, May 6, at a 

distance of 356,953 km. 

The full moon will not be 

visible during its first appearance 

in the morning. This 

is an annual phenomenon, 

said Ammar bin Salim al 

Rawahi, Chairman of Oman 

Astronomical Society’s Observatory 

Committee. 

AL BURAIMI — Al 

Buraimi Industrial Estate 

now has 301 factories of 

which 155 are operational, 

55 with capital investment 

over RO 72 million under 

construction including automobile, 

carpentry and steel 

workshops. 

ABU DHABI — Two Omanis 

were shot dead in a obscure 

shooting incident that followed 

a road accident in Al 

Ain City yesterday afternoon, 

said a United Arab Emirates 

(UAE) police official. 

UAE news agency WAM 

quoted Brigadier Hamad Ajlan 

al Omaimi, Director of 

Al Ain Police, said that the 

Abu Dhabi Police Command 

is investigating the incident 

to find out the cause of the 

shooting and the identity of 

the perpetrators. 

Speaking in detail, Brigadier 

Al Omaimi said that a 

shooting took place after the 

English project examines how students 

are taught English at public 

schools and why this teaching is 

not producing the desired results. 

Lean Thinking in the Healthcare 

Sector project will undertake an assessment 

of the application of lean 

thinking in the healthcare sector. 

Characterisation of Oman Meteorites 

will explore characterisation 

of meteorites, the remnant 

fragments from the Solar System. 

Finally, the project on developing 

tailor-made polymeric materials 

will develop tailor-made polymeric 

materials via co-ordination 

polymerisation. See also P25 

Supermoon tomorrow 

Al Rawahi pointed out 

that, by approaching the 

Earth at 356,953 km, the 

moon will turn full, arriving 

at perigee, its closest approach 

to Earth. The moon 

will rise over the Sultanate’s 

sky at 7.08 pm and set at 6.13 

am, looking bigger both at 

rising and setting and offering 

an excellent opportunity 

for photographers seeking 

to capture the moon’s salient 

features. To P2 

RO 72m projects 

Since the establishment 

of the estate in 1998, the industrial 

sector in Al Buraimi 

Governorate witnessed impressive 

growth in terms of 

number of factories and industrial 

installations, thanks 

to the government’s support 

and care. To page 2 

Pakistan blast kills 24 2 die in shooting 

collision, which involved two 

vehicles. 

The Omani victims were 

inside a car carrying Qatari 

number plates when they were 

shot dead, said Brigadier Al 

Omaimi, who promised that 

the police will disclose the 

details to the media as soon as 

possible. 

The police have not yet 

disclosed the identities of the 

perpetrators of the shooting, 

but is working to get more 

details of the incident before 

making further comments. 

No one has been arrested 

in connection with the shooting 

incident so far. — ONA 

Prayer timing Fajr Dhuhr Asr Magrib Isha Weather Muscat M Nizwa Sohar Al Buraimi Sur Khasab Salalah 

EXCHANGE RATES 

GOLD 

Dollar per Omani Rial 

PRICE 

Muscat 04:09 am 12:09 pm 03:33 pm 06:42 pm 07:58 pm Max M 40 43 38 44 41 44 32 

Min 28 26 29 27 30 29 24 

Buying 0.382 Selling 0.388 $1,639.99

2 OMAN 

OMAN DAILY Observer 

SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

TOURISM Ministry Under-Secretary Maitha al Mahrooqiya visits NFC. — ONA 

Shinas-Khasab route launch this week 

MUSCAT — The National 

Ferries Company (NFC) will 

on Wednesday inaugurate its 

Shinas-Khasab route, the third 

of its kind after Muscat-Khasab 

From page 1 

The estate, which comes 

under the Public Establishment 

for Industrial Estates, plays 

an important role in boosting 

the economic, industrial and 

commercial activities in the 

governorate in particular and 

the Sultanate in general, by attracting 

foreign and domestic 

investments in the industrial 

sector, besides diversifying the 

resources of income. 

The estate also plays an 

important role in providing job 

opportunities for Omani jobseekers 

and meeting the needs 

of high quality local products 

at affordable and competitive 

prices. 

The industrial estate provides 

the required support to 

investors, such as infrastructure, 

strategic location and 

proximity to local and foreign 

ports. 

The estate is only 100 km 

from Sohar and is equally distant 

from Dubai. This encourages 

the setting up of joint 

ventures by Gulf investors. 

and Khasab-Lima routes now 

being operated by the company. 

Ghazi bin Abdullah al Zadjali, 

Head of the Marketing and 

Communication Department 

RO 72m projects in Al Buraimi Industrial Estate 

The estate, which stretches 

over 5.5 million square metres 

is divided into two parts. The 

first part 2.5 million square 

metres is dedicated to light 

industries and the second part 

measuring 2 million square 

metres is dedicated to industrial 

activities. An additional one 

million square metre area has 

been added as an extension to 

the second part. 

The estate provides scores 

of incentives to investors, such 

as tax exemption for five year 

at the Company, said that the 

project comes in implementation 

of the directives of His 

Majesty to convert Shinas Port 

into a commercial port. 

(renewable), exemption from 

custom duty on import of 

tools, equipment, spare parts 

and raw materials, providing 

land plots for investors at 

competitive rates, providing 

infrastructure for electricity, 

water, telecommunications, 

road, lighting and canals for 

rain water discharge. 

The industrial estate is also 

provided with other supportive 

services, such as cafes, restaurants 

and a branch of one of 

the banks, post office and a 

Supermoon 

tomorrow 

From page 1 

Meanwhile, Astronomer 

Ali bin Amor al Shaibani, 

Head of the Public Relations 

Committee at the Oman Astronomical 

Society, said that, 

besides an observably brighter 

moon as seen against the 

Earth’s topographical features, 

the tide will be bigger 

and will cover a larger sector 

of the Omani beaches and 

coast at the peak. 

After Isha prayers, 

owners of anchored boats 

should make sure that are 

not washed away by high 

tide, while those sailing in 

coral areas should avoid 

hitting rocks during low 

tide. — ONA 

mini health centre. 

Abdullah bin Salim al 

Kaabi, Director-General of 

the industrial estate, pointed 

out the estate attaches great 

importance to Omanisation 

and training of Omanis. The 

Omanisation rate at the estate 

stands at 30.6 per cent as of 

the end of 2011. 

The number of workers 

stand at 1,485 including 454 

Omanis working at the different 

administrative and technical 

specialties. — ONA

People responsible for 80pc of road accidents 

MUSCAT — More than 80 per cent 

of road accidents are attributed to the 

human factor, said Mohammed Ali 

Kooman (pictured), Secretary General 

of the Arab Interior Ministers 

Council, who called for the Arab 

world’s adopting comprehensive 

plans to control the number and social 

and economic impact of road accidents. 

Kooman, in a speech on the Arab 

Traffic Week, which began yester- 

day, pointed out that the problem of 

road accidents is in the first place a 

behavioural one and that only motorists 

can help alleviate its negative 

impacts. 

Road accidents are draining the 

most valuable resources of the Arab 

society, said Kooman, who warned 

that, at the current rate, the number 

of road accident deaths and injuries 

will increase by 60 per cent by the 

year 2020. 

3 OMAN 



Royal Oman Police deports 1,149 illegal immigrants 

GLASS windows of the car smashed to steal money and other valuables. 

Below: Picture shows stolen municipality manhole covers. 

From page 1 

Once arrested, the intruders 

are gathered in Centres of Accommodation. 

He added that 

the boats used for transporting 

the intruders are confiscated 

and the people who facilitate 

their illegal entry are arrested 

and presented before the 

courts concerned which award 

them jail terms and fines. 

Al Ghailani warned citizens 

and residents against harbouring 

illegal immigrants who, he 

said, are usually a source of instability 

and crimes like theft, 

the smuggling of narcotics 

and psychotropic substances, 

theft and violation of the Telecommunication 

Law as they 

engage in illegally selling international 

calls or bringing 

to the country contraband devices. 

The illegal immigrants never 

get medically examined and 

this poses a health threat to the 

society, said Al Ghailani. 

He valued the co-operation 

of citizens and residents in apprehending 

the intruders and 

requested members of the 

Lt Col Abdulkarim al Balushi 

public to report any such suspicious 

acts to the ROP via the 

Emergency Number 9999. 

Meanwhile, the ROP said 

in other reports that the Court 

of First Instance at Salalah 

awarded two men jail terms of 

seven years each on after they 

were found guilty of possessing 

and trading in narcotics. 

Acting on a tip-off, the 

ROP caught the two men redhanded 

as they transported 

60 kilogrammes of hashish in 

their vehicle. 

In another case, Dhofar 

Lt Col Abdullah al Ghailani 

Governorates’ Appeal Court, 

awarded a man of Arab nationality 

a two-year jail term 

and ordered him deported afterwards 

after he was found 

to be guilty of cultivating 

marihuana in a farm. He was 

also taking the drug and was 

intending to sell it. 

In a similar case in Dhofar, 

the ROP arrested a man found 

to be in possession of 337 

bundles of tobacco known as 

“ghat” stacked in three boxes. 

A woman of African nationality 

was arrested by the 

ROP on charges of stealing a 

laptop from a shop in Ruwi. 

The woman confessed to the 

charges, admitting that she hid 

the laptop under her dress before 

leaving the shop, whose 

owner reported the crime to 

the ROP. 

A man was arrested on 

charges of stealing valuables 

from a citizen’s vehicle in 

Al Mawaleh area, Wilayat of 

Seeb. 

The man confessed to 

the charges, saying that he 

smashed the glass windows 

of the vehicle before lifting a 

sum of money, mobile phones 

and other valuables. 

The ROP advises the public 

to report such crimes to its 

emergency number or to telephone 

No 80077444. 

Two men were apprehended 

by the ROP as they 

were trying to get away with 

municipality manhole covers 

in the Wilayat of Bausher. The 

ROP got a clue from the overloaded 

vehicle of the criminals 

which was lumbering under 

the weight.

4 OUTLOOK 



A salute to midwives 

A 

BIG salutation to 

all midwives on 

the occasion of 

this prestigious 

day in recognition of their 

efforts on promoting good 

health of pregnant women 

and for making childbirth 

safe. 

The day, which is annually 

marked on 5 May, is indeed 

a significant occasion 

for societies to value the 

RECENTLY the media 

came up with the 

news of some people 

possessing sizable 

lands measuring thousands of 

square metres. This worrisome 

phenomenon is not confined to 

Muscat Governorate alone, in 

the other governorates it is not 

uncommon that 30 per cent of 

the size of a village is owned 

by one person. 

Some individuals are in the 

habit of appropriating lands 

in a random way. In the dead 

of night they move old furniture 

and other unused stuff to 

plots of land so the shaikhs 

bear witness that they are the 

legitimate owners of the land 

in question, after that the land 

is officially registered in their 

names and the documents are 

endorsed by local committees 

and finally approved by the 

wali office. By such manipulation 

they become owners of 

lands that they have no right 

to take for themselves. The 

same method is applied prior 

Maryam Khalfan 

healthtalk2012@gmail.com 

work of midwives. 

Without doubt, the risks, 

the midwives take on in an 

attempt to save the lives of 

mothers and babies during 

child birth is undeniable. 

The presence of a midwife 

at birth can make a 

difference between life and 

death. Having a skilled professional 

at birth protects the 

life of the mother and child 

with timely intervention 

when the situation can still 

be controlled. 

Indeed, the continuous 

endeavour and boundless 

support the midwives provide 

without discrimination 

of ethnicity, faith and colour 

is certainly commendable. 

The joy and smile they 

bring on the lives of mothers 

and their families when they 

overcome the challenges of 

childbirth is extraordinary. 

Their contribution to promote 

the well being of women 

and to prevent postpartum 

haemorrhage — a condition 

which can lead to death of 

women if bleeding is not 

controlled after birth, is all 

the more praiseworthy. 

According to UNFPA, 

“the right to health is a basic 

human right that every 

woman should enjoy. Yet, 

every day, almost 1000 

women die in pregnancy and 

childbirth. Every year, 8 million 

women suffer serious 

pregnancy-related illnesses 

and disabilities, such as obstetric 

fistula, and 2 million 

babies don’t survive the first 

24 hours of their lives. One 

of the main causes for these 

tragedies is lack of access to 

maternity services, including 

the care of midwives or 

others with midwifery skills 

at childbirth". 

The occasion, which is 

being commemorated under 

the slogan ‘Investing in 

Midwifery Pays’, is indeed 

a strong message to governments 

and private health 

care providers to invest in 

this segment for sustainable 

health. For instance, 

if we are to learn from our 

Dubious land possession 

to execution of large projects, 

particularly road projects. 

Scores of people scramble to 

illegally appropriate lands that 

were previously owned by 

no-one at the time they hear 

that a new road project will be 

implemented and the govern- 

ment ends up paying millions 

of rials in compensation to 

these illegal owners. 

The aggravating phenomenon 

of illegal land grab by 

individuals raises an important 

own country's experience, 

for many years, Oman relied 

on foreign manpower in this 

field. The development and 

improvement on the quality 

of maternal health services 

provided to women 

in this country has gained 

the praise of international 

organisations related with 

women and child health. Besides, 

a lot is being done on 

further advancements of the 

midwifery services in the 

county. 

However, if the nation is 

to be self-reliant in the future, 

the need of investment 

in Human Capital such as 

midwives is the wisest step 

forward that we can ever 

make, to ensure sustainability, 

ownership, fulfilment, 

and consistently high results. 

The need of investing 

in Omani midwives and to 

encourage them to advance 

through career development 

is mandatory, if the Sultanate 

is to be self-reliant on 

local manpower. Investing 

on midwives is also mandatory 

to improve the maternal 

health, reduce child mortality 

and combat HIV. Addressing 

this shortage is also critical 

to achieving universal 

access to reproductive health 

in the future and to meet the 

UN millennium development 

goals by the year 2015. 

For instance, in the Sultanate, 

the country has traditionally 

relied on foreigntrained 

expatriate midwives 

to provide midwifery services. 

But, in recent years 

only a handful of Omani 

midwives have begun taking 

on the ambition through 

career development. 

In honour of this day, the 

international community 

should equally acknowledge 

the tasks of the international 

agencies like the International 

Confederation of Midwives 

(ICM), along with the 

UN agencies like the UNFPA 

and World Health Organisation 

(WHO) and a range of 

other international partners, 

which are committed to addressing 

maternal mortality 

and morbidity through 

greater access to essential 

midwifery care worldwide, 

particularly in developing 

countries where 90 per cent 

of maternal deaths occur. 

Special gratitude also go 

to the UNFPA for its tasks 

of supporting nations all 

over the world in using population 

data for policies and 

programmes to reduce poverty 

and to ensure that every 

pregnancy is wanted, every 

birth is safe, every young 

person is free of HIV/AIDS, 

and every girl and woman is 

treated with dignity and respect. 

question: are there no moni- to get lands in accordance 

Ali Khalfan al Habsi with the law only to be told 

Hamda al Shamsiyah 

toring authorities to verify the 

status of lands and investigate 

on whether they really own 

these lands. 

The situation has becoming 

really worrying. Lands 

are registered in the names 

of toddlers in their cradles, 

wives, sisters and others kin. 

We are not speaking about 

small-sized lands for residential 

use but vast plots intended 

The aggravating 

phenomenon of illegal land 

grab by individuals raises 

an important question: 

are there no monitoring 

authorities to verify the 

status of lands and 

investigate on whether they 

really own these lands 

for commercial and industrial 

purposes. This manipulation 

takes place while honest 

straightforward people wait 

for months and maybe years 

for completion of formalities 

that their applications were 

rejected because they already 

possess lands. Ironically, what 

they really possess are lands 

of 300 square metres or maybe 

less than that. After conducting 

the draw many are granted 

lands on foothills, wadis or 

areas hemmed in by cemeteries. 

Even this is not available 

to thousands of applicants who 

after a long wait were told that 

their transaction files went 

missing. 

The authorities concerned 

have to put in more efforts to 

rectify the shortcomings in the 

matter of granting lands. They 

have to find root solutions to 

the issue of illegal appropriation 

of lands. 

The local committees 

should be strict when dealing 

with land holding cases which 

need to be assessed properly 

in order to decide whether or 

not the claimants deserve to be 

given the land in question. It is 

unfair that some people own a 

single plot of land while others 

are in possession of three, 

four and maybe more than a 

dozen. 

Overhauling business specialisation 

THE Master of Business 

Administration 

(MBA) programme 

has over the last 

few few years outshone the 

other disciplines worldwide. 

An MBA certificate is a 

sure password for ambitious 

youths aspiring to enter the 

world of business and scale 

the career ladder. 

This trend has lately swept 

the labour market in Oman 

too as almost all educational 

institutions incorporated 

MBA into their Master’s programmes 

to meet the demand 

of increasing numbers of 

students, mostly employees, 

seeking to obtain the coveted 

certificate. Along with other 

business management specialisations, 

the MBA is the 

most sought-after certificate 

the world over. 

On the other hand some 

experts are calling for the development 

of business management 

curricula at a time 

Developing the 

reading habit 

I 

WAS deeply impressed 

by the idea of the Children’s 

Reading Festival 

(CRF) that was held in 

the UAE emirate of Sharjah 

recently. The event was aimed 

to instil reading habits in children. 

I am in favour of any 

initiative that can distance the 

children from television, and 

rid them of the influence of 

useless satellite channels that 

have imprisoned their minds. 

These channels are blamed for 

the children being distracted 

from their studies. The children’s 

minds are muddled 

with trivial songs and stories 

that spoil their thinking and 

academic prowess. 

Every evening I see my 

children glued to the TV 

watching kids’ programmes 

with extreme pleasure. Every 

time I try to dismiss them 

from the TV, they deceive me 

and come back after a while 

to turn on the TV once again 

and watch Tom and Jerry and 

other children’s programmes 

and cartoons. Such TV stuff 

is loved by the children however 

it steals their time to the 

point that there is no time left 

for useful activities especially 

when the specialisation as a 

basic condition for recruitment 

is receding in a large 

number of establishments. 

The employment services director 

of Facebook once said 

that her company doesn’t 

recruit on the ground of 

specialisation as they seek 

employees with personal 

skills the most important of 

which is the ability for strategic 

planning and analytical 

thinking. Such skills are not 

acquired at business administration 

colleges, according 

to human resources officials 

at Facebook. 

This trend from the part of 

Facebook and other companies 

has prompted prominent 

universities in Europe and the 

US to consider overhauling 

the business specialisations, 

especially after the number 

of graduates from these universities 

has dropped. Employers 

think the business 

colleges at these universities 

Mohammed al Hadhrami 

if parents are too busy to organise 

the children’s time and 

divide their timetable between 

study, sleep and entertainment. 

I am not against children 

watching TV as they are in 

need of some fun, but it is too 

harmful for them to devote 

their entire time for watch- 

ing TV which becomes the 

only source of visual stimulation 

and this weakens their 

chances of developing reading 

habits, consequently they 

hate books and shy away from 

doing their homework which 

then becomes all the more a 

loathed task. 

TV is too distracting and a 

source of trouble when children 

are given too much 

time to sit idle in front of it. 

This habit is likely to turn into 

some sort of addiction when 

we fail to convince the children 

to practise useful hobbies 

that can enrich their knowledge 

and broaden their understanding. 

Reading is the most useful 

among these hobbies. It can 

be developed through certain 

methods known to educational 

experts the most important of 

no longer cater to the labour 

market needs as they focus 

only on the basics of finance 

and accounting without giving 

the students sufficient 

knowledge on the other fields 

that are inextricably related 

to job performance. 

In his book Rethinking 

Undergraduate Business 

Education, author William 

M Sullivan says that today’s 

business world is based on a 

broad platform of knowledge 

as the business fields have 

become more co-related than 

ever before but the academics 

who are shut out of the 

real business have failed to 

understand the developments 

in the world of business. 

This has prompted several 

world renowned universities 

to redesign the curricula being 

taught and introduce arts 

and literal studies to enhance 

the students’ knowledge and 

enrich their creativity and 

problem solving abilities. 

Business administration colleges 

are teaching out-dated 

subjects which did not witness 

any development since 

these disciples were introduced 

in 1,800 as job qualification 

programmes. 

In an article published in 

the Wall Street Journal last 

month, the writer Melissa 

Korn said that a considerable 

number of universities have 

which is to have a home library. 

Do you have a library at 

home? Do your children see 

you reading? The children 

grow up with the childhood 

habits inculcated into them by 

their parents. 

It is not strange that the 

children of non-reading 

parents grow up with a tendency 

to play video games 

rather than reading books. 

Parents who are not reconciled 

with books and have 

no inclination to reading 

are most likely to bring up 

children with little or no tendency 

to read. 

The Sharjah government 

has launched the ‘Unlimited 

Culture’ campaign, an initiative 

aimed at providing every 

family with a home library of 

50 books with various topics 

including books for kids, 

adults and women. 

After reading the books 

neighbours share the books 

with each other for further 

benefit. As time passes by the 

people become accustomed to 

reading and the habit slowly 

becomes an essential part of 

their day-to-day life. 

It behoves the cultural institutions 

in Oman to adopt 

a similar initiative with the 

aim of encouraging people to 

cultivate the habit of reading. 

Many years ago the Ministry 

of Heritage and Culture used 

to sell books at the markets 

and public places in cities and 

villages. 

already begun to introduce 

changes to the business curricula 

and are encouraging 

the students to take up other 

specialisations besides business 

administration. Those 

who studied arts were sought 

after by employers as the 

study of arts boosts the person’s 

creativity which is a 

key skill in today’s business 

management. 

It seems that our local 

employers are also attaching 

attention to the new business 

orientation. I met an Omani 

girl who graduated from the 

University of Manchester 

with IT major, she works for 

Nawras Telecommunication 

Company. When I asked her 

about the link between IT and 

telecommunication she said 

the company’s recruitment 

policy is not based on specialisation 

as we believe that 

the success of the employee 

depends on his/her personal 

abilities and skills. 

The new trend has been 

perceived by many students 

who opted for other disciplines 

in their higher studies. 

It is not uncommon 

nowadays to find master’s 

students adding up IT or law 

to finance and accounting or 

engineering at a time of high 

demand on employees with 

wide knowledge of various 

fields.

5 OMAN 



‘Safety First’ campaign to get 

into top gear to save lives 

LEGENDARY rally driver Hamed al Wahaibi (second from left) with ‘Safety First’ colleagues at the media brieng 

By A Seshagiri Rao 

MUSCAT — ‘Safety First’, 

an initiative started by the legendary 

Hamed al Wahaibi, is 

getting serious with the Omani 

rallying great realising the 

need to ‘speed up’ the process 

of taking the campaign to the 

people and achieve the ultimate 

target of promoting road 

safety and saving the lives. 

A little over month after 

what he described as a ‘soft 

launch’ of the campaign, 

Hamed recognised there is an 

urgent need to change the way 

the campaign is run if he had 

to accomplish what he set to 

achieve. 

“After the soft launch a 

month ago we had conducted 

a few events on road safety but 

we soon realised that there is a 

lot to be done and that has to 

be done quickly to achieve our 

goals,” Hamed said during a 

chat with the local media. 

“The campaign’s main objective 

is to educate and create 

awareness about road safety. 

There are similar campaigns 

but they are not enough to 

save precious lives. Our aim 

is to take this road safety issue 

to a ‘proper level’ and after a 

month’s hard work we realised 

we need a bit stronger campaign, 

which needs to be run 

quickly and effectively,” he 

said. 

“And to progress in that 

path we need to the support of 

others. So after taking into the 

account the existing situation 

and the advice of legal experts, 

we wanted to turn ‘Safety 

First’ into a company. 

“It will be more of a nonprot 

organisation and the 

idea is to get the backing of 

everyone.” 

Though so far it has been a 

personally funded campaign, 

explained Hamed, in future 

we want to invite on board 

big sponsors so as to run our 

campaign smoothly and successfully. 

“But the whole exercise is 

not aimed at making prots 

but to get funds to effectively 

run the campaign. Whatever 

income we will get, will be 

put back into the campaign,” 

insisted Hamed. 

The campaign itself came 

into being as the Omani star 

was moved by the ever grow- 

MECIT Career Fair 

set for May 7 

By A Staff Reporter 

ing number of accidental 

deaths in the Sultanate. 

“Comparatively Oman has 

a high percentage of road accidents. 

We are a small country 

with a small population. But 

if we go by statistics of road 

accidents, there is a death after 

every 56kms. 

“I was moved by this growing 

number of unavoidable 

deaths. Motorsports has given 

me name and popularity and 

it was thanks to the safety aspects 

that I was able to achieve 

that. I thought now it’s my turn 

to contribute something to the 

society and saving lives is definitely 

the best way to do it. 

Hamed also expressed con- 

dence that it is possible to 

achieve the goals of reducing 

the accidents in the Sultanate. 

MUSCAT — Middle East College of Information Technology 

is set to organise its 4th Career Fair on May 7-8 from 9 am to 

1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm. 

During this event students can explore different career options 

within the employment landscape of Oman. Also, they 

will get a chance to know emerging career trends across various 

industry groupings. For the graduating students of MECIT, 

the Career Fair will offer an excellent platform to showcase 

their credentials and possibility of them being recruited by 

participating organisations. The Career Fair will include several 

organizations such as MB Holding Company, Bank Sohar, 

MHD, Bank Muscat, Schlumberger, Nawras, Bank Dhofar, 

ITA and others. 

MECIT believes that the career fair event will bring together 

the academy and the industry under one roof, which will 

help in establishing a strong understanding and relationship 

with both ends. The organisations will showcase the nature of 

their business, human resource policies and other related information 

for the students to consider an employment either now 

or in the future. 

MECIT has been successfully offering programmes in the 

eld of Information Technology, and Engineering at Bachelors 

and Masters level. It also has a ourishing campus of 4,000 

active students located within the Knowledge Oasis Muscat 

(KOM). Thus far 158 students have passed out of MECIT with 

undergraduate degree and 108 with Bachelor degree and another 

4,000 students are pursuing their academic dream with 

passion, rigor and commitment. 

Hussain Ali al Moosawi, the Head of Placement and Industry 

Relations Unit, said “The career fair helps in developing 

the students communication skills and makes them more con- 

dent in meeting people from the industry, also it will make 

them see the different training and employment options that 

are available in the job market.” 

Ante-natal 

activities 

From page 1 

Investing in Midwifery 

Pays is aimed at celebrating 

midwifery and to make 

awareness on the importance 

of the midwives’ work in societies. 

In this concept, the UN- 

FPA and ICM are leading efforts 

to promote midwifery 

around the world. The two 

organisations scaled up efforts 

to strengthen midwifery 

training programmes and 

policies in 30 countries. Last 

year, in co-ordination with 28 

other partners, the UNFPA 

and ICM also launched the 

1st ever state-of-the World’s 

Midwifery report, which 

showed that no health-care 

system can be efcient and 

effective if it ignores the importance 

of midwifery. 

Likewise, on occasion of 

this day, several health institutions 

providing midwifery 

services in the Sultanate will 

join the global congregation 

of midwives to mark the occasion 

with series of activities 

on different days of the 

month. 

Among such activities 

for instance includes the a 

scientic day, which will be 

held at Khoula Hospital tomorrow.

MUSCAT — Knowledge Oasis 

Muscat (KOM) tenants are 

actively advancing awareness 

on their services and products 

through its active participation 

in the ongoing IT, Telecom 

and Technology Expo, Comex 

2012. 

The 10 participating companies 

under the umbrella 

of Knowledge Oasis Muscat 

(KOM) comprise Business 

Gateways International, ITON 

Software, GEE Oman, L&T 

Infotech, Inter Design, Seven 

Seas Infotech, GRAPHIX, 

InterGraph Middle East, Infoline, 

and Rafed Communication 

Tech. The event presents 

an ultimate platform for the 

visitors to learn directly from 

an elite selection of innovative 

leading industry experts in a 

variety of topics related to the 

ICT field. 

Taking part in such a huge 

gathering of IT, telecom and 

technology industry leaders 

would undoubtedly strengthen 

and establish business partnerships 

and deals as well as open 

direct contact with stakeholders 

in need of ICT business solutions, 

noted Sameer Gupta, 

Executive Vice President, 

Infoline LLC. "The event is a 

unique opportunity and brings 

the global community of ICT/ 

ITES stakeholders together 

for an unparalleled knowledge 

sharing, networking and business 

development experience," 

he said. 

Gupta added, "Our participation 

in Comex 2012 seeks to 

showcase Infoline as Oman’s 

leading BPO/ITES Company 

that leverages deep industry 

and functional expertise, leading 

technology practices, to 

help clients transform their 

highest-value business processes 

and improve their business 

performance. We provide 

smarter and more effective 

multi-channel customer service." 

"At Comex 2012, we're 

promoting our high quality 

training solutions including 

customised corporate training, 

events, workshops and seminars 

for Entry Level to Top 

Level Management, and cutting 

edge Call-Centre Trainings." 

Software Development 

Shiraj Ramachandran, Operations 

Manager at Seven 

Seas Infotech LLC, said: 

"Through Comex 2012, Seven 

Seas Infotech LLC is looking 

forward for an initial push into 

the market, ensuring and making 

people aware about our 

products and services. We are 

also aspiring to demonstrate 

the technical expertise and 

professionalism that we carry, 

thereby adding value to our 

existing customers as well attracting 

more new customers 

for our products." 

"Being a 100 per cent Omani 

software development company, 

Seven Seas Infotech LLC 

aims at publicising our range of 

products that meet international 

standards and expectations. 

We seek to showcase our range 

of software solutions 100 per 

cent built in Oman using local 

resources and technologies, 

and advertise how competitive 

Seven Seas Infotech is in the 

international arena. In Comex 

2012, Seven Seas Infotech 

LLC is primarily showcasing 

the portfolio of products that 

we develop as a software de- 

velopment company. We are 

focusing on Hospitality Solutions 

(Restaurants, Hotels), 

Retail Solutions (Hypermarkets, 

Convenience Stores etc.), 

Business Solutions and ERP 

Solutions. Seven Seas Infotech 

works with prestigious partners 

such as Global Technology Solutions, 

Dubai (For ORACLE 

Solution Integration) and NCR 

Corporation, Oman (For Retail 

Solutions)," Ramachandran 

said. 

Software Solutions 

One of the leading software 

development, services and 

software products companies 

in Oman, ITON,is taking part 

in Comex 2012 to showcase 

and promote the latest achievements, 

developments, innovations 

and offerings in the 

field of technology to various 

organisations and individuals 

directly. 

In Comex, ITON is showcasing 

ITON Solutions based 

on: SOA Architecture, Contact 

Centers, Process automation, 

National Security, eGovernance, 

Workflow automation 

and Software Engineering; 

and ITON Products: ITONX, 

ITON eService, ITON eOffice, 

ITON iArchive, ITON 

eBorder, ITON eCloud & 

ITON eID. 

Comex is the region’s largest 

and most popular technology 

event. Comex attracts 

organisations and visitors not 

only from Oman but also from 

Middle East &North African 

countries along with Asian and 

Europe. "This gives us a good 

platform and opportunity to 

interact with these organizations 

and people to showcase 

our products/services, discuss 

the current trends and developments 

and hence increase 

the awareness and market penetration 

for our products and 

services," Abdul Hameed al 

Saadi, ITON's financial analyst, 

noted. 

e-Procurement Services 

Fakhrataj Hilal al Ismaily, 

Senior Business Research Executive 

at Business Gateways 

International, said: "Comex is 

the perfect place for Business 

Gateways International to create 

a higher level of visibility 

for business gateways,driving 

membership subscription, and 

promoting the National Business 

Framework and its related 

Services" 

"Our products and services 

showcased in Comex 2012 

comprise Membership Subscription 

to the National Business 

Framework of Oman, 

e-Procurement Services, e- 

Auction Services, and International 

Business Connectivity. 

Comex would definitely play 

a vital role in creating better 

connectivity with the business 

community, credible sales 

leads, and better subscription 

base," Al Isamily added. 

6 OMAN 



Knowledge Oasis Muscat tenants make a buzz at Comex 2012 


MUSCAT — Oman Observer is all set 

to bring out this year the first-of-its-kind 

publication on the Success Stories of the 

Winners of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos 

Cup & Shield for Best Factories 1991- 

2011. 

The publication, whose ground work 

started only recently, is now catching 

momentum as top echelons of the corporate 

community and senior government 

officials in the Sultanate are extending 

enthusiastic response by way of supporting 

it with interviews and sponsorship. 

In line with the Royal directive of His 

Majesty Sultan Qaboos on promoting 

the development of manufacturing sector, 

Oman Observer has set out to bring 

out this unique 350-page book, focusing 

on the success stories of winners of His 

Majesty’s Cup and Shield over a period 

of two decades. 

During the past 20 years, more than 

65 companies in the manufacturing sector 

have been awarded His Majesty’s 

Cup and Shield for their outstanding performance 

on a number of fronts such as 

product quality, marketing efforts, Oa- 

manisation, utilisation of local resources 

and other factors. 

Several recipients of the HM Cup 

have said that “it would be indeed a great 

idea to have the success stories of all the 

winners in one book. So far there is no 

such publication available in Oman. 

Such a book has been long overdue. 

Significantly, this book will also contain 

a chapter on “Leading organisations 

of Oman”, thus featuring even non-manufacturing 

businesses. It will be a unique 

book to showcase outstanding corporates 

of Oman and its manufacturing sector as 

well as other leading organisations. 

Targeted primarily at the top echelons 

of the corporate community and senior 

Government officials in the Sultanate, it 

is expected that over 70 industry leaders, 

including some ministers will share their 

views in this publication. 

This most high profile book consists 

of three parts — Messages from Ministers, 

Success Stories of His Majesty’s 

Cup & Shield Winners and Leading Organisations 

in Oman, highlighting major 

achievements of all outstanding businesses. 

Senior executives in advertising, 

marketing and management say Oman is 

fast becoming a hub for regional and international 

conferences. At such events 

world-class publications on topics like 

His Majesty’s Cup winners has been 

long overdue. 

Oman Observer is known for its industry-leading 

publications. This is why 

Observer’s forthcoming book on His 

Majesty’s Cup is gaining the support of 


MUSCAT — Comex 2012, 

which ended here yesterday, 

gathered 30 governmental 

entities characterised by their 

eServices for the community 

and individuals. 

One such eService, a new 

addition to this year's exhibition, 

witnessed the launching 

of a new mail posting means 

provided by Oman Post. 

Called ePost, it is an innovative, 

convenient and secure 

mail system, where everyone 

can get a virtual ID and receive 

all his/her mails online. 

Digital or printed mail 

can be received or redirected, 

whenever or wherever, without 

fear of losing mail. 2,000 

subscriptions, mostly Omanis, 

were made on the first day of 

the exhibition which indicates 

the Omani society's awareness 

of technology. 

Susan Moores, Media & 

Communication Specialist at 

Transferring Knowledge 

"Participating in events 

such as COMEX 2012 will 

provide us with an outlook on 

the regional ICT industry, the 

opportunity to leverage partnerships, 

discover the latest 

developments and learn about 

joint business ventures and 

co-operation in Oman and the 

GCC region," said AnsarSulaiman, 

Director of Entrepreneurship, 

L&T Infotech. 

L&T Infotech has over five 

years of established presence in 

Oman with its own commercial 

registration. "Having successfully 

executed end-to-end SAP 

projects in focused verticals in 

Oman & GCC, L&T Infotech 

is working towards enhancing 

its presence and building visibility 

by adding new clients 

in IT in focused business segments. 

Going forward, L&T 

Infotech is also looking for 

opportunities primarily in the 

Government and Retail sector 

apart from Logistics, Oil 

& Gas and BFS," Sulaiman 

pointed out. 

L&T Infotech is a whollyowned 

subsidiary of Larsen 

& Toubro, a $11.7 billion en- 

so many of the industry's leading players 

and we are delighted that all the winners 

of this prestigious award will be featured 

in this book. 

Oman Daily Observer, the Sultanate’s 

premier daily newspaper since 

1981, holds that the annual HM Cup and 

Shield is a real mark of excellence and 

quality. These independent awards are 

an emblem of national approval and the 

most prestigious achievement that any 

manufacturer in Oman can boast. 

Throughout this book, the winners 

will share their proven methods and 

guide the readers on how to transform 

their business into something extraordinary. 

In addition to the success stories, this 

publication will provide a unique collection 

of pictures of the HM cup award 

ceremonies, up-to-date stories and opinions 

from the winners, who are among 

the top business leaders of Oman, as well 

as ministers, and give readers an inside 

look at the Sultanate’s manufacturing 

landscape and the people driving its development. 

The Observer team working on this 

book said, “We see this forthcoming 

ITA, says, “the most interesting 

benefits of it are the FollowMe 

service, where you 

can get your mail forwarded 

or sent to wherever you move. 

Your ePost ID is for life. 

Even if you leave Oman, 

if you have subscribed to the 

FollowMe and International 

FollowMe add on, mail will be 

redirected to your new address 

as per your instruction”. 

Also, there is the convenient 

notification service. 

When regular mail arrives 

for you, you will be notified 

through your ePost address 

and can then arrange to collect 

or redirect the mail as you 

wish. Holiday Mail is another 

convenient option which lets 

you put a hold on your mail 

while you are away on holi- 

Abdul Hameed al Saadi Ansar Sulaiman Fakhrataj Hilal Al Ismaily Ghalib al Abri Mohamed al Kindi Yusra al Amri 

Sameer Gupta 

ePost set to revolutionise mail 

Shiraj Ramachandran 

ePost is connected to the Sultanate’s 

e.oman initiative and works with ITA 

gineering, manufacturing & 

financial services organization 

with global operations. 

Potential Customers 

GeeOman LLC endeavours 

to meet potential customers 

from all over the Sultanate at 

Comex expo. "We are able to 

inform and educate the potential 

customers of the products 

and services offered by GeeOman 

thereby increasing our 

reach in the market," said Kaleem 

Mohammed, founder of 

GeeOman. 

GeeOman provides Integrated 

Security, IT & Telecom 

products and services including 

Security Management 

System, Access Control and 

Biometric Systems, CCTV 

Recording & Playback System, 

Security Intercom System, 

Intruder Detection System, 

Servers & Workstations, 

Meeting Room Management 

System, Library Management 

System, Supply of IT, Security 

and Telecom Products, Annual 

Maintenance Contracts, and 

Trainings, among others. 

"We expect that by reaching 

out customers in Comex, 

educating and informing them 

of our products & services, 

GEE LLC can benefit by participating 

in the existing and 

upcoming requirements in the 

market. It will further enhance 

the brand value of our company 

and will help in Brand 

Retention, which in turn will 

help GEE to gain more business 

and offer solutions to the 

customers," Kaleem added. 

Communication Tech 

Ghalib Al Abri, Administration 

Manager, Rafed Communication 

Tech LLC, said: 

"We aim at showcasing our 

day. 

Switch to holiday mode 

and your mail will be held in 

‘Virtual’ mode. When you return, 

the mail held on ‘Virtual 

mode’ will be forwarded to 

your address. There is also a 

Track & Trace service to help 

the sender trace his mail. 

Oman Post’s ePost is 

connected to the Sultanate’s 

e.oman initiative. The Post 

Office is working with the 

Information Technology Authority 

of Oman (ITA) to also 

enable interaction between 

individuals, companies and 

various government departments 

using e.oman’s ‘Single 

Sign On’ system, via the Official 

eGovernment Services 

Portal (www.oman.om). 

While not compulsory to 

Kaleem Mohammed 

services and products to individuals 

and organisations. We 

also want to instill the fact that 

SMEs are competitive enough 

to provide high quality services 

and products. Comex offers 

a unique opportunity to 

discover latest developments 

and establish partnership and 

cooperation with various parties," 

he said. 

Rafed Communication 

Tech offers innovative and 

optimal solutions to its clients. 

The services start from finalising 

requirements, preparing 

Software Requirement Specification 

(SRS) documents, 

programming, validation, testing 

and support. The products 

are open source software to 

provide best high quality- low 

price scheme. These products 

are ranging from e-learning 

LMS, Content Management 

Systems CMS, Google apps, 

enterprise content management 

systems EMS and Portals. 

Ways of Cooperation 

"Our main objective of our 

participation in Comex 2012 is 

to present our services to the 

visitors coming to our stand, either 

individuals or companies. 

It is an excellent opportunity to 

communicate directly with the 

organisations participating in 

the exhibition. It is also a way 

to publicise our services and 

also determine the services 

of other and look into ways 

to cooperate with businessmen 

and entrepreneurs. Being 

participating for the third time 

in the event, this itself would 

instill further awareness about 

our company," said Mohamed 

al Kindi, IT manager, Inter Design. 

Geospatial solutions 

publication as one of the most important 

works for the Sultanate, supporting both 

the annual award winners and the manufacturing 

sector of Oman. 

Central to the publication is the key 

success factors of the winners and their 

proven methods to win the prestigious 

award. Alongside this, the book will witness 

prominent figures exploring key 

issues facing the manufacturing sector 

in the Sultanate with a focus on the construction 

of new industrial estates and 

economic zones. 

Focussing on the success stories of 

winning and outstanding corporates, 

this publication seeks to delivers intelligent 

analysis and strategic insights for 

readers. The publication is designed to 

enhance its reader's knowledge and provide 

them with the insights they require 

to run more effective businesses that 

deliver higher revenues and increased 

profits. 

It will also contain in-depth articles 

on the latest market developments, new 

trends in the manufacturing sector and 

strategic pieces on maximising performance 

in key sectors. 

“Success Stories of His Majesty’s 

get an ePost ID, it is highly 

recommended that you do 

because future government 

to citizen communications 

will soon move from printed 

to digital mail, delivered via 

Oman ePost. If you do not 

have an ePost ID you will not 

receive these. 

As well, early joiners will 

have the option of obtaining 

ePost ID numbers which are 

meaningful to them such as 

birth dates or other personal 

combinations. 

For those that desire their 

own unique ePost ID, they 

can purchase a Premium ID. 

Registration for ePost IDs 

will be available to all Oman 

residents, but they can only be 

‘activated’ at select ePost enabled 

Post offices. 

Abdul Rahman al Abri 

"Comex platform allows us 

to increase public awareness in 

Oman of the range of software 

solutions and services we offer 

and of the high degrees of 

skills that our staff possess," 

said Yusra al Amri, Database 

Specialist at Intergraph Middle 

East (LLC). 

"At Comex 2012, we are 

showcasing mainly geospatial 

solutions, particularly in 

the telecommunications, electricity 

and other utility areas, 

together with land base and 

spatial data management and 

analysis," Al Amri informed. 

"We are expecting that Comex 

will increase our profile 

through building awareness of 

our company and its activities 

within the Government Sector 

and the Private Sectors and 

with the general public," she 

added. 

Intergraph Middle East 

LLC Oman has established its 

office in KOM3 in Knowledge 

Oasis Muscat, and currently 

employs 15 staff, Seven of 

whom are Omani. The focus 

of the Oman branch is on the 

delivery of professional advice 

and services and the provision 

of ongoing customer support. 

Digital Production 

Abdul Rahman al Abri, Executive 

Manager at GRAPHIX 

Company, which specialises in 

Digital Production and Design, 

said: "Our vision is to touch 

excellence and leadership in 

the field of digital production 

and design. We are offering 

multiple services and products 

in Comex 2012 including 2-D 

and 3-D designs, visual effects, 

interactive multimedia 

and publication, among other 

services." 

Observer book on His Majesty’s Cup & Shield catches momentum 

Cup & Shield for Best Factories — 

1919-2011” is essentially the story of 

many recipients of the prestigious HM 

Cup who excelled in the rough road of 

manufacturing. 

The winners are diverse in age, in 

outlook and the industries they made 

a mark in. But they have one thing in 

common: they believed in the power 

of their dreams and consistently placed 

great store on quality and excellence in 

their daily operations. 

In this book, Oman Observer seeks to 

provide business news and razor sharp 

analyses along with a clear focus on 

marketing trends, case studies, and interviews. 

This book will be the required 

reading for decision makers who value 

reliable, timely and authoritative business 

news coverage. 

Designed to serve as a reference book 

for libraries in colleges and universities, 

the Success Stories will be full of photos, 

key contact details, opportunities for 

new business, important industry news 

and professional advice in addition to 

case studies of the winners. 

For more information contact observersuccess@yahoo.com.au

By Kabeer Yousuf 

MUSCAT — While the Sultanate 

is putting in all the efforts 

to make the country a 

business-friendly land wooing 

more investors locally and 

internationally, a group of IT 

business firms is facing stark 

future owing to the reckless 

action of a garage owner. 

Many of the shops in Ruwi 

area, known as the local IT hub 

of Muscat, the market between 

the KM Trading and Family 

Supermarket are counting 

customers as their business 

is badly affected by scores 

accident-met vehicles waiting 

to be repaired from the private 

garage occupying the parking 

at large. 

On a stroll along the line 

of IT shops on both sides of 

the street would convince 

one about the severity of the 

issue as you will be passing 

through the dusty, damaged 

cars seemingly parked for 

several days. 

On a given day, not less 

than twenty cars can be seen on 

both sides of the street waiting 

their turn of repairing and visit 

of the insurance undertaker. 

“My business has been affected 

by these cars which will 

come around 20 to 25 on a given 

day. The volume of business 

has substantially been spiraling 

down as our customers find no 

parking lot for their cars and 

they go to some hypermarkets 

for their IT needs”, Shefeer, 

one who sells IT accessories 

and other peripherals near the 

garage told the Observer. 

Asked a customer if he ever 

faced a parking problem here, 

he conceded to the fact saying 

many a times he was dissuaded 

from this area for no parking. 

“I used to visit these shops 

for buying IT-related products 

for my business houses. 

But of late, I find this place is 

cramped with lots of mangled 

7 OMAN 



Damaged cars pose threat to business in Ruwi 


MUSCAT — Forty-two flags 

featuring the work of 42 Omani 

artists have recently been 

installed at Bait al Zubair Museum, 

where the colourful flags 

that are the result of the project 

that began in March and was 

led by visiting British artist 

Dillwyn Smith and organised 

by the Omani Society for 

Fine Arts (OSFA), The British 

Council and the Delfina Foundation 

based in the UK, can be 

viewed by everyone. 

The project explored the 

idea of Omani Legends and 

personal stories of participating 

artists, who were encouraged 

to develop their ideas that 

resulted in these intriguing and 

narrative flags. 

Last month, OSFA inaugurated 

an exhibition highlighting 

the conceptual parts and original 

paintings that the artists 

produced for this project. 

This show will run for 2 

weeks and also features personal 

artwork created by Dillwyn 

Smith as a response to his 

time spent Oman. OSFA, the 

British Council, Bait al Baranda 

and Bait al Zubair Museum 

will all display flags on their 

buildings allowing members of 

the public to view these exciting 

installations. 

Dillwyn Smith explained 

“As part of my art residency in 

Oman I have collaborated with 

42 Omani artists’ and together 

we have engaged in a visual 

dialogue that communicates 

and shares our experience and 

stories. This piece of work was 

conceived whilst travelling the 

length and breadth of Oman 

in late January and realised 

in Muscat over the last few 

months. 

“We also had the opportunity 

to visit some sites of Omani 

legends and ancient rock art and 

had a workshop with Dr Aisha 

al Darmakiya who shared her 

research on this subject.” 

Maryam al Zadjali, Director 

of OSFA, noted, “We are so 

happy our artists have had this 

enriching experience and that 

our partnerships with the British 

Council, The Delfina Foundation, 

Bait al Baranda and Bait 

al Zubair Museum proactively 

enhance art in Oman.” 

“Each flag tells a story and 

this highlights the importance 

of human history and creativity. 

We hope through exhibiting 

them in a number of significant 

cultural venues around town 

we can connect to as many people 

as possible,” said Paul Doubleday, 

Director of the British 

Council. 

While, Malik al Hinnai, of 

Bait Al Baranda, noted, “We 

are all happy to support and 

nurture art and creativity and 

use our buildings themselves 

vehicles and sluggish traffic”, 

Abdur Rahiman, an IT specialist 

who owns several IT shops 

in interior places said. 

He visits the capital city 

once in a week to feed his 

shops with sufficient stock. 

Conversely, Abraham, the 

garage owner, said there used 

to be three or four cars parked 

in these public parking lots 

waiting for insurance officers 

to assess the damages. 

“We don’t keep that many 

damaged cars for repairing 

on these sides. We don’t keep 

more than three or four vehicles 

at a time and we clear it in 

a day or two”. But what he said 

was challenging the fact that 

several grimy and smudged 

cars were seen on these parking 

lots meant for the IT shoppers. 

Now the onus has fallen 

on the Muscat Municipality 

and the Royal Oman Police to 

save these small IT shops from 

running on loss and from nosediving 

into shut down forever. 

Omani legends, stories at Bait al Zubair Museum 

as a public gallery.” 

Sarah White of Bait al Zubair 

and contributing artist 

concluded by saying, “This 

was a soul searching project 

and one we hope will benefit 

all the artists and our audience. 

It enabled us to share ideas and 

stories, adventures and knowledge. 

We were enabled to develop 

new ideas and ways of communicating 

them. And it is great 

for us to have them here at Bait 

al Zubair Museum for all our 

guests to see and enjoy. The 

last public art we displayed 

were the popular painted oryx 

caravan and these flags will 

now certainly create much interest 

and intrigue.” The flags 

will be exhibited at Bait al Zubair 

Museum for one month.

PAKISTANI security personnel and local residents search for victims in the rubble of a destroyed building following a 

suicide bombing in Khar, the main town of Bajaur district, near the Afghan border yesterday. — AFP 

Clinton 

arrives 

in Dhaka 

today 

DHAKA — US Secretary of 

State Hillary Clinton is due 

to arrive her today on one of 

the few visits in recent years 

by senior US officials to 

Bangladesh, and comes after 

relations between Washington 

and the South Asia nation 

hit a rare chill. 

During her 24-hour visit 

to Dhaka, Clinton is due to 

meet Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina and other senior 

government officials, as 

well as opposition leader 

Begum Khaleda Zia, barely 

two weeks after Khaleda’s 

Bangladesh Nationalist Party 

(BNP) staged two countrywide 

general strikes that 

lasted five days in all. 

Her visit was originally 

planned for early last year 

but was put back, apparently 

over Washington’s displeasure 

with the removal of Nobel 

laureate Muhammad Yunus 

from Bangladesh’s micro 

lender, Grameen Bank. 

“This visit is significant 

because an earlier visit was 

postponed over the Yunus 

issue,” Delwar Hossain, professor 

of International Relations 

at Dhaka University, 

said. Clinton will land amid 

simmering tensions after 

the strike, called in protest 

against the mysterious disappearance 

of a former BNP 

lawmaker. 

Khaleda’s BNP and Hasina’s 

Awami League party 

have accused each other of 

abducting former lawmaker 

Ilyas Ali. Five people were 

killed in clashes between police 

and protesters during the 

strikes, three of whom were 

shot dead. — Reuters 

8 

THE PHILIPPINES/SUBCONTINENT 


Nepal PM to set up unity 

govt after cabinet quits 

KATHMANDU — Nepal’s 

prime minister worked yesterday 

to form a coalition government 

that will include the 

main opposition parties after 

his cabinet quit as part of a negotiated 

effort to quell political 

tumult in the desperately 

poor Himalayan state. 

Nepal, wedged between its 

giant neighbours China and 

India, has been plagued by instability 

for years even though 

a Maoist insurgency ended in 

2006 and the monarchy was 

abolished, as the rebels had 

demanded, two years later. 

The cabinet resigned at 

midnight after Prime Minister 

Baburam Bhattarai, a former 

rebel leader, struck a deal with 

opposition parties to end the 

political turbulence that has 

hurt the economy and delayed 

the introduction of a constitution. 

The prime minister is expected 

to take a couple of days 

to form the new government, 

SEATTLE — The lawyer representing 

Robert Bales, the US 

Army staff sergeant accused 

of killing 17 Afghan villagers, 

is objecting to a routine background 

check required by the 

military. 

Seattle-based attorney 

John Henry Browne, a selfdescribed 

ex-hippie who has 

been married seven times and 

used to play bass in a rock 

band, said he has no secrets 

to hide but is opposed to the 

check on principle. 

“I don’t think a defense 

lawyer should be ‘vetted’ by 

the government,” Browne 

his spokesman said. 

Opposition parties have 

been pressing for a consensus 

government before they agree 

on the new constitution, a key 

condition of the peace deal 

that ended a conflict in which 

more than 16,000 people were 

killed. 

Negotiations on the constitution 

are stuck on several 

issues, including the formation 

and number of federal 

provinces. 

Some analysts said it was 

unclear if the Maoist-dominated 

constituent assembly 

would be able to finalise the 

constitution before a May 27 

deadline. 

“The two differences 

in the new constitution are 

too fundamental to be resolved 

just by a consensus government,” 

said Kunda Dixit, 

editor of the Nepali Times 

weekly. 

“These should be debated 

by experts and demographers 

wrote in an e-mail to Reuters 

on Thursday. “It is intrusive 

and has a chilling effect on the 

right to counsel.” 

Browne will likely need 

security clearance to see government 

material relating to 

the events of March 11, when 

Bales left his remote post in 

Afghanistan’s Kandahar province 

and gunned down 17 Afghan 

civilians, inflaming US- 

Afghan relations. 

Lt Col Gary Dangerfield, 

an Army spokesman at Joint 

Base Lewis McChord, the 

US home for Bales’ unit, 

said the background check 

and should not be part of a 

political give and take,” Dixit 

said. 

Several ethnic groups are 

demanding separate states 

in the new constitution. The 

debate has triggered violence 

— four people were killed in 

a blast this week in the southern 

town of Janakpur, where 

protesters were calling for a 

separate state. 

Instability has spooked 

investors and distracted 

parliament in a country 

which suffers a chronic shortage 

of electricity, drinking 

water, fuel and growing lawlessness. 

Nepal, heavily dependent 

on aid and tourism, is home 

to Mount Everest and sits on 

the source of rivers supplying 

water to millions in South 

Asia. It has huge potential to 

generate hydroelectric power, 

and energy-hungry China and 

India are vying to win it over 

as an ally. — Reuters 

Lawyer for US soldier who massacred 

Afghan civilians objects to checks 

was “standard procedure” 

for obtaining security clearance 

to access classified information. 

Browne has already made 

waves on the case, accusing 

prosecutors of blocking his 

access to witnesses and demanding 

the removal of his 

Army co-counsel. 

He made his name defending 

serial killer Ted 

Bundy and a number of 

high-profile Seattle-area 

homicide suspects. Most 

recently he defended “Barefoot 

Bandit” Colton Harris- 

Moore. — Reuters 

PAKISTANIS shout slogans in Karachi yesterday against US pastor Terry Jones over the recent desecration of copy of 

the Quran at his Florida church. Pakistan has strongly condemned the move by Jones. — AFP 


Pak local police chief, deputy 

among 24 dead in bomb blast 

KHAR, Pakistan — A bomber targeted 

police in a Pakistan town square yesterday, 

killing at least 24 people and wounding 

dozens in the tribal area near the Afghan 

border, officials said. 

The Taliban claimed responsibility for 

the blast near a crowded market in Bajaur, 

saying it had wanted to kill the local chief 

and deputy of a tribal police force recruited 

by the government to help defeat the 

insurgency. 

Both died in the attack in Khar, the 

main town of Bajaur district, after a 

bomber who intelligence officials said 

was aged 14 to 16 detonated explosives 

strapped to his chest. 

Police and security forces sealed off 

the site of the attack. 

Bajaur has been one of the toughest 

battlegrounds in Pakistan’s fight against 

a northwestern Taliban insurgency. The 

military conducted major offensives there 

in 2008 and 2009. 

The blast was the deadliest bombing 

in Pakistan since February 17 when 

31 people were killed by an attack in the 

tribal district of Kurram. 

“The death toll has risen to 24,” Islam 

Zeb, the administrative head of Bajaur 

tribal district, said. He had earlier said 20 

MANILA — Rights groups 

and unions slammed the Philippines 

yesterday after it erected 

advertising hoardings that 

hid slum housing from delegates 

attending a conference 

on solving poverty in Asia. 

The giant boards were put 

up beside a road taking 4,300 

delegates from Manila airport 

to the Asian Development 

Bank meeting, blocking the 

view of an open sewer and 

shanties. 

The boards advertised Philippine 

tourist attractions as 

well as the high-level meeting, 

WASHINGTON — A US army soldier died of rabies after being 

bitten by a dog in Afghanistan, US health authorities said 

on Thursday. The 24-year-old male first complained in August 

2011 of symptoms including shoulder and neck pain, odd sensations 

in his hands and fainting, after arriving at Fort Drum, 

New York for a new military assignment. 

“He described having received a dog bite on the right hand 

during January 2011 while deployed to Afghanistan,” said the 

report by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Tests confirmed that the patient had a type of canine rabies 

associated with dogs in Afghanistan, the CDC report said. The 

soldier’s condition swiftly deteriorated after he was hospitalised 

on August 19. 

He suffered a severe brain hemorrhage and after consulting 

with doctors who said recovery was unlikely, the family 

withdrew life support. The soldier, whose name was withheld 

by the CDC, died on August 31. 

Although he had told family and friends while in Afghanistan 

in January 2011 that he had been “bitten by a feral dog and 

had sought medical treatment, which he described as wound 

cleansing and injections,” an Army probe turned up no documentation 

of a reported bite wound or treatment. Nor was there 

any record of the dog being taken in for rabies tests. 

The incubation period for rabies can range from 10 days 

to seven years, though it is typically between three and seven 

weeks according to the US Library of Medicine. 

The soldier had also travelled in Germany before falling ill, 

and the CDC investigation found that he had interacted with 

some 190 people between the time of his dog bite and his hospitalisation. 

The blast near a 

crowded market in 

Bajaur was aimed 

at the local chief and 

deputy of a tribal police 

force recruited by the 

government to help 

defeat the insurgency 

people were killed. 

Raids were later carried out in the surrounding 

areas of Khar and two men aged 

17 and 18 were arrested and suicide jackets 

found, he said. 

At least five policemen, including the 

local tribal police chief and his deputy, 

were among the dead and 46 people were 

wounded. Shops and a restaurant were 

destroyed. 

Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman for the 

Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility, 

saying that anyone involved in “activity” 

against the Taliban “will be treated with 

iron hands”. 

“Our attacks will continue until (US) 

drone strikes end,” Ehsan said. 

It was the third bomb attack in two 

days in Bajaur, after twin blasts killed 

five people — including pro-government 

elders and security personnel — on 

Thursday. 

According to a tally, around 5,000 people 

have been killed in attacks blamed on 

the Taliban and its allies since July 2007. 

Pakistan has also lost more than 3,000 

soldiers in the fight against insurgents 

even as the US presses Islamabad to do 

more. 

Relations between Pakistan and the 

United States have lapsed into stalemate 

especially since 24 Pakistani soldiers 

were killed near the border with Afghanistan 

in US air raid in November. 

Pakistan, demanding an apology for 

the strike, has shut down Nato supply 

lines into Afghanistan and last month 

parliament approved new guidelines on 

relations with the United States, which included 

a call for an end to drone strikes. 

It remains unclear whether the impasse 

with Washington can be solved before 

this month’s Nato summit on Afghanistan 

in Chicago, to which Islamabad has been 

invited. — Agencies 

Manila flayed for ‘hiding’ poor 

POLICEMEN block foreign delegates to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) board of governors annual meeting as 

they hold a silent protest in support of workers’ rights in front of the venue of the meeting, in Manila yesterday where 

Philippine President Benigno Aquino graced the occasion. The protesters were later pushed back by policemen to a 

side street. The Philippines bristled May 4, at allegations it tried to “hide” its poor from delegates of a high-profile 

international conference aimed at solving widespread poverty across Asia. — AFP 

which proclaimed as its theme 

‘inclusive’ growth for Asia, 

home to some 902 million of 

the world’s poor according to 

the bank. 

The government said it was 

merely trying to put its “best 

foot forward” but New Yorkbased 

Human Rights Watch 

criticised the boards, saying it 

sent a message that dire poverty 

can just be ignored. 

“Instead of trying to hide 

the poor, the Philippine government 

should be pressing 

the bank to tackle poverty head 

on,” said Jessica Evans, the 

group’s senior international financial 

institution advocate. 

Union leader Josua Mata, 

of the Alliance of Progressive 

Labour-Centro, said the attempt 

to wall off the poverty 

was ‘embarrassing’ and the 

government should turn its focus 

to creating jobs and building 

resettlement sites. 

President Benigno Aquino’s 

office insisted the effort 

was not an attempt to hide 

poverty, which the government 

says affects a fourth of 

the population of 95 million. 

“It’s but natural to fix it 

Rabid Afghan dog Imelda net worth 

bite kills US soldier declared $22m 

MANILA — -Imelda Marcos 

has declared her net worth 

at $22 million, parliament 

records show, as she continues 

to fight the government 

over her assets more than two 

decades after the end of her 

husband’s reign. 

The widow of deposed 

dictator Ferdinand Marcos 

declared her wealth at 932.8 

million pesos in 2011, records 

released late on Thursday 

showed, which would make 

her the second richest Philippine 

politician behind boxing 

hero and congressman Manny 

Pacquiao. 

The amount declared by 

Marcos was almost 50 per 

cent higher than in 2010, with 

the 82-year-old including new 

assets which were surrendered 

to the government by 

the dictator’s cronies. 

A popular revolt toppled 

the dictator from power in 

1986, sending the family 

fleeing overseas. Manila has 

since been trying to recover 

(the city) up a bit and I don’t 

think we’re violating any human 

right by trying to put our 

best foot forward,” presidential 

spokesman Ricky Carandang 

told reporters. “We’re not trying 

to whitewash poverty, it’s 

very real,” another spokesman, 

Abigail Valte, said. 

Carandang said the government 

was spending 39 billion 

pesos ($907 million) this 

year in cash handouts to help 

three million poor families to 

escape poverty. The ADB lent 

the government $400 million 

in 2010 for the programme. 

the wealth Marcos and his 

allies allegedly accumulated 

through graft during his 20 

years in office. 

The deposed president 

died in exile in 1989 and his 

family was allowed to return 

home, with his widow elected 

in 2010 to a congressional 

seat representing the family 

stronghold. 

Before she was elected 

Marcos had complained of 

being nearly penniless, despite 

living in a luxury condominium 

unit and frequently 

appearing in public, bedecked 

with jewellery. 

Her lawyer Robert Sison 

said his client, known 

for her jet-set lifestyle and 

love of shoes, could not touch 

much of her declared wealth 

as it had been seized or 

sequestered by the government. 

“The ownership of these 

properties is being contested 

and the government is not off 

the hook,” he said. — AFP

Protesters, troops clash as 

thousands gather in Cairo VIENNA 

EGYPTIAN protesters run for cover as tear gas is fired during protests outside the defence ministry in Cairo. — AFP 

CAIRO — Protesters threw 

rocks at troops guarding 

Egypt's Defence Ministry yesterday 

as thousands marched 

in Cairo to denounce violence 

against demonstrators and the 

exclusion of candidates from 

the presidential election. 

The crowd hurled insults 

at the soldiers sent to defend 

the ministry after 11 people 

were killed in clashes there on 

Wednesday, and called for the 

overthrow of the head of the 

ruling military council, Field 

DAMASCUS — Syrians took 

to the streets in their thousands 

yesterday to show their determination 

to oust President 

Bashar al Assad’s government, 

as the office of envoy 

Kofi Annan insisted his peace 

plan was “on track.” 

The demonstrations came 

as government forces cracking 

down on dissent reportedly 

killed at least 10 civilians, only 

hours after UN peacekeepers 

urged Damascus to make the 

first move to end nearly 14 

months of bloodshed. 

“The Annan plan is on 

track and a crisis that has been 

going on for over a year is 

not going to be resolved in a 

day or a week,” the UN-Arab 

League envoy’s spokesman, 

Ahmad Fawzi, told journalists 

in Geneva. “There are signs 

on the ground of movement, 

albeit slow and small. 

“Some heavy weapons 

have been withdrawn, some 

heavy weapons remain. Some 

violence has receded, some 

violence continues. And that 

is not satisfactory, I’m not 

saying it is,” Fawzi said. 

Major General Robert 

Mood, who heads the UN mission 

to oversee Annan’s hard- 

Marshal Hussein Tantawi. 

The street violence comes 

less than three weeks before 

an election that represents the 

first chance for Egyptians to 

freely choose their leader and 

would mark the last step in a 

messy transition to democracy 

since the overthrow of leader 

Hosni Mubarak. 

Last-minute changes to the 

line-up of contenders, bickering 

over a new constitution 

and suspicion that the military 

will continue wielding power 

Attacks spread; envoy says 

peace plan is progressing 

won ceasefire agreement, had 

issued an appeal late Thursday 

for the Assad government to 

make the first move to end the 

violence. 

“The strongest party needs 

to make the first move,” he 

told reporters in Syria, stressing 

he was referring to the 

government and army. 

“They have the strength, 

they have the position and 

they also have the potential 

generosity to make the first 

step in a good direction,” he 

said. 

Despite the appeal, the 

Syrian Observatory for Human 

Rights said security forces 

killed at least 10 civilians 

across the country yesterday. 

Three died at dawn when 

troops fired on their vehicle 

near an intersection in the central 

city of Hama, and a fourth 

was shot in Homs province, 

said the Britain-based watchdog. 

Gunfire killed a couple 

and their child in the northern 

city of Aleppo, it said, adding 

regime forces killed another 

civilian in eastern Deir Ezzor 

province. 

Activists said pro- government 

gunmen killed the family 

in Aleppo, scene of a bloody 

after a new president is sworn 

are making for a chaotic backdrop 

to the campaign. 

Troops pressed forward 

when protesters began cutting 

through barbed wire used to 

seal off the ministry building 

in Cairo's central Abbasiya 

district. 

Dozens of protesters threw 

rocks at soldiers, who responded 

with water cannon. 

The Health Ministry said 

eight people were taken to 

hospital and Reuters reporters 

raid by government forces the 

day before that killed four university 

students, in response to 

a series of protests. 

Another 200 students were 

arrested in what the Observatory 

said could prove a turning 

point of the uprising in the 

northern regional capital. 

The killings marked a serious 

escalation in Aleppo, 

Syria’s second city and commercial 

hub, largely spared 

the violence shaking the country 

for nearly 14 months. 

“The city of Aleppo hasn’t 

joined the anti-government 

revolt thus far but the seriousness 

of these events will 

push residents to mobilise in 

solidarity with the students,” 

the Observatory’s Rami Abdel 

Rahman said. 

Students described scenes 

of panic as government troops 

entered the dormitories, with 

some pupils jumping from 

windows to avoid arrest. 

“Security forces raided 

the dormitories and threw 

out students and their belongings,” 

Mohammed al Halabi, 

an activist on the ground, 

said via Skype, adding 

some of the rooms were 

torched. — AFP 

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova with Nobel Peace Prize 2011 winner Tawakkol 

Karman at a seminar organised by Unesco on “new voices, media freedom helping to 

transition societies” on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day in Tunis. — AFP 

saw scores of injured protesters 

carried away on motorcycles. 

Other protesters ripped 

down a metal fence at an underground 

railway construction 

site to build a barricade. 

Some shouted slogans as army 

helicopters swooped overhead. 

Meanwhile, a Saudi official 

said yesterday Saudi Arabia’s 

ambassador to Egypt will return 

to Cairo next week, after 

the envoy was recalled. 

Culture of 

violence 

decried 

ARBIL — The leader of 

Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish 

region said yesterday he 

fears a return to a culture of 

violence, the latest in a series 

of remarks critical of Prime 

Minister Nuri al Maliki in 

recent weeks. 

However Kurdish president 

Massud Barzani also 

said he did not fear the 

federal government taking 

delivery of F-16 warplanes 

bought from the United 

States, after last month saying 

he opposed the sale of 

the aircraft while Maliki was 

premier. 

“We did not feel afraid 

of the MiG and Mirage aircraft, 

and we will not feel 

afraid of the F-16 aircraft,” 

Barzani said in a speech in 

the Kurdish regional capital 

Arbil, referring to the air 

force of Saddam Hussein, 

overthrown in a 2003 US-led 

invasion. 

“But we fear that the culture, 

which believes that the 

language of the plane, the 

tank and the cannon is the 

language of solving problems, 

will return,” he added. 

Barzani noted: “We prefer 

the language of dialogue 

to the language of arms and 

threats.” 

The Kurdish leader has 

frequently accused Maliki 

of centralising power and 

voiced opposition to his military 

acquisitions. 

The United States has 

agreed to sell 36 F-16s to 

Baghdad in a multi-billiondollar 

deal aimed at increasing 

the capabilities of Iraq’s 

fledgling air force, a weak 

point in its defences. 

On March 20, Barzani 

said “there is an attempt 

to establish a one-millionstrong 

army whose loyalty 

is only to a single person,” 

and claimed Maliki and the 

government were “waiting 

to get F-16 combat planes 

to examine its chances again 

with the peshmerga (Kurdish 

forces).” 

He has also accused Maliki 

of moving towards dictatorship, 

and said the premier 

aimed to “kill the democratic 

process” after the head of 

Iraq’s electoral commission 

was arrested for alleged corruption. 

Yesterday’s remarks were 

the latest sign of worsening 

ties between the central 

government and Kurdish 

authorities, who are mired in 

ongoing rows over disputed 

territory and oil revenues in 

particular. — AFP 

9 REGION 



Call to close 

N-bunker 

rejected 

— Iran said yesterday 

it will never suspend 

its uranium enrichment programme 

and sees no reason 

to close the Fordow underground 

site, making clear 

Tehran’s red lines in nuclear 

talks with world powers later 

this month. 

Last month a senior 

US official said the United 

States and its allies would 

demand that Iran halt higher-grade 

enrichment and immediately 

close the Fordow 

facility at talks over Tehran’s 

nuclear standoff with the 

West. 

The New York Times reported 

that negotiators for 

Western countries would 

press Iran to ultimately dismantle 

the site near the city 

of Qom. 

But Iran’s ambassador 

to the International Atomic 

Energy Agency, Ali Asghar 

Soltanieh, said he saw “no 

justification” for closing 

Fordow, which he said was 

under IAEA surveillance. 

“When you have a safe 

place, secure place under 

IAEA control, then why do 

you tell me that I should 

close it?” he said. “Fordow 

is a safe place. We have 

spent a lot of money and 

time to have a safe place,” 

Soltanieh added. 

Iran and major powers resumed 

talks in mid-April in 

Istanbul after a gap of more 

than a year. They are to meet 

again on May 23 in Baghdad. 

— Reuters 

AN Iranian man helps his child to drop his ballot paper at a mosque being used as a 

polling station in Tehran during the run-off parliamentary elections yesterday to decide 

65 seats still outstanding in its 290-member legislature. — AFP 

Gunmen kill 12 in Yemen battle 

ADEN — Pro-government 

gunmen fighting Al Qaeda 

alongside the Yemeni army 

have killed 12 suspected 

militants as they attacked the 

southern town of Loder, one 

of the fighters said yesterday. 

“Two vehicles were destroyed 

and 12 fighters killed” 

late Thursday by the gunmen, 

he said, adding the militants 

had attacked the southern entrance 

to the town in restive 

Abyan province. 

The gunmen, who belong 

to the so-called Popular Resistance 

Committees, were 

supported by army artillery 

as they pushed the militants 

back, the fighter said. 

He added that four civilians 

were wounded when two 

mortars fired by Al Qaeda suspects 

struck Loder. 

Al Qaeda seized Loder in 

August 2010, but the army 

eventually drove it out. 

Loder lies 150 kilometres 

northeast of Zinjibar, capital 

of Abyan province. 

On Thursday, a nephew 

of former leader Ali Abdullah 

Saleh has resigned from 

his post as commander of an 

elite military unit, part of a 

drive by the country’s new 

US-allied government to unite 

its army in order to fight Al 

Qaeda. — AFP

SUKMA district collector Alex Paul Menon (3R), completes paperwork after being released by Maoists at Chintalnar 

police base in Sukma district 481 km northeast of Hyderabad, in the Chhattisgarh late on Thursday. — AFP 

Call to expedite Madani case 

By Ashraf Padanna 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — Prominent 

human rights activists, writers and 

lmmakers have signed an online petition 

to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan 

Singh asking for the unconditional release 

of Abdunnasar Ma’dani lodged in 

a Bangalore jail. 

“We are shocked at the way Abdunnasar 

Ma’dani, his family and supporters 

have been harassed for a long period 

by the Karnataka government. Earlier 

Ma’dani, falsely accused in the Coimbatore 

blast case, was in jail for more than 

nine years after which the judge felt he 

was innocent,” they said in the petition 

posted on change.org. 

The signatories include Dr Binayak 

Sen, Aruna Roy, Anand Patwarthan, Civic 

Chandran, Jameela Prakasham, Neelalohidadasan 

Nadar, Dr Sebastian Paul, 

BRP Bhaskar, T V Chandran, Kamal, 

K R Mohan, K P Kumaran, Lenin Rajendran, 

P T Kunhu Mohammed, K G Jayan, 

M J Radhakrishnan, Sunny Joseph, Ambikasudhan 

Mangad, Rajeev Vijayaraghavan, 

P Baburaj, Manilal, V R Gopinath, 

Deepesh and Deepu. 

According to them, the incarceration 

itself is a statement on the way the executive 

machinery, judiciary and legislature 

Maharashtra caste 

panels struck down 

MUMBAI — The Bombay High Court yesterday struck down 

the Maharashtra government-appointed caste scrutiny committees 

which issued around 27,000 caste verication certicates 

in the past few months. 

Accordingly, all certicates issued by these panels have 

been automatically rendered void. 

The ruling by the division bench of Justice Ajay Manikrao 

Khanwilkar and Justice Nitin Jamdar put a question mark on 

the future of hundreds of elected representatives who used provisional 

certicates issued by these panels for ling nominations 

for local body and civic elections. 

The order came on a bunch of 100-odd petitions led by 

candidates who lost the elections and alleged that bogus certicates 

were issued by the committees. 

The court struck down a state government decision of July 

30, 2011 that ordered the setting up of the caste scrutiny committees 

in districts. 

The judges ordered the government to conscate all caste 

certicates issued by these committees so far within the next 

three months. 

The court stayed the operation of the order for 10 weeks 

to enable the state government le an appeal in the Supreme 

Court. 

In the past few months, elections were held for several zila 

parishads, panchayat samitis, municipal councils and municipal 

corporations. Provisional caste verication certicates were 

issued to thousand of candidates by the district collectors. 

In earlier elections, the candidates who won the elections 

were given a few months’ time to submit their caste verication 

certicates. — IANS 

PATNA — Road accidents 

claimed more than 1,500 

lives in Bihar in the rst four 

months of this year, with negligent 

or drunk drivers being 

responsible for an overwhelming 

number of accidents, ofcials 

say. 

Police as well as experts 

attribute the alarming rate of 

road accidents to trafc rule 

violations. 

“Violation of trafc rules is 

rampant and use of alcohol by 

drivers is common. These two 

factors caused road accidents,” 

a police ofcial said here. 

Saket Kumar Singh, a 

transport expert, said that till a 

few years ago bad and rough 

roads were blamed for road 

accidents, but that was no 

more the case. 

works in India and if it had happened in 

any other country, he would have been 

legally provided compensation for the 

human rights violation he suffered due to 

his wrong arrest under fabricated charges. 

“The human rights violation of 

Ma’dani is also a symbol of the way religious 

minorities have become second 

class citizens in the world’s largest democracy. 

We demand immediate release 

of Ma’dani as well as withdrawal of false 

charges against minorities dalits, adivasis 

and people’s movements,” the petition 

said. 

“We are also shocked at the way the 

Indian media in general has reported the 

case giving only the viewpoint of the police 

and the state. At the same time when 

independent journalists like Shahina of 

Tehelka dared to investigate the case 

and expose the scandal the Karnataka 

state administration foisted false charges 

against her too! The persecution of Shahina 

is a grave threat to the freedom of 

speech and to the fundamentals of Indian 

democracy itself,” the petition said. 

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen 

Chandy had recently written to his Karnataka 

counterpart C V Sadananda Gowda 

seeking his intervention for ensuring 

better healthcare facilities for Ma’dani 

“Smooth roads are causing 

more road accidents, thanks to 

outing of trafc rules.” 

Another police ofcer, 

posted with the trafc police, 

said most of the road accidents 

take place due to negligence of 

drivers and trafc violations. 

“We have rarely come 

across accident cases caused 

by failure of vehicle breaks, 

bursting of tyres or anything 

related with vehicle problems,” 

he said. 

According to police of- 

cials, accidents involving 

marriage parties is common. 

“Drivers consume alcohol after 

sleepless nights to continue 

work in the day,” police said. 

In 10 days, more than 70 

people, including a groom, 

were killed in a tragic road ac- 

cident in Aurangabad district 

that also left the bride critically 

injured, Singh said. 

He said rash driving, mostly 

by teenagers or youths, are 

killing people. 

The ofcial data of deaths 

in road accidents in the last 

four months this year is shocking. 

There has been a spurt 

across districts. 

About 150 people were 

killed in such incidents in Muzaffarpur 

during the period, 

followed by 119 in Begusarai, 

112 in Patna and 91 in Gaya 

district. Last year, during September-October, 

more than 

500 people were killed in road 

accidents in Bihar. 

In May 2011, a nationwide 

survey conducted by the Ministry 

of Road Transport said 

and speedy disposal of the cases pending 

against him. 

Ma’dani, who was acquitted in 2008 

after spending nearly a decade in Tamil 

Nadu jails as an under-trial in the 1998 

Coimbatore serial blasts, has been an 

ally of the opposition Left Democratic 

Front (LDF) until his arrest on August 

17, 2010, in connection with the 2008 

Bangalore blasts in which one woman 

was killed. 

Karnataka Police registered the case 

against Ma’dani following the arrest of 

Thadiyantavide Nazir, an activist of the 

now-defunct Islamic Sevak Sangh, which 

Madani headed before he dissolved it to 

oat People’s Democratic Party (PDP) 

which was an unofcial ally of the Left 

Democratic Front (LDF) in the 2009 general 

elections. 

Ma’dani claims he was framed and 

at least two of the prosecution witnesses 

have since denied to have given statements 

against him and they were forced 

to sign in documents written in Kannada 

which they cannot read or write. 

However, the police in the Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP)-ruled neighbouring 

state assert that it gathered strong 

evidences against Ma’dani and the law 

would take its course. The Supreme Court 

also rejected his bail plea in January. 

Rs100 crore ne for 

violating green laws 

SHIMLA — In a landmark judgment, the green bench of the 

Himachal Pradesh High Court yesterday imposed Rs 100 crore 

in damages on Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL), a subsidiary 

of the JP Group, for having set up a cement plant and the dismantling 

of a thermal plant, both in the state’s Solan district, 

by violating environment laws and making false pleas before 

the authorities and the court. 

The bench cancelled permissions for the 62 MW captive 

thermal plant and directed that it be dismantled within three 

months. 

The court also set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to 

x ofcial responsibility for allowing the illegality. 

The court’s order came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) 

led by Nalagarh-based environment NGO Himparivesh Environment 

Protection Society, which had been ghting the battle 

against the company on different fronts. 

The division bench, comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and 

Justice Sanjay Karol observed that the entire foundation of the 

environmental clearance obtained by JP Associates is based on 

falsehood as the company lied about the cost of the cement 

plant. 

The court said that JAL managed to get permission for the 

thermal plant without Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 

clearance. “Even after it was brought to the notice of the company 

that EIA clearance was required, it continued to build the 

thermal Plant,” it said. 

The court observed that JAL successfully misled and hoodwinked 

the state government, H P State Pollution Control 

Board, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Environment 

Appraisal Committee and all other authorities. — IANS 

the number of accidents in 

Bihar had almost doubled over 

the last four years. 

According to the survey 

report, the number of road accidents 

in Bihar, which was 

5,594 in 2006, shot up to 

10,065 in 2009. 

In sharp contrast, New Delhi 

and states like Maharashtra 

and Gujarat have recorded a 

drop in the number of road accidents, 

the report said. 

India has the world’s largest 

number of road accident 

deaths — the National Crime 

Records Bureau (NCRB) put 

the gure at 130,000 in 2010 

— with most lives lost to reckless 

driving, poor roads and 

lack of proper regulation and 

enforcement. — IANS 

10 INDIA 



Chhattisgarh denies deal 

over collector’s release 

SUKMA/NEW DELHI — Thirteen days 

after he was kidnapped by Maoists, District 

Collector Alex Paul Menon was received 

at home in Sukma by his joyous 

and relieved family yesterday. Soon after, 

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman 

Singh said no secret deal had been struck 

with the rebels to secure his release. 

Menon, a 32-year-old Indian Administrative 

Service ofcial from Tamil 

Nadu, had emerged on Thursday from 

captivity at 6.30 pm, accompanied by 

Maoist mediators, in Tarmetla, a tiny 

forested hamlet. 

He reached his Sukma home yesterday 

where he was greeted by wife Asha. 

He had been abducted from a forested 

area in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh 

April 21. The Maoists took him away after 

murdering his two bodyguards Amjad 

Khan and Kishen Kujur. 

He is believed to have been held by 

Maoists deep in a forest, amid multiple 

layers of security. A visibly fatigued Menon, 

who suffers from asthma, said he 

was feeling “ok” after emerging from 

Maoist captivity. He spent the night at 

CII to promote Kerala 

By Ashraf Padanna 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — The Confederation of Indian 

Industry will launch a campaign to make Kerala the Finest Place 

to Live and Work ensuring the best in class health, good education 

and high standard of living, its ofcials said here yesterday. 

The CII’s Kerala chapter will take concerted efforts in areas 

like managing the perception of the state, promoting target industries 

where the state has intrinsic strengths and creating an 

enabling ecosystem for industrial growth. It has formed sectorwise 

promotion panels for the year 2012-13 led by people of 

eminence in their areas of operation. 

The priorities include creation of a centre of excellence in 

entrepreneurship and innovation, especially for the small and 

medium enterprises, solid waste management and high-speed 

rail corridor. 

“India is in the midst of unprecedented economic challenges 

and it makes our role not only more demanding but more relevant. 

Thankfully we have in Kerala, a government which is 

extremely open to suggestions and ideas from the industry. CII 

proposes to make best use of this opportunity to groom the state 

into an investment destination of choice” said V K Mathews, 

chairman of CII Kerala chapter, who heads Kerala-based IBS 

Software. 

The CII team met top government functionaries, including 

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Industry Minister 

P K Kunhalikutty and Labour Minister Shibu Baby John, and 

presented their agenda for the state. CII is also partnering with 

the state in the Emerging Kerala campaign. 

“We are extremely pleased and encouraged by the response 

of the Kerala government and hope to partner with them meaningfully 

in some of the select projects and initiatives,” said vicechairman 

C J George, who is the managing director of Geojith- 

BNP Paribas Financial Services. 

AGARTALA/AIZWAL — The longawaited 

repatriation of Reang tribal 

refugees from Tripura to neighbouring 

Mizoram began yesterday but there is 

uncertainty over whether all the migrants 

will return home, ofcials here said. 

The repatriation of the Reangs, sheltered 

in six Tripura camps for the past 15 

years, ran into rough weather yesterday 

itself, with the majority of inmates declining 

to return to their homes in Mizoram 

“unless they got written promises of their 

safety, security and livelihood”. 

“On the request of Mizoram, the Tripura 

government had arranged 22 vehicles to 

carry around 600 Reang refugees to their 

villages in western Mizoram’s Mamit district. 

But most refugees were reluctant to 

go to their homes before getting written 

guarantees from Mizoram,” Sandeep R 

Rathore, sub-divisional magistrate of Kanchanpur 

in north Tripura said by phone. 

“Of the scheduled 600 refugees, only 

a Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) 

camp at Chintalnar, 80 km from Sukma 

town. 

His release sparked off celebrations 

by his family here in Sukma town as well 

as in Tamil Nadu where his parents live. 

Menon’s freedom was ensured after 

Maoist interlocutors and government 

mediators Nirmala Buch and S K Mishra 

signed a two-page agreement on Monday 

night. 

In line with the pact, a high-powered 

committee will be set up to look into all 

demands made by the Maoists. These include 

considering the release of Maoists 

jailed allegedly on fake charges. 

Raman Singh denied any secret agreement 

with Maoists in exchange for Menon. 

“The agreement with the Maoists is 

not a secret document and has been put 

in the public domain on the website,” Raman 

Singh told reporters in Delhi. 

He was reacting to reports of Maoists 

claiming that the Chhattisgarh government 

had agreed to release some prisoners 

from jail. 

The government panel to look into the 

GUWAHATI — Lack of any 

quick response team (QRT) 

in lower Assam’s Dhubri district 

as well absence of any 

life-saving equipment on the 

vessel led to a high number 

of casualties in Monday’s 

accident when a ferry, with 

almost 350 people on board, 

capsized in stormy weather, a 

disaster management authority 

ofcial said. 

Of the total passengers, 

only 80 could be rescued, 

while around 70 bodies have 

been recovered and the remaining 

are still missing, 

The district administration 

has been continuing 

with search operation with 

the help of National Disaster 

Response Force (NDRF), the 

Border Security Force (BSF) 

and the army, since Tuesday. 

An NDRF ofcial, who 

spoke on the condition of 

anonymity, said the incident 

recorded such a high casualty 

gure as there is no QRT 

operating in the area. The 

presence of QRTs in the area 

37 went to their villages in Mizoram yesterday 

after a lot of day-long persuasion 

by the Tripura and Mizoram government 

ofcials,” Rathore said. 

He added: “The refugees are adamant 

not to go back home unless their 18-point 

charter of demands are fullled by the Mizoram 

and the central governments.” 

The demands include a written agreement 

between Mizoram, Tripura and the 

central government and refugee leaders, 

ensuring the livelihood of Reang tribals in 

Mizoram and the constitution of a monitoring 

committee to supervise the settlement 

of home-bound refugees, sheltered 

in Tripura for the past 15 years. 

A Tripura government ofcial said: 

“A team of Mizoram government ofcials 

led by Koarta sub-divisional magistrate 

Benzamin Lalzama has been camping in 

Kanchanpur since Wednesday to take back 

the refugees. They also held meetings with 

Tripura’s district ofcials. The Tripura 

demands of Maoists will be headed by 

Nirmala Buch, former Madhya Pradesh 

chief secretary. The Chhattisgarh chief 

secretary and police chief will also be 

part of the committee. 

“The committee has started its work 

and it will look into cases registered 

against innocent people across state jails 

and will accordingly make recommendations 

to the courts,” he said. 

“Nothing else has been agreed to,” he 

said. 

He also said that he wanted Menon to 

continue as the Sukma district collector. 

Replying to a question on Operation 

Green Hunt — the paramilitary operations 

launched against Maoist guerrillas 

in the country, Raman Singh said: “There 

was no such operation and it does not exist 

in state government’s dictionary.” 

Asked about the activities that took 

place in the name of Salwa Judum, he 

said: “People stepped out for their protection, 

they just called it something, Salwa 

Judum does not exist.” 

He also called for a national policy to 

deal with hostage crises. — IANS 

High toll in ferry 

tragedy was avoidable 

could have rescued more victims, 

the ofcial said. 

“The National Disaster 

Management Act makes it 

mandatory to have QRTs 

— formed by training local 

volunteers in swimming and 

rescue operation, who can 

save the lives of the people 

immediately after the incident,” 

said the ofcial. 

“States like Bihar and 

Maharashtra have formed 

QRTs long time back in all 

the sensitive areas. They are 

being given honorarium from 

the funds under the Jawahar 

Rajgar Yojana (JRY). The 

services of the QRT are very 

important as they can start 

the rescue operation immediately.” 

The NDRF ofcial also 

blamed it to the overloading 

of ferries as one of the 

major reasons for the tragedy 

and said that none of the 

ferries that ply during the 

day has any life jackets 

to be used during any disasters. 

— IANS 

BOYS dive into the sea at a shing harbour to cool themselves on a hot day in Chennai yesterday. Temperatures 

in Chennai yesterday reached 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), according to information 

posted on India’s metrological department website. — Reuters 

Road mishaps spiral in Bihar; 1500 die Reang refugee repatriation to Mizoram begins 

government would provide all logistical 

support for the purpose.” 

The repatriation of the next batch of refugees 

to Mizoram is scheduled on May 8. 

“A total of 669 tribal families comprising 

about 3,655 men, women and children 

are scheduled to be sent back in ve phases 

from April 26,” North Tripura district magistrate 

Parshanta Kumar said by phone. 

Meanwhile, Mizoram Home Minister R 

Lalzirliana said in Aizawl that preparations 

to receive the Reang tribal refugees have 

been made by the Mamit district administration. 

“We want all the genuine residents of 

Mizoram to return. The state government 

and the people of Mizoram would welcome 

them,” Lalzirliana told reporters. 

The minister regretted that inuenced 

by some anti-repatriation leaders, the refugees 

were not willing to return to Mizoram 

and created problems. — IANS

BRITAIN’S Prince Andrew, The Duke of York (L) with Indian military officers at the Officers Training Academy in 

Chennai yesterday. Prince Andrew is on a seven-day visit to India. — AFP 

Italian ship 

may leave 

Kochi today 

KOCHI — Italian ship M V 

Enrica Lexie, anchored in 

the sea since two Marines 

on it shot dead two Indian 

fishermen on February 15, is 

expected to set sail today. 

The owner and his counsel 

V J Mathe announced this 

at a press conference here. 

The ship will leave minus 

the two Marines — Massimilano 

Latorre and Salvatore 

Girone — who are in judicial 

custody since February 20. 

A Supreme Court order 

on Wednesday allowed the 

release of the vessel. 

The court accepted the 

Italian assurance it would 

ensure the presence of the 

four other Marines if they 

are summoned by a court. 

Mullaperiyar 

report order 

NEW DELHI — The Supreme 

Court yesterday directed 

that the report of an 

expert committee that studied 

the safety of 119-yearold 

Mullaperiyar Dam in 

Kerala be shared with Tamil 

Nadu and Kerala. 

The committee was headed 

by former chief justice A 

S Anand. The court said copies 

of its report be given to 

the two state governments. 

The five-judge apex court 

bench of Justice D.K. Jain, 

Justice R.M. Lodha, Justice 

Deepak Verma, Justice C.K. 

Prasad and Justice Anil R. 

Dave would next hear the 

case July 23. 

The committee was set up 

in February, 2010 to study 

all aspect of the dam on the 

Periyar river, including its 

safety. The committee submitted 

its report to the apex 

court April 25. — IANS 

Concern for 

Mayawati’s 

security 

LUCKNOW — Alleging a 

serious threat to the life of 

party supremo Mayawati, 

the Bahujan Samaj Party 

(BSP) yesterday trained its 

guns on the Congress-led 

UPA government and said 

that if something wrong 

happened to their leader, the 

union government would be 

responsible for it. 

Addressing a press conference 

here, the BSP's state 

president and leader of opposition 

Swamy Prasad Maurya 

said the state and union 

governments had ganged up 

against their leader and were 

downsizing her security. 

Calling the Samajwadi 

Party (SP) workers 'terrorists' 

who threaten the life of 

Mayawati, Maurya recalled 

how Mayawati had a close 

shave June 2, 1995 when she 

was attacked by SP workers 

at a state guest house. 

"The SP leaders and 

workers had then led a murderous 

attack on Behenji, 

they still can and we fear for 

her safety," Maurya said. 

Indian warships to sail 

through South China Sea 

NEW DELHI — India's warships 

will be on a two-monthlong 

deployment in South East 

Asia, visiting ports in the region 

and passing through the 

South China Sea — which 

China claims as its backyard 

threatening in the past warships 

of other nations from 

entering the area. 

India's Visakhapatnambased 

Eastern Naval Command 

is sending four of its 

warships to ports in Indonesia, 

Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines 

and other nations in 

the region, as part of its annual 

long distance deployment of 

its surface combatants. 

The warships that will be 

on the tour are a Rajput-class 

NEW DELHI — Realising that 

India needs to be more aggressive 

in acquiring coal assets 

overseas to boost energy security, 

the government is considering 

setting up a sovereign 

fund to secure supplies to meet 

the growing demand mostly 

from power and steel producers, 

Coal Minister Sriprakash 

Jaiswal said yesterday. 

He said coal assets in Australia, 

South Africa, Mozambique, 

US and Indonesia are 

on the priority list for acquisitions 

by state-run Coal India 

Limited (CIL). 

India has emerged the third 

largest consumer of coal in 

the world. However, domestic 

production has failed to keep 

pace with the demand. With 

the demand-supply deficit is 

estimated to grow 17.2 per 

NEW DELHI — Hoping for 

a degree of consensus on the 

National Counter Terrorism 

Centre (NCTC), the central 

government has agreed to 

dilute some of its discretionary 

powers to push through 

the proposed anti-terror hub 

that has been put on hold after 

objections from several 

states. 

In a last bid effort, the 

central government will meet 

state chief ministers here 

TOday to bridge the gaps 

and set the anti-terror agency 

rolling. 

Sources in the home ministry, 

which is organising the 

crucial meeting of chief ministers 

with Prime Minister 

Manmohan Singh, said they 

expected the discussions to 

break through the current impasse. 

Sources said the government 

had already circulated a 

note to chief ministers saying 

it had decided to have state 

police chiefs as ex-officio 

members of the standing 

council of the NCTC. 

destroyer, a Shivalik-class 

frigate, a Kora class corvette 

and a tanker. 

"The deployment is part 

of Indian Navy's annual plans 

to deploy warships on long 

distance friendly port calls," 

a navy officer said here yesterday. 

The four warships will 

leave on their voyage early 

next week and the deployment 

will culminate in a port call in 

Japan about a month from now. 

The warships will also do port 

calls during their return voyage 

back to the home base. 

"To visit Japan, the warships 

will take the South China 

Sea route," the official said, to 

a pointed query. 

cent annually till 2017, acquisition 

of overseas coal mines 

has emerged as a key strategy 

to augment coal supplies. 

He said the country's energy 

requirements projected to 

increase to about 1,667-2,077 

million tonnes by 2031-32 

from 700 million tonnes in 

2011-12. More importantly, 

overall import dependence is 

likely to vary between 58 and 

67 per cent by that time. 

"Acquisition of coal assets 

has assumed significance due 

to the domestic production 

constraints. Coal India has 

taken several initiatives in this 

space and has prioritised countries 

including Australia, Mozambique, 

South Africa, Indonesia 

and the US for acquiring 

mining assets,” Jaiswal said at 

a conference organised by the 

“We hope the issue would 

be resolved. We have proposed 

that the NCTC will 

operate through state antiterrorism 

bodies and will 

have state police (chiefs) in 

its council,” a senior home 

ministry official said. 

The government note lays 

down a six-point standard 

operating procedure (SOP) 

according to which the power 

to arrest, search and seize 

will be shared with heads of 

the anti-terrorism squads of 

states. 

The heads of state antiterror 

bodies would be designated 

authorities of the 

NCTC at state levels. 

“In all (terror) cases, the 

head of the NCTC will keep 

the DGP or head of the ATS 

of the concerned state informed 

of any operation in 

advance,” the official said, 

citing new SOPs. 

In case giving advance 

information becomes impossible 

due to “some limitations”, 

the police or its antiterror 

squad will be informed 

In August last year, an Indian 

warship transiting the South 

China Sea was threatened by a 

Chinese national over the open 

radio, claiming the vessel was 

in Chinese territory and that it 

should leave the area immediately. 

Asked about the territorial 

disputes in the South China 

Sea and the experience of a 

warning from China last year 

for venturing into the South 

China Sea, the Indian Navy 

officer reiterated that the ships 

will sail in international waters 

while passing the area and 

hence there was freedom of 

navigation there under United 

Nations laws of the seas. 

— IANS 

Sovereign fund to buy coal 

assets abroad planned 

Confederation of Indian Industry 

(CII) on overseas coal 

acquisition. 

The minister also called for 

a policy support framework to 

overcome risk aversion. "The 

company boards of PSU companies 

also need to be proactive 

in matters related to overseas 

acquisitions." 

India holds around 10 per 

cent of the world's coal reserves, 

but domestic supply 

has failed to meet the demand 

due to regulatory hurdles, 

forcing imports of about 100 

million tonnes annually. 

Jaiswal said the proposed 

coal regulatory Bill was likely 

to come before the cabinet 

next week and the auctioning 

of 54 shortlisted coal blocks 

were expected to start in about 

two months. — IANS 

Ahead of meet today, govt 

softens NCTC stand 

immediately after the operation, 

he said. 

“The arrested person 

or materials seized will be 

handed over as soon as possible 

to the nearest police station 

with a written statement 

on the case.” 

The government had in 

January cleared the NCTC 

— a pet project of Home 

Minister P. Chidambaram — 

which will piece together terror 

related information from 

across the country. 

It is proposed that the 

agency that draws its powers 

from the Unlawful (Prevention) 

Activities Act (UAPA) 

would also investigate terror 

threats and act on them. 

But at least 15 chief ministers 

raised an alarm about 

the “unbridled” powers to the 

agency that give it the authority 

to search, seize and arrest 

anywhere in the county. 

The opponents said it would 

cut into the state’s policing 

domain and threaten the federal 

structure of the country. 

— IANS 

11 INDIA 



No discrimination against 

any student: Chidambaram 

NEW DELHI — Home Minister P 

Chidambaram yesterday denied that students 

from the northeast were rampantly 

discriminated against and said the government 

had taken steps to curb a "subtle 

discrimination" against any section of the 

society in the country. 

Chidambaram was speaking in the Rajya 

Sabha following a calling attention notice 

by Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley 

over the deaths of three northeast students 

in Gurgaon, Delhi and Bangalore. 

"It is not correct to say that students 

of northeast states are more vulnerable as 

compared to students from other regions," 

Chidambaram said, replying to Jaitley who 

alleged "racial profiling and discrimination 

towards students of northeast, who go to 

different parts of the country". 

Dana Sangma, the niece of Meghalaya 

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, an MBA 

student in Amity University in Gurgaon, 

was found hanging from the ceiling fan of 

her hostel room last month after a teacher 

allegedly accused her of cheating during 

exam. This has been denied by the university. 

Delhi University student Samiran Sai- 

LUCKNOW — The Taj Mahal 

may soon be opened up 

for night viewing, from a 

safe distance though. The Uttar 

Pradesh government is 

working on a roadmap to allow 

night viewing and a host 

of other measures to "pep up 

tourism at Agra", one of India's 

top tourist destinations. 

Chief Secretary Jawwed 

Usmani has asked officials 

to work on the project, which 

also includes creation of an 

eight-kilometre cycling track 

around the Taj and boating facility 

on the Yamuna. 

Besides asking for "more 

suggestions on developing areas 

around the Taj Mahal", he 

has also sought a draft project 

report from the departments 

concerned within a month. 

The projects around the World 

MUMBAI — Maharashtra 

Governor K Sankaranarayanan 

yesterday said he looked 

forward to some initiative on 

creating a vocational training 

university in the state. 

"I have been consistently 

advocating the need for creating 

a vocational training 

university in Maharashtra to 

provide short-term, skill-based 

courses to our educated as well 

as uneducated youth. I will be 

happy to have some initiative 

on this front," Sankaranarayanan 

said. 

He was speaking at the inauguration 

of a symposium on 

'Maharashtra: Past, Present and 

Future’ as part of the year-long 

celebrations of the birth centenary 

of the first chief minister 

of Maharashtra Yashwantrao 

B. Chavan. 

HYDERABAD — The prime 

accused in the murder of gangster 

Gangula Suryanarayana 

Reddy alias Suri owns lands 

worth over Rs.140 crore and 

had been involved in many 

settlements including the one 

relating to Handri-Neeva irrigation 

project, police said 

yesterday. 

The Crime Investigation 

Department (CID) of Andhra 

Pradesh Police revealed 

that Bhanu, who was arrested 

last month, and his associates 

threatened the contractors not 

to submit their tenders for the 

Handri-Neeva project and got 

the works worth Rs.178 crore 

allotted to JK Constructions, 

GVR Constructions and 

Coastal Constructions. 

The CID, which interrogated 

Bhanu for 10 days, said 

the accused collected Rs.18.5 

crore in this settlement in 

2005-06. 

Bhanu was arrested by 

the police on April 21, nearly 

one-and-half year after he 

shot dead his boss Suri in Hyderabad. 

kia from Assam also committed suicide, 

due to examination pressure, while Richard 

Loitam from Manipur was found dead 

in his room, allegedly after being badly 

thrashed. 

Chidambaram said police were investigating 

the deaths after registering cases 

and conducting post-mortems. 

Chidambaram said there was a "subtle 

discrimination" against various sections of 

the society. 

"Sometimes ago it was based on the language. 

Sometimes it was based on regions. 

Every south Indian who came to Delhi was 

called a Madrasi. But things have changed 

now," said the minister who hails from the 

southern state of Tamil Nadu. 

He said the government encourages 

"lots of northeast people, especially boys 

and girls, coming to the rest of India for 

better opportunities". 

"Their initial reaction will be sense of 

discrimination. I am confident that this 

sense of discrimination will go," he said, 

adding that the government will take steps 

to ensure their security. 

"I am confident that all state governments 

will discharge their constitutional 

Heritage monument would 

be taken up under the Nature 

Walk projects and eco-tourism 

vision of the state government, 

an official told IANS. Under 

the proposed project, the Taj 

Safari, Mumtaaz Eco-park, 

Camel Safari would be developed. 

Efforts were also on to begin 

the facility of boating in 

the Yamuna and allow tourists 

to view the Taj from the river, 

which flows adjacent to the 

monument to love. The Uttar 

Pradesh government, officials 

said, was serious about developing 

green patches and promoting 

tourism in a big way at 

Agra. 

At a recent meeting with officials, 

the chief secretary also 

asked them to ensure greenery 

in the area, water conserva- 

Quoting a study, Sankaranarayanan 

said more than 

57 per cent of educated youth 

suffer from varying degrees of 

skill deficit. 

"The number of persons 

registered with employment 

exchanges in the state is five 

million. The number of those 

not registered could be at least 

five times the figure," he said. 

"We, therefore, need skill 

development initiatives to 

make our youths employable," 

he added. 

On the other hand, Sankaranarayanan 

also commended 

the state’s progress stating that 

during the last 52 years, it has 

made spectacular progress in 

as diverse areas as power generation, 

irrigation, agriculture, 

cooperation, communications 

and many others. 

When Suri was in jail, 

Bhanu and his associates 

Madhu Mohan Reddy, Mangali 

Krishna and Ediga Srikanth 

Goud used his name to 

extort money and settle many 

land disputes around Hyderabad. 

After Suri came out of 

jail in 2010, serious differences 

arose between him and 

Bhanu over the ownership of 

the property. 

This finally led to the killing 

of Suri, a key accused in 

the murder of former state 

minister and Telugu Desam 

Party (TDP) leader Paritala 

Ravi in 2005. 

The CID took Bhanu to 

Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, 

where he had taken a house 

on rent for hiding after Suri's 

murder. A 0.32 revolver with 

ammunition was recovered. 

Bhanu confessed that he 

and his associates procured 

nine home-made fire arms 

for extortion and settlements. 

Two of these weapons have 

been recovered. 

Bhanu extorted Rs.1.20 

tion in the ravines, creation of 

a new nature trail, creation of 

a new habitat for birds in the 

area and to further work on 

the green forest areas around 

the Taj. 

It has also been decided 

that the financial bearing on 

the said projects would be 

borne by the Agra Development 

Authority (ADA), the 

UP Forest Corporation and 

the union ministries of tourism 

and culture and forest and 

environment. The project report 

would be referred first to 

Aawas Vikaas, Forest department, 

and after a threadbare 

study of the issues, the matter 

would be taken to the chief 

minister for his approval. 

The Akhilesh Yadav government 

has recently approved 

an ambitious multi-million 

He also said that the biggest 

strength of Maharashtra is its 

people and that they are broadminded 

and hardworking. 

"As Chancellor of universities 

in the state, I am particularly 

interested in promoting 

access and excellence in higher 

education. With 20 universities 

in which almost three million 

students are pursuing higher 

education, the state has an excellent 

pool of educated people," 

he said. 

"Maharashtra has some 

world-class educational institutions 

in engineering, technology, 

science, social science 

and other areas. We also have 

the best of agricultural universities. 

However, our enrolment 

in higher education is much 

low considering our high levels 

of literacy," he added. 

crore from film producer Shiva 

Ram Krishna and others in 

2006 in a land dispute. 

The accused and his associates 

own 36 acres of land 

worth Rs.40 crore in Puppalaguda 

village and 26.36 acres 

worth Rs.50 crore at Manchirevula 

village, both on the 

outskirts of Hyderabad. 

They also purchased 25.26 

acre land worth Rs.10 crore 

in Mahabubnagar district, 90 

acres land worth Rs.5 crore 

near Machilipatnam port, 3.27 

acre land worth Rs.2 crore and 

another 19.32 acre plot worth 

Rs.10 crore in Nylata village 

in Ranga Reddy district near 

Hyderabad. 

The CID said they were 

trying to gather more information 

about settlements and 

the properties the accused 

purchased. Steps are also being 

taken to freeze their bank 

accounts. 

Police have appealed to 

public to share information 

relating to the illegal activities 

of the Bhanu and his associates. 

— IANS 

responsibilities to ensure the safety and 

security of all people residing within that 

state." 

"I wish to state categorically that any 

student belonging to northeast is free to 

travel and reside in any part of the country. 

They have right to security and peace and 

governments are obliged to ensure their 

safety and security." 

He said far as Delhi is concerned, a "lot 

of measures have been taken". 

Eight cases of offences against women 

from the northeastern state were registered 

in the capital in 2010, he said. 

"Seven of these have been worked out 

and 11 persons arrested. In 2011, seven 

cases were registered, six prosecuted and 

10 people arrested," the home minister 

said. He said the government in Delhi had 

designated deputy commissioner of policelevel 

officers as nodal officers to specifically 

address problems faced by students 

from northeast. 

"A northeast connect cell, headed by 

a joint secretary-level officer has been 

formed that serves as a coordination point 

with resident commissioners of eight northeastern 

states (in the capital)," he added. 

Night viewing for Taj Mahal soon 

Need for vocational training 

university to develop skill 

Suri murder accused owns 

lands worth Rs 140 crore 

infrastructure development 

project for the neighbouring 

towns of Mathura and Vrindavan. 

The tourism department, 

along with the development 

authorities of these towns, 

has been asked to take up infrastructure 

development on a 

priority basis. This, an official 

said, would include sprucing 

and upgradation of the 

Govardhan Parikrama path, 

establishment of 33/11 KW 

sub-stations, double circuit 

underground cable laying, establishing 

40 new transformers, 

landscaping, setting up 

of kiosks, renovation of ancient 

water bodies, ponds and 

broadening of roads and lighting 

up the pathways. A project 

report for the same has also 

been asked for. — IANS 

Universal 

pension 

for elderly 

must 

NEW DELHI — Members 

of civil society and the unorganised 

sector yesterday 

demanded universal pension 

rights for the elderly of the 

unorganised sector with a 

series of public hearings to 

press for the rights. 

"Longevity has increased, 

lives are longer but the bodies 

of the old are unable to cope 

with the hard physical work 

that is required to sustain 

them. It is the obligation of 

the state to provide pensions 

to people who are no longer 

able to work," said Aruna 

Roy, social activist and member 

of the National Advisory 

Council (NAC). 

"There are strong and progressive 

international precedents 

in lower and middle 

income countries vis-a-vis 

pension," added Roy. 

Around 3,000 workers 

from 20 states and leaders 

of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti 

Sanghatan will hold a series 

of agitations and public 

hearings May 7 to May 11 in 

New Delhi's Jantar Mantar to 

demand pension rights. The 

Pension Parishad will demand 

universal pension rights for 

the elderly in the unorganised 

sectors such as waste pickers, 

domestic workers and headloaders, 

among others. 

"The demand for pensions 

is a global one, not linked to 

per capita incomes. About 8 

crore people will have to be 

covered in the country where 

GDP is growing at 8 per cent," 

said Prabhat Patnaik, former 

member of Kerala State Planning 

Board. 

Activists are advocating 

stronger implementation of 

the Unorganised Workers Social 

Security Act 2008. 

"The Act provides for pensions 

to unorganised workers 

and since they constitute 93 

percent of the workforce. 

We are arguing for universalisation 

of pension," said 

Baba Adhav, veteran leader 

of unorganised workers in 

Maharashtra. — IANS

AN employee of Tokyo Electric Power Company at Kawasaki Thermal Power Plant in Kawasaki. — Reuters 

End of nuclear power 

By Aaron Sheldrick 

JAPAN shuts down its last working 

nuclear power reactor this week just 

over a year after a tsunami hit the nation 

and if it survives the summer without 

major electricity shortages, producers fear 

the plants will stay offline for good. 

The shutdown leaves Japan without 

nuclear power for the first time since 1970 

and has put electricity producers on the 

defensive. Public opposition to nuclear 

power could become more deeply entrenched 

if non-nuclear generation proves 

enough to meet Japan’s needs in the peakdemand 

summer months. 

“Can it be the end of nuclear power? 

It could be,” said Andrew DeWit, a professor 

at Rikkyo University in Tokyo who 

studies energy policy. “That’s one reason 

why people are fighting it to the death.” 

Japan managed to get through the summer 

last year without any blackouts by 

imposing curbs on use in the immediate 

aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. 

Factories operated at night and during 

weekends to avoid putting too much stress 

on the country’s power grids. A similar 

success this year would weaken the argument 

of proponents of nuclear power. 

“They don’t have the polls on their 

side,” said DeWit. “Once they go through 

the summer without reactors, how will 

they fire them up? They know that, so they 

will try their best but I don’t see how.” 

Japan has 54 nuclear power reactors, 

PIVOTAL MOMENT 

Putin returns to 

the Kremlin seat 

By Stuart Williams 

VLADIMIR Putin on 

Monday takes office 

for a third term as 

Russia’s president at a pivotal 

moment in its post-Soviet 

history, with his supporters 

expecting landmark reform 

but the opposition fearing 

stagnation. 

Putin is to be sworn in at 

a ceremony in the Kremlin 

that will see him return to the 

post he held from 2000-2008 

but, ruling a Russia changed 

by the outburst of protests 

against the authorities. 

Dmitry Medvedev, the 

outgoing president now 

mocked as a mere Kremlin 

seat warmer for the last four 

years, is expected to take on 

Putin’s current job of prime 

minister in a job swap that 

angered the protesters. 

Putin presided over a new 

era of stability in Russia in 

his first two Kremlin terms 

after taking over amid the 

chaos that marked the rule of 

the mercurial Boris Yeltsin. 

But society is now changing 

at a speed unseen since the 

Soviet collapse: a burgeoning 

middle class increasingly 

critical of the Kremlin and 

including the four at Tokyo Electric’s 

Daiichi plant in Fukushima that were 

damaged in the earthquake and tsunami, 

culminating in three meltdowns and radiation 

leaks for the worst civilian nuclear 

disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. 

One by one the country’s nuclear plants 

have been shut for scheduled maintenance 

and prevented from restarting because of 

public concern about their safety. 

The last one running, the No 3 Tomari 

reactor of Hokkaido Electric Power Co in 

northern Japan, is scheduled to shut down 

early tomorrow. Anti-nuclear activists 

will celebrate over the week. 

The last time Japan went without nuclear 

power was in May 1970, when the 

country’s only two reactors operating at 

that time were shut for maintenance, the 

Federation of Electric Power Companies 

of Japan says. 

Nuclear power provided almost 30 per 

cent of the electricity to keep the $5 trillion 

economy going before the March 11, 

2011 disaster that killed almost 16,000 

people and left more than 3,000 missing. 

A year on, the level of public concern 

about the safety of the industry is such that 

the government is still struggling to come 

up with a energy policy, a delay having 

a profound impact on the economy and 

underlining just how costly it will be to 

contemplate a nuclear-power-free future. 

Having boomed in recent decades on 

the exports prowess of big brands like 

Sony, Toyota and Canon, the economy 

the Internet providing a new 

channel for criticism away 

from turgid state media. 

Protests in Moscow against 

Putin’s domination of Russia 

and fraud-tainted December 

parliamentary elections at 

their peak drew over 100,000 

people in Moscow and threw 

down an unprecedented challenge 

to the authorities. 

The protests were inspired 

by a new set of Internet-savvy 

figures such as the campaigner 

Alexei Navalny. 

In his last address to parliament 

in April before he 

steps down as prime minister, 

Putin admitted that the election 

period had been “tense” 

but said he expected unity 

from all political forces. 

The sting has slipped for 

the moment from the tail of 

the opposition protests, with 

their honeymoon period over 

and their leaders trying to 

bridge differences between a 

motley crowd of leftists, nationalists 

and liberals. 

While Putin won a crushing 

63.6 per cent in the March 

4 presidential elections, the 

opposition said his rating was 

boosted by dirty tricks by the 

authorities. They claim discontent 

is still seething. 

“Even people loyal to 

the regime understand that 

the main problems of Russia 

— the fall in the population, 

corruption, destruction 

of state institutes and oil export 

dependency — will not 

be solved after May 7,” liberal 

opposition leader Boris 

Nemtsov wrote on his blog 

for Moscow Echo radio. 

A critical test for the opposition 

will come on Sunday 

when they have vowed to 

hold a ‘million protest.’ 

12 

ANALYSIS/OPINION 


suffered its first trade deficit in more than 

three decades in 2011 as power producers 

spent billions of dollars on oil-and-gas 

imports to fuel extra generation capacity. 

At the time of the Fukushima crisis, 

then prime minister Naoto Kan called on 

Japan to wean itself off of nuclear power. 

Up to that point, Japan had been planning 

to lift the share of nuclear generation 

to over 50 per cent by 2030 from about 

30 per cent. The government of current 

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has softened 

Kan’s call. Noda says Japan can not 

afford to be nuclear free, although he still 

holds that as an ideal. 

But the government has no clear timetable 

for getting nuclear power back up 

and running as it tries to navigate the 

public opposition — rare in Japan — and 

the demands of business that wants a stable 

supply of power. Cabinet ministers 

last month rushed to try to win over the 

public to allow the restart of two nuclear 

power reactors at Kansai Electric Power 

Co’s Ohi plant in western Japan, in what 

experts said was a recognition of the implications 

of a nuclear-free summer. 

The public remained unconvinced. A 

poll by Kyodo news agency last weekend 

showed about 60 per cent of the public opposed 

to restarting the two reactors. 

Most mayors and governors whose 

communities host nuclear plants want 

safety assurances beyond governmentimposed 

stress tests before agreeing to 

restarts, a poll showed in March. 


Besieged media 

seeks protection 

By Mirwais Harooni 

AFGHANISTAN’S 

media representatives 

are appealing to the 

government to protect the 

rights of journalists who are 

facing a growing number of 

violent threats in what they 

see as an undeclared campaign 

against media freedom. 

War and an atmosphere of 

impunity make Afghanistan 

one of the most dangerous 

places in the world to be a 

journalist. The Taliban often 

regard reporters as their 

enemies and many officials 

are suspicious of the press. 

Despite media freedom 

being protected by the 

constitution, the relatively 

large, often Westernbacked 

press corps can face 

intimidation, abduction or 

even death for reporting on 

issues such as corruption and 

other government failings. 

“Day by day, it is getting 

worse. No one is here to 

support reporters,” Sediq 

Zalique, head of investigative 

reporting at national daily 8 

am, said yesterday. 

Zalique said he had 

received several threatening 

phone calls from unidentified 

men in what he believes was 

a response to his articles 

revealing corruption and 

drug-running by officials. 

Many Afghans view 

the government as deeply 

corrupt. Some media hold 

back from publishing stories 

they know will attract the 

government’s ire. 

Reporters at Afghan news 

agency Pajhwok are resorting 

to self-censorship to avoid the 

fate of colleagues who have 

been beaten and detained. 

Three have been killed over 

the last decade, its editor-inchief 

Danish Karokhil said, 

adding that the government 

had to act to protect the 

media. 

Some government officials 

acknowledge that authorities 

are not doing enough. 

“The Afghan government 

simply needs to do more to 

protect media freedoms,” 

Deputy Minister of 

Information and Culture Deen 

Mohammad Mubarez Rashidi 

told an awards ceremony 

last Thursday honouring 

slain radio journalist Sadim 

Khan Bhadurzoy, who was 

kidnapped and beheaded in 

eastern Paktika province in 

February. 

New York-based watchdog 

Committee to Protect 

Journalists (CPJ) said last 

month in its annual report 

that while Afghanistan has 

experienced a slowdown in 

targeted killings, it had made 

no progress in prosecuting the 

killers of journalists. 

Afghanistan ranks seventh 

on the CPJ’s “Impunity 

Index”, a listing of countries 

where journalists are killed 

regularly and governments 

fail to solve the crimes. 

No one has been arrested 

in connection with the murder 

of Bhadurzoy. The Taliban 

denied involvement, though 

the Taliban have targeted 

journalists in their southern 

and eastern strongholds in 

the past. 

Increased insecurity in the 

face of intensifying violence 

as most Western combat 

troops prepare to leave by 

2014 has also led to greater 

impunity surrounding threats 

against reporters, said Abdul 

Mujeeb Khalvatgar, executive 

director of the Afghan media 

development group Nai. 

Khalvatgar even suggested 

the government could be 

cracking down on the press in 

order to send a signal to the 

Taliban, that it was serious 

about reconciliation talks 

and was willing to restrict 

the meddlesome media to 

prove it. 

“The government is 

reaching out to the Taliban as 

peace talks continue. Press 

freedom is sacrificed along 

the way,” he said. 

Nai, which tracks media 

infringements, says there 

were 77 recorded cases of 

brutality and threats against 

Afghanistan’s fledgling 

media between May 2011 

and May 2012. 

But President Hamid 

Karzai defended the state of 

Afghan media last Thursday, 

telling reporters: “Freedom 

of the press is one of the 

Afghan government’s major 

achievements. We will firmly 

support it and respect it”. 

MITT Romney greets his supporters during a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. — Reuters 

Campaign gets personal 

By Stephen Collinson 

PRESIDENT Barack Obama wants 

to tell America a few things about 

his rival Mitt Romney: he is rich 

and indifferent, bad for women, and 

might wobble at a fateful moment as 

commander-in-chief. 

Obama’s reelection campaign has unleashed 

a daily, negative, character-based 

slashing of his November foe, ahead of 

the president’s official campaign kick-off 

rallies in the crucial battlegrounds of Virginia 

and Ohio today. 

In the latest volley, Obama’s camp produced 

a memo accusing Romney of pursuing 

an “extreme” agenda towards women, 

seeking to lock in the Republican challenger’s 

liabilities with the key electoral 

demographic. This followed an ad branding 

Romney’s attitude towards the middle 

class as “just what you would expect from 

a guy who had a Swiss account.” 

Obama weighed in during his victory 

lap marking the anniversary of the killing 

of Osama bin Laden, questioning whether 

Romney would have made the gutsy call 

to launch a high-risk Navy SEAL raid. 

An ad featuring an admiring ex-president 

Bill Clinton made a similar point. 

Hope and change, circa 2008, this is not. 

Obama supporters point out the president 

is not alone in going negative: the 

Romney campaign flexed a true mean 

streak in the Republican primary. 

Hard-charging Romney campaign operatives 

and outside groups flush with corporate 

cash are meanwhile readying the 

next anti-Obama barrage. But Obama’s 

tactics reflect a need to amplify Romney’s 

weaknesses to disqualify him as a potential 

president at a time when a stuttering 

economy is clouding his own prospects. 

“Romney is coming off a bruising 

nomination battle that raised some doubts 

about his character and wants to reintroduce 

himself to the American people,” 

said Professor John Geer, a negative campaigns 

expert at Vanderbilt University. 

“The Obama campaign is not going to 

allow him to do that without continuing 

the choir of criticism. They want to raise 

some doubts about his character and make 

him look extreme on issues.” 

Obama’s attacks also seek to frustrate 

any bid by Romney to trek to the political 

centre where American presidential elections 

are often won. 

“What the president is doing in terms 

of campaign tactics, and his strong criticism 

of Mr Romney, is not unusual for 

an incumbent,” said Peter Brown, assistant 

director of the Quinnipiac University 

polling institute. 

“Elections in which there is an incumbent 

are referendums, and given the president’s 

relative lukewarm job approval ratings... 

his team has obviously chosen to 

try to demonise the opposition.” 

Obama’s assaults partly focus on Romney’s 

history as a millionaire venture capitalist 

who Democrats say sent American 

jobs offshore and turfed people at ailing 

companies out of work. 

Romney says his corporate past makes 

him the ideal man to turn around the 

economy, which is giving off conflicting 

signs of recovery and slowdown in a slow 

trudge out of the deepest slump since the 

1930s Great Depression. 

That is where the Swiss bank account 

comes in, as Obama hints that he, and not 

his wealthy foe, best understands middle 

class economic angst. 

Good times 

By Sophie Makris 

A 

FEW years ago, in what seems now like another 

world, Dina was getting job interviews, Gerassimos 

was preparing for retirement and Maria had no idea 

she would be defending workers’ rights. 

But on May 2, 2010, Greece’s good times came to an abrupt 

end as the government turned to the International Monetary 

Fund and the European Union for 110 billion euros ($145 billion) 

to save it from bankruptcy. The price ordinary Greeks 

have had to pay for this and a second bailout has been high, 

with the effects felt across the population. 

Tomorrow, the two parties that have dominated Greek politics 

since the end of the military junta in 1974 are expected to 

get their comeuppance when voters go the polls. 

One such voter is 28-year-old Dina Karamani, who has 

just moved into her own place after years of sharing digs with 

students while at university, or back with mum and dad in the 

Piraeus port area of Athens. 

She spent a long time looking for the first roof over her 

head before finding a two-room flat within her budget of 250 

euros ($329) per month. If things get really tight, she says, 

she could always get a lodger. “I live in fear of losing it,” 

Dina said. She has managed to put a bit of money aside since 

she started doing translation work at home, which earns her 

around 500 euros ($650) per month, enabling her to live while 

she completes her thesis on medieval history. 

But she’d like to do something different. 

“I have been looking for months but haven’t found a job. I 

haven’t even had any interviews. Back in 2006, I worked for 

an hour and I got a lot of replies to my applications,” she says. 

She spends time presenting on an amateur radio station that 

“gives a different perspective on Greek current affairs”, one 

of her few ways to forget her worries. 

Maria Chira, meanwhile, considers herself lucky to be unaffected. 

She still has her job of 14 years at oil firm Hellenic 

Petroleum and her monthly salary of 1,200 euros ($1,577) 

plus bonuses. But she needn’t look far to see that not everyone 

is as fortunate as herself: her husband’s firm has seen 

revenues slump 30-40 per cent, while her mother has lost out 

in 7,000 euros ($9,200) in pension payments. 

Self goal 

By Anya Tsukanova 

UKRAINE failed to anticipate the angry Western reaction 

to its treatment of jailed ex-prime minister Yulia 

Tymoshenko and the dispute risks ruining its hosting 

of the Euro 2012 football, observers said. 

The Euro 2012 tournament co-hosted with Poland was set 

to be a glorious showcase for the country: but President Viktor 

Yanukovych appears to have scored a massive own goal by 

allowing it to be overshadowed by Tymoshenko case. Austria 

has announced it will boycott all matches hosted by Ukraine, 

a move that reportedly could be matched by Germany. 

All European Union commissioners will also be absent, 

while at least seven EU heads of state are shunning a summit 

to be hosted by Yanukovych in Yalta this month. 

“Ukraine has ended up in an impasse which is going to 

be difficult to get out of,” said Olga Shumylo-Tapiola of the 

Carnegie Europe Centre in Brussels. 

“The logic of those in power in Ukraine is hard to understand 

from the point of view of common sense,” she added. 

Tymoshenko, who was jailed for seven years on charges 

of abuse of power in October, upped the stakes in her standoff 

with the authorities last month by going on hunger strike and 

claiming she had been beaten by prison guards. 

With an efficient PR machine fronted by the opposition 

leader’s telegenic, London School of Economics-educated 

daughter Yevgeniya, the Western reaction led by Germany has 

been tough. And it clearly caught the government off guard. 

The most obvious solution for Ukraine to prevent its Euro 

turning into a fiasco is to take up an offer from Germany or 

Russia to allow her to travel abroad for the medical treatment 

that her supporters say she urgently needs. 

But Yanukovych has so far shown no sign of wanting to 

make concessions, saying he cannot interfere in the legal 

process. He would also hardly appear willing to allow a rival 

to claim the role of a persecuted opponent in exile abroad. 

Ukraine had a unique chance to promote itself, with games 

to be played in the capital Kiev, the attractive western city of 

Lviv, Yanukovych’s home city of Donetsk, and in Kharkiv. 

“No-one expected that Germany would kick up such a 

fuss,” a Ukrainian source close to the presidency said. 

The fallout 

By Lachlan Carmichael 

THE diplomatic row over Chinese dissident Chen 

Guangcheng could hurt Sino-US efforts to co-operate 

on key economic issues, but both sides want to contain 

the fallout, experts said. 

The dispute has sent a cloud over the annual Strategic and 

Economic Dialogue that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner 

and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were conducting on 

Thursday and yesterday with Chinese leaders in Beijing. 

In her opening remarks, Clinton did not mention Chen by 

name, but told her Chinese hosts, including President Hu Jintao, 

that they cannot deny the “aspirations” of their citizens 

“for dignity and the rule of law.” 

In his own opening remarks, Hu called for the US and 

China to respect each other’s concerns and warned that any 

worsening of relations posed “grave” risks for the world. 

Last Thursday, Chen phoned in to a hearing organised by a 

US congressional commission on human rights in China, appealing 

directly to Clinton for help to reach the US. 

It was not clear whether the dispute has had an immediate 

impact on the wide-ranging talks or whether it could hurt 

the longer-term relationship between the world’s two largest 

economies. “It’s impossible to predict going forward,” State 

Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters 

when asked if the dispute would affect the other areas of US- 

China relations. 

“But I think that... this relationship is strong enough... 

where we’re going to co-operate in areas where we share 

common views, but we’re also going to continue to talk about 

tough issues.” 

US officials said they always raise alleged rights abuses 

when they meet with their Chinese counterparts, but Beijing 

is particularly furious with Washington over its handling of 

Chen’s case. The United States said it was in talks with Chen 

about his future, after he expressed fears for his safety and 

pleaded to be taken abroad. 

Bonnie Glaser, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and 

International Studies, said she doubts the United States will 

give China an apology for what it considers a human rights 

and humanitarian issue. 

But she said that China’s decision to send Defence Minister 

Liang Guanglie to the United States this week to meet 

Pentagon chief Leon Panetta was a “good sign” that it wants 

to limit the row’s impact on broader ties.

LABOUR Party leader Ed Miliband speaks to supporters in Birmingham, central England, yesterday. — Reuters 

Conservatives fare badly 

in local council elections 

LONDON — British voters 

showed their anger against the 

government’s failure to revive 

the economy in local elections 

that saw Prime Minister David 

Cameron’s Conservatives out- 

anked on the left by Labour 

and on the right by anti-European 

fringe party UKIP. 

Cameron hopes a likely 

win for his party’s amboyant 

London mayoral candidate, 

incumbent Boris Johnson, will 

deliver some positive headlines 

later. But the bigger story 

was the damage to his party’s 

electoral prospects at national 

level. 

“People are hurting, people 

are suffering from the recession, 

people are suffering from 

a government that has raised 

taxes for them and cut taxes 

for millionaires. I think that’s 

what we saw,” said Ed Mili- 

LONDON — The British government 

yesterday won the 

right to see evidence before it 

is made public at a high pro- 

le judicial inquiry into press 

standards, a move that will 

help it brace itself for damaging 

disclosures likely to besmirch 

its own image. 

Prime Minister David 

Cameron and seven senior 

ministers were granted their 

late request to become “core 

participants” in the Leveson 

inquiry, a public probe which 

has already embarrassed at 

least one government minister 

and put Rupert Murdoch on 

the defensive. 

Core participants have the 

right to see evidence before it 

is presented in court, can ask 

for evidence to be redacted 

and can pose questions to witnesses 

via the judge’s senior 

BOLOGNA — The widow 

of a man driven to despair by 

Italy’s economic crisis, who 

set himself alight outside a 

tax ofce, led a small protest 

yesterday. 

“My husband would have 

never done something like 

that. He burned himself alive 

in front of the tax ofce.... 

They should ask themselves 

some questions and give us 

some answers,” the woman, 

Tiziana Marrone, told reporters. 

“This is a protest to 

remember those who have 

committed suicide. People 

who leave their families in 

total despair and not because 

they want to,” she said. 

The “White Widows” 

group that organised the 

protest waved white banners. 

On Thursday, a man 

armed with a shotgun and 

two pistols took a dozen tax 

ofce employees hostage on 

Thursday in the Lombardy 

region in the industrial heartland 

of northern Italy, saying 

he had had enough of tax 

debts. — AFP 

band, leader of the opposition 

Labour Party. 

Britain tipped into a double-dip 

recession last week, 

unwelcome news for a government 

that has staked its reputation 

on economic competence. 

Two years into a painful austerity 

drive, a recent cut in 

the income tax rate for high 

earners went down like a lead 

balloon with the hard-pressed 

millions. 

Derided as “arrogant posh 

boys who don’t know the price 

of milk” by a dissident from 

within their own ranks, Cameron 

and his nance minister 

George Osborne have struggled 

with a perception that they 

are out of touch with ordinary 

voters. This was reinforced by 

a row on the so-called “pasty 

tax”, a VAT hike that raised the 

price of pasties, a cheap and 

counsel. 

Giving his decision at a 

special hearing yesterday afternoon, 

senior judge Brian 

Leveson said he had accepted 

the government’s request but 

warned he would not accept 

evidence being leaked to the 

press ahead of its disclosure at 

the inquiry. 

The move was immediately 

condemned on the social 

networking site Twitter, where 

thousands regularly discuss 

every statement and development 

in the ve-month long 

inquiry held in court room 73 

of the Royal Courts of Justice 

in London. 

“You just have to ask why 

the cabinet wanted core participant 

status at Leveson. 

And that’s the reason why 

they shouldn’t have got it,” 

one blogger wrote on Twitter. 

popular snack. 

With results declared in 

100 of the 181 councils being 

contested across the country, 

Labour had gained 475 new 

councillors while the Conservatives 

had lost 279 and 

their Liberal Democrat coalition 

partners had lost 133. 

UKIP, which stands for 

UK Independence Party, was 

contesting only a fraction of 

the total seats up for grabs but 

where it did eld candidates, it 

averaged a record 14 percent 

of the vote. This translated into 

just seven councillors because 

UKIP’s support is geographically 

scattered, which makes it 

hard for the party to win any 

individual ward. 

However, UKIP’s surge in 

support was a clear threat to 

the Conservatives, who need 

to increase their popular sup- 

Others questioned whether the 

inquiry would remain independent. 

The development comes 

ahead of what is expected to 

be another gripping week at 

the inquiry, with two former 

News of the World editors appearing 

to discuss their close 

friendships with Prime Minister 

David Cameron. 

The proceedings have kept 

the British public fascinated 

for months. Next week, Rebekah 

Brooks, a close condante 

of media mogul Rupert 

Murdoch, will go before the 

inquiry to explain her close 

friendship with Cameron and 

publish communications between 

the two including text 

messages and e-mails. 

An article in the Daily 

Telegraph newspaper said he 

texted her around 12 times a 

Victims of economic crisis hold protest 

13 

THE WORLD 



port before the next national 

election, in 2015. 

“There’s absolutely no 

doubt that UKIP is taking 

away votes from the Conservatives,” 

Philip Davies, a 

Conservative member of parliament, 

told Reuters. 

“UKIP are a massive threat. 

They will undoubtedly stop 

us from winning seats that 

we would otherwise win (in 

2015), and given how difcult 

it is for us to win an overall 

majority, every seat counts,” 

he added. Conversely, UKIP 

reported that their good result 

would help them increase their 

presence in future elections. 

“There’s been a whole 

slew of people saying that’s 

it, next time I’ll stand because 

we don’t have a UKIP candidate 

here,” a UKIP spokesman 

said. — Reuters 

Special status in media probe 

day. Cameron reluctantly ordered 

Leveson to investigate 

the conduct and ethics of the 

press last year after the massselling 

News of the World admitted 

hacking into phones on 

an industrial scale to generate 

stories. 

The investigation has since 

broadened out to examine 

the close ties between politicians, 

police and the media 

and whether these deterred the 

authorities from investigating 

the allegations of phone hacking 

when they rst surfaced in 

2006. 

That in turn has shone a 

light on the inuence of the salacious 

tabloid press, with critics 

arguing that a succession 

of governments have shaped 

their agenda to t the political 

outlook of Murdoch and other 

proprietors.— Reuters 

TIZIANA Marrone (L) and a relative pays respect to her late husband Giuseppe 

Campaniello, a man driven to despair by Italy’s economic crisis who set himself alight 

outside a tax ofce, at the spot where he committed suicide yesterday. — AFP 

EU rights charter is 

equal to constitution 

VIENNA — Austrian legal decisions will be considered anticonstitutional 

from now on if they violate European fundamental 

rights and not just the country’s basic law, the constitutional 

court ruled yesterday. “In cases where European Union law 

plays a role, the EU fundamental rights charter will carry the 

same weight as the constitution,” the court said in a statement. 

“If a decision by a government agency violates rights that 

are guaranteed by the EU fundamental rights charter, the constitutional 

court will annul it as anti-constitutional,” without 

needing to consult the European Court of Justice rst, it added. 

The same will go for any piece of Austrian legislation that does 

not conform with the European charter, it said. 

The move followed complaints against the decisions of an 

Austrian court granting asylum requests, the statement noted. 

EU fundamental rights rules will now be taken into account 

in all cases where Brussels has strong and clear legislation, 

especially on key issues like immigration and asylum as well 

as competition regulation. 

The charter may also be used in disputes between Austrian 

parties, and not just where foreign parties are involved. However, 

it will not be used in issues where Brussels does not legislate, 

such as Austrian election law. 

The fundamental rights charter, which entered into effect in 

2009, guarantees the right in the European Union to freedom 

of expression, non-discrimination, and fair trial and working 

conditions, among other things. Austria’s constitutional court 

also veries compliance with the European human rights convention, 

as well as with the country’s constitution. — AFP 

Greenpeace activists 

halt icebreaker again 

STOCKHOLM — Greenpeace activists halted an icebreaker 

headed for the Arctic for a third time this week, in a bid to 

block plans by Anglo Dutch giant Shell to drill for oil in the 

region, the environmental group said yesterday. 

“Greenpeace activists held up the Nordica icebreaker for 

three hours (in waters between Denmark and Germany) by 

circling the vessel with their rubber speed boats,” Therese 

Jacobson, who is responsible for Arctic issues at Greenpeace, 

said. 

The 14 activists from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and 

New Zealand then followed the Finnish icebreaker and caught 

up with it again. “They are now painting on its hull,” Jacobsen 

said, adding that so far no attempts had been made to board the 

vessel again. 

The Nordica is under contract to Shell with another icebreaker, 

the Fennica, to provide support for an operation to 

drill ve exploratory wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas 

respectively, Greenpeace says. 

Some 40 Greenpeace demonstrators were detained on Tuesday 

after they tried to block the Nordica from leaving Helsinki, 

and on Thursday, Swedish police detained six more activists 

after they boarded the icebreaker in the middle of the Baltic 

Sea and chained themselves to the ship. Nordica’s sister ship, 

the Fennica, left Helsinki in March. 

Environmentalists have pointed to the vastly complicated 

task of drilling in the harsh Arctic environment, the difculty 

of effectively cleaning up any spills in such conditions, and the 

risks posed to wildlife and native communities in the region’s 

fragile ecosystem. — AFP 

Australia can become 

food superpower: PM 

SYDNEY — Australia has the potential to become a food 

superpower for Asia, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a 

speech in which she urged greater commercial engagement 

with China. Australia’s economy is riding a mining and resources 

boom, but Gillard said the vast nation should also exploit 

its ability to produce high-quality food. 

“Just as we have become a minerals and energy giant, Australia 

can be a great provider of reliable, high-quality food to 

meet Asia’s growing needs,” Gillard said in the speech to The 

Global Foundation in Melbourne. 

She said Australia should take advantage of growing international 

markets and become “a provider of higher-value 

products and services for the global food industry”. 

Despite living on the world’s driest inhabited continent, 

Australians have enjoyed safe and high-quality food for many 

decades, with the nation producing enough to feed 60 million 

people, almost three times its population. 

Australia accounts for less than three per cent of global 

food trade, although it is among the net food exporting nations 

of the world, a government report published in late 2010 said. 

With Asia’s middle-class rapidly expanding, Gillard said 

Australian businesses must nd opportunities in conditions 

where the dollar and terms of trade would remain high for the 

foreseeable future. — AFP 

97-year-old becomes 

world’s oldest graduate 

SYDNEY — A 97-year-old retired Australian dentist was to 

receive his masters degree in clinical science yesterday in what 

Southern Cross University said could make him the world’s 

oldest new graduate. Allan Stewart, born on March 7, 1915, is 

already the holder of the Guinness World Records title for being 

the oldest graduate after completing a law degree in 2006 

at the age of 91. 

It was not immediately clear whether anyone older had 

graduated since. “I think I can hang up my mortar board and 

academic robes after this one — although I said that after 

my last degree and then I got bored,” said Stewart, from Port 

Stephens, north of Sydney, ahead of his graduation ceremony. 

“I have so much time on my hands these days and I like 

to keep mentally active.” The clinical science masters is the 

fourth degree for the great-grandfather, who began his university 

studies in the 1930s with a degree in dentistry. 

After a long career as a dentist, during which time he became 

a Doctor of Dental Surgery on completion of his second 

degree, Stewart decided in his eighties to study law to help 

keep his mind active. 

“As I approached the age of 90 I realised that time was of 

the essence and I had better get a wriggle on in case I didn’t 

make my graduation,” he said. “So I attended extra summer 

schools and managed to complete the six-year course in fourand-a-half 

years, graduating in 2006. Turns out I needn’t have 

rushed.” Stewart keeps his mind alert by reading medical textbooks 

and crime novels and playing bridge. He enrolled in his 

latest course in 2009 and said while it had been a “tremendous 

challenge” he had enjoyed it immensely and would strongly 

encourage any older people to return to study. — AFP 

AUSTRIAN President Heinz Fischer (C) and his 

wife Margit (L) take part at the ‘Commemoration 

ceremony against violence and racism at the plenary 

hall of parliament in Vienna yesterday. — Reuters 

SWEDEN’S Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (R) 

with European Council President Herman Van 

Rompuy in Stockholm yesterday. — Reuters 

TUNISIAN Prime Minister Hamadi Jbeli (R) with 

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 

President Thomas Mirow in Tunis yesterday. 

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (L) with 

China’s Vice-Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall 

of the People in Beijing yesterday. — AFP 

IRAQ’S fugitive Vice-President Tareq al Hashemi (R) 

arrives for a press conference yesterday in Istanbul.

PORTA CABINS / TURNKEY CAMPS 

Our Services Manufacturing, Erection, Mobilization. 

Our Products Camps, Kitchens, Offices, Ablutions 

Phone 24503725 Fax 24503723 

Mobile 95228450 Mobile 99277505 

e-mail info@speedhouseoman.com 

Web www.speedhouseoman.com 

SPEED HOUSE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION LLC 

R 

CLASSIFIED SECTION 

RUWI: 24785668 

S 

ENT-A-CAR 

ENT-A-C 

Latest Model Cars — Excellent Service 

Saloon Cars, 4WD, Pick-ups, Buses 

Luxury Cars with Chauffeur 

Al Khuwair: 2448 9248/9648 

Ruwi: 24707074, Qurum: 24691110 

Mct. Airport: 24521189, 

Sohar: 26845565 

Salalah: 23296246, 

Sll.Airport 99323619 

ERVICES 

SERVICES 

EXECUTIVE office 

services avail available: 

Modern furniture, f rnit 

personalised telephone 

line with receptionist 

services, unlimited 

wireless Internet, 

P O Boxes address, 

executive conference 

room (10 people), prime 

location (Al Khuwair), 

complimentary tea & 

coffee, service duration, 

quarterly. Contact 

99463334, 99201763, 

24479400. 

HOOPOE SMART 

CARD SERVICES 

Sanad Service Centre 

We provide the 

following services: 

Typing, clearing all 

transactions related to 

government departments 

and private sector, eg 

labour agreement for 

Omanis and expatriates, 

typing of labour 

card for expatriates, 

typing of visas and 

document clearing 

from immigration 

department, Ministry of 

Commerce & Industry, 

Ministry of Manpower, 

Commercial names 

reservation, renewal of 

commercial registration, 

renewal of OCCI 

membership, attestation 

of all documents from 

OCCI & Ministry 

of Foreign Affairs. 

Renewal of labour 

cards through electronic 

payment or cash 

payment. 

Please note you may 

deliver your transaction 

through our e-mail 

and our representative 

will deliver it to your 

office personally after 

completion. Our address 

is: Ruwi, near Gulf 

Transport Co. (GTC), 

Fax: 24793331, GSM: 

98793665 (Direct) 

99231500. 

E-mail: hoopoeoman@ 

gmail.com 

AL FAHAD 

TRANSLATION 

SERVICES 

Translation of all kinds 

of legal, medical, 

and other types of 

documents, Commercial 

Agencies, etc. Ruwi, 

near Gulf Transport Co 

(GTC), 

Fax: 24794286. GSM : 

98793665 (Direct) 

95959838. E-mail: 

bptland@gmail.com 

LANDRAIL 

TRADING & 

SERVICES 

(Smart Card) 

Ruwi, near Gulf 

Transport Co. (GTC), 

Fax: 24780244, Tel: 

24789117, GSM 

98793666 (Dir), 

96777170. E-mail: 

landrailoman@ 

gmail.com 

T 

OURS 

MARINE Tourism 

92808636, e-mail: 

info@alainain.com 

CARPET, sofa 

shampooing, 

GUARANTEED 

CLEANING. 

24792998/ 99314807 

MARBLE 

CRYSTALLISATION, 

restore the original shine 

of your marble. 

24792998/ 

99314807. 

1. A/C, Fridge & 

Washing Machine 

Servicing & Repairing 

2. Painting, Plumbing, 

Electrical & Carpentry 

Works. Contact: 

97014234/ 97123569, 

24504281. 

P.C.O. (PEST 

CONTROL OMAN 

CO. LLC) 

Professionals who 

specialise in all types 

of Pest Control 

Services & Snake 

control and 

Guaranteed Termite 

Control. Also 

available Gel 

treatment for 

Cockroaches. 

Suppliers of UK 

Pesticides 

Chemicals, Snake 

Repellent, 

Cockroach Gels and 

Peripel treated 

Mosquito Nets. 

24787606, 

24787503, 

Fax: 24787607. 

SPECIAL Rates on 

New Cars & 4 WDs 

RENTING & LEASING 

Tours and Airport Transfer 

Tel: 24582663 

GSM: 95859497, 

Fax: 24582664, 

abcrent@omantel.net.om 

G 

OOD NEWS NEW 

FREE FRE 

INFORMA INFORMATION 

ABOUT ISLAM 

If you would like to 

know more about 

Islam, please call: 

Tel : 99425598, 

96050000, 99353988, 

99253818, 99341395, 

99379133, 

For ladies: 99415818, 

99321360, 99730723 

Or visit: 

www.islamfact.com 

AYURVEDIC Treatment, 

Yoga massage & 

slimming. Contact: 

92504980/ 24475280 , 

www.drsajjay.com 

FOR NRI. BOOKING 

open for villas in 

Aluwa, Kochi, Kerala. 

Rs 50 lacs onwards near 

UC College. Contact: 

98934705, or 

skprealty@yahoo.com. 

RIVING SSCHOOL 

MORNING STAR 

DRIVING DRIVING SCHOOL S 

— Learn driving 

manual/ automatic 

with professionally 

qualified male/ female 

trainees in brand new 

cars and flexible 

payments. Call: 

99043283, 

24478589, 24478505, 

www.chamberman. 

com/member/ 

morningstar www. 

morningstar.com 

SALES ENGINEER 

ELV & Security System 

A reputed electronic systems company is looking 

to recruit a Sales Engineer to develop its 

security systems business. The ideal candidate 

should have an appropriate degree or equivalent 

in Electronic Engineering/Telecommunications. 

He should also have a minimum of 5 years 

proven Oman experience and good track 

record in marketing security & surveillance 

systems, structured cabling and ELV low voltage 

systems. Experience in system integration 

and telecommunications would be an added 

advantage. All applicant must have an Omani 

driving licence. 

Interested personnel should send their detailed 

CV by e-mail to: 

sen.pete12@gmail.com 

D 

OMAN DAILY Observer SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

ITUATION VACANT 

REQUIRED Salesman 

with a car, for Al Diwan 

Co for medical supplies, 

Al Buraimi. Contact: 

95571040/96650015. 

ONE of the excellent 

grade Civil Construction 

Company, urgently 

requires the following 

personnel in Salalah. 

Planning Engineer: 

Qualification - BE Civil. 

Project Engineer: 

Qualification - BE Civil. 

Mechanical Foreman: - 

Diploma in Mechanical. 

Required min 5 years exp 

and having valid driving 

licence. To apply send 

us your detailed CV to 

our e-mail: gharbia@ 

omantel.net.om or Fax to: 

23211844. 23211843, 

GSM: 99857125, 

98076512. 

STEWARDS required for 

a large private villa. Must 

have formal Hotel training 

and be over 40 years of 

age. Experience within 

F&B or Housekeeping 

departments. Should have 

good health and hygiene 

knowledge. Must speak 

English. Send CV and 

work experience to Fax 

No: 25410812. 

AC TECHNICIAN. 

Contact: 99347515. 

REQUIRED a Civil 

Engineer for a new 

construction company, 10 

years experience in Oman, 

detailed CV to be sent to: 

bestoffer.om@gmail.com 

FULL-TIME with nice 

package for talented 

Indian Sales Manager 

to promote building 

material department for 

a company, the candidate 

must have minimum 7 

years experience in GCC 

and 4 years in Oman 

market, with Omani 

driving licence and strong 

managing skills. Contact: 

97756001. 

FOR RENT — WAREHOUSE/LIGHT INDUSTRY 

RUMAIS/BARKA 

Newly built, good quality property available for lease in 

RUMAIS/BARKA, OPP. NASEEM GARDEN 

for warehousing/light industry available 

From 3300 sqm 2 to 8300 sqm 2 area from June 2012. 

Contact Vasant on 92818099 

CLASSIFIED SECTION: 

S 

WANTED House Driver 

for Omani family at 

Athaiba. 99465646. 

ENGLISH male/female 

Teachers with experience 

not less than 5 years, 

send your application 

to: e-mail: huda2330@ 

hotmail.com Fax: 

24564212. 

A RESPECTED company 

searching Project 

Manager/Planner — 7 

years experience in waste 

management & in 

environmental assessment. 

Environmental degree/ 

bachelor — experience in 

environmental impact 

assessment in Oman/GCC. 

Reply to: applicationcv@ 

hotmail.com 

1-JUNIOR Accountant, 2 

years experience. 

2-Catering related 

experience, 5 years 

experience, English 

language is a must. Call 

99428310. 

URGENTLY need a Lab 

Technician (licence 

holder). A minimum 2 

years of experience is 

preferable. An attractive 

salary package. For detail 

contact as follows: 

99499341, Fax 

No: 23288160. Contact 

timing: 10am to 1pm. 

1. Project Manager 

- Civil - 15 to 20 yrs experience. 

2. Project Engineer 

- Civil - 10 to 15 yrs. 

3. Planning cum Material 

Engineer - Civil - 5 

to 10 yrs. 4. Tower Crane 

Operator - 5 to 10 yrs. 

5 Mason, Carpenter, 

Steel Fitter - 5 to 10 

yrs. 24562183, Fax: 

24562851, 92831310. 

E-mail: eoseas@yahoo. 

com 

U 

MRAH/HAJ 

MRAH/HA 

AL Hikmani 

for HAJ 

and UMRAH — With 

a host of serv services 

including the following: 

Hiring luxurious 

coaches, arranging 

weekly trips, preparing 

visas for expats at costeffective 

price, including 

transport, housing, 

meals and visits to 

shrine locations. Land 

and air trips weekly. 

(99311310, 24566016, 

99361982, 99707248, 

99322124. 

Sulaiman Awlad Thani: 95181747 

Ali al Maashari: 99639264 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

M 

F 

14 

Available on very GOOD prices 

OR RENT 

FOR RENT 

FLAT at Al Hail, Shimaliya 

99378837 

ROOM + (kitchen + bathroom), 

Ruwi, Honda Road 

99260200 

A BIG flat at Mawaleh 

North, 3 bedrooms, 4 

bathrooms, a sitting room, 

big hall and a kitchen, 

behind Al Bahjah Centre. 

Contact 99046696. 

ROOM with kitchen and 

toilet at Qurum 16. 

99113300. 

NEW flat for rent in 

Maabela and Seeb, Wadi 

al Bahais. 99388668, 

99762610, 92385051. 

COMEX 2012 

VISIT US 

NEW 2 bedroom flat in 

Wadi Adai. 99377249. 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

AT STALL No 75 

Printers, 

Laptops & PCs, 

CDs, DVDs & Flash Drives 

& Cartridges 

AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung 

Cartridges also available. 

WE are a leader in the LOOKING for Agent 

field of advertising; 

we need staff in the 

following areas: 

with good experience in 

transactions Clearance 

(Cargo-Shipping), 

COMPUTER SUPPLIES 

Ruwi: 24792792 

— Designer/Graphic/ 

websites/Interior/3d 

— Marketing, Silk 

— Screen printer 

99427801. 

(full-time or part-time). 

Send CV to: tunisiagate. 

oman@hotmail.com or 

call: 98848414. 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

ANPOWER 

ANPOWE 

C ARGO 

FRIENDS 

MANPOWER: Filipino 

housemaids and all kinds 

of workers. 24489268 

Tel/Fax: 24478153. 

SAVILLS OMAN 

QUALITY homes for 

rent throughout 

Capital Area Muscat. 

Contact: 24692151. 

www.sav-oman.com 

2 NEWLY renovated 

flats in a quiet area in 

Qurum 29 each with 2 

bedrooms, 2 baths, 

kitchen and a living 

room. Serious renters 

please call 97779877 

for more details. Noor 

Al Mashreq Int. 

AREA — 770 sq mtr, 

Rusayl Industrial area, 

near Amiantit Oman. 

24701552, 99012434. 

SEMI-FURNISHED 

single room with attached 

bathroom in Mumtaz area, 

for executive or working 

lady. 99377249. 

COMMERCIAL shops 

next to Carrefour. 

Contact: 92961111. 

OFFICES, shops, villa 

at Al Khuwair, flats 

at Al Khuwair, Wadi 

Kabir, MBD, Mumtaz, 

furnished/unfurnished. 

96596348. 

HOUSE for rent in Wadi 

Adai: 4 big rooms, 

1 big hall, 1 kitchen, 

4 bathrooms with excellent 

furniture and other 

requirements. Call Ali: 

95069613 

ROOM, Al Khuwair 

near Al Akhtham 

95192550 

DIRECT: 24649594 - FAX : 24649590 

e-mail: classified@omandaily.om 


RUWI: 24785668 

Behind Royal Oman Police Adjacent 

to Dhofar Building 

CARGO transfer with 

attractive price to all 

areas in the Sultanate 

and outside of Oman 

(by truck). Contact: 

00968-99171758 

A 

CCM AVA AVAILABLE 

A SPACIOUS room 

in Qurum for RO 85 

99654530. 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

al-haditha 

centre 

AUTO REPAIR 

CENTRE 

Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all 

types of Cars and Heavy vehicles 

(ROP approved Grade A Workshop) 

Telephone: 24595951/1414, Fax: 24597979. 

F 

OR SALE/RENT 

SAL 

TWIN Villa at Amerat 

plot area of 4450sq 

metres per building 

259 sq mt, total rooms 

9 and the number of 

baths 9 and 3 boards 

and suitable for staff 

accommodation for 

both twin villa RO 

135 thousand, sale 

by instalments can be 

paid. 

95330209. 

G 

UEST HOUSE HO 

MURAHIB HOTEL H 

APARTMENTS 

APARTMEN 

welcome our valuable 

GUESTS to our 

excellent location, AL 

KHUWAIR, near AL 

ZAWAWI MOSQUE, 

a single bedroom, a 

bedroom & majlis, two 

bedrooms & majlis 

24478087, Fax: 

24482454. 

QURUM BEACH 

HOTEL. 24564070. 

F 

OR SALE SAL 

OIL Lube Tanker 

4500/g, Elco make, 93H 

Scania for sale. Call 

99534124. 

CLASSIFIEDS 

Continued on P-15

S 

15 

CLASSIFIEDS 



ITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED 

INDIAN male, experience 

in building material/timber/ 

aluminium/water proofing, 

working with a reputed 

organisation, seeks suitable 

placement in sales/stores. 

Contact 99879309, 

92203891. 

INDIAN male, DECE, 

B.G.A, experience 

in CCTV, Emax. 

96065269, E-mail: 

kamals_K@yahoo.com 

INDIAN male, 27 years, 

MBA PG (UK), driving 

licence with aircraft maintenance 

engineering experience, 

currently available 

in Oman, seeks suitable 

placement. 97762073. 

INDIAN female looking 

for job. Done BE in 

electronics and communication 

from Mangalore, 

worked in Dubai for 

MNC's as IT procurement 

co-ordinator for 2 years. 

Contact 95986104. preethi_ferns&yahoo.com 

INDIAN female looking 

for a suitable job. Done 

B.Tech in electronics 

and communication from 

Mumbai, India, worked for 

leading MNC for 23 years. 

harshi12moolya@gmail. 

com 95136230. 

ACCOUNTANT, M.Com, 

3 yrs experience in 

accounts, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact 

96388241 

DIPLOMA Mechanical 

Engineer, 25 years’ of service 

as Production Manager 

in a reputed manufacturer 

of domestic appliances in 

Oman with valid Oman 

driving licence, 

seeks suitable employment 

in Oman. Contact 

92887806 e-mail: prakashnps4@yahoo.com. 

OMANI seeks position 

in HSE. jeebal3000@ 

gmail.com 

INDIAN male, graduate, 

with over 13 years 

experience in sales and 

marketing in Oman, 

holding valid D/L, seeks 

suitable placement 

92928747. 

INDIAN male with 30 

yrs experience in teaching 

field at college level for 

chemistry, holding PhD, 

experience in Industrial 

Chemistry also, seeks suitable 

placement, experience 

in administrative positions 

also. Contact 93438200. 

IT/Network administrator, 

Indian male, 32 years, 

8 years experience in 

hardware and networking. 

MCSE, MCDBA & CCNA 

certified, having Oman 

driving licence, seeks suitable 


93721070, E-mail: 

shyju@msn.com 

FEMALE, 25 years, 

Indian, BBM, 3.5 years 

experience in accounting 

and marketing, currently 

on dependent visa, seeks 

suitable placement. Contact 

98111235. 

INTERIOR Designer, 

four years of experience, 

proficient in AutoCad, Photoshop, 

3DMax, MS Office, 

seeks suitable placement. 

E-mail: bolakidia@ 

gmail.com 93257449. 


holding diploma in fire & 

safety, diploma in Marine 

Mechanic, STCW 95, 

having 4 years experience, 

seeking suitable job, 

presently in family visa. 

Contact 96977054. 

ACCOUNTANT, Indian 

male, 27 years, MBA 

Finance with 6 years of 

working experience (2 

years in Oman) in accounts, 

finance & purchase, seeks 

suitable placement. Contact 

98491231 

e-mail: shoaib.assadi@ 

gmail.com. 

INDIAN male 26, with 5 

yrs Oman experience in 

marketing & sales, seeks 

suitable placement, valid 

Omani driving licence 

93768789. 

INDIAN male, 10 years 

experience in warehouse & 

logistics in Saudi Arabia, 

seeks suitable opportunity. 

Contact 92305353. 

HVAC/Mechanical 

draughtsman, Indian male, 


MEP, 5 years in Oman, 


Contact 92958030. 


B.Tech having 2 years 

experience, on visit visa, 

seeks suitable placement 

96177960. 

INDIAN male 32 years, B 

Arch with 4 years experience 

in India, seeks suitable 


93699992. 

DIPLOMA Civil Engineer, 

30 years, Indian male, 

total 6 years experience, 4 

years in Oman. Well experienced 

in Autocad, having 

Oman driving licence, 


Contact 95732238, 

96259429. 

INDIAN, 35 years Gulf 

experience 15 years in 

plumbing and irrigation. 

Contact 92297862. 

Mailing Address: OBSERVER CLASSIFIEDS SECTION, P.O. Box 974, Muscat, P.C. 100 

Location: OEPPA HEAD OFFICE, Medinat Al Alam, 

Near Ministry of Information 24649 593, 594, 594, 595, 596, 597 

& OEPPA Ruwi Office, Next to Dhofar Bldg, Behind Ruwi Police Station 24785668 

MASTERS in 

Journalism, 

Communication + 

Masters Finance, 

excellent English, 

communication, good 

writing skills, Indian 

male, finance & audit 

background, seeks 

corporate 

communications role in 

Banks/MNCs/Financial 

Institutions/ 

International 

organisations. Can 

speak Arabic. 

99283938. 

STORE Warehouse & 

Logistics Manager, 

professionally qualified & 

broadly experienced in 

India, Saudi Arabia and 

Oman. Currently working 

with a corporate group in 

Muscat, seeks challenging 

opportunity. Contact: 

94211162. 

SRI Lankan, 30 years old 

house boy, having 4 years 

experience - ironing, cleaning, 

gardening and AC 

cleaning, looking for job. 

Contact 96128795. 

7 YEARS experience in 

Oman, seeks immediate 

placement as office incharge/co-ordinator 

or any 

suitable back office job. 

Contact 99355307. 


MBA in finance & marketing 

with 7 years experience 

in finance, looks for suitable 

positions in accounting, 

finance & HR. Contact 

95830530. 

A MECHANICAL and 

Production Engineer trained 

in HVAC, Primeavera and 

Autocad, looking for a 

suitable placement. 

Contact: 93807969. 

CIVIL Engineer, Egyptian, 

long experience, all 

structural works, resident 

driving licence. 

95378918. 

INDIAN male with vast 

experience in HR 

administration/rent a car, 

operations, sales 

co-ordination, seeks 

immediate 

placement 96416742. 

INDIAN male, 26 years, 4 

years experience in 

storekeeping and 

countersales having valid 

Omani driving licence, 

local release available, 

looking for suitable 


95813406 E-mail: 

pbrateek@yahoo.co.in 

SENIOR accountant, 

Indian, M Com (Finance), 


accounts, finance functions 

including finalisation 

and audit. Tally, V-Cams, 

MS-Office, Excel/Word. 

with Omani driving licence 

seeks placement. 

Contact 93832389 



hardware and networking 

(CCNA & MCP), 3 

years experience in remote 

sensing and GIS, having 

valid Omani driving 

licence, seeks placement. 


INDIAN Electrical Eng, 

27 years, diploma, BTech, 

EEE, (course completed) 

one year experience in 

Oman and three years in 

Kerala, India. Contact 

98070061 

INDIAN female, M Com 

on visit, specialised in 

accounts, having 3½ years 

experience seeks suitable 

placement with visa. 


OMANI PRO, 4 years 

experience in reputed 

company, visa, 

immigration, labour 

clearance, collection and 

receivables etc, speaks 

good English, friendly and 

cheerful, with D/L, seeks 

position in reputed 

companies. Contact 

92884747. 


MBA Marketing UK, 9 

years experience UK & 

UAE in sales, marketing 

business development. 

Holding UAE driving 

licence, looking for 

suitable position. Contact: 

00968 99787181. 

E-mail: tthomaspv@gmail. 

com 

INDIAN male, 13 years 

exp in Oman in HR & 

Admn with driving licence, 


95175905. 


BCom graduate with 3 

years experience, 

specialised in Tally Focus 

and good knowledge in 

MS Office, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

95408235. 

INDIAN male, 27 

years BE (Electronics & 

Communication Engg), 

presently in Oman, seeks 


Contact: 95735915. 

BE electronics & electrical 

engineer with 2 years 

experience in MEP. 

Contact genius6551@ 

yahoo.com 99790427. 

SENIOR Accountant, 

Indian male, 11 years 

experience in accounts & 

finance, (4 years in GCC), 

having valid Omani 

driving licence, seeks 


98248377. 

AUTOCAD Draughtsman, 

Indian male, 25 years, 

having 2 years Oman 

experience in Civil & 

MEP draughtsman, 

seeks for placement. 

Contact: 93233427, 

99504816. 

INDIAN male, BSc 

(Hons), having 11 years 

experience in sales & 

marketing in FMCG 

products. Having valid 

Omani driving licence. 

Contact: 93473827 

INDIAN male, graduate, 


Oman in import/export 

documentation, HR/admin, 

holding Omani driving 

licence seeks suitable 

placement. 95062755. 

CIVIL Draughtsman 

with 5 years experience 

in AutoCad project 

ordination & site 

supervision, seeks 

suitable opportunity. 

98856716. 

SYSTEMS engineer, male 

24 years, having 2 years 

experience in TATA 

Consultancy, seeks 


92515049. 

INDIAN male, 57 

years, having 5½ years 

experience in Oman, 

seeks suitable placement 

as office boy and 

gatekeeper, on visit visa. 

Contact: 98163986. 

INDIAN male, 

BE (Electronics & 

Communication), MBA 

(Finance & Marketing), 

good knowledge of SAP 

(ERP) in module BI/ 

BW, on visit visa, seeks 

suitable placement. 

96100735. 

DRAUGHTSMAN, Indian 

male, 25 years, having 2 

years Oman experience in 

MEP & civil draughtsman, 

seeks suitable 


93233427. 

INDIAN female, MSC 

Biochemistry, good 

knowledge in computer 

& office co-ordination, 

accounts assisting, seeks 

good placement. Contact 

99819860. 

15 YEARS of successful 

experience in marketing 

with driving licence, 


Contact: 93112037. 

ZAJEL weekly magazine evry saturday along with OMAN DAILY 

for advertising contact 

Mobile 96224397 95181747 

Tel 24649593 Fax 24649590 Email zajeloman@yahoocom 

BE (Electronics & 

Communication), Indian 

male, 24 years, on-going 

MBA, CCNA completed 

on visit, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

93807203 thejus2310@ 

gmail.com. 

WELL qualified Finance 

Controller with 10 years 

experience in reputable 

manufacturing, contracting 

& trading companies 

in Oman looking for a 

opportunity, currently 

in Sri Lanka available 

to join immediately. 

Please contact: 0094 

778560312, Local tel: 

97195540 

20 years of driving 

experience in Oman, 

Bangladeshi Muslim, 45 

years, familiar with all 

Muscat area. 99823016. 

SYSTEM Engineer, 

Indian male, 33 yrs, 

Singapore resident, 8 

yrs exp in Singapore, 

Thailand, India, seeks 

good placement in Oman. 

92781754. sis mea@ 

yahoo.com 

CUSTOMER Care Executive/Support-Staff/Office 

Assistant/ Sales etc.; PIO, 

B.Sc.+PGDCA; 15 years 

experience. Seeks immediate 

placement; currently 

available in Muscat. 

Contact 98923975; 

99702383. 

INDIAN, 30 years, PGD- 

BA — operations, having 

8 years of logistics, operations 

and documentation 

experience in 

Oman, seeks suitable 

placement. . 92337137 

INDIAN male, 39 yrs 

hotel management, PG 

diploma holder, 12 yrs 

experience in manager 

operations, housekeeping, 

F and B service, currently 

on family visa, seeks 

for suitable placement. 

98424621. 

INDIAN male 32 years, B 

Arch with 4 years experience 

in India, seeks suitable 


93699992. 

MALE, 24 years, Indian, 

BE in Electronics and 

Communications, seeks 

suitable placement. Contact: 

99332185. 


holding diploma in fire & 

safety, diploma in Marine 

Mechanic, STCW 95, 

having 4 years experience, 

seeking suitable job, 

presently in family visa. 

Contact 96977054. 

SRI Lankan, 30 years 

old house boy, having 4 

years experience - ironing, 

cleaning, gardening and 

AC cleaning, looking for 

job. Contact 96128795. 

7 YEARS experience in 

Oman, seeks immediate 

placement as office incharge/co-ordinator 

or any 

suitable back office job. 

Contact 99355307. 

HVAC/Mechanical 

draughtsman, Indian male, 


MEP, 5 years in Oman, 


Contact 92958030. 

DIPLOMA Civil Engineer, 

30 years, Indian male, 

total 6 years experience, 4 

years in Oman. Well experienced 

in Autocad, having 

Oman driving licence, 


Contact 95732238, 

96259429. 


RUWI: 24785668 

Behind Royal Oman Police 

Adjacent to Dhofar Building 

I 

NVESTMENT 

NVESTM 

DO not miss 

i the 

investment op opportunity. 

Construct or contribute in 

the project and you will 

get profits as much as you 

contributed. The project is 

building 90 shops and flats 

on Muscat-Sohar main 

street. (For your 

information: The Rent of 

shop is RO 150/- each. For 

inquiries contact: 

96184424 (the owner). 

B 

UY/SELL 

USED furniture and 

shifting. Contact: 

99320402.

FLIGHT LIGHT SSCHEDULE 

CHEDULE 

ARRIVALS LS S — SATURDAY SSATURDAY 

Flight No Aircraft From/Via om/Via STA 

WY614 B737-8 Dubai 0005 

WY648 B737-8 Kuwait 0015 

WY682 B737-8 Riyadh 0015 

WY716 B737-8 Dar-es-Salaam 0015 

BG023 DC10 Dacca 0130 

TK858 B737-8 Istanbul 0130 

PK259 B737-3 Islamabad 0200 

QR170 A320 Doha 0315 

EY384 A320 Abu Dhabi 0350 

EK866 B777 Dubai 0355 

GF560 E190 Bahrain 0425 

MS930 B737-8 Cairo 0500 

WY146 A330-200 Malpensa 0605 

WY122 A330-300 Munich 0630 

WY114 A330-300 Frankfurt 0645 

WY652 E175AR Bahrain 0700 

WY662 E175AR Doha 0700 

FZ043 B737-8 Dubai 0740 

WY132 A330-200 Paris 0745 

WY632 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0800 

WY914 B737-8 Salalah 0800 

WY674 B737-8 Jeddah 0800 

WY202 B737-8 Bombay 0800 

WY602 B737-8 Dubai 0825 

WY328 B737-8 Lahore 0840 

WY274 B737-8 Jaipur 0840 

WY322 A330-300 Karachi 0900 

WY102 A330-300 London Heathrow 0900 

WY286 B737-8 Bangalore 0920 

WY262 B737-8 Lucknow 0920 

EK862 B777 Dubai 0930 

QR166 A321 Doha 0950 

G9113 A320 Sharjah 0955 


9W530 B737-8 Trivandrum 1045 

PK191 ATR42 Turbat 1055 

WY604 E175AR Dubai 1100 

IX543 B737-8 Trivandrum-Cochin 1130 

IX337 B737-8 Calicut 1155 

WY916 E175AR Salalah 1200 

WY314 B737-8 Chittagong 1210 

WY3302 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1230 


WY918 ATR42 Khasab 1315 

WY606 B737-8 Dubai 1330 

WY924 B737-8 Salalah 1440 

FZ045 B737-8 Dubai 1545 

WY664 E175AR Doha 1615 


WY204 B737-8 Bombay 1655 


WY326 B737-8 Islamabad 1710 

WY244 B737-8 Delhi 1710 

IX817 B737-8 Mangalore-Abu Dhabi 1725 


WY236 B737-8 Hyderabad 1730 

WY298 B737-8 Calicut 1750 

WY216 B737-8 Trivandrum 1805 

GF564 A319 Bahrain 1810 

WY930 B737-8 Salalah 1810 

G9117 A320 Sharjah 1905 

FZ047 B737-8 Dubai 2020 


WY338 B737-8 Kathmandu 2100 

AI973 A320 Delhi 2125 

BA073 B777 London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi 2130 

WY616 B737-8 Dubai 2145 


AI907 A319 Madras 2200 

WY406 A330-300 Cairo 2215 

WY381 A330-300 Male-Colombo 2215 

LH618 A330 Frankfurt-Abu Dhabi 2225 


LX242 A330 Zurich-Dubai 2235 

QR168 A320 Doha 2235 

WY228 B737-8 Cochin 2250 

WY656 B737-8 Bahrain 2305 

WY624 ATR42 Al Ain 2305 

AI985 A321 Ahmedabad-Bombay 2310 

WY928 B737-8 Salalah 2310 

WY668 B737-7 Doha 2310 

WY672 A330-300 Jeddah 2315 

WY636 B737-8 Abu Dhabi 2315 

WY686 B737-8 Dammam 2320 

9W534 B737-8 Cochin 2330 

WY816 A330-200 Bangkok 2335 

9W540 B737-8 Bombay 2340 

WY258 B737-8 Madras 2340 

KQ318 B737-8 Nairobi-Dubai 2350 

QUOTATIONS FOR TODAY 

As I look back over fifty years of ministry, I 

recall innumerable tests, trials and times of 

crushing pain. But through it all, the Lord has 

proven faithful, loving, and totally true to all his 

promises. — David Wilkerson 

Christine and I haven’t raised our children. A 

whole community of selfless Christians has 

contributed to helping them become faithful, 

competent adults. — Clayton Christensen 

CINEMA 

FILM INFORMATION 

www.citycinemaoman.net 

AL BAHJA CINEMA: 

24540856, 24540855. 

AL NASR CINEMA: 

24831358, 24831809 (after 3pm) 

AL SHATTI PLAZA: 

24607360, 24692656 (after 2pm) 

STARS CINEMA: 

24791641, 24792360 

Majlis A’Shura 

ADDRESSES 

Keep in touch with Majlis Ash’shura’s 

news. 

Log on to the Majlis’s website: 

www.shura.om 

and the Majlis’s 

e-mail: info@shura.om 

Or write to the Majlis’s postal address: 

P O Box 981 

Postal Code 111, Muscat 

Tel: 24510344 / 24521427/ 

Fax 24510560 

INFORMATION 

MINISTRY WEBSITES 

Ministry: www.omanet.om 

Oman TV: 

www.oman-tv.gov.om 

Oman Radio: 

www.oman-radio.gov.om 

Omani Centre for Traditional Music: 

www.octm-folk.gov.om 

OMAN RADIO 

6.00 Opening, Royal Anthem, The Holy Quran, Preview of 

Morning Programme, Weather Forecast and Pharmacies on 

Duty; 6.15 Morning Tea; 7.00 News Bulletin; 7.10 Morning 

Tea; 9.00 News Headlines; 9.02 Piano; 10.00 Instrumental 

Music; 11.00 Light Classical Music; 12.00 News Headlines, 

12.02 The Holy Quran; 12.15 Pioneers of Civilization; 12.45 

Slow Mix Music; 01.00 Top 10 (Laxmi) Repeat on Thursday 

5.30; 2.00 Let’s Talk Business — Nisham Repeat of Sat 3.00 

& Sunday 6.00; 2:20 Radio Station Jingles And Programmes; 

2.30 News Bulletin; 2.40 Forts and Castles of Oman — Laxmi 

Repeat of Monday 3.00 & Tuesday 6.00; 3.00 Short Stories 

(Judith) Repeat on Saturday 6.00; 3.20 Radio Station Jingles 

and Programmes; 3.25 Mix Music; 3.30 Women in Focus — 

Nisham Repeat on Tuesday 3.00 & Thursday 6.40; 03.50 

Radio Station Jingles and Programmes; 4.00 News 

Headlines; 4.02 Around The World Live; 6.30 News Bulletin; 

6.40 Words in Action (Judith) Repeat of Sunday 3.00 & Mon 

6pm; 7.00 Night Groove; 8.00 News Headlines; 8.02 Night 

Groove; 10.00 News Bulletin; 10.10 Oman in Focus (5 mins) 

Daily; 10.15 D J Rock Special; 11.15 Mix Music; 12.40 News 

Summary; 12.45 The Holy Quran; 01.00 National Anthem, 

Close Down. 

Flight No Aircraft 

DEPARTURES 

To / Via STD 

BA072 B777 Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001 

AI986 A321 Bombay-Ahmedabad 0005 

9W539 B737-8 Bombay 0045 

WY601 B737-8 Dubai 0115 


WY261 B737-8 Lucknow 0125 

WY201 B737-8 Bombay 0130 

9W529 B737-8 Trivandrum 0130 

WY661 E175AR Doha 0130 

WY285 B737-8 Bangalore 0135 


WY327 B737-8 Lahore 0200 

WY313 B737-8 Chittagong 0200 

WY273 B737-8 Jaipur 0205 

WY321 A330-300 Karachi 0220 

TK859 B737-8 Istanbul 0220 

BG024 DC10 Dacca 0300 

PK260 B737-3 Islamabad-Lahore 0300 

EK867 B777 Dubai 0500 


QR171 A320 Doha 0550 

MS931 B737-8 Cairo 0600 





FZ044 B737-8 Dubai 0820 

WY929 B737-8 Salalah 0825 

WY717 B737-8 Zanzibar-Dar-es-Salaam 1000 

WY243 B737-8 Delhi 1000 

WY823 A330-200 Kuala Lumpur 1005 

WY297 B737-8 Calicut 1005 

WY215 B737-8 Trivandrum 1010 

WY235 B737-8 Hyderabad 1010 

WY815 A330-200 Bangkok 1010 

WY381 A330-300 Male-Colombo 1030 

WY917 ATR42 Khasab 1030 

WY605 B737-8 Dubai 1030 

WY325 B737-8 Islamabad 1030 

G9114 A320 Sharjah 1035 

WY923 B737-8 Salalah 1035 

WY203 B737-8 Bombay 1040 

EK863 B777 Dubai 1045 


QR167 A321 Doha 1055 

PK192 ATR42 Turbat-Gwadur 1130 

9W533 B737-8 Cochin 1145 

WY337 B737-8 Kathmandu 1155 

WY113 A330-200 Frankfurt 1200 

WY663 E175AR Doha 1215 

IX542 B737-8 Trivandrum 1220 


WY405 A330-300 Cairo 1310 




IX350 B737-8 Calicut 1355 

WY101 A330-300 London Heathrow 1400 

WY227 B737-8 Cochin 1445 

WY671 A330-300 Jeddah 1540 

WY257 B737-8 Madras 1545 

FZ046 B737-8 Dubai 1630 



WY615 B737-8 Dubai 1805 

IX146 B737-8 Amritsar 1815 

GF565 A319 Bahrain 1855 

WY927 B737-8 Salalah 1905 

WY347 B737-8 Kuwait 1905 

WY685 B737-8 Dammam 1905 

WY681 B737-8 Riyadh 1910 

WY655 B737-8 Bahrain 1915 

G9118 A320 Sharjah 1945 

WY667 B737-7 Doha 2000 

WY635 B737-8 Abu Dhabi 2015 

WY623 ATR42 Al Ain 2015 

WY613 B737-8 Dubai 2045 

FZ048 B737-8 Dubai 2105 

WY913 B737-8 Salalah 2245 

AI908 A319 Madras 2300 

AI974 A320 Delhi 2310 


QR169 A320 Doha 2335 

LX243 A330 Dubai-Zurich 2335 

LH619 A330 Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt 2350 

16 

INFORMATION/LEISURE SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

PHARMACIES 

24-HOUR SERVICE 

Al Hashar ph, Ruwi 24783334 

Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542 

Al Sarooj, 24695536 

Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601 

Ruwi, 24702850 

DAY DUTY 

Muscat Belqees 24540703 

Capital 24456760 

Atlas 24811715 

Al Hashar 24480838 

Sur Al Rawdah 25546454 

Buraimi Al Zaiyana 25694458 

Ibri Muscat 25689025 

Nizwa Muscat 25410235 

Salalah Muscat 23291635 

NIGHT DUTY 

Muscat StarCare 24557222 

Al Jabry 24420761 

Badr Al Samaa 

24799760 

Muscat 24497264 

Sur Medical 25540755 

Buraimi Al Naseem 25653070 

Ibri Al Hekma 25688177 

Rustaq Al Rustaq 26875045 

Barka Muscat 26885372 

Samayil Balsm 25351064 

Nizwa Al Hazfah 25431650 

Salalah Abu Al Dahab 

23291303 

KHOULA HOSPITAL VISITING HOURS 

Private & Other Wards 

Working Days: 16:00-18:00. Weekends & Public 

Holidays: 10:-12:00, 16:00-18:00 

ICU 

Working Days: 16:00-17:00. Weekends & Public 

Holidays: 16:00-17:00 

Special Care Baby Unit 

Working Days: Parents may visit at any time. 

Weekends & Public Holidays: Parents may visit 

at any time 

CROSSWORD 

CRYPTIC PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

8 First in, I turned tail (7) 

9 Abstain from taking, as 

you make your exit (2,7) 

13 Not absent from any 

whatsoever (2,3) 

14 An addict, if reformed, will 

stop (5) 

15 Then somehow mean to 

capture the wild animal (7) 

16 What the French call a 

“film noir”? (7) 

17 Said to look hard at what’s 

under the carpet? (5) 

18 Fruit drink with a pip in it I 

removed (5) 

20 Fly round at first, unsettled 

(5) 

22 Smart attempt to get a goal 

in (6) 

23 Laughed when one gave a 

warning (6) 

25 Is now out to get me? 

Charming! (7) 

27 Having swindled, did wrong 

in having run away (7) 

30 Has gone off, you know, 

very perturbed (6) 

31 Cooked one - disgusting - 

and that’s ample (6) 

32 Is very fond of, just the 

same, and prepared to 

return to (5) 

35 Now the chaps are coming 

in to change (5) 

36 Getting the key and 

opening is an occasion (5) 

37 Having entered the contest, 

with trouble lying ahead! 

(2,3,2) 

39 Bound to admit everything 

matched up (7) 

41 Object to: “Skinny, with a 

long tail” (5) 

42 The crest, or part on the 

head of the bird (5) 

43 Idea you jot when thinking 

of a white horse? (9) 

44 The insect on the burning 

bush? (7) 

DOWN 

1 Not just cloudy? (6) 

2 Smart, is concealing 

storage compartment are 

lovey-dovey (4,5) 

5 They haven’t been 

awakened for breakfast (7) 

6 Speak your mind? (5,5) 

7 Squashy food huskies go 

for (4) 

10 Show what’s often a blue 

picture (6) 

11 He’s out in front but unable 

to run freely (7) 

12 It’s the very devil when 

rain seeps in, chum! (6) 

19 Prepared to take time to get 

one in the clear (7) 

21 Copy it in a mite shakily 

(7) 

24 Aggressively healthy? (8,3) 

26 By stepping on it, you may 

break it! (5,5) 

28 In money, I have a spur (9) 

29 Shorten to: “A mutt to the 

last” (7) 

30 Strains to find cheap 

accommodation (6) 

32 Fed up, had done the wrong 

thing and put it off (8) 

33 A dolly on a chair? (6) 

34 Lengthen the skirt that’s 

singing voice (4) 

EASY PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

8 Hire (7) 

9 Of course (9) 

13 Wrong (5) 

14 Bag (5) 

15 Knife (7) 

16 Miner (7) 

17 Animal (5) 

18 Mercenary (5) 

20 Index (5) 

22 Flair (6) 

23 Author (6) 

25 Understanding (7) 

27 Fish (7) 

30 Stand (6) 

31 Country (6) 

32 Class (5) 

35 Anxious (5) 

36 Frequently (5) 

37 Cat (7) 

39 Flood (7) 

41 Complete (5) 

42 Nervous (5) 

43 Notes (9) 

44 Basket (7) 

everything and playing for 

time (8) 

proved to be a 

disappointment (7) 

DOWN 

3 As often as not, when in 38 Shoot a lot of bullets into 1 High-pitched (6) 

jail? (4,3,4) 

the screen (6) 

2 Standing (8) 

4 The crew members in the 40 Clown with a lovely 3 Heat (11) 

Hospital. . . . . . Board . . . . . . . Emergency 

Royal. . . . . . . .24599000 . . . .24590491 

Health Services Department 

Muttrah . . . . . .24797602 

Quriyat . . . . . .24845001 . . . .24845003 

SQH, Salalah .23211555 . . . .23211151 

Police . . . . . . .24603988 . . . .24603980 

Al Nahda. . . . .24831255 . . . .24837800 

Ibn Sina . . . . .24876322 . . . .24877361 

Nizwa . . . . . . .25439361 . . . .25425033 

Al Rustaq . . . .26875055 . . . .26877186 

Sumayil. . . . . .25350055 . . . .25350022 

Izki . . . . . . . . .25340033 . . . .25340033 

Haima . . . . . . .23436013 . . . .23436055 

4 Resolve (9) 

5 Trip (7) 

6 Found (10) 

7 Colour (4) 

10 Talisman (6) 

11 Seep (7) 

12 Vendor (6) 

19 Observes (7) 

21 Carriage (7) 

24 Larva (11) 

26 Owner (10) 

28 Thanks (9) 

29 Little money (7) 

30 Score (6) 

32 Perpetual (8) 

33 Deserved (6) 

34 Depict (7) 

38 Impede (6) 

40 Dance (4) 

WEDNESDAY’S CRYPTIC 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 4, Famous 7, Tea towel 

8, Opt-ic-s 10, Met-Al 13, 

H-O-ot 14, Poor 15, F-ads 16, 

Dab 17, S-h-un 19, Trad 21, 

Roundhead 23, Pans 24, La-r-d 

26, Boy 27, She’d 29, Ices 32, 

Ma-I-d 33, Coast 34, Retort 

35, Composer 36, Stitch. 

DOWN:1, Stamp 2, Can’t-O 

3, How-l 4, F-L-ood 5, Mutt 

6, Unc-lad 9, (four-)Poster 11, 

E-on 12, (p-)Arson 13, Handled 

15, Fun 16, Dad (rev.) 18, 

H-U.S.-sar 20, Radio 21, Ray 

22, Had 23, Po-tent 25, Yes 28, 

Hitch 30, Ca-u-se 31, Start 32, 

Mo-St. 33, Cop-e. 

WEDNESDAY’S EASY 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 4. Strive; 7. 

Transmit; 8. Attack; 10. After; 

13. Free; 14. Keen; 15. Tier; 

16. Sin; 17. Swig; 19. Edam; 

21. Purchased; 23. Tree; 24. 

Tsar; 26. Tay; 27. Tees; 29. 

Bail; 32. Scar; 33. Cycle; 34. 

Epochs; 35. Expedite; 36. 

Brutal. 

DOWN: 1. Steak; 2. Waste; 

3. User; 4. Stare; 5. Rite; 6. 

Victim; 9. Teresa; 11. Fez; 12. 

Ensue; 13. Fighter; 15. Tic; 16. 

Sad; 18. Wretch; 20. Derby; 

21. Pry; 22. Ass; 23. Tamper; 

25. Oil; 28. Easel; 30. Acrid; 

31. Level; 32. Scut; 33. Chew. 

YOUR STARS 

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY: There are certain problems in the family which have been continuing for a while and 

the chances are that the coming year will bring a satisfactory solution to them. An unexpected turn of events 

could make all the difference, so don’t give up hope of finding a way out of your troubles. 

TAURUS 

(April 21-May 20) 

A direct question would 

be the best way to find out 

what your prospects are for the future. 

There is no point in putting all your energy 

into your work for little reward. 

GEMINI 

(May 21-June 21) 

You may have to haggle to 

obtain satisfactory terms 

over a purchase you wanted very badly 

to finalise, but the end results should 

make your effort well worthwhile. 

CANCER 

(June 22-July 21) 

Don’t stint when it comes 

to spending money on a 

piece of equipment that has to last a 

long time. Quality will be indicated by 

the price, so buy the best you can. 

LEO 

(July 22-August 21) 

You have the happy knack 

of getting others to do 

things for you without actually making 

any demands. Be ready to reciprocate 

or you may find things are 

changing. 

VIRGO 

(August 22- 

September 22) 

The health of a person very 

close to you will soon show a decided 

improvement and you will have good 

reason to hop hope for a full recovery. 

LIBRA 

(September 23- 

October 22) 

A surprise visitor will bring 

you cheerful news from a friend living 

abroad. You had feared all along that 

your friend had forgotten you. 

SCORPIO 

(October 23- 

November 21) 

A friend’s uncharacteristic 

action should not turn you against 

him. You don’t know his motives, and 

it may not be as serious as it looks at 

first. 

SAGITTARIUS 

(November 22- 

December 21) 

Think twice before taking 

on a job which you fear may be too 

much for you. You know your own 

strength and it would be foolish to 

overstrain yourself. 

CAPRICORN 

(December 22- 

January 20) 

An idea previously rejected 

will now find favour, and you will 

be rewarded for your perseverance. 

Look forward to increased security and 

promotion. 

AQUARIUS 

(January 21- 

February 19) 

A difference of opinion 

over a trivial matter is certainly not 

worth a serious quarrel. Shake hands 

and make up instead. 

PISCES 

(February 20- 

March 20) 

Experience should have 

taught you to put less trust in strangers. 

Treat them with kindness, but remember 

that not everybody is as honest as 

you are. 

ARIES 

(March 21-April 20) 

A stubborn person who 

refused to listen to reason 

cannot be helped. He must be left to 

fight his own battles if you don’t want 

to be accused of interference. 

OTHER HOSPITALS 

Sohar . . . . . . .26840022 . . . .26840099 

Al Buraimi . . . .25650855 . . . .25652319 

Sur . . . . . . . . .25440244 . . . .25461373 

Tanam. . . . . . .25499011 . . . .25499033 

Masirah. . . . . .25404018 . . . .25404018 

Ibra . . . . . . . . .25470533 . . . .25470535 

Adam . . . . . . .25434167 . . . .25434055 

Bidiya . . . . . . .25483535 . . . .25483535 

Ibri. . . . . . . . . .25491011 . . . .25491990 

Saham . . . . . .26854427 . . . .26855148 

Khasab . . . . . .26830187 . . . .26830187 

Dibba . . . . . . .26836443 . . . .26836443 

Burkha . . . . . .26828397 . . . .26828397 

Sinaw . . . . . . .25474338 

ACROSS 

1 Agitate (4) 

4 Equality (3) 

6 Ridicule (4) 

9 Boring-tool (3) 

10 Entire (8) 

11 Smack (4) 

14 Lump (3) 

16 Unsuitable (5) 

19 Seemed (8) 

21 Spree (5) 

23 Crippled (8) 

24 Stratum (5) 

27 Cover (3) 

31 Trial (4) 

33 Supplied (8) 

34 Born (3) 

35 Paradise (4) 

36 Aye (3) 

37 Otherwise (4) 

DOWN 

2 Implement (4) 

3 Mature (4) 

4 Ready (8) 

5 Stagger (4) 

M USEUMS IN OMAN 

FAISAL BIN ALI AL SAID MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24641650 

MUSEUM OF OMANI HERITAGE, 

Tel: 24600946 

CHILDREN’S SCIENCE MUSEUM. 

Tel: 24605368 

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24641374 

NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289 

SULTAN’S ARMED FORCES 

MUSEUM, Tel: 24312646 

CURRENCY MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24796102 

MUSCAT GATE MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24739005. 

OMANI-FRENCH MUSEUM (Bait 

Fransa), Tel: 24736613 

BAIT AL ZUBAIR, Tel: 24736688 

BAIT A’NAMAN, Tel: 24641300 

SOHAR FORT MUSEUM. 

Tel: 26844758 

NAHKAL FORT, Tel: 26781384 

BAIT AL MAKHAM. Tel: 24641300 

BAIT ADAM MUSEUM, QURUM, 

Tel: 24605033, 24605013 

OIL AND GAS EXHIBITION 

CENTRE AND PLANE-TARIUM, 

Tel: 24677834. 

PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24675542. 

AQUARIUM at the Marine Science 

and Fisheries Centre (located next to 

Marina Bandar Rowdha, Sidab). 

SALALAH MUSEUM, Tel: 23294549 

CULTURAL CENTRE, Tel: 23294549. 

SUR MARITIME MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24541466. 

BAIT AL BARANDA, Tel: 24714262. 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

6 Stone-worker (5) 

7 Bird (3) 

8 Clutch (5) 

12 Waterway (5) 

13 Sprig (5) 

14 Fighting (3) 

15 Satan (5) 

17 Fish (5) 

18 Deal (5) 

20 Wishful (8) 

22 Youth (3) 

25 Correct (5) 

26 Consumed (5) 

28 Nimble (4) 

29 Blaze (4) 

30 Minus (4) 

CARTOONS 

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 

EMERGENCY 9 9 9 9 

DG of Passports & Residency, 24569603 

DG of Customs, 24714626 

Traffic offences, 24510227/228 

ROP Public Relations, 24569270 

Consumer Complaints Cell, 24817013 

Muscat Governorate Headquarters, 24560021 

Muscat, 24736611 

Wattayah, 24677990 

Ruwi, 24701099 

Muttrah, 24712211 

Bausher, 24600099 

Al Amerat, 24875999 

Qurayat, 24845555 

A’Seeb, 24420099 

Al-Athaiba, 24521099 

AI-Khodh, 24425012 

Directorate of the University Security, 24513999 

Directorate of Traffic Muscat, 24567898 

Al Batinah Headquarters, 26840096 

Al Rustaq Division, 26875099 

Al Dakhiliyah, 25425099 

Nizwa Division, 25425099 

Samayil Division, 25350099 

Al Sharqiyah Headquarters, 25545070 

Ibra Division, 25570100 

Al Dhahirah Headquarters, 25650099 

Al Buraimi Division, 25650199 

Ibri Division, 25689099 

Al Wusta Headquarters, 23436099 

Haima Division, 23436211 

Special Task Force, 24560088 

Coastguard Headquarters, 24714888 

Dhofar Governorate Headquarters, 23234599 

Salalah Police Station, 23290099 

Thamrait Division, 23279099 

Musandam Governorate Headquarters, 

26730299 

Khasab Division, 26731502 

ROP websites: www.rop.gov.om, www.ropoman. 

net and 

e-mail: ropnet@omantel.net.om 

32 Observe (3) 

WEDNESDAY’S 

QUICK SOLUTION 

ACROSS: 1, Proper 

5, Wither 8, Admitted 

9, Rage 10, Mob 12, 

Sober 15, Err 17, Ash 

18, Orb 19, Tot 20, 

Assay 21, Ban 22, Oar 

23, Ace 24, Run 26, 

Petal 29, Due 33, Pier 

34, Terrific 35, Sniper 

36, Wander. 

DOWN: 2, Radio 3, 

Pail 4, Ratio 5, Wedge 

6, Torn 7, Eager 10, 

Motor 11, Baton 12, 

Sharp 13, Beset 14, 

Royal 15, Ebbed 16, 

Range 25, Union 27, 

Enter 28, Arrow 30, 

Unite 31, Trip 32, 

Sign. 

ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset 

CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson 

GARFIELD by Jim Davis 

STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot

MIAMI Heat’s LeBron James (centre) goes up for a shot past New York Knick’s Steve 

Novak (left) and Tyson Chandler (right) during the second half of Game Three of their 

NBA Eastern Conference play-off series in New York on Thursday. — Reuters 

Misfiring Angels brought 

crashing back to earth 

LOS ANGELES — The Los 

Angeles Angels were brought 

crashing back to earth just 

one day after pitcher Jered 

Weaver tossed a no-hitter as 

they were pounded 5-0 by the 

visiting Toronto Blue Jays in 

the Major League Baseball on 

Thursday. 

Brandon Morrow strangled 

the home team for his 

second career shutout and 

Angels slugger Albert Pujols, 

a pricey off-season acquisition 

who has yet to hit a home 

run, grounded out three times 

to the left side. 

Dan Haren suffered the 

loss, despite a solid outing, 

after Brett Lawrie and Colby 

Rasmus led off with backto-back 

singles in the top of 

the third before J P Arencibia 

powered a three-run homer. 

With two outs in the sixth, 

the Blue Jays added two more 

runs thanks to a throwing error 

by third baseman Mark 

Trumbo. 

Haren, who got his first 

victory of the season in Cleveland 

last Saturday, slipped to 

OCEANSIDE, California — Football 

great Junior Seau's family is 

considering having his brain studied 

for evidence of football-related 

injuries after the retired linebacker 

killed himself at his California 

beach front home, the family's pastor 

said on Thursday. 

Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowl (allstar 

game) selection who played for 

20 years in the National Football 

League, was found unconscious 

at his home by his girlfriend on 

Wednesday with a gunshot wound 

to the chest and a revolver nearby, 

police said. 

An autopsy conducted by the 

San Diego Medical Examiner's Office 

confirmed Seau killed himself. 

But the coroner's office was awaiting 

family permission for outside 

researchers to examine the brain of 

the longtime San Diego Chargers 

star for damage from repeated head 

injuries. 

Seau's death at age 43 comes 

at a time of heightened scrutiny of 

the effects of repeated blows to the 

head in football, and the potential 

for such injuries to contribute to depression 

and long-term health problems 

in players. 

The Seau family's pastor, Shawn 

Mitchell, a former chaplain for the 

Chargers, said Seau likely suffered 

concussions during his long football 

career. 

"He would go in head-first," 

1-2 after being charged with 

five hits and two walks over 

seven innings in his sixth 

start. 

Pujols, a three-time National 

League most valuable 

player who signed a 10-year 

deal with the Angels worth 

$240 million in December, extended 

his career-worst home 

run drought to 32 games and 

133 at-bats. 

The Dominican-born slugger, 

who helped the Cardinals 

beat the Texas Rangers to 

clinch last year's World Series, 

now has a season hitting 

average of .202. 

The Angels ended a season-high 

three-game winning 

streak and slip to 10-16 for 

the year. 

Results: Philadelphia Phillies bt 

Atlanta Braves 4-0, Cincinnati Reds 

bt Chicago Cubs 4-3, Tampa Bay 

Rays bt Seattle Mariners 4-3, Pittsburgh 

Pirates bt St Louis Cardinals 

6-3, Miami Marlins bt San Francisco 

Giants 3-2, Washington Nationals 

bt Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1, 

Cleveland Indians bt Chicago White 

Sox 7-5, Kansas City Royals bt NY 

Yankees 4-3, Toronto Blue Jays bt 

LA Angels 5-0. — Reuters 

Mitchell said of Seau, who lived 

in Oceanside, just north of San Diego. 

After meeting with Seau's family, 

Mitchell told in a phone interview 

family members were "considering" 

having his brain studied 

for evidence of injuries. 

The pastor made his comment 

in response to a question about 

the possibility of sending the brain 

to Boston University, which has a 

high-profile center that conducts 

research on the long-term effects of 

repetitive brain trauma. The center 

has examined the brains of other 

former NFL players. 

Robert Boland, associate professor 

of sports management at New 

York University, said the fact that 

Seau was found to have shot himself 

in the chest may be significant, 

given that retired football player 

Dave Duerson did the same thing 

last year, and left a note asking that 

his brain be studied. 

"I think that was a lot of people's 

first thought, and it was mine," 

Boland said. "My sense would be 

that because Duerson did that as 

well, it preserved their brains for 

study." 

Experts said a standard autopsy 

would not reveal evidence of permanent 

brain injuries from concussions, 

and the San Diego medical 

examiner's office said it did not 

conduct such studies. 

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — While 

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson made 

uneven starts, Stewart Cink birdied his 

last three holes to surge into a three-way 

tie for the lead in Thursday's opening 

round of the Wells Fargo Championship 

here. 

American Cink, seeking his first PGA 

Tour victory since his play-off win at the 

2009 British Open, fired a seven-underpar 

65 to end a humid day at Quail Hollow 

Club level with compatriots Ryan 

Moore and Webb Simpson. 

Australian John Senden, Britain's Brian 

Davis and American Rickie Fowler, D 

A Points and Patrick Reed had matching 

66s as golfing heavyweights Woods and 

Mickelson had to settle for 71s. 

US Open champion Rory McIlroy 

three-putted to bogey his final hole for 

a 70, British world No 3 Lee Westwood 

carded a 71 and 2009 US Open winner 

Lucas Glover launched his title defence 

with a 72. 

Cink, who has mainly struggled for 

form since pulling off his first major victory 

at Turnberry in Scotland three years 

ago, was delighted to remain bogey-free 

despite not playing his best. 

"It was a good round," the 38-year-old 

told reporters after sinking a 20-footer on 

his final hole, the par-four ninth. "It wasn't 

Seau was not widely known to 

have suffered from concussions, 

but experts said he probably did. 

"It'd be hard to believe a linebacker 

would escape concussions," Boland 

said. 

The brain damage caused by 

17 SPORT 



LeBron wakes up 

to push Knicks 

closer to exit door 

NEW YORK — LeBron 

James woke from a thirdquarter 

slumber to lead the 

visiting Miami Heat to an 

87-70 thumping of the New 

York Knicks on Thursday 

and a commanding 3-0 lead 

in their best-of-seven play-off 

series. 

Miami dealt the Knicks a 

record-setting 13th successive 

play-off defeat dating back to 

April 2001 and put themselves 

on the brink of reaching the 

second round. No NBA team 

has ever recovered from a 3-0 

deficit in the play-offs. 

In the West, the Oklahoma 

City Thunder left the defending 

champion Mavericks on 

the verge of being swept after 

crushing them 95-79 in Dallas 

to lead 3-0 in their series. 

Kevin Durant led the way 

with 31 points on 11-of-15 

shooting for the Thunder 

whose lead was cut to 50-45 

early in the third quarter before 

they broke the game wide 

open with a torrent of threepointers. 

Russell Westbrook finished 

with 20 points and Serge 

Ibaka with 10 points and 11 

rebounds as Oklahoma City 

shot 42 per cent from the field 

while holding their opponents 

to 34 percent. 

"We knew these guys were 

tough here in their building, 

they have so many great players," 

Durant told reporters. 

"But we just wanted to come 

Cink shares Quail Hollow lead 

STEWART CINK 

out with a sense of urgency on 

both ends, and we did a great 

job." 

Game Four is in Dallas tomorrow. 

In New York, James sat out 

the last seven-and-a-half minutes 

of the third quarter after 

picking up his fourth personal 

foul in a ferocious defensive 

struggle at Madison Square 

Garden that Miami led 58-56 

going into the final quarter. 

Two three-pointers and a 

follow-up from under the basket, 

all from James, powered 

the Heat to a 10-point lead 

after 89 seconds of the fourth 

quarter, which they blew out 

to 15 to put the game out of 

reach. 

EXPLOSIVE RETURN 

"I just wanted to make 

plays and help our team win," 

James said of his explosive return 

to the court. 

James led the Heat with 

32 points, including 17 in 

the final stanza, and Dwyane 

Wade added 20, with 10 in the 

third quarter to carry Miami in 

James' absence. 

New father Chris Bosh, 

who left New York to be with 

his wife Adrienne in Miami 

for the birth of their child and 

returned just before the game, 

contributed nine points and 10 

rebounds. 

Before his fourth-quarter 

burst, James had a frustrating 

game, committing eight 

turnovers in an ugly offensive 

a great round, far from perfect, but I had a 

few putts go in the hole and managed my 

misses pretty well. 

"I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm back 

... but it's still good to see something like 

this and give yourself a little bit of confidence," 

added Cink, who has recorded 

only one top-25 finish in 10 starts on the 

2012 PGA Tour. 

Woods, champion here in 2007, put 

himself under early pressure after bogeying 

two of his first six holes on his return 

to the PGA Tour for the first time since 

concussions has the formal name 

"chronic traumatic encephalitis." It 

is known outside the doctor's office 

as boxer's dementia. 

SUING THE LEAGUE 

Over 1,500 former football players 

have sued the NFL over head 

showing from both clubs as 

players had a hard time dealing 

with the clawing defence 

played. 

"It was a good team win," 

said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. 

"Coaches like those 

kinds of wins, when you are 

not necessarily playing well, 

and certain parts of the game 

were ugly." 

Struggling even more was 

New York's premier scorer, 

Carmelo Anthony, who shot a 

woeful seven-of-23 from the 

floor to lead the losers with 22 

points. 

"They're loading up on him, 

they're doubling him and forcing 

him to take jump shots," 

Knicks coach Mike Woodson 

said about the pressure put 

on Anthony. "Their defence 

was awfully good. Got to give 

them credit." 

The Knicks shot a miserable 

31.9 per cent from the 

floor, and James said the 

Heat's game ball went to forward 

Shane Battier for the job 

he did covering Anthony. 

The undermanned Knicks, 

playing without Amar'e 

Stoudemire who badly cut his 

left hand after hitting a fire extinguisher 

case in anger after 

New York's Game Two loss, 

must now sweep four games 

to advance against last year's 

NBA Finals runner-up. 

Game Four will be played 

at the Garden tomorrow. 

last month's Masters. 

FRONT-NINE ERRORS 

"I made too many mistakes on the 

front nine," the 14-time Major champion 

said after mixing four birdies with three 

bogeys. "I didn't get up and down a couple 

times and made a couple bad shots on 

the wrong side of the hole. 

"I didn't take care of the par-fives and 

I had an easy up and in at eight, which 

I messed up there. I've got to obviously 

not make those little mistakes like that 

tomorrow." 

McIlroy, who closed with a course 

record 62 to blow away a top-quality field 

by four shots at the 2010 Wells Fargo 

Championship, was let down by his usually 

accurate driving. 

Four-time Major champion Mickelson 

was briefly derailed by a triple-bogey at 

the par-four fourth where he hit his tee 

shot out of bounds. 

"I played pretty well today and hit a lot 

of greens but made one mistake with the 

triple there," left-hander Mickelson said 

after a five-birdie display. "That was a really 

poor tee shot. 

"Fortunately I came back to shoot one 

under. I'll try and come out tomorrow 

and shoot something in the mid-60s and 

get into the weekend ... if I can get a hot 

round, I'll get right in it." — Reuters 

injuries. On Thursday, 100 other retired 

players filed a lawsuit against 

the league on the same grounds in 

federal court in Atlanta. 

The league disputes the claims 

in the suits, which accuse it of 

concealing links between football 

Kings down Blues, 

Devils beat Flyers 

in overtime to 

lead series 2-1 

LOS Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty celebrates a goal scored 

by team-mate Justin Williams during Game Three of their 

NHL Western Conference semifinal play-off game against the 

St Louis Blues in Los Angeles on Thursday. — Reuters 

LOS ANGELES — Drew 

Doughty had a goal and two 

assists on Thursday to lead 

the Los Angeles Kings to a 

4-2 victory over St Louis 

that put the Blues on the 

verge of elimination from 

the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. 

The eighth-seeded Kings 

seized a 3-0 lead in the bestof-seven 

Western Conference 

second-round series 

and can become the first 

team to book a conference 

finals berth when they host 

Game Four tomorrow. 

Goalie Jonathan Quick 

stopped 18 shots and Mike 

Richards added a goal and 

an assist for the Kings, who 

haven't played in a conference 

final since reaching the 

Stanley Cup finals in 1993. 

Chris Stewart scored 

both goals for the Blues, 

who are trying to reach the 

conference finals for the first 

time since 2001. 

The Kings' Justin Williams 

scored the only goal of 

the first period, but Stewart 

equalised 1:13 into the second. 

The Kings regained the 

lead 40 seconds later when 

Dwight King controlled the 

puck near the right circle 

and fired it past Blues goalie 

Brian Elliott. 

National Football League star Seau’s family considers brain study 

TIAINA Seau, Sr (centre), the father of Junior Seau who was found dead, is consoled with friends and 

family members at the former linebacker’s beach home on Wednesday. — AFP 

and brain injuries. 

"Any allegation that the NFL intentionally 

sought to mislead players 

has no merit," league spokesman 

Greg Aiello said in a statement. "It 

stands in contrast to the league's actions 

to better protect players and 

advance the science and medical 

understanding of the management 

and treatment of concussions." 

The league has focused in recent 

seasons on health and safety issues. 

It has cracked down on hits to the 

head, and stiffened rules that bar 

players from using their helmets as 

a weapon through head-first contact, 

which is subject to fines and 

suspension for repeat offenders. 

Seau's death was at least the third 

suicide by a former NFL player 

since February 2011. That is when 

Duerson, the former Chicago Bears 

defensive back, killed himself and 

left a note asking for a posthumous 

brain examination. 

Less than a month ago, former 

Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling 

shot himself to death at age 

62. 

Easterling, a plaintiff in one of 

the suits against the NFL, had been 

diagnosed with dementia, and his 

wife said after his death she wanted 

the league to "take responsibility." 

An account in the New York 

Times posted online on Thursday 

said that in recent years Easterling 

would get lost jogging and blurt out 

Richards' power-play 

goal made it 3-1 with 9:31 

remaining in the second. 

The Blues pulled one 

back early in the third but 

Doughty's slap shot less 

than four minutes later restored 

the Kings' two-goal 

cushion. 

In the Eastern Conference, 

Alexei Ponikarovsky 

scored with 2:39 left in 

over-time to give the New 

Jersey Devils a 4-3 win over 

the Philadelphia Flyers and 

a 2-1 lead in their secondround 

series. 

Ilya Kovalchuk, who 

missed game two because of 

injury, passed from his own 

zone to Ponikarovsky as the 

Flyers made a line change. 

Ponikarovsky skated 

down the right wing, firing 

a shot that was stopped by 

Flyers' goalie Ilya Bryzgalov 

— but he backhanded in 

the rebound for the victory. 

Kovalchuk scored 

a goal with two assists. 

Ponikarovsky and Patrik 

Elias each had a goal and an 

assist for New Jersey, whose 

goalie Martin Brodeur had 

25 saves in his 105th career 

play-off win. 

Brayden Schenn, Matt 

Carle and Danny Briere 

scored for the Flyers. 

offensive remarks. "I didn't feel like 

I was with the person that I married," 

his wife Mary Ann told the 

paper. 

Ray Ellis, 53, a former player 

with the Philadelphia Eagles and 

Cleveland Browns, told reporters 

he believed Seau's death would 

contribute to a sense of urgency regarding 

players and brain injuries. 

"There needs to be research done," 

he said. 

Neurologists are mystified as 

to why a mechanical injury like a 

concussion, in which the brain is 

slammed around against the skull, 

should cause the biochemical 

change that has been observed in 

research. Studies conducted to date 

have shown that repeated concussions 

can alter the brain's receptors. 

"One result can be post-traumatic 

depression," said David Hovda, 

professor of neurosurgery and director 

of the Brain Injury Research 

Center at the University of California, 

Los Angeles. 

Seau, who played for the Miami 

Dolphins and New England Patriots 

after leaving the Chargers, retired 

after the 2009 season. 

Seau's family plans a memorial 

service at a church in Oceanside on 

May 11, Mitchell said. That will 

be followed the next day by a ceremony 

at Oceanside High School, 

where Seau attended classes and 

played football. — Reuters

MELBOURNE — Morne 

Steyn produced another metronomic 

goal-kicking display 

slotting 16 points with his 

boot, adding a try and setting 

up two others as the Northern 

Bulls overcame a spirited Melbourne 

Rebels 41-35 in their 

Super Rugby match yesterday. 

Steyn managed five conversions 

and two penalties, and 

did not miss a shot at goal, as 

the Bulls won their fourth successive 

match. 

“It was pretty exciting 

from the stands, high inten- 

18 SPORT 



Steyn produces masterclass as Bulls overcome Rebels 

SOUTH African team Northern Bulls’ left wing Bjorn Basson (centre) leaps for the balls as Melbourne Rebels players close in during the first half 

of the Super Rugby match in Melbourne yesterday. The Bulls won the match 41-35. — AFP 

Capello eyes return with 

top English club 

LONDON — Former England 

manager Fabio Capello wants 

to get back into soccer with a 

leading Premier League club, 

the Italian said yesterday. 

“England would be very 

interesting for me because I 

know the teams and players 

very well,” the 65-year-old 

told The Times newspaper. “I 

want to manage a team that 

wants to win something, if 

possible. 

“It has to be interesting 

based on the value of the team, 

not money. I don’t work for 

money,” added Capello, who 

quit the England job in February 

after the Football Association 

removed John Terry 

as national captain against the 

Italian’s wishes. 

“I want to manage a team 

LONDON — Either Fernando 

Torres of Chelsea or Andy 

Carroll of Liverpool, who have 

both hugely under-achieved 

since their record-breaking 

transfers last year, will claim 

one of English soccer’s major 

prizes when their teams meet 

in the FA Cup final today. 

Torres, at least, has recently 

shown glimpses of why Chelsea 

paid £50 million ($81.10 

million) to Liverpool for him 

in January last year — a record 

fee between British clubs. 

The Spaniard has scored 

four goals in his last three 

games, including last week’s 

solo effort at Barcelona which 

sealed Chelsea’s place in the 

Champions League final on 

May 19. 

He also scored his first hattrick 

for Chelsea in their 6-1 

win over Queens Park Rangers 

on Sunday but failed to hit the 

net in Wednesday’s 2-0 home 

defeat by Newcastle United 

and in total has scored only 12 

times for Chelsea. 

Carroll became the most 

expensive British player of 

all time when Liverpool paid 

Newcastle United £35 million 

for him to replace Torres, but 

has scored only 11 goals in 54 

matches for Liverpool since. 

that is able to play in the 

Champions League and to 

fight for lots of trophies.” 

Capello, who enjoyed successful 

spells at club level 

with AC Milan, Roma, Juventus 

and Real Madrid, also 

said he supported the FA’s 

decision to appoint West Bromwich 

Albion manager Roy 

Hodgson as his successor as 

England boss. 

“I have known Roy since 

he was coaching in Italy (with 

Inter Milan) and I have met 

him often in these last few 

years,” he added. “I believe 

he is a very good and experienced 

manager and he is a 

very good choice for the England 

national team. I wish him 

all the best for the future and 

Euro 2012 (next month).” 

Arsenal plan pre-season game 

in troubled Nigeria 

LONDON — Arsenal are 

planning to visit Africa for the 

first time in 19 years by travelling 

to troubled Nigeria for 

a pre-season friendly. 

The opposition for the 

August 5 match is not yet 

known but is likely to be a 

leading African national team, 

the London club said on their 

website yesterday. 

The friendly will be played 

at the Abuja National Stadium. 

Arsenal, who are also 

planning pre-season games 

in China, Malaysia and Hong 

Kong, last visited Africa for a 

tour of South Africa in 1993. 

At least his late header 

against Everton in the semifinal 

at Wembley three weeks 

ago guaranteed Liverpool a 

return to the London stadium 

for the final. 

Now the two strikers, both 

dropped from their national 

sides and both remarkably 

unproductive in front of goal, 

have the chance of lasting redemption 

and a place in their 

club’s folklore as an FA Cup 

winner. 

Despite the focus on the 

Premier League, and a late 

kick-off (1615 GMT) for this 

year’s final rather than its traditional 

1500 start, the FA Cup 

is still one of soccer’s grand 

occasions. 

The match is being shown 

live to a huge global audience 

in more than 120 countries 

and, as everyone in football 

never tires of saying, the 

money is all very well but 

winning silverware is what 

matters. 

Liverpool have already 

picked up a trophy this season 

with a win over Cardiff City 

on penalties in the League Cup 

final in February. 

Their league form though, 

has been erratic and continued 

to disappoint on Tuesday when 

MADRID — Spain coach 

Vicente del Bosque said yesterday 

he will wait to the last 

moment for David Villa to join 

the Euro 2012 squad as Barcelona 

reported his broken leg is 

healing “very well”. 

Villa, dubbed King David 

for his 51 goals in 82 internationals, 

fractured his left tibia 

in Barcelona’s Club World Cup 

semifinal win over Al Sadd in 

Japan on December 15. 

Del Bosque said he had 

spoken to Barcelona coach 

Pep Guardiola on Thursday 

for an update on 30-year-old 

Villa’s recovery. 

“I last spoke to his current 

coach yesterday. He told me 

how he is,” the Spain coach 

told a news conference in Madrid, 

without giving details of 

the conversation. “We have an 

obligation and also a conviction 

that we should wait until 

the last moment in David’s 

case because he has been our 

most reputable goal scorer, the 

surest player and we should 

wait, of course.” 

In a separate news conference, 

Guardiola said of Villa: 

“His recovery is going very 

well. Better and better. Hopefully 

he will be able to go to 

the Euro.” 

Spain will publish a provisional 

list on May 15 including 

those going to the Euro 

and the London Olympics, 

Del Bosque said. 

Later, he said, the team 

will decide on possible players 

from Chelsea who face 

Bayern Munich on May 19, 

and then those from Barcelona 

or Athletic Bilbao who 

clash in the domestic King’s 

Cup final May 25. 

A definitive list will be 

drawn up May 27, Del Bosque 

said, but Spain could still wait 

to bring in Villa right up until 

May 29, the deadline for handing 

over the documentation to 

UEFA. 

Del Bosque refused to 

say whether he would bring 

on Chelsea striker Fernando 

Torres, whose last-gasp equaliser 

against Barcelona on 

April 24 shattered the Catalans’ 

hopes of reaching the 

Champions League final. 

“We look at every day’s 

play but we don’t make a definitive 

decision based on one 

day,” he said. 

“We have to study the history 

of the players,” the coach 

added. 

“At the moment obviously 

I am not going to say whether 

sity, good attacking from both 

sides, maybe not the best defensively 

from us but good 

to get the win,” Bulls captain 

Spain pinning hopes on 

David Villa recovery 

a side showing nine changes 

from the previous game lost 

1-0 at Anfield to Fulham — 

the first time Fulham had won 

a match there in 30 attempts 

over 78 years. 

CUP DOUBLE 

Coach Kenny Dalglish 

though, saw no relationship 

between his team’s latest setback 

and today’s final. 

“It will not affect Saturday 

but that doesn’t mean the performance 

is right and it is not 

something you want to dismiss 

easily,” he said. 

“It is not correct to go 

about your work in that way 

but if we had come in and won 

4-0 it wouldn’t have made 

any difference to Saturday 

either.” 

He was pleased, though, 

that Carroll was back after 

missing last Saturday’s 3-0 

win at Norwich City. 

“There were some positives. 

It was nice to see the big 

lad back. He had a niggle at the 

weekend but he is fit and back 

and played 90 minutes so that 

is good for us.” 

Despite their League failings, 

Liverpool have the chance 

to complete a rare domestic FA 

Cup and League Cup double, 

Tom, Dick or Harry is coming 

to the team but we don’t make 

a decision based on one single 

game.” 

Del Bosque said he respected 

Guardiola’s “difficult” 

decision to end his four-yearreign 

as coach of Barcelona 

and take a rest, saying no one 

could have achieved so much 

in so short a period. 

“I am happy and proud that 

we have Spanish coaches with 

the application and human 

values of Pep Guardiola,” he 

said in a conference organised 

by Spain’s Europa Press news 

agency. 

“He has a good record on 

the sporting field and personally,” 

Del Bosque added. 

“When we talk about Guardiola, 

it is a unique story — you 

cannot compare it to anyone.” 

The Spain coach, who 

praised the level of Spanish 

club football as being among 

the best in Europe, repeated 

earlier statements that he was 

convinced that there was no 

doping in the game. 

“I don’t know if I am naive 

or innocent, but I don’t believe 

there are people with such a 

lack of morals in football, I 

don’t believe it,” Del Bosque 

said. — AFP 

emulating Arsenal’s in 1993, 

their own in 2001 and Chelsea’s 

in 2007. 

Chelsea have been the outstanding 

cup side in the country 

over the last few years and 

have the chance of winning 

the first half of a cup double of 

their own, with the Champions 

League final against Bayern 

Munich just over two weeks 

away. 

They are bidding to win the 

FA Cup for the fourth time in 

six seasons, the best success 

rate in the competition since 

The Wanderers won it five 

times in the first seven years 

of its existence between 1872 

and 1878. 

The only comparable modern 

record is Arsenal’s three 

wins in four seasons between 

2002 and 2005. 

Chelsea coach Roberto Di 

Matteo, who has transformed 

their season since taking over 

from Andre Villas-Boas at the 

beginning of March, has a special 

affinity with the FA Cup 

and holds two records that can 

never be broken. 

His goal after 43 seconds 

for Chelsea in the 1997 win 

over Middlesbrough was the 

fastest ever scored in the final 

at the old Wembley and his 

Pierre Spies said. 

“We needed these points,” 

he added of the victory that 

propelled them to the top of 

the South African conference 

on 42 points, one ahead of the 

Stormers who have a bye. 

The match was one of milestones 

for the Melbourne side, 

with Mark Gerrard making 

his 100th Super Rugby appearance, 

while club captain 

Stirling Mortlock was making 

his first of the season from the 

replacements’ bench after he 

recovered from a long standing 

calf injury. 

It was also their first match 

since they parted ways with 

enigmatic fly-half Danny Cipriani, 

who has returned to England 

early. The former England 

international has signed with 

Sale for next season. 

The first half was helterskelter 

as both sides secured 

a bonus point by scoring four 

tries each with Melbourne’s 

captain Gareth Delve crashing 

over after the hooter had 

sounded to vindicate his decision 

not to take a penalty shot 

at goal and ensure the match 

was evenly poised with the 

Bulls leading 31-28. 

The second period, however, 

failed to live up to the 

first as both sides adopted a 

more conservative, patterned 

approach for the first 20 minutes 

before Steyn’s deft chip 

kick ahead was gathered by J J 

Engelbrecht to crash over and 

break the shackles. 

Cooper Vuna struck back 

immediately for the Rebels for 

Ireland flanker 

Wallace retires 

due to injury 

DUBLIN — Ireland and 

Muster flanker David Wallace 

was forced to retire from 

rugby on Thursday after failing 

to fully recover from the 

knee injury that ruled him 

out of last year’s World Cup. 

Wallace, who made a 

brief comeback last month, 

was part of Ireland’s grand 

slam-winning team in 2009 

and won 72 caps in an 11year 

international career. 

The combative number 

seven won two European 

Cups with Munster and 

toured with the British and 

Irish Lions in 2001 and 2009, 

following in the footsteps of 

brothers Richard and Paul to 

make the Wallaces the only 

three members of the same 

family to play for the Lions. 

“Although it’s disappointing 

that injury is forcing 

me to retire now, I take 

great comfort that I’ve had 

an unbelievably enjoyable 

career and I feel very lucky 

to have been involved in an 

era that has seen Munster 

and Ireland enjoy so much 

success,” Wallace, 35, said 

in a statement. 

Wallace is the fourth 

experienced Irish player to 

call time on his career recently. 

— Reuters 

FA Cup final offers Torres and Carroll chance of glory 

FERNANDO TORRES ANDY CARROLL 

winner against Aston Villa in 

2000 was the last FA Cup final 

goal there before the stadium 

was demolished. 

Now he has the chance to 

become the third Italian manager 

in three years to win the 

Cup after Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti 

in 2010 and Manchester 

City’s Roberto Mancini last 

year. 

“It is important we keep 

going. We want to win the 

FA Cup, and the Champions 

League, and although we have 

done well to get to the finals, 

we have not won anything 

yet,” he told reporters. 

The key to Chelsea’s victories 

has been their “old guard” 

of John Terry, Ashley Cole, 

Frank Lampard and Didier 

Drogba, who has scored every 

time he has played in a competitive 

match at Wembley 

— this year’s semi-final win 

there over Tottenham Hotspur 

and the finals in 2007, 2009 

and 2010, all of which Chelsea 

won. 

Cole, who won the cup 

three times with Arsenal and 

has three winners’ medals with 

Chelsea, has already won the 

FA Cup more times than any 

other player. — Reuters 

his second try, with Kurtley 

Beale adding his fifth conversion, 

before Steyn slotted a 

72nd minute penalty for the 

Bulls to give them a 41-35 

lead that they held until the final 

whistle. 

HURRICANES GIVE 

AUCKLAND THE BLUES 

In Wellington, the despair 

and anguish on Ma’a Nonu’s 

face typified the Auckland 

Blues’ terrible Super Rugby 

season yesterday as they 

crashed to their seventh successive 

loss when they were 

beaten 35-19 by the Hurricanes. 

Nonu had missed the tackle 

on T J Perenara inside the Hurricanes 

22-metre area which 

led to him standing behind 

his own goal line 12 seconds 

later watching Beauden Barrett 

attempt to convert Andre 

Taylor’s eighth try of the 

season. 

The try gave the Hurricanes 

a 13-12 lead seven minutes before 

halftime, a lead they never 

relinquished as they controlled 

the second half with tries from 

Julian Savea, Perenara and Jason 

Eaton. 

The match was supposed to 

be a homecoming of sorts for 

Nonu, who played more than 

100 games for the Hurricanes 

before being released last year, 

and scrumhalf Piri Weepu. 

Weepu had joined Nonu at 

the Blues, rejecting the offer of 

a contract from the Hurricanes, 

and the partisan crowd did not 

let him forget it with boos resounding 

around Wellington 

LONDON — Wayne Rooney’s 

overhead kick for Manchester 

United against Manchester 

City in February last 

season has been voted by fans 

as the best goal of the 20 years 

of the Premier League, it was 

announced on Thursday. 

Rooney’s acrobatic effort, 

which gave United a 2-1 

home victory and helped them 

to win last term’s title, was 

the only goal from the last 10 

years among the nominees. 

Dennis Bergkamp’s swivel 

and finish for Arsenal against 

Newcastle United in 2002 

and team-mate Thierry Henry’s 

dipping flick and volley 

against Manchester United in 

2000 were second and third 

respectively. 

The Premier League said 

in a statement that hundreds 

of thousands of fans had voted 

and that the top three received 

MANCHESTER — Manchester 

City’s visit to in-form 

Newcastle United tomorrow 

(1230 GMT) will be more 

difficult than last Monday’s 

match against title rivals Manchester 

United, according to 

manager Roberto Mancini. 

The Italian said fifthplaced 

Newcastle would 

approach the game against 

Premier League leaders City 

in an extremely confident 

mood after their 2-0 victory at 

Champions League finalists 

Chelsea on Wednesday. 

“Newcastle played a fantastic 

game at Chelsea and I 

think this game will be more 

difficult for us,” Mancini told 

reporters yesterday. 

“The Manchester United 

game was at home and we 

played very well to win 1-0 

but Newcastle is away and I 

think it will be harder.” 

The two Manchester clubs 

are locked together on 83 

points with two games left to 

play this season, with City top 

on goal difference. 

Mancini said City would 

keep a particularly close eye 

on red-hot Senegal striker Papiss 

Cisse tomorrow. 

“Cisse is incredible,” said 

Regional Stadium every time 

he lined up a shot at goal in the 

first half. 

Weepu, however, gradually 

silenced the cat calls with 

four successive kicks, which 

proved to be all of the visitors’ 

points in the first 40 minutes as 

they wasted a wealth of possession 

and field position with 

poor handling and decision 

making. 

Given the Blues’ error rate 

it was hardly surprising three 

of the Hurricanes’ five tries 

came from mistakes — Taylor’s 

was from a turnover and 

missed tackle while two others 

resulted from handling errors 

by Blues winger George 

Moala. 

The first when he dropped 

a cross kick from Barrett and 

Hurricanes captain Conrad 

Smith pounced on the ball 

early in the first half. 

The second was even worse, 

when he fumbled a speculative 

grubber kick from Perenara 

and the ball bounced to replacement 

prop Reg Goodes, 

who barged over though the 

television match official ruled 

he had been held up in goal. 

Perenara, however, scored 

the bonus point try from the 

ensuing scrum to give the Hurricanes 

a 28-12 lead after Barrett 

had added the conversion. 

Benson Stanley scored a 

late consolation try from long 

range for the Blues before Hurricanes 

lock Eaton added his 

side’s fifth in the final minute 

to complete the scoring. 

Rooney’s overhead kick 

named best EPL goal 

more than half the public vote, 

with Rooney garnering 26 per 

cent, Bergkamp 19 per cent 

and Henry 15 per cent. 

“I grew up watching the 

Premier League so to be voted 

the best goal in the history of 

the Premier League is a great 

feeling,” Rooney said. “I’d 

like to say a big thank you 

to all the fans that voted for 

me.” 

Ex-United player David 

Beckham won the 10-year 

award in 2002 for his goal 

from the halfway line against 

Wimbledon in 1996. 

A series of awards including 

best match, save and best 

goal celebration have been 

launched to mark the 20 years 

of the Premier League with 

results from the other online 

fan polls due in the coming 

weeks. — Reuters 

Newcastle game tougher than 

facing Man Utd: Mancini 

the Italian. “He scored two 

fantastic goals against Chelsea. 

“He has 13 goals in 12 

league games for Newcastle 

and he’s a good player. But 

not just him, their whole team 

is playing very well. 

“They play to win in every 

game, they have a good mentality 

and for this reason I 

think it will be a good game 

on Sunday.” 

Manchester United entertain 

Swansea City at 1500 

GMT and Mancini dismissed 

the suggestion that Manchester 

City would be under more 

pressure because they play 

first tomorrow. 

“Our players know they 

have everything in their own 

hands,” he said. — Reuters

MADRID — Players will 

step onto the untried blue 

clay courts of the ATP-WTA 

Madrid Masters from tomorrow, 

with serious doubts and 

some hostility as preparations 

for the French Open are finetuned. 

King of clay Rafael Nadal, 

who set records in his last two 

tournaments with an eighth 

straight trophy at Monte Carlo 

and a seventh from eight appearances 

in Barcelona, has 

been among the most outraged 

in the Spanish capital. 

After training on the courts 

which are the marketing brainchild 

of the tournament's billionaire 

impresario Ion Tiriac, 

Nadal was even more upset 

than he had been before trying 

them out at the Caja Magica 

complex in the south of Madrid. 

The world No 2 blamed the 

ATP for accepting the neverbefore-seen 

clay colour as the 

event prepared to get under 

way. 

"I trained on it yesterday 

(Thursday) afternoon and I 

think it's a mistake -- not by 

the organisation but by the 

ATP," said the irate Spaniard 

yesterday at a sponsor event. 

Nadal also told Spanish 

media: "Madrid is one of the 

best tournaments in the world 

and does not need this. It is 

played at altitude. That makes 

it different already. I appreciate 

the idea but it should have 

never been allowed." 

The controversial change 

was approved last year by 

outgoing ATP president Adam 

Helfant, who did not renew 

his contract after three years in 

the job. The tournament leads 

into the Rome Masters starting 

May 14, which is the last 

major event before Roland 

Garros. 

Novak Djokovic, the world 

No 1, won both titles a year 

ago at the expense of Nadal. 

The Serb will take the top 

seeding ahead of Nadal and 

third seed Roger Federer, with 

MADRID — Winning a gold 

medal for your country at the 

Olympic Games is the greatest 

achievement in tennis, world 

No 2 Rafael Nadal said yesterday, 

while also leaving the 

door open to a possible return 

to Spain's Davis Cup team in 

September. 

After his triumph in Beijing 

four years ago, Nadal will be 

chasing a second Olympic singles 

gold in London, when the 

event in July and August will 

be staged on the grass courts 

of Wimbledon's All England 

Club. 

The 25-year-old said 

that for him personally the Olympics 

ranked above the four 

Grand Slams in prestige. 

"The Olympic Games is 

very special for many reasons 

and in my opinion the biggest 

one because you are representing 

your country," Nadal 

said as he prepares for the 

Madrid Masters event starting 

next week. 

"You have the feeling that 

you are with all the Spanish 

sportsmen representing our 

Britain's Andy Murray on 

fourth and looking to bounce 

back after a quarterfinal defeat 

to Canada's Milos Raonic in 

Barcelona last week. 

Djokovic has joined in 

with lesser criticism but much 

scepticism about the blue 

courts, while Federer, who is 

ATP Player Council president 

and usually a hard-core traditionalist, 

is taking a fine line 

as to his opinion. 

"I find it sad to play on a 

surface the players don't accept," 

said the Swiss. "It's said 

that a player like Rafa, at a 

tournament in his own country, 

has had to fight against a 

surface that does not want to 

play on." 

The women's field is 

headed by top seed Victoria 

Azarenka and number two 

Maria Sharapova. Wimbledon 

winner Petra Kvitova, the 

holder, takes third. 

"It's a little different, the 

blue is unique," said Sharapova. 

It's pretty cool." — AFP 

country," added the Mallorcan, 

who beat Chile's Fernando 

Gonzalez to win the gold 

in 2008. 

Nadal's pride in representing 

the Iberian nation was 

evident as he helped them to 

a fifth Davis Cup triumph in 

last year's final against Argentina 

but he said afterwards he 

would not play in the competition 

in 2012 due to the congested 

calendar. 

However, he is now not 

ruling out returning to the 

team for September's World 

Group semifinal at home 

to United States, when the 

holders will continue their 

bid for a fourth title in five 

years. 

"There remain a lot of 

months, a lot of important 

events, so I cannot think about 

it when I am here in Madrid 

preparing for an important 

tournament like this one," 

Nadal said. 

"So let's see how the 

season goes and I will wait 

until that date (before deciding)." 

19 SPORT 



Wigan’s Ali under Newcastle radar! 

MUSCAT — Omani star shot-stopper 

Ali al Habsi is under great demand 

among English Premier League clubs, 

if the online news portals are to be believed. 

Several websites quoting The 

Journal, posted news of the Wigan 

Athletic goalkeeper being targetted by 

Newcastle United. 

The websites reported ‘The Journal 

claims Magpies boss Alan Pardew 

is eyeing the Oman international’. 

It is understood Pardew has the 

former Bolton Wanderers stopper 

under consideration should Tim Krul 

depart in the summer. 

However, it is believed the 

Tynesiders feel the Dutchman will 

not want to leave a club which could 

LONDON — It is a measure of 

how much things have changed 

since the West Indies' glory days 

that the overwhelming feeling 

amongst home cricket fans ahead 

of their tour of England is sympathy. 

From the mid 1970s through the 

1980s the West Indies dominated 

world cricket with as fearsome a 

battery of fast bowlers as the game 

has known and dynamic, hardhitting 

batsmen. 

They seemed to reserve their 

most pulverising displays for England, 

the old colonial power. 

Yet the English crowds, while 

they feared for the safety of their 

own batsmen and the figures of 

their bowlers, had no trouble 

relishing the exuberant skill of the 

West Indies. 

Fast forward a generation, and 

this seems scarcely credible: the 

West Indies arrive in England having 

won just two out of their last 

30 Tests. 

For what was once a worldbeating 

side to be reduced to a 

three-Test series, mostly in May, 

ahead of world number one England's 

showpiece encounter with 

South Africa is undeniably sad. 

potentially play in the Champions 

League. 

Meanwhile, goal.com has picked 

Ali in their Asian Best XI for April 

while also inviting their readers to 

chose their best player for the month. 

The list includes Bundesliga trio 

Son Heung-Min from Hamburg, Shinji 

Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund 

and Gotoku Sakai of Stuttgart. 

Recent title winners are among the 

list too, including Al Shabab striker 

Nasser al Shamrani, Al Ain pair 

Yasser al Qahtani and Helal Saeed, Al 

Rayyan’s Hamid Ismail and Brisbane 

skipper Matt Smith. 

There’s also the in-form Sepahan 

defender Jalal Hosseini and Al Sadd 

midfielder Khalfan Ibrahim. 

RAFAEL NADAL: ‘The Olympics Games is very special’ 

Blue clay controversy in Madrid 

Whether it is a lack of planning, 

inconsistent selection and 

questionable administration, many 

of the West Indies' wounds are 

self-inflicted. 

But certain developments in 

world cricket have been unkind to 

their cause. 

For example the cash-rich 

Indian Premier League Twenty20 

tournament cuts across the West 

Indies' domestic season. And that 

offers players a financial lifeline if, 

they are in dispute with the West 

Indies Cricket Board. 

And that of course is just what 

happened with the hard-hitting 

opener, former captain Chris 

Gayle. 

That may be good for Gayle 

— and indeed any other players 

who have fallen out with a WICB, 

whose "general incompetence" 

was criticised recently by former 

Wisden editor Scyld Berry. 

But the West Indies have missed 

Gayle's runs during an international 

exile of more than a year. 

It does appear though that he 

will be available, after completing 

his IPL duties, for the one-day 

matches against England that follow 

the Tests. 

Olympic gold the pinnacle 

of the sport, says Nadal 

Against this backdrop the 

tourists, recently beaten 2-0 in 

a home Test series by Australia, 

have arrived in cold, wet England, 

where the seam-bowler friendly 

conditions could suit the likes 

of West Indies quick Kemar 

Roach. 

"I am quite confident our guys 

can put the English batsmen under 

pressure," said West Indies captain 

Darren Sammy ahead of the tour 

opener against Sussex at Hove, 

which starts today. 

But do the West Indies have the 

batsmen to counter the conditions 

in which they expect their bowlers 

to thrive? 

Certainly, in the experienced 

left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 

now officially ranked the 

world's best batsmen, they have a 

cricketer for whom the adjective 

'gritty' was invented. 

Here is a man so experienced in 

salvage missions it is little wonder 

he hasn't been asked to raise the 

Titanic. 

Chanderpaul however is a 

middle-order batsman and even he 

can only do so much if those above 

him fall cheaply. 

To his credit Sammy, whose 

PERFECT KNEE 

Nadal's season was disrupted 

in March when he 

was forced to pull out of his 

Sony Ericsson Open semifinal 

against Andy Murray in 

Miami due to a recurrent knee 

problem. 

He returned to fitness in 

time to claim a record eighth 

straight Monte Carlo Masters 

on his favoured clay last 

month and went on to become 

the first player to win 

two events seven times at last 

week's Barcelona Open. 

"I am okay," he said when 

quizzed about the injury. 

"I've played two weeks 

back to back in Monte Carlo 

and Barcelona with no problems," 

he added. 

"That's very important for 

me, a lot of confidence for 

my mind. And the answer: the 

knee is now perfect." 

Nadal, a 10-time Grand 

Slam singles champion, is 

due to begin the defence of 

his French Open title in Paris 

at the end of this month. 

— Reuters 

Oman edge Japan in 

beach soccer friendly 

OMAN beach soccer team defeated Japan 2-1 in a 

friendly match played at the Sultan Qaboos Sports 

Complex yesterday. The teams played the match to mark 

the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic 

relations between the Sultanate and Japan. 

World cricket waits on West Indies revival 

team showed glimpses of their 

potential against Australia, didn't 

duck the issue. 

"Stats don't lie and it is fair 

to say our top order has looked 

vulnerable," he said. 

"It did not click against Australia, 

but the selectors still have 

shown faith in Adrian Barath and 

Kieran Powell. 

"They are quite young, they are 

still learning on the job." 

Sammy has won plaudits for his 

leadership skills but doubts remain 

over whether he is worth his place 

in the side. 

After 24 Tests, the 28-year-old 

has just two fifties to his name and 

he averages nearly 31 with the ball. 

"I have developed a formula for 

myself in which I could play and 

I worked out that once I play my 

way, the aggressive way, I get more 

results," said Sammy. 

"As a team, the culture and the 

environment is very good, and the 

players are starting to shape up as 

a family." 

For all those for whom the 

West Indies will always be their 

'second favourite' side, they will 

hope Sammy is right about his own 

game and that of his team. — AFP 

Oman down Hong Kong 

at ACC U-16 Elite Cup 

MUSCAT — The Oman juniors began their 

campaign in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) 

Under-16 Elite Cup in style when they defeated 

Hong Kong in their Group ‘A’ opener at the 

Penang Sports Club in Malaysia yesterday. 

According to information received here, in 

a rain-truncated match, Oman restricted Hong 

Kong to 61 for 4 in 22 overs before achieving 

the target in 20.4 overs for the loss of four 

wickets. 

The rain Gods showed mercy after a heavy 

down pour which interrupted the match at the 

20.4 overs and when the match was resumed 

Duckworth/Lewis method was applied. 

The innings of Hong Kong was completed 

at 22 overs with score reading 68 for six wickets. 

Oman was set a target of 69 to win in 22 

overs. 

Oman showed consistency in bowling and 

with excellent fielding restricted Hong Kong to 

68 runs in 22 overs. Opening spell was started 

by Akshay Ashok who maintained good line 

and length and Omani boy Shouib Ismail al 

Balushi (4-0-12-1)who got the first break when 

the score was seven. 

Spin was introduced in the ninth over and 

Shreyas Malothra bowled excellently, in his 

first ball of first over he clean bowled Harpeet 

Singh. 

Shreyas returned with figures of 5-0-16-3 

and he was ably supported by captain Abhishek 

Ramesh, who had figures of 4-0-16-1. Leftarm 

spinner Harshit conceded just five runs in 

four overs. 

In reply, Oman were given a sound start by 

openers Arjun Kapoor and Hari Krishna. Later 

at the fall of Arjun’s wicket, Abhishek Ramesh 

(17 runs, not out), who was later adjudged man 

of the match, took control and stayed till the 

end to guide Oman to victory in the company 

of Ratan Sitram and Jathin Varijakhan, who 

scored nine runs each. 

Oman team manager Dad Mohammed al 

Balushi said: “It was an excellent all-round 

performance by the boys.” 

Zimbabwe’s Brown in Kenya coaching staff 

NAIROBI — Kenya have 

appointed former Zimbabwe 

cricket coach Robin 

Brown as head of its national 

elite programme to oversee 

the development of the 

game from the grassroots to 

the top level. 

The programme which 

is aimed at strengthening 

the structure of the sport, 

was initiated last year by 

the outgoing Cricket Kenya 

Chief Executive Tom Sears 

after Kenya's dismal per- 

Sailee eyes two titles at ISC tourney 

MUSCAT — Sailee Kerkar reached the finals 

of two girls’ events at the Bank Muscat-sponsored 

annual badminton tournament organised 

by the Indian Social Club Muscat. 

Sailee’s hard work and determination 

have started to bear fruit as the 13-year-old 

showed brilliant touch to outplay her opponents 

to reach two finals, the girls’ under-13 

and under-15. 

In the semifinals of the under-13 event, Sailee 

cruised to a comfortable 21-5, 21-5 victory 

over Nayan Anil to set-up a summit clash with 

Anakha Anil who registered a hard-fought 21- 

19, 20-22, 21-11 victory over Gayathri Krishna 

in the second semifinal. 

Sailee entered the final of the under-15 after 

overcoming Nishita Karnik with a convincing 

21-2, 21-12 verdict in the semifinal. 

In the final to be played tomorrow, Sailee 

will take on Erica Vaz who reached the final after 

comfortably defeating Ananya Sairaj 21-4, 

21-4. 

In the open women’s singles being played 

on a round-robin league basis, Satinder Bhatia 

defeated Kakul Agha 11-9, 11-4, Sailee Kerkar 

rallied from a game down to beat Shreya Sunny 

8-11, 11-8, 11-9, Alka Dhavale defeated Surya 

Prabha 11-4, 11-4, Vrichita Karnik defeated 

Satinder Bhatia 11-6, 11-8, Shreya Sunny overcame 

Vrichita Karnik 11-9, 11-5, Alka Dhavale 

defeated Sushma Kerkar 11-3, 11-1 and Niyati 

Rao scored a comfortable 11-2, 11-1 victory 

over Surya Prabha. 

formance in the 2011 World 

Cup. 

Sears, who is set to leave 

his post at the end of June 

said the appointment of 

Brown as head of elite development 

will be a huge benefit 

in many areas. 

"Robin is a vastly experienced 

coach who has played 

and coached at the highest 

level and is highly respected 

in the game," said Sears. 

"His primary role will be 

to ensure we are identifying 

ABHISHEK Ramesh (right) receives his 

man of the match award. 

While praised the team for the convincing 

victory over Hong Kong, he said: “The morale 

of the boys is very high after this match and we 

are confident they will repeat this performance 

in the coming matches.” 

Oman play their next Group ‘A’ match 

against Singapore on Monday before taking 

Thailand on Wednesday. 

The semifinals are slated for May 11. The 

third place and classification matches will take 

place on May 12 and the final a day later. 

Brief scores: Hong Kong 61 for 4 in 22 

overs (Hersh Rajesh 18; Shreyas Malhotra 

3/16, Suhail Ismail 1/12, Abishek Ramesh 

1/14) lost to Oman 69 for 4 in 20.4 overs 

(Abhishek Ramesh 17 n.o., Rathan Sitram 9, 

Jathin Varijakshan 9). 

OMAN team pose for a group photo after their victory over Hong Kong 

in the ACC Under-16 Elite Cup in Malaysia yesterday. 

the best players in our system 

from junior level right 

through to our Emerging 

Players squad and ensuring 

they receive all the coaching 

and support they need to 

fulfil their potential." 

Brown played seven 

one-dayers for Zimbabwe 

between 1983 and 1987 and 

was appointed coach to 

replace compatriot Kevin 

Curran in 2007. 

He left the post after only 

one year. — AFP 

SAILEE KERKAR 

The top seeds in the junior doubles, Abel 

Isaac and Ajin tom cruised into the quarterfinals 

with a convincing 21-9, 21-7 win over 

Leon De Souza and Aditya Ashok while the 

little sisters, Safa and Shama Nayaz scored 

a fine 21-14, 21-15 victory over Ananya and 

Sowmya to advance to the last eight stage of 

the junior doubles.

Stewart Cink 

shares Quail 

Hollow lead 

Page 17 

Hussey feels Indian heat KOLKATA — Rubbish- 

NEW DELHI — Veteran 

Australian batsman Michael 

Hussey, newly arrived in 

the Indian Premier League 

(IPL) to play for the defending 

champions, admitted 

yesterday that he was struggling 

with the heat and humidity. 

The middle-order batsman, 

who turns 37 later this month, 

was run out for 18 in his first 

match on Monday after arriving 

to play for Chennai Super 

Kings (CSK) following a 

Test series for Australia in the 

West Indies. 

"I do struggle in the heat 

and humidity. That is a lot. 

It's very, very tough," Hussey, 

nicknamed 'Mr Cricket', told 

NDTV ahead of yesterday's 

match between Chennai and 

the Deccan Chargers. 

Hussey, representing CSK 

since the IPL's inaugural season 

in 2008, said it was 'fantastic' 

to be back playing for 

Chennai. 

"It's good to catch up with 

the other players," Hussey 

said, adding he loved the hot 

and spicy food in the industrial 

southern port city, where 

the temperature was 40 degrees 

Celsius (104 degrees 

Fahrenheit) yesterday. 

Hussey conceded it was a 

big challenge playing against 

the Kolkata Knight Riders on 

Monday after a long flight 

from the Caribbean. 

"It was a dream actually. I 

was not sure what was going 

on. It was a bit of a battle getting 

on the field. Quite a big 

jetlag," said Hussey. 

Hussey has scored 5,708 

runs in 73 Tests and 5,262 

runs in 181 one-dayers since 

making his international debut 

in 2004. 

The 76-match IPL tournament 

has nine teams playing 

each other on a home-andaway 

basis before the top- 

four sides qualify for the playoffs. 

The final will be on May 

27. — AFP 


‘KKR is only team to play for Kolkata pride’ 

ing speculation that Kolkata 

Knight Riders' home match 

at the Eden Gardens today 

may become a virtually away 

game due to crowd support 

for rivals Pune Warriors led 

by local hero Saurav Ganguly, 

KKR captain Gautam Gambhir 

said only his team belongs 

to Kolkata. 

Refusing to bill the game 

as one between Ganguly and 

the Knights, Gambhir said: 

"Saurav is an individual, we 

will play against Pune Warriors. 

We don't play against 

Saurav Ganguly." 

Gambhir said irrespective 

of whether the Kolkata crowd 

supported his team today, the 

Knight Riders would play for 

the city's pride. "Whoever 

Kolkata wants to supports 

they can support. But I want 

to say that KKR is the only 

team that belongs to Kolkata 

and there is no other team that 

belongs to Kolkata. I have always 

maintained that we only 

play for the pride of Kolkata 

we will always do that, whether 

we get the support or we 

don't get the support." 

A majority of Kolkatans — 

from celebrities to the man on 

the street — seem to be gearing 

up emotionally to back 

their eternal favourite 'Dada' 

Saurav Ganguly, who will 

lead the Pune Warriors out on 

the historic ground. 

The much awaited IPL 

clash, which many are saying 

would be a 'home' tie for Pune, 

has already generated tremendous 

interest. The entire quota 

of tickets set aside for online 

booking have been sold and 

black marketers are said to be 

making a killing. The match 

is being variously touted as 

Dada vs SRK (Knight Riders 

co-owner Shah Rukh Khan) 

and as a derby, with Ganguly 

set to use for the first time 

ever the visiting team dressing 

room and dug out on a ground 

where he honed his cricketing 

skills from a young age. 

Steyn helps 

Bulls overcome 

Rebels 

Page 18 

Super Kings edge 

past Chargers 

CHENNAI — Champions 

Chennai Super Kings, after 

suffering two consecutive 

defeats, bounced back to 

beat cellar dwellers Deccan 

Chargers by 10 runs to move 

up to fourth spot on the leaderboard 

in the Indian Premier 

League at the Chepauk Stadium 

here yesterday. 

Batting first on winning 

the toss, the Super Kings 

scrambled to 160 for six, 

thanks in the main to some 

big hitting in the last over by 

Dwayne Bravo (12 off four 

balls) and then restricted the 

Chargers to 150 for five with 

Cameron White, dropped off 

the first ball he faced, making 

77 off 53 balls. 

The fifth win took the Super 

Kings tally to 11 points 

from as many matches while 

the Chargers, crashing to 

their seventh defeat in 10 

matches, remain at the bottom 

with five points. 

The Chargers had their 

chances after their bowlers 

kept the Super Kings batsmen 

on a leash, but the hosts 

boasting of great depth, put 

sufficient runs on the board 

through opener Francois du 

Plessis (42), Suresh Raina 

(32) and skipper Mahendra 

Singh Dhoni (34) before 

Bravo’s blitz in the last over. 

The chase was never really 

on after the early dismissal 

of opener Parthiv Patel (1) 

in the second over by Albie 

Morkel. 

White and Shikhar Dhawan 

(36) put on 68 runs for 

the second wicket, but the 

Chargers suffered a double 

blow, losing two wickets in 

10 balls. 

Dhawan was run out backing 

up as White’s firm drive 

struck bowler Bravo and deflected 

on to the stumps. In 

CHENNAI Super Kings 

Murali Vijay (right) and 

Faf du Plessis celebrate 

during the IPL match 

against Deccan Chargers in 

Chennai yesterday. — AFP 

the next over, Raina removed 

Kumar Sangakkara accepting 

a sharp return catch diving to 

his right in a brilliant effort. 

White, in the company of 

Daniel Christian, continued 

unfazed and after a few quiet 

overs, unleashed a barrage 

of shots, as Chargers fought 

back, taking 18 off the 18th 

over bowled by Jadeja. 

With 29 runs need off the 

last two overs, the Chargers 

were under pressure and the 

decisive moment came when 

White was run out attempting 

a second run and the visitors 

slumped to 135 for four, 

still requiring another 26 off 

nine deliveries. 

Brief scores: Chennai Super 

Kings 160 for 6 in 20 overs 

(Francois du Plessis 42, M S Dhoni 

34, S Raina 32; V P Singh 2/35) bt 

Deccan Chargers 150 for 5 in 20 

overs (C White 77, S Dhawan 36, 

D Christian 28 n.o., B Hilfenhaus 

1/31, A Morkel 1/16). 

Today’s fixtures: Kolkata 

Knight Riders vs Pune Warriors, 

Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan 

Royals.

Asian shares 

fall as weak data 

disappoints 

Page 24 

Oil spill response exercise held 

THE Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC) in co-operation with 

Oman PESCO LLC, which is specialised in environmental protection 

and oil spill response services, conducted a live oil spill 

response exercise in order to test the emergency preparedness and 

response capabilities of the Port. Page 22 

Saturday, May 5, 2012 

Bid bonds for railway design 

tender extended to July 5 

By Conrad Prabhu 

MUSCAT — International 

companies competing for a 

keenly awaited, but muchdelayed, 

contract for the Design 

& Supervision of Oman’s 

National Rail Project have 

been asked to extend their bid 

bonds to July 5, 2012, fuelling 

expectations that an award is 

likely in the coming months. 

Five consortiums, each led 

by leading names in the global 

rail engineering and construction 

industry, are bidding for 

a four-year contract to undertake 

the detailed engineering 

design of the proposed 1,000kilometre-long 

rail network. 

Last month, the Tender 

Board faxed letters to the bidders’ 

representatives in the 

Sultanate directing them to 

extend their bid bonds by 90 

days to July 5, in the latest 

of a series of extensions that 

have characterised this long 

overdue contract award. All 

five bidders are understood to 

have since complied. 

Bid bonds, which are guarantees 

that the winning bidder 

will undertake the contract 

under the terms at which they 

bid, are typically valid for not 

more than 90 days, and are 

routinely renewed at the client’s 

behest. 

According to officials, the 

delay in the announcement of 

an award for the Design & Supervision 

package is an inevitable 

outcome of the project’s 

transfer last year from the Supreme 

Committee for Town 

Planning to the Ministry of 

Transport & Communications. 

As the move did not include 

any of the staff who had 

handled the rail project from 

its inception, the Ministry was 

compelled to build a dedicated 

Rail Team from scratch, 

thus resulting in an unavoidable 

lapse of time. 

UK faces its worst 

property recession 

LONDON — UK commercial property is suffering its deepest 

downturn since records began after uncertainty surrounding 

the euro zone crisis pushed values down for the second 

consecutive quarter and more pain looms on the horizon, 

data showed. 

Investment Property Databank (IPD) said the value of 

shops, offices and warehouses fell 0.7 per cent during the 

first quarter of 2012, following a 0.1 per cent decline in the 

previous period and were 31 per cent below the last peak in 

September 2007. 

The slump is twice as severe as during the previous recession 

of the late 1980s when values recovered to 15 per cent 

below their pre-crash levels within five years and is the worst 

downturn since the UK’s benchmark index began in 1971. 

“The UK has fallen back into technical recession largely 

due to a lack of business demand and a construction slump. 

As property values continue to decline, investors are unlikely 

to want to develop, which will lead to further pain,” IPD’s 

director of research Malcolm Frodsham said. 

The UK fell into its second recession since the financial 

crisis at the start of 2012, hit by headwinds from the euro 

zone sovereign debt crisis, public spending cuts and high 

inflation which have curbed the country’s efforts to boost 

economic output. 

The only area where values are above 2007 levels is retail 

property in the West End district of London, where shoppers 

from emerging markets like Russia and China are spending 

money in the stores of Oxford Street and Bond Street and 

helped cause a 4 per cent rise in values. 

Values in the next best sector of West End offices, the 

world’s second most expensive office market after Hong 

Kong, were 16 per cent below the 2007 peak. The worst performing 

area was North West offices, which was 46 per cent 

lower. 

It reflects the growing polarisaration between the 

rest of the UK and London, which has been buoyed by 

strong safe haven demand from international investors, particularly 

for residential property, which is not included in the 

IPD figures. — AFP 

Significantly, the Ministry 

has also appointed internationally 

reputed consultants to 

assist its staff in undertaking 

a review of various aspects 

of the complex project — an 

exercise that is ongoing, an 

official said. 

“This project is part of 

a Gulf-wide rail network, 

and the Ministry is carefully 

evaluating it in terms of how 

to proceed. As it is part of a 

bigger effort between the 

GCC and Oman, the Ministry 

is taking the project very seriously 

and according it priority 

attention,” the official added. 

The line-up of contenders 

for the key Design & Supervision 

contract is as follows: 

(i). AECOM, a US-headquartered 

global provider of 

professional technical and 

management support services, 

along Cowi & Partners, 

the well-known international 

consulting group, and DBI, 

an affiliate of the German 

government-owned railway 

organisation DB; (ii) Partnership 

of French-based international 

rail consultants Systra 

and US-based Parsons, one of 

the world’s largest engineering 

and construction organizations, 

along with Atkins of 

the UK; 

(iii) Consortium headed 

by Mott MacDonald, a leading 

global management, engineering 

and development 

consultancy, and including 

Italferr SpA, a reputed Italian 

rail infrastructure company, 

and WorleyParsons, a wellknown 

international provider 

of professional services to 

the resources and energy sectors; 

(iv) Partnership of eight 

Korean firms led by Korea 

Rail, a major player in South 

Korea’s rail sector; and (v) 

Consortium led by Prointec 

Group, a Spanish based multidisciplinary 

engineering serv- 

ices provider, and including 

well-known Spanish-based 

engineering entities Idom, 

Eurostudies and ALG. 

The successful bidder 

will be required to prepare 

the preliminary design for all 

the elements of the railway 

project. Upon approval of 

the preliminary designs, the 

consultant will then proceed 

with the detailed design of the 

alignment and infrastructure; 

bridges, culverts and tunnels; 

railway stations and yards; 

rail track; and overhead electrical 

infrastructure, among 

other elements. Additionally, 

the consultant will develop 

specifications for rolling stock 

and other systems. 

Oman’s National Railway 

System is part of the proposed 

inter-GCC railway network 

that will run from Kuwait 

to Muscat, and onward to 

Salalah and possibly to Yemen. 

In the first phase, a 240 

km section will be developed 

from the industrial hub of 

Sohar to Muscat, followed by 

a 486 km coastal rail network 

from Muscat to Duqm in the 

second phase. 

Given the gargantuan size 

of the project, there is some 

speculation that the Tender 

Board may select more than 

one bidder to undertake the 

Design & Supervision package. 

While the Muscat-Sohar- 

Khatmat Malaha-Al Ain network 

is likely to be awarded 

to one bidder, the Salalah-Duqm 

line may be hived off to 

another bidder, it is learnt. 

In later phases, an extension 

from Duqm to Salalah 

(696 km), and possibly from 

Duqm to Al Mazyounah Free 

Trade Zone close to Oman’s 

border with Yemen, are envisaged. 

A branch line linking 

Sohar with Al Ain on the 

UAE border is on the cards as 

well. 

Higher wages give retail a boost 

WITH pay rises across both the public and private sectors in 

Oman producing higher levels of consumer spending, some 

analysts are now revising their forecasts upwards for the Sultanate’s 

retail sector in favour of solid growth. Consumer demand in 

Oman was largely expected to stay flat. Page 23 

BankMuscat hosts workshop on 

Islamic liquidity management 

MUSCAT — BankMuscat’s 

Meethaq Islamic Banking 

in association with International 

Islamic Financial Market 

(IIFM) is hosting a 2-day 

workshop on Islamic Liquidity 

Management and Capital Market 

beginning today (5 May 

2012) at BankMuscat head office. 

His Excellency Hamoud 

bin Sangour al Zadjali, Executive 

President of the Central 

Bank of Oman, will preside at 

the opening ceremony of the 

workshop, in the presence of 

dignitaries, including His Excellency 

Abdullah Al Salmi, 

Executive President of Capital 

Market Authority, and Abdul- 

Razak Ali Issa, Chief Executive 

of BankMuscat. 

Aimed at knowledgesharing 

on the latest trends in 

Islamic finance, the workshop 

Toyota’s Managing Officer arrives 

MUSCAT — Nobuhiko Murakami, Managing 

Officer, Toyota Motor Corporation has arrived 

on his maiden visit to Oman. 

Murakami has had a very distinguished 

track record. He graduated from the Faculty of 

Economics at the University of Hitotsubashi in 

March 1982 and joined Toyota Motor Corporation 

in April, the same year. 

In 1991, Murakami was transferred to 

Toyota Motor Sales, USA and Toyota Motor 

Vietnam in 2006. After returning to TMC, Japan, 

he was appointed as the Project General 

Manager in the Global Planning Division in 

2009 and as a General Manager in the Product 

Planning Division in 2010. 

He was named as a Managing Officer of 

TMC in April 2012, and assumed responsibilities 

of the Customer First Promotion Group 

and Customer Service. 

During his visit, Murakami will visit Toyota 

facilities in Oman — Body & Paint Centre, 

Parts Distribution Centre and the Corporate 

Centre Complex. 

The modern Body & Paint Centre located 

at Ghala is based on the Toyota production 

system and the spirit of Kaizen. It also incorporates 

the latest standards for highly efficient 

operations, safety, training and other parameters. 

The operations spread over 11,000 sqm 

offer comprehensive services at one roof. To 

top it all, it is an eco-friendly facility. 

Hamoud bin Sangour 

al Zadjali 

patronised by the Central Bank 

of Oman and Capital Market 

Authority will be attended by 

leading industry representatives 

and regulators. The main 

objective is to highlight the 

need for developing Islamic 

liquidity management tools, 

capital market, risk mitigation 

and credit enhancement. 

Sulaiman Al Harthy, Group 

General Manager, Islamic 

Banking, BankMuscat, will 

address the opening ceremony. 

The workshop assumes 

importance against the backdrop 

of the prevailing global 

financial crisis, reiterating 

the fact that a strong capital 

base is necessary for banking 

and financial institutions, but 

on its own is not a sufficient 

condition to ensure stability. 

A strong capital base must be 

supplemented by strong liquidity 

tools. 

The workshop is premised 

on this scenario to further support 

the growth of Oman’s 

Islamic finance system to be 

a resilient and sustainable 

system To page 23. 

The Parts Distribution Centre located at 

Al Amerat is a world-class set-up incorporating 

the latest standards for operations, storage 

and retrieval. It is spread over 55,000 sqm. 

Operations are completely paperless managed 

by computer systems networking with mobile 

wireless RF devices. 

The world-class Toyota Service facility 

at Wattayah has an integrated service facility 

extending over 30,000 sqm 4-level workshop 

with hi-tech diagnostic centre, a drive through 

air-conditioned receiving area with 8 express 

lanes and 24-hour service, round-the-year.

MUSCAT — The Sohar Industrial 

Port Company (SIPC) 

in co-operation with Oman 

PESCO LLC, which is specialised 

in environmental protection 

and oil spill response 

services, conducted a live oil 

spill response exercise in order 

to test the emergency preparedness 

and response capabilities 

of the Port. The exercise 

saw the participation of the 

Ministry of Environment and 

Climate Affairs, Sohar Environmental 

Unit, Royal Oman 

Police, C-Steinweg and other 

Port of Sohar Tenants. 

The exercise scenario featured 

an imaginary spill that 

resulted from a rupture in the 

transfer line due to excessive 

pressure while a vessel alongside 

the berth was conducting 

a bunkering operation. Upon 

receiving the spill notification, 

the Port Coordination Centre 

notified the Emergency Duty 

Coordinator (EDC). 

The EDC then activated 

emergency protocols and notified 

stakeholders and relevant 

parties. A specialised committee 

attended the scene of 

incident in order to assess the 

situation. Based on the results 

of the assessments, a response 

strategy and an incident action 

plan were formulated. In line 

with the incident action plan, 

the oil spill response team 

from Oman PESCO was immediately 

mobilised to site. 

Upon arrival of the response 

team, on-scene command 

post was established 

and site setup was completed. 

Following that, deployment 

of containment and protection 

22 OMAN SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

Sohar port conducts live oil spill response exercise 

High-profile speakers to attend 

Oman Power and Water Summit 


MUSCAT — The Sultanate’s most influential 

power and water sector conference 

will be held from May 6 – 9, 2012, with 

a high-profile line-up of speakers set to 

present on an array of topics at the heart 

of this vibrant industry. 

Now in its second year, the Summit 

has been endorsed by all of the major 

stakeholders, including the Public Authority 

for Electricity and Water (PAEW), 

Ministry of Regional Municipalities and 

Water Resources, Authority for Electricity 

Regulation – Oman, Electricity Holding 

Company (EHC), Oman Power and 

Water Procurement Company (OPWP) 

and Rural Areas Electricity Company 

(RAECO). 

“The 2012 Summit builds on our 

maiden event of last year by featuring 

the most comprehensive speaker line up 

composed of 60 senior industry experts 

discussing key issues such as energy efficiency, 

sustainable power and generation 

capacity, renewable energy, security 

and quality of the electricity and water 

system. With over 300 local and international 

attendees, this year’s event will further 

entrench the Oman Power and Water 

Summit as the signature B2B forum of 

this vital industry,” commented Rozenn 

Cornec, Divisional Director – Oman at 

IQPC Middle East. 

A roster of distinguished speakers will 

take turns to offer enlightened perspectives 

on the outlook for the power and 

water sector in Oman. Key stakeholders 

from the public and private power and 


MUSCAT — Alpen Capital has announced 

the publication of its research 

paper – Trade and Capital Inflows 

between GCC and India. The 

report analyses the development of 

bilateral trade (both merchandise 

and services) and investment capital 

flows over the last 10 years, thereby 

highlighting key attributes that have 

helped foster stronger economic 

co-operation between the two 

economies. It also covers the future 

growth potential of trade and capital 

flows between the two regions. 

“Economic relations between India 

and the GCC date back to several 

centuries. However, the two-way 

trade between the two regions has 

strengthened over the last decade. 

This is particularly due to the substantial 

economic power attained 

by these regions on the global map 

following the spectacular economic 

growth since 2003”, says Sameena 

Ahmad, Managing Director at Alpen 

Capital. 

She continues, “FDI investment 

from GCC to India has picked up 

pace in the recent years but remains 

negligible relative to trade flows in 

terms of magnitude. It also represents 

just a small percentage of total 

FDI from GCC countries to the 

world.” 

“With the economic forecasts 

pointing to strong GDP growth in 

both the economies, we emphasize 

that there is an ample scope 

of strengthening economic ties be- 

water industries, consultancy and construction 

firms, finance and legal institutions 

will exchange best practices and 

discuss investment opportunities. 

The list of presenters includes Mohammed 

bin Abdullah al Mahrouqi, 

Chairman, Public Authority for Electricity 

and Water; John Cunneen, Executive 

Director and Member, Authority for 

Electricity Regulation, Oman; Ahmed bin 

Saleh al Jahdhami, COO, Oman Power 

and Water Procurement Company; Omar 

bin Khalfan al Wahaibi, CEO, Electricity 

Holding Company; Hussain Hassan 

Ali Abdul Hussain, CEO, Haya Water; 

Shankar Krishnamoorthy, President and 

CEO, IPR-GDF SUEZ Middle East, Turkey 

& Africa; Dr Brian Motherway, COO, 

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland; 

Richard Menezes, Executive Vice Chairman 

and Managing Director, Utico; William 

King, General Manager, STOMO; 

Gerhard Scheffer, Vice President Sales, 

Siemens Energy and Bruce Smith, Business 

Adviser, Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity 

Authority. 

Setting the stage for four days of insightful 

deliberations is the focus day 

dedicated to energy efficiency, a key issue 

for policy makers at a time of escalating 

energy demand and dwindling energy 

resources. Delegates will have the oppor- 

tween GCC and India. While the 

GCC needs to promote more industrialization 

and SME participation 

in order to realize its diversification 

dream and create jobs for its rapidly 

expanding population, India 

needs to further improve its basic 

infrastructure and reduce complexity 

in the regulatory practices,” says 

Sanjay Vig, Managing Director at 

Alpen Capital. 

He continues, “We recommend 

GCC investors to further diversify 

their investment portfolio by taking 

positions in the promising Indian 

investment avenues as the return on 

investment remain relatively robust. 

At the same time, due to its locational 

advantage and abundance of 

natural resources, GCC has the potential 

to serve as a manufacturing 

base as well as an export hub for 

Indian companies”. 

Trade Inflows 

Bilateral merchandise trade between 

India and the GCC has grown 

substantially over the last decade 

(CAGR of 35.9 per cent over 2001– 

10 to $88.8 billion). Trade intensity 

between the regions has also risen 

led by numerous bilateral trade 

agreements signed in the recent 

past. Although the trade relationship 

between India and the GCC remains 

largely concentrated around oil, 

other tradable items are also slowly 

gaining importance due to the latter’s 

diversification drive. Amongst 

the GCC nations, UAE followed by 

Saudi Arabia continue to remain the 

largest trading partners for India. 

tunity to interact with local officials and 

international experts on policies, strategies, 

technologies and best practices in 

improving power and water networks 

efficiency, optimising asset performance 

and reducing costs. 

Following the two-day main conference 

on May 7 and 8, the workshop day 

on May 9 will conclude the summit with 

interactive sessions led by Oman Power 

& Procurement Company, KPMG, Ernst 

& Young, Clean Energy Business Council 

MENA and Majan Electricity Company. 

Attendees will have the opportunity 

to further explore the planning, financing 

and procurement of power generation and 

water desalination capacity as well as the 

adoption of renewable energy to improve 

energy efficiency in the Sultanate. 

Attesting to the Summit’s appeal is 

the strong interest and support of well renowned 

local and international solutions 

and service providers within the power 

and water industries. 

“This is a must-attend event for authorities 

and business executives who 

wish to stay abreast of a dynamic GCC’s 

utility industry. Not only is the sector 

growing at a phenomenal pace, it is also 

breaking new ground in such areas as privatization, 

renewables, energy efficiency, 

and rationalization of power consumption,” 

C J Paul, CEO of Global Exhibitions 

and Conferences LLC (GEC) said. 

Oman Power and Water Summit 2012 

has been organised by trade show specialists 

Global Exhibitions and Conferences 

LLC (GEC) in partnership with the leading 

conference organiser International 

Quality and Productivity Centre (IQPC). 

Furthermore, the analysis of the 

development in services trade by 

both regions globally indicates the 

demand for India’s services is rising 

strongly in the GCC. 

Capital Inflows 

Apart from developing strong 

trade relationships, both regions 

have also been increasingly investing 

in each other’s economy to 

benefit from the attractive returns 

on investments. Diversification 

and spectacular economic growth 

recorded by both the regions over 

the recent decade have helped boost 

cross border investments. 

FDI to India from GCC 

Capital flows in the form of FDI 

from GCC to India have gathered 

pace in recent years, cumulating to 

USD2.6 billion over April 2000 to 

January 2012. Accordingly, its contribution 

to total FDI inflows into 

India (on a cumulative basis) has in- 

floating booms commenced in 

order to contain the oil slick 

around the vessel. Heavy 

booms were deployed in order 

to secure the port approach 

channel to prevent oil slicks 

from spreading outside the 

port basin. 

Oil skimmers and recovery 

units were deployed to collect 

the spilt oil from the water 

which was then pumped to 

fast intervention storage tanks 

on the shore-side. Marine support 

units were utilised to tow 

the containment booms and to 

provide logistical support. 

Coast Guard patrol boats 

secured the area of operations, 

while ROP units including 

civil defence and ambulance 

were present on the shore-side 

staging area. 

The SIPC Emergency 

Management Team and the 

Oman PESCO Oil Spill Response 

Team executed assigned 

tasks in a highly professional 

and timely manner 

which gained the appreciation 

and satisfaction of the specialised 

observers and visitors 

from participating authorities 

and port tenants. 

Lieutenant Colonel Juma’a 

al Sa’adi, the Officer Incharge 

of the Oil & Gas Installation 

Security Police Station 

in Sohar Industrial Port, said 

that it is very important that 

such exercises are conducted 

in industrial areas and ports 

MUSCAT — An ardent champion 

of entrepreneurship, 

McDonald’s Oman (Al Daud 

Restaurants LLC) will be a 

key participant in a forum on 

‘Franchising’, designed to 

shed light on what it takes to 

bring a franchise to Oman and 

to build a business around it. 

‘Franchising: A Panel 

Discussion’ will be held at 

Sultan Qaboos University on 

May 6, 2012. The event has 

been organized by the Muscat 

American Business Council in 

association with McDonald’s 

Oman and Sultan Qaboos University. 

The panel discussion is the 

centerpiece of a forum that 

will look at various aspects 

of the eco-system surrounding 

entrepreneurship. There 

will be presentations from the 

creased from 0.6 per cent in 2005 to 

1.7 per cent as of January 2012. 

Although FDI from GCC to India 

has picked up in recent years, it 

remains negligible relative to trade 

flows in terms of magnitude and 

largely represents rising investments 

by expatriates. Cumulative 

FDI investments (April 2000 to 

January 2012) represented less than 

3 per cent of the annual bilateral 

merchandise trade flows reported 

in 2010. Except Oman and UAE, 

investments from other GCC countries 

into India remain negligible 

compared to their global investments. 

However, India has encouragingly 

stepped up efforts to attract 

investments by further relaxing 

regulatory restrictions and inviting 

GCC investors to actively participate 

in India’s robust growth story 

and benefit mutually. The power, 

services and construction sectors 

continue to account for the largest 

share of FDI inflows from the GCC 

to India. 

FDI to GCC from India 

Although FDI data from India 

to the GCC is not widely available, 

general information from individual 

country's investment agencies reveal 

that India has been one of the 

major sources of FDI flows into the 

GCC and is the third-largest investor 

in the UAE. Indian businesses 

have been able to establish a strong 

presence in the GCC due to the huge 

Indian diaspora in the region 

Although India’s FDI participation 

in the GCC is growing strongly, 

in order to test the level of 

emergency preparedness and 

to develop the capabilities of 

participants. He also said that 

the continuity of emergency 

exercises is essential. “The 

exercise was very good, and 

the level of preparedness that 

was displayed by both, Port of 

Sohar and the response company 

was distinguished”, he 

said suggesting that the next 

exercise address a tier-2 spill 

incident (national level). 

Suwaid al Shamaisi, Executive 

Manager of Corporate 

Affairs for the Sohar Industrial 

Port Company, stated: “In line 

with the social responsibility 

that the Sohar Industrial Port 

is committed to, this exercise 

has been planned and executed”. 

Al Shamaisi indicated 

that the primary objective of 

this exercise was to verify the 

level of preparedness for dealing 

with oil spill incidents. 

During the exercise, the ability 

of the response organisation to 

mobilise and deploy response 

resources in a timely manner 

was tested. He also added “the 

exercise was a good platform 

to enhance the interaction and 

co-operation between the various 

stakeholders and relevant 

parties”. 

Al Shamaisi also said that 

this exercise is only the first 

in a series of exercises aimed 

at enhancing emergency preparedness 

and that exercises 

Ali K Daud 

Ministry of Commerce and Industry 

detailing the procedures 

for setting up a business, financial 

institutions, banks and 

otherwise will give presentations 

on their SME lending 

programmes, and a number 

of local franchisees will share 

their experiences in setting 

up successful franchises in 

of different tiers shall be conducted 

on regular basis. “I 

would like to thank all those 

who participated in planning 

and executing the exercise. 

The level of co-operation and 

participation was very good. 

Such exercises greatly contribute 

to the development of 

trained cadres that are able to 

deal with incidents on the national 

scale”, he added. 

Eng. Abdul Hakeem al 

Harthy from the Oil Pollution 

Operations Centre at the Ministry 

of Environment and Climate 

Affairs, said: “It is well 

known that oil spill incidents 

can have catastrophic consequences 

on the environment. 

As such, the Ministry of Environment 

and Climate Affairs 

has established the National 

Oil Spill Contingency Plan 

(NOSCP). The national strategy 

established in the NOSCP 

also covers multi-organisation 

response exercises. This exercise 

was very good which 

was in-line with the NOSCP; 

we certainly encourage such 

exercises”. 

Ayman M Naguib, Crisis 

Management and Oil Spill 

Response Consultant praised 

the exercise. 

He said: “Port of Sohar 

adopts a serious policy based 

on scientific methodologies 

that warrant the necessary 

level of preparedness to deal 

with various emergency situ- 

Oman. Also in attendance will 

be international legal experts 

who will provide insights on 

Franchise Agreements. 

Representing McDonald’s 

Oman on the distinguished 

panel will be Ali K Daud, development 

licensee and president, 

who will talk about his 

personal experience as a Mc- 

Donald’s franchisee and Mc- 

Donald’s success story as an 

iconic global brand. 

“The franchising seminar 

is a great opportunity to 

showcase to prospective entrepreneurs 

the eco-system of 

entrepreneurship. We want to 

bring together all the stakeholders 

when it comes to entrepreneurship 

and address the 

young minds in order to ignite 

the passion in them to follow 

their dreams and show them 

ations, including oil spills. 

The policy adopted by the 

Port is based on sound emergency 

planning and proactive 

measures rather than reactive 

response”. He also added: 

“The response framework 

adopted by the Port relies on 

the development of trained 

and qualified response cadres 

in addition to the provision of 

specialised response equipment 

in line with international 

standards. Furthermore, a 

comprehensive training and 

exercising programme has 

been designed to cover both 

Port and Tenants’ personnel”. 

The effectiveness of this 

policy was evident during this 

very successful exercise that 

we witnessed today. It goes 

without a doubt that Port of 

Sohar is currently leading 

the way towards establishing 

credible response mechanisms 

within the maritime 

sector in the Sultanate”. 

This exercise which was 

code named Northern Star 1, 

confirms that Sohar Industrial 

Port take their environmental 

responsibilities seriously and 

that the Port’s management 

is committed to maintaining 

emergency preparedness and 

response capabilities to the 

highest international standards. 

SIPC considers the protection 

and preservation of the 

pristine Omani environment 

as utmost priorities. 

McDonald’s success story to be 

highlighted at SQU seminar 

there is potential for further growth 

as the total investment remains small 

in comparison to Indian investments 

in to the rest of the world. Software 

development and engineering services, 

tourism, readymade garments, 

chemical products, agricultural and 

allied services continue to generate 

majority of the interest from Indian 

corporates. 

Apart from these, a number of 

Indian companies have collaborated 

with national players in the areas 

of designing, consultancy, financial 

services and software development. 

Although India’s investments in 

the GCC have been largely driven 

by Non-resident Indians who had 

historically set up businesses in the 

region, businesses of Indian origin 

are also increasingly setting up footprint 

in GCC. 

Alpen Capital highlights significant 

scope for mutual co-operation 

between India and the GCC given 

their complementing economic 

profiles. 

Over the years, GCC has developed 

capabilities and experience 

in energy, telecom, construction, 

real estate and infrastructure sectors. 

These sectors are also growing 

fast and offer potentially attractive 

opportunities in India, which has 

strong expertise and scale in commercial 

services (financial, ITES) 

manufacturing, small and medium 

scale enterprises, food processing, 

and education, among others. 

The GCC is relatively lacking in 

these areas and increasingly looking 

for technological know-how, 

managerial expertise and foreign 

collaborations to build sustainable 

models for development. 

Growing Indian businesses 

could invest in several of high prospect 

avenues in GCC and use the 

region as a strategic hub to access 

regional markets in Africa, Iran, 

Iraq, and CIS countries amongst 

others. 

As part of the diversification 

plan, the GCC is prioritizing export 

of high order goods (finished 

goods). Thus, Indian corporates 

could participate and use the GCC 

region as a re-export hub for their 

refining operations (value added 

products), mainly as the lower input 

cost and robust infrastructural support 

in the block offer favourable 

investment environment. Moreover, 

due to strong cultural, historical and 

bureaucratic familiarities, GCC nations 

believe the scope for co-oper- 

it is possible to fulfil those 

dreams. Also, as one of the 

world’s top 20 companies that 

has demonstrated excellence 

in entrepreneurship, I will be 

proud to share McDonald’s’ 

groundbreaking success in 

creating many SMEs worldwide,” 

Ali Daud said. 

“The franchise seminar will 

serve as ‘food for thought’ for 

students and aspiring entrepreneurs 

and is an excellent 

platform that brings together 

SMEs, the Ministry of Commerce 

and Industry and financial 

institutions. Through this 

initiative, we hope to help foster 

the development of small 

and medium size commercial 

enterprises in this Sultanate,” 

said Emmee Haun of the Muscat 

American Business Council. 

GCC-India bilateral trade surges to $88.8 billion: Alpen Capital 

Sanjay Vig 

Qtel first quarter revenue grows 8 per cent 

MUSCAT — Qatar Telecom 

(Qtel) has announced that 

Group revenue increased 

by 7.6 per cent to end the 

period at QAR 8.0 billion 

(Q1 2011: QAR 7.5 billion), 

driven by service excellence 

and the roll-out of new services. 

The Group’s consolidated 

customer base stood at 84.4 

million (Q1 2011: 75.6 million), 

representing growth 

in customer numbers of 11.7 

per cent. EBITDA for the 

same period increased 8.0 

per cent to QAR 3.8 billion 

(Q1 2011: QAR 3.6 billion). 

EBITDA margin remained 

robust throughout the period 

Sameena Ahmad 

at 48 per cent (Q1 2011: 48 

per cent). 

Net profit attributable to 

Qtel Shareholders decreased 

by 12.2 per cent at QAR 0.7 

billion (Q1 2011: QAR 0.8 

billion), mainly due to foreign 

exchange losses in Indonesian 

operations. 

Highlights of the period 

included sustained performance 

in Iraq, Qatar, Algeria 

and Tunisia; the commercial 

launch of Qtel Fibre; and the 

agreement for the sale and 

leaseback of approximately 

25 per cent of the Indosat 

tower portfolio, for a total potential 

consideration of $519 

million. 

ation with India is better relative to 

any other Asian economy (including 

China). 

Recommendations 

With ample funds available for 

investment, GCC sovereigns and 

companies should further diversify 

their portfolio mix toward highgrowth 

markets such as India which 

are recording robust growth and offering 

sound investment returns. 

Although the Indian government 

has undertaken a number of 

commendable steps to attract FDI , 

it still has to improve several factors 

to create a conducive investment 

environment in India including 

reducing restrictions on foreign 

trade regulations and eradicating 

bureaucracy. 

While political stability (in 

countries such as Bahrain) and 

eradication of bureaucracy are warranted 

for investment attraction, 

the GCC region should establish a 

competent block level investment 

authority in each country which can 

impart transparency and guide investors 

toward potential investment 

avenues across the region. Official 

publication and databases should 

also be made widely accessible and 

regularly updated. 

In order to realize its diversification 

initiatives, the GCC should 

further promote foreign industry involvement 

by relaxing regulations 

and encouraging SME participation 

which will create employment opportunities 

as well as increase GDP 

growth.

Total advantage with Gran Max range 

MUSCAT —They can accommodate 5-adults AND ample cargo...they offer very low 

ownership costs...they are protected by a 6-years unlimited mileage warranty and they 

are supported by Saud Bahwan Group’s service & parts back-up - at all Toyota Outlets 

in Oman. 

Daihatsu’s Gran Max range are Japan made business-cum-family vehicles comprising 

MPVs, Delivery Vans and Pick-ups. The Gran Max range has not only captured a 

broad swathe of the segment but continues to show sustained growth in the competitive 

market, which is indeed admirable. 

Available at all Toyota and Daihatsu Showrooms, the Gran Max pick-up can be 

substantially loaded with cargo and driven with comfort since ample load deck dimensions 

have been married into a comfortable cabin. Spacious cargo area is realised 

thanks to the long wheelbase and short overhangs, created by positioning the tyres in 

the 4 corners. Easy access to the seats has been made possible by large door openings 

created by the upright front pillar angle. Passenger car-like reassurance and handling 

ease have been created through the ‘semi-cab over’ package. 

With or without load, the Gran Max maintains a superior straight-line stability 

thanks to its long wheelbase and tyres placed at the four corners. The Gran Max can 

easily make turns in narrow alleys and souqs because of its small turning radius of 4.7 

m. Higher loading capacity has been achieved thanks to a longer and flatter load deck. 

In addition to the large deck area for heavy loads, a maximum payload of 1075 kg has 

been achieved. Superior loading and unloading is facilitated by the low load deck floor 

height and side flaps and rear gate that open on all three sides. A two-stage structure has 

been adopted for the frame to increase strength and achieve high durability to support 

actual loading and usage conditions. 

At the heart of the Gran Max is a high performance 1.5 litre, 4 cylinder, 16 valve 

engine that delivers best-in-class 95 HP. The DOHC engine with EFi and DVVT ensures 

a high level of fuel efficiency, thereby rendering the product easy on both, the 

customer’s pocket as well as the environment. Maintenance costs are also reduced with 

the adoption of the maintenance free EFi fuel system and chain driven timing belt. 

Daihatsu’s popularity in Oman stems from the fact that it is perceived as the most 

practical choice. For starters, it’s a Japanese brand. Secondly, it’s a Toyota Group Company 

– so the quality is assured. Thirdly, it’s a very economical choice. 

In Oman, confidence levels of Daihatsu customers remain high due to the unmatched 

nationwide parts and service support of the Saud Bahwan Group. 

Geely Emgrand backs shooting contest 

GEELY Emgrand range recently supported the annual traditional shooting contest organised 

by Al Shaab Cultural and Sports Team at their shooting range in Al Haial in 

Ibri recently. The contest was held under the auspices of Shaikh Saad bin Mohammed 

al Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs, who presented prizes to the winners of the contest. 

Geely Emgrand sponsored a new Geely LC car, for the overall winner of the contest; 

India’s Reliance hit with 

$1.25 billion fine 

MUMBAI — India’s government 

has asked energy giant 

Reliance Industries to pay 

a $1.25 billion penalty for a 

fall in gas production from 

its main oil fields, a company 

executive said yesterday. 

The government and investors 

have been concerned 

for months over Reliance’s 

declining gas output from its 

main D6 fields in the Krishna-Godavari 

basin off the 

coast of eastern India. 

“We have got the letter 

and will respond to it,” the 

company executive said, declining 

to be named. 

The oil ministry’s notice 

to Reliance says it “failed 

to fulfil its obligations... and 

wilfully caused breaches, 

which led to immense loss 

and prejudice to the government 

and people of India,” 

Indian media reported. 

The reports said Reliance 

would not be permitted 

to recover the cost of its 

investments — $457 million 

in 2010-11 and $778 million 

in 2011-12 — from the sale 

of gas. 

Under India’s exploration 

policy, the government 

allows firms to first recover 

their exploration and production 

costs from oil and gas 

revenues, and later share profits 

with the government. 

Reliance’s spokesman declined 

to comment further as 

he said that the “matter was 

sub-judice”. 

Reliance, controlled by 

India’s wealthiest man 

Mukesh Ambani, late last 

year started arbitration proceedings 

against the government 

to help recover its costs, 

but the ministry has so far 

refused to take part in the arbitration. 

Crude oil production from 

Reliance’s main oil field KG- 

D6 slid 37.9 per cent yearon-year 

to 4.94 million barrels, 

said Reliance, when it 

reported a 20 per cent fall in 

quarterly profit last month. 

Natural gas production 

fell 23.5 per cent to 551.31 

billion cubic feet (BCF), over 

levels a year earlier. 

“Production from the KG- 

D6 block has been adversely 

impacted due to unforeseen 

reservoir complexities,” the 

company said at the time. 

Last year, British energy 

giant BP paid $7.2 billion to 

acquire a 30 per cent stake in 

21 of Reliance’s oil and gas 

fields. 

Reliance hopes that BP’s 

deepwater drilling expertise 

will give the Indian giant the 

skills to develop hard-to-exploit 

reserves and find more 

oil. 

Reliance operates the 

world’s largest oil processing 

complex in Jamnagar, where 

two adjacent refineries have a 

combined capacity to process 

over 1.2 million barrels of oil 

a day. — AFP 

23 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

BUSINESS ALERT 

the keys of which were handed over to the winner at the end of the three-day contest. 

Held for all governorates of the Sultanate and the GCC countries, a total of 936 contestants 

from the governorates and Gulf countries took part in the contest this year. 

Annurag Chawla, Head of Marketing and Communications, Towell Auto Centre, 

sole distributors of the Geely Emgrand range in the Sultanate says, “It is important 

to encourage and support traditional sporting activities in the Sultanate in any form. 

Being an active part of Omani society, Geely Emgrand is keen to continue playing a 

productive role, giving back to different parts of the community in as many creative 

ways as possible.” 

Cars and lots more at Mazda road show 

ATTRACTING the attention of all car enthusiasts with their recent road show at the 

‘Ibri College of Applied Sciences’, was the Mazda brand from Towell Auto Centre 

(TAC). The road show was a not-to-be missed event featuring the latest line-up of 

Mazda models available in the Sultanate. 

Those present at the college during the course of the show got an opportunity to 

feast their eyes and get up close and personal with the Mazda CX-5 and Mazda 6. Representatives 

from TAC greeted students and guests at the show and briefed them about 

the various models available from the Mazda stable. 

Annurag Chawla, Head of Marketing and Communications, Towell Auto Centre 

elucidates, “Due to their distinctive sheer driving pleasure stance and emphasis on 

quality and safety, our cars have a huge following in the Sultanate. At TAC we believe 

that road shows are a great platform for members of the public to see and experience 

our product range. The response we got at the ‘Ibri College of Applied Sciences’ has 

been overwhelming. We are confident that a majority of those who saw and experienced 

our car brands at the show will come back to our showroom and purchase a 

Mazda in due course.” 

Lexus hybrids serve the environment 

SINCE years although many car manufacturers have attempted to successfully introduce 

the concept of hybrid cars. Very few have managed to stay ahead in the game. 

Lexus for one has been the first automobile company to introduce the concept of a 

hybrid car, back when contending automobile manufacturers had never even thought 

about it. And since then for Lexus it has been a brand new day, every day. 

Lexus is passionate not only about designing better cars to drive, but also about 

helping make tomorrow a better place in which to live. The development of hybrid 

technology is central to this commitment. 

Lexus hybrid drive integrates advanced combustion engine technology and powerful 

electric motors into one “full hybrid” system, the most advanced hybrid architecture 

in existence. 

As in all aspects of Lexus, the unique hybrid technology accepts no compromises. 

Since introducing the world’s first luxury hybrid vehicle in 2005, Lexus has continued 

BankMuscat hosts workshop on 

Islamic liquidity management 

From page 21 

The main focus at the 

workshop is to identify instruments 

which facilitate liquidity 

management for Islamic 

banks as well as help achieve 

a reasonable commercial return 

and also fulfill their traditional 

role of financial intermediation 

between depositors 

and productive activity such 

as financing. 

AbdulKader Thomas, 

CEO, SHAPE Financial Corp, 

Kuwait, will make a special 

address on ‘Islamic Financial 

Services Industry – Its evolution, 

journey, growth, trends 

and future direction’. He will 

also moderate the first session 

on ‘Islamic banking, Basel III 

and the role of Central banks 

and Standard Setting Bodies’ 

as well as the session on 

‘Trends in the Global Sukuk 

Market’. 

Ismail Dadabhoy, a Dubaibased 

independent Islamic 

banker will be the moderator 

in a session on ‘Islamic 

Inter-Bank Market – Liquidity 

Management Tools’. 

Simon Eedle, Managing 

Director, Credit Agricole CIB 

and Vice-Chairman of IIFM, 

will be the moderator in a session 

on ‘Risk Mitigation in 

Islamic Finance – A Market 

Perspective’. 

Sohaib Umar, Executive 

Manager, Islamic Financial 

Services Group, Ernst & 

Young, will be the moderator 

in sessions on ‘Shariah Panel 

Discussion’ and ‘Financial 

Stability, Structures & Credit 

Enhancement in Islamic Financial 

Market Products & 

Services’. 

The group of expert presenters 

and panelists from the 

GCC and Far East region in- 

to evolve the system into what is now the most sophisticated powertrain technology 

on the planet. 

Saving the surroundings through less gas emissions from cars have been becoming 

sort of a sacred statement today. More and more people are voicing their concerns 

about saving the surroundings from life-threatening gas emissions from vehicles yet 

remain buying cars. 

The convenience a car gives is incomparable. However, the damage it brings is 

astounding. That’s the reason hybrid cars have become a viable solution in answering 

the call for convenient and easy modes of transportation and lessening or eradicating 

polluting of the environment. 

Historically, hybrids have been known for having certain strengths - fuel economy 

being one of them. These days, though, there are models on the market that are more 

ambitious, promising great mileage, and are sweetened with a sportier driving experience. 

Hybrid technology may be complex, but understanding how it works is not particularly 

difficult. What is difficult is making it work so well that it wins engineering 

awards and the hearts of drivers. 

So what makes Lexus hybrid drive exceptional? The answer is its electronic control 

unit (ECU) a sophisticated electronic brain. Like the conductor of an orchestra, the 

ECU makes sure the hybrid components work in harmony - seamlessly and reliably. 

Compact packaging and unmatched flexibility also distinguish Lexus hybrid drive 

from other hybrid systems, improving efficiency and allowing a wide range of configurations, 

not found in any other luxury automobile brand. 

Encouraged by innovation, the process to create a Lexus vehicle is unique within 

the automotive industry. Taking inspiration from fields as diverse as the fashion industry, 

architecture, the arts and medicine, each vehicle is painstakingly crafted to meet 

Lexus’ exacting standards. 

Lexus vehicles are brought to you in Oman by the Saud Bahwan Group. In Oman, 

every Lexus vehicle comes with special benefits and privileges such as 6 years unlimited 

extended mileage protection – Aman Bahwan and Lexus Prestige Club Card that 

offers 24 hours on-road assistance from AAA. 

Jaguar Land Rover posts strong sales 

LUXURY automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has posted strong sales results 

for the MENAP region at the end of its fiscal year. 

Sales for its luxury SUV brand, Land Rover, in the Middle East and North Africa 

region were up 40 per cent on the previous year in what is the 6th largest market for 

Land Rover globally. Jaguar’s performance was also strong, with regional sales up 20 

per cent year on year in the brand’s 5th largest market globally. 

The figures are a clear indication of Jaguar Land Rover’s positive growth in the 

region, with demand for its luxury vehicles remaining strong. Land Rover experienced 

phenomenal success with the launch of the new Range Rover Evoque, with order banks 

stretching out across the year. The popularity of its Range Rover and Range Rover 

Sport nameplates continued to be a key growth driver for the Land Rover brand, posting 

an increase of 21 per cent on its flagship, the Range Rover, and 16 per cent on the 

Range Rover Sport. Notable market performers in the region included North Africa, 

where sales of the Land Rover LR2 more than doubled year on year, and Iraq, which 

experienced strong growth in its first full year of operation. The brand also posted 

healthy sales in KSA, the UAE and Qatar. 

Robin Colgan, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Middle East, North Africa 

and Pakistan; says “Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to invest in design and technology 

has clearly paid off in recent years, with consistently strong global sales proving consumer 

demand remains high for what is our strongest ever line-up of vehicles. This is 

echoed in the Middle East & North Africa region, where we have posted a significant 

sales increase across all our nameplates, cementing this as a significant growth region 

for Jaguar Land Rover. With the introduction of segment-defining vehicles such as the 

Range Rover Evoque, and our current 12MY fleet, this trend looks set to continue and 

we look forward to a great year in 2012.” 

clude some of the leading industry 

practitioners - Abdullah 

Haron (IFSB), Ijlal Ahmed 

Alvi (IIFM), Dr. Mohammed 

Daud Bakar (Amanie Advisors), 

Faheem Ahmad (IIRA), 

Mark Pritchard (NBAD), 

Shaikh Muddassir Siddiqui 

(ISRA), Daniel Cookson 

and. Mark Dickinson (Clifford 

Chance), Hatim El-Tahir 

(Deloitte) and Sheikh Kahlan 

Al Kharusi (Assistant Grand 

Mufti of Oman). 

BankMuscat is delighted 

to organise this specialised 

event in Oman with the cooperation 

and support of the 

Central Bank of Oman, Oman 

Capital Market Authority, 

leading banks and IIFM, the 

leading standard setting body 

in Islamic finance, to facilitate 

the development of Islamic 

capital and money market in 

Oman. 

EMC showcases solutions at COMEX 

MUSCAT— EMC participated as the IT 

Transformation Partner of Comex 2012 (April 

30-May 4) at the Oman International Exhibition 

Center. 

The participation is part of EMC’s investment 

in the Omani market, which is in line 

with the government’s decision in making the 

development of ICT one of its strategic priorities 

through implementing a new growth and 

transformation plan. 

Comex focuses on supporting and growing 

SMEs, which highlights the importance of 

IT in Oman’s future. EMC’s participation in 

Comex reflects its commitment to the Omani 

market and the value it will bring to Omani organizations 

to transform their IT. 

During the 5-day exhibition, EMC showcased 

a combination of its products, solutions 

and services and cloud infrastructure technologies 

designed to help organisations accelerate 

their journey to the cloud, lower IT costs and 

improve the overall business agility. 

CharbelZreibi, Pre-Sales Manager, South 

Gulf, at EMC, delivered a presentation titled 

“Accelerating the journey to the cloud” at the 

Comex 2012 Conference. During his presentation, 

Charbel introduced the recently launched 

EMC® VSPEX Proven Infrastructure, a 

simple, efficient, and flexible reference architecture 

that accelerates the journey to cloud 

computing. 

EMC also shared its innovative strategies 

and pragmatic approach to transformation in 

order to maximise IT delivery effectiveness 

and cost efficiency. 

RBS eyes recovery, 

sees no plans for 

cut price sale 

LONDON — State-backed 

Royal Bank of Scotland said 

it was on the path to recovery 

after a better-than-expected 

quarterly profit, and the government 

had “no desire” to 

start selling its stake at current 

depressed prices. 

Britain’s government owns 

an 82 per cent stake in the 

bank after a 2008 bailout during 

the financial crisis that also 

involved emergency loans to 

the bank. 

Hester said the bank would 

next week finish paying back 

the emergency loans. It will 

also recommence payment of 

dividends and coupons on hybrid 

capital. 

Sources said in March the 

government had held talks with 

Abu Dhabi, raising speculation 

RBS shares could be sold, although 

a deal is still seen as 

months away. 

“As far as I am aware there 

is no desire to sell at current 

share prices and I find that entirely 

understandable,” RBS 

Chief Executive Stephen Hester 

said on a conference call 

yesterday. 

“While everyone is focused 

on that being the desired endgame, 

I’m not aware of any- 

thing that’s imminent.” 

RBS, meanwhile, is aggressively 

shrinking non-core 

assets to improve liquidity. 

Yesterday it reported a first 

quarter operating profit of £1.2 

billion ($1.9 billion), compared 

with a loss of 144 million 

the previous quarter and 

a consensus forecast of 800 

million. 

“Excellent progress continues 

in removing mistakes 

of the past,” Hester said, adding 

he was happy with the first 

quarter “although the economic 

and regulatory backdrop remains 

tough”. 

RBS said its funded balance 

sheet had decreased by 

a further £27 billion to £950 

billion. It has reduced its shortterm 

wholesale funding by £23 

billion to £80 billion. Non-core 

funded assets were down £11 

billion to 83 billion. 

“The main good news, once 

again, is the speed of balance 

sheet progress. It’s really a story 

of balance sheet repair with 

no worse than expected underlying 

income statements,” said 

Investec analyst Ian Graham. 

“I would call it decent progress 

but obviously it remains a long, 

painful journey.” — Reuters

Oman: Higher wages 

give retail a boost 

WITH pay rises 

across both the 

public and private 

sectors in Oman producing 

higher levels of consumer 

spending, some analysts are 

now revising their forecasts 

upwards for the Sultanate’s 

retail sector in favour of solid 

growth. 

Consumer demand in 

Oman was largely expected 

to stay flat in the short and 

medium term, leading to 

fears that parts of the Sultanate’s 

rapidly expanding retail 

space could remain empty until 

stronger growth returned. 

But with consumers enjoying 

higher incomes on 

the back of rising oil prices, 

demand is now expected to 

increase as well, paving the 

way for strong growth in the 

industry throughout 2012 and 

into next year. 

A report by the international 

real estate consultancy 

Cluttons said Oman’s retail 

sector should also benefit 

from more stable rent prices 

as inflationary pressure shows 

signs of easing off. In its findings, 

which were released in 

April, the report found that an 

increase in new retail space, 

together with more stable 

rents, was balancing a growing 

demand for shopping outlets, 

especially in the high-end 

segment. 

The report said new mall 

projects, which are set to be 

rolled out in the coming 18 

months, would play a key role 

in meeting demand for retail 

units, particularly among 

smaller outlets operating in the 

food and beverage segment. 

More than 100,000 square 

metres of retail space is currently 

under construction in 

Oman, including the 60,000- 

sq-metre Muscat Grand Mall 

and the Opera Galleria, which 

measures 6500 sq metres. 

While new mall space 

will broaden the choice of 

shops for consumers, the report 

points out that it will 

also increase competitiveness 

across the sector, as new developments 

vie with well-established 

malls for business. 

“Demand will remain strong 

for established shopping malls 

with proven footfalls,” it said. 

Oman’s shoppers have already 

begun changing their 

shopping patterns, moving 

away from small retail outlets 

and opting instead for 

large-scale centres, usually 

anchored by a brand hypermarket. 

The trend is attracting 

an increasing number of Gulf 

and international retailers who 

are setting up shop in the Sultanate, 

keen to tap into these 

new dynamics, according to A 

V Ananth, the regional director 

in Oman for hypermarket 

chain Lulu. 

“The most striking trend 

is the mushrooming of retail 

outlets, seeking a share in the 

Omani market,” he told local 

media in mid-April. “Many 

who have established a name 

in the GCC are opening their 

stores in Oman, which means 

that there is going to be increased 

competition, which in 

turn will lead to benefits for 

the customer.” 

The upbeat sentiment in 

Oman was reflected in the results 

of the latest MasterCard 

Worldwide Index of Consumer 

Confidence, released in 

mid-April, which once again 

ranked the Sultanate top in the 

Middle East for its positive 

outlook, along with Qatar. 

Both countries were awarded 

93.6 in the survey, placing 

them well ahead of the other 

Gulf states and among the top 

OBG COLUMN 

By Olicer Cornock 

Regional Editor 

contenders globally. 

While consumer confidence 

is riding high in Oman, 

smaller, independent retailers 

will inevitably face tough 

competition in their efforts to 

retain customers and attract 

new shoppers. Confronted 

with challenges in areas such 

as pricing and the value-added 

experience that a mall offers, 

they will need to build 

on their advantages, which 

include customer loyalty, 

convenience and the ability 

to offer tailored products, to 

maintain their place in the 

market. 

Although some independent 

stores may see some challenges 

going forward, observers 

point out that with the 

sector riding high on a wave 

of increased consumer spending, 

there is certainly room for 

retailers across the spectrum 

to strengthen their foothold 

in the market and flourish in a 

period of anticipated growth. 

24 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

Asian shares fall again on weak data 

SINGAPORE — Asian shares 

fell for a second straight yesterday 

and industrial commodities 

such as oil and copper 

were on course for weekly 

losses as a run of lacklustre 

US data stoked fresh concerns 

that the recovery in the world's 

biggest economy is faltering. 

The dollar held steady 

against the euro and the yen, 

but could come under pressure 

later if there is a weak 

read-out from a key US jobs 

report, which would stir speculation 

of further monetary 

easing, so-called "QE3", by 

the Federal Reserve. 

.Hong Kong shares slipped 

yesterday, with Chinese property 

developers weak after the 

biggest player by sales posted 

its first monthly sales decline 

in three, renewing fears about 

a sector central to the state 

of the world's second-largest 

economy. 

The sector was also weak 

in mainland Chinese markets, 

limiting strength on benchmark 

indices. The CSI300 

Index and the Shanghai Composite 

Index each ended up 

0.1 per cent at midday in the 

lowest trading volumes this 

week. 

Strength in resources-related 

sectors guided mainland 

benchmark indices to midday 

gains. The Shanghai materials 

sub-index was up 0.7 per cent, 

with Baotou Rare Earth jump- 

ing 7.4 per cent. 

The China Enterprises Index 

of the top Chinese listings 

in Hong Kong slipped 1 per 

cent, while the broader Hang 

Seng Index lost 0.7 per cent, 

poised to end its best week in 

almost three months with a 

second-straight daily loss. 

Shenzhen-listed China 

Vanke was down 0.6 per cent 

in midday volume that has exceeded 

its 30-day average after 

reporting late on Thursday 

that its April sales fell 6 per 

cent to 7.4 billion yuan ($1.2 

billion) from the same period 

a year ago, snapping a twomonth 

rise. 

"The Chinese property sector 

is still quite messy at the 

moment, so it's not possible to 

say anything too definite. We 

still expect smaller players to 

face some liquidity issues," 

said Alan Lam, Julius Baer's 

Greater China equity analyst. 

Poly Real Estate lost 1.1 

per cent in Shanghai, with the 

Shanghai property sub-index 

down 0.4 per cent, the biggest 

underperformer among sectors 

at midday. 

In Hong Kong, China Resources 

Land and China Overseas 

Land & Investment Ltd 

were among the top percentage 

losers among Hang Seng 

Index components, down 3.6 

and 2.3 per cent respectively. 

In 2012, the Chinese property 

sector has broadly outper- 

TEL: 24601003, 24600586 • FAX: 24600736 

• WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com 

TRADERS at their desks at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange yesterday. — Reuters 

formed after taking the brunt 

of the slump last year, suggesting 

investors are expecting 

Beijing to loosen policies 

on the sector as growth slows 

in the world's second-largest 

economy. 

Poly Real Estate is up 

28 per cent compared to the 

nearly 15 per cent gain on the 

CSI300 Index. China Overseas 

Land has surged 31 per 

cent, compared to the 14.4 per 

cent gain on the Hang Seng 

Index. 

"We remain concerned that 

the market in general seems 

to be too optimistic on the 

continued sales rebound and 

gradual loosening of the housing 

policy," said Credit Suisse 

China property analysts in a 

note to clients dated May 3. 

They added there may be 

risks of a pull back in share 

Samsung unveils its new 

smartphone in London 

LONDON — South Korea's 

Samsung Electronics has unveiled 

a faster and larger version 

of its flagship smartphone 

as it seeks to cement its position 

as the world's best-selling 

mobile phone maker. 

The Galaxy S3, introduced 

in London yesterday, offers 

face-recognition technology, 

improved voice-activated 

controls and a more powerful 

processor that lets users watch 

video and write emails simultaneously. 

The 4.8-inch screen is 22 per 

cent larger than the Galaxy S2, 

its hugely popular predecessor. 

But Samsung says the phone is 

not much wider than the S2 due 

to a smaller frame. 

Samsung shipped 44.5 million 

smartphones in the first 

quarter, exceeding the 35.1 

million of US rival Apple, according 

to figures from market 

researcher Strategy Analytics 

last week. 

It said the Korean firm also 

overtook Nokia as the biggest 

maker of all types of mobile 

phone. 

Samsung is now pinning 

its hopes on the S3 to further 

erode its rivals' market share 

before an expected new version 

of Apple's iPhone this year. 

Samsung, the world's largest 

technology firm in revenue 

terms, reported a record 

net profit of 5.05 trillion won 

($4.44 billion) in the first quarter, 

thanks mainly to strong 

smartphone sales. 

But it faces growing competition 

not just from Apple 

but also from Chinese makers 

offering cheaper products such 

as Huawei Technologies and 

ZTE Corp. 

prices for the sector after 

steep gains this year, while 

maintaining their sector-wide 

underweight rating. 

Hong Kong-listed shares 

of Huabao International Holdings 

Ltd slumped 11.3 per cent 

on the resumption of trade 

after being suspended since 

April 25 after a short-seller 

report alleging the company 

had reported excessively high 

margins. 

China's biggest flavouring 

and fragrance company 

denied allegations of false accounting 

on Friday, but failed 

to reassure investors who sold 

the stock to a three-year low. 

Sun Hung Kai Properties 

Ltd said on Friday that former 

chairman Walter Kwok had 

informed the company he was 

arrested on May 3 in conjunction 

with a corruption investi- 

J K Shin, president of Samsung's 

mobile business, said 

the company aims to sell more 

than 200 million smartphones 

this year. 

In an interview with Dow 

Jones Newswires, he said the 

company plans to offer more 

sub-$150 smartphones and introduce 

one using Microsoft's 

newest operating system in 

September. 

The S3 will hit stores first 

in Europe, at the end of this 

month. 

Shin said it includes software 

and design modifications 

that will not attract patent lawsuits. 

"Features that were identified 

in previous lawsuits aren't 

in this new model. We've created 

and invented many technologies," 

he said. 

Apple and Samsung are 

embroiled in legal disputes 

over patents in several countries. 

A US court has ordered 

their chief executives to hold 

settlement talks on May 21 and 

22. 

gation and had been released 

on bail. 

"Investors are on standby 

and are waiting for US payrolls 

data and French and 

Greek election results to clear 

the fog on market direction," 

said HI Investment & Securities 

analyst Kim Seung-han in 

Seoul. 

Financial bookmakers 

called the benchmark indexes 

in London , Paris and Frankfurt 

to open down 0.4-0.6 per 

cent. 

MSCI's broadest index of 

Asia Pacific shares outside 

Japan fell 0.6 per cent, with 

Australian shares down 0.8 

per cent after the central bank 

cut its growth forecast to 3 per 

cent for this year and next, 

down from 3.5 per cent for 

2012 and up to 4 per cent in 

2013. — Reuters 

Rolls-Royce upbeat on fuel-efficient jets 

LONDON — British aero enginemaker 

Rolls-Royce expects profits to rise 

again in 2012 as it continues to benefit 

from airlines' need for more fuel-efficient 

planes and the relentless demand 

for travel to and from Asia's burgeoning 

mega cities. 

Rolls, the world's second-largest 

maker of aircraft engines behind US 

group General Electric, said yesterday 

it had made a good start to the year and 

that its key civil aerospace unit, which 

accounts for half of group sales, would 

lead strong profit growth at the group 

this year. 

"For the full year, the group continues 

to expect good growth in underlying 

revenue and underlying profit with 

cash flow around breakeven as we 

continue to invest in future growth," 

Rolls, which makes engines for planemakers 

Airbus and Boeing, said in a 

statement. 

Global airlines will buy $3.5 trillion 

of aircraft over the next 20 years 

to meet demand for travel to and from 

emerging markets — especially in 

Asia — and renew ageing fleets in the 

West, according to the world's big two 

planemakers. 

The predictions underscore soaring 

demand for narrowbody or single-aisle 

jets such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus 

A320, the backbone of many airlines. 

Analysts forecast that 20,000 narrowbody 

planes will be produced in the 

next 20 years. 

Rolls, which reported a 21 per cent 

rise in 2011 profit, has more than 5,000 

engines — worth some 52 billion 

pounds — on order. As well as airlines' 

switch towards more fuel-efficient aircraft, 

growth last year was boosted by 

the acquisition of German enginemaker 

Tognum and the sale of its stake in 

International Aero Engines. 

A new joint venture between Rolls 

and US rival Pratt & Whitney to develop 

the next generation of engines 

for the mid-sized aircraft market is 

expected to be officially formed this 

year. 

Airlines are investing in new lightweight 

planes to lower fuel costs, 

which are soaring. European carriers 

Air France-KLM and Lufthansa 

this week reported results battered by 

higher fuel costs. 

Industry body IATA expects the 

global airline industry to suffer in 

2012 because of a toxic mix of high 

fuel prices and the euro zone debt crisis. 

Shares in Rolls-Royce, which have 

risen 16 per cent in 2012, were flat at 

859 pence by 0815 GMT, valuing the 

company at around 16 billion pounds 

($26 billion). 

Its shares have outperformed the 

FTSE All Share aerospace and defence 

index by 23 per cent in the last year. 

"Things move slowly in aerospace 

and defence, but for Rolls-Royce, a 

super tanker with positive momentum, 

that is just fine," said Investec analyst 

Andrew Gollan. 

"The stock is at an all-time high... 

we continue to see upside over time." 

The company, whose website says 

a Rolls-Royce powered aircraft takes 

off or lands every 2.5 seconds, said 

its new Trent XWB engine took to the 

skies on board an Airbus A380 flying 

test bed during the first quarter. 

Rolls-Royce is expected to post 

an average pretax profit of 638 million 

pounds for the first six months 

of 2012, and 1.44 billion pounds for 

the full-year, according to a Thomson 

Reuters analyst poll. — Reuters 

JK Shin, president and head of Samsung’s mobile division, 

presents Samsung Galaxy SIII in London. — Reuters 

The Galaxy S3 runs on 

Google's Android software but 

with a faster chip. 

Among other new features, 

it can detect eye movements 

and override the automatic 

shutdown if the user is looking 

at the screen. 

"The S3 is an evolution but 

not a revolution," said Neil 

Mawston, executive director at 

Strategy Analytics. "It's an improvement 

but it's not a game 

changer nor an iPhone killer. 

"Samsung's strategy is 

to offer good hardware at a 

cheaper price so it'll give Apple 

some pause for thought. 

It could put some pressure on 

Apple to develop a vastly improved 

iPhone 5." 

Samsung, the world’s biggest 

TV maker, and local rival 

LG Electronics are among the 

few global TV manufacturers 

making money and winning 

market share on the back of 

sleek design, crisp displays 

and new technologies, such as 

3D and organic light emitting 

display (OLED) sets. — AFP

SQU celebrated 12th 

University Day on 

Wednesday, May 2, with 

a number of activities. The 

day commemorates the visit 

of His Majesty, the Sultan, 

to the University on May 2, 

2000. The main function was 

held under the patronage of 

Shaikh Mohammed bin Said 

al Kalbani, Minister of Social 

Development. 

The University Day celebrations 

accord great importance 

to the research activities at 

SQU. During the function, Dr 

Ali bin Saud al Bimani, Vice- 

Chancellor of SQU delivered a 

speech which was followed by 

the address of Prof Amer bin 

Ali al Rawas, Deputy Vice- 

Chancellor for Postgraduate 

Studies and Research, who 

officially announced the new 

research projects selected for 

His Majesty’s Strategic Research 

Grant. 

In his address, the Vice- 

Chancellor revealed that a new 

research centre in geology will 

be established at the university 

soon. He added that the university’s 

focus on the research 

coincides with SQU's assessment 

of the current strategic 

plan 2009-2013 and preparation 

of another strategic plan 

2012-2025 which will be released 

soon. 

The Social Development 

Minister said in his statement 

that SQU, one of the greatest 

achievements of the Omani 

Renaissance, has become 

house of expertise that leads 

all universities in the Sultanate. 

He added that Oman University, 

which will be established 

soon, will benefit from 

the scientific expertise of SQU 

which has a track record of 25 

years. 

The Vice-Chancellor honoured 

a number of staff members 

from the University and 

Brand hungry? Beware 

of counterfeits 

Page 28 

SQU Hospital for the outstanding 

performance. The Minister 

opened the annual scientific 

research and student activities 

exhibition. At the same time, 

different colleges and research 

centres at the university organised 

a variety of events and 

activities such as exhibitions, 

workshops and lectures to 

mark the University Day. 

Seven research projects 

from different colleges at SQU 

have been selected for His 

Majesty’s Strategic Research 

Trust Fund for the year 2012. 

The projects are as follows: 

New Software in Learning 

Arabic Reading 

Dr Ali al Musawi, Associate 

Professor, Instructional 

and Learning Technologies, 

College of Education, and 

team will measure the “Effectiveness 

of the Design and Use 

of New Software in Learning 

Arabic Reading at Omani 

First Basic Education Cycle's 

Schools”. 

According to the researchers, 

there is an increasing need 

to draw the attention of Arab 

educators in the areas of curriculum 

and educational and 

information technologies to 

the new generation of learners' 

requirements in scope of 

the information burst coming 

from space, computers, and 

Internet equipping the Arab 

kids with a high degree of IT 

skills even before their enrolment 

in schools. These skills 

must be appreciated, nurtured, 

and developed by educators 

and curricular planners in the 

study timetable and outside 

the schools. Teachers should 

be also trained to keep abreast 

of these developments. 

Identification of Pupils 

with Reading Disorders 

Through his project, Dr 

Mahmoud Mohamed Emam, 

Assistant Professor in Psy- 

Give the disabled their 

rights please 

Page 27 

chology at the College of 

Education, and colleagues will 

develop an optimal framework 

for the identification and 

intervention of pupils with 

reading disorders in Oman. 

Reading disorders have severe 

academic, social and emotional 

consequences on pupils. 

Given the increasing number 

of pupils with reading disorders 

in Cycle1 Basic Education 

schools in Oman and the 

fact that identification and intervention 

practices have been 

inadequately shaped by mere 

labelling as guided by the discrepancy 

model, the purpose 

of the current research project 

is to establish an optimal 

framework for teaching pupils 

with reading disorders in the 

country. 

School Graduates’ Weakness 

in English 

The Government of Oman 

attaches much importance to 

English in the education of 

Omani youth and their preparation 

for a multinational, 

multicultural world of employment 

and socialisation. 

Hence, it has poured resources 

into supporting English language 

teaching and learning 

in schools, colleges and universities. 

Dr Rahma Ibrahim 

al Mahrooqi, Assistant Professor, 

English Department, 

College of Arts and Social 

Sciences, says “Unfortunately, 

this major investment, involving 

qualified manpower, free 

textbooks, computer laboratories 

and classroom aids, has 

not yielded commensurate 

results”. Supported by His 

Majesty’s Research Grant, Dr 

Al Mahrooqi and colleagues 

will examine how students 

are taught English at public 

schools and why this teaching 

is not producing the desired 

results. 

Booteen (Cream 

caramel) 

Page 27 

Omantel Celebrity Cricket 

bowls Muscat over 

Page 26 

Fea ures 

Saturday, May 5, 2012 

Lean Thinking in the 

Healthcare Sector 

Dr Shahid al Balushi from 

the Department of Operations 

Management And Business 

Statistics, along with 

colleagues from the College 

of Medicine and Health 

Sciences, will undertake an 

assessment of the application 

of Lean thinking in the 

Omani healthcare sector. 

This research proposal is developed 

on the premise that 

improvements can be made 

to the healthcare sector in the 

Sultanate of Oman by applying 

Lean thinking to deliver 

higher-quality healthcare to 

all citizens. The project will 

identify the readiness factors; 

it will carry out demonstration 

and pilot projects and develop 

a national strategy for implementing 

Lean in the Omani 

healthcare sector. 

Characterisation of 

Oman Meteorites 

Prof Sobhi Nasir, Head of 

the Earth Sciences Department 

of the College of Science, and 

team will explore characterisation 

of Oman meteorites, the 

remnant fragments from the 

formation of the Solar System. 

By examining a meteorite, 

scientists are looking at the 

chemical composition of the 

solar system as it was being 

born. In 1999, meteorite hunters 

discovered that the desert 

in southern and central Oman 

is a favourable area for the 

collection of many rare speci- 

mens. The gravel plains in the 

Dhofar and Al Wusta governorates 

of Oman, South of the 

sandy deserts of the Rub' al 

Khali, had yielded about 5,000 

meteorites as of mid-2009. 

Exploration of Uranium 

At the same time, Dr Narasimman 

Sundararajan of the 

Earth Sciences Department 

and team will undertake a 

geochemical and geophysical 

exploration of uranium and 

associated minerals in Oman. 

According to the researchers, 

the Proterozoic basement 

of the Dhofar Governorate 

of Oman may be a potential 

source and trap for uranium 

and associated minerals as 

30-40 per cent of the global 

production of uranium comes 

from Proterozoic basins in 

Canada. Further, the reconnaissance 

surveys carried out 

during the late 1970s suggest 

Regular jogging may 

increase longevity 

Page 28 

SQU celebrates University Day 

Festivities accord great importance to research activities 

Dr Ali bin Saud al Bimani 

Prof Amer bin Ali al Rawas 

The 

University’s 

focus on 

the research 

coincides 

with SQU’s 

assessment 

of the current 

strategic plan 

2009-2013 and 

preparation 

of another 

strategic plan 

2012-2025 

which will be 

released soon 

the possibility of Uranium occurrence 

in this region. 

Developing tailor-made 

Polymeric Materials 

With support from His 

Majesty’s Research Grant, Dr 

Sarim Dastgir of the Department 

of Chemistry, College 

of Science, and fellow scientists, 

will develop tailor-made 

polymeric materials via co-ordination 

polymerisation. The 

production of polyolefinic ma- 

terials with controlled properties 

remains a challenging task 

and industrially important 

goal. The potential applications 

and possible economic 

advantages of this proposal 

to the local industry such as 

Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum 

Industries Company 

(ORPIC) are enormous, when 

compared with the existing 

technologies currently used in 

the industry.

By Veronica Juan 

THE English Language 

Centre at Shinas College 

of Technology held 

its 4th Annual ELT Workshop 

under the theme “Achieving 

Quality in the Classroom.” 

The one-day event was filled 

with enthusiasm and activity. 

The day was inaugurated by 

an opening address in which 

Dr Bryan Peppin, the Head of 

the English Language Centre, 

welcomed the gathering. 

The Plenary speaker, Neil 

McBeath from Sultan Qaboos 

University (SQU) emphasised 

the need for teachers to be zealous 

about their teaching. He 

explained the need for teachers 

to treat students as equals and 

provide them with constructive 

remarks which will help 

students move in the right di- 

rection. The speaker stated that 

language learning is difficult 

and teachers have no way of 

finding out what is going on 

inside the students’ minds. So, 

teachers must rejoice on seeing 

the slightest effort and achievement 

that students display. 

“If they prefer to work 

“smarter than harder” then we 

can achieve quality in the classroom 

simply by playing to their 

existing skills”, Neil McBeath 

commented. In his presentation, 

he urged the teachers to 

offer students “edutainment” 

which may perhaps improve 

their general knowledge. He 

maintained that a teacher with 

enthusiasm for teaching will 

26 SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

Omantel Celebrity Cricket bowls Muscat over 

MUSCAT Club, Wadi al 

Kabir wore a festive air last 

weekend, as cricket enthusiasts 

of diverse Asian nationalities 

thronged the grounds. The occasion 

was the Omantel Celebrity Cricket: 

a first-of-its-kind tournament in Muscat, 

bringing together local talent and 

international celebrities to create an 

event that was as memorable as it 

was fun. 

“Cricket is to Asian expatriates 

what football is to Oman, hence we 

Shinas College of Technology organises ELT Workshop 

THE human mind seems 

to be obsessed with space 

and travel beyond the confines 

of our own atmosphere. 

We’ve learned much about 

the heavens and logistics of 

space travel over the past five 

conceived the Omantel Celebrity 

Cricket as a tribute to all our expat 

customers,” declared Haitham al 

Kharusi, Vice-President Consumer, 

Omantel. 

Five top local teams fought it 

out, backed by lovely celebrities 

who flew in especially to boost team 

morale. The Pakistan Panthers were 

represented by Maria Wasti, the Sri 

Lankan Lions by Anarkali, the Bangladesh 

Tigers by Shimla, the South 

Indian Tuskers by Sandhya and the 

decades, and students are keen 

to know more about it. 

For the past three years, 

eighth graders from The American 

International School of 

Muscat (TAISM) have made 

it a mission to learn more and 

North Indian Stallions by Riya Sen. 

The tournament commenced with 

a colourful parade of the various 

teams and their celebrity ambassadors, 

led by a cheerful school band. 

The oath of fair play was taken by 

Kiran Asher, Treasurer Oman Cricket 

Club in the presence of the Ambassadors 

of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka 

and senior officials from Omantel. 

A round-robin schedule ensured 

that every team had an equal chance 

to win. The matches continued the 

they do it by travelling to the 

Nasa sponsored Space Camp 

located in Izmir, Turkey. 

There, they spend 4½ days at 

the well-established facility 

and discover much of what it 

means to be an astronaut. This 

find ways to expand the prospects 

of students learning. 

McBeath also noted, on the 

other hand, that quality cannot 

be achieved if teachers have 

proud or overconfident ideas 

about teaching. He explained 

that knowing Arabic is a plus 

point for a teacher. He said, 

“Arabic is not a handicap in the 

year, 32 eighth graders chose 

to go to Space Camp. In order 

to go, students need to be academically 

responsible, as they 

miss up to four days of classes. 

All funding for this trip is personal 

— there are no donors 

next day, with the crowds swelling by 

the hour. 

After a hotly contested finale with 

Sri Lanka, Pakistan lifted the first ever 

Omantel Celebrity Cricket Cup, also 

winning a cash prize of $1,000. The 

Sri Lankan team won the Runners Up 

award and a cash prize of $500. The 

other winners of the night included 

the South Indian Tuskers who won 

the Fair Play award, Manjula of Sri 

Lankan Lions who won Man of the 

Series, Miraj of Bangladesh Tigers 

classroom. It is a tool that can 

be used to foster understanding, 

and the fact that a teacher 

has no Arabic, is no justification 

for banning its use.” 

Teachers and lecturers from 

different schools and colleges 

of Oman participated in the 

event. The workshop witnessed 

enthusiastic English language 

Eighth Grade students from TAISM take flight 

or sponsors helping to defray 

costs. 

The Space Camp houses 

simulators and replicas of actual 

space vehicles such as the 

Challenger and Apollo rockets. 

During their time there, eighth 

who won the Kamaal Catch award, 

Bilal Khan of Pakistan Panthers for 

the Best Bowler award, Awal Khan of 

Pakistan Panthers for Maximum Sixes 

and Jatinder Singh of North Indian 

Stallions for Best Batsman. 

The awards were given away by 

Haitham al Kharusi of Omantel in 

the presence of Nawabzada Aminullah 

Khan Raisani, Ambassador of Pakistan. 

Winners also received Blackberries, 

Android Smartphones and 

other valuable prizes from Omantel. 

lecturers engage in workshops 

on the chosen theme. Eighteen 

presenters shared their expertise 

and perspectives on the different 

ways to achieve quality 

— teaching in the classroom. 

The teachers who attended 

the interesting and engrossing 

workshops were enlightened 

about the theme. 

The ELT workshop was 

organised by the Head of the 

English Language Centre Dr 

Bryan Peppin, the Head of 

Section Ali bin Abdullah al 

Balushi and the staff. The cosponsors 

of the event were 

Sohar Aluminium, Vale and 

Orpic. 

The significant aim of the 

workshop was to encourage 

language teachers to come 

together to understand and 

explore new ways to achieve 

quality in the classroom. 

graders space walk on the zero-G 

wall, learn about disorientation 

in the hamster wheel orbiter, 

experience a moon walk 

at 1/6 of their body weight, and 

complete a specified mission 

using the command centre and 

the space module. There are 

also heat shield experiments, 

hydroponics, space history 

talks and team-building challenges. 

This year, the TAISM 

students were treated to a spe- 

Grand Naatia Mushaira 

huge success 

Truckoman staff in 

workshop with 

Shaikh Khalfan al Esry 

SHAIKH Khalfan al Esry, an Nimr performance 

coach and motivational guru, recently met with 

Truckoman staff at their Nimr facility in the PDO 

concession area. 

Chris Fidler, Group General Manager of Truckoman 

said, “As a primary PDO logistics contractor and 

committed OPAL member, Truckoman is dedicated to 

ensuring the satisfaction of our staff. This workshop 

was specifically geared towards our Omani team”. 

“As oilfield workers, all of our team are away from 

their home and families regularly and so it is our responsibility 

to ensure their welfare. Moreover, such 

programmes support OPAL’s In-Country Value (ICV) 

initiative by focusing on the development of national 

staff. 

During the workshop there was a valuable exchange 

of opinions and ideas between Shaikh Khalfan and our 

team that will no doubt lead to a better working environment 

for our staff”, Fidler added. 

cial session with former US 

astronaut Anna Fisher. Anna 

presented an inside view to being 

an astronaut and answered 

every question you ever wanted 

to know about life on a 

spaceship. (Her mission lasted 

eight days.) 

Izmir is close to the famous 

ruins at Ephesus and the students 

received a history sampler 

on their last day with a 

guided tour of the ruins. It was 

By Hasan Kamoonpuri 

MEMORABLE Naatia Mushairah 2012 (Poetry 

A in praise of the Prophet PBUH) was held at Crystal 

Suites recently. The event was attended by a large number 

of people including dignitaries. 

Mian Muhammad Munir, Managing Director of Ittfaq 

Travel and Tourism which presented the event was the 

guest of honour. Renowned Pakistani poets Zahid Fakhri, 

Tariq Sabzwari, Dr Akhtar Hashmi and Asif Mughal paid 

glowing tributes to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) at the 

Naatia Mushaira. 

Aminullah Khan Raisani also recited his poem Dua. 

Other local poets and speakers included Murawat Ahmed, 

Mohammed Zakariya Babur, Azra Aleem and Shehzad 

Ahmed. The seventh edition of Naatia Mushaira, conducted 

by noted compere Shakeel Bukhari, was a huge success. 

All the participants received prizes and mementos. Dr 

Akhtar Hashmi presented his two new Urdu books to the 

chief guest. 

The event was attended by a select gathering of poetry 

lovers who seemed to enjoy the literary evening of the highest 

order. This year’s Naatia Mushaira attracted the largest 

visitor turnout in view of the increased interest in such 

events following the continued wave of Islamic awakening 

around the world. 

The key highlight of Naatia Mushaira is the spotlight on 

the Leader of all messengers of God, Prophet Muhammad 

(PBUH). Naat is a form of poetry penned in the praise of 

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). 

Syed Jameel Zaidi, Chief Co-ordinator of the Mushaira, 

thanked all the sponsors for making the event a success. 

as if history came alive as they 

explored the library, the amphitheatre, 

and of course, the 

Roman toilets. 

In all, students were away 

for five days but returned with a 

lifetime of not-to-be-forgotten 

memories. Imaginations were 

kindled, hopefully to spark an 

idea which will take man even 

further into the heavens. Let 

the dreams begin! 

— By Keith Boniface

PEOPLE’S 

PLATFORM 

I 

USED to read the plights of 

disabled and specially-abled 

people being published in your 

newspaper in various columns very 

often and I appreciate your team 

for the same. But whatever way we 

try to give the disabled their due, 

more often than not they are being 

violated and we are suffering a lot 

on account of the same. Many of 

the shopping malls don’t have the 

required slope for our wheelchair to 

go in and out. Most of the companies 

in the country do not have job 

reservations for us (I am not forgetting 

the companies that give priority 

to the disabled whenever there is a 

vacancy suitable for them). Added 

to all these, there are some who 

constantly occupy disabled’s parking 

space with no shame at all. 

Recently, I went to the Wattayah 

clinic with my wife where I noticed 

the disabled people’s parking was 

occupied by a normal person and 

when I enquired with the person, 

his answer was rather interesting. 

He said that the four-wheel drive 

was hired by the Ministry of Health 

and he can park it anywhere in the 

clinic premises. Thanks to him for 

letting me know that there is a rule 

like that. 

— Jamil Abdunnaser 

Editor: This is a plight experienced 

by our less abled brothers 

and sisters on many occasions. As 

you said, we have carried several 

write ups on the same and I’m glad 

Accurate diagnosis essential for treatment of disorders 

By Dr Frank C Smigura 

IN the previous three articles 

published in this 

section the importance of 

accurate diagnosis was addressed 

from different vistas. 

The message was simple but 

compelling: To be able to provide 

the best of care to sick 

children, or any patient for 

that matter, one must know, or 

find out quite accurately which 

disease is responsible for the 

patient’s illness. 

The field of GMD is known 

to comprise a large number of 

diverse and complex biochemical 

disorders. Accurate diagnosis 

of the disease in question 

is of fundamental importance 

simply because all decisions 

in regards to treatment (or no 

treatment), prognosis, counseling, 

etc, are dictated by the 

nature of a particular disease. 

To acquire a high level of proficiency 

in the detection of 

GMD, solid knowledge of the 

field along with high degree of 

awareness are essential. 

How many GMD are 

treatable? 

The general misconception, 

based on the western model of 

GMD, is that most GMD are 

not treatable. It is important to 

understand that this ascertainment 

applies to the disorders 

that occur and are seen in the 

western countries but the concept 

is not universally applicable. 

The argument against 

it is two fold: First, there is 

no reason to believe that the 

spectrum of GMD as seen in 

the west will occur and will be 

to say that the Ministry of Social 

Development has acted upon them. 

The Royal Oman Police too, is strict 

against the lawbreakers who take 

away the rights of the disabled. We 

hope that the authorities concerned 

take up this matter with due seriousness. 

Move to amend pension 

system welcomed 

YESTERDAY’S statement by 

Nabhan al Battashi on the 

retirement and pension and insurance 

system in the private sector is highly 

welcomed. For people like me who 

have been toiling hard for private 

companies can heave a sigh of relief 

as the system will be restructured 

at par with the other systems in the 

country. Not everyone can get a job in 

the public sector and people like me 

should serve the private companies. 

I strongly believe that safeguarding 

their interests and their priorities 

should be the aim of such initiatives. 

Let’s all hope that there soon going 

to be a new law pertaining to the 

end-of-service benefits of the people 

in the private sector. 

— Ali Husain al Namani 

Editor: It is, indeed, a laudable 

move to protect the rights of 

the private sector employees in the 

Sultanate. It is based on the belief 

in the importance of the constructive 

dialogue and to ensure that the 

relationship between workers, employees 

and government is based on 

seen universally in all the other 

parts of the world, including 

the Gulf region. The explanation 

for disparity is quite simple. 

It stands to reason that the 

genetic make up of different 

populations in far apart countries 

will differ from region to 

region. The second reason is 

that when talking about GMD 

as a whole, not only those that 

are common in the west, then 

the percentage of treatable 

conditions is quite high and 

with new advancements in 

the science of genetics, their 

number is growing. 

It appears that in the Gulf 

region and specifically in 

Oman, the situation in regards 

to treatment of GMD is quite 

favourable. Based on my 25 

years Omani experience with 

patients with GMD, I can confirm 

that first, when compared 

to the western situation, the 

spectrum of diseases that occur 

and are seen in this country is 

different and secondly, a large 

percentage of the prevalent 

diseases are amenable to some 

sort of treatment. 

Treatment of GMD — 

General Principles: 

How are GMD treated? In 

general terms, treatment of 

patients with GMD is not different 

from treating any other 

patient. There are however 

some important differences 

and to achieve good results, 

some specific principles governing 

treatment of GMD must 

be adhered to. Here are some 

examples: 

Specificity of treatment: 

As a rule, available therapeutic 

modalities are highly 

specific for a particular disease 

and that brings us back to the 

importance of accurate diagnosis. 

The treatment can be 

prescribed, and will be effective 

only, if based on firmly established 

diagnosis, usually at 

biochemical level. This is also 

very important in situations 

where therapeutic measures 

are not available and one has 

to decide, unequivocally, not 

to treat the patient. 

To be effective, treatment 

must be started early: 

FOOD CORNER 

the principle of social partnership, 

co-operation and stability. 

Students’ safety — a far cry 

WITH reference to your article, 

“Indian School Jibroo 

Spotlight on Genetic Metabolic Disorders in Oman — Part 6 

In most patients with treatable 

GMD the treatment is 

effective only if instituted 

early in the course of the illness. 

Otherwise, regardless of 

their effectiveness, therapeutic 

measures will not do the job 

and the disease will not be 

controlled resulting in serious 

consequences to the child. 

Duration of the treatment: 

Once started, it is a common 

practice to maintain the 

therapy for an extensive period 

of time eg years or even 

for life. Under these circumstances 

patient’s compliance 

may be a problem but this can 

be overcome by appropriate 

patient and parent education. 

Assortment of therapeutic 

modalities used in patients 

with GMD: 

27 

LETTERS/HEALTH SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

Give the disabled their basic rights 

accident raises safety questions”, 

I’d like to jot down a few comments 

on the same. First of all, most of 

the teachers in these schools are not 

well qualified and not paid at par 

There is a wide assortment 

of therapeutic measures used 

for treatment of patients with 

GMD from nonspecific, supportive 

treatment to advanced 

medical and surgical modalities. 

In the realm of nonspecific 

remedies, these measures 

are simple and inexpensive, 

but when used promptly, they 

may be life saving. 

At times, dietary manipulation 

can be used as a therapeutic 

tool. Diet supplementation 

with specific vitamins such 

as Biotin, Riboflavin, Vitamin 

B12, Thiamin for vitamin responsive 

disorders, or with an 

amino acid such as Arginine 

are used often. Low protein or 

so called elimination diet are 

all very effective in diseases 

such as Tyrosinemia, Galactosemia, 

Familial Fructose 

Booteen (Cream caramel) 

Ingredients 

4 eggs 

4 cans liquid milk 

Sugar for sweetening 

Saffron + cardamom + rose 

water 

Method 

• Soak saffron and cardamom 

in rose water 

• Whip eggs well until whitened. 

• Gradually add sugar until 

dissolved. 

• Add milk, rose water, saffron 

and cardamom. Stir 

continuously. 

• Pour the blend in a heatproof 

tray. 

• Heat the oven 

• Put a tray filled with water 

Intolerance, and in numerous 

urea cycle disorders. Carnitine 

supplementation is curative in 

otherwise deadly cardiomyopathy, 

a disease affecting heart 

muscle. 

Therapeutics specific for 

GMD: 

Medications specific for 

GMD may take several forms 

and spans a wide spectrum 

of pharmaceuticals. At one 

end there are very simple inexpensive 

drugs available in 

the hospital pharmacy such 

as Sodium Benzoate, Sodium 

Phenylacetate used in patients 

with high Ammonia level in 

blood. Some of these medicines, 

such as Citric Acid with 

Sodium Citrate solutions for 

renal tubular acidosis, are so 

simple that they can be mixed 

in the hospital pharmacy. At 

inside the oven. Place the 

oven tray inside the tray 

after water is boiled. 

• Leave until cooked then 

take out of the oven. Set it 

aside until it is cooled. 

Refrigerate before serving. 

To know whether Booteen 

is cooked thrust a fork or 

a knife into it. It is deemed 

cooked if it is dry. 

Booteen (2) 

Ingredients 

4 eggs 

2 cups milk 

½ cup sugar (if desired) 

¼ coffee cup rose water 

Saffron 

1 tsp cardamom powder 

Method 

with the other schools. There are 

housewives who take up teaching 

as their job just to kill their time and 

to get free education or a discounted 

education for their children. The 

Do you have a word of appreciation for any services you received? Or 

suggestions for improvement? Observer is giving you an opportunity to 

rant or rave about anything and everything around you: Please write to: 

Tel: 24649451, Fax: 24649469; e-mail: observerfeatures@gmail.com 

the other end of the spectrum 

there is a group of highly effective, 

at times costly pharmaceuticals 

used in the field 

of GMD. 

Advanced medical and 

surgical measures: 

These measures are complex, 

demanding wide range of 

expertise and team approach 

for their implementation. In 

spite of their complexities they 

are assuming important role in 

the field. Examples are Bone 

marrow transplantation, liver 

and kidney transplantation and 

gene therapy. To illustrate how 

patients with GMD are treated 

in practice, I will conclude by 

presenting one patient with 

GMD, as he presented at my 

clinic: 

Patient #1: A 14-month-old 

boy was referred because of 

failure to thrive, intermittent 

vomiting and occasional seizures. 

His parents were first 

cousins. Earlier, he was seen 

at Great Ormond Street Hospital 

for Children in London, 

UK and their diagnosis was 

psychogenic vomiting. Our investigation 

demonstrated high 

blood ammonia level after protein 

meal and the boy turned 

out to suffer a treatable GMD. 

The disease is caused by a 

partial enzyme deficiency and 

responds to relatively simple 

medicaments. The boy was 

prescribed: Low protein diet, 

Sodium Benzoate and Arginine 

to be taken orally. His 

vomiting and seizures stopped 

within a few days and he started 

to grow normally. Today 

he is a healthy 23-year- old, 

married man. If untreated, this 

man would most likely have 

suffered severe mental retardation 

and intractable seizures. 

Next week I will discuss 

the importance of preventive 

measures for the families of 

patients with GMD. 

(The author is a Consultant 

in Paediatrics with specialization 

in Genetic and Metabolic 

Disorders. Email: drfcs44@ 

gmail.com) 

• Whip eggs well until whitened. 

Add milk and sugar 

as well as other ingredients. 

Continue whipping. 

• Pour mixture into a bowl 

or heatproof mould and 

put in a tray half filled with 

boiling water. 

• Place the tray inside the 

oven. Leave it until it is 

well done. Insert a knife 

into the Booteen. If knife 

does not cling to the Booteen 

then it is cooked. 

— The recipes are taken 

from the book Al-Azaf, the 

Omani Cookbook, written by 

Lamees Abdullah al Taiya 

and published by Oman Bookshop. 

same teachers pay less attention to 

the classes and invite the children 

to their houses for tuitions at a 

premium price. Some teachers 

take booking for their classes 

six months before the academic 

year. In such cases, where will 

these teachers have sincerity and 

attention to their job in school? 

Secondly most of the rules set 

out by the Ministry of Education 

are flouted by the private transportation 

agents for reasons unknown. 

They don’t even employee and 

attendant in the buses for cutting 

cost. Thirdly, many school bus 

drivers are known for their abusive 

and reckless behaviour towards 

the children and on the road. God 

alone can save our tiny tots. Let’s 

all pray till they come back safe 

from the schools. 

— Harikrishnan 

Editor: As we understand, the 

issue of the student’s safety has 

become a topic of contention. Let’s 

sincerely hope justice is served to 

those who needed it and the prevailing 

laws in the country ensure 

the same. 

Mockery signs behind vehicles 

IT’S a good sign of caring on the 

road if you look at the writing 

behind most of the vehicles 

belonging to private companies. 

“Am I driving safe? If not, please 

call XXXXXXXX” can certainly 

make people beware of their 

duties and responsibilities on road 

while they are behind the wheels. 

Recently, I was taken aback by 

the reckless behaviour of a driver 

of a similar vehicle while coming 

back from Muttrah where I work. 

I somehow managed to grab the 

number written on the rear of the 

vehicle and started dialing it after 

I parked my car at a safe place. 

When the phone was answered, I 

started explaining to the person on 

the other end about my bitter experience 

with his driver. Surprisingly, 

he said “Excuse me sir, I’m driving 

safe; it is you who are not driving 

safe. I think you should take more 

lessons on driving”. Surprisingly, 

I listened the next sentence ‘Yes, 

I’m the one who just drove in front 

of you”. 

— David 

Editor: It evokes the lighter 

side in us. But in most cases, the 

feedback number will be kept with 

the transport in-charge in big 

companies. In this case, I presume 

the company must be a smaller 

one and probably the supervisor 

might have kept the phone with 

the driver. Nevertheless, the companies 

who place their feedback 

number behind any vehicle should 

make sure to keep the phone with 

the head of the department who 

has a voice on the driver’s reckless 

attitude. 

HEALTHY 

FOODS 

By Mini Padikkal 

Nutrition benefits 

of berries 

BERRIES are available in fresh, frozen or dried 

forms. Different types of berries are available all 

over the world. Among those some varieties are 

available in Oman too. They are cranberry, blueberry, 

blackberry, raspberry and strawberry. Most of these varieties 

are imported from other countries to Sultanate. 

Though small in size, berries have big health and nutrition 

benefits. Research has shown that eating berries has a 

positive and profound effect on health. Let us have a look 

into those health benefits: 

Cranberries 

Cranberries are nutritious, rich in fibre, vitamin C and 

phytonutrients, such as flavonoids and proanthocyanidins. 

In addition they have unique anti-adhesion and antibacterial 

properties not found in other fruits. The National 

Institute of Health has done many studies, especially on 

the role of cranberries in fighting urinary tract infections 

(UTIs). Cranberry has unique anti-adhesion properties 

that prevent certain harmful bacteria from sticking to cells 

in our body. This newer concept of anti-adhesion is not 

just limited to bacteria causing UTIs but to other potentially 

harmful bacteria as well, including those responsible 

for stomach ulcers and gum disease. Cranberries contains 

flavonoids which are helpful to fight leukaemia, breast, 

lung and colon cancers. Flavonoids reduce the risk of 

atherosclerosis, by reducing the levels of bad LDL cholesterol. 

Cranberry juice has been shown to inhibit the bacteria 

associated with peptic ulcers, H. pylori. It is a great 

remedy for diarrhoea too. 

Blueberries 

Fresh blueberries have an Oxygen Radical Absorption 

Capacity (ORAC) value of 2400 per 100 gms. They are 

rich in phytochemicals such as phenolic acid, anthocyanins 

and ellagic acid, a natural compound that inhibits 

tumour growth. It is antibacterial and it is good for heart 

too. 

Blackberries 

Blackberries are high in antioxidants. They have the 

highest antioxidant capacity when compared with other 

berries. They are also rich in vitamin C and fibre. They 

contain catechins, such as quercetin, which is an antioxidant 

that can reduce the risk of heart disease and stops 

action of histamine for people with allergies. Blackberries 

contain phytochemicals tannin, flavonoid and cyanidine, 

which have anti-carcinogenic properties. 

Raspberries 

Xylitol, a popular sugar alternative, is made from raspberries. 

They are good source of fibre, phosphorus and 

selenium, and an excellent source of Vitamin C. Fresh 

raspberries, which are high in vitamin C, are used to treat 

and prevent sinus infections. They are rich in a variety of 

antioxidants and phytochemicals like ferulic acid and beta-sitosterol 

that can prevent the growth of premalignant 

and malignant oral cancer cell growth. They have an important 

role in reducing blood sugar level and preventing 

or improving fatty liver conditions. 

Strawberries 

Strawberries are rich in phenolics and antioxidants, 

flavonoids, anthocyanins, ellagic acid, quercetin, catechin 

and kaempferol. They are rich in folate, potassium and 

fibre. Strawberries have a role in reducing oestrogendriven 

cancer as they are rich in ellagic acid, which may 

function as an oestrogen blocker. 

Phytochemicals in strawberries are found to control 

Type 2 Diabetes by reducing blood glucose levels after a 

starchy meal. They have a powerful antithrombotic effect 

by promoting anti platelet activity. 

To get the optimal health benefits of berries eat two to 

three types of fresh, frozen or dehydrated berries each day. 

They can add flavour and nutrition to numerous dishes. 

Incorporate the benefits of berries into your daily diet, as 

a snack or part of meal. They are great addition to your 

salads too. So enjoy the benefits! 

(Note: The writer is a dietician at Atlas star 

Medical Centre, Al Khuwair, Muscat.

28 SOCIETY SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 

World’s longest copy of Quran in the making 

By Mohamad Ali Harissi 

HUSSEIN al Kharsan 

kneels, bent over a giant 

sheet of paper, laboriously 

writing the words of 

Islam’s holy book, the Quran, 

in beautiful Arabic script with 

a traditional wood and feather 

pen. 

Calligrapher Hussein writes a verse from the Holy Quran in Najaf. — AFP 

The 25-year-old Iraqi 

aims to take an unusual path 

to fame: writing the longest 

copy of the Quran in the 

world. Kharsan says the scroll 

is to be between 5,500 and 

6,000 metres long, or 3.4 and 

3.7 miles. 

His aim, he says, is to set a 

Guinness World Record. 

The copy of the Quran 

was supposed to be shown 

this year, when Najaf was to 

be the Islamic Capital of Culture, 

but that project has been 

postponed indefinitely amid 

several delays. 

It has not however stopped 

Kharsan, who graduated from 

Baghdad University’s college 

of fine arts, from continuing 

his work inside a religious 

school in Najaf, despite pains 

in his neck and back from long 

hours of carefully writing out 

one verse after another. 

“At the beginning, the 

agreement was to finish the 

work in six months, on the 

basis of writing three pages 

Hand-hygiene helps to reduce 

healthcare-acquired infections REGULAR 

May 5 is observed as 

World Hand Hygiene Day 

THE World Health Organisation 

(WHO) yesterday 

said the number 

of infections acquired during 

medical or surgical procedures 

can be brought down by 50 per 

cent if good hand hygiene is 

followed. May 5 is observed as 

‘World Hand Hygiene Day’. 

“There is clear evidence 

By Azera Parveen Rahman 

SO your friend told you 

about this tiny, hidden 

away shop in a busy 

market that sells well-known 

international branded clothes, 

shoes and accessories at dirt 

cheap prices? Beware. What 

is being offered could be a 

well imitated, fake product. 

In the thriving billiondollar 

market, fake branded 

goods are often passed off as 

genuine products in disguise 

of export surplus. They have 

the tags of popular brands, 

and it’s difficult to actually 

tell the genuine from the imitation. 

“Most of the goods in 

the so-called export surplus 

shops are fake. They are very 

well imitated and only an 

adept eye can tell the difference,” 

Sanjiv Jain, CEO of 

G Plus-Franchise of brands 

like US Polo, Arrow and En 

Route, said. 

Aarti Mittal of Bloom, a 

multi-brand, high-end fashion 

store in Delhi, agrees. 

She goes on to add that it’s 

that hundreds of millions of 

patients are infected every 

year worldwide by healthcareassociated 

infections. Low 

and middle-income countries 

bear a huge burden of these 

infections,” said Samlee Plianbangchang, 

WHO Regional 

Director for Southeast Asia. 

“There is an urgent need 

because of demand — both 

from the customers who may 

be fooled into believing that 

the products are genuine, and 

those who knowingly buy the 

fake product to show off the 

label — that the market is 

growing. 

“The fake industry is a 

billion-dollar market. People 

who buy these (fake) products 

want the branded tag but 

are not ready to pay the actual 

price. Hence the market 

thrives,” Mittal said. 

According to a study, the 

chunk of consumers, around 

31 percent, of the fake branded 

market are students. The 

reasons are obvious. Living 

on a shoe-string budget and 

desperate to keep in tune with 

the latest trends, they are the 

most vulnerable of the lot. 

“I recently bought a pair 

of shoes of a well-known 

brand for just Rs.500. The 

shopkeeper told me that since 

it was an export-surplus product, 

the price was a quarter of 

the original price! It was a 

real steal,” gushed Arunima, 

a student. 

to establish reliable systems 

for surveillance of such infections 

to assess the actual burden. 

This must be treated as a 

priority patient safety issue,” 

Plianbangchang added. 

Healthcare-associated infections 

are infections caused 

by a variety of organisms during 

the course of receiving 

medical care. The infections 

can result in prolonged hospital 

stay, long-term disability, 

increased resistance to antibiotics 

and sometimes, death, 

the WHO said. 

The global health body, in 

its initiative ‘Save lives: Clean 

your hands’, will focus on the 

importance of hand hygiene 

in hospitals and health care 

facilities to reduce healthcareassociated 

infections. 

India’s 572 hospitals have 

joined the initiative where emphasis 

is laid on clean hands in 

healthcare. 

The WHO said these infections 

put newborns as a highrisk 

population in developing 

countries while neonatal infec- 

tion rates are three to 20 times 

higher than in industrialised 

countries. 

“Low and middle-income 

countries bear an additional 

burden due to poverty, lack 

of basic hygiene, limited resources, 

malnutrition, patient 

age under 1 year and low birth 

weight,” the WHO said. 

“General barriers to infection 

control practices are 

lack of financial support, inadequate 

numbers of trained 

personnel working in infection 

control, understaffed hospital 

units, and insufficient equipment 

and supplies,” it added. 

The campaign was 

launched by WHO in 2009 

to create awareness about the 

benefits of an improved hand 

hygiene. 

This year’s theme ‘Save 

lives — clean your hands’ is 

aimed at improving hand hygiene 

in the health care sector, 

where the cleanliness of hands 

is often credited with saving 

more lives than most medical 

breakthroughs. 

out of 503 pages of the Quran 

every day,” Kharsan said. 

“I succeeded at the beginning 

and worked for 16 hours 

a day for more than two weeks 

until I started suffering pains,” 

he said. 

“The doctor asked me 

to stop working for about a 

month but I refused and told 

him that I work with the blessings 

of the Quran. Now I take 

pain-killing pills and work for 

five hours a day, which means 

I need about a year to finish.” 

Kharsan, who began participating 

in Arabic calligraphy 

competitions when he was 

just nine years old, writes on 

four pieces of white paper that 

are each 1,500 metres long. 

He has succeeded in copying 

13 pages of the Quran 

since he started his work about 

a month ago. 

Arabic calligraphy is one 

of the most prominent forms 

of Arab and Islamic art. 

“We are the people of Arabic 

calligraphy,” said Sheikh 

Ali Merza, the principal of 

the school where Kharsan is 

working on the Quran. 

“Kufi calligraphy (named 

after Najaf’s twin city of 

Kufa) is well-known, and 

when we want to do calligraphy, 

it is not something new 

for us because we practised 

this kind of art historically,” 

Merza said. 

He added that Kharsan’s 

work will be displayed in Na- 

Sharma’s friend too bought 

a branded hand bag for a few 

hundreds, when the actual 

price could easily be around 

Rs.3,000. 

Are they really sure that 

the products are genuine? 

“The shopkeeper said it 

was genuine...and I really 

don’t know the difference. 

In any case, it was a good 

deal, and we couldn’t have 

afforded the original price,” 

Sharma said. 

According to experts, the 

prices of goods are slashed 

by as much as 40-45 per cent 

in such shops, as compared to 

their original prices. 

Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai 

and other metros are among 

the hot spots where such 

shops thrive. The fake product 

market has led to a huge 

economic burden on manufacturers 

of original products. 

Not surprisingly, most of 

those who run such stores 

selling branded goods at 

cheap prices, claim that they 

sell original products. 

Brand managers, however, 

jaf, even if the Capital of Islamic 

Culture project does not 

go ahead. 

Guinness World Records 

does not have any entries for 

the longest Quran, but the 

largest printed copy measures 

two metres (6.5 feet) high and 

1.52 metres (4 feet, 11 inches) 

wide, and was unveiled in 

Russia last November. 

The smallest copy, printed 

in Cairo in 1982 and owned 

by a Pakistani man, is 1.7 

by 1.3 centimetres (0.66 by 

0.5 of an inch), but still 571 

pages long. 

The biggest book in the 

world, meanwhile, measures 

five by 8.06 metres (16.4 by 

26.44 feet) and weighs some 

1,500 kilogrammes (3,306 

pounds). It is on the life and 

achievements of the Prophet 

Muhammad, and was unveiled 

in Dubai in February. 

“It is very nice to do work 

that is related to the Quran or 

(holy) shrines,” Kharsan said. 

“This is a blessed work. But at 

the same time, my name will 

be part of history, because we 

compete on an international 

level.” 

“I do not take any salary 

for my work, although there is 

an agreement that I get a percentage 

of the budget of the 

project, which is about 100 

million dinars ($83,300).” 

“I feel proud of what I am 

accomplishing, and all I want 

is to leave my mark.” — AFP 

Regular jogging may increase longevity 

jogging 

can add up more than 

six years to male life 

expectancy and 5.6 years to 

women’s longevity, reveals 

the latest data from the Copenhagen 

City Heart Study 

(CCHS). 

According to chief cardiologist 

of the CCHS, Peter 

Schnohr, the study’s most recent 

analysis shows that between 

one to two-and-a-half 

hours of jogging per week at 

a “slow or average” pace delivers 

optimum benefits for 

longevity. 

“We can say with certainty 

that regular jogging increases 

longevity. The good news is 

that you don’t actually need to 

do that much to reap the benefits,” 

said Schnohr, based at 

Bispebjerg University Hospital, 

Copenhagen. 

The debate over jogging 

first kicked off in the 1970s 

when middle aged men took 

an interest in the past-time. 

“After a few men died while 

out on a run, various newspapers 

suggested that jogging 

might be too strenuous for ordinary 

middle aged people,” 

recalled Schnohr, according to 

a university statement. 

The CCHS, started in 1976, 

is a cardiovascular population 

study of 20,000 men and 

women aged between 20 and 

93 years. Since then the study, 

which has prompted in publication 

of over 750 papers, 

has expanded to include other 

diseases such as heart failure, 

pulmonary diseases, allergy, 

epilepsy, dementia, sleep-apnea 

and genetics. 

For the jogging sub study, 

the mortality of 1,116 male 

joggers and 762 female jog- 

Brand hungry? Beware of counterfeits R ESEARCHERS have 

disagree, and maintain that 

they conduct raids on such 

“counterfeit” stores. 

“Brands keep conducting 

raids, but in India it is difficult 

to take help from the 

authorities to completely stop 

them (counterfeiters). Until 

and unless strict action is taken 

against such stores selling 

fake products and duping the 

customer, the problem will 

persist,” Jain said. 

The only, and most effective, 

way to fight the counterfeiters, 

therefore, is by discouraging 

consumers. 

“If a customer is looking 

for a genuine product, 

he or she should check with 

the store and make sure that 

the product has the correct 

brand tag, labels et al,” 

Mittal said. 

Jain said: “Quality of a 

product is very important, 

and more often than not you 

can make out the difference 

between a genuine and a fake 

one by the look and feel of 

the product. One can always 

cross check with the store to 

confirm.” — IANS 

gers was compared to the non 

joggers in the main study population. 

All participants were 

asked to answer questions 

about the amount of time they 

spent jogging each week, and 

to rate their own perceptions 

of pace (defined as slow, average, 

and fast). 

The first data was collected 

between 1976 to 1978, the 

second from 1981 to 1983, the 

third from 1991 to 1994, and 

the fourth from 2001 to 2003. 

isolated a compound 

in garlic that is a 100 times 

more potent than popular 

antibiotics in combating 

Campylobacter bacteria, one 

of the commonest causes of 

intestinal illness. 

Some 2.4 million Americans 

alone are affected by 

Campylobacter every year, 

according to the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention, 

with symptoms including 

diarrhoea, cramping, abdominal 

pain and fever. 

“This work is very exciting 

to me because it shows that 

this compound (diallyl sulphide) 

has the potential to reduce 

disease-causing bacteria 

in the environment and in our 

Chief Executive Officer DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI. Editor-in-Chief FAHMI BIN KHALID AL HARTHY 

Printers and Publishers OMAN ESTABLISHMENT FOR PRESS, PUBLICATION AND ADVERTISING 

Results show that in the 

follow-up period involving a 

maximum of 35 years, 10,158 

deaths were registered among 

the non-joggers and 122 deaths 

among the joggers. 

Analysis showed that risk 

of death was reduced by 44 

percent for male joggers and 

44 percent for female joggers. 

Besides, the data showed jogging 

produced an age adjusted 

survival benefit of 6.2 years in 

men and 5.6 years in women. 

Garlic beats antibiotics in 

quelling food-borne illness 

food supply,” says Xiaonan 

Lu, postdoctoral researcher at 

the Washington State University, 

who led the study. Lu and 

colleagues looked at the ability 

of the garlic compound, 

diallyl sulphide, to kill the 

bacteria when it is protected 

by a slimy biofilm that makes 

it 1,000 times more resistant 

to antibiotics, the Journal of 

Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 

reports. 

They found the compound 

can easily penetrate the protective 

biofilm and kill bacterial 

cells by combining with a 

sulphur-containing enzyme, 

changing the enzyme’s function 

and effectively shutting 

down cell metabolism, according 

to a statement. 

Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising; P.O. Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman; Tel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 Fax: 24699643 Website: omanobserver.om 

e-mail: editor@omanobserver.om Salalah Office: Tel: 23292633, Fax: 23293909 Nizwa Office: Tel: 25411099, P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611 ADVERTISING: AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. Box 3303, 

Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: SWITCHBOARD: 24649444, DIRECT: 24649430/24649437/24649401, Fax: 24649434 DISTRIBUTION AGENT: AL OMANEYA FOR DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING, 

P.O. Box 974, P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: 24649350/24649360, Fax: 24649379, subscribe@omandaily.om

Observer & Busness 5 May 2012 - Oman Daily Observer

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?